1st Oct 2013

CR IP TI ON BS SU

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

Syria probe ends ahead of UN mission

Amanda Knox’s 2nd appeals trial opens

NO: 15945

150 FILS

7 40 PAGES

THULQADA 25, 1434 AH

Malian army clashes with Tuareg rebels

8

10

www.kuwaittimes.net

Seahawks down Texans in OT

20

Kuwait warns ‘stateless’ people against protests Court refrains from issuing sentence on 9 activists

Max 39 Min 20º High Tide 08:16 & 22:22 Low Tide 02:44 & 15:59

By B Izzaak KUWAIT: Kuwait’s interior ministry yesterday warned stateless people against staging demonstrations to mark the international day for non-violence, saying it will firmly deal with any protest.

The ministry said in a statement that any processions or protests by “illegal residents”, the phrase the government uses to describe stateless people or bedoons, “would be dealt with firmly and harshly in accordance with the law and procedures”. Kuwaiti police have repeatedly dispersed bedoon protests by force, using tear gas and stun grenades and arresting hundreds of protesters who are currently in trial for taking part in illegal gatherings and resisting police orders.

Bedoon activists have been urging their people to demonstrate peacefully in large numbers on the international day for non-violence which falls on October 2, using social networks, especially Twitter. Bedoon activists yesterday distributed leaflets calling for bedoons to take part in the planned protests.

Continued on Page 13

WASHINGTON: With hours to go until a possible government shutdown, visitors tour the Rotunda of the Capitol in Washington yesterday. — AP

US careens towards shutdown Obama says ‘he is not at all resigned’ WASHINGTON: A conservative challenge to President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare law pushed the federal government yesterday to the brink of the first partial shutdown in 17 years.

Just hours before the midnight (0400 GMT) deadline, the Democraticled Senate rejected a measure passed by the Republican-led House to tie government funding to a delay in the health plan. Now, it will be up to the

House to accept a spending bill that doesn’t delay the health initiative which it has refused to do - or find an alternative acceptable to the Senate.

If it fails to do either of those options, the government faces closures

car bombs kill 54 in Baghdad BAGHDAD: Car bombs killed at least 54 people in mostly Shiite Muslim areas of Baghdad yesterday as suspected Sunni Muslim militants pursued a campaign to plunge Iraq back into sectarian strife. Altogether 14 bombs shook Baghdad, the deadliest of them in Sadr City, where a white car blew up near where men had gathered to seek work, killing seven people, including two soldiers.

“The driver said he would move the car soon, but it exploded a few minutes later,” said Abu Mohammed, a worker at the scene, where bits of molten metal lay among cars wrecked in the blast. Violence blamed mostly on Sunni militants who view Shiites as heretics has killed more than 6,000 people this year, according to the monitoring group Iraq Body Count, reversing a decline in sectarian bloodshed that had climaxed in 2006-07.

At that time, Sunni tribesmen

that would force 800,000 federal workers off the job without pay and rattle the shaky US economic recovery.

Obama said yesterday he was not giving up hope for a deal to avert a Continued on Page 13

Driving does not hurt ovaries: doc RIYADH: A Saudi doctor has gone on-air to dismiss claims made by a well-known cleric who caused a stir when he said medical studies show driving affects a woman’s ovaries. In comments aired over the weekend by the privately owned Rotana channel, gynecologist Mohammed Baknah says scientific studies have not proven that driving has adverse effects on women’s reproductive health. He was addressing remarks by Sheikh Saleh Saad ElLeheidan who said that women who drive suffer from having the pelvis forced upward. His remarks were published Saturday in an interview with the website El-Sabq.

Hardline clerics have opposed a campaign scheduled for October 26 calling on women to drive in defiance of a ban in the kingdom. Another cleric this month called on people to harass women who drive. — AP

BAGHDAD: A general view of the scene following a car bomb in a car park in Baghdad yesterday. — AFP helped US forces rout Al-Qaeda, but many of those “Sahwa (Awakening)” fighters say the Shiite-led government has reneged on promises to reward them. Their discontent reflects wider resentment among minority Sunnis against the government that came to power after the

US-led invasion that vanquished Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Sunnis launched street protests in December after Shiite Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki sought to arrest a senior Sunni politician. A bloody raid by security forces on a Continued on Page 13

Qaeda militants eat human hearts: Syria

This undated image provided by NASA shows Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has detected the presence of a plastic ingredient in Titan’s atmosphere, the first time the chemical has been found in a world other than Earth. —AP

UNITED NATIONS: Syria’s foreign minister claimed yesterday that his government is fighting a war against AlQaeda-linked militants who eat human hearts and dismember people while they are still alive, then send their limbs to family members.

Walid Al-Moallem, addressing world leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York, also charged that the US, Britain and France had blocked the naming of the real perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

He claimed “terrorists” fighting the regime in the civil war are being supplied with chemical weapons, but he did not name specific nations accused of supplying them. President Barack Obama told the UN last week that it was the President Bashar Assad’s regime that was behind a chemical weapons attack in August that killed hundreds in the Damascus suburbs and brought threats of a US strike.

Syria has committed to getting rid of its stockpiles of chemical weapons and the UN Security Council voted unanimously Friday to oblige it to do so based on a plan made by the Organization for the Prohibition of Continued on Page 13

Gulf states weigh US-Iran overtures DUBAI: Lost in the blizzard of attention on Iran’s cautious openings to the US was another bit of noteworthy outreach by President Hassan Rouhani: Sending greetings to Saudi Arabia’s king and appealing for more cooperation between the two regional rivals. Rouhani’s message last week also carried a subtext for Saudi Arabia and the other Western allied Arabian Gulf states.

As Iran’s diplomatic profile rises with attempts to recalibrate its dealings with Washington, the Gulf rulers will have to make adjustments, too.

That’s not such an easy thing for the monarchs to swallow. Leaders such as Saudi King Abdullah are accustomed to having Washington’s undivided focus and a prominent voice in shaping policies over Iran, which Gulf officials routinely denounce for allegedly trying to undermine their rule through suspected proxies and spies. The prospect of Iran and the US becoming something less than arch foes - a flirtation at the UN General Assembly capped by President Barack Obama’s groundbreaking telephone call to Rouhani - pushes the Gulf states toward unfamiliar territory.

They certainly remain a pillar of US diplomatic and military strategy in the region, with key bases and one of the State Department’s main Iran listening posts in Dubai. But a core reason for the cozy ties - beyond maintaining reliable oil supplies - has been mutual worries over Iran. That basis could now be chipped away slightly as Tehran and Washington explore possible direct talks over Iran’s nuclear program. If nothing else, the Gulf’s Arab leaders may have to compete a bit harder for the White House’s ear.

Continued on Page 13

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

LOCAL

AMMAN: Kuwait Parliament Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim and his accompanying delegation pictured during their visit to Jordan yesterday. The Kuwaiti chief parliamentarian is currently on his first visit to Jordan since assuming office. The Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation also visited Syrian refugee camps in Jordan.

Ministries trade blame for Kuwait traffic jams Attempts to avoid responsibility KUWAIT: Weeks after the Interior Ministry officials blamed lack of sufficient road projects for the traffic jams after a long summer break, the Ministry of Public Works argued that they should not be held responsible for “errors in statistics and data” they were provided, based on which road projects are planned. Meanwhile, a local youth group commented on the blame game by insisting that state departments work together to address the snowballing traffic jams crisis rather than blame each other.

Minister of Public Works Abdul-Aziz AlIbrahim, in a statement published by local press on Sunday, said that the studies presented by the Interior Ministry and Kuwait Municipality include statistics that determine a road’s projected capacity on the basis of which MPW projects are outlined.

Furthermore, he cited figures that the General Traffic Department at the Interior Ministry announced previously which indicate that the maximum capacity of Kuwait’s roads network reaches 900,000 compared to nearly 1,600 million registered vehicles in the country; whereas 400,000 are considered old vehicles which need to be removed from Kuwait’s roads.

“Is removing decrepit cars from streets the responsibility of the Public Works Ministry or the Interior Ministry?” Minister Al-Ibrahim asked rhetorically.

In response to the minister’s remarks, the ‘Lay meta zahma?!’ (For how long are we going to suffer traffic jams?!) campaign criticized what they called “the ministry’s attempts to avoid responsibility despite being solely responsible for road construction projects”.

The youth group said in a statement on Sunday that state departments including the interior and public works ministries are required to “accept their responsibility for the deceleration seen on the ground, experienced by everyone living in Kuwait”. “The Ministry of Public Works is in a position to go ahead with projects accordingly and expand road capacity in parallel with the natural population growth.” the statement read.

In other news, Minister Al-Ibrahim who is also Kuwait’s Minister of Electricity and Water announced that this year’s summer has been a “success” in terms of meeting energy demands, and added that the ministry has been able to save an average of 850 megawatts of electricity which is enough to power 9,000 residential units.

Interior plans traffic awareness campaign Marina murder probe continues

Col Adel Al-Hashash

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Director of Public Relations and Moral Guidance, Acting Director of Security Information Col Adel Al-Hashash said the Interior Ministry seeks to spread traffic awareness to safeguard the lives of motorists, particularly the youth among them.

He said an awareness contest for media students at Kuwait University will be held to produce a TV, Radio and advertisement material that contains a “trafficsecurity” idea, to make it easy for youth to communicate, and relay the ideas to their families, in addition to increase awareness and instill traffic and security principles with the contribution of the youth.

He said the goal of the contest is to utilize youth energy in KU, and the graduation projects to produce ideas with youth flavor, that can be used in traffic awareness.

The contest will be named “For You Kuwait.” The Interior Ministry may broadcast the films for noncommercial purposes, and all material will be in the archives.

The Interior Minister has allocated several prizes and appreciation certificates for the contestants to motivate them. The deadline to submit the material is December 1, at Afaq newspaper, Shuwaikh.

KUWAIT: The Public Prosecution extended the detention of the three teenagers accused for murdering a Kuwaiti youth at Marina Mall last Thursday. The trio, two bedoons and one Kuwaiti, will remain in custody, the defendants’ lawyer told a local daily on Sunday.

Meanwhile, attorney Sultan AlMandeel who was assigned to represent the three youngsters in court, said “I understand society’s rejection of the idea of representing the defendants in this case because it is human nature to reject criminal action. However, I am certain that if society reads the finer details of the case, they will realize the actual role of legal defense and their perspective regarding the case will change”.

On Saturday, the Public Prosecution questioned the perpetrators for a second time and this time the prime suspect said that he fatally stabbed the victim after he

attacked him first. The trio who are expected to re-enact the crime towards the end of questioning, claimed self-defense during preliminary interrogations. “We denounce crime, violence and youngsters carrying knives”, Al-Mandeel said. “We demand law enforcement and punishment for the suspects in accordance with the law, especially after investigations painted a clearer picture regarding what happened and it turned out that the victim carried a knife and attacked my client first”.

Al-Mandeel also indicated that both the victim, 24-year-old Jamal Al-Enizy, and the prime suspect, 17year-old Saad Thuwaini, have committed mistakes, but argued that Al-Enizy’s actions “could have motivated” his client’s actions.

Thuwaini said during initial questioning on Friday that he stepped in to break a fight between his friend and the victim after the two accidentally bumped

into each other at the Marina Crescent. He claimed that Al-Enizy was the first to draw a knife out before his friend did the same.

According to him, the incident climaxed when he was stabbed on his shoulder on coming between the attacker and his friend to protect him. This pushed him to stab the victim back. “Sometimes I have to put myself in place of the victim’s family and demand maximum penalty against the perpetrators, and sometimes I have to put myself in place of the suspect’s family and demand that things are viewed in their right proportions”, AlMandeel said.

The crime prompted immediate action from the Interior Ministry who announced on Sunday that preparations were underway to adopt a “comprehensive security system to provide full protection and maintain safety and security at malls.”

Kuwait to build first solar power plant KUWAIT: Kuwait will soon be home to a rather large, 280MW solar thermal power plant - located in Abdaliya, just southwest of the farming region of Kabad. The solar power plant will be Kuwait’s first. Current projections are that the project will end up costing somewhere around or $3.27billion-therefore representing quite a substantial investment

into the country’s energy infrastructure. The contract for the concentrating solar power (CSP) plant-which will rely on and utilise a parabolic trough-was just recently signed, with project details being finalised only in the past couple of weeks.

According to a report from the Kuwait News Agency, the Ministry of Finance’s Technical Office for

KUWAIT: The solar power plant will be Kuwait’s first and the project will end up costing somewhere around or $3.27billion.

Examining Development Projects and Initiatives signed a contract with HSBC, which offered consultancy for the Abdaliya project.

The CSP plant is the first solar power facility in the fossil fuel-rich nation. The Technical Office for Examining Development Projects and Initiatives also announced that it would float the venture for public tender under the country’s public private partnership programme (PPP).

This project represents the first time in Kuwaiti history that a private company has been involved in the state’s development strategy. Kuwait is currently aiming to get at least 15 per cent of its energy needs met via renewable energy sources by the year 2030 — with the country’s aim being to eventually move away from its dependency on oil.

Not a surprising goal, nor one unique for the region - Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and the UAE have all made their renewable energy goals publicly known. Saudi Arabia is currently aiming to generate 1/3 of its electricity via solar energy by the year 2032.

KUWAIT: The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China Cui Jianchon hosted a reception at the Crowne Plaza hotel on the occasion of the 64th anniversary of the founding of his country. A large number of high-ranking officials , diplomats and media persons attended the function. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

LOCAL

KKCF continues charity despite obstacles, problems Devoted to support volunteer work

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Khair Al-Kuwait Charity Foundation (KKCF) held a press conference at Kuwait Journalist Association on Sunday to speak about its establishment and goals. It was founded in 2007 as a non-profit foundation devoted to support vol-

of the orphanage through the donation of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

“All members share the same feeling of social responsibility to give back to Kuwait. In the first place, we work for the orphans, as they in the category that needs care, irrespective of whether the country is rich or

KUWAIT: Adnan Al-Rashid awarding Sheikha Firyal Al-Sabah.

— Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat unteer work in Kuwait. The Chairman of KKCF Sheik ha Fir yal Duaij AlSalman Al-Sabah spoke about the nature and experience of the foundation in charity, humanitarian, and voluntary work. She also spoke about the rehabilitation and reconstruction

poor” said Sheikha Firyal during the conference.

“We are facing many obstacles and problems in our work, especially governmental bureaucracy at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor in this and other projects. Many

employees in the public authorities don’t trust our projects. The former minister of Social Affairs Mohammed Al-Afasi showed his support after meeting us but he unfortunately passed away. I don’t have any official post so my suggestions are always refused as I don’t have any authority, although we give and don’t take,” she stated.

“The KKCF executed the renovation project of the orphanage with the Amiri grant and we even added the rest from our budget to ensure the project wasn’t stalled, although the Ministr y of Social Affairs is responsible for the renovation and reconstruction work. Such delays and bureaucracy may cause disappointment to young generations who are involved in voluntary activities” she further said.

The foundation wants to take care of the orphans to stop this issue from turning into a phenomenon. “ We have to help these orphan children who are not responsible for their situation. They are growing in an unhealthy environment with unqualified people and they need to be raised by specialists to receive the right education and manners. We had to deal with experts from abroad despite having local experts who receive a good salary from the ministry, only because of their ignorance” explained Sheikha Firyal.

There are many wrong decisions or rules applied by the Ministry of

Parliament considers health insurance law KUWAIT: The National Assembly’s Committee on Health and Social Affairs yesterday discussed the health insurance law and how to provide better health services to people.

Emerging from the committee meeting on the issue, Dr Hassan Al-Qwayan, the rapporteur of the committee, said the meeting had also thrashed out overtures purposed to build new clinics, increase working hours at medical centers and set up first-aid centers on highways.

The committee represented a report to the National Assembly on medical priorities in the country, primarily better health services to people, he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the cabinet discussed the results of the country’s municipal elections held on Saturday, hoping that the new Municipal Council would contribute to speeding up the national development process.

During a meeting held at Seif Palace and presided over by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the cabinet was apprised of a report presented by the Interior Ministry on the findings of the municipal polls, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of Health Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said in news remarks following the meeting. The cabinet appreciated dis-

Ministry sued in child drowning KUWAIT: The Ministry of Education could face a court order requiring compensation to be paid to the family of a child who drowned in a pool in Jahra’s private school which was rented by a club during the summer. The incident reportedly happened in July 2012, and the family blames the ministry for allowing the school’s administration to rent the pool without maintaining safety conditions.

But according to a letter sent to the Fatwa and Legislation Department quoted by Al-Rai yesterday, the ministry insists that the management rented the pool without contacting the ministry for permission and therefore cannot be held responsible for the tragic incident. The letter signed by Acting Undersecretary Dr Khalid Al-Rushaid indicates that the ministry’s General Department of Private Education does not assume its supervisory duties over private schools during the summer break.

The same daily reported on Sunday that the Appeals Court ruled that KD 100,000 was paid as compensation to a student’s family who sued the ministry over an incident where the boy was reportedly raped by the principal of his private school. It also quoted a letter sent by the ministry to the Fatwa and Legislation Department requesting that they avoid paying the compensation because they are “not responsible for the principal’s actions”.

tinguished efforts by the interior and education ministries, supervising judges and other state bodies to ensure a smooth, easy and fair municipal electoral process, he said.

During the meeting, the ministers also reviewed two letters recently received by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah from Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Egypt’s interim president Adly Mansour, welcoming invitations to attend an ArabAfrican summit due here in November.

The ministers were also apprised of a recent letter to HH the Amir from Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki, which came within the framework of existing relations between Kuwait and Eritrea, he said.

The cabinet then listened to a briefing from Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on the participation of HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah, the envoy of HH the Amir, in the 68th session of the UN General Assembly, and his meetings with other participating leaders and senior officials, mainly UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon, on the sidelines of the UN meeting.

The meetings focused on bilateral relation, issues of mutual interest and the latest regional and international developments, the minister pointed out.— KUNA

Social Affairs. “Among other mistakes of the ministry is their rule of not allowing KKCF to take the orphans on entertainment trips, which is part of our voluntar y work. We have assigned some of the volunteers to handle these entertainment trips who will even take care of the expenses and yet our proposal. Still we insist on continuing with our voluntary work,” she pointed out.

Fawzi Al-Ruweishid, Member of the Board, presented the PowerPoint presentation, explaining the phases of the project being executed by KKCF now at the Childhood’s House building. “The first phase is done, and there are another four phases waiting to be carried out. These include a number of houses, ballrooms, halls, playing grounds, and other utilities,” he noted.

KKCF Mission: To supplement the role of volunteer work in the development of Kuwaiti society by way of social solidarity achieved through the support and sponsorship of the disadvantaged societal segments targeting with an aim of providing a suitable social environment and improving their living conditions.

KKCF Strategic Goals: To ser ve Kuwaiti society and spread the awareness of charitable volunteer work. To extend a bridge of cooperation between private and government efforts when it comes to community services. To develop understanding and social weakness in dealing with

Municipal poll results reflect ‘disinterest in development’ KUWAIT: The Municipal Council election results and poor turnout reflects a reality that Kuwaitis, either knowingly or not, are not positively interactive with demands of development that they aspire for. This was reported by Al-Qabas yesterday quoting observers who indicated that the results “undoubtedly prove” that Kuwaiti voters still put tribalism and sectarianism ahead of developmental needs.

Meanwhile, the observers believe that the level of participation which was considered the lowest in Kuwait’s history exposes the fact that citizens are not interested in electing a council whose job includes improving, planning the state’s general structure, organizing areas as residential, investment, commercial, and industrial, in addition to other duties such as the buy-operate -transfer (BOT) projects.

“Blaming the government for deceleration of developmental projects is not enough when citizens are also responsible for electing specialized members to the Municipal Council which handles around 10 sectors that pertain to improving the country in various fields”, the observers added.

KUWAIT: Naser Al-Ayar, Sheikha Firyal Al-Sabah and Adnan Al-Rashid. the targeted segments of society. To homes in Kuwait to identify the shortwork with the respective government comings and problems, in order to sector or societal organization in suggest the necessary remedial proimproving services offered to the dis- grams, including educational, behavadvantaged. To study the negative ioral, psychological, social and finanphenomena in society and propose cial programs. To prepare specialized studies on the negative social phesolutions for them.

KKCF General Strategy: To draw nomena related to particular segthe attention of all members of socie- ments of society and make recomty and to encourage the greatest mendations on methods to end the number of volunteers in the founda- negative perceptions of these segtion’s work. To seek the assistance of ments. To review all laws and regulaexperts and specialists from Kuwait tions related to residents of social and abroad to propose related sug- benefit homes and make associated gestions in accordance with the recommendations to the concerned Foundation’s executive programs. To authorities. To raise contributions to conduct a general sur vey and a fund development programs, training detailed study of the social benefit sessions and necessary programs.

MP seeks monopoly ban law

By A Saleh KUWAIT: MP Riyadh Al-Adsani said that he filed an inquiry to the Minister of Commerce and Industr y about the monopoly ban law. “The Constitution stipulates that competition should be free but the law was kept in the drawers of the first annulled parliament”, he said noting that this law encourages competition and helps fight unemployment.

“Monopoly hinders implementation of a free economy”, he said and elaborated that because of non-monopoly, goods prices in KSA are 22 percent cheaper than in Kuwait.

MP Khalaf Dumaitheer declared his intention to question the justice minister about the interference of a judge and some candidates in directing court sentences about writing off some parliamentary candidates.

MP Khalil Al-Saleh pleaded to HH the PM Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak to stop what he described as the “massacre of compulsory retirement” of officials who had been in service for 35 years and public servants who had been in service for 30 years.

“This decision has created tension in various governmental establishments and made citizens lose trust in them”, he underlined noting that most near-retire-

ment employees were performing indifferently. He also noted that some ministries had not put the retirement decision into practice so far.

MP Saleh Ashour said that it was high time for the government, represented in the finance minister, to pay more attention to the stock market where bidding citizens were the biggest losers. “Instead of considering closing the bourse for bankrupt citizens, officials should consider saving it”, he underlined.

MoE’s Dr Khaled Al-Rasheed, Acting Undersecretary, issued a directive regulating Hajj leave for ministry employees and teachers. The directive had a condition that the applicant should not have taken the same leave before, even if he used to work for any other ministry of government establishment. Kuwait applicants should spend a minimum one year in service before applying while nonKuwaitis should be in service for at least two years. Al-Rasheed also said that syllabus coverage should not be affected in case applicants were teachers and left the decision in such cases to school directors and instructed them to give priority to older teachers and those in service for longer. He also laid a condition that upon returning, applicants should present documented proof that they went on Hajj.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

LOCAL

kuwait digest

Al-Anbaa

Blame it on bedoons

By Dr Ibtihal Al-Khateeb

W

kuwait digest

What is the opposition up to?

By Thaar Al-Rashidi

I

have no idea what the opposition might say at the conference they intend to hold today, but I do know of the new things they might have call for. In my opinion, they will have nothing new to add but instead might renew their old demands.

However, this conference is not expected to be anything more than the previous ones which didn’t result in anything significant. This is mainly because the opposition has been retreating for the past six months and its icons have been fading away which unfortunately was welcomed by many who applauded this state of “opposition political low tide” and considered it a victory for the government.

In fact, the opposition’s recession that may seem like a victory for the government is not good for national interests. Any country that is void of true opposition can be torn apart by corruption, tyranny and eventually, go into a state of ‘dictatorship hibernation’.

Back in the eighties when the British Conservative Party conquered its rival, the Labor Party, many conservatives considered it a major unprecedented political triumph. Nevertheless, the

most radical conservatives rejected such a political victory achieved under Margret Thatcher because it came at the expense of democracy!

In a democratic country like Kuwait, it is not wise to crush the opposition or work on uprooting it because a country without opposition is one without democracy. Under no circumstance should we allow the opposition to crumble, no matter how much we disagree with them. The absence of opposition means spread of corruption.

The opposition is an integral part of the political scene. It is actually the most important constituent of political formulae in any country. Hence, we should support the opposition’s return regardless of our differences with them and the methods they follow. Yet, we never disagree in principle and should not disagree about the significance of their strong presence. So, if you are anti-opposition and do not wish to support them, then at least try not to discourage them from coming back. Finally, for those asking what the opposition is up to, they should realize that in the partial absence of the opposition, corruption has alarmingly and unbelievably prevailed! — Al-Anba

e live in a society where we have problems similar to people from other societies and cultures. But what makes us different is our strange contradiction. We live a certain lifestyle but dress according to a completely different one. We say something and do the exact opposite. We cheer for something and then get caught doing something that goes against it.

Following the heinous crime at Marina Mall where a man in his twenties was murdered, we traded barbs with each other instead of searching for the real factors behind the increase in crimes.

The lack of security, psychological circumstances such as the role of school, family and media are some of the reasons behind the increase in crime rates. Since we always seek a rapid solution for the problem, we always look quickly for reasons to blame them on. We have to find a criminal to accuse until he succumbs along with his whole clan after which we can celebrate our victory and go home.

Soon after the news of the crime broke out, Kuwait’s bedoon community was accused as usual.

Of course, they are the cause of all of our problems.

They are the reason behind corruption, slow development, wasta, traffic jams, the Kuwait Airways’ woes, the extremely hot summer and while we are at it, the hole in the ozone layer. Does blaming others make us feel better about ourselves? Yes but only for humans who are imperfect by nature yet claim perfection. It is easier to claim perfection and blame a hundred thousand people living in Sulaibiya and Jahra for our own problems. It is easier to accuse them of “conspiring” against us and “daring” to mingle with us in our malls to destroy our perfect lives.

We live in a contradicting society where people cover their head, expose their body and preach loudly about virtue. There is no offense greater to the deceased young man or a greater stab in the heart of his family than the accusations which weren’t only targeted at the bedoon killer but also the entire bedoon community in Kuwait. It is offensive to the victim and his family that the society finds it easier to stereotype a community than actually find the real reasons behind growing violence.

One of the three suspects is Kuwaiti, and the other two are bedoon. It is easier to turn a blind eye to the Kuwaiti man and let the other two bedoons take all the blame while we continue to salvage our angelic reputations as Kuwaitis. Another young man, and another victim. In the meantime, we continue to swim in the sea of our discrimination. How many young men are we going to lose as we continue to sing along with and dance to the same tune?

How can a society that always preaches about religion and morals, go on offending others, and in the process forget the basic principle of “No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another” (Holy Quran - 39:7)? How can a society with so many mosques, pilgrimage campaigners, fasting (not optional during Ramadan), preachers on TV programs and religious curricula, accept corruption, wasta and discrimination to continue spreading within? How can a person who preaches religion day and night send a text message saying “See? I told you the killer was bedoon”. Why this contradiction between our appearance and acts? We either abandon discrimination, or we abandon morals and religion. The two attributes can never co-exist, can they? — Al-Jarida

In my view

Sectarian rampage

By Nicola Nasser

T

he blind sectarian rampage, which has been waging a war on worship mosques, churches and religious shrines have become a modern Arab trade mark phenomenon, since what the western media called from the start the “Arab Spring” overwhelmed the Arab streets.

The sectarian rampage is sweeping away in its rage cultural treasures of archeology and history, hitting hard at the very foundations of the Arab and Islamic identity of the region, but more importantly tormenting the souls of the Arab Muslim and Christian believers who helplessly watch the safe havens of their places of worship being desecrated, looted, bombed, leveled to the ground and turned instead into traps of death and monuments of destruction by the “suicide bombers” who are shouting “God is great.”

The only regional precedent for the destruction of worship places on such a scale was the destruction of some one thousand mosques since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.

A research by Israeli professor Ayal Banbanetchi, Rapaport noted that after 1948, only 160 mosques remained in the area. In the following years, this number shrank to 40, meaning that 120 were destroyed.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip documented the names and locations of 47 mosques that were destroyed completely and 107 others partially damaged by Israeli bombing during the “Operation Cast Lead” in 2008.

Maybe because those crimes went unpunished the western public opinion turns a blind eye to the new Arab phenomenon.

Most likely, the leaders of the Israeli fundamentalist Jewish “Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement” are watching closely and wondering whether the current destruction of mosques by the Muslims themselves would be enough justification to carry out the movement’s public threats to build the “third temple” on the debris of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, in Jerusalem.

It is noteworthy that this destructive phenomenon was an integral part of the “Arab Spring,” which so far has ousted two Presidents in Egypt and three others in Tunisia, Yemen and Libya, but successfully contained in the Moroccan and Jordanian monarchies.

However, containment has been so far unsuccessful in the Kingdom of Bahrain, where the ongoing anti-government mass protests still rage uncontainable to the extent that the tiny island kingdom was forced to invite a Saudi Arabian contingent of the GCC’s “Peninsula Shield Force” to move in for help.

Nonetheless, opposition sources and the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights reported “documented” attacks by “the ruling regime” on 37 Shiite mosques, destroying 27 of them, some one thousand years old.

The “Arab Spring” was optimistically named after a season in nature during which life is reborn and was supposed to promise a renewal of the stagnant political, social and economic life in the Arab world.

Unfortunately it turned instead into a sectarian season of killing, death and destruction by counterrevolution forces nurtured financially, logistically, militarily and politically by the most conservative among the Arab ruling regimes in the Arabian Peninsula and their US-led western sponsors and backers.

The sectarian cleansing in Iraq and Syria commit-

ted by the exclusionist sectarian zealots has become an Islamist modern copy of the European Christian inquisition in the Middle Ages, with the difference that the old European one was more systematic and organised by the Vatican institution and its allied states while it is perpetrated by uncontrolled sporadic and shadowy gangs of terror in the modern Arab case.

The fact that this horrible phenomenon came into life only with the US-led invasion then occupation of Iraq in 2003 and exacerbated with the on-record US campaign for a “regime change” in Syria could only be interpreted as an outcome of a premeditated policy to divide and rule in the Arab world.

On Aug 24, the Maronite patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai’e told the Vatican Radio: “There is a plan to destroy the Arab world for political and economic interests and boost inter-confessional conflict between Sunnis and Shiites,” adding, “We are seeing the total destruction of what Christians managed to build in 1,400 years” in terms of peaceful cohabitation and coexistence with Muslims.

This interpretation is vindicated, for example, by the fact that both the sectarian ruling antagonists, who were brought to power in Iraq by the invading US army, and the Al-Qaeda-linked protagonists, whose presence in Iraq coincided with the US occupation of the country and who are waging a sectarian war of terror to remove them from power, were both US-made warriors, the first as the “democratic opposition” to the national “dictatorship” of late Saddam Hussein and the second as the “freedom fighters” against the military occupation of Afghanistan by the former Soviet Union “empire of evil,” according to the US propaganda terminology.

In Iraq, AFP reported on May 20, that a “war on mosques” still “rages.” Seven years earlier the bombing of the dome of the Shiite Al Askari Mosque in Samarra, or the Golden Mosque, was followed by attacks on more than 200 Sunni mosques within two days according to the UN mission in the country.

This is indeed a sectarian civil war, but its seeds were sown during the US “Operation Phantom Fury” in 2004 on what Iraqis call “the city of mosques” of Fallujah, where scores of mosques were destroyed completely or damaged by the Americans.

Misleadingly or otherwise, the mainstream western media is singling out the plight of Arab Christians in this blind rampage, although their plight is incomparable to that of their Muslim compatriots neither in numbers and magnitude of the phenomenon nor in the resulting human, social, political, cultural and material losses.

Writing in the Gulf News on September 11, Dr. Joseph A. Kechichian said, “it was impossible to separate the fate of Arab Christians from their Muslim brethren, a term used here in the sense of fellow citizens not necessarily brotherhood.

Indeed, when Iraqi, Egyptian and now Syrian churches were/are destroyed, it is necessary to also note that Sunni and Shiite mosques were and are shelled on a regular basis.”

In Iraq for example more than sixty churches were attacked since the US invasion in 2003, but more than four hundred Muslim mosques were targeted.

An estimate of two thirds of Iraq’s 1.5 million Christians have been forced to flee the country, but four million Iraqi Muslims became refugees abroad and a few millions more were internally displaced as the result of mass sectarian cleansing campaigns.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

LOCAL

KUWAIT: Pakistan’s Naval Forces Frigate Tariq, docked at Shuwaikh port, its third and last stop, within Pakistan’s naval forces mission to fight illegal activities in the Arabian Sea. The ship is in Kuwait waters after visiting Oman and UAE before heading back to Pakistan.

Drunk holds ‘free concert’ in Jahra Two dead in Fourth Ring Road crash KUWAIT: Two men died and a third one was left critically wounded in an accident reported on the Fourth Ring Road on Saturday night.

Paramedics and police rushed to the scene near Jabriya where a two-car collision was reported. A 26-year-old Jordanian man and a 45-year-old Egyptian man who were in the same car were pronounced dead on the scene while a Kuwaiti man in the other car was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition. A case was opened to determine the circumstances behind the accident.

Stray dogs Interior Ministry snipers killed two stray dogs which terrorized business-owners and people in Sulaibiya’s industrial zone. Patrol officers accompanied by trained snipers rushed to the area recently following repeated reports about a herd of stray dogs which posed a risk to people’s safety. The snipers shot dead two dogs that people singled out as most likely to target civilians, and

left the scene after making sure that the location was clear. The Interior Ministry has repeatedly denied allegations of shooting stray dogs in the past after animal rights organizations condemned them when hunters targeted the canines after they attacked a child in Khairan (south) two months ago.

Wolf in sheep clothing Investigations are ongoing in search of a man who attempted to sexually assault a female driver according to a report filed in Sulaibiya. The case was filed after a Kuwaiti woman approached local police and told them that she asked a man for directions after she lost her way and entered Sulaibiya accidently when she was on her way from Jahra to Saad Al-Abdullah. The man told her to follow him but instead lured her to a remote location near Sulaibiya’s industrial zone. He stopped at the side of the road, went to the woman’s car and then began to harass her as soon as she rolled the window down. She man-

UCLG Congress a good platform to share municipal experiences RABAT: Governor of Kuwait’s Ahmadi Governorate, Sheikh Dr Ibrahim Al-Duaij AlSabah arrived here yesterday, leading Kuwait’s delegation to the Fourth World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders.

The gathering, organized by the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) under auspices of Moroccan King Mohammad VI, will kick off today and last until Oct 4.

Speaking upon his arrival at the RabatSale Airport, Sheikh Ibahim expressed joy for attending this global event and having the chance to meet Moroccan municipal leaders.

“Kuwait partakes in this gathering for the first time. We hope to share experience with the other participants in the areas of local government, the democratic decentralized administration of cities and sustainable development, “ he said.

“We hope to be able to discuss with municipal leaders from around the globe, notably Rabat Mayor and Morocco’s ex-minister of finance Fatehallah Walow, the best practices in the municipal affairs,” he pointed out. Such gatherings provides an ample opportunity for local and regional leaders to network and twin their respective cities and

regions with each other, Sheikh Ibrahim said, noting that Ahmadi is twinned with several Arab and foreign cities.

He commended the organizers of the event for the good preparations and constant contacts with the participants, which, he said, ensures the complete success for the event.

The four-day event, themed “Imagine Society - Build Democracy,” is to bring together over 3,000 local and regional leaders; it coincides with the 100th anniversary of the international municipal movement.

The conferees are scheduled to discuss a host of issues including ways to promote development of territories, ensure solidarity and sustainability, foster well-being, manage diversity and solidarity between different communities, and shape the future of urban development.

They will also assess the progress made by their respective cities towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the post-2015 era and the agenda for Habitat III in 2016.

Sheikh Ibrahim and his party were received by Kuwait Ambassador to Morocco Shamlan Abdulaziz Al-Roumi and other diplomats. —KUNA

Kuwait-India cooperation KUWAIT: Undersecretary of His Highness the Premier’s Diwan Sheikha Etemad Khalid Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Seif Palace yesterday Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Satish C. Mehta.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed consolidating the distinctive bilateral relations between the two countries and

ways to improve them, as well as expanding cooperation prospects for the interests of people of both countries.

The meeting was also attended by superintendent of the office of the Undersecretary of the Prime Minister’s Diwan Sheikh Mohammad Ahmad AlKhalid Al-Sabah.— KUNA

TEC hosts handwriting training courses

Saqr Al-Badr

Noura Al-Majid

Kuwait: The Touristic Enterprises Company announced yesterday that it will be hosting an Arabic handwriting and Islamic decoration training course, which is the first of its kind to be held in Kuwait.

“The course takes place in coordination with the Islamic Decoration and Handwriting Dewan at the beginning of the school year in order to give students the opportunity to practice what they learn during their daily homework”, said Acting Public Relations and Media

Director at the TEC, Saqr Al-Badr.

Meanwhile, Al-Badr added that Arabic handwriting instructor Noura Al-Majid has been selected to oversee workshops that will be held as part of the event.

The first workshop will be held on Thursday at the Ras Al-Ardh Sea Club between 7 pm and 8pm, while the second takes place on Oct 10 at the Shaab Sea Club between 7pm and 8pm as well.

Al-Badr added that a third workshop will be held in Khairan Resort at a date to be announced in the future.

aged to escape and went to the Sulaibiya police station immediately to report the case.

Teacher charged A middle-school teacher in Jahra faces charges after he physically abused a student and left him with multiple bruises. The case was filed at the Saad Al-Abdullah police station on Sunday when a Kuwaiti handed officers a medical report from the Jahra Hospital describing injuries that his son reportedly sustained at the hands of his Islamic studies’ teacher. The man first noticed bruise marks on his son’s body, and the 9th grader explained that his teacher “broke a stick” on his body, slapped him repeatedly and verbally abused him. Police summoned the teacher for questioning on charges of physical and verbal assault.

Maid suicides A domestic helper died in Salmiya after falling from a 12th floor apartment in a suicide bid,

according to preliminary investigations.

Paramedics and police rushed to the scene as soon as the incident was reported, but the Filipina woman was dead by the time they arrived. Investigations so far indicate that the housemaid committed suicide by jumping from the kitchen window of her Egyptian employer’s apartment. The body was taken to the forensic department and a case was filed at the area’s police station.

Meanwhile, a housemaid attempted suicide after her employer caught her in the company of an unknown man at home but the maid eventually escaped. The incident took place in Salmiya when a female Arab employer approached the maid’s room to inspect the source of unusual noises heard late at night. The woman opened the door and saw that the Nepalese maid had hosted a man in her room. The Arab employer closed the door and immediately called the police. While waiting for officers to arrive, the sponsor spied on the duo through a keyhole and

saw the stranger escape through the window and when she opened the door, she saw the maid wrapping a headscarf around her neck, getting ready to hang herself. According to the employer, the maid then hit her own head with an iron bar which left her bleeding, and then managed to escape in the middle of the chaos she had created. Blood traces were found in the maid’s room during investigations. Local medical facilities were notified about the maid’s identity and description as part of ongoing search operations.

Drunk singer A middle-aged man was arrested in Jahra after he sat down by the side of a road and held an open-air concert in an inebriated state. Police rushed to Al-Naeem where several people reported seeing a drunk man singing loudly. The Kuwaiti man was arrested and taken to the Jahra police station where he was charged for public nuisance and intoxication.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

LOCAL

Professional online presence essential DUBAI: The Bayt.com Personal Branding in the Middle East and North Africa poll, conducted recently by Bayt.com, has shown that managing one’s online presence and creating a powerful personal brand is more important than ever, with nine out of 10 respondents turning to the internet to search for people they’ve just met or are about to meet, and 70.5% of polled professionals saying they have changed their mind about a candidate based on their online presence.

More than half of the poll’s respondents (54.3%) say they are aware of the concept of personal branding, with 81.9% claiming to search for themselves online on search engines like Google (with 46.5%) stating they ‘always’ look themselves up on the internet, while 46.2% ‘always’ turn to online search engines to find out more about those they have met, or are about to meet.

At the same time, 41.5% of responding companies ‘always’ research new hires online before hiring, with a fifth maintaining they (19.8%) ‘sometimes’ do so. “The large number of companies that research candidates makes it more essential than ever for a candidate to have a professional and appealing online presence on a leading professional careers platform with significant regional inroads in order to secure a job,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com. “. In fact, even something as simple as a photograph could influence decisionmakers, with eight in 10 (79.6%) respondents of the belief that their online photo effects how they are perceived.”

The majority of respondents (68.9%) feel that current social networks allow them to convey their key strengths at a professional level, though three quarters (74.6%) are concerned that sharing information online poses a threat to their privacy. The majority of respondents (37.6%) also claim that privacy is one of the biggest issues when it comes to managing their personal brand, followed by the challenge of not knowing where to start with formulating a professional personal brand (21.1%). Despite this, the overwhelming majority (92%) of respondents think that personal online branding increases their career opportunities, with the most important benefits being the ability to showcase their abilities (23.2%), and connect to their target audience (21.1%). Being able to distinguish themselves from others in their field (14.7%) and becoming an expert or thought leader (13.2%) are also important.

When asked whether they would like to showcase their key skills and expertise in a more creative way, 97% of respondents said yes. More than half (51.1%) believe that their own CEO’s personal branding skills are ‘excellent’, with a further 20.2% stating that they are ‘above average’, suggesting that those higher up the corporate ladder have already established the best ways

to promote their image and are already reaping the results and benefits of professional online branding.

“The time has never been more apt for people in the MENA region to start shaping and monitoring their online presence,” continues Masri. “Developing a strong online personal brand as the poll shows, is essential not only for job seekers, but also for ambitious professionals at all career levels and in all industries looking to move up the corporate ranks and connect with peers, employers and clients. At Bayt.com, we have been serving the region for over 13 years, empowering professionals and employers in the MENA with the tools and information to build their lifestyle of choice. Our mission of empowerment combined with our knowledge of the importance of branding has resulted in the recentlylaunched Bayt.com Specialties platform, which allows people to harness the power of the internet to create empowering sophisticated and customized online professional profile. The best part isthat the Bayt.com platform is designed with two principal tenets in mind: to enable professionals to control their privacy as per their comfort level as well to empower them to truly shine by demonstrating their abilities, connecting to their target professional audience and establishing themselves as experts in their chosen fields. Bayt.com Specialties provides the ideal platform for professionals wishing to establish a professional online brand at no cost and with maximum visibility, utility and flexibility.”

Data for the Bayt.com Personal Branding in the Middle East and North Africa poll was collected online from August 16 to Sept 19, 2013, with 8,154 respondents from UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

Bayt.com is the largest and most relevant community of professionals interested in the MENA region, with over 11,250,000 registered jobseekers and 40,000 employers. Bayt.com has 11 regional offices, more than 270 staff and a 13-year track record of successfully matching the region’s top talent with top employment opportunities at every career level, in every industry.

Founded in 2000, Bayt.com has become one of the most trusted and respected brands in the region. Over the years, they have won numerous awards of recognition, including the “Leading E-Commerce Website in the Pan Arab Region” by the Pan Arab Web Awards (2007), the “Company of the Year ” award by the TECOM Investments Pearl Awards (2009), SME Advisor Stars of Business Awards (2011), the “Top Companies to Work for in the UAE” award by the Great Places to Work Institute (2011 and 2012), and the “Gulf Capital Business of the Year” and “People & Culture of the Year” by SMEInfo Awards (2012). — Bayt.com

ABK sponsors students conference KUWAIT: As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility program, ABK is proud to sponsor the National Union of Kuwaiti Students (NUKS) - USA Branch 30th Annual Conference.

The sponsorship of one of the largest gatherings of Kuwaiti students living abroad symbolizes the Bank’s commitment and social responsibility to its national youth.

Sahar Therban, PR Manager at ABK, stated, “Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait is proud to sponsor this annual conference for the fifth consecutive year in order to support Kuwaiti students studying abroad. ABK believes in the importance of investing time,

effort and resources in future generations that will contribute to the development of our beloved country.”

The NUKS - USA Branch Union Secretary. Mohammed Al Hamad stated, “ABK’s timely support gives NUKS a fresh impetus to organize the event so Kuwaiti students studying in the USA are updated with the latest information of existing career opportunities. NUKS-USA is delighted that the Kuwait banking sector in general, and ABK in particular is keen on supporting and sponsoring NUKS conferences, since NUKS represents the largest sector of Kuwaiti youth studying overseas.”

Huge orders at Expo Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Foreign buyers placed orders worth millions of dollars with Pakistani exporters as Expo Pakistan 2013 came to a close in the southern city of Karachi, with over 15 Kuwaiti companies among those seeking good business.

The four-day mega event took place from Sept 26 to 29 and attracted a large number of foreign and local buyers, and the Kuwaiti companies present included some operating in the fields of information technology , consumer goods, fruits and produce, textiles and electronic industries.

According to Trade Development Association of Pakistan officials, buyers from Azerbaijan, Kuwait, and the US finalized deals worth $29 million for import of

consumer goods. The exhibitors of agro food in rice, fruits and vegetables, and herbal items negotiated deals of $35 million with Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Other deals included orders of $8 million from Bangladesh, and a chunky $100 million from the UAE home furnishing sector.

Expo Pakistan 2013 was termed a big success with over 1,000 foreign buyers showing up from 70 countries including leading importers of food items, sports goods, surgical goods, food processing equipment, textile raw material, machinery and plants. This year buyers from other potential areas like the marbling sector, super store chains and retail outlets, and pharmaceuticals have also visited the expo. — KUNA

Sharp increase in number of Crohn’s patients in Kuwait KUWAIT: “There has been an alarming increase of people suffering from Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the small intestine and colon. This year, we have and are still currently treating many patients at Al Amiri Hospital, “said Dr Fahad AlIbrahim - IBD Specialist and Consultant Gastroentologist at Thunayan Al-Ghanem/Al-Amiri Hospital. Crohn’s disease can be described as a condition which affects an individual’s digestive tract leading to the inflammation of the lining of the intestinal tract that can spread deeper into the bowel tissue.

While there is no cure for Crohn’s disease, treatment can vary through medications, restoring and maintaining proper nutrition, and surgery if needed.

People suffering from Crohn’s experience loss of appetite resulting in weight loss followed by a feeling of low energy and fatigue. With Crohn’s disease, often the small intestine is inflamed, making it hard to digest and absorb key nutrients from food. The lack of sufficient nutrients, along with a poor appetite, can lead to malnutrition for people with Crohn’s disease. That malnutrition may result from alterations in taste, reduced food or nutrient intake, poor absorption, or the inflammatory bowel disease process itself.

When Crohn’s disease affects just the small intestine, it results in diarrhea and undernourishment. In the case of inflammation of the large intestine, the diarrhea can be comparatively severe leading to a loss of essential nutrients needed for the body, for e.g., a person with Crohn’s disease may suffer from anemia and have low levels of vitamin B12, folic acid, or iron.

“Nutritional deficiencies and an inability to maintain a normal weight are serious problems for many people, even among younger children, as it may delay growth and development. Therefore, measures such as change in lifestyle and eating habits need to be improved at an early stage to avoid a crippling future,” added Dr Ibrahim.

While there is no scientifically proven diet for inflammatory bowel disease, most experts believe that some patients can identify specific foods that trigger their gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly during disease flares. So, by avoiding these “trigger foods,” sufferers may find that their GI symptoms of gas, bloating, abdominal pain, cramping, and diarrhea are more manageable while giving the inflamed intestines time to heal.

“If sufferers have problems absorbing nutrients, it’s vital to follow a high-calorie, high-protein diet, even if there is no appetite. In this setting, an effective Crohn’s disease diet plan, based on expert recommendations, would emphasize eating regular meals along with a daily dose of additional two or three snacks, “added Dr. Ibrahim. Thereby, ensuring patients receive ample protein, calories, and nutrients without forgetting to ensure doctor-recommended vitamin and mineral supplements. By doing so, Crohn’s patients will be able to replenish the necessary nutrients in their body.

Consuming fiber found in fresh fruits and vegetables is considered part of a healthy diet however, in people suffering from Crohn’s disease, fiber could aggravate diarrhoea. A healthy alternative is to steam, grill or bake vegetables instead of having them raw. It is also advised to eliminate or limit intake of dairy food products as individuals with inflammatory bowel disease are generally lactose intolerant - a condition

Dr Fahad Al-Ibrahim

wherein the body is unable to digest lactose present in dairy foods which brings about gas and abdominal pain.

Dr Ibrahim emphasized that, in the case of Crohn’s disease, what patients should observe more, is the foods that trigger symptoms and work around those findings with the nutritionist, to build a fortified and healthier diet regime. By understanding the nature of the food that lead to disease flares, patients can then determine which foods to leave out of their diet plan.

Possible foods that can trigger symptoms are butter, mayonnaise, margarine, oils, carbonated beverages, coffee, tea, chocolate, corn husks, dairy products ,fatty foods (fried foods),foods high in fiber, gas-producing foods (lentils, beans, legumes, cabbage, broccoli, onions),nuts and seeds (peanut butter, other nut butters),raw fruits and vegetables, red meat and pork, spicy foods , whole grains and bran.

