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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

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of Amir upheld by court

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7Law penalizing 8 28criticism 20 Court: Article does not contradict freedom of expression

By Izzak

Amazon sees delivery drones as the future

KUWAIT: The constitutional court said yesterday that an article in the penal code which jails people who publicly criticize the Amir for up to five years is “in line with the constitution” and is necessary to protect the person of the head of the state. The court, whose rulings are final, rejected a number of challenges filed against article 25 of the penal code which considers criticizing the Amir in public, undermining his status and authorities or offending him as a “crime”.

The article was used by Kuwaiti courts to send dozens of people, especially opposition former MPs, activists and

KAC to buy 25 Airbus planes, lease 12 more

This undated handout photo released by Amazon shows a flying ‘octocopter’ mini-drone that would be used to fly small packages to consumers. — AFP NEW YORK: Amazon.com is working on a way to get customers their goods in 30 minutes or less - by drone. The world’s largest e-commerce company said it’s working on the so-called Prime Air unmanned aircraft project in its research and development labs.

But Amazon says it will take years to advance the technology and for the Federal Aviation Administration to create the necessary rules and regulations. The project was first reported Sunday by CBS’ “60 Minutes” TV newsmagazine.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in a primetime interview that while the octocopters look like something out of science fiction, there’s no reason they can’t be used as delivery vehicles. Bezos said the drones can carry packages that weigh up to five pounds (2.3 kg), which covers about 86 percent of the items Amazon delivers. The current generation of drones the company is testing has a range of about 16 km, which Bezos noted could cover a significant portion of the population in urban areas. While it’s tough to say exactly how long it could take the project to get off the ground, Bezos told “60 Minutes” that he thinks it could happen in four or five years.

One of the biggest promises for civilian drone use has been in agriculture. The unmanned aircraft can fly over large fields and search out bugs, rodents and other animals that might harm crops. Then, thanks to

GPS, another drone could come back and spread pesticide on that small quadrant of the field. Agriculture is also seen as the most-promising use because of the industry’s largely unpopulated, wide open spaces.

Delivering Amazon packages in midtown Manhattan will be much trickier.

Besides regulatory approval, Amazon’s biggest challenge will be to develop a collision avoidance system, said Darryl Jenkins, a consultant who has given up on the commercial airline industry and now focuses on drones. Who is to blame, Jenkins asked, if the drone hits a bird, crashes into a building? Who is going to insure the deliveries? There are also technical questions. Who will recharge the drone batteries?

How many deliveries can the machines make before needing service? “Jeff Bezos might be the single person in the universe who could make something like this happen,” Jenkins said. “For what it worth, this is a guy who’s totally changed retailing.”

The biggest losers could be package delivery services like the US Postal Service, FedEx and UPS. FedEx spokesman Jess Bunn said in an email: “While we can’t speculate about this particular technology, I can say that making every customer experience outstanding is our priority, and anything we do from a technology standpoint will be with that in mind.” — AP (See Page 27)

Saudis push tougher new foreign policy RIYADH: Saudi Arabia seems to have few viable options for pursuing a more independent and forthright foreign policy, despite its deep unease about the West’s tentative rapprochement with Iran. Upset with the United States, senior Saudis have hinted at a range of possibilities, from building strategic relations with other world powers to pushing a tougher line against Iranian allies in the Arab world and, if world powers fail to foil Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, even seeking its own atomic bomb. But alternative powers are hard even to contemplate for a nation that has been a staunch US ally for decades.

Russia is on the opposite side to Riyadh over the Syrian war and China’s military clout remains modest compared with the United States’.

Robert Jordan, US ambassador to Riyadh from 2001-03, said there would be limits to any Saudi alliances with other powers. “There is no country in the world more capable of providing the protection of their oil fields, and their economy, than the US, and the Saudis are aware of that. We’re not going to see them jump out of that orbit,” he told Reuters. While Jordan was a senior diplomat in the administration of President George W Bush, some Saudi analysts also say the king-

dom is well aware of what major foreign policy shifts would involve - particularly any pursuit of nuclear weapons.

This could end up casting Saudi Arabia as the international villain, rather than its regional arch-rival Iran, and Riyadh has no appetite for the kind of isolation that has forced Tehran to the negotiating table. “Saudi Arabia doesn’t need to become a second Iran,” said a Saudi analyst close to official thinking. “It would be a total reversal of our traditional behaviour, of being a reliable member of the international community that promotes strategic stability and stabilises oil markets.”

Diplomatic sources and analysts in the Gulf say the kingdom, while unsettled, will not risk a breach in relations with its main non-Arab ally and will explore, however warily, a purely diplomatic response to the Iranian opening.

Top Saudis are nevertheless furious with Washington. Senior US officials held secret bilateral talks with Iranian counterparts for months to prepare for last month’s interim nuclear agreement between six world powers and Tehran, raising Gulf Arab rulers’ fears that Washington is willing to go behind their backs to do a deal with Iran.

Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: Kuwait Airways has signed a contract with Airbus to buy 25 new aircraft and lease 12 other new planes in the biggest overhaul of its fleet since the 1990 Iraqi invasion, the state-owned carrier said yesterday. “The company will start to receive the new planes from the second quarter of 2014,” the airline said in a statement. The airline did not disclose the value of the agreement or give details about the type of aircraft, but said that it would give a news conference today.

In May Kuwait Airways said it had signed an initial agreement with Airbus to buy 25 new aircraft and had taken an option on 10 more, saying the order would be for 15 A320neo narrow-body jets and 10 of Airbus’s new A350-900 XWB. The airline wants to take out of service 11 jets from its 17-strong fleet, the planes of which have an average age of 18 years. The Kuwait Airways order comes a year after the state won a $500 million settlement from Iraqi Airways to end a two-decade dispute over damage caused when former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s forces seized aircraft and parts. — Reuters

Max 23º Min 12º High Tide 12:44 & 23:22 Low Tide 06:12 & 18:01

tweeters to jail for allegedly offending the Amir. The challenges against the article were filed several months ago by lawyers defending some of the activists on trial, claiming that their clients should not be tried for expressing their views in public. The lawyers claimed that article 25 breaches the constitution because it violates freedom of speech fully guaranteed under the constitution. The challenges demanded that the article be scrapped from the penal code.

The court however said article 25 is in line with the constitution and does not restrict freedom of speech while at the same time it provides the necessary protection for the head of the state. The written verdict said that the Kuwaiti constitution considers the Amir the head of the state and his person is “immune and inviolable” and safeguarding his person is essential. The court said that it is not acceptable that the person with the highest position on the country should be subjected to the same criteria like other individuals.

The verdict insisted that protecting the person of the Amir serves the country’s unity, internal security and the regime as a whole, adding that the Amir should be treated with extreme respect. It pointed out that the article’s application does not contradict with the freedom of opinion or expression simply because it penalizes those who criticize the Amir publicly and does not punish those who do not express their rights in public.

International rights watchdog Human Rights Watch called on Kuwait in April to scrap the article from the penal code and to stop prosecuting people for expressing opinions. New York-based HRW said criminal prosecution for peaceful criticism of public officials violates international human rights standards. Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Kuwait ratified in 1996, protects the right to freedom of expression, it said.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee, the treaty-monitoring body that provides the definitive interpretation of the ICCPR, has stated that, “All public figures, including those exercising the highest political authority such as heads of state and government, are legitimately subject to criticism and political opposition,” and that there is consequently a need for “uninhibited expression” in public debate concerning public figures, HRW added.

Iran reaches out to Saudi DOHA: Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif appealed yesterday to Saudi Arabia to work with Tehran toward achieving regional “stability”, as he pressed a tour seeking rapprochement with Gulf Arab states. Zarif arrived in Doha after visits to Kuwait and Oman for meetings aimed at assuring top officials that a deal Iran secured with world powers on its disputed nuclear program is in their interest. During his stopover in the

Omani capital Muscat, Zarif called on Saudi Arabia to jointly work with Iran to resolve regional issues. “I believe that our relations with Saudi Arabia should expand as we consider Saudi Arabia as an extremely important country in the region and the Islamic world,” Zarif told AFP yesterday. “We believe that Iran and Saudi Arabia should work together in order to promote peace and stability in the region.”

Continued on Page 13

Mohammed Javad Zarif

Gulf rallies Egypt investment DUBAI/DOHA: With one notable exception, wealthy Gulf Arab states are encouraging investment in Egypt to help shore up its armybacked government: the absentee is Qatar, rattled by the collapse of Islamist power in the biggest Arab country. The contrast between Qatar’s reluctance and the enthusiasm shown by fellow Gulf financial powers illustrates the way politics can shape investment between the Gulf and the poorer, more populous countries of the Levant and north Africa. The United Arab Emirates, in particular, is rallying its companies to launch or resume projects in Egypt, an Arab political heavyweight that has long received both Gulf Arab state aid and flows of private investment.

An Egypt investment forum for Gulf Arab financiers in Cairo on December 4 and 5 will shed new light on the readiness of the hereditary monarchies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to prop up a government they regard as a firm friend. GCC members - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Qatar - have historically sent aid and investment to less moneyed fellow Arabs, and in return have received diplomatic support, occasional military protection and jobs for their nationals as Gulf migrant workers.

The Arab Spring uprisings complicated that relationship: it brought to the fore the Muslim Brotherhood, long championed by Qatar as the answer to the Arab world’s socio-economic miseries but despised by other Gulf Arabs as religious radicals. The anti-Brotherhood UAE, home to around 380,000 Egyptian expatriates and a major Arab investor in Egypt, withheld billions

of dollars in aid after the 2011 overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak, a close ally of most Gulf Arab states.

Now that Mubarak’s successors have themselves been deposed, it is the turn of QatarEgyptian business ties to undergo a period of disruption, and for other investors to step in.

One senior Dubai-based banker, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to sensitivity of the

matter, suggested the twists and turns of regional politics had been a challenge. “In the Middle East, politics plays a major role in business, unlike most other regions and QatarEgypt relations are a perfect example of that,” he told Reuters. “At the time of Morsi’s rule, we were pitching several investment options to the Qataris in Egypt and they were receptive.

Continued on Page 13

ALEXANDRIA: Egyptian riot police detain a protester as they disperse a demonstration yesterday. — AP

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

LOCAL

MP proposes Industrial Shuwaikh evacuation Efforts to resolve housing crisis

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: Visiting Hungarian President Jonas Ader and his accompanying delegation visited the American Cultural Center of Dar Al-Athar AlIslamiyah in the city of Qibla yesterday. He was accompanied by head of the Mission of Honor, Adviser at the Amiri Diwan Dr Yousef Hamad AlIbrahim.

Kuwait, Hungary sign cooperation pacts KUWAIT: Kuwait and Hungary signed several cooperation agreements at Bayan Palace yesterday in the presence of the Representative of His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, visiting Hungarian President Jonas Ader and Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

The agreements were related to visa exemp-

tion and a memorandum of understanding between Saud Al-Nasser Al-Sabah Kuwaiti Diplomatic Institute and the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, signed by Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khaled AlJarallah and the Hungarian foreign minister.

Other pacts were signed on higher education, scientific research and public works, signed

by Undersecretary of Higher Education Ministry

KUWAIT: MP Saadoun Al-Otaibi announced that he still has plans to propose a bill that stipulates the removal of industrial entities in Shuwaikh Industrial Area, and hand the vacated lands to the Public Authority for Housing Welfare to contribute in efforts to resolve the housing crisis. The lawmaker’s proposal further stipulates that businesses located in the crowded area are relocated to “border areas”.

Al-Otaibi made his statements yesterday following a meeting of the parliament’s petitions committee with representatives from the Kuwait Municipality, the Industrial Public Authority and other state departments to discuss the issue with owners of industrial properties in the Abdullah Port area. Furthermore, Otaibi said that committee member MP Khalil Abdullah threatened to file a grilling motion against Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Al-Salah “if the issue is not resolved within a month”.

On Sunday, the housing affairs committee launched discussions to put together “a vision to resolve the housing crisis before the mattter is discussed during Dec 12 session”, according to rapporteur MP Faisal Al-Kandari. This was reported yesterday by Al-Qabas daily which also indicated that the legislative and legal affairs committee approved a proposal

to establish “shareholding companies to run sports clubs” to privatize clubs in Kuwait.

Meanwhile, president of the budgets committee MP Adnan Abdulsamad mentioned “conflict in the Kuwait Airways privatization law”, explaining that Minister of Communication Essa Al-Kandari appoints the company’s board member whereas the Kuwait Investment Authority which functions under the umbrella of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry supervises the company’s general assembly.

“The government told us that the issue was going to be resolved, but nothing happened,” Abdulsamad said in a statement yesterday. In other news, Al-Rai daily reported that MP Yaqoub Al-Sane announced presenting a request to form a probe committee “to investigate details of Kuwait Airways’ deal to purchase five aircrafts from Jet Airways”, a deal that was ultimately called off during the negotiation period by Minister of Communication Kandari’s intervention. Separately, Al-Jarida daily quoted a ‘parliament source’ who indicated that the parliament has approved a Cabinet request to cancel sessions set for Dec 10 and 11, during which Kuwait will be hosting the Gulf Cooperation Council summit. The December 12 session which is dedicated to discuss the housing issue in Kuwait will not be canceled, said the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Rashid Al-Niwaihidh, Undersecretary of Public Works Ministry Abdualaziz Al-Kelaib and the Hungarian ambassador in Kuwait.

Earlier, Janos Ader received at his residence at Bayan Palace, the National Assembly’s Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem.

The head of state also received the Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. — KUNA

NA panel approves formation of public media authority KUWAIT: Parliamentary Education, Culture, and Parliament Guidance committee approved yesterday a number of proposals, most notably establishing a public media authority, and regulations over journalists and election campaigns.

The committee members also discussed the

education sector and agreed to invite a number of representatives of educational institutes to evaluate the education system and listen to various point of views on this regard, Chairman of the committee MP Humoud Al-Hamdan told reporters.

Al-Hamdan added that the government has withdrawn draft laws listed on the committee’s agenda, namely related to Print and publication, and audio and video services. The MP noted the government would submit the bills to the committee following amendments. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Dr Nayif Al-Mutawa addressing the meeting.

‘How to make stress your friend’

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Kuwait American Women’s League (AWL) held an event on dealing with stress, especially for cancer patients, cancer survivors and their family members yesterday at the Kuwait Regency Hotel. It was attended by AWL’s members including Honorary President and Patron DeNeece Tueller and cancer survivors.

DeNeece Tueller herself suffered from cancer for a year and a half, which was a hard time for her. “I decided to get involved in this issue to support cancer patients as I experienced this myself. So I volunteered in hospitals and talked to patients to give them emotional support. And through the AWL, we organize events to support these patients and are moderating a support group.

With emotional support, people have a bigger chance to survive cancer,” she told Kuwait Times.

Dr Nayef Al-Mutawa, Clinical Psychologist at Al Soor Center, addressed a presentation on dealing and working with stress and changing it into positive power. He played a 15 minutes video titled “How to make stress your friend” of a psychologist talking about changing stress into positive energy. It is based on various people who experienced stress and showed the number of people who died as a result of believing that stress is harmful for their health.

According to the video presentation, people who experienced great amount of stress had the lowest risk of death compared to people with

relatively little stress for those if they didn’t believe that stress was harmful for their health.

“By changing your mind about stress, you can change your body’s reaction to stress. Stress changes breathing and blood pressure and when you deal with stress, your body believes you and becomes healthier. Oxytocin is a stress hormone that enhances empathy and it makes you more willing to help other people, and you can support each other,” explained the psychologist.

The attendees also spoke about their experiences with cancer or their family members who suffered from this disease. Some also noted that patients lived much longer than what the doctor told them. They also admitted that helping others makes a person stronger and gives him satisfaction that affects his life positively and makes him happier. The American Women’s League is an organization that has a rich history of over 50 years of existence in Kuwait. It is an all-woman organization comprised of women from the United States and a 25 percent associate membership comprised of non-American women.

“AWL is a non-political, non-profit organization which provides friendship and support among American and non-American women living in Kuwait. Regular meetings, special events and activities are held throughout the year. Members meet to make friends, share ideas, interests, participate in social, cultural activities and customs of their host country.”

NBK launches environmental initiatives KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) launches a range of environmental initiatives annually aiming at protecting and saving the environment as an important aspect of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program.

NBK’s environmental campaigns encourages the Kuwaiti community to adopt sustainable practices for protecting and conserving energy through a range of initiatives including beach and desert clean up campaigns, electricity conservation programs, paper recycling initiatives as well as many others.

“NBK is proud to be the first environment-friendly bank in Kuwait through its pioneering CSR initiatives aimed at protecting and preserving the environment”, said Abdulmohsen Al-Rushaid, NBK public relations manager.

“NBK’s environmental campaigns program comes as part of a comprehensive agenda aiming at protecting the environment and focusing on raising awareness on some of its serious threats”, added AlRushaid.

NBK is an environment-friendly bank and has launched a range of initiatives in its continuous efforts to build awareness on the growing environment challenges being faced by Kuwait. The beach cleanup campaign aims at helping keep Kuwait

Abdulmohsen Al-Rushaid beach clean during the summer season.

The desert cleanup campaign aims at encouraging desert campers to preserve the natural environment and to clean up after they leave the site.

In addition, NBK supports a variety of activities and initiatives to encourage greater awareness of energy conservation including water and electricity conservation awareness campaigns and paper recycling at NBK head office and branches.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

LOCAL

Kuwait marks Day of Persons with Disabilities KUWAIT: Kuwait is to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities tomorrow, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981, to ensure delivering a complete understanding of the full equality and participation of persons with disabilities in society.

“Break Barriers, Open Doors: for an inclusive society and development for all” is this year’s theme. The theme sheds light on the physical, social, economic and attitude barriers that face persons with disabilities and lead them to be excluded from participating fully and effectively as equal members of the society.

In two separate interviews, Kuwaiti academicians agreed on the importance of early detection of any symptoms of disabilities in order to find means to either prevent their progression or lessen their severity.

Secretary General of the Kuwait Society for the Handicapped Munira Al-Mutawa said that full rights of all persons with disabilities should be ensured and all societal barriers should be broken to provide a better integration with members of the society.She added that the disabled people should be

given priority and easy access to all public facilities. They should also be rehabilitated, integrated with the general workforce and public education institutes.

The Health Ministry should provide the necessary health care services to them and should also conduct early detection procedures for any symptoms of disabilities on newly born children. In a similar statement, Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at Kuwait University Dr Khalid Al-Khurainj emphasized that all members of the society should avoid calling people with disabilities as “handicapped” or “disabled” urging to adopt the proper terminology of “persons with disabilities” or “disabled people.” He also advised the public to have a positive view on this sector of the society and how much they could offer as effective members of their communities.

Al-Khurainj shared similar views of AlMutawa by stressing the importance of giving persons with disabilities their full and equal rights as well as full encouragement to integrate with their society provided that they are given the means to do so easily and effectively. — KUNA

Philippines Embassy thanks KRCS for hurricane efforts KUWAIT: The Philippines Embassy expressed gratitude for Kuwait and its Red Crescent Society’s humanitarian efforts provided during the recent deadly hurricane that hit the Southeast Asian country.

After meeting the Chairman of the Kuwait Red Crescent Barjas Al-Barjas the Acting Charge d’Affaires at the Philippines Embassy praised the Kuwaiti humanitarian body for standing by his country.

He also thanked Kuwait for being one of

the first countries to have answered his country’s distress calls after donating $10 million to the cause.

The two sides discussed how to transport aid relief to those still in need via the assistance of the Philippines Red Cross and other humanitarian organisations.

For his part, Al-Barjas said that the Kuwait Red Crescent was carrying its duty, and that it would stop at nothing to ease and limit human suffering. —- KUNA

University official reiterates rejection of harassment claims KUWAIT: Kuwait University Faculty Association president Dr Mohammad AlKhedhr urged whoever has evidence for cases of sexual harassment in campus to report the case to the Public Prosecution. His statements came in response to a newspaper’s survey in which a majority of students surveyed said that harassment is present.

“The KUFA did not make a hasty statement when we condemned Dr Haifa AlKandari’s remarks about sexual harassment and homosexuality”, Dr Al-Khedhr told AlRai about the sociology instructor’s statements in which she said that the two issues were present in the KU. “Teaching staff’s dignity is a red line that we cannot tolerate

crossing in any shape or form”.

According to Dr Al-Khedhr, Dr AlKandari’s statements were “offensive” and “are rejected whether it came from inside or outside the KU”. “The issue is currently under investigation by a probe committee formed specifically for this goal”, he said.

“Meanwhile, anyone who has proof on that regard can file a case with the Public Prosecution, but talking negatively about teaching staff members is unacceptable”.

Dr Al-Khedhr also believes that the presence of homosexual students “is not a phenomenon in the KU”. “Even if it was, the KU community is part of the Kuwaiti society”, he said.

KUWAIT: Philippine Embassy officials attending flag-hoisting ceremony to commemorate 150th birthday of their country’s hero Andres Bonifacio.

Philippines, Kuwait to improve education ties Efforts to rescue distressed Filipinas

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: The Philippines education department and the Ministry of Education in Kuwait is scheduled to meet next week to end the ban on Kuwaiti students taking academic courses, diplomas and degrees from the Philippines and some other countries. The controversial decision in 2009 to ban Kuwaitis to study or take academic courses in some countries including the Philippines by Kuwait’s Ministry of Education under former minister Nouriah Al-Subaih was due to fake diplomas allegedly acquired by some Kuwaiti students by paying large amounts.

Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Lamberto Monsanto said the education issue is one of his priorities as he assumed the ambassadorship of the Philippines in Kuwait recently. “We have a meeting set this week or early next week with the Ministry of Education here along with our representatives from the Department of Education and us (Embassy) to discuss issues of concern, especially regarding the issue of education,” the envoy noted.

“We are in particular meeting the education ministry to advise them on the education reforms we’ve done in the Philippines. For the past years, K-12 has been implemented by Philippines schools and it is being implemented now in Philippine schools abroad including Kuwait. This reform has been in place but the ministry of education here is yet unaware of the changes. So we hope to meet them and end some issues related to this; plus, we will be dis-

Kuwaiti artists display works at Bayt Lothan KUWAIT: A group of creative Kuwaiti artists opened yesterday a gallery at Bayt Lothan where they displayed 33 eyecatching portraits made of paper scraps.

“I was inspired by paper itself, one of the basic materials in our daily life that conveys many messages and has a credit for human progress and development, but now embodies the aggression on the environment specially trees of which it is produced,” the gallery organizer Shahad Al-Besharah said.

She added that the gallery features 33 compelling portraits of different sizes made by five young Kuwaiti artists.

“The artists have used different kinds of paper scarps,

including newspapers clippings, to create their beautiful portraits which tell different stories and focus on various topics,” Al-Besharah said.

She pointed out that such galleries aimed at shedding lights on creativity of artists, particularly the young ones, and help artists hasten their talent through direct interaction and experience-sharing among each other.

Artist Mohammad Al-Kouh, who re-used old newspapers to create his portrait, said the gallery is meant to show how paper scraps can be re-used to make art works. He believes that the event would be of enormous benefit for all participants. — KUNA

Gulf Bank platinum sponsor of NUKS-USA conference KUWAIT: Gulf Bank concluded its platinum sponsorship and participation of the National Union of Kuwaiti Students in the United States (NUKS-USA) students’ conference, that was held from Nov 28 to 30 in San Diego, California. The NUKS-USA conference, entitled ‘Let Us Make a Decision...To Correct Our Path’, was held under the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah and was the 30th US based Kuwaiti students’ conference.

Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s Ambassador to the United States, opened the conference and Salma Al-Hajjaj, General Manager - Human Resources at Gulf Bank gave a speech on behalf of Gulf Bank highlighting the importance of ‘Being the Change’ and making a difference. Gulf Bank also took part in the Economic Forum on the 28 November, where Tarek Al-Saleh, Unit Head Investment Banking at Gulf Bank represented the Bank during the Forum that touched on several critical topics regarding the Kuwaiti economy.

In addition, Gulf Bank was present at the Career Fair which also took place on the first day, where the Bank’s representatives were available to provide students with information about the Bank, and dis-

Salma Al-Hajjaj, General Manager of Human Resources - Gulf Bank speaking during the opening. cussed future employment opportunities with NUKS USA students.

On the second day of the conference Gulf Bank organized a special Al-Danah event for the students who attended a lunch hosted by Gulf Bank. This specially designed Al-Danah event included Al Danah account giveaways through a special draw. Throughout the conference Gulf Bank gave out KD 10,000 worth of Al

Danah prizes through a variety of engaging activities.

On the closing day Gulf Bank was a platinum sponsor of a trip to the San Diego Zoo for the NUKS students, which is one of the most renowned zoo facilities in the world.

In addition the Bank recognized the top 15 Kuwaiti graduates studying in the United States who were present at the conference and presented them with a token gift for their outstanding efforts. Students were also entertained by renowned singer Abdullah Al Rowaished.

The NUKS-USA Student’s conference is considered one of the largest gatherings of Kuwaitis outside of Kuwait with in excess of 3000 students attending this event. Gulf Bank’s participation is part of its responsibility as a Kuwaiti company to help provide bright and enthusiastic young Kuwaitis who are looking for jobs, with suitable career development opportunities when they return from studying abroad. Gulf Bank is committed to supporting education based initiatives and encouraging youth to succeed and realize their ambitions. The Bank’s dedication to promoting a more prosperous Kuwait arises from its own commitment of being a responsible financial institution dedicated to developing youth and supporting the community.

cussing some university and colleges and professional accreditation issues too,” he added.

The envoy was at the ‘Kapihan sa Pasuguan’, a talk show organized in the premises of the embassy hosted by Philippine Consul General Raul Dado, Economic Attache Remy Alcazar and Cultural Attache Maria Althea Nabo. Their guests included four prominent Filipino media representatives - Pastor Gil Bantugan, CPA (Advocate of Everyone Can Save), Ben Garcia (Kuwait Times Reporter-Panorama Editor) and Michelle Santiago (ABS-CBN-Middle East Bureau Chief ) in addition to Al-Watan reporter and Morning Talk show host Ricky Laxa.

‘Kapihan sa Pasuguan’ was organized in conjunction with the celebration of 150th birthday of their county’s hero Andres Bonifacio who was highly regarded and compared to national hero Dr Jose Rizal. The talk show tackles issues of their long-standing relationship with Kuwait in the areas of political, economic, labor and education sectors. The talk show also discussed current issues back in the Philippines including their efforts to solicit funds for the victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan that killed 5,632 people according to the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The embassy also reiterated its continuing effort to rescue distressed Filipinas from the hands of abusive employers and their continuing cooperation for the benefit of Filipinos here.

“Rest assured that everything including issues of Filipinos here, their welfare and their rights, will be protected. We’ll continue to cooperate with

Ambassador Lamberto Monsanto local authorities here to be able to serve the community fairly so that our relationship with the host government will be strengthened,” assured Dado. The meeting was also attended by a representative from Manila’s Department of Foreign Affairs Dyan Kristine Miranda Pastrana including Philippine Labor Attache to Kuwait Atty Cesar Chavez and Welfare Officer Norlita Lugto.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

LOCAL

Local Spotlight

In my view

Religious dialogue

Iran nuke deal to strengthen ties

By Labeed Abdal

By Muna Al-Fuzai

local@kuwaittimes.net

Political party

A

report published by Al-Qabas daily last week quoted Pope Francis who criticized one-sided ideology that rejects religious diversity, and defended believers’ right to express their beliefs. He also rejected ‘artificial’ brotherhood between religions or shapes of harmony that do not exceed the formal level.

Pope Francis’ call for respecting true dialogue is an important source of reassurance for non-Christians in Europe and many other countries where Christianity is recognized as the state’s official religion and where Muslims and other minorities live. The Pope’s call during the Pontifical Council meeting for religious dialogue is a call to representatives of churches around the world to play an active role in achieving true brotherhood and harmony with other religions.

I believe that more meetings like this one are needed, including similar meetings in the Muslim world to discuss ways of boosting efforts to achieve dialogue between religions based on mutual respect, appreciation and peaceful approach. Moreover, meetings are also required between religious sectors to eliminate hate, suspicion and fighting that go against the principles of both Islam and Christianity.

As the Christmas holiday approaches, I believe that it provides an annual opportunity to establish dialogue between religions and lay down the foundations of cooperation and mercy that we learned from great prophets who came to serve humanity.

kuwait digest

Threat from Iraqi militia

By Waleed Al-Ghanim

T

he commander of the so-called ‘Chosen Army Militia’ in Iraq, Wathiq Al-Battat, claimed responsibility for an attack at a location inside Saudi Arabia last week. The same man openly made threats against Kuwait and the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, including blatant threats to ‘invade’ these countries with the help of allegedly one million militants.

Gulf states, and Kuwait in specific, can ill afford tolerating statements of a person who makes verbal - and recently military - attacks against their lands. In retaliation, the GCC states are required to take serious and

Gulf states, and Kuwait in specific, can ill afford tolerating statements of a person who makes verbal - and recently military - attacks against their lands. In retaliation, the GCC states are required to take serious and firm action against the threat while it remains in its infancy, and before its ill intentions and sectarian nonsense escalates. It was not long time ago when the same person threatened to harm Kuwait after reaching an agreement with Iraq to organize navigation in Khor Abdullah. firm action against the threat while it remains in its infancy, and before its ill intentions and sectarian nonsense escalates. It was not long time ago when the same person threatened to harm Kuwait after reaching an agreement with Iraq to organize navigation in Khor Abdullah.

It is illogical to see the Iraqi government fail to take serious legal action against a militant who continues to roam freely on its land and threaten its neighbors. Is it logical to see Battat appear on TV and even enter the Green Zone according to some Iraqi politicians who alluded to possible protection that this man enjoys and suspicious funding for his militia?

There have been some rational voices in Iraq against Battat from people who are concerned about peace and security of the region. Meanwhile, the Iraqi government claims that they already have an arrest warrant issued against him, but serious action to put him under arrest is still missing. These efforts lack a great level of seriousness that the outlaw felt safe enough to appear on TV, threaten Gulf states, and claim responsibility for shelling Saudi territories.

As Kuwait prepares to host the GCC Summit this month, Gulf leaders are asked to discuss a mechanism that helps Iraq get rid of terrorist organizations which seek to spread sectarianism and disrupt peace in the region following instructions that everyone knows exactly where they come from. The risk is very serious, and requires to be dealt with the same level of seriousness. — Al-Qabas

Promises

muna@kuwaittimes.net

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In my view

Islamophobia in Russia

By Abdelaziz Aluwaisheg

T

he election in Aug 2013 of Sergei Sobyaninas, an ultranationalist, as mayor of Moscow has given racism in Russia a prominent official face. Then last week, the mayor stunned the world by announcing that Moscow was banning the construction of new mosques.

The ban was one of the latest and clearest signs of the growing anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiments in Russia. The four existing mosques in Moscow are overcrowded, but Sobyanin declared that no new mosques would be built because “they are used by migrant workers”, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

A new mosque is currently under construction, but there won’t be any more, the mayor said. He told the Russian daily newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, “No new building permits will be issued. I think that’s enough mosques for Moscow.” There are an estimated two million Muslim residents in the city, but none of Moscow’s four existing mosques can hold more than 10,000 people.

Worshippers frequently have to use the streets or wait for hours to enter the existing mosques, especially on Fridays and religious occasions.

Russian Muslim activists say that Russian authorities have long tried to prevent construction of new mosques, but this is the first clear ban in recent memory. Although most pronounced in Moscow, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant racism is not confined to the capital city. According to the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, surveys show that xenophobia and other racist expressions are prevalent among 50 percent of Russians. Amnesty International has reported that racism in Russia was “out of control” and estimated the number of Russian neo-Nazis in the tens of thousands.

Non-Muslims also face racist attacks. According to a study conducted by a prominent Church group, 59 percent of Africans living in Russia reported being physically attacked since coming to Russia, many of them multiple times. A staggering percentage of them (75 percent) reported being verbally abused. Those attacks took place despite the fact that a majority of Africans have reportedly started avoiding crowded areas, including the metro.

However, the most numerous and virulent attacks appear to be directed at Muslims, especially those from the Caucasus. They are Russian citizens by virtue of the Russian rule of their lands, but that fact has not shielded them from attacks nor provided them with adequate police protection outside their regions. It was telling as Russia 1 television channel ran a program last October, when a prominent nationalist lawmaker called for imposing limits on the birth rate in the Muslim-dominated North Caucasus region of Russia, and restricting the movement of its people across the country. During the program, a live poll was conducted and he won the vote, with over 140,000 viewers voting for him.

Despite highly publicized hate crimes, authorities have not done enough to stem the tide of anti-Muslim attacks.

In one of the most gruesome attacks in St Petersburg, a group of skinheads stabbed a nine-year old Tajik girl, Khursheda Sultanova, to death. Another attack came to

light when the Nazi Party of Russia publicized a video depicting the decapitation of a Tajik and a Dagestani youth. Although these and other incidents have caused outrage outside Russia, attacks against Muslim Russians have continued unabated and have recently been are on the rise.

According to the SOVA Center, which monitors xenophobia and violent crimes against ethnic minorities in the country, 10 people were murdered and 24 seriously injured in race-based hate crimes from May to July 2013 alone. From August to October, the number of victims of such crimes rose from 34 to 53. The center attributes that rise directly to the openly xenophobic, anti-migrant rhetoric of the Moscow mayoral race, which gave ultranationalists new political support. According to the Levada Center, another rights monitoring group, over 30 percent of Russians and 49 percent of Muscovites have negative feelings toward the people of the Caucasus.

There has been vicious circle between the election of the new openly racist mayor of Moscow and the growing support for ultra-nationalists in the country. Muscovites seem to register nearly double the rate of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim feelings compared to the rest of the country. Vladimir Ryzhkov, a former Duma deputy and political talk show host, wrote in the Moscow Times recently, “Never before have the ruling elite so publicly and openly whipped up anti-migrant and xenophobic sentiments in society as they have over the past months.”

He pointed to “a sharp surge in violent attacks over the past year based on xenophobic, racist and nationalistic motives. Radical youth patrol suburban commuter trains, pull non-Slavic-looking passengers from the wagons and beat them on the platforms with bystanders looking on.”

Despite the fact that Russia has been a multiethnic country for centuries, an increasing number of Russians today favor the mono-ethnic state suggested by the slogan “Russia is for Russians.” According to the Moscow Times, that idea finds support among 23 percent of the population and 43 percent of Muscovites, even though Moscow has always been a diverse, multiethnic city.

According to various polls, the mood against people from the Caucasus has grown extremely high, despite the fact that residents of the North Caucasus republic are fully-fledged Russian citizens. In fact, Caucasus natives appear to be the most-hated ethnic group, as we noted earlier. Those Russians who have targeted people from the Caucus do not seem affected by their legal status as citizens, or by the fact that Chechnya and other North Caucus have remained in the Russian Federation only because Moscow waged bloody wars to keep them under its rule. If given the chance, most of the Caucus people would probably be happy to leave Russia forever.

As Russia prepares to host the 2018 World Cup, the world spotlight will be trained on how it deals with rising racism. To improve its own image, if not for anything else, Russia needs to move fast to check this rapidly growing epidemic.

kuwait digest

Worst of the worst

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

H

ow can members of the health committee feel okay about themselves after releasing their prejudiced decision that favors the health minister? And how can the parliament members live with the crime of giving Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah AlSabah the nation’s confidence? Issues between MPs and ministers in the past used to be focused on socalled public funds protection cases, and many stories have been fabricated in that regard. Today, the issue is not about money, but about the dignity of workers, the future of work, as well as the fate and living conditions of Kuwaitis as a whole.

The decision of the parliament’s health committee to convict Dr Kefaya Abdulmalek is a conviction of every honorable Kuwaiti, and a stab in the heart of every state employee who respects the basics of work ethics. This decision leaves the door of corruption wide open, while anyone - whether a state official or employee - who used to be hesitant to side with the forces of corruption, will now find a ‘shelter’ in the parliament and its committees that they can go to once

caught red-handed.

Dr Kefaya is the most qualified person in the country to serve as director of the intensive care unit at Amiri Hospital, Kuwait’s largest public hospital. Moving her to the Infectious Diseases Hospital that barely has an ICU is an unjustifiable punishment and an insult to both her scientific accolades and the entire medical sector in Kuwait.

Even if we don’t consider the decision to be prejudiced, it remains a ridiculous one that did not keep in mind the job requirements or the qualifications of the doctor in question.

Tak ing no action against such behavior or attempting to justify it allows all public sector staff to become ‘tools’ with no power of will and who must do what they are told or think appeases their leaders. A minister committing a crime against a qualified doctor who spent her career serving her country paves the way for more serious crimes to be committed in the future.

Sheik h Mohammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum strives to make Dubai number one in everything, but no matter how hard he tries, he will never beat Kuwait in being the number one in being the worst in everything. — Al-Qabas

Dr Kefaya is the most qualified person in the country to serve as director of the intensive care unit at Amiri Hospital, Kuwait’s largest public hospital. Moving her to the Infectious Diseases Hospital that barely has an ICU is an unjustifiable punishment and an insult to both her scientific accolades and the entire medical sector in Kuwait.

hile the world was observing the deal between the world powers lead by US and Iran over the latter’s nuclear program, a sudden confusion came about over the deal’s terms and possible impact on other countries in the region such as the GCC. The GCC welcomed the agreement with a cold smile and good wishes. Some writers and figures expressed concerns that the deal went too far and may become a worry and a threat to neighbors. Some of them went on social media and spoke on TV news programs to express displeasure. Some worried of possible clashes of interest with the new deal.

The deal shows positive and significant improvement in US-Iran relations, a move that seems to scare some conservatives Sunnis. Some concerns came from the US as well, including Congressman Eliot Engel, a Democrat and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I personally think it is an achievement for the current US administration to reinforce its image as a peace power and strike the deal with Iran. I have to say that as a media person, the US response to the Egyptian case was not the best and raised much criticism.

Some are wondering why Iran agreed to come to the negotiating table with the US, but let’s be real here and admit that the sanctions on Iran had consequences, and I think it forced Iran to share the table with US for Iranian interests and not to please the US. Western energy and many major businesses are already anticipating a return to business with Iran through trade, investment and other means that will have a significant impact on Iran’s isolation. The door is wide open for businesses returning.

In Gulf countries like Kuwait, there have been voices that objected and made comments over the deal from a very limited prospective that fears the close ties between the Shiites and the US. But both countries have strategic ties with the Gulf countries. Iran has been in the region for thousands of years and I believe this deal will help to improve ties between the two key powers.

kuwait digest

Strengthen our domestic fronts

By Dr Bader Al-Daihani

B

oth America and the West in general have never had strategic relations with GCC states except for the best of their own interests. It would a be strategic mistake for GCC states to build their foreign relations on grounds that they have outstanding relations with the US and the West. International policies are governed by interests that are constantly and unsteadily moving like sand dunes. Obviously, regional and international allies and arrangements are being reshaped in the region, which is very normal in politics. As it is said: “In politics, there are neither eternal friends nor eternal enemies...there are steady interests”.

Unlike what some people might believe, the change of regional and international allies does not mean that the US and the West will abandon GCC states for good because their vital interests still exist. What is happening is a mere reordering of alliances with the aim of protecting Western interests as per the new global changes such as the economic crisis, the drop in GCC oil significance for the US and new regional variables in the Middle East in the aftermath of the Arab Spring revolutions that are still going on in many Arab countries with unpredictable changes so far.

Ever ybody can now clearly see that the region’s wealth and financial resources have been drained since the beginning of the 1980s through a series of absurd wars that turned the region into one with constant tension for the best of major capitalist powers. Therefore, it is high time for regional people to enjoy peace and make the best use of their own resources of which the largest portions is currently going to Western arms manufacturers.

Accordingly, the initial agreement on Iran’s nuclear issue between the Security Council permanent members and Germany on one side and Iran on the other is a step in the right path towards reducing tension in the GCC region and eventually help achieve peaceful coexistence between the countries located on both its banks.

In this regard, it would a be strategic mistake for GCC states to build their foreign relations on grounds that they have outstanding relations with the US and the West.

Moreover, it is hard to build strong foreign policy if domestic fronts are fragile, weak and divided. Hence, GCC states need to strengthen their domestic fronts through fundamental democratic and political reforms that would increase public participation in making vital decisions. It is peoples that protect regimes, not security pacts, alliances or the ever-changing foreign arrangements! —Al-Jarida

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

LOCAL

Volunteers offer to cover stranded girl’s education Govt urged to avoid deportation

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait sponsored the Run Q8 marathon which was organized by the Fawzia Sultan Rehabilitation Institute. The event was carried out to spread awareness against diabetes and obesity-related diseases.

GCC welcomes Yemeni membership in WTO BALI, Indonesia: The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have welcomed the decision to approve Yemen’s membership in the World Trade Organization, taken at the ninth World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference, Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Al-Saleh said here yesterday.

The minister made the remark following a meeting of GCC ministers of commerce and industry held on the sidelines of the WTO conference. He said that “Yemen had finally concluded its negotiations to join the WTO recently.”

“The GCC stresses all countries have the right to join the bloc, and call for sorting out all that hinders other Arab states from joining the organization,” he noted.

On other GCC positions during the international event, the minister said that the GCC support the request by some least developed nations to extend the transitional period leading to full implementation of the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Treaty till 2021.

Al-Saleh also remarked that, “the GCC officials agreed to support proposals presented by some developing nations to the G33 and

G20 concerning abolition of agriculture subsidies in developing nations, to cancel the negative effect currently suffered by developing nations’ agriculture sector and products.”

“They also coordinated stance on a proposal related to food security in some developing nations and some regulations and procedures are to be relaxed to benefit countries that rely heavily on food import.”

On abolition of non-customs restrictions on trade, he said, “the bloc feels that there are technical issues that need further consideration to reach an agreement that satisfies all parties.”

On information technology, Al-Saleh said the GCC does not intend to expand the current list of technology products that are exempted from customs fees.

He also pointed out the bloc agreed to support a proposal on giving developing nations and least developed nations “preferential treatment”. The GCC ministers of commerce and industry convened on the sidelines of the Bali conference to coordinate stances as they partake in the sessions along with representatives of 159 W TO members. — KUNA

Pneumococcal vaccination for KG students KUWAIT: The Health Ministry began Sunday the second phase of a campaign of the Pneumococcal vaccine for kindergarten students nationwide, the ministry’s undersecretary Dr Khaled Al-Sahlawi announced.

Announcing the start of the second phase, Al-Sahlawi said the ministry was keen on preserving health of children through preventive measures.

He said the ministr y was paying great attention to chronic diseases, however the “battle against the infectious diseases is not over specially those spreading among children.” The State of Kuwait, said Al-Sahlawi, was always keen on providing the best vaccinations to students which were approved by renowned health organizations, like the World Health Organization (WHO).

He said the Pneumococcal vaccine would be given to kindergarten students in government and private schools as a preventive measure against the pneumococcus bacterium. The pneumococcus bacterium, added Al-

Steps to protect desert, islands KUWAIT: Director General of the Environment Public Authority (EPA) Dr Salah AlMudhi said the Supreme Council for Environment convened its third session yesterday to discuss the situations on the islands designated as natural reserves.

“The meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Oil Mustafa AlShimali, discussed the impacts on the ongoing camping season on environment as well as the situations on protected islands, particularly Qarouh Island,” Dr Al-Mudhi said.

“The meeting decided to remove all fishing traps in our territorial waters pursuant to the decision adopted by the Supreme Council for Environment in 2001,” he affirmed.

“The fishing traps had been priced at the time and since then no license was issued for such activities which are deemed hazardous to the marine life,” he said.

The meeting also decided to set up a five-party interagency panel, representing the ministries of industry and commerce, and interior, as well as EPA, Kuwait Municipality and the oil sector, to determine within a month from now the locations of camps,” Al-Mudhi revealed. On Qarouh Island, he said the meeting decided to form a national committee to reactivate the cabinet decree declaring the island a natural reserve.

“The five-party committee is scheduled to table its first report to EPA President early next month and convene a meeting to review the progress made in the discharging of its mandate,” he added. —KUNA

Sahlawi, was a major cause of death of children under the age of five. It is the cause of 70 percent of childhood pneumonia, and 49 percent of meningitis as well as causing ear infections, and bacteremia (blood stream infection).

Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Dr Qais Al-Duwairi said the collaboration of the health and education ministries contributed to prevention of children from different diseases.

He said international agreements called for importance of protection of well-being of children. He noted that a million children under the age of five die every year because of the the pneumococcus bacterium, or 20 percent of overall children’s deaths.

Before applying the pneumococcal vaccine to Kuwait, he added, the bacterium was the cause of death of 3,567 people every year.

Therefore a national committee in Kuwait started using the pneumococcal vaccine which prevent 13 types of diseases and would boost immunity by 40 percent. — KUNA

KUWAIT: The story of 16-year-old Furaha, a girl who became stranded in Kuwait after falling victim to a human trafficking ploy, sparked strong reaction from people who showed compassion over her case and demanded better efforts to tackle illegal activities that affect expatriates coming to the Gulf state for work or other reasons. Meanwhile, Al-Rai daily which was the first to report the Congolese girl’s story, reported yesterday that many Kuwaitis have called to offer help by providing a place for her to stay and even cover expenses for her education to learn Arabic and the Holy Quran.

Furaha came to Kuwait approximately a month ago on what she thought was a scholarship to study Arabic and the Holy Quran — a decision she took after she and her family converted to Islam in her home country of Congo.

She later discovered that a human trafficker who collected $1,500 to issue her the visa had actually ‘sold’ her to a domestic helper’s office in Kuwait. “ The government is asked to avoid deporting the student and instead help her achieve what she came here to Kuwait for,” MP

Faisal Al-Duwaisan told Al-Rai. He further indicated that the story “emphasizes the need for a national diwan for human rights”, a proposal he had previously submitted as a draft law. AlDuwaisan also offered to help Furaha “in every way possible”.

Meanwhile, MP Awdah Al-Ruwaei described Furaha’s ordeal as “a heavy blow to a country that is supposed to be a state of law and institutions”, announcing plans to send a number of questions to Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on how a domestic helper’s visa was issued to an underage girl. “How can a student who comes to a country for education suddenly find herself a housemaid?” he wondered as he demanded “opening the human trafficking file”.

MP Osama Al-Tahous said in the meantime that Furaha’s story was one example of the results of corruption “in all state departments”. “I do not claim knowing what corruption is the result of, but it surely exposes lack of monitoring on the part of concerned officials and ministries,” he said. Furthermore, Tahous urged the Interior

Ministry to tackle corruption which he said “is spreading within” the ministry.

On the other hand, MP Abdurrahman AlJeeran defended Kuwait’s record when it comes to regulations that he says protects the right of foreigners living on its land. “Kuwait’s expatriate population has reached 65 percent of the total population - and expatriates enjoy freedoms and rights in Kuwait including the right of litigation,” he said. Jeeran brought up another case in which “an expatriate won a court order in a case filed against the state and in which he was compensated with KD 30,000”. “ There are individual cases that expose improper behavior, and therefore the interior and social affairs ministries are urged to put further monitoring on [domestic workers] offices to tackle illegal practices,” he said. Al-Rai also quoted statements of Interior Ministry spokesman Col Adel Al-Hashash who indicated that “the Interior Minister is giving importance to the case”, and added that the manager of the office that recruited Furaha illegally will be summoned for questioning.

KIPCO hosts dinner for NUKS-USA participants KUWAIT: KIPCO - the Kuwait Projects Company - hosted a dinner in honor of the students participating in the 30th Conference of the National Union of Kuwaiti Students USA Branch (NUKS-USA) following the closing ceremony.

The MC for the evening was Khaled AlAnsari from Marina FM, who presented a trivia segment and some entertainment activities.

The winners took home gifts including smart devices from KIPCO, Multi-Currency X-Change Cards from Burgan Bank, and luxury items from the American University of Kuwait.

During the closing ceremony, KIPCO was recognized for its continued support of the NUKS-USA conference, the largest gathering of Kuwaitis outside of their country. This is the third consecutive year that KIPCO has been a Platinum Sponsor of the event.

Eman Al-Awadhi, KIPCO’s Acting Communications Director said: “By assisting Kuwaiti students who have travelled abroad to study in leading universities, NUKS performs a highly important role for Kuwait. We are proud and honored to have been part of this unique annual gathering. KIPCO has always been a keen advocate of developing the skills of tomorrow’s leaders to ultimately create a more sustainable balance in the continued advancement of the State of Kuwait.”

As the Platinum Sponsor of the event, KIPCO addressed the students at the opening ceremony. The company also held the ‘KIPCO Economic Forum’ where it was represented by Mohammad Al-Zanki, Senior Relationship Manager - Corporate Banking Group at Burgan Bank, the largest member of the KIPCO Group. Marina FM, a member of the KIPCO Group, was also present as a Media Sponsor of

Eman Al-Awadhi (left) receiving recognition trophy from the Ambassador of Kuwait.

