22nd Oct

CR IP TI ON BS SU

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

Violence erupts in Beirut after slain official’s funeral

US and Iran deny any deal for bilateral nuclear talks

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NO: 15606

150 FILS

8 40 PAGES

THUL HIJJAH 6, 1433 AH

Veteran Bollywood director Chopra dies aged 80

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www.kuwaittimes.net

Inter keep Juve in sight with fourth straight win

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Pitched battles in streets as protesters defy police Al-Sabah family, tribes affirm loyalty to Amir

Max 38º Min 21º High Tide 02:45 & 14:07 Low Tide 09:48 & 21:35

conspiracy theories

Killing innocence

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

W

hat is happening in Kuwait? Leave alone, Irada Square and the state of the parliament. Leave alone Musallam Al-Barrak and his group. Leave alone the opposition demonstrating and the surrounding threats. It is a state of chaos everywhere. Even the bourse went down as hell today. This has become a way of life for us. As I am writing my column there are barricades near Irada Square and the Palace of Justice and in other places downtown Kuwait City. Of course the news story of last night’s march is being reported.

I would like to talk about something totally different.

On the way to the newspaper I ran into many kids jumping between cars at the traffic light selling items. This is not the first time this has bothered me and I have written about it. I am writing on the topic again so that when the Ministry of Interior has inshallah time, they will look into it. This is a black spot for Kuwait. Why are these kids roaming in the streets selling tissues and silly toys like torches. Sometimes they carry around cheap bukhoor and sprays too.

It does not matter what they sell. Where do they get all these things from? Who supplies the merchandise?

Who are these kids? Are they expats or bedoons? Could they be Kuwaitis who have run away from their homes to make some cash? I doubt the latter. Where are their families? Do they go to school and just come out to sell on the streets in the evening? This is the time for them to prepare their homework. Or maybe they don’t go to school at all. It is worse if they don’t go to school.

These young kids look like they are between 8 and 15 years old. At this vulnerable age they can be abused and recruited by gangs who are involved with violence.

They could be sexually abused. They could be harassed in an ugly way. What could happen to a kid on the street at night roaming between cars? They could be run over at the traffic light. Who is responsible for these innocent children?

Is it the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour or the Ministry of Interior? Are there rules set by those ministries to find out who are the parents and to question them? Are the parents responsible before the law?

These scenes of children selling on the streets might be more common in a poorer country. In an oil-rich country like Kuwait with a population of 3 million, I find it unacceptable to kill the innocence of children in this way.

KUWAIT: (Left) HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (second right) receives senior members of the ruling family at Dar Salwa yesterday. (Right) Opposition supporters run for cover as riot police fire tear gas on them during a protest near the Kuwait Towers yesterday. — Photos by KUNA and Yasser Al-Zayyat

• Organizers claim biggest demonstration in Kuwait • Police fire tear gas, rubber bullets, sound bombs • Many wounded, arrested as crowds run amok • Bourse records biggest single day loss in years

By B Izzak, Hanan Al-Saadoun and Agencies KUWAIT: Opposition activists said that dozens of protesters were hurt and many others arrested as elite special forces used tear gas, percussion grenades and rubber bullets as they bid to disperse tens of thousands of demonstrators who filled part of the Gulf Road yesterday. Witnesses said they saw around 10 men on the ground apparently after inhaling large quantities of tear gas while several former MPs and activists said they were beaten up by riot police. A number of activists and demonstrators were also arrested including former Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei, spokesman of the

National Front Khaled Al-Fadhalah and his younger brother Rashed.

The organizers claimed that the protesters exceeded 150,000 people, which would be the largest gathering in the history of the state, while independent onlookers said there might have been close to 40,000 and 50,000 protesters. It was difficult to estimate the numbers because protesters were going and coming down the Gulf Road.

Earlier in the day, police went into action very early as they tried to prevent people from gathering in three main sites set by the organizers in Kuwait City. They also cordoned off empty areas along the demonstration

routes in an apparent bid to limit protester numbers by restricting parking. Riot police succeeded in preventing any gathering in any of the three sites, so organizers immediately changed the venue to the Kuwait Towers.

Protesters immediately thronged to the Towers and blocked the Arabian Gulf Road between Mais AlGhanem restaurant and opposite Safir hotel.

In the beginning, riot police did not interfere as people walked in droves toward the new gathering site. But later it went into action again, firing many rounds of sound bombs which dangerously flew overhead and landed on the ground at fast speeds.

Continued on Page 13

(From left) Women run for cover during the protest; Police arrest former Islamist MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei; Protesters flee as a sound bomb goes off; Protesters brandish placards demanding “full democracy”.

Expats favor Kuwait least PARIS: Asia is fast becoming a top destination for professional people and executives who go abroad for their companies, their careers and their bank accounts - the expatriates.

And Europe is largely a place for retirement in the sun, in France and Spain, although Britain and India came top as ideal choices for retirement, a recent survey shows. An exception in Europe is Germany which draws in young people boosting their careers notably in technology industries, and Britain which ranks highly for culture and entertainment.

These are among the main findings of a vast annual survey of so-called “expats” by HSBC bank, published in October. The survey came up with two lists of 30 countries ranked according to the overall expat experience and to Continued on Page 13

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

Local

Education Ministry faces long list of shortages Violations found in schools KUWAIT: Despite a campaign led by Finance Minister and Acting Education and Higher Education Minister Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf to prepare for the new school year, there are still many lacunae and shortages on several fronts which are affecting the educational process. To guard against such shortages, leaves of educational leaders during the summer were cancelled to help prepare in a better way. There were even declarations by the Education Ministry officials that things were better.

However, a report by the preparations committee for all educational zones has shown that shortages were still there even though a month has elapsed after the start of the new school year.

The report, which was issued on Thursday, indicated that the capital education zone was in dire need of science teachers in the intermediate phase, even after seeking the help of chemistry teachers from the secondary schools.

The report, submitted by secretary of general education Mohammad Al-Kandary, also

pointed to the fact that Jahra educational zone was suffering from shortage in several supervisory jobs in boys’ and girls’ schools in addition to the fact that new schools were not furnished with libraries requirements.

Ahmadi and Farwaniya zones were complaining that their schools did not have power connections.

The report indicated that there was a shortage in water coolers, air conditioners and toilets in Farwaniya schools while all zones were suffering from lack of transportation facilities.

Meanwhile, “Al-Jarida” local Arabic newspaper reported that a school administration was taking undue advantage of the female students by selling banned food items. As per an Education Ministry circular, there is a ban on the sale of soda and unwrapped pastries.

Some administrations sell food at inflated prices to the students, which was a deplorable practice.

Informed educational sources said that secondary schools in several areas take advantage

of students by selling them banned foods such as pastries, soda, pizza and other materials that may have artificial coloring banned by the Health Ministry and WHO. They said this practice was widespread across most government schools.

The sources said that canteens of those schools sell the stuff at unbelievably high prices as the price of one pastry is KD 0.250. A canteen in Salwa area sells the French bread with luncheon meat for KD 0.750, and a small bar of chocolate for KD 0.350. They said all the above prices were too high and the same are sold in cooperatives for much less, often at half these prices.

The sources found it strange that violations in this school were not being monitored by its educational zone even though the malpractices were widespread and known to most people.

They said special supervisors must make sudden visits to check what was being sold in schools, and not depend on reports of school administrations which may not be accurate.

Fake policeman in custody KUWAIT: A fake policeman was arrested after he used a stolen badge to set up a security checkpoint in Salmiya. After it was reported that a person in civil clothes but with a police badge was stopping people for questioning, the police headed to the area but the suspect escaped before they could reach. Soon afterwards, police received an emergency call from a man saying that he had picked up a security officer who asked him for a ride to a nearby cafe after stopping him at a checkpoint. The fact that the officer did not have a patrol vehicle raised suspicions of the caller who managed to distract him before making the emergency call. The suspect was arrested after the police instructed the caller to drive to the Salmiya’s police station. He was referred to the proper authorities to face charges after admitting that he got the idea of “intimidating expatriates” after stealing a police badge.

Rapist at large Police are on a look out for a cell phone dealer accused of sexually assaulting a woman customer inside his apartment in Farwaniya. In her statements to local police following the attack, the Filipina victim explained that the suspect gave her the address of an apartment, asking her to collect her iPhone from there once it was programmed. Instead, the suspect raped the woman and kicked her out of the apartment without her smart phone, according to her statement.

Man flees car Hawally police are looking for a male suspect who managed to flee in his car which was impounded, by attacking the driver of the police’s tow truck. The Kuwaiti man was pulled over for driving at a speed of over 195 km/h on the Khathabi Street in AlRumathiya where the maximum speed is 80 km/h. The police let

him go with a speeding ticket but without his car. Instead of leaving, the man waited till the police left the scene and the tow truck arrived, and then escaped in his vehicle after beating up the truck’s Asian driver. The driver later reported the incident to the police.

Forgery case A man was arrested at the Shuwaikh Port when he tried to enter Kuwait on a forged passport. The forgery was discovered after an official decided to double check the credentials of a Pakistani man who seemed nervous upon arrival. He was referred to the proper authorities for investigations. Meanwhile, a 38-yearold Kuwaiti man was held at the Kuwait International Airport before he could catch his flight after police discovered that his name figured in a blacklist due to a case involving some financial dispute.

Sacrificial lambs The driver of a pick-up truck was slapped with a traffic ticket after three sheep jumped off his vehicle and disrupted traffic on the King Fahad Highway. The Bangladeshi man only stopped after other drivers indicated to him that three animals had jumped off his vehicle while he was on his way to transport livestock prepared to be sold ahead of the Eid Al-Adha this Friday. While the sheep were crushed to death underneath other vehicles, no human injuries were reported in the incident.

Drug smuggling Officers at the Salmy border checkpoint (west) foiled a drug smuggling attempt when they intercepted two Gulf nationals trying to travel out of Kuwait on Saturday. The duo raised suspicions, prompting officers to search their car. They were arrested after hashish was found hidden under the seats.

KUWAIT: The British Council Director Andrew Glass and Secretary General for the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters at the exhibition.

‘Out of Kuwait’ exhibition opened KUWAIT: The ‘Out of Kuwait’ exhibition was opened by the British Council Director Andrew Glass and Secretary General for the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters in the presence of many local and international guests at the Museum of Modern Art from Oct 17 to 24.

British Council, in partnership with Contemporary Art Platform Kuwait and the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, have a selection of 12 artists during Out Of Kuwait Exhibition.

Out of Kuwait brings together the work of 12 Kuwait-based artists who have examined and reinterpreted the theme of landscape art during a one month artist residency programme called Landscapes Expanded. The exhibition presents the artists’ analysis of their everyday surroundings and comments on the social, political, and physical landscapes of contemporary Kuwait.

This unique opportunity was inspired by the best of Britain’s Landscape artists, whose work is seen in the British Council’s Out of Britain exhibition currently open at Contemporary Art Platform Kuwait. The programme has given artists living in

Kuwait the chance to explore contemporary issues related to site, space and place in their field of work.

Landscapes Expanded was open to candidates from all creative and academic disciplines with the understanding that this would create a trans-disciplinary forum for thinking and working. Each participant’s expertise and experience in their own field helped to inform the work generated by the rest of the group. For individuals outside of formal education this type of stimulating platform is rare.

This initiative is part of British Council’s exhibition Out of Britain: 100 years of British Landscape Art. Out Of Britain is one of the largest cultural events the British Council Kuwait has organised in more than 50 years and is supported by a full month-long public campaign. As well as this artist residency, Landscapes Expanded includes a series of public lectures led by arts specialists from the UK and Kuwait, and an educational programme for schools.

Out of Kuwait is open at the Museum of Modern Art, Kuwait from Oct 17 to 24.

Out of Britain is open at Contemporary Art Platform Kuwait until Oct 25.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

local

Single vote system improves chances of independents Experts weigh in on new system

Four-member drug gang held

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Drug enforcement agents arrested four suspects on charges of consuming and trading in drugs after one suspect led to another who in turn helped them similarly in nabbing two more. The agents received a tipoff about an Arab expat trading in drugs and using these too. After obtaining necessary legal approvals, the agents arrested him red handed. He confessed that he procured drugs from a compatriot who, too, was then arrested with half a kilogram of hasheesh.

The second suspect led the agents to a third one, who was arrested and 250 grams of hasheesh was found in his possession. This third suspect told the agents about yet another man he dealt with who was also caught and four kilograms of hasheesh was

recovered from him. He confessed that the drug belonged to him and he both used and traded them.

The four suspects were referred to the public prosecutor along with the drugs recovered from them.

‘Give Life’ helps save 1098 lives KUWAIT: Gulf Bank’s ‘Give Life’ blood donation movement continues to outline major success by reaching a milestone of saving 1,098 lives to date. Contributing to this success were 366 donors this week only. These recent statistics were collect-

ed and authenticated by the Central Blood Bank in Kuwait.

Gulf Bank’s blood donation movement ‘Give Life’ aims at building awareness amongst the public so that they can help save lives in a simple and timeless manner. The third round of

visits commenced after the Holy Month of Ramadan, and took place in the Jahra branch on 5 September, Jahra 2 branch on 12 September, Sabah Al-Naser branch on Sept 19, Maidan Hawally branch on Oct 10 and will continue throughout the year in other Gulf Bank branches and venues, in order to involve the wider community in this humanitarian cause.

Fawzy Al-Thunayan, General Manager of Board Affairs at Gulf Bank commented: “We are elated to have reached this significant milestone of saving 1098 lives and sparing families and loved ones from grief. Our blood donation movement aims at spreading awareness of the importance of donating blood to save a life. This cause is one of many crucial causes we are supporting in the hope of helping to reflect the message of people in need to the rest of the society, encouraging everyone to contribute and give back. We encourage as many people as possible to donate their time and blood to save as many lives as possible. As a responsible Kuwaiti financial institution, we will continue taking a leading role in the welfare of our society.” The ‘Give Life’ October visits will be taking place in following branches: Sabah Al Salem, Bayan and Dahiyat Abdullah Al Salem. The visits will provide employees and customers with information about blood donation, as well as the opportunity to donate blood.

New president for Social Media Club KUWAIT: The Social Media Club - Kuwait Chapter announced the appointment of Hind Al-Nahedh as president of the club, a handover made by former president AbdulAziz Bin Houhou.

The Social Media Club is considered to be the first of its kind in Kuwait. Its most important objective is to expand digital media literacy, promote standard technologies, encourage ethical behavior and share best practices such as Blogging ,

Banks to appeal on deposits KUWAIT: A number of local banks are expected to file a grievance against the Public Prosecution’s decision to shelve the multimillion-dinar deposits case in order to avoid lawsuits filed by suspects in the same case seeking damage.

Revealing this, sources close to the Central Bank of Kuwait told Al-Qabas newspaper that the CB “is not entitled to file a grievance” which local banks are allowed to make within 60 days starting from October 17, 2012.

While banks have until December 16 to appeal, the sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity expect it to happen soon after the Eid Al-Adha holidays which start this Friday.

Meanwhile, the sources hoped to see the antimoney laundry law amended soon “to include cases connected with suspicions expressed by banks” in the aforementioned case, thus opening the way for new cases to be filed in the future.

Several local banks had filed cases last year demanding investigation into suspicious inflation of bank accounts of a number of pro-government MPs in the previous parliament, who faced allegations of collecting bribes from the cabinet of then prime minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlSabah.

Content sharing etc . The Main Social Media Club was found back in March 2006 to host conversations around the globe that explore key issues facing our society as technologies transform the way we connect, communicate, collaborate and relate to each other. Social Media Club enables you explore your personal and professional passions by helping you connect with a community of your peers based on both geography and areas of interest . There are 300+ chapters in existence today under this one website www.socialmediaclub.org The club’s most known slogan is “ If you get it,...share it “ and a prominent activity for this year was production of a documentary about the impact of social media sites on various aspects of the Kuwaiti communities’ daily life and emerging businesses and start ups.

Al-Nahedh vowed to continue with all club members on the path of success in a collaborative effort to put and keep Kuwait on the map of social media competing with developed countries through awareness-spreading campaigns and activities along with active countries in GCC such as Bahrain Social Media Club, Headed by the Middle East President Ali Sabkar.

The Social Media Club will appoint a new board of leaders in 2013 to develop new expansion strategies to engage in the region and worldwide.

KUWAIT: A single vote per voter eliminates exchange of votes between candidates, a phenomenon that widely seen in recent elections being used as a means to boost chances of certain candidates who otherwise have a limited chance to get elected, a political analyst told a local newspaper yesterday. Meanwhile, professor of political science, Dr. Abdullah AlGhanim, believes that the new system improves the chances of independent candidates at the expense of those affiliated to political forces.