Once a sufferer has identified foods that cause the symptoms to flare, they can choose either to avoid them or learn new ways of preparing them that will make them more tolerable. To do that, you’ll need to experiment with various foods and methods of preparation to see what works best for you.

“Maintaining a food journal on foods which worsen signs is imperative. Recording foods eaten each day and the serving sizes that were agreeable should be noted down to later evaluate with the dietician. Proper nutrition helps the body heal itself and keeps patients happier both physically and mentally. So, an effective diet plan with the help of an established nutritionist/dietician is important to a patients overall well being and to the management of Crohn’s disease.” commented Dr Ibrahim.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

India court convicts ruling party ally in ‘fodder scam’

Syria attack probe ends ahead of disarmament team Page 8

FLORENCE: Francesco Sollecito (C), father of Raffaele Sollecito, speaks to the press as he arrives at the Florence’s courthouse yesterday for the retrial of Amanda Knox (inset) and her former lover Raffaele Sollecito for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher. — AFP

Amanda Knox’s murder retrial opens Italian court orders new DNA testing FLORENCE: Judges at the retrial of Amanda Knox for the murder of a British student yesteray ordered new DNA testing on the alleged murder weapon, a kitchen knife, on the first day of hearings. The court in Florence also said it would re-hear the testimony of Luciano Aviello, a jailed mafia turncoat who at one point had accused his own brother of the grisly murder but then retracted. Lawyers for the US student and her Italian former lover Raffaele Sollecito told the court the fresh tests were essential in clearing the defendants, as the victim’s lawyer said the truth behind one of Italy’s most notorious crimes was long overdue.

Knox and Sollecito spent four years behind bars for the murder of Meredith Kercher, who was found in a pool of blood in the house she shared with Knox in 2007, her body riddled with stab wounds. An appeals court overturned their convictions in 2011 and Knox quickly returned to Seattle, but Italy’s Supreme Court in March ordered a retrial following an appeal by prosecutors against what they slammed a “superficial ruling.” “We need a key step forward on the DNA evidence... We want the truth,” Knox’s lawyer Luciano Ghirga told the retrial’s presiding judge Alessandro Nencini. The knife, recovered from a kitchen drawer in Sollecito’s house, bore tiny traces of Knox’s DNA on the handle, and Meredith’s DNA on the blade.

A third DNA trace had gone unexamined because it was seen as too low to produce conclusive results but the defence hopes it could help clear the pair. Knox, 26, has insisted she will not return to Italy for any part of the retrial. “I was depicted as a young, unscrupulous liar. A sex fiend, a murderess.

I’m not coming back,” she told Florence’s local Corriere Fiorentino daily. If Knox is convicted again and loses another Supreme Court appeal, experts say there is a very remote chance that she could be extradited.

Sollecito, 29, has been living in the Dominican Republic but he has said he will attend court later on in the trial, which could last months. “It seems to be a pretty never-ending saga of nightmare. My life is still on hold and I cannot move on,” he

told NBC television yesterday.

Kercher was found naked apart from a t-shirt. Her throat had been slit and she suffered a “slow, agonising” death, according to the coroner. “I hope that we will take a step towards the truth, for the Kercher family. A truth which will finally reveal what really happened,” the family’s lawyer Francesco Maresca said.

Ivory Coast-born drifter Rudy Guede, who like the other two has always denied the murder, is the only person still in prison for the crime. The defence asked for the court to focus on the DNA evidence rather than the witness testimonies, which they said were flawed. Sollecito’s lawyer Luca Mauri called for semen stains on the pillow found under Meredith’s corpse to be tested for the first time, saying he was “shocked that an investigation purportedly into a ‘satanic orgy’ overlooked the semen.”

The prosecution has claimed that the murder was the result of “an erotic game that spun out of control”-a hypothesis the Supreme Court suggested was valid and asked the retrial to probe. Defence lawyer Giulia Bongiorno ridiculed the idea that a four-way, violent sex game could have taken place in Meredith’s bedroom and left behind multiple DNA traces belonging to Guede but no trace of Knox and only one trace of Sollecito. Sollecito’s DNA was found on a bra clasp, which was only collected from the crime scene 47 days after the murder. Prosecutors insist Knox and Sollecito left no or little DNA behind because they cleaned up after themselves.

“I ask the court to appoint experts to see whether or not it is possible to remove certain traces of DNA from a crime scene and leave others, considering you cannot see naked handprints or skin cells,” Bongiorno said.

She insisted the original probe into the murder was flawed-with police caught using dirty gloves to bag evidence and failing to store it properly, allowing for possible DNA contamination. The mafia turncoat Aviello is set to testify at the next hearing in the retrial on Friday. — AFP

Thirteen migrants drowned swimming ashore in Italy ROME: Thirteen asylum-seekers drowned yesterday while attempting to swim ashore after their vessel ran aground off Italy’s coast, the local mayor said. “There were 13 dead.

Some people were saved and sent to nearby hospitals,” Franco Susino, the mayor of Scicli in Sicily near where the incident happened, said on the news channel SkyTG24.

“We did what we could to save human lives. Some tourists raised the alarm and helped out,” he said, adding he believed the migrants had been thrown overboard by crew members. “These people are treated like animals,” he said. The bodies could be seen splayed out on the beach in video images taken shortly after the incident. They were later wrapped in white blankets. The mayor declared Tuesday as a day of mourning.

SkyTG24 and the ANSA news agency said there were between 150 and 200 people packed on the boat and Susino said most of them were from Eritrea. He has declared Tuesday as a day of mourning. Prime Minister Enrico Letta expressed his “profound pain” for the incident and referred back to a visit in July by Pope Francis to the island of Lampedusa, where many asylum-seekers arrive. “I think back to the words of Pope Francis on Lampedusa on the need to fight the globalisation of indifference and feel the pain of these migrants as our own,” Letta said. “Italy will continue to respect the fundamental rights of migrants and fight against the criminals who take part in human trafficking,” he said. Father Giovanni La Manna, head of the Astalli refugee centre in Rome, said: “It is no longer possi-

ble to remain indifferent in front of the continuous repetition of avoidable tragedies.” “There should be humanitarian corridors to allow those fleeing conflicts and persecution to seek protection. This is the only way to avoid human traffickers putting lives in danger,” he said.

Ansa said two suspected crew members from the boat have been arrested under an Italian law against people who facilitate illegal immigration. Police and volunteers came to the aid of survivors as they reached the shore but many fled and police are now searching for them in the nearby area. One migrant was hit by a car and taken to hospital in a serious condition. The driver did not stop to help him. Six others have also been taken to local hospitals. A swimmer had warned coastguards after seeing a small abandoned boat in poor condition near the shore.

The coastguards are continuing to search the maritime zone around the boat and divers are looking for any other victims. In a similar incident in Catania in another part of Sicily in August, six young Egyptians drowned trying to reach the shore. The victims had jumped from the trawler thinking they had arrived onshore when in fact they were some 15 metres (50 feet) away. Since the start of the year over 22,000 immigrants have reached the southern coast of Italy, three times more than the total number last year.

Also yesterday, around 100 migrants landed in the southern region of Calabria and 107 Nigerians and Ghanaians were rescued and taken to the port of Trapani in another part of Sicily. — AFP

Page 11

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

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

Turkey unveils reforms, some aimed at Kurds ANKARA: Turkey yesterday moved to scrap restrictions on the use of the minority Kurdish language among democratic reforms seen as key to the stalled peace process with the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also announced that women in the civil service, with a few exceptions, will hencefor th be allowed to wear the Muslim headscarf.

“Turkey is irreversibly moving in the direction of democracy,” Erdogan told a news conference. “ This is a historic moment, an important stage.”

Kurdish-language education will be permitted in private schools, and candidates in elections will be allowed to campaign in Kurdish, Erdogan announced.

The reforms will also aim to ease rules preventing pro-Kurdish and other smaller parties from entering parliament, he said.

Turkey has long refused to recognise the Kurds, a largely Sunni Muslim people who were considered cofounders of the new republic born from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. The minority of some 15 million has complained of discrimination at the hands of the Turkish state, which they claim deprived them of their Kurdish identity and stigmatised them as “mountain Turks”.

Among other reforms the prime minister announced, schoolchildren will no longer be required to recite the pledge of allegiance-”How happy is the one who calls himself a Turk”-each morning.

In addition, towns can revert to their previous Kurdish names, and a quirky ban on the use of three letters of the Kurdish alphabet that do not exist in Turkish will be lifted, he said.

The long-awaited reforms are aimed at breaking an impasse in the peace process with the PKK, which is classified

as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and many other countries.

In March the PKK’s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan declared a historic ceasefire after months of clandestine negotiations with the Turkish secret service.

In return for withdrawing its fighters, the PKK demanded amendments to the penal code and electoral laws as well as the right to education in the Kurdish language and a degree of regional autonomy.

The PKK’s olive branch raised hopes of an end to a nearly three -decade Kurdish insurgency in Turkey’s southeast that has claimed more than 40,000 lives. But earlier this month the rebels announced they were suspending the withdrawal of their fighters, accusing Ankara of failing to deliver the promised reforms.

Erdogan indicated yesterday that scrapping a 10 percent threshold

Israel showcases Iranian spy case JERUSALEM: A man arrested on suspicion of being an Iranian spy appeared in an Israeli court yesterday and some Israeli analysts questioned the timing of the affair, suggesting it was being showcased as part of efforts to discredit Tehran’s new opening to Washington.

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew on Sunday to the United States for a visit focused on Iran’s nuclear programme, Israel’s Shin Bet security service announced that Ali Mansouri had been arrested on Sept. 11 on suspicion of spying for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

It said Mansouri, a 55-year-old Iranian-Belgian national, had photographed the US Embassy in Tel Aviv and intended to establish business ties in Israel as a cover for espionage. An Israeli official told reporters on Netanyahu’s flight that Mansouri’s picture-taking outside the embassy whose exterior can be seen in numerous images on the Internet - was an attempt “to collect intelligence for a possible terror attack”.

That allegation was challenged by Mansouri’s lawyer, Michal Okabi, after a hearing on Monday in a court in the Tel Aviv suburb of Petah Tikva in which the suspect, who did not speak, was ordered held for eight more days.

“The apocalyptic picture that the Shin Bet is painting is a lot more complicated and the attempt to claim that our

client came here in order to carry out attacks in Israel is far from reality and without foundation,” Okabi told reporters. Some Israeli media commentators questioned the timing of the news, released in a Shin Bet statement that included photographs it said he had taken outside the beachfront mission and at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion airport.

No formal charges have been filed.

Asked by Reuters whether the decision to publicise Mansouri’s arrest was influenced by Netanyahu’s US trip, the Shin Bet declined to comment. Alex Fishman, the well-informed military affairs reporter for Israel’s biggest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, wrote that the Shin Bet, which is overseen by Netanyahu’s office, does not usually rush to reveal details of new espionage cases.

“It was not by chance that it was decided in the Prime Minister’s Office to disclose the affair on the eve of (Netanyahu’s US visit),” Fishman said.

“Israel is trying to embarrass the Iranians to counter the successful public relations campaign that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani waged in the United States last week,” he said.

Israel Radio’s military affairs correspondent said the Shin Bet had agreed to publicise the case “out of a national interest - that is, the prime minister’s trip to the United States and his speech at the General Assembly”. Israel and Iran

are bitter adversaries. Israel, widely believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear power, says Iran is covertly seeking to develop atomic bombs. Iran says it is enriching uranium solely for peaceful purposes.—Reuters Netanyahu and President Barack Obama were to meet at the White House later yesterday, three days after the US leader and Rouhani spoke by telephone in the highest-level contact between their two countries in 34 years.

Israeli officials said Netanyahu, who will speak to the UN General Assembly yesterday, planned to voice scepticism about Iran’s intentions in its agreement to returning to nuclear negotiations with six world powers, and to call for a tightening of punitive economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

He also extended his US visit by a day, the Prime Minister’s Office said yesterday, to give him more time to conduct “interviews and briefings with the international media”. Rouhani said that in his phone call with Obama the two leaders “expressed their mutual political will to rapidly solve the nuclear issue”.

Today, he told the UN General Assembly that Iran would never develop atomic weapons and he later called for a nuclear deal in three to six months.

Obama said he and Rouhani had directed their teams to work quickly toward a settlement on Iran’s nuclear activity.

required to secure seats in Turkey’s parliament would be “open to debate”, noting that his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) had yet to introduce legislation on the reform.

He also said political parties that garner more than three percent of the vote would be able to receive state aid for their election campaigns. The minimum was seven percent in the past.

Parliament will discuss the proposed reforms after it returns from its summer recess today, Erdogan said. Kurdish politicians have criticised the government for drafting the reforms without consulting with them.

“We have insistently called on the government to discuss the package with us and with the public but we did not receive any response,” Gulten Kisanak, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, told AFP last week. “In its current form, we do not believe that the package will address

our demands for rights and freedoms and contribute to the peace process,” she said.

The prime minister also said that civil servants would henceforth be allowed to wear headscarves after a long-standing ban is overturned, in a move seen as a gesture to his own grassroots.

However the ban will remain in effect for judges, prosecutors, police and military personnel.

Erdogan’s AKP has already relaxed the ban on university students wearing headscarves. The Islamic-rooted party insists that the ban flouts freedom of conscience and undermines the right to education.

Erdogan’s government was hit by a wave of nationwide unrest in June that threw up the biggest challenge to his decade -plus rule. Protesters called Erdogan a “dictator”, accusing him of Islamising the predominantly Muslim but staunchly secular country. — AFP

Syria attack probe ends ahead of disarmament team FMs plead for more support to deal with refugees DAMASCUS: UN experts wrapped up their investigation of alleged gas attacks in Syria yesterday, as a chemical weapons disarmament team arrived in neighbouring Lebanon ahead of their trip to Damascus. President Bashar alAssad has insisted Syria will comply with a UN resolution under which his regime must turn over its chemical weapons for destruction.

In New York, his foreign minister accused Western states of supplying chemical weapons to the Syrian opposition, in an address to the UN General Assembly. Meanwhile the foreign ministers of Syria’s neighbours Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey pleaded at a meeting of the UN refugee agency for more international support to deal with an influx of refugees. The Syrian war has killed more than 110,000 people and forced more than 2.1 Syrians to flee to neighbouring countries since it erupted in March 2011.

The UN Security Council is to begin talks today on a statement about the humanitarian crisis which could include a disputed call to allow cross-border missions, diplomats said.

On the ground, the violence continued with regime forces launching air raids in the provinces of Homs and Aleppo, and a car bomb exploding in Damascus province. A UN team of chemical weapons experts left Syria after an almost week-long mission to probe seven alleged attacks, heading for Beirut on route to their next destination.

They are expected to draft a final report on the alleged attacks by late October, after an initial one that confirmed the use of sarin gas in an August

DAMASCUS: The convoy of a UN team of weapons inspectors, who concluded its almost week-long mission in Syria, arrive at Rafik Hariri international airport in Beirut, Lebanon, yesterday. The inquiry determined that the nerve agent sarin was used in the Aug. 21 attack on a Damascus suburb in Syria, but it did not assess who was behind it. —AP 21 attack in the suburbs of Damascus.

The United States threatened military action following that attack, accusing regime forces of killing hundreds with chemicals. Syria denied the allegations but agreed to relinquish its chemical arsenal to head off a strike under a USRussian deal which was enshrined in a landmark UN resolution.

The team of 20 inspectors from the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons overseeing the agreement arrived in Lebanon on Monday on their way to Syria.

Today they are expected to hold talks with Syrian officials in Damascus to prepare for an ambitious and dangerous mission. “At this point, we have absolutely no reason to doubt the infor-

mation provided by the Syrian regime,” an OPCW official said Sunday. In his first comments since the UN resolution was passed on Friday, Assad on Sunday told Italy’s Rai News 24 his regime “will comply” with plans to destroy Syria’s arsenal.

“Of course we will comply with it, and history proves that we have always honoured all treaties we have signed,” state news agency SANA quoted him as saying. The UN arms resolution calls for the convening of a much-delayed peace conference in Geneva as soon as possible, with UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon proposing a mid-November date.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem told the UN General Assembly yesterday his government supports a negotiated settlement but rejects conditions ahead of the peace talks.—AFP

Gunmen kill three Egyptian policemen CAIRO: Gunmen killed three policemen in Egypt’s volatile Sinai Peninsula yesterday, security sources said, and an Islamist militant group released a video of an earlier drive-by shooting of an army colonel.

Security sources confirmed that gunmen had killed the colonel, identified as Mohamed al-Komi, on Aug. 14 on a desert highway near the Suez Canal city of Ismailia.

The Sinai has become a major security headache for the Egyptian authorities since the army overthrew elected President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July.

His overthrow has plunged the most populous Arab nation into political crisis. A security crackdown on the Brotherhood has raised fears that Islamists will hit back with violence.

In the latest bloodshed, gunmen killed two policemen as they ate breakfast outside a police station in the city of El-Arish in North Sinai. In a separate attack, a police officer walking in the city was shot in the head and chest and killed.

Gunmen also killed a civilian in the nearby town of Sheikh Zuwaid.

Almost daily attacks by al Qaedainspired militants in the Sinai have killed more than 100 members of the security forces since Mursi’s ouster, the army spokesman said on Sept. 15.

Militant violence elsewhere in Egypt has raised concerns that an Islamist insurgency, like one that Mubarak’s government eventually crushed in the 1990s, could take hold beyond Sinai.

The Sinai-based Ansar Bayt alMaqdis group claimed responsibility for a failed suicide bombing in Cairo on the interior minister this month.

State neglect has long stoked resentment among the Sinai’s Bedouin population. Authorities have done little to promote economic development in the vast and lawless desert region.

Instability there worries Western governments because the peninsula borders Israel and flanks the strategic Suez Canal, the quickest sea route between Asia and Europe.

The army says the Sinai is hard to police partly because it borders the

Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The military says Gaza-based militants take part in attacks over the border and accuses Hamas of doing too little to stop them, allegations the Islamist group denies.

Attacks in Sinai have risen sharply since Mursi’s overthrow, although militants and smugglers had already been exploiting a security vacuum left by the 2011 fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Sinai militants have published online footage of some of their attacks - a common practice among al Qaeda-linked groups trying to motivate fighters and intimidate their enemies.

In a video posted on a jihadi website yesterday, a group calling itself “alNusra Battalion” shows what appears to be footage of security forces firing on Mursi supporters.

The video then shows what it says was the attack on Colonel Komi on Aug. 14, the day security forces crushed pro-Mursi protest camps in Cairo, killing hundreds of people.

A man with an assault rifle is filmed aiming from a car window and shooting at another vehicle driving on a desert road. “Targeting the criminal

apostates and liquidating them,” a caption reads.

A picture of the uniformed officer flashes on the screen next to the car seen in the drive-by shooting, a back window pocked with bullet holes and blood running down the driver’s door after what appears to have been a well-planned assault.

“It’s likely that they learned his daily routine by a combination of relatively good intelligence on their part and perhaps poor operational security on the part of the Egyptians,” said David Hartwell, a Middle East analyst at IHS Jane’s.

The video says al-Nusra Battalion is a unit of “al-Firqan Brigade”, a militant group that took responsibility for an attack this month on a container ship in the Suez Canal.

The army, which has been operating with the police in Sinai, said on Aug. 7 that it had killed 60 militants in the month since Mursi’s overthrow.

“There are great security successes on the ground in Sinai now,” Interior Ministry spokesman Hany Abdel Latif said when asked about the al-Nusra Battalion video. “We’ve arrested dangerous elements and confiscated heavy weapons, and we have a large degree of control.” — Reuters

CAIRO: A supporter of Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi holds a poster bearing photo of him and Arabic that reads, “continue your duties and choose your president, campaign,” during a campaign to collect signatures and nominate El-Sissi to run for Egypt’s president at Pyramisa hotel in Cairo, Egypt, yesterday. — AP

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

Govt to sue N Carolina over new voter law WASHINGTON: The Justice Depar tment will sue the state of North Carolina for alleged racial discrimination over tough new voting rules, the latest effort by the Obama administration to fight back against a Supreme Court decision that struck down the most powerful part of the landmark Voting Rights Act and freed southern states from strict federal oversight of their elections.

North Carolina has a new law scaling back the period for early voting and imposing stringent voter identification requirements. It is among at least five Southern states adopting stricter voter ID and other election laws. The Justice Department on Aug. 22 sued Texas over the state’s voter ID law and is seeking to intervene in a lawsuit over redistricting laws in Texas that minority groups consider to be discriminatory. Republican lawmakers in southern states insist the new measures are needed to prevent voter fraud, though such crimes are infrequent. Democrats and civil rights groups argue the tough new laws are intended to make voting more difficult for minorities and students, voting groups that lean toward Democrats, in states with legacies of poll taxes and literacy tests.

Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce the lawsuit against North Carolina at a news conference Monday, according to a person who has been briefed on the department’s plans but is not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

Holder will be joined at the news conference by the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil rights division, Joceyln Samuels, and the three U.S. attorneys from North Carolina, the person said.

In the North Carolina lawsuit, the person said, the government will challenge requirements in state law that eliminate the first seven days of early voting opportunities and eliminate same-day voter registration during the early voting period. Sameday registration allows voters to cast a ballot immediately after presenting elections officials with proof of their name and home address.

The Justice Department challenge

also is aimed at a provision eliminating the counting of certain types of provisional ballots by voters who cast ballots in their home counties but do not vote in the correc t precincts.

Finally, the federal government will challenge a provision in the new law that requires voters to present government-issued identification at the polls in order to cast ballots. In North Carolina, a recent state board of elections survey found that hundreds of thousands of registered voters did not have a state-issued ID. Many of those voters are young, black, poor or elderly.

I n remarks Sept. 20 to the Congressional Black Caucus, Holder said the Justice Department will not allow the Supreme Court’s action to be interpreted as “open season” for states to pursue measures that suppress voting rights.

The Justice Department will ask a federal judge to place the four provisions in North Carolina’s new law under federal scrutiny for an indeterminate period - a process known as pre-clearance. However, the provision of the Voting Rights Act that the Justice Department is invoking may be a difficult tool for the Obama administration to use.

A handful of jurisdictions have been subjected to pre-clearance, or advance approval, of elec tion changes through the Civil Rights Act provision it is relying on, but a court first must find that a state or local government engaged in intentional discrimination under the Constitution’s 14th or 15th amendments, or the jurisdic tion has to admit to discrimination. Unlike other parts of the voting law, the discriminator y effec t of an ac tion is not enough to trigger court review.

Nowhere is the debate over voting rights is more heated than in Florida, where the chaotic recount in the disputed 2000 presidential race took place. Florida election officials are set to resume an effort to remove noncitizens from the state’s voting rolls. A purge last year ended in embarrassment after hundreds of American citizens, most of whom were black or Hispanic, were asked to prove their citizenship or risk losing their right to vote. — AP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

Small jet hits hangar at Santa Monica Airport ‘This was an unsurvivable crash’ SANTA MONICA: A small jet that took off from Idaho ran off the runway and into a storage hangar at a Southern California airport on Sunday night, causing the hangar to collapse in flames around it, officials said. Firefighters were still contending hours later with the smoldering ruins of the building and the plane at Santa Monica Municipal Airport, and had yet to determine how many people were inside the jet, but it was unlikely anyone was alive inside. “ This was an unsurvivable crash,” Santa Monica Fire Department Capt. John Nevandro said at a media briefing at the airport. The twinengine Cessna Citation that had taken off from Hailey, Idaho, went off the right side of the runway at about 6:20 p.m. and struck the hangar, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The blaze did minor damage to two other buildings and destroyed the hangar. “It was a total loss,” Fire Department spokeswoman Bridgett Lewis said. News helicopter footage showed all but the tail of the plane trapped under a collapsed section of the small hangar.

Neither aviation nor rescue officials were yet able to say how many people were aboard the plane, nor whether anyone was inside the hangar.

A crane would be required to remove the remains of the hangar, and investigators were unlikely to be able to get to the plane until Monday, Gregor said.

A plume of smoke rising above the airport could be seen in the twilight sky over the populous neighborhoods surrounding the airport in the hours after the crash. Jack Bonner, 15, said he was hanging out at his home near the airport with a friend when he heard a boom “like a thunderclap.”

“I was like, ‘Wow, what the heck is going on?’” he told the Los Angeles Times, before turning on the TV and learning about the plane. The jet, a Cessna 525A manufactured in 2003, is registered to a Malibu, Calif. address and its corporate owner, Creative Real Estate Exchange, is based in Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta, according to FAA public records.

Phone messages left after hours at the real estate company’s two offices were not immediately returned. Santa Monica Airport, located in the coastal tourist destination known for its trendy bars, restaurants and wooden-pier carnival, is home to many private jets, many of them used by wealthy Southern Californians from the entertainment industry.The airport in Hailey serves Idaho’s Sun Valley resort area, which is a frequent destination for many celebrities, and the rich and powerful alike. — AP

SANTA MONICA: Firefighters work to extinguish fire at the site of a plane crash in Santa Monica, California, on Sunday. Authorities say a twin-jet Cessna Citation went off the right side of the runway and crashed into a hangar after landing about 6:20 pm. It was not immediately clear how many people were on the plane or whether anyone was inside the hangar, and there was no immediate word on any injuries or deaths. — AP

NY accountant sentenced to 18 years for aiding al Qaeda NEW YORK: An accountant who scoped out the New York Stock Exchange as a potential target for al Qaeda was sentenced yesterday to 18 years in prison. Sabirhan Hasanoff, a dual US and Australian citizen living in New York, provided financial support to al Qaeda and conducted surveillance of the New York Stock Exchange in 2008, prosecutors said. He also sought to travel overseas to receive military training to fight Americans, they said.

U.S. intelligence officials said in June that Hasanoff’s arrest was indirectly the result of monitoring by the U.S. National Security Agency of a “known extremist in Yemen.”

Hasanoff, who had previously worked at accounting firms including KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers, pleaded guilty in June 2012, nearly two years after he was arrested on charges of conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda.

US District Judge Kimba Wood said yesterday that Hasanoff appeared to be “a charita-

ble, loving, good family man” before he became radicalized. “None of that, however, deterred him from planning to leave his family and die fighting jihad against Americans,” Wood said.

Wood also ordered Hasanoff to forfeit $70,000. Hasanoff’s lawyer, Joshua Dratel, portrayed his client as a family man who was “psychologically lured” into extremism. Like some Muslims in the West, Dratel said, Hasanoff was “guilt-tripped” into his crimes.

Hasanoff, 37, apologized to the court and his friends and family, many of whom were present. “I’m very sorry for my conduct,” Hasanoff said. “I should have known better and I don’t have any excuse.” Prosecutors said Hasanoff cased the NYSE in 2008 and sent a one-page report back to a co-conspirator in Yemen. Hasanoff additionally acquired items at al Qaeda’s request, including a device that could be used to remotely detonate explosives, prosecutors said. —Reuters

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

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

Cardinals to begin reform summit with Pope Francis VATICAN CITY: Eight cardinals will begin closeddoor meetings with Pope Francis today to help him reform the Vatican’s troubled administration and map out possible changes in the worldwide Church.

Francis, who has brought a new style of openness, simplicity and a conciliatory tone to the papacy, wants to consult more with Church officials around the world before making decisions affecting the life of the 1.2-billion-member Church.

Some of the topics expected to be discussed are how to give women a greater role in the Church short of the priesthood, financial reform, the position of divorced Catholics, and the continued fallout from the worldwide sexual abuse crisis.

Francis announced the papal advisory board of cardinals, revolutionary for a Church steeped in hierarchical tradition, a month after his election as the first non-European pope in 1,300 years and the

first from Latin America.

His decision to take advise from the cardinals from Italy, Chile, India, Germany, Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States, Australia and Honduras, is a clear sign that he intends to take seriously calls from within the Church for de-centralisation in a traditionally top-heavy institution.

Each cardinal polled their faithful and bishops about what should be discussed at the meetings, which will be closed to even top officials from the Vatican’s Secretariat of State, which is itself a target of reform.

The group’s chairman, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, told a Canadian Catholic television network he had 80 pages of suggestions from Latin America alone.

The other cardinals on the advisory board are Giuseppe Bertello of Italy, Francisco Javier Errazuriz

Ossa of Santiago, Chile, Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India, Reinhard Marx of Munich, Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston and George Pell of Sydney.

The group’s main task is to suggest changes to a constitution by the late Pope John Paul II called “Pastor Bonus,” which gave the various departments that run the Church their current structure in 1988.

The Curia, as it is known, has been riven by scandals over the years and bishops around the world have deemed it heavy-handed, autocratic, condescending and overly bureaucratic.

Maradiaga said the constitution governing the structure of the Curia would have to be re-written rather than modified. Former Pope Benedict, who resigned in February, left a secret report for Francis on the problems of the Curia, which were exposed when sensitive documents were stolen from

Benedict’s desk by his butler and leaked to the media. There have been suggestions that some Vatican departments be merged and others closed in order to make the Curia more efficient and to prevent corruption. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters on Monday about 80 documents had been prepared for discussion.

“No-one should expect the Curia or the governance of the Church to be reformed in three days,” he said, adding Francis had decided to make the council a permanent fixture with an open-ended mandate.

After three days of meetings, the eight cardinals will accompany Francis to the central Italian hill town of Assisi on Friday. Francis took his name from the saint who is revered around the world as a symbol of austerity, simplicity, concern for the poor and a love of the environment. — Reuters

Malian army clashes with Tuareg rebels for second day Al Qaeda claims Timbuktu attack

YAOUNDE: A policeman looks for a name in a list at a polling station in Yaounde yesterday, for legislative and local polls set to shore up the strong parliamentary majority of the President’s ruling party. — AFP

Cameroon ruling party expected to win polls YAOUNDE: Voters in Cameroon began going to the polls yesterday for legislative and local polls set to shore up the strong parliamentary majority of President Paul Biya’s ruling party.

The election in the central African country began on schedule at 8:00 am (0700 GMT), but few people turned out in the early hours and some flaws in the electoral rolls were already noticed by an AFP correspondent in the capital Yaounde.

“I’ve just seen that the number on my voter’s card is not the same as the one next to my name on the electoral roll,” voter Tcheck Tcheck said at a polling station in a Yaounde school requisitioned for the ballot.

“I simply hope that everything will take place clearly, with justice and that there will be no cheating,” said another voter, Marthe Mbazi. Biya, 80, was prime minister in 1982 when then president Ahmadou Ahidjo stepped down, in a move that made his government chief head of state. Since winning a presidential election in 1984, Biya has ruled with extensive powers and has taken steps to prolong his term in office.

His Cameroonian People’s Democratic Movement (RDPC) holds the majority of seats in the National Assembly and municipal authorities and is widely expected to make further gains.The party wound up its campaign with a grandiose rally on Sunday on the forecourt of Yaounde’s city hall.

The main goal of the opposition parties, including the Social Democratic Front (SDP) which currently holds 16 seats, is to avoid losing ground in both the assembly and the municipalities, according to political commentator Mathias Nguini Owona.

But the opposition is deeply fragmented and 29 parties are fielding candidates for parliament while 35 parties are in the running for local government seats. Some 5.4

million voters have been called to the polls to elect 180 members of parliament and thousands of town councillors in 360 polling stations across the country in a single round of voting.

The terms of the current cohort of lawmakers elected in the last elections in 2007 expired in 2012, but have been extended on three separate occasions. “We are likely to see a confirmation of the RDPC’s hyperdomination because the electoral contest is greatly unequal,” said Owona.

Opposition parties regularly accuse Biya’s party of electoral fraud and of using state funds to wage their election campaigns while their opponents face financial troubles. The government announced campaign funding totalling 1.7 billion CFA francs ($3.5 million, 2.6 million euros) and recently made half that sum available to parties contesting the election.

In October 2011, Biya was re-elected after beating long-time opponent John Fru Ndi, leader of the SDP, which has its roots in an English-speaking part of the country.

The United States and France pointed to “irregularities” in the voting process.

After challenges to virtually every election result in the last two decades in the oilrich but poverty-stricken country, both sides admit that the latest campaign has failed to capture the public’s imagination.

“This lack of enthusiasm is indicative of the lack of confidence Cameroonians (have) in the electoral regulator Elecam,” said Owona. Polling stations are due to close at 6:00 pm and the country’s borders, which have been closed since Saturday, are due to reopen Tuesday.

The government in 2006 launched a high-profile campaign to tackle rampant corruption, arresting a number of prominent figures including former ministers and heads of public companies. — AFP

BAMAKO: Malian troops clashed with Tuareg rebels in the northern desert town of Kidal for a second day yesterday, residents said, after the separatists ended a ceasefire with the new government last week.

The clashes threaten to derail peace efforts in northern Mali and complicate France’s plan to reduce its troop presence in the West African country following a military operation that destroyed an Islamist enclave.

The fighting began on Sunday afternoon outside a bank in the centre of Kidal, with both the military and the MNLA rebels accusing the other of firing first. After calm returned overnight, shooting re-started early on Monday morning.

“The firing began at around 5 o’clock (0500 GMT) this morning between the army and the MNLA,” said Mohamed Toure, a trader. “I have not opened my shop today.”

Colonel Souleymane Maiga, an army spokesman, said the shooting erupted outside the Malian Solidarity Bank (BMS) where fighting raged on Sunday. The MNLA said three of its fighters were wounded in Sunday’s combat.

On Friday, two soldiers were wounded in a grenade attack at the same place, a day after the MNLA suspended its participation in the peace process. The rebels accuse newly elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of failing to honour a June ceasefire accord.

The agreement had committed Mali to opening talks on greater regional autonomy for the north within two months of a new government taking office. Keita won an Aug. 11 presidential run-off by a landslide with a pledge to reunite the impoverished former French colony.

The clashes in Kidal followed a suicide car bomb attack near an army camp in the northern town of Timbuktu on Saturday in which the two attackers and at least two civilians were killed.

In a statement to Mauritania’s Alakhbar news website, which has contacts with militant groups, a spokesman for Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) - its north African wing - claimed respon-

KIDAL: In this July 27, 2013 file photo, Malian Tuareg soldiers loyal to Col. Major El-Hadj Gamou listen during a visit by Mali’s army chief of staff in Kidal, Mali. Malian soldiers and ethnic Tuareg separatist rebels clashed again in the northern desert town of Kidal early yesterday. — AP sibility for the suicide attack.

In Kidal, a resident who asked not to be identified said the Tuareg rebels had brought arms and fighters into the town overnight. The combatants were loyal to local chieftain Iyad ag Ghali, he said.

Ag Ghali founded Islamist group Ansar Dine, one of three armed Muslim militant factions that seized control of the northern two-thirds of Mali last year following a military coup in March.

The coup had been triggered by the government’s failure to tackle effectively a Tuareg revolt last year.

Ag Ghali’s whereabouts has remained unclear since France launched a ground-and-air operation in January that broke the control of the al Qaeda-linked groups over the sparsely populat-

ed desert region.

A military official, who also asked not to be identified, confirmed that Iyad Ag Ghali’s forces were entering the town. Last week, a source close to the political talks had said that Ag Ghali’s men had camped some 40 km (25 miles) from Kidal.

France, which had more than 4,000 troops involved in Operation Serval at the height of the conflict, aims to have just 1,000 soldiers deployed in Mali by year end as a rapid reaction force to respond to any terrorist threat.

The deployment of a 12,600-strong UN peacekeeping force, meanwhile, is being hobbled by a lack of aircraft and troop commitments from member states. — Reuters

Austerity clobbers Portugal’s ruling party in local votes LISBON: Portugal’s ruling Social Democrats took a heavy beating in Sunday’s local elections as voters passed their verdict on national austerity measures accompanying the country’s 2011 bailout by international lenders.

The elections, for 308 municipal mayors, took place during a review visit by officials from the lenders, the European Union and International Monetary Fund, during which they are expected to demand more spending cuts.

Preliminary election results released early yesterday showed the vote boosting the main opposition Socialists, with 36.3 percent of votes counted so far, while the Social Democrats (PSD) had polled 26.5 percent.

Independent candidates also advanced, winning the country’s second-largest city of Porto and its industrial satellite city of Matosinhos, a traditional Socialist bastion.

Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho acknowledged that the centre-right government was taking a hit for its austerity measures, which have contributed to Portugal’s worst economic crisis since the 1970s, with two and a half years of recession and record unemployment.

“We know there’s always a price to pay in politics,” said Passos Coelho. “But we also know that this path will give us the chance to end our bailout programme and recover our opportunity to grow and give more social justice and prosperity for all.”

With 25 of the 308 results still to be declared, the Socialists were already up five at 137 mayors elected against 100 for the PSD, down from 137. The PSD’s worst previous record was a haul of 114 mayors in 1989.

The PSD’s coalition partner, the CDS, had five, the Communist-Greens alliance had 30, while 11 independents were elected, up from seven, after a record 80 stood.

Full election results will not be ready until later in the day, the interior ministry said.

Officials had predicted delays because of a new vote counting system following the merging of many local councils.

Socialist leader Antonio Jose Seguro said the results showed “an enormous will for change” among the Portuguese, while analysts put it down to voter fatigue with the waves of spending cuts and the biggest tax hikes in living memory. The local results have no direct bearing on national government.

Passos Coelho, whose government nearly collapsed in July over a dispute about austerity, said he would continue policies to complete the bailout plan as scheduled in mid-2014. The government has promised spending cuts of more than 4 billion euros by the end of 2014 in order to meet its budget deficit goals, but has been facing growing resistance at home from business groups, unions and the opposition, which want it to negotiate a new easing of the targets. — Reuters

LISBON: Portugal’s Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho delivers a statement in Lisbon acknowledging his party’s defeat in Portugal’s local elections Sunday. — AP

Dublin’s austerity drive puts upper house at risk

MANCHESTER: London Mayor Boris Johnson visits McKenna Bothers makers of destination boards in Middleton, near Rochdale in Greater Manchester, yesterday during the second day of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester. —AFP

DUBLIN: It has been described as elitist, a political dinosaur and a mere talking shop but next month’s referendum on whether to abolish Ireland’s upper house of parliament is proving harder to sell than Dublin might have predicted.

Support for abolishing the upper house has ebbed away since the idea was first mooted and polls show only half of likely voters remain in favour of the move. The proposal has the backing of the coalition government and some of the opposition but a hefty percentage of voters are undecided, lending momentum to the main ‘no’ to abolition campaign as the October 4 vote nears. The reluctance to scrap the Senate is at odds with the sceptical view of many in Ireland of politicians and the high cost of government, especially after Dublin entered an European Union-International Monetary Fund bailout in 2010 after a decade of the ‘Celtic Tiger’ economic boom.

Voters have levelled heavy criticism at Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s ruling Fine Gael party for its approach to the referendum, with Kenny controversially declining to debate the issue on television with the leaders of those opposed to the plans. Posters and repeated claims from Fine Gael detailing how much the abolition will save have also been challenged.

“This represents an extraordinary grab for power by the government,” one veteran senator, David Norris, told AFP. “The government won the presidential election, they have an overwhelming majority in the lower house, they own a big chunk of the banks at our expense and they naturally control all the services of the state, so what is left? The Senate at least was a voice of dissent,” he added. Norris, Ireland’s longest-serving senator, became one of the first openly gay people to hold public office in the world when he took his seat in the upper chamber in 1987. After a failed

run for president in 2011, Norris, also an expert in the work of writer James Joyce, returned to the upper house, where three of Ireland’s nine presidents, including the incumbent, have served in office. “I must say I am very much hurt by the idea that after nearly 30 years of work for the public... with noticeable results including the changes in the laws surrounding homosexuality, that people in government would intimate that I wasn’t worth it, that I was wasting my time,” Norris fumed.

The government, now almost three years into an austerity programme imposed by the bailout conditions, continues to seek savings. “The Irish people have been asked to sacrifice tremendously over the last number of years and to do more with less, so there’s no reason the political class shouldn’t be doing exactly the same,” Regina Doherty, a Fine Gael member and deputy director of the party’s campaign. — AFP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

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

India court convicts ruling party ally First politician to be disqualified from parliament Ex-finance minister to run for Afghan president KABUL: Former finance minister Ashraf Ghani yesterday launched his bid to become the next president of Afghanistan, kickstarting the 2014 election race as the first big name to declare his candidacy.

Ghani, who is also a former World Bank academic, confirmed he would run in the April poll to succeed Hamid Karzai as the NATO-led military coalition withdraws and officials seek a peace deal with Taleban militants. “(I) plan to contest in the upcoming presidential elections,” Ghani said on his Twitter account, in a message that was verified by a senior official working in his office.

Clearing the way for his shot at power, Ghani resigned as chairman of the Transition Coordination Committee (TCC), which oversees Afghanistan’s return to full sovereignty after the US-led ousting of the Taliban regime in 2001.

Ghani came a distant fourth in the 2009 presidential election, collecting less than three percent of the vote, but has used his role at the TCC to travel extensively around all parts of Afghanistan and raise his profile.

An acerbic character known for his quick temper, Ghani spent time at Columbia, Berkeley and Johns Hopkins universities in the US before joining the World Bank and then serving as Afghan finance minister from 2002-2004.

This year, he came second in a “world thinkers” poll by Prospect magazine, which described him as one of the “few academics

(who) get the chance to put their ideas into practice”.

Ghani, born in 1949 in Logar province near Kabul, may again struggle to secure enough popular support needed for victory at the ballot box.

He is a Pashtun, the country’s largest ethnic group, but is not a tribal leader and has a limited vote base.

The election, due on April 5, is widely seen as the key test of progress in Afghanistan after 13 years of huge international military and civilian assistance.

With Karzai barred from standing after serving two terms, it will be Afghanistan’s first ever democratic transition of power.

But the 2009 vote was marred by fraud and violence, and the authorities face a tough challenge organising a peaceful election and ensuring a transparent vote counting process.

Karzai has vowed not to endorse any candidate, and has said he considers a credible election as a central part of his legacy.

Backstage political manoeuvering in Kabul has reached fever pitch ahead of the October 6 deadline for nominations, though it remains unclear who else will run for president.

Abdullah Abdullah, the 2009 runner-up, is expected to put his name forward this week, while other candidates may include current Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul, Karzai’s brother Qayum and former warlord Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayyaf. — AFP

PESHAWAR: People gather near a building damaged by a car explosion in Peshawar, Pakistan, yesterday. The deadly car bomb exploded on a crowded street in northwestern Pakistan Sunday in the third blast to hit the troubled city of Peshawar in a week, officials said. — AP

Peshawar bombing death toll up 42 PESHAWAR: The death toll from a car bomb attack in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar rose to 42 yesterday, hospital authorities said.

The bombing on Sunday, which caused carnage in a busy market area, was the third deadly strike in a week to hit the city, the gateway to tribal regions which are a stronghold of militants linked to the Taleban and Al-Qaeda.

“The death toll in the attack rose to 42 after three more people died in the hospital overnight,” a senior official at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital, Dr. Arshad Javaid, told AFP. He said 64 injured people were still under treatment at the hospital and seven of them were in critical condition. The top local administration official, Sahebzada Muhammad Anis, confirmed the new toll. The dead also included eight women and six children aged five to nine.

The bomb went off near a police station but officials said it did not appear to have been the target.

“It looks like the market was the target,” said bomb disposal chief Shafqat Malik. He told AFP a car parked by the roadside had apparently been converted into a remote-controlled bomb.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in New York for the UN General Assembly, strongly condemned the blast. “Those involved in the killing of innocent people are devoid of humanity and all religions,” he said in comments released by his office.

The blast caused major destruction, toppling a two-storey building and gutting several shops, an AFP reporter at the scene saw. Thick grey clouds engulfed the entire area after several shops caught fire.

At least 50 shops were either damaged or completely destroyed. On Sunday last week a twin suicide attack at a Peshawar church killed 82 people, triggering nationwide protests by the Christian community and others demanding better protection for minorities.

On Friday a bomb tore through a bus carrying government employees on the edge of Peshawar, killing 18 people. Peshawar is the gateway of the semi-autonomous tribal belt that US officials consider a safe haven for Al-Qaeda and other insurgents fighting both in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.

Pakistan is on the frontlines of the US-led war on Al-Qaeda. Since July 2007 it has also been gripped by a local Taleban-led insurgency, concentrated largely in the northwest. — AFP

PATNA: An Indian court convicted a regional government ally of corruption yesterday, making him one of the first politicians set to be disqualified from parliament under new rules barring criminal MPs. Lalu Prasad Yadav, a former federal minister whose Rashtriya Janata Dal party supports the ruling coalition, was found guilty along with 44 others of conspiracy and cheating over a scam which first came to light in 1996.

The conviction means Yadav is liable to be kicked out of federal parliament, following a recent Supreme Court ruling that national and state lawmakers be disqualified if they are found guilty of a serious crime.

Low-caste figurehead Yadav was chief minister of India’s poorest state Bihar when some 380 million rupees ($6 million) of public money intended to buy cattle feed for use by poor villagers was allegedly siphoned off.

“Lalu was found guilty of criminal conspiracy, corruption and cheating,” A.K. Singh, a lawyer for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which led the trial, told reporters.

Yadav did not say anything to media as he was escorted by police from the packed special CBI court in the city of Ranchi in the state of Jharkhand, which was part of Bihar until 2000.

The veteran politician was taken to prison before sentencing by the CBI court on Thursday, a police official in Ranchi said. He could face a minimum of four years in jail, according to local media reports. The 66-year-old, known for his often amusing oratory in parliament, was born into a cow herder’s family and is an outspoken critic of the elite. He has always denied any wrongdoing over the so-called fodder scam.

His conviction comes after political controversy erupted last week over the Supreme

RANCHI: Lalu Prasad Yadav (C), a former Indian federal minister, whose Rashtriya Janata Dal party supports the ruling coalition, walks into court before a hearing in Ranchi, Jharkhand yesterday. An Indian court convicted, Yadav, a regional government ally, of corruption making him one of the first politicians set to be disqualified from parliament under new rules barring criminal MPs. — AFP

Court’s ruling in July that lawmakers should be barred if they are found guilty in criminal cases carrying jail terms of more than two years.

The Congress-led government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh drew up an executive order to negate the decision and shield convicted lawmakers from being ejected ahead of national elections next year.

But Congress party scion Rahul Gandhi called the order “nonsense” in a surprise move on Friday that left the government red-faced.

The order still needs the president’s approval and its future is unclear after Gandhi’s comments.

If it fails to go into force, Yadav would be among the first thrown out. A Congress MP, Rashid Masood, is also set to lose his seat after being convicted in a separate corruption case earlier this month.

One of Yadav’s sons said his father would appeal against the conviction, claiming he was being made a scapegoat for the scam. — AFP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

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

China detains activist ahead of UN human rights review BEIJING: China has detained a human rights activist who helped stage a sit-in this year outside the Foreign Ministry to press for the public to be allowed to contribute to a national human rights report, her friend said yesterday.

The detention of Cao Shunli could fuel criticism of China’s rights policy when it comes up for scrutiny at a U.N. meeting in Geneva on Oct. 22, when groups and governments will be given the chance to press China on issues ranging from the death penalty to the treatment of dissidents.

Cao went missing in mid-September after authorities prevented her from fly-

ing to Geneva to attend a human rights training programme, her friend, Liu Xiaofang, told Reuters by telephone.

Beijing police told another of Cao’s friend, Feng Shuying, yesterday that Cao has been “criminally detained” since last Saturday, Liu said. Feng could not be reached for comment.

Liu said she believed authorities had detained Cao, whose disappearance has sparked an outcry from human rights groups, because Cao had staged a twomonth sit-in with other activists outside the Foreign Ministry, beginning in June.

Hundreds of activists had urged officials to reply to their requests to partici-

pate in drafting China’s national human rights report ahead of the country’s Universal Periodic Review by the United Nations this month.

“I think that action really angered the ministry,” Liu said. Cao, who has been at the forefront of efforts to take part in the process to join the Universal Periodic Review since 2008, is believed to be in a detention centre in Beijing, Liu said.

Beijing police could not be reached for comment.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said he had no knowledge of Cao. “But China is a country with rule of law and the legal rights of Chinese citi-

zens are protected by the law and the constitution, which at the same time all people must abide by,” he said.

Maya Wang, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, said by detaining Cao, the government was sending one message: “Independent voices on human rights are not welcome.”

“Instead of listening to people’s voices and legitimate grievances, the government has unfortunately opted to shoot the messenger,” Wang said. All UN members are expected to undergo the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review. Begun in 2008, the process will examine each

country every four years.

International human rights groups have already laid out their criticisms of China in submissions to the review. The main ones include the detention of dissidents and activists, using sweeping security laws and party-run courts to punish critics.