Khalid Al-Ansari presenting games and trivia at the KIPCO dinner.

the event and was covering its activities.

Representatives of KIPCO Group, including Burgan Bank and the American University of Kuwait, were present at the Job Fair to high-

light different career opportunities for graduating students across the private sector in Kuwait along with providing other advisory services.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

LOCAL

Sand sculpting marks artistic creativity at Sandy Village KUWAIT: Amazingly craved sandy models attract the eyes of visitors at the Sandy Village set up at the International Fair Ground in Mishref, south of Kuwait City.

Artists and sculptors from different world countries have managed to wonderfully turn the imagination of the novel “One Thousand and One Nights” into tangible reality seen by visitors.

Burgan Bank celebrates World Diabetes Day KUWAIT: Burgan Bank recently marked World Diabetes Day, in collaboration with Al-Seef hospital, with an objective to create awareness around the dangers of the disease. The initiative, which was carried out across the bank’s premise, aimed also at supporting the worldwide initiative by the International Diabetes Federation to lower the risk of diabetes in future generations.

There are 34 million people in the Middle East region with estimation of one in nine adults that suffer from diabetes. More than half of the sufferers in this region don’t realize they are affected since 52.9% of the population remains undiagnosed. For two days, Burgan Bank’s staff was received free tests by the hospital to gage their current blood sugar level, understand what the current risk of getting the disease is and how to avoid becoming diabetic.

Employees were able to gain more information about the types of diabetes along with the knowledge on latest statistics of sufferers in Kuwait. Burgan Bank’s staff showcased their support by wearing the WDD (World Diabetes Day) badges on the dedicated day.

World Diabetes Day is a global celebration that occurs in more than 200 diabetic member associations, in over 160 different countries. The cause unites medical professionals, associations and individuals all over the world to celebrate World Diabetes Day. Such activities are part of the continued development of Burgan Bank’s overall social responsibility framework that adds more value to the local community and emphasizes a strong internal corporate culture.

Established in 1977, Burgan Bank is the youngest commercial Bank and third largest by assets in Kuwait, with a significant focus on the corporate and financial institutions sectors, as well as having a growing retail and private bank customer base.

The Bank has continuously improved its performance over the years through an expanded revenue structure,

diversified funding sources, and a strong capital base.

The adoption of state-of-the-art services and technology has positioned it as a trendsetter in the domestic market and within the MENA region.

Burgan Bank’s brand has been created on a foundation of real values - of trust, commitment, excellence and progression, to remind us of the high standards to which we aspire. ‘People come first’ is the foundation on which its products and services are developed. Earlier this year, ‘Brand Finance’ - the international brand valuation company- rated Burgan Bank brand as AA with positive outlook.? The rating places Burgan Bank Brand at 2nd amongst the most valuable banking brands in Kuwait.

Excellence is one of the Bank’s four key values and Burgan Bank continually strives to maintain the highest standards in the industry. The Bank was re-certified in 2010 with the ISO 9001:2008 certification in all its banking businesses, making it the first bank in the GCC, and the only bank in Kuwait to receive such accreditation.

The Bank also has to its credit the distinction of being the only Bank in Kuwait to have won the JP Morgan Chase Quality Recognition Award for twelve consecutive years.

Burgan Bank won the prestigious “Banking Web Awards” prize in the commercial and corporate Category for Kuwait. In 2010 Burgan Bank was awarded with the “Best Internet Banking Service award” from Banker Middle East Awards. Burgan Bank was recognized in 2011 as Kuwait’s “Best Private Bank”, by World Finance.

The bank also won, in 2011, the coveted “International Platinum Star for Quality” award from Business Initiative Directions, and “The Best Technical Award” from Banking Web Awards. In 2012, Global Banking and Finance Review online magazine recognized Burgan Bank as the “Best Banking Group in the MENA” as well as the “Best Corporate Bank in Kuwait”.

Eye-catching sandy shapes are mixed with basic natural elements involving sand, air, water and fire through the effects that add magnificence and grandeur to craved models at the Sandy Village. — KUNA

Armed duo impersonates police, mugs man in Jahra Man charged with rape KUWAIT: Jahra detectives are looking to identify and arrest two male suspects accused of impersonating police to mug a man in the area. In his statement to local police, the Pakistani man said that the two forced him to pull over, identified themselves as police detectives and asked to see his ID. After that, the man was told that he is wanted by authorities and was asked to step inside the so-called detectives’ car. The man said that one of the two pointed a gun at him while the other took KD 300 and his cell phone, before they pushed him off and drove away. Police discovered that the license plate number that the victim provided belong to a vehicle reported missing, and which the suspect fixed on another vehicle that they used it to commit their crime. Investigations are ongoing.

Rape case Investigations are ongoing to uncover the mystery surrounding a case involving a girl who claimed that she was sexually assaulted after a stranger was found in her family’s apartment. The incident took place in Farwaniya when the girl’s father returned to his apartment and found the girl in a ‘compromising position with another man’ according to a security source familiar with the case. The girl, who is in her twenties, cried for help as the man attempted to escape before he was caught by neighbors. The girl said that the man sneaked into the apartment when she was alone and raped her. The man denied the accusations during questioning at Farwaniya police station. The man was charged with breaking and entry as well as sexual assault. He was remanded in custody pending investigations.

Drug overdose Two people were hospitalized in a state of coma caused by a drug overdose according to medical reports. Paramedics rushed to the scene in Salwa after an emergency call that two young men had collapsed. The two, a Kuwaiti and bedoon (stateless), were taken to Mubarak Hospital and admitted in the intensive care unit. Criminal investigations was opened after blood tests came positive for drugs.

Kidnap, rape A domestic worker was kidnapped and raped in a camp in

the desert according to a case filed in Naseem police station and remains under investigations with efforts to identify and arrest the suspects. According to the Asian maid’s testimonies, two men forced the woman while she was taking out the trash and then drove to a camp where they raped her before they dropped her off outside a supermarket near her employer’s house. The housemaid then told her employer who helped her to the police station to report the case.

Investigations are ongoing.

Prostitutes held Two European women were arrested in a Farwaniya hotel on accusations of prostitution. The arrest took place based on information which reached local detectives and revealed the activity of two prostitutes who arrived to offer services to clients in Kuwait. The two remain in custody pending deportation procedures as per orders of senior Interior Ministry officials.

Sulaibikhat brawl Police intervened to stop a massive brawl that erupted between construction workers at a building site in Sulaibikhat. Preliminary investigations indicate that the fight started with a quarrel between a number of Egyptian workers on one side and Asian laborers on the other, which escalated into a big brawl after more workers joined both teams including those armed with pocketknives. Ambulances were also called to the scene to take workers who were injured during the fight to the hospital. Police arrested several workers involved in the fight and escorted them to the area’s police station for questioning.

Landmine found A landmine was discovered in the Subbiya desert after it became visible following heavy rains that hit Kuwait a few weeks ago. Police headed to the scene located four kilometers away from the coastguards department building after two Kuwaiti men reported finding a foreign object half buried in the sand. Bomb squads were called to the scene and confirmed that the object was a remnant from the 1990/91 Iraqi invasion period. The landmine was successfully deactivated.

Dubai to host Expo 2020, but what happens next?

DUBAI: In a night sure to go down in UAE history, Dubai was crowned host of Expo 2020, beating competition from Ekaterinburg (Russia), Izmir (Turkey) and Sao Paulo (Brazil) with 116 of the 168 votes.

Work can now begin on the many construction projects planned for the event, including the 434-hectare site itself and supporting infrastructure.

A wider boost to confidence in the construction and real estate industries is also anticipated, with Bank of America Merrill Lynch forecasting positive momentum over the remainder of the year from the victory, and a positive lift to GDP in the years leading up to the event.

Dr Amina Al-Rustamni, CEO of TECOM Investments, believes the benefits of the Expo will come in three distinct phases.

“There will be an immediate shot in the arm in terms of economic confidence. This will be followed by the planned infrastructure and project investments taking shape over the next six years during the preparation stage, which will offer growth opportunities across a range of industries from manufacturing and media to tourism and education. Once the

event is complete there will also be a strong legacy that the event leaves behind, which businesses will be able to take advantage of.”

Much can be gleaned from Milan, host city of the World Expo in 2015 from May 1 to Oct 31, with regards to the event buildup process itself.

A reciprocity protocol means recent Expo bid winners confirm their attendance to future events first, therefore we can expect Italy and Kazakhstan to be among the first confirmed attendees to Dubai Expo 2020, as China was for Milan 2015.

In terms of booking event space, the World Expo is ver y much like smaller scale local expos only with the main customers being countries rather than companies.

We can expect states to confirm their attendance, where their stand will be positioned and its design based on the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, in the coming years.

Over 138 countries and organisations are now signed up for Milan 2015 and with Dubai’s aspiration to host the best Expo ever it will likely look to exceed the numbers of any previous Expo.

Following its victory, Milan signed a number of collaboration agreements with other cities in Italy and Europe. Similar agreements from Dubai would not be unexpected and given it will be the Middle East’s first World Expo, deals with other GCC states could be on the cards.

Italy also indicated that there could be some cooperation with Dubai in the sharing of knowledge or resources for the two expos, with Italian Prime Minister, Enrio Letta, among the world leaders to declare support for Dubai’s bid. To ensure the maximum flow of tourists to Milan 2015 the European Commission said it plans to simplify entry visas during the event.

Particularly focussing on up and coming economies like China, Russia, Brazil and India.

Considering an estimated 70 per cent of visitors to Dubai 2020 are expected to come from outside the UAE it would not be surprising if a similar plan was in the works from Dubai’s rulers.

Above all else, perhaps the largest challenge will be maintaining momentum and interest in the build up to Expo 2020, given it is seven years away.

KUWAIT: Under the auspices of Kuwait Fire Services Directorate chief Maj Gen Yousif Abdullah Al-Ansari and in collaboration with the Interior Ministry, KFSD recently organized a seminar on safety on highways, avoiding traffic congestions, dealing with traffic lights and driving on security lanes. — Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

Somali PM ousted in no-confidence vote

Second data recorder found in derailed NY train Page 9

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BANGKOK: Thai anti-government protesters shield themselves behind a fence as they clash with the police during an ongoing rally outside Government House in Bangkok yesterday. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra rejected protester demands to suspend the country’s democratic system and indicated she would not resign yesterday amid rolling clashes between security forces and demonstrators bent on toppling her government. — AFP

Thai PM rejects protest calls BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday rejected the demands of protesters who have urged her to quit, as police issued an arrest warrant for “insurrection” against the protest leader amid renewed clashes.

Police used rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon against rock-throwing demonstrators as they strengthened their defence of key government buildings, after weekend unrest in the capital left several dead and more than a hundred wounded.

The protests, aimed at unseating the elected government and replacing it with a “people’s council”, are the latest outbreak of civil strife to rock the kingdom since royalist generals ousted Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck’s brother, seven years ago.

Bloodshed in the capital in recent days is the worst political violence in Thailand since a deadly 2010 military crackdown on pro-Thaksin “Red Shirts”. It has also raised fears of damage to the economy and particularly the lucrative tourism sector as the peak season gets underway.

In her first televised address since the weeks-long protests descended into violence late Saturday, Yingluck said she could not yield to the demands of the rally leaders because they would breach the country’s laws.

“Anything I can do to make people happy, I am willing to do... but as prime minister, what I can do must be under the constitution,” she said, adding that she did not “cling to power”. The embattled premier said she would have considered resigning or calling an election if protesters had not already ruled out these moves as insufficient. She insisted the government was open to “every option” to restore peace. Later yesterday an arrest warrant for protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban was issued “for the charge of insurrection which shall be punished with death or life imprisonment”, said Chayut Thanataweerat, the deputy metropolitan police commander, in a televised statement.

Suthep, who also faces another warrant over the occupation of government ministries, on Sunday issued an ultimatum for Yingluck’s government to be ousted in two days. He demanded power be handed “to the people” at a secret meeting with the prime minister in the presence of the army, navy and air force commanders. Suthep, a deputy prime minister when the current opposition party was in power, has rejected elections and said he

wants to root out the “Thaksin regime”-a reference to the former premier who is widely seen as the power behind Yingluck’s government. Thaksin, a billionaire tycoon-turned-politician, is hated by the elites, Bangkok’s middle class and southerners, who have massed in the capital in recent days and accuse the ousted leader of corruption and threatening the monarchy.

But he is adored by many outside Bangkok, particularly in his stronghold in the nation’s north and northeast. He or his allies have won every election for a decade. Yingluck, whose party stormed to power on a wave of support for Thaksin at elections in 2011, said yesterday any solution to the crisis would have to be “acceptable to the majority”.

She has kept a low profile during the unrest, a move some analysts see as an attempt to avoid further inflaming the demonstrators. But officials confirmed the increased use of force on Monday as protests intensified.

“There are rubber bullets used today,” Paradorn Pattanatabut, secretary general of the National Security Council, told AFP. Clashes continued into the evening as police fought to defend barriers at the prime minister’s offices and city police headquarters against crowds who have besieged several key ministries.

Television footage showed a bulldozer being driven from one of the protesters’ bases close to Government House. A doctor at a hospital near Government House said it was treating two men one in a critical condition-with wounds from live rounds. It was unclear who shot them.

While the numbers have fallen since an estimated 180,000 people joined an opposition rally on November 24, they have besieged high-profile targets-including ministries-in what some observers believe is an attempt to provoke a military coup.

The protests were triggered by an amnesty bill, since abandoned by the ruling party, which opponents feared would have allowed Thaksin to return to the country. Thailand has seen 18 actual or attempted coups since 1932, most recently with Thaksin’s overthrow in 2006. But the military has appeared reluctant to intervene in the current standoff.The nation is due to celebrate the birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Thursday in a public holiday that is normally embraced in a spirit of calm and reverence for the ageing monarch. — AFP

15 dead in wave of Iraq attacks BAGHDAD: Attacks near Baghdad and northern and western Iraq killed 15 people yesterday, the latest deadly violence to rock the country amid fears it is slipping back into all-out sectarian war.

Iraq’s worst bloodshed since 2008, with more than 6,000 people killed already this year, has forced the authorities to appeal for international help in combatting militancy ahead of general elections due to be held in April. Officials have blamed a resurgent Al-Qaeda emboldened by the civil war in neighbouring Syria, but the government has been criticised for not doing more to address grievances in the Sunni Arab community which analysts say fuels the violence.

Yesterday, shootings and bombings struck around Baghdad, as well as in and around the northern cities of Mosul and Tuz Khurmatu, killed 15 people, while a rare double bombing in the Kurdish north left two senior security officers wounded.

In the deadliest violence, a family of six-two men, two women and two children-were found dead after having been gunned down in their homes in Al-Nibaie, which lies just north of the capital.

It is the latest in a troubling series of attacks where large groups of people have been shot dead and left for authorities to find, scenes eerily reminiscent of the worst of Iraq’s gruesome communal war.

At the peak of sectarian fighting in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion, Sunni and Shiite militias regularly carried out tit-for-tat kidnappings and assassinations and left scores of corpses littering the streets.

Elsewhere, attacks in Abu Ghraib, Mosul and Tuz Khurmatu left nine others dead. Two officers in the Kurdish peshmerga forces, meanwhile, were wounded by rare bombings against their respective cars in the northern city of Sulaimaniyah.

The twin magnetic “sticky bombs” attached to the vehicles of a brigadier general and a colonel in the peshmerga went off minutes apart at about 7:30 am (0430 GMT) in the same neighbourhood of Sulaimaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan’s second-biggest city.

It follows a massive Al-Qaeda attack on a security headquarters in the Kurdish capital Arbil on September 29 involving suicide bombers, car bombs and gunfire, killing seven people overall and leaving more than 60 wounded.

Unlike the rest of the country, which has seen brutal violence in the years following the 2003 US-led invasion, religiously and ethnically homogenous Kurdistan was largely spared the violence.

It operates largely autonomously of Baghdad, with its own security forces and has its own parliament and visa regime. The authorities have made some concessions aimed at placating the protesters and Sunnis in general, including freeing prisoners and raising the salaries of antiAl-Qaeda Sahwa fighters. At the same time, the security forces have trumpeted operations targeting militants. But daily attacks have shown no sign of abating. Diplomats, analysts and rights groups say the government is not doing enough to address Sunni disquiet over what they see as mistreatment at the hands of the Shiite-led authorities. — AFP

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

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

Kurds seek autonomy in a federal Syria: Top official MARSEILLE: Syria’s Democratic Union Party, the country ’s most power ful Kurdish group, hopes to create an autonomous Kurdish region in a federal Syria, its chief Salih Muslim told AFP in an interview.

Speaking during a visit to France, he confirmed that a commission is in the process of preparing a constitution for the northeastern and northwestern regions of Syria that are majority Kurdish.

“The (Syrian) Kurdistan region will be divided into three autonomous provinces: Kobani (centre), Afrin (west) and Qamishli (east),” he told AFP on Sunday, speaking through a KurdishFrench translator.

“The goal is not to secede, but the

Kurds want a federal system in Syria,” he said. Syria’s Kurds make up around 15 percent of the population and are mostly concentrated in the northeast and northwest of the country, along the Turkish and Iraqi borders.

They have walked a careful line during Syria’s uprising, declining to actively join either the government or the rebels, and instead focusing on building autonomy in Kurdish-majority regions. The Syrian government withdrew troops from those regions in mid-2012 and focused its energies elsewhere.

The armed wing of the PYD took over security in the areas, and has kept armed rebels out as part of a tacit deal to ensure that regime troops will also stay out. On November 12, the PYD and other

Kurdish parties announced the establishment of an autonomous transitional administration.

“It’s not the creation of an autonomous government. However, 19 representatives were chosen in July to prepare a constitution and an electoral law and to define the mechanisms by which the region will be led,” Muslim said. “This commission has finished its work, and a date will soon be set for elections,” he added. The move to consolidate their autonomy on the ground, comes as the armed wing of the PYD battles jihadist fighters that have sought to control Kurdish areas.

The Kurdish region to Syria’s east includes oilfields, and runs along the border with Iraq, providing jihadists a

key route for fighters and supplies.

Muslim said Kurdish forces were facing off against jihadists “supported and sent by the Turkish government,” adding that the fight was continuing.

“We have been helped by our people, the Iraqi Kurds, the Iraqi president (Jalal Talabani, a Kurd) and by the PKK,” Muslim said. The PKK or Kurdistan Workers Party is a Kurdish organisation that has fought for rights in Turkey and is considered a terrorist group by the United States and other countries.

Muslim’s PYD is considered close to the group, though it has denied being a Syrian branch. Muslim insisted that Syria’s Kurdish regions, which are also home to Arab Syrians, would welcome everyone.

“ There are three sorts of Arabs among us: there are those with whom we have always lived and who we have fought alongside. We defend the brotherhood between these peoples,” he said.

“There are those who do not belong, Arabs who came from outside, other countries or the region, the jihadists who have burned our homes, and decapitated Kurds,” he added.

“Finally, there are the Arabs who were moved to Kurdistan by force by (former Syrian president) Hafez al-Assad... to Arabise the region,” Muslim said. “They are victims... and we advocate a peaceful solution for these populations: those who can return to their hometowns should do so and the others can live in peace with the Kurds.” — AFP

Death toll in Syria’s civil war hits 126,000 Group appeals for international push to end conflict

ALEXANDRIA: Supporters of 28-year-old blogger Khaled Said who died following police questioning before the revolution in 2010, run away from tear gas during a demonstration outside the criminal court where the second retrial session is underway yesterday in Egypt’s northern coastal city of Alexandria. Protesters were dispersed by policemen with canon waters and tear gas. Police officers Awad Ismail Suleiman and Mahmud Salah Amin are accused of using excessive force and killing Said. — AFP

Egypt’s panel completes amending constitution CAIRO: A mostly liberal panel has completed amending Egypt’s constitution passed last year under now-ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, setting the stage for a national referendum seen as a key, but contentious step in the country’s transition.

Egypt’s interim government, installed by the military after it removed Morsi in July, is touting the new document as paving the way for a new political system it hopes will calm months of turmoil. If the charter is adopted in a referendum, the next steps will be parliamentary and presidential elections in the spring and summer of 2014.

But the referendum, likely in January, is expected to stoke protests by Islamist supporters of Morsi, who reject the post-coup government. The final draft of the amended constitution has also drawn opposition from some secular pro-democracy activists because it enshrines greater power for the military.

Authorities are hoping the new constitution will be approved in the referendum by a higher percentage and stonger turnout than the Morsi-era document, as a show of legitimacy of the post-coup system. The Morsi-era constitution, drafted by a panel dominated by Islamists, was passed in December 2012 with about 64 percent of the vote, but at lowly turnout rate of little more than 30 percent.

A 50-member panel appointed by the government completed voting clause by clause on the final draft late Sunday.

Yesterday, members of the panel met in a televised session in which they lavished praise on the document and pledged to do more to help Egypt through its bumpy transition to democracy.

“It is now the right of every Egyptian to declare that this is their constitution,” said Bishop Bola, the representative of the Coptic Orthodox Church on the panel.

Another member, veteran lawyer and head of the Bar Association Sameh Ashour said: “ This constitution may not reflect the expectations of all Egyptians, but it is a safety valve for the revolution at this transitional phase.”

The panel will now submit the draft to the interim president, Adly Mansour, who is

to announce a date for the referendum. The panel is dominated by secular-leaning figures. But it includes several Islamists, including one from an ultraconservative party, and representatives from Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam’s foremost seat of learning, and Christian churches.

Mohammed Ibrahim Mansour, representative of the ultraconservative Nour party, said the document struck a good balance between the teachings of Islam and civil freedoms.

Activists from Tamarod, a youth movement that rallied millions of Egyptians demanding that Morsi step down ahead of the July coup, also sat on the panel, which held its final deliberations in private but the voting on Saturday and Sunday was televised live.

Mahmoud Badr of Tamarod said his movement will return to the streets to rally a “yes” vote on the new charter. Another member, film director Khaled Youssef, said the panel should now work as a body promoting national unity and working to safeguard the alliance of liberal and secular groups that supported Morsi’s ouster.

The draft leaves uncertain which would be called first after its adoption - the parliament elections or presidential election. It says only the first must be held within 90 days of its adoption, with the next within six months after.

The ambivalence is thought to be designed to give Mansour legal leeway to decide which to call first, though the original roadmap for the transition set by the military after Morsi’s ouster called for parliamentary first.

The charter requires presidents to declare their financial assets annually, and empowers lawmakers to vote out an elected president with a two-third majority. It also bans parties founded on religion or sect and unequivocally states the equality of men and women. It also guarantees the rights of Egyptians with special needs and the elderly.

But it also leaves the military with unfettered freedom to choose the country’s defense minister from within its ranks and grants him immunity for two, four-year presidential terms. — AP

Afghan refugees smarting under Iran sanctions: NGO TEHRAN: Afghans refugees living in Iran are being plunged deeper into poverty as sanctions slapped on Tehran over its disputed nuclear drive sap the economy, a refugee agency has warned.

“Sanctions on Iran have been bad news for both Afghan refugees and for humanitarian operations,” Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), told AFP during a visit to Tehran this week.

Some five million Afghans driven by war, oppression and poverty have crossed the border into Iran and Pakistan in the past three decades, seeking better lives and jobs.

Almost a million Afghans also are illegal immigrants in Iran, according to police figures published yesterday.

While some 840,000 Afghans have been able to register as refugees in Iran, many others have lived among Iranians with relative ease for many years, and those permitted to work have been able to seize opportunities in the labour sector.

But as Iran faces its own economic problems, exacerbated by sanctions targeting its vital petrodollar and access to the global banking system, those opportunities have

progressively dried up. “The Afghans allowed to work had been able to help the Iranian economy and also take care of themselves,” Egeland said. “But there is now exploding unemployment among Afghans.”

Sanctions are designed to coerce Tehran into rolling back its nuclear drive, which Western powers and Israel suspect mask military objectives. Iran says its work is peaceful and has defiantly expanded its activities.

But its economy has gone drastically downhill in the past two years, struggling with rampant inflation of nearly 40 percent, a massive depreciation of the national currency, and a double-digit unemployment rate, according to official figures. The situation has also led to “increased tension between Iranian local communities and Afghans who have lived well together for years,” Egeland said, pointing to rising calls by Iranians for the refugees to return to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan-whose weak economy is mostly supported by foreign aid-is unprepared to host a large return of refugees, the NRC chief said, adding that the situation would become even worse once NATO forces depart in 2014.— AFP

BEIRUT: The death toll in Syria’s civil war has risen to at least 125,835, more than a third of them civilians, but the real figure is probably much higher, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said yesterday.

The pro-opposition monitoring group also appealed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and “all people in the international community who have a conscience” to increase their efforts to end the 2-1/2 year war.

The conflict began as peaceful protests against four decades of rule by President Bashar al-Assad’s family, but under a fierce security force crackdown, turned into an armed insurgency whose sectarian dimensions have echoed across the Middle East.

The Obser vator y, based in Britain but with a network of activists across Syria, put the number of children killed in the conflict so far at 6,627.

It put the death toll among rebels fighting the Assad government at at least 27,746 rebels, including more than 6,000 categorised as foreign fighters or unknown combatants. “ The number is likely much higher but in many battles, the number of rebels killed is hidden, especially by the (al Qaeda-linked) Nusra Front and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,” Rami Abdelrahman, head of the Observatory, told Reuters.

He said the observatory had documented 50,430 deaths among the Syrian armed forces and local militias supporting Assad, but said that number too was probably higher.

“There are at least 40,000 more dead combatants but they were not included in the toll because the cases were not documented well enough,” Abdelrahman said.

Both Sunni and Shi’ite militants

THE HAGUE: Dr Faisel Mekdad of the Syrian Arab Republic, right, and fellow delegation members wait for the start of the eighteenth session of the Conference of the States Parties of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, Netherlands, yesterday. The world’s chemical weapons watchdog is expected to discuss its ambitious plan to completely eradicate Syria’s chemical weapons program by mid-2014. — AP from around the region have joined the fight on opposite sides.

Many Sunni Muslim countries support the rebels, who are led by Syria’s Sunni majority. Shi’ite Muslim states back Assad, who is from the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam.

As well as Syrians, nearly 500 Shi’ite foreign militants have died fighting with Assad’s army, the Observatory said. Around half of those were from the power ful Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, whose military support for Assad has helped his forces make strategic territorial advances in central Syria.

“The Observatory calls for ... serious efforts (by the international community) to stop the killing in Syria and help its people transition to a democratic state with freedom, justice and equality,” it said in a statement.

The United Nations does not give regular casualty counts for Syria. It has said for months that more than 100,000 have died.

International efforts have largely concentrated on a planned peace conference in Geneva next month and on the destruction of Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons.

The West blames Assad for a poison gas attack near Damascus on

Aug. 21 that killed hundreds of people, but are now working with his forces to remove and destroy such weapons from Syria.

However, regular combat continues, including daily air strikes.

The Observatory, which gives daily death tolls in Syria as well, usually cites more than 100 people killed each day, although the death toll in recent days has been double that.

“They should not just be concerned with destroying chemical weapons when tens of thousands of Syrians have been killed by all kinds of weapons since the poison gas attacks of Damascus,” the group said. — Reuters

Netanyahu meets pope, talks tough on Iran ROME: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Pope Francis yesterday as part of a visit to Rome during which he restated his firm opposition to a nuclear deal with Iran. The two leaders addressed “the complex political and social situation in the Middle East, with particular reference to the resumption of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians”, the Vatican said in a statement.

The pope expressed a hope “that a just and lasting solution, which respects the rights of both parties, can be reached as soon as possible”, it said.

Talks between Israel and the Palestinians resumed in July after a three-year hiatus but have faltered due to Israeli plans for new settlement building.

Netanyahu’s audience with the pontiff lasted just 25 minutes. The Israeli PM gave the pope a book dedicated to “Pope Francis, a great shepherd of our common heritage”. Francis is expected to travel to the Middle East next year and Israeli sources say the visit could take place before Israeli President Shimon Peres ends his term in July.

Although no date has been made official, sources on both sides say it is likely to take place on May 25-26. Israel and the Vatican first established full diplomatic relations in 1993, but have been engaged in years of thorny diplomatic negotiations over property rights and tax exemptions for the Catholic Church, which have yet to be fully resolved.

Netanyahu met later Monday with his Italian

VATICAN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) speaks with Pope Francis during a private audience at the Vatican, yesterday. — AFP

counterpart Enrico Letta, and a joint press conference was expected to begin around 1400 GMT. On Sunday, the Israeli premier attended a candle-lighting ceremony in Rome’s main synagogue, restating his firm opposition to an international nuclear deal with arch-foe Iran.

“It is very easy to receive a pat on the shoulder from the international community, to bow one’s head,” Netanyahu said. “I would like to dispel any illusions. Iran aspires to attain an atomic bomb. It would thus threaten not only Israel but also Italy, Europe and the entire world,” he was quoted as saying on his website.

“There should be no going astray after the attack of smiles. Today there is a regime in Iran that supports terrorism, facilitates the massacre of civilians in Syria and unceasingly arms its proxies,” he said.

Iran agreed to curb its nuclear programme for the next six months in exchange for limited sanctions relief following marathon talks in Geneva last month. But Israel has slammed the deal as an “historic mistake” and US Secretary of State John Kerry is due in Israel this week to try to ease tensions.

Tehran has a long history of belligerent statements toward the Jewish state, and Israel-the Middle East’s sole if undeclared nuclear powerhas warned that a nuclear Iran would pose an existential threat.

“The most dangerous regime in the world must not be allowed to have the most dangerous weapon in the world,” Netanyahu said on Sunday, adding that the sanctions regime on Iran was “liable to collapse”.

US President Barack Obama’s administration has argued that the preliminary deal will help ensure the security of the Middle East region as it seeks to nail down a comprehensive settlement with Iran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who was elected earlier this year, has promised a more diplomatic approach to the West after eight years of stalled talks and escalating sanctions under his hardline predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. — AFP

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

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

Thousands take to the streets in Honduras to protest poll result TEGUCIGALPA: Honduras’ defeated leftist presidential candidate, the wife of ousted former leader Manuel Zelaya, led thousands of supporters onto the streets of Tegucigalpa on Sunday to protest an election result she has called fraudulent.

The demonstration by a crowd estimated at several thousand people passed off peacefully, which analysts said offered some hope for political stability. The Central American country is plagued by violence and has the world’s highest murder rate.

The ruling National Party’s Juan Hernandez, who is head of Congress, won last week’s election with 36.8 percent of the votes, according to the country’s election tribunal. He has vowed to curb the drug

violence.

Xiomara Castro ran as the candidate of the Liberty and Refoundation Party (LIBRE) - a coalition of leftist politicians, unions and indigenous groups founded by her husband. She came second with 28.79 percent of the vote.

But Castro and Zelaya, who was ousted in a 2009 coup that plunged Honduras into a deep political crisis, have refused to acknowledge the results, demanding a recount and setting the stage for a protracted conflict.

“If we revise the ballot boxes, LIBRE won the election,” Zelaya told the protest, the first called by LIBRE since the election. “We don’t want fraud in

Honduras. We don’t want a government born out of cheating and deception.”

Speaking on local television on Sunday night, David Matamoros, the head of the election tribunal, said the body had spoken with LIBRE and told the party it was willing to allow it to review the electoral record. However, he made no mention of a full vote recount, which LIBRE has demanded. “If there’s a doubt, and the possibility of clearing up that doubt, we’re going to do it,” Matamoros said. LIBRE has said it will keep protesting and Zelaya says the party is willing to go the nation’s supreme court to annul the election result.

Given Honduras’ recent history of political insta-

bility, however, analysts applauded the fact that the march was peaceful. “LIBRE’s decision to take its accusations of fraud down a peaceful and legal path guarantees the political stability of Honduras in the short term,” said analyst Francisco Zaravia.

Castro and Zelaya appeared at the march alongside the coffin of 58-year-old Antonio Ardon, a wellknown LIBRE supporter who was shot dead by four unknown assailants in Tegucigalpa on Saturday night.

Zelaya said Ardon’s killing was politically motivated and perpetrated by “death squads.” Honduran police said they did not yet know the motive for the killing. — Reuters

Second data recorder found in derailed NY train Eleven of the injured critically wounded

TOKYO: US Vice President Joe Biden salutes upon arriving at the Tokyo International Airport in Tokyo yesterday. Biden is in Tokyo to meet with Japan’s prime minister and lawmakers for the first leg of his Asia tour that includes China and South Korea. — AP

US deploys surveillance aircraft to Japan WASHINGTON: The US Navy has deployed sophisticated surveillance aircraft to Japan, officials said yesterday, amid rising tensions over China’s territorial claims in the region.

Two P-8A Poseidon patrol jets departed Jacksonville, Florida on Friday and arrived later at Kadena air base in Okinawa, in a move that was planned before Beijing declared an air defense zone last month covering disputed islands in the East China Sea, a Navy official told AFP. “This was scheduled for a long time,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It’s a rotational deployment.”

Four more Poseidon aircraft are due to deploy at Okinawa later this month, the official said.

The assignment to Japan marks the first mission for the new plane, which is replacing the propeller-driven P-3 Orion aircraft that dates back to the 1960s. The P-8A planes, converted Boeing 737s equipped with advanced radar and anti-ship missiles, are designed to hunt submarines and track other vessels at sea.

The deployment came as US Vice President Joe Biden set out on a trip Sunday to Asia which will include a visit to

Beijing, where he will discuss regional tensions that have spiked since Beijing’s declaration.

Senior US officials said Biden would convey Washington’s “concerns” about China’s air defense zone and seek clarity regarding its intentions.

On November 23, China announced an expanded air defense identification zone and said aircraft would have to submit flight plans before entering the area, home to disputed islands in the East China Sea. China and Japan have been locked in a mounting territorial argument over the island chain, known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.

The United States has said it will not alter its military operations in the area despite China’s declared zone and sent two B-52 bombers through the area last week.

The US State Department, however, has said American commercial airlines should observe China’s demand to be given advance notice of aircraft entering the zone. Although taking no position on the sovereignty dispute, Washington says it would uphold its defense treaty with Japan in the event of a conflict. — AFP

NEW YORK: Authorities retrieved a second data recorder yesterday from a New York City commuter train involved in a derailment that killed 4 people and injured more than 60 others.

Investigators trying to determine the cause of the crash planned to interview the engineer and conductor of the train.

Earl Weener, of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at the crash site that the second data recorder was found in the train’s front car and was sent to Washington for analysis. The other recorder was found earlier in the rear locomotive.

Weener said investigators are looking for information on the speed of the train, how the brakes were applied and the throttle setting. He said they’ve already had some success in retrieving data, but the information has to be validated before it’s made public.

Investigators could interview the engineer and conductor yesterday or today, Weener said.

The NTSB said its investigators could spend up to 10 days probing all aspects of the accident that toppled seven cars and the locomotive, leaving the lead car only inches from the water at a bend in the New York City borough of the Bronx, where the Hudson and Harlem rivers meet. It was the latest accident in a troubled year for the second-biggest US commuter railroad, which had never experienced a passenger death in an accident in its 31-year history.

Officials warned the 26,000 weekday riders of Metro-North railroad to brace for crowded trains during the morning commute. However, railroad spokesman Aaron Donovan said no major delays were reported during the early part of the rush hour.

The locomotive was hoisted back on the track before dawn yesterday morning, and two cranes were in place to lift the rest of the toppled cars pending approval of the board, Donovan said.

About 150 people were on board when the train derailed as it rounded a riverside curb.

Donovan said the railroad believed everyone aboard has been accounted for. Some of the passengers on the Metro-North train from the town of Poughkeepsie to Manhattan were jolted from sleep around 7:20 am to screams and the frightening sensation of their compartment rolling over on the bend.

In their efforts to find passengers, rescuers shattered windows, searched nearby woods and waters and used pneumatic jacks and air bags to

NEW YORK: Cranes lift a derailed Metro North train car, yesterday in the Bronx borough of New York. Federal authorities began righting the cars Monday morning as they started an exhaustive investigation into what caused a New York City commuter train rounding a riverside curve to derail, killing four people and injuring more than 60 others. — AP peer under wreckage. New York Gov. Andrew was struck by a westbound train. The crash Cuomo said the track did not appear to be injured 73 passengers, two engineers and a confaulty, leaving speed as a possible culprit for the ductor. In July, a freight train full of garbage crash. The speed limit on the curve is 30 mph (48 derailed on the same Metro-North line near the kph), compared with 70 mph (113 kph) in the site of Sunday’s wreckage.

For decades, the NTSB has been urging railarea approaching it, Weener said.

Authorities identified the victims Sunday as roads to install technology that can stop derailDonna L. Smith, 54; James G. Lovell, 58; James M. ing caused by excessive speed, along with other Ferrari, 59; and Ahn Kisook, 35. Three of the dead problems.

A rail-safety law passed by Congress in 2008 were found outside the train, and one was found gave commuter and freight railroads until the inside, authorities said.

Lovell, an audio technician, was traveling to end of 2015 to install the systems, known as posmidtown Manhattan to work on the famed itive train control. PTC is aimed at preventing Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, said longtime human error - the cause of about 40 percent of friend Janet Barton. The tree-lighting ceremony train accidents. But the systems are expensive and complicated. Railroads are trying to push is Wednesday night.

“The Today” show expressed condolences to back the installation deadline another five to the family of Lovell, a married father of four who seven years.

Metro-North is in the process of installing the had worked on the program and other NBC shows. Eleven of the injured were believed to be technology. It now has what’s called an “autocritically wounded and another six seriously matic train control” signal system, which automatically applies the brakes if an engineer fails hurt, according to the Fire Department.

Sunday’s accident came six months after an to respond to an alert that indicates excessive eastbound train derailed in Connecticut, and speed. — AP

Canada arrest Toronto man suspected of spying for China Pregnant mom’s killing unsolved

GLASGOW: Scottish Fire and Rescue services look on at the helicopter being lifted onto a truck trailer to be driven away from the scene yesterday, following the helicopter crash at the Clutha Bar in Glasgow, Scotland. Scottish emergency workers were sifting through wreckage over the weekend for survivors of a police helicopter crash onto a crowded Glasgow pub that has killed nine people and injured more than two dozen. — AP

Scotland mourns pub helicopter crash victims GLASGOW: Mourners lit candles as Scotland remembered those who were killed when a police helicopter plunged through the roof of a Glasgow pub, killing at least nine people, police said yesterday.

Emergency ser vice workers earlier began attempts to winch the police aircraft back through the roof of The Clutha, where it is feared further corpses may be found under its carcass, further raising the death toll.

All three on board the helicopter and two men who were in the pub have been named. More than 100 people were watching a Glaswegian ska band in the popular live music bar on Friday night when the unexplained disaster struck.

In sombre scenes, candles were lit in Glasgow Cathedral during a packed memorial service Sunday which also paid tribute to the rescue effort and remembered those injured. Reverend Laurence Whitley told the congregation: “We do not end this day in despair and losses.

“Our great and vibrant and irrepressible city shall stand together with our suffering ones and hand in hand go forward into the light.” Ambulance workers in uniform sat in the pews, along with Scotland’s police chief

Stephen House.

He later had to announce the deaths of the helicopter crew: captain David Traill, 51, the pilot, and police constables Kirsty Nelis, 36, and 43-year-old Tony Collins. Both officers had previously been commended for bravery.

“I’d like to pay tribute to all of them and the work that they did over the years, keeping people safe across Scotland,” said House. The chief constable said the work to extract the helicopter was “painstaking”.

“Until the helicopter is completely removed from the scene and the right people are in the premises and are able to look through the rubble completely and start to clear it, we cannot say about exact numbers (of deaths),” he said.

At The Clutha, cranes could be seen working on the wreckage of the riverside bar in the middle of Scotland’s biggest city.

One rotor blade was lifted out of the debris.

‘I love you with all my heart’ Survivor Craig Bain, 35, his bowed head wrapped in white bandages, went straight from hospital back to the scene to lay flowers. “I was in the pub when it happened,” he told STV television, shaking and barely able to speak through tears.

RIPLEY: Three months after his pregnant daughter was killed in a still-unsolved shooting on a quiet country road, Dave Dodson wakes up every morning still thinking she’s alive. He cries every time he sees the four-wheeler she grew up riding and he can’t bring himself to finish fixing a truck they’d been working on together.

His wife Mary still hasn’t gone into the room where she sewed baby clothes with her daughter. She hasn’t decorated the house for the holidays. On Aug. 28, police responding to what they thought was a car crash instead found the Dodsons’ daughter, 22-yearold Brittany Stykes, shot dead in her car in Ripley, about 45 miles southeast of Cincinnati in southern Ohio’s Appalachian country. Stykes’ 14-month-old daughter, Aubree, was still strapped in her car seat, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head.

Stykes was five months pregnant, and her unborn baby died. Aubree survived the shooting, and four surgeries later, is largely the same little girl she was before. Investigators with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office have made no arrests and have not found the murder weapon or any shell casings. They still don’t know whether Stykes knew her killer or where the shooting occurred, just where her car ended up.

“I was hoping this would be done before the holidays but the way things are going, I’m kind of afraid this is going to go on forever,” said Mary Dodson, 46, crying in her kitchen just before Thanksgiving. “We’re in limbo. We can’t do anything. We can’t move on because we don’t know who did this and why.”

Stykes, the second oldest of five children, was a stay-at-home mom who spent all day with her family while her husband, Shane Stykes, 37, worked a factory job in Cincinnati, Dodson said.

“We’re the Waltons,” she said, speaking of how the family has dinner together every night and spent weekends playing board games. “She did nothing to deserve this. She was innocent and she was good.”

Sgt. Buddy Moore, the lead detective on the case, said it’s the department’s top priority. “In this case, time will tell the truth,” he said. “I’m very confident that we will solve this.” Moore said the killing is extremely rare, not only because there’s usually just one to two homicides in the area a year but also because of all the still-unanswered questions.

TORONTO: Canadian police have arrested a Toronto man suspected of seeking to give China classified information about Canadian shipbuilding procurement policies, security officials said on Sunday.

Jennifer Strachan, a chief superintendent with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told a news conference that Canadian citizen Qing Quentin Huang, 53, faced two charges of attempting to communicate with a foreign entity.

“On Thursday the RCMP was informed that the accused was taking steps to pass on information of a classified nature to China,” she told a rare weekend news conference. “In these types of cases, sharing of information may give a foreign entity a tactical, military or competitive advantage by knowing the specifications of vessels responsible for defending Canadian waters and Canadian sovereignty.”

Strachan said Huang, who was arrested on Saturday, had worked for a subcontrac-

tor involved in ship design. She declined to say what information Huang had tried to provide to China, but said there was no threat to public safety.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei rejected the allegations. “The relevant reports about a Canadian man suspected of providing information to the Chinese government are completely baseless,” Hong told a daily news briefing in Beijing yesterday.

Canada has had a complicated relationship with China, with official efforts to boost trade and improve business ties at times conflicting with deep concern about the role that Chinese state-owned entities should be allowed to have in Canada.

Canada last year allowed state-owned energy company CNOOC Ltd to buy up domestic energy producer Nexen Inc, but made clear that it would not allow further purchases of domestic oil sands companies by state-owned enterprises. — Reuters

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

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

Russia’s Putin faces protests as he woos Armenia YEREVAN: About 500 people marched through the capital of Armenia yesterday to denounce visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin and to protest against plans to join a Moscow-led customs union.

Some of the crowd in central Yerevan held banners declaring “Putin, go home” or “No to the USSR”, a reference to the Russian leader’s efforts to bind former Soviet republics together more closely in economic and security alliances.

Putin flew to the South Caucasus coun-

try for talks on its decision in September to join the Customs Union with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, but began his visit in another city, Gyumri. He was due in Yerevan later yesterday. The rally in Yerevan followed much larger protests in Ukraine, which suspended plans to sign a trade deal with the European Union last week and decided to rebuild economic ties with Russia instead.

Kremlin critics in the West accuse Putin of putting pressure on Ukraine, Armenia and other former Soviet republics to reject

agreements that would increase their integration with the EU. Putin has made clear Moscow wants to increase its influence in the strategic region sandwiched between Russia, Turkey, Iran and the oil and gas deposits of the Caspian Sea basin.

“We are going to strengthen our position in the South Caucasus, drawing on the best of what we have inherited from ancestors and good relations with all countries in the region,” Putin told a Russian-Armenian

regional forum in Gyumri.

“Participation in the Customs Union ... already is bringing Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus tangible dividends,” he said. Police blocked a central street as the demonstrators headed closer to the headquarters of President Serzh Sarksyan’s administration, and protesters handed over a letter urging the government to renounce its decision to join the customs union.

Russia is the biggest foreign investor in Armenia and its largest trading partner.

Bilateral trade grew 22 percent to $1.2 billion last year. Most trade has been imports to Armenia. Three years ago Russia extended its lease on a military base in the landlocked, resource-poor nation of 3.2 million until 2044, ensuring it maintains a firm foothold in the South Caucasus.

The region also includes Azerbaijan, which has been embroiled in a territorial dispute with Armenia since the Soviet collapse, and Georgia, with which Russia fought a five-day war in 2008. —Reuters

Somali PM ousted in no-confidence vote 184 out of 249 lawmakers voted to sack Shirdon MOGADISHU: The prime minister of Somalia was ousted by parliament yesterday amid a bitter power struggle within the internationallybacked government that could undermine efforts to rebuild the war-torn nation and tackle Islamist rebels.

that 184 out of 249 lawmakers in parliament voted to sack Shirdon.

“The current prime minster and his government will continue with their work until a new prime minster and a cabinet is nominated,” Jawari added. The precise cause of the power struggle is unclear, but politi-

at the vote and complained he had been barred from making a speech in his defence. “They refused to let me talk... and that is unacceptable, even the accused has the right to defend himself,” Shirdon told reporters minutes before the vote took place.

MOGADISHU: Somali lawmakers raise their hands yesterday during a parliament session in Mogasishu to impeach Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, who lost a no-confidence vote in parliament. Shirdon was ousted by parliament yesterday amid a bitter power struggle within the internationally-backed government. Shirdon, prime minister of the Horn of Africa nation for just over a year, lost a confidence vote in parliament after he resisted President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s demand that he resign. —AFP Abdi Farah Shirdon, prime minister of the Horn of Africa nation for just over a year, lost a confidence vote in parliament after he resisted President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s demand that he resign.

“The motion has passed,” said speaker Mohamed Osman Jawari, adding

cians have pointed to wrangling over alleged corruption, personal loyalties as well as Somalia’s complex clan politics, where each community expects to be represented in the corridors of power.

Shirdon, who left the parliament building before the vote, lashed out

The government, which took power in August 2012, was the first to be given global recognition since the collapse of the hardline regime in 1991, and billions in foreign aid has since been poured in.

It was hailed as offering the best chance for peace in a generation,

replacing a transitional leadership mired by ineffectiveness and rampant corruption. But fighting over who gets what job appears to have become the number-one priority in a badly fractured country desperately in need of a strong central government and struggling to cast off its image as a failed state.

While the government controls the capital Mogadishu, large swathes of rural areas are controlled

by Al-Qaeda-inspired Shebab rebels who have emerged as a threat to regional and international peacestriking outside of Somalia most recently at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi.

Somalia has also become synonymous with piracy and a danger to key international shipping lanes. The country is also badly divided, with Somaliland in the north having declared full independence, while Puntland in the northeast functions as an autonomous state.

The political squabbling follows the resignation last month of Somalia’s Central Bank governor Yussur Abrar-the second to step down during this government-complaining she had been pressurised to sign off on corrupt deals, claims the government denied. Her predecessor, Abdusalam Omer, resigned his post in September amid accusations

by United Nations experts the bank had become a “slush fund” for political leaders with millions of dollars siphoned out, claims that were also dismissed by the government.

Without resolution, political divisions could impact the government’s focus on the security situation and efforts to battle Shebab rebels.

The African Union force that fights alongside government troops is awaiting reinforcements to boost it to some 22,000 soldiers, which is expected to kickstart a long-expected fresh offensive. —AFP

Islamist attacks prompt 24-hour curfew in Nigeria’s Maiduguri MAIDUGURI: Overnight attacks by Boko Haram Islamists forced authorities yesterday to impose a 24-hour cur few in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, closing the airport and shutting roads into and out of the city.

The government in Borno state said the decision was taken after consultation with the military, which is believed to have been the target of the strikes by hundreds of militant fighters. “The imposition of the curfew is necessitated by an attack in Maiduguri by people suspected to be Boko Haram members in the early hours of today,” said state government secretary Baba Ahmed Jidda.

The apparently large-scale attack in a major urban centre will cast further doubt on military

claims that Boko Haram, which was last month designated a terrorist group by the United States, has been pushed into remote areas.

At the weekend, the military said they would tighten security in communities near Nigeria’s northern and eastern borders with Chad, Niger and Cameroon due to fears about Boko Haram strikes over the Christmas and New Year period.