Regarding votes cast on the basis of tribal and sectarian affiliations, the Kuwait University professor told Al-Rai that the issue is connected to the voter’s culture. “This type of voting found a suitable environment to spread in the four-votes-per-voter system.

However we cannot say what exactly is going to happen once the single vote system is implemented,” AlGhanim said, arguing that voting for a candidate from the same tribe or social sector was a tendency that “remains present in the Kuwaiti society.”

Meanwhile, Law Professor Dr. Ibrahim Al-Hmoud believes that reducing the number of votes is similar to “trimming down the rights of

voter to chose.” “The previous system allowed a citizen to vote for a maximum of four candidates in their respective constituency, which is equal to forty percent of the constituency’s MPs,” the Kuwait University professor said. “A single vote means that the voter’s choice has shrunk to only ten percent of the constituency’s MPs.” Dr. Al-Hmoud further argues that the single vote system causes vote buying to spread “while increasing the value of votes.” “A candidate would as a result be required to work alone which limits chances for coalition with other candidates and leads to lack of coordination between candidates with similar views,” he said while explaining the negative aspects of the new system.

Moreover, Dr. Al-Hmoud believes that the system that divides Kuwait into five constituencies but allows voters to vote once will “boost sectarianism even more” compared to the previous system. “Each social group is going to work to boost the chances of their respective candidates in order to ensure that they are represented in the parliament,” he argued, providing similar explanation about why he believes the new system was going to

increase the primaries carried out by tribes.

HH the Amir exercised his constitutional right on Friday to instruct the cabinet to release an emergency decree under which the electoral law is amended to reduce the number of votes per voter from four to one. The parliament, to be elected on Dec 1, can overrule the decree, but that possibility is far-fetched given the fact that the opposition is boycotting the elections in protest.

In that regard, Constitutional Law Prof Dr. Mohammad Al-Feeli explains that a voter can, for example, appeal the registration of candidates or results of the next elections, under procedures through which the Constitutional Court would determine the level of urgency warranting the emergency decree to amend the electoral law.

The possibility of a ruling that nullifies the upcoming elections are similar to a verdict released last June which reinstated the 2009 parliament after finding its dissolution decree last year to be unconstitutional. The verdict subsequently ruled that the parliament elected last February, in which the opposition won dominant majority, was null and void.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

LOCAL kuwait digest

Local Spotlight

Where did Iraqi oil money go?

Economy and development

By Adel Al Toraifi

O

n the eve of the Iran-Iraq war, Saddam Hussein met with his senior officials to discuss the invasion plan. Saddam put forth his justifications for a war against Tehran, and gave what could be considered an accurate analysis of the regional balance of power: “Saudi Arabia wants to balance us out with Iran, and balance us with Syria, and balance us with Jordan. And Jordan wants to balance us with Syria, and wants to balance us with Saudi Arabia, and wants to balance us...All of this is a soap opera”.

Unfortunately, this perception of the balance of power still exists to varying extents among the minds of some Iraqi politicians, especially Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and his senior aides in the State of Law coalition, even though Saddam Hussein squandered Iraq’s oil wealth in absurd wars that exposed Iraqis to economic sanctions that destroyed the country and its infrastructure.

Last week, the International Energy Agency (IEA) issued a report predicting that Iraq’s oil production could more than double by the end of the decade, reaching 6.1 million barrels per day (bpd).

These estimates come at a time when Iraq’s production exceeds Iran’s thanks to international sanctions, making Iraq the second largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

However, the report also stressed that the Iraqi oil industry requires investments exceeding $530 billion over the next 25 years to achieve this figure, and oil experts believe that political obstacles inside Iraq, especially disagreements between the central government and the Iraqi Kurds, alongside government corruption and the diversion of revenues to other expenditures, could all disrupt economic growth in Iraq.

For these reason, Iraq’s oil has become an obstacle to the country’s political development and natural economic growth. Iraq, like any other oil-rich state, suffers from the “resources curse” - or Dutch disease - named for the problems the Netherlands experienced after the discovery of a huge natural gas field in the North Sea in 1959: when oil or gas is discovered in any country there is a sudden surge in revenues, which often leads to a sharp rise in the local currency, making other sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing less competitive in global markets, leaving oil exports to dominate the economy.

However, the “resources curse” is not the biggest problem plaguing Iraq. Iraq’s real crisis lies in its politicians.

In 1979 Iraqi oil production exceeded today’s, reaching 3.5 million bpd. However, during the war with Iran, production fell to 900,000 bpd, and following the occupation of Kuwait it slumped to 300,000. Under the UN’s “Oil-for-Food” program, oil production rebounded after 1995, reaching 2.2 million bpd by the end of 2000. Yet instead of rebuilding his shattered country, Iraq’s dictator was busy erecting statues and painting murals to commemorate his imagined victory.

Iraq is yet to recover. Al-Maliki’s government, which should be a model of democratic governance in the region, has become a partisan and sectarian monopoly that has further damaged the Iraqi political process. Iraqi oil resources generated $ 100 billion last year, yet the country’s electricity grid, health services and housing stock are suffering from significant problems, with hundreds of millions of dollars lost in fake projects or on imported equipment that does not work. As a result, the government of Iraq is ranked fourth in the world in corruption.

This is not all. His authoritarian tendencies and cooperation with Iran have prompted criticism of his actions and the risks they pose to Iraq’s political future. Although a partnership agreement was signed by Al-Maliki with the winning parties after his party came second in the 2010 elections, the Iraqi Prime Minister ignores it and has retained the top security posts for his party: defense, interior and national security.

However, Al-Maliki’s stance towards the Syrian revolution is the most dangerous, where he rejects the use of foreign intervention to overthrow the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad. This is despite the fact that Al-Maliki came to office in the first place through foreign intervention, in addition to the fact that in 2008 he accused Damascus of being behind terrorist incidents in Iraq.

Several months ago, Syria’s former Ambassador to Baghdad, Nawaf Al-Fares, acknowledged that his country was, with Iranian planning, financing and facilitating the entry of terrorists into Iraq.

Nevertheless, since the outbreak of the crisis in Syria, Al-Maliki has turned a blind eye to Iran using Iraq’s airspace to re-supply the Syrian regime, and has closed the border to Syrian refugees.

According to a report published by the Financial Times newspaper, the Al-Maliki government is sending monthly fuel shipments to the Syrian regime to support its fight against the rebels. Iraqi sources also confirm that dozens of fighters from certain Shiite extremist groups have crossed into Syria in recent months to fight alongside the Syrian regime’s forces.

At a time when the Iraqis are waiting for oil revenues to improve their standard of living, Al-Maliki - in a manner similar to Saddam Hussein - is trying to achieve a regional balance of power through an alliance with Tehran. Perhaps for this purpose he recently visited Russia and the Czech Republic to conclude arms deals worth billions of dollars.

Iraq has the right to buy weapons in order to defend its borders and its territory, but how can it justify doing so given the dismal living standards of millions of its citizens, some of whom do not even have access to clean drinking water?

There is concern amongst some that Tehran will turn to Al-Maliki as a subordinate in the event of the fall of the Al-Assad regime, and that Al-Maliki will use Iraqi funds to implement such an agenda.

Al-Maliki himself once said: “”Today, the region lives (under) a dangerous wave of challenges, the real root of which is sectarianism...some governments spend large amounts of money on stirring sectarian strife”. These are wise words. Al-Maliki should heed them.

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

I

In my view

Respect Amir in word, deed

By Dr Esam Al-Fulaij

T

here is not a single person in Kuwait or abroad who did not condemn the insults hurled by some politicians and those on Twitter against His Highness the Amir. Regardless of how legitimate one’s demands were, or how patient HH the Amir is, behaving with the ruler nicely is something that the law and the Shariah command. It is necessary to maintain a respect for the rule of law and to confirm the relationship between the ruler and the ruled.

The atmosphere of freedom in which we are living in Kuwait was not dreamt of by any Arab citizen, not even by anyone in the entire Arabian Gulf.

Just as we rejected any insult to the people in the name of freedom, it is also fitting, and even more so, to reject the insults being hurled against HH the Amir.

We reject shrill voices of the “shouting brigade” no matter what the differences and mistakes are, because no one can condone the acts of children raising their voice against their father. So, how can one accept raising the voice against one who is considered as the father of all? No one accepts that anyone should raise his voice at the sheikh of his tribe or the senior member of the family, so what about the one who is the sheikh of all?

It is painful that some participants in the gathering are men known to people for their sublime intellect and for keeping good company. They were sorry for having gotten involved in the unsavory talk and having been lured into the “obstacles square”. Even though they did not say anything bad, people tend to generalize and consider themselves friends of those who do unsavory things.

Controlling the youth groups has become almost impossible, especially because of the presence of those who seek to harm Kuwait.

Those who heard the statements of sheikhs of various tribes and eminent families about the dissolution decree and their demand for elections, as also their view about boycotting the polls if the constituencies or number of votes was changed,

know that they have respect for others too, since they expressed their own opinion clearly and courageously without having to shout. Their message was delivered, indeed, very clearly.

It is not new to raise the bar of politeness when addressing the “sublime entity”, and state security or public prosecution must review things right at the start since if any bad practice is allowed, it will become a precedent. Whoever starts such a bad practice must bear its consequences and also the consequences resulting from it becoming a precedent.

This has two sides, practical and verbal.

The practical one in the flagrant attack on the motorcade of HH late Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah while the verbal was the act of the one who sent the faxes claiming the explosions as a “patriotic act”. Despite making this statement in public through a satellite channel, he did not face any legal action. An official at the Ministry of Interior said that “our respect was compromised when we were kept from questioning him.”

Despite all of it, I remind myself and politicians, especially those from the Islamic faction, that “wisdom is what the believer is looking for,” and to arrive late is better than not arriving at all. Those who know the reality understand what is happening currently. We should not let go of 50 years of gains in the form of democracy and freedom.

We do stress that you have good intentions and we do not harbor any doubts about you. Rather, we have full confidence in your patriotism and your keenness in preserving the wealth of this country, the interest of the people, and the stability of the state. So, you should not participate in something that many may think is right, because there are those whose intentions are bad.

I know this is a grey area and the waters are murky. Even the wise at times are puzzled, but those who seek advice do not fail. Let us respect His Highness the Amir in word and deed, and Kuwait unites us all. — Al-Watan

kuwait digest

Escalation of tensions

By Ahmad Al-Sarraf

M

any believe that Kuwait is passing through a for the future. Even here I find many reasons to stay critical period in its history, and that the coun- optimistic.

Kuwait went through two crises during the final try faces multiple dark scenarios which could either send it down a hole that would then require quarter of the past century. The first crisis was the Iraqi many sacrifices before it can be pulled out, or it can fall invasion, whose end brought several benefits which proved that the blood of martyrs did not go in vein. into a bottomless pit.

These scenarios emerge from the recent escalation One of these benefits was the agreement reached durof tensions between the opposition and the govern- ing the 1990 Kuwait Public Conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in which both ment. However, when I comsides realized the strength pare what is going on in The country is certainly not going and legitimacy of the other, Kuwait with developments that other countries have to fall into any pit because both the and subsequently agreed to respect one another in gone through, I find myself sides definitely do not wish such a paving the way for the leaning towards the belief that the next turn of events fate even though their actions might return of democracy as it should be. For some reain Kuwait’s political scene is suggest otherwise. One way or son, however, certain going to be a lot better than the situation prevailing another, everyone is going to even- issues pending between the two sides were not settoday. tually agree to some compromise tled at the time.

The country is certainly The second crisis is an not going to fall into any pit because a complete victory for either ‘invasion’ that came from because both the sides defiside would mean that the entire ediwithin against the governnitely do not wish such a fate fice falls on all of our heads. ment and subsequently even though their actions threatens the country’s stamight suggest otherwise. bility. I believe that the outOne way or another, everyone is going to eventually agree to some compromise come of this crisis will result in resolving the issues that because a complete victory for either side would mean were not addressed during the Jeddah Conference’s negotiations, paving the way for correcting the path to that the entire edifice falls on all of our heads.

Therefore, I believe that both sides are going to democracy in Kuwait.

The only way to end the current disorder and announce in the near future a willingness to give up some of their demands, though not in favor of the oth- achieve stability is by a clear commitment to the coner but in favor of the state’s stability and general inter- stitution, and to the need for full implementation of est. But the argument, as many see it, is not about how the law without any discrimination. Law must apply to avoid falling into a pit, but what approach to adopt equally to everyone. — Al-Qabas

was very happy to follow the speech of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al- Sabah last Friday in which he focused on the need to get the development and economy going in the country to end the stagnation in the local economy and move ahead with a new state policy.

Bearing in mind that the unstable political situation does affect everyone, the country needs a wholesome economic system which was damaged by the chaos and the tension between the legislative and the executive authorities.

I could not agree more with this wonderful speech and the thought and wisdom it contained in view of our downfall in the last 20 years as we are not moving ahead with any development projects.

Now, the 24-minute speech by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait have found its way to the people’s hearts and given them some comfort. They can now appreciate that economy is something that needs to be addressed in this country. The Amir’s speech also made it clear that he will authorize the government to work in this regard and that is where I am a little concerned.

One of the problems in Kuwait is that the resource pool from which the ministers are chosen is not based on any qualifications but is actually a system of how to satisfy different political groups and tribes.

This, I think, should not be the case. All Kuwaiti citizens have equal rights, but it is not necessary that whoever gets a nomination for the position of a minister may have the right experience or qualifications.

I do recall that a couple of years ago, an undersecretary of the ministry of education was given the position of Minister of Health.

I could never accept that idea. I could never see the connection although some said that was alright because the position of a minister is an apolitical one and not technical. Come on, I fail to see how a man can be easily moved from being a school teacher to becoming a doctor? For me, that was exactly what the case was.

No more big employee should be given a position of minister. If we continued with the current policy, then the government would fail to bring to fruition any plan or implement one about activating the economy.

Development needs serious efforts and I really appreciate the call of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait in his historical speech.

Time will reveal how serious we, the people, are about making Kuwait a better place. I think it can get difficult at times but is certainly not impossible.

In my view

A political game without parallel

By Sami Al-Nisf

J

ust as in sports, the political game cannot be played except in the specific field provided for it, which is the National Assembly council.

Also, like all other sports, players have to abide by certain rules and regulations of the game, in this case the constitution, which apply to all without exception, and the rules also mandate respect for the referee’s decisions. The referee in this case is the constitutional court. Again, just as in sports, the referee cannot be accused in advance of being biased or under political influence. The players have to abide by the union administration’s instructions, and of the administration which controls the concerned game, in this case the supreme political leadership in the state.

What is not permitted is an instigation to leave the playground and instead start playing defiantly in the street, or to refuse to abide by the referee’s decision and the instructions of the sports union administration. Also, it is not allowed that the players make the audience themselves participate in the game and project them as players (MPs) who score goals.

All of this has made the Kuwaiti political game a unique kind of sports that has no parallel anywhere in the world and in history.

One of the peculiar things happening in our political game is that some of the old players who should have been an example and point of reference are not abiding by the law and the accepted norms of the game. These people are, instead, insisting that the law or the constitution is to be applied only to one side, not to the other team.

With this understanding of the game, they are misusing their constitutional tools of grilling, inspections, and asking questions, and at the same time, they are preventing the other party from using tools like postponement, constitutional court and legislative committee. Can anyone imagine a game more unjust than this Kuwaiti game?

Part of what is wrong with our political game is the legislation which prevents the executive authority from work, creates repeated political crisis for the government, and then attacks the judicial authority and tries to cancel its constitutional jurisdiction. By creating an indirect dictatorship which later on will lead to an open dictatorship, will make us later shed tears of blood for what we will then recall as better times. We will become like the Egyptians, Iraqis, Syrians, Libyans and others who replaced their just governments with regimes who kill based on identity cards. Such are the governments which were set up under the banners of popular governments. — Al-Anba

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

local Ukraine gets ready for new parliamentary elections KUWAIT: Following is a draft of an interview with Ambassador of Ukraine to the State of Kuwait, Dr Volodymyr Tolkach, on the occasion of parliamentary elections in Ukraine on Oct 28, 2012.

systematic or largely repeated violations cited by EOM during the preparation and monitoring of the parliamentary elections in Ukraine in 2007, which were recognized as elections meeting democratic standards.

The state authorities are making every effort to remedy the deficiencies and investigate violations related to the electoral process, including: bribing voters, “indirect bribing” and other violations of the election campaign; attacks on candidates or employees of their campaign offices; signs of unlawful interference or abuse of administrative resources during the campaign by local and regional authorities.

KT: Your Excellency, as we know, both Kuwait and Ukraine are about to have parliamentary elections. What are your expectations from this significant political event in your country?