In 2009, China rejected calls from Western and some Latin American countries to end the death penalty but agreed to suggestions by Cuba that it ensure firm action against “selfstyled human rights defenders working against the Chinese state and people”. — Reuters

Australia’s new PM makes maiden trip to Indonesia Abbott seeks to ease refugee tensions

SEOUL: South Korean President Park Geun-hye (R) shakes hands with US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (C) as US Ambassador to South Korea, Sung Kim, (2nd L) and US Army General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (L), look on before their meeting at the presidential Blue House in Seoul yesterday. — AFP

Hagel tours last Cold War frontier in Korea PANMUNJOM: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel toured the South-North Korean border yesterday, ahead of talks on switching command of combined US and South Korean forces in the event of war with the North.

“There is no margin of error up here,” Hagel told reporters at the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that still separates the two Koreas 60 years after the end of the Korean War. Hagel was on the first leg of a trip to South Korea and Japan-two key regional military allies with a major stake in the battle to halt Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.

His visit follows signs that North Korea may be expanding its weapons-grade fissile material output even while calling for the resumption of six-party denuclearisation talks. After watching a live-fire exercise near the border, Hagel toured the DMZ once described by former US president Bill Clinton as the “scariest place on earth”-with his South Korean counterpart Kim Kwan-Jin. “This is probably the only place in the world where we have always a risk of confrontation, where two sides are looking clearly and directly at each other,” he told reporters at the Panmunjom truce village where the Korean War armistice was signed.

Hagel and Kim are due to hold talks today which are likely to focus on Seoul’s request for an extension of US wartime command over South Korean troops.

In the event of war with North Korea, the alliance currently calls for the US military commander to lead the 28,500 US troops deployed to the country, as well as South Korea’s 640,000strong force.

South Korea had agreed to take over wartime operational command of all troops starting in 2015, a decision that was already delayed from a 2012 target date. South Korean defence policymakers now say they need more time to prepare for the transition, citing increased military threats from the North after it held a nuclear test in February. “Currently, peace on the Korean peninsula is once again precarious because of the North’s nuclear programme,” President Park Geun-Hye said at a dinner function with Hagel later yesterday.The command issue is a divisive one in South Korea. Left-leaning opposition par-

ties view the existing command structure as quasi-colonial and tend to favour a rapid transition. Some right-wing hardliners also perceive a slight to national pride, but the conservative establishment sides with the belief that US command is the best guarantee of its long-term commitment to South Korea’s defence.

US officials have reaffirmed the 2015 schedule and, in a briefing to reporters on his flight to Seoul, Hagel noted that the South Korean military had become “much more sophisticated, much more capable” over the past 10 years.

And while stressing it was too early to make a “final decision”, Hagel said it was inevitable that time would bring change to the dynamics of the military partnership.

“Even though our alliance has never been stronger than it is today, that does not mean we cannot grow and mature,” he said at the dinner with President Park.

The visit to the DMZ had been a “chilling reminder of the threat North Korea poses not only to this country, but to the region, and to the United States homeland as well,” he added.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula, which sky-rocketed after the nuclear test, have eased a little in the past month, but concerns over Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions remain acute.

Analysis of recent satellite images suggest it has restarted the plutonium reactor that provided the fissile material for at least two of its three nuclear tests, and may have doubled its uranium enrichment capacity at the Yongbyon nuclear complex.

Hagel said the recent use of chemical weapons in Syria and the international community’s response had been closely followed by officials in Seoul.

“The South Koreans are very concerned because the North Koreans possess a very significant stockpile of chemical weapons,” he said.

North Korea and its main ally China have both urged a resumption of six-party talks on the North’s nuclear programme, but Washington and Seoul insist Pyongyang must demonstrate a commitment to denuclearisation before any substantive dialogue can be held.

The six-party process, which the North exited in 2009, involves the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. — AFP

JAKARTA: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he had frank and constructive discussions on immigration issues with his Indonesian counterpart yesterday during his first trip abroad since taking office, a visit that comes as the death toll continues to climb from the latest boat tragedy involving Australiabound asylum seekers. “We are resolved together, united, to tackle this problem and to beat it, on land and at sea and at the borders of our countries,” Abbott said after meeting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

“We are determined to end this scourge, which is not just an affront to our two countries, but which has so often become a humanitarian disaster in the seas between our two countries.” The visit came three days after a boat packed with asylum seekers sank in Indonesian waters, killing at least 36 and leaving dozens more missing.

Abbott also stressed the importance of boosting economic ties between the neighboring countries from the current 14.6 billion Australian dollars ($13.6 billion) a year. He said a new Australian-Indonesia study center would be created at Monash University.

Abbott is accompanied on the two-day trip by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Trade Minister Andrew Robb and 20 senior businesspeople. Border issues have been a long-standing headache between the two countries.

Indonesia, with its thousands of islands and shortage of maritime resources, is often used as a transit point by asylum seekers desperate to reach Australia’s Christmas Island in hopes of starting a better life.

Thousands board rickety fishing boats every year to make the often deadly journey, which typically crosses about 340 kilometers (210 miles) of open sea.

Abbott won the Sept. 7 election on the promise that he would stop the asylum seeker boats.

Indonesia has expressed concern over Abbott’s “towback” plan, which involves the Australian navy intercepting and forcing back Indonesian fishing boats crowded with asylum seekers. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has warned that the move could breach the country’s sovereignty.

“I do want to stress publicly as well as privately, bapak president, Australia’s total respect for Indonesia’s sovereignty, a total respect for Indonesia’s territorial integrity,” Abbott said, referring respectfully

JAKARTA: Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott (L) speaks to journalists next to Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (R) during a joint statement at the presidential palace in Jakarta yesterday. — AFP to Yudhoyono in the Indonesian language.

Yudhoyono agreed that the two countries must work closely together to combat the problem. “The solution is cooperation,” he said, adding that specific details would be worked out at another forum between the countries. “Effective, precise and good cooperation.”

Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison yesterday maintained his government’s policy of refusing to say whether any boat had been turned back to Indonesia since the new administration took power on Sept. 18.

“I’m not going to comment on operational issues at sea that compromise current and future operations,” Morrison told a weekly news briefing, adding that the new government had not changed how Australia responds to search and rescue emergencies.

On Friday, a boat thought to be carrying more than 100 asylum seekers from the Middle East sank off West Java’s Sukabumi district after being hit by high waves. The exact number of people aboard the boat was unknown due to the lack of a manifest.

The search continued Monday for dozens believed missing after 35 survivors were rescued. Seven more bodies were found late Sunday and Monday, bringing the confirmed death toll to 36, said Capt. Warsono, police chief of Agrabinta in the neighboring district of Cianjur. Separately, Australian navy boats rescued 80 asylum seekers and crew from two sinking boats last week en route from Indonesia to Australia and handed them over to Indonesian authorities, said Air Marshal Mark Binskin of the Australian military. Four other boats reached Australian waters last week, he said. — AP

Malaysia faces backlash over tough new laws KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s bid to bring back detention without trial and toughen a range of other laws has triggered a backlash from civil society groups who call the move politically motivated and a major step back for human rights.

Home Minister Zahid Hamidi was due to debate the proposed changes in parliament yesterday, justifying them as necessary to battle a rise in violent crime, as the government tries to push through the controversial bills this week.

The proposed amendments appear to mark a reversal of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s steps in recent years to repeal draconian security laws, such as the Internal Security Act (ISA), that were sometimes used to jail government critics. They come weeks ahead of a ruling party assembly where Najib faces pressure to make concessions to hard liners, following a weak election result in May that cut the ruling coalition’s majority, undermining the prime minister’s moderate agenda. “After the elec-

tion they are showing their real colours,” said Nalini Elumanai, executive director of human rights group Suaram. “It’s not because they want to curb crime. They want to stop the civil society movements, that’s the real motive.”

The tougher laws come as Najib’s dominant United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) struggles to retain its traditional grip on the multi-ethnic Southeast Asian nation in the face of growing demand for more freedoms.

Najib attempted to rebrand UMNO after a dismal election showing in 2008, liberalizing security laws and pledging to phase out privileges for majority ethnic Malays. But he is widely seen as having been pegged back by UMNO traditionalists, particularly after May’s election, in which minority ethnic Chinese and most urban voters rejected the ruling coalition.

The changes to the 1959 Prevention of Crime Act provide for a board made up of three members and headed by a judge to issue detention orders for up to two years that

can later be renewed. The suspect has no right to legal representation, according to a copy of the bill seen by Reuters, and lawyers said there would be limited scope to appeal against decisions.

In addition, the government is proposing amendments to the country’s penal code, mandating prison terms of 5 to 15 years for promoting a false national flag and up to three years for “vandalism”, which includes the display of banners or placards without proper permission. Judges’ powers of discretion in sentencing are curtailed in favour of minimum mandatory sentences. The new laws could be so broadly interpreted that they were “wide open to abuse,” said Andrew Khoo, co-chairman of the Malaysian Bar Council’s Human Rights Committee. The Bar has said the changes are “repugnant to the rule of law”.

Khoo told Reuters, “I think the average citizen, rather than feeling safer as a result of these amendments, could actually feel much less safe.” — Reuters

Australia’s first woman PM surprised by sexism CANBERRA: Australia’s first woman prime minister, who was dumped by her party ahead of September’s election loss, revealed yesterday she was surprised by the level of aggressive sexism directed at her during three years in power.

Julia Gillard made the comments in her first interview since she was deposed in a ballot of her center-left Labor Party colleagues in June by a vote of 57 to 45 as public opinion polls pointed to the administration heading for a catastrophic election defeat.

She was replaced by Kevin Rudd, a prime minister she had deposed in a similar leadership showdown three years earlier in the face of poor opinion polling. Rudd led his party to a crushing election defeat on Sept. 7, causing some observers to ask whether the leadership change had served any purpose. Gillard, who turned 52 Sunday, told a sold-out audience of 2,600 people in the Sydney Opera House in an interview televised nationally that she reacted with “murderous rage” to the sexist attacks on her in social media and

elsewhere. She was called “witch” and “bitch” on protesters’ banners, while a popular Sydney radio broadcaster said she should be dumped at sea in a sack.

“I was surprised by it. I had issues related to my gender before I became prime minister,” she said, mentioning a senator condemning her as unfit to lead because of her decision not to have children.

“There was this underside of ... really violent, ugly sexism that came forward, and I think it finds easier expression because of the social media, but I think it would have been there anyway,” she said. Tony Abbott, who became prime minister after his Conservative party won the election, has been criticized for appointing only one woman to his Cabinet. The 55-year-old former Roman Catholic seminarian was branded “a misogynist” and “sexist” by Gillard in a speech to Parliament last year that was lauded by feminists around the world.

Gillard, who did not run in the election, returned on Sunday from the United States where she accepted a position with the Washington-based

Brookings think tank as a senior fellow specializing in global education.

Gillard also met last week with Hillary Rodham Clinton in New York, and said the former US Secretary of State was “full of ideas” about politics and the world. “... wouldn’t it be fantastic to follow the first African-American president with the first woman president?” she said. Clinton’s supporters have encouraged her to run for president in 2016, but she has not revealed her plans.

Gillard said her administration, and others such as President Barack Obama’s and British Prime Minister David Cameron’s, has struggled with the evolving media environment, which she felt contributed to her political demise.

She said social media allowed governments to instantly get the truth “to thousands and thousands of people in a way that you never could before, but in an age in which lies and half-truths and odd political claims and silly slogans can also get automatic and widespread currency.” — AP

SYDNEY: Journalist Anne Summers, left, gestures while she chats with former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard prior to an interview at the Opera House in Sydney, Australia, yesterday. This is Gillard’s first interview since she was ousted as Labor Party leader by her predecessor, Kevin Rudd in June. — AP

NEWS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

Bibi urges US to keep Iran sanctions in place WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday urged President Barack Obama to keep tough economic sanctions on Iran in place, even as the US weighs a potential warming of relations and a restart of nuclear negotiations with Tehran’s new government.

“If diplomacy is to work, those pressures must be kept in place,” Netanyahu said during an Oval Office meeting with Obama.

The two leaders met at the White House just days after Obama’s historic phone call with new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The 15-minute call marked the first direct conversation between US and Iranian leaders in more than 30 years. Obama credited the flurry of US sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy with bringing Rouhani to the negotiating table.

While he said it was important to “test diplomacy,” the president also said that Rouhani must back up his more conciliatory words with actions that give the international community confidence that Iran is not seeking to produce a nuclear weapon.

“We enter into these negotiations very clear-eyed,” Obama said, adding that while he preferred a diplomatic solution, all options remain on the

table, including military action. Obama and Netanyahu, whose tense relationship has somewhat improved in recent months, also addressed the tenuous peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the bloody civil war in Syria, and unrest in Egypt, the first Arab country to forge a peace treaty with Israel. The two leaders had not met in person since March, when Obama made his first trip to Israel as president.

The sudden prospect of diplomacy with Iran overshadowed a host of pressing issues on the US-Israeli agenda. Netanyahu has long been skeptical of Obama’s preference for negotiating with Iran, repeatedly pressing his US counterpart to issue credible threats of military action if Tehran gets close to producing a nuclear weapon.

Sitting side-by-side with Obama, Netanyahu echoed his recent warnings that the US and other Western nations should not be swayed by Rouhani’s courtship. Israelis derisively called Iran’s efforts the “smiley campaign.” “The ultimate test of a future agreement with Iran is whether or not Iran dismantles its military nuclear program,” he said.

Iran has offered to open its nuclear facilities to international inspectors as part of broad negotiations with the

United States but has insisted that its nuclear program is its right and is for peaceful purposes only. The US, Israel and other allies have long accused Iran of seeking a bomb. Iran says it is enriching uranium for peaceful purposes. Netanyahu was expected to bring intelligence with him to Washington that Iran was on the cusp of achieving the ability to produce a nuclear weapon. He has previously argued for action to block Iran from acquiring the tools to reach that threshold.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, in an interview Sunday, scoffed at Israel’s warnings, saying Israeli leaders have been warning that Tehran is months away from having a nuclear weapon since 1991, and those fears have never been realized. Zarif, a former nuclear negotiator for Iran, met with Secretary of State John Kerry at the United Nations last week.

American and Iranian officials had been negotiating a possible meeting between Obama and Rouhani while both were in New York for the UN General Assembly meetings. However, US officials said the Iranians told them an in-person meeting would be “too complicated” and the phone call was arranged instead. —AP

All options open on Iran: Peres AMSTERDAM: Israeli President Shimon Peres says “all options” are being kept open in forcing Iran to give up its nuclear program, which Iran says is for peaceful purposes but Israel and others believe is aimed at building nuclear arms. He said the economic sanctions against Iran now have not dissuaded the country from enriching uranium or building long-range missiles, although it may have affected Tehran’s public statements. Peres said it would be better if sanctions did stop Iran from being “a center of terror, but all options are otherwise being kept.”

“The Syrians were forced this time by an agreement between the United States and Russia to give up their chemical arsenal,” he said. “They didn’t do it before the world threatened them with the military option.” Peres spoke at the Peace Palace in The Hague after meeting with judges at the International Court of Justice, sometimes called the World Court, yesterday. The ICJ ruled in 2004 in a nonbinding advisory opinion that Israel’s security barrier violated international law. Israel rejected the opinion.

Asked whether Israel would be willing to join the Organization for the Prohibition for Chemical Weapons as Syria is now doing, Peres said his government, which is widely believed to possess chemical weapons, “will

consider” it. Israel has signed but not ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention, which forbids the production, stockpiling or use of chemical weapons and automatically leads to membership in the OPCW. After Syria’s agreement last week to join the organization, only Israel, Egypt, North Korea, Burma, Angola and South Sudan are not members.

On Friday, the UN Security Council ordered the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to help Syria destroy its chemical weapons by mid-2014.

Inspectors from the OPCW were leaving the Netherlands yesterday for Syria to begin the process.

Asked what he thought of the speech by Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani to the United Nations last week in which Rouhani argued Iran’s nuclear program is purely civilian, Peres told reporters it contradicted a speech the Iranian leader gave just two days earlier to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. In that, Rouhani vowed to continue building long-range missiles.

Peres said those missiles could have no purpose other than to carry nuclear warheads, so the two speeches were contradictory. “I hope that the facts will justify the hopes of many that we will see a different Iran, but finally we can judge only by the acts and by the deeds,” he said. — AP

Gulf states weigh US-Iran overtures Continued from Page 1 “So much of the Gulf relationship with Washington has been built on the concerns over Iran: the US bases, the huge Gulf arms purchases, the protection of oil shipments,” said Theodore Karasik, a security and political affairs analyst at the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis.

“All of a sudden, here’s the chance that the US and Iran could start talking directly. That cuts the Gulf out of a loop somewhat,” he added. Washington’s Gulf partners have already been feeling slightly under-appreciated.

When then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited the region last year she heard a list of complaints that included worries about Obama’s perceived strategic emphasis on Asia and how Washington failed to stand by their common ally, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, during the Arab Spring uprisings.

And the Gulf leaders - strong backers of Syria’s rebel forces - could hardly contain their displeasure when the US pulled back from possible military action against Bashar Assad’s regime in favor of a Russian plan seeking the dismantlement of Damascus’ chemical arsenal.

A former US diplomat in the region said that a senior Saudi official grumbled to him recently: I wish the Americans stood by us like the Russians stand by Assad.

The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because the conversation recounted was private.

“There will no doubt be some tensions between the Obama administration and Gulf leaders” over Syria, said Ayham Kamel, a Middle East analyst at the Eurasia Group in London. Iran, though, is an issue even closer to home. The diplomatic energy lavished on Rouhani by Washington - particularly at last week’s UN General Assembly - is likely to leave Gulf leader questioning their place in the US pecking order if there is a thaw in the 34-year diplomatic freeze between the US and Iran.

Such a prospect may still seem distant. Iranian hardliners have made it clear they are highly uneasy with the fast-paced overtures at the UN Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tried to address the worries even as his boss, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, stayed behind in the US to continue his pitch for a quick resolution to the nuclear impasse - that would, Iran insists, include easing sanctions.

“Definitely, a history of high tensions between Tehran and Washington will not go back to normal relations due to a phone call, meeting or negotiation,” Araghchi was quoted as saying Sunday by the semiofficial Fars news agency. He added: “We never trust America 100 percent. And, in the future, we will remain on the same path. We will never trust them 100 percent.”

In the Gulf, Sunni Arab leaders view Shiite power Iran with deep suspicion. In some ways, Gulf views on Iran are often more in line with Israel than other Arab states.

A leaked US diplomatic cable described how Saudi’s King Abdullah urged in 2008 for a US-led attack against Iran to “cut off the head of the snake” and cripple its nuclear weapons program, which Saudi officials and others fear could touch off a frightening nuclear arms race in the region.

More recently, arrests of alleged Iranian espionage rings have been announced in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

In Bahrain - where the Western-backed government accused Iran of encouraging a Shiite-led uprising since 2011 - a court yesterday sentenced 50 people to prison sentences ranging from five to 15 years on charges that include spying for Iran.

“Arab countries in the region are watching the talks between Iran and the US with concern in their hearts,” said Mahdi Motaharnia, a professor of international politics in Qom Azad University in Iran. “They fear that many concessions they were receiving from the West because of tensions between Iran and the US could be in jeopardy.”

Clearly, the overall US ties with the Gulf are too extensive and strategic to suffer any major blows. The Pentagon’s footholds include air bases, thousands of ground troops in Kuwait and the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain. Gulf nations spend billions on the latest US weapons.

It’s more about the Gulf perceptions that Washington’s policies are no longer closely overlaid with their own, said Sami Al-Faraj, director of the Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies and a security adviser to the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. “The Gulf states once believed they always had American in their corner,” said Al-Faraj. “Syria changed that. What’s happening in Iran may change it even more.” — AP

Qaeda militants eat human hearts: Syria Continued from Page 1 Chemical Weapons. Al-Moallem claimed that it is clear to all that offshoots of Al-Qaeda - “the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world” - is fighting in the Syrian civil war. But some countries refuse to recognize it, he said.

“The scenes of murder, manslaughter and eating human hearts were shown on TV screens, but did not touch blind consciences,” Al-Moallem said. “There are innocent civilians whose heads are put on the grill just because they violate the extremist ideology and deviant views of Al-Qaeda. In Syria ... there are murderers who dismember human bodies into pieces while still alive and send their limbs to their families, just because those citizens are defending a unified and secular Syria.”

A video published online in May purported to show a member of Syria’s armed opposition eating a human

heart while the body of a Syrian soldier lay close by.

Another video the minister referred to purportedly showed rebels grilling the head of a Syrian soldier.

The video with the heart drew condemnation from human rights groups as well as the Syrian National Council, one of the main opposition groups. As rebels gain more territory and a multitude of militias, jihadists and criminals join the fight against Assad, reports of serious human rights abuses committed by armed opposition elements are on the rise.

Summary executions committed by rebel forces albeit on a far smaller scale than the regime’s alleged atrocities - have put the West in a difficult position as it seeks to arm, train and otherwise aid the rebels. AlMoallem said his government was committed to a political solution to his country’s conflict which he called a war against “terror” and not a civil war as the international community has been calling it for months. — AP

Mir ship from Russia takes part in the Mediterranean Tall Ships Regatta “Voiles de Legende” (Legendary Sails) yesterday in the Mediterranean Sea, near Toulon, southern France. — AFP

US careens towards shutdown Continued from Page 1 shutdown of the federal government in a matter of hours. “I am not at all resigned” to a shutdown, Obama told reporters when asked about it.But Obama said he would not negotiate under the threat of the US government shutting down or defaulting on its debt.

“There’s not a world leader, if you took a poll, who would say that it would be responsible or consistent with America’s leadership in the world for us not to pay our bills,” Obama said. “We are the foundation of the world economy and the world financial system. And our currency is the reserve currency of the world. We don’t mess with that,” he said. Obama said he expected to speak later Monday to leaders of Congress, where his Republican opponents are pushing to strip his signature health care reform program in exchange for keeping the government running.

“There’s a pretty straightforward solution to this. If you set aside the short-term politics and you look at the long-term here, what it simply requires is everybody to act responsibly and do what’s right for the American people,” Obama said. The prospect of a shutdown contributed to a decline in stock markets around the world, and US stocks tumbled sharply after Wall Street opened yesterday. Some critical services would continue, such as patrolling the borders, inspecting meat and controlling air traffic, and health care programs for the poor and elderly. The State Department would continue processing foreign applications for visas, and embassies and consulates overseas would continue to provide services to American citizens. Since the last government shutdown in 1995-1996, temporary funding bills have been noncontroversial, with neither party willing to chance a shutdown to achieve legislative goals it couldn’t otherwise win.

But with the 3-year-old healthcare law nearing implementation, hardcore tea party conservatives are determined to use the spending bill as leverage to derail Obama’s chief domestic accomplishment. Even if Congress averts a shutdown, Republicans are sure to move the health care fight to another must-do meas-

ure looming in mid-October: a bill to increase the government’s borrowing cap to avert a market-rattling, first-ever default on US obligations.

The healthcare overhaul, which has come to be known as “Obamacare,” is aimed at providing health coverage for millions of uninsured Americans.

Exchanges are set to open today under the law where people can shop for health care coverage from private insurers. Republicans insist the initiative is already costing jobs and will drive up health care costs. Democrats argue otherwise and accuse Republicans of holding a routine funding measure hostage to unfairly extract concessions.

The battle started with a House vote to pass the short-term funding bill with a provision that would have defunded implementation of the health care overhaul. The Senate voted along party lines to strip that out and lobbed the measure back to the House.

The latest House measure, passed early Sunday by a near party-line vote of 231-192, sent back to the Senate two key changes: a one year delay of key provisions of the health insurance law and repeal of a new tax on medical devices that partially funds it, steps that still go too far for The White House and its Democratic allies.

Senate rules often make it difficult to act quickly, but the chamber can act on the House’s latest proposals by simply calling them up and killing them on a nondebatable motion. Even some Republicans said privately they feared that Democratic Senate leader Reid holds the advantage in the fast-approaching end game.

Republicans argued that they had already made compromises; for instance, their latest measure would leave intact most parts of the health care law that have taken effect, including requiring insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions and to let families’ plans cover children up to age 26. They also would allow insurers to deny contraception coverage based on religious or moral objections. Democrats were confident they could hold firm, and some more senior Republicans acknowledged that the situation is rife with political risk for their party. — AP

Kuwait warns ‘stateless’ people against...

Continued from Page 1 Around 21 Kuwaiti opposition and civil society groups on Sunday declared their total backing for the bedoon planned protests, saying it is part of their basic rights. The groups also called on the government to embark on a comprehensive and fundamental solution to the decades-long problem of around 110,000 bedoons by first proving them their essential rights and then start naturalizing them. The government claims that only 34,000 of bedoons qualify to be considered for citizenship while the rest are citizens of other countries who or their forefathers deliberately destroyed their passports to claim Kuwaiti citizenship.

In another development, the Court of Misdemeanors yesterday refrained from issuing any sentence against nine opposition activists including five former MPs for taking part in an “unlicensed” gathering. Under Kuwaiti

legal system, the ruling is a conviction but without any physical punishment. The court however asked the nine activists to pledge to keep good conduct for a year and pay a bail of KD 100 each.

The former MPs include Mussallam Al-Barrak, Jamaan Al-Harbash, Khaled Shukhayer, Khaled Al-Tahous and Waleed Al-Tabtabai. The activists were among thousands of Kuwaitis who took to the streets last year in protest against the government for unilaterally amending the electoral constituency law. The Appeals Court meanwhile upheld the acquittal of opposition activist Sager Al-Hashash from the charge of insulting HH the Amir on Twitter. The lower court had acquitted the activist several months ago.

Hashash was however convicted and handed a twoyear jail term by another court early this year and served several months in jail before he was released on an Amiri pardon in the fasting month of Ramadan.

car bombs kill 54 in Baghdad Continued from Page 1 protest camp in April touched off a violent backlash by Sunni militants. “The (security situation) will get worse because al Qaeda and its allies will increase their attacks against both sects to incite people and force them to respond,” said a senior security official who declined to be named.

So far Shiite militias, most of which disarmed in recent years and joined the reconstituted security forces or entered the political process, have largely held their fire, but several attacks in recent weeks suggest that some are retaliating. Iraq’s sectarian balance has come under further pressure from the civil war in neighboring Syria, where mainly Sunni rebels are fighting to topple a leader backed by Iran.

Both Sunnis and Shiites have crossed into Syria from Iraq to fight on opposite sides of the conflict. Al-Qaeda’s Iraqi and Syrian branches merged earlier this year to form the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which has claimed responsibility for attacks on both sides of the border.

On Sunday, the Kurdistan region, a northern enclave relatively insulated from the violence that afflicts the rest of Iraq, suffered its first major bombing since 2007. A charred crater in the road marks where a car bomb exploded during a suicide assault on the security headquarters in the regional capital Arbil in which at least six

people were killed. A stench of burnt tarmac still hung over the scene, and the remains of a slain assailant lay on the grassy road divider.

“We realize that Arbil is a big, attractive target for terrorists,” said the city’s governor Nozad Hadi. “During the past seven years there were constant attempts by terrorists to undermine the security of the capital.” Kurdistan’s relative security has attracted some of the world’s largest oil companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron Corp and Total to the region, which is autonomous and polices its own borders. Most of these oil firms have their main offices in Arbil, but after Sunday’s attack they took extra security measures and restricted the movements of their staff, industry sources said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the Arbil attack, but it was hailed by hardline Sunni Islamists, who in recent months have been fighting a Kurdish militia in Syria. Analysts say the assault may have been carried out by al Qaeda-affiliated militants in revenge for the Kurdistan Regional Government’s perceived support for Kurds in Syria. A risk consultancy said militants would try to strike the region again, but would find it difficult because the Kurdish security apparatus is “relatively well developed”. “Further attacks should therefore be expected but they are likely to remain infrequent occurrences,” said John Drake, of the AKE consultancy. “The day-to-day operating environment will remain stable but we will continue to warn against complacency.” — Reuters

14

TUESDAY, OCTOMER 1, 2013

ANALYSIS

THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher

YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief

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

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

Issues

Compulsions behind Iran’s overtures

By William Maclean and Marcus George ehind Iran’s overtures to Washington lie pent-up pressures for change - from sanctions and internal dissent to regional turmoil - that are shaping a rare chance to end decades of hostility. For new President Hassan Rouhani, speed is of the essence. Sanctions are squeezing Iran’s oil exports, economic misery is palpable, Arab Spring contagion poses a persistent threat and involvement in Syria’s civil war is a drain on hard-pressed resources.

As well as addressing these pressures, Iran may be hoping its softer tone in nuclear talks with the West will bring longer term opportunities, diplomats say.

Ultimately Tehran desires Western recognition of what it sees as its legitimate interests in the wider region - in Syria and Lebanon where Shiite Muslim Iran supports the interests of its co-religionists and in its ‘backyard’ the oil-producing Gulf, where Iran seeks to expand its influence. For now it is the threats that appear uppermost in the thinking of the Islamic Republic, as it surveys its diminished economy and regional upheaval.

Shaul Bakhash, professor at George Mason University, Virginia, said he believed Rouhani realized how seriously the economy had been hurt by the confrontational policies of his “disastrous” predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Rouhani’s opening to Washington was ‘not a bluff’, he said. “Adults are once again leading the Iranian government.” Iran is adept at surviving economic pressure, but sanctions have bitten deeply. Existing US and EU measures have reduced Iran’s oil exports by more than half from pre-sanction levels of about 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd), costing Tehran billions of dollars in lost revenue a month.

The US Congress could soon pass a bill to squeeze Iran’s oil exports further. Deeper cuts in oil sales, if accomplished, could worsen the damage Western sanctions have already done to Iran’s economy, which suffered a loss of about $26 billion in petroleum revenue in 2012 from a total of $95 billion in 2011; soaring inflation; and a devaluation of its currency, the rial.

Iran had the ability to adjust to sanctions, a July 2013 research paper by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) said. But it added: “The election of Rouhani ... suggests that sanctions are affecting political outcomes in Iran.”

In April, the International Monetary Fund forecast gross domestic product would shrink 1.3 percent in 2013 after contracting 1.9 percent last year. Mehrdad Emadi, an economist at Betamatrix consultancy, said knock on effects of sanctions on businesses included lack of investment and job losses. In the car and related components sector, about a third of workers had lost jobs in an industry that is Iran’s largest after oil, he said.

As before, a key immediate goal for Tehran is to win acceptance of its right to enrich uranium under a nuclear energy program it says is entirely peaceful but which the West suspects is aimed at developing a nuclear weapons capability.

But what has changed is that powerful conservatives within the factionalized leadership including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei have assented to Rouhani’s opening, signalling they are willing to explore the compromises essential to any deal. They went along with Rouhani, diplomats speculate, largely because his big June election win revealed the depth of anger over years of economic mismanagement and the extent of popular support for his aim of ending Iran’s international isolation.

“People wouldn’t have been so vocal in their dissatisfaction without such tough sanctions. They applied soft pressure and translated dissatisfaction into voting,” said Emadi. As they tackle a nuclear dispute that for years has been a potential flashpoint for a regional war, Iran’s nuclear negotiators now have the challenge of rebuilding confidence with the West while not being seen to cave in to Western pressure. However they go about that task, speed is critically important.

Rouhani’s comment to the Washington Post that a deal should be “a question of months not years” suggests he must show quick results to keep security hawks hostile to the West on board. “He is a man in a hurry,” said Bakhash. Conservatives were likely to overwhelm Rouhani without swift and significant sanctions relief, he said. When Rouhani returned from New York, a small group of hardliners threw eggs at his car. — Reuters

B

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.

FOCUS

Navies cruise back into vogue

By Peter Apps fter a quarter century of Middle Eastern land wars and a sharp fall in big powers’ naval spending after the Cold War, sea power is back in vogue in response to the rise of China and Western reluctance to deploy ground troops in conflicts like Syria. The greater interest in navies is being felt from the corridors of Washington to the pirate hunting grounds off Africa and the shipyards of Asia.

“You’re going to see a much greater emphasis on using sea-based forces to produce an effect,” said Admiral Gary Roughead, who retired as Chief of Naval Operations, the professional head of the US navy, in 2011.

“You’re seeing it in the Mediterranean, with Syria, and you’re seeing it in the Pacific and the Middle East,” said Roughead, who is now a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. India last month launched its first locally built aircraft carrier and a dozen such ships are to be completed worldwide in the next decade, including two US Gerald R Ford-class giants, two British vessels, a refurbished Russian carrier for India and one or more of the first indigenous carriers to be built by China.

US-based consultancy AMI International estimates about $800 billion will be spent globally on naval programs in the next two decades, a quarter of it in Asia, which now surpasses austerity-hit Europe as the second-largest naval market after North America.

A

In April’s 2014 budget, the US Navy pulled ahead to win the biggest chunk of funding of all three services. The Pentagon requested $155 billion for the Navy, just under 30 percent of the total $527 billion baseline budget, which does not include contingency funding for Iraq and Afghanistan. That did not take into account the automatic across-the-board spending cuts of “sequestration” that the Navy says could leave it with 10 percent less than its budget submission in 2014 if Congress cannot agree a deal to tackle the US deficit.

“Sea power is growing in importance,” said US Rear Admiral Robert Kamensky, commander of NATO’s submarine force, in a presentation on behalf of the US Navy in London. “We are experiencing increased demand ... at the same time as a reduction in resources.” Washington is moving ships from the Atlantic to Pacific in part to confront Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, seen the primary beneficiary of years of double-digit defense budget increases.

Beijing began operating its ex-Soviet carrier late last year, though it says it is not yet fully operational. It is also building submarines, patrol boats and other warships. In September, state-backed China Shipbuilding Industry announced it planned to raise $1.4 billion through a private share sale to buy assets used for building warships, the first time Beijing had tapped the capital market to fund its military expansion.

Worried nearby nations - particularly

those with maritime boundary disputes with China - are upgrading everything from radar to missiles and torpedoes. Japan will next year see its largest defense spending rise in 22 years, purchasing patrol boats and helicopters and creating a force of marines.

Australia is boosting its navy to include new assault ships, while Vietnam is buying Russian submarines.

The Philippines is dramatically expanding its once almost moribund force, acquiring two former US Coast Guard cutters, Japanese patrol boats and a second-hand French warship. Western defense firms struggling elsewhere are keen to get in on the act. BAE Systems is working with Thailand on building an offshore patrol boat, while other smaller firms are selling electronic equipment and weaponry.

Washington’s ability to strike from the sea remains without parallel, going well beyond its 10 massive carriers, currently over half the global total. Five US navy destroyers and an unspecified number of submarines are still holding position off Syria, ready to make good on threats of a cruise missile strike should a US-Russian deal to put Syrian chemical weapons beyond use collapse.

Still, if the sequestration budget cuts continue throughout the decade, the US Navy says it could be left with 38 fewer ships and might have to consider cutting its carrier fleet to eight or nine. Sources say spending cuts are already affecting major US shipbuilders such as Huntingdon Ingalls,

with projects delayed, including the construction of the new USS John F. Kennedy nuclear carrier.

In the Gulf, worries over Iran’s swarms of small boat flotillas and the U.S. reduction of permanent carrier presence from two taskforces to one has prompted Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to buy and build new patrol boats. Such deals can be highly lucrative. In July, Saudi Arabia asked to buy 30 Mark V special forces-style patrol boats worth $1.2 billion from unlisted Mississippi-based Halter Marine Inc. In number of ships, many European fleets - including Britain’s Royal Navy, once the world’s pre-eminent maritime force - are now at their smallest in centuries. Britain has spent the last three years without a single operational aircraft carrier.

Though smaller, European navies remain potent. Spain, France and Italy have all built new carriers since 2000, the latter two using theirs heavily during the 2011 Libya war. Britain’s “Queen Elizabeth” class - built by a BAE Systems-led consortium, with the first due to launch in 2014 - will be even more capable, the Royal Navy says, even if they will not have Lockheed Martin F-35 jets to fly for at least three years. By 2022, naval spending will have increased to 46 percent of Britain’s entire defense equipment budget. “It amounts to nothing less than a maritime renaissance,” Britain’s First Sea Lord Admiral George Zambellas told an arms fair in London. “The Navy is back in business.” — Reuters

World not ready for aging population

By Kristen Gelineau he world is aging so fast that most countries are not prepared to support their swelling numbers of elderly people, according to a global study going out today by the United Nations and an elder rights group. The report ranks the social and economic well-being of elders in 91 countries, with Sweden coming out on top and Afghanistan at the bottom. It reflects what advocates for the old have been warning, with increasing urgency, for years: Nations are simply not working quickly enough to cope with a population graying faster than ever before. By the year 2050, for the first time in history, seniors over the age of 60 will outnumber children under the age of 15.

Truong Tien Thao, who runs a small tea shop on the sidewalk near his home in Hanoi, Vietnam, is 65 and acutely aware that he, like millions of others, is plunging into old age without a safety net. He wishes he could retire, but he and his 61-year-old wife depend on the $50 a month they earn from the tea shop. And so every day, Thao rises early to open the stall at 6 a.m. and works until 2 p.m., when his wife takes over until closing.

“People at my age should have a rest, but I still have to work to make our ends meet,” he says, while waiting for customers at the shop, which sells green tea, cigarettes and chewing gum. “My wife and I have no pension, no health insurance. I’m scared of thinking of being sick - I don’t know how I can pay for the medical care.” Thao’s story reflects a key point in the report, which was released early to The Associated Press: Aging is an issue across the world.

Perhaps surprisingly, the report shows that the fastest aging countries are developing ones, such as Jordan, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Vietnam, where the number of older people will more than triple by 2050. All ranked in the bottom half of the index.

The Global AgeWatch Index (www.globalagewatch.org) was created by elder advocacy group HelpAge International and the UN Population Fund in part to address a lack of international data on the extent and impact of global aging. The index, released on the UN’s International Day of Older Persons, compiles data from the

T

UN, World Health Organization, World Bank and other global agencies, and analyzes income, health, education, employment and age-friendly environment in each country.

The index was welcomed by elder rights advocates, who have long complained that a lack of data has thwarted their attempts to raise the issue on government agendas.

“Unless you measure something, it doesn’t really exist in the minds of decision-makers,” said John Beard, Director of Ageing and Life Course for the World Health Organization.

“One of the challenges for population aging is that we don’t even collect the data, let alone start to analyze it. ...

For example, we’ve been talking about how people are living longer, but I can’t tell you people are living longer and sicker, or longer in good health.” The report fits into an increasingly complex picture of aging and what it means to the world. On the one hand, the fact that people are living longer is a testament to advances in health care and nutrition, and advocates emphasize that the elderly should be seen not as a burden but as a resource. On the other, many countries still lack a basic social protection floor that provides income, health care and housing for their senior citizens. Afghanistan, for example, offers no pension to those not in the government. Life expectancy is 59 years for men and 61 for women, compared to a global average of 68 for men and 72 for women, according to UN data. That leaves Abdul Wasay struggling to survive. At 75, the former cook and blacksmith spends most of his day trying to sell toothbrushes and toothpaste on a busy street corner in Kabul’s main market. The job nets him just $6 a day - barely enough to support his wife. He can only afford to buy meat twice a month; the family relies mainly on potatoes and curried vegetables.

“It’s difficult because my knees are weak and I can’t really stand for a long time,” he says. “But what can I do? It’s even harder in winter, but I can’t afford treatment.”

Although government hospitals are free, Wasay complains that they provide little treatment and hardly any medicine.

He wants to stop working in three years, but is not sure his children can support him. He says many older people cannot find work because they are not strong enough to do

day labor, and some resort to begging.

“You have to keep working no matter how old you are no one is rich enough to stop,” he says. “Life is very difficult.”

Many governments have resisted tackling the issue partly because it is viewed as hugely complicated, negative and costly - which is not necessarily true, says Silvia Stefanoni, chief executive of HelpAge International. Japan and Germany, she says, have among the highest proportions of elders in the world, but also boast steady economies.

“There’s no evidence that an aging population is a population that is economically damaged,” she says. Prosperity in itself does not guarantee protection for the old. The world’s rising economic powers - the so-called BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa rank lower in the index than some poorer countries such as Uruguay and Panama. However, the report found, wealthy nations are in general better prepared for aging than poorer ones. Sweden, where the pension system is now 100 years old, makes the top of the list because of its social support, education and health coverage, followed by Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada. The United States comes in eighth.

Sweden’s health system earns praise from Marianne Blomberg, an 80-year-old Stockholm resident. “The healthcare system, for me, has worked extraordinarily well,” she says. “I suffer from atrial fibrillation and from the minute I call emergency until I am discharged, it is absolutely amazing. I can’t complain about anything - even the food is good.”

Still, even in an elder-friendly country like Sweden, aging is not without its challenges. The Swedish government has suggested people continue working beyond 65, a prospect Blomberg cautiously welcomes but warns should not be a requirement. Blomberg also criticized the nation’s finance minister, Anders Borg, for cutting taxes sharply for working Swedes but only marginally for retirees. “I go to lectures and museums and the theater and those kinds of things, but I probably have to stop that soon because it gets terribly expensive,” she says. “If you want to be active like me, it is hard. But to sit home and stare at the walls doesn’t cost anything.” — AP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

S P ORTS Gnabry justifies Wenger’s faith

Nadal pushes for top spot

LONDON: Arsene Wenger feels that his selection of Serge Gnabry for Arsenal’s 2-1 weekend win at Swansea City has been vindicated after the 18-year-old became the second-youngest player to score a Premier League goal for the club. The German winger, in only his second Premier League start, found the net early in the second half with a composed finish after a typically intricate build-up involving Bacary Sagna, Olivier Giroud, Jack Wilshire and Aaron Ramsey. Wenger voiced his satisfaction in Gnabry’s performance in the wake of a win which saw Arsenal climb two points clear at the top of the Premier League after six games.

“I feel he has justified my faith,” the Frenchman told Arsenal’s official website (www.arsenal.com).

“This boy has potential, he has personality on the pitch and purpose, and he has shown that again so overall I feel it’s very positive.” Wenger earlier told reporters: “He has the talent, but he has the personality on the pitch as well.

“He doesn’t look timid, he looks to play with belief and, of course, talent. Unfortunately he is another player for Germany, he’s not English. “He was one-year-old when I came to Arsenal, I can’t believe it. Now I have some players in my squad who were not born when I arrived at Arsenal.”—Reuters

CHINA: Rafa Nadal starts the final push to what he hopes will be a return to the top of the world rankings when he gets under way at the China Open yesterday.

The Spaniard has played only one singles and a doubles match since winning the US Open earlier this month, during a crushing Davis Cup victory over Ukraine, and is re-energised for the final stretch of a season that started under a cloud but has turned into one of his best.

Since returning from a seven-month injury lay-off in February the 27year-old has been virtually unstoppable, winning 10 titles and compiling a 61-3 record. Novak Djokovic, who he beat in the French Open semi-finals and in the US Open final, remains number one but with no points to defend between now and the ATP World Tour finals, Nadal looks a strong favourite to climb above the Serb.

It could happen as soon as next Monday if Nadal at least reaches the final in Beijing, even if Djokovic wins the title.

“It will be very tough to become number one,’ Nadal was quoted on the ATP website (www.atpworldtour.com), although to all intents and purposes the hard work is already done.

“If I am still playing the same way that I have the past couple of months, I hope to have my chance here or in the next few weeks. I am completing a great season.—Reuters

Petkovic upsets Azarenka CHINA: Victoria Azarenka’s China Open title defence wilted in the first round when the Belarussian lost to Germany’s Andrea Petkovic 6-4 2-6 6-4 yesterday.

Azarenka’s 15 double faults, to go with 44 unforced errors, mirrored her erratic display over two hours 22 minutes against Petkovic who appeared to be feeling dizzy in the second set.

The loss for second seed Azarenka followed her second-round defeat by Venus Williams in Tokyo last week. Petkovic looked in discomfort in the second set, needing medical time out, and she lost seven straight games as Azarenka forced the decider.

The defending champion traded breaks with Petkovic to level at 44 in the third set but her 15th double fault on break point left the German ser ving for the match.—Reuters

Oracle sailors learned flying for Cup comeback SAN FRANCISCO: The come-from-behind victory of Larry Ellison’s America’s Cup team is a tale of learning how to fly a boat — and pushing the equipment, the rules and the crew to the very limit in the process. Ellison’s Oracle Team USA fought back from an 8-1 deficit against the mighty Emirates Team New Zealand to win sailing’s biggest trophy last week in a series of races in 72foot high-tech catamarans that sometimes exceeded 50 miles per hour (80 kph) on San Francisco Bay. The Oracle comeback was lauded as one of the greatest in sports history. Yet the abrupt turnaround in the team’s performance in the middle of the finals series also has set off a flurry of speculation about whether Oracle, which began the regatta with a penalty for illegally modifying a practice boat last year, had used secret technological enhancements to engineer its comeback.

An online article in Sail-World summarized speculation that Oracle may have used “superhuman’ technology,” such as a computer-controlled stabilization system, that would have been against the rules. Oracle emphatically rejected the notion of any high-tech silver bullet, and there is no evidence that the team did anything illegal.

Some of the speculation appears to stem from a protest lodged by New Zealand just before the finals began over an Oracle system that used an electrical switch to control the movements of the boat’s daggerboards. The challenge was rejected by the jury that addresses rules disputes, in part because it was lodged too late.

The system might have helped Oracle perfect the intricate movements of daggerboards, sails and rudders that were needed to keep the boat sailing at top speed - although it was far from being any sort of computerized control system.

Oracle says it achieved the turnaround the oldfashioned way: continual adjustments to the intricate boats, experimentation with sailing tactics, and relentless hard work by the sailors and the shore crew.

TURNAROUND TIMING The turnaround appeared to begin just before race six, when Oracle was down 4-1 and used its single “postponement card” to take a 47-hour timeout to overhaul its boat, crew and training

regimen. It started tweaking its boat each night when it was hauled out of the water and the 135foot wing was removed - and practicing on rest days, which New Zealand did not appear to do, or need to do. It returned to the race course each day with improved speed and crew work.

The America’s Cup yachts are 72-foot catama-

the wind. Early races were an eye opener and the focus shifted from performance with the wind to sailing into it, which required stabilizing the boat on its foils and a new approach to steering and wing trim. Oracle began the finals two races behind and without a key crew member as punishment for breaking the rules by adding weight

SAN FRANCISCO: Oracle Team USA celebrates defeating Emirates Team New Zealand in the 34th America’s Cup on September 25, 2013, in San Francisco. Oracle Team USA clinched the America’s Cup on Wednesday in an epic comeback destined for sports history books. —AFP rans, which by design are fast because they can sail with just one hull in the water for less resistance. But the New Zealand team was the first to perfect hydrofoiling, finding that the boats could be nudged to lift the hulls completely out of the water onto thin carbon-fiber blades. As they ‘foil,’ they appear to fly above the water - and their speed increases with reduced drag.

The rival boats had never faced off on the water before the finals started on Sept. 7.

Throughout the regatta the boats looked evenly matched on the downwind legs, reaching speeds approaching 50 mph. The regatta was won and lost during the upwind zigzags, where Oracle’s team mastered the trick of flying on the foils.

Oracle’s lead designer, Dirk Kramers, told Reuters the U.S.-based team initially misjudged how fast the Kiwis would be sailing the boat into

to its boat in a preliminary series. It had to recover from a capsize during training last year in which its boat was dragged out to sea and all but destroyed, an event Skipper Jimmy Spithill cited as a devastating moment but one that ultimately helped pull the team together. The class rules allowed teams to make certain changes to their purpose-built AC72s. But even the tiniest alterations were checked by a team of independent measurers before racing and certified as conforming to specifications. Sail experts and insiders have been speculating about how Oracle stabilized their boat, allowing it to foil better.

BETTER FOILING “Before they postponed that race, the (Oracle) boat was unstable when it was foiling, and they weren’t foiling upwind,” said Peter Thomas, who

was on the building team at Cookson Boats, which built the New Zealand boat. “They definitely weren’t foiling as well as Team New Zealand were. And after two days in the shed, the boat came out foiling everywhere.”

Much of the discussion was based on whether electronics, computers or a motion-stabilizing gyroscope did some of the work meant to be handled by the crew. David Le Pelley, manager of the Yacht Research Unit and Wind Tunnel at the University of Auckland, which helped the New Zealand team, said both teams tuned their boats.

“Team New Zealand had a lot more time in the water given the Oracle crash, so Oracle had been on the back foot to some extent, so they’d had to play catch up and they got to the point where they managed to get more out of the boat than we did at the end,” he said. Kramers on Saturday denied any use of computer-automated controls to manage the foils and stabilize the yacht.

“Negative. No,” he said. The yacht had a stabilization system but it was operated by humans, Kramers said. “There’s no computer driving any surfaces at all.” Small electronic switches were used to open and close the hydraulic valves clutches. Theses were commercially available, not customized, according to Kramers.

The measurement committee gave Oracle permission in August to use an “electro-mechanical actuator” to move a valve. The jury on Sept. 6 dismissed New Zealand’s claim that the actuator violated the manpower-only rule but on the basis that it was filed too late. “Most items we used in there are literally servos from your kid’s remotecontrol airplane,” Kramers said. “It’s exactly as simple as that. It gets bolted to a valve and that is what operates things.”