Army spokesman Ibrahim Attahiru told AFP on Monday that one of the attacks struck near the city’s airport but he was not able to provide further details, amid reports that the airport and a nearby air force base were targeted.

The phone network has been down in Borno since mid-May, when the government imposed a state of emergency in the state and two others

Bolshoi performers say dancer’s guilt not proven MOSCOW: Performers at Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre made a last-minute plea for leniency yesterday for a dancer accused of ordering an acid attack on its artistic director, praising his “wonderful human qualities” and saying he was incapable of such an act.

A judge is due to pronounce a verdict today in the month-long trial of former soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko that has shone a spotlight on bitter rivalries behind the scenes. State prosecutors have asked for a nine-year prison term but he could still be jailed for up to 12 years if convicted over an attack that nearly blinded the Bolshoi ballet’s artistic director, Sergei Filin.

The month-long trial of Dmitrichenko and two alleged accomplices has tainted the reputation of one of Russia’s most prominent cultural symbols. “In the open trial, the public has heard absolutely no evidence confirming his guilt,” dozens of performers and other staff at the Bolshoi said in an open letter published on the website of the daily Izvestia newspaper.

Dancer Natalya Vyskubenko said it was signed by about 150 people.

A masked assailant splashed acid in Filin’s face when he was returning home late in the evening from the Bolshoi last January, leaving him writhing in pain. His eyesight remains impaired after more than 20 operations.

Dmitrichenko, 29, has acknowledged that he wanted Filin roughed up and had given co-

defendant Yuri Zarutsky the go-ahead to hit him, but has pleaded not guilty to ordering an attack involving acid. Zarutsky has said the use of acid was his idea and that he had not told Dmitrichenko of his plan.

Citing what it called Dmitrichenko’s “decency, flawless professionalism ... and wonderful human qualities,” the letter said those who knew him found it “absolutely unacceptable (to say) he could have inspired and ordered a crime that was committed in such a savage way.”

“The judge’s decision in this case must be proportionate to the real guilt of each participant - or lack thereof,” it said. Prosecutors have asked the court to sentence Zarutsky to 10 years in prison and Andrei Lipatov, who is accused of driving Zarutsky to the scene, to six years.

The prosecution said Dmitrichenko was motivated by a conflict with Filin, 43. In court last week, prominent former Bolshoi dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze told the court he had denied roles to both Dmitrichenko and his girlfriend, a ballerina.

Defence witnesses have attacked Filin’s character, portraying him as an imperious hothead and Dmitrichenko as a champion of others who felt slighted by the artistic director, who has considerable power to make or break careers. —Reuters

in a move designed to block militants from coordinating attacks. Details of the ongoing conflict have been difficult to verify because of the communications black-out.

The latest violence began at around 3:00 am (0200 GMT ) and included bomb and gun attacks, said an AFP correspondent in the city, where Boko Haram was founded more than 10 years ago.

“They entered Maiduguri from the bush, chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is great),” said one Nigerian intelligence officer, adding that some insurgents had been detained, without specifying numbers.

Ambulances were seen moving out of the air force base and the adjoining Ngomari neighbourhood, according to the correspondent, who said that roads in the city were deserted.

Local residents said there had been fatalities but there was no immediate confirmation. The insurgents were also said to have ambushed military checkpoints around Njimtilo, on the outskirts of the city. The state government’s Jidda called for residents to remain “calm and law-abiding until the situation is put under control, as the security agencies will do everything possible to maintain lives and property of the citizenry”.

He added: “Only vehicles on emergency call and essential services are allowed to move during the period. The curfew would be lifted as soon as the situation improves.”

Monday’s attacks come after suspected Boko Haram militants killed 24 people in two separate strikes in Borno state on Saturday and last Thursday. Seven fishermen were ambushed and killed in the first attack in Baga, a fishing community on Lake Chad, where nearly 200 people, including soldiers, insurgents and civilians lost their lives in fierce fighting earlier this year.

Seventeen others were killed in the second attack, when gunmen in pick-up trucks torched more than 100 shops and vehicles in the Sabon Gari area of Damboa district, 90 kilometres (56 miles) from Maiduguri.

Boko Haram, whose name translates from the Hausa language of northern Nigeria as “Western education is sin”, wants to impose a strict form of Islamic law or sharia in the region and has been blamed for thousands of deaths since 2009.

Last Friday, Human Rights Watch called on it to stop targeting ordinary Nigerians, claiming it was conducting reprisal attacks on the wider public in retaliation for intelligence passed on to the military by civilian vigilantes. —AFP

KIEV: Two opposition demonstrators, one holding a Svoboda party flag (L), guard one of the entrances as protesters block the Ukrainian Cabinet of the Ministers building in Kiev yesterday. Ukrainian protesters declared a general strike and blockaded government buildings yesterday after violent clashes in which more than 100,000 sought early elections over the authorities’ rejection of a historic EU pact. —AFP

Ukraine protesters declare general strike after clashes KIEV: Ukrainian protesters declared a general strike and blockaded government buildings yesterday after violent clashes in which more than 100,000 sought early elections over the authorities’ rejection of a historic EU pact.

Nearly 10,000 supporters of the exSoviet state’s alliance with the European Union and disavowal of old master Russia camped out overnight on Kiev’s iconic Independence Square in a bid to keep alive Ukraine’s biggest pro-democracy protest since the 2004 Orange Revolution.

Thousands then moved toward government and state administration buildings calling for President Viktor Yanukovych’s immediate ouster and a nationwide strike.

Streams of cars honked their horns in support while church bells rang out across the heart of the ancient capital in scenes posing the single biggest challenge to the president’s three-year rule.

“We are tired of these gangsters and bandits,” said a driver who identified himself as Ivan Filipovich after pulling his car alongside others blocking the entrance to the main government building.

“Everything is corrupt. We want to be close to normal countries and not Russia,” the 51-year-old said while glancing at the gold-and-blue flag of the European Union hanging out his window. The swarming crowd had first defied a ban on protests on Sunday by driving lines of helmeted police off the same expansive square that provided the setting of the dramatic 2004 revolt.

Some of the more militant in the group also steered a bulldozer within striking distance of barricades protecting the Yanukovych administration building.

Security forces outside the president’s seat of power fired dozens of stun grenades and smoke bombs at masked demonstrators who were pelting police with stones and Molotov cocktails.

Kiev’s city government said in an update yesterday that 165 police officers and demonstrators had been injured in the most serious clashes witnessed in Ukraine since the Soviet Union’s demise.

The economically struggling nation of 46 million was thrown into crisis when Yanukovych snubbed EU leaders at a summit on Friday and refused a deal that would have paved Ukraine’s way to eventual membership in the 28-nation bloc.

EU leaders primarily blamed the decision on the stinging economic punishments Russia had mooted should Ukraine take the

fateful step toward the West. Yet the move now threatens to backfire on Yanukovych as his political foes try to build momentum amid discontent with state corruption and disappearing jobs.

About 50,000 protesters also rallied on Sunday in the Ukrainian-speaking western city of Lviv. Another 250 EU supporters ignored a court ban in Yanukovych’s native region of Donetsk.

The weekend violence drew a call for restraint from the US State Department as well as Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski and his Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt, two leaders spearheading the EU’s expansion east.

Ukrainian officials were dealt more embarrassment Monday when members of the nationalist Svoboda party held on to their control of Kiev city hall after storming the empty building late Sunday.

“A revolution is starting in Ukraine,” Svoboda party chief Oleh Tyahnybok declared. “We are launching a national strike,” he said in a call supported by other opposition leaders. It was not immediately clear how many Ukrainian workers had in fact downed their tools and the action at first appeared to be largely symbolic.

But local authorities in several western cities had either joined calls for a general walkout or had simply refused to show up at work. Ivano-Frankivsk city mayor Viktor Anushkevichus said in a statement that he and his deputies were taking an unpaid leave of absence “in solidarity with the strikers”. City officials in Lviv also issued a statement supporting the action. Yanukovych appeared to be trying to diffuse the standoff by affirming Sunday that Ukraine had already chosen its “historic path” by committing itself to closer EU ties.

Yet he also stressed those relations would come only when Kiev was treated as “an equal partner that is respected and whose wishes are taken into account”.

Ukraine’s nuanced approach in which it seeks favour from both Moscow and Brussels was underscored yet again when the government said Yanukovych would travel to Russia to sign a new “cooperation roadmap” after completing a visit to China on Friday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was also due to meet Ukrainian officials in Kiev when he attends an Organisation for the Security and Co - operation in Europe (OSCE) meeting scheduled for Thursday. —AFP

PARIS: People hold signs reading “Without our education, we would have slogan less dumb” during a demonstration gathering professors and students in preparatory classes to protest against a project of the Ministy of Education which plans a wage cut and the increase in the number of teaching hours, yesterday in Paris. —AFP

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

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

Nazi murderer Heinrich Boere dies at 92 BERLIN: Heinrich Boere, who murdered Dutch civilians as part of a Nazi Waffen SS hit squad during World War II but avoided justice for six decades, died in a prison hospital while serving a life sentence, German justice officials said Monday. He was 92.

Boere died Sunday of natural causes in the facility in Froendenberg where he was being treated for dementia, North RhineWestphalia Justice Ministry spokesman Detlef Feige said. He had been the state’s oldest prisoner.

Boere was on the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s list of most-wanted Nazi war criminals until his arrest in Germany and conviction in 2010 on three counts of murder.

“Late justice often sends a very powerful message regarding the importance of Nazi and Holocaust crimes,” the center’s top Nazi hunter, Efraim Zuroff, said in a telephone interview from Jerusalem. “It’s a comforting thought to know that Boere ended his life in a prison hospital rather than as a free man.”

During his six-month trial in Aachen, Boere admitted killing three civilians as a member of the “Silbertanne,” or “Silver Fir,”

hit squad - a unit of largely Dutch SS volunteers responsible for reprisal killings of countrymen who were considered antiNazi.

He sat through the proceedings in a wheelchair and was regularly monitored by a doctor. He spoke little, but told the court in a written statement he had no choice but to obey orders to carry out the killings.

“As a simple soldier, I learned to carry out orders,” Boere testified. “And I knew that if I didn’t carry out my orders I would be breaking my oath and would be shot myself.” But the presiding judge said there was no evidence Boere ever even tried to question his orders, and characterized the murders as hit-style slayings, with Boere and his accomplices dressed in civilian clothes and surprising their victims at their homes or places of work late at night or early in the morning.

“These were murders that could hardly be outdone in terms of baseness and cowardice - beyond the respectability of any soldier,” the judge said in his ruling. “The victims had no real chance.”

Boere remained unapologetic to the end for his actions, saying that he had been proud to volunteer for the SS, and that times were different then. Born to a Dutch father and German mother in Eschweiler, Germany - on the outskirts of Aachen - Boere moved to the Netherlands when he was an infant.

In testimony during his trial, Boere said he remembered his mother waking him up the night in 1940 that Germany invaded the Netherlands and seeing Stuka divebombers overhead. Instead of fearing the German bombs, he said his family was elated as the attack unfolded. “(My mother) said ‘they’re coming’ now things will be better,” he told the court, before later adding: “It was better.” After the Germans had overrun his hometown of Maastricht and the rest of the Netherlands, the 18-year-old Boere saw a recruiting poster for the Waffen SS, signed

by Heinrich Himmler. It offered German citizenship after two years of service and the possibility of becoming a policeman after that.

He showed up with 100 other

Dutchmen at the recruitment office and was one of 15 chosen. “I was very proud,” Boere told the court. After fighting on the Russian front, Boere ended up back in the Netherlands as part of the “Silbertanne” hit squad.

According to statements Boere made to Dutch authorities after the war, he and a fellow SS man were given a list of names slated for “retaliatory measures.”

Boere killed pharmacist Fritz Hubert Ernst Bicknese with a pistol in his pharmacy, then he and the accomplice killed bicycle-shop owner Teun de Groot when he answered the doorbell at his home. They forced the third victim, Franz Wilhelm Kusters, into their car, drove him to another town, stopped on the pretense of having a flat tire and shot him.

“Kusters fell against the garden door ... and sank to the ground,” Boere told investigators. “Blood shot out of Kusters’ neck.”

After the war, Boere managed to escape the prisoner-of-war camp where he was being held in the Netherlands and eventually return to Germany.

He was sentenced to death in the

Netherlands in 1949 - later commuted to life imprisonment - but the case always seemed to fall through the legal cracks.

The Netherlands sought Boere’s extradition, but a German court in 1983 refused on the grounds that he might have German citizenship, and Germany at the time had no provision to extradite its own nationals.

A state court in Aachen ruled in 2007 that Boere could legally serve his Dutch sentence in Germany, but an appeals court in Cologne overturned the ruling, calling the 1949 conviction invalid because Boere was not there to present a defense.

It was after the appeals ruling that a prosecutor in Dortmund quietly reopened the case, beginning from scratch and charging Boere with the three murders in 2008.

During his trial, Boere told the court he was aware of the possibility he would be pursued by authorities, so much so that he never married. “I always had to consider that my past might catch up with me,” he said. “I didn’t want to inflict that upon a woman.” —AP

Bangladesh opposition boycotts Jan 5 polls Dozens of rail services suspended

KABUL: Afghan Foreign Minister Zarar Ahmad Osmani, right, shakes hand with the Foreign Minister of Iraq Hoshyar Zebari, at the Foreign Ministry in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. Iraq’s foreign minister said yesterday that he shared his country’s experiences in negotiating an American security deal with Afghan officials, who have delayed signing their own agreement with the United States. —AP

Pakistan envoy sees ‘light at end of tunnel’ with India NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s outgoing envoy to New Delhi said yesterday he saw “light at the end of the tunnel” in diplomatic relations and predicted the improvement would survive next year’s Indian elections.

High Commissioner (ambassador) Salman Bashir said calm had returned to the neighbours’ de facto border in disputed Kashmir after a deadly flare-up earlier in the year and both sides were committed to improving ties.

“I do not want to sound over-optimistic or exaggerate but what I am saying is that there is light at the end of the tunnel,” Bashir told a farewell press conference in the Indian capital.

“We have constantly worked for the improvement in relations between the two countries and at this point of time I am personally optimistic that we will be on the upward trajectory in the coming months.”

Some observers have predicted ties between the nuclear rivals could be hit if hardline Hindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi emerges as prime minister after elections due in India by next May. Modi, who is ahead in the polls, has been an outspoken critic of Pakistan and has accused the current Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of not being tough enough

towards Islamabad.

But Bashir said the outcome of the Indian elections was “not material” to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s stated goal of improving ties. “The improvement in relations with India is very emphatically a state policy. We believe it’s in our interest and we believe it’s in the interest of the region,” said the high commissioner. “Our prime minister is on record as having very emphatically stated that improvement of relations with India is a priority. “An improvement in relations with Pakistan is also something that is of importance to India and the Indian leadership.”

Bashir refused to be drawn on the impact of a Modi premiership, saying Pakistan would “respect whatever is the decision of the people of India”. Sharif and Singh both pledged to ensure calm along their border in Kashmir when they held talks in New York in September, the highest-level talks between the two sides for three years.

As well as tensions over Kashmir, ties have also been blighted during Singh’s premiership by the 2008 Mumbai attacks, when Islamic militants from Pakistan laid siege to an iconic hotel and other sites and killed 166 people. —AFP

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s opposition alliance yesterday confirmed its boycott of a January general election, failing to register candidates before a deadline for nominations and plunging the country into renewed political uncertainty.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced the decision amid growing street violence that has left 52 people dead since late October and a series of strikes and blockades that have paralysed large parts of the country.

“There is no question of us filing nominations for the January 5 election under the present circumstances. We’re not going to take part in the January 5 elections,” Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, a BNP vice president, told AFP. Nominations closed at 5 pm (1100 GMT) yesterday and officials said no BNP officials had filed their papers.

The announcement on November 25 of the election date further fuelled unrest, with 22 of the 52 deaths occurring since then.

Two people died yesterday in western Bangladesh during clashes between hundreds of BNP supporters and ruling party activists, police said. Opposition activists have also tried to force a shutdown of public transport.

Dozens of rail services have been suspended after the activists uprooted tracks, torched coaches and attacked trains with petrol bombs, officials said. Late Sunday a train was derailed, with seven coaches coming off the tracks, which blocked the line between Dhaka and the major cities of Chittagong and Sylhet, Bangladesh Railway traffic director Syed Zahur Hossain told AFP. Police have cracked down on BNP leaders, prompting many of them to go into hiding. The BNP yesterday extended its 72-hour nationwide transport blockade until Thursday afternoon to press its demands, party spokesman Salahuddin Ahmed said in a video statement from an undisclosed location.

Chowdhury said the BNP and its 17 smaller allies including the country’s largest Islamic party would only

DHAKA: Bangladeshi commuters cross a river by boat during a blockade organised by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activists and their supporters in Dhaka yesterday. Bangladesh’s 18-party opposition coalition confirmed it would boycott a general election scheduled for January, making the announcement hours before the nominations deadline and plunging the country into renewed political uncertainty. —AFP change their minds on the election boycott “if the polls are organised by a non-party, neutral government”.

The BNP, led by two-times ex-premier Khaleda Zia, demands that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina quit and make way for a “non-party and impartial” chief executive to oversee the polls.

It believes any polls held under Hasina will be rigged. Four free and fair polls have been held under caretaker governments in the past two decades, but Hasina scrapped the system in 2011 — arguing that it was unconstitutional and could pave the way for military coups.

The prime minister has instead formed an interim multi-party cabinet which includes her allies. Her Awami League and its ally Jatiya Party, led by former dictator Hussain Muhammad Ershad, filed their nominations by the deadline on Monday,

elections officials said.

Bangladesh has witnessed at least 19 coups since August 1975 when Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s founding leader, was assassinated.

Amid intensifying diplomatic efforts to calm the country’s increasingly violent politics, the United Nations rights chief Navi Pillay warned at the weekend that Bangladesh was “dangerously close” to a major crisis.

“Such levels of violence are deeply shocking for the Bangladeshi people, the vast majority of whom want-and deserve-a peaceful and inclusive election,” said Pillay, the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The BNP has said it is still ready for dialogue to resolve the crisis but has accused the government of targeting its leaders. At least eight senior BNP figures have been arrested in recent

weeks on suspicion of instigating violence, police said.

Chowdhury said the eight along with hundreds of grassroots opposition activists were detained on “false charges” and most other leaders were now in hiding. A senior UN envoy, the assistant secretary general for political affairs Oscar FernandezTaranco, will visit the country from December 6 to try to broker talks between the major parties.

India is sending its foreign secretary, who is scheduled to arrive tomoorow. The year 2013 has been the most violent since the country gained its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Death sentences passed on opposition leaders by a controversial war crimes court earlier this year, over mass killings during the independence war, sparked protests which left more than 150 people dead. —AFP

NATO warns Karzai aid at risk if no troop accord

SRINAGAR: Indian policemen frisks civilians after a shootout at Chadoora town, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of Srinagar, India, yesterday. Police in Indiancontrolled Kashmir say suspected rebels attacked a group of police, killing a senior counterinsurgency officer and wounding three others. —AP

Suspected rebels kill police officer in Kashmir SRINAGAR: Suspected rebels in Indian Kashmir shot dead a police officer and wounded two of his colleagues yesterday outside the main city of Srinagar, an official said. Unknown gunmen opened fire on the officer who was patrolling a market in Chadoora, 25 kilometres (16 miles) from Srinagar, in an attack that also injured a shopkeeper, the police official said.

The “officer died in the attack. We are ascertaining what exactly happened”, inspector general of police, Abdul Gani Mir, told AFP, adding that the injured were taken to hospital. Intelligence reports suggested militants were planning to step up attacks on police officers in the restive Himalayan territory, police recently said.

Kashmir is divided between India and

Pakistan by a de facto border known as the Line of Control but it is claimed in full by both countries. More than a dozen armed rebel groups have been fighting Indian forces since 1989 for the region’s independence or its merger with Pakistan.

Attacks in Indian Kashmir are at their lowest in 20 years, but the region remains tense with many Kashmiris chafing under tight security. Tens of thousands of people have died in the fighting by official count while local rights groups estimate up to 70,000 have lost their lives.

Meanwhile, at least 10 people were killed yesterday when a passenger bus plunged into a ravine in Pakistan’s Kashmir region, close to the disputed border with India. —Agencies

BRUSSELS: NATO officials warned Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday that he must sign a US troop status accord or put at risk future military and development aid for his country.

While planning continues for a post-2014 training and advisory mission after NATO ends combat operations, time is pressing and political and military practicalities mean the agreement must be signed soon, a senior NATO official said.

If there is no Afghan-US accord, there is “no post-2014 mission” and likely all the funding and other commitments that go with it, the official told a briefing ahead of a two-day NATO foreign ministers meeting beginning today.

Current NATO aid for Afghan armed forces runs at $4.1 billion (3 billion euros) a year, of which Kabul would only be able to raise $500 million, said the official who asked not to be named. The handling and “appropriate oversight” of aid is a key issue post-2014, given concerns over corruption, and the official said donors would be worried if there was no US and alliance presence to enure it was spent as intended.

Without an agreement, funding “in theory could continue to be forthcoming...but in practice there must be a question whether donors would have the confidence to contribute,” said the official.

As for non-military development aid totalling some $4.0 billion a year, the official said this was “different but again donors’ confidence” could be put in doubt without an accord.

Karzai last week refused to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), even though a Loya Jirga assembly of tribal leaders that he had convened voted for him to do so. The president, who stands down ahead of elections in April, on

Sunday accused Washington of halting essential supplies to some army and police units in an effort to force him to sign.

NATO officials said they hoped Karzai would come on board, with the BSA essential for laying down the legal framework for the post-2014 NATO troop presence and role.

A similar BSA deal with Iraq collapsed in 2011 leading to a complete US troop pull-out and an

upsurge in sectarian violence.

About 75,000 NATO combat troops are still deployed in Afghanistan, the majority of them American, and are being steadily drawn down as the alliance prepares to end its longest and biggest ever military operation next year.

Under the training and advisory mission, up to 12,000 troops, expected to be mostly American, would be based in Afghanistan. —AFP

KOLKATA: Indian policemen drag an activist of the ruling Congress party youth wing as they detain him during a protest in Kolkata, India, yesterday. The protesters demanded a CBI inquiry into the Saradha group scam. The company is alleged to have duped hundreds of thousands of investors in eastern India after promising them huge returns. The banner top right reads: “We want immediate CBI probe against Saradha Chit Fund.” —AP

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

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

Japan set to pass secrets law despite growing disquiet TOKYO: A controversial state secrets bill is expected to become law in Japan this week despite objections from a broadening coalition who say the legislation is being rushed through parliament.

Lawyers, journalists, religious leaders and a Nobel physicist are among a growing group of opponents who think the act is worryingly vague and gives too much power to the government.

And an opinion poll released yesterday showed increasing disquiet among voters over a law that would dramatically ramp up punishments for people convicted of giving away state secrets-an elastic category that can be expanded by ministers or bureaucrats to cover a wide range of information.

Conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the bill is necessary to plug a notoriously leaky government machine, which prevents chief ally the United States sharing intelligence.

The powerful lower house of parliament passed

the bill last week and Abe has vowed to push it through the upper chamber by Friday, provoking accusations of steamrollering. A survey by the liberal Asahi Shimbun showed 61 percent of voters think the pace of the bill’s passage is “problematic”, with more than three-quarters of those polled saying the law would create new secrets, rather than better safeguarding existing ones.

The survey of around 2,000 households comes after a string of influential groups have expressed opposition, including The Japan Federation of Bar Associations and more than 2,000 academics, among them 2008 Nobel physicist Toshihide Masukawa.

Clergy have also joined the debate, with Takao Takeda, a Buddhist monk and secretary of Shukyosha Kyujo-no-wa, a multi-faith grouping, saying the bill had echoes of Japan’s tragic march towards war last century.

“The bill being discussed now seems very similar to the Public Order Preservation Law” enacted in 1925, which enabled Imperial Japan to arrest anyone who voiced protest against the then government, Takeda said.

“It is important to protect people’s rights to know given our history and the way information was hidden in (World War II) and the fact that the government was not very open in the face of the nuclear crisis” triggered by the huge tsunami of 2011.

Under the proposals, information related to defence, diplomacy, counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism can all be classified as a state secret, at the behest of politicians. There is no provision for independent oversight of the process, leading to claims that inconvenient truths or news of bumbling by an already-opaque government could be declared off-limits.

“It is a threat to democracy,” Keiichi Kiriyama, edi-

torial writer of the Tokyo Shimbun, told foreign journalists yesterday. The legislation would “have a chilling effect on public servants who could become wary about giving the information” sought by journalists, he said.

Tsutomu Shimizu of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations said “civil activities and the expression of individual opinions would be included in the definition of terrorism in this bill... As lawyers, we are concerned” about the scope of this law.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters at a regular press briefing on Monday the government “will answer questions” over the bill during the current parliamentary session.

State snooping has come under the spotlight since ex-CIA employee and NSA contractor Edward Snowden fled to Hong Kong with a trove of classified documents that revealed the reach of the US intelligence machine. — AFP

Three injured in Australian helicopter crash in Antarctica Exact nature of crew and pilot’s injuries unknown

PATHEIN: In this Nov. 4, 2013 photo, trainees hold weapons at an army training base in Pathein, Irawaddy, Myanmar. As Myanmar shifts away from decades of military rule, emerging as a quasi-democracy where generals still wield immense political power, the government craves international respectability.

Political prisoners have been freed, censorship has been abolished and, the government promises, the days of child soldiers are over. — AP

Myanmar still enlists boy soldiers despite reforms CHAUNG THA: He disappeared when he was 12 years old, a skinny boy named Min Thu from the wrong side of town who thought he’d stumbled onto the golden ticket.

It began one afternoon when a swaggering, potbellied businessman bumped into Thu at the market, offering him an escape from a neighborhood where the houses are made of lumberyard scraps and the air smells of fish and decay and woodsmoke. It ended with four years in the army.

The businessman, a small-town mogul of plastic kitchenware and cheap polyester clothing, has three tiny shops. To Thu, whose father makes a living pedaling a bicycle rickshaw through the streets of this small beachside town, he seemed impossibly successful.

“The guy comes by and says, ‘You’ll have a great life if you come with me,’” says Thu, now a stone-faced 17-year-old, still skinny, and occasionally revealing a stutter he developed in the years he was gone. The older man made promises: that Thu could eat his fill at every meal, that he’d get a salary he could use to help his parents. Thu could barely believe his luck, even if he understood little of what was happening.

“I was in fifth grade. I didn’t even know what the guy was saying,” says Thu. This is what he was saying: Thu was joining thousands of boys who have been swallowed up over the years by Myanmar’s army, one of the most feared institutions in this country, also known as Burma. The businessman was also a broker for army recruiters, most likely paid the standard fee about $30 and a bag of rice for every person he persuaded to sign up. It didn’t matter if his recruits hadn’t reached puberty.

Over the next four years Thu would spend countless days carrying supplies and working on army-owned farms. He saw people die, in combat and in training. He’d see much of his $30-a-month salary taken by his superiors.

Once, when he was 14, he fought in a chaotic gunbattle with ethnic Karen rebels, alternately crawling and shooting as his heart pounded. He speaks with no pride about the experience. “I just did what I was told to do,” he says. “It was all about fear.”

As Myanmar shifts away from decades of military rule, emerging as a quasi-democracy where generals still wield immense political power, the government craves interna-

tional respectability. Political prisoners have been freed, censorship has been abolished and, the government promises, the days of child soldiers are over.

The United Nations and local rights activists say recruiting of underage soldiers has gone down, but many boys remain in the army, despite a government agreement to clear the military of anyone under age 18

by Dec. 1. Some have been taken in just the past few months.

“What we see and what the government is saying are completely different,” says Mya Sein, 65, a small-town rights activist who has worked with the families of child soldiers. “I don’t believe their promises.”

Still, in the often paradoxical ways of the new Myanmar, a system has been created to get children out of the army. If a boy soldier - or more likely his family - is able to contact an activist or international aid group, a bureaucratic process can be started leading to the boy’s discharge.

Officials in numerous government ministries, and the military, did not respond to requests for comment. But senior military officers regularly appear, along with relief group officials, at discharge ceremonies for underage soldiers.

“Some time ago the government came out of denial, which was excellent, and now there is firm policy in place,” says Steve Marshall, Myanmar head of the UN’s International Labor Organization, which has helped arrange many child soldier releases.

“The critical issue now is getting that policy applied.”

Analysts say it’s unclear how many children are in Myanmar’s military. About 500 boys have been discharged in the past few years, some as young as 11, though most between 14 and 16 years old, Marshall says.

He adds, though, that those children “are a small proportion” of Myanmar’s total number of child soldiers.

Go into Myanmar’s villages, where poverty is the norm and high school degrees are rarities, and the stories of boy soldiers come tumbling out. There’s the 15year-old troublemaker with a second-grade education given the choice of arrest or the army; the 16-year-old who went to the market, met a recruiter, and never came home.

There’s San Htet Kyaw, 16, who left home in July, hoping to find work as a day laborer in Yangon. Instead, an army recruiter dazzled him with tales of the money he’d bring back to his mother. — AP

SYDNEY: Two Australian helicopter crews were stranded in remote Antarctica awaiting rescue yesterday, three of the group with “serious” injuries, after a chopper crash in unforgiving, icy terrain. The Australian government’s Antarctic Division (AAD) said a pilot and two passengers were hurt when their Squirrel helicopter came down 150 nautical miles from Davis Station on Sunday night as it returned from a penguin colony surveillance mission near the Amery ice shelf.

A second helicopter flying in tandem immediately set down to assist the injured trio, and its passenger and pilot were caring for them until a recovery and medical support mission could be scrambled.

“Because of the nature of the incident and the environment their injuries are being treated as serious and awaiting further medical assessment,” the AAD said. “Reports from the incident site are that all are warm and sheltered and being closely monitored. Communication is being maintained with Davis station.”

Rescuers were hoping a window of favourable weather would allow aircraft to be positioned for a recovery operation, with a fixed-wing Basler flying out of Davis yesterday afternoon to begin scouting rescue options.

“The Australian Antarctic Division is currently looking at aircraft assets in the immediate area and weather patterns as it organises a recovery operation,” the AAD said. “(The Basler is) looking for viable landing areas for a Twin Otter aircraft, which it is hoped can establish a suitable staging point to begin the transfer of the injured to Davis station.”

The exact nature of the research crew and pilot’s injuries is unknown, though media reports suggested at least one had spinal damage. The group has wilderness survival training and equipment and had set up a tent to shelter the injured.

The helicopter was chartered from Victoriabased firm Helicopter Resources, who referred all questions about the incident to the AAD. Davis is the southernmost of Australia’s three

Antarctic stations, which also include Casey and Mawson, along with a sub-Antarctic station at Macquarie Island.

Forecasts were for a low of -3.1 degrees Celsius (26 Fahrenheit) at Davis Monday night, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.

It is the second time in little more than a year that Antarctica has seen an emergency rescue mission. Australia and New Zealand carried out a risky jet landing to transport a sick scientist from the United States’ McMurdo Station last August. Australia’s annual scientific mission to the icy continent for this Antarctic summer, which typically runs through to April, set off from Hobart in October. Penguins are a major focus of this year’s expedition, with a team exploring the historical feeding habits of Adelie penguins in the Davis region and the implications for fisheries management.

Approximately 30 nations operate permanent research stations in Antarctica including the US, China, Russia, Australia, Britain, France and Argentina. — AFP

Envoy says China has right to set another air zone MANILA: China has a sovereign right to establish a maritime air defense zone over another region as it did in the East China Sea, the Chinese envoy to the Philippines said yesterday.

The United States and key Asian allies have not honored the East China Sea zone, which was announced on Nov. 23 and is seen primarily as a bid to bolster China’s claim over uninhabited Japanese-controlled islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. The Philippines is locked in a long territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea. When asked to comment about concerns that China might set up a similar zone over the South China Sea, Ambassador Ma Keqing said in a news conference that it was within the right of the Chinese government to decide “where and when to set up the new air identification zone.”

But she added she could not tell at this time if China would do so. Ma said that the East China Sea zone’s designation should not spark concerns. “I think the target is not to trigger a conflict but to prevent, to pre-empt any tension to be raised in these areas,” Ma said. “This will not hinder any normal freedom of flights within this area if they’ve notified the Chinese authorities.” The new US ambassador to Manila, Philip Goldberg, described China’s move as dangerous. “We do not believe that this is a move intended to build confidence or, in any other way, improve the situation,” Goldberg told reporters.

Instead, China’s new zone “will create tension and the possibility of miscalculations and that’s never good, especially in an area where we know that, whether it’s over the Senkakus or ... the South China Sea.” While the US has not recognized the Chinese imposition, it has advised its carriers to comply to be safe.

“We can’t, with commercial aircraft, take chances, as I mentioned, of miscalculation, so we have recommended to our commercial air-

MANILA: Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon, right, welcomes Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing, center, before turnover rites of payloaders donated by Chinese companies in Manila, Philippines yesterday. China’s envoy to the Philippines says it is the sovereign right of her country to establish a new maritime air defense zone over the East China Sea and replicate the move over another disputed region. — AP

lines that they give such notification,” Goldberg said.

China has said that all aircraft entering the zone of international waters between China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan must notify Chinese authorities beforehand and that it would take unspecified defensive measures against those that don’t comply.

China has been locked over increasinglytense disputes over potentially oil- and gasrich territories in the South China Sea with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. While recent territorial spats between Beijing and Manila have particularly been antagonistic, China has extended help

to the Philippines, which was devastated by a Nov. 8 typhoon that left more than 5,600 people dead and 1,700 others missing.

Ma witnessed the turnover in Manila of three new payloaders donated yesterday by Chinese companies to the Philippine Red Cross for clearing debris and rebuilding homes in the worst-hit central city of Tacloban.

“This typhoon provided an opportunity for the Chinese people to help the Philippine people, to show the traditional friendship between the two countries,” Ma said. “This strong bond will live on despite all the differences we have.” — AP

Taiwan military jets fly into overlapping zone with China TAIPEI: Taiwan said yesterday its military planes have made about 30 flights into a part of China’s newly declared air defence zone which overlaps a similar Taiwanese zone.

China’s unilateral announcement on November 23 of an Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea has angered the United States, Japan and South Korea as well as Taiwan.

Beijing demands that all aircraft submit flight plans when traversing the zone, which covers islands disputed with Tokyo and also claimed by Taipei.

On Friday the Ma Ying-jeou administration in Taiwan, which has been pushing for detente with the mainland since 2008, launched a belated protest about the zone following mounting pres-

sure from the opposition.

Defence Minister Yen Ming, answering questions in parliament Monday, said the Taiwanese military planes had made “around 30 flights” into the overlapping area in the past week or so.

Yen said Taiwan’s air force would scramble planes should Chinese aircraft enter the overlapping area, but none had done so as yet.

But the minister said the air force would refrain from conducting bombing exercises in the area, to avoid fuelling tensions. Japan and South Korea both said last week they had flown into the Chinese air zone without notifying Beijing, after US B-52 bombers did likewise.

Ma’s administration in a statement Saturday called for a peaceful settlement of the dispute.

But the China-sceptic main opposition party, the

Democratic Progressive Party, described the comments as “too weak”.

The smaller but more radical Taiwan Solidarity Union filed a lawsuit against Ma, claiming that he had betrayed Taiwan’s interests to China. Taiwan’s parliament has passed a bi-partisan resolution urging the government not to present flight plans to Beijing even though the island’s Civil Aeronautics Administration agreed last week to do so. China still considers Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification, even though the two sides split back in 1949 at the end of a civil war. But relations have warmed since Ma of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008 on a platform of strengthening trade and tourism links. He was re-elected in January 2012. — AFP

TAIPEI: Air force lieutenant-general, Liu Shou-Jen introduces a map of Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea during a press conference in Taipei yesterday. Taiwan said its military planes have made about 30 flights into a part of China’s newly declared air defence zone which overlaps a similar Taiwanese zone. — AFP

NEWS

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

Iran reaches out to Saudi

Gulf rallies Egypt investment

Continued f rom Page 1

Continued from Page 1

Zarif also praised Oman’s role in last month’s negotiations between Iran and world powers including the United States that paved the way for the landmark nuclear deal. “We expressed our appreciation for the very central and positive role that the sultanate had played in facilitating these talks,” Zarif said after he met with Sultan Qaboos.

Later in Qatar, Zarif held talks with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the official QNA news agency reported. They “discussed bilateral relations and means of developing them as well as matters of mutual interest,” said QNA, without giving details on the unscheduled visit.

Unlike Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, locked in a decades-long rivalry with Shiite-dominated Iran, Oman maintains good relations with Tehran. Sultan Qaboos has acted as an intermediary between Western countries and the Islamic republic in the past few years.

According to reports, the sultanate hosted secret talks between Iran and the United States in the lead-up to the sixmonth accord on Iran’s nuclear program.

The nuclear deal reached in Geneva on Nov 24 was welcomed by the Sunniruled Gulf Arab states, which have long been concerned about Iran’s regional ambitions. But the Saudi government

reacted cautiously, saying the deal could mark the first step towards a comprehensive solution for Iran’s nuclear program, “if there are good intentions”. Zarif on Monday again voiced hopes to “soon” visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose foreign minister announced during a visit to Tehran last week that his government was ready to create a joint economic commission with Iran. “I am ready to go to Saudi Arabia, but it is just a matter of being able to arrange a mutually convenient time. I will visit it soon inshallah (God willing).”

Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers, meeting in Kuwait City last week, expressed hopes that the interim deal would lead to a permanent agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. After his election in July, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said he wanted to improve relations with neighbouring countries, especially Gulf states. Zarif said in Kuwait City, the first stop in his tour, that Iran was looking to open a new page in relations with the Gulf. He reiterated his calls in Oman. “We feel that relations between countries in the region must be built on mutual trust and friendly ties must be strengthened,” Oman News Agency quoted him as saying. Iran was “not planning to deceive the world,” added Zarif. — AFP

Today, at least two of those transactions are on hold because the relations have soured,” he said. “It makes it difficult for us as advisers. We now have to pitch it to parties who are seen as friends. Who knows what the equation will be in another few months,” the banker said.

Despite the fall of a movement critics say Qatar is using to project its influence in the Middle East, few expect Qatar-Egyptian ties to remain in the doldrums indefinitely - Egypt is simply too important a market. But for the moment, said Michael Stephens, researcher at the Royal United Services Institute based in Doha, “the relationship is very cold”. “Obviously they are not going to provide financial support to a government that doesn’t like them.”

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates pledged more than $12 billion in aid to Egypt after the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood on July 3 following mass protests against

his rule. Now, Gulf Arab governments are indicating, it is the turn of the private sector to lend a hand. Egypt badly needs private capital. Foreign direct investment fell to $3.00 billion in 2012/13 (July/June), compared with more than $10 billion a few years ago.

Egypt’s ambassador to the UAE, Ihab Hamouda, said the Gulf state was spearheading a number of potential projects to be discussed with Gulf investors at the Cairo forum. Companies such as Al Futtaim Group, Taqa Arabia, Arabtec Holdings, Almarai, Dana Gas, Emaar Properties and DP World will participate. “There is a drive by the UAE to encourage investors to invest in Egypt in different sectors such as agriculture, education, infrastructure, oil and also tourism,” Hamouda said. “Whoever supports the stability of Egypt, supports the stability of the whole region,” he added. An informed source close to major Abu Dhabi investment companies told Reuters nearly $5 billion had been committed in loans and investment over the last four months and there was still scope for further investment in Egypt. — Reuters

Saudis push tougher new foreign policy Continued from Page 1 Saudi leaders were taken unawares by the content of the deal that was struck in the early hours of Nov 24, despite an earlier promise by US Secretary of State John Kerry to keep them informed of developments, diplomatic sources in the Gulf said. In Washington, a senior State Department official said Kerry had been in close contact with his counterparts throughout the two rounds of negotiations in Geneva, and had talked to Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal on Nov 25. “The agreement was reached in the middle of the night and Secretary Kerry spoke with the Saudi Foreign Minister soon afterward,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The agreement offers Tehran relief from sanctions that are strangling its economy, in return for more oversight of its nuclear program.

Riyadh, along with its Western allies, fears this is aimed at producing weapons, a charge Tehran denies. Iranian Foreign M inister Mohammed Javad Zarif suggested on Sunday the deal should not be seen as a threat. “This agreement cannot be at the expense of any country in the region,” he told reporters in Kuwait. “We look at Saudi

Arabia as an important and influential regional country and we are working to strengthen cooperation with it for the benefit of the region.”

Diplomatic sources in the Gulf say Riyadh is nervous that the deal will ease pressure on Tehran, allowing it more room to damage Saudi interests elsewhere in the Middle East. The conservative Sunni Muslim kingdom is at odds with Iran’s revolutionary Shiite leaders in struggles across the Arab world, including in Lebanon, Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen.

Most of all, Riyadh sees Iran’s open support for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in fighting a rebellion backed by Gulf states as a foreign occupation of Arab lands.

Two Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders have been killed in Syria this year, and rebels have also said Iranian fighters are on the ground, although it is unclear whether they are there in any great numbers. The Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, which is allied to Tehran, has also sent fighters to help Assad’s forces, although these are Arabs. Riyadh has expressed lukewarm support for the nuclear deal, couched alongside caveats that it was a “first step” and that a more comprehensive solution required “good will”. — Reuters

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

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Focus

Britain’s utility-bill gerrymander

By John Kemp

I

mitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So the package of measures designed to cut average British household gas and electricity bills by around £50 ($82) a year, outlined by Conservative and Liberal Democrat ministers on Sunday, is a compliment to the opposition Labour Party. Labour had successfully made the rapidly escalating price of energy a central political issue, part of its focus on the “cost of living crisis”, and drawn a clear distinction between its policies, which would halt price rises for 20 months after the next general election, and those of the ruling Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties.

Ministers have responded by shifting from utility bills to general taxation some of the costs of providing subsidised electricity to older and poorer customers, and slowing down remedial work on badly insulated homes that utilities are required to pay for, in exchange for a commitment that the utility companies will pass the savings through to their customers. The government hopes these and other measures will hold fuel bills down long enough to neutralise the issue at the next parliamentary election, due in May 2015.

Britain has a bewildering array of policies designed to cut greenhouse emissions by increasing the amount of renewable generation, support nuclear power, raise the cost of energy and insulate old and energy inefficient dwellings, while limiting the impact on vulnerable groups such as the elderly and low income families. Current government interventions include: the carbon price floor (CPF), climate change levy (CCL), climate change agreement (CCA), carbon reduction commitment (CRC), emission performance standards (EPS), feed-in tariffs (FITs), contracts for difference (CfD), carbon emissions reduction target (CERT), community energy saving program (CESP), energy company obligation (ECO), warm home discount (WHD), winter fuel payment (WFP), cold weather payment (CWP) and the Green Deal - to name only some of them.

The full list of interventions is explained in a handy report on “Energy use policies and carbon pricing in the UK,” published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) earlier this year. However, it is not clear if anyone - including ministers, officials and the energy companies - actually understands this complicated alphabet soup and how the policies interact with one another. In addition, the government subsidises bills for all customers by levying valueadded tax (VAT) at a special reduced rate of just 5 percent on domestic gas and electricity bills rather than the standard rate of 20 percent imposed on other items.

The VAT subsidy is worth over £5 billion a year, according to the IFS. But many other policies are paid for through customer bills rather than from tax revenues. For politicians, paying for energy and climate change policies through additions to customer bills has the great merit that it does not appear in the budget and can help disguise the true costs. It also respects the user pays or polluter pays principle: those who use most energy and contribute most to greenhouse emissions should bear the heaviest burden remedying the problem.

But it is also strongly regressive. Households in the lowest part of the income distribution spend the highest share of their incomes on gas and electricity. Households in the bottom 10 percent of the income distribution spend as much as 15.8 percent of their total expenditure (excluding mortgage payments and rent) on power and gas, compared with just 3.3 percent for households in the top 10 percent of the income distribution, according to IFS. In fact the share of household expenditure on gas and electricity bills declines steadily as household income increases. The richest households spend far more on energy in absolute terms (they have larger homes and more energy-consuming appliances). But they spend far less on fuel bills as a share of total spending and income. It would be much more progressive to fund energy and climate policies from general taxation.

“A five percent rise in energy prices ... would increase living costs for those in the poorest spending decile by 0.8 percent on average, but less than 0.2 percent in the richest decile,” IFS wrote in another study on “Household energy use in Britain: a distributional analysis” also published in 2013. “Policies that increase energy prices ... place a greater burden upon poorer households,” IFS found. “This, combined with concerns over carbon emissions, has led to a complicated multitude of policies, with multiple (and sometimes conflicting) objectives, resulting in rather opaque distributional consequences.” —Reuters

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

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

Deep societal divide fuels Thai conflict

By Todd Pitman

B

oth the protesters on the streets of Bangkok and the Thai government pleading for them to go home say they’re on the side of democracy, but that is not what their increasingly dangerous conflict is about. This is a fight about power, and who ought to have it. The unrest that has brought the capital to the brink of catastrophe this week has laid bare a societal schism pitting the majority rural poor against an urban-based elite establishment. It is a divide that has led to upheaval several times in recent years, sometimes death, even though the man at the center of it, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has not set foot in Thailand since 2008.

Thaksin is despised by millions who consider him to be a corrupt threat to the traditional status quo, but supported by millions more who welcome the populist policies that benefit them. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin’s sister, helped set the stage for Thailand’s latest protests by backing an amnesty bill that would have wiped out a corruption conviction that keeps Thaksin in selfimposed exile. Now his longtime political foes are trying to use that public anger to seize control.

Suthep Thaugsuban, an opposition politician who resigned from Parliament to lead the protests, says he won’t stop until power is “in the people’s hands,” but his plan sounds anything but democratic. He’s calling for an unelected “people’s council” to replace a government that won a landslide victory at the polls just two years ago. And the way his supporters have gone about it has not been entirely peaceful. They have called for Yingluck’s overthrow from the occupied halls of seized government offices. They burst through the gates of Thailand’s army headquarters and urged the military to “take a stand”. And since the weekend, they have tried to battle their way into the prime minister’s office with slingshots and burning Molotov cocktails, and threatened to overrun television stations that do not broadcast their message.

Thailand has endured 18 successful or attempted military coups since the 1930s, but so far the army has remained neutral. Yingluck said yesterday she will do everything she can “to bring peace back to the Thai people”, but said there is no way the government could meet Suthep’s demand under the constitution. Suthep has said Yingluck’s resignation and new elections would not be enough.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of Chulalongkorn’s Institute of Security and International Studies, said the two sides “believe in different versions of democracy”. “It is a fight for the soul of the nation, for the future of the country,” he said. One side wants “to be heard” while the protesters “want the kind of legitimacy that stems from moral authority.

Their feeling is ... if the elected majority represents the will of the corrupt, it’s not going to work.”

The unrest already may have weakened Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy. Thailand is a lucrative manufacturing hub whose factories produce everything from computer hard drives to cars that feed a global supply chain. The country is one of the world’s leading rice exporters. Its sapphire-blue water beaches are among the world’s most popular tourist destinations, but the government has said protests are driving tourists away.

The latest unrest began last month, after Yingluck’s ruling Pheu Thai Party tried to ram the controversial amnesty bill through. Even many traditional Thaksin supporters disliked it because it also would have pardoned top opposition leaders.

The bill failed to pass Parliament’s upper house, and emboldened protesters drew 100,000 people to a mass rally in Bangkok on Nov 24. Over the week that followed, demonstrators seized the Finance Ministry and part of a sprawling government office complex that includes the Constitutional Court. They also massed outside half a dozen other government ministries, taking over offices and prompting the evacuation of civil servants - some of whom had eagerly waved them inside.

The conflict escalated dramatically this weekend, and blood spilled for the first time. At least three people were killed when anti-government demonstrators clashed with pro-Thaksin “red shirt” activists near a stadium where a pro-government

rally was being held. Outside Yingluck’s office at the now heavily fortified Government House, masked mobs launched repeated bids to storm rings of concrete barriers. The police used force there for the first time, unleashing volleys of rubber bullets and tear gas.

The protests have failed to dislodge the government so far, but it remains possible that Thailand’s history will repeat itself. The army deposed Thaksin in a 2006 coup. Controversial court rulings that critics labeled “judicial coups” forced the resignation of two Thaksin-allied prime ministers who followed.

One of them was Thaksin’s brother-in-law, who saw his own office at Government House occupied by protesters for three months in 2008.

The opposition Democrat Party took over, and in 2009, pro-Thaksin protesters overran a regional summit, forcing heads of state to be hastily evacuated by helicopter from a hotel rooftop. The next year, red shirts occupied Bangkok’s glitziest shopping district for weeks in a standoff that ended with parts of the city in flames. More than 90 people died, many of them protesters gunned down in an army crackdown ordered by Suthep, who was deputy prime minister at the time.