Dr Volodymyr Tolkach: Indeed, on Oct 28, 2012, new parliamentary elections will be held in Ukraine. Taking into consideration the importance of this event for further development of different spheres of our country’s internal life as well as its essential KT: As a journalist, I cannot help askimpact on creating international image of ing a question about the relationship Ukraine, its leadership exerts every effort to between the government and local media ensure a democratic, transparent and open in Ukraine? process of people’s declaration of will.

Tolkach: Concerning the state policy The practice of holding the previous par- toward mass-media in Ukraine, in particular liamentary (in 2007) and presidential (in in the context of news about creating obsta2010) elections, whose results were fully rec- cles for broadcasting by some domestic TV ognized by all members of channels, it is worth mentionthe international community, ing the following steps taken confirms a significant by the Ukrainian government: progress of institutions of Pursuant to the Resolution democracy and sovereignty of the Verkhovna Rada (parliaof the people, achieved by ment) of Ukraine “On ensuring our country since its declarauninterrupted functioning of tion of independence in the media in the election peri1991. At the same time, we od in 2012”, approved on Feb 9, still continue to take actions 2012, the measures were taken aimed at correcting any defifor creation of appropriate conciencies detected in the preditions for journalists, eliminavious election campaigns tion of legal, administrative, and improving the mechaeconomic and organizational nism to ensure a clear reflecbarriers for coverage of the tion of the Ukrainian people’s campaign of elections of peowill in the next parliament. ple’s deputies of Ukraine.

Dr Volodymyr Tolkach To my mind, the forth• On Feb 22, 2012 the coming parliamentary elecNational T V and Radio tions in our countries are aimed towards Broadcasting Council adopted decision progressive advancement and strengthen- number 260 “On the suspension of inspecing political stability of our nations. tions of broadcasters during campaign of the parliamentary elections in Ukraine”; KT: How will the election of new mem• Tax authorities decided to omit media bers of the Ukrainian parliament affect from the schedule of inspections beginning the future of Ukrainian-Kuwaiti relations? from the second quarter 2012.

Tolkach: In this context, it will be worthOn the situation around channel “TVi” in while to note that the pre-election atmos- the case of which, some complications were phere prevails not only in Ukraine, but also reported with its broadcasting, it was found in the State of Kuwait. Our countries have that the problem lies purely on the economalready proven their devotion to democratic ic side of the channel’s functioning and principles, so I am sure that we will more there were no signs of any persecution for than successfully pass this usually difficult political reasons. and responsible period in our histories.

According to the results of extraordinary As for the future of our bilateral relations, documentary checking (on April 28, 2012) of considering the solid foundation laid over T V and radio broadcasting company the past 20 years, we can expect positive “TeleRadioSvit” (“TVi”), the State Tax Service results of their restart. And, of course, my of Ukraine in Kyiv made an official report personal expectation about the revival of which recorded tax violations leading to the Inter-Parliamentary Ukrainian-Kuwaiti understating of VAT due to be paid towards Friendship Group activities seems most logi- the budget. cal as it can play a significant role in boostIt should be noted that the actions of the ing the political, trade and cultural coopera- State Tax Service were not a violation of tion between our countries. moratorium on media test (on June 25, 2012) as they regarded actions of the aboveKT: In our conversation you highlight- mentioned T V channel that happened ed the importance of ensuring democrat- before its date. ic process during these elections. Could On Sept 24 “TVi” channel paid its tax you elaborate the actions of Ukraine’s debt, amounting to 4098451 Ukrainian leadership in this regard? gryvnya (nearly half a million US dollars), in a Tolkach: On Oct 4, 2012 Election step that proved its recognition of breach of Observation Mission (EOM) of Office for fiscal discipline.

Democratic Institutions and Human Rights On Oct 10, the issue of withdrawal of of OSCE, which started its work on Sept 12, some TV channels, including “TVi”, from the announced its first interim report on prepa- packages of cable services providers was rations for the parliamentary elections in considered at a special meeting chaired by Ukraine. The mission, headed by O.Hlover, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, M.Azarov. consists of a core group of experts (20 memDuring this meeting, the Prime Minister bers and 90 long-term observers) working addressed a proposal to the State across Ukraine. The interim report is fairly Committee for Television and Radio balanced and contains a number of positive Broadcasting of Ukraine and the National TV assessments regarding the preparation of and Radio Broadcasting Council to review the electoral process in Ukraine, including: together with cable service providers the The electoral environment in Ukraine is principles of forming packages in favor of competitive: domestic broadcasters, including “TVi” chan• The new law creates a solid base for the nel; avoid any worsening of conditions and democratic electoral process with its proper coverage of national broadcast channels, implementation; including “TVi” channel; and, according to • The law provides possibility of inde- the Ukrainian laws, use penalties for willful pendent candidates running; media gets breach of contract with the broadcaster and unrestricted access to all public events relat- removal of TV channels from program packing to elections; repeal of provisions allow- ages by providers without the knowledge of ing adding of voters into the lists of voters the National Council of T V and Radio on election day as well as prohibiting the Broadcasting. parties which have filed nominations for Besides, I would like to add that recent members of election commissions to revoke researches show that the overall length of arbitrarily these commissioners; presence of pro-government (Party of • Positive changes in the election law Regions, CPU) and opposition forces prohibit amending the lists of voters during (Batkivshchyna, UDAR, Ukraine-Forward, the last two days before election day, except Svoboda, Our Ukraine, Radical Party) on amending according to the court judgment leading national television channels are and notice from appropriate authority of nearly equal or even in favour of opposition.

Register maintenance (on election day In this context, comparison can be made according to the court judgment only); with the state of freedom of speech in • The Central Election Commission (CEC) Kuwait, which is famous for its fairly high is actively preparing for these elections, fol- level of journalism in the Middle East lowing timeframes specified by law. 15 CEC region. Kuwaiti mass media’s monitoring of members were appointed to seven-year different events connected with activities period by the Parliament according to the of local opposition groups in its depth and President submission in 2007. The scale is not inferior to a number of materiCommission holds regular meetings which als regarding the Cabinet of Ministers and are open to parties, candidates, media and pro-government MPs. That is perhaps a observers. shining example of providing equal oppor• Most of the CEC decisions are adopted tunities for all participants in the political unanimously, and that ensures that the life in the Emirate and the high level of opposition representatives of the freedom of speech in your country.

Commission bear equally responsibility for the process; KT: At the end, what would you like to • Webcams will be installed in all polling wish to our readers and, I guess, stations during the elections and broadcast Ukrainian citizens living in Kuwait? live the process of the voting in the Internet; Tolkach: Using this opportunity, I would • All participants in the electoral process like once more time to remind everyone can easily appeal to the courts for protection that the external polling station No 90046 of their rights; was created in its premises at the following • Internet access is unlimited, increasing address: Hawalli, Jabriya, bl.10, str. 6, build. the degree of pluralism in the public sphere; 5; and I invite the citizens of Ukraine to take • Political parties and candidates have a part in the parliamentary elections that will right to buy time for political advertising on be held on Oct 28, 2012 from 8am. to 8pm. equal terms; they are also given a certain Please do not forget about fulfilling your amount of free airtime or space in the state civic duty as well presenting your Ukrainian media during the election campaign which passpor t at the polling station on the can be used after registration. The election Election Day. law does not limit the amount of air time for I would also like to request all Kuwaiti political advertising, which may be pur- citizens to exercise their right and elect a chased by political parties or candidates; new Parliament that will promote stable • On Sept 22, the CEC decided to allow political situation and social-economic temporary changes of places for voting only development of the friendly State of within single-member constituencies that Kuwait. I am sure that the upcoming elecprevents the migration of voters (so-called tions will give a new impetus for strength“electoral tourism”). ening wide ranging Ukrainian-Kuwaiti Violations of the electoral process are not cooperation.

Al-Munawer joins oppositionists held for violating Amir authority Complaint filed against Majority Bloc

By A. Saleh KUWAIT: The Public Prosecution commenced investigations after opposition member Osama Al-Munawer turned himself in yesterday to face charges of violating the authority of His Highness the Amir over statements made during a public gathering last week. Al-Munawer joins fellow oppositionists and former lawmakers Falah AlSawwagh, Khalid Al-Tahous and Badr Al-Dahoum who are remanded in jail pending investigations into similar charges.

Subpoenas were reportedly issued for the arrest of fellow Majority Bloc members Jamaan AlHarbash, Musallam Al-Barrak, Salem Al-Namlan, Mohammad Al-Khalifa and Mubarak Al-Wa’lan.

Meanwhile, attorney Yaqoub Al-Sane’a filed an official complaint against Majority Bloc member Hamad Al-Muttar, accusing him of “violating the Amir’s authority” while attending a demonstration last week at the Iradah Square.

In other news, the Appeals Court set Nov 12 for a trial to look into a request to drop charges in AlWatan TV station storming incident. The Criminal Court had sentenced nine suspects to two years in jail each, but owners of the TV station Sheikh Ali Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah and his son Sheikh Khalifa Al-Sabah agreed to drop the charges following a meeting with a delegation from the Mutair tribe.

The waiver will be decided by the court on Nov 12.

Separately, the Criminal Court sentenced a suspect identified as brother of a former MP to two years in prison yesterday after he was found guilty of undermining Heavenly Religions. The man was previously detained after posting remarks on social networks found offensive to God Almighty, Islam and other faiths.

KAC privatization An emergency decree to turn the Kuwait Airways Corporation into a company run by the Kuwait Investment authority is expected to be issued next week, sources privy to the development said. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, indicated that the KIA is set to handle full restructuring operations including renewing the KAC’s fleet within a year, before the company is offered for investors.

“The KAC management is waiting for a notice from the cabinet expected by next week about an emergency decree which will enable the KIA to handle all executive duties and form a new board that lays the down the elements of the new company to be prepared for privatization,” the sources

said. The KAC is expected to finalize the administrative restructuring process within three month.

The process includes laying off employees who are qualified for retirement under the state’s labor regulations, as well as those who wish to be transferred to other public sector departments.

KUWAIT: Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan, Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief (left) met with Tracy Roberts-Pounds, Councilor for Public Affairs at US Embassy in Kuwait on Thursday.

Both discussed various issues of mutual interest. — Photo by Joseph Shagra

KBC to host open day at Fountain Park KUWAIT: Banking sector employees and their families are invited to an open day hosted by the Kuwait Banks Club at the Fountain Park on Saturday November 3, 2012, in cooperation with the Touristic Enterprises Company.

Announcing this in a press release, KBC General Secretary

Ali Al-Thuwaini said a special program including competitions and several other activities has been planned for the open day. The event will start at 11am and will last till 10pm.

Entrance tickets are available at the KBC’s main office in Jabriya, or at the social committees of respective bank offices.

Ali Al-Thuwaini

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

LOCAL

Kuwaiti journalists visit Aleppo rural areas ‘We have over 300 prisoners from the regime’s army, there are Iranian, Lebanese and Iraqi prisoners in Damascus’: Brig Butaish

Member of the Joint Command of the Military Councils Brig Gen Mithqal Butaish (left) with Al-Anbaa’s Adnan AlRashid.

After 18 months of bloodshed, the Syrian Revolution succeeded in breaking down the fear barrier in the minds of the people, and revealed their true essence. It enabled them to prove their capabilities and the extent of their cohesion in order to secure a better future in which they enjoy freedom and democracy. History taught us that time does not move back, and no matter how strong the regime is, it will lose its legitimacy when it sheds the first drop of blood of its own people. Martyrs’ blood will not stop boiling till the regime falls and its symbols stand trial. This is what was confirmed by all those we met inside Syria. Al-Anbaa’s trip to Syria was full of risks, and only our wish to help our brothers in Syria made the trip easier. Despite the hardships and sufferings that the people in Syria are going through, they still kept smiling and raising their hands with “V” signs. Al-Anbaa is the first newspaper that entered the joint command of the military and revolutionary councils, for direct coverage from inside Syria in Edleb and Aleppo governorates to see first hand the military situation and convey the details to our readers as told by leaders of the Free Syrian Army.

The Joint Command of the Military Councils KUWAIT: The member of the joint command of the military and revolutionary council inside Syria and chairman of the revolution’s security in Aleppo governorate, Brig Zaki Ali Loulah said in exclusive statements to Al-Anbaa during a visit to Aleppo rural areas that four brigadiers are leading the joint command of the military councils in consultation with each other.

These four brigadiers are Mithqal Butaish, Saleem Idrees, Abdulmajeed Dubais and Zaki Ali Loulah.

Terming the military situation for Free Syrian Army as good, he said the formation of the joint command has facilitated coordination among various military councils in governorates, particularly at the operational level. The command sets the missions of each brigade.

Loulah said if the FSA had better quality weapons, it would have won the war a long time ago, adding that the FSA only had light weapons and any medium weapons that it has are those won from the regime’s army.

He expressed confidence in the ability of the FSA to push back the regime despite its devastating weapons with the support of Russia and Iran, especially because the regime’s base is crumbling because of defections. That is why it was resorting to the use of long range artillery aircrafts loaded with barrels full of TNT explosives made in Baniyas area.

Our visit inside Syria revealed the true military and security situation.

The regime has little presence on the ground except in some limited areas in Damascus, Aleppo, Hamah and along the coast and the fall of these areas would mean the fall of the regime.

Al-Assad’s regime does not have the courage to carry out effective operations in Syria due to the many defections in the regular army. It can only depend upon long range artillery and the air force, but the FSA, despite its moderate equipment and lack of air defense weapons, was able to shoot down several of its fighters.

We moved towards the Syrian borders from Antakya in Turkey accompanied by several Syrian elements which facilitated our entry into the Syrian territory. Our first stop in Syria was the Edleb rural area to meet with the joint command.

As the first newspaper to enter the headquarters of the joint command of military and revolutionary councils for direct coverage from inside Syria in Edleb and Aleppo governorates, Al-Anbaa was received by members of the joint command of the military and revolutionary councils Brig. Mithqal Butaish and Brig.

Saleem Idrees.

To start with, member of the joint command of military and revolutionar y councils Brig Mithqal Butaish said the joint command was formed according to a structure that depends on three main components: General Command, coordination and liaison office and the military councils in all Syrian governorates.

He said the joint command asked all revolutionary and military forces in Syria to join it and work together for the protection of the revolution and people and get rid of the regime. He said military plans are prepared through a central command and sub-commands in all governorates. Butaish said the coordination and liaison office functions

Al-Anbaa’s team with FSA officials in the Atmah village located in Idlib’s rural area.

Member of the Joint Command of the Military Councils Brig Gen Mithqal Butaish.

The Free Syria Army

Member of the Joint Command of the Military Councils Brig Gen Zaki Ali Loulah shares a conversation with Al-Rashid about the military conditions inside Syria.

as a link between all operators on the ground on one hand and the general command on the other.

He stressed the importance of consistent communication during any military action which makes the function of the liaison and coordination office very important.

He said the goal behind forming the joint command was to unify the military inside Syria because of ongoing developments on the military front as well as the continuous revolutionary activity, ensuring that the council is where the new fighters and defectors go.

Butaish said the structure of the joint command includes financial,

yet the problem is in supplies or arming the forces in remote areas such as Damascus and its rural areas, Dera’a and Homs as the regime closes the roads periodically.

Also, it does not differentiate between the rescue and military supplies and targets everybody.

Speaking about the difficult situation in Homs, he said he has asked Vice president of SNC Mohammad Taifoor to move and help the middle region especially since people there are without food for about four months and the price of a bread bag has reached 85 Syrian lire.

He said that there are 1,800 families in old Homs area whose skin is flaking because of malnutrition. He said a Syrian who lives in Germany helped with food tablets that help survive for a day and the joint command is working on taking these to the city. He said there should be fair distribution of humanitarian aid based on priorities.

He said “Atamah” is in good condition and has power, water and telephone communications and people are able to carry out their daily life but the major problem is in Homs.

Butaish said the FSA only has light weapons which it wins from the regime’s army during battles, and sometimes resorts to buying weapons from some people in the regular army.

He said the FSA does not lack men but it suffers from severe shortage of quality weapons. He said despite the large number of fighter jets that were knocked out, the regime still has enough air power.

He said that the perseverance and power of the FSA men has forced the regime’s jets to fire from extreme heights and that is why now they do not hit the targets accurately.

Butaish said the number of POWs from the regime’s army with the FSA is more than 300 now. He said there are Iranian, Lebanese and Iraqi pris-

Defection reached 40% amongst the military, 50% in Sunni officers who are only 10% of the regime’s army officers arming, rescue, judicial and media branches. He said each branch has several specialized offices in addition to an operations office in each branch as a small staff command.

Butaish said the number of military councils under the joint command is 14, adding that at least 90 percent of groups and brigades joined the military and revolutionary councils in the governorates who also are under the joint command. He said the joint command works on protecting the military from the regime’s penetrations, since it has professional know how in intelligence operations. It works through a brigade with the mission to protect each military council, in addition to a brigade meant to protect the joint command.