Kramers said the many changes made to the yacht were “all small and all visible.” “A lot had to do with the balance of the boat,” he said. Minor changes were made to the shape of the 135-foot tall wing — the catamaran’s main sail - and to the rear of the hulls.

To reduce wind resistance, they swapped out the pointy bowsprit between the boat’s two hulls with a stubbier version, because the winds were too strong for the billowing headsail that attaches to it. The top of the vertical fixed wing was tilted slightly forward and rearward to try different

“rake” angles. Oracle also replaced renowned tactician John Kostecki, a San Francisco hometown favorite, with British Olympic sailing champion Ben Ainslie, the backup skipper on Oracle’s practice yacht, leaving a single American on the winning boat. “The sailors made a change to the way they were sailing the boat so we adapted the boat to help them make that change. There was no silver bullet,” said Grant Simmer, general manager of the Oracle team, denying speculation that Oracle had flown in extra carbon fiber components from New Zealand where parts of its 72-foot catamaran were built. Meanwhile, Ellison, the billionaire software mogul of Oracle Corp, was a cheerleader on the sidelines, leaving the decisions to well-paid professionals. “He was encouraging us to keep going and never give in,” Simmer said.

A QUESTION OF MONEY In New Zealand, the loss has frequently been explained as boiling down to money - that the Kiwis in the end could not compete with a billionaire. Oracle acknowledged it had outspent New Zealand but it is not clear how much by. Estimates of Oracle’s cup defense range well over $100 million but sources said the spigots were not opened any wider for the emergency work carried out after the team lost four of the event’s first five races to the Kiwis. New Zealand backed its team with about $30 million in government funds. Managing Director Grant Dalton also raised tens of millions of dollars from sponsors over several years, and said the team spent about $100 million in all.Oracle Team USA CEO Russell Coutts told Reuters that the team probably spent 10 percent more than New Zealand, based on his estimate of a Kiwi outlay of 105 million to 110 million euros ($142 million to $149 million.) He said salaries for designers and sailors made up 56 percent of Oracle’s cost.

In the end, though, a dejected Dean Barker, skipper of the Kiwi yacht, said in a post-racing blog that his team had wrung all the performance possible out of its boat before the race, while Oracle came in with room to improve.

Oracle just learned to fly the boat well, he wrote. “Their boat was better suited for doing that for extended periods,” Barker said. “They certainly were doing a better job finding that extra gear that we simply couldn’t.”—Reuters

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

S P ORTS

Lane Kiffin no longer a Boy Wonder NEW YORK: The end for Lane Kiffin came in the middle of the night at the airport, as his team sped off into the darkness without him.

There’s little sentiment left anywhere in college football, but give USC athletic director Pat Haden some credit. At least he didn’t offer Kiffin a blindfold and one last cigarette before disposing of him like yesterday’s trash.

Not that anyone in Southern California is feeling terribly sorry for Kiffin, who never seemed able to connect in any meaningful way with the alumni who were calling for his firing or the media who were simply trying to cover a football team. Football coaches are paranoid by nature, but Kiffin took it to new levels as his team collapsed around him.

He was supposed to not only be Pete Carroll’s successor but his match as a coach and big-time recruiter, someone who would keep the Trojans a national powerhouse. He turned out to be neither, but it’s not as if USC didn’t have a warning.

This was a guy so eager to get to USC that he fled Tennessee after one year, prompting students to burn t-shirts with his name and angering players, who screamed at him that he was a traitor. The same guy, you might remember, who thought he could teach the late Al Davis a thing or two about football when hired by the Oakland Raiders as the youngest head coach in the NFL’s modern era.

Somehow, USC was fooled into thinking he really was a coaching Boy Wonder. Instead, all the school got for its millions was Boy Blunder.

Kiffin should have been gone after last season, which the Trojans opened as the No. 1 team in the country only to stumble to a 7-6 season. He had to go early Sunday morning after USC and its once vaunted defense were pushed around the field in an embarrassing 6241 loss at Arizona State.

Give Haden credit for finally recognizing that, even if Kiffin had to be told his fate at 3 in the morning in a small room at Los Angeles International

Airport. Haden said Sunday he saw things beginning to go bad early in the season, but withheld judgment until the debacle in Arizona convinced him things were not going to magically get better.

“I fully supported Lane Kiffin 100 percent until last night,” said Haden, who assumed his job from Mike Garrett, the man who hired Kiffin in 2010.

Haden said Kiffin pleaded with him for 45 minutes to keep his job, but to no avail. Fitting justice, Tennessee fans surely believe, for a coach that thought so little of his job there that he paid $800,000 to get out of his contract after only one year to return to USC, where he got his start as tight ends coach under Carroll.

It wasn’t that long ago that Kiffin was being hailed as a coaching genius who would shake up the NFL. Now he’s still two years short of reaching 40 and already a three-time coaching loser who will have trouble now getting a high school program to return his calls.

At least Haden had some nice words

of farewell for Kiffin, saying he did a good job graduating players and helping USC get through a NCAA probation that limited scholarships and bowl appearances. That was better than Davis calling him a liar and the even more unprintable things people at Tennessee had to say about him.

For Kiffin, it was probably always a case of too much, and much too soon.

The son of Monte Kiffin, who helped win a Super Bowl as defensive coordinator in Tampa Bay, he was 26 when first hired as a USC assistant and only 31 when Davis and the Raiders came calling.

He had coaching genes and football knowledge. But he didn’t have the maturity to know what to do when things went wrong, or the judgment to stay planted in a place that gave him every opportunity to succeed.

Yes, Kiffin had to follow a coach who won big and won often. He had to deal with NCAA sanctions that weren’t his doing, and he had to figure out how to get recruits who were being told bad things about the future of the USC pro-

gram. He was given a chance to succeed, but had to walk a tightrope to do it.

That he wasn’t up to the task was evident last year, when the Trojans lost five of their last six games. Further evidence came this season when USC lost to Washington State and struggled to beat Utah State at home, amid boos from those who bothered to show up at the Coliseum for what in previous years would have been a mismatch.

Kiffin tried desperately to turn things around, parting ways with his father who was making a reported $1.4 million as a USC assistant - and shutting off access to practice to both fans and media. He juggled quarterbacks and tried to fix the defense, but nothing seemed to work.

Now Kiffin is gone, unceremoniously dumped in the middle of the night by an athletic director who couldn’t wait any longer to give him a chance to succeed. Even worse for Kiffin is he’ll no longer be a Boy Wonder by the time someone else lets him try again. —AP

Johnson wins at Dover

Patrick Kane in action in this file photo

Blackhawks set sights on back-to-back Stanley Cups LOS ANGELES: The NHL is set to raise the curtain on a new season as 30 teams have their sights set on a Stanley Cup title, including the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago, who beat Boston last year to capture the championship for the second time in four years, will get the regular season started with a banner-raising ceremony at United Center arena today.

“You get excited looking around the locker room because it is almost the same team as we had last year,” playoff MVP Patrick Kane said. The Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Montreal Canadiens, Taylor Hall’s Edmonton Oilers host the Winnipeg Jets and the Blackhawks take on the Washington Capitals at home today.

Chicago beat Boston in six games in June after a lockout-shortened 48-game regular season. The Blackhawks know this season won’t be like the last time they tried to repeat as champions when they had to purge their roster because of the salary cap.

Kane and captain Jonathan Toews will lead the way as Chicago is seeking to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Detroit Red Wings in 199798.

Time will tell what effect off-season realignment will have on the 2013-14 season, which this year includes an extended break in February so the world’s top hockey players can showcase their skills at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

The Jets moved from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference, while the Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets went the other way. For the first time there will be a wild-card playoff format with the top three teams in each division qualifying for the post-season in addition to the two next-best finishers in each conference.

This year it looks like the young Oilers are finally ready to break through.

Edmonton brought in a new head coach, Dallas Eakins and signed veteran defenseman Andrew Ference, but more importantly former first round draft picks RyanNugent Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and Hall are set to take the team to the next level.

Nashville should be another much improved team this season and challenge for a playoff spot. Their best player is Shea

Weber, who will also anchor Canada’s defensive corps at the Sochi Games.

Goaltender Pekka Renne is primed for a bounce-back season following offseason hip surgery.

The Vancouver Canucks will no doubt regret trading goaltender Cory Schneider in the offseason to New Jersey in favor of keeping the eccentric and inconsistent Roberto Luongo who has yet to prove he can win a Stanley Cup. The Canucks also brought in new head coach John Tortorella. As hard as Tortorella tries to be like Toe Blake, Punch Imlach or even Mike Keenan, his abrasive coaching style won’t wash in Vancouver and he will be lucky to last more than 12 months in that role.

The realignment is good news for Winnipeg, who will fly fewer miles this season after moving to the West in their third season since returning to the NHL. They added Michael Frolik and Devin Setoguchi, and last year’s goal scoring leader Blake Wheeler was rewarded with a new six-year, $33.6 million contract as the club is hoping to continue their steady improvement. Look for the rivalry between Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin to heat up early in the new season.

Crosby showed in the pre-season that he hasn’t lost a step and he is healthy again after concussion problems the last few years.

Ovechkin will step up his play as he gets set to lead the favored Russian national team into the Olympic ice hockey tournament which begins on February 8.

Last season, Los Angeles was unable to validate their 2012 Stanley Cup title when goaltender Jonathan Quick failed to carry an overachieving team like he did the previous season.

The Kings are solid in goal with Quick but they need better production from their veterans if they are to succeed. Captain Dustin Brown has arguably benefitted more from the instigator rule than anyone in the league, but his teammates can only protect him for so long.

Brown’s scoring dropped last season and he hasn’t been the same player since his dangerous knee -on-knee hit on Phoenix Coyotes Michael Rozsival in the 2012 playoffs.—AFP

DOVER: Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. His latest win at his favorite track put the Chase field on notice that his run at a sixth championship in the No. 48 car is gathering steam. Johnson never let Dale Earnhardt Jr. catch him down the stretch Sunday and won for a record eighth time at Dover International Speedway.

His slice of track history was more than just another milestone to tack on his bio. Johnson had shared the mark of seven wins on the concrete mile with Bobby Allison and Richard Petty. “ Truthfully, it was the first thought that went through my mind when I crossed the finish line,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t long after I thought about the impact of winning in the Chase.”

Johnson’s win bumped him from third to second in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship standings. Matt Kenseth, who won the first two Chase races, holds an eight-point over Johnson as the series heads to Kansas for the fourth race.

The entire top 10 was made up of Chase drivers. Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch rounded out the top five. Kevin Harvick, Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer completed the top 10.

“You’ve got to win when you’re at your best track,” Johnson said.

“We had to win here today. I think any points on the 18 or 20 would have been a very good day. Max points, it’s an awesome day.”

Not so much for Earnhardt, who had one of the fastest cars, but he missed pit road and gave up the lead early in the race. He had a strong enough No. 88 Chevrolet to

DOVER: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s / Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, poses with the ‘Miles the Monster’ trophy after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway. —AFP get back into the race and contend for his first win of the season but couldn’t pass Johnson.

“We left everybody in the mirror.

We were clicking off some laps,” Earnhardt said. “But just not fast enough to get to Jimmie.”

Kenseth kept his points lead even as he fell short in trying to become the first driver to win the first three Chase races. “For how bad I felt like we struggled with the car, that was a decent finish,” Kenseth said. Johnson dominated as he usually does at Dover and led 243 of the 400 laps to help extend his Chase record with his 23rd career win in 93 starts in NASCAR’s

version of the playoffs. He swept Dover in 2002 and 2009 and won races in 2005, 2010 and 2012.

He jumped a restart and served a pass-through penalty that cost him the win in the spring race.

Crew chief Chad Knaus brought the same car back for this one and, this time, Johnson was pretty much flawless. Johnson has his sights set on a bigger piece of NASCAR history. He’s in the hunt for his sixth Cup championship, which would put him one behind Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for most in series history. “Jimmie is probably the most underrated champion we have in this industry,” Knaus said. “He is by

far and above the most powerful driver over the course of the last 25, 35 years in this sport.”

Johnson caught a huge break when Earnhardt slowed during a green-flag pit stop and missed the entrance to pit road. He went from holding a 3.7-second lead on Johnson to trailing by more than 9 seconds after he finally made his stop.

Johnson took the lead - and took off for his 65th victory in 428 career starts. Even smart pit strategy that included a late four-tire stop wasn’t enough to boost Earnhardt past his Hendrick Motorsports teammate. —AP

Dream bring down Fever INDIANAPOLIS: Angel McCoughtry led Atlanta to its third WNBA finals spot in four years, scoring 27 points in the Dream’s 67-53 victory over the defending champion Indiana Fever on Sunday.

Seeking their first title, the Dream swept the best- of-three Eastern Conference finals to set up a WNBA finals series against Western Conference champion Minnesota, which swept Phoenix.

Tamika Catchings had 24 points and six rebounds to lead Indiana, which was trying to become the first team to win consecutive titles since Los Angeles in 2001 and 2002. “I’ve been through so much,” McCoughtry said. “It means so much more when you can get to this point after what you went through.”

McCoughtry willingly played a decoy role at times. Coach Fred Williams designed sets that had her run away from the ball. Those actions helped Atlanta dominate inside in Game 2 to the tune of 14 layups, 48 points in the paint and a 4333 edge on the glass. Dream center Erika de Souza added 12 points and eight rebounds.

“Angel really sacrifices a lot to get our teammates open,” Williams said. “When Angel cuts, that takes two (defenders) away. I’m going to slide somebody in there on the weak side. I compliment Angel for making that happen.”

McCoughtry scored 11 points in the third quarter to help the Dream break

open a game they led 34-33 at halftime.

Drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2009, McCoughtry has won back-to-back scoring titles, started two All-Star games and made the WNBA’s all-defensive team. She has reached the playoffs every season, falling just shy of titles in 2010 and 2011.

At Phoenix, Maya Moore scored 27 points and Seimone Augustus had 22 as the Lynx beat the Mercury 72-65 Sunday to advance to the WNBA finals for the third straight year.

Minnesota will open the finals on Friday at home against Atlanta. Diana Taurasi had 21 points for Phoenix, but was 6 of 21 from the field. Candice Dupree added 17 points, while No. 1 draft pick Brittney Griner was held to six points and 10 rebounds. The Lynx swept Atlanta in the 2011 finals and lost to Indiana in four games last season.

Minnesota led by as many as 13 in the fourth quarter, but Taurasi hit a 3-pointer and another basket to cut the lead to 6963 with 1:24 remaining. Dupree got loose for a layup with 33 seconds left to get Phoenix within 69-65.

The Lynx, who won eight of nine at the end of regular season, have won all four of their playoff games in the postseason, winning by an average of 12 points a game. Minnesota won all seven meetings with the Mercury this year and has beaten Phoenix 14 straight times dating to 2011.—AP

INDIANAPOLIS: Atlanta’s Arminitie Herrington (right) shoots over Indiana’s Shavonte Zellous in the first half of Game 2 of the WNBA basketball Eastern Conference finals. —AP

Cup solution still possible, say European rugby bosses

Derek McGrath

CARDIFF: European rugby bosses have accused English clubs of plotting to bring about the end of the European Cup in a row over broadcasting rights.

With the future of the current tournaments - European Cup and Challenge Cup still unknown, ERC chief executive Derek McGrath insists the door remains open to the English Premiership Rugby.

Talks have been planned for October 23 and 24 to thrash out a solution for crisis that threatens to tear European rugby apart. Premiership Rugby have signed a television deal with BT Vision wor th

£152million, with £52million of that earmarked for European competitions. But ERC insist they will stand by current broadcast partners Sky, with a contract agreed until 2018.

Speaking yesterday, McGrath said: “That (BT) deal is an important factor in what is happening. It is very clear to us that the one reason the clubs don’t want ERC to continue is to frustrate the Sky contract.

“It’s not about performance or the competitions, it’s about winding down the company with the expectation that the Sky deal would fall away with it.

“That is clearly not something the ERC board are willing to accept and all the parties are committed to any obligations or commitments the competition has made.

ERC will not walk away from Sky.” ERC bosses were keen to voice their record in developing the European Cup, which will kick off for the 19th season next week, and stated stakeholders would see a £10million increase from the coming campaign. McGrath said: “We (ERC) stand by our record over the past 18 years of developing these competitions to where they are today, the most successful

competition in the world that regularly delivers sell-out crowds, huge broadcast audiences and top level supporters.

“Last year we delivered £45 million to all the stakeholders and that will increase by a further £10million based on projections we know and deals being made.”

Among the stumbling blocks to negotiations is qualification for the European Cup. English and French clubs want to see the number of teams reduced from 24 to 20 and an end to national guarantees that ensures Celtic nations and Italy places in the tournament.—AFP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

S P ORTS

Hadley wins tournament, Lee Williams wins a card PONTE VEDRA BEACH: Chesson Hadley won the Web.com Tour Championship.

John Peterson won a trip back to the TPC Sawgrass to play in a far bigger tournament. Lee Williams felt like the biggest winner of them all Sunday.

Needing a birdie on the 18th hole to have any chance of a PGA Tour card, Williams rapped a 55-foot birdie putt over the ridge and into the cup for a 69.

Andres Gonzalez, playing in the same group, gave him a high-five and then missed a 12-foot birdie putt that would have knocked Williams out of the top 25 from a four-tournament money list that determines tour cards for next season.

“I knew what I had to do. There was no uncertainty in the moment,” Williams said. “When you know what you have to do, it almost calms you down a little bit.”

The last hope for Gonzalez was for Andrew Loupe to make bogey on the final hole. Loupe ran his birdie attempt 5 feet past the hole, and made it coming back for par to join Peterson, his teammate at LSU, on the PGA Tour next month.

The tournament wrapped up the inaugural Web.com Tour Finals - four tournaments in which 25 cards were awarded based on the money list from those events. The tournaments were for the top 75 on the Web.com Tour money list during the regular season, and Nos. 126-200 from the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour. The top 25 from the Web.com regular season were assured their cards.

The final event had plenty of drama, although the players weren’t entire sure what was at stake until it was over.

Money mattered more than a score.

Hadley started the final round one shot behind Scott Gardiner, who took a double bogey on the fourth hole with a double hit and never caught up. Hadley closed with a 69 for his second Web.com Tour win of the year. He finished No. 4 on the money list, so his card already was safe.

“This is incredible,” he said. “I was just trying to not puke on myself on the way in, even though I tried. This course is brutal and I’m glad I was able to conquer it.”

What hurt him was Gardiner’s mistake late in the round - a bogey on the 17th hole - that dropped Gardiner from second place alone into a four-way tie for second. That was worth an additional

$14,000 for Peterson, who was part of that four-way tie.

Peterson won the Web.com Finals money list by $567 over Hadley. “At the end of the day, he played the best of anyone in the four tournaments,” Hadley said.

Peterson didn’t finish outside the top five in any of the Web.com Finals events.

By winning the Web.com Finals money list, he has full status on the PGA Tour next year and a spot in The Players Championship, the richest tournament in golf.

Hadley finished at 10-under 270 and still earned $180,000 and a high priority ranking for his rookie season on the PGA Tour. Brendon Todd, who already had his card through the regular-season money list, closed with a 65 and joined Peterson (67), Gardiner (72) and Brad Fritsch of Canada.

Fritsch had missed the cut in the previous three Web.com Finals events and was just looking for a good score to build confidence. His 68-66 weekend took him from going nowhere to return to the PGA Tour.

“I just wanted to play well and see where the chips fell,” Fritsch said. Others who were outside the top 25 on the money list and ended up with tour cards were Billy Hurley III, Joe Durant and Russell Knox of Scotland. Just like Qschool, there were plenty of meltdowns.

Andrew Putnam, whose older brother won the Web.com Tour money list in the regular season, was in fourth place and two shots out of the lead going into the final round. He only needed to finish about 13th to get his card. Instead, he took triple bogey on the eighth hole on his way to a 75 to tie for 24th. Jhonattan Vegas and Rod Pampling, past PGA Tour winners, were inside the top 25 starting the last day. Vegas had a 74 and Pampling shot 73.

Chad Campbell, a three-time Ryder Cup player, closed with a 73 to end his hopes. Sean O’Hair and Heath Slocum were among the former PGA Tour winners who earned back their cards this week.

O’Hair had such a tough year that at one point he asked himself if he still wanted to play golf for a living. “I still think I’ve got my best golf ahead of me,” O’Hair said.

“That’s what answered that question for me. I’m glad I got it done.”—AP

Howell ends long wait at Alfred Dunhill Links GLASGOW: England’s David Howell claimed his first European Tour title in seven years after beating American Peter Uihlein in a play-off to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday.

Having completed a final round of 67, Howell saw overnight leader Uihlein fail to sink a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at St Andrews that would have given the American the title.

With the pair tied on 23 under par, the match went to a sudden death play-off and 38-year-old Howell prevailed on the second hole when he sank a birdie putt from eight feet after Uihlein had left his own putt inches short.

“It’s incredible. The sun is shining and the crowd have come out,” said Howell, who had lost all four of his previous playoffs. “I have never played in an Open Championship here, but to win a golf tournament as a professional at the Home of Golf is quite amazing and I am really thrilled.

“I was really nervous all week and

strangely less nervous today. I can’t explain that at all. I stayed calm and smooth under pressure and that was really pleasing.

“It’s been a long, long road from the depths of despair. I have had a lot of support from people around me and this is as much for them as it is for me.”

Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Englishman Tom Lewis missed out on competing in the play-off by a shot, with Lewis carding a superb final round of 64 and Lowry a 68. It had been a dramatic tournament for 24year-old Uihlein.

In the second round at Kingsbarns he missed scoring the first 59 on the European Tour by inches as his putt on the final hole drifted left. The following day at St Andrews he holed a 47-yard wedge shot for an eagle on the final hole.

“Hats off to David, he played great, made a nice birdie in the play-off and congratulations to him. He made more putts than I did at the end of the day,” said Uihlein. “I just didn’t make the putts when I needed and that’s the way it is.”—AFP

Photo of the day

Stefan Bradl races at the Moto Grand Prix 2013 at Motorland Aragon in Alcaniz, Spain.— www.redbull.com

Mikulak looks up to Uchimura at worlds ANT WERP: There is always a moment of awe when you finally get to compete against your spor ting hero. But when Sam Mikulak is in his first world championships and Kohei Uchimura is favored to win an unparalleled fourth title in a row, it puts it in a different league altogether.

US champion Mikulak confidently took the early lead in qualifying for the men’s all-around final late yesterday. The real challenge will come only on Thursday when he will face Uchimura, the reigning Olympic all-around champion from Japan.

“I will always look up to him, winning worlds three years in a row, and Olympic Games,” Mikulak gushed after he scored 89.532 points to move into a good position to be among the top six qualifiers that will compete together in the final. Uchimura competes later yesterday.

“I mean, no other gymnast has done that. He is definitely my hero but he is also something that I am thriving to reach,” the 20year-old said. The fact that the greatest hope in men’s gymnastics for the United States should look up to someone only four years his senior shows just what Uchimura already has achieved in the sport.

Though Uchimura holds the men’s record for all-around world titles, he still shares it with retired women’s gymnast Svetlana K hork ina of Russia. Break ing through for a fourth all-around gold would give even more credence to all the talk that he is the greatest ever.

And Mikaluk wants to be right there when it happens, even though he ack nowledges his chances of preventing Uchimura from getting gold are slim. “I just want to see how close to him I can get,” the easy-going Mikulak said. Points are awarded both on difficulty and execution, and even if two athletes look as good as each other to the uninitiated, the grade of difficulty can make all the difference. It is another division where Uchimura excels.

“He has a lot higher start values than me. So if he goes out and hits it, I am not going to be hurt if I don’t win,” Mikulak said. “I

BELGIUM: Gymnast Samuel Mikulak from the US performs the rings exercise, during the qualification round at the artistic gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp. —AP

ANTWERP: Gymnast Kohei Uchimura from Japan performs on the parallel bars, during the qualification round at the artistic gymnastics World Championships. —AP am going to do my routines all-around competition so far this championship rookie but never regardless.” Even though he year. In the US, he won the Big felt the nerves. He was drawn in already carries the weight of a Ten and NCAA title this spring the morning subdivision, forcnation looking for the next Paul then backed it up by overwhelm- ing him to be up at 6.30 a.m.

Hamm, the only American man to ing his competition at the nation- local time. Eggs, bacon, chocolate croissants - and still he felt win a world (2003) or Olympic al championships. Quite a streak.

“I don’t think of it too much good. “I found myself nodding (2004) all-around title, Mikulak won’t be criticized for losing to but it is definitely a nice back- off here and there. I hope a get Uchimura just yet. Then again, he ground I have,” he said. Still, he a little more sleep next time,” he has been on a roll, unbeaten in came into Antwerp as a world said.—AP

Tsonga beats Monfils to advance at Japan Open

ST ANDREWS: English golfer David Howell posses on the Swilcan Bridge with the trophy after winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championships golf competition. —AFP

TOKYO: Second-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga needed four match points to beat Gael Monfils 6-3, 7-6 (8) yesterday to advance to the second round of the Japan Open.

Tsonga fired 11 aces and didn’t drop a service game in the match to improve his record to four wins in five tourlevel matches against his French compatriot. After Tsonga got the decisive break of the first set in the second game, the second set went with serve until the tiebreaker.

Monfils rallied from a 5-1 deficit to level the tiebreaker at 5-5, then fought off three match points before Tsonga sealed the victory. “I started well and played offensively,” Tsonga said. “I know this is the only way for me to beat Gael.”

Tsonga began the year strongly, reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the semifinals at the French Open. After finishing runnerup to Andy Murray at Queen’s, however, Tsonga was forced to retire with a knee injury in the second round at Wimbledon and did not enter the U.S. Open as a result.

“I have not played much in the last two or three months, so it will take me time to adjust,” said Tsonga, adding that was cramping near the end of the match.

In other first-round action, sixth-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain beat German qualifier Benjamin Becker 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) and Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine defeated Daniel Brands of Germany 6-3, 6-1. Top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina was scheduled to play Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in a first-round match today, when defending champion Kei Nishikori was due to meet Jurgen Melzer of Austria.—AP

JAPAN: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France serves to his compatriot Gael Monfils during their first round match of the Japan Open tennis tournament. —AFP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

S P ORTS

Lennon wary of Barca despite Messi absence

ROMANIA : Chelsea’s Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho kicks the ball during a training session on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group football match against Steaua Bucharest. —AFP

Chelsea in crunch Steaua clash BUCHAREST: Chelsea will attempt to kick their Champions League campaign into gear at the second attempt today when they visit Steaua Bucharest for their second Group E fixture.

The London club were stunned 2-1 by FC Basel in their first group outing and can ill afford further setbacks with a double-header against Schalke to come.

Chelsea last season became the first defending champions to be eliminated in the group phase and manager Jose Mourinho has described today’s match as “the game that we cannot lose”.

“Even a draw, probably, is not a good result for us, so now we have to prepare ourselves,” said the Portuguese, who is bidding to win the competition with a third different club.

“We have to get 12 points to be out of any danger, so if we lose there we still have four matches to play and we will have to win them all. We don’t want to put ourselves under so much pressure.”

Chelsea do not have fond memories of their last visit to Bucharest, however, having lost 1-0 to Steaua in the away leg of a Europa League last 16 tie in March before winning the second leg 3-1.

Centre-back Vlad Chiriches claimed Steaua’s goal at Stamford Bridge, but he has since left the Romanian capital for Tottenham Hotspur and was on the

bench for his new side’s 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea on Saturday.

Juan Mata tipped the momentum of the game in Chelsea’s favor after coming on as a half-time substitute at White Hart Lane and Mourinho subsequently confirmed that he would start at Steaua’s Arena Nationala.

Should Mourinho elect to make further alterations to his starting XI, Gary Cahill, Samuel Eto’o and Willian are among the players who could be drafted into the team.

Brazilian midfielder Ramires is also available for selection after serving a one-match ban following his dismissal in the UEFA Super Cup defeat by Bayern Munich.

Beaten 3-0 at Schalke in their Group E opener, Romanian champions Steaua warmed up for today’s game with a 3-0 win at home to Poli Timisoara in the domestic championship on Saturday.

Laurentiu Reghecampf’s side won a league and cup double last season, but Steaua have not appeared in the Champions League group stage since 2008 and have not won a game in the competition since September 2006.

However, the 1986 European champions boast an admirable home record against English clubs, having lost only one of eight previous encounters. —AFP

GLASGOW: Celtic manager Neil Lennon insists his side are still heavy underdogs despite Lionel Messi’s absence from today ’s Champions League clash against Barcelona.

Argentina striker Messi injured his thigh in Barca’s 2-0 win over Almeria on Saturday and has been ruled out for up to three weeks.

Lennon, whose side lost their Group H opener 2-0 to AC Milan, admitted it is a boost for Celtic to face Barca without Messi, but he is well aware the Spanish champions remain a formidable outfit.

“It is obviously very good news for us because he is the best player in the world,” Lennon said yesterday. “However, it is tinged with sadness because it is always fantastic to see the great players play here in Glasgow.

“We are looking forward to the game, we welcome Barcelona with open arms and we are hoping it is going to be another great occasion.”

Aside from missing Messi, the visitors head into the tie likely to be without defenders Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba and Carles Puyol.

But a cautious Lennon said: “You say that they have defensive problems with injuries but they keep on keeping clean sheets; against Rayo Vallecano, Real Sociedad and Almeria. So, regardless of personnel, they are still defending very well.

“They are unbeaten domestically, they got off to a great start in the group (4-0 win over Ajax). They are a fantastic team. “They will be one of the favorites to win the trophy. Whether they are better than last year, you won’t be able to gauge that until the turn of the

GLASGOW: Celtic’s English born Scottish striker Kris Commons (second left) controls a ball during a training session ahead of their UEFA Champions League football match against Barcelona. —AFP year.” Brazilian forward Neymar will be charged with leading the Barca attack in Messi’s absence, but Lennon does not believe the two players can be compared.

“It is like comparing a dog with a cat. They are two different types, two different players altogether,” he said. “Neymar is wonderfully gifted, quick, predominantly playing on the left-hand side and he has goals in him. “He is only young and he has a fantastic future but it is far too early to make comparisons to Messi. “There is only one player currently who could

arguably be around the calibre of Messi and that is Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Lennon, whose side famously beat Barca 2-1 in Glasgow last November on their way to the last 16 of the competition, also admitted Celtic would still regard even a point against the Spaniards as a bonus regardless of the injury to their talisman.

“Our approach will be the same whether Messi plays or not,” he added.

“Barcelona don’t change their system, they don’t change their

style of play really and 4-3-3 is just what they believe in. It has worked well for them very well over the years. “It would be fantastic if we could get something out of it like we did last year.

“We didn’t really budget for it, as it were, in both the games last year, so if we can get something it will be a huge bonus for us.

“It will be very much at times containment; to limit Barcelona to as few chances as we can and at the same time maximise the opportunities that we get, as we did last year.”—AFP

Arsenal ready to defuse Napoli’s ‘bombs’ LONDON: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has told his players to watch out for Napoli’s quickfire counter-attacks when the two high-flying sides meet at the Emirates Stadium in Champions League Group F today.

Wenger learnt a lot about the Italians when they drew 2-2 in a pre-season tournament and is also very familiar with their manager Rafael Benitez from the Spaniard’s time managing in the Premier League with Chelsea and Liverpool.

Napoli are unbeaten in all competitions under Benitez, who was appointed in May, and Wenger has identified the Italian side’s breakaways as their big strength and earmarked diminutive playmaker Lorenzo Insigne as key to that threat.

“He is mobile, he is not tall but quick and very good in the transition from defence to attack,” Wenger told Arsenal Player. “He is a good dribbler as well and is an intelligent mover. That makes him an interesting prospect.

“That’s what struck me as well in the (pre-season) Emirates Cup - when they win the ball they come out very quickly with (Jose) Callejon, (Marek) Hamsik, Insigne and (Gonzalo) Higuain, (who) come out like bombs all the time they win the ball.

“The transition from our side from offence to defence will have to be very quick.” Premier League leaders Arsenal, who went two points clear with a 2-1 win at Swansea City on Saturday, have enjoyed an excellent start to the season including their European group opener when they beat Olympique Marseille 2-1 in France.

Napoli are in similarly good shape and kicked off their continental campaign with a 2-1 victor y over last year ’s Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund which Wenger believed would give them extra confidence.

Even though Arsenal were beaten by Napoli to the signature of striker Gonzalo Higuain in the close season, they are proving to be an exciting attacking prospect with Aaron Ramsey scoring eight goals in nine games and new signing Mesut Ozil shining.

Wenger will be without winger Theo Walcott who has undergone surgery on an abdominal injury, while Abou Diaby, Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain are also sidelined.

Appearing in the group stage of

Europe’s elite club competition for a 16th consecutive season, Arsenal know from experience that collecting six points from the opening two games would put them well on the way to the knockout stages.

“We have started very well but you know if you win the second game at home you have a good chance to qualify,” Wenger said. “It’s a game that will have a great weight on the end result of the qualifying teams.”

Napoli, who have scored 14 goals in six Serie A matches with Hamsik, Callejon and Higuain netting 10 of them, enjoyed a 2-0 win over Genoa on Saturday despite starting with some of their key players on the bench with a view to today’s game. “I am consistent rather than courageous. I have experience and have been in Europe many times, so I know squad rotation is necessary to make everyone in the side stronger,” Benitez told Sky Sport Italia. —Reuters

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

UEFA Champions League Zenit v Wien Aljazeera Sport HD 5

19:00

Arsenal v Napoli Aljazeera Sport HD 2

21:45

Bucuresti v Chelsea Aljazeera Sport HD 5

21:45

Celtic v Barcelona Aljazeera Sport HD 1

21:45

Ajax v AC Milan Aljazeera Sport HD 3

21:45

FC Porto v Atletico Aljazeera Sport +2

21:45

FC Basel v Schalke Aljazeera Sport +4

21:45

Dortmund v Marseille Aljazeera Sport HD 4

21:45

AFC Cup Kuwait v India Aljazeera Sport +2

19:30

GERMANY: Dortmund’s players warm up during a training session on the eve of the UEFA Champions League football match against Olympique Marseille. —AFP

Dortmund out to turn tables on Marseille GERMANY: Last season’s Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund are eager to set the record straight against France’s Olympique Marseille in their Group F clash today after losing to them twice two years ago.

Dortmund, flying high in the Bundesliga with a 5-0 demolition of Freiburg on Saturday which allowed them to defend the top spot on goal difference against treble winners Bayern Munich, also need to return to European victories after their opening 2-1 defeat to Napoli.

“Tuesday will be a challenge but we have a home game in front of a sold-out crowd,” Klopp told reporters. “We do not feel much under pressure because we have analysed the Napoli game extensively and drawn the necessarily conclusions.”

Following the Napoli defeat, Dortmund drew 1-1 at Nuremberg last week before needing extra time to edge past second-tier 1860 Munich in the German Cup in midweek.

“A week ago, after the Nuremberg draw, there was a lot of talk that we were lacking our usual dominance,” said forward Marco Reus, who scored twice against Freiburg.

“The good thing in football is that when you have busy weeks and play every three

days we could quickly prove them wrong.”

There was some bad news for Klopp as defender Marcel Schmelzer was ruled out for three weeks with a thigh injury.

However, midfielder Sven Bender, who was taken off at halftime against Freiburg with a minor shoulder injury, was cleared to play today.

“It did me a lot of good (to be taken off ) with a view to today’s game,” Bender, who collided with team mate Erik Durm early in the game, said. For Marseille it is a big week with a Ligue 1 home clash against champions Paris St Germain to follow up the trip to Dortmund.

While they have bounced back in the league after their defeat at home to Arsenal in the Champions League that extended a winless series to four games, they have rarely produced convincing performances. “We often react instead of taking the initiative. We have to show much more than that,” playmaker Mathieu Valbuena told reporters after the 2-0 victory at Lorient on Saturday. “We’ll definitely have to show much more at Dortmund.”

The France midfielder has good memories of Dortmund, where his splendid goal qualified Marseille for the last-16 round two years

ago by making them win the decisive group stage match 3-2.

“They will seek revenge not only because they lost at Napoli but also because of their defeat two years ago,” Valbuena said.

Marseille, who regard themselves as the outsiders in the group, hope their most experienced players such as Valbuena and the inform Andre Ayew will be at their best as their rejuvenated squad still have to find some consistency. “We know that the young players are going to have ups and downs. They have qualities but we have to trust the players who are used to going for points,” said coach Elie Baup, whose squad has been mainly reinforced with youngsters this year.

Baup will likely start midfielder Giannelli Imbula, aged 21, and left back Benjamin Mendy, 19, two players who had never featured in the first division before joining this year. Imbula, who made a great impression against Arsenal, has immediately won his place in the star ting 11 while Mendy is replacing the injured Jeremy Morel.

Experience could also be lacking up front with striker Andre-Pierre Gignac out with a foot problem that forced him out of the last two league games. Jordan Ayew is set to fill the position.—Reuters

Singapore gang rigged 100-plus games — source SINGAPORE: A notorious Singaporean matchfixing gang rigged more than 100 football games worldwide in a scam worth millions of dollars, before it was busted this month, a source said yesterday. The source, who has direct knowledge of the case, added there were signs that the syndicate, allegedly led by Singaporean businessman Dan Tan, was involved in violent activity.

However, the source played down suggestions that the gang was responsible for a greater share of the 680 suspicious games reported by European investigators earlier this year.

And the source added that there was no evidence that the gang linked to Dan Tan, full name Tan Seet Eng, was involved in a fixing ring uncovered this month in Australia.

The details have emerged two weeks after Singaporean authorities rounded up 14 people in the wealthy Asian city-state’s biggest operation yet against international match-fixing.

The five alleged members still in custody include Dan Tan, according to the source. They are being held under a section of the criminal code usually employed against criminal gangs which allows for up to a year’s detention without trial. Experts say gangs in Singapore have cultivated links with foreign criminals to fix games in different countries, for the purpose of illegal gambling. Interpol chief Ronald Noble has said the industry has revenues of billions of dollars a year.

After the arrests in Singapore, Noble said the gang was the world’s “largest and most aggres-

sive match-fixing syndicate, with tentacles reaching every continent”.

Noble, who had previously called for Dan Tan’s arrest, added that “the mastermind was someone many believed was untouchable”.

European police agency Europol reported in February that hundreds of games worldwide, including World Cup qualifiers and UEFA Champions League ties, had been targeted by fixers.

Tan has been assisting investigators in Singapore since February. He is wanted in Italy and Hungary over match-fixing allegations.

The source said Singaporean investigators had reviewed Europol’s evidence and found that much of it was “circumstantial” or included inadmissible items such as wiretaps.—AFP

19

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

SPORTS

Villarreal denied third place after first defeat

Maxi Rodriguez

Newell’s remain point clear of San Lorenzo BUENOS AIRES: Maxi Rodriguez scored for the second game in a row to help Newell’s Old Boys beat Argentinos Juniors 2-0 and stay top of the Argentine championship on Sunday.

Rodriguez put Newell’s ahead in the 20th minute at the Marcelo Bielsa in Rosario and then had a penalty saved by Pablo Migliore before halftime.

Pablo Perez made sure of the home side’s third successive win with their second goal 20 minutes from time. “The team are maintaining their essence and playing very well,” Rodriguez told reporters.

Newell’s are looking to retain the title they won in June under then coach Gerardo Martino, who is now in charge of Spanish heavyweights Barcelona.

Newell’s have 20 points from nine matches, one point more than San Lorenzo, who beat Gimnasia 3-0 on Saturday.

Arsenal, the only unbeaten team, are third, three points off the pace after their 1-0 home win over Godoy Cruz on Friday, with Boca Juniors in fourth.

Racing Club’s terrible season continued with a 3-0 defeat at Belgrano in Cordoba that keeps them pegged to the bottom of the standings with two points.

Belgrano striker Cesar Pereyra scored twice, his second goal a superb overhead scissors kick that gave goalkeeper Sebastian Saja no chance.

Racing are in deep trouble off the pitch too with the resignations of presi-

dent Gaston Cogorno and vice president Rodolfo Molina, who have been at loggerheads for weeks over the running of the club.

“I’m not affected by the political issue but maybe the players are,” Racing coach Carlos Ischia told reporters. “I’m worried we’re not winning or scoring goals. We lack order and commitment.”

Boca beat Quilmes 2-0 at La Bombonera to boost their confidence ahead of next Sunday’s ‘superclasico’, Argentina’s biggest club fixture, against arch-rivals River Plate.

Striker Emmanuel Gigliotti scored once in each half, his first from a lobbed pass by Juan Roman Riquelme, making his comeback from injury after missing their previous four matches, the second a header from Juan Sanchez Mino’s left cross.

River also won, a last-minute headed goal by right back Gabriel Mercado giving them a 1-0 victory at Lanus to climb to fifth, six points behind Newell’s.

Four Lanus players were booked in added time in a bad-tempered finish to the match with midfielder Diego Gonzalez lucky not to be sent off for kicking River’s Colombia striker Teo Gutierrez.

Colon had three players sent off in their 1-0 defeat at Tigre, who also had a player dismissed, and the Santa Fe club’s directors had to persuade coach Ruben Forestello not to quit after their fourth successive defeat. —Reuters

Mancini to coach Galatasaray ISTANBUL: Galatasaray yesterday finalised the appointment of Roberto Mancini as their new coach on a threeyear deal to replace the sacked Fatih Terim.

The Turkish giants confirmed the news in a statement to the Istanbul stock exchange, saying that he will pocket 3.5 million euros ($4.7m) for this season plus 4.5 million euros more for each of the next two campaigns.

The Italian, who left Manchester City in the summer, will also earn a 300,000-euro bonus if the club win the Turkish title and reach the Champions League quarterfinals.

Mancini, 48, arrived in Istanbul on Sunday and met with club officials, who were seeking a replacement for Terim after his departure last week.

Mancini was sacked as manager of City in May-a year to the day after leading the club to the English Premier League title.

His time at City saw the club win a first major trophy in 35 years with the 2011 FA Cup, while the 2011/2012 Premier League title was their first top-flight crown since 1968.

Defending Turkish champions Galatasaray have endured a miserable start to the season despite boasting the talents of former Chelsea star Didier Drogba.

They lie eight points behind leaders and bitter rivals Fenerbahce after winning TURKEY : Italian football coach just one of their first five league games Roberto Mancini walks out of a hotel and also suffered a 6-1 defeat at home to after holding talks with Galatasaray in Real Madrid in their opening Champions League group match.—AFP Istanbul yesterday. —AFP

MADRID: Promoted Villarreal suffered a first defeat on their return to La Liga when they fell 1-0 at Real Betis on Sunday, missing out on the chance to move into third place.

The team known as the Yellow Submarine had won four games and drawn two, including holding Real Madrid 2-2, after spending last season in the second division.

They struggled in Seville, however, and Betis forward Nosa scored the game’s only goal after 36 minutes when keeper Sergio Asenjo could only parry Joan Verdu’s shot and Nosa put away the loose ball. Asenjo kept the visitors in the game with a couple of smart saves and their coach Marcelino was sent off for protesting after the referee waved away a penalty appeal in the dying minutes.

Villarreal stayed fourth in the standings with 14 points from seven games. “I am satisfied with the team’s performance, though obviously disappointed with the result,” Marcelino told a news conference. “I am proud of the fact we have had to wait until the seventh round of matches to suffer our first defeat.”

Champions Barcelona and Atletico Madrid top the table with a perfect 21 points after away victories on Saturday.

Barca won 2-0 at Almeria and Atletico beat city rivals Real Madrid 1-0 at the Bernabeu with an early goal from Diego Costa.

SPAIN: Villarreal’s defender Jose ‘Chechu’ Dorado (left) vies with Betis’ Brazilian defender Paulao (right) during the Spanish League football match. —AFP Carlo Ancelotti’s Real are third with 16 points.

Adrian Colunga scored twice to lead Getafe to a 2-0 win at Espanyol, ending a run of seven successive league defeats on the road stretching back to April.

The striker broke away from his marker on to substitute Pablo Sarabia’s clever pass in the 73rd minute and slotted the ball into the corner.

The same partnership produced the second goal in stop-

page time as Colunga fired in at the back post. Improving Getafe made it three wins from their last four outings and climbed to eighth with 10 points from seven games, one behind Espanyol in seventh.

Levante joined Getafe on 10 points in ninth with a 1-0 win at Osasuna, when Jordi Xumetra netted two minutes from time.

The visiting forward reacted quickest to score after Osasuna keeper Andres Fernandez parried

Roma demolish Bologna ITALY: Gervinho scored two stunning goals as rampant AS Roma demolished Bologna 5-0 to seal their sixth successive Serie A win of the season and Juventus continued to dominate neighbours Torino with a 1-0 derby win on Sunday.

Roma, unrecognisable from the bickering, blunder-prone side who struggled to finish sixth last season, top the table with a maximum 18 points after another outstanding display against the backdrop of a thunderstorm at the Stadio Olimpico.

Alessandro Florenzi, defender Mehdi Benatia and substitute Adem Ljajic scored the other goals for Roma, who led 3-0 after only 25 minutes and kept a clean sheet for the fifth time in six games.

Serie A champions Juventus rested playmaker Andrea Pirlo but still completed their ninth match against Torino without conceding a goal, a run stretching back to 2002, and extended their unbeaten run in the fixture to 13.

Frenchman Paul Pogba scored the only goal of a niggly encounter amid claims of offside from angry hosts Torino, who have not beaten Juventus since 1996. Inter Milan lost ground on the leaders when they conceded a late goal to draw 1-1 at homeless Cagliari, Catania beat Chievo 2-0 to clock up their first win of the season and basement club Sassuolo hit back to draw 2-2 with Lazio.

Juventus remained unbeaten this season with 16 points from six games, level with Napoli who won 2-0 at Genoa on Saturday, with Inter fourth on 14.

Roma needed only eight minutes to go ahead against Bologna when Miralem Pjanic’s thundering free kick was parried by goalkeeper Gianluca Curci and Florenzi snapped up the rebound. Ivory Coast forward Gervinho sprang into action in the 17th minute, collecting Francesco Totti’s pass

ITALY: AS Roma’s forward Francesco Totti (second left) celebrates with teammates at the end of the Serie A football match against Bologna. —AFP and twisting defender Mikael Antonsson one way and the other before firing a low shot past Curci.

Roma surrendered a two-goal lead before losing 3-2 at home to Bologna last season but, under the leadership of new coach Rudi Garcia, there was no chance of a repeat, as Benatia showed by flicking in the third from a corner in the 25th minute.

Gervinho’s second goal in the 62nd minute was even more impressive as the former Arsenal player burst forward, left the hapless Andersson flailing on the ground and smashed his shot past Curci.

Ljajic completed the rout with a delightful dinked finished over Curci. The only goal of the Turin derby came in the 54th minute when Carlos Tevez headed against the crossbar from a corner and Frenchman Pogba reacted quickly to bury the rebound for Juventus. “They told me that

Tevez was offside leading up to the goal, but we must also say that we were unfortunate before that because Ciro Immobile’s (first half) tackle on Tevez should have been a sending him,” Juventus coach Antonio Conte told reporters.

Conte has made it clear he will rotate the squad this season and, having rested goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon one week ago, it was 34-year-old Pirlo’s turn on Sunday.

The match was predictably intense, with numerous untidy clashes in midfield and few scoring chances. Inter went ahead when Argentine forward Mauro Icardi nodded in Yuto Nagatomo’s cross in the 75th minute only for Radja Nainggolan to equalise for Cagliari with a deflected shot with two minutes left.

Cagliari were again playing in Trieste, on the Slovenian border and around 1,000 kms from their

More trouble for Corinthians, bad day for keepers in Brazil BRAZIL: Troubled Corinthians missed a penalty, had a player sent off and two goals disallowed on their way to a 4-0 defeat against Portuguesa in the Brazilian championship.

Leaders Cruzeiro went 11 points clear, both goalkeepers were sent off in Flamengo’s 4-1 win over Criciuma, and Nautico ended a 14match winless run in the competition.

Portuguesa raced to a three-goal lead after only 31 minutes against the world club champions, all scored by forward Gilberto, while Corinthians striker Paolo Guerrero had a penalty saved by Lauro.

Corinthians pair Emerson and Alexandro

a Papakouli Diop penalty.

Promoted Elche won their first game back in the top flight since 1989, triumphing 1-0 at Celta Vigo to climb to 16th on six points.

The Alicante-based club had been unlucky not to earn a point against Real Madrid during the week, but Javi Marquez helped ease the memory as he broke away and drilled a low shot in off the far post in the 62nd minute. —Reuters

Pato had goals ruled out for offside after the break and Gil was sent off for elbowing an opponent before Wanderson added a fourth for Portuguese with 10 minutes to play.