The Democrats, who have not won a national election in more than 20 years, were soundly beaten by Pheu Thai and Yingluck in 2011. Protesters claim her ascent was only made possible with Thaksin money. “You can’t call this a democracy,” said Sombat Benjasirimongkol, a demonstrator who stood outside a police compound this week.

“This government is a dictatorship that came to

power by buying votes. Yingluck’s supporters are poor. They are uneducated. And they are easily bought.”

Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at Kyoto University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies, said such claims form a pretext that Thaksin’s opponents are using in an attempt to seize power. The anti-government protest movement is simply “a minority that is refusing to play the game of electoral politics. They cannot compete with Thaksin, they cannot win elections. So they come up with this discourse of village people being so uneducated they don’t know how to vote,” Pavin said. “But the reality is, these people (Thaksin supporters) are not stupid. They are politically conscious. They have become awakened.”

Even if the Shinawatra clan can claim electoral legitimacy, the conflict between the two sides is not black and white. Thaksin, a billionaire who made his fortune in telecommunications during Thailand’s late 80s-early 90s boom years, was accused of manipulating government policies to benefit his business empire. His critics charged he was arrogant and intolerant of the press; at one point he went so far as to have cronies try to buy controlling shares in two influential daily newspapers that had criticized him.

During his five years in office, Thaksin also came under fire for ham-fisted handling of a Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand, and a particularly brutal “war on drugs” that left 2,300 people dead in 2003. Human rights groups complained police were turned loose to kill drug deal-

ers and users at will. Nevertheless, Thaksin remains hugely popular in Thailand’s rural north and northeast and among many of Bangkok’s working class for populist polices including subsidized housing and nearly free health care.

Opponents dismiss Yingluck as Thaksin’s puppet, though for most of her administration she has trod a more careful path than her brother, building a fragile detente with the army and managing to keep a lid on the nation’s divisions. But she was damaged by the amnesty bill, by a court ruling rejecting her party’s attempts to boost its power in the Senate, and by controversial policies including a rice-buying scheme that the International Monetary Fund has criticized. Suthep told AP recently that his supporters “feel that if the country continues on this path, it will fall into pieces. ... So they come out today to fight for their country and for their children’s future.”

But Suthep’s tactics and his demands have riled even some of his own backers. Democrat lawmaker Korn Chatikavanij, a former finance minister, asked last week: “How will this so-called ‘people’s government’ happen? I still can’t quite imagine.”

Thailand’s political tensions have played out against a backdrop over fears about the future of its monarchy. Thaksin’s critics have accused him of disrespecting ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej and trying to gain influence with Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, the heir to the throne. Many hope the conflict will ease Thursday, when Bhumibol turns 86. The fear is that any peace will only be temporary. —AP

Madagascar struggles to restore mining

By Alain Iloniaina and Richard Lough

M

adagascar’s next president will struggle with low metals prices and distrustful companies as he seeks to revive a mining industry that was the main source of foreign investment until a 2009 coup cut flows to a trickle. The primary risk is that neither of the two candidates clearly wins a mandate on Dec. 20, prolonging political turmoil. But both say they aim to restore mining, which five years ago attracted $8 out of every $10 in foreign direct investment to the Indian Ocean island. “The mining sector is sick,” Mines Minister Rajo Daniella Randriafeno told Reuters. “It’s like a person who is slowly losing the blood that keeps him alive.”

Madagascar’s deposits of nickel, titanium, cobalt, iron, coal and uranium as well as its hydrocarbon prospects had previously encouraged foreign firms to queue for deals. Among them, Rio Tinto began mining ilmenite, an ingredient used as pigment in paints, paper and plastics. The political turmoil that has followed the 2009 power grab by President Andry Rajoelina, however, has choked off the issuance of all but a handful of new mining permits.

The army-backed government, faced with a cash crunch that became acute when foreign donors cut aid, also failed to pay tax refunds for exploration and alarmed investors by threatening to hike royalty fees.

“Madagascar went from flavour of the month to ‘wouldn’t touch it with a stick’,” said one mining expert with detailed knowledge of contract negotiations. The government says the freeze in new permits was a condition of a 2011 deal to end a crisis that left Rajoelina struggling to secure international recognition.

A few permits have been issued. Wuhan Iron and Steel Co (WISCO), China’s third-largest steelmaker, paid $100 million for a permit to explore for iron ore in 2010, shortly before the pact to halt such licences was agreed.

Firms in Madagascar need to obtain licences for everything from initial research to final production, which has meant that most existing miners have been unable to extend their operations. The Madagascar Chamber of Mines said the suspension should have applied only to newcomers. The mining minister said it has drained the life out of the industry. “If you don’t have permits, you can’t operate,” said one executive at a firm operating in Madagascar, withholding his name to avoid harming ties with the government. “Many (explorers) cannot raise money without permits in their hands.”

Voters hope the second round of the presidential vote will change their fortunes after poverty has deepened in one of Africa’ poorest nations. The run-off pits a former finance minister under Rajoelina against an ally of Marc Ravalomanana, the man toppled in 2009. The winner - assuming a vote goes ahead calmly - will have to review an estimated backlog of 4,000 mining permit requests now gathering dust at the ministry. He is also likely to try to unblock foreign aid, bring back tourism and end the suspension of a US trade agreement, which has hobbled the labour-intensive textile sector.

Foreign direct investment has slumped to an estimated $455 million this year and $425 million in 2014, the World Bank estimates, from $1.36 billion in 2009, of which $1.06 billion came from mining inflows. A resurgent mining sector would create jobs needed for the construction of new roads and even ports, generate badly needed revenue for the Treasury and bring in foreign currency to help pay for imports. Madagascar has few other avenues to

boost growth quickly. Tourists, who had visited the world’s fourth-largest island for its rare animal species and unique ecology, have been scared away.

Many Malagasy depend on subsistence farming.

“Mining is key” to help the crippled economy, said Lydie Boka of French risk consultant StrategieCo, after annual growth slumped from 7 percent before 2009 to 2 percent, not enough to keep up with the increase in the 22 million population. The industry is currently dominated by two players that were licensed under the previous government. Both their projects were well advanced before the coup and have survived. London-listed Rio Tinto owns 80 percent of the ilmenite mine on southern tip of the island, and Torontolisted Sherritt International owns 40 percent of the $5.3 billion Ambatovy nickel mine, which started up last year.

In that first year of production, nickel became Madagascar’s main export, worth an average $30 million a month, the World Bank said, and the company is still ramping up towards full capacity. Newer entrants including China’s WISCO and smaller firms have either scaled back exploration activities or departed. Any efforts by the new president to attract mining investment will come at a bad time for the industry after metals prices have slumped.

Revenues of governments across Africa have been pinched by the price slide, in large part due to stalling growth in China the top buyer of many of Africa’s minerals. “So even if the elections go smoothly and Madagascar declares itself open for business, they’re going to be hard pressed to find interested parties,” Hunter Hillcoat, a mining analyst at brokerage Investec in London, said.

In one encouraging sign, there has been movement in the oil and gas industry. Four years after declaring force majeure, Exxon Mobil Corp said in November its affiliates had secured licence extensions, allowing exploration to resume. Madagascar has yet to prove it has offshore hydrocarbon reserves, but it shares a maritime boundary with Mozambique, where gas reserves have been found. Onshore, Madagascar Oil plans Madagascar’s first commercial crude sales next year but will need a decade to reach full capacity.

As for mining, the new president will have to deliver a stable investment environment to encourage investment into already proven commercial mineral deposits. That will include providing reassurance that a widely praised mining law will be honoured. “They have to make a clear statement of policy,” Rupert Cook, a Madagascar-based extractive industries consultant, said.

“Do they want to keep the legal framework for mining and for oil and gas as it is or do they want to change things?”

Madagascar’s mining law has been praised by companies as good for business. Environmentalists say it is too good, arguing that expanding the industry threatens the lemurs and other animals and plants found nowhere else on the globe. Miners pay a 2 percent royalty on the value of gross exports of the raw commodity or 1 percent on minerals processed locally and exported with added value. Regional mining giant South Africa levies royalty fees of between 0.5 to 7 percent. “Madagascar already has a progressive, internationally recognised mining investment law,” Sherritt International said in a statement sent to Reuters. “The free, transparent and credible election of a government in Madagascar, and the resumption of international aid following the recognition of that elected government, would be positive for investment in the country.” —Reuters

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

S P ORTS

Sheffield Wednesday sack manager Jones

Juve sweating on Pirlo MILAN: Juventus coach Antonio Conte admitted to fears over Andrea Pirlo after the veteran midfielder hobbled off during a 1-0 win over Udinese on Sunday. Pirlo left the pitch for treatment after suffering a knock to his knee in the opening exchanges and despite returning to the pitch to play on, pain got the better of the Italy international. Conte said: “We hope it’s nothing serious for Andrea and that it’s just a knock he has suffered.

“He’s an important player for us, although I don’t have to wait until he’s injured to say that. I want to be optimistic, Andrea is a winner and I’m sure he will try to make himself available as soon as possible.” An injury-time header from Spain striker Fernando Llorente rescued the hosts at Juventus Stadium, where the champions’ 12th win of the campaign sent them three points clear of Roma.—AFP

LONDON: Dave Jones was sacked as manager of relegation-threatened English second tier club Sheffield Wednesday, the club announced Sunday. Jones was dismissed just a day after Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat by Blackpool left them second from bottom in the Championship table, with the Owls above Yorkshire rivals Barnsley on goal difference alone.

Wednesday have won just once in 17 matches in all competitions this season and chairman Milan Mandaric, formerly in charge at Portsmouth, decided now was the time to make a change despite Jones arguing Saturday that getting rid of him or indeed any manager wasn’t a miracle cure for poor results. “Dave Jones has been relieved of his duties as first-team manager with immediate effect,” a Wednesday statement said.

“The club would like to thank Dave for all of his hard work and wish him well for the future. “Sheffield Wednesday will be making no further comment at this time.”Jones, speaking after Saturday’s loss at Bloomfield Road, said: “This club has had 12 or 13 managers in recent years but sacking managers isn’t the way forward.—AFP

Coyle ousted at Wigan LONDON: A run of three straight home defeats in nine days has cost Owen Coyle the managerial job at Championship side Wigan. The club announced on Monday, that Coyle, who only took over as coach six months ago, was leaving ìby mutual agreement.î The latest defeats had left the Latics languishing in 14th place in the league and on the verge of Europa League elimination. Coyleís side were swept aside 3-1 by Derby on Sunday with the manager using his postmatch press conference to suggest some supportersí expectations were too lofty following an eight-year stint in the Premier League. ìIt is with great sadness that we have made this decision and I would like to thank all my football staff and the staff at the club, who have been very supportive of me in my time here,î said Coyle. ìI am confident that with this set of players, the team can keep moving in the right direction.î Wigan visit Leeds on Wednesday night and the club have placed first-team coach and former boss Graham Barrow along with assistant manager Sandy Stewart in charge for the clash.—AFP

Bell Jr, Gonzaga beat Coppin State 86-51

Wataniya Telecom sponsors Road Rush Karting Race for women KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom, the first private telecom operator in Kuwait, h as sp on s ore d t h e o ne and o nl y women karting race in Kuwait, which is part of the annual Bahrain Road Rush karting race. The race took place last Saturday, at the Kuwait Classic Car Museum in Shuwaikh. The whole event was especially organized for women and was attended by those who are incredibly passionate about this kind of sport.

The Road Rush race was organized

by Road Rush group for the fourth year and first time in Kuwait. The group is the first to organize such an event in the GCC. Wataniya Telecom is ver y pleased to provide women in Kuwait an opportunity to enjoy racing in a safe and fun environment. Wataniya’s corporate social responsibility enriches the development of society via sports and youth activities and is greatly contributing to this segment recently.

Wataniya is also proud of the noble cause behind organizing this event. All

the proceeds will be donated to ‘Markaz21’, which is an educational center for disabled people at the age of 21 and above. The Road Rush event is not just a mere karting event, it further includes drifting and drag racing.

The regular annual race was being organized at Bahrain International Circuit at the Formula 1 racing track for the past couple of years; it has been constructed and designed according to the international standards.

The next drag race will take place in Bahrain January 31st until February 1st next year. Eighteen years old women and above, those who are interested in joining the race are eligible to roll in Road Rush now for both drag racing and karting. Wataniya Telecom believes that Kuwaiti youth have special talents and interests and will always need the support and the resources to pursue them. Wataniya promises to give priorit y to organizations that promote potential in youth and help cultivate and develop their special talents.

SPOKANE: Gary Bell Jr scored 15 points, leading No 11 Gonzaga to a 86-51 victory over Coppin State on Sunday night. Gerard Coleman added 14 and Kyle Dranginis 12 for Gonzaga (7-1), which posted its largest margin of victory of the season. Arnold Fripp and Sterling Smith had 10 points apiece to pace cold-shooting Coppin State, which lost to a ranked team for the second time in three nights following a 42-point defeat at Michigan.

Dranginis scored on a transition basket and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to spark Gonzaga’s surge midway through the first half put the Bulldogs ahead 27-7. The Eagles scored just a single field goal in a stretch of more than 11 minutes, missing 19 of their first 24 shots, and trailed 39-14 at halftime.

Coppin State made the first three baskets of the second half, with Fripp getting two to bring the Eagles back within 20 points. But they soon lost ground again as Gonzaga’s first four baskets after halftime were 3-pointers, three by Bell. Bell made 4 of 9 shots from 3point range as the Bulldogs shot 46 percent from beyond the arc and 50 percent overall. Gonzaga outrebounded the visitors from Baltimore 45-32.

SDSU beat No 25 Marquette 67-59 ANAHEIM: Xavier Thames scored a career-high 27 points and San Diego State held off a late rally to beat No 25 Marquette 67-59 in the championship game of the Wooden Legacy on Sunday night.

The game was tied at 53 with 31/2 minutes remaining, but the Aztecs (5-1) closed with a 14-4 run to knock off their second ranked opponent in two games. Thames, who was named tournament MVP, shot 7 of 16 from the field, including 5 for 6 from three-point range.

He also drained six free throws in the finals 40 seconds to secure the win. Josh Davis had a game-high 11 rebounds and joined Thames on the all-tournament team, and Dakari Allen and Winston Shepard each scored eight points for SDSU. Deonte Burton scored 15 points to lead Marquette (5-3), which lost to its second unranked opponent in a week. The win marked the first time in program history the Aztecs beat a ranked opponent in consecutive games. They also beat No 20 Creighton in the tournament semifinals on Friday. SDSU has now defeated a ranked opponent 12 times since January 2010. Thames, a senior guard, was the only Aztec to score more than eight points.

SDSU shot just 39.3 percent from the field (22 of 56) but made up for it with solid performances from 3 point-range (6 for 12) and from the free throw line (17 for 23).

No 3 Kentucky stun Providence 79-65 NEW YORK: Bryce Cotton has been through this before. He had to find a way to get his shot off against the length of Kentucky, and the Providence guard was successful yet again. “I’ve been this short

all my life. I’m kind of used to it,” the 6-foot-1 Cotton said Sunday night after scoring 23 points in the Friars’ 79-65 loss to the third-ranked Wildcats at Barclays Center. “I’ve always been the shortest one on the floor so it’s something I’m used to.” Cotton wasn’t the only Providence player to have trouble getting shots off as Kentucky finished with 11 blocked shots, nine by 7-foot Willie Cauley-Stein. Friars coach Ed Cooley didn’t want to hear that Cotton, who was 7 of 21 from the field, including 7 of 9 from

take place on 6 and 7 Dec at Al Sirbb circuit, next to Kuwait Car Museum in Shuwaikh. This is a fully fledged Endurance Race that follows International regulations from start to finish. The track is converted into an exciting carnival before the race, the karts have been imported specifically for this race and the marshals fly in from the UK to regulate the race.

This event is open for a maximum of 18 teams which will be racing non-stop for 24 hours. In order to have a fair competition between participants, registration is only open for residents of Kuwait (Kuwaiti/Expats). MOBIL Kuwait will have the opportunity to brand a local racing team’s Go-Karts and the Team apparel with Mobil 1 logo. Mobil lubricants sales grow year on year due to the excellent performance and quality backed by superior technical sup-

former coach and boss. “I love my team. I told him before the game right now I love my team more than I love him, but right now I’ve got to feel some pride in what he’s doing, and I’ve got to feel some sadness for what we’re doing and what we did today.” Williams agreed to visit UAB (6-2) in exchange for two home games for the Tar Heels (4-2). Charlotte native Chad Frazier scored 25 points and the Blazers made three free throws over the final 6.6 seconds to preserve the upset for their first win over a ranked team in four years. “This is the definition of bittersweet,” said Haase, in his second year at UAB. “It’s a big win for us. I was proud of our guys, but for coach Williams to come here and bring North Carolina, that’s pretty special.

George Washington top No 20 Creighton 60-53 ANAHEIM: Kevin Larsen gave George Washington the lead with 1:03 left in the game and the Colonials held off No 20 Creighton for a 60-53 victory that gave them third place in the Wooden Legacy on Sunday night. The Colonials took advantage of an off night by Doug McDermott, who came in averaging nearly 28 points per game but finished with seven.

Ethan Wragge scored 16 and Grant Gibbs had 12 for the Bluejays (5-2).

Gibbs tied the score 42-all with 8:26 left in the game and the teams wrestled their way to the finish.

Creighton pulled ahead 53-50 when Jahenns Manigat picked up Wragge’s 3-point miss and scored with 2:14 left. The Colonials (6-1) regained the lead on consecutive layups by Larsen and Joe McDonald. The Colonials then sealed the win at the free throw line. Larsen led four Colonials in double figures. McDonald and Isaiah Armwood scored 12 apiece and Kethan Savage finished with 10. Creighton entered the game shooting nearly 51 percent from the field, but the Bluejays struggled offensively from the start.

SPOKANE: Connor Griffin #14 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs goes up for a goal against Arnold Fripp #0 of the Coppin State Eagles during the game at McCarthey Athletic Center on December 1, 2013 in Spokane, Washington. — AFP 3-point range, and had five assists, struggled getting his shot. “I thought he received every look he wanted to get. Bryce received every shot he wanted to get. I didn’t see the length bothering him,” Cooley said. “It was more that he had to play 40 minutes.” There was another reason Cotton never came out of the game. Providence was without sophomore guard Kris Dunn who missed his second straight game with a right shoulder injury. No timetable has been set for his return.

Amardi, No 14 Ducks defeat Cal Poly 82-61 EUGENE: Richard Amardi scored 14 points to lead five players in double figures for No. 14 Oregon in an 82-61 win over Cal Poly on

KAICO sponsors a racing team at GulfRun Karting Endurance Race

KUWAIT: Kuwait Automotive Imports Co WLL (Al Shaya & Al Sagar) KAICO, the exclusive MOBIL distributor in Kuwait for over 63 years, is delighted to announce a one-year sponsorship of a local GoKarting racing team, with captain Bader Al Osaimi.

Ashish Tandon, General Manager of KAICO explains, “This sponsorship is part of our company’s ongoing commitment to promoting sports in Kuwait and supporting Kuwaiti youth to pursue their dreams.”

As part of the sponsorship contract, the next participation of the team will be in The GulfRun Karting Endurance Race 3. This race was launched in 2011 to create an exciting competition in Kuwait. Karting is one of the pillars of motorsports, and the first Gulfrun Karting Endurance race was 24HR - the first of its kind in the region. GulfRun Karting Endurance Race - 3 will

Sunday night. Joseph Young scored 13 points and Johnathan Loyd added a season-high 13 points, five assists and five rebounds for the Ducks (7-0). Brian Bennett led the Mustangs (2-5) with 11 points and six rebounds. He was the only Cal Poly player in double figures. Early in the first half, Kyle Odister tied the score at seven for the Mustangs, but the Ducks went on a 13-2 run sparked by Waverly Austin’s dunk off a nice pass from Loyd with 15:30 to go in the first half. Cal Poly got within 40-32 on a floater from

port. Sadiq Ali, Div Manager- Tires & Lubricants KAICO, highlighted that Mobil 1 is a premium product with multiple advantages for the engine: enhanced fuel economy, increased wear protection for long engine life, formulated to help keep cars running like new, outstanding cleanliness and deposit control, fast-starting at low temperatures, all-temperature durability, great catalyst efficiency, helping to reduce engine emissions potentially lessening environmental impact.

Mobil 1 is the factory fill for the following brands: Porsche; Mercedes AMG; Chevrolet Corvette; Aston Martin DB9, DB9 Volante, Rapide S, V12 Vantage Coupe and Roadster, V12 Zagato and Vanquish; Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Continental GT, Continental GTC and Mulsanne ; COPO Camaro ; Lexus 2013 LFA ; McLaren MP4-12C ; Nissan GT-R.

David Nwaba with 1:42 in the half.

Nwaba scored eight points during the Mustangs’ run. The Ducks shot 58.3 percent in taking a 44-32 lead at the break.

UAB upsets No 16 N Carolina, 63-59 BIRMINGHAM: Roy Williams was mostly focused on his North Carolina team after getting beat by UAB and coach Jerod Haase.

Williams watched his 16th-ranked Tar Heels get outrebounded badly, struggle from the perimeter and fall 63-59 to the Blazers on Sunday.

That was enough to occupy his mind, but not to wipe out the pride he felt for his protege. “It was hard at the end of the game, and it was hard for me,” said Williams, Haase’s

No 25 DePaul lose to Northwestern 82-79 EVANSTON: Lauren Douglas scored 26 points and Nia Coffey added 20 points and 10 rebounds and Northwestern upset No 25 DePaul 82-79 on Sunday.

Northwestern (6-1) started the game with a 16-2 run at the opening buzzer, but DePaul followed-up with an 18-0 run and tied the score at 22.

The Blue Demons led 36-30 at the break. Northwestern caught DePaul (3-2) at four minutes into the second half and the lead changed hands repeatedly entering the final minute tied at 77 when Wildcat Alex Cohen was fouled on a layup and completed the three-point play with a free throw giving Northwestern the game-winning advantage. DePaul has lost two-straight, including a 16 point loss to No.5 Notre Dame.

DePaul was touting a 20-game winning streak over fellow Illinois schools. Megan Rogowski scored 23 and Megan Podkowa added 20 points for the Blue Demons.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

S P ORTS

EurAsia event could rival the Ryder Cup HONG KONG: Rival captains Miguel Angel Jimenez and Thongchai Jaidee have predicted big things for the new Ryder Cupstyle EurAsia Cup to be held near Kuala Lumpur next year. Europe and Asia will clash over three days at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club from March 27-29. “I think this event is going to have a big future,” Spaniard Jimenez said in an interview yesterday.

“Asia has a lot of talent. Golf is growing so much around the world now and particularly in Asia. I think we are going to see some very interesting matches. “The Ryder Cup is such a magnificent event,” said Jimenez of the biennial competition between Europe and the United States.

“This is about to follow the same criteria.”

Thongchai, three times a winner of the Asian Tour’s order of merit, echoed the views of his opposing skipper. “I think in the future this EurAsia Cup is going to be pretty close to the Ryder Cup,” the experienced Thai golfer told Reuters. “This is going to be a key competition for a long time.”

Ben Cowen, deputy director of the European Tour’s international policy, also said his organization had high hopes for the biennial tournament. “The Ryder Cup started back in 1927 so that’s taken a long time to get to the position it’s in now as the leading golf team event in the world,” Cowen said. “We hope the EurAsia Cup in the future will get half as big as the Ryder Cup if not as big but there’s a long way to go on that. “This is just the first event and we hope it will develop swiftly but it could

take some time to get to Ryder Cup level.”

ASIAN UNITY Cowen said an important factor would be getting the Asian countries to unite in their team’s cause. “I don’t think there’s any shortage of desire out here,” he added. “I guess the key will be the Asian countries uniting and getting behind their team. “The European team have the Ryder Cup and have that experience already.” The new tournament is a co-sanctioned event and Asian Tour chairman Kyi Hla Han said his players were itching to compete in it. “I talked to the top Chinese player Liang Wenchong the other week and he said, ‘I want to play my way in to qualify for the EurAsia Cup’,” Han said. “He’s proud to be representing Asia and that’s what we want.

The players want to compete in this match and be proud to be representing their respective continents.”

World number 12 Graeme McDowell has given the EurAsia Cup a massive boost by pledging to represent Europe in March. The former US Open champion is one of five automatic choices in Jimenez’s team, along with the playing captain, Welshman Jamie Donaldson, Frenchman Victor Dubuisson and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.

Four more players from the world rankings and a captain’s pick will complete Europe’s 10-man lineup. Thongchai will also be a playing captain. His team is to be made up of the leading four players from Asia’s final order of merit, the top three available from the world rankings and two captain’s picks.— Reuters

Lauda expects Brawn to return to Formula One LONDON: Niki Lauda expects departing Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn to return to Formula One in some capacity once he has gone fishing and taken time out. Triple world champion Lauda, who is non-executive director of the Britishbased team, said he had tried hard to convince the 59-year-old to stay in charge but would keep in close contact with him anyway.

Brawn, one of the most experienced and successful figures in the sport, and Mercedes announced last week that he would be leaving at the end of the year, handing over his role to executive directors Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe. “I’m very sad about it because I wanted him to stay another year,” Austrian Lauda told reporters before the Autosport Awards ceremony on Sunday night.

“But he says he wants to go fishing.

So I really tried hard but he stays a consultant to me which I think is very good and important. “He says he wants a rest.

So it’s very simple. I think he will not go in pension (retirement), this is clear. I think he will come back, I don’t know with the (governing) FIA or whatever he likes to do,” added Lauda. Lauda, who attended a presentation to announce a new partnership with motorsports marketing agency JMI and was later handed a lifetime achievement award at the Autosport event, said Brawn would be involved in the handover.

Lauda, whose epic 1976 championship duel was turned into the movie ‘Rush’ and released this year, was typically blunt about the challenge ahead.

“Now Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe, and Paddy especially on the technical side, has to fill this big hole he (Brawn) has left,” he said, adding that Brawn would help him get Lowe fully up to speed in his new role. “Don’t worry, I am going to kick them like you do not believe... and

hopefully we can keep on going,” he laughed. Mercedes finished second overall this year, up from fifth in 2012, with both Germany’s Nico Rosberg and 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton winning races.

Lauda shone more light on the behind the scenes maneuvering to prise Hamilton away from McLaren at the end of last season, with secret talks scheduled for the early hours before the Singapore night race. “I had to see him in his room between two to four in the morning. I was never with a strange racing driver in a room between two to four in the morning,” he said. “I remember very well the discussion because he was on pole position with McLaren, was basically winning everything and I asked him ‘Would you consider going over to Mercedes?.’

And he said ‘Why should I go. This car is winning, all I want to do is win, and your car is not winning’. “I said ‘Shit, he’s right’,” grinned the Austrian. Lauda’s response was to tell Hamilton that if he stayed with McLaren, the team that had supported him since he was a youngster, he would always be former boss Ron Dennis’s baby.

“But if you make the Mercedes win after (Michael) Schumacher, you might be a bigger legend than anybody else.

He woke up and said ‘Let’s talk about it’.

So this really was the catch for him.” The next day Hamilton was heading for victory in the race. Lauda feared a victory and intense pressure from McLaren and Dennis, the boss for whom he had won his own third title in 1984, might sway Hamilton’s mind again. “I was sitting in front of the television and said ‘Please crash. Please retire’. I was sitting and waiting for this and Bingo! Gearbox gone. I went to see him (Hamilton) right after.” —Reuters

Ecclestone disappointed with Alonso’s Ferrari performance LONDON: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has expressed disappointment with Fernando Alonso’s performance at Ferrari and suggested the Spaniard was looking for a move earlier in the year. “I’ve been a little bit disappointed in Fernando because I’m a big supporter of him and of Ferrari,” Ecclestone, 83, wrote in a foreword to the official Formula One season review.

“I thought he gave up a little bit which is proof that he was looking for another team. “I don’t know whether the team is not competitive because of him or because the people who are running the team aren’t getting the job done,” added Ecclestone. Alonso finished the season as overall runner-up to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel who clinched his fourth title in four years to become the youngest quadruple champion.

McLaren made no secret earlier in the season that they would jump at a chance to sign Alonso, who had one turbulent year with them in 2007, should he become available. Ferrari, third overall in the constructors’ standings, have described their season as one to forget while praising Alonso for his results in a car that was not even second best.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo did, however, reprimand Alonso on the Spaniard’s birthday in July for unflattering comments he made about his car.

Ecclestone said he had always predicted Vettel would be ‘what he is’, with the German winning the last nine races of the year and 13 in total to equal seven-

Photo of the day

times champion Michael Schumacher’s 2004 record. “You probably have to say he’s number one of the drivers I’ve known,” added the Briton whose involvement with the sport goes back to the 1950s. He also singled out Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 champion who will be Alonso’s team mate at Ferrari next season after leaving Lotus.

“This year I suppose I have to call Kimi the star driver, with the equipment he has,” said Ecclestone of the Finn who left Lotus after complaining he had not received his wages. “I think he was motivated on hope that he was going to get paid. “He’s a good guy to have in a team, good for us, good for the team. He’s super, he’s a racer.” Pirelli, who caused many of the season’s headlines with exploding tyres at Silverstone and complaints about how quickly their rubber wore out, also received a glowing report from Ecclestone.

“Pirelli did a wonderful job for us,” he said. “I told them we don’t want tyres that last the race, we want tyres that nobody knows how they are going to last. We’ve got that too with the new engines next year.” Formula One is switching from the V8 engines to a new V6 turbocharged unit with energy recovery systems. Ecclestone has long been a critic of the new units, fearing that the different noise will alienate the paying public, and he returned to the fray in the review. “I still think what we have now is good, I don’t think there was any need to change it,” he said.— Reuters

Mohamma Al Attar performing a flip on Abdo Feghali’s car.— www.redbull.com

Canucks overcome Hurricanes RALEIGH: Ryan Kesler scored two goals to lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.

Tom Sestito also scored for the Canucks, and Jason Garrison had two assists. Backup goalie Eddie Lack made 29 saves to help Vancouver earn its third win in 11 games. Kesler ’s second goal capped a stretch in which the teams combined to score three goals in 37 seconds. Jordan Staal and Nathan Gerbe scored 10 seconds apar t for Carolina in the opening 49 seconds of the second period. Kesler answered 27 seconds later to make it 3-2. Carolina’s Cam Ward made 27 saves. The Hurricanes, who failed on six power-play chances against the NHL’s best penalty-killing unit, have lost six of eight.

RED WINGS 4, SENATORS 2 Daniel Alfredsson scored an empty-net goal and added an assist in his return to Ottawa as Detroit beat the host Senators.

Alfredsson, the former longtime captain of the Senators, wasn’t primarily responsible for Ottawa’s second straight loss and fourth consecutive at home, but he helped contribute to the continuation of his ex-team’s woes. Like so many times in their previous 27 games in the post-Alfredsson era, something was missing for the Senators (1013-4). Defensive breakdowns led to goals, and there wasn’t enough offense to compensate. Drew Miller scored twice, Johan Franzen added a goal, and Jonas Gustavsson made 29 saves for Detroit. Clarke MacArthur and Mika Zibanejad had goals for Ottawa, which won the first two meetings between the teams this season in Detroit. Robin Lehner took the loss. The Red Wings, who won their four th straight, haven’t lost since the Senators beat them on Nov 23.

OILERS 3, STARS 2, SO Jordan Eberle and David Perron scored in the shootout, and Devan Dubnyk come on in relief of injured goalie Ilya Br yzgalov to help Edmonton earn a win over Dallas.

Dubnyk stopped two of three shots in the tiebreaker. Dallas’ Kari Lehtonen failed to make a save in the shootout. Edmonton’s Ales

OTTAWA: Joe Corvo #77 of the Ottawa Senators falls to the ice to block the puck as Daniel Alfredsson #11 of the Detroit Red Wings tries to get the puck during an NHL game at Canadian Tire Centre on December 1, 2013. —AFP ed tally that gave Dallas a 1-0 lead in the second period. He also put the Stars ahead in the third.

Garbutt nearly had a hat trick but he was stopped on a breakaway attempt by Bryzgalov with 3:41 left

Hemsky scored 5 seconds before the second period ended, and Andrew Ference fired in a slap shot with 5:07 remaining in regulation to tie it again. Ryan Garbutt scored two goals, including a short-hand-

in the second. Garbutt collided with Bryzgalov, who left with an upper-body injur y and didn’t return. Bryzgalov, who made 28 saves, trailed 1-0 when he came out.— AP

NHL results/standings Vancouver 3, Carolina 2; Detroit 4, Ottawa 2; Edmonton 3, Dallas 2 (SO).

San Jose Anaheim Los Angeles Phoenix Vancouver Calgary Edmonton

W 18 18 16 15 14 9 9

Chicago St. Louis Colorado Minnesota Nashville Dallas Winnipeg

20 18 19 15 13 12 12

Boston

18

Western Conference Pacific Division L OTL GF 3 5 92 7 4 91 7 4 70 7 4 85 10 5 77 13 4 70 17 2 73 Central Division 4 4 102 4 3 89 6 0 76 8 5 68 11 3 62 9 4 70 12 4 73 Eastern Conference Atlantic Division 7 2 75

GA 60 77 58 84 77 93 95

PTS 41 40 36 34 33 22 20

76 57 52 67 75 73 80

44 39 38 35 29 28 28

55

38

Detroit Tampa Bay Montreal Toronto Ottawa Florida Buffalo

14 16 15 14 10 7 6

7 7 78 73 35 9 1 76 66 33 9 3 73 57 33 10 3 75 73 31 13 4 78 90 24 15 5 59 91 19 20 2 48 85 14 Metropolitan Division Pittsburgh 18 9 1 86 64 37 Washington 14 11 2 82 78 30 NY Rangers 14 13 0 60 66 28 New Jersey 11 11 5 59 64 27 Philadelphia 12 12 2 57 63 26 Carolina 10 12 5 57 78 25 Columbus 10 14 3 67 80 23 NY Islanders 8 15 4 72 93 20 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L).

Jimenez, Thongchai named the EurAsia Cup captains HONG KONG: Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand were yesterday named captains for an inaugural team golf event between Asia and Europe taking place in Malaysia next year. The EurAsia Cup will pit 10 golfers from each continent against each other in three days of matchplay at the Glenmarie

Golf and Country Club near Kuala Lumpur from March 27.

The $4 million biennial tournament is styled on the popular Ryder Cup, and organizers the Asian Tour and European Tour hope it will spark an similarly exciting intercontinental rivalry. “It is sure to be a great battle and I’ll make sure the

HONG KONG: Photo shows EurAsia Cup Captains Thongchai Jaidee from Thailand (right) and Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain in Hong Kong yesterday. — AFP

Asian team is as well prepared as they can be,” 44-year-old Thongchai told reporters in Hong Kong, where the announcement was made.

Jimenez, 49, said he expected the event to be a “close contest” as he named the first European players to have qualified for his side.

Former US Open champion Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, France’s Victor Dubuisson, Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, and Jamie Donaldson of Wales will play courtesy of where they finished in this year’s Race to Dubai. Another four will make the European team based on world rankings in February, while Jimenez will have two captains’ picks. The Asian ten will include the leading four available Asian players from the 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit and three based on world rankings, while Thongchai will select the final trio.

On Monday, European Tour officials dismissed comparisons between the EurAsia Cup and the Royal Trophy, another Europe vs Asia team competition which is taking place at Dragon Lake Golf Club in China’s Guangzhou later this month. “The EurAsia Cup is the only match event between Europe and Asia which is fully sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour,” Ben Cowen, the European Tour’s deputy director of international policy, said.—AFP

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

S P ORTS

Amazon stadium - Brazilian ambition or folly?

MANAUS: Set in the heart of the world’s largest tropical rainforest, the Arena Amazonia stadium looms white and majestic over the state capital Manaus.

The lozenge shape of a venue that dreams of being Manaus’ sporting answer to its spectacular opera house symbolizes the region’s iconic straw baskets. Yet after the World Cup circus has moved on, the building could end up being an expensive white elephant.

“We are building, in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, a new 21st Century opera for sport,” architect and project coordinator Miguel Capobiango Neto said. The comment refers to the legendary Manaus Opera built in the jungle itself by rubber barons in the late 19th century. Its constituent parts were brought over all the way from England by boat. Now the stadium is looking to become another famous local landmark.

“Today, this 6,670-ton metallic structure has come over in three parts from Portugal to build this fine 44,000 capacity stadium,” said Capobiango. The stadium design is striking. It’s transparent roof captures rainwater via seven 120litre reservoirs. And it will be the first construction in northern Brazil to obtain a green sustainability certificate. Builders broke ground at the venue in July 2010 and the Arena should be completed on

December 20, just in time to meet a strict FIFA deadline of December 31.

However, temporary installations will be completed “a little later,” say the Manaus team. Currently, 1,900 construction workers are beavering away at the site as the clock ticks down. Yet to be installed as of this week were the seats, “all in the colors of regional fruits,” said Capobiango. By the time the venue is complete, 5,500 workers will have been involved in a project costing 595 million reais ($257 million, 189 million euros), the architect noted.

AND AFTER THE WORLD CUP? The Arena will host four matches during the World Cup. But thereafter it is not slated to see any top class football action-not least as, despite Manaus being a city of two million people, it does not have a top flight football team.

Nor do fellow venues Brasilia, Natal or Cuiaba. Football in the region is mired in financial crisis and any local players who do make the grade swiftly move on to bigger clubs, causing some fans to stay away.

Ironically, Manaus hosts the “Peladao” championship-the largest amateur league in the world. “That is much more popular ” with locals than regional league action, asserted Capobiango. The

parlous state of the local game in the region has prompted concern that the new stadium will become a “white elephant” after the World Cup. Many locals wonder why public money was poured into the project when Manaus lacks infrastructure in terms of quality schools and hospitals. “They have spent millions when people are short of so much; they are hungry and dying in hospital doorways. “And we won’t even be able to afford to go to the stadium,” complained local trader Vanilde Basto.

“They would have done better to invest in culture,” said student Sheila Juliane, who noted that most of Manaus’ cultural offerings are free. Printer Thago Barreto said the Brazilian league must invite top clubs to play at the Arena.

“After the World Cup they will have to bring the Brazilian championship here or else it will be an empty shell,” Barreto warned. Locals also are angry about the “privatization of public space” in that, after the tournament, the stadium concession will be handed over to the private sector. Yet 70-year-old Peladao coordinator Arnaldo Santos said the criticism is short-sighted. “The stadium was constructed for big events and serves above all the development of the whole region. “ The World Cup makes football visible and Manaus

MANAUS: The Arena Amazonia stadium under construction in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil. The Arena Amazonia stadium will host four matches during the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014. —AFP profits from that.”

Even so, to be viable the stadium will have to generate sufficient revenue to pay for its upkeep, costing an estimated $215,000 a month. To stave off criticism they may be creating a white elephant, authorities in Manaus have considered all kinds of post-World Cup

plans-even converting the venue into a detention center. But Capobiango is optimistic. “The Arena will host other shows and international events. It is a tourist site that will attract new investment for industry and tourism. “It will be white-but not a white elephant,” he insisted.—AFP

League-leading Pacers improve their record

KEMEROVO: A handout picture shows a torchbearer jumping with an Olympic torch in Russia’s west Siberian city of Kemerovo, some 3482 km east of Moscow. — AFP

S Korea curlers swept up in Sochi dreams

SEOUL: Clasping the treasured broom she used to reach the Sochi Games, Shin Mi-sung smiles as she remembers the ridicule and embarrassment she has had to endure as part of South Korea’s Olympic curling team. “I used to take the subway holding this broom in my hand and people would think I was a window cleaner or a street sweeper,” Shin said in an interview. At 35 the eldest of Korea’s fivewoman team headed to Sochi for the Feb 723 Games, Shin recalls one moment when a dire lack of funding forced them to take extreme measures.

“Professional curlers don’t re-use the brush pads but we had to wash ours over and over again, until too much lint built up and made them completely unusable,” she said, as the hint of a smile began to break through.

“One time at an international match, we saw our competitors throw away their brush pads after using them only once. So we picked them out of the trash when no one was watching, washed them and used them in the next game,” she said through fits of laughter.

“At that time we were just so happy to get virtually brand-new pads for free. I guess we couldn’t afford to feel embarrassed back then.” However, the days when Shin and team mates Kim Ji-sun, Lee Seul-bee, Gim Un-chi and Um Min-ji have to go rifling through garbage for equipment are long gone.

Finishing in the top four at the World Women’s Curling Championships in Canada in March last year not only gave Korea enough points for an Olympic berth, it also brought much-needed funding and, perhaps more importantly, recognition.

With South Korea’s Pyeongchang set to host the Winter Games in 2018, that support seems set to continue for years to come.

Coach Chung Young-sup told Reuters that nothing was the same after that. “Everything flipped upside down.” It was then that the governor of their home province decided to create a more professional curling set-up, providing more money, insurance and all the other perks enjoyed by government employees. “When we returned, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo created a curling team and provided a vehicle, a house near the training centre and all the expenses for overseas training. “Not long after that, Korea’s

biggest retail conglomerate Shinsegae pledged 10 billion won ($9.42 million) until 2018 for the development of Korean curling and launched the Shinsegae-Emart National Curling Competition, which started in early October. “There’s been such a big change, the difference is tangible,” Chung chuckled.

Despite the team garnering the points to earn South Korea a berth in Sochi, they then had to actually win the national team tryouts in April for the right to represent the country in its Olympic curling debut. “Ironically, they seemed more nervous during the national team selection process,” said assistant coach Choi Min-suk, who also plays for men’s national team. “They were afraid to lose the ticket (to Sochi) that they earned themselves.”

While the new-found prosperity has made things easier, the team constantly remind themselves of the struggles that forged their bond, the times they had to swallow their pride and put up with ridicule, or worse, abject indifference, from the public. “What we were most envious of other players during international games was that they stayed in a hotel and had meals already made for them,” said skip Kim Ji-sun. “We, on the other hand, had to homestay and cooked meals by ourselves while practicing just as much, if not more than them.

“Some still belittle the sport, calling it just ‘sweeping the ice’, but I’m not offended at all.

It would be better if they used the term ‘curling’ but at least they know what we do and how we do it,” said the 26-year-old, who married Chinese national team curler Xu Xiaoming in May. “We are aiming for the podium at the Olympic Games, maybe the top spot. We are literally grinding our teeth in order to live up to the expectation,” she said with determination.

With the Sochi Games fast approaching, the team are practicing at Taeneung National Training Centre but despite being Olympic representatives they have to share the ice with other local curlers and have mock games with high school teams. Whenever the players appear to be taking their change in fortunes for granted, assistant coach Choi keeps their feet on the ice. “This is the best conditions we’ve ever had,” he shouts. “Remember where we came from!”—Reuters

Lindell-Vikarby wins Beaver Creek alpine giant slalom BEAVER CREEK: Jessica Lindell-Vikarby won the women’s alpine World Cup giant slalom at Beaver Creek on Sunday, the second World Cup race win of the Swede’s career. With her only previous World Cup win four years behind her, the 29-year-old admitted that the butterflies built up as she prepared to defend her first-leg lead in the decisive second run.

But she stormed home to edge US starlet Mikaela Shiffrin with a total time of 2min 17.92sec. Shiffrin, treated to a hero’s welcome by fans after she briefly moved into the top spot, settled for the second step of the podium just 0.09sec back. Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather was third, 0.56sec adrift. “I’m

feeling great!” Lindell-Vikarby said. “It was a pure pleasure to be in the lead when you came down the first run and then the second. “It’s a long wait between runs and I was for sure a bit nervous, but I made it.” LindellVikarby’s only prior World Cup win was a super-G triumph at Cortina-d’Ampezzo, Italy, in January of 2009. “I’ve been waiting and I’ve been working hard,” she said. “After injuries and stuff it’s nice to be back. Her best previous giant slalom result on the World Cup circuit was a fifth place at Maribor in January of this year. Shiffrin, the 18-year-old winner of the season’s first slalom at Levi, Finland, earlier this month, also notched her first giant slalom podium finish.—AFP

LOS ANGELES: David West scored 14 of his 24 points in the third quarter and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Paul George had 27 points as the league-leading Indiana Pacers improved their best start in club history to 16-1 with a 105-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

Roy Hibbert added 19 points to the Pacers’ seventh straight win.

Jamal Crawford led the Clippers with 20 points. Chris Paul had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Blake Griffin scored 16 and pulled down 12 rebounds - equaling teammate DeAndre Jordan’s total. The defending Pacific Division champion Clippers played their first game since finding out that J.J. Redick will be sidelined six to eight weeks because of a broken bone in his shooting hand and a ligament tear in his right elbow.

HEAT 99, BOBCATS 98 Chris Bosh scored 13 straight points for Miami in the final minutes, including a trio of 3-pointers that capped a late rally as the Heat found a way to beat Charlotte to extend its winning streak to 10 games. Bosh’s three 3s came in a 79-second span, the last of them putting Miami up 9391 with 1:20 left. LeBron James led the Heat with 26 points, Bosh finished with 22, Dwyane Wade scored 17 and Mario Chalmers added 12 for Miami, which has beaten the Bobcats 14 straight times. Kemba Walker scored 27 points for the Bobcats, who had led the entire second half until Bosh’s barrage. Gerald Henderson scored 17, and Al Jefferson finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds for Charlotte.

THUNDER 113, TIMBERWOLVES 103 Kevin Durant recorded his first triple-double of the season with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists as Oklahoma City rallied for yet another fourth-quarter win, beating Minnesota.

Oklahoma City extended its winning streak to seven games, tops in the Western Conference, and moved to 9-0 on the season at home. It’s the franchise’s longest home winning streak to open a season since the 2004-05 campaign, when the team played in Seattle. Kevin Martin, in his return to Oklahoma City after joining Minnesota during the offseason, led the Timberwolves with 24 points, while Nikola Pekovic had 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Thunder have beaten Minnesota eight straight times at home, dating to the 2008-09 season, the franchise’s first in Oklahoma City.

PELICANS 103, KNICKS 99 Ryan Anderson made seven 3pointers and scored 31 points as New Orleans overcame the loss of Anthony Davis to a broken left hand to beat New York. Tyreke Evans added 24 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, as the Pelicans sent the Knicks to their ninth straight loss overall and seventh in a row at home. Davis had seven points and four rebounds in the first quarter before leaving with what the Pelicans said was a non-displaced

LOS ANGELES: Portland Trail Blazers forward Dorell Wright (left) and Los Angeles Lakers center Jordan Hill battle for a rebound during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Dec 1, 2013, in Los Angeles. —AP

first player to have at least 31 points, 19 rebounds and six steals in a game since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1990. He set career highs in all three categories, two days after Maurice Cheeks left him on the bench for the last 21 minutes of Detroit’s loss to the Lakers. Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith added 20 points each for the Pistons, while Thaddeus Young had 24 for Philadelphia before fouling out late in the game.

TRAIL BLAZERS 114, LAKERS 108 LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and nine rebounds as Portland blew most of a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter before holding on to beat Los Angeles for its 12th victory in 13 games.

Damian Lillard had 26 points and nine assists, and Wesley Matthews scored 17 points for the Blazers, whose 11-game winning streak ended four days earlier in Phoenix.

Portland returned from its holiday break with its first road victory over the Lakers in seven tries since April 11, 2010, but only after the undermanned Lakers rallied within one point in a harrowing fourth quarter. Xavier Henry scored 27 points and Jodie Meeks added 20 for the Lakers, who had won five of six to climb above .500 for the first time this season.

fracture in his left hand. The team said a timetable for his return has not been determined. Carmelo Anthony finished with 23 points and rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. had 21 for the Knicks, who haven’t won at home since beating Milwaukee on Oct. 30 in their season opener.

WARRIORS 115, KINGS 113 Stephen Curry made two free throws with 8.6 seconds left and had 12 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, helping Golden State beat Sacramento. Curry made five 3-pointers and also added 10 assists for the Warriors, who had lost two straight and five of six. Klay Thompson connected on a career-high eight 3pointers and scored 28 points for Golden State. Harrison Barnes and David Lee had 11 points for the Warriors, who ended a fourgame road trip with a 2-2 record.

In foul trouble throughout, DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points in just over 20 minutes. Marcus Thornton scored all of his 21 points in the second half for the Kings, who have dropped four straight and are now 3-7 at home.

NUGGETS 112, RAPTORS 98 Nate Robinson scored 23 points off the bench as Denver beat Toronto for its sixth straight victory. The diminutive guard hit five 3-pointers, including backto-back baskets with just over two minutes to go, as the Nuggets pulled away. Rudy Gay led the Raptors with 23 points, while Jonas Valanciunas added 18. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowr y each had 17. It was Toronto’s third straight loss.