Butaish said there is coordination and harmony between the joint command and the Syrian National Council, while at the same time confirming that the command does not have representation in SNC. He said there is full coordination among the military councils in the governorates and the command,

Al-Anbaa’s Osama Deyab (fourth from right) and Mateen Ghozal (left) in a group photo with Free Syria Army soldiers.

Rebel soldiers in a group photo taken in Idlib’s rural area.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

LOCAL

Regime ignores its prisoners, does not trade them, they are only fuel for its dirty war against the Syrian people

Member of the Joint Command of the Military Councils Brig Gen Mithqal Butaish (left) with Adnan Al-Rashid and Osama Deyab.

oners in Syria adding that 70 percent of regular army soldiers have left the service and the regime used Shabbiha instead.

He said the idea of negotiating with the regime to exchange the POWs with FSA members is useless because the regime does not care about its soldiers and does not seek their return because it uses officers and soldiers as fodder for its dirty war against the Syrian people even if they were Alawaits.

He said some of the Alawaits soldiers currently with the FSA as POWs have been requesting that the FSA should open negotiations with their families for their release instead of talking to their regular army commanders.

He said soldiers who surrender voluntarily will be tried, and most will be released if they are not found involved in massacres. He said the best evidence of FSA’s approach is an Alawait lieutenant who, according to witness, was trying to avoid killing any civilians. Once this fact became known, he was released and taken by an FSA soldier to an area near where his family lived. This soldier is still in contact with the FSA. He said defections from the regular army were on the rise and more than 40 percent of the soldiers and 50 percent of Sunni officers, who account for 10 percent of the army’s officers, have defected so far. He said most officers who defected went to neighboring countries to join the joint command. He said soon there will be an operations center in Jordan.

Butaish said the formation of the joint command in Syria gave the FSA a larger area to move and they now have liaison officers who provide them information.

He said the regular army has become weak to a point where it is difficult for it to even carry out quality military operations or intelligence in far flung areas on the ground. The regime is almost at its end and will totally peter out soon. He said the FSA needs quality weapons for air defence, and anti-armored vehicles weaponry. There is a severe shortage of all types of communications equipment.

He said the joint command has specialized training centers to train civilians who join the military council in the governorates.

He added, “We were keen on having those who can train and use weapons.”

He denied that the joint command received a whole shipment of weapons from Libya’s revolutionaries.

He said there are no units belonging to Islamic factions, not even the so called Arab fighters in the joint command formation or military councils in governorates.

Butaish said the FSA controls more than two-third of the Syrian territory, and operations are on in all governorates and areas, namely Dara’a, Damascus and its rural areas, Homs, Hamah, Edleb, Raqqa, Hasaka and Deir Al-Zour. Tartoos is the only area where operations are not on because it has an Alawait majority.

He said Edleb alone has 98,000 fighters, 16,000 of whom are armed, and hence there is no need for Arab or foreign fighters but FSA cadres do need quality weapons. He appealed to the Arab governments to open their warehouses for FSA just like what Iran is doing with the regime.

Meanwhile, member of the joint command Brig Saleem Idrees said there is a large group of defected soldiers in Jordan who want to join the joint command, but their problem is that whoever

Rebels patrolling in Idlib’s rural area.

leaves the camps cannot return unless he was injured. Besides, most of them do not have passports. He said the joint command does not have the means to take them to Syria, and also lacks contact with the Jordanian side to discuss the issue.

Meanwhile, head of the military council in Hamah Brig Ahmad Khalid Badawi said the regime concentrates on four areas of Damascus, Aleppo, the coast and Hamah. For that reason the regime, continues to send supplies to those areas only because they are most important for them and if they fall, the regime will follow.

He said the Hamah rural area is surrounded with Alawait villages, and the regime is holding on to it to protect the Alawait sect.

The joint command of the military and revolutionar y councils in Syria announced its acceptance of the truce called for by international community for Arab envoy to Syria Al-Akhdar alIbrahimee during Eid Al-Adha break. This was due to its keenness to preserve Syrian blood as the command stipulated that the Syrian regime comply with several issues including the release of detainees, especially the women, break the siege of Homs, and regular forces should not take advantage of the truce to fortify its areas.

The command said in a statement read by Brig Mithqal Butaish that in case the regime breaks any of the truce points, the command will no longer be committed to it.

Dr Anas, a young Syrian doctor belonging to a family that dedicated itself to help the Syrian people and its revolution, said, “The criminal regime in Syria does not differentiate between men or women, young or old, civilian or uniformed. Despite all its attempts to scare the people and break their will, they remained steadfast and are facing death with bare chests in order to gain their freedom and defend their dignity.”

Many thanks and appreciations for member of Kuwait Al-Khair team, which comprised seven NGOs, namely, Head of Rescue Programs at the World Islamic Charity Authority Salah Al-Jarallah, Islamic Heritage Revival Society representative Dr Ahmad Al-Koos, representatives of Al-Najat Charity Society Jaber AlWanda and Abdelaziz Al-Obeid, representatives of Al-Rahma International Society, which belongs to the Social Reform Society Bader bu Rahma and Abdallah Al-Hazeem, in addition to the representative of Sheikh Abdallah AlNouri Society Jamal Al-Nouri. The team also included representative of Patients Aid Fund Faisal Al-Yaqout. Many thanks to all of these for their efforts to help the Syrian refugees, and for the journey from Kuwait to Istanbul, then Antakya, before entering Syria to hand over the aid by hand, and get to know first hand the needs of our Syrian brothers.

Member of the SNC’s executive office, Khalid Al-Saleh

Al-Rashid (seated second right) and Deyab (standing left) in a group photo with top FSA officials.

The National Council asked to nominate 5 leaders to partake in Doha Conference

The Syrian National Council’s banner

Member of the Joint Command of the Military Councils Brig Gen Zaki Ali Loulah speaks to Al-Rashid and Deyab inside a field hospital in Aleppo’s rural area.

Head of the Military Council of Hama Brig Gen Ahmad Badry.

Al-Rashid with Idlib native Al-Hajj Abu Anas who invited Al-Anbaa’s team for lunch at his house in the city’s rural area.

Al-Anbaa’s team during Al-Hajj Abu Anas’ lunch.

Member of the Joint Command of the Military Councils Brig Gen Dr Saleem Edrees.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

Former US presidential candidate McGovern dead

Brahimi urges truce as bomb rocks Damascus Page 10

Page 11

BEIRUT: Supportors of the March 14 movement, which opposes the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad, take cover as security guards from the governmental palace in Beirut fire tear gas to disperse the crowd who stormed the building after the funeral of top intelligence chief General Wissam al-Hassan and his bodyguard, in downtown Beirut, yesterday. —AFP

Lebanon police tear-gas protesters Call for anti-Syria demo at police chief’s funeral BEIRUT: Lebanese police fired in the air and used tear gas yesterday to repel protesters trying to storm the premier’s office, amid calls for him to quit after a top security official was killed by a car bomb blamed on Syria.

The funeral of General Wissam al-Hassan had been billed as a protest against Syrian meddling in Lebanon, but quickly turned into anger at Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose government is dominated by pro-Syria parties.

Tension was also rife elsewhere, especially in the northern city of Tripoli, Mikati’s hometown, where clashes between supporters and opponents of the Syrian regime wounded eight people, a security official said.

Just minutes after Hassan’s funeral ceremony in Beirut, “young people headed towards the building in the city centre, but security forces blocked them by firing into the air and using tear gas,” a policeman told AFP. The group was estimated at a couple of hundred people. During funeral orations for the slain police intelligence chief, angry former premier Fuad Siniora called on Mikati to resign, adding his voice to many others since Hassan and two others were killed and 126 wounded on Friday.

Siniora, parliamentary chief for opposition leader and ex-premier Saad Hariri, said the “government is responsible for the crime that killed Wissam and his chauffeur. That is why he must go.”

“Mikati, you cannot stay in your post to cover up this crime,” he said. “If you stay, it means you agree with what happened and what will happen.”

Despite calls for him to step down, Mikati said after an emergency cabinet meeting he had agreed to stay in his post at the request of President Michel Sleiman to avoid a “political vacuum” in volatile Lebanon.

The opposition has widely blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the attack, as it did in 2005 when Hariri’s ex-premier father Rafiq was killed in a huge Beirut blast.

In a show of defiance against Assad, a banner proclaimed “Two states, one revolution,” an allusion to the 19-month rebellion in Syria that has cost more than 34,000 lives.

“Bashar out of the Serail,” proclaimed another, referring to the seat of government.

After a solemn military farewell at Internal Security Forces (ISF) headquarters, the body of Sunni Muslim General Hassan, 47, was trans-

ported to Martyrs Square along with that of his chauffeur.

They and a third person were killed and 126 people wounded when the powerful bomb exploded in the upmarket mostly Christian district of Ashrafieh.

After the funeral at the massive Al-Amine Mosque, Hassan was buried in the mausoleum of his mentor, former premier Rafiq Hariri.

It was Hariri’s death, in which a Hassan-led probe pointed the finger at Damascus, that sparked an outcry which forced Syrian troops to withdraw from Lebanon after three decades of occupation.

Ahmad Fatfat, an MP in the bloc of Hariri’s son Saad, said earlier “Syrians left Lebanon then, and we want to prevent them for good from returning; we also want the Iranians out,” he said of Assad’s chief regional ally.

He accused the government and the Shiite movement Hezbollah, which dominates it, of wanting to “bring Bashar al-Assad back to Lebanon.”

Martyrs Square was dotted with huge billboards of a saluting Hassan and the slogan “A martyr for truth and justice.”

Many people carried the flags of Lebanon,

the Future movement, part of the March 14 anti-Assad coalition, and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party. Others waved the Syrian revolutionary flag.

Tamam Ali, a 27-year-old Future activist, warned: “It’s not just today. We were here yesterday and we’ll be here tomorrow and in the future.

“First of all, we want the fall of this government. We want the Syrian embassy kicked out and we want an end to Hezbollah’s power of arms.”

Abu Jawdeh, a 42-year-old surgeon carrying the flag of Christian party the Lebanese Forces, used a powerful surgical metaphor regarding Hezbollah, an ally of both Syria and Iran.

“You can’t expect Hezbollah to give up easily or hand over its weapons peacefully. But clearly, Lebanon is going into a phase similar to open-heart surgery. In order to fix the heart, you need to break the ribs.”

Hezbollah’s militia never disarmed after the devastating 1975-90 civil war and is Lebanon’s most powerful armed force.

Eight people were wounded in clashes Sunday in Tripoli, where a Sunni cleric was killed overnight Friday after being caught in

crossfire after the office of his pro-Hezbollah Sunni party Tawhid was attacked.

Simmering tension from the 19-month conflict in Syria has erupted into deadly fighting this past year, reflecting divisions in Lebanon where the Mikati government is dominated by pro-Damascus parties such as Hezbollah and its allies.

Mikati linked Hassan’s murder to the August arrest of former minister Michel Samaha, who is suspected of planning attacks to provoke sectarian strife in Lebanon at Syria’s behest.

“After the discovery of explosives, logic dictates that the two cases are related,” he said, without mentioning Syria by name.

During yesterday’s ceremony at ISF headquarters, President Sleiman urged the judiciary to expedite pressing formal charges against Samaha.

Under Hassan’s direction, the ISF played a central role in the arrest of Samaha at his home, where police found explosives investigators allege were to be used against figures suspected of backing Syria’s opposition.

No one has ever been tried for Hariri’s murder, but a UN-backed tribunal indicted four members of Hezbollah who remain at large. —AFP

Bahrain detains seven over killing of policeman

EKER: Bahraini opposition activist Zainab Al-Khawaja, left, gestures as she shouts “God is greater than any tyrant,” while being arrested by police officers in Eker, Bahrain, yesterday. Authorities in Bahrain detained AlKhawaja, the daughter of a jailed opposition leader, and two other activists yesterday seeking to enter the village under a security clampdown following a bombing last week that killed a policeman. —AP

ABU DHABI: Seven people in Bahrain have been detained over the killing of a policeman last week, the Gulf Arab kingdom’s government said yesterday, as activists tried to break through police checkpoints around the village where he lost his life. Bahrain, which hosts the US Fifth Fleet, has been convulsed by unrest since February last year following mass demonstrations led by majority Shi’ites demanding democratic change in the Sunni-led monarchy.

The ruling Al Khalifa family brought in Gulf Arab troops, mainly from Saudi Arabia, and imposed over two months of martial law to end the uprising. The incident in the early hours of Friday was the first in which a policeman had been killed since martial law ended in June 2011.

Policemen were attacked by rioters with petrol bombs and an unspecified “explosive device”, the authorities said.

“Seven Bahrainis have been detained and have been referred to the public prosecution in the case of a bombing attack in al-Eker ... in which one policeman was killed and a second

critically wounded during a routine patrol,” a statement from the government’s Information Affairs Authority said.

It named the slain policeman as 19-year-old Imran Ahmed but did not give his nationality.

Many Pakistanis and some Arab nationals serve in Bahrain’s riot police - a source of friction with protesters.

The opposition, which says more than 45 people have died in clashes since martial law ended, want full legislative powers for parliament and for the makeup of the Cabinet to be approved by parliament too. The Cabinet has been headed by an uncle of King Hamad bin Isa since 1971.

Wefaq, the main opposition group in Bahrain, said yesterday that clashes had broken out near al-Eker, south of Manama, after some rights activists and medics tried to enter the village, which police have blocked off since Friday.

“Al-Eker is still under siege and nobody is allowed in or out, even cars carrying food supplies are prevented from reaching people there,” Wefaq said in a statement. The government

statement said checkpoints had been set up as part of efforts to find those behind Ahmed’s death. “The security measures put in place in alEker in the form of checkpoints at the entrances of the area are aimed at verifying the IDs of those entering and leaving the village,” it said.

The United States has backed the government throughout the unrest but called for dialogue with the opposition. The US Fifth Fleet would be key to maintaining oil shipments out of the Gulf if the United States’ standoff with Iran over its nuclear energy programme led to military confrontation.

Separately, an appeals court reduced jail sentences for Mahdi Abu Deeb, the head of the teachers’ union, and his deputy Jalila Salman, for calling for strikes during the uprising, the state news agency and activists said.

The civilian court reduced a 10-year military court sentence against Abu Deeb to five years and a three-year sentence against Salman to six months. The court had dropped charges relating to freedom of expression, the IAA said. —Reuters

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

i n t e r n at i o n a l

Iran denies report on secret nuclear talks with US TEHRAN: Iran yesterday denied a New York Times report that it was engaged in direct bilateral talks with the United States over its disputed nuclear programme. “We are not involved in such a thing right now,” Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told reporters when asked about the newspaper’s article.

The White House on Saturday also denied the report that cited unnamed officials in President Barack Obama’s administration as claiming the US and Iran had agreed in secret talks to one-on-one negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

“It’s not true that the United States and Iran have

agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American elections,” National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement.

Vietor said Washington would continue to work with global powers on a “diplomatic solution” to the nuclear stand-off. He added that the US “said from the outset that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally.”

The New York Times said Iran had insisted that the negotiations not begin until after the US presidential election on November 6. Salehi, meanwhile, did not exclude a resumption of talks between Tehran and

the P5+1 group-the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany-after the election.

“In the latest negotiations, it was decided that the next meeting would be held in late November. But no date or venue has been set yet,” Salehi said. The talks with Tehran are being pursued by the West, in addition to a series of sanctions imposed by Europe, the United States and the UN Security Council, with the aim of pressuring Iran to curb its programme of uranium enrichment.

But those talks have stalled for years, with the latest round collapsing in Moscow in June. Salehi’s

announcement confirms a statement by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov who said on Thursday that new talks were possible in November between Tehran and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents the P5+1 in the talks. “It would be realistic to talk about organising one in November,” Ryabkov said while refusing to speculate where such a meeting might take place.

Western powers accuse Tehran of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb, a charge which Iran has repeatedly denied, saying its nuclear energy programme is purely for peaceful purposes. — AFP

Brahimi urges truce as bomb rocks Damascus Nine killied in Harasta

BANI WALID: Members of the pro-government forces gather yesterday, some three kilometers from the northern entrance to the Bani Walid, one of the final bastions of Moamer Gaddafi’s regime.— AFP

Deadly clashes in ex-Gaddafi bastion TRIPOLI: Fresh clashes in a former bastion of Moamer Gaddafi killed at least 26 people, as confusion swirled yesterday over the fate of one of his most-wanted former aides, Mussa Ibrahim.

The government had announced Saturday that Ibrahim, mouthpiece of the toppled regime, had been captured in the western town of Tarhuna, between Bani Walid and Tripoli, exactly year after Kadhafi was himself captured and killed.