Corinthians, who have not won in their last eight games and scored only one goal in the process, dropped to 13th in the table with 31 points, only six clear of the relegation zone.

Flamengo needed only 23 minutes to open up a 3-0 lead over Criciuma with two goals from Hernane, the second a penalty, and one from Wallace. Criciuma goalkeeper Helton Leite was sent off for the foul on Hernane which led to the penalty and his opposite number Felipe was also dismissed in first-half

stoppage time for upending Lins.

Daniel Carvalho converted to reduce the deficit but Elias restored Flamengo’s threegoal lead late in the second half.

Leaders Cruzeiro won 2-1 at Dunga’s Internacional and have 53 points from 24 games, 11 clear of Gremio and Botafogo in second place.

Marcelo Martelotte, Nautico’s seventh coach of the year, notched his first win as his side thumped Coritiba, themselves under interim coach Marcelo Serrano, 3-0 to end the longest winless streak in the competition.

However, they are bottom of the table on 14 points, 13 adrift of safety. —Reuters

Paolo Guerrero

home town, due to a lack of suitable stadiums in Sardinia.

Goals from Jaroslav Plasil and Lucas Castro gave Catania their first win of the season and two goals from German Denis propelled Atalanta to a 2-0 win over Udinese.

Andre Dias and Antonio Candreva scored in a four-minute spell early in the second half to put Lazio ahead at Sassuolo.

However, Ezequiel Schelotto replied immediately and Antonio Floro Flores equalised in the 76th minute from a free kick.

Sassuolo, making their topflight debut, have still to win a match but have drawn their last two games after starting with four defeats in a row.

Promoted Hellas Verona pulled level on 10 points with sixth-placed Lazio, beating Livorno 2-1 after Jorginho scored the winner with a 74th-minute penalty.—Reuters

Chelsea in crunch Steaua clash

Tsonga beats Monfils to advance at Japan Open

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

17

18

Singapore gang rigged 100-plus games — source

Page 18

ATLANTA: Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez (88) is hit by New England Patriots free safety Devin McCourty (32) during the first half of an NFL football game. — AP

Seahawks down Texans in OT HOUSTON: Steven Hauschka kicked a 45-yard field goal in overtime to give the Seattle Seahawks a 23-20 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday and the first 4-0 start in the club’s history.

Houston (2-2) failed to score on two possessions in overtime. The Seahawks got the win on their second drive in overtime after rallying from a 20-3 deficit.

A key play on the winning drive came when Doug Baldwin caught a 7-yard pass and Kareem Jackson was penalized for unnecessary roughness for dumping him into the ground.

That got Seattle in field goal range and Hauschka’s kick came four plays later.

PATRIOTS 30, FALCONS 23 In Atlanta, Tom Brady threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns and New England held off a furious Atlanta comeback, beating the Falcons to improve to 4-0 for the first time since their near-perfect season in 2007. New England built a 30-13 lead before the Falcons rallied.

They had a chance to tie it up in the final minute, but Matt Ryan’s fourth-down pass went off the hands of Roddy White in the end zone with 36 seconds remaining.

The Patriots seemed in control when LeGarrette Blount scored on a 47-yard run, and Brady threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to rookie Kenbrell Thompkins.

Thompkins finished with six catches for 127 yards - nearly as much as the first three games of his career. Julian Edelman chipped in with 118 yards on seven receptions. Atlanta (1-3) is two games below .500 for the first time since 2007.

LIONS 40, BEARS 32 In Detroit, Reggie Bush’s 37-yard touchdown run helped Detroit score 27 points in the second quarter and he accounted for 173 yards of offense to help the Lions beat Chicago.

Detroit (3-1) moved into a first-place tie with Chicago (3-1) in the NFC North. The Lions scored 24 straight points, including three TDs in a span of 3 minutes, 26 second, after Matt Forte’s 53-yard TD run gave the Bears 10-6 lead early in the second quarter.

Jay Cutler, who had four turnovers, threw a pair of touchdown passes and 2-point conversions in the final 4 minutes to pull Chicago within eight points to make the score look respectable. Lions receiver Kris Durham recovered the onside kick to seal the win.

VIKINGS 34, STEELERS 27 In London, Greg Jennings made two touchdown catches, Adrian Peterson ran for two scores and the Vikings’ defense made a big stop with time running out to preserve a win over the Steelers. Playing at Wembley Stadium, Everson Griffen stripped Ben Roethlisberger on the 6-yard line with 19 seconds left. Kevin Williams recovered to seal the victory.

Jennings made a 70-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown and Peterson had a 60-yard score to help offset two scores by Pittsburgh rookie running back Le’Veon Bell and give Minnesota (1-3) some hope of turning its season around. The Steelers fell to 0-4 for the first time since 1968. Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel, starting in place of injured Christian Ponder, finished 16 of 25 for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

Roethlisberger was 36 for 51 for 383 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

BRONCOS 52, EAGLES 20 In Denver, the Broncos scored more points than they ever had in their 54-year history Sunday, led by Peyton Manning’s four touchdown throws.

With two TD passes each to Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker, Manning completed all but a half-dozen of his 34 throws for 327 yards. He didn’t even step on the field in the fourth quarter.

Manning’s 16 TD passes are the most in the first month of a season, besting the previous mark of 14 set by Don Meredith in 1966 and tied by Kurt Warner in 1999. Manning also joined Milt Plum in 1960 as the only quarterbacks to throw that many touchdown passes without an interception.

Manning got off to a rather slow start, but drove the Broncos (4-0) on a trio of long touchdown drives in the third quarter to make this one another laugher against the Eagles (1-3).

CHARGERS 31, COWBOYS 20 In San Diego, Philip Rivers threw for 401 yards and three touchdowns, including a 56-yarder to Antonio Gates. The Chargers (2-2) had blown late leads in their two losses this season. On Sunday, they scored the final 20 points to beat Dallas (2-2).

Rivers short-armed a pass over the middle to Gates, who slid behind linebacker Sean Lee to haul it in and score with 6:54 to go.Lee had intercepted Rivers on a deflected pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown and a 21-10 lead late in the second quarter. Dallas didn’t score again.

TITANS 38, JETS 13 In Nashville, Jake Locker threw a career-high three touch-

downs before being taken to the hospital with an injured right hip. Locker was hurt early in the third quarter when hit first by Muhammad Wilkerson after throwing an incomplete pass, then popped by Quinton Coples. He grabbed at his hip as he went to the ground and was carted off the field before being loaded into an ambulance. The Titans had no immediate word on the severity of his injury.

Alterraun Verner intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble, Karl Klug sacked Geno Smith and stripped him of the ball for a TD as the Titans turned Smith’s four turnovers into 28 points. Ropati Pitoitua had two of Tennessee’s five sacks as the Titans (3-1) continued their surprising start.

REDSKINS 24, RAIDERS 14 In Oakland, Robert Griffin III threw a go-ahead touchdown pass late in the third quarter to help Washington overcome an early 14-point deficit for its first win of the season.

David Amerson returned an interception for another score for the Redskins (1-3). Washington looked ready to extend the worst start for the franchise since 2001 when they fell behind 14-0 after the first quarter thanks to a blocked punt touchdown and a scoring pass from Matt Flynn.

But the much-maligned Washington defense allowed the Raiders (1-3) no more points, taking advantage of an offense that was without starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

BILLS 23, RAVENS 20 In Orchard Park, Buffalo rookie linebacker Kiko Alonso’s second interception of the game with 57 seconds remaining sealed a win over Baltimore.

Converted safety Aaron Williams also intercepted Joe Flacco twice, while Fred Jackson had 87 yards rushing and a

NFL results/standings Buffalo 23, Baltimore 20; Arizona 13, Tampa Bay 10; Minnesota 34, Pittsburgh 27; Kansas City 31, NY Giants 7; Indianapolis 37, Jacksonville 3; Seattle 23, Houston 20 (OY); Cleveland 17, Cincinnati 6; Detroit 40, Chicago 32; Tennessee 38, NY Jets 13; Washington 24, Oakland 14; Denver 52, Philadelphia 20; San Diego 30, Dallas 21; New England 30, Atlanta 23.

New England Miami NY Jets Buffalo Cincinnati Baltimore Cleveland Pittsburgh Indianapolis Tennessee Houston Jacksonville Denver Kansas City San Diego Oakland

American Football Conference AFC East W L T OTL PF 4 0 0 0 89 3 0 0 0 74 2 2 0 0 68 2 2 0 0 88 AFC North 2 2 0 0 81 2 2 0 0 91 2 2 0 0 64 0 4 0 0 69 AFC South 3 1 0 0 105 3 1 0 1 98 2 2 0 1 90 0 4 0 0 31 AFC West 4 0 0 0 179 4 0 0 0 102 2 2 0 0 108 1 3 0 0 71

PA 57 53 88 93

PCT 1.000 1.000 .500 .500

81 87 70 110

.500 .500 .500 0

Chicago Detroit Green Bay Minnesota

51 69 105 129

.750 .750 .500 0

New Orleans Carolina Atlanta Tampa Bay

91 41 102 91

1.000 1.000 .500 .250

Seattle San Francisco Arizona St. Louis

Dallas Philadelphia Washington NY Giants

National Football Conference NFC EAST 2 2 0 0 104 1 3 0 0 99 1 3 0 0 91 0 4 0 0 61 NFC North 3 1 0 0 127 3 1 0 0 122 1 2 0 0 96 1 3 0 0 115 NFC South 3 0 0 0 70 1 2 0 0 68 1 3 0 0 94 0 4 0 0 44 NFC West 4 0 0 0 109 2 2 0 0 79 2 2 0 0 69 1 3 0 0 69

85 138 112 146

.500 .250 .250 0

114 101 88 123

.750 .750 .333 .250

38 36 104 70

1.000 .333 .250 0

47 95 89 121

1.000 .500 .500 .250

touchdown for Buffalo (2-2).

Robert Woods scored on a 42-yard touchdown reception.

Buffalo totaled 203 yards rushing against a stout Ravens defense that had allowed just 224 in its first three games. Joe Flacco threw a career-worst five interceptions, and finished 25 of 50 for 347 yards passing, and two touchdowns.

CARDINALS 13, BUCCANEERS 10 In Tampa, Carson Palmer threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald, then Jay Feely kicked a 27-yard field goal with 1:29 remaining as Arizona rallied to beat Tampa Bay. Patrick Peterson had two interceptions, one setting up Arizona’s first TD in six quarters, the other to ruin any chance of rookie Mike Glennon pulling off a comeback in his first NFL start for the winless Bucs (0-4). Feely also kicked a 42-yard field goal for the Cardinals (2-2), who trailed 10-0 at halftime.

BROWNS 17, BENGALS 6 In Cleveland, Brian Hoyer threw two touchdown passes in his first start at home to lead the Browns to a win over Cincinnati.

Hoyer’s 1-yard TD pass to Chris Ogbonnaya with 4:54 left gave the Browns (2-2) an 11-point lead and Cleveland turned it over to its vastly improved defense.

In his second start in place of injured Brandon Weeden, Hoyer finished 25 of 38 for 269 yards. He threw a 2-yard TD pass in the first half to Jordan Cameron, who had 10 catches for 91 yards.

The Bengals (2-2) couldn’t get anything going on offense and Andy Dalton was intercepted by Buster Skrine with 3:43 left, ending any chance of a comeback.

CHIEFS 31, GIANTS 7 In Kansas City, Alex Smith threw three touchdown passes, Dexter McCluster returned a punt 89 yards for another score and unbeaten Kansas City kept New York winless.

Smith hit touchdown passes of 4, 2 and 35 yards for the Chiefs (4-0), who under Andy Reid have already doubled their victory total of 2012. They are the second team to go from a two-win season to 4-0 the next year.

The Giants, who trailed only 17-7 after three quarters, are 0-4 for the first time since 1987. Eli Manning connected with Victor Cruz on a 69-yard scoring play for New York’s only score.

The Kansas City defense sacked Manning three times.

COLTS 37, JAGUARS 3 In Jacksonville, Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes, Trent Richardson ran for a score and Indianapolis became the latest team to beat Jacksonville by double digits.

The Colts (3-1) weren’t all that good, especially early in the first half, but they were plenty good against one of the worst teams in the league.

Indianapolis led 20-3 at halftime - Jacksonville (0-4) has been outscored 75-8 in the first half this season - and made it a laugher with consecutive touchdown drives in the third quarter. Luck found Coby Fleener for a 31-yard score, a play in which even Fleener was surprised that he was so wide open, and then connected with Reggie Wayne in the back of the end zone from 5 yards. — AP

Business

Airlines offer a return to civility, for a fee Page 22 Toyota named most valuable, worthy motoring brand

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

Page 25

Mindshare partners with OOX for Kuwait Launch Page 26

Lufthansa celebrates 50th anniversary of Kuwait operations Page 23

DUBAI: Officials of Zain, du, Vodafone and Zajil during the launch of Middle East-Europe Terrestrial System (MEETS) yesterday.

Zain, du, Vodafone and Zajil launch consortium MEETS to offer high-bandwidth regional cable system DUBAI: In a major regional telecommunications development, a GCC-wide telecoms consortium has been formed to build a high-bandwidth regional transmission cable system for the region. The system, to be called the Middle East-Europe Terrestrial System (MEETS) - was both conceived and co-promoted by Zain, du, Vodafone and Zajil.

MEETS was announced at a press conference held yesterday in Dubai on the sidelines of the Telecoms World Middle East event. Attendees included Henri Kassab, Group Director of International Wholesale and Roaming, Zain Group and Head of Mada Bahrain; Osman Sultan, CEO, du; Niraj Singh, Business Services Director, Vodafone Qatar; Khalifa Al-Soulah, MD & CEO, Zajil Telecom; and, Mahesh Jaishankar, Vice President, datamena.

Zain will be the landing party in Saudi Arabia, du in the UAE while Vodafone Qatar QSC will be in Qatar, and Zajil in Bahrain and Kuwait. A state-of-the-art 100G optical transport network (OTN) will be built on top of a 1,400km terrestrial fibre optic cable to sustain the growing bandwidth demand of the region.

MEETS will cater to regional and international IC T companies, meeting their wholesale capacity needs, while providing a connection to new areas and end customers.

MEETS is designed to be an economically and technically competitive alternative for connectivity within the Gulf; it will also enable a terrestrial route to Europe for reduced latency and higher reliability. Carriers will be able to access MEETS from the Fujairah Landing Station or at the carrier neutral hub datamena.

Scott Gegenheimer, Group CEO, Zain Group, said: “Through the creation of MEETS, we will bring a higher quality of data connectivity and content to our customers in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Providing an unsurpassed internet experience will help Zain to retain and attract new customers as well as complement our LTE 4G expansion strategy and support our planned roll-out of dynamic Enterprise services to corporate clients.”

Osman Sultan, CEO, du, said: “Customers in the Middle East today have ever-increasing high speed data needs as it is becoming an integral part of today ’s lifestyle. The announcement of MEETS with like-minded visionary partners is a step towards realizing this need. We are proud to be part of this joint effort that will eventually benefit millions of

Mideast funds bullish on Saudi, cautious on UAE DUBAI: Fund managers in the Middle East are set to pump more money into Saudi Arabia over coming months but may withdraw some funds from Dubai because of concern its red-hot market has risen too fast, a Reuters survey showed. The survey of 16 leading Middle Eastbased investment institutions, the first of its kind in the region, was conducted over the past 10 days by Trading Middle East, a Reuters forum for market professionals. The survey was launched in September and will be published monthly.

Half of the institutions said they expected to increase their overall equity allocations to the Middle East over the next three months, while only 13 percent said they would decrease them. Fund managers cited strong economic growth in the Gulf, which is being aided by high oil prices and consumer spending booms in many countries, as well as young and growing populations across the Middle East. For many managers, these factors outweigh jitters over geopolitical threats such as the civil war in Syria. “We are strong believers in the region and are constructive on its capital markets,” said Ziad Chaaban, managing director for asset management at Egyptian investment bank EFGHermes.

“We think favorable macroeconomic and demographic drivers will push the growth trajectory higher and with it the size and liquidity of the capital markets.” Saudi Arabia’s stock market, where the main index has risen 17 percent this year, lagging several other Gulf bourses, looks set to be the main beneficiary

of this optimism in coming months.

Three-quarters of the 16 institutions said they expected to increase their equity allocation to Saudi Arabia in the next three months, while none expected to reduce it.

In addition to Saudi Arabia’s economic growth, the country has been preparing for years to open its stock market to direct investment by foreigners. A date for the reform has not been set but many in the industry think it could happen by early next year, which would almost certainly boost stocks.

By contrast, many institutions expressed caution about stock markets in the United Arab Emirates, where Dubai has rocketed 71 percent this year on the back of a recovery in its real estate prices, and Abu Dhabi is up 46 percent. Much of Dubai’s most recent gains have been due to heavy trading by local retail investors. International index compiler MSCI has decided to upgrade the UAE and Qatar to emerging market status next June, which should attract fresh foreign money.

But Middle Eastern institutions, believing many Dubai stocks have become fully valued for now, are less bullish about the short term; Dubai is trading at about 16 times last year’s corporate earnings, compared to about 13 times for the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

“To get a 60 percent increase in eight months - this scares me. Each time we get a big increase in the market it is followed by a big decrease,” Abdullah Al-Durdunji, chief treasury officer at the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, said

of Dubai’s volatile market. He said his personal view was that it made sense to cut UAE equity exposure and increase holdings of fixed income instruments from high-quality firms, while hedging the risk that US interest rates could rise and pull up rates in the Gulf.

Thirty-eight percent of the institutions said they expected to decrease their equity allocation to the UAE in the next three months, while 31 percent intended to increase it and the rest said they would keep their UAE exposure flat.

Many foreign portfolio investors have stayed out of Egyptian markets this year because of the economic and political turmoil surrounding the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Mursi in July.

But the Reuters survey suggested some institutions may return in coming months as $12 billion in financial aid pledged by Egypt’s Gulf allies helps to stabilize its economy.

Thirty-eight percent of institutions said they expected to increase their equity allocation to Egypt over the next three months, while 19 percent said they would probably reduce it.

There was less optimism about Turkey, where the stock market is down 4 percent this year and the lira currency has tumbled to record lows against the US dollar as rising US interest rates have slashed the foreign capital inflows on which Turkish markets have depended.

Only one institution - 7 percent of the respondents to that question expected to increase its equity exposure to Turkey in the next three months, while 29 percent predicted they would reduce it. — Reuters

internet users and telecom customers over a wide geography spanning the Middle East and Europe.”

Kyle Whitehill, CEO, Vodafone Qatar, echoed that statement, saying: “This exciting new development is a significant part of Vodafone’s growing commitment to the Middle East region. The UAE is a natural hub for Vodafone operating companies in Asia, Africa and Europe to exchange traffic with each other and partners. We are also pleased to be able to enhance Qatar’s global connectivity in this way, in support of the National Vision 2030. Moreover, to have the opportunity to do so with some of our strongest partners, delivering new levels of customer choice and satisfaction ahead of widespread availability of 4G will further drive bandwidth

demand across the region. It is truly an exciting project for Vodafone Qatar and the Vodafone Group.”

Khalifa Al-Soulah, MD and CEO, Zajil Telecom said: “The Middle East is one of the fastest growing regions in the world, which creates an ever growing demand for bandwidth. Regional telecoms need more bandwidth to meet this demand and sustain the growth, as well as more options. MEETS is one such option offered by strong and stable consortium of Telecom partners.”

MEETS will have an initial capacity of 200Gbps and be carried over an Optical Ground Wire associated with a regional hightension electricity network - reducing the risk of cable cuts. The system will be managed by a 24/7 Network Operating Centre (NOC).

OPEC output hits 2-year low LONDON: OPEC oil output has fallen in September to the lowest in almost two years because of work at Iraq’s main export outlet, a Reuters survey found yesterday, although record Saudi Arabian output prevented a larger decline. Supply from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has averaged 30.07 million barrels per day (bpd), down from 30.32 million bpd in August, the survey of shipping data and sources at oil companies, OPEC and consultants found.

Despite signs of recovery, Libyan output is less than half what it was in early 2013 and Nigerian production is far below its potential, underlining the drag that internal strife in OPEC’s African members is having on supply.

‘This is a significant reduction and at the same time the Saudis are producing at extremely high levels,’ said a participant in the survey. ‘If it was not for US shale oil, prices would be much higher.’ Brent crude has fallen to $108 a barrel from a six-month high above $117 in August on signs of recovering

supply and as the prospect of a military strike on Syria receded.

In September, work at Iraq’s Basra Oil Terminal outweighed small increases in supply from Nigeria and Libya, and a second month of Saudi output at around 10 million bpd.

OPEC’s September output is the lowest since October 2011, when the group pumped 29.81 million bpd, according to Reuters surveys, and leaves supply a mere 70,000 bpd above its output target of 30 million bpd. — Reuters

Gulf economies to grow in 2014 despite cheaper oil Kuwait growth to accelerate to 2.9% next year DUBAI: Wealthy Gulf states are likely to see their oil and gas revenues drop next year but heavy government spending and increasingly energetic private sectors will keep economic growth robust, a Reuters poll showed yesterday.

Global oil prices are expected to fall moderately in 2014 as new supply comes on line from the United States, Iraq and other countries. Futures markets indicate lower prices next year.

This will probably push down hydrocarbon export revenues throughout the Gulf. The poll of 15 analysts predicted that Saudi Arabia’s revenues would slip to a median $293.3 billion next year from $312.1 billion in 2013.

“The decline in the oil price will weigh on the external and fiscal surpluses in the region,” said Giyas Gokkent, chief economist at National Bank of Abu Dhabi. Nevertheless, with the exception of tiny Bahrain, state finances in the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council are expected to remain healthy enough for govern-

ments to boost spending if that proves necessary to support growth.

Saudi Arabia’s fiscal surplus is projected to fall from a median estimate of 8.1 percent of gross domestic product this year to a still-high 5.2 percent in 2014. Meanwhile, consumer spending booms and governments’ efforts to stimulate private sector business mean Gulf economies can keep some of their momentum even if their state-run oil sectors slow.

“Growth in the non-oil sector remains solid, with the improvement in private sector activity looking increasingly broad-based,” said Daniel Kaye, head of macroeconomic research at National Bank of Kuwait. The result is that economic growth is unlikely to slow much, if at all. Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product is projected to grow 4.3 percent next year after an estimated 4.2 percent in 2013, according to median forecasts.

GDP growth in the United Arab Emirates, the Arab world’s second biggest economy, is projected to slow

only marginally to 3.6 percent from 3.7 percent. In Kuwait, where the government is moving ahead with longdelayed infrastructure building projects, growth is forecast to accelerate to 2.9 percent next year from an estimated 2.5 percent in 2013. At the same time, recent falls in global food prices have caused analysts to reduce their inflation forecasts for several Gulf countries compared to the last Reuters poll, which was conducted in April this year.

Saudi Arabia is now projected to see inflation of 3.8 percent this year and 3.9 percent in 2014, compared with the last poll’s median forecasts of 4.5 percent and 4.0 percent. Among the most inflation-prone Gulf countries is Qatar, the poll showed, as the country launches major infrastructure projects in preparation to host the 2022 soccer World Cup tournament, which may strain its small labour market and logistical capacity. Qatari inflation is projected to rise to 4.0 percent next year from an estimated 3.5 percent in 2013. — Reuters

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

BUSINESS

Airlines offer a return to civility, for a fee ‘Fares must bring a sense of fairness to system’

ATLANTA: Delta Air Lines passengers line up to check luggage at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, in Atlanta. Delta customers now have the option to purchase an upgrade that includes a second bag to check, amongst other perks. —AP

AstraZeneca CEO gets two cheers after first year in job LONDON: Fixing ailing drugmaker AstraZeneca remains a work in progress for Chief Executive Pascal Soriot, with sales and profits still heading firmly downhill after his first year in the job.

Yet confidence is slowly building that he may have the right long-term prescription for the British group, helped by some lessons learnt at his past employer Roche.

Soriot has shunned a big acquisition as a way to plug the deep revenue gap left by multiple patent expiries, opting instead for a string of smaller deals, a reboot of the drug pipeline and a shakeout of top management. His goal of “achieving scientific leadership” may fall short on the kind of hard financial targets that some investors would like, but it has resonated with many younger researchers who felt the group was drifting, following past R&D setbacks. It has already accelerated work on several promising cancer drugs.

“When I talk to people in the industry about AstraZeneca, it is a place where people now want to go and work - and that hasn’t been true for about 10 or 15 years,” said Dan Mahony, a fund manager at Polar Capital, who has raised his stake in the company in the past year.

Reversing AstraZeneca’s poor record in drug research is Soriot’s top priority, so

staff morale matters. Rival executives say he is borrowing some ideas from Switzerland’s Roche.

Roche - particularly its Genentech biotech unit, which Soriot used to head is renowned for its R&D successes, something Soriot hopes to replicate with a $500 million move of AstraZeneca operations to Cambridge, a British science hub.

“I see him implementing some of the same strategies that have been adopted

by Roche, in terms of focusing on highly innovative products and taking risks,” said one senior Roche insider. “You have to have patience when your company is going through these kinds of adjustments.” Soriot told Reuters in June that turning around the company would take three to four years.

Industry analysts predict sales and earnings will continue to fall to 2017 or beyond, since a big hit is still to come when top-selling cholesterol fighter Crestor loses patent cover in 2016.

AstraZeneca’s problems are not unique, but its patent expiries are bigger and longer-lasting than at rivals such as British peer GlaxoSmithKline. Its pure focus on prescription drugs also means it lacks the buffer of consumer-focused sales seen at the likes of GSK and Switzerland’s Novartis. — Reuters

Almarai prices Gulf’s first corporate hybrid sukuk

Al-Hilal Bank to price debut sukuk today DUBAI: Abu Dhabi government-owned Al Hilal Bank will price its debut Islamic bond offering today, subject to market conditions, a document from lead managers said, with investors showing strong demand for the issue. Books are now open for the transaction, with commitments from investors already totalling $2.75 billion, the document said. Lead managers had said on Sunday that the five-year sukuk would be of benchmark size - traditionally understood to be worth at least $500 million with initial price guidance set at 190 basis points over midswaps.

While bankers often hedge the timetable for pricing bond and sukuk issues with ‘subject to market conditions’, such a statement is more pertinent in this case, given the uncertainty in financial markets stemming from the potential shutdown of the US government later yesterday. Al Hilal, fully owned by state fund Abu Dhabi Investment Council, is due to conclude meetings with fixed-income investors on Monday in London.

Citigroup, HSBC, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Standard Chartered are arranging the roadshows, along with Al Hilal itself. — Reuters

NEW YORK: Airlines are introducing a new bevy of fees, but this time passengers might actually like them. Unlike the first generation of charges which dinged fliers for once-free services like checking a bag, these new fees promise a taste of the good life, or at least a more civil flight.

Extra legroom, early boarding and access to quiet lounges were just the beginning. Airlines are now renting Apple iPads preloaded with movies, selling hot first class meals in coach and letting passengers pay to have an empty seat next to them. Once on the ground, they can skip baggage claim, having their luggage delivered directly to their home or office.

In the near future, airlines plan to go one step further, using massive amounts of personal data to customize new offers for each flier. “We’ve moved from takeaways to enhancements,” says John F. Thomas of LEK. Consulting. “It’s all about personalizing the travel experience.” Carriers have struggled to raise airfares enough to cover costs. Fees bring in more than $15 billion a year and are the reason the airlines are profitable. But the amount of money coming in from older charges like baggage and reservation change fees has plateaued. So the airlines are selling new extras and copying marketing methods honed by retailers. Technological upgrades allow airlines to sell products directly to passengers at booking, in follow-up emails as trips approach, at check-in and on mobile phones minutes before boarding. Delta Air Lines recently gave its flight attendants wireless devices, allowing them to sell passengers last-second upgrades to seats with more legroom. And just like Amazon.com offers suggested readings based on each buyer’s past purchases, airlines soon will be able to use past behavior to target fliers.

“We have massive amounts of data,” says Delta CEO Richard Anderson. “We know who you are.

We know what your history has been on the airline. We can customize our offerings.”

Other airlines are experimenting with tracking passengers throughout the airport. In the future, if somebody clears security hours before their flight, they might be offered a discounted day pass to the airline’s lounge on their phone.

Airlines have yet to find the right balance between being helpful and being creepy. So, for now, most of the data is being used to win back passengers after their flight is delayed or luggage is lost. “We want to get back to a point where people feel like travel isn’t something to endure, but something they can enjoy,” says Bob Kupbens, a former Target executive and Delta’s current vice president of marketing and digital commerce.

Most passengers select flights based on the

RIYADH: Saudi Arabian dairy producer Almarai has completed the first hybrid bond offer by a corporation in the Gulf, selling a 1.7 billion riyal ($453.2 million) Islamic bond (sukuk) yesterday, bankers said. The issue is a perpetual sukuk, meaning it has no maturity date and in some ways resembles an equity instrument. The issuer can choose to redeem the sukuk after five years.

Since last year two banks in the Gulf have issued hybrid sukuk and one has issued a hybrid conventional bond; Almarai’s issue is the region’s first hybrid from an issuer other than a bank.

Almarai’s deal was priced at 200

basis points over the three-month London Interbank Offered Rate, in line with previously given guidance. If the sukuk is not redeemed, the profit rate steps up by 750 bps, according to a lead banker.

Information on allocations to various investor types and the reoffer price will be released later this week, in accordance with Saudi regulations. The cash reoffer price is likely to be at par, the lead said.

The company completed a two-week roadshow for investors on Sept. 19, and opened books for the sukuk on Sept. 22. BNP Paribas, HSBC, Saudi Fransi (Credit Agricole) and Standard Chartered were the leads. — Reuters

lowest base fare. The online travel industry plays up that price sensitivity with sites named CheapOair.com, CheapTickets.com and InsanelyCheapFlights.com.

When airlines try to raise fares, they are met with resistance. “Customers are very quick to either change travel plans, or use another carrier or not travel at all,” says Jim Corridore, an airline analyst with Standard & Poor’s. In the past three years, airlines have tried to hike fares 48 times, according to FareCompare.com. During 29 of those attempts, bookings fell enough that airlines abandoned the increase.

Most fares today don’t cover the cost of flying.

While the average domestic US roundtrip base fare has climbed 3 percent over the past decade to $361.95, when adjusted for inflation, the price of jet fuel has nearly tripled. When oil prices spiked in 2008, airlines added checked baggage fees. Passengers still bought tickets on the base price and didn’t think about the extra expense until the day of travel.

Now airlines are recasting fees as trip enhancements. Travelers like Nadine Angress, of Mansfield, Massachusetts, see the value. Her recent late- night US Airways flight home landed past her 6-year-old son’s bedtime. She had to work early the next morning. So, for $30 she bypassed the baggage carousel and had the suitcase delivered. “That was a very reasonable price to pay,” Angress says. “It’s making your life easier.”US airlines collect more than $6 billion a year in baggage and reservation change fees. They also collect $9 billion more from selling extras like frequent flier miles, early boarding and seat upgrades. Together, the fees account for 10 percent US airlines’ revenue. Fees provide airlines with another advantage: The Internal Revenue Service has said since they aren’t directly related to transporting passengers, they aren’t subject to the 7.5 percent excise tax travelers pay on base fares. Taxing fees would give the government an extra $1.1 billion a year to fund the Federal

Aviation Administration, runway upgrades and air traffic control improvements. Without the fees, experts say fares would be 15 percent higher.

“You’re either going to go out of business or find a way to cover” your costs, says Robert E. Jordan, Southwest Airlines’ executive vice president and chief commercial officer.

Southwest has held off charging for most checked bags. But it sells plenty of other add-ons.

Recently, it introduced a way for people at the back of the boarding line on some flights to cut to the front for $40. It’s not a blockbuster seller one person pays up every two flights - but with 3,600 daily flights, that nets $70,000 in extra daily revenue, or $25 million a year.

Airlines now alter fees based on demand.

United Airlines used to sell its Economy Plus extra legroom seats for one price per route. Today, aisle seats cost more than middle seats; prices are higher on popular flights. That change in thinking has helped United increase fee revenue by 13 percent this year to more than $20 per one-way passenger. Airlines are also starting to bundle items. Passengers purchase items they might not necessarily buy alone; it also simplifies the dizzying array of offers. “I don’t want you to have to do the math every time,” says Rick E. Chat, managing director of digital marketing at American Airlines.

American offers a package for $68 roundtrip that includes no change fees, one checked bag and early boarding. Delta is experimenting with a $199 subscription that includes a checked bag, early boarding, access to exit row seats and extra frequent flier miles on all flights a passenger takes between now and Jan 5. Airlines say the fees bring a sense of fairness to the system. Why should a passenger with a small carry-on subsidize a family of four, checking suitcases?

Jamie Baker, an airline analyst with JP Morgan Chase, likens it to a meal at a restaurant. “The sides are not included in the price of a steak,” he says. “Airline ticket prices should reflect the costs incurred by the individual passenger.” — AP

Tokyo Electric set to get $5.9bn financing TOKYO: Creditors are set to provide $5.9 billion in financing to Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), a person involved in the talks told Reuters yesterday, offering a lifeline to the embattled owner of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

Tepco’s major banks are prepared to provide 500 billion yen ($5.09 billion) in financing in December - 200 billion yen in loan rollovers and 300 billion yen in new financing - said the person, who has been involved in financing talks as a representative of one of the utility’s major creditors.

At the same time, Tepco’s application on Friday to restart an undamaged nuclear plant helped convince some wavering smaller banks to join a group of 28 financial institutions in rolling over 77 billion yen ($784 million) in loans due at end-October, the person said.

The utility’s success in winning a refinancing of the loans due next month was previously reported by the Nikkei and Asahi newspapers.

The outcome of the larger funding round due in December has not been previously reported.

Tepco on Friday applied to restart its Kashiwazaki Kariwa facility, the world’s largest nuclear plant in northwestern Japan, although approval is uncertain and any restart is many months away. The company’s president, Naomi Hirose, said in an interview published on Sunday that Tepco will likely make its first profit in three years in the year to March - without raising electricity rates or restarting reactors.

Once Asia’s largest utility, Tepco has posted

more than $27 billion in net losses since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered nuclear meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Tepco shares have fallen 71 percent since the disaster. Major Tepco creditors include Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group, as well as the Development Bank of Japan, leading life insurers and trust banks.

A handful of smaller regional banks had been hesitant to roll over Tepco’s October loan as they tried to distance themselves from a utility that has come under renewed public criticism over its handling of contaminated water at Fukushima. Those banks were eventually won over by the firm’s application to restart the Kashiwazaki Kariwa facility.

After months of denials, Tepco admitted in July that hundreds of tons of contaminated water is flowing into the Pacific Ocean every day. Last month, Tepco said 300 tons of water with dangerous levels of radiation had leaked from a storage tank at the Fukushima plant.

Japan has pledged half a billion dollars to deal with contaminated water at the site, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has promised the government will take a prominent role in the clean-up.

Tepco shares climbed as much as 2.7 percent yesterday, reversing earlier losses. By the midsession, the stock was up 1.5 percent at 606 yen, while the benchmark Nikkei index was down 1.7 percent. Tepco was the most traded stock by turnover. — Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal Irani Riyal

2.894 4.526 2.677 2.145 2.828 226.380 36.581 3.641 6.528 9.047 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

75.670 77.969 737.040 753.690 77.278

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

SELL DRAFT 270.83 279.97 316.08 386.32 283.30 457.28 2.93 3.659 4.516 2.145 2.835 2.685 77.20 754.03 41.10 403.20 736.76 78.23 75.68

SELL CASH 263.000 282.000 311.000 384.000 287.400 443.000 3.000 3.800 5.150 2.700 3.600 2.920 78.000 759.500 41.100 416.200 746.400 79.000 76.300

3.890 10.035 3.087 3.820 88.450

Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar South African Rand Sri Lankan Rupee Taiwan Thai Baht

0.000069 0.222458 0.022154 0.001888 0.009482 0.008711

Bahrain Exchange Company

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 0.745931 0.038112 0.000078 0.000183 0.395855 1.0000000 0.000139 0.022718 0.001201 0.730722 0.077202 0.075003 0.001931 0.168058 0.141129 0.076246 0.001288

Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

CURRENCY

BUY Europe 0.007373 0.452096 0.006661 0.047259 0.377775 0.043316 0.081847 0.008136 0.040073 0.307518 0.141129

0.008373 0.461096 0.018661 0.052259 0.385275 0.048516 0.81847 0.018136 0.045073 0.317018 0.148129

Australasia 0.255992 0.229131

0.267492 0.238631

Canadian Dollar US Dollars US Dollars Mint

America 0.270243 0.279550 0.280050

0.278743 0.283900 0.283900

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

Asia 0.003079 0.044885 0.034498 0.004298 0.000020 0.002816 0.003342 0.000253 0.083801 0.002939 0.002472 0.006407

0.003679 0.048385 0.037248 0.004699 0.000026 0.002996 0.003342 0.000268 0.089601 0.003109 0.002752 0.006687

Belgian Franc British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Romanian Leu Slovakia Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Turkish Lira

SELL

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal/for 1000 Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira/for 1000 Syrian Lira Morocco Dirham

41.950 40.700 1.324 172.690 400.720 1.904 1.406 34.889

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 283.650 Euro 384.490 Sterling Pound 458.950 Canadian dollar 276.190 Turkish lira 140.630 Swiss Franc 314.640 Australian Dollar 268.380 US Dollar Buying 282.450 GOLD 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

252.000 128.000 66.000

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

Selling Rate 283.400 278.355 459.375 384.830 312.525 750.300 77.135 78.690 76.440 399.495 41.070 2.140 4.510 2.675 3.639 6.498 696.090

Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar

0.000075 0.228458 0.030854 0.002468 0.009662 0.009261

0.753931 0.041212 0.000080 0.000243 0.403355 1.0000000 0.000239 0.046718 0.001836 0.736402 0.078415 0.075703 0.002151 0.176058 0.148129 0.077395 0.001368

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

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 283.050 385.050 459.850 277.050 4.530 41.050 2.144 3.635 6.500 2.670 753.850 77.150 75.600 *Rates are subject to change

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

BUSINESS

Lufthansa celebrates 50 years of operations from Kuwait Legacy carrier weighs options for Gulf partnerships

KUWAIT: (From right to left): Aage Duenhaupt - Lufthansa, Director, Group Communications, Southeast Europe, Middle East and Africa, Carsten Schaeffer - Lufthansa VP for Southeast Europe, Middle East and Africa, Waseem Shaikh - General Manager Sales, Lufthansa, Peter Pollak - Lufthansa General Manager UAE and Director Gulf, Iraq & Afghanistan and Wael Seif from Lufthansa Kuwait office during the press conference.

By Velina Nacheva KUWAIT: Lufthansa, Europe’s largest airline by sales, is constantly looking for win-win partnerships with Middle East air carriers, an airline official said.

When asked if Lufthansa is seeking partnerships or alliances with any of the Gulf carriers from either the budget or full-service segment, Carsten Schaeffer, Vice President for Sales and Services, Southeast Europe, Middle East and Africa at Lufthansa German Airlines explained that Lufthansa is constantly investigating the aviation situation in the Middle East. “We have a legacy. For more than 20 years, we have started and established alliances and have joint ventures on all levels big or small,” he told the Kuwait Times, stressing that Lufthansa is looking for win-win situations on a daily basis. “If we find the right opportunity for sustainable winwin initiatives, we will be happy to go down this road. At this point in time, we are not ready to announce anything. We are not ready to sign an agreement. We are constantly watching the situation. We serve the Middle East

destinations through our own strength,” he said, elaborating that the nature of Lufthansa’s intercontinental business does not envision cooperation with a low-cost carrier from the region.

Currently Lufthansa’s focus is mainly on the financing of the carrier ’s fleet expansion.

“Globally, our group is on a fleet expansion and another 295 airplanes are on order, valued at more than 36 billion euros at list prices and scheduled for delivery until 2025” said Schaeffer. He further explained that Lufthansa has become the launch customer of the ultra-modern Boeing 777-9x that Boeing is to deliver in 2020 and will fly the new Airbus A350900 from 2016.

Addressing the question if the current geopolitical situation has affected Lufthansa’s operations in the Middle East region, Schaeffer observed, “Unfortunately, our capacity growth is not as we (had) expected it (would be) five years ago. Our economic results are safe and sound but that is because we have adjusted capacity,” he said, adding “It does not make sense to fly an empty aircraft.”

India’s current account gap widens in Q1 MUMBAI: India’s current account deficit widened in the April-June quarter as imports rose and exports fell, data showed yesterday, spelling more bad news for the country’s ailing currency.

The deficit expanded to $21.8 billion, or 4.9 percent of gross domestic product, against $16.9 billion a year earlier, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement on its website. “The trade deficit in the Q1 of 2013-14 increased due to a rise in imports and some decline in merchandise exports,” the RBI said. India’s current account deficit, the broadest measure of trade, is so large that foreign capital is required to finance the gap, at a time when the country is facing economic growth at decade-

lows. Exacerbated by hefty imports of oil, coal and gold, the deficit has been one of the main factors leading to the depreciation of the rupee. The currency hit a series of lifetime lows in July and August, before making a recovery in recent weeks. The rupee ended trade yesterday at 62.60 to the dollar, a 14 percent drop from the start of 2013.

Analysts expect the current account deficit to fall in coming months owing to a rise in the import duty on gold imports and improved exports due to the stronger dollar. Finance minister P Chidambaram has promised that the country’s deficit for the year to March 2014 will be kept at $70 billion, against a level of $88 billion last year. —AFP

Adjusting capacity is at the core of Lufthansa’s strategy to respond to the different economic environments, such as Europe’s economic slowdown, the recession or 9/11, that impact the aviation industry.

“The corporate traveler is the backbone of our business.

Therefore we follow the trends of the global traveler. When we are in a recession, we have less corporate travelers and we try to adjust to that,” he said, explaining that being Germany’s flag carrier “Lufthansa is in a very comfortable situation because Germany does not suffer from a crisis,” he said.

In the Middle East, Lufthansa has identified further growth potential in the Saudi market.

“For a good reason we have been successfully active in Kuwait for 50 years. It is one of our strong and stable pillars in the region,” he said adding that Lufthansa has stepped in to Doha too.

Kuwait The first Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt landed in Kuwait on July 5, 1963. Over these years,

KUWAIT: Carsten Schaeffer - Lufthansa VP for Southeast Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Peter Pollak - Lufthansa General Manager UAE and Director Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan, are cutting the cake.

Lufthansa stayed a reliable partner in connecting the Northern area of the Arabian Gulf with Europe and the rest of the world.

Addressing a press conference held on the occasion of the airline’s 50th anniversary of flights to Kuwait yesterday, Schaeffer said, “Over decades, there has been such a strong connection between our countries and the international business community and we are thankful for such a good cooperation with our partners and passengers in Kuwait.

Our flights to and from Frankfurt are well received and our guests know that Lufthansa offers more connections to Europe, North America and beyond than any other carrier. We are content with this performance in times of a tough economic situation surrounding the aviation sector,” Schaeffer said.

Today, Lufthansa operates daily flights between Kuwait and Frankfurt. In 2012, the passenger numbers between Kuwait and Germany grew more than 100,000. Via one of Europe’s major hubs in Frankfurt, business and leisure travelers from Kuwait can reach 218 destinations in 82

countries.

Lufthansa has identified Kuwait as the region’s leader for mobile phone purchases of tickets - a trend that is related to Kuwait’s young generation that purchases differently, travels differently to different destinations and buys tickets over the phone.

Waseem Shaikh, General Manager Passenger Sales for Lufthansa German Airlines in Kuwait said, “With the strength of Lufthansa’s network to Europe and beyond, we are in a position to serve more passengers, complemented by our products onboard and on ground.

Providing optimal flights means more flexibility and choices for our customers. Our commitment goes further with our team’s zeal in Kuwait, offering personalized packages also as a result of great local partnerships.”

Destinations The presence of the Lufthansa Group in the Middle East expanded impressively over the last five years with now 14 destinations in the area which are served by Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian Airlines. “In addition to the even

better network opportunities from the GCC and Middle East, Lufthansa committed itself to invest 1 million euros every day (excluding the new airplane orders) for the next 1,000 days for better ground and onboard services. New seats in all classes, individual in-flight entertainment in Economy Class, innovative First Class and Business Class as well as brand new lounges, will help us define new industr y standards,” explained Schaeffer.

Last year the airlines in the Deutsche Lufthansa Aviation Group welcomed more than 103 million passengers onboard their flights, making it Europe’s leading airline grouping. Earlier last month, Lufthansa received the coveted International Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS). In fact, the Academy honored three outstanding accomplishments of Lufthansa’s premium ser vice portfolio: the Lufthansa First Class onboard its intercontinental fleet, the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt and the Lufthansa First Class Lounge at New York’s JFK Airport.

Euro-zone inflation falls to lowest since Feb 2010 LONDON: Inflation across the 17 countries that use the euro fell further below target in September, official figures showed yesterday, news that could encourage the European Central Bank to cut interest rates again if the recovery across the eurozone stalls.

Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office, said consumer prices were up 1.1 percent in the year to September, down from the 1.3 percent rate recorded the previous month.

September’s rate was also the lowest since February 2010 and below expectations - the consensus in the markets was for a more modest decline to 1.2 percent. The statistics agency said energy and food prices drove the fall in September. However, the core rate - which excludes food, alcohol and tobacco - also fell, to 1 percent from 1.1 percent, further proof that underlying price pressures are benign.

“This is welcome news for eurozone consumers as it helps their purchasing power and it also means that the ECB can at the very least main-

tain its extremely accommodative policy for an extended period and actually has ample scope to take further stimulative action if it feels the need,” said Howard Archer, chief European economist at IHS Global Insight. Though the inflation figures will likely be discussed this week when the ECB holds its monthly meeting, they are unlikely to prompt any immediate action.

The ECB is tasked with setting monetary policy to keep inflation at just below 2 percent, but few economists think the central bank’s governing council will reduce its benchmark rate further from the record low of 0.5 percent amid signs that the economy is recovering.

In the second quarter of 2013, the euro-zone economy grew by a quarterly rate of 0.3 percent, largely on the back of Germany, Europe’s biggest economy. That followed six straight quarterly declines, the region’s longest recession since the euro currency was launched in 1999.

However, recent economic indicators have suggested that the recov-

CHERBOURG: French Minister for Industrial Recovery Arnaud Montebourg (left), French President Francois Hollande (center) and Ecology and Energy Minister Philippe Martin (left) attend a meeting with regional officials and businessmen in Cherbourg yesterday. — AFP ery is proving more broad-based even Greece is expected to start growing soon. Analysts said inflationary pressures will likely remain weak in the months ahead given the amount of spare capacity that exists in many parts of the euro-zone following the recession. The recent fall in energy prices - caused by a drop in

concerns over a US-led military strike on Syria - is also expected to keep a lid on inflation. “The upshot of all this is that euro-zone inflation is likely to fall further below the ECB’s target,” said James Howat, European economist at Capital Economics. “So the ECB has plenty of scope to loosen monetary policy further.” —AP

Markets drop as political instability roils Italy ROME: Italian share prices fell and borrowing costs rose yesterday as the recession-hit country braced for a showdown between Prime Minister Enrico Letta and billionaire tycoon Silvio Berlusconi.

Stocks were down 1.58 percent in

afternoon trading, while the rate of return demanded by investors on 10year government bonds were up at 4.520 percent from 4.416 percent on Friday.

“The Berlusconi effect strikes again

TOKYO: A passer-by watches the electronic stock indicator of a securities firm in Tokyo yesterday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock average, the region’s heavyweight, closed 2.1 percent lower at 14,455.80 as financial markets were rocked yesterday by fears that the US government was heading for a shutdown and renewed political instability in Italy. —AP

and there is alarm on the markets,” the Italian financial news website firstonline.info said in a commentary.

After weeks of bickering, Berlusconi on Saturday said he was pulling his party’s five ministers out of a fragile coalition government with the left and called for early elections as soon as possible. Letta, a moderate leftist who only came to power this year and has struggled to boost a flagging economy, accused the three-time former prime minister of a “crazy and irresponsible” act.

The 47-year-old Letta has warned against elections at a sensitive time for Italy on the financial markets and just as the economy was hoping to shake off two years of a devastating recession. He is hoping that members of Berlusconi’s party will rebel against their 77-year-old leader by staying in government and voting to support it in a parliamentary confidence vote tomorrow. Party leaders in parliament were meeting yesterday for talks in which the rifts within Berlusconi’s ranks could become more evident. Berlusconi will also meet with top members of his party for a meeting expected at 1500 GMT in an attempt to rally support behind his move.

“We want Italy to have a stable government and we start from the principle that the forces at work to stabilise the situation will find a solution,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin.

Analysts also played down the prospect of an imminent collapse of the government. “We have to recognise that the risk of early elections is not insignificant but we think Berlusconi’s gamble will not work in the end,” said Matteo Cominetta, an analyst for HSBC bank.