Denver’s bench scoring was the difference. The Nuggets’ reserves outscored their Raptors counterparts 72-16.—AP

PISTONS 115, 76ERS 100 Andre Drummond had 31 points and 19 rebounds as Detroit beat Philadelphia.

Drummond was limited to 34 minutes, but he still became the

NBA results/standings Denver 112, Toronto 98; Indiana 105, La Clippers 100; Detroit 115, Philadelphia 100; Golden State 115, Sacramento 113; Miami 99, Charlotte 98; Oklahoma City 113, Minnesota 103; New Orleans 103, NY Knicks 99; Portland 114, LA Lakers 108.

Toronto Boston Philadelphia Brooklyn NY Knicks Indiana Chicago Detroit Cleveland Milwaukee Miami Atlanta Washington Charlotte Orlando

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L 6 10 7 12 6 12 5 12 3 13 Central Division 16 1 7 8 7 10 5 12 3 13 SOUTHEAST DIVISION 14 3 9 9 8 9 8 10 6 10

PCT .375 .368 .333 .294 .188

GB 0.5 1 1.5 3

.941 .467 .412 .294 .188

8 9 11 12.5

.824 .500 .471 .444 .375

5.5 6 6.5 7.5

Portland Oklahoma City Denver Minnesota Utah LA Clippers Golden State Phoenix LA Lakers Sacramento San Antonio Houston Dallas New Orleans Memphis

Western Conference Northwest Division 14 3 12 3 10 6 9 10 3 15 Pacific Division 12 6 10 8 9 8 9 9 4 11 Southwest Division 14 3 13 5 10 8 8 8 8 8

.824 .800 .625 .474 .167

1 3.5 6 11.5

.667 .556 .529 .500 .267

2 2.5 3 6.5

.824 .722 .556 .500 .500

1.5 4.5 5.5 5.5

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

S P ORTS

Messi-less Barcelona beaten again Barca suffer first La Liga loss at Bilbao

MADRID: An ineffectual Barcelona crashed to their first La Liga defeat of the season and failed to restore their threepoint lead over Atletico Madrid at the top when they were beaten 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Barca were again without the injured Lionel Messi, who is not expected back until midJanuary, and turned in probably their worst performance of the campaign against a fired-up Bilbao at the Basque club’s new San Mames stadium.

A miserable week for the Spanish champions, which included Tuesday’s 21 Champions League loss at Ajax Amsterdam, went from bad to worse when Bilbao’s Iker Muniain turned in a Markel Susaeta cross in the 71st minute.

Barca barely mustered a shot on target against the Basques, with Brazil forward Neymar particularly disappointing, and it was only the second time in 15 matches this season they have dropped points after the 0-0 draw at Osasuna in October.

Gerardo Martino’s side are level with Atletico on 40 points following the Madrid club’s 2-0 win at promoted Elche on Saturday, while Real, whose 4-0 drubbing of Real Valladolid on Saturday included a hat-trick from record signing Gareth Bale, are three points further

back in third. Bilbao ended a streak of 14 winless La Liga games against Barca and beat them for the first time since May 2006 to climb above Villarreal into fourth on 29 points.

“It was an open game against a great opponent who pressed us hard and knows how to play,” Barca midfielder Sergio Busquets said in a pitchside interview with Spanish television broadcaster Canal Plus. “They had their moments and we had ours but if we don’t take our chances then it becomes harder,” added the Spain international. “All we can do is congratulate Athletic and carry on because there is no other choice. “We have to learn from the mistakes we made, which for sure were numerous, but also from the positives.”

Without World Player of the Year Messi creating havoc in the forward line, Barca lacked a cutting edge against a well-organized Bilbao unit. Neymar forced a superb save from home goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz in the 12th minute but the Basque side refused to allow the Barca players time and space, creating several clear chances in the first period.

They came close when a deflected cross fell to Muniain and he scuffed his closerange shot straight at goalkeeper Jose

Manuel Pinto, playing in place of the injured Victor Valdes. Cesc Fabregas played Neymar through five minutes after the break but the Brazil forward, who had to change his boots in the first half after slipping over several times, sliced his effort well wide.

Bilbao, who thoroughly deserved their victory and are unbeaten at home this season, almost doubled their lead four minutes after Muniain’s goal when Pinto produced a brilliant save from Gaizka Toquero’s header. Martino threw on Pedro late on but the Spain forward made little impact and Bilbao comfortably held on to their lead. In the earlier kickoffs, pressure eased on Valencia coach Miroslav Djukic when a quickfire hat-trick from forward Jonas gave his erratic side a 3-0 win at home to 10-man Osasuna.

Osasuna had their 38-year-old captain Patxi Punal sent off in the 16th minute for a dangerous late tackle on Dani Parejo before Jonas struck from close range just before the break. The Brazilian netted his second three minutes into the second half and made it 3-0 in the 53rd minute as Valencia moved up to ninth on 20 points. Sevilla kept in touch with the European qualification

BILBAO: Athletic Bilbao’s forward Gaizka Toquero (L) falls past Barcelona’s defender Martin Montoya (center) during the Spanish league football match Athletic Club Bilbao vs FC Barcelona at the San Mames stadium on December 1, 2013. — AFP places when they won 2-1 at Andalusian rivals Granada and tightened their grip on eighth with 22 points. Sevilla’s city

rivals Real Betis drew 2-2 at home to fellow strugglers Rayo Vallecano and stay rooted to the bottom.— Reuters

Brazil’s defending champion Fluminense in relegation zone SAO PAULO: Defending champion Fluminense will enter the last round of the Brazilian league in the relegation zone after Vasco da Gama and Coritiba won their matches on Sunday. Fluminense, in danger of becoming the first Brazilian champion to be demoted, drew Atletico Mineiro 2-2 at the Maracana Stadium on Saturday and needs other results to go its way next weekend to stay in the first division in 2014.

Vasco da Gama beat already demoted Nautico 2-0 at the Maracana, while Coritiba defeated Botafogo 2-1 in Curitiba. Vasco, a four time Brazilian champion, will also enter the final round in relegation zone. No matter what happens next Sunday, either Vasco or Fluminense, two of the country’s most traditional clubs, will play in the second division next year. The weekend matches again were marked by players protesting the conditions for players in Brazilian football.

Players sat on the ground, crossed their arms and exchanged passes back and forth at the start of matches to show their dissatisfaction with the national federation. The players had threatened a strike this weekend because of a pay dispute involving Nautico and its squad, but a deal was reached on Friday.

The final round next weekend will be played with six teams still in danger of relegation - Fluminense, Vasco da Gama, Coritiba, Criciuma, Internacional and Portuguesa. Nautico and Ponte Preta, which is in the final of the Copa Sudamericana, have already been demoted. Vasco is the first team inside relegation zone with 44 points, one more than Fluminense. Coritiba is just ahead with 45 points, while Criciuma has 46 and Internacional and Portuguesa have 47 each. The bottom four clubs will drop to the second division. Fluminense, which also won the league title in 2010, was the only team among those fighting against relegation to lose this weekend. The Rio de Janeiro club got into trouble after allowing an 83rd-minute equalizer to Atletico Mineiro, which is already focused on the Club World Cup later this month.

Atletico scored through Diego Tardelli in the 22nd before Fluminense equalized through Gum in the 37th and moved ahead when Biro-Biro scored in the 54th.

However, Alecsandro equalized with a header late in the game. Fluminense almost was relegated in 2009, but it won six of its last seven matches to just remain in the first division. It was relegated to the second division for the first time in the late 1990s. The team will play at Bahia in the final round this year.

Vasco da Gama, which played in the second division in 2009, gained some relief by defeating Nautico with goals by Edmilson in the seventh minute and Bernardo in the 88th at a packed Maracana. Only a victory against third-place Atletico Paranaense will give Vasco a real chance to escape demotion. Coritiba moved out of relegation zone by beating Botafogo with goals by Deivid in the 40th and Alex in the 69th. Botafogo’s lone goal came in the final minutes with Bruno Mendes.

Criciuma beat Sao Paulo 1-0 at home, while Portuguesa defeated Ponte Preta 2-0 in Campinas. Bahia escaped relegation with a last-minute 2-1 win at champion Cruzeiro, which had already clinched its third Brazilian league title in advance. Cruzeiro players were officially handed the trophy on Sunday at a nearly packed Mineirao Stadium. Local media reported that dozens of fans were detained because of fan violence in and outside the stadium in Belo Horizonte.

Internacional, with a squad that includes Uruguay striker Diego Forlan and Argentine forwards Andres D’Alessandro and Ignacio Scocco, became in danger of demotion after drawing Corinthians 0-0 on Saturday, a result that extended the team’s winless streak to four matches. Atop the standings, second-place Gremio beat fourth-place Goias 1-0 with a goal by Argentine striker Hernan Barcos in Porto Alegre. Atletico Paranaense lost 2-1 at Santos. Fifth-place Botafogo and sixth-place Vitoria, which beat Flamengo 4-1 in Salvador, still have chances of securing a place in next year’s Copa Libertadores.— AP

Benfica, Sporting overtake disheartened Porto at top LISBON: Benfica and Sporting strolled to Portuguese Premier League victories on Sunday and overtook Porto at the top of the table after the champions succumbed to their first league defeat in almost two years. Last season’s runners-up Benfica beat 10-man Rio Ave 3-1 away while Lisbon rivals Sporting eased past 10-man Pacos de Ferreira 4-0, moving to the top of the table, both on 26 points from 11 matches.

Sporting have the better goal difference.

They dislodged Porto, who were stunned by a 1-0 defeat at Academica de Coimbra on Saturday, missing a penalty and a pair of great chances in the process.

The ‘Dragons’ are now two points behind. Benfica’s Brazilian striker Lima unlocked a thorny match for ‘the Eagles’ with a second-half brace against welldrilled Rio Ave. Sporting in turn, relied on the services of Colombian sharpshooter Fredy Montero, who also bagged a brace in their comfortable home win over Pacos de Ferreira. “We are extremely pleased, this is the fruit of a lot of hard work this season.

We know where we are heading,” Sporting coach Leonardo Jardim told Portuguese television Sport TV. His mood contrasts with their northern rivals.

Porto coach Paulo Fonseca is under pressure after an under-par run that included their first league defeat in 53 matches and a disappointing Champions League home draw with Austria Vienna in midweek . The team bus was met by angry fans upon arrival in Porto late last night. TV footage showed about 100 fans chanting “please play some football”, kicking the bus and throwing firecrackers against it. “Of course there is pressure, Porto is a club used to winning. We don’t like this and cannot be happy. Our per-

formance was far from what we can do,” Fonseca said.— Reuters

BUENOS AIRES: San Lorenzo’s fans cheer as they light flares with the colors of their team before an Argentina league soccer match against Estudiantes in Buenos Aires on Sunday, Dec 1, 2013. —AP

San Lorenzo fail to wrap up the Argentine title BUENOS AIRES: San Lorenzo missed the chance to sew up the Argentine league title on Sunday after a 0-0 draw with Estudiantes sent the race down to the final round of games. With Lanus dropping points in a 2-2 draw at home to Boca Juniors, the Saints would have been crowned league champions for the 12th time, and first since 2007, with a win. Estudiantes hit the bar in the dying minutes of the first half and San Lorenzo were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty in the second but neither team could break the deadlock.

San Lorenzo playmaker Juan Mercier told reporters: “The way we played, we weren’t good enough to be champions.” Coach Juan Antonio Pizzi said his team had to focus on their own performance and not worry what their title rivals were doing. “To be champions we must win, regardless of the other results,” said Pizzi. “We’re capable of beating any team at any ground.”

San Lorenzo go to Velez Sarsfield for their last match holding a twopoint lead in the Inicial, the first of two championships in the season.

They have 32 points from 18 matches, two points more than Velez, Lanus and title holders Newell’s Old Boys, who lost 3-1 at

All Boys on Saturday. Arsenal, crushed 4-1 by Belgrano on Saturday to lose their unbeaten home record, are still mathematically in the fight on 29 points. If two teams finish equal on points, there will be a playoff since goal difference is not taken into account.

The last round was scheduled for next weekend but Lanus have obtained a postponement of the key matches because they come in the middle of the two legs of their Copa Sudamericana final against Brazil’s Ponte Preta. The Argentine Football Association announced on its website (www.afa.org.ar) on Sunday that it was postponing two matches- Velez Sarsfield at home to San Lorenzo and Lanus at Newell’s Old Boys-until Dec 15. The remaining final round fixtures will go ahead next weekend as planned.

AFA rules state that a club can ask for the postponement of a league commitment if they have reached a “decisive” match in a continental competition.

Lanus coach Guillermo Barros Scelotto, who had said his team would seek the postponement, rested several first choice players against Boca ahead of Wednesday’s Sudamericana final first leg in Sao Paulo. The return leg of the compe-

BUENOS AIRES: San Lorenzo’s Walter Kannemann (right) goes for a header with Alvaro Klusener of Estudiantes during an Argentina league soccer match on Sunday, Dec 1, 2013. — AP tition, South America’s equivalent of the Europa League, is at Lanus the following Wednesday. Boca, who have had a disappointing championship, were unable to beat

a Lanus side down to 10 men after 52 minutes and nine with eight minutes remaining after two red cards and they are out of the running on 28 points.— Reuters

Mashego brace gives Sundowns top spot

VILA DO CONDE: Benfica’s Argentinean midfielder Nicolas Gaitan controls the ball during the Portuguese league football match Rio Ave vs Benfica at the Arcos stadium in Vila do Conde on December 1, 2013. Benfica won 3-1. — AFP

JOHANNESBURG: Mamelodi Sundowns striker Katlego Mashego scored twice against former club Moroka Swallows in a 2-1 win Sunday that left his team top of the South African Premiership. The veteran striker struck just before half-time and on the hour mark at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria with Lerato Chabangu scoring a late consolation goal.

Victory lifted record five-time title winners Sundowns two points above defending champions Kaizer Chiefs, who triumphed 2-0 at Free State Stars Saturday. Platinum Stars, surprise runners-up last season, are four points behind Sundowns in third place and Swallows remained fourth, a point further back.

Orlando Pirates, beaten by Al-Ahly of Egypt in the 2013 CAF Champions League final,

stayed bottom of the 16-club table after a stunning 3-2 home defeat by Bloemfontein Celtic. Controversial refereeing marred the Pretoria showdown with Sundowns lucky not to have two players sent off during a poor opening half. Zambia goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene injured Siyabonga Nomvethe by dashing from his penalty area and charging into the 35-year-old former South Africa striker. But although big-screen replays showed Mweene going for the man rather than the ball, the referee took no action. Concussed Nomvethe was carried off and returned with his head heavily bandaged before being substituted midway through the second half.

Zimbabwe striker Khama Billiat did get a yellow card for fouling a rival, but it could have

been red as replays showed him kicking the fallen opponent. “The referee applied different rules to the two teams,” complained Swallows coach Zeca Marques. “We deserved at least a draw.” Recalled Siyabonga Nkosi with a first-half header and fellow midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala with a stoppage-time tapin earned Chiefs maximum points in central town Phuthaditjhaba. Defeat left Stars just two points above the relegation zone and coach and former South Africa captain Steve Komphela quit Sunday with assistant Themba Sithole taking over. Pirates were lucky to lose by only one goal in Soweto as Celtic wasted numerous first-half chances before achieving only a second league win in 11 outings this season.—AFP

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

S P ORTS

Victory ‘a must’ as Marseille travel to Lille

PARIS: French giants Marseille travel to high-flying Lille today knowing that they must win if they harbor any hopes of challenging for the Ligue 1 title this season.

Although that objective already appears beyond Elie Baup’s men, they must at least take something from the game to remain in Champions League contention.

Marseille won for the third time in a row on Friday with a 2-0 success over 2012 champions Montpellier, currently struggling at the wrong end of the table. That ensured they remained within sight of the top three but should they lose to Lille at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, they could find themselves distanced to eight points off the top three by the end of the midweek fixtures.

With Lille on a 10-game unbeaten streak and Monaco looking to have got over their November blip and back to winning ways these last two weeks, Marseille know they cannot afford to come away empty-handed from the north. And they will be looking to in-form forward Florian Thauvin to continue his recent goalscoring run against his former employers. Thauvin had a difficult start to life on the south coast after his protracted summer move from Lille, and he is not expecting to be welcomed back with open arms.

“The match at Lille will be like any other. I’ll get a tough reception but I’m going there to win and take three points,” said the 20-year-old, who has scored four

goals in his last four league matches. “I’m delighted to be doing good things for the team. It was my objective to repay the confidence the club has shown in me. I think I’m doing that well now,” he added.

Lille coach Rene Girard is hoping his side can continue the impregnable form they’ve been showing in remaining unbeaten, both in terms of results and goals conceded, for their last 10 matches.

“Ten matches in a row without conceding a goal, that’s a first in my career,” said Girard. “That shows the character of this team, the lads are committed, we can play them out of position-they make sacrifices, they turn up.” Lille have had one less day to recover, though, having played on Saturday. “The Marseille game is coming

quickly and it’ll be tough,” added Girard.

“We’ll try to recover well, we don’t have much of a choice. “We’re not going to complain, it would only use up more energy.” Monaco, meanwhile, travel to the Allianz Riviera today to face local rivals Nice.

Italian coach Claudio Ranieri has said he is quietly optimistic that record forward signing Radamel Falcao will be fit to return having missed the 2-0 success over Rennes. Having gone three matches without a win, which saw them drop to third having spent most of the early part of the season at the top of the table, Monaco have now won two in a row. France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan believes they can continue in that vein right up to

Christmas. “Now we have a match today against Nice, a derby,” he said. “We need to win again, the aim is to win all our remaining matches up to Christmas.

“We’ve just gone through a tricky patch, I hope that was just that. “I always said we’d have one, afterwards you have to react but the hardest thing is to be consistent.” Champions and leaders Paris Saint-Germain will be looking for revenge when they travel to Evian on Wednesday.

The minnows, better known for their bottled water, were the last side to beat the Parisians, on penalties in a French Cup quarter-final back in April. Their last league defeat, 26 Ligue 1 matches ago, was to Reims at the beginning of March.—AFP

PSG outclass Lyon

HULL: Hull City’s David Meyler (centre) celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the English Premier League match between Hull City and Liverpool on Sunday, Dec 1, 2013. —AP

Hull fans refuse to be tamed in tiger row LONDON: It should have been a weekend of celebration for Hull City but a 3-1 victory over Liverpool was overshadowed by an increasingly bitter row between the club’s owner and the diehard fans. Egyptian-born Assem Allam’s wish to re-brand the 109year-old Yorkshire club as Hull Tigers has provoked a fierce backlash and things came to a head after comments he made to a Sunday newspaper, suggesting those opposed to his view were “hooligans” and that they “could die as soon as they want”.

Businessman Allam was reacting to a fans’ campaign group named “City Till We Die” which was formed when his desire to change the club’s name in order to attract more investment first became known. Poor old manager Steve Bruce found himself treading carefully on Sunday, not wishing to alienate the heart and soul fans or the man who writes the cheques. “I am happy to speak to the owner and give him my opinion,” a diplomatic Bruce said after the thoroughly deserved victory which steered Hull into mid-table.

“But if he wants us to play in pink fairy dresses then he is entitled to that view.” At last week’s game against Crystal Palace stewards tried to remove a banner which read “We are Hull City” while on Sunday against Liverpool their riposte was “We’re

Matches on TV (Local Timings) ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Crystal Palace v West Ham Aljazeera Sport 1 HD

23:00

FRENCH LEAGUE Lille v Marseille Aljazeera Sport 5 HD Nice v AS Monaco Aljazeera Sport 5 HD

21:00 23:00

Hull City, We’ll Die When We Want” while Bruce said he hoped to sit down with Allam and find a “happy solution”. The gallows humor will strike a chord with fans up and down the country, however, who have watched their clubs change hands, sometimes with catastrophic results.

Foreign owners divide opinion more than most. Blackburn Rovers fans, who have watched the club slide out of the Premier division since being taken over by Indian chicken producers Venky’s, still pine for the days of local businessman Jack Walker whose money fuelled a league title.

Cardiff City fans’ joy at their club reaching the Premier League this season was tempered by the fact that the team now play in red rather than blue and the club crest changed from the bluebird to the dragon, all at the command of billionaire Malaysian owner Vincent Tan. Then again, Manchester City and Chelsea fans are hardly likely to complain about the transformation in their team’s fortunes since foreign cash began rolling in. Allam is not the typical “foreign” owner as he has been in England since fleeing Egypt in 1968, went to university there, has successful companies in the area and makes charitable donations to several local charities. He is also extremely rich and in 2010 decided to step in to save Hull City from financial ruin after they were relegated from the Premier League saddled with debt.

So, while the grievances of the fans are understandable, it is mainly because of Allam’s purchase of the club, and the wily management of Bruce, that they find themselves back in the big time alongside the likes of Liverpool. Allam appears determined to do things his way, or not at all, and has threatened to walk away from the club he has invested 60 million pounds ($98.28 million) in. “I’m a simple man. Do they want me to stay? If it’s ‘No thank you’, fine, in 24 hours the club is for sale... I do not put in one more pound,” he recently told the Hull Daily Mail.-—Reuters

Pellegrini sets City away-day target MANCHESTER: Manuel Pellegrini has challenged his Manchester City side to take maximum points from their two away games at West Bromwich Albion and Southampton as the wealthy Premier League club close in on Arsenal at the top of the table. Arsene Wenger’s league leaders are the next visitors to City’s Etihad Stadium after the Blues moved to within six points of first place in a 30 home victory over Swansea on Sunday. But first, City must negotiate two testing away fixtures and improve on a record that has already seen them lose four times on their travels this season.

Pellegrini has set his players the goal of being top, or at least within three points of that position, by the first day of 2014 and concedes that the coming week, and those two away games, will be crucial in achieving that target. “It’s a big challenge. West Brom are a strong team playing at home,” the City manager said. “I hope now we can start winning away. “I repeat, we deserve to have won some of those games we have lost. But in this week, we have two away games and six points, we must try and win all of them if we want to be fighting for the Premier League,” the Chilean added.

“I can answer the question of whether we can do that (be top) after these two away games. “I have a lot of trust in this team. We have to play six more Premier League games during December and we hope we can do it.

It will be very important for us.” A superb freekick from Alvaro Negredo and two secondhalf goals from a resurgent Samir Nasri made sure City maintained the only 100 percent home record in professional English football this season.

The seven home league victories recorded

by Pellegrini’s side have seen them score 29 times, with 25 goals in the last five home matches in league and cup. Nasri’s two goals were the highlight of the latest victory and the Frenchman is clearly flourishing under Pellegrini in a way he failed to do under his predecessor Roberto Mancini. “I think Samir played very well, especially the second half,” said Pellegrini. “He also played very well in the Champions League. He is playing free, he is happy and he feels he’s again an important player. The way we play maybe is very comfortable for him also.

“All of you know that he is a big player. He played before I arrived at City for three or four years and he played in the Champions League. He is a very, very good player. Now he is again playing the way he knows how to play.” Pellegrini, who dismissed reports from Spain that Real Madrid are considering a bid for his forward Sergio Aguero in the January transfer window, may be able to recall influential defender Vincent Kompany for the visit to West Brom on Wednesday if the Belgian international comes through training sessions beforehand.—AFP

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain underlined their superiority over the rest of the French top flight on Sunday as Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted twice in a 4-0 win against Lyon at the Parc des Princes. Ibrahimovic scored both of his goals from the penalty spot as he moved clear at the top of the Ligue 1 scorers chart, while South Americans Edinson Cavani and captain Thiago Silva also found the target to help PSG continue their unbeaten record in all competitions this season.

They remain four points clear of Lille and five ahead of Monaco at the top of the standings after easing past a Lyon side who once dominated the French scene themselves but who are currently languishing in mid-table. But while Lyon coach Remi Garde accepted that his team are “not competing in the same league as Paris”, opposite number Laurent Blanc insisted the scoreline was not necessarily a fair reflection on the game. “The size of the scoreline could make you think it was easy from beginning to end, but Lyon made life difficult for us early on,” he said.

“If we keep playing at 100 percent, I think it will be very difficult to beat PSG. But we need to avoid complacency and be at our very best every game.” The build-up to the match was overshadowed by the news that both team buses were stoned on the way to the stadium, while Lyon lost Bafetimbi Gomis to injury in the warm-up. In his absence, OL played with a three-man central defence and for much of the first half they succeeded in frustrating the hosts.

They were also helped by referee Antony Gautier’s decision not to award a penalty when Cavani went down under a challenge from Bakar y Kone 16 minutes in.

Alexandre Lacazette had been left to plough a lone furrow up front for Lyon and he had the visitors’ best opportunity of the first half, creating space for himself inside the box and lashing a shot against

PARIS: Lyon’s Burkinabese defender Bakary Kone (left) vies for the ball with Paris Saint-Germain’s Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic (right) during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Lyon (OL) on December 1, 2013. — AFP the bar. But PSG got their noses in front nine minutes before the interval when Cavani met a corner from the left and headed in through the legs of Yoann Gourcuff, who was standing on the near post.

Five minutes later, the Uruguayan was brought down again inside the box. This time, Lyon goalkeeper Remy Vercoutre was the culprit, and a penalty was awarded. Ibrahimovic sent Vercoutre the wrong way as he coolly chipped into the net, and Lyon’s chances of getting back into the game appeared to be over by the interval. They conceded again on the hour mark, though, Brazil skipper Silva converting the loose ball following a corner for his first ever goal in Ligue 1. And there was

more pain to come for the visitors as Ibrahimovic beat Vercoutre from the spot once again after being fouled by Samuel Umtiti, taking his tally to 20 goals in his last 13 games for club and country.

PSG are now unbeaten in 26 Ligue 1 matches and maintain a safe distance from Lille, who won 1-0 at nor thern neighbors Valenciennes on Saturday as Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama extended his remarkable run without conceding a goal to 945 minutes. Meanwhile, Monaco proved too strong for Rennes on Saturday despite being without the injured Radamel Falcao-James Rodriguez and Anthony Martial scoring in a 2-0 triumph. Elsewhere on Sunday, Mickael Landreau equalled fellow goalkeeper Jean-

Luc Ettori’s record of 602 appearances in France’s top flight as he kept a clean sheet for Bastia in a 20 win over Evian.

The 34-year-old French international began his career at Nantes in 1996 and won the title with Les Canaris in 2001 before spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Lille, with whom he won the double in 2011.

“I have worked so hard to get to this point. I am enormously lucky,” said Landreau after drawing level with Ettori, who spent his entire career at Monaco between 1975 and 1992 and picked up nine caps for France. Milos Krasic and Wahbi Khazri got the goals for Bastia, who are eighth, while Brazilian forward Jussie scored twice in Bordeaux’s 40 win against hapless Ajaccio in Sunday’s other game.—AFP

Spanish clubs fined for TV rights breach MADRID: Spain’s National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) has imposed significant fines on television production giant Mediapro and four clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona, for breaching rules on the sale of televison rights. The CNMC handed down fines totaling 15 million euros ($20.3m) for what they described in a statement as “a very serious infraction” of the rules on the acquisition of footballrelated rights.

Mediapro were fined 6.5 million euros, while Real Madrid have been ordered to pay 3.9 million euros and Barcelona 3.6 million euros. In addition, Sevilla have been fined 900,000 euros and Racing Santander 30,000 euros. The clubs all signed four-year contracts with Mediapro to broadcast their domestic league and cup matches, when the maximum duration of such a deal was limited to three years by Spain’s Competition Commission in 2010.

They explained that the size of the fine varied depending on the individual contracts signed between Mediapro and the respective clubs.

According to a table put together by the consultancy firm Deloitte, Real Madrid became the first sports club in the world to earn more than 500 million euros in 2011-12. Barcelona were named as the world’s second richest club on the same list with income of 483 million euros.

Unlike in other European countries, there is no collective television rights deal for clubs in Spain.

Instead, clubs negotiate their own deals with broadcasters, a situation that allows Barcelona and Real Madrid to earn vastly superior sums compared to the rest of the country. Spanish football was for a number of years marred by a television rights war, with a number of clubs agreeing deals with Mediapro while others entered into partnership with Sogecable, part of Spain’s biggest media group Prisa, the owners of the subscription channel Canal.— AFP

Chelsea’s Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho

Chelsea resolve, victory encourage Mourinho LONDON: Jose Mourinho believes his Chelsea side are starting to show the character needed of a team capable of challenging for the Premier League title.

Chelsea are now in second place, four points behind leaders Arsenal, after staging a second-half comeback to beat Southampton 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The west London club recovered after falling behind to Jay Rodriguez’s opening goal just 15 seconds into the game and Blues manager Mourinho said their response highlighted the growing maturity of his team. “It was a good performance collectively, and some good individual performances,” said Mourinho, now in his second spell as Chelsea manager.

“It’s the sign of a team that’s going step by step, understanding my ideas and mentality, players progressing,” the Portuguese added. “Some of them, the ones that are not complete in my mentality or philosophy, adapting progressively, feeling the responsibility that Chelsea cannot be in December completely out of the title race.

“They must feel the responsibility to play for Chelsea and that was a sign just of maturity. Losing after 10 seconds, keep calm, let’s go.” And he has challenged his players to build on their recent progress

when they travel to face Sunderland and Stoke City in their next two games.

“I think my team is a team with a profile that I can’t establish targets: to say I want to win five consecutive matches, or be top of the league. “I want to work with them, feed the young players, feed the team.

And, by the time we’ve done that, we’re there. “If you are 10 or 12 points behind, you are building but not fighting for the title. “If you are three or four or five, you are evolving, building but also fighting for the title,” Mourinho explained. “The boys have to cope with the responsibility of being there. We have to be there. Now we have two away matches, teams who need points given the position they have.”

Headers from Gary Cahill and John Terry overturned Southampton’s lead before Demba Ba completed the victory in the final minute of added time. “Demba played well against West Bromwich and really helped us to rescue a point and dominate in the last part of the game, and he was very aggressive in that push today (Sunday). Yes, I was very pleased with him.”

And the manager refused to criticize Michael Essien, who marred his first Premier league start of the season with a misplaced back pass that allowed Rodriguez to score.—AFP

Business

Mahathir quits as Petronas adviser Page 22

Cameron pushes EU-China trade deal in Beijing

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

Page 23

The Avenues wins Design & Development Award

Alghanim Automotive launches New 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Page 26 Page 25

Iran to reassert authority at OPEC Cartel expected to keep output cap at 30m bpd

VIENNA: Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Secretary General Libya’s Abdalla Salem ElBadri (centre) answering to journalists during a press conference as part of the 163rd meeting of the OPEC conference in Vienna. — AFP file photo

Bali talks to decide fate of WTO GENEVA/JAKARTA: Crisis is the natural state of world trade negotiations. But this week will be different.

Ministers meeting in the Indonesian resort of Bali from today until Friday will decide the fate of the World Trade Organization, with two possible outcomes: a global trade agreement, the first since the WTO was created in 1995, or a failure that kills off the Doha round of trade talks and casts the WTO into obsolescence.

The 159 WTO members have pushed the crisis to the brink by failing to finalize the text of a deal in Geneva, leaving a Swiss cheese of a draft after marathon talks that WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo finally halted at 7 am last Monday.

Azevedo had repeatedly said the text must be settled in Geneva and there could be no negotiations in Bali.

Ministers indulging in political point-scoring and rhetorical grandstanding are thought unlikely to succeed where

their Geneva-based trade negotiators have failed.

“Will they or won’t they negotiate in Bali? Some will try but the recalcitrants will hold out unless they get overruled by their heads of government,” said Simon Evenett, professor of international trade at the Swiss University of St Gallen.

“For that to happen, enough prime ministers and presidents are going to have to be convinced to pick up the phone and call their peers and, given what little is left on the table, why should they bother?” The WTO has already significantly lowered its sights since a decade of Doha talks broke down, forcing the body to focus on a much less ambitious set of reforms. The agenda for the Bali meeting has already suffered one big loss: talks on free trade in technology goods, slated for agreement at the meeting, collapsed last month after China insisted on a large list of exemptions. — Reuters

VIENNA: Bijan Zanganeh returns this week to the same Vienna hotel suite he last occupied eight years ago as Iranian oil minister, ready to prepare OPEC for what Tehran hopes will mark its return as the cartel’s second biggest producer.

Emboldened by its nuclear deal with the West, Iranian oil negotiators led again by industry veteran Zanganeh, will seek to reassert Tehran’s authority in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries at a Wednesday meeting.

Western sanctions imposed in 2012 on Iran for its nuclear program have cost it dearly, losing it billions of dollars in oil revenues and market share in OPEC - largely to its main regional political rival Saudi Arabia, and neighbor Iraq. With its exports still shackled by sanctions for at least another six months, Iran poses no immediate threat to the status quo. Oil ministers are widely expected to roll forward until June an agreement to hold their output near 30 million barrels daily for 12 member countries.

But oil traders will be watching closely for signs of cooperation, or otherwise, between the big three producers in OPEC, knowing that Riyadh and Baghdad will need to find room for Iran should its interim nuclear deal be verified and sanctions lifted.

Reappointed to the oil ministry by Iran’s new and more western-friendly President Hassan Rouhani, Zanganeh has openly criticized Iraq, now OPEC’s second biggest producer, for increasing its market share at Tehran’s expense. “Iraq has replaced Iran’s oil with its own,” Zanganeh said in November. “This Iraq move is not friendly at all.”

“We expect the Iranians to say, ‘We’re coming back to the market and we need some space,’” said an OPEC delegate from a rival Gulf Arab producer.

Rising volumes from the United States spurred by production from new shale technology may mean OPEC will need to cut output in the second half of 2014 if it wants to keep oil prices above $100 a barrel. “From now until the end of March, the market looks well balanced and the price should stay supported. But from June, there will be a need for a cut,” said a senior OPEC delegate.

“The onus would be on Saudi Arabia and a few other Gulf producers to rein in the incremental output they put into the market,” said Samuel Ciszuk, oil analyst at the Swedish Energy Agency.

Because of sanctions, Iran’s output is down a million bpd since the start of 2012 to 2.7 million bpd while Iraq,

recovering from years of war and sanctions under Saddam Hussein, has boosted production to nearly 3 million bpd.

“Iran’s position has been strengthened after the Geneva deal, but there is still a long way to go,” said energy consultant Mehdi Varzi, formerly of state National Iranian Oil Company.

“The bottom line is the Iranians don’t want to rock the boat and put $100 oil under threat, so they need the cooperation of the Saudis.”

Oil prices now near $110 a barrel are close to ideal for Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s most influential producer because of its one-third share of group output, and its position as the only producer globally that keeps any significant spare capacity. Riyadh pumped at record levels above 10 million bpd when sanctions were imposed on Iran and to fill the gap left by post civil war disruption in Libya, throttling back a little recently to support prices.

The relationship between the oil ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran is key to policy-making in the often-quarrelsome OPEC. Long-standing Saudi Oil Minister Ali AlNaimi first met his Iranian counterpart at Zanganeh’s OPEC debut in Jakarta in 1997 - a meeting where Riyadh pushed through a surprising production increase that helped send oil prices crashing.

Saudi Arabia’s moderate position on oil prices, to support world economic growth, has often clashed with price hawk Iran’s wish to keep OPEC production in check to support prices.

But Zanganeh, who served as oil minister under Iran’s reformist government from 1997-2005, and his trusted aide, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, are respected within OPEC and will want to be at the centre of negotiations.

Iran’s oil minister under former President Ahmadinejad was Rostam Qasemi a former commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s engineering wing, Khatam al-Anbia and did not play a significant role at OPEC. “Saudi Arabia and Iran don’t trust each other,” said Varzi, “But the Saudis will not gratuitously raise tensions within OPEC.” The combination of a renaissance for both Iran and Iraq, also Shiite-led, are causing jitters for Riyadh, concerned that its long-standing bond with the United States is in jeopardy.

“Saudi Arabia is worried that the United States is drawing closer to Iran, after the Geneva talks and it fears it could be losing its strategically important position in US eyes should the detente continue,” said Ciszuk. — Reuters

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

BUSINESS

Mahathir quits as Petronas adviser Ex-PM ends decade-long tenure at energy major KUALA LUMPUR: Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s long-serving former prime minister, said yesterday he had resigned as an adviser to state-run oil company Petronas , ending an almost decade-long tenure in the energy major that is Malaysia’s only Fortune 500 company.

The 88-year-old Mahathir told reporters he resigned, effective Dec. 1, because doctors had advised him to “slow down”. His depar ture, however, comes as re l a t i o n s w i t h Pr i m e M i n i s te r Najib Razak have grown strained in recent months, par ticularly over Najib’s refusal to endorse Mahathir’s son for an influential ruling party post. The Petronas b o a rd re p o r t s d i re c t l y t o t h e prime minister.

Petronas declined to comment and it was not immediately clear what effect Mahathir’s absence would have on the company.

Mahathir ’s office said he had informed Najib of his resignation in a hand-written note, but gave no further details. Mahathir was admitted to hospital last month

Mahathir’s son, Mukhriz, lost his bid for the influential post of one of three UMNO vice presidents in a party vote in October. All posts

for a chest infection, although he has generally been in good health, frequently giving interviews and criticizing the government from

were filled by candidates backed

by Najib.

Mahathir, who still holds political clout within UMNO, criticized Najib just before the vote, telling Reuters in an interview that the prime minister had only stayed in

the sidelines.

The news of Mahathir’s resignation coincided with the first day of the ruling United M alays National Organization’s (UMNO’s) annual general assembly, which Mahathir was expected to attend.

power after a poor election showing in May because of a lack of viable replacements. Mahathir stepped down as prime minister after 22 years in power and was appointed as an adviser to Petronas and national carmaker Proton, which is owned by DRB-Hicom.

Mahathir would retain his several other advisory positions, his office said. His advisory roles at Petronas and Proton have been criticized by some opposition politicians, who say Mahathir has used his influence to ensure contracts go to allies and business associates. Mahathir has denied such accusations. Petronas, widely seen as one of Malaysia’s most efficient state firms, is a global energy player which last year spent around $5 billion on shale energy assets in Canada.

At home, it remains under pressure to fulfill a social and political role. It is by far the government’s biggest revenue source and a pillar of a longstanding national policy to promote a bigger economic role for majority ethnic Malays. —Reuters

Cargill hires ex-Credit Suisse M&A banker for Asia role DUBAI: Cargill Inc has hired Mumtaz Kazmi, previously the mergers and acquisitions head for Credit Suisse in the Middle East, to help the agribusiness firm expand in Asia, two banking sources aware of the matter said. Cargill is one of the world’s largest pri-

vately held corporations and a leading commodities trader. Like other large US.based agribusiness companies, it has been stepping up acquisitions in resource-rich and fast- growing emerging markets in recent months, seeking to diversify away

Libya oil output at 224,000 bpd

TRIPOLI: Libya currently produces around 224,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil, almost half of which is used to feed its Zawiya refinery, leaving exports at around 130,000 bpd, the country’s deputy oil minister said yesterday.

A mix of militias, tribesmen and political minorities demanding a greater share of Libya’s oil wealth and more political power have shut most oilfields and ports, cutting oil output from 1.4 million bpd in July. Libya is in turmoil, with the government of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan struggling to control dozens of former militias that helped oust Muammar Gaddafi two years ago but have refused to give up their arms.

Production has gone up from 172,000 bpd two weeks ago when protesters from the Amazigh minority demanding more political rights ended a strike at the western Mellitah port, Deputy Oil Minister Omar Shakmak told Reuters.

Mellitah, located west of the capital Tripoli, is co-owned by Italy’s Eni and state National Oil Corp (NOC). But protesters demanding more autonomy for their eastern

region are still blocking four key ports, keeping exports well below the OPEC producer’s usual output.

Exports remain at around 130,000 bpd as NOC is diverting oil from Brega port in the east to feed the 120,000-bpd Zawiya refinery, which supplies Tripoli with gasoline, he said.

“There is no export ... operation from Brega,” he said, showing the latest production figure sheets prepared for Zeidan.

Zawiya, the country’s second-largest refinery, used to be fed by the southern El Sharara field, which another set of protesters closed in October.

The deputy minister said the OPEC producer had lost more than 8 billion Libyan dinars ($6.5 billion) in oil revenues since strikes at oilfields and ports escalated in summer.

Libya also had to step up imports of petroleum products to meet domestic demand, he said, without giving a figure.

Asked whether the government would be able to end the blockage and reach a settlement with the strikers, he said: “Hopefully soon.” —Reuters

from the United States.

Kazmi, who worked at Credit Suisse for more than a decade before leaving the firm in late 2012, has been appointed as Cargill’s strategy and business development manager for Asia Pacific, a role which includes leading M&A efforts for Cargill in the region, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He will be based in Singapore and his main focus will be to seek acquisitions in South-East Asia, the sources said yesterday.

Reuters could not reach Kazmi for a comment. Cargill did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment.

The Minneapolis-based company is in the final stages of a deal to buy Archer Daniels Midland Co’s cocoa business, a deal which may be worth as much as $2 billion, Reuters reported in October, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Cargill expects its acquisition of Joe White Maltings in Australia to be completed by the end of the year, it said in October. The commodity trader also purchased full ownership of the Prairie Malt joint venture in Saskatchewan and acquired a shrimp feed manufacturer in Thailand.

Kazmi led the regional M&A business for the Swiss bank in Dubai, advising on large cross-border transactions for large corporates and sovereign wealth funds such as Qatar Holding.

However, M&A activity in the Middle East slumped after the global financial crisis, forcing many senior bankers at global banks to move to large corporates, state entities or local banks in the region.

Peter Fort, previously the M&A head for Morgan Stanely Inc in the Middle East, left the firm last year and currently heads up Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone Authority, a taxfree industrial zone in one of the seven emirates of the UAE. —Reuters

MANAMA: Paul Mercer and other officials during the official function.

Ibdar bank launched after 3-way islamic bank merger investment and underwriting capacity, the bank is well positioned to undertake substantial and high quality deals and to more effectively participate in the capital markets.

With a thorough integration now behind us, we are fully focused on re-engaging with the markets and bringing high quality products, platforms and co-investment opportunities across sectors and asset classes to our clients.”

The bank currently has a strong pipeline of opportunities, which it is evaluating and to which its capital, expertise and original thinking can potentially be applied to build and extract value. Areas of focus for Ibdar are strategic growth industries within its main markets of operation and those in which the bank, through its predecessors, has already built a significant track record of investment success. These include aviation, maritime, infrastructure, oil & gas, and real estate, among others.

At the same time, Ibdar’s strategy also calls for the rationalization of its existing portfolio across these sectors and others. At present, every effort is being made to further bolster and add value to core assets within the portfolio whilst also preparing for the strategic exit of non-core businesses and investments.

“We are confident of the strategy and the strength of the institution that we have created. With the support of an exceptional base of shareholders and team of professionals, we have already made great strides.

This, however, is just the start and we are deeply committed to creating long term, strategic partnerships with our clients and co-investors and to delivering to them sound opportunities and returns. We soon expect to announce a number of exciting developments and look forward to keeping you apprised of our activities and the evolution of Ibdar Bank in the months ahead.”

MANAMA: It was announced yesterday that following the first ever three-way Islamic banking merger, which joined together Bahrain-based Capital Management House (CMH), CAPIVEST and Elaf Bank, that the new combined entity has been renamed and will operate as Ibdar Bank (Ibdar).

The launch of the new brand follows a period of consolidation and the integration of the assets, resources and operations of the three banks. The result has been the creation of a well diversified and financially robust institution with $300 million of paid up capital, $329 million in equity, an asset base of $360 million and significant funds for deployment.

Leveraging a 30-year combined track record and the complementary strengths of the merged entities, including financial and human resources and expertise, Ibdar will engage in Private Equity, Capital Markets and Real Estate through which it aims to generate diversified and recurring income streams for the bank, its shareholders and co-investors.

Geographically, the bank’s focus will be on the GCC, MENA region including Turkey and Southeast Asia in addition to pursuing select opportunities in developed markets, where opportunities exist and where its experience and network of best in class local partners can be leveraged.

“We are delighted to unveil the Ibdar brand under which the bank will now transact business and engage in value creation,” said Paul Mercer, Chairman of Ibdar. “The merger, which has already provided significant value to shareholders, has brought forth a more competitive institution with tremendous experience, industry talent and the foundations for leadership in Islamic banking.”

He continued, “We see great potential for Ibdar and with significantly enhanced

India’s Essar Apr-Oct Iran oil imports down in this fiscal year ending March 31, Oil Secretary Vivek Rae said last week, since the cuts it has made so far leave it room to step up the shipments and still stay within sanctions requirements. Imports by Iran’s key customers-China, India, Japan and South Korea-dropped to 924,560 bpd in the first 10 months of the year, down 15 percent from the same period a year ago, according to official customs reports and tanker data from trade sources. Essar’s Iranian oil imports in the first ten months of the calendar year were down about 32.7 percent to 84,100 bpd. Last year, the refiner was stepping up purchases ahead of the start of additional sanctions in July 2012. Essar shipped in 106,000 bpd from Iran in October, a growth of 9.8 percent over September, the data shows. —Reuters

NEW DELHI: Essar Oil reduced its imports of Iranian oil by 16.4 percent in the first seven months of this fiscal year, tanker arrival data made available to Reuters showed. The private refiner received about 91,000 barrels per day (bpd) oil from Iran in April-October, the data showed, making up more than half of the total 170,000 bpd that India took from the sanctions-hit nation. The United States renewed six-month waivers on sanctions for India and other major buyers including China and South Korea last week in exchange for reduced purchases of oil from Iran.

India’s overall purchases from Iran for the April-October period are down about 40 percent from the same period a year ago as the state-run refiners cut volumes substantially.

India aims to import 220,000 bpd oil from Iran

EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal Irani Riyal Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

ASIAN COUNTRIES 2.768 4.545 2.615 2.157 2.843 227.840 36.575 3.640 6.478 8.924 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 75.644 77.941 736.880 753.420 77.251

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 40.600 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 40.716 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.323 Tunisian Dinar 171.430 Jordanian Dinar 400.580 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.903 Syrian Lira 3.082 Morocco Dirham 35.006 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 283.550 Euro 388.320 Sterling Pound 467.010 Canadian dollar 269.710 Turkish lira 140.540 Swiss Franc 316.460 Australian Dollar 259.730 US Dollar Buying 282.350 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

GOLD 244.000 124.000 64.000

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

SELL DRAFT 270.24 275.99 315.01 386.57 283.30 460.99 2.89 3.644 4.498 2.162 2.812 2.642 77.20 754.03 41.12 403.20 736.76 78.23 75.68

SELL CASH 268.000 274.000 313.000 386.000 286.200 461.000 2.900 3.800 4.890 2.600 3.400 2.770 77.600 755.3000 41.200 408.500 743.300 78.600 76.000

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat

Selling Rate 283.300 270.080 464.370 386.675 312.970 748.050 77.110 78.660 76.415 399.355 41.075 2.157 4.535 2.609 3.639 6.466 695.840 3.765 09.810

Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit Chinese Yuan Renminbi

3.025 3.820 88.435 46.920

Singapore Dollar South African Rand Sri Lankan Rupee Taiwan Thai Baht

0.222828 0.021887 0.001897 0.009462 0.008580

0.228828 0.030367 0.002477 0.009642 0.009130

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 0.745666 0.038098 0.000078 0.000186 0.395714 1.0000000 0.000139 0.022706 0.001201 0.730462 0.077174 0.074977 0.002173 0.166424 0.138572 0.076218 0.001288

0.753666 0.041198 0.000080 0.000246 0.403214 1.0000000 0.000239 0.046706 0.001836 0.736142 0.078387 0.075677 0.002393 0.174424 0.145572 0.077367 0.001368

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Belgian Franc British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Romanian Leu Slovakia Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Turkish Lira

SELL CASH Europe 0.007371 0.457591 0.006655 0.047615 0.380129 0.042369 0.081818 0.008131 0.039249 0.306541 0.138572

SELLDRAFT 0.008371 0.466591 0.018655 0.052615 0.387629 0.047560 0.81818 0.018131 0.044249 0.316741 0.145572

Australasia 0.250242 0.224664

0.261742 0.234164

Canadian Dollar US Dollars US Dollars Mint

America 0.262092 0.279450 0.279950

0.270592 0.283800 0.283800

Bangladesh Taka Chinese Yuan Hong Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Korean Won Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee Philippine Peso Sierra Leone

Asia 0.003276 0.045175 0.034485 0.004310 0.000020 0.002685 0.003350 0.000258 0.084115 0.002981 0.002485 0.006405 0.000069

0.003870 0.048675 0.037235 0.004711 0.000026 0.002885 0.003350 0.000273 0.090115 0.003151 0.002765 0.006685 0.000075

Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 282.900 387.500 465.350 269.000 4.535 41.062 2.156 3.640 6.466 2.612 753.500 77.100 75.600

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

BUSINESS

40 prestigious guests from Kuwait embark on AMG Performance Tour Event in partnership with NBK, Boubyan at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi KUWAIT: AR Albisher and Z Alkazemi Co, the exclusive general distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Kuwait, is taking 40 of its AMG customers and enthusiasts in partnership with National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) and Boubyan Bank Kuwait to embark on journey of a lifetime to participate in the AMG Performance Tour 2013 at the YAS Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The participants will experience the thrill of driving in the world famous Formula 1 racing track to truly experience the ‘Driving Performance’ of latest AMG cars from the Mercedes-Benz high performance division.