But later a government spokesman said there was no confirmation of the capture and an audiotape surfaced on the Internet purportedly with Ibrahim himself denying the report. Mohammed Megaryef, president of the national assembly, gave a sombre assessment of the post-Gaddafi period on the first anniversary since his capture and killing on October 20, 2011.

Not all areas had been successfully “liberated”, he said, and warned that loyalists and criminals, particularly those sheltered in Bani Walid, continued to pose a threat to the country.

“The campaign to liberate the country has not been fully completed... Bani Walid’s misfortune is that it has become a sanctuary for a large number of outlaws and antirevolutionaries and mercenaries,” he said.

Many Libyans are persuaded that heavy weight personalities of the previous regime, including Gaddafi’s son Khamis, took shelter in Bani Walid after the end of the 2011 conflict.

Social networking sites were abuzz yesterday with “rumours” of their capture. The confusion is rooted in a late Saturday government denial and the posting on Facebook of an audiotape in which a man who identifies himself as Ibrahim paid tribute to fallen dictator Gaddafi.

“On the subject of my arrest today... it is an attempt to draw attention away from the crimes committed by NATO’s rebels against our people in Bani Walid,” said the man, in the tape whose authenticity could

not immediately be confirmed.

Fierce fighting erupted on Saturday as pro-government forces pushed closer to Bani Walid’s centre, said military spokesman Colonel Ali al-Sheikhi.

The fighting left at least 26 people dead and more than 200 wounded, according to an AFP tally based on hospital tolls from Bani Walid and Misrata, where pro-government forces were being treated.

A medical official in the town said the violence subsided after sundown. Bani Walid’s military commander earlier reported heavy shelling and accused the new authorities of giving militias “a green light to exterminate us.”

Forces linked to the army, most of them former rebels, have this month encircled the hilltop town in a bid to capture the men who kidnapped and allegedly tortured an ex-rebel from Misrata credited with capturing Kadhafi.

The death of Omar ben Shaaban, 22, stoked tensions between Misrata and Bani Walid, neighbouring but historically rival cities which found themselves on opposite sides of the 2011 conflict.

Megaryef, the de facto head of state, said the operations against Bani Walid “do not target this brave city or its people, rather they target culprits, wanted people, the accused and infiltrators. “This is not a genocide or ethnic cleansing as erroneously claimed by some. It is a campaign to restore legitimacy.”

Many elders and commanders in the town have vowed to repel any advance by “lawless militias.” They question the neutrality of the national army, which is still being formed and relies on former rebels.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya also expressed concern. “In the interests of national reconciliation and longterm stability of the country, a mediated settlement is urgently needed,” said the UN envoy to Libya, Tarek Mitri, in a statement urging the protection of civilians.—AFP

Israel PM vows to continue construction in Jerusalem JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday pledged to continue unhindered construction in Jerusalem, including in its annexed eastern sector, despite criticism from the European Union. “We are not putting any limitations on building in Jerusalem, it is our capital,” he said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. “The same way that (states) build in

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu smiles during the weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem office, yesterday. —AP every capital-London, Paris, Washington, Moscow-Israel builds in Jerusalem,” Netanyahu said. “Our bond to our capital is no less ancient and powerful.”

The interior ministry on Thursday gave final approval for plans to build 797 homes in Gilo, a settlement neighbourhood in the southern flanks of east Jerusalem on land seized during the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed in a move not recognised by

the international community. It sparked criticism from EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton who said she “deeply regrets” the decision. “Settlements are illegal under international law and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible,” a statement said. Israel says Jerusalem is its “eternal, indivisible” capital, and does not view construction in the east as settlement activity. But the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as capital of their future state and fiercely oppose any extension of Israeli control there.

But Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said he “completely rejected” the EU’s remarks on Gilo, saying the neighbourhood was “an inseparable part of Jerusalem and we have no intention of apologising for that,” in a statement issued late Saturday.

“We will continue to build tens of thousands of apartments throughout the city and for all sectors” of the public. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman also lashed out at the EU, saying “such automatic condemnations betrayed a lack of basic understanding of the reality in the region.”

“The Gilo neighbourhood is an inseparable part of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem an unseparable part of Israel,” he said.

Such condemnations, he said, “only encourage the Palestinians to continue refusing negotiations and continue antiIsrael actions in the international arena”-a reference to Palestinian attempts to seek upgraded UN status. “The EU should better focus on the problems emerging between peoples and nations on European soil, and after their successful resolution, we would be happy to hear proposals regarding solving the problems with the Palestinians,” he said.— AFP

DAMASCUS: Peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi yesterday appealed to both sides in Syria’s conflict to cease fire for a Muslim holiday this week after meeting President Bashar al-Assad, even as a deadly blast rocked Damascus.

In Syria’s capital, a bomb exploded outside a police station in a Christian quarter of the Old City, killing 13 people, the state news agency SANA reported, blaming rebel. The bombing came as UNArab League envoy Brahimi, after meeting Assad, called for “unilateral” ceasefires by the regime and the rebels for the Eid al-Adha holiday that starts on Friday. “I appeal to everyone to take a unilateral decision to cease hostilities on the occasion of Eid al-Adha and that this truce be respected from today or tomorrow,” he said. The envoy told reporters that the ceasefire call was his “personal initiative, not a blueprint for peace.”

“This is a call to every Syrian, on the street, in the village, fighting in the regular army and its opponents, for them to take a unilateral decision to stop hostilities,” he said. Brahimi added he had contacted political opposition leaders inside and outside Syria and armed groups in the country. “We found them to be very favourable” to the idea of a truce, he said, in a cautious note of optimism.

“We will return to Syria after the Eid (feast) and if calm really takes hold during the feast, we will continue to work” on ending the 19-month conflict, said Brahimi, on his second mission to Damascus since taking up the post in September.

Assad, in his meeting with Brahimi, said he was “open to all sincere efforts to find a peaceful solution to the crisis on the basis of a rejection of any foreign interference,” SANA reported.

He stressed calls for “a halt to terrorism” and “commitment on the part of certain implicated countries to stop harbouring, supporting and arming terrorists” in Syria.

In a meeting on Saturday, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and Brahimi discussed “a halt to the violence ... in order to prepare for a global Syrian dialogue, free of any foreign intervention,” SANA said.

Syria has repeatedly accused its neighbour Turkey as well as energy-rich Saudi Arabia and Qatar of supporting the armed insurgency. Hassan Abdel Azim of the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria, a tolerated opposition group not involved in the armed revolt, on Saturday voiced support for the proposed truce.

Such a ceasefire could pave the way for a political process if it were broadened to include the

release of prisoners held by the regime and the supply of medical aid to beleaguered citizens, he said.

Brahimi has visited several countries with influence in the Syrian conflict over the past week, including Lebanon and Iran, while warning that the violence could spread and set the entire region ablaze. Such fears were compounded when a massive car bomb exploded on Friday in Beirut, killing three people including a senior police intelligence chief linked to the anti-Damascus camp in Lebanon, General Wissam al-Hassan.

Lebanon, which was under Syrian military and political domination for 30 years until 2005, has been divided over the conflict in Syria and has seen violence between supporters and opponents of the Assad regime.

Damascus has emerged as prime suspect in Hassan’s assassination, despite Syria joining international condemnation of the killings.

After the Beirut funeral, Lebanese police teargassed demonstrators trying to storm the offices of Prime Minister Najib Mikati and demand his res-

ignation over the killing.

On the ground, clashes were reported yesterday in several parts of Syria, including Damascus province and the northern city of Aleppo, a key battleground for three months.

A car bomb exploded in the Sarian district of Aleppo, wounding several people, an AFP correspondent said. A security source said the blast was caused by “a suicide car bomber.”

In the Damascus province town of Harasta, nine people, including a child and three rebels, were killed in clashes and shelling, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which also reported bombardment of the nearby town of Irbin.

Renewed fighting was reported at the southern entrance to Maaret al-Numan, a strategic town on the Aleppo-Damascus highway that fell to the rebels on October 9, severing a key army supply route.

The Britain-based Observatory gave an initial death toll of at least 55 killed nationwide on Sunday, adding to its estimate of more than 34,000 dead since March 2011.—AFP

DAMASCUS: A Syrian man looks at damaged cars at the site after a car bomb attack in Bab Touma neighborhood, a popular shopping district largely inhabited

by Syria’s Christian minority in Damascus, Syria, yesterday. —AP

Fatah claims victory in first West Bank poll RAMALLAH: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah party was yesterday claiming victory ahead of the results of local elections in the West Bank, in the first such vote since 2006. Although preliminary results were due to be released at 1600 GMT, Fatah officials and supporters were openly jubilant after 12 hours of voting in a ballot which was boycotted by the rival Hamas movement which rules Gaza.

“Fatah won a victory in this election,” party spokesman Ahmad Assaf told AFP. “Despite Hamas’s efforts, participation was good which proves that people reject Hamas policies,” he said, without elaborating. Shortly after the polls closed, supporters in the southern city of Hebron took the streets to celebrate their victory. The

Central Elections Commission put turnout at 54.8 percent, with chairman Hanna Nasser saying the vote had gone “very smoothly.”

The last time the Palestinians voted was in the general elections of January 2006, which the Islamist Hamas movement won by a landslide; Hamas also chalked up major wins a year earlier during the last local elections.

This time however, Hamas refused to take part following the collapse of unity talks with Fatah, leaving the Abbas’s party to face off with independents and leftist factions like the PFLP and DFLP. For the first time on Saturday, there was a noticeable absence of the usual faction flags on the streets, with only Palestinian flags and candi-

dates’ posters visible, AFP correspondents said.

Assaf said the party had been successful because its lists were carefully chosen. “In some cases, they were 100 percent Fatah and in other cases we made a joint list with independents and other factions,” he said.

“Even though Hamas boycotted the elections, we feel that this election was better than in 2005 because the party was focusing on the services that the people need.”

Turnout of 54.8 percent was “a success.” “People went to the polling stations at their own, they weren’t forced which means they were looking for change and to improve their situation,” he said. Umar Rahal, director of the Shams Democracy Institute said turnout was “acceptable.”

BAGHDAD: Iraqis inspect the aftermath of a bomb blast in Kazimiyah neighborhood, Baghdad, Iraq, yesterday. Back-to-back bomb blasts in a crowded Baghdad market near a revered Shiite shrine and a string of shootings targeting government officials killed at least 17 people Saturday, police said. — AP

“People were frustrated with the political deadlock so in these circumstances, 54.8 percent was acceptable,” he told AFP. Fatah had done a decent job of putting together joint slates which “was good.” With Hamas absent, the vote was largely seen as a test of discipline and the balance of forces within Fatah, which has struggled with internal division after 45 of its members ran on non-party lists, prompting their dismissal.

In the northern city of Nablus, Fatah won half the number of seats won by the rival “Nablus National Independent” list put together by party rebels. “We are thrilled with what Fatah has achieved in these elections at a national level,” said Mahmud Shtayyeh, head of Fatah in the northern Nablus district.

“In the towns and villages around Nablus, we had the best results, but in the city itself there was a problem and we got five seats, while the rival list got 10,” he told AFP. “We accept the result. This is a Palestinian democracy and we respect the results from the ballot box.”

Saturday’s vote was only held in 93 municipalities, as candidates in another 179 areas were appointed unopposed. Elections in the remaining 82 areas will be held on November 24.

After voting, Abbas said he hoped Hamas “will let the democratic process take place in Gaza.” But Hamas said the vote cemented the yawning divide between the two factions. “These elections reinforce the division,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told AFP, saying the results would have “no significance or legitimacy.”

UN peace envoy Robert Serry expressed hope the poll would “serve as a prelude to general elections being organised next year in all of the occupied Palestinian territory in the context of reconciliation” between Hamas and Fatah. — AFP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

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

France assesses damage as Lourdes floodwaters abate TOULOUSE: A massive cleanup was under way in the French pilgrimage town of Lourdes yesterday as firefighters pumped water from its famed Catholic sanctuaries after flooding forced the evacuation of hundreds of pilgrims.

The waters from days of nonstop rain in the region had begun to recede but the main places of worship remained closed to the public. Thierry Castillo, the custodian of the sanctuaries, told AFP that the estimate of the damages ran into “hundreds of millions of euros.”

Pope Benedict XVI evoked the flooding at a special mass Sunday in the Vatican where he named seven new saints, saying: “Let us turn to the

Virgin Mary with a thought for Lourdes, the victim of flash floods which inundated the grotto where the Madonna had appeared.”

The national weather service lifted the “orange alert” for rain that it had issued for the area, but left in place an “orange warning” for floods. “ The waters rose between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am, but less than Saturday morning. The floods are currently receding.

Things are returning to normal.

There’s no major worry anymore,” said David Ribeiro, a sub-prefect of the region, told AFP. Several areas in the town, including a grotto which attracts millions of visitors annually, were inundated on Saturday as the river Gave de Pau burst

its banks, leading to the closure of the main places of worship.

Many of the pilgrims are drawn by the spring waters of the shrine, which the devout believe can heal and even work miracles. Buses ferried guests from all the hotels in the lower town to a conference centre and a sports complex on Saturday. Two campsites were also evacuated and several roads closed in Lourdes, where Catholics believe the Virgin Mary appeared to peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous in a cave in 1858.

The water was around one metre (three feet) deep in front of the grotto and 80 centimetres in the avenue du Paradis, where most of the hotels for pilgrims are located, after what offi-

cials said was the worst flooding in 25 years.

Yesterday, the waters had receded from the streets but in many places left mud and slush up to 10 centimetres high. The body supervising the sanctuaries said a hydro-electricity unit providing power to the shrines had been badly damaged as well as two pedestrian walkways on the side of the river.

“There has been serious damage,” said Castillo, the custodian of the sanctuaries, adding that the electricity unit had been battered “by two tree trunks transported by the Gave de Pau.” Entry to the sanctuaries was barred, and many visitors voiced disappointment, like Laura Generini, an Italian

who turned 39 yesterday. “I hope I will be able to pray at the grotto before I leave,” said Generini, who came from Florence. Others were undaunted. “We will return in spring,” said Eric Alves d’Olivera, from the southern French city of Montpellier.

Shops hawking souvenirs were however open yesterday, and some owners complained that the reaction to the flash floods was too heavyhanded and hurt their business.

“There is great panic over something not that big. We have seen worse like in 1982,” said Lise Aldaz, who owns a souvenir shop. “Luckily this came at the end of the season,” she said. “It’s sad for the people, especially the foreign visitors.” — AFP

Former US presidential candidate McGovern dead Lost 1972 presidential bid

VIGO: Galician citizen, right, votes in Vigo, northwestern Spain, yesterday.

Almost 4.5 million people went to the polls yesterday in regional elections in Spain’s turbulent Basque region and in Galicia. — AP

Spain leader faces votes in two crisis-hit regions BILBAO: Spaniards battling a deep recession voted yesterday in two snap regional elections that could deal a blow to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Rajoy’s right-leaning Popular Party has imposed tough austerity measures on the eurozone’s fourthlargest economy and now faces votes in the premier’s home region of Galicia and in the Basque Country.

The elections are full of risks for the Spanish leader as he agonises over whether and when to snatch a eurozone rescue line to help finance the nation’s soaring public debt. Many investors believe the prime minister is waiting to get the two votes out of the way before requesting a rescue, keeping world financial markets on edge.

In Galicia, which has 2.7 million eligible voters including 400,000 abroad, the Popular Party was defending a tight, absolute majority. Opinion polls gave it hopes of keeping power. But Rajoy risks a humiliating upset if his prescription of deep spending cuts and higher taxes causes voters in Galicia, where the unemployment rate is 21 percent, to punish his party. Economic pain and cuts in education and health are fuelling discontent across the country’s 17 powerful regions.

In the rain-swept Basque Country, a proindependence coalition is expected to enjoy a surge in support in the first regional vote since armed separatists ETA renounced the use of bombs and guns.

One voter, 43-year-old engineer Inaki Arteaga, said both the economy and the new climate in the Basque Country weighed on his mind. “These elections have two keys: the economy and the fact that this time anyone who wants to can vote,” he said.

A 60-year-old unemployed electrician, Elvira Saotua, said young people were desperate for jobs. “It is very bad for the

young people around here. Most of them don’t have work,” she said. Rajoy, who is already struggling to contain pro-independence demands in northeastern Catalonia, which goes to the polls on November 25, has urged Spaniards to stay united. To vote for his Popular Party “is to bet on the values that unite all Spaniardsvalues that are the same for us in Galicia, in the Basque Country, Catalonia and all of Spain,” he said before the elections.

“There is a choice between stability, moderation and common sense, or confusion, uncertainty and constant stress,” he warned. The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), a conservative nationalist party, was ahead in opinion polls before the Basque vote, in which nearly 1.8 million people are eligible to cast ballots.