London-based consultancy Capital Economics said: “Berlusconi’s decision to withdraw his support for the coalition government may not trigger elections.

But the fragile political situation highlights the huge challenges that Italy faces.” Fitch Ratings agency said the instability put Italy’s fiscal policy targets at risk and “creates uncertainty at a crucial period when the 2014 budget should be finalized”.

The outgoing ministers, while toeing the party line by resigning, have tried to distance themselves from Berlusconi, who has dominated Italian politics for much of the past 20 years. “How long will the blind and absolute obedience to

the leader last this time? Berlusconi’s world has never been in such disagreement with Berlusconi,” the La Stampa daily said in an editorial.

One possible scenario is that Letta’s government could limp on-either in its current form or following a reshufflewith support from Berlusconi rebels and breakaway members of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement. Berlusconi has warned his supporters against turning into “traitors”, saying: “I do not believe in some little government made up of transfers.”

Letta has said the justification used

by Berlusconi for withdrawing support for the government-failure by the cabinet to stop a planned hike in VAT sales tax to 22 percent this week-was a smokescreen for his own interests.

Tensions have come to a head after the supreme court on August 1 handed Berlusconi his first-ever definitive criminal conviction for tax fraud in a long history of legal woes and sex scandals.

Berlusconi now faces expulsion from parliament and a ban from running in the next elections under a new law aimed at cleaning up Italian politics. —AFP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

BUSINESS

Gold gains as US shutdown looms SINGAPORE: Gold edged higher yesterday as a possible US government shutdown prompted safe-haven buying, and the metal was on track to record its best quarter in a year despite a cloudy outlook for US stimulus. Gold has gained nearly 9 percent in July-September, boosted by a big shortcovering rally, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and some weak US economic data.

The gains bring to an end gold’s longest quarterly losing streak since 2001 - the

metal fell more than 30 percent in the three quarters to June on fears of an early end to the US Federal Reserve’s bond-buying program. “Gold has behaved like a safe-haven currency of late. The market is pricing in a possible government shutdown,” said Barnabas Gan, an analyst at OCBC Bank in Singapore.

The likelihood of a US government shutdown increased after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives early yesterday passed a measure that ties govern-

ment funding to a one-year delay of President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare restructuring law.

If a stop-gap spending bill for the new fiscal year was not passed before midnight, government agencies and programs deemed non-essential will begin closing their doors for the first time in 17 years. “It is definitely a short-term phenomenon. The sentiment towards gold is still expected to be bearish for the full year,” said Gan. Spot gold rose 0.2 percent to $1,337.84 an

ounce by 0637 GMT, adding to a 1 percent gain on Friday.

Gold could also get some support in the near term from the uncertainties around the mid-October deadline to raise the US debt ceiling.

Despite the September quarter’s gains, gold is down 20 percent for the year and any recovery hinges on the fate of the Fed stimulus. OCBC Bank analyst Gan expects prices to fall to $1,250 by the year-end if a stimulus tapering is announced in October

and prices to climb to $1,400 if there is no cut.

In its September meeting, the Fed stuck with its bond-buying stimulus, surprising markets which had expected a small reduction from this month. The Fed meets next on Oct 29-30. “It seems to us that the central bank will likely stand pat again, perhaps not wanting to take two completely different directional views on rate policy in the span of just 30 days,” INTL FCStone analyst Edward Meir said in a note.

SEVILLE: French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (left) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Airbus Military Domingo Urena (second left) attend the A400M First Delivery Ceremony in Sevilla yesterday. — AFP

Airbus delivers first A400M military transport plane SEVILLE, Spain: After years of delays and huge cost over-runs, Airbus yesterday delivered its first A400M military transport plane, handing over the huge turboprop to France.

The pan-European aircraft maker hopes the official handover ceremony at the Airbus Military plant in Seville, southern Spain, will launch strong sales to air forces worldwide following a difficult birth.

“It is an extremely high performance aircraft and I am quite proud that France is number one for delivery,” French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at a handover ceremony also attended by Spain’s Prince Felipe.

Already, though, there are concerns about orders for the plane. The French minister, who was returning to a military base in Orleans aboard the plane after the ceremony, said France still planned to take 50 of the A400M aircraft, which has propellers more than five metres (16 feet) long. But the minister, who celebrated the A400M as a “technological feat”, said France would take only 15 planes “right now” in its 2014-2019 supply programme currently being debated in parliament. Originally, France had agreed to take 35 planes up front, and it will likely have to negotiate the downsized schedule to avoid penalties.

But France’s minister described the change

in plane orders as a minor correction with final objectives remaining the same. Airbus parent EADS has expressed concern that any decision

by France to axe orders could lead other nations such as Spain and Germany to do the same, squeezing the entire program.

It took 10 years to bring the A400M to the skies in one of the European military industry’s most ambitious projects, backed by seven partners: NATO members Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg Spain and Turkey. The project was dogged by delays and broken budgets as developers struggled with the complex engine and the divergent requirements of client nations. Finally, four years late and 6.2 billion euros ($8.3 billion), or 30 percent, over budget, Tom Enders, chief executive of Airbus owner EADS, officially handed over the revolutionary aircraft to France, its first client, though the plane was actually ready August 1. Designed at the request of European chiefs of staff after the first Gulf War of 1991, which exposed the need for such a plane, the A400M is a multi-task military air lifter.

“It will transform the way military operations work,” Ian Elliott, vice-president of Airbus Military, told AFP. “For the first time ever, it will allow combat delivery in the point of need,” he added. — AFP

Hedge funds show strong confidence LONDON/PARIS: Hedge funds’ negative bets on European shares have tumbled to a level not seen since before the global financial crisis began in 2007, signaling their strongest conviction for years that the market will rise further. It means long/short hedge funds, which bet on which stocks will rise or fall, have taken a strongly bullish tilt to take advantage of both a rising market and of the lower correlation among stocks brought about by continued monetary support by the US Federal Reserve.

According to data from Markit, the overall value of “short positions” or shares out on loan on the benchmark STOXX Europe 600 has dropped to $144 billion, its lowest since Markit started to monitor the data in mid-2006, and down from $167 billion two years ago.

Short sellers borrow securities and sell them, betting they will be able to buy them back at a lower price before returning them to the lender and pocket the difference.

When factoring in the 35 percent rally in the STOXX 600 over the past two years, the overall value of shorted positions since September 2011 has tumbled by twothirds. “The muted borrowing demand today is the new reality. In this prolonged bull market, it has been hard for short sellers to bet against a rising tide,” Alex Brog, director at Markit, said. The hedge funds’ bullishness means that for each shorted stock, there are 15 “long” positions, i.e. bets the market will rise. This compares with one short for 10 long positions in September 2011, at the height of the euro-zone debt crisis, according to Markit data.

This represents a big change as not all funds have a mandate that allows them to take short positions. “People have increased their long positions in sectors that were ridiculously cheap and with good fundamentals,” said Roberto Botero, a London-based director at Sciens Capital, who sees hedge funds as even more positive on US equities.

“Almost ever yone in US equity long/short is extremely bullish. They believe that the housing market has turned and once it’s turned there’s no stopping it.”

Top performing long/short funds this year include John Armitage’s Egerton European Equity Fund with gains of more than 20

percent to Sept. 20, and the flagship fund at Larry Robbins’ Glenview Capital, up 30.7 percent to the end of August, performance data seen by Reuters shows. Meanwhile, Lansdowne Partners’ $10 billion Developed Markets Fund - widely considered to be the largest long-short hedge fund in Europe - is up 19.7 percent to Sept. 20, putting it on course for its best year since 2009, according to the data.

The environment for equity hedge funds is set to improve further, thanks to the more stable market conditions created by the Fed’s decision to extend its monetary support, which allows investors to increasingly focus on corporate fundamentals rather than the macroeconomic backdrop.

The long/short strategy has struggled in the past few years as macro issues were dictating market moves, but there has been a strong revival of the approach this year, with brisk inflows coming into the funds as volatility dropped and stocks started to trade more independently of each other, allowing stock pickers to thrive.

According to data from Eurekahedge, long/short hedge funds have attracted $42.6 billion of net new money in the first eight months of the year, representing more than half of all inflows into hedge funds overall. The sector is up 6.5 percent this year against a 3.9 percent rise in the average fund, according to industry tracker Hedge Fund Research. Over the last five years, however, they have returned below 3 percent per annum, less than the 3.4 percent the average fund made.

Correlation between the S&P 500 stock index and its components has dropped back to pre-crisis levels and expectations of future swings in share prices, as measured by the CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX, has also fallen back to early 2007 levels. “If you look at intra-stock correlations, it would suggest the market is becoming more fundamentally driven,” Simon Nicholas, senior fund manager at Brown Shipley, which manages assets worth around 4 billion pounds ($6.43 billion). “We can still expect some volatility (when the Fed start to reduce QE) but...I would expect to be reducing passive elements in favor of stock picking going forward.” — Reuters

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

BUSINESS

Toyota named most valuable - worthy motoring brand It’s musical chairs at the top end of BrandZ’s annual Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study, but it seems that Toyota is playing the leadership grounds year in and year out. Toyota has been named the most valuable automotive brand in the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2013 report.

The survey ranked brands using financial data and the views of current and potential customers. Toyota was valued at $24.5 billion dollars (£16.2 billion), an increase of 12 per cent on 2012.

The rise in value was big enough for the Japanese car giant to overtake other automotive brands as the most valuable motoring brand. It’s the sixth time in the eight years of the BrandZ report that Toyota has been ranked at the top of the automotive sector.

According to the report, Toyota’s championing of hybrid technology was one of many reasons for the brand’s high value. Toyota’s strong global sales performance (sales up 22.6% worldwide in 2012) also contributed to the company’s first place performance, when many other car makers have struggled with sales below pre-recession level However. According to the BrandZ survey, which ranks brands based on their dollar value and buyer feedback, Toyota’s 2013 brand value rose 12 percent to US$24.5 billion, to stand solely in 1st place.

The new results are credited to the growing buyer interest in Toyota’s new - model launches and innovative hybrids - with Toyota comfortably holding onto its position as the top brand in the hybrid market. Speaking with industry paper Automotive News, Millward Brown brand director pointed to Toyota’s dominance in the hybrid mar-

ket as the main driving factor in its success.

“Toyota is carving out a very big position in hybrids across its range, which is tapping into the consumer need for value by saving fuel cost, brands must continue to meet the expectations they raised in 2012 for improved quality and luxury features at all price points, helping them to attract younger customers and cultivate a future clientele,” Walshe said .

“Its hybrids are reinforcing the experience of the brand, and in so doing, Toyota continues to magnify what is special and different about it.”

Staying in the top 10 will mean aggressively pushing top-shelf features down into volume-selling models, with buyer expectations growing each year.

Osborne to talk tough on unemployment benefits FM to pitch prudence, mortgages, lower taxes to voters

MADRID: Spanish Minister of Finance and Public Administration Cristobal Montoro (right) handovers the President of Spanish Parliament Jesus Posada the Government budget for 2014 in Madrid yesterday. —AFP

Spain public debt ratio to near 100% of GDP next year MADRID: Spain’s public debt will soar to nearly 100 percent of output at the end of 2014, the government said yesterday despite massive spending cuts that have triggered angry street protests.

Spain’s ratio of debt to gross domestic product (GDP) will hit 99.8 percent at the end of next year after rising to 94.2 percent at the end of 2013, higher than previously forecast, according to details of the government’s 2014 budget presented in parliament. The debt ratio has soared from 40.2 percent of GDP in 2008, when the end of a decadelong property boom triggered an economic slump that caused unemployment to jump and tax revenues to plunge.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative government had forecast in its 2013 budget that the debtto-GDP ratio would stand at 90.5 percent at the end of this year.

Spain has pushed through painful spending cuts to bring down its soaring public deficit and get its accounts in order under pressure from the European Union. It resisted pressure last year to seek a full bailout from its neighbors. The government announced in 2012 that it aimed for savings of 150 billion euros ($200 billion) by the end of 2014, mainly in health and education.

The measures have caused the popularity of Rajoy’s Popular Party to slump and they have sparked regular street protests and strikes by teachers, doctors and other public workers. The draft budget for 2014 which was approved Friday at a cabinet meeting includes further unpop-

ular austerity measures for pensioners and public workers even as it slightly improved the outlook for jobs and economic growth. The budget will freeze public workers salaries for a fourth consecutive year.

Pensions will rise by just 0.25 percent in 2014, the minimum allowed under a pension reform approved by the cabinet on Friday that will stop indexing payouts to inflation.

Unions argue the pension reform will mean an effective loss of spending power for retired workers. The government says tough cuts are vital to drag Spain out of recession and fix its public finances. Budget Minister Cristobal Montoro reiterated that Spain, the euro-zone’s fourth-largest economy, would likely return to growth during the second half of this year.

“The budget for 2014 is an economic recovery budget. This budget will help us return to growth and create jobs in our country,” he said as he presented the details of the budget in parliament.

The 2014 budget is based on a forecast that the Spanish economy will grow by 0.7 percent next year while the unemployment rate will dip under 26 percent. For 2013, the government forecasts the economy will shrink by 1.3 percent while the jobless rate will end the year at 26.6 percent.

The Spanish Treasury will need to issue 243.9 billion euros ($330 billion) in debt next year to cover maturing debts and new financing needs, up from 207.2 billion euros this year, according to the 2014 budget details presented to parliament.— AFP

MANCHESTER: British finance minister George Osborne will propose tougher new welfare rules yesterday to try to win over working voters who are grappling with depleted spending power ahead of the 2015 election.

Speaking to Conservative Party activists at the penultimate conference before the election, Osborne will promise he can sustain a recovery of Britain’s $2.5 trillion economy, but caution there can be no complacency.

“What really drives an improvement in living standards is an economic policy that creates jobs, keeps mortgage rates low, helps people keep more of their income tax free,” Osborne told the BBC ahead of the speech. Osborne’s pitch is designed to counter the opposition Labour Party’s charge that Prime Minister David Cameron has presided over a cost of living crisis. It is meant to appeal to working Britons who, according to polls, feel the country’s annual 200 billion pound ($320.7 billion) welfare system is too generous.

He will say he wants to end “a something for nothing” culture by obliging Britain’s 200,000 long-term unemployed to undertake certain activities such as community work or face losing a portion of their welfare benefit.

The move, unveiled along with a new slogan “For

Hardworking People,’ is likely to resurrect a long-running political row that critics say engenders divisive politics.

Casting the Conservatives as the party of lower taxes, cheaper mortgages and economic prudence, Osborne, who has staked his reputation on reducing the largest peacetime budget deficit, left by the 1997-2010 Labor governments, will warn that higher living standards will not be instantly improved.

“Family finances will not be transformed overnight,” Osborne will say according to remarks released by his office ahead of time. “We can make the recovery a lasting one. But it won’t happen by itself - many risks remain. We have to deal with our debts and see our plan through. If the recovery is sustained then families will start to feel better off.”

While a recent poll shows Ed Miliband’s Labour Party leads the Conservatives by 11 percentage points overall, voters still consider Cameron the politician they trust with Britain’s economy, the world’s sixth largest.

The gamble Cameron and Osborne are making is that the recovery, combined with a plan to guarantee the mortgages of homebuyers and potential tax cuts, could hand them victory in the election in May 2015.

Google pays $55m tax in Britain on sales of $5.5bn LONDON: Google, which has been grilled twice in the past year by a UK parliamentary committee over its tax practices, had a UK tax bill of 35 million pounds ($55 million) in 2012, on sales of $5.5 billion to British customers, its accounts showed. The Internet search giant paid a tax rate of 2.6 percent on $8.1 billion in non-U.S. income in 2012, because it channelled almost all of its overseas profits to a subsidiary in Bermuda which levies no corporate income tax, the group’s accounts show.

Corporate tax avoidance has risen to the top of the international agenda in the past year with the G20 and G8 groups of leading economies promising to get to grips with the growing practice of companies diverting profits from where they are earned and into tax havens.

Google said it follows all tax rules in every country where it operates and that it does not pay much tax in Britain because its profits are not generated by its UK employees.

Google UK Ltd, and other subsidiaries across mainland Europe, pay little tax because they are designated as providers of marketing services to Google Ireland Ltd, the

Dublin-based subsidiary whose name appears on invoices to most non-US clients. Google declares little profit in Ireland because the unit there sends almost all of the profit earned from the non-US clients to the Bermudan affiliate, in the form of licence fees for the use of Google intellectual property.

The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) grilled Google’s Northern Europe boss, Matt Brittin, in May after a Reuters investigation showed the company had advertised dozens of jobs for salespeople, despite Brittin telling the committee last year that the company does not pay tax on its UK revenues because it does not conduct sales from British territory. A PAC report later accused of Google of using “contrived” mechanisms to avoid tax and called on the government to change the rules on taxing multinational companies.

Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said attempts to force technology companies to pay more tax could stymie innovation. Google’s UK tax charge on 2012 income was only 11.6 million pounds, with 24 million being payable in relation to employee share based remuneration. — Reuters

Britain pushes back against EU spectrum auction veto BRUSSELS: Britain has objected to new European Commission rules allowing it to block overly costly mobile spectrum auctions in a possible setback for an EU plan to overhaul the telecoms sector. In a note sent to other EU governments and seen by Reuters, the British government said it believed the sector should be reformed but it did not support new measures proposed by the European Commission such as an EU veto of spectrum auctions that regulators may believe are overpriced or unfair.

EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Oct. 24 to discuss the plan for the first time. Opposition from governments could delay or even prevent the plan from being adopted before European elections next May. While Britain wants to speed up the rollout of faster fourth generation broadband, it wants the EU to do so “without affecting the competences of member states in this area,” according to the note.

The Commission has come out against costly

Osborne, who will cast Labour as the party of profligacy, will force some 200,000 long-term unemployed people to do community service or search for a job daily if they want to receive state-funded unemployment benefits from April.

“People understand in this welfare debate that there needs to be a bit of tough love and this is what this program delivers,” Osborne told the BBC. The ‘Help to Work’ program will cost 300 million pounds and be financed by savings to be announced later in the year. By tinkering with a welfare system that swallows over a third of his budget, Osborne hopes to win over working voters who polls show support changes to welfare.

Labour says the Conservative-led coalition government has failed millions of ordinary families who are poorer now in real terms than at the 2010 election, while some investors have cautioned that Cameron risks inflating a property bubble with his mortgage guarantee plans. House prices in England and Wales posted their biggest month-on-month gain in more than six years in September, but talk of a price bubble is overdone, property analysis firm Hometrack said in a survey yesterday. — Reuters

auctions in the past. The EU commissioner for telecoms, Neelie Kroes, who is in charge of the reform, criticized recent auctions in the Netherlands, which took in 3.8 billion euros ($5.15 billion), for being too expensive. “Was nothing learned from previous auctions ... when the share price of KPN dropped substantially?” she said in her blog.

Over a decade ago, third generation spectrum auctions earned countries’ tens of billions of dollars in revenue. While 4G spectrum is being offered at a fraction of the cost of 3G, cash-strapped governments such as Britain do not want Brussels to have the power to stop that money flowing.

In spectrum auctions this year, Britain made around 2.3 billion pounds compared to 22.5 billion pounds ($36.27 billion) in the 2000 3G auction which left industry heavily indebted.

Typically, national regulators set a minimum price for each spectrum sale and then companies enter a bidding process. The EU’s group of

regulators BEREC has also voiced concerns over the plans that could undermine these powers.

Spectrum auctions are not Britain’s only concern. In the note, Britain also warned against further moves to end roaming - charges levied by operators on customers travelling abroad before existing regulation to lower the charges has taken full effect.

“Progress towards abolishing roaming charges should take place within the existing regulatory framework,” the note says. Kroes unveiled the telecoms overhaul just weeks ago.

For her entire plan to become law, she will need the backing of all 28 EU governments and the European Parliament.

Beyond steps to end roaming and veto costly spectrum auctions it would also allow broadband providers to charge more for carrying data-heavy services at high speeds. Similarly, ahead of the October meeting, France has asked countries to consider a new tax regime for digital companies. — Reuters

Masaaki Kanno (left), chief economist of JP Morgan Securities Japan, speaks during a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo yesterday. Masaaki Kanno and Hiromichi Shirakawa (right), Chief Economist of Credit Suisse Securities Japan, held the conference to discuss the implications of the tax-hike plan. — AFP

Japan reports weaker August factory data TOKYO: Japan’s factory output slipped more than expected in August but the government put an upbeat gloss on the data yesterday, a day before Premier Shinzo Abe issues his long-awaited decision on hiking sales taxes. Tepid export and consumer demand at home weighed on industrial production last month, with output falling by 0.7 percent from the previous month.

The drop-reversing a 3.4 percent rise in Julyis one of the last pieces of economic data that Tokyo will be able to study before issuing a decision today on whether to raise the sales levy, a move some fear will derail Japan’s fledgling economic recovery. Also due today are household spending data and the Bank of Japan’s quarterly Tankan survey, a widely watched indicator of confidence in the corporate sector. Analysts were mixed on the fresh factory output figures, with Junko Nishioka, chief economist at RBS Securities Japan, noting that the country’s export picture was lacklustre. “Exports aren’t growing strongly these days,” she told Dow Jones Newswires. “The pace of production improvement isn’t as fast as those seen in economic recoveries in the past.”

However, Credit Suisse said that “the fall in August seems a temporal adjustment, and manufacturing activities is likely to remain on a recovery trend”. For its part, the trade ministry painted the latest output figures in an optimistic light, keeping its previous verdict that industrial production “shows signs of picking up a moderate pace”-the same language it used in July.

A corporate survey included in the data published yesterday showed Japanese manufacturers have a bright outlook with the sector expect-

ing a 5.2 percent expansion this month and 2.5 percent in October. Early signs suggest Abe’s blueprint for stoking growth-dubbed “Abenomics”-is having a positive effect, with the world’s third-largest economy expanding again in the June quarter as cautious firms hiked their capital spending.

But his decision on hiking the tax levy to 8.0 percent from the current 5.0 percent, seen as crucial to chopping Japan’s massive national debt, threatens not only to sink Abe’s growth plans; it could also dim his popularity with voters. Few, however, see the 59-year-old as having much choice, given the size of the country’s national debt, proportionately the worst in the rich world at more than twice the size of the economy.

The International Monetary Fund, among others, have been calling on Tokyo to fix its books, after debt agencies cut their ratings on Japan’s credit. Some expect the BoJ’s closely watched Tankan survey to hit a three-year high, possibly the tipping point that will give the premier the green light to implement a tax rise that was passed by the administration he booted out of office. In a bid to soften the impact, Abe is expected to unveil a one-time $50-billion stimulus package with benefits for low-income earners and corporate incentives to boost investment. A cut to the corporate tax rate is also reportedly in Tokyo’s sights, although the timeline remains unclear. If Abe does follow through on the tax hike, as expected, all eyes will turn to the Bank of Japan to see if its expands its massive monetary easing drive to counter any downturn from the higher levy.—AFP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

BUSINESS

Mindshare partners with OOX for Kuwait launch KUWAIT: Mindshare, a media agency dedicated to innovative brand development for its clients, has finalized an exclusive partnership with premier digital media company OOX for its October launch in Kuwait.

Mindshare’s decision to partner with OOX represents the agency’s response to client feedback, which expressed a need for competitive data for online advertising campaigns. The media monitoring service provides quantitative and qualitative competitive online monitoring and alerts across a multitude of websites, categories, brands, and campaigns, supplying the industry with the right tools to aid in making well-informed business decisions.

In the Kuwait market, where OOX will launch in October, no other online media monitoring service currently exists. “Before we decided to launch in Kuwait, we saw that there was a noticeable gap in the market for our specialized services,” OOX Cofounder and Managing Director Fouad Bedran notes. “We are thrilled to partner with Mindshare in order to better serve the agency’s clients, and to have selected an agency with which we share a

mutual passion for innovation. Mindshare will bring local market knowledge to the table in order to fine-tune OOX to the Kuwait market.”

“There has been a thirst for online media intelligence, and we have been actively working to ensure that we are armed with the necessary data to support our planning and decision making,” says Mindshare Kuwait Managing Director Elie Farah.

“This partnership represents a new era of information for companies in Kuwait, who can now use online monitoring data to achieve a precise understanding of the relationship between their brand

and the market, thus increasing the effectiveness of Mindshare’s campaigns.”

Mindshare is the MENA region’s premier global communications group, located in 10 countries across the GCC, Levant, and North Africa. As the first independent agency launched in the region, Mindshare MENA has been a pioneer in the field of creative communications since 1999. Our primary values lie in global collaboration and originality practices that set us apart and increase brand awareness with a greater connection to consumers.

By creating unique solutions for clients’ communi-

cations challenges, we provide them with a competitive edge.

OOX is the first competitive online advertising monitoring and intelligence service in the MENA region, launched in 2007. In terms of value, OOX helps deliver vital data leading to more advertising revenue for Digital Publishers, better competitive knowledge for Media Agencies, better business results for Advertisers and more inspiration for Creative Agencies. The data is deployed via OOX’s web based proprietar y application OOXmonitor.com

NBK holds seminar on London residential property market Seminar to present world’s leading firms

The Big 5 Kuwait launch reflects confidence in construction market KUWAIT: The confidence in the construction market demonstrated at The Big 5 Kuwait 2013 has further propelled the event’s expansion and leadership role as an international building and construction show in the Middle East.

185 exhibitors, from 25 countries, showcased their products and technologies to address construction and infrastructure needs of Kuwait’s fast expanding economy.

The three-day exhibition was opened by His Excellency the Minister of Public Works and Electricity and Water, Abdul Aziz Al-Ibrahim.

Kuwait’s key decision makers had access to thousands of building and construction products including, heavy machinery, bathrooms, kitchens & sanitary ware, scaffolding, facilities management services, plumbing and water technology, concrete, HVAC, marble, stone and ceramics and all products from within the fit-out sector.

One exhibitor was the Middle East’s largest batching plant manufacturer, Saudi based KiCE, who said they expected Kuwait to increase its demand for construction based on new projects announced and awarded. KiCE showcased their new compact containerized batching plants manufactured in Saudi Arabia and within close proximity to Kuwait City. “We’re extremely happy to announce the launch of this new batching plant, which is flexible, especially for our customers outside the Saudi market who we regularly ship our products to. It is also the perfect solution for projects that require less storage space,” said Engineer Saleh Al-Katheer, CEO for KiCE. Exhibition visitors also took advantage of the educational element at The Big 5 Kuwait. This included the Sustainable Design and Construction Conference, which had speakers from the Kuwait Municipality and Kuwait Green Building Council talking on regulation, case studies on KIPCO Tower

and the Jahara Road Project, One delegate remarked that the first ‘step towards sustainability’ in Kuwait has been taken at the conference.

Continuing the green theme in the special features was the USGBC LEED 201 Workshop: Core Concepts and Strategies.

The certified workshop taught how to identify the key components of the international LEED Rating System.

Finally, a How to Trade in Kuwait seminar was held alongside the exhibition and saw attendance from international companies looking for guidance on how to begin trading in Kuwait. The delegates received guidance on Kuwait’s licensing, permits and visas taxation requirements and contacts that would help them tap into the lucrative market. The half-day session also discussed important background on how and where to get started in Kuwait, foreign offset contributions, risk management and exit procedures.

“The feedback and response to our inaugural The Big 5 Kuwait exhibition has been phenomenal, and is a true reflection of the growth opportunities that exist in Kuwait today. There is a huge demand in the market for quality products that are sustainable while being cost-efficient, and we are pleased to be able to extend our regional and global expertise in the construction and building sector and bridge this gap in Kuwait,” says Andy White, Group Event Director, The Big 5.

The Big 5 Kuwait will be back in 2014 with bigger and greater representation from the global and local building and construction industry. The next Big 5 event will take place from 25 - 28 November at the Dubai World Trade Centre. It is the portfolio’s flagship event which welcomes over 2,500 international exhibitors and 60,000+ participants from across the Middle East.

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) will host today (Oct 1) a seminar to discuss the latest developments in the residential real estate market in London and recent changes to the UK tax residence rules titled “London Residential Property and the new UK Statutory Residence Test”. The seminar will take place at the Sheraton Hotel.

Fawzi Al-Dajani, NBK London General Manager, said that the seminar will provide NBK customers attending with an insight on these important topics. He advised that the seminar will be of particular interest to customers who visit the UK regularly.

The presentation on the residential property market in London will be made by Liam Bailey, Global Head of Residential Research at Knight Frank one of the world leading firms in this field. Robert Blower, a partner at the leading London Law Firm Charles Russell LLP will present an overview of the recent changes in UK tax rules which are used to determine whether a person is resident in the UK. There will be an open session at the end of the seminar to enable customers to ask the expert speakers questions on the topics covered. NBK London’s real estate services assist customers with identifying and purchasing properties suited to their requirements, including financing, and can assist with guidance on the best ownership options for them.

With its large international network, NBK provides customers with the best investment opportunities and services. NBK continues to enjoy the widest banking presence with an international network reaching 170 branches worldwide. NBK’s international presence spans many of the world’s leading financial centers including London, Paris, Geneva, New York and Singapore, as well as China

NBK’s real estate seminar last year (Shanghai). Meanwhile, regional coverage extends to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey. NBK continues to enjoy collectively the highest ratings among all banks in the Middle East from the three

international rating agencies Moody’s, Fitch Ratings and Standard and Poor’s. NBK was also named among Global Finance’s list of the 50 safest banks in the world for the eighth consecutive time.

DuPont to present sustainable solutions for process engineering at MEPEC 2013

IKEA’s 2014 Catalogue introduces new concepts via augmented reality KUWAIT: IKEA Kuwait announced yesterday that it has launched its new version of the smartphone application to complement the recently launched 2014 IKEA Catalogue. The 2014 digital IKEA catalogue is packed with inspiration, home furnishing knowledge and ideas for free. It also provides users with easy access to high quality new images, films, 3D models, catalogues, brochures, as well as other extra content that are not usually found in printed catalogues. This year, there’s a special focus on ideas for creating a better everyday life for families with children. The catalogue has around 300 pages, showing a selection of products from the total IKEA range. Through this application, you will also be able to download other publications from IKEA. This new version of the application is found across smartphones and tablets using the Android as well as IOS operating systems, and is renowned for securing important extended content that is readily available.

Users need to scan their selected pages on the application and accordingly will access the extended content, of which will

also be available at IKEA Kuwait’s website.

By scanning selected pages in the printed IKEA catalogue, one can also view films and 360º room sets, and get to know the stories behind the products. New this year, is also the ability to place selected furniture from the catalogue in one’s own room. For the feature to work, users simply need to scan one of the 90 augmented reality enabled product pages with the app, and place the catalogue on the floor where they desire to see the digital version of the product appear. Then, the app applies a 3D model of that bit of decor on one’s mobile device’s screen, allowing users to choose which furniture will fit perfectly well in their room without having to actually move things around.

To download the application, customers are urged to visit the iTunes App store online or Google Play (Android market) and install the new Digital IKEA Catalogue. With smartphones becoming increasingly popular, IKEA Kuwait is keen on using this technology to benefit customers and shoppers to ensure added convenience and handiness.

DUBAI: DuPont, one of the leading market-driven science companies, will emphasize the importance of adopting sustainable practices to optimize process engineering during the 2013 Middle East Process Engineering Conference & Exhibition (MEPEC) taking place from September 29 to October 2, 2013 at the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre. MEPEC 2013 will feature more than 350 keynote, special session and technical program speakers who will discuss the latest trends, issues and challenges faced by the region’s process engineering under the theme ‘Meeting Future Challenges through Engineering Excellence.’

DuPont, one of the event’s Platinum Sponsors, will focus on how innovation - in both technology and management - can be leveraged to raise productivity, meet and surpass regulatory requirements, enhance process technology per formance, improve safety, reduce costs and optimize investments. DuPont will present eleven technical papers at the MEPEC Conference to address topics ranging from creating cleaner fuels and reducing environmental footprint, to cultivating operational discipline and effectively managing large capital projects. Though wideranging, each technical paper provides insight on the means through which processes can be optimized, and sustainability fully integrated from the outset.

“Sustainability cannot be an afterthought; it has to be a priority” says Simon Herriott, Global Managing Director, Consulting, DuPont Sustainable Solutions. “It has to be integrated into everything we do as a company every day. In doing so, companies can better secure long-term success and maintain viability of an organization.”

“DuPont is working closely with its clients to ensure opera-

tional quality while developing innovative solutions for challenges such as sustainability. The Middle East is a hotbed of industrial activity and is undergoing scrutiny for the environmental impacts of its developments.

MEPEC is an excellent platform to discuss how our region can better incorporate sustainability strategies into its diverse businesses, and how DuPont solutions fit perfectly into the productivity-withsustainability equation. We encourage and collaborate with organizations that advocate for sustainability in making their workplaces cleaner, and greener,” said Ricardo Brahim, Oil & Gas Leader, Middle East.

Around 1,500 delegates are expected to join MEPEC 2013, which will be held under the patronage of Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The conference and exhibition will cover Manufacturing and Operational Excellence, Capital Project Efficiency, Talent and Technology Development, Process and Molecular Modeling, Clean Fuel, Environment and Sustainability, Process Safety & Risk Mitigation, and Process Automation and Optimization.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

technology

Britain recruiting cyber-warriors LONDON: Britain is to set up a dedicated military unit to counter cyber attacks, the defence secretary announced yesterday as he issued a call for tech-savvy new recruits. The Ministry of Defence is looking to recruit hundreds of computer experts to help defend Britain’s national security. The “cyber reservists” would work alongside regular forces in the new Joint Cyber Reserve Unit in a bid to to protect key computer networks and safeguard data.

The new capability would be able to “counterattack in cyber-space and, if necessary, to strike in

cyber-space as part of our full-spectrum military capability”, Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative Party said. The centre-right party kicked off its annual conference yesterday. “In response to the growing cyber threat, we are developing a full-spectrum military cyber capability, including a strike capability, to enhance the UK’s range of military capabilities,” the Conservative Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said. “Increasingly, our defence budget is being invested in high-end capabilities such as cyber and intelligence and surveillance assets to ensure we can keep

the country safe. “The cyber reserves will be an essential part of ensuring we defend our national security in cyber-space. “This is an exciting opportunity for Internet experts in industry to put their skills to good use for the nation, protecting our vital computer systems and capabilities.”

As well as targeting regular personnel leaving fulltime roles and existing reservists with the right skill set, Hammond hopes to attract experts who would not otherwise consider joining up. Recruitment starts in October. In January, parliament’s defence scrutiny

committee warned in a report that the British military’s dependence on information technology meant it could be “fatally compromised” by a cyber-attack.

The committee heard evidence that cyber-attacks could disrupt military communication and information systems, radars and satellites, and leave combat units such as planes or ships dysfunctional. The MPs expressed concern that the government did not have a back-up plan in the case of a failure of technology, instead focusing on averting such attacks in the first place. — AFP

NASA ready to launch 3-D printer into space Machines range from $300 desktop models to $500,000 builders

CHIBA: Japan’s telecom giant NTT Docomo engineer wears a head mount display (HMD) to open a smartphone window on a notebook virtually for a demonstration of augmented reality (AR) at the preview of the Ceatec electronics trade show in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP

Pluses and perils of instant communication LONDON: Email and texting enable us to communicate instantly, but the ease and spontaneity of communication can present us with a multitude of digital dilemmas.

Email More formal than a text message and less formal than a letter, emails are quick and convenient. They should, however, be approached with the same care and attention that a more traditional form of written communication would receive. Always include a proper salutation at the beginning of an email (ie ‘Dear Mr Debrett’). Formal emails mimic letters, but for most emails, sign-offs such as ‘Best wishes’ or ‘Thanks’ are quite acceptable.

Beware of using capital letters too often; use italics or underlining for emphasis. Don’t litter emails with exclamation marks, and avoid abbreviations or emoticons for business correspondence. Be cautious of sarcasm and subtle humour, unless you know that the reader will ‘get it’. If in doubt, err towards the polite and formal. Similarly, think carefully before hitting ‘send’ if your email is written in haste or when emotions are running high.

Use ‘reply all’ discriminately; don’t spam

friends and colleagues. Don’t overload your emails with system-slowing extras.

Texting Texts are for conveying short, instant messages. Important information may need a more lengthy explanation; if in doubt, send an email where you have more flexibility and space. Texting is a blunt instrument - do not send a text message if tact or subtlety is required.

Use as much conventional grammar, punctuation and spelling as necessary to ensure that you make yourself clear. Tailor your text message to the recipient - using abbreviated language and emoticons may look unprofessional or confuse a recipient not used to them.

If you have to cancel an appointment or communicate some important information, make a phone call. Don’t let the convenience of texting be an excuse for always being late and never respond to bad news by text message. A handwritten letter or a phone call is always preferable. In business, sign off with your name. Your recipient may not have your contact details stored in their phone. — Reuters

NICE: Parish priest Yves Marie Lequin (left) blesses mobile phones and computers, held by Gil Florini (right) parish priest of Saint Pierre D’Arene church in Nice, southeastern France, during a Mass to celebrate St Gabriel, the archangel of transmissions, Saturday, Sept 28 2013. - AP

Martha Stewart to Apple: Come fix my iPad now SAN FRANCISCO: Martha Stewart broke her beloved iPad. Can someone from Apple rush over and fix it? She’s waiting. Stewart, the doyen of home products who parlayed her image as America’s household guru into a multibillion dollar empire, took to Twitter to vent about her shattered tablet, which she says Apple Inc co-founder Steve Jobs gave her. She is upset that the company has not sent anyone yet to pick it up for fixing, as per the tweet.

“I am still waiting for an apple rep to come pick up my IPad. No action yey (sic),” she tweeted to her nearly 2.9 million followers on Thursday, a day after breaking the device. “I just dropped my iPad on the ground and shattered two glass corners. What to do?does one call Apple to come and pick it up or do I take it?,” she tweeted on Wednesday. Her litany of tweets elicited predictable jokes on Twitter, many of which made fun of her expectation that someone would come retrieve the tablet.

Consumers have to take their iPads to an Apple store to have it fixed or exchanged, depending on the warranty. Many third party vendors also repair broken screens. Hours after expressing her disappointment with Apple, Stewart tweeted about a business idea she had. “Maybe I have had a good entrepreneurial idea? Apple Now? Like same day delivery from Amazon? I think I am on to

something. Same day fixit!!!” Stewart, founder and director of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc, has a vast multimedia empire and can be seen regularly on television imparting tips on home decoration, cooking and gardening. Her eponymous brand-on products such as cookware, bedsheets and home decor-is among the more popular tags in department store Macy’s Inc. Earlier this year, Macy’s and rival retailer JC Penney fought in court to exclusively sell her products. At one point, she appeared to calm down and dismiss her outburst as a joke. “So is it time to put out the fires and admit I was just pissed off at the fact my precious ipad shattered and I wanted to make light of it??” she said. But Stewart’s tweets then appeared to draw the ire of Apple public relations unit. She tweeted later on Thursday: “i cannot believe that Apple Public Relations is mad at me for tweeting about my Ipad and how to get it fixed! steve jobs gave it to me!” “i wish i could explain everything here on twitter about the broken IPad, the stolen IPhone, the silly joke about repairs and my frustration!” She then vowed to deal with the issue silently, but her tweets already had gone viral and provoked responses across the Twitter-verse. A representative for Martha Stewart declined to comment, while an Apple spokeswoman did not return a call seeking comment. — Reuters

MOFFETT FIELD: NASA is preparing to launch a 3-D printer into space next year, a toaster-sized game changer that greatly reduces the need for astronauts to load up with every tool, spare part or supply they might ever need. The printers would serve as a flying factory of infinite designs, creating objects by extruding layer upon layer of plastic from long strands coiled around large spools. Doctors use them to make replacement joints and artists use them to build exquisite jewelry.

In NASA labs, engineers are 3-D printing small satellites that could shoot out of the Space Station and transmit data to earth, as well as replacement parts and rocket pieces that can survive extreme temperatures. “Any time we realize we can 3-D print something in space, it’s like Christmas,” said inventor Andrew Filo, who is consulting with NASA on the project. “You can get rid of concepts like rationing, scarce or irreplaceable.”

The spools of plastic could eventually replace racks of extra instruments and hardware, although the upcoming mission is just a demonstration printing job. “If you want to be adaptable, you have to be able to design and manufacture on the fly, and that’s where 3-D printing in space comes in,” said Dave Korsmeyer, director of engineering at NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, about 35 miles south of San Francisco.

For the first 3-D printer in space test slated for fall 2014, NASA had more than a dozen machines to choose from, ranging from $300 desktop models to $500,000 warehouse builders. All of them, however, were built for use on Earth, and space travel presented challenges, from the loads and vibrations of launch to the stresses of working in orbit, including microgravity, differing air pressures, limited power and variable temperatures. As a result, NASA hired Silicon Valley startup Made In Space to build something entirely new.

“Imagine an astronaut needing to make a life-or-death repair on the International Space Station,” said Aaron Kemmer, CEO of Made in Space. “Rather than hoping that the necessary parts and tools are on the station already, what if the parts could be 3-D printed when they needed them?” When staffing his start up in 2010, Kemmer and his partners warned engineers there would be ups and downs - nauseating ones. In more than a dozen flights in NASA’s “vomit comet” reduced-gravity aircraft, Made In Space scientists tested printer after printer.

Last week at their headquarters on NASA’s campus, Made In Space engineers in lab coats and hair nets tinkered with a sealed 3-D printer in a dust free cleanroom, preparing the models for further pre-launch tests. As proof of its utility, the team revisited the notorious 1970 moonbound Apollo 13 breakdown, when astronauts were forced to jerry-rig a lifesaving carbon dioxide filter holder with a plastic bag, a manual cover and duct tape. A 3-D printer could have solved the problem in minutes.

“Safety has been one of our biggest concerns,” said strategic officer Michael Chen.

Sparks, breakages and electric surges can have grave consequences in the space station. “But when we get it right, we believe these are the only way to manifest living in space,” he said.

Space-bound printers will also, eventually, need to capture gasses emitted from the extruded plastics, be able to print their own parts for selfrepairs and have some abilities to recycle printed products into new ones.

Scott Crump, who helped develop 3-D printing technology in 1988 by making a toy frog for his daughter with a glue gun in his kitchen, said he never conceived how pivotal it could be for space travel. But he said that until metal becomes commonly used in 3-D printers, the applications will be limited.

“The good news is that you don’t have to have this huge amount of inventory in space, but the bad news is now you need materials, in this case filament, and a lot of power,” he said.

NASA and other international space agencies are pressing forward with 3-D printing.

Mastering space manufacturing, along with finding and producing water and food on the moon or other planets, could lead to living on space. Last month, the space agency awarded Bothell, Wash.-based Tethers Unlimited $500,000 toward a project to use 3-D printing and robots to build massive antennas and solar power generators in space by 2020. It replaces the expensive and cumbersome process of building foldable parts on Earth and assembling them in orbit.

For Made In Space’s debut, when it’s shuttled up to the space station aboard a spaceflight cargo resupply mission, the initial prints will be tests - different small shapes to be studied for strength and accuracy. They’re also discussing with NASA about what the first real piece that they should print will be. Whatever it is, it will be a historic and symbolic item sure to end up in a

MOUNTAIN VIEW: Tools and parts made by a 3D printer are displayed at Made in Space n Mountain View, Calif. — AP museum someday. “It’s not something we’re discussing publicly right now,” said CEO Kemmer.

Then, Jason Dunn, the chief technology officer, beckoned, dropping his voice as he grinned.

“We’re going to build a Death Star,” he joked softly, referring to the giant space station in the “Star Wars” movies that could blow up planets.

“Then it’s all going to be over.” — AP

Sony’s PS4 tops Xbox One as gamers’ holiday choice SAN FRANCISCO: More US shoppers prefer Sony Corp’s upcoming PlayStation 4 than Microsoft Corp’s Xbox One, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, as the industry’s two leading videogame console makers prepare to do battle this holiday season. Asked about their interest in dedicated game devices, 26 percent of 1,297 people surveyed online last week say they are likely to purchase the new PlayStation 4 when available, versus 15 percent opting for the Xbox One. The rift widens among those below the age of 40. Of that group of 408 people, 41 percent picked Sony’s PS4 versus 27 percent for Microsoft’s Xbox One, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from Sept 23 to Sept 27. Though based on a limited sample, the results potentially point to a lopsided battle during the crucial holiday season, with Microsoft and Sony hoping to get their newest consoles into US households. Apart from games, they act as conduits for living-room entertainment, from TV shows to music.

Microsoft came under fire from gamers after initially saying it would set restrictions on used games, and require an Internet connection to play. After a flurry of complaints, the company reversed its policies in June. In contrast, Sony has consistently touted support for used games and offline gameplay at industry events. And the PS4 comes $100 cheaper.

Sony said at video game industry trade show in Germany that it had received more than 1 million pre-orders for its upcoming console, while Microsoft has revealed only that preorders for the Xbox One exceeded those of its predecessor, the 360, eight years ago. Microsoft “couldn’t make up their mind and Sony hadn’t wavered from the beginning,” said 26-year-old gamer Christopher Turner from Salem, Alabama, who intends to spend his cash on the PS4. “The PlayStation 4 is for both hardcore and casual gamers.”

But 56-year-old participant Jon Leigh, who plays six to 10 hours of video games a week and lives in Harlan, Kentucky, thinks the Microsoft controversy won’t sway Xbox fans. “People who use Microsoft products will continue to use them, he said. Leigh will go with the Xbox One because

of its upgraded “Kinect” motion sensor, and because he’s more familiar with the Xbox than the PlayStation.

The $399 PS4 and $499 Xbox One represent the first major upgrades of mainstream gaming hardware in years, setting game developers scrambling to put out new releases that take advantage of better graphics and faster processors. They are scheduled to hit store shelves from mid-November, about a year after Nintendo’s slow-selling Wii U. Of the 1,297 respondents, only 3 percent said they now played games on the Wii U, versus 20 percent on the Xbox 360, 20 percent on computers, and 18 percent on Sony’s PlayStation 3.

Reversing the tide More broadly, the shrinking videogames industry hopes the advent of the two new game consoles can breathe fresh life into a sector battered by the proliferation of free games on mobile devices and PCs, as well as on social networks like Facebook Inc’s. Indeed, 64 percent of total respondents said they would not buy any new game hardware at all this season, when posed with choices ranging from the Xbox and PS4 to Nintendo’s 2DS and Valve’s Steam Box. The Reuters/Ipsos poll underscored strong interest in Activision Blizzard Inc’s “Call of Duty: Ghosts,” slated for November, which will try and take on Take-Two Interactive Software’s mega-hit, “Grand Theft Auto V.” GTA V, the latest in the critically acclaimed series that helped ignite a nationwide debate about violence in the media, became the fastest game to hit the $1 billion sales-mark, just three days after sales began on Sept 17.

About a quarter of 715 participants who owned gaming devices said they were likely to buy GTA V, while 22 percent said they would pick up a copy of “Ghosts,” the latest from Activision’s money-spinning Call of Duty franchise. Analysts say GTA V, which won rave reviews, benefited from pent-up demand as the first major game from the franchise in five years. In contrast, Activision spits out a new Call of Duty game annually. Last year’s “Call Of Duty: Black Ops II” raked in $500 million on its first day. —Reuters

TOKYO: Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of Japan’s SoftBank Corp, introduces SoftBank Mobile’s new products during a press briefing yesterday. SoftBank Mobile introduced its new products including smartphones corresponding to the “Hybrid 4G LTE” for the upcoming 2013-14 winter spring selling season. — AFP

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

Drug ‘Molly’ is taking a party toll in the United States

Psychiatric drug use in preschoolers stabilizing NEW YORK: By the end of the last decade, psychiatric medications were being used less often in very young children, a new study suggests. Researchers found the percentage of children prescribed antipsychotics, stimulants and antidepressants at doctors’ visits spiked in the mid-2000s but leveled off again between 2006 and 2009.

“I’m very excited that the use of these drugs in this age group seems to be stabilizing,” Dr Tanya Froehlich, the study’s senior author from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio, told Reuters Health.”It’s good to get a gauge on what we’re doing with psychotropic medications in this age group, because we really don’t know what these medications do to the developing brain,” she said.

Previous studies have tried to estimate the use of psychiatric, or psychotropic, drugs among preschoolers, Froehlich and her colleagues write in Pediatrics. But those studies tended to focus on one class of medication or only a segment of the population. For the new study, the researchers pulled national data from 1994 to 2009 on about 43,500 doctors’ visits for kids aged two to five. During that time, the proportion of psychotropic drug prescriptions varied between one prescription for every 217 doctors’ visits in 1998 and one for every 54 visits in 2004.

Overall, the researchers found about 1.0 percent of preschoolers left doctors’ visits with a psychotropic prescription between 1994 and 1997. That rate fell to about 0.8 percent between 1998 and 2001. It then jumped to a high of about 1.5 percent between 2002 and 2005 and then returned to 1.0 percent between 2006 and 2009.