Held annually and taking place this year on 28 November 2013, 20 AMG customers have been invited to attend the AMG Performance Tour by Albisher and Alkazemi, and for the second year running, 20 enthusiastic customers from NBK Premium Banking and Boubyan Platinum Banking will also be participating in this event. Customers will get behind the wheel of an impressive fleet of the latest and greatest Mercedes-AMG cars for a variety of driving activities to experience the best of Affalterbach, including: A 45 AMG, C 63 AMG 507 Edition, C 63 AMG Coupe Edition, E 63 AMG S 4MATIC, CLS 63 AMG 4MATIC, SL 63 AMG, SLS AMG Black Series, and the SLS AMG GT. “The AMG Performance Tour is as close as it gets to professional circuit racing, especially with the latest model line-up available to test drive at YAS Marina Circuit,” said Michael Ruehle, General Manager, Abdul Rahman Albisher & Zaid Alkazemi Co. “We’re seeing a noticeable increase in demand for AMG vehicles in Kuwait and we are dedicating resources to meet this demand by launching the latest AMG models, the opening of a dedicated AMG Performance Centre as well as inviting clients to test drive these cars at a Formula 1 track for themselves.

The guests will be accompanied by AMG specialists from sales and after sales from Albisher and Alkazemi. Upon arrival to Abu Dhabi, they will be given an introduction about the latest Mercedes-AMG models as well as a safety briefing before buckling into the cars and commencing

the warm up sessions around the circuit.

Experienced and specialized AMG driving instructors will demonstrate to the participants all the skills needed to appreciate and enjoy the thrill of driving an AMG car.

Participants will learn how to slalom, handle parcour, drag race and emergency braking in the different models, finishing with an AMG Drag Race BBQ and a Competition and Victory ceremony

at the Drag Strip.

“This is the second year in a row that we partner with NBK and Boubyan Bank Kuwait for some of their private banking customers. We see immense value in this partnership because it introduces the Mercedes-AMG brand to new clients in the best way possible, on an international test drive at one of the most famous race tracks in the world,” added Ruehle.

Cameron pushes EU-China trade agreement in Beijing Priority is to deepen economic ties

BEIJING: British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in China yesterday saying he wanted to lay the ground for a multi-billion-dollar free trade deal between Beijing and the European Union, despite growing unease about his own country’s membership of the bloc.

On a three-day visit with around 100 business people, the largest British mission of its kind ever, Cameron said he wanted his country to play an important role in China’s expansion as it talks about opening up its markets.

“China’s transformation is one of the defining facts of our lifetime ... I see China’s rise as an opportunity, not just for the people of this country but for Britain and the world,” Cameron told reporters after meeting Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People.

“Some in Europe and elsewhere see the world changing and want to shut China off behind a bamboo curtain of trade barriers.

Britain wants to tear those trade barriers down.”

Cameron’s push for an EU-China trade deal will irritate the European Commission, which is understood to oppose such a move on the grounds that it risks flooding the 28-nation

bloc with cheap Chinese imports and comes as the bloc is embroiled in a dispute with Beijing over solar panel exports.

It is also likely to be seized upon by rivals as he has put a question mark over Britain’s EU membership by promising a referendum on leaving the bloc if re-elected in 2015.

“I’ve said to Premier Li that I will champion an EU-China trade deal with as much determination as I’m championing the EU-US trade deal,” Cameron said. Li said both sides agreed to fight protectionism and push for trade and investment liberalization. China, he said, welcomed Britain’s open attitude to Chinese investment, especially in the nuclear power sector.

China, he added, wanted its nationals to go to Britain for economic activity and tourism.

“This will be good for China and bring even more employment opportunities for Britain.”

Li added that there had been a “breakthrough” between companies on both sides on high speed rail, but gave no details. Cameron’s office said he was the first European leader to champion such a deal and had discussed the issue with other EU member states. Such a deal

would address services liberalization and better intellectual property rights protection.

Cameron told reporters on the plane to Beijing he knew the idea was not popular in all EU member states, but said it could be a chance to tackle Beijing on intellectual property rights and trading standards.

“It’ll be the normal thing in the EU which will be a discussion where there will be some sceptics. There will be some enthusiasts and I think the enthusiasts have the wind in our sails.”

British finance minister George Osborne opened the door to further Chinese investment during a visit to Beijing last month. He announced less stringent rules for Chinese banks operating in London, in a push to make the British capital the main offshore hub for trading in China’s currency and bonds.

He also paved the way for Chinese investors to take majority stakes in future British nuclear plants. Campaigners have often accused Cameron of putting trade before human rights. On this trip, activists want him to raise what they describe as rights abuses in Tibet. — Reuters

Al-Tamimi & Company’s Kuwait office sponsors MEED Kuwait Projects event KUWAIT: The Kuwait office of Al-Tamimi & Company, the largest law firm in the Middle East, recently sponsored the annual MEED Kuwait Projects event. The event draws companies

regionally and from around the globe that are directly or indirectly involved with the privatization projects being tendered in Kuwait.

Alex Saleh, Partner & Head of Office for Al

Alex Saleh, Partner & Head of Office for Al Tamimi & Company in Kuwait

Tamimi & Company in Kuwait, presented a detailed discussion on financing solutions and challenges for Kuwait’s mega projects from a legal analysis on the first day. He then moderated a panel involving prominent individuals from the public sector, the banking industry and the World Bank.

On the second day, Saleh hosted another panel discussion regarding Kuwait’s first PPP project, Az Zour North IWPP, and the ability to transfer key learning’s to future PPP’s. Among others, this panel included Philip Kotsis, Partner with Al-Tamimi & Company, and esteemed officials from the Partnership Technical Bureau and the private sector. Al-Tamimi is currently mandated as the Kuwait legal counsel on behalf of the lenders with respect to the Az Zour North project.

As the sole law firm sponsoring the event, the Al-Tamimi & Company team worked with a number of other institutions and individuals to help make the conference a success. After the event, Saleh noted, “We are pleased to be involved in the projects being tendered by the PTB. Our involvement ranges from representing the government to representing lenders and development companies. Our team is known as the trusted legal partner for Kuwait” Partner and Kuwait Joint Venture Partner, Attorney Yaqoub Al-Munayae added, “Being involved with helping Kuwait develop its infrastructure is historical. We are proud to be involved at the various levels.”

Data and ECB may help set tone for investors LONDON: A rush of key economic releases this week and the European Central Bank’s last meeting of the year may help set the tone for investors and traders looking ahead to 2014. Like the two years preceding it, 2013 has been a damp squib for the global economy, beset by political wrangling in the United States, recession in Europe and disappointing growth in China.

Economists are optimistic that next year augurs better - even if only slightly - and data this week should point the way towards this gradual improvement. Surveys from the world’s No.1 economy are expected to show steady growth in American businesses going into next year, even if few expect much of an improvement. And official data are expected to confirm the US economy grew at the fastest pace in a year from July through September, although the pace of hiring probably sagged last month.

“The US is looking in the strongest position,” said Andrew Kenningham, senior global economist at Capital Economics, on the prospects for next year.

Data last week showed that the British economy grew at its fastest pace in three years in the third quarter. “So you’ve got the Anglo-Saxon world doing pretty well, the euro-zone doing poorly - despite Germany and Japan still doing poorly.” With emerging markets avoiding major crises, he said that points to global growth rising incrementally over the next two years, from around 3.0 percent this year to 3.5 percent in 2015.

Analysts forecast US economic growth for the third quarter will be revised up to 3.0 percent in The ISM business surveys and Friday’s US employment data are the biggest market-moving indicators this week, while as economists expect the US economy added 185,000 more non-farm jobs in November, less than the 204,000 created the previous month. Kenningham said the outlook should improve for the US next year, assuming Washington’s political impasses does not result in more sudden fiscal retrenchment.

Few expect the ECB’s December policy decision to result in another shock for the markets after it cut interest rates to a record low of 0.25 percent last month. But the tone of ECB President Mario Draghi’s comments in Thursday’s press conference may provide hints on how he intends to conduct monetary policy next year - especially as he will be armed with new forecasts from the bank’s staff.

Draghi will be helped by the fact that euro zone inflation ticked up last month to 0.9 percent after slumping to 0.7 percent in October, which prompted talk of a deflation scare and more radical monetary policy action. “The increase in euro area inflation in November is, in our view, only the first in a series of increases that will drive the inflation rate to 1.5 percent by the end of 2014,” wrote Michael Rottmann, head of fixed income strategy at UniCredit.

“This implies that the discussion of a negative deposit rate and the even more controversial speculation about a quantitative easing equivalent in the euro area are likely to vanish.”

Instead, most economists polled by Reuters believe the ECB will offer banks more access to cheap cash over a long term. But whatever measures the ECB takes, the going looks tough for the euro zone next year. “We expect the euro zone economy will grow, but very minimally, next year. It’s stabilized, but it’s not anywhere near being in a position to post a long period of rapid growth”, said Kenningham from Capital Economics.

He expects it will expand just 0.5 percent next year, at the pessimistic end of a consensus of economists who predict growth double that. Britain, however, has been leading the nascent recovery in Europe of late, after almost three years of stagnation.

Although the Bank of England also announces policy on Thursday, the attention will focus on British finance minister George Osborne’s autumn statement on the health of the economy and government finances, due on the same day. —Reuters

Turkish assets steady ahead of treasury auctions ISTANBUL: Turkish assets were steady yesterday before two treasury auctions and tomorrow ’s inflation repor t, which is expected to show a rise in prices last month. Turkey’s central bank tries to both maintain the value of the lira, to avoid aggravating its huge current account deficit, and to curb inflation, which reached an annual rate of 7.7 percent in October.

The treasury will tap a five-year, fixedcoupon bond and a seven-year floating rate note (FRN). Today it will tap a two-year fixed-coupon bond and a ten-year fixedcoupon bond.

“Treasury auctions today and tomorrow will indicate the state of investor demand at current yield levels. While local investors are

more likely to show interest in the 2-year bond and FRN auctions, 5-year and 10-year bond auctions will be more correlated with foreign investors’ appetite,” said Erkin Isik, a strategist at TEB-BNP Paribas. The lira eased slightly to 2.0242 by 0840 GMT from 2.0215 late on Friday. November inflation data today as expected to show the consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.50 percent on the month, according to a Reuters poll.

“Inflationary pressures are likely to be present in the beginning of 2014, and might extend further in case the Turkish lira faces further depreciation pressures after the Fed starts to slowdown the pace of its asset purchases,” wrote Finansbank economist Deniz Cicek. —Reuters

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

BUSINESS

Asian shares lower, Shanghai hit by IPO fears HONG KONG: Asian markets mostly fell yesterday, with Tokyo hit by profit-taking, while Shanghai tumbled on expectations China will restart initial public offerings in the new year, raising fears of a share glut. Investors seemed broadly unmoved by upbeat figures showing Chinese manufacturing continuing to expand in November.

Tokyo ended flat, edging down 6.80 points, to 15,655.07, a second successive loss after hitting a near six-year high on Thursday. Sydney fell 0.76 percent, or 40.5 points, to 5,279.5, its lowest close in seven weeks and Seoul lost 0.69 percent, or 14.09 percent, to end at 2,030,78.

Shanghai lost 0.59 percent, or 13.13 points, to 2,207.37 but Hong Kong was up 0.66 percent, adding 157.26 points to 24,038.55, its highest

since April 2011. There was little influence from Wall Street, which was closed on Thursday and half of Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Dow and S&P 500 were flat while the Nasdaq rose 0.37 percent.

HSBC said yesterday that its index of manufacturing activity in China came in above forecasts for November, providing hope that the recent pick-up in the economy can be sustained.

The banking giant said its China purchasing managers’ index (PMI) sat at 50.8 last month, which while down from 50.9 in October is much better than the 50.4 initially estimated on November 21.

Anything above 50 is considered growth and anything below indicates contraction. The data

comes a day after China’s own official index came in at 51.4 for November, unchanged from October. It was up from 51.1 in September and the highest since reaching 53.3 in April 2012.

The positive sentiment fuelled by the PMIs was offset by expectations China will soon lift a 13month ban on initial public offerings, which investors fear could dilute the market. Beijing at the weekend unveiled guidelines on changes to the way companies list as well as new rules that allow those already listed on the stock market to find new ways to raise cash. The overhaul blueprint suggests an imminent restart of the country’s IPO market, where more than 760 firms are queuing for listings. The China Securities Regulatory Commission, which issued the guide-

lines, said companies might begin listing as soon as January.

Japan’s Nikkei fell for a second straight session after closing on Thursday at a near six-year high.

The index saw further selling pressure as investors cashed in profits while the yen edged up against the dollar. In afternoon trade the dollar fetched 102.56 yen, against 102.42 yen in New York Friday.

The euro bought $1.3601 and 139.52 yen compared with $1.3590 and 139.18 yen. On oil markets New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate for January delivery, was up 43 cents at $93.15 in afternoon trade while Brent North Sea crude for January climbed 37 cents to $110.06. Gold fetched $1,237.43 per ounce at 1040 GMT compared with $1,245.50 on Friday. — Reuters

The “T” logo at the Deutsche Telekom’s booth at the 51st edition of the “IFA” trade fair in Berlin. — AFP

Deutsche Telekom eyes 6,000 job cuts: Report FRANKFURT: German telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom is planning to axe 4,0006,000 jobs in a radical shake-up of its IT services subsidiary, T-Systems, the business daily Handelsblatt reported yesterday. Quoting company sources, the newspaper said that

the unit’s designated chief Thimotheus Hoettges will present the planned cuts to Deutsche Telekom’s supervisory board on December 12. The jobs would be cut over the next three years. T-Systems employs a total workforce of 29,000 in Germany. — AFP

Gold slips as focus stays on US data, stimulus LONDON: Gold dropped 1.2 percent yesterday, as the dollar strengthened and investors awaited a series of US data later in the week that could provide clues on when the Federal Reserve will begin scaling back its monetary stimulus program.

US data including nonfarm payrolls, third quarter GDP and manufacturing PMI are due this week, giving more insight into the strength of the world’s biggest economy. Gold investors were concerned that strong recovery could prompt the Fed to begin cutting back its $85 billion in monthly bond purchases, which would further hurt non-interest-bearing assets like bullion.

The US central bank meets on Dec. 1718, when it could decide the fate of its stimulus.

“We are starting the week and month on a weak footing, carrying on a little bit of the themes that we left last week... the focus is back on the US data, with the non-farm payrolls on Friday,” Saxo Bank senior manager Ole Hansen said. Spot gold fell as much as 1.2 percent to a one-week low of $1,237.04 an ounce and was down 1.1 percent to $1,237.60 by 1039 GMT. It ended November trading on Friday down 5.4 percent, its biggest monthly decline since June

and its third consecutive month of losses.

US gold futures fell 1.1 percent to $1,235.80 an ounce. Technical support for the metal is pegged at last week’s 4-1/2 month low of $1,227.34 an ounce and then $1,200, traders said.

The dollar rose 0.2 percent against a basket of currencies, while US Treasury yields rose close to 2.8 percent. As gold pays no interest, the rise in returns from U.S. bonds and other markets is seen as negative for the metal. “There is also a bit a euro/dollar weakness, which is weighing gold down,” Hansen said. “Last week bond yields and the dollar were weak but we didn’t get enough support and that’s telling us that overall sentiment remains weak and there’s not really a strong incentive to buy at the moment.” The metal has lost over a quarter of its value this year due to record outflows from gold-backed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as signs the world’s economy was at least stabilising pushed investors to shift their money to rallying equities. Holdings in SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell more than 450 tons this year to their lowest level since early 2009 at 843.21 tons this year. — Reuters

Oil up to $110 on strong China data LONDON: Brent crude oil climbed towards $110 a barrel yesterday after Chinese data showed strong industrial activity and as social and political unrest in Libya limited supply from the key North African producer.

Manufacturing growth in China, the world’s biggest crude oil importer, stayed at 18-month highs in November due to robust domestic and foreign demand, the official Purchasing Managers’ Index showed Oil exports from Libya are only around 130,000 barrels per day (bpd), Deputy Oil Minister Omar Shakmak told Reuters in an interview yesterday, more than 1.2 million bpd below pre-revolution supply levels.

Brent crude for January was up 20 cents to $109.89 a barrel by 0925 GMT, after finishing down $1.17 in the previous session. US crude was up 15 cents at $92.87 a barrel, after settling 42 cents higher on Friday. “We are back around $110 after better-than expected Chinese factory data,” said Carsten Fritsch, senior oil and commodities analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt.

“OPEC oil supply is also down a bit due to lost Libyan exports, keeping the market balanced,” Fritsch added. Oil prices found some extra support from evidence that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting

Countries (OPEC) pumped less oil in November, mainly due to Libya.

Reuters’ monthly OPEC survey on Friday showed the cartel produced 29.64 million bpd in November, a two-and-a-half-year low and down from a revised 29.70 million bpd in October.

The Reuters’ survey estimated protests at Libyan oilfields and terminals cut average output to 350,000 bpd in November and by the end of the month production was around 250,000 bpd, a fraction of the 1.4 million bpd it pumped earlier this year.

In recent weeks Libyan supply has fallen even further, Deputy Oil Minister Shakmak told Reuters, with total oil output down to just 224,000 bpd. OPEC ministers are meeting in Vienna today to decide production policy, and ministers and OPEC officials have indicated the group’s output target is likely to stay unchanged at 30 million bpd.

But next year production will need to be reduced as demand for OPEC oil will decline sharply, analysts say.

“From now until the end of March, the market looks well balanced and the price should stay supported. But from June, there will be a need for a cut,” a senior OPEC delegate told Reuters. — Reuters

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

BUSINESS

Alghanim Automotive launches New 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Fans, owners attend exciting launch event at Sirbb Circuit KUWAIT: In a highly anticipated event, Yusuf A Alghanim & Sons Automotive, the exclusive distributor of Chevrolet vehicles in Kuwait, revealed the new 2014 Chevrolet Camaro during an exclusive event that was held in the Sirbb Circuit, adjacent to the Kuwait Car Museum - Shuwaikh. Fans and owners of the legendary car attended the exciting event as well as General Motors representatives, social media figures, members of the media and people who were drawn to the spectacular evening that featured the iconic car. Sirbb Circuit was officially inaugurated on October 10, 2013, and is designed in accordance to international standards. The circuit also includes special platforms where attendees may view the race, display areas for vehicles as well as restaurants.

The event began with a thorough journey across the Camaro’s rich history and ended with the launch of the awaited, New 2014 Chevrolet Camaro, an icon that awed everyone with its exceptional performance and design. The drift champion Mubarak Al-Romaidhi entertained the crowd with spectacular drift tableaus, being the highlight of the event, and astonishing the crowd with the stable performance of the New 2014 Camaro.

Throughout the years, the Camaro has always allured the hearts of its fans, especially the youth who placed the Camaro as the ultimate ride to own. Apart from capturing modernized designs and sleek, sporty modifications, the New 2014 Camaro also possesses the same classic, timeless magnetism that has been valued ever since its birth.

From deep-set eyes to sculpted rear shoulders, the shape of the 2014 Camaro is pure emotion. The 2014 new Camaro presents design and practical modifications; the redesigned front fascia has a wider, lower opening while the ventilation has been improved with a better cooling system and reduced aerodynamic lift.

The new 2014 Camaro model features a revised exterior design that integrates high-performance aerodynamics.

The exterior takes the Camaro temptation to an even hotter, higher level. High intensity discharge headlamps with LED halo rings and the new chrome-accented grille add mysterious allure while the restyled LED tail lamps are a brilliant tribute to the 1969 Camaro. The Camaro’s magnificence is furthered by its 20-inch Midnight Silver painted wheels that complete the vehicle’s powerful statement. For more efficient cooling and stability at high speeds, the new 2014 Camaro is equipped with three engines: a 6.2 L Supercharged engine generating 580 hp, a 6.2-liter engines that generates 426 hp and an impressive 3.6-liter engine with 323 hp. The front fascia features a wider lower opening and a narrower upper opening that also updates the appearance of the iconic “halo ring” HID headlamps on the Camaro vehicles.

With exact instrumentation and carefully tailored bolstered seats made with sports cloth or leather, the Camaro is designed to make every drive as rewarding and instinctive as possible. LT, SS and ZL1 models include a 6-way power driver and front passenger seats and the new 2014 Camaro is available with Chevrolet MyLink, 7-inch diagonal color touch-screen display that is compatible for smartphone connections. With standard Bluetooth(r) wireless technology, a coloured Drivers information console, and a colored head-up display, the 2014 new Camaro allows the driver to access information while keeping his/her eyes steady on the road. The Camaro’s performance and precision continues to reign supreme with Magnetic Ride Control, world-class braking and a 4-wheel independent suspension.

With supercar levels of performance and technology, the 580-horsepower Camaro ZL1 is the fastest Camaro to ever be built. Once you get over the rush of the all-aluminum 6.2L supercharged V8 engine and its

580 horsepower and 556 lb. ft. of torque, you will realize that this Camaro goes beyond raw power. The Camaro’s performance and precision continues with Magnetic Ride Control, world-class braking and 4wheel independent suspension. The Camaro ZL1 is the kind of vehicle that engineers dream of designing and speed lovers crave to drive. The new Camaro ZL1 steals the spotlight with its revolutionizing design that exudes a powerful and sleek exterior, an element that decreases friction so as to augment the level of intense pressure that firmly and solidly fixes the car’s wheels to the ground, amplifying the driver’s experience at top speeds. Although the Camaro ZL1 is one of the fastest rides on earth, it is equipped with a fuel-efficient engine that brings the comfort of convenience to every driver. Unlike many of its competitors, the ZL1 comes fully equipped with factory-integrated auxiliary fluid coolers including a liquid-to-liquid engine cooler

typically found on high-end sports cars. Both the manual and automatic transmissions are equipped with high-capacity oil coolers, consisting of a liquid-to-liquid and air-to-oil heat exchanger plumbed in series. The Camaro ZL1’s stunning features makes it more of a piece of art that thrills the youth and allows them to explore the infinite realm of enticing freedom.

If you are a Camaro fan, drop by to the nearest Yusuf Ahmed Alghanim & Sons Automotive showroom today to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime experience that brings you closer to the car of your dreams, the New 2014 Chevrolet Camaro. Yusuf A Alghanim & Sons Automotive adds the finishing touch to the ownership experience with high-quality aftersales services. With the world’s largest and most advanced automotive service center, customers will receive their car’s service and maintenance needs to the best of world standards.

TUESDAY, DECDEMBER 3, 2013

BUSINESS

The Avenues wins Design & Development Award

Middle East & International Council Shopping Center Awards KUWAIT: The Avenues won the Gold Award for ‘Best Shopping Center 2013’ in the expansion and design category for the MENA region. The Avenues was awarded this prize by the Middle East and International Shopping Center Councils, after excelling over other shopping malls.

The Avenues is one of the world’s largest shopping centers and is the most visited in Kuwait. It boasts of a unique architectural design that brings together several architec tural schools, giving a distinct identity to each district - inspired by some of the world’s oldest cities and offering visitors a unique shopping experience. The Avenues offers a range of renowned brands, restaurants and entertainment centers spread over a leasable area of 270,000 sq.m. It houses over 800 retail units and a multi-level parking lot with a capacity of 10,000 vehicles.

The Avenues is home to well-known international and local brands located in seven districts to include: “1st Avenue”, “2nd Avenue”, “Grand Avenue”, “Prestige”, “SoKu”, “The Mall” and “The Souk”. “1st Avenue” was inaugurated in 2007 and holds more than 200 stores and elite restaurants and cafÈs.

The “2nd Avenue” was inaugurated in 2008 and has more than 200 stores of high and middle range brands, as well as many international restaurants and cafÈs. It also has several entertainment centers under its roof.

As for the “Grand Avenue” - one of The Avenues new districts - it offers its visitors a unique experience of walking through a shopping boulevard. The boulevard extends 500 meters and is 22 meters wide. “Grand Avenue” hosts some of the world’s most famous brands, some in the Middle East for the first time. It is also home to fine restaurants and cafÈs, as well as the Galleria corner of the district.

“Prestige” is considered the largest collection of luxury brands, adding a new dimension to luxur y shopping. At “Prestige”, elegance and grandeur come together to offer elite brand

names, restaurants and cafÈs. The district is home to 48 brands, including 12 that are the largest brand branches in the Middle East.

“The Mall” is home to a range of brands, some in the Middle East for the first time. This is besides the restaurants and cafÈs located across two floors. This district comes to complete the visitors’ shopping experience and also brings them the “Jewelry Zone” for lovers of gold, diamonds and precious stones. Here visitors will also enjoy Kid Zania, the leading edutainment center.

Another district that visitors go to is “ The Souk”, which is an area that embodies the spirit of the old Kuwaiti market with its unique buildings, alleys, doors and wooden ceilings - all reflecting heritage and simplicity.

Meanwhile, “SoKu” - an acronym or South of Kuwait - is located on two streets and two floors.

It is considered a model place for modern shopping and carries leading youth brands. It brings together modern fashion, sportswear, electronics, and art exhibition, as well as famous international and local restaurants and cafÈs.

Commenting on this achievement, Chairman and M anaging Direc tor of M abanee Co Mohammed Abdulaziz Alshaya expressed pleasure that The Avenues has attained the Gold Award for ‘Best Shopping Center 2013’ in the expansion and design category for the MENA region. He lauded the success of The Avenues which has placed it as one of the destinations that tourists are keen to visit.

He affirmed that work is underway to further develop the shopping experience at The Avenues through the design and construction of new phases of the project. These will bring added value to the project and will make it another leading landmark worldwide.

The Avenues has won many prestigious awards of international acclaim in the building and construction areas, as well as for its architectural finesse and detailed design.

Zain picks Ericsson to implement innovative billing solution Zain in Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi first to deploy CBIO

Flying is a breeze for travel-savvy Kuwaitis KUWAIT: A recent survey commissioned by British Airways has shown that Kuwaitis are intent on travelling the world as often as possible, with the results highlighting that one in seven Kuwaitis take to the skies at least once every few months.

The survey, which was commissioned by British Airways across the Middle East, shows that inhabitants of the Middle East are avid travellers while also being huge fans of technological innovation when travelling.

Showing just how tech-savvy they are, Kuwaitis often opt for modern technology over tradition when it comes to their travel plans. A whopping 75 per cent of Kuwaitis questioned book their flights online rather than over the phone or through a travel agent, the highest rate from across the Middle East region.

Furthermore, more than half of Kuwaitis also choose to take advantage of services such as online check-in, avoiding unnecessary airport queues or extra time waiting around at the airport.

Be it via their mobile phones, tablets or computers, Kuwaitis are not ones to hold back when it comes to get-

ting things done quickly and conveniently, with the mere click of a button before their trip.

Paolo De Renzis, British Airways area commercial manager for the Middle East and Central Asia, said: “The travel market and particularly the aviation sector is one which has been hugely influenced by advances in technology, particularly over the last decade. It is no surprise that the aviation industry is looking more and more towards technology to provide solutions, both from the perspective of the traveller and the in-house technology of the airline itself.

“I strongly believe that the investments that airlines make in their technology now will influence and define the future of travel. As a leader in the aviation industry British Airways has pioneered many products and services that have defined the travel industry; we were the first airline to introduce fully flat beds, and served the very first version of the in-flight meal. The investments that we are making in our technology are another step towards taking the aviation industry to new heights, and I look forward to seeing how today’s technology defines and shapes the future of travel.”

KUWAIT: Ericsson has been selected by Zain Group to transform the current charging and billing system for its operations in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. This agreement with Ericsson signed during Zain’s Technology Conference held at the Atlantis, The Palm Hotel Dubai from December 1 to 3, 2013, is the first of its kind for Zain Group and spans across multiple countries.

The solution demonstrates Ericsson’s capabilities in delivering solutions boosting operational efficiency, increasing flexibility to offer greater customer choice, improving customer experience.

Zain will benefit from Ericsson’s expertise in charging, billing mediation and activation. This system facilitates central management of all users and all services for operators. It allows the unification of payment methods across all services.

Zain customers will benefit from packages and promotions tailored to their needs, a simple and single bill for all Zain telecommunication services, and real-time control over their spending on mobile services.

“With Ericsson’s Charging & Billing in One solution, both prepaid and postpaid Zain customers will be able to benefit from the benefits of a consolidated billing system. The highly efficient nature of this system means that our customers will enjoy greater flexibility and efficiency, thereby improving the customer experience and customer loyalty,” said Scott Gegenheimer, Zain

DUBAI: Scott Gegenheimer with Ericsson official during the signing of the agreement at Zain’s Technology Conference at the Atlantis, The Palm Hotel Dubai. ments, the operator and their customer Group CEO. This new agreement underscores needs, and with our wealth of knowlthe longstanding relationship between edge and extensive global experience, Ericsson and Zain, and following the we are proud to continue to be the successful implementation of Charging trusted partner for Zain. With this part& Billing in One solution in Zain Jordan. nership, Ericsson will continue to supEricsson’s partnership with Zain began port Zain in its delivery of first-rate servin Kuwait, almost three decades back, ices to its customers in Kuwait, Bahrain and has grown to incorporate various and Saudi Arabia ,” said Ray Hassan, products and services across eight President for Global Customer Unit Zain at Ericsson countries in the region.

Ericsson has provided operators with “The rapid regional uptake of new technologies like 4G/LTE has increased real-time charging capabilities since the need for efficiency and flexibility, 1996 and now serves more than two bilwhich extends to the charging & billing lion subscriptions through partnerships customer experience. We, at Ericsson, with over 185 operators using their deeply understand the market develop- Charging System.

Ahli United Bank’s 3D secure for cardholders to experience safe internet shopping KUWAIT: Ahli United Bank-Kuwait(AUBK) recently introduced the latest card security feature that has the highest level of credit card protection against potential online fraud when shopping online. This enhanced credit card security feature termed as the 3D secure service adds an extra level of authentication by confirming customer identity with a dedicated 3D password (IPIN) that makes internet shopping more secure.

The 3D secure service launched in association with MasterCard Secure Code and Verified by Visa allows registered cardholders to securely shop online using their AUBK credit cards; providing safety from e-com-

merce fraud, protection against unauthorized use of card and ensuring that purchases are made by the cardholder.

Kiran Fatima Jaffery, Head of Cards Business Center, stated that “AUBK has been aggressively expanding our product suite to meet customer needs and thus ensuring AUBK is among the first leading banks in the country to launch this innovative service that is currently thehig hest level of security standards within the card payment industry. Customers would be required to register for this service prior to using their AUBK credit cards at participating 3D secure merchants. Registration is highly recommended and pre-

ferred to ensure cardholder convenience, security and safeguarding against fraudulent activities.”

“AUBK is renowned for its innovative role in developing banking services in Kuwait. E-Commerce is now a reality around the world and AUBK is always in the forefront in matching the growing trends of the ecommerce business requirements. Hence AUBK has been continuously upgrading its online technology to ensure consumer convenience and customer protection. With this launch, AUBK Credit Cards provides yet another unique state-of-the art card security feature to compliment the prevailing bouquet of AUBK credit card offerings. AUBK cardholders will have absolute

freedom, comfort and protection in using their credit cards over the Internet”, further added Jaffery.

3D secure service is free of charge for AUBK credit cardholders who simply have to visit www.ahliunited.com.kw to register online for the 3D secure service.

Similar to using a PIN for an ATM /POS transaction, cardholders would be enforced to use their IPIN which adds as an intermediate authentication step before the payment is authorized. The IPIN is chosen by the cardholder directly at the time of registration for validating transactions during online shopping at 3D enabled merchants that incorporate the ‘Verified by Visa’ or ‘MasterCard Secure Code’ sign.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

technology

Kaspersky Lab partners with Vertu DUBAI: Kaspersky Lab is happy to announce its new strategic partnership with Vertu. According to an agreement signed by the two companies in September 2013, all Vertu customers will be offered 12 months complimentar y access to Kaspersky Internet Security for Android - a premium class IT security solution for Android devices.

The Kaspersky Lab application, including the free 12-monthlicense, will be available for free download from Vertu’s ‘Recommended apps’ in the ‘Vertu Partners’ section. The solution will providesophisticated protection against theft, loss, com-

puter viruses and real-time Internet threats, for Vertu devices and the data stored on them. The technologies provided to Vertu customers will include: • Anti-malware Protection - including Kaspersky Lab’s latest antivirus technologies for Android • Web Protection - against Internet-based attacks and phishing websites • Anti-Theft Protection - with remote access to special security features including lock, find and wipe • Privacy Protection - to control what others can

see or access • Call & Text Filter - so users only receive the calls and texts theywant to receive Vertu Chief Executive Officer, Massimiliano Pogliani, said: “Our customers should be free to use their Vertu without security concerns, hence we required a partner that could provide them with an industry leading solution for protection against all types of attack, including anti-theft and antimalware.”

“Kaspersky Lab is embarking on a new stage of cooperation with mobile phone manufacturers,”

said Nikolay Grebennikov, Chief Technology Officer, Kaspersky Lab. “Everyone should be able to get the most from their technology - without intrusion or other security worries. At Kaspersky Lab, we work entirely in-house to produce products and solutions of extraordinary quality to fulfill the expectations of even the most demanding customers. Due to our relentless expertise, Kaspersky Lab technologies, developed from scratch within the company and repeatedly endorsed by independent testing, will be able to secure Vertu customers from all types of IT threats.”

Tawasul Telecom sponsors ‘World Islamic Banking Conference 2013’ Event gathers over 1,200 decision makers

SANTA MONICA: Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, during a press conference. — AFP

Amazon unveils futuristic drone delivery plan WASHINGTON: Want that Amazon order in just 30 minutes? Company CEO Jeff Bezos says he hopes to soon deploy an armada of mini-drones able to drop small packages at your doorstep.

The US online retail giant’s revolutionary project still needs extra safety testing and federal approval, but Bezos believes that Amazon “Prime Air” would be up and running within four to five years. “These are effectively drones but there’s no reason that they can’t be used as delivery vehicles,” Bezos told CBS television’s “60 Minutes” program late Sunday. “I know this looks like science fiction. It’s not,” he said. “We can do half-hour delivery . . . and we can carry objects, we think, up to five pounds (2.3 kilograms), which covers 86 percent of the items that we deliver.” A video posted on the company’s website shows a prototype drone. The body of the device is about the size of a flat-scree monitor, and it is attached to eight small helicopter rotors and sits on four tall legs.

The claws under the belly of the “octopeter” then latch onto a standard sized plastic bucket that rolls down a conveyer belt at Amazon’s fulfillment center. Inside the bucket is the order.

The drone lifts off and whizzes into the air like a giant mechanical insect to deliver the package just 30 minutes after clicking the “pay” button on Amazon.com. Then it buzzes back into the air and returns to base. The mini-drones are powered by environmentally-friendly electric motors and can cover areas within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius of fulfillment centers, thus covering a significant portion of the population in urban areas.

The drones operate autonomously and

follow the GPS coordinates they receive to drop the items off the target locations. “It’s very green, it’s better than driving trucks around,” said Bezos. He also claims they are safe; the prototype has redundant motors that will keep it in the air and prevent it from crashing. “The hard part here is putting in all the redundancy, all the reliability, all the systems you need to say, ‘Look, this thing can’t land on somebody’s head while they’re walking around their neighborhood,’” Bezos told CBS. Amazon said the octocopters would be “ready to enter commercial operations as soon as the necessary regulations are in place,” noting that the Federal Aviation Administration was hard at work hammering out rules for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Amazon projected a more optimistic timeline than Bezos himself for the project to be activated, saying the FAA’s rules could be in place as early as 2015, and that Amazon Prime Air would be ready at that time.

Bezos hinted that part of the motivation behind the mini-drones was to make sure Amazon remains on the cutting edge of the retail industry. “Companies have short life spans... And Amazon will be disrupted one day,” he said. “I would love for it to be after I’m dead.”

If the plan succeeds other retailers like Wal Mart, or even the local pizza store, could also start home deliveries via drone.

Comments on Twitter about the program ranged from amazed to humorous. “If this weren’t on the CBS website, I would think this Amazon drone thing was an Onion article,” wrote Iris Blasi, referring to the popular satirical tabloid. — AFP

KUWAIT: Tawasul Telecom, the leading provider of MPLS Networking Services in the GCC and Middle East announced yesterday its sponsorship of the upcoming 20th anniversary special edition of the World Islamic Banking Conference ( WIBC 2013) hosted by the kingdom Of Bahrain.

Under the patronage of Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain and supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the event is to be held at the Gulf Convention Centre, Gulf Hotel, from December 3 to 5 this year and brings together over 1,200 industry leaders from around the globe.

Commenting on Tawasul’s initiative, Salem Almulaifi- Business Development Director of Tawasul Telecom confirmed that WIBC is a unique gathering of global market leaders in banking and finance sector what makes out of it the perfect opportunity for Tawasul Telecom to meet potential global clients and establish new business relations.

“Reliability of connection as well as speed, security and confidentiality are key impor-

tant elements for the Bank ing sector; Tawasul has early considered these criteria based on which it has tailor-made unprecedented services marked with excellence and provided with easy set up when it comes to establishing new locations”, said Almulaifi.

“Today, the Banking sector forms around 43% of our clients’ portfolio, which is a tangible proof that our services are the most suitable for this growing sector, that continuously seeks to connect its operations across the Gulf and Middle East”.

At WIBC which will be held this year under the theme of “Assess new developments in Islamic banking & the latest trends in global finance”, to successfully meet the needs of an ever-growing industry, Tawasul Telecom is to showcase its latest services for the Banking sector while seizing the opportunity to network and interact with high profile banks’ representatives and key decision makers “Our prime objective is to benefit the Banking sector by helping it in establishing its own private, secured hence efficient communications’ network”, ended Almulaifi.

Israeli hacking school trains cyber warriors HADERA, Israel: Three hooded hackers hunch over their computer screens in the control room at Israel’s new state-of-the-art “Cyber Gym”, where IT and infrastructure company employees train to defend against cyber attacks. The facility, a series of small buildings in the shadow of the looming Orot Rabin power station on Israel’s northern coastline, was inaugurated this month by the Israel Electric Corp (IEC), which has experienced its fair share of cyber attacks.

“Israel, we believe, is the most-attacked country,” Cyber Gym director Ofir Hason told AFP. “And as the most-attacked civilian company in Israel, this gives us the unique capabilities to train other companies around the world” to defend against system hacking.

IEC itself is subjected to some 10,000 attacks per hour, CEO Eli Glickman said, and the Cyber Gym’s instructors are well-versed in the art of cyber warfare.

“We’re a group of professionals from the army, security services and (straight) from university,” said an instructor who called himself “Mister” and refused to show his face on camera. Mister launches simulated attacks against the computer systems of the trainees, who sit in an adjacent building. “It’s a playground to simulate real cyber attacks,” he said while

seated in the “attack room”-a computer nerd’s paradise, decorated with Star Wars and Pac-Man murals and lines of code running off wall-mounted screens that show the hacking taking place live.

But the work is serious-Cyber Gym’s launch was attended by members of Israel’s intelligence community-and is designed to put trainees under as much pressure as possible. Trainees-mostly IT and systems workers from energy and infrastructure companies-sit in the “defense room” experiencing the hacks in real time, and their progress is scrutinized by another instructor, who refers to himself only as “A”. “Each attack is different, so there’s no way for the defense teams to cheat. There’s no set scenario or scripted attack; they’re performed in a different way, live, by the hackers next door,” he said.

“If the hackers succeed, the lights go off and the system shuts down,” he says, in what is a simulation of just one potential result of a successful attack.

Plunging the room into darkness is one of a number of ways the centre shows the practical outcome of a cyber attack, which can often be forgotten when the fight is conducted in the ether. “An attack could end with damage to equipment, or a blackout around Israel,” Hason said. “In the cyber arena, when you fail

to protect your system, the influence could be physical damage to your system.”

Israel’s politicians and generals often warn of the dangers of hacking. Last month, the armed forces chief of staff painted a grim picture of a future war in which the Jewish state comes under simultaneous attack both on the ground and in cyber space.

“It is possible that there will be a cyber attack on a site supplying the daily needs of Israeli citizens; that traffic lights would stop working or the banks would be paralyzed,” Lieutenant General Benny Gantz told a security conference in October.

Around the same time, the Israeli security services reportedly thwarted a cyber attack and an attempt at industrial espionage that originated in China. And in June, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused arch-enemy Iran of stepping up cyber attacks against Israel, including through its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.

But Cyber Gym and IEC executives were tightlipped about where most of the attacks against their systems come from. From “all over the world”, said Glickman, declining to give specifics. Energy Minister Silvan Shalom, who attended Cyber Gym’s inauguration, was equally enigmatic. — AFP

Pilot use of automation eyed in air crashes WASHINGTON: Pilots are becoming so reliant on the computer systems that do most of the flying in today’s airliners that on the rare occasions when something goes wrong, they’re sometimes unprepared to take control, according to aviation safety experts and government and industry studies.

Increasing automation has been a tremendous safety boon to aviation, contributing to historically low accident rates in the US and many parts of the world. But automation has changed the relationship between pilots and planes, presenting new challenges. Pilots today typically use their “stick and rudder” flying skills only for brief minutes or even seconds during takeoffs and landings. Mostly, they manage computer systems that can fly planes more precisely and use less fuel than a human pilot can. But humans simply aren’t wired to pay close and continual attention to systems that rarely fail or do something unexpected.

“Once you see you’re not needed, you tune out,” said Michael Barr, a former Air Force pilot and accident investigator who teaches aviation safety at the University of Southern California. “As long as everything goes OK, we’re along for the ride. We’re a piece of luggage.”

The National Transportation Safety Board holds a two-day investigative hearing Dec. 10-11 on the crash of an Asiana Airlines jet that was flying too low and slow while trying to land at San Francisco International Airport last July. The plane struck a seawall just short of the runway, shearing off its tail and sending the rest of the airliner sliding and turning down the runway before breaking apart and catching fire. Three passengers were killed and scores of others injured.

The hearing will focus on “pilot awareness in a highly automated aircraft,” the board said.

Investigators want to know how the three seasoned pilots allowed a passenger jet with no apparent mechanical problems in near-perfect weather conditions to lose speed so dramatically that it was on the brink of stalling moments before the crash. The pilot flying the plane was attempting to land without use of the autopilot. Normally, the pilot in the second seat is supposed to have his eyes on the plane’s computer screens to monitor

airspeed and other readings, rather than looking out the window. In this case, that pilot was a training captain who was grading the performance of the pilot flying the plane. The training captain told investigators he thought the plane’s auto throttle was maintaining engine power and thus speed, but discovered that wasn’t the case just moments before the crash. The auto throttle was “armed,” or made ready for activation, investigators said in briefings after the accident, but they left open the question whether it was engaged and in idle or another mode. Aircraft systems can have many modes, or settings, and perform quite differently depending upon the mode.

Pilot “mode awareness” is one of the more common automation-related problems showing up in accidents and incidents, according to an automation study released last month by the Federal Aviation Administration. Mode changes occur frequently during flight, often without any direct action by pilots. If pilots aren’t continually paying close attention, they can lose track of which mode their systems are in.

Pilots also make mistakes when selecting modes. Mode selection errors were cited in 27 percent of the accidents reviewed in the FAA study.

Less than six weeks after the Asiana crash, a United Parcel Service cargo jet flying too low while trying to land in Birmingham, Ala., struck trees and then a power line before crashing into a hillside near the airport. Both pilots were killed.

In that case the autopilot was on, and seconds before the crash there was a loud automated warning that the plane was losing altitude too rapidly, according to investigators. The investigation is continuing, but some safety experts see a possible link between the two accidents.

“I think mode awareness is going to be very central in both investigations,” said John Cox, an aviation safety consultant and former accident investigator for the Air Line Pilots Association. “In both cases the airplane appears to have been properly maintained, everybody is properly trained. A lot of the focus is on how the crew operated the airplane so that it ended up with the airplane short of the runway.”

The Asiana accident was the first fatal crash of a passenger airline in the US since a regional airline pilot lost control of his plane during a landing approach in Buffalo, NY, in February 2009. In that crash, investigators found the two pilots weren’t closely monitoring airspeed and failed to notice when the speed began dropping rapidly. The first officer also made a programming error at the start of the flight that much later caused the plane’s automated stall warning system to go off even though the plane wasn’t on the verge of stalling.

The startled captain responded to the warning, and again to another automated safety system, sending the plane into a full stall. It plummeted to the ground, killing all 49 people on board and a man in a house below. There was nothing mechanically wrong with the plane, and the captain should have been able to regain control of the plane if he had responded correctly, investigators said. Such “loss of control” accidents accounted for 43 percent of fatal passenger airline and air cargo accidents over the five years ending in December 2012, according to the International Air Transport Association, which represents carriers around the world.

Last month, the FAA issued new pilot training regulations calling for more attention to teaching pilots how to recover from stalls. The regulations are a response to the regional airline crash and to a pattern of accidents and incidents around the world in which startled pilots faced with situations automation can’t resolve fail to appropriately take charge. “Flight crews are seemingly becoming increasingly reluctant to revert to manual flying when automated systems fail, when aircraft attitudes reach unusual positions, or when airspeeds are not within the appropriate range,” the air transport association said in an annual safety report this year. “Flight crews must still be capable of manually operating the aircraft, especially in edge-of-theenvelope situations.”

The issue is a sensitive one for the airline industry. Dan Elwell, senior vice president for safety at the trade association Airlines for America, said he doesn’t believe pilots’ relationship with aircraft automation is a growing safety problem. — AP

More Americans spend less on Black Friday sales WASHINGTON: More Americans took advantage of early holiday season sales than last year, but they spent less-and online sales fared better than brick-andmortar stores, a survey showed Sunday.

About 141 million people, or 59 percent of the adult American population, shopped or intended to shop for socalled Black Friday deals from Thursday morning when the Thanksgiving holiday began through late Sunday, according to the National Retail Federation.

Stores that opened their doors on Thursday-a new trend to lure consumers even on the sacrosanct Thanksgiving family holiday itself-attracted 45 million people, a 27 percent increase over last year. The survey, conducted for the NRF

by Prosper Insights & Analytics, surveyed 4,464 adults on Friday and Saturday, with a 1.5 percent margin of error.

But customers came in even bigger numbers for the steep discounts available on so-called Black Friday, considered the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.

The frenzy was such that tempers flared across the nation, with reports of fistfights, a stabbing and a shooting. In all, around 92 million people shopped in stores or online Friday, for a 3.5 percent increase from 2012. But they spent less on average ($407.02 per person from Thursday through Sunday) and their larger numbers failed to make up for the decreased spending, for the first time since 2009.

This year ’s Black Friday weekend spending reached $57.4 billion total,

against $59.1 billion the year before, a 2.7 percent decrease. But the retail federation remained upbeat, with NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay declaring “cold weather, unique promotions and unbeatable prices put millions of Americans in the mood to shop for holiday gifts this weekend.”

He predicted that in the days leading up to Christmas, “retailers will continue to aggressively promote their in-store and online offerings, looking to entice today’s very budget-conscious and value focused shopper.” During a press conference, Shay stressed that the weekend of discounts was only one part of the shopping season.

The NRF still expects an overall increase of 3.9 percent on all holiday shopping compared to last year, he said.

This season’s holiday shopping season is six days-including one weekend shorter than last year’s due to the late date of Thanksgiving. Despite opening on Thursday, closing late Friday and offering a bevy of appetizing deals, brick-andmortar stores reaped less benefit from the sales than online merchant websites.

The survey found that Americans spent an average of $177.67 each online, a three percent increase from last year.

Online shopping also accounted for 43.7 percent of their purchases overall, against 40.7 percent in 2012. Internet analysts comScore got similar figures. It said Americans spent $1.2 billion online on Friday alone, the first time the shopping crossed over the billion-dollar mark, for a 15 percent increase year over year. — AFP

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

US zoo names panda cub ‘Bao Bao’

WASHINGTON: Washington’s National Zoo named its giant panda cub Bao Bao on Sunday but fans will have to wait a month before they can get their first glimpse of the furry creature. Bao Bao-”treasure” or “precious” in Mandarin-is only the second cub to survive birth at the zoo since it received a pair of giant pandas in 1972 following president Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China. In line with Chinese tradition, the naming ceremony took place 100 days after the tiny female’s August 23 birthday.