But a new coalition of left-wing Basque separatists, Euskal Herria Bildu, is likely to come second. The alliance has filled the space left by the ETA-linked Batasuna party, which was outlawed in 2003. The big question is whether the Basque National Party will seek an alliance with Bildu or another party. “If it is with Bildu, the question of (Basque) identity, of ties with Spain, will play a central role in its coalition,” said Anton Losada, political science professor at the University of Santiago de Compostela. ETA is blamed for 829 deaths during its four-decade armed campaign for an independent Basque homeland in parts of southern France and in the northern Spanish region. Though the Basque unemployment rate is well below the national average of 25 percent it remains high even at 14.5 percent, and central government demands for spending cuts have fed resentment against Madrid. On October 20, 2011, ETA announced a “definitive end” to its armed activities, but has not formally disarmed or disbanded as the Spanish government demands. —AFP

Russia troops kill 49 militants in N Caucasus MOSCOW: Russian troops yesterday reported killing 49 militants in a massive security sweep that followed angry comments from President Vladimir Putin about raging violence in the troubled North Caucasus.

The National Anti-Terror Committee said the operation was conducted across several republics of the volatile Muslim region and resulted in the removal of some of the most “odious” guerrilla commanders and their followers. “The coordinated action helped terminate the activities of several odious gang leaders, gang members and their associates, substantially damaging the system under which the bandits operate,” the Interfax news agency quoted a committee statement as saying.

The committee said the “large-scale and massive” raids involved both local and federal troops and that 90 militia bases had been destroyed.

However, it gave no details about the time frame for the operation or when it started. Putin held a meeting on Friday on the North Caucasus in which he berated officials for failing to do enough to bring the region under full control after it witnessed two post-Soviet wars for the independence of rebel Chechnya. The region has since witnessed an Islamist

insurgence that has focused most heavily on Chechnya’s larger eastern neighbour Dagestan and the tiny, poverty-wrecked republic of Ingushetia. Russian official are especially concerned about security on the restless frontier as they prepare to stage the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, near the border with ex-Soviet Georgia.

Putin referred to the Winter Games and Russia’s subsequent plans to host the football World Cup in 2018 as reasons to keep a close eye on the problem. “I would like to point out that a series of very major events-both sports-related and political-will soon be held in Russia,” Putin told his most senior security advisers during the meeting.

“It is a matter of honour for all law enforcement officials to ensure that these events are staged in a normal, businesslike and festive manner, so that nothing can put a pall over these events.” Putin did not specify what political events he had in mind. Russia held elections in March that saw the veteran leader return to a third presidential term. Security officials had last year announced uncovering a plot to attack Sochi during the Olympics that they linked to guerrillas based not only in the North Caucasus but also Georgia, Russia’s regional foe. — AFP

SIOUX FALLS: George S. McGovern, a proud liberal who argued fervently against the Vietnam War as a senator from South Dakota and suffered one of the most crushing defeats in presidential election history against Richard Nixon in 1972, died before dawn yesterday.

He was 90.

A spokesman for McGovern’s family, Steve Hildebrand, told The Associated Press by telephone that McGovern died peacefully at 5:15 am yesterday at a hospice in Sioux Falls, surrounded by family and lifelong friends. The family had said in a statement late last that McGovern had become unresponsive while under hospice care.

“We are blessed to know that our father lived a long, successful and productive life advocating for the hungry, being a progressive voice for millions and fighting for peace.

He continued giving speeches, writing and advising all the way up to and past his 90th birthday, which he celebrated this summer,” a family statement released by Hildebrand said.

Hildbrand’s statement said funeral services would be held in Sioux Falls and that the details would be announced shortly. He did not elaborate. A decorated World War II bomber pilot, McGovern said he learned to hate war by waging it. In his disastrous race against Nixon, he promised to end the conflict in Vietnam and cut defense spending by billions of dollars. He helped create the Food for Peace program and spent much of his career believing the United States should be more accommodating to the former Soviet Union.

Never a showman, he made his case with a style as plain as the prairies where he grew up, often sounding more like the Methodist minister he’d once studied to be than a longtime US senator and three-time candidate for president.

And McGovern never shied from the word “liberal,” even as other Democrats blanched at the label and Republicans used it as an epithet. “I am a liberal and always have been,” McGovern said in 2001. “Just not the wildeyed character the Republicans made me out to be.”

Americans voting for president in 1972 were aware of the Watergate break-in, but the most damaging details of Nixon’s involvement wouldn’t emerge until after Election Day. McGovern tried to make a campaign issue out of the bungled attempt to wiretap the offices of the Democratic National Committee, and he called Nixon the most corrupt president in history, but the issue could not eclipse the embarrassing missteps of his own campaign.

McGovern was tortured by the selection of

Missouri Sen. Thomas F. Eagleton as the vice presidential nominee, and 18 days later, following the disclosure that Eagleton had undergone electroshock therapy for depression, the decision to drop him from the ticket despite having pledged to back him “1,000 percent.”

It was at once the most memorable and the most damaging line of his campaign, and called “possibly the most single damaging faux pas ever made by a presidential candi-

Determined not to make the same mistake, presidential nominees have since interviewed and intensely investigated their choices for vice president. Former President Bill Clinton got his start in politics when he signed on as a campaign worker for McGovern and is among the legion of Democrats who credit him with inspiring them to public service.

“I believe no other presidential candidate ever has had such an enduring impact in defeat,” Clinton said in 2006 at the dedication

NEW YORK: In this Aug. 12, 1968, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen George McGovern (D-SD) waves on his arrival to New York. A family spokesman says, McGovern, the Democrat who lost to President Richard Nixon in 1972 in a historic landslide, has died at the age of 90. — AP date” by the late political writer Theodore H. White.

After a hard day’s campaigning - Nixon did virtually none - McGovern would complain to those around him that nobody was paying attention. With R. Sargent Shriver as his running mate, he went on to carry only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia, winning just 38 percent of the popular vote.

“Tom and I ran into a little snag back in 1972 that in the light of my much advanced wisdom today, I think was vastly exaggerated,” McGovern said at an event with Eagleton in 2005. Noting that Nixon and his running mate, Spiro Agnew, would both ultimately resign, he joked, “If we had run in ‘74 instead of ‘72, it would have been a piece of cake.”

McGovern’s campaign, nevertheless, left a lasting imprint on American politics.

of McGovern’s library in Mitchell, S.D. “Senator, the fires you lit then still burn in countless hearts.” George Stanley McGovern was born on July 19, 1922, in the small farm town of Avon, S.D, the son of a Methodist pastor. He was raised in Mitchell, shy and quiet until he was recruited for the high school debate team and found his niche. He enrolled at Dakota Wesleyan University in his hometown and, already a private pilot, volunteered for the Army Air Force soon after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Army didn’t have enough airfields or training planes to take him until 1943. He married his wife, Eleanor Stegeberg, and arrived in Italy the next year. That would be his base for the 35 missions he flew in the B24 Liberator christened the “Dakota Queen” after his new bride. — AP

US prepared to meet one-on-one with Iran WASHINGTON: The White House says it is prepared to talk one-onone with Iran to find a diplomatic settlement to the impasse over Tehran’s reported pursuit of nuclear weapons, but there’s no agreement now to meet.

National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said Saturday that President Barack Obama has made clear that he will prevent Iran from getting a

nuclear weapon and will do whatever’s necessary to block that from happening. Vietor said Iran must come in line with its obligations, or else faced increased pressure.

“The onus is on the Iranians to do so, otherwise they will continue to face crippling sanctions and increased pressure,” Vietor said in a statement. He noted that efforts to get Iran back to the table with the five permanent members of

KIEV: Ukraine’s recently-retired football star Andriy Shevchenko signs autographs as he arrives at a campaign rally of Ukraine Forward! party in Kiev yesterdau, one week ahead of the parliamentary polls in the country. Shevchenko bewildered even admirers in July when he announced he was quitting football to join the new Ukraine Forward!, a pro-business party run by Nataliya Korolevska that some suspect has been set up by the authorities. — AFP

the UN Security Council and Germany - the so-called “P5+1” continue. Iran has been a recurring issue in the presidential election campaign and Vietor’s statement was released shortly after The New York Times reported Saturday that the US and Iran have agreed in principle for the first time to negotiations. The paper said Iran has insisted the talks wait until after the Nov. 6 election.

Vietor, however, denied that any such agreement had been reached. “It’s not true that the United States and Iran have agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American elections,” he said. “We continue to work with the P5+1 on a diplomatic solution and have said from the outset that we that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally.”

Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will meet Monday night in a debate focusing on foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear ambitions will likely be a topic. Obama has said he’ll prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

He hopes sanctions alongside negotiations can get Iran to halt uranium enrichment. But the strategy, which began during President George W. Bush’s administration, hasn’t worked yet.

Obama holds out the threat of military action as a last resort.

Romney has accused Obama of being weak on Iran and says the US needs to present a greater military threat.

Despite unprecedented global penalties, Iran’s nuclear program is advancing as it continues to defy international pressure, including four rounds of sanctions from the UN Security Council, to prove that its atomic intentions are peaceful.

Those sanctions, coupled with tough measures imposed by the United States and European nations are taking their toll, particularly on Iran’s economy. Iranian authorities have in recent weeks been forced to quell protests over the plummeting value of the country’s currency. The rial lost nearly 40 percent of its value against the US dollar in a week in early October, but has since slightly rebounded.

US officials say they are hopeful that pressure from the sanctions may be pushing Iran’s leaders toward concessions, including direct talks with the United States.

But several said on Saturday that they did not believe such discussions would happen any time soon. If one-on-one talks are to occur, they would likely follow the model that the US has used in sixnation nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea, the officials said. — AP

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

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

Myanmar leader says open to aid for Muslims NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar has no choice but to accept foreign aid for Muslims hit by recent sectarian violence or it will face an international backlash, President Thein Sein said yesterday.

His comments follow a series of protests by Buddhists in Myanmar against efforts by a world Islamic body to help Muslims affected by the violence in the western state of Rakhine.

Dozens were killed in the BuddhistMuslim clashes and tens of thousands displaced on both sides.

“We need humanitarian assistance.

If we reject the humanitarian assistance, the international community will not accept us,” Thein Sein told reporters in his first domestic press conference since taking office 18 months ago. “We have to feed the people. It costs $10,000 a day,” he said of the Rakhine camps. “Our government cannot afford it. We are not in a situation to feed the people in the camps with the help of ordinary citizens so we have to accept humanitarian assis-

tance from the international community. If we do not accept the humanitarian assistance they will say we are not human.”

More than 50,000 Muslims, mainly Rohingya, are housed in several camps in Rakhine and unable to go home.

Myanmar ’s 800,000 Rohingya, described by the UN as one of the world’s most persecuted minorities, are seen by the government and many Burmese as illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.

Thein Sein has blocked an attempt by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to open an office in Myanmar to help the displaced, after thousands of monks held protests in two major cities last week. But he indicated that his reformist government would continue to accept humanitarian aid from Muslim countries.

“Regarding the OIC, I do not differentiate between religions or ethnicities. They want to give humanitarian assistance and also they have given

some,” Thein Sein told the news conference. Members of the 57-member OIC toured Rakhine last month after accusations from rights groups that security forces opened fire on Rohingya during the unrest. The allegations prompted concern across the Islamic world.

Since taking office in March 2011, Thein Sein has overseen dramatic changes such as the release of political prisoners, the parliamentary debut of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and ceasefire pacts with ethnic rebels.

The 67-year-old, who has a heart condition and uses a pacemaker, offered a fresh hint on Sunday that he might seek a second term, as his party looks ahead to elections in 2015 seen as a key test of the regime’s reformist credentials.

“So far I have decided to serve one term because of my age and my health. But I will consider (serving a second term) if needed according to the country’s situation and the peo-

NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar President Thein Sein (R) answers a question from a journalist during a press conference at the presidential residence in Naypyidaw yesterday. Thein Sein held his first news conference inside Myanmar since taking power last year and ushering in a period of sweeping reforms. — AFP

Catholic Philippines celebrates new saint ‘It was a day of pride for all Filipinos’

LAHORE: Saddi Muhammad achieves a record for using his mustache to pull a 1.7 tonne pickup truck a distance of 60.3 metres at the week-long youth festival in the eastern city of Lahore yesterday. Pakistan may not have brought home any medals from this summer’s Olympics, but it can now lay claim to world records in chapati-making, plug-wiring and chessboard-arranging. — AFP

Pakistan sets world records in plugs, bread, chessboards LAHORE: Pakistan may not have brought home any medals from this summer’s Olympics, but it can now lay claim to world records in chapati-making, plugwiring and chessboard-arranging. A weekend of bizarre record attempts in the eastern city of Lahore began on Saturday night when 42,813 people in the national hockey stadium sang the national anthem together, smashing the previous best of 15,243 held by India.

Yesterday, Mohammad Mansha went flat out to set a new record for making chapati breads-mixing, kneading, spinning and cooking three in three minutes and 14 seconds-while 12-year-old Mehek Gul took just 45 seconds to arrange the pieces on a chessboard using only one hand.

Neither of these feats had been attempted before under the watchful eye of a Guinness World Records official. But Ahmed Amin Bodla broke a more established record when he landed 616 martial arts kicks on a punchbag in just three minutes, beating the previous best of 612 also

set by a Pakistani. The events were held as part of a week-long youth festival in the eastern city of Lahore, where Guinness adjudicator Gareth Deaves ensured fair play, manager Sher Ali told AFP. While some people might prefer care over haste when it comes to electrics, Mohammad Nauman lit up the crowd as he wired a household plug in a dazzling 35 seconds.

In a land with a proud tradition of facial hair, Saddi Muhammad set a record by using his moustache to pull a 1.7 tonne pickup truck a distance of 60.3 metres, to wild applause from the crowd.

Elsewhere, Daniel Gill and Mohammad Rizwan set a new record for heading a football between them, managing 335 consecutive headers in three minutes 45 seconds.

But there was heartache for one contender, whose bid to claim the record for most T-shirts donned in three minutes was disallowed when officials ruled he had failed to smooth down all of the 59 shirts properly. — AFP

UN member states wary of private security forces WASHINGTON: On a rooftop terrace blocks from the White House, a collection of former soldiers and intelligence officers, executives and contractors drink to the international private security industry.

The past decade - particularly the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan provided rich pickings for firms providing private armed guards, drivers and other services that would once have been performed by uniformed soldiers.

But as the conflicts that helped create the modern industry wind down, firms are having to adapt to survive. They must also, industry insiders say, work to banish the controversial image of mercenary “dogs of war” that bedevil many firms, particularly in Iraq.

“This industry has always gone up and down,” Doug Brooks, president of the International Stability Operations Association (ISOA), told Reuters on the sidelines of its annual conference in Washington. “What we’re seeing now is that it is becoming much more mature and much more responsible.”

The free-for-all atmosphere that pervaded the industry, particularly in the early years of the war in Iraq, insiders say, appears gone for good. A string of high profile incidents - often involving armed private guards firing on sometimes unarmed Iraqis - trashed the reputation of firms such as Blackwater, a Virginia-based firm since renamed several times, as well as the wider industry.

Members of the ISOA - which include some but not all of the major contracting firms as well as smaller players - subscribe to a code of conduct that they say helps identify responsible firms.

Despite these efforts, industry insid-

ers and other observers say quality remains mixed. Some firms providing armed guards for merchant ships passing through the Somali pirate-infested Indian Ocean, for example, only hire elite personnel who have served in the Marines or special forces. Others, however, have a reputation for being less discriminating and for unreliable staff and weapons.

In the aftermath of last month’s attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi, which killed the US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans, critics have seized on the hiring of a little-known British private security firm now accused of providing inadequate protection at the mission.

The clear industry aim is to distance itself from groups such as that led by former British soldier Simon Mann, who was captured in 2004 by authorities in Zimbabwe as they apparently headed to Equatorial Guinea to mount a coup.

The word “mercenary,” Brooks makes clear, is simply taboo. “Calling private security contractors mercenaries is clearly derogatory and serious journalists and academics don’t use the term,” he says. The most vulnerable firms, many in industry say, may be those who have relied on ongoing US military work that is now drying up as the Pentagon “Operational Contingency Allowance” the additional funding earmarked for the wars - tapers off.

At its peak, the US Commission on Wartime Contracting, a bipartisan legislative commission established to study wartime contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, estimated there might have been as many as 260,000 contractors in the two countries. — Reuters

VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI canonized the Philippines’ second saint yesterday, giving one of the church’s top honors to the 17th century teen martyr Pedro Calungsod before throngs of Filipinos in St. Peter’s Square.

Cheers went up in the crowd of about 80,000 when Benedict declared Calungsod a saint and worthy of veneration by the entire Catholic Church. Benedict named six other saints yesterday, some of them missionaries like the devout boy from central Cebu province.