The decrease and stabilization in the most

recent years occurred even though more children were being diagnosed with behavioral disorders throughout the study period.

Although the study can’t explain why the rate of prescriptions dropped in 2006 to 2009, the researchers suggest it may be due to an increased awareness of possible side effects from these types of medications.

For example, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a strong warning in 2004 about a link between antidepressant use among children and suicide risk. A number of conditions, including diabetes and obesity, have also been linked to the use of antipsychotics among children. “I think this is an area that has gotten a fair amount of public attention and it could be this is parents and physicians stepping back from a willingness to prescribe these medications,” Dr Mark Olfson, who was not involved with the study but has researched medication use among children, said.

“Mostly they’re being prescribed to bring various kinds of disruptive behavior in preschoolers under control. I hope (these findings suggest) parents are searching for other means to address this behavior,” Olfson, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, told Reuters Health.

“The thing pediatricians should be asking themselves is, ‘Are we really following the guidelines in treating these children?’ which is trying behavioral therapy and then going to the medications,” Froehlich said. “What really is important is that a thorough assessment be conducted before any decision is made about prescribing medications,” Olfson added. — Reuters

Roche immunotherapy drug may be ‘game changer’ in lung cancer AMSTERDAM: An experimental Roche drug that seems to work particularly well against lung cancer in smokers may be a “game changer” for these normally difficult-to-treat patients, researchers said on Sunday.

Presenting detailed data from an early-stage trial of the drug, called MPDL3280A, in patients with a form of the disease called non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), investigators said what they had found was “great news for lung cancer patients”. Of 53 patients with NSCLC tumours treated with the drug, 23 percent saw their tumours shrink, according to results presented at the European Cancer Congress (ECC) in Amsterdam.

But the most encouraging numbers were among smokers, where the response rate was 26 percent compared with 10 percent of patients who had never smoked, said Professor JeanCharles Soria of France’s Institut Gustave Roussy, who led the study.

Lung cancer, which is usually caused by

smoking, is extremely difficult to treat successfully and once it has started to spread to other parts of the body, it is incurable.

Roche’s MPDL3280A is an engineered antibody that targets a protein called PD-L1 - a defence mechanism that tumours use to trick the immune system’s T-cells into being inactive. By blocking PD-L1, the drug allows the Tcells to wake up and recognize the cancer, and then grow and multiply to attack it more efficiently.

Rival drugmakers including Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb are developing immunotherapy drugs in a similar class of drugs known as PD-1 inhibitors, also designed to mobilize the body’s own immune system to fight cancer.

Soria’s team suspected that because lung tumours in smokers have a higher rate of genetic mutations than tumours of lung cancer patients who have never smoked, their immune systems may be more likely to respond vigorously when PD-L1 is blocked.—Reuters

Scientists urge Europe to shift focus to bowel cancer screening AMSTERDAM: European governments should divert funds to routine bowel cancer tests from less effective breast and prostate screening programs, scientists said on Saturday, presenting what they called “irrefutable” evidence that bowel screening saves lives. Many governments devote significant funds to breast cancer screening, but studies in recent years have found that routine breast mammograms can also lead to so-called “over-diagnosis” when tests pick up tumors that would not have caused a problem.

And a new study presented at the European Cancer Conference (ECC) in Amsterdam at the weekend showed men experience more harm than good from routine prostate cancer screening tests. In bowel cancer screening, however, the risk of over-diagnosis is very low, while gains in terms of reducing deaths are large - making routine testing cost-effective, Philippe Autier, a professor at France’s International Prevention Research Institute (IPPR), told the conference.

“There is now an irrefutable case for devoting some of the resources from breast and prostate cancer screening to the early detection of colorectal (bowel) cancer,” he said. A large European study published last year found that breast screening programs overdiagnose about four cases for every 1,000 women aged between 50 and 69 who are screened.

The IPPR’s research director Mathieu Boniol, who studied the impact of prostate screening, said his results showed routine use of prostatespecific antigen (PSA) tests creates more harm in terms of incontinence, impotence and other side-effects from prostate cancer treatments than benefit in terms of detecting life-threat-

ening cancers.

“PSA testing should be reduced and more attention should be given to the harmful effects of screening,” he told delegates.

Meanwhile, results of a study conducted by Autier using data from 11 European countries between 1989 and 2010 showed that the greater the proportions of men and women routinely screened for bowel cancer, the greater the reductions in death rates.

Colorectal cancer kills more than 600,000 people a year worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. In Europe some 400,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year. In Austria, for example, where 61 percent of those studied reported having had colorectal screening tests, deaths from this form of cancer dropped by 39 percent for men and 47 percent for women over the decade.

Meanwhile in Greece, where only 8 percent of males had had bowel cancer screening, death rates rose by 30 percent for men. In the light of the results, Cornelis van de Velde, an oncologist at Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands and president of the European Cancer Organisation, said it was “very disappointing” there are such wide differences in European governments’ approaches to colorectal screening. “People over 50 should be informed of the availability of the test, and pressure should be put on national health services to put more effort into organizing screening programs,” he told the conference.

Screening for early signs of bowel cancer involves either a fecal occult blood test, which checks a sample of feces for hidden blood, or endoscopy, where a tiny camera is introduced into the large bowel to look for the polyps that can be a precursor of cancer.—Reuters

NEW YORK: Artist and therapy student Anna and her friends marked a birthday in New York recently with a familiar ritual: They pumped up the electronic music, danced, and celebrated with a special guest called Molly. “It was a group of about 12 people at someone’s house and we were all just celebrating,” Anna recalled.

“Somebody had it and, and you know, it was a pretty electronic music kind of crowd.”

Molly, an illegal stimulant frequently sold in pill form, has become prominent in the electronic music scene over the past decade, said Anna, 26, who did not want to give her full name because she is in school and “counseling people to be healthy.”

Molly is the street name for a drug that is pushed as the pure powder form of a banned substance known as MDMA, the main chemical in ecstasy. In the last five years, Molly has made its way into popular culture, helped by references to it made by entertainers such as Madonna, Miley Cyrus and Kanye West.

The drug’s dangers became more clear after a rash of overdoses and four deaths this summer, including two at a huge annual electronic music festival in New York City. The parties of the late 1980s and early ‘90s saw the heyday of ecstasy, but its popularity began to wane a decade ago after a number of deaths and hospitalizations.

That’s when Molly made her way onto the scene. Over the last few years, drugs sold under that name have “flooded” the market, said Rusty Payne, a spokesman with the Drug Enforcement Administration. In some states, there has been a 100-fold increase - the combined number of arrests, seizures, emergency room mentions and overdoses - between 2009 and 2012, according to DEA figures.

The drug is accessible and marketed to recreational drug users who believe it to be less dangerous than its predecessor, which was often cut with other substances, from Ritalin to LSD. Like ecstasy, Molly is said to give a lengthy, euphoric high with slight hallucinogenic properties.

In reality, however, the promised pure MDMA experience “doesn’t exist,” said Payne.

‘Something completely different’ Most of the Molly is one of several synthetic designer drugs that have been flooding the US and European marketplace from chemical labs primarily based in China, Payne said. “A lot of people are missing the boat here,” he said. Molly could be anything ... 80 to 90 percent of the time we are given a chemical or substance believed to be Molly, we’re finding most of the time it is something completely different.”

Four recent deaths attributed to Molly have thrust the club drug into the national spotlight. On August 31, a 23-year-old Syracuse University graduate and a 20year-old University of New Hampshire student died after taking what they believed to be Molly during an electronic music concert in New York City. The deaths, and several other reported overdoses, prompted the Electric Zoo festival to cancel the final day of the concert.

A University of Virginia student died at a rave in Washington, DC, the same weekend, after taking what her friends said was Molly. Days earlier in Boston, a 19-year-old woman died in a club and three concertgoers overdosed at the waterfront, police said.

In Atlanta, this weekend’s TomorrowWorld music festival organizers warned on its website of zero-tolerance for MDMA use, but noted: “If you or someone around you has taken something that you are concerned about or need help, it is important that you tell our staff. We are here to help and never judge.” The number of visits to US emergency rooms involving MDMA has jumped 123 percent since 2004, according to data compiled by the Drug Abuse Warning Network. In 2011, the most recent year on record, there were 22,498 such visits.

In the New York concert deaths, the medical examiner found lethal mixtures of MDMA and methylone, a synthetic stimulant, the DEA said. “It’s exactly the same phenomenon that occurred with ecstasy a decade ago,” said Dr. Charles Grob, a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine and an expert on MDMA. “Ecstasy had terrible reliability and it’s the same with Molly. Though it’s being marketed as pure MDMA, it’s a hoax.”

Overdose symptoms can include rapid heart beat, overheating, excessive sweating, shivering and involuntary twitching.

Grob said references in pop culture can fan misconceptions.

Miley Cyrus admitted in July that a lyric in her new dance anthem “We Can’t Stop” was a reference to Molly. Last year at a Miami concert, Madonna, the mother of a teenager, asked: “How many people in this crowd have seen Molly?” She later said she was referring to a friend. The illusion that MDMA is somehow less harmful has been branded with Molly, according to Anna.

“I have definitely heard that people think that it’s pure. I have some friends that are like ‘I only want to do Molly. I won’t do other stuff ’ because it’s marketed as something that’s somehow better,” said Anna. “But actually no one knows what’s in it. All of it is a gamble.” — Reuters

India seeks to regulate its booming ‘rent-a-womb’ industry INDIA: Dressed in a green surgical gown and cap, British restaurateur Rekha Patel cradled her newborn daughter at the Akanksha clinic in northwestern India as her husband Daniel smiled warmly, peering in through a glass door. “I can’t believe we have our own child at last,” said Patel, 42, gazing in wonderment at five-day-old Gabrielle.

“We are really grateful to our surrogate mother who managed to get pregnant and kept our little daughter healthy. She gave nine months of her life to give us a child.” It is the perfect promotion for India’s booming surrogacy industry that sees thousands of infertile couples, many from overseas, hiring the wombs of local women to carry their embryos through to birth.

But a debate over whether the unregulated industry exploits poor women prompted authorities to draft a law that could make it tougher for foreigners seeking babies made in India. “There is a need to regulate the sector,” said Dr Sudhir Ajja of Surrogacy India, a Mumbai-based fertility bank that has produced 295 surrogate babies - 90 percent for overseas clients and 40 percent for same-sex couples - since it opened in 2007.

“But if the new law tightens rules as suggested by the ministr y of home affairs, which disallows surrogacy for same-sex couples and single parents, then it will clearly impact the industry and put off clients coming from overseas.”

Birth of a market India opened up to commercial surrogacy in 2002. It is among just a handful of countries - including Georgia, Russia, Thailand and Ukraine - and a few US states where women can be paid to carry another’s genetic child through a process of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer. The low-cost technology, skilled doctors, scant bureaucracy and a plentiful supply of surrogates have made India a preferred destination for fertility tourism, attracting nationals from Britain, the United States, Australia and Japan, to name a few.

There are no official figures on how large the fertility industry is in India. A UN -backed study in July 2012 estimated the surrogacy business at more than $400 million a year, with over 3,000 fertility clinics across India.

The Akanksha clinic in Anand is the bestknown at home and abroad, giving the small town in Gujarat state the reputation as India’s “surrogacy capital”.

“The surrogates in Anand have become empowered through giving this beautiful gift to others,” says Akanksha’s owner, IVF specialist Nayana Patel, who shot to fame in 2004 after she helped a patient have a baby by using the woman’s mother - the child’s grandmother - as a surrogate.

“With the money, they are able to buy a house, educate their children and even start a small business. These are things they could only dream of before. It’s a win-win situation.” Patel, who appeared on U.S. celebrity Oprah Winfrey’s talk show in 2007, has produced more than 500 surrogate babies two-thirds of them for foreigners and people

of Indian origin living in over 30 countries.

Charging couples like Rekha and Daniel an average of $25,000 to $30,000, a fraction of the cost in the United States, Patel pays her surrogates around 400,000 rupees ($6,500). For 33-year-old Naina Patel, who gave birth to Gabrielle, the compensation outweighs the downside. The wife of an auto-rickshaw driver with three daughters of her own, she had to live in a hostel for nine months with 60 other surrogates so the clinic could monitor her health.

Like most surrogates, she kept her pregnancy a secret due to the social stigma in India’s conservative society. “I was happy to do it but it was not really out of choice because we needed the money,” she said in a hospital bed as she recovered from the Caesarean operation for Gabrielle’s birth.

‘Baby factories’ India’s surrogacy industry is vilified by women’s rights groups who say fertility clinics are nothing more than “baby factories” for the rich. In the absence of regulation, they say many poor and uneducated women are lured by agents, hired by clinics, into signing contracts they do not fully understand. In May last year, surrogate mother Premila Vaghela, 30, died days after delivering a child for an American couple at a clinic in Gujarat. It was recorded as an “accidental death” by police.

A recent government-funded study of 100 surrogate mothers in Delhi and Mumbai found there was “no fixed rule” related to compensation and no insurance for postdelivery healthcare. It cited cases where surrogates were implanted with embryos multiple times to raise the chances of success. “In most of these cases, the surrogate mothers are being exploited,” said Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research that conducted the study.

Moves to introduce a law - the Assisted Reproductive Technologies Bill (ART ) - to protect surrogates, the children and the commissioning parents is long overdue, Kumari said.

Revised visa requirements introduced in July have already resulted in foreign samesex couples and individuals being prohibited from surrogacy in India. The ART bill, expected to come before parliament next year, will tighten things further. Under the current draft, all fertility clinics must be registered and monitored by a regulator y authority. Surrogates must be between 21 and 35 years old, they will be provided with insurance and notarized contracts must be signed between the women and the commissioning parents. “Legislation should be there so that this wonderful procedure can be supervised and it is being done by the right people for the right people,” said Akanksha’s Patel.

“But more bureaucracy will make it difficult for everyone. It will not only mean less commissioning parents from overseas but it will also impact surrogates, who will lose out on the only chance they have to change their lives for the better.” — Reuters

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

Man gets kidney in rare Ohio direct organ donation COLUMBUS: Anthony Jackson was an old soul, some would tell you. He was 22 and single but craved family - a wife and children. At parties even as a boy, he could be found with the older set, soaking up their stories. He’d worked in restaurants since he was 16. Jackson made weekly dinner dates with his mom and impromptu visits to his grandmother. He was easy to like, the kind of friend and co-worker you knew would listen and care.

Jackson and Ryan Robinson weren’t close.

With eight years between them, they’d had different interests as kids. But their mothers - Nina Miller and Tikara Robinson - have a friendship that spans more than three decades. When Jackson, an Ohio State University student, was hospitalized in June with complications related to Type 1 diabetes and the situation was looking bleak, Tikara Robinson’s heart was breaking right along with Miller’s.

When doctors told Miller that Jackson was dead, the grieving mother’s thoughts turned to Ryan Robinson. He’d been ill since contracting meningitis as a teen and had been surviving only with the help of dialysis for several years.

Miller knew that Jackson wanted to be an organ donor, and she asked whether one of his kidneys could help the 30-year-old man she’d known since his birth.

Tikara Robinson, who just recently had cradled her friend as she was overcome by grief, couldn’t believe they were even having the conversation. She scarcely can now. “She’s a strong woman. That’s all I can say.” Every so often, not even once a year in Ohio, the family of someone who has died knows of someone in need, and

that someone turns out to be a good match. In the transplant world, it’s called directed donation.

This is what happened for Ryan Robinson.

Miller “was losing her son, and she gave my son a kidney. I couldn’t believe she was able to think of all that. I’m still in awe,” Tikara Robinson said.

After transplant surgeon Dr Amer Rajab completed Ryan’s surgery, he went to talk to Tikara Robinson.

“She said, ‘There’s a story behind the donation,’” Rajab said. “It blew my mind. She was happy for her son, but she was sad for her friend.”

Three months after the transplant, Ryan

Robinson has energy he’d forgotten existed.

When he talks about Jackson, he is tentative and reverent. “I’m really happy and blessed, but we lost somebody at the same time,” Robinson said.

“He was probably the most genuine person I’ve ever met in my life. He was a really special human being.”

When Jackson found out as a youth that he had diabetes, he quickly learned to care for himself and was diligent about it. He became involved in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and raised more than $120,000 for the organization. “He taught so many people how to live and have positivity in their life,”

OHIO: In this Sept 6, 2013 photo, Nina Jackson, left, mother of Anthony Jackson, and friend, Tikara Robinson, who is the mother of kidney recipient Ryan Robinson, pose for a portrait wearing custom shirts commemorating Anthony Jackson in Columbus.

Robinson said. Dorrie Dils, Lifeline of Ohio’s chief clinical executive, said her organization fields four or five requests for directed donation each year. Some come from those who’ve been praying for a would-be recipient at church or have seen someone’s story on social media. Most of the time, it doesn’t work out, either because the donor and recipient aren’t a match (this becomes more complicated with hearts and lungs) or because the ill person isn’t on the waiting list.

When it does work, it can seem as if stars have aligned, as if something divine has occurred. Morgan Mersy, a 31-year-old Worthington woman, knows that feeling. At her wedding last year, she carried a locket containing a photo of Jordan Ayers. When Ayers was dying in northeastern Ohio after a car crash in 2001, a family member was praying for him at a church in Pomeroy, Mersy’s hometown. In that same church, parishioners prayed for Mersy, whose liver was failing because of a genetic disorder. After the service, Mersy’s family friend spoke with Ayers’ family member, and they wondered whether he could help her.

When Mersy heard about the possibility, “It was surreal. I didn’t believe that it was going to happen,” she said. It did. On her wedding day, she gave her bouquet, along with Jordan’s picture, to his mother, who has become a friend. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here,” she said last week. For Miller, knowing that Jackson has helped others is a comfort. Her son and only child, the young man she misses every minute, found a way to be good to others even in death. — AP

OHIO: In this Sept 5, 2013 photo, Ryan Robinson poses for a portrait in Columbus.— AP photos

W H AT ’ S O N

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

X-cite by Alghanim Electronics launches FIFA 14 at Safat Alghanim

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

W

hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Greetings

A

nother year has passed.

May all your wishes and dreams come true. Have a happy birthday, Wenz Hugnaan!

Announcements ICS hosts ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ ndian Cultural Society is going to host “Jab Tak Hai Jaan” with King of Comedy Raju Srivastav and leading playback singer Javed Ali on Friday, October 4 at 7 pm at AIS Auditorium Maidan Hawally near police station Kuwait.

I

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 97225615.

A

X

-cite by Alghanim Electronics has been at the forefront of offering the latest games and the most exciting products into the local market.

Now, X-cite has made gamers’ dreams come true with the launch of the latest and much-awaited FIFA 14. The launch event took place at Safat Alghanim in Al Rai on September 26 - 27, 2013 from 5:30 to 11 PM and included a FIFA 13 tournament where gamers competed against each other for the mega prizes. The three talented winners included the second runner up, Khaled AlAwadhi, who took home a cash prize worth KD 250, the first runner up, Ziad Saeed, who won the KD 500 cash

prize and the first place winner, Mishal Al-Failakawi, who won the grand cash prize of KD 1,000.

Apart from the excitement that buzzed around the tournament, the event’s attendees were also thrilled about Norway’s best freestyle footballer, Tobias, who entertained the crowd during the two-day event. With a successful seven-year track record of the smoothest freestyling moves, Tobias has previously won second place in the first freestyling world tour competition this year and also achieved third place as the best freestyle footballer in the world. In addition to Tobias’ entrancing performance, the event also included various entertain-

ing and musical activities that offered the audience instant prizes and giveaways. The highlight of the evening was the exclusive launch of the new FIFA 14, the ultimate rewarding experience for loyal gaming fans.

X-cite would like to extend its appreciation and gratitude towards every individual who worked and helped towards FIFA 14’s successful launch event. Staying true to its tradition that is always brimming with excitement, X-cite promises its customers of even more fun-filled events in the future.

ASSE-Kuwait Chapter commemorates World Ozone Day

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.

F

Indian Embassy sets up helpline he Indian Embassy in Kuwait has set up helpline in order to assist Indian expatriates in registering any complaint regarding the government’s ongoing campaign to stamp out illegal residents from the country. The embassy said in press release yesterday that it amended its previous statement and stated if there is any complaint, the same could be conveyed at the following (as amended): Operations Department, Ministry of Interior, Kuwait.

Fax: 22435580, Tel: 24768146/25200334. It said the embassy has been in regular contact with local authorities regarding the ongoing checking of expatriates. The embassy has also conveyed to them the concerns, fears and apprehensions of the community in this regard. The authorities in Kuwait have conveyed that strict instructions have been issued to ensure that there is no harassment or improper treatment of expatriates by those undertaking checking.

“The embassy would like to request Indian expatriates to ensure that they abide by all local laws, rules and regulations regarding residency, traffic and other matters,” the release read. It would be prudent to always carry the Civil ID and other relevant documents such as driving license, etc. In case an Indian expatriate encounters any improper treatment during checking, it may be conveyed immediately with full details and contact particulars to the embassy at the following phone number 67623639. These contact details are exclusively for the above-mentioned purpose only.

T

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

A

merican Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), Kuwait Chapter as a part of continuous efforts in its professional journey, commemorated World Ozone day on September 22, 2013 at Hotel Manshar Rotana, Fahaheel. CH Rama Krushna Chary, Secretary of ASSE Kuwait chapter, in his opening remarks briefed on the importance of the day. Ahmad Alattar, President, ASSE Kuwait chapter addressed the gathering.

Tarun Kumar Mathur, Head, Environment & Health Committee gave an introductory presentation on “Ozone Day & its significance” and ASSE Kuwait Chapters environment awareness activities in Kuwait.

CH Rama Krushna Chary introduced the program sponsor IMCO’s delegate Ahmad Nihad, Project Manager, who gave a presentation on best practices of IMCO. Later Chary introduced the key note speaker Yaquob Almatouq, Head of Refrigeration Team, Ministry of Social Affair & Labor and Member of Kuwait Ozone Committee, KEPA. He is a mechanical engineer in the Department of Tenders and Projects, Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor in Kuwait. He received his bachelor degree in mechanical engineering from the Arabic Academic for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Egypt. His career in the HVACR field started in 1992. His involvement with UNEP started in 2003 as refrigeration expert in Kuwait National Ozone Unit and as a member of Kuwait

National Ozone Committee. Eng. Al-Matouq participated, as refrigeration consultant, in several UNIDO and UNEP projects in West Asia. He contributed and

lectured in many training courses, workshops, seminars, and conferences related to Montreal Protocol and Vienna Convention. He is also a frequent lecturer in HVACR related training courses.

During the key note presentation, Yaquob Almatouq delivered the presentation on “Refrigerants: Challenges and Prospects in High-Ambient Temperature Countries” CH Rama Krushna Chary, Briefed about the awareness quiz program organized in line with the ozone day 2013. Tarun Kumar Mathur announced the winners and distributed gifts to the winners. Chary made announcement of upcoming training. The technical session was very much interactive and it was followed

by Question & Answer session. As a token of appreciation, ASSE Executive Committee members handed over mementos to Yaquob Almatouq & the event sponsored company IMCO. Sunil Sadanand, Head, Publication Committee of ASSE Kuwait Chapter explained about the social network website pages developed for ASSE Kuwait Chapter like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Youtube and Flickr etc and requested all the members to post best practices of HSE for the benefit of all the users. The Technical meet was concluded with vote of thanks by Dan Mangalam, Treasurer, ASSE Kuwait chapter.

More than 60 ASSE Kuwait Chapter members participated from various sectors (Government Sectors, Oil & Gas Companies, Contractors and, HSE Consultancies). The meet concluded with the dinner.

TKMCEAA gears for Onam celebration

‘V

aravelpu-2013’ conducted by Thanngal Kunju Musaliar College of Engineering Alumni Association, Kuwait Chapter proclaimed that all the preparatory activities for their program have been completed. The program will be conducted on Friday, October 4, 2013 at Carmal School, Khaitan. Inauguration of the program will start at 14:30 hours. Eminent guests from the Indian Community will be Inaugurating the event.

Shubashis Goldar (Deputy Chief of Mission - Indian

Embassy Kuwait), Chitra Iyer (celebrity fame from Kerala film industry) and POJ Lebba (Former TKMCE Principal) and. The program will be attended by the family members of Kuwait Engineers Forum which has a strength of more than 1,000 members.

Besides being a classical display of talents, the program will display the rich culture and heritage of the beautiful Kerala, also known as God’s Own Country. Among many cultural and social activities, Athapookalam (Floral Rangoli)

Competition, Folk Song Competition, Payasam Competition and homecoming of King Mahabali to see his subjects will be the highlight of the Day. The program convened by Nizam Sirajudeen and Amith Krishnan expressed their gratitude to the Engineering Fraternity of Kuwait Engineers Forum and the TKMCEAA for their continued support. The conveners also thanked their sponsors for their patronage and for showing a spirit of social responsibility to make the events a grand success.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 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

McDonald’s Kuwait celebrates second ‘A Day Offline’

F

or the second year in a row, McDonald’s Kuwait is reaffirming its commitment to promoting the importance of family time. After its success last year, McDonald’s brought back the much buzzed about ‘A Day Offline’. However, more than just raising awareness, this time McDonald’s was looking to create a real celebration, with a large family carnival being held this past Friday in Salwa Park.

The carnival was a day of fun and games for families, with a wide variety of activities and competitions taking place. From 4 pm to 9 pm, families were able to take part in the activities for chances to win major prizes such as free weekend getaways, in addition to plenty of instant gifts given out during the day. The wide range of activities at the carnival was meant to

have something for every member of the family, ensuring every single person was able to take an active part in the fun.

“Coming off of last year’s ‘A Day Offline’ campaign and its resounding success, we knew we had to be bigger and bolder this year,” said Adel Fahmy, Marketing Manager at McDonald’s Kuwait.

Fahmy further stated, “We wanted to hold an event that would showcase not just the importance of family time, but also show the immense joy it can generate by providing a venue for pure, uninterrupted family fun.” On Friday, all McDonald’s Kuwait branches also took part in the festivities, offering their visitors the chance to partake in the many activities and games available at the stores, with numerous prizes awarded

to winners. “We were aiming to make ‘A Day Offline’ a nation-wide celebration at McDonald’s. We not only asked people to switch off their devices, but also gave them the opportunity to spend the day with their families in a joyful atmosphere taking part in stimulating and exciting activities,” said Fahmy. Throughout the country, families were encouraged to go offline this Friday, turning off all forms of telecommunications mobile, computers, internet - and dedicating the day to their loved ones. This is the second time around for this initiative, and McDonald’s Kuwait has declared its intention to make it an annual one.

—Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

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 BHUTAN The Royal Bhutanese Embassy in the State of Kuwait would like to inform all concerned that its chancery has shifted to its new premises in South Surra, Al-Salaam, Block 3, Street 308, House 3. Telephone:2521360125213602,Fax: 25213603 and Email: bhutankuwait@gmail.com.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

03:15 04:05 04:55 05:20 05:45 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:25 08:15 09:10 09:35 10:05 11:00 11:55 12:20 12:50 13:45 Baker 14:40 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:25 18:20 19:15 19:40 20:10 20:35 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:25 23:50 00:45 01:35 02:25

America’s Cutest Pets Bad Dog Animal Battlegrounds Cheetah Kingdom ER Vets ER Vets Call Of The Wildman Monkey Life Great Ocean Adventures The Most Extreme Breed All About It Breed All About It Into The Dragon’s Lair Animal Cops Houston Animal Battlegrounds Call Of The Wildman Roaring With Pride Weird Creatures With Nick

03:10 03:40 04:15 05:00 05:20 05:35 05:45 06:00 06:15 06:35 06:50 07:00 07:15 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:15 09:45 10:15 11:05 11:55 12:25 13:10 13:40 14:10 14:40 15:30 16:25 17:10 17:40 18:10 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:45 21:15 21:45 23:05 23:35 00:25 01:15 01:45 02:15 02:45

My Family Blackadder II The Weakest Link Tweenies Boogie Beebies The Large Family Nina And The Neurons Jackanory Junior Tweenies Boogie Beebies The Large Family Nina And The Neurons Jackanory Junior My Family Blackadder II The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Outcasts New Tricks My Family The Weakest Link Blackadder II Eastenders Doctors New Tricks Outcasts The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors New Tricks Last Of The Summer Wine Roger & Val Have Just Got In 32 Brinkburn Street Rev. The Old Guys Gracie!

Bleak Old Shop Of Stuff New Tricks Outcasts Eastenders Doctors Roger & Val Have Just Got In Bleak Old Shop Of Stuff

Into The Dragon’s Lair Cheetah Kingdom Monkey Life The Most Extreme Your Pet Wants This America’s Cutest Pets Monkey Life Call Of The Wildman Animal Battlegrounds Baboons With Bill Bailey Big Five Challenge Bondi Vet ER Vets ER Vets Animal Cops Houston Bite Of The Living Dead Untamed & Uncut Big Five Challenge

03:40 Great British Menu 04:05 Cash In The Attic 05:00 Bargain Hunt 05:45 Dealers: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 06:30 Great British Menu 07:00 Bargain Hunt 07:45 Homes Under The Hammer

08:40 Bill’s Kitchen: Notting Hill 09:05 Come Dine With Me: South Africa 10:00 Come Dine With Me 10:50 Celebrity MasterChef 11:20 Celebrity MasterChef 12:15 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 13:00 Antiques Roadshow 13:55 Homes Under The Hammer 14:50 Homes Under The Hammer 15:45 Bargain Hunt 16:30 Cash In The Attic 17:20 Antiques Roadshow 18:15 Homes Under The Hammer 19:10 Bill’s Kitchen: Notting Hill 19:40 The Hairy Bikers USA 20:05 The Hairy Bikers USA 20:30 Come Dine With Me 21:20 Antiques Roadshow 22:15 Bargain Hunt 23:00 Cash In The Attic 23:45 Homes Under The Hammer 00:40 Come Dine With Me 01:30 Celebrity MasterChef 02:20 Celebrity MasterChef 02:45 Design Rules

03:00 Mythbusters 03:50 Border Security - Series 6 Specials 04:15 Auction Hunters 04:40 Auction Kings 05:05 How Do They Do It? 05:30 How It’s Made 06:00 Sons Of Guns 07:00 Mythbusters 07:50 Ice Cold Gold 08:40 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 09:30 Border Security - Series 6 Specials 09:55 Auction Hunters 10:20 Auction Kings 10:45 How Do They Do It? 11:10 How It’s Made 11:35 River Monsters 12:25 Deadliest Catch 13:15 Deadliest Catch 14:05 Border Security - Series 6 Specials 14:30 Auction Hunters 14:55 Auction Kings 15:20 Yukon Men 16:10 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 17:00 Ultimate Survival 17:50 Dirty Jobs 18:40 Mythbusters 19:30 Sons Of Guns 20:20 Auction Hunters 20:45 Baggage Battles 21:10 How Do They Do It? 21:35 How It’s Made 22:00 Bear Grylls: Escape From Hell 22:50 Ed Stafford: Naked And Marooned 23:40 Car vs Wild 00:30 Bear Grylls: Escape From Hell 01:20 Ed Stafford: Naked And Marooned 02:10 Car vs Wild

03:00 03:45 04:30 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:15 08:40 09:05 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:30 15:20 15:45 16:10 17:00 17:50

Deadly Sins I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab 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

18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:40 00:30 01:20 02:10 02:35

On The Case With Paula Zahn Dr G: Medical Examiner Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill Dates From Hell Dates From Hell Deadly Women I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab Dates From Hell Dates From Hell

03:35 Under New York 04:25 Superships 05:15 The Gadget Show 05:40 Tech Toys 360 06:05 Superships 07:00 Scrapheap Challenge 07:50 Unchained Reaction 09:30 Finding Bigfoot 10:25 Engineered 11:20 Scrapheap Challenge 12:10 NASA’s Greatest Missions 13:00 Unchained Reaction 13:50 Sci-Fi Science 14:20 The Gadget Show 14:45 Tech Toys 360 15:10 Scrapheap Challenge 16:00 Sport Science 16:55 Superships 17:45 Thunder Races 18:35 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 19:30 Scrapheap Challenge 20:20 Unchained Reaction 21:10 The Gadget Show 21:35 Tech Toys 360 22:00 Scrapheap Challenge 22:50 Unchained Reaction 23:40 The Gadget Show 00:05 Tech Toys 360 00:30 Sci-Fi Science 01:00 The Gadget Show 01:25 Tech Toys 360 01:50 Thunder Races 02:45 Scrapheap Challenge

03:25 I Shouldn’t Be Alive 04:20 Living With The Kombai Tribe 05:10 Biblical Mysteries Explained 06:05 Three Men Go To Venice 07:00 When Disaster Strikes 07:50 Victory By Design 08:45 Three Men Go To Venice 09:35 Rugby: The Lifeblood Of New Zealand 10:30 Showdown: Air Combat 11:20 I Shouldn’t Be Alive 12:10 Living With The Kombai Tribe 13:05 Biblical Mysteries Explained 13:55 Mummy Autopsy 14:50 Commander In Chief 15:45 When Disaster Strikes 16:40 Showdown: Air Combat 17:35 Venom Hunter 18:25 I Shouldn’t Be Alive 19:20 World’s Busiest 20:10 Victory By Design 21:05 Biblical Mysteries Explained 22:00 World’s Busiest 22:55 Aircrash Confidential 23:50 Secret Service Secrets 00:45 Victory By Design 01:35 World’s Busiest 02:30 Aircrash Confidential

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

The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody Sonny With A Chance Sonny With A Chance Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Austin And Ally Austin And Ally A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm Jessie

SUPER 8 ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

07:55 08:20 08:45 09:05 09:30 09:55 10:15 10:40 11:05 11:25 11:50 12:15 12:35 13:00 13:25 13:45 14:10 14:35 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 00:00 00:20 00:45 01:05 01:30 01:50 02:15 02:35

Good Luck Charlie Sofia The First Doc McStuffins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm Jessie Jessie Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Gravity Falls Shake It Up Shake It Up Austin And Ally Austin And Ally A.N.T. Farm 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 Shake It Up That’s So Raven Jessie A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody Sonny With A Chance Sonny With A Chance Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place

03:20 Handy Manny 03:40 Special Agent Oso 03:50 Special Agent Oso 04:10 Imagination Movers 04:35 Little Einsteins 05:00 Jungle Junction 05:15 Jungle Junction 05:30 Little Einsteins 05:50 Special Agent Oso 06:00 Special Agent Oso 06:15 Jungle Junction 06:30 Jungle Junction 06:45 Handy Manny 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:15 Jungle Junction 07:30 Higglytown Heroes 07:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 08:10 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 08:35 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 08:50 Doc McStuffins 09:05 Doc McStuffins 09:20 Zou 09:35 Henry Hugglemonster 09:50 Henry Hugglemonster 10:00 Sofia The First 10:25 Higglytown Heroes 10:40 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 10:55 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 11:20 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 11:45 Mouk 12:00 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 12:05 Art Attack 12:30 Doc McStuffins 12:45 Doc McStuffins 13:00 Zou 13:15 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 13:30 Henry Hugglemonster 13:45 Henry Hugglemonster 13:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 14:20 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 14:45 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 15:00 Lilo And Stitch 15:25 Mouk 15:40 Higglytown Heroes 15:55 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 16:10 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 16:20 The Hive 16:30 Zou 16:45 Lilo And Stitch 17:10 Doc McStuffins 17:25 Doc McStuffins 17:40 Higglytown Heroes 17:55 Zou 18:10 Henry Hugglemonster 18:25 Henry Hugglemonster 18:35 Sofia The First 19:00 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 19:05 Pajanimals 19:25 Doc McStuffins 19:40 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 19:45 Zou 20:00 Pajanimals 20:15 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 20:30 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 20:45 Doc McStuffins 21:00 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 21:25 Pajanimals 21:40 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 22:05 Timmy Time 22:20 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 22:30 Jungle Junction 22:45 Handy Manny 23:00 The Hive 23:10 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 23:35 Jungle Junction 23:50 Special Agent Oso 00:05 Special Agent Oso 00:15 Imagination Movers 00:40 Jungle Junction 00:55 Jungle Junction 01:10 Handy Manny 01:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 01:55 Winnie The Pooh: Tales Of Friendship 02:00 Little Einsteins 02:25 Special Agent Oso 02:40 Special Agent Oso 02:50 Imagination Movers

11:00 Christmas Comes Home To Canaan 13:00 StreetDance 2 15:00 Madea’s Big Happy Family 17:00 Wreck-It Ralph 19:00 The Darkest Hour 21:00 Men In Black 3 23:00 The Samaritan 01:00 Cash

03:00 04:30 06:00 08:00 10:00 11:30 13:00 14:30 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 23:30 01:15 02:45

Crab Island Marco Macaco Blue Elephant 2 Supertramps Flushed Away Marco Macaco Crab Island A Fairy Tale Christmas Bushwhacked Flushed Away The Great Bear Supertramps MIA And The Migoo A Fairy Tale Christmas The Great Bear

04:00 Arrietty 06:00 American Girl: McKenna Shoots For The Stars 08:00 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted 10:00 Princess Lillifee 11:45 Mission: Impossible III 14:15 Superman vs. The Elite 16:00 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted 18:00 Outlaw Country 20:00 21 Jump Street 22:00 Paranormal Activity 4 23:45 Mission: Impossible III 02:15 Superman vs. The Elite

RUSHMORE ON OSN MOVIES COMEDY

06:00 Kid vs Kat 06:10 Scaredy Squirrel 06:35 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 06:45 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 07:00 Max Steel 07:25 Phineas And Ferb 07:50 Slugterra 08:15 Crash & Bernstein 08:40 Kickin IT 09:05 Kickin IT 09:30 Phineas And Ferb 09:55 Phineas And Ferb 10:20 Lab Rats 10:45 Lab Rats 11:10 Kick Buttowski 11:35 Max Steel 12:00 Zeke & Luther 12:25 Zeke & Luther 12:50 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 13:15 Scaredy Squirrel 13:40 Pair Of Kings 14:05 Pair Of Kings 14:30 Phineas And Ferb 14:55 Phineas And Ferb 15:05 Phineas And Ferb 15:20 Slugterra 15:45 Max Steel 16:10 Pair Of Kings 16:35 Crash & Bernstein 17:00 Lab Rats 17:30 Kickin IT 18:00 Kickin IT 18:25 Phineas And Ferb 18:35 Phineas And Ferb 18:50 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 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 21:30 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja 21:45 Phineas And Ferb 22:10 Phineas And Ferb 22:20 Phineas And Ferb 22:35 Scaredy Squirrel 23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA

03:00 Andy Bates Street Feasts 03:25 Food Wars 03:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 04:15 Unique Eats 04:40 Chopped 05:30 Iron Chef America 06:10 Food Network Challenge 07:00 Unwrapped 07:25 Unwrapped 07:50 Tastiest Places To Chowdown 08:15 Kid In A Candy Store 08:40 Jonathan Phang’s Caribbean Cookbook 09:05 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 09:30 The Next Iron Chef 10:20 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 10:45 Aarti Party 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 Unique Sweets 12:00 Amazing Wedding Cakes 12:50 Reza’s African Kitchen 13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 13:40 Charly’s Cake Angels 14:05 Siba’s Table 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 14:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 15:20 Symon’s Suppers 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

18:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:40 Guy’s Big Bite 19:05 Siba’s Table 19:30 Charly’s Cake Angels 19:55 Recipes That Rock 20:20 Chopped 21:10 Chopped 22:00 Reza’s African Kitchen 22:25 Reza’s African Kitchen 22:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:30 Food Wars 00:55 Tastiest Places To Chowdown 01:20 Outrageous Food 01:45 Reza’s African Kitchen 02:10 Reza’s African Kitchen 02:35 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

03:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 03:30 Family Guy 04:00 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia 04:30 The League 05:00 The Simpsons 05:30 Two And A Half Men 06:00 Seinfeld 06:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 07:30 All Of Us 08:00 The Neighbors 08:30 Friends 09:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 10:00 Seinfeld 10:30 All Of Us 11:00 The Simpsons 11:30 Two And A Half Men 12:30 Friends 13:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 14:00 The Neighbors 14:30 Seinfeld 15:00 All Of Us 15:30 Friends 16:00 The Simpsons 16:30 Two And A Half Men 17:00 Parks And Recreation 18:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 18:30 The Neighbors 19:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 20:00 Hot In Cleveland 20:30 Raising Hope 21:00 The Crazy Ones 21:30 Arrested Development 22:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 23:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 23:30 The Colbert Report 00:00 Louie 00:30 Legit 01:00 The League 01:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 02:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00 01:00

The Americans Revenge Once Upon A Time 24 Switched At Birth Suits Revenge Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Suits 24 Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Suits Grey’s Anatomy Grey’s Anatomy Homeland Breaking Bad The Americans 24 Homeland

04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 Mine 16:00 18:00 20:00 Mine 22:00 00:00 02:00

The Apparition Super 8 Killer Mountain Warbirds Riddle True Justice: Vengeance Is

04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 Mine 14:00 16:00 18:00 Mine 20:00 22:00 00:00 02:15

Super 8 Killer Mountain Warbirds Riddle True Justice: Vengeance Is

Warbirds Wild Wild West True Justice: Vengeance Is Striking Distance Hobo With A Shotgun End Of Days

Warbirds Wild Wild West True Justice: Vengeance Is Striking Distance Hobo With A Shotgun End Of Days Striking Distance

04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 00:00 02:00

Bowfinger Another Stakeout Hit List Gabe The Cupid Dog Bowfinger A Thousand Words Gabe The Cupid Dog Lying To Be Perfect Rushmore For A Good Time, Call A Few Best Men Rushmore

03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:30 17:15 19:00 21:15 23:00 01:00 02:45

Ties That Bind A View From Here Waiting For Forever Ties That Bind A View From Here Catch Me If You Can Hidden Crimes Boy Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy A Dangerous Method Locked In Boy Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

03:00 Straw Dogs 05:00 The Firm 07:30 Mutum 09:00 The Forger 10:45 Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid 12:45 Beneath Hill 60 14:45 Departures 17:00 Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid 19:00 The Crucible 21:00 Regarding Henry 22:45 Surveillance 00:30 Girl, Interrupted 02:45 Regarding Henry

03:00 The Wishing Well 05:00 Arthur 3: And The War Of Two Worlds 07:00 Frankenweenie 09:00 Wreck-It Ralph

03:30 Trans World Sport 04:30 Super League 06:30 Futbol Mundial 07:00 Champions League Twenty20 10:00 Champions League Twenty20 13:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 14:00 Futbol Mundial 14:30 Top 14 16:30 Trans World Sport 17:30 Live Champions League Twenty20 20:30 ICC Cricket 360 21:00 NRL Full Time 21:30 Futbol Mundial 22:00 Currie Cup 00:00 Champions League Twenty20

03:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 04:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 05:00 Currie Cup 07:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 08:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 09:00 Trans World Sport 10:00 Live F1 H2O World Championship 11:00 Champions Tour 13:00 Top 14 15:00 ICC Cricket 360 15:30 Super League 17:30 NHL 20:00 WWE Smackdown 22:00 This Week In WWE 22:30 UFC - The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 23:30 Trans World Sport 00:30 NRL Full Time 01:00 Futbol Mundial 01:30 This Week In WWE 02:00 Live NHL

03:30 04:00 05:00 06:00

Spirit Of Yachting World Cup Of Pool World Cup Of Pool Golfing World

03:30 06:00 TCM 03:00 05:15 07:00 08:55 10:30 12:05 14:25 Game 16:00 17:50 Street 20:10 22:00 00:05 01:35

NHL U.S Bass Fishing The Fixer Across The Pacific Johnny Eager Across The Pacific The Train Robbers 2001: A Space Odyssey Take Me Out To The Ball Adventures Of Don Juan The Barretts Of Wimpole Ziegfeld Follies The Arrangement The Law And Jake Wade The Arrangement

03:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 04:00 Rock My RV With Bret Michaels 05:00 Insane Coaster Wars 06:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Departures 09:00 Airport 24/7: Miami 10:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 11:00 Xtreme Waterparks 12:00 Ultimate Braai Master 13:00 Bizarre Foods America 14:00 International House Hunters 16:00 Hotel Impossible 17:00 Destination Weddings 17:30 Destination Weddings 18:00 Ultimate Braai Master 19:00 Bizarre Foods America 20:00 International House Hunters 21:00 The Food Truck 21:30 The Food Truck 22:00 Bizarre Foods America 23:00 Airport 24/7: Miami 23:30 Airport 24/7: Miami 00:00 Xtreme Waterparks 01:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 02:00 Off Limits

Classifieds TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

Kuwait

SHARQIA-1 RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

SHARQIA-2 RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG)

2:00 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM

SHARQIA-3 EMPIRE STATE (DIG) PLANES (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG)

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

MUHALAB-1 MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) 1:45 PM RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) 4:00 PM NO FRI+SAT ATTARINTIKI DAAREDI (DIG) (TELUGU) 4:00 PM FRI+SAT MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) 6:00 PM NO FRI+SAT RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) 8:15 PM RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) 10:15 PM MUHALAB-2 EMPIRE STATE (DIG) PLANES (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) MUHALAB-3 RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) FANAR-1 EMPIRE STATE (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

FANAR-2 KIKORIKI: TEAM INVINCIBLE (DIG) 1:30 PM KIKORIKI: TEAM INVINCIBLE (DIG) 3:30 PM PRISONERS (DIG) 5:30 PM PRISONERS (DIG) 8:30 PM PRISONERS (DIG) 11:30 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (26/09/2013 TO 02/10/2013) FANAR-3 RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) PLANES (DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

FANAR-4 RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

MARINA-1 MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 12:05 AM

MARINA-2 RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

MARINA-3 PLANES (DIG-3D) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 11:30 PM

AVENUES-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 AVENUES-2 Seats-140 GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG) GETAWAY (DIG)

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

2:15 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

AVENUES-3 RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) PENGUINS (DIG-3D) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 11:30 PM

AVENUES-4 EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) RUNNER RUNNER (DIG)

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM 11:45 PM

360º- 1 EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG)

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM 11:45 PM

360º- 2 MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG)

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM

360º- 3 PENGUINS (DIG-3D) PENGUINS (DIG-3D) PENGUINS (DIG-3D) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

AL-KOUT.1 RUSH (DIG) PLANES (DIG-3D) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) RUSH (DIG) AL-KOUT.2 EMPIRE STATE (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) MALAVITA (THE FAMILY)(DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) EMPIRE STATE (DIG) AL-KOUT.3 PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) PRISONERS (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

ACCOMMODATION Accommodation available with Tamil Muslim family for family/ladies/bachelors in Hawally Dawar Sadiq.

Call 97988528, 66594790.

(C 4520) 28-9-2013 CHANGE OF NAME I, Pallippadan Joseph Francis holder of Indian Passport No: A4917770 hereby change my name to Pallippatt Joseph Francis.

(C 4523) 1-10-2013

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

I, Bondalapati Venkata Ramana Devi, holder of Indian Passport No. J5550579, hereby change my name to Syeda Ayisha Siddeeqa. (C 4519) 26-9-2013

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM 1:15 AM

I, Byju Kandankulangara Vaylil holder of Indian Passport # H3127996 hereby change my name to Faiju Kandankulangara Vayalil.

(C 4517)

2:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:30 PM 11:30 PM

I,

Shakeel

Abbas

Pawashkar holder of Indian Passport No. F8317333 hereby change my name to Shakeel Abbas Pawashkar Al Refaei.

(C 4518) 25-9-2013

SITUATION VACANT Required house driver, KD 130, housemaid KD 70, visa and ticket provided. Indian, Christian only. Mobile: 67696227. (C 4522) 30-9-2013

FOR SALE Definitive speaker, subwoofer & Denon receiver, Definitive Studio 65 (one pair) KD 160, Definitive Supercube, reference subwoofer KD 240, Denon AVR 3311.7.1 receiver KD 250.

Please contact: 99725095.

(C 4521) 30-9-2013

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION

Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is

1889988

LOST Original document policy No. 633001498, Nabila Zubair Khan DV the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan, Gulf Zone is reported to have been lost.

Anyone finding the same or claiming any interest in it should communicate with the Manager Kuwait State Life office.