Assistant US Secretary of State Kerri-Ann Jones and Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai unrolled two scrolls inscribed in both English and Chinese. First Lady Michelle Obama hailed Bao Bao as a “symbol of the growing connection between our two countries” in a video message. Cui, meanwhile, explained that the Chinese tradition of waiting 100 days before naming a cub “represents the wish that the baby... will live as long as 100 years.”

More than 123,000 people voted to pick a name on the zoo’s website. The winner outdid Ling Hua (“darling, delicate flower”), Long Yun (“charming dragon”), Mulan (“legendary young woman” or “wood orchid”), and Zhen Bao (“treasure” or “valuable”). Bao Bao wasn’t at the ceremony and won’t be making her debut until early January, officials said, as they pointed disappointed fans to the zoo’s webcam instead: nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/giant-panda.cfm) Only about the size of a stick of but-

WASHINGTON: In this Nov 29, 2013 photos provided by the Smithsonian National Zoo, a giant panda cub is measured as it is about to turn 100 days old, at the Smithsonian National Zoo. —AP photos

ter at birth, Bao Bao weighed 10.8 pounds (4.9 kilograms) on November 22 and even reacted to noises, they added. Bao Bao won’t be a Washington resident forever. In four years, the newest member of the capital’s panda family will be sent to China and become part of a breeding program there. Pandas are notoriously reluctant at reproducing when held in captivity. Bao Bao’s mother Mei Xiang-who had five false pregnancies from 2007 to 2012 — gave birth to a stillborn twin cub on August 24. She also had a female cub in September 2012 but it died six days later from liver damage due to underdeveloped

lungs. Her first cub, Tai Shan, was born in July 2005 as a result of artificial insemination. He now lives at the Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya’an, in Sichuan province. Paternity tests determined that fellow panda Tian Tian is Bao Bao’s father, also through artificial insemination. Fewer than 1,600 pandas remain in the wild, mainly in China’s Sichuan province, with a further 300 in captivity around the world.

But this summer was a busy one in the panda world, with births in Spain, Austria and Atlanta, Georgia. China also recorded the only double birth of the year.—AFP

Did Comet ISON survive?

Scientists see tiny hope

HONG KONG: This picture taken on November 18, 2013 shows customers buying goods in an independent pharmacy.—AFP

Hong Kong’s illegal cancer drug trade driven by mainland buyers HONG KONG: Safety fears over medication in mainland China are driving a risky illegal trade in cancer drugs in Hong Kong, experts say, warning of shortages in a similar scenario to the milk formula crisis that emptied shelves in the territory. Hong Kong pharmacies are selling the drugs under the counter to mainland Chinese visitors who have lost faith in their own medical system and are dodging high prices, in another example of how demand from China can impact wider markets.

One shopper at a Hong Kong pharmacy in the bustling commercial area of Mong Kok told AFP he had travelled from the southern mainland city of Guangzhou to buy the breast cancer treatment Herceptin.

“My wife needs it to survive,” the man, surnamed Li, told AFP. “I will save more than 8,000 yuan ($1,280) per bottle if I buy Herceptin here. They may charge you 24,000 yuan for this on the mainland.”

Customers from China buying the medication without the required prescription is “very common” said Chui Chun-ming, the chairman of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Hong Kong. “This illegal trade brings them (pharmacies) a lot of money,” he said, referring to the city’s small independent high street businesses.

Chui says that 90 percent of the cancer drugs sold in pharmacies in Hong Kong go to mainland buyers as most local residents get them direct from hospitals or their own doctors. With drug companies imposing supply quotas for different countries based on factors including population size, Hong Kong could fall short if demand continues from beyond its borders, Chui told AFP. “The problem is Hong Kong is a very small city and the supply is very limited,” he said.

“In a few years, it might turn out to be another ‘infant formula’ issue.” Chinese parents became distrustful of domestic milk brands after a huge 2008 scandal involving formula tainted with melamine that killed six children and sickened 300,000 others.

Their concern triggered a rush on milk powder, which saw shelves emptied around the world-Hong Kong banned travellers taking out more than 1.8 kilogrammes of formula from March 1 this year.

Mainland demand has heaped pressure on Hong Kong’s healthcare system in the past. Hospitals have banned mainland women who do not have local spouses from giving birth in the city to tackle increasing “birth tourism”, fuelled by mumsto-be seeking better medical care and residency rights for their children. Among their concerns are fears over the safety of medicines produced in China. Recent scandals include drug capsules made from toxic raw material derived from scrap leather and the busting of a ring peddling counterfeit tablets.

In 2008 a blood thinner called heparin,

produced in China, was found to be contaminated and linked to dozens of deaths.

People are not trusting their supply chains,” Ben Cavender, an associate principal at the Shanghai-based China Market Research Group told AFP. “They are worried that the drugs may be labelled incorrectly, or the quality is not that high, or the company decides to make it more cheaply in China than in the other countries, or they might be fake.?

Buying or selling an anti-cancer drug without a prescription can lead to maximum fines of HK$100,000 ($13,000) and two years’ imprisonment for buyers, salesmen and pharmacy owners, according to the Department of Health. A spokesman told AFP that it had boosted surveillance in response to mainland drug demand. There were 24 cases in 2012 which led to convictions for the illegal sale of prescription medicines.

But despite the threat of prosecution, the trade continues. When an AFP reporter visited four small independent pharmacies in Hong Kong and asked for 440mg of Herceptin, all offered to sell it without a prescription. Tse Hung-hing, President of the Hong Kong Medical Association, said he feared the consequences of the uncontrolled sale of such strong medication.

“They (anti-cancer drugs) are more toxic. It is not like you are buying Panadol,” he said.

Tse added that the organization had reported the problem to Hong Kong’s Department of Health, but had not seen a significant response. Pharmacies tend to buy their cancer drugs from private doctors as a safer route than getting them direct from drugs companies, as direct orders are likely to be more closely monitored by the authorities, says Chui.

The Hong Kong branch of Roche, which manufactures Herceptin, said it had been “made aware” of reports of mainland visitors coming over to buy oncology drugs.

“We are committed to supporting the relevant authorities with any investigations,” it said in a statement to AFP. According to a 2012 report released by the China National Cancer Registry, the country sees 3.12 million new cancer cases every year.

From 2006 to 2010, the number of cancer cases in Hong Kong rose at an average rate of 2.7 per cent each year, four times more than the annual population growth rate, a report by Hong Kong Cancer Registry (HKCR) showed. Chui believes the increasing pressure on Hong Kong’s cancer drug supply could soon reach crisis point.

“The majority of community pharmacies in Hong Kong are owned by businessmen rather than professional pharmacists,” he said. “There is a high-probability that, in up to three years, the supply of anti-cancer drugs will become an issue.”—AFP

STOCKHOLM: A comet that gained an earthly following because of its bright tail visible from space was initially declared dead after grazing the sun. Now, there is a sliver of hope that Comet ISON may have survived. New images being analyzed Friday showed a streak of light moving away from the sun that some said could indicate it wasn’t game over just yet. “It certainly appears as if there is an object there that is emitting material,” said Alan Fitzsimmons, an astronomer at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Basically a dirty snowball from the fringes of the solar system, scientists had pronounced Comet ISON (EYE’-sahn) dead when it came within 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) of the sun Thursday. Some sky gazers speculated early on that it might become the comet of the century because of its brightness, although expectations dimmed over time. But it wouldn’t be all bad news if the 4.5-billion-year-old space rock broke up into pieces, because some scientists say they might be able to study them and learn more about comets.

The European Space Agency, which had declared ISON’s death on Twitter late Thursday, was backtracking early Friday, saying the comet “continues to surprise.” Comet ISON was first spotted by a Russian telescope in September last year, and became something of celestial flash in the pan this week for its vivid tail - visible by the naked eye - and compelling backstor y of impending doom. The comet was two-thirds of a mile wide as it got within 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) of the sun, which in space terms basically means grazing it.

NASA solar physicist Alex Young said Thursday the comet had been expected to show up in images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft at around noon Eastern time (1700 GMT), but almost four hours later there was “no sign of it whatsoever.” Images from other spacecraft showed a light streak continuing past the sun, but Young said that was most likely a trail of dust continuing in the comet’s trajectory. However, instead of fading, that trail appeared to get brighter Friday, suggesting that “at least some small fraction of ISON has remained in one piece,” U.S. Navy solar researcher Karl Battams wrote on his blog. He cautioned that even if there is a solid nucleus, it may not survive for long.

Two years ago, a smaller comet, Lovejoy, grazed the sun and survived, but fell apart a couple of days later. “This is what makes science interesting,” said Fitzsimmons, who specializes in comets and asteroids. “If we knew what was going to happen, it wouldn’t be interesting.”

ISON’s slingshot toward the sun left astronomers puzzled and excited at the same time. Made up of loosely packed ice and dirt, the space rock came from the Oort cloud, an area of comets and debris on the edge of the solar system.—AP

In this combination of three images provided by NASA, comet ISON appears as a white smear heading up and away from the sun on Thursday and Friday, Nov 28-29, 2013.—AP photos

In a composite image provided by NASA, Comet ISON nears the sun in an image captured at 10:51 am Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, Nov 28, 2013.

Music-based program may boost seniors’ brain function, mood NEW YORK: A music-based training program that challenges both the body and the mind may improve brain function and mood among seniors, suggests a new study from Switzerland. “The takehome message is that 6-months of music-based multitask training (i.e., Jaques-Dalcroze eurhythmics) - a specific training regimen which was previously shown to be effective in improving gait and reducing falls - has beneficial effects on cognition and mood in older adults,” Dr MÈlany Hars, of Geneva University Hospitals, told Reuters Health in an email.

Jacques-Dalcroze eurhythmics was developed in the early part of the 20th century by the Swiss composer Emile Jaques-Dalcroze as a way to better understand music through movement. It is practiced worldwide, particularly in the fields of music, theater, dance and therapy, according to Hars. A

typical Jacques-Dalcroze session involves participants adapting their movements to the rhythmic changes of improvised piano music. In Hars’ study, the participants were challenged to perform specific multitasking skills, such as walking to the rhythm of a piano while handling a percussion instrument and responding to changes in the piano’s rhythm.

The study participants were also asked to perform quick reaction exercises, such as starting or stopping to walk or changing their walking speed on command, as well as matching their steps to the long or short music notes that were played. The study included 134 men and women aged 75 years, on average, who were all at increased risk for falls but who did not live in a nursing home or other facility. These seniors were randomly divided into a study group that attended hour-long music-

based multitasking sessions once a week for 25 weeks or a comparison group that just kept up their normal lifestyles and did not attend training sessions.

At the beginning of the study, both groups underwent a battery of tests for mental function and mood. After six months, the 66 adults who participated in the music training sessions showed improved cognitive function, particularly on a test of their degree of sensitivity to interference, and decreased anxiety, compared to the group that had not done the training.

“This may have implications for everyday life function,” since many situations require individuals to pay selective attention to one thing while blocking out something else, such as distracting surroundings, Hars and her coauthors write in the journal Age and Ageing.—Reuters

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

Dasmani program launched in the Fitness and Rehabilitation Center at the Dasman Diabetes Institute

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he Director of the Center for Fitness and Rehabilitation Dasman Diabetes Institute, Dr Fahad Ahmed Al-Ghimlas, had announced the beginning of an exercise and fitness educational program under the slogan ‘Be Dasmani’.

Dr Al-Ghimlas said that the program includes educational lectures about the exercise and its importance to a patient with diabetes, especially Type 2, that is possible to combat or control it by changing the lifestyle of the individual in the society. The program incorporates a scientific assessment of enrolled patients through comprehensive and advanced tests including full clinical evaluation as well as blood and urine tests, ECG, and body composition analysis.

These allow assessment of the disease and health status, including the percentage of body fat and

muscle. The program also contains an integrated testing and advanced fitness test effort, which includes the cardiopulmonary exercise test

which shows the efficiency of the heart and respiratory functions as well as fitness level. In addition, participants will undergo nutritional assessment and will receive dietary recommendations regarding food choices. Based on the results of the tests participating patients will benefit from medical counseling, especially as they are going to attend lectures individually and in groups to learn about diabetes and its symptoms and risks and means of combat and control it. The intensive assessment week also includes group workshops for fitness focusing on the muscles and joints. Participants will also join group exercise classes over a full month during which there will be daily checks of vital signs (heart rate and blood pressure) and the

level of blood sugar before and after exercise. Dr Al-Ghimlas added that the program is supervised by specialized healthcare professionals including medical doctors, nurses, and specialists in exercise and nutrition. Participating patients will receive educational brochures and booklets to enrich the awareness about the disease and how to control it with exercise. Dr Al-Ghimlas also added that the program is planned to be repeated frequently in the future to provide this exceptional service to the largest possible number of people with diabetes. To find out more information about the program can visit the Fitness and Rehabilitation Center at the Dasman Diabetes Institute - the fourth floor or contact us on the direct line: 2224 2989.

Charity sporting events offer incentives to get fit NEW YORK: Along with the usual reasons for losing weight, like fitting into a bikini and improving health, fitness experts say raising money for a good cause is another incentive for people to get in shape. Entering a charity run in memory of a loved one or a bicycle ride for a worthy cause has pushed many couch potatoes from their sedentary lifestyle on to the path of fitness. Kelly Flynn, running coach for Team In Training, a charity sports endurance program from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, has been teaching novice runners to tackle the Boson Marathon since 2005.

“The people who’ve never run before and have

a motivation, like a loved one, are the easiest people to coach,” said Flynn, a 40-year-old Bostonbased attorney. “They stick it out. And when they cross the finish line, they’ve become running junkies.” Flynn, a soccer and softball player in her teenage years, said it was the death of a high school friend from lymphoma that inspired her to become a running coach for charity.

“I saw a flyer (from Team in Training) and went, on a lark,” she said. “His death was my catalyst.”

Team in Training, which is 25 years old, has raised more than $1.4 billion, with more than 600,000 people from across the country taking part in dif-

ferent endurance events to raise money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Flynn, whose 200-strong team soon will start training for 2014, has helped to train more than 800 Boston marathoners and her teams have raised over $4 million.

For Sarah Jane Constantine, a self-described recreational runner, marathon running was a bucket-list dream until she started running for charity. “I didn’t think at 39 I was going to start marathoning,” said Constantine, a 41-year-old manager for a pharmaceutical company in Boston who has raised money for cancer research.—Reuters

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

1st overall: Thierry Foehrenbach/Jerry Delesalle/Christophe Darous

2nd overall: Romain Danger, Louise Danger and Alexandre Detry

Winner “consolante“ Guy rebotton, Clarisse Rebotton and Michel Parachini

Patrick Perret, Sylviane Perret and Xavier Le Varlet

Oliver Leblan, Julie Leblan, Jacques Joly, Zeina Delesalle and Yves Gabarre

Ladies team: Stephanie Foehrenbach, Valerie Mascanrella and Stephanie Darous

UFE-Kuwait hosts Petanque tournament

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he Union des Francais de l’Etranger (UFE) a non-profitable association recognized by the French government, provides support and assistance to French nationals wherever they are in the world. UFE-Kuwait is one of 160 branches of the worldwide organization, which has more than 500,000 members. The UFE Kuwait Section successfully hosted a “Petanque Competition” at the Copthorne Hotel & Resort in Jahra.

Friday’s tournament attracted a lot of participants, as well as fans of the famous and popular traditional sport from southern France, with many representatives and citizens of nations from across the world turning out for the event including Embassadors. Petanque is played by two person team (doublets) or threeperson teams (called triplets) using

steel balls and a small wooden target ball (called cochonet).

The objective of the game is to throw the metal balls as close as possible to the target ball, from a minimum of six meters and a maximum of ten meters. The closer the team metal balls come to the target ball the more points the team accumulates. The rounds are played in 11 points, and the finals are played in 13 points. During tournaments, preliminary and elimination rounds will see two teams compete for the first place gold medal overall winner’s position, with the runners-up getting the silver and the winner of the “consolante” (consolation) tournament receiving the bronze.

“The game is usually divided into two parts, the immediate elimination rounds and the consolante tournament”. The losers eliminated in the

first round will play in the consolante tournament. The final two teams will compete for the gold medal and

whoever wins gets the gold while its opponent gets the silver. The winner of the consolante tournament will

Presentation of sponsors of the event: Yves Gabarre Consul of France and Frederique Asfar President of UFE-Kuwait

automatically get the bronze medal.”

The overall winners in Friday’s tournament was bagged by a triplet team consisting of Thierry Foehrenbach, Christophe Darous and Jerry Delesalle, while the second place was captured by the triplet team comprising Louise Danger, Romain Danger and Alexandre. The winner triplet team of the consolante was, Clarisse Rebotton, Guy Rebotton, Michel Parachini. The “consolation” medals for the unlucky team (lowest score) was given to Olivier Leblan, Julie Leblan and Jacques Joly.

The UFE would like to thank the French Embassy Consul for contributing to the event and helping at the distribution of the prizes to the winners. While stressing the importance of teamwork and fair-play in PÈtanque, the game is an enjoyable

one rather than a nerve-racking sport like other mainstream sports such as football or basketball. “It’s just a fun game and really a very relaxing sport,” There is no fear or, shall we say, bullying among participants. In fact, nobody knows what is in store for us; it’s a game of luck, even kids can win.”

“Petanque develops sportsmanship, camaraderie and great bonding among family members, community and friends”. The winners of Friday’s tournament received their medals, along with a number of gifts and other prizes from the event sponsors, who Asfar thanked in her address, namely: The COPTHORNE Hotel & Resort, The MARINA Hotel, CROWNE PLAZA Hotel, The IBIS Hotel, CHILI BEANS, FOOD CHOICE, Le NOTRE, GEANT, PAUL, BEIDOUN, TANAGRA, THALES, TOTAL & DECATHLON.

Oula Fuel Marketing Co receives honorary medal SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

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ula Fuel Marketing Company has successfully contributed in sponsoring Kuwaiti Disabled Sports Club Festival which started on November 4th and lasted until November 12th, 2013. The festival was held under the patronage of the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah and contained various sports, cultural, social and religious activities. The closing ceremony contained several folkloric shows from embassies of some sister-countries, and the sponsoring companies were also honored for their generous gesture including the Silver Sponsor of the festival - Oula Fuel Marketing Company- by receiving an honorary medal from Shafi Al-Hajri -

Chairman of Kuwait Disabled Sports Club.

Al-Hajri stated in this occasion by saying: “This event has witnessed a huge success due to the unlimited support from the Amir which indicates the amount of concern people with special needs receive in appreciation for the major role and achievements they have done in social, sports and cultural life”.

Oula’s participation in this event comes in line with its social responsibility strategy which requires an effective contribution in social life specially the one related to people with special needs due to their significant role in raising the country’s name in many fields particularly the sports field.

Sweet tastes at Regency Gourmet, The Regency Hotel’s new patisserie

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Korean movie night Date: December 6, 2013 Time: 16:00-21:10 16:00: Opening Ceremony 16:10-18:21: ‘Masquerade’ 18:30-19:00: Reception 19:00-21:10: ‘Miracle in Cell No. 7’ Venue: Laila Gallery Cinescape Movies ‘Masquerade’ (2012, historical drama) ‘Miracle in Cell No. 7’ (2013, comedy) Don’t miss the chance to watch the latest Korean movies!

tyled in a contemporary style of black and white art deco design Regency Gourmet, to be found to the left side of the Hotel lobby, offers you not only elegantly, hand crafted patisseries and cakes for all occasions, but a wide selection of gourmet delights, from unique balsamic vinegars, flavored olives oils, chocolates, teas and coffees.

The talented gastronomic artists behind creativity of these sweet dreams come together from Italy, Asia and the Middle East, each with at least 12 years of experience in the pastry kitchens of the finest hotels in the world. Under the culinary expertise and direction of French Executive Pastry Chef, Didier Guyon, his award winning team will melt your taste buds with their variety of mouth-watering desserts.

A richness in flavours and textures can be found in the refined pastries and your favourite cakes including marron glasse, mille golfier, sorento and Taormina are homemade at the Regency Gourmet. The freshest and finest ingredients are selected to make the pastries, which are complimented with biscuits, tarts and marmalades.

Although customers are spoiled for choice, they have the option of choos-

ing special order cakes for birthdays, anniversaries or celebrations from an elegant album of cakes, placed on a silver stand at the Regency Gourmet. You can enjoy your tasty treats at Regency Gourmet or in the comfort of your own home, as there is a take-away available or in the Al Liwan Lobby Lounge, accompanies by you favouraite style of tea or coffee “After the success of the Silk Road, The Regency is delighted

and thrilled to announce their next dining journey. We are ready to treat our esteemed customers in a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere!” says Aurelio Giraudo, the Italian General Manger.

Regency Gourmet is a Bottega dei Sapori, means “a shop of flavours” in Italian, here guests can enjoy Rosa D’inverno or Gryphon tea in nymph of the Nile, white ginger lily flavours or for coffee drinkers, premium cafÈ lattes, hot chocolates, espressos and cappuccinos. What’s more, the high-end collection of flavored olive oil including, Basilico, Rosmarino, Acciughe, Salvia, Balsamico vinegar and Bianco Fiorito (green tea) are offered along with Fiori dii (flower tea) products in box or pot are exclusively available for purchase at Regency Gourmet. Not a bad way to say Buongiorno “good morning”!

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

Embassy Information

The International Women Group members were invited to Ruby Tuesday recently, as they met with the executive team and attended the ‘Ruby Tuesday Master Class’. —Photos by Joseph Shagra

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-au-gcc.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

Erfinda Gusti from Crowne Plaza, Nounkeo Langsy from the Laos embassy, Maribel Duarte from the Cuban embassy, Narjis Al-Shatti and IWG member Farah Attia.

Narjis Al-Shatti, IWG member Farah Attai, Badriya Abu Bakr from the Egyptian embassy, Erfinda Gusti from Crowne Plaza and Sebel van Tonder from the Thai embassy.

IWG member Farah Attai, Badriya Abu Bakr from the Egyptian embassy, Erfinda Gusti from Crowne Plaza and Sebel van Tonder from the Thai embassy.

Gonna Tamer from the Turkish embassy, IWG members Farah Attai and Narjes Al-Shatti.

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: abdbiim-enquiry@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.

Nounkeo Langsy from the Laos embassy, Maribel Duarte from the Cuban embassy, Eva Adamhar from the Indonesian embassy and Erfinda Gusti from Crowne Plaza.

Sevinji Rzayeva from Azerbaijan’s embassy, Deneece Tueller from the American embassy and IWG member Farah Attai.

Deneece Tueller from the American embassy and Hala Al-Yassine

Erfinda Gusti from Crowne Plaza and Badriya Abu Bakr from the Egyptian embassy

Mobile check-in goes global at Marriott hotels

Y

our smartphone just got smarter with the faster, easier and more convenient mobile check-in from Marriott Hotels, the signature brand of Marriott International.

Mobile check-in is now available at 20 additional Marriott hotels* in 19 countries including United Kingdom, Mexico, United Arab Emirates and India.

First launched at 329 hotels in the US and Canada, the mobile check-in feature on the Marriott Mobile App has expanded internationally, representing the broadest mobile offering of its kind in the lodging industry. http://www.marriott.com/marriott/mobile-check-in-marriotthotels-and-resorts.mi According to research by GroupM Next*, 57 percent of business travelers aged 21-39 use their smartphone to book a hotel. These younger travelers are also more likely to use mobile devices to enhance their travel experiences. Marriott Hotels expects to complete the

full global roll out of mobile check-in at all 500 hotels, as well as offer check-out functionality, in the first half of 2014.

With the Marriott Mobile App, check-in is simple.

Marriott Rewards members,

who have downloaded the app, can check-in through a smartphone as early as 4 pm the day before arrival, receiving an automatic notification when the room is ready. On arrival, Marriott Rewards guests simply

go to the expedited mobile check-in desk where a key card will be ready and waiting.

“As Marriott developed the app and tested mobile check-in, we engaged customers, asking for their feedback to perfect the experience and learn what mattered most to them,” said Paul Cahill, senior vice president of brand management for Marriott Hotels. “Mobile check-in is just the start. Our guests are more mobile and global than ever before and technology is increasingly important to them, which is why we will add checkout next year. We will continue to solicit feedback from our guests as we enhance the travel experience with Marriott.”

FURTHER INNOVATIONS Future of Meetings Marriott Hotels is introducing a number of initiatives to refresh meetings. New meeting spaces with stylish design, natural light, flexible seating and wireless or web enabled tech-

nology enable planners and attendees to focus on the meeting objectives, and will be featured in newly announced Marriott properties. The Red Coat Direct app enables meeting organizers to adjust and edit their meeting requests and preferences with a touch of a button and without ever leaving the meeting room.

Currently available in Cairo Marriott Hotel, Amman Marriott Hotel and Riyadh Marriott Hotel, while the service will roll-out globally in early 2014.

Greatroom lobby concept an open and flexible lobby space for guests to use for business, leisure or time to themselves. They will be stylish, modern, comfortable and welcoming with all day menus for light bites and meals and full access to technology from Wi-Fi to power points. The brand expects to introduce the concept at every Marriott Hotel by the end of 2015.

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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 +965-2227-1673).

5. If you need to change or cancel your appointment, please do so 24 hours beforehand, as a courtesy to other applicants. For more information, please visit the US Embassy website - kuwait.usembassy.gov - as it is the best source of information regarding these changes. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF VATICAN The Apostolic Nunciature Embassy of the Holy See, Vatican in Kuwait has moved to a new location in Kuwait City. Please find below the new address: Yarmouk, Block 1, Street 2, Villa No: 1. P.O.Box 29724, Safat 13158, Kuwait.

Tel: 965 25337767, Fax: 965 25342066. Email: nuntiuskuwait@gmail.com.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

TV PROGRAMS 00:20 00:50 01:20 01:50 02:20 03:05 04:00 04:30 05:00 05:15 05:20 05:40 05:45 05:55 06:15 06:30 06:35 06:55 07:00 07:10 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:15 09:45 10:15 11:05 11:55 12:25 12:55 13:40 14:10 14:40 15:30 16:25 17:10 17:40 18:05 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:45 21:30 22:25 22:55 23:45

My Family Blackadder II Eastenders Doctors David Copperfield Young, Foreign & Over Here Blackadder II My Family Nina And The Neurons Poetry Pie Mr Bloom’s Nursery Little Human Planet Bobinogs Tweenies Nina And The Neurons Poetry Pie Mr Bloom’s Nursery Little Human Planet Bobinogs Tweenies My Family Blackadder II The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors David Copperfield Young, Foreign & Over Here My Family Blackadder II The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Young, Foreign & Over Here David Copperfield The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Hustle Last Of The Summer Wine Beautiful People David Copperfield Victoria Wood - What Larks!

Paradox Absolutely Fabulous Hustle Last Of The Summer Wine

00:00 Cash In The Attic 00:45 Marbella Mansions 01:30 Come Dine With Me 02:20 Masterchef: The Professionals 03:10 Celebrity Fantasy Homes 04:00 The Boss Is Coming To Dinner 04:25 Cash In The Attic 05:10 The Hairy Bikers Ride Again 05:40 Bargain Hunt 06:25 Celebrity Fantasy Homes 07:10 Chef At Home 07:35 The Boss Is Coming To Dinner 08:00 Bargain Hunt 08:45 Marbella Mansions 09:30 The Hairy Bikers Ride Again 10:00 The Little Paris Kitchen 10:25 Hairy Bikers’ Christmas Party 11:15 Come Dine With Me 12:05 Masterchef: The Professionals 12:50 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Specials 14:10 Antiques Roadshow 15:05 Holmes On Homes 15:55 Holmes On Homes 16:50 Bargain Hunt 17:35 Cash In The Attic 18:20 Antiques Roadshow 19:15 Homes Under The Hammer 20:10 The Little Paris Kitchen 20:35 Tareq Taylor’s Nordic Cookery 21:05 Tareq Taylor’s Nordic Cookery 21:30 Come Dine With Me 22:20 Antiques Roadshow 23:15 Bargain Hunt

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:50 04:15 04:40

Diamond Divers Bush Pilots Jungle Gold: Wild Ride Mythbusters Border Security Storage Hunters Flip Men

05:05 05:30 06:00 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 09:55 10:20 10:45 11:10 11:35 12:25 13:15 14:05 14:30 14:55 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 20:45 21:10 21:35 22:00 Grylls 22:50 23:40

How Do They Do It? How It’s Made American Guns Mythbusters Flying Wild Alaska Fast N’ Loud Border Security Storage Hunters Flip Men How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Diamond Divers Bush Pilots Jungle Gold: Wild Ride Border Security Storage Hunters Flip Men Alaska: The Last Frontier Fast N’ Loud Ultimate Survival Dirty Jobs Mythbusters American Guns Storage Hunters Flip Men How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Get Out Alive With Bear Dual Survival (Brazil) Car vs Wild

00:40 Prank Science 01:05 Prank Science 01:30 Stunt Junkies 02:00 Gadget Show - World Tour 02:25 How Tech Works 02:50 Mighty Ships 03:45 Mighty Planes 04:35 Smash Lab 05:25 How The Universe Works 06:15 Gadget Show - World Tour 06:40 How Tech Works 07:05 X-Machines 08:00 Futurecar 08:50 Brave New World 09:40 Gadget Show - World Tour 10:05 How Tech Works 10:30 Human Body: Ultimate Machine 11:25 X-Machines 12:20 Smash Lab 13:10 How The Universe Works 14:00 Mighty Planes 14:50 Stunt Junkies 15:20 Gadget Show - World Tour 15:45 How Tech Works 16:10 Mighty Ships 17:00 Human Body: Ultimate Machine 17:55 X-Machines 18:45 Smash Lab 19:35 How The Universe Works 20:30 Rocket City Rednecks 20:55 Rocket City Rednecks 21:20 Junkyard Wars 22:10 Gadget Show - World Tour 22:35 How Tech Works 23:00 Rocket City Rednecks 23:25 Rocket City Rednecks 23:50 Stuck With Hackett

00:00 00:20 00:45 01:05 01:30 01:50 02:15 02:35 03:00 03:20 03:45 04:05 04:30 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:45 07:10 07:35 07:55

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 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 Gravity Falls My Babysitter’s A Vampire

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

Sofia The First Doc McStuffins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Shake It Up Austin And Ally A.N.T. Farm Dog With A Blog Jessie Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck A.N.T. Farm Austin And Ally Shake It Up That’s So Raven Jessie Good Luck Charlie Dog With A Blog That’s So Raven Gravity Falls Jessie Violetta A.N.T. Farm Austin And Ally Gravity Falls Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Dog With A Blog Violetta Jessie My Babysitter’s A Vampire Good Luck Charlie Gravity Falls Shake It Up Austin And Ally A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:15 Food Network’s Christmas Kitchen 00:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:30 Heat Seekers 01:55 Meat & Potatoes 02:20 Outrageous Food 02:45 Siba’s Table 03:10 Siba’s Table 03:35 Food Network’s Christmas Kitchen 04:00 Food Network’s Christmas Kitchen 04:25 Food Wars 04:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 05:15 United Tastes Of America 05:40 Chopped 06:30 Iron Chef America 07:10 Food Network Challenge 08:00 Unwrapped 08:25 Unwrapped 08:50 United Tastes Of America 09:15 Unique Sweets 09:40 Kid In A Candy Store 10:05 Barefoot Contessa 10:30 Food Network Challenge 11:20 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 11:45 Cooking Christmas With Matt And Lisa 12:10 Jeni Barnett’s Christmas Hamper 12:35 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 13:00 Reza’s African Kitchen 13:25 Charly’s Cake Angels 13:50 Siba’s Table 14:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 15:05 Guy’s Big Bite 15:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 15:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 16:20 Roadtrip With G. Garvin 16:45 Chopped 17:30 Barefoot Contessa 18:00 Cooking Christmas With Matt And Lisa 18:25 Jeni Barnett’s Christmas Hamper 18:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 19:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 19:40 Siba’s Table 20:05 Charly’s Cake Angels 20:30 Chopped 21:20 Cooking Christmas With Matt And Lisa 21:45 Jeni Barnett’s Christmas

ANOTHER EARTH ON OSN MOVIES HD

Slow TV casts a spell on

Norwegian audiences

S

ay goodbye to breathless intrigue and dramatic twists: “Slow TV” is attracting record audiences in Norway, with hours, even days, devoted to knitting, fishing and panoramic landscapes. Public broadcaster NRK has replaced some of its usual prime time drama and entertainment with long, lingering images of cruise liners touring fjords and hours of crackling log fires. With up to 134 hours of uninterrupted footage, this snail-paced entertainment has become something of a Norwegian speciality. “It’s literally reality TV: something authentic that’s shown in real time without being edited down,” said Rune Moeklebust, head of programs at NRK. The concept was pioneered in 2009, coinciding with the centenary of the Bergen railway line. The route passes through breathtaking scenery, connecting Norway’s second city with the capital Oslo. The train trip-all seven hours and 16 minutes of it-was filmed with onboard cameras and archive footage was added to fill in some of the duller moments as the train passed through long, dark tunnels. The idea was original, easy to produce and soon embraced by the public broadcaster, unconstrained by commercial considerations.

It decided to air the experiment on one of its two national channels... to a roaring success. About 1.2 million viewers, nearly a quarter of the population of Norway, tuned into NRK2 for at least part of the trip.

“When I asked a few days later if I could borrow the airwaves for five and a half days to broadcast live from the Coastal Express (a cruise liner touring the Norwegian coast) I was told ‘yes, of course’,” said Moeklebust.

ARCTIC BLAST ON OSN MOVIES ACTION Hamper 22:10 Iron Chef America 23:00 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 23:25 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 23:50 Food Network Challenge

00:00 Don’t Trust The B In Apartment 23 00:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 01:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 01:30 South Park 02:00 The Big C 02:30 Legit 03:00 How I Met Your Mother 03:30 Go On 04:00 The Simpsons 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 The War At Home 06:00 All Of Us 06:30 Friends 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 The Simpsons 08:30 The War At Home 09:00 How I Met Your Mother 09:30 Two And A Half Men 10:00 The Mindy Project 10:30 Friends 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 All Of Us 12:30 The Simpsons 13:00 The War At Home 13:30 Friends 14:00 Go On 14:30 Two And A Half Men 15:00 The Mindy Project 15:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 16:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 16:30 All Of Us 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 How I Met Your Mother 18:30 Melissa & Joey 19:00 The Crazy Ones 19:30 The Mindy Project 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 The New Normal 22:30 The Big C 23:00 Legit 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Burn Notice The Blacklist The Newsroom Rescue Me Revenge Once Upon A Time Burn Notice Fairly Legal Criminal Minds Revenge Once Upon A Time The Blacklist Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Criminal Minds Burn Notice Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Criminal Minds Once Upon A Time Grey’s Anatomy Homeland Hemlock Grove Rescue Me

00:00 03:00 04:00 07:00 07:30 09:00 10:00

Covert Affairs Scandal The Americans Emmerdale Coronation Street C.S.I. New York Emmerdale

10:30 12:00 14:00 15:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Coronation Street C.S.I. New York Covert Affairs Live Good Morning America C.S.I. New York Covert Affairs Castle C.S.I. New York Covert Affairs The Americans Scandal

00:00 Devil’s Playground 02:00 House Of The Rising Sun 04:00 Imago Mortis 06:00 Legendary Assassin 08:00 The New Daughter 10:00 Rage Of The Yeti 12:00 Arctic Blast 14:00 Iron Sky 16:00 Rage Of The Yeti 18:00 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part One 20:00 Iron Sky 22:00 Shadow

00:00 House Of The Rising Sun-18 02:00 Imago Mortis-PG15 04:00 Legendary Assassin-PG15 06:00 The New Daughter-PG15 08:00 Rage Of The Yeti-PG15 10:00 Arctic Blast-PG15 12:00 Iron Sky-PG15 14:00 Rage Of The Yeti-PG15 16:00 Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part One-PG15 18:00 Iron Sky-PG15 20:00 Shadow-PG15 22:00 Immortals-PG15

00:00 The Angel’s Share-PG15 02:00 That’s My Boy-R 04:00 The New Guy-PG15 06:00 Lying To Be Perfect-PG15 08:00 Today’s Special-PG15 10:00 I Think I Do-PG15 12:00 The New Guy-PG15 14:00 Win A Date With Tad Hamilton!-PG 16:00 I Think I Do-PG15 18:00 White Chicks-PG15 20:00 American Cowslip-18 22:00 The Angel’s Share-PG15

01:00 Beneath Hill 60-PG15 03:00 Gandhi-PG 07:00 Virtual Lies-PG15 09:00 Beneath Hill 60-PG15 11:00 Love Finds A Home-PG15 13:00 Would Be Kings-PG15 15:00 Blue Lagoon: The Awakening-PG15 16:45 Here-PG15 19:00 Smashed-PG15 21:00 On The Road-R 23:15 Pariah-18

01:15 03:15 05:15 07:15 09:00 11:15 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

The Inkwell-PG15 Color Of Night-18 Freedom Writers-PG15 Ties That Bind-PG15 Oscar And Lucinda-PG15 Resistance-PG15 Matching Jack-PG15 A Kiss At Midnight-PG15 Resistance-PG15 Caught Inside-PG15 The Beach-PG15 Suicide Shop-PG15

01:00 Another Earth-PG15 02:45 Snow White And The Huntsman-PG15

05:00 Wreck-It Ralph-PG 07:00 Arbitrage-PG15 09:00 Joyful Noise-PG15 11:00 Mary & Martha-PG15 13:00 Perfect Plan-PG15 15:00 The Wild Girl-PG15 16:45 Joyful Noise-PG15 18:45 Anna Karenina-PG15 21:00 This Is 40-18 23:00 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter-18

01:15 The Ugly Duckling In Tales Of Mystery 02:45 The Lucky Dragon 04:30 Tommy & Oscar 06:00 The Ugly Duckling In Tales Of Mystery 08:00 Princess Sydney: The Legend Of The Blue Rabbit 09:15 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva LA Fiesta!

11:15 Home Alone: The Holiday Heist 13:00 Dr Seuss’ Cat In The Hat 14:30 The Land Before Time 16:00 The Happets 18:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva LA Fiesta!

20:00 Beethoven 22:00 The Land Before Time 23:30 The Happets

00:00 The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption-PG15 02:00 Pitch Perfect-PG15 04:00 Rise Of The Guardians-PG 06:00 The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption-PG15 08:00 Ice Age: Continental Drift-PG 10:00 Disturbia-PG15 12:00 Pitch Perfect-PG15 14:00 Shark Tale-PG 16:00 Ice Age: Continental Drift-PG 17:45 The Amazing Spider-ManPG15 20:00 Butter-18 22:00 A Dark Truth-18

02:00 Top 14 Highlights 02:30 Trans World Sport 03:30 Live NHL 06:30 Futbol Mundial 07:00 Snooker 11:00 Trans World Sport 12:00 International Rugby Union 14:00 Emirates Australian Open Highlights 15:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 16:00 Live Snooker 21:00 Futbol Mundial

00:30 08:30 09:00 13:00 13:30 14:00 16:00 17:00 21:00 23:30

Live Cricket Test Match Futbol Mundial Pool Mosconi Cup Top 14 Futbol Mundial World Match Racing Tour Trans World Sports Pool Mosconi Cup NFL Futbol Mundial

02:00 02:30 06:30 07:00 08:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 14:00 17:30 19:30 21:30 22:00

Futbol Mundial Snooker UK Championship Top 14 Highlights Golfing World Asian Tour Highlights PRO 12 Top 14 Golfing World HSBC Sevens World Series World Match Racing Tour PRO 12 Top 14 Highlights Live Pool Mosconi Cup

‘A chance to contemplate’ The formula, again, was a resounding success — 3.2 million television viewers watched parts of the trip as hundreds of onlookers flocked to see the ship in various ports. Norway’s royal family even featured as Queen Sonja waved regally from the deck of the royal yacht, as the two ships crossed paths. The slow-moving saga was like a drug for some, including 82-year-old Knut Grimeland stayed glued to his television for days on end. “It’s hard to say how many hours I slept, but not many,” he told NRK. “I dozed a little on the sofa from time to time but I didn’t make it to bed for five days.”

Others forgot they were not actually on board.

When the Bergen-Oslo train chugged into its final destination, one viewer said he grabbed the curtains in his living room, looking for his suitcase in the train compartment. Mesmerising voyages are not the only “slow” treats being offered to Norway’s TV audiences. NRK airs shows on salmon fishing, knitting , the intricacies of making the perfect log fire and many other themes.

The recipe is simple: a long introduction with historical background then an even longer examination of the activity from beginning to end.

A show on knitting, for example, goes from sheep shearing straight through to the final stitch on a jumper. “Slow TV attracts all categories of the population: young people intrigued by the novelty and strangeness of it, and older viewers who find the topic or voyage interesting,” said Moeklebust. Some see it as a welcome respite from an increasingly hectic society.

“When most stations are opting for the same program formats, it’s tempting to dive into a niche that goes against the grain,” said Arve Hjelseth a sociologist at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.

“Slow TV is a chance for people to sit down, relax and contemplate.” It may, however, take some time before the concept takes off elsewhere. When the Coastal Express was sold to the US the epic voyage was slimmed down to a one hour show about the Slow TV concept. And while it may be a smash hit with millions of Norwegians, it’s not to everyone’s liking. “It’s incredible that the public can sit and stare at this for hours,” said Trond Blindheim, an outspoken critic and principal of the Oslo School of Management.

“Most people watch idiotic TV... I’m literally incapable of saying anything sensible about people who are glued to TV sets watching the bow of a ship and people on a shore waving their arms about.” But NRK sees a bright future for the genre and Moeklebust is not one to put limits on creativity. He is now toying with the idea of a program dissecting the concept of time from the making of a clock to, well, just the passing of time-minute by minute, hour by hour. “When someone tells me you can’t show that on television I take it as a sign: it means I’m on to something,” he said. — AFP

‘Downton Abbey’ gets fifth season

T

he fourth season of “Downton Abbey ” hasn’t even arrived in the United States, but a fifth season is already on the way, PBS announced Sunday. “As American audiences ready themselves for the January 5th premiere of Season 4, our devoted Downton fans will rest easy knowing that a fifth season is on the way,” said Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton. The show ’s fourth season recently completed its run in the UK, where it drew 11.8 million average viewers - making it Britain’s highest-rated television drama this year. More than 24 million viewers watched the third season of the series in the U.S., making it PBS’s most-watched drama ever.

“Like millions of other ‘Downton’ fans, I can’t wait to see what’s next for the Crawley family,” said Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS. “We’re proud to be the home of this extraordinarily entertaining series, and, along with our stations, we look forward to sharing Season 5 with U.S. audiences.”

Added Gareth Neame, executive producer of “Downton Abbey ” and managing director of Carnival Films: “Audiences have enjoyed their regular Sunday evening visits back to ‘Downton’ once again this autumn and we are thrilled to produce a new series of the show next year. We promise all the usual highs and lows, romance, drama and comedy played out by some of the most iconic characters on television. All the actors and makers of the show continue to be humbled by the extraordinary audience response and want to take the show from strength to strength next year.” “Downton” will air on Masterpiece on Sundays beginning Jan 5 through Feb 23 on PBS. — Reuters

Classifieds TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

Kuwait SHARQIA-1 CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-2 THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 9:30 PM 12:15 AM

SHARQIA-3 DELIVERY MAN (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-1 DELIVERY MAN (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) THOR: THE DARK WORLD (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM

MUHALAB-2 CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) CARRIE (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM 11:00 PM

MUHALAB-3 THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) BULLETT RAJA (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) FANAR-1 PARKLAND (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:45 PM 7:30 PM 10:15 PM 1:45 PM 3:45 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-2 CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) THOR: THE DARK WORLD (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

FANAR-3 THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) BULLETT RAJA (DIG) BULLETT RAJA (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:30 AM

FANAR-4 THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG)

12:45 PM

KNCC PROGRAMME FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (28/11/2013 TO 04/12/2013) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG)

3:30 PM 6:15 PM 9:15 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-5 CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (DIG) CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (DIG) CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (DIG) CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (DIG)

2:00 PM 5:00 PM 8:00 PM 11:00 PM

MARINA-1 DELIVERY MAN (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG)

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

MARINA-2 CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) THOR: THE DARK WORLD (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG)

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:00 AM

MARINA-3 THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG)

2:15 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-1 THOR: THE DARK WORLD (DIG) THOR: THE DARK WORLD (DIG) THOR: THE DARK WORLD (DIG) THOR: THE DARK WORLD (DIG) THOR: THE DARK WORLD (DIG)

2:15 PM 4:45 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

AVENUES-2 BULLETT RAJA (DIG) BULLETT RAJA (DIG) BULLETT RAJA (DIG) BULLETT RAJA (DIG) LAST VEGAS (DIG)

12:30 PM 3:30 PM 6:30 PM 9:30 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-3 THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG)

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM

AVENUES-4 THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG)

2:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:30 PM 11:30 PM

AVENUES-5 DELIVERY MAN (DIG) 1:30 PM DELIVERY MAN (DIG) 3:45 PM NO FRI DELIVERY MAN (DIG) 6:00 PM NO FRI Special Show “THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG)” 4:00 PM FRI-29.11.2013 DELIVERY MAN (DIG) 8:15 PM CARRIE (DIG) 10:30 PM CARRIE (DIG) 12:30 AM

360º- 1 CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG)

2:00 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

360º- 2 CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (DIG) CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (DIG) CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (DIG) CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (DIG)

2:45 PM 5:45 PM 8:45 PM 11:45 PM

360º- 3 PARKLAND (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG)

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

AL-KOUT.1 THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG)

12:45 PM 3:45 PM 6:30 PM 9:15 PM 12:05 AM

AL-KOUT.2 DELIVERY MAN (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) THOR: THE DARK WORLD (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) THOR: THE DARK WORLD (DIG)

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

AL-KOUT.3 THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG)

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.4 CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

BAIRAQ-1 THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG) THE HUNGER GAMES:CATCHING FIRE (DIG)

12:45 PM 3:30 PM 6:15 PM 9:00 PM 11:45 PM

BAIRAQ-2 CARRIE (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) PARKLAND (DIG) CARRIE (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

BAIRAQ-3 DELIVERY MAN (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG) DELIVERY MAN (DIG) THE FROZEN GROUND (DIG)

1:30 PM 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM

SITUATION VACANT Driver needed for Kuwaiti family, full-time or parttime. Tel: 60623330. (C 4588) Required English speaking maid/nanny. Please call 99824597. (C 4587) 30-11-2013

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available one room in 2 bedroom flat, near Indian/Pakistani school in Farwaniya for working lady.

Rent KD 90. Please contact: 66047733. (C 4589) 2-12-2013 Single room, central A/C available. Very near to AlSalam International Hospital, Benaid Al-Gar, rent KD 90. Please contact: 66612378, 97879611.

(C 4582)

white color, GLX full option, km 16,000, sunroof, alloy rim fog lamp, rear bumper, sensor + camera, wooden interior, cruise control, etc.

Cash price KD 5,450. Tel: 66507741. (C 4590) 2-12-2013 Nissan Pathfinder, 2003 model, in good condition, call 97277135

Toyota Camry 2003, white color, full options, KD 1550.

Tel: 50994848. (C 4591) 3-12-2013 Toyota Camry model 2013

Indian looking for job as computer eng & Asset.

Networking eng, certification: CCNA, ASP-Net, experience three years in Kuwait, visa 18, transferable. Email: mahesh88qv@gmail.com.

(C 4592) 3-12-2013

112 THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is

Sharing accommodation for couple Filipino only near Indian school Jabriya.

Available November 25, 2013. Contact: 99537639.