Many Filipino faithful are particularly devoted to Calungsod, who as a teenager went with some Spanish Jesuit missionaries to Guam in 1668 to convert the Chamorros people. He was killed when the natives resisted.

“May the example and courageous witness of Pedro Calungsod inspire the dear people of the Philippines to announce the kingdom bravely and to win souls for God!” Benedict said in his homily.

Rome’s Filipino expat community came out in droves for the canonization, including Marianna Dieza, a 39-year-old housekeeper who said it was a day of pride for all Filipinos.

“We feel very happy and proud,” Dieza said. “We are especially proud because he is so young.”

Filipino Vice President Jejomar Binay arrived in the Italian capital last week to head the government delegation for the Mass, saying the canonization was particularly important to the Philippines, Asia’s largest predominantly Roman Catholic country.

Thousands of Filipinos at home celebrated Calungsod’s sainthood with Masses, processions, stage plays, religious shows and the launching of postal stamps bearing his image and a map of his journey as a young Catholic missionary to the Pacific islands, where he was killed while spreading his faith.

“This is a day of great spiritual joy and national pride,” Philippine President Benigno Aquino III’s spokeswoman, Abigail Valte said.

“We join the Catholic world on this day of solemn commemoration and celebration.”

Celebrations across the Philippines were centered in Manila, the capital, and in Cebu’s town of Ginatilan. Large screens were installed in church compounds to allow Filipinos to watch Calungsod’s canonization at the Vatican.

Calungsod’s portraits were displayed in churches and many bought and carried his statues.

At a public gymnasium in the Manila suburb of San Juan, more than 1,000 Catholics applauded and waved Philippine flags with Calungsod’s image after he was declared a saint. Victoria Radovan, a 66-year-old devotee, said she prayed to the new Filipino saint to cure her of polio. She said she hoped Calungsod’s impressive faith would inspire young Filipinos away from dangerous vices like illegal drugs.

“Some of our young need to learn from his

touching life,” Radovan said. “They curse nowadays, they answer back at their parents and go astray like they have no fear of God.” Philippine TV networks ran documentaries about Calungsod’s life and sainthood, and the country’s leading newspapers ran stories of his canonization, portraying him as a model for young Filipinos.

Details of Calungsod’s life are scarce, but according to legend, when he and the mission superior, the Rev. Diego Luis de San Vitores, tried to baptize a baby in 1672, the child’s father angrily refused and, with the help of other natives, began throwing spears at them both. They were both killed and their bodies thrown into the ocean. The first Filipino saint was St. Lorenzo Ruiz of Manila, who was canonized in 1987. — AP

MANILA: A statue and poster of Pedro Calungsod are pictured on the sides of the stage in San Juan in suburban Manila yesterday as actors reenact and celebrate the life and times of Pedro Calungsod three centuries ago of one of the Vatican’s seven new saints in the Catholic faith. Church bells pealed across the Catholic Philippines yesterday as millions attended special masses to celebrate the country’s second saint, a young missionary killed over 340 years ago. — AFP

World’s biggest school gives Indian kids lessons for life LUCKNOW: The first day in class for any new pupil can be an overwhelming experience, so imagine arriving for lessons as one of 40,000 pupils on the roll-call of the world’s biggest school. The latest edition of Guinness World Records awards the title to the City Montessori School in the Indian city of Lucknow with 39,437 registered pupils in the 2010-2011 academic year.

The school says that enrollment numbers have already risen above 45,000, with 2,500 teachers, 3,700 computers, 1,000 classrooms-

and one of the hardest first eleven cricket teams to break into.

CMS, as it is known, was opened by Jagdish Gandhi and his wife Bharti in 1959 with a loan of 300 rupees ($6 at current rates) and just five pupils. Today it sprawls over 20 sites in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state, and is as famous for its exam results and international exchange programmes as for its scale. “The phenomenal growth of our school is a reflection of our efforts to please our parents with our service to their children,” said Gandhi, who is still

LUCKNOW: Indian schoolchildren gather in front of The City Montessori School in Lucknow on December 29, 2011. The first day in class for any new pupil can be an overwhelming experience, so imagine arriving for lessons as one of 40,000 pupils on the rollcall of the world’s biggest school. The latest edition of Guinness World Records awards the title to the City Montessori School in the Indian city of Lucknow with 39,437 registered pupils in the 2010-2011 academic year. — AFP

involved in the school’s management at the age of 75. “Our students have exceptional academic results each year and outstanding global exposure. Getting this Guinness record is heartening but it’s not just about size,” he told AFP. The pupils, who are aged between three and 17, all wear uniform and each class has about 45 members, but the whole school never gathers for assembly as there is nowhere big enough to hold them. CMS, which receives no government funding, charges 1,000 rupees a month in fees for younger pupils, rising to 2,500 a month for seniors. “In such a large school, there are many advantages, one being you get to make a lot of friends across the many sites that we have,” Ritika Ghosh, 14, who has been at CMS for two years, told AFP. “But as the school is so huge it takes a lot of effort to get noticed. Otherwise you are just one of the thousands that study. “There are certainly more challenges and competitions, which in the end prepares us for real life.” Fellow pupil Tanmay Tiwari, 16, credits the large size of the school for making him more outgoing. “I used to be very shy but the school has given me that confidence,” he told AFP. “Now I am in the college team, debating in national competitions.”

The school’s size is matched only by its idealistic ambitions, with pupils taught a philosophy of universal peace and globalism under the motto “Jai Jagat” (Victory be to the World). With pupils under fierce pressure to get good exam results, sport is not always a top priority, but cricket coach Raju Singh Chauhan says selecting a team is still tricky.

“To fish out sports talent in the 45,000-plus students can be a huge problem,” he said. “For this reason we hold inter-branch competitions to dig out the best children and then eventually we get the bigger picture and our best eleven for the team.” — AFP

NEWS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

Pitched battles in streets as protesters...

Continued from Page 1`

MAKKAH: A Muslim pilgrim prays at Jabal al-Noor (Mountain of Light) in this holy city yesterday. Over two million Muslims from around the world are expected to perform the upcoming haj. — AFP

Expats favor Kuwait least Continued from Page 1 the overall economic situation for expatriates. These threw up some strong contrasts. For overall expat experience and lifestyle, first came the Cayman Islands followed by Thailand, Spain, Singapore, Malaysia, Mexico and Switzerland. Last came Japan, Vietnam, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and India. First for economic considerations came Singapore, followed by Bermuda, Thailand, Hong Kong, Cayman Islands, Mexico and China. Next to last equal came France, Kuwait and Britain, and last of all Italy.

Finance companies managing personal wealth take a close interest in expats who have high earnings and savings and need advice on investment and tax. The survey draws a global expat landscape in which the so-called “soft” but critical resource of brainpower and special skills is being drawn increasingly to emerging economies. The expat sun seems to be rising in the east and retiring in the West. But expats in general are feeling the chill of the cold winds of economic downturn, particularly in Spain.

Five Asian countries ranked in the top countries for economic attractiveness, and four in the top 12 for the overall experience of being an expat. “Asia is increasingly coming to the fore as a top destination for both financial opportunity and life experiences,” said the head of HSBC Expat, Dean Blackburn. Singapore is now a top destination, and China is moving rapidly upwards as an attractive place to live and work. China had leapt up to seventh place this year from 19th in 2011, the survey said.

Two thirds of expats in China reported a “marked improvement” in their financial situations.

But to raise families in the great outdoor life, Canada and Australia score strongly, for safety for the children Hong Kong ranks most highly, and for culture London remains attractive particularly with a boost from the royal wedding and Olympic Games. For easy living, and also

in view of retirement, France and Spain offer above all sunshine. The Middle East is high on the list for young people seeking high earnings, but families have difficulty in integrating, children spend much of their time on computer games, and expats who go there retain strong links with home. However, the Middle East “is continually improving as a place to live and work,” Blackburn said.

Germany attracts young people keen to develop their careers, with a strong accent on the technology sector, but it is not a popular place for retirement. But in terms of economic prospects, expats in Germany are “more positive than expats across the rest of Europe” and have “a very positive outlook”. Expats in Britain were affected by economic uncertainty but the country “ranks much higher for expat experience than we have seen in previous years”, the survey said. “It seems the cultural events taking place in the country over the past year have helped to boost expats’ views of the country as top destination for entertainment and culture.”

Conversely, there was a tendency for the British to wait until retirement loomed to move to an expat lifestyle. Many expats in Europe are likely to stay where they are despite economic uncertainty. In particular a high number stay to retire, notably in France and Spain.

“Of the expats we spoke to, over a third living in these countries are retirees, compared to an average of only one in 10 globally,” the report said. “With great weather and an increased quality of life among the key drivers for expats when choosing their retirement location, it seems that these countries provide the optimal benefits for those looking to retire away from home.”

Uncertainty about economic prospects had caused expats to switch their savings more heavily into longterm investments and property. The survey, the fifth of its type, is described by HSBC as the biggest in the world of expats. It was carried out by the British YouGov market research organisation on the basis of questions put to 5,339 expatriates. — AFP

They also used tear gas and rubber bullets and activists said as many as dozens were wounded. The Liberation Tower was also evacuated of all employees after demonstrators took refuge inside from security forces who were besieging the building. A group of protesters then gathered at the square outside the National Assembly where national guards watched the crowds.

The demonstrators were earlier scheduled to march on the Seif Palace which houses offices of HH the Amir, crown prince and prime minister. “It looks like a battlefield,” Mohammad Rashed, a private sector employee, said as he left the scene, accompanied by his wife and other relatives.

“First aid centers were set in the Grand Mosque, the Palace of Justice, Municipality Park, Nayef Palace, Sailor’s Day Cafe, the Minister’s Council and various ministries to provide immediate medical and emergency services”, medical sources said, adding that liaison officers had been dispatched in various hospitals. They added all empty beds in various hospitals were allocated to receive the injured through the liaison officers. Medical staff who were off work were also called in.

Former MP Abdullah Al-Barghash said the opposition will continue its protests until the “illegal and unconstitutional” Amiri decree changing the electoral law was abolished. The opposition called for the demonstration to protest against the decree that would cut the number of candidates that can be picked by each eligible voter to one from a maximum of four earlier. The opposition insists that the aim of the change is to influence the outcome of the upcoming elections, scheduled for Dec 1, and to elect a rubber-stamp Assembly.

As the police was battling with protesters, HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah received at Dar Salwa HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad AlSabah, Chairman of the Al-Sabah Family Council and Dean of the Al-Sabah family, HH Sheikh Salem Al-Ali AlSabah, Head of Kuwait National Guard and other members of the Al-Sabah family. Sheikh Nawaf and Sheikh Salem affirmed to the Amir the “loyalty and obedience” of all members of the Al-Sabah family. The Amir thanked them for their sentiments and underscored that the relations between the Al-Sabah family and Kuwaitis were based on mutual love and solidarity, keenness on commitment to the constitution and strict implementation of law on all.

Earlier, notable tribal chiefs who met with HH the Amir yesterday said they were honored with the faceto-face meeting with him and expressed opposition to violent protests and reaffirmed loyalty to Sheikh Sabah and Al-Sabah family. Falah bin Jamea, the chief of AlAwazem tribe, said in a statement after the meeting: “I was honored with the meeting with HH the Amir. The meeting was good and I am against demonstrating and hitting policemen or infringing on state properties. I disagree with such acts and we are faithful to the ruling family; however I have taken a well-known stand regarding the elections. I have declared it before and I maintain it now.”

Jazzaa Al-Ejran of Al-Khawaled tribe praised the good conversations during the cordial and amicable meeting. “It was in the literal sense, a meeting that grouped the father with his children.” Mutleg Omar BouRgubbah of Otaibah confirmed that he and his colleagues came to the diwan to discuss the forthcoming elections. “We heard good and sound stances and we will obey his orders,” he stressed. The representative of Al-Hawajer tribe, Nasser Madi Bin Taazeh, expressed gratitude to the Amir for his call for the meeting “to sound out His Highness on matters that concern interests of the country”.

Faisal Bandar Al-Deweish of Al-Mutair tribe said the Amir explained to the eminent attendees objectives of reforming the electoral law, noting Sheikh Sabah’s adherence to the laws for the sake of justice. Nasser Bin Ghosein Al-Dosari of Al-Dawaser affirmed that he and his fellow tribal chiefs would take into consideration what the Amir desires. Identical sentiments were expressed by Adwan Bin Tawaleh of Shummar, Mutleg Abu Thunain of Subai’ and Fayer Al-Dabbous of AlFodool. Abu Thunain expressed support for the Amir’s favoring of the single-constituency system for the elections.

Mislet Zeben Al-Hethal of Eneza indicated at necessity to stay faithful to the top leaders amid current turbulent regional conditions. Fahad Abdul Aziz Al-Suwait of Al-Thufair said the meeting was distinguished with consensus on the necessity of maintaining national unity.

Sultan bin Salman bin Huthaileen of Al-Ajman praised the Amir for his keenness on safeguarding Kuwait. But Falah Faisal Al-Deweish of Mutair said it would be up to the members of the tribe to decide whether to take part in the elections.

Abdullah Matar Al-Musairee of Harb declared unwavering allegiance to the Amir, and Mohammed bin Rashed bin Shaaban of Al-Hawajer indicated that the conferees raised some issues during the meeting and that the Amir responded positively. Abdullah Saud AlMatni Al-Majedi expressed gratitude to the Amir for restructuring the electoral system to hold the polls on the single-constituency basis, “for this would enable small tribes to take part in the elections”. Hamad AlShenouf called on the citizens to be calm and cooperate for maintaining security of Kuwait. Eid Al-Braikan AlMajedi thanked the Amir for “his support for the minorities and we call on the majority to take part in the upcoming elections”. Bader bin Abdullah bin Nahit of Harb urged Kuwaitis to join efforts for maintaining the national unity.

In the latest clampdown on opposition leaders and activists, the public prosecution service issued an arrest warrant for a member of the scrapped 2012 parliament, Osama Al-Munawer. Munawer joins three former opposition MPs who have been in detention since Thursday.

The prosecution yesterday extended their detention by 10 days, according to Al-Humaidi Al-Subaie, one of their defence lawyers. Political tension has strongly impacted the Kuwait Stock Exchange which shed 3.05 percent at the start of the business week yesterday, the biggest single day loss in more than three years.

14

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

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Issues

Canada takes hard line on natural resources

By David Ljunggren anada signaled a tough line on control of its natural resources with its surprise rejection of a Malaysian bid for gas company Progress Energy Resources Corp, putting concerns about state-owned firms above fears of damaging an already dented international reputation. In a ruling with huge repercussions for CNOOC Ltd’s proposed $15.1 billion takeover of Nexen Inc, Industry Minister Christian Paradis said the C$5.2 billion ($5.3 billion) bid by Petronas would not be of “net benefit” to Canada. Although Paradis gave no reasons, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is facing legislators unhappy with the idea of doing business with China and also of letting foreign state-owned enterprises buy Canadian energy assets.

The decision - announced at three minutes to midnight on Friday and missing the deadlines for all Canadian newspapers - surprised senior officials in the government and was a painful reminder to markets of how Ottawa vetoed BHP Billiton Ltd’s proposed takeover of fertilizer maker Potash Corp in late 2010. After the Potash decision the government spent many months trying to reassure markets that Canada was still open for business. That effort continues today.

Yet for all the talk of attracting investment, some firms are clearly less welcome that others, particularly stateowned enterprises such as Petronas and CNOOC, which critics complain do not play by market rules. “We’ve joined a list of countries in which a lot more resource nationalism is being practiced ... starting with Potash, muscle had started to be exercised a little bit,” said John Manley, a former industry and finance minister who now chairs the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. “And I think that’s something that is not a total disaster but it does cry out for some clarification so investors know what they’re dealing with,” he told Reuters.

Fund managers and arbitrageurs expressed frustration that Ottawa did not explain the decision. Harper’s chief spokesman, Andrew MacDougall, declined to comment, but noted that Petronas has 30 days to make changes to the bid. Although Harper is secure - his party has a majority in the House of Commons and the next election is three years away - he is acutely sensitive to political criticism and has cited opinion polls opposing the CNOOC move.

The official opposition New Democrats, who say the CNOOC bid must be blocked, decried what they said was an opaque process for studying foreign takeovers. “There will be serious implications if they keep making things up on the back of a napkin. Investors will lose confidence ... .

This is no way to run a large economy,” said Peter Julian, the party’s natural resources spokesman. One senior North American financial professional told Reuters that the Petronas move was “very bad for Canada. This is shocking ... . The tone out of the Harper government is not good.”