Phone: 22452208. (C 4524) 1-10-2013

112 Prayer timings Fajr: Shorook Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

04:21 05:40 11:38 15:03 17:37 18:54

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Airlines BBC QTR JZR JZR PIA FDB THY ETH GFA RJA UAE ETD FDB RJA MSR OMA QTR THY MSR DHX BAW KAC KAC KAC JZR FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY FDB IRA QTR ETD GFA MEA TMA UAE MSR THY QTR FDB SVA KAC KAC KAC KAC

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 1/10/2013 Flt Route 43 DHAKA 148 DOHA 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 239 SIALKOT 8063 DUBAI 764 SABIHA 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 1143 BEIRUT 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI-INTL 67 DUBAI 642 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 612 CAIRO 643 MUSCAT 138 DOHA 770 ISTANBUL 5509 CAIRO 170 BAHRAIN 157 LONDON 412 MANILA 416 JAKARTA 206 ISLAMABAD 503 LUXOR 53 DUBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 302 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 55 DUBAI 605 ISFAHAN 132 DOHA 301 ABU DHABI-INTL 213 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 213 BEIRUT 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 766 ISTANBUL 140 DOHA 57 DUBAI 500 JEDDAH 514 TEHRAN 788 JEDDAH 546 ALEXANDRIA 562 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA

Time 00:05 00:05 00:20 00:40 01:05 01:10 01:40 01:45 01:55 01:35 02:25 02:30 03:10 03:10 03:15 03:20 03:30 04:35 04:50 05:10 06:30 06:15 06:35 07:25 07:40 07:45 07:55 07:50 08:05 08:15 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:20 09:25 09:30 10:40 10:55 12:00 12:45 13:00 13:10 13:45 13:50 14:30 13:40 15:00 14:15 14:40

JZR JZR SYR RJA QTR ETD UAE ABY UAL GFA SVA JZR JZR QTR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC FDB GFA AXB JAI FDB OMA ABY MEA IRA MSR KLM ALK UAE ETD QTR GFA JAI FDB AIC UAL JZR JZR JZR DLH JAI MSR THY

165 561 341 640 134 303 857 127 982 215 510 177 777 144 166 104 786 618 742 678 542 774 674 63 219 393 572 61 647 129 402 619 618 415 229 859 307 136 217 576 59 981 981 185 239 135 636 574 614 772

DUBAI SOHAG LATAKIA AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA DOHA ABU DHABI-INTL DUBAI SHARJAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES BAHRAIN RIYADH DUBAI JEDDAH DOHA PARIS LONDON JEDDAH DOHA DAMMAM MUSCAT CAIRO RIYADH DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN KOZHIKODE MUMBAI DUBAI MUSCAT SHARJAH BEIRUT LAR ALEXANDRIA AMSTERDAM COLOMBO DUBAI ABU DHABI-INTL DOHA BAHRAIN COCHIN DUBAI CHENNAI BAHRAIN DUBAI AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA BAHRAIN FRANKFURT MUMBAI CAIRO ISTANBUL

11:35 12:00 15:15 15:55 16:15 16:35 16:55 17:10 17:15 17:20 17:20 17:30 17:50 18:25 18:40 18:45 18:30 19:10 19:30 19:35 18:15 19:25 19:25 18:55 19:05 19:15 19:35 20:00 20:00 20:05 20:15 20:20 20:30 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:30 21:30 21:45 22:05 22:20 22:25 22:40 22:40 22:30 23:00 23:10 23:20 23:30 23:45

Airlines AIC AXB PIA JAI MSR DLH KLM BBC JZR FDB THY PIA THY ETH RJA UAE FDB MSR OMA ETD QTR QTR JZR RJA GFA THY KAC JZR BAW FDB KAC KAC ABY KAC UAE FDB ETD IRA QTR KAC GFA KAC KAC MEA JZR KAC KAC JZR TMA MSR THY

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 1/10/2013 Flt Route 976 GOA 490 MANGALORE 206 LAHORE 573 MUMBAI 615 CAIRO 637 FRANKFURT 411 AMSTERDAM 44 DHAKA 502 LUXOR 8064 DUBAI 773 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 240 SIALKOT 765 ISTANBUL-SABIHA 621 ADDIS ABABA 1144 BEIRUT 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 613 CAIRO 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 643 AMMAN 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 545 ALEXANDRIA 164 DUBAI 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 513 TEHRAN 561 AMMAN 126 SHARJAH 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 604 ISFAHAN, IRAN” 133 DOHA 101 LONDON 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 165 ROME 405 BEIRUT 776 JEDDAH 785 JEDDAH 677 MUSCAT 176 DUBAI 223 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 767 ISTANBUL-ATATURK

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Time 00:05 00:15 00:15 00:20 00:30 00:30 00:55 01:30 01:30 01:55 02:20 02:20 02:40 02:45 03:20 03:45 03:50 04:15 04:20 04:20 04:25 05:15 05:35 06:35 07:00 07:10 07:20 07:25 08:25 08:25 09:15 09:25 09:30 09:35 09:50 09:55 10:15 10:20 10:25 10:25 11:25 11:30 11:45 11:55 12:25 13:00 13:00 13:20 13:45 14:00 14:10

UAE FDB QTR KAC SVA KAC KAC SYR KAC RJA JZR QTR ETD JZR MSR ABY UAE GFA SVA UAL JZR JZR QTR FDB GFA JZR AXB KAC JAI FDB ABY OMA KAC KAC MEA IRA MSR DHX KLM ETD ALK UAE KAC QTR KAC GFA FDB KAC JAI JZR KAC JZR

872 58 141 673 501 617 773 342 741 641 238 135 304 538 5510 128 858 216 511 982 184 266 145 64 220 134 394 283 571 62 120 648 343 351 403 618 607 171 415 308 230 860 381 137 301 218 60 205 575 554 411 528

DUBAI DUBAI DOHA DUBAI JEDDAH DOHA RIYADH LATAKIA DAMMAM AMMAN AMMAN DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO CAIRO SHARJAH DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN KOZHIKODE DHAKA MUMBAI DUBAI SHARJAH MUSCAT CHENNAI KOCHI BEIRUT LAR LUXOR BAHRAIN DAMMAM ABU DHABI COLOMBO DUBAI DELHI DOHA MUMBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI ISLAMABAD ABU DHABI ALEXANDRIA BANGKOK ASYUT

14:15 14:30 14:55 15:05 15:45 15:45 16:00 16:15 16:30 16:55 17:05 17:20 17:20 17:40 17:50 17:50 18:15 18:20 18:20 18:30 18:30 18:40 19:25 19:35 19:50 20:05 20:15 20:15 20:35 20:40 20:45 20:55 20:55 21:05 21:15 21:20 21:30 21:50 22:05 22:15 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:40 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:20 23:40 23:55

34

s ta rs CROSSWORD 327

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) By the noon hour you may be surprised at the work you have accomplished.

You find yourself in a very practical mood. Your instincts now is to complete any unfinished business that exists. You avoid delays by following through on your unfinished projects this afternoon. Make sure any plans are double-checked the rest of this week for accidental errors like a missing signature, etc. You resist the temptation to socialize just now and can really make progress with the work you aim to accomplish. This evening a meeting of some political importance may be where you want to place your energies. You appreciate a winner and are drawn to the successful and powerful, such as politics this evening. There are good networking opportunities now.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Invitations and unexpected acts of kindness spur you on to better and greater things in the workplace. A new perspective from a co-worker needs attention and you encourage this person to write out this idea and make a presentation to higher-ups.

You respect the customs of other cultures and may find the noon hour a wonderful time to get to know a new co-worker that is from another country. Your home life seems in balance with your career and you may even enjoy allocating some time to a little community service. Your plans to relax later this evening may move you to stop in a bookstore or library before going home. You want to find some interesting form of entertainment that you can dive into and forget work for a while.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

5. A small sc or pouch (especially the smaller chamber of the membranous labyrinth).

12. (Roman mythology) Goddess of abundance and fertility.

15. An Asian river between China and Russia.

16. A republic in the western Balkans in southcentral Europe in the eastern Adriatic coastal area.

17. An undergarment worn by women to support their breasts.

18. A large mass of ice floating at sea.

19. An Italian poet famous for `The Divine Comedy'--a journey through hell and purgatory and paradise guided by Virgil and his idealized Beatrice (1265-1321).

20. A major European river carrying more traffic than any other river in the world.

21. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

22. North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

23. A ductile gray metallic element of the lanthanide series.

24. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.

25. Fleshy and usually brightly colored cover of some seeds that develops from the ovule stalk and partially or entirely envelopes the seed.

28. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.

30. A hard malleable ductile silvery metallic element that is resistant to corrosion.

31. An alloy of copper and zinc (and sometimes arsenic) used to imitate gold in cheap jewelry and for gilding.

33. The compass point that is one point east (clockwise) of due north.

36. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska.

37. Chief port of Yemen.

41. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

44. Gibberish resembling the sounds of a baby.

46. An amine containing the double bond linkage -C=C-N-.

50. (folklore) A corpse that rises at night to drink the blood of the living.

51. Covered patchily.

52. Fallow deer.

54. A watery solution of sugars, salts, and minerals that circulates through the vascular system of a plant.

55. A downhill race over a winding course defined by upright poles.

58. (Islam) The man who leads prayers in a mosque.

59. An official language of the Republic of South Africa.

63. Covered with paving material.

68. Alternatively, a member of the family Nymphaeaceae.

70. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

71. A wired or starched collar of intricate lace.

74. True firs.

75. 30 to 300 gigahertz.

76. Trees or shrubs of the families Ebenaceae or Sapotaceae or Styracaceae or Symplocaceae.

78. A caustic detergent useful for removing grease.

79. A broad flat muscle on either side of the back.

80. The property characteristic of old age.

81. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring on the sea or ships.

DOWN 1. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and

raisins and almonds.

2. An independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia).

3. Rotary engine in which the kinetic energy of a moving fluid is converted into mechanical energy by causing a bladed rotor to rotate.

4. Wild sheep of semidesert regions in central Asia.

5. An honorary degree in science.

6. A river that rises in northern Colombia and flows generally eastward to the Orinoco in central Venezuela.

7. Clear soup usually of beef or veal or chicken.

8. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Carolinas.

9. A member of the Shoshonean people of Utah and Colorado and New Mexico.

10. Being one more than fifty.

11. Worn or shabby from overuse or (of pages) from having corners turned down.

12. A religious belief of African origin involving witchcraft and sorcery.

13. Dress very carefully and in a finicky manner.

14. The capital and largest city of Yemen.

26. United States feminist (born in 1934).

27. The syllable naming the sixth (submediant) note of a major or minor scale in solmization.

29. Jordan's port.

32. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

34. Obvious and dull.

35. Perennial mountain rice native to Mediterranean region and introduced into North America.

38. A software system that facilitates the creation and maintenance and use of an electronic database.

39. English essayist (1775-1834).

40. A less than average tide occurring at the first and third quarters of the moon.

42. Special design or visual object representing a quality, type, group, etc..

43. Having leadership guidance.

45. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

47. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

48. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology.

49. Make a half turn on a horse, in dressage.

53. Designer drug designed to have the effects of amphetamines (it floods the brain with serotonin) but to avoid the drug laws.

56. An atom or molecule or radical or ion that forms a complex around a central atom.

57. (dialect) A short straight stick of wood.

60. Not functioning properly.

61. A poplar that is widely cultivated in the United States.

62. The sacred city of Lamaism.

64. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

65. A flat float (usually made of logs or planks) that can be used for transport or as a platform for swimmers.

66. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

67. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart.

69. Having or denoting a low vocal or instrumental range.

72. Any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species.

73. Of a light yellowish-brown color n 1.

77. A radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

A new friend may bring you confirmation and encouragement on some future plans. This may just prove to be a day of large accomplishments.

Headway is made in some personal project as well as a work project. These next six to seven years will find a coming together of circumstances that will help you rise up the corporate ladder, so to speak. In summary, this time marks a more outward and enjoyable series of years. Friends and a social life are in order and in general, a rewarding and untroubled life. Reading material presents questions that may be in the category of religion. Check and recheck your sources and then come to your own conclusions; do not take someone's word for something that was not researched.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Steer clear of arguments and possible hard feelings. It may not be easy to get your thoughts over to others this morning. It is best for your concentration if you could stay with your own work until after the noon break. Assimilating information and experience, learning lessons and putting them into practice is the focus this afternoon--tend to details. You may have radical and inventive ideas that hold the key to realizing your ambitions and advancing your status soon. A shakeup could be in the works. Financial matters may dominate but do not take away from the fact that this is a good time to plan or take a little vacation. If you are not romantically involved at this time--there are opportunities to meet someone special at a social gathering tonight.

Leo (July 23-August 22) This is a busy but successful workday. Much can be accomplished. Meetings scheduled today and tomorrow will be more profitable than meetings at any other time this month. You have an inner drive to be thorough and responsible in minute details--self-disciplined. You can relax later today and know that you have done a really good job for your company. Your attempt to remain untouched and impersonal seems doomed to failure--you enjoy communicating with all sorts of people. This evening you may enjoy playing cards or board games with friends. You enjoy games that stimulate the thinking muscles and you enjoy watching others find the right answer. This is a great time to organize and get things accomplished.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You will make career gains by your common sense and good timing. Your thoughts may center on how you will be setting up future opportunities for better business. Faith, optimism and a yearning to explore all kinds of new horizons are some things that come to your attention now. Travel, education and other ways to stretch your horizons open new doors of opportunity. Religious, philosophical and cultural matters are likely to have special appeal for you now; transmitting ideas on a broader scale brings gain. Your inner resources and emotions are accented. Expect a sense of support and goodwill from those around you. Because you are willing to compromise in family matters, you teach fair play to the young people in your family.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) Your mind is full of practical ideas, particularly related to your job or skills.

You always seem to come up with new ideas with which to manage things better, make things work--practical thoughts. You will find that the longer you work in your position, the more often your boss will come to you with suggestions. Soon, it will be time to add this up and make a raise for you. Your financial situation is about to brighten considerably. Your innate intensity is visible to all. There is a sense of the eternal aspects of life that makes authority and leadership positions natural and unavoidable. Use care in establishing a new relationship. Give yourself and this other person plenty of time to discover the talents that each of you bring to the relationship.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) It's a time for prudence and stewardship, a time to tend to the details.

Achievement, ambition and authority take on a greater importance now.

Organizing and administering to people and projects will become central to your lifestyle.

You are beginning to really move forward now and can expect rewards in your career.

There is a growing self-confidence present now. There is also an emphasis on communication, expression of ideas and the connections between things, places and people. What goes on in your mind is the all-important motivation in your life at this time. You tend towards mental pursuits and admire intelligence. In addition to developing your technical skills, you polish your people skills. A physical problem is healing.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Going in to work today you contemplate your financial situation and hope that nothing disrupts your careful plans. Debts or other expenses have been draining your resources, but now, it seems, you are beginning to keep a balance in your accounts. A co-worker may need your help today; in fact, several co-workers may need your help. You could find yourself teaching or guiding others. There is a big demand for teachers in a large company with regard to the new technology. You could create your own profession by teaching teachers in different companies. The subject could be in advertisement, insurance, etc. You complete whatever is left unfinished and then hurry home to some special celebration with friends or family. Good news is headed your way.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You like to solve problems whether you are in a work, sports, technical or home sort of situation. Secrets, taboos and mysteries appeal to you. Staying within the boundaries of the secrets of life itself is enough to keep you busy full-time. You may be tempted in the practice of gossip occasionally--careful. The study of psychology might be useful in your attempts to understand people, whether you decide to be any sort of counselor or not. There must be a psychology 101 type of class that would be helpful as well as of interest to study. Obtaining and exchanging information takes on more emotional significance now. Clear communication skills are what you strive to achieve. Something new and fun is coming your way on the home front.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) This is a great time to work as a team. You may be chosen for a particular job or to lead the team. This afternoon more than one person will come to you seeking answers. Your presence and obvious concentration are intense, yet the people that know you tend to gravitate toward you when they have problems. There is something special about cutting through the chatter to hear the basic truth. You are able to dig beneath the surface and find the simple truth of a matter each and every time a problem arises. You have much compassion and empathy toward those that try methods of improvement.

Your home and family life is strengthened. A family gathering is in the works and you, the social organizer, may help to find a gathering place.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) You can expect some recognition today, if recognition is what you need.

Most of all you can see for yourself the progress and insight that you have gained through your work experiences. This is a great time to be with others in work or play. You may feel that you are in a good place and in touch with all who are around you; the lines of communication are open. Your sharp perceptions make finding new solutions easy. You always bring an unexpected twist or insight to anything you set your mind to accomplish. You are able to teach or help others to be more original when it comes to the words or thoughts they use. You can use the mind in original ways and probably have excellent eye-hand coordination. Conversations are fast-paced all day long.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 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

36

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

LIFESTYLE M u s i c

&

M o v i e s

Folk music rules at ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ concert

Actress Carey Mulligan performs.

W

Muscian Marcus Mumford performs on stage with actor Oscar Issac and the Punch Brothers during the one -night-only concert “Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating The Music Of Inside Llewyn Davis.—AP/AFP photos

hen Justin Timberlake couldn’t make Sunday’s concert celebrating the music of the new Coen Brother’s movie, “Inside Llewyn Davis,” master of ceremonies John Goodman told the crowd Timberlake’s understudy would perform instead. Then he introduced Elvis Costello. “Heaven knows when you think Justin, you think of me,” Costello joked with the Town Hall crowd. Then Costello introduced his understudy, famed music producer T-Bone Burnett. Replete with his trademark glasses, Burnett performed rousing backup vocals on “Please, Mr Kennedy.” Timberlake’s character sings that song in the film about the New York folk music scene in the 1960s.

Burnett acted as the project’s executive music producer, just as he did for the music from the Grammywinning “O Brother, Where Art Thou.” Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of “Inside Llewyn

Davis” included music inspired by the film from a host of folk artists, old and new. Among them were the Avett Brothers, Punch Brothers, Marcus Mumford, Patti Smith, Joan Baez and others. Stars from the film also performed, including Carrie Mulligan, Oscar Isaac (he plays the title role), and Stark Sands. Before the show, director Joel Coen was milling around the lobby and during intermission his wife Frances McDormand was by his side. When asked how he felt the concert was going, he simply replied: “Good.”

Scott Rudin, the film’s producer, was a bit more outgoing. Holding court before the show in the lobby, he appeared like a proud father at a wedding reception.

During intermission, Rudin had a huge smile while standing at center aisle. He spoke briefly to the Associated Press about the show. “Loving it, it’s a blast,” Rudin beemed. He’s well aware of the success of “O Brother Where Art Thou,” which won a Grammy in

Timberlake stars at iTunes festival

A

host of stars turned out to experience Justin Timberlake’s headline gig at the iTunes Festival in London.

The Grammy-winning singer Adele, actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth McGovern were among the audience at London’s Roundhouse on Sunday night.

“Star Trek” stars Chris Pine and Alice Eve plus TV chef Jamie Oliver also watched

Director abandons CNN documentary on Hillary Clinton

This CD cover image released

by RCA Records shows “The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2,” by Justin Timberlake.—AP Timberlake mix fresh songs from his new album, “The 20/20 Experience 2 Of 2,” with favorites like “Cry Me A River” and “SexyBack.”

Timberlake called London crowds the best in the world and joked that he was getting too old for it, when he was too sweaty to talk on stage. Katy Perry closes the iTunes Festival on Monday night.

For yogi Hilaria, pregnancy was easy stretch

Y

oga teacher and fitness expert Hilaria Baldwin practices what she preaches and credits her easy pregnancy and labor to exercising - every day and sometimes during the night. During her pregnancy, the wife of Emmy awardwinning actor Alec Baldwin and new mother to 5-week-old Carmen Gabriela, said she gave up spinning classes for a less vigorous fitness regimen that included jogging. But yoga, the 3,000-year-old practice that marries movement to breath, was the 29-year-old’s primary thing.

“When I had aches and pains in the middle of the night, I’d just get out of bed and stretch,” said Baldwin, who teaches at Yoga Vida in New York and will release a fitness DVD, “@Home with Hilaria Baldwin: Fit Mommy-to-Be Prenatal Yoga,” today. “A lot of people are so afraid to exercise they do damage by becoming sedentary,” she added.

In the absence of complications, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most, if not all, days for pregnant women. Dr Raul Artal, an expert on exercise and pregnancy who helped develop the ACOG guidelines, said women who are physically active have easier labor and recovery than sedentary women. “There are also positive effects on mood that may prevent depression,” said Artal, a professor and chairman of the department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Women’s Health at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

Artal said women should not hesitate to do yoga, as long as any movement is moderate and hydration is encouraged.

“Pregnancy is one of the main contributors to obesity,” he noted. “Obese women have a higher incidence of infants with birth defects.”

Exercise physiologist and yoga instructor Jessica Matthews, of the American Council on Exercise, said experienced yogis don’t have to abandon their practice during pregnancy. But there are necessary tweaks and modifications. “In the first tri-

2002 for Album of the Year. But Rudin doesn’t want to jump to conclusions.

“Oh, I don’t know, it’s all this movie,” Rudin said of the evening’s festivities. He added: “It’s going great.

I’m very proud of it. Very excited. T-Bone did an incredible job, don’t you think? And the second half is insane.” Rudin was right on the mark as Jack White opened with a three-song set that was followed by one of the more inspiring performances of the night

by Rhiannon Giddens that brought some of the crowd to its feet. Standout performances included Decemberist’s frontman Colin Meloy covering a song he thought was a ghost story, bringing out Joan Baez to perform “Joe Hill” with him. Baez performed the song at Woodstock.

Patti Smith covered “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You,” recorded in 1963 by Baez, and made famous to rock fans a decade later by Led Zeppelin. Costello, Sands,

Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin mester most standing poses (and) balancing postures are still accessible,” said Matthews. “As the belly starts to grow, some balancing may require the support of a wall.”

As pregnancy progresses, she urges women to use pillows and other props, and added that during the second trimester the body really starts to change and aches, pains and discomfort sets in. “In the third trimester yoga’s greatest benefit is not so much asana (postures) but focus on relaxation and breath work that can help with the whole delivery process,” she said.

Matthews has seen the egos of even the most daring, arm-balance and inversionloving yogis recede during pregnancy.

“They really do already have the instinct to protect their child. Ego starts to take a back seat,” she explained. “And often those who came with a more physical focus find that after pregnancy they connect to yoga in a different way.” Baldwin plans to pass on her yoga expertise to her daughter, who already has two baby yoga mats. “She’s going to totally do yoga,” she said, “I have high hopes for her.” Baldwin’s 55-year-old husband, who appears in her DVD, practices with her. “We do yoga together. I think we should do more,” she said. “She is (Carmen) going to tell her father to get off his butt.”—Reuters

Charles Ferguson

and Mulligan backed by the Punch Brothers performed a spirited version of the traditional folk song, “500 Miles.” Celebrity guests included Glenn Close, Jesse Eisenberg and Paul Rudd. “Inside LLewyn Davis” won the Grand Prix Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and made its US debut Saturday at the New York Film Festival. It opens in the U.S. in December. The soundtrack is available on November 12.

As for the show, Mumford and Mulligan, who’s in the film, performed several times throughout the evening, though there was not a Mumford and Wife moment. The couple was married last year. While not addressing his wife, the Mumford and Sons frontman did say the night had “so many OMG moments.”—AP

‘Breaking Bad’ creator cooks up a dark ending for Walt White as series concludes The journey of anti-hero

C

able news network CNN has canceled a documentary on Hillary Rodham Clinton after the director said pressure from the Clinton camp as well as Republican leaders made it too difficult to complete the film. A CNN spokeswoman confirmed yesterday that the program would be canceled, saying director “Charles Ferguson has informed us that he is not moving forward with his documentary about Hillary Clinton.” Political observers widely expect Clinton, whose early polling numbers make her the Democratic frontrunner in the presidential race in 2016. Clinton, the former US Secretary of State, has said she is still considering her options.

In a blog post on the Huffington Post website, Ferguson, who had been tapped by CNN to direct to the film last year, said pressure from Clinton’s aides started as soon as he joined the project. He said he had found it difficult to get anyone to cooperate and speak about Clinton.

“When I approached people for interviews, I discovered that nobody, and I mean nobody, was interested in helping me make this film. Not Democrats, not Republicans - and certainly nobody who works with the Clintons, (who) wants access to the Clintons, or dreams of a position in a Hillary Clinton administration,” Ferguson said in the blog post.

Clinton representatives could not be reached for comment. Ferguson said he was surprised that “prominent Democrats made it known both to CNN and to me” that they weren’t happy with the project.

Ferguson also cited pushback from the Republican Party. In August, Republican leaders sent letters of protest to both CNN and NBC, complaining that their planned programs amounted to political ads for Clinton, the wife of former President Bill Clinton.

The NBC television network is planning a dramatic miniseries from its entertainment unit, which is separate from its news division. NBC did not immediately return a request for comment yesterday.

Republican leaders had resolved to boycott any 2016 presidential debates sponsored by CNN, which is owned by Time Warner Inc, and NBC, owned by Comcast Corp, if the networks went ahead with the projects.

Ferguson said he was not pressured by CNN to cancel the project, and that the network’s president, Jeff Zucker, had pledged his support behind the film.

“Neither political party wanted the film made. After painful reflection, I decided that I couldn’t make a film of which I would be proud. And so I’m cancelling,” Ferguson said in the blog post.—Reuters

Singers Gillian Welsh, left, Rhiannon Giddens and actress Carey Mulligan, right, perform together.

W

alter White came to a dark end on Sunday when fans of “Breaking Bad” finally learned the fate of the chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin, as AMC’s cult drug drama concluded after a five-season run. Emmy-winning “Breaking Bad” has captured audiences with its gritty plot about Walter, played by Bryan Cranston, a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher who turns to cooking methamphetamine with ex-student Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul, in order to make money for his family. Walt’s chemistry skills allow him to create the purest meth available, which becomes known as “blue sky.” Its popularity in the market leads Walt to eventually becoming a drug kingpin known as Heisenberg.

Sunday’s 75-minute finale, entitled “Felina,” saw Walt return to his deserted family home, retrieve a vial of ricin he hid in the wall, and embark on his final mission to tie up the loose ends left by his crumbled drug empire. Walt visits the gang of white supremacists he had once contracted to kill Jesse, but who instead stole his drug money earnings and kidnapped Jesse to cook the ‘blue sky’ meth. Walt sets up an automatic rifle in his car that discharges when he goes into the white supremacist compound, killing the gang and freeing Jesse from captivity.

Walt takes a bullet but stays alive long enough to call meth dealer Lydia, the last remaining link to his drug empire, to tell her he poisoned her with ricin. Walt watches Jesse drive away a free man, and draws his last breaths in the meth lab at the compound as the police finally catch up with him.

Walt’s death was one of the probable endings that audiences predicted ahead of the finale, especially as his cancer had returned in the fifth season and his path into darkness saw him lose the support of the people closest to him. In one poignant scene where Walt sees his wife Skyler for the last time, he finally reveals his reasons for taking the dark path into the meth empire.

“I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it.

And I was really, I was alive,” Walt tells Skyler, after he gives her coordinates to the site where his police officer brother-in-law Hank was buried in the desert after being shot in the head by Walt’s contracted neo-Nazi gang in an earlier episode. “Breaking Bad” become the hot topic on Twitter on Sunday, with the hashtag #GoodbyeBreakingBad trending throughout the day. As Walt’s journey came in an end, the majority of fan reactions were positive, with many calling the ending “perfect.”

“We needed to dot all the Is and cross all

the Ts ... we needed a resolution,” Vince Gilligan, creator of “Breaking Bad,” said in AMC’s post-finale show “Talking Bad.” Paul added: “What I thought was great was that Walt died protecting Jesse.”

‘Everyone is capable of good and bad’ Walt’s journey from a mild-mannered school teacher into a manipulative drug lord saw him descend the circles of hell as he loses his family and identity to become the cold, calculating Heisenberg. “In looking into this character and what happens to him and the transformation, I really believe that everybody is capable of good or bad,” Cranston, who won three best actor Emmys for his portrayal of Walt, said at last month’s Television Critics Association panels in Beverly Hills.

“I think, if given the right set of circumstances, dire situations, any one of us can become dangerous,” he added. AMC, owned

by AMC Networks Inc., split the final season of “Breaking Bad” in two, the first half airing in 2012 and the second in 2013. The second half of the final season, which began in August, saw an average of 5.2 million viewers tuning in to see the conclusion of Walt’s saga, more than double last year’s audience for the show, according to AMC. Online streaming site Netflix is credited with helping boost viewership for “Breaking Bad,” giving audiences a chance to bingewatch earlier seasons to quickly catch up.

On Sunday, Paul hosted a viewing party of the final episode at the Hollywood Forever cemetery in Los Angeles. Paul joined cast members including RJ Mitte, who plays Walt Jr, driving onto the stage in the rusty RV that Walt and Jesse first cooked meth in, and emerged wearing yellow Hazmat suits, welcomed by hundreds of excited fans, attendee Terri Schwartz told Reuters.

The event raised more than $2 million for charity, and Paul surprised fans by posing for pictures ahead of the screening. Many of the show’s celebrity fans, including actor Ewan McGregor and comedian Jimmy Kimmel, attended the event.

“It’s the final night of ‘Breaking Bad.’ It’s devastating, I know. I can’t thank you enough for coming out,” Paul said.—Reuters

37

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

LIFESTYLE F e a t u r e s

Japan’s luxury fruit

masters grow money on trees

File picture shows a pyramid-shaped watermelon.

Miyuki Kaida, employee of Japan’s fruits shop chain ‘Sun Fruits’, introduces their high quality fruits.

W

ith melons that sell for the price of a new car and grapes that go for more than $100 a pop, Japan is a country where perfectly-formed fruit can fetch a fortune. An industry of fruit boutiques has defied Japan’s sluggish economy to consistently offer luscious and lavishly tended produce for hefty prices—and it is always in demand. In July, a single bunch of “Ruby Roman” grapes reportedly sold for 400,000 yen ($4,000), making the plump, crimson berries worth a staggering 11,000 yen each. Every May, a pair of canteloupe melons grown in the north of Hokkaido is auctioned off. They regularly fetch the price of a modest new car.

The hammer fell on this year’s pair at a cool 1.6 million yen. While such cases are at the extreme end, top-notch fruit is a valuable commodity in the world of business and as a seasonal gift, signifying just how much importance the giver attaches to the relationship. “Most of our products are for gift purposes, so we collect large and high-grade products from all around Japan,” says Yoshinobu Ishiyama, manager of a branch of Sun Fruits at Tokyo Midtown, a glitzy office-commercial complex that is also home to a Ritz Carlton Hotel. “We offer rare products. Above all, they have to be delicious,” he says.

‘You never forget the experience’ Inside his bright, white-tiled emporium, an array of mouth-watering fruits gives off a heady, brain-tingling aroma as soothing music lulls his

well-heeled customers. While Ishiyama doesn’t have anything you could trade for a mid-range auto, he does have a slightly more affordable example of the “Ruby Roman” grapes—a snip at 31,500 yen for a bunch. A single white peach—flavorful, perfectly round and about the size of a newborn baby’s head—goes for 2,625 yen. A bunch of Muscat of Alexandria grapes has a 7,350 yen price tag. Then, there is the unrivalled symbol of expensive gifts in Japan: musk melons.

Sitting in individual wooden boxes on the top shelf of a glass-door refrigerator at the back of the shop, they will set you back as much as 16,000 yen. There are also square watermelons—grown in plastic boxes and usually for decoration—which start at 5,000 yen. As with everything in Japan, presentation is key: serried ranks of cherries line up in boxes, their stalks all facing in the same direction; strawberries nestle in soft packaging, their highly-shined, deep red surface uniformly patinated by seeds.

It goes without saying that there are no blemishes. Nothing is bruised, everything is exactly the right shape, as if each fruit has been cast in wax by a master craftsman working off the original blueprints. Of course, not everyone buys their bananas at places like Sun Fruits; much more affordable offerings are on display in the average supermarket. But to lubricate the wheels of social exchange in a country that has a deeply ingrained culture of gift-giving, nothing matches high-end fruit.

At summer and year-end, households send packaged gifts to relatives, business associates and bosses to express their gratitude. If the two sides

File picture shows a cluster of “Ruby Roman” grapes at a vineyard in Kahoku city in Ishikawa prefecture, northern Japan.—AFP photos of the exchange are of a broadly similar social standing the gift is reciprocated. A 4,000 yen box of cherries might be given in exchange for a 5,000 yen presentation pack of mangoes.

If the giver owes for social favours dispensed through the year, there could be no change from that 16,000 yen musk melon. But the boss who receives it will understand how grateful you are. The giving of high-end fruits creates a lasting impression on Japanese clients, says Tokyo-based corporate trainer Farhad Kardan, who was strolling through Sun Fruits choosing possible gifts. “You buy these delicious things and share a great time with people who are close to you,” he told AFP. “You never forget the experience of having eaten something so delicious. What you pay for is for the quality and the value.”

How can fruit cost so much?

Despite more than a decade of deflation, prices for fresh food in Japan are considered high by world standards, partially as a result of farming practices and import preferences. Consumers are accustomed to paying a premium on Japanese-grown produce, with many believing it to be safer and better quality than imports. But even so, many open-mouthed visitors to Japan wonder: how can a piece of fruit cost so much? Ishiyama says his master musk melon grower Toshiaki Nishihara puts a whole lot of love into each fruit he raises in his computer-controlled greenhouse in Shizuoka prefecture, southwest of Tokyo..—AFP

Joyalukkas announces mega 3-in-1 experience for Kuwait shoppers

Madi

International supports Dubai’s Expo 2020 bid

M

adi International – one of the leading distributors of internationally reputed professional beauty brands across the entire Middle East, has announced its support of the United Arab Emirates’ bid to host World Expo 2020 in Dubai. The successful bid will be announced in November 2013.

Madi International is supporting Dubai’s bid by reinforcing the message through various channels, including their marketing collaterals, print and television advertisements, email signatures as well as through branding in their showroom.

An exclusive distributor for internationally reputed brands in hair care, skincare, nailcare and makeup, Madi International is a leading name in the beauty industry and the go-to destination for the beauty professional. Madi is reinforcing its commitment to building UAE’s reputation in the global marketplace by supporting an event which has tremendous global scope.

If Dubai wins the right to host Expo 2020, it will help create over 277,000 jobs and is expected to contribute over €28.8 billion to Dubai’s GDP and €17.7 billion (Dh86.2 billion) in added value to its economy, according to the Expo 2020 organizers.Expo 2020 is expected to attract 25 million visitors during the six months between October 2020 and April 2021, 71 per cent of which would originate from outside the host nation for the first time in the Expo history.

Mohammed Madi, President of Madi International Group, said: “It is a matter of immense pride for Madi International to support the UAE’s bid to host Expo 2020 in Dubai. The Emirate is uniquely positioned to host an international event of this scaleand this event will be a great magnet for tourists, visitors and business professionals from across the world. As one of the leading names in the UAE beauty sector, we feel it is our duty to endorse and support such initiatives.”

He added: “Madi International is a key player in the business landscape here and if Dubai wins this bid, it will not only benefit the infrastructural, retail and hospitality sectors, but will also cascade into other related sectors. With an event of such huge magnitude, this will lead to Dubai becoming a leading commercial and tourism destination in the long-term. We earnestly hope to welcome the world to the Expo 2020 in Dubai.”

If Dubai’s bid is successful, it will become the first city in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region to host a World Expo. Dubai is competing with three other cities – Sao Pauloof Brazil, Izmir of Turkey and the Russian city of Yekaterinburg– to host Expo 2020.

The winning bid will be announced on November 27, 2013 in Paris following a vote by the 167 member nations of the Bureau International des Expositions, the intergovernmental organization in charge of overseeing the calendar, bidding, selection and organization of World Expos.

J

oyalukkas one of the world’s largest jewelry retail chains has announced the opening of the first of its kind 3-in-1 shopping experience in Kuwait City. Located in the landmark Panasonic Tower, the showroom will feature the popular Joyalukkas offerings of Joyalukkas Jewellery, Jolly Silks and Joyalukkas Exchange.

The mega retail experience is set to open on October 8, 2013 and will see the attendance of the Jolly Silks’ brand ambassador and renowned Bollywood superstar Vidya Balan and Joyalukkas brand ambassador and renowned South Indian superstar Bharat Suresh Gopi.

“We have mega plans in Kuwait and our upcoming innovative mix of Joyalukkas Jewellery, Jolly Silks and Joyalukkas Exchange, all under one large shopping space, is the symbol of our commitment to this great nation. I would like to thank the various authorities and our associates in Kuwait for helping us make this possible. My team and I have worked relentlessly to make this happen and we hope to meet the expectations of the discerning shoppers in Kuwait,” said Joy Alukkas, Chairman & MD, Joyalukkas Group.

Joyalukkas Jewellery, which is one of the largest jewelry retailers in the world and is currently spread across nine countries, has been operating in Kuwait since 2004 and offers its

breathtaking choice of jewelry through four showrooms located in various parts of Kuwait.

The Joyalukkas Group’s two other retail and service experiences, namely Jolly Silks and Joyalukkas Exchange, will be making their grand entry into Kuwait at this landmark location.

Jolly Silks is one of the most popular destinations in UAE, Oman and India and houses the best mix of fashion and silks for women, men and kids. From wedding collections to daily wear, this destination is renowned for its magnificent choice and value offerings for all customer profiles. Joyalukkas Exchange currently operates in UAE and India and is known for its great service and best exchange rates.

This popular Exchange house is also recognized for its various convenient and reliable schemes to suit all segments using this service.

The mix that the Joyalukkas Group is planning to open with the 3-in-1 retail and service operations is a combination of best price and never before range of products and choice of services. Within Joyalukkas Jewellery and Jolly Silks customers can expect to see an exhaustive range of options and latest trends from around the world. Also the prices offered will be the best the customers can get. Joyalukkas Group has paid special attention to the pricing

because the brand globally stands for value and trust and they intend to ensure shoppers in Kuwait enjoy the same benefit.

“We exist thanks to our customers and we have seen requests from many of our customers in Kuwait to start our Fashion and Exchange services here. This is the reason we thought it was the right time for us to create an all-in-one experience in this convenient and landmark location. Our customers here can expect the best in terms of choice, service and price with the Joyalukkas assurance and I hope they take the best advantage of it,” said John Paul Joy Alukkas, Executive Director, Joyalukkas Group.

Both the Jolly Silks and Joyalukkas Jewellery brand ambassadors are looking forward to visiting Kuwait and interacting with residents of Kuwait. In a joint statement about their imminent trip to Kuwait, Vidya Balan and Suresh Gopi said, “We are excited and looking forward to be in Kuwait on October 8 for the opening of the mega Joyalukkas initiative. We hope we get the opportunity to see all of you at the opening.”

Antony Jos, Director, Joyalukkas Exchange said “Joyalukkas Exchange stands for trust, best rates, speed and other innovative services and we look forward to serving customers in Kuwait and to winning their hearts.

38

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

LIFESTYLE

Paris F a s h i o n

A

s the world goes digital so too does fashion. Paris’ ready-to-wear shows on Sunday saw top houses open up their normally exclusive catwalk collections to Twitter followers. Arriving at its spring-summer 2014 show’s warehouse venue, Givenchy’s guests did not quite know what to make of the unexplained spectacle: A huge recreated car crash with six smashed up black Mercedes Benz and BMW’s piled on top of each other. One fashion editor said the clothes might spell out the car crash symbolism.

But they didn’t: Though Riccardo Tisci was certainly inventive in merging Masai-shaped draping with Asian warrior garb, there wasn’t car metaphor in sight. It was Givenchy’s Twitter account that explained: “Car crash between Africa and Japan for the SS14 show.”

It was a rare and cheeky ploy to get fashion insiders using Twitter to help understand the collection’s inspiration. In Chloe’s show, though the loose clothes were easy and relaxed, camera production teams raced around with heavy apparatus, at moments distracting attention from the show, all to perfect a much-publicized live stream of the collection on Twitter and the internet. It’s a laudably democratic move for an industry often accused of elitism.

But one day will fashion editors even need to attend the shows?

Givenchy

ca tw al ks mirror the world, go digital

GIVENCHY

Structured paneling, draping and silhouettes that hung from the neck defined Ticsi’s complex show for Givenchy. The 50-look-strong display married Japanese Samurai elements in black squares - as well as multitudinous layers and large Asiatic sleeves - with ethic African looks. They featured rope-like architectural details hanging in circles around the torso. The models’ faces were often fully adorned with sparkling face-paints in bright colors in a twist on a tribal style - and, indeed, the African elements of this collection were the most successful. One model whose face was painted purple with bright red exaggerated lips sported a constructed vermilion dress with circular, triangular and diagonal straps and ropes hanging from the back of the neck. They opened up to a wide corset-like cummerbund and a symmetrically balanced draped skirt. It cut a striking figure. Tisci did not just continue with ideas introduced in his spring’s Givenchy menswear show - unlike in other seasons - here in the womenswear he moved his ideas on to another creative level.

CHLOE

“Airy opulence” was one of the descriptions designer Clare Waight Keller used to sum up her comfortable ready-to-wear collection for Chloe. Certainly, an airy, loose, unfitted softness pervaded the collection, which travelled gently from muted earth colors into minimal tailoring silk whites and then blues.

Comfort and ease are almost bywords for Chloe, the age-old house who afterall invented “pret-a-porter” in the first place - clothes that were designed ready to be worn straight off the catwalk and into real life.

Earth brown is making a comeback in the Paris collections, here, seen on a finely ribbed silk that produced an enviable fluidity on dress fronts. Blue patchworked jacquard looked beautiful, but slightly too warm to capture that “high summer feeling” as described in the program notes.

KENZO

Kenzo was all about making waves in a collection that was inspired by the open ocean. Myriad rippled prints resembling frothing currents appeared first on truncated bodices then down tight and voluminous silhouettes. Hems on oversized tops and short shirts then caught the surf with dramatic wavy cuts.

It was the life aquatic. Fatigued guests who had traveled far out of Paris got some relief at the early Sunday morning show on realizing there was some good old-fashioned fun to be had. One section embraced printed patterned ultra-marine blue - the hue of the great open waters as well as a bold mid blue and red, reminiscent of underwater sea life. The prints worked well on some of the dresses, like a blue purple and white tight mid-thigh dress that was accessorized with a floppy blue beach hat. But elsewhere the prints seemed to lose their definition. The “it” designers have had a series of critically successful color-rich seasons, and those are a hard act to follow.

CHLOE

CELINE

KENZO

It was in strong, abstract strokes of color that Celine’s Phoebe Philo expressed her spring-summer vibe. The inspiration was a collection of photographs taken by famed photographer Brassai that captured surreal wall graffiti. Defined by the primary red, blue and black of graffiti prints, many of the looks of the strong show had a distinctly 1980s feel. But elsewhere, the oversized proportions in sleeves and surreal accessories, such a squared-circle necklace and must-have stilettos with a giant ball bearing, made sure that Philo kept her avant-garde edge. Philo is a sensitive designer. Pleats - a design feature seen on high rotation this Paris season - were used excessively skirts giving a textural contrast to the spread out torso and flat graffiti prints. It balanced silhouettes, giving them a gentle tension.—AP

39

LIFESTYLE

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

F a s h i o n

McCartney’s

designs reflect sensual hints of skin

F

or Stella McCartney, nothing draws in the eye like a hint of skin.

The designer’s subtle spring-summer 2014 catwalk collection yesterday in Paris was sensual step-by-step guide on how to get naked with your clothes still on.

To a soundtrack featuring the words “Let’s get naked,” McCartney sent out fluid satin and organza oval silhouettes - one in brilliant white - slashed to reveal peek-holes through to the flesh. Diaphanous lace dresses in red, coffee and black mixed thick fabric and see-through sections that played on visual depths, seeming to hover above the skin. “Understated seduction” was how the program characterized the airy mood.

Elsewhere, faux croc skin scales made of fabric were appliqued on a sheer material to reveal glimpses of the body, while a plunging V-shaped

Models present creations by Stella McCartney during the 2014 Spring/Summer readyto-wear collection fashion show, yesterday in Paris. –AP/AFP photos

neckline added a provocative touch.

For animal rights activist McCartney, this faux-croc touch was a creative way to get around using real skin. As ever for the designer, fur was nowhere to be seen. “It’s interesting right now to come back to the body. When you saw the flesh it was in a subtle way.

So it was understated in a sense, sensual,” McCartney said after the show at Paris’ gilded Opera Garnier.

“It was about capturing the coolness that you can achieve in lace but still keeping the fragility and the femininity,” she added. McCartney, whose shows often have a sporty vibe, kept this cool element with zippers, athletic sports tops and futuristic John Lennon-style round shades. Those looks were cheered on from the front row by the late Lennon’s songwriting pal (and the designer’s dad): former Beatle Paul McCartney.—AP

Celine

Japan’s luxury fruit masters grow money on trees

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013

37

An Iranian woman visits Iran’s international hand-woven carpet exhibition.

Iranians look at rug tableaux displayed.

An Iranian hand-woven carpet, depicting portraits of the famous world leaders and characters, archaeological sites and statues is on display at Iran’s International hand-woven carpet exhibition in Tehran yesterday. Iran exports carpets to at least 70 countries around the world. Experts attribute the increasingly lucrative market for Persian carpets worldwide to its quality, color and design.—AFP photos

Nige r i a ’ s

500-year-old ‘dye pits’ survive despite threats

T

he technique used by a group of northern Nigerian craftsman to dye cotton sheets indigo has survived for more than 500 years, but the risks of extinction have never been higher. At the dye pits in Kano, Nigeria’s second city, a solution made up of natural indigo, ash and potash is brewed for at least a month in a shaft shaped like a well dug six-feet deep. The 125 “Kofar Mata” pits were constructed in a walled compound in central Kano in 1498 and assigned to individual families whose descendants are said to still control the trade. “Clinging to our local technique has been the secret to our survival,” said 38-year-old Yusuf Sa’id. “Sometimes it pays to be conservative.” A commitment to a centuries-old practice may have helped dye pit operators withstand developments that have devastated Kano’s textile industry.

Despite being Africa’s top oil producer, Nigeria has failed to provide a reliable flow of electricity to its people, forcing industries to spend heavily on generators.

The high cost of operating a business, combined with the influx of cheap foreign fabrics, especially from China, have forced the closure of all of Kano’s 20 textile factories over the last two decades, said Ali Madugu, deputy head of Nigeria’s main manufacturers union. Manufacturing in general has all but collapsed across the city of some five million people. The dye pits are however cheap to run, requiring no electricity, and still have loyal customers seeking the unique product.

Sales hit as tourism hit by security fears But customers have diminished significantly over the last two years, especially Western tourists. The violent Islamist group Boko Haram has repeatedly attacked Kano with bombings and gun raids, including a massive assault in January 2012 that killed at least 185 people. “Tourists used to come in large numbers, on a daily basis, but they have been scared away by insecurity,” said Sa’id. “Business has been quite low in the last two years.”

Many foreign governments have issued travel warnings against visiting northern Nigeria amid the Boko Haram insurgency.

While Nigeria has never been a leading tourism destination, Kano, an ancient city rich in Islamic history, did previously receive more visitors, including expatriates based in Lagos or the capital Abuja.

Asian textile imports a threat Domestic demand for textiles however remains strong. Kano’s massive and hectic textile market attracts buyers from across Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with some 170 million people, and from the wider Sahel region, but virtually all of the merchandise comes from Asia, said Liti Kukul of the textile traders association. Nigeria has at various points over the last decade sought to ban, and more recently heavily tax, the import of foreign textiles but the measures have had little impact. The dye pit operators are now considered the city’s last indigenous textile producers but even their output has declined.

Not all of the 125 pits are still operational: it costs $300 (220 euros) to prepare the dyeing solution, an unrealistic overhead cost for some of the families which own pits, even if the solution lasts for one year. But Ismail Lawan, 40, was hard at work on a recent morning, perched on a low stool, dipping a hand-made cotton sheet into a six-foot well, his rubber gloves stained a dark purple. The dying process involves dipping the fabric in the solution for a minute, then pulling it out and exposing it to the air for another minute or two.

“You repeat this cycle until you get the desired color,” said Sa’id, explaining that roughly an hour of treatment produces a lighter indigo, but that the cycle can be repeated for up to three hours to produce the darker shades. Before the dyeing is done, the designers, who are typically women, decorate each cloth with one of ten patterns, including one specific for weddings called “Bride and Groom.”

Fabrics made at the dye pits typically sell for roughly $20.The compound that hosts the pits has inevitably decayed since 1498 and the Kano state government spent $95,000 earlier this year to refurbish the site. But, according to Sa’id, over five centuries the inner walls of the pits “have never peeled off”.

Some may doubt that claim and witnesses present for the original construction are long gone, but Sa’id insisted that the “local materials” used to line the inner walls of the pits have stayed impervious. Foreigners who have tried to replicate the craft have consistently failed, he added. But as for what local materials have kept the pits intact, Sa’id said “that has remained our closely guarded secret.”—AFP

A dyer holds out a hand-made cloth in his gloves-covered hands after dipping it in an indigo dye pit.

Two dyers hold out a finished indigo dyed cloth displaying ‘Bride and Groom’ design in their home near the 500 years old Kofar Mata dye pits in the northern Nigerian city of Kano .—AFP photos

A dyer stirs dye solution in a six-foot indigo dye pit.