(C 4581) 25-11-2014

FOR SALE

SITUATION WANTED

1889988 Prayer timings

Fajr: Shorook Duhr: Asr: Maghrib:

05:02 06:26 11:38 14:30 16:49

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Airlines BBC JAI KLM THY JZR JZR QTR PIA DLH GFA THY UAE ETD OMA MSR RJA QTR FDB THY DHX JZR FDB BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KCA KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR ETD FDB IRA GFA DHX MEA JZR JZR TMA UAE MSR SYR FDB

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 3/12/2013 Flt Route 43 DHAKA 574 MUMBAI 411 AMSTERDAM/DAMMAM 772 ISTANBUL 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 1084 DOHA 239 SIALKOT 637 DAMMAM 211 BAHRAIN 764 SABIHA 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI-INTL 643 MUSCAT 612 CAIRO 642 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 1076 DOHA 67 DUBAI 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 503 LUXOR 69 DUBAI 157 LONDON 416 JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 206 ISLAMABAD 3130 KIEV 332 TRIVANDRUM 362 COLOMBO 284 DHAKA 352 COCHIN 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 1070 DOHA 301 ABU DHABI-INTL 55 DUBAI 619 LAR 213 BAHRAIN 870 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 561 SOHAG 213 BEIRUT 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 341 LATAKIA 57 DUBAI

Time 00:05 00:10 00:30 00:45 00:40 00:40 00:55 01:05 01:10 02:10 02:15 02:35 02:45 03:05 03:10 03:15 03:45 04:20 05:35 05:40 05:50 05:50 06:40 06:25 06:45 07:50 07:55 07:40 08:00 08:15 08:45 08:50 08:10 08:40 09:00 09:10 09:20 09:40 10:05 10:40 11:15 11:55 11:30 12:55 12:10 12:50 13:00 13:40 13:50

KAC 514 TEHRAN QTR 1078 DOHA KAC 672 DUBAI KAC 546 ALEXANDRIA SVA 500 JEDDAH KNE 472 JEDDAH JZR 325 NAJAF QTR 1072 DOHA UAE 857 DUBAI ETD 303 ABU DHABI-INTL KAC 562 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA RJA 640 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA SVA 510 RIYADH ABY 127 SHARJAH GFA 215 BAHRAIN UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES QTR 1080 DOHA FDB 63 DUBAI KAC 742 DAMMAM KAC 542 CAIRO JZR 177 DUBAI KAC 786 JEDDAH KAC 678 MUSCAT/ABU DHABI-INTL KAC 774 RIYADH KAC 104 LONDON KAC 166 PARIS/ROME KAC 618 DOHA KAC 674 DUBAI GFA 217 BAHRAIN OMA 647 MUSCAT FDB 61 DUBAI MSR 618 ALEXANDRIA JAI 572 MUMBAI AXB 393 KOZHIKODE ABY 129 SHARJAH IRA 605 ISFAHAN DLH 634 FRANKFURT ALK 229 COLOMBO MEA 402 BEIRUT ETD 307 ABU DHABI-INTL UAE 859 DUBAI GFA 219 BAHRAIN QTR 1074 DOHA FDB 59 DUBAI KLM 415 AMSTERDAM JZR 239 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA JAI 576 COCHIN/ABU DHABI-INTL AIC 981 CHENNAI/HYDERABAD/AHMEDABAD UAL 981 BAHRAIN JZR 185 DUBAI

13:45 13:55 14:00 14:05 14:30 14:35 16:05 16:40 16:40 16:50 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:25 17:30 18:00 18:40 18:45 18:20 18:05 18:20 18:45 18:55 19:30 19:35 19:10 19:00 19:25 19:30 19:55 20:05 20:05 20:10 20:15 20:20 20:25 20:55 21:10 21:20 21:35 21:40 21:45 22:00 22:00 22:05 22:20 22:15 22:30 23:10 23:20

Airlines AIC PIA TAR AXB JAI KLM BBC DLH PIA THY UAE ETD OMA MSR QTR FDB QTR JZR FDB JZR THY RJA GFA KAC THY FDB BAW KAC KAC ABY KAC UAE ETD QTR FDB IRA GFA KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR MEA KAC DHX TMA JZR MSR

Departure Flights on Tuesday 3/12/2013 Flt Route Time 976 GOA/CHENNAI 00:05 206 LAHORE 00:10 327 DUBAI/TUNIS 00:15 490 MANGALORE/COCHIN 00:15 573 MUMBAI 01:10 411 AMSTERDAM 01:45 44 DHAKA 01:45 637 FRANKFURT 02:10 240 SIALKOT/ISLAMABAD 02:20 773 ISTANBUL 02:55 854 DUBAI 03:50 306 ABU DHABI-INTL 04:00 644 MUSCAT 04:05 613 CAIRO 04:10 1085 DOHA 04:15 68 DUBAI 05:00 1077 DOHA 05:15 560 SOHAG 06:20 70 DUBAI 06:30 164 DUBAI 06:55 765 SABIHA 07:05 643 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 07:05 212 BAHRAIN 07:15 545 ALEXANDRIA 07:15 771 ISTANBUL 07:30 54 DUBAI 08:30 156 LONDON 08:45 513 TEHRAN 09:25 671 DUBAI 09:30 126 SHARJAH 09:40 101 LONDON/NEW YORK 09:50 856 DUBAI 09:55 302 ABU DHABI-INTL 10:05 1071 DOHA 10:10 56 DUBAI 10:20 618 LAR 10:55 214 BAHRAIN 11:25 561 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 11:25 541 CAIRO 11:30 165 ROME/PARIS 11:50 677 MUSCAT/ABU DHABI-INTL 12:20 324 NAJAF 12:40 405 BEIRUT 12:55 785 JEDDAH 13:00 511 KANDAHAR 13:00 223 AL MAKTOUM INTERNATI/BEIRUT 13:45 176 DUBAI 13:45 611 CAIRO 14:00

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

UAE FDB SYR QTR KAC KAC KAC KNE SVA KAC JZR ETD QTR UAE JZR RJA ABY SVA GFA JZR JZR UAL FDB QTR GFA KAC FDB OMA KAC ABY MSR JAI KAC AXB IRA KAC DHX ALK MEA ETD GFA KAC FDB UAE KAC KAC JZR KLM QTR JAI JZR KAC

872 58 342 1079 673 741 617 473 501 773 238 304 1073 858 538 641 128 511 216 184 266 982 64 1081 218 283 62 648 361 120 607 571 351 3942 604 343 171 230 403 308 220 301 60 860 381 205 554 415 1075 575 528 411

DUBAI DUBAI LATAKIA DOHA DUBAI DAMMAM DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH RIYADH AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA ABU DHABI-INTL DOHA DUBAI CAIRO AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA SHARJAH RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT BAHRAIN DUBAI DOHA BAHRAIN DHAKA DUBAI MUSCAT COLOMBO SHARJAH LUXOR MUMBAI COCHIN KOZHIKODE ISFAHAN CHENNAI BAHRAIN COLOMBO BEIRUT ABU DHABI-INTL BAHRAIN MUMBAI DUBAI DUBAI DELHI ISLAMABAD ALEXANDRIA DAMMAM/AMSTERDAM DOHA ABU DHABI-INTL/COCHIN ASYUT BANGKOK/MANILA

14:15 14:30 14:40 14:55 15:05 15:20 15:30 15:30 15:45 16:05 16:55 17:35 17:40 17:50 17:50 17:55 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:40 18:50 19:15 19:25 19:40 20:15 20:30 20:45 20:55 21:00 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:10 21:15 21:20 21:30 21:50 22:10 22:20 22:20 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:50 22:50 22:55 23:00 23:05 23:10 23:15 23:25 23:55

34

stars CROSSWORD 387

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) The history and culture of past- and present-day country life, in some place other than your own home, is of interest to you now. You are encouraged to study and learn all you can. This could be a country close to your own country or one that is no longer in existence such as atlantis, etc. This is just one of the few things you aim to add to your list of growing interests about new discoveries and interesting places, etc. You enjoy studying cultural differences, art from different cultures and new ideas that would benefit you and your own work. This may mean you are a tour guide, a travel director, etc.

There is an opportunity to break up old habits—get out of ruts, etc. Insights into your career and practical skills may reach a high point.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Circumstances affect you in a very direct manner. You may become disgusted at an ongoing mess around you just now. A move may be in order—an upgrade from where you are now. Whatever the case, you will change a negative to a positive or create the opportunity to move beyond any difficulties. You have a lot of mental energy now to help you in whatever sort of endeavor you seek to accomplish. If there is no part-time job to keep you busy just now, you might find that your friends are particularly supportive and will keep you company through some social activity this evening. You enjoy the support you receive from those around you. You also enjoy the study of genealogy and may do research tonight with some ongoing information.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. A newt in its terrestrial stage of development.

4. Raspberry native to eastern North America having black thimble-shaped fruit.

12. An undergarment worn by women to support their breasts.

15. Of or relating to or characteristic of Thailand of its people.

16. The quality of being alien.

17. A local computer network for communication between computers.

18. (Roman Catholic) A diplomatic representative of the Pope having ambassadorial status.

20. The capital of Morocco.

21. Gone by.

22. A port city in southwestern Turkey on the Gulf of Antalya.

24. A state in the eastern United States.

25. Type genus of the Rubiaceae.

27. An informal term for a father.

28. British composer (1857-1934).

30. A unit of dry measure used in Egypt.

32. Annual or perennial herbs with large leaves that resemble the leaves of cabbages.

36. A brittle gray crystalline element that is a semiconducting metalloid (resembling silicon) used in transistors.

37. The branch of information science that deals with natural language information.

39. Free from dirt or impurities.

40. (used of eyes) Open and fixed as if in fear or wonder.

43. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska.

48. A rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion.

49. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

50. United States physicist (born in Austria) who proposed the exclusion principle (thus providing a theoretical basis for the periodic table) (1900-1958).

53. The chief source of beryllium.

56. Wild or domesticated South American cudchewing animal related to camels but smaller and lacking a hump.

58. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

59. Being ten more than one hundred ninety.

61. Mentally or physically infirm with age.

62. Characteristic of a mob.

63. A public promotion of some product or service.

65. A colt with undescended testicles.

71. A landlocked republic in eastern Africa.

72. A Bantu language.

74. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

75. Black honeycreepers with yellow feathers around the tail.

76. Source of a wood mentioned frequently in the Bible.

78. A barrier constructed to contain the flow or water or to keep out the sea.

79. (informal) Exceptionally good.

80. A person who lacks good judgment.

81. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

DOWN 1. An inactive volcano in Sicily.

2. Ancient Italian deity in human shape, with horns, pointed ears and a goat's tail.

3. A quality of a given color that differs slightly from a primary color.

4. Admitting of bail.

5. United States comic actor in silent films.

6. The branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively.

7. An emotional response that has been acquired by conditioning.

8. Lack of honesty.

9. A clique that seeks power usually through intrigue.

10. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

11. An Italian poet famous for love lyrics (13041374).

12. Divulge information or secrets.

13. East Indian cereal grass whose seed yield a somewhat bitter flour, a staple in the Orient.

14. Small buffalo of the Celebes having small straight horns.

19. A brilliant solo passage occuring near the end of a piece of music.

23. An associate degree in applied science.

26. A mountain range in western Russia extending from the arctic to the Caspian Sea. 29. 1,000,000,000 periods per second.

31. Belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler.

33. Joint capital (with Riyadh) of Saudi Arabia.

34. The dialect of Malay used as the national language of the Republic of Indonesia or of Malaysia.

35. Hard white substance covering the crown of a tooth.

38. A very light brown.

41. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

42. The 17th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

44. A small refracting telescope.

45. The basic unit of money in Western Samoa.

46. Fishes having large mouths with a wormlike filament attached for luring prey.

47. A unit of information equal to 1024 bytes.

51. Before noon.

52. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

54. Sweetened milk or cream mixed with eggs and usually alcoholic liquor.

55. A sudden short attack.

57. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

60. A roll of tobacco for smoking.

64. (Irish) Chief god of the Tuatha De Danann.

66. Fallow deer.

67. A sudden minor shock or meaningless interruption.

68. King of Saudi Arabia since 1982 (born in 1922).

69. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

70. God of love and erotic desire.

73. A plant hormone promoting elongation of stems and roots.

77. (astronomy) The angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

You will find successful results from your probing questions today. You may be able to successfully complete a project that others have begun long ago.

Because of some experience you have had in the insurance business, you could be called in to help with some diagnostic coding procedures for medical insurance reimbursement issues. You will teach others to become proficient in some long-ago endeavor that turned out very successful for you. Sympathy and understanding from others is of greater importance now. Give sympathy and understanding to others and you will easily have the same.

It is wisdom and not knowledge that counts most now. You may spend a little time this evening mending or taking care of your work clothes.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You are not really the one to cook when it’s time to join a gathering but there are lots of other areas in which to participate if people at work want to gather for a party soon. You might find yourself volunteering to help with refreshments.

Learning how to successfully entertain requires mastering the basic essentials of style, etiquette and planning. You seem to be very organized with little time. Allow yourself the simple ways this season. People find you at your most imaginative and you have lots to offer when it comes to planning. You will also be helping to guide a group to positive results when it comes to decision making.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You are interested in the telecommunications industry and may find yourself studying the emerging new technologies and products. Detailed descriptions of the public networks, data communications including local area networks, current and future products and services may become available to you now. Making your mark on the world has special significance for you. Achievement, ambition and authority take on greater importance. Ambitious schemes and the pursuit of success and status take on a high priority this afternoon. This brings a focus on the practical, the successful, the pragmatic— whatever it takes to get you ahead long term.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) This is a good time to organize and discipline your mind and methods of communication. Perhaps this is also a time for serious thinking. Education and studies of all kinds may be in order. This is a time for perspiration in the idea department. Science, philosophy or religion seems to hold the vital answers at this time in your life—if not for you, someone in your family. True wisdom lies in discovering that there are no ultimate answers, only good questions. Ideological crusades can set your head spinning; distant journeys can stir your soul. This evening you may touch upon very emotional parts of you and find yourself analyzing and psychoanalyzing. You may find yourself caring too much about what others think of you; easy.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) An important relationship, perhaps with an older person or someone in authority, may come into focus. There could be some tension or sense of opposition requiring compromise or negotiation on your part. An opportunity for understanding and even growth is available. Circumstances could dictate your taking action. Be very careful with your words and everyone will be a winner—all day long. This evening you will feel healthy and natural and may decide to encourage those around you to join you in some exercise routine. A light dinner followed by a fun dessert can be an impressive way to enjoy your evening. Yes, even those you live with enjoy being impressed from time to time. Family, home and your sense of roots in life are most important to you.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Unusual vocations may come to your attention and you may want to skirt the crowd and common job trends to head for parts unknown. However, you are beginning to feel more confident and outgoing within your own job structure.

Work that was once placed to the side for another time will now take precedence. You should plan to work hard to bring out and give shape to the ideas you have inspired over these last few weeks. You are beginning to move forward now and can expect rewards for your hard work. You have a growing self-confidence. A problem in the home has your attention this evening, but not for long. Your approach to most problems is original and you develop ways of doing things that create successful and positive solutions.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Your city will hold an impounded and abandoned vehicle auction soon.

Check this out and you can help yourself or a friend obtain a long-needed vehicle for driving back and forth to work. Before going off to work today, you grab a bag of books that will be gratefully received at a thrift shop this afternoon. There is more than one way to save money or to make a little extra money and you could write a book.

Discovering what you truly believe in is a personal priority. Religion, law, politics, travel and higher education are some of the arenas where this takes place. You may find yourself examining and testing ideals. There is time for relaxation this evening. You may enjoy escaping realities with a good book or a little television this evening.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You may become informed of some unusual phenomena that a few scientists have discovered. There may be some research involved in today’s work.

You have some insight into ways you can be helpful. Before presenting your work, proofing or testing the work will catch mistakes you had not been aware of before now. You and others will be quite pleased with the results of your work today. Others respect your ideas as well as your good insight. Your organizational abilities and a sense of responsibility will be what guides you and proves successful. There is talk about becoming involved in some new exercise or new hobby this afternoon.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You have an inner need for communication of all kinds but may have too many things going on to keep up with the pace you have created. You can be all over the place, always trying to make one more connection. Speaking and writing are naturals. You have a need for lots of variety. You put forth a lot of effort, in particular regarding your career. Your drive and ambitions work well with the management skills you have. You create a harmonious work environment. You are at your most efficient when it comes to dealing and working with others. Outer circumstances are favorable and it should be easy for you to see positive results from your efforts. This is a new time in your life when the past should be left behind and new doors open.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Unforgettable, charismatic characters are what make novels and short stories into best sellers and award winners. If you are not writing today, you will be proofing the work of a very good artist. You have respect for whatever work you do.

Your ambition is high and your achievements are many. A period of intellectual creativity has dawned in your life; expressing yourself with flair comes to mean more to you. Beating the odds through cleverness is appealing and may lead to an interest in all kinds of financial speculation. A lover or child who is bright and articulate plays a bigger role in your life.

This is a real time for communication—by phone, letter or in person. You may want to walk or exercise this afternoon. Tonight there is romance.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

lifestyle G O S S I P

Schreiber and Watts teaching kids to be charitable

Walker’s last words:

‘Let’s go for a drive’

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iev Schreiber and Naomi Watts are teaching their sons to be charitable. The couple, who are parents to Sasha, six, and Kai, four, make sure their children realise how fortunate they are by taking them to homeless shelters to play with other children. The ‘Salt’ star told the New York Post’s Page Six: “This time of year- now that I have two small kids — [we’re] finding ways to teach them about generosity and compassion.”

The 46-year-old actor said he and his long-term girlfriend Naomi recently “took the boys up to the [homeless charity] Association to Benefit Children in Harlem, and they basically got to play with the kids for two hours and it was amazing. To do things like this, particularly when they’re related to kids, as we say in the Jewish faith is a ‘mitzvah.’ “Liev admitted his children were upset about giving away some of their toys at first.

He said: “I told [them], ‘We’re going to get our stuff together . . . we’re going to give [homeless children] some clothes. And going to give some of our toys,’ and they immediately flipped out, [exclaiming], ‘Our toys!’ “But once they got there, they enjoyed themselves. He added: “They had [such] a great time playing, [they] wanted to go back every week.” The couple are planning to spend a few days with his family in Virginia over Christmas before flying to Australia to spend time with Naomi’s family.

aul Walker’s last words before his death were: “Let’s go for a drive.” The 40-year-old actor died on Saturday when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in smashed into a tree and burst into flames after he and friend Roger Rodas, who was driving the supercar, decided to go out for a short drive at a charity event.

Roger was in the middle of parking the vehicle into a bay when Paul arrived at the fundraiser at high end car shop Always Evolving - which Paul

had a stake in - after one of his employees was having difficulty backing the motor into the store.

When Roger took the wheel the ‘Fast and the Furious’ star went up to him and asked if they could go out in the Porsche as he hadn’t driven in it yet. Paul’s friend Jim Torp said: “Roger backed it in to the garage and Paul jumped in and said, ‘Hey, let’s go for a drive’. So they went for a little drive and this is what happened.” The Porsche was a mangled wreck following the fatal accident, but

Jim admitted Paul - who is survived by his 15-yearold daughter, Meadow - “had to die this way” as he was such a huge fan of fast cars and spent a lot of his movie career acting in them on the ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise. He added to the New York Daily News newspaper: “It’s strange. “[Walker] made his movies. He lived his life and he died fast and furious today. He loved speed, he loved cars, and he had to die this way. He died in a very fast car with his friend.”

Sir Paul Smith confused about British style

Wilde prefers a natural look

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Earle shares beauty tips with daughter

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iz Earle has passed on her beauty tips to her daughter. The skincare expert - who set up the Liz Earle Beauty Co. in 1995 - has taught her eldest daughter Lily to use the right products for her skin type and most importantly to always remove her make-up before bed. She exclusively told BANG Showbiz: “I hope I’ve taught her not to be obsessive about her looks, as there are bigger issues in life that need our focus.

Like me, Lily has very sensitive, eczema-prone skin, so I’ve taught her to always use her Cleanse & Polish cleanser, never to use anything that foams on her face and to always take her make-up off at night! “She went through a few rebellious teenage years when she didn’t do this, but she does now concede that her mother

was right all along... She now writes a brilliantly inspiring fashion and beauty blog of her own, DeeperDazzle.com, that has a very grounded point of view.” Liz is a firm believer in the power of a simple skincare routine and insists there is no need to invest in expensive products and procedures. The beauty businesswoman explained: “There is a common misconception that you have to invest in lots of expensive, time-consuming products to look your best. I disagree - a simple routine using a botanical cleanser, gently removed with a hot muslin cloth to exfoliate and speed skin cell renewal, topped with a moisturizer rich in skin-plumping plant oils are two of the simplest yet most important skincare steps you can take every day.”

livia Wilde says less is more when it comes to make-up. The ‘Rush’ actress only ever emphasises one feature at a time because she believes women with a strong bone structure should keep things simple.

She told the Metro newspaper: “I would never do a bold lip and a bold eye. It can be done well but I know I have exaggerated features, like a big jaw, so it just doesn’t work for me. “It’s not a bad thing. It’s just a family trait and, as I’ve got older I’ve learned how to work it. Either go bold on the lips, eyes or with something you’re wearing.” The 29-year-old star - who has been a beauty ambassador for Revlon

since 2011 - also prefers the natural look when it comes to her hair and always opts for loose, beachy waves rather than artificial-looking curls.

Olivia explained: “Too many curls look a bit corny. It’s something I call the LA curl. It’s where people put their hair in a curling iron and don’t brush it out. It’s important to keep movement in your hair.” The brunette likes to save up-dos for special occasions as she believes they can look too glamorous. She said: “They can really show off an eye look you’re sporting. But make sure it’s the right kind of up-do. You can’t do the whole Audrey Hepburn hair for a party because it’s too much.”

Blanchett scared by father’s death

Ferrell: I’m a middle-aged version of One Direction

Johansson’s beauty secrets revealed

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carlett Johansson has a highmaintenance beauty routine.

The ‘Don Jon’ actress claims she would “die” if she had to leave the house in under five minutes, but if she absolutely had to, her beauty

must-haves would be concealer, mascara and bronzer. Asked what she would do if she only had five minutes to get ready, Scarlett replied: “Five minutes only? Wow. I think first of all... I would die! But I’d jump into the shower, dry myself, put on concealer, a bit of mascara and to give my skin a healthy glow I’d put on some bronzer.” The sexy star usually prefers to spend more time under the shower, scrubbing her skin to aid the cell regeneration process.

Scarlett quipped: “[I always] shower! I use a loofah because I like to exfoliate my skin daily. It’s an integral part of my routine. I think it’s important to cleanse your body and rid yourself of dead skin every day.” The blonde is famed for her luscious lips and likes to set them off with a slick of ruby red lipstick. She added in an interview with France’s GLAMOUR magazine: “Even if I’m not dependant on one product, I would actually find it hard to go without a tube of red lipstick. It’s my must-have.”

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ir Paul Smith’s aesthetic has evolved since his “traditional” beginnings. The 67-year-old fashion designer thinks British style is harder to sell nowadays, compared to when he first started out when his collections were quintessentially British with a twist. He told The Independent newspaper: “I’m confused about Britishness these days. I’m not sure if it exists any more. When I first started, my very first collection was quite traditional. “It had little tweed jackets, but the tweed was in colours that were unexpected. It had little checked shirts in slightly brushed cotton, which could have been seen as a country shirt, and corduroy trousers ... but now, you don’t really see any British looks. “I’m not sure whether you’d call Savile Row very British these days... The world’s such a small place and we get so much information now. We sell out clothes in 72 countries, so therefore you need Paul Smith fashion rather than a particular Britishness.” Paul - who founded his eponymous company in 1970 - insists he has far more British sensibilities than the clothes he make. He explained: “I’m very British. I’m quite down-to-earth, very polite, have a sense of humour. My personal character is very British, probably more than the clothes.”

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ate Blanchett worried her husband would die before his 40th birthday. The ‘Blue Jasmine’ actress admits losing her father at a young age to a heart attack left her paranoid that her partner Andrew Upton with whom she has sons Dashiell, 11, Roman, nine and five-year-old Ignatius - would succumb to the same fate. Cate recalled to The Observer magazine: “I lost my father young. The earliest memory I have is seeing him in bed when I was 18 months old - I later learned he was recuperating from his first heart attack at 32. He died when he was 40 [of a heart attack], but I don’t think I really quantified the consequences for me until much later, when my husband reached 40. “I was euphoric at his birthday party, like a weight had been lifted. And I thought, ‘Now, there’s the detritus’.” The screen beauty realised she had a pessimistic nature when her first reaction upon winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Aviator’ in 2005 was to panic that her career had peaked. Cate, 44, said: “I can be a real pessimist. You know that when you win an Oscar and you walk offstage and your first thought is, ‘Oh God, I’ve peaked!” The Australian actress says she gets bored of the sound of her own voice and is looking forward to spending some quiet time with her family next year. She explained: “My husband and I have been running the Sydney Theatre Company and it’s been magic - my kids have been able to see so many of those transient moments between acting and real life behind the scenes. “But now that I’ve given it up I’m looking forward to being a bit quieter. I’m very conscious of that. There have been times when I’ve heard myself in the past and thought, ‘Aw, just shut up.’ “

ill Ferrell claims he’s a middleaged version of One Direction.

The popular comedian feels akin to the British boy band because he has started to induce hysteria among teenage fans whenever he goes out in public. Recalling one particular incident in Seattle, he joked: “We had gone out to dinner, and by the time we had left the restaurant, there was a mob of highschool kids outside. There was a panel that blocked part of the window and they were jumping up trying to look.

“I’m a 46-year-old version of One Direction. All five of them packed into one middle -aged guy.” The loudmouthed star - who is returning to screens as hapless newsreader Ron Burgundy in the sequel to cult comedy ‘Anchorman’ - insists he wasn’t always so confident and used to be a painfully shy child. He insisted: “I was extremely shy. I had to meet everyone and until I was comfortable with everyone. I didn’t say a word. Once I got to speak, everyone saw my true colours. “And it’d be like, ‘Wait, you’re funny!’ It’s not that I lacked confidence. I never felt the need to impress anyone, but I wanted to feel that I belonged.”

Despite regularly being voted the funniest man in Hollywood, Will still doesn’t feel like he belongs on the A-list and wonders whether it will all turn out to be a dream. He added in an interview with The Sunday Times magazine: “[I have] massive imposter syndrome. [I always] felt that I had snuck into this black-tie after-party, and at any moment I’ll discover that I’m not only not meant to be here, but I’m also not wearing a tux.

I’m wearing shorts.”

37

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

LIFESTYLE F E A T U R E S

Stay classy: Ron elevision viewers in Bismarck, North Dakota, were treated to some real class this weekend when none other than the great Ron Burgundy read them the news. Actor and comedian Will Ferrell reprised his “Anchorman” role for KXMB’s Saturday night news broadcast. The former “Saturday Night Live” star is promoting “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,” a sequel to the 2004 film about a fictional news team’s sexist reaction to the arrival of an ambitious female reporter.

Dressed in his signature rust-colored three-piece suit and a striped tie, Ferrell read stories offthe teleprompter, punctuated them with exaggerated eye blinks and engaged in witty banter with weekend anchor Amber Schatz and the rest of the Bismarck news team. Schatz said she has watched the original “Anchorman” about 30 times, and the hardest part of co-anchoring the newscast with Ferrell was holding back laughter every time he spoke in character. “The second he said, ‘Good evening, I’m Ron Burgundy,’ I lost it,” Schatz said Sunday. “It was really hard not to laugh.” Ferrell also clowned around, popping into Schatz’s screen while she read a story and telling her after a commercial break, “Amber, you look lovely tonight” before asking her if

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Burgundy co-anchors newscast

she was married. When Schatz told him she wasn’t married, Ferrell replied, “Well I am, so don’t get any ideas.” The online video of the 30-minute newscast, which is making the rounds on social media, is part of a widespread marketing campaign for the movie sequel that has included Dodge Durango commercials, a new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor named “Scotchy Scotch Scotch,” and Burgundy’s own exhibit at the Newseum in Washington, DC. On Sunday, Ferrell headed to Winnipeg, where he helped open Canada’s Roar of the Rings curling championship for broadcaster TSN. The winners will represent Canada in curling at the Sochi Olympics. He even tried his luck releasing a rock on the ice and donned a kilt to the delight of fans. In speaking with reporters, he said the name Winnipeg was Latin for the small tundra bunny who lives in the hole on the hill. As for curling jargon, Ferrell said he knows what “hurry hard” means, but uses it mostly when he’s stuck in traffic to get the driver in front to start moving. KXMB is one of two CBS-affiliated television stations serving central and western North Dakota. The Bismarck station shares programing with Minot’s KXMC, but the two stations produce separate newscasts.

Sales manager Tammy Blumhagen said

Ferrell’s agent contacted the station in May and asked if he could anchor or coanchor a newscast as part of the promotion tour for “Anchorman 2.” She’s not sure why KXMB was selected. “When they called us, we kind of jumped at the opportunity,” she said. No money changed hands, Blumhagen said, and

both the movie and television station are garnering significant publicity from the numerous shares on Facebook and Twitter.

Station managers did want some assurances that the stunt wouldn’t go too far, and Blumhagen said Ferrell was on board with maintaining the integrity of

Will Ferrell as ‘Ron Burgundy’ releases a rock as Glenn Howard and his team look on after the opening ceremonies at the 2013 Roar Of The Rings championship in Winnipeg, Sunday. — AP

the newscast. Schatz, who typically anchors the weekend newscasts alone, said she didn’t learn that she’d share the dais until Wednesday. It was a complete surprise to viewers. During Saturday evening’s newscast, Ferrell occasionally strayed from the script. While extolling the tale of firefighters extinguishing a trash fire in a Sam’s Club parking lot, Ferrell seemed impressed that crews used 500 gallons of water and foam to put out the blaze: “I repeat, 500 gallons.”

He also drew laughs from Schatz when he mispronounced s’mores as “sahmores,” overdramatized his tease of the “Dakota Storm Center,” and noted after the sports segment, “I’ve never seen fighting in a hockey match before. That was fascinating.” Schatz, 31, who has worked in small markets in the Dakotas for eight years, said the whole experience was surreal. If she could choose how to spend her 15 minutes of fame, “I would choose this exact thing.” The news team expected Ferrell to end with his “Stay classy” catchphrase, but he missed the cue, saying: “What? Am I supposed to read that?” The crew got to hear him say “Stay classy, Bismarck,” during the credits, but his microphone had already been cut off. “He did say it, it just didn’t air,” Schatz said. — AP

Madi International, Yas Beauty Spa Salon showcase world-class beauty products t was an ‘open day’ with a difference. Madi International, one of the leading distributors of reputed professional beauty brands across the entire Middle East, and Yas Beauty Spa Salon, the leading beauty solutions provider, showcased world-class beauty products at a select event last week.

During the ‘open day’, organized at the Yas Beauty Spa at The Oberoi Hotel in Business Bay, Madi and Yas Beauty Spa introduced Thalgo products which are used in the Salon. The ‘open day’ was very well attended by experts and members of the media.

Thalgo natural face care and body care products, which harness the beauty of the sea, extend revitalizing and rebalancing properties that are vital for beauty, health and well-being.

Mohammed Madi, President of Madi International Group, said: “The Middle East region is a key area of interest for global brands, and we see an emerging trend for worldclass brands. We at Madi International consider ourselves as the go-to destination for the beauty professionals - and it was a great opportunity to showcase Thalgo to the consumes here.” ELie from Yas Beauty Spa added: “Clients are results driven and being able to create limitless beauty results with Thalgo”.

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Beyonce and Kim Kardashian

Beyonce ousts Kim as 2013’s most-searched person on Bing inger Beyonce was named the most-searched person in 2013 on Bing, the online search engine said yesterday, edging out 2012’s list-topper reality television star Kim Kardashian, who came in second. Beyonce, 32, topped the list in a year where she made a carefully choreographed return to the musical spotlight after taking time out to give birth to her first child, daughter Blue Ivy, with rapper husband Jay Z. The singer performed at President Barack Obama’s inauguration in January, at the Super Bowl in February and kicked off a worldwide tour, The Mrs Carter Show World Tour, in April. The notoriously private singer also revealed glimpses of her life with Jay Z and their baby in a February HBO documentary.

Kardashian, 33, dropped to second place after a big year where she gave birth to daughter North West, and got engaged to rapper Kanye West, the father of her child. The “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” personality topped the list in 2012 and 2010. Women continued to dominate the most-searched list for a second year running, as singers Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Madonna rounded out the top five. Canadian pop star Justin Bieber, who ranked second place in 2012, dropped to sixth place this year.

Rapper Nicki Minaj and pop singer Miley Cyrus, who both made the list in 2012, also were in the top ten this year, joined by troubled actress Amanda Bynes, who came in at No. 8. Pop culture continued to lead web searches, but Obama cracked the list at No. 10 as the only politician in the top ten, faring better than last year, when he was ranked 46th on the list. Search engine Bing annually releases list of its most-searched terms and phrases, breaking it down across topics such as entertainment, sports, technology and news.

The birth of Prince William’s and Kate Middleton’s first child in July topped the most searched news stories of 2013, followed by the Boston Marathon bombings in April.

Facebook led the most-searched social media sites, while online video streaming site Netflix topped the mostsearched streaming sites. Former Denver Broncos football quarterback Tim Tebow was the most-searched sports person, while the Dallas Cowboys topped the most-searched sports team. — Reuters

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Lennon’s schoolyard mischief revealed by auctioned files

chool files detailing the adolescent wrong doings of “classclown” John Lennon fetched nearly £8,500 each in an online auction on Sunday. The pair of detention sheets revealed that the Beatle received punishment for “fighting in class”, being a “nuisance”, “shoving” and showing “no interest whatsoever” during his time at Quarry Bank High School for Boys in Liverpool, northwest England.

The counter culture icon twice managed to accumulate three detentions in one day, according to files kept on Lennon during the 1955-1956 school year, when he was 15 years old. Both documents sold for £8,437 ($13,815, 10,170 euros) in the auction held by TracksAuction.com, a firm based in northwest England.

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Safat Home launches Lollipop Lane

afat Home has always been dedicated to offer its customers with quality international brands that provide endless options for each need, want and preference. Because of its commitment to pleasing its customers with new collections, Safat Home has introduced a new brand from the UK, Lollipop Lane, as the ultimate solution for baby and newborn furniture and accessories.

Considered as one of the UK’s largest nursery brand, Lollipop Lane offers every furniture and accessory item needed for a newborn or baby. Parents of newborns and babies will be delighted with the comprehensive range of baby furniture, cots, cribs, Moses baskets, wardrobe and changing units available at Lollipop Lane.

Apart from baby bedding, customers will also have the change to choose from a wide variety of bumpers, quilts, coverlets, sheets and other baby essentials.

Additional items that help create a more

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baby-friendly atmosphere are the colorful and enchanting curtains, tiebacks, wall decorations and other inspiring dÈcor options.

Renowned for its focus to detail and fine embellishments, Lollipop Lane offers its entire collection with the highest standards of European quality and safety standards at affordable prices.

‘Honeymooners’ star Jane Kean dead at 90 ctress, singer and comedienne Jane Kean died last Tuesday, one of her representatives from SBV Talent told TheWrap. Se died at the Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank where she was taken to the hospital after a fall led to a hemorrhagic stroke. The actress is best remembered for starring with Jackie Gleason in his 1970s revival of “ The Honeymooners” and later TV movies. She played Trixie Norton, wife to Art Carney’s

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Ed Norton.

An accomplished singer, Kean first met Gleason while performing Vaudeville in the 1940s. Her television credits also include several guest-starring roles on “Dallas,” “General Hospital,” “Dream On,” “Growing Pains” and “Scarecrow and Mrs King.” At 16, Kean performed on Broadway in “Early to Bed.” She would then move to Los Angeles where she appeared in several MGM movies and later formed a come-

dy duo with sister, Betty, during a time when all-female comedy teams were rare.

In 2012, Kean performed a one-woman show, which served as a retrospective of her work. She is survived by a stepson from her second marriage, Joseph Hecht Jr., and his family, as well as her niece, Deirdre Wolpert, her husband and two children. Her sister, Betty, died in 1986.

Her second husband and manager, Joe Hecht, died in 2006. — Reuters

lifestyle

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

F E A T U R E S

REHAM GALLERY unveils its 1st Indian art exhibition titled

‘King and his six queens’

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nder the patronage and presence of embassy of India, REHAM GALLERY hosted its 1st Indian art exhibition titled “King and His Six Queens” by the Indian renowned fine artist Jitendra P Suralkar, also known as “Pisurwo”. The 1st Indian art exhibition was inaugurated on Sunday evening and will continue until 5th December at REHAM GALLERY on the 9th floor of AlGhunaim Tower, located nearby The Sheraton Hotel in Qibla area at Kuwait City.

Jitendra P Suralkar, born in 1977, also known as “Pisurwo”, is an Indian origin artist descending from Kalkheda district in the State of Maharashtra, India.

During his course of 16 years, Pisurwo developed his aesthetic skills by following the contemporary school of abstract art institution.

Currently, Pisurwo is showcasing his abstract form of arts into unique masterpieces by portraying multiple human behaviors in his expressive artwork theme titled: King and His Six Queens.

Behind every masterpiece comes an expression of how the King constantly adapts his behaviors to those of his counterparts. A reason why his themed art gallery projects the different stages and transitions of what the King have become today, according to Pisurwo.

Stories cannot be told in narration, however, but can be envisioned on canvas, a reason why Pisur wo reflects human behaviors, characteristics and emotions before the eyes of the beholder.

I t is why REHAM GALLERY is the essential art platform in accommodating Pisurwo’s lifetime experiences following the abstract school of art, which heavily depends on an imaginary form rather than realistic, to include using a

Photos show paintings from REHAM GALLERY art exhibition titled ‘King and His Six Queens’ by Indian artist Jitendra P Suralkar. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

visual language of shapes, colors, lines and forms to interpret a subject matter without necessarily providing before the viewer a recognizable visual reference point.

Commenting on this occasion, The owner of REHAM GALLERY Reham AlMesaeed expressed her joy and happiness in hosting this event with an aim of bridging the cultural gap between both Kuwait and India, not to mention the necessity of fostering a multi-cultural event that establishes art and cultural enrichment towards the Kuwaiti society by introducing contemporary art concepts at the Gallery.

Reham Al-Mesaeed also emphasized the importance of admiring the surrounding art and beauty in today’s age, along with understanding the artistic emotional approach, expressions and feelings through artworks. Admiration, therefore, leads to further art appreciation, and develops further critical think-

ing ofartistic forms being imaginary or realistic, abstract or cubical, surreal or real, all for the sole purpose of establishing a sophisticated level of communication between the viewer and the creative artworks on canvas performed by the artist.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

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‘Fast and Furious’ production delayed after actor’s death

Fans pay their respects at the site of the car accident in which actor Paul Walker was killed in Santa Clarita, California, on December 1, 2013. — AFP photos

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he scheduled shoot of “Fast and Furious 7” has been canceled for Monday in Atlanta as the movie’s producers and studio executives struggle with the sudden death of Paul Walker. An individual with knowledge of the production schedule told TheWrap that director James Wan, producer Neal Moritz and Universal Pictures executives had been on the phone continually since the tragic news of the actors’ fatal car accident hit on Saturday evening. The full implications of Paul Walker’s death for “Fast &

Furious 7” won’t be determined until its cast and crew has had a chance to grieve, but plans to restart the shoot Monday in Atlanta after a holiday break have been scrapped.

Production was more than halfway done when Walker and business partner Roger Rodas were killed in a fiery car wreck Saturday, according to two individuals close to the project.

Walker and the “Furious” crew were on a Thanksgiving holiday break from production when Rodas’ exotic Porsche slammed into a tree

and burst into flames during a charity event their car-tuning company, Always Evolving, was hosting in Santa Clarita.

Shooting was scheduled for this week in Atlanta, including scenes with Walker, who as Brian O’Conner has been a lead character in every “Fast” movie except “Tokyo Drift.” The production was also slated to move to Abu Dhabi later this month, but it now seems extremely unlikely that the cameras will roll as planned.

Though Wan spoke with Universal brass in a

series of back-and-forth phone calls, they did not make any concrete determinations as to how the story or production would be altered - it’s too soon for that, sources told TheWrap. They also have not determined if the scheduled release date will need to change, or how many days production will be delayed.

Walker had recently shot another film, Relativity Media’s action film “Brick Mansions.” An individual with knowledge of the production said that his work was done and the film is in

post-production. “Fast and Furious” is one of the studio’s most successful and important franchises, and turned both Walker and Vin Diesel into international movie stars. The seventh was due to come out July 11 of next year, a little more than a year after “Fast & Furious 6.” Walker played Brian O’Conner, an undercover cop turned car thief and international criminal. He and Diesel starred in the first movie more than a decade ago, and have since appeared in all but one film “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” — AP

Top Chinese filmmaker apologizes

over children

File photo shows Chinese director Zhang Yimou poses during a photo call for his film “The Flowers of War” at the 62nd edition of the Berlinale, International Film Festival in Berlin. — AP

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ne of China’s top movie directors has admitted having three children with his current wife, according to a studio media posting, apologizing after months of speculation he broke the country’s controversial family planning laws. Zhang Yimou, the maker of “Raise the Red Lantern” and “Red Sorghum”, has two sons and a daughter with his current wife, the Yimou Studio said in its verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter. That would mean Zhang, 62, has a total of four children including a daughter with his ex-wife, potentially violating China’s one child policy.

Zhang “would like to make a sincere apology to the public for the negative ramifications caused”, said the posting by Yimou Studio, which says it is affiliated to the director. The disclosure comes after months of speculation that he has seven or eight children by three or four women. Yimou Studio dismissed those allegations as “untrue” and threatened to hold the rumour-mongers legally responsible. “The false allegations have seriously affected the normal life of Zhang Yimou’s family and led to an egregious impact on society,” said the statement.

“We are collecting and sorting out relevant evidence against the rumour-mongers and preserve the right to pursue their legal liability.” China has implemented its family planning law for over 30 years, which currently restricts most parents to one child, with exceptions including some rural families whose first child is a girl, ethnic minorities, and couples who are both only children. It has been at times brutally enforced, say rights groups, while officials say it has been a key element of China’s rising prosperity. Wealthy Chinese are able to have extra children by paying fines, in which case their offspring will have full legal rights, but women who cannot afford to do so have reportedly been forced to have abortions, provoking outrage over the privileges the rich enjoy.

Government employees also face the risk of losing their jobs if they do not adhere to the policy. The ruling Communist Party said last month it would relax the regulations by allowing couples to have two children if one of the parents is an only child. Reaction to the Yimou Studio statement was mixed yesterday. “He obviously violated the law, yet he shamelessly claims their life was seriously affected,” said a comment posted on on Sina Weibo. But some argued having children was a human right and that it was time for the family planning policy to be shelved.

“What is wrong with giving birth to children? Is it right to force pregnant women to abort their foetus?” said one user. Family planning officials in the eastern city of Wuxi, where Zhang’s wife is registered as living, are investigating, reports in state-run media said. —AFP

Spink auction house vice chairman Anna Lee briefs the press on a jumpsuit worn by Bruce Lee during the filming of ‘Game of Death’ in 1972 during a preview of the Bruce Lee 40th anniversary collection auction in Hong Kong yesterday.

— AFP photos

Members of the press gather around various items including a pair of shoes during a preview of the Bruce Lee 40th anniversary collection auction.

Bruce Lee’s famous yellow jumpsuit up for auction B

ruce Lee fans who covet the original yellow jumpsuit that the martial arts legend wore onscreen will get a chance to bid for it at a Hong Kong auction this week. It’s part of a collection of 14 items including clothing and props going on the block on Thursday.

Lee wore the yellow suit, with black stripes down the sides, in “Game of Death.” Lee died in 1973, before the movie was finished. An incomplete version was released that year, followed by a feature-length version in 1978 cobbled together with footage filmed after his death.

Lee’s untimely death at the age of 32 from an allergic reaction to painkillers came at the height of his fame. The actor’s legendary kung fu skills and screen presence helped him become a global superstar and popularized martial arts films across the world. Quentin Tarantino paid homage to Lee’s jumpsuit by dressing Uma Thurman in one for his “Kill Bill” movies.

Spink auction house estimates the suit will fetch 250,000 to 300,000 Hong Kong dollars ($32,250-$38,700).

The auction house said Lee gave the items to his friend

and former student Taky Kimura, who sold them to the collector. Spink said the unidentified collector decided to sell the items this year, which marks the 40th anniversary of Lee’s death.

Other props from “Game of Death” to be sold include a pair of yellow lacquered wooden nunchaku expected to fetch $26,000-$38,700 and a bamboo whip with an estimate of $9,000-$10,000. The auction house’s vice-chairman, Anna Lee, said buyers will get a certificate of authenticity from Kimura. — AP

‘Hunger Games’ blazes at Beckham joins United legends for top of N American box office London film premiere ‘T S he Hunger Games: Catching Fire” blazed at the top of the North American weekend box office for a second week, earning $74.5 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday. The second installment of the blockbuster franchise had debuted last week with the sixth-best opening weekend of all time according to Exhibitor Relations (ERC). The series stars Oscarwinner Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, a teenager forced into a deadly battle for survival in the macabre postapocalyptic kingdom of Panem.

Disney’s computer-animated winter adventure “Frozen” received a warm boxoffice reception, landing in second place in its second week out, earning some $66.7 million in weekend sales. Falling to third place was “Thor: The Dark World,” the latest movie based on Marvel’s iconic comic book character, which took in $11.1 million in its fourth weekend.

Romantic Christmas comedy “The Best Man Holiday,” a sequel 15 years in the making to “The Best Man,” in which old college friends reignite old romances and rivalries, took in nearly $8.5 million for fourth place.

“Homefront” an action-thriller about a former drug enforcement officer forced to battle a meth druglord in small-town America, was in fifth place, taking in nearly $7.0 million in its debut week. Coming in sixth was “Delivery Man.” The comedy,

This image released by Lionsgate shows Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, from left, Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket and Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in a scene from “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” — AP starring veteran funnyman Vince Vaughn holidays.

Falling to ninth place was “Last as a sperm donor who discovers he has sired 533 children, earned $6.9 million. Vegas,” starring Michael Douglas, Robert World War II drama “The Book Thief,” De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin about a girl who steals and shares books Kline on a seniors’ bachelor party to Sin in Nazi Germany, came in seventh, earn- City. It earned $2.8 million. And rounding nearly $4.9 million in its fourth week ing out the top ten was “Gravity,” with out. Debuting in eighth place with $3.9 Oscar-winners Sandra Bullock and million was Christmas drama “Black George Clooney as astronauts adrift in Nativity” about an urban youth who takes space after a devastating accident, earna life-changing trip to New York for the ing $2.6 million. — AFP

ix Manchester United icons including David Beckham on Sunday attended the London premiere of a film celebrating the youth team that would go on to transform the English football club into a global phenomenon. Speaking on the red carpet in front of hordes of fans at London’s Leicester Square, Beckham predicted high emotions when he and his family watched “The Class of 92”, a documentary which goes behind the scenes of United’s legendary 1992 youth team.

The film focusses on the six players who went on to star for the first team during a period of unprecedented success for the northern England powerhouse, under the guidance of recently retired manager Alex Ferguson. The other five players-brothers Gary and Phil Neville, midfielder Nicky Butt, current first-teamer Ryan Giggs and recently retired Paul Scholes-were also in London for the premiere.

“There will be a few tears in there from my mum I’m sure,” said Beckham, who was flanked by his wife Victoria and three sons, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz.

“There were good times, there were bad times, there were troubled times where we all stuck together,” explained the 38-year-old. “But that is part of the movie, part of the history of the six of us. That is why it makes this such a great story.” —AFP

‘Fast and Furious’ production delayed after actor's death

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2013

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Hassan II Mosque:

Pearl

of the Atlantic Ocean

Photo shows the minaret, the world’s tallest at 210 m.— Photos by Sherif Ismail

Mosque is the largest in Africa with world’s tallest minaret

By Sherif Ismail CASABLANCA, Morocco: A visit to Casablanca, the financial capital of Morocco, is never complete without visiting the Hassan II Mosque, a unique example of fine Islamic architecture. It is the largest mosque in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Its minaret, considered the world’s tallest at 210 m, beams an unmistakable laser beam from its top at night in the direction of the qibla.

The Hassan II Mosque is built on the Atlantic Ocean’s shore and contains a 20,000 sq m prayer hall as well as a 80,000 sq m courtyard. It includes a museum, library, Holy Quran teaching school and conference rooms.

Construction works at the mosque began in 1987 and finished on Aug 1993 when it was inaugurated by the late King Hassan II. 2,500 construction workers and 10,000 of the finest craftsmen in Morocco participated in its construction.

Women skydivers break head-first formation record over Arizona S

ixty-three women from around the world linked hands as they plunged head first toward the Arizona desert on Saturday, shattering the female vertical formation skydiving record, the US Parachute Association said.

The skydivers leaped from three aircraft at 18,000 feet (5,486 meters) near Eloy, about 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Phoenix, said Nancy Koreen, the association’s director of sport promotion.

The women were from countries that included the United States, Canada, Australia, Mexico, France, Norway, Sweden and Germany. The record came on the 12th attempt. It shattered the all-women head-first record set by 41 women in 2010, Koreen said. “Everyone

has to perform together, which is what makes the record so challenging,” Koreen, who took part in the successful attempt, told Reuters.

Judges of the Swiss-based Federation Aeronautique Internationale verified the record attempt at the site, she said. Vertical skydiving is regarded as more difficult than freefall, belly-to-earth skydiving. Skydivers hurtle toward the earth at higher speeds in a position that makes control more of a challenge. “When you are on your head, everything happens a lot faster. You have a lot less surface area exposed to the air ... so it’s a harder position to fly and control,” Koreen said.—Reuters

This image provided by Niklas Daniel shows 63 women skydivers setting a new world record for the largest allfemale formation while jumping head down Saturday in Eloy, Aria.—AP