Harper has to ensure Canada can attract hundreds of billions of dollars in foreign investments for the energy patch while placating his Conservative caucus, where suspicion of China is widespread. “One obvious explanation is that this could be a step for Ottawa to increase the role of the state and to begin doing fairly regular interventions,” said Wenran Jiang, a senior fellow at the AsiaPacific Foundation and an energy adviser to Alberta, a province with huge energy reserves. “It might be a way to make the rejection of Nexen look easier, saying ‘We already rejected a Malaysian takeover’ ... but in both cases the rejection (would) need to have convincing reasons,” he told Reuters.

Canadian legislators are also unhappy about what they say are the problems facing Canadian firms in China, such as red tape and restrictive regulations.

Government officials have repeatedly stressed that they want to see more reciprocity from China, and the Petronas decision could be a way of exerting pressure on Beijing to make life easier for Canadian firms. “The Canadian government is sending a message that if you want to get into Canada, you’re going to have to make sure that it’s beneficial to Canada. That’s not necessarily, in my view, a bad thing, especially when it comes to strategic resources,” said Martin Pelletier, portfolio manager with Trivest Wealth Counsel in Calgary. “But we also have to balance that with the need for capital to develop those resources because the public market just isn’t there at the moment to provide that capital to Canadian companies,” he said.— Reuters

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Defiant Rwanda calls West’s bluff on aid

By Mark John wanda is brushing aside allegations it is fomenting rebellion in neighbouring Congo, confident that foreign donors are reluctant to abandon a country on its way to becoming a rare African success story. The gamble is a risky one for a state that relies on aid for 40 percent of its budget, but Rwanda’s newly-awarded seat on the United Nations Security Council will boost its diplomatic clout and could further discourage any moves to cut assistance.

“They’ve made the calculation that they won’t be isolated or ostracised. And if they lose some donor support, they can absorb that,” said Mark Schroeder of US-based consultancy Stratfor, a long-time watcher of Africa’s Great Lakes region.

Pressure on donors to act grew this week after a leaked UN Group of Experts’ report accused Rwanda’s defence minister of commanding a six-month rebellion in the east of Congo, the strongest in a series of allegations that Rwanda is involved. Congo’s eastern Kivu provinces are strategically vital to Rwanda. They are home to an established community of Rwandan speakers and a lucrative trade in coltan, tin, gold and other minerals just hours by road from the Rwandan capital Kigali. While Rwanda has backed armed movements in Congo during the past two decades, citing a need to tackle Rwandan rebels operating out of Congo’s eastern hills, it firmly denies the latest allegations of interference.

Donors treat such denials with scepticism. The United States, the biggest giver with grants of $173 million in 2010, has already frozen some aid along with Sweden, the Netherlands and the European Union.

Yet while Western governments this week repeated concerns over a rebellion that has already forced half a million people to flee their homes, none contacted by Reuters after the leaked report have so far signalled moves to further suspend aid.

A defiant Rwanda has rejected the Exper ts’ repor t as flawed and warned donors that any step to pull aid would be a mistake. President Paul Kagame hailed Thursday’s award of a Security Council seat as proof the former Belgian colony is on the right track, nearly two decades after a 1994 genocide in which 800,000 Rwandans were killed by a Hutu-led government and ethnic militias. “No matter what haters say ... justice&truth will prevail!!!,” Kagame posted on his Twitter account. “Sometimes it just requires a bit of good fight for all that...!!!”

Rwanda’s gleaming highways, modern airport and efficient army - a reliable contributor to UN peacekeeping in Africa - are a far cry from the chaos in Congo and the decrepit infrastructure of many African states with less tormented pasts. Kagame’s authoritarian style and allegations by human rights groups that Rwandan military intelligence services have engaged in torture are a cause of international discomfort.

But aid partners like the fact that Rwanda’s strong governance means they can see where their money is going. Total aid has more than trebled over the past decade to around $900 million in 2010.

“Every pound that goes into Rwanda stands a better chance of being spent on poverty reduction than it does anywhere else,” Malcolm Bruce, head of British parliament ’s International Development Committee, told Reuters. “Perhaps there’s also a residual guilt over the failure to act over the Rwandan genocide,” added Bruce, whose government is Rwanda’s second largest bilateral donor with disbursements of $78 million in 2010 and which, for now, is maintaining aid.

The question now is how far the goodwill can stretch. It will become harder for donors to justify business as usual if a UN

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committee in coming weeks acts on the Group of Experts’ findings and imposes targeted sanctions against Rwandan Defence Minister James Kabarebe. Belgium, the third largest bilateral donor, which disbursed Ä56 million ($73 million) last year, will review its position if the U.N. does impose sanctions, or the European Union takes further steps on aid, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday. The European Commission said on Friday it was awaiting the decision of the United Nations’ sanctions committee. But it added it was “firmly committed” to helping Rwanda tackle poverty and praised the government for progress made so far.

The US State Department said it would not comment until the Experts’ report was made officially public, while France - which channels some Ä43 million of aid to Rwanda

through the EU and other agencies - said it had no plans to suspend it. A spokeswoman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said authorities would study the issue before any new decisions on aid fall due in December. Diplomats acknowledge that Rwanda’s UN Security Council seat may make donors even more reluctant to pull aid. Typically, such countries are courted for their votes on divisive issues such as last year’s Western-backed intervention in Libya.

Thierry Vircoulon of the International Crisis Group think-tank suggested that any future moves would be at most partial.

“They could cut general budget support to avoid providing military assistance but would continue support for education, health and agriculture,” he said. That might be a risk Rwanda is prepared to run, given

the importance of the east of Congo. Past UN reports have cited lucrative smuggling rackets of minerals ferried across to Rwanda.

At the height of Congo’s last war in 1999, profits from eastern Congo’s mineral fields added some $320 million to Rwanda’s defence budget, UN experts said.

Wealthy Rwandans are being encouraged to donate 10 percent of their salaries into the newly-launched Agaciro Development Fund, whose website says it was created to “improve the level of financial autonomy of Rwanda as a nation”.

While such contributions are voluntary, the social pressure to take part is strong. At a recent fundraiser in the capital, young professionals were lining up to hand over a cheque and have their photo taken with Kagame. —Reuters

Romney has path to victory, Obama has edge

By John Whitesides uddenly, Republican Mitt Romney has a viable path to victory in the tight battle for the White House. Democratic President Barack Obama still appears to have the upper hand in the state-by-state fight to cobble together the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency in the Nov 6 election. But Romney’s recent surge in the polls after his strong performance in his first debate with Obama on Oct 3 has propelled the Republican into the lead or within striking distance in enough states to give him a reasonable chance of beating Obama to the finish line. Ohio, long seen as the key to unlocking the White House, looms large in every victory scenario for either candidate particularly Romney. Until the last two weeks, polls did not show Romney with enough support in other crucial states to give him a clear path even if he won Ohio.

But he has that now, as the campaign enters its final two weeks with eight states in play as toss-ups. “Before the first debate the electoral math looked like a real reach for Romney. Today, it looks quite possible,” said Peter Brown, a pollster at Quinnipiac University. “Ohio is the big unknown, and it’s Romney’s biggest obstacle,” Brown said. “If Romney can win Ohio, he’s likely to win the election.” The changing map has led Romney to make some shifts in strategy. He began moving some staff from North Carolina, a onetime battleground where he now has a solid lead, to other swing states this week.

The former Massachusetts governor’s campaign also bolstered its television advertising in Iowa and Wisconsin, where polls indicate Obama has slim leads.

The RealClearPolitics average of polls gives Obama a lead of at least four percentage points in states that account for 237 electoral votes, while Romney enters the final stretch with an edge of that size in states that represent 206 electoral votes.

That leaves a reduced battlefield of eight toss-up states and 95 electoral votes, all won

by Obama in the 2008 election - Colorado (9 electoral votes), Florida (29), Iowa (6), Nevada (6), New Hampshire (4), Ohio (18), Virginia (13) and Wisconsin (10).

In the last two weeks Romney has moved into a small lead or a virtual tie with Obama in Florida, Colorado, New Hampshire and Virginia, which together account for 55 electoral votes. A sweep of all four still would leave Romney nine electoral votes short of victory - a big reason why the race is boiling down to the battle in Ohio. A win in Ohio

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would put Romney over the top and give him some margin of error to lose other states that are still in play. If he does not win Ohio, either Wisconsin or a combination of Nevada and Iowa still could be enough to win, although Obama, in addition to having slim leads in Wisconsin and Iowa, also leads in Nevada. “Things have moved consistently in Romney’s direction, but he still hasn’t unlocked the gates to enough places yet,” said pollster Thomas Riehle of YouGov, a market research company that is conducting polling in swing states. “Romney needs more good news before he’s a safe bet to win.” The tightening race has created many different scenarios, including the possibility that the Electoral College winner will not capture the most votes nationwide - similar to what happened in 2000, when Republican George W Bush got more electoral votes than Democrat Al Gore, who received more of the popular vote.

The prominence of Ohio also has invoked memories of 2004, when Bush won re-election over Democrat John Kerry in the early hours of the morning after Election Day by a margin of less than 120,000 votes in the Midwestern state. Both candidates are pouring time and resources into Ohio, where Obama has held a steady lead for months and now has an average poll advantage of more than 2 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics.

Romney, a wealthy former private equity executive who opposed the Obama-backed federal bailout of the auto industry, has struggled to connect with blue-collar voters in Ohio, where one in eight jobs is tied to the auto industry and the state unemployment rate is lower than the national average of 7.8 percent. Iowa and Wisconsin, where RealClearPolitics puts Obama’s average lead at between two and three percentage points, also have lower state unemployment rates than nationally. Along with Ohio, they could give the Obama campaign a Midwestern stronghold of 34 electoral votes that protects him against potential losses elsewhere.

“As you look across the country, you are seeing the president is continuing to be very strong in the Midwest in places like Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin,” Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said. “I think we’ve held our support in the Midwest.” If Obama wins the states where he currently has comfortable leads and adds just those three Midwestern states, he would have 271 electoral votes enough to be re-elected. “Until we see something that suggests other states are in play,

these Wisconsin, Iowa and Ohio numbers mean it’s still a reach for Romney to win,” said Lee Miringoff, a Marist College pollster. He released surveys on Thursday showing Obama with a lead of eight points in Iowa and six points in Wisconsin, although a survey by Public Policy Polling on Friday gave Romney a one-point edge in Iowa.

Romney campaign aides say they are confident that he has enough momentum in Ohio and other swing states to pull out a win, pointing to his growing crowds and improving poll numbers, including those from the campaign’s own surveys. “The dynamic has very much changed in the swing states,” said a senior Romney adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The underlying fundamentals in the swing states have changed dramatically in Romney’s favor.” In states where Romney has made gains, they have been fueled in part by improvements in his personal favorability ratings, gains with independents and a reduction in Obama’s large lead among unmarried women voters. Romney advisers said the first debate eased the concerns of some voters in swing states who have been bombarded for months by attack ads portraying the Republican as an out-of-touch multimillionaire with little sympathy for the middle class. “People are getting a lot of information and what they’re seeing is very much at odds with the ads that have run,” the Romney adviser said. “That has been the biggest impact.”

The Obama campaign is counting on what polls show is strong support from the growing Hispanic community to make a difference in Nevada and Colorado, although the level of intensity and voter turnout among Hispanics will be a wild card. Any gains for Obama among Hispanics could be offset, however, by what polls have found is decreased support among the young and first-time voters who helped sweep Obama to victory over Republican John McCain in 2008. Most national polls show Obama and Romney deadlocked. A Reuters/Ipsos daily online tracking poll on Saturday gave Obama a 1-point national advantage. Ipsos projects the president will win 315 electoral votes.

In such a close race, any surprise development during the final two weeks could loom large. Obama and Romney will have their final debate, on foreign policy, on Monday in Boca Raton, Florida, where Romney is once again likely to challenge the president on his handling of the deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya. — Reuters

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

sp orts Saina in Denmark final

Watson fired by Olympic snub

Frankel has perfect ending

ODENSE: India’s Saina Nehwal is showing signs of fulfilling the potential that earned her a recent $7.4 million deal by reaching the Denmark Open badminton final after her world number one-ranked opponent retired with a knee injury.

The 22-year-old world number four was leading 21-12 12-7 against Wang Yihan on Saturday when her Chinese opponent limped off the court at Odense.

Pitted against the woman who had thrashed her 21-13 21-13 in the Olympic semi-finals in London, Nehwal proved too strong for Wang, who was clearly hampered by the damaged knee. “It was an exciting victory. I played at full strength today and got the result,” Nehwal told the Times of India newspaper. Coach Pullela Gopichand said the result was a massive confidence boost for Nehwal ahead of her future battles against the Chinese contingent, who make up four of the world’s top-five players.

“A victory is a victory. These sorts of injuries are common but Saina has been playing well,” Gopichand, a former All-England Champion, told the newspaper. “At the Olympics, Saina was very aggressive but here she was in total control,” he added.

Nehwal has established herself the face of Indian badminton since winning the Indonesian Open in 2009 and became the first shuttler from her country to win an Olympic medal when she returned with a bronze from this summer’s London Games.—Reuters

LONDON: Britain’s Heather Watson admits the pain of being snubbed by Andy Murray during the London Olympics has played a significant role in her recent success. Watson had hoped to play alongside Murray in the Olympic mixed doubles event earlier this year, but the Scot opted to chose Laura Robson as his partner instead.

Murray and Robson enjoyed a memorable run at the Games and eventually finished with silver medals, leaving Watson to use the disappointment of being overlooked to fuel her bid to climb the world rankings. The 20-year-old has been in red-hot form since the Olympics and she enjoyed a historic breakthrough at the Japan Open last Sunday, when she beat Chang Kai-chen in the final to become the first British woman to win a WTA singles title since Sara Gomer in 1988.

Asked if the Olympic rejection had been a motivating factor in her triumph, Watson told the Observer: “Honestly, yeah. I wanted to play.

“It was the Olympics. I think anyone in my position would have wanted that opportunity. But it was his decision. “It’s fine. They ended up with a silver medal. That’s brilliant. It’s made me stronger.” Watson broke into the world’s top 50 for the first time after her victory in Osaka-two places above Robsonbut insists she is not content to rest on her laurels.

“My ambition is to get to number one in the world and win one of the grand slams,” she added. “You have to be selfish to win. You can’t be sympathetic to your opponent.” —AFP

ASCOT: For Frankel, the world’s highest-rated racehorse, the script was always pure Hollywood. The unbeaten colt, retired to stud on Saturday after 14 glorious victories, is named after American trainer Bobby Frankel who died of cancer three years ago.

Frankel’s gaunt but ever elegant trainer is Henry Cecil, who is battling cancer and whose voice has been reduced to a whisper by his latest bout of chemotherapy.

Cecil’s eloquence did not desert him in the Ascot unsaddling enclosure, however, after Frankel provided the perfect grand finale with victory in Saturday’s Champion Stakes on soft going he clearly did not relish. Cecil, who has spoken movingly of how Frankel has helped sustain him in his fight against cancer, said: “I cannot believe in the history of horse racing that there has ever been a better racehorse.” That is some statement from a man who has trained 25 British classic winners and triumphed 75 times at Royal Ascot.

When Eclipse took to the track in the 18th century, up went the cry: “Eclipse first and the rest nowhere”. He never got beaten in 18 races. —Reuters

Furyk, Love III share lead

BANGALORE: Winner of the Hero Indian Open 2012 Golf Tournament, Thai golfer Thaworn Wiratchant (right) collects the trophy from president of Indian Golf Union, General Vikram Singh on the final day of the four-day golf tournament. —AFP

Thaworn wins Indian Open NEW DELHI: Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant won his third Asian Tour title of the season yesterday at the Hero Indian Open by defeating Scotland’s Richie Ramsay on the first play-off hole.

Thaworn, playing one flight in front of Ramsay, birdied the last hole in regulation play when his seven-iron approach shot landed about one foot from the hole as he closed with a fiveunder-par 66.

Ramsay, the overnight leader, needed a par putt on the last for victory but made a three-putt bogey for a 68 as the pair returned to the par four 18th hole at the Karnataka Golf Association course.

The Scot then blasted his tee shot into a creek and was penalised. His third shot landed in the back of the green and he chipped to about 10 feet past the hole as he two-putted for double bogey. Thaworn, who won the Hero Indian Open in 2005, made a two-putt bogey for victory after hitting his second shot into the greenside bunker. His win pushed him to the top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect to win with the way I was driving the ball this week,” he said, according to a state-

ment from the tournament organisers.

“It means a lot that I’ve won a second Hero Indian Open title and that I’m now leading the Asian Tour Order of Merit.”

The Thai finished with a 14-underpar 270 and won $198,125. Thaworn, who was two shots off the lead at the start of the day, struggled with his driver but rallied with acute iron play and a sharp short game in a round of six birdies against one bogey.

“I think I only found two fairways in regulation and I didn’t see where Richie was on the 18th hole until the crowd started shouting. It was a huge surprise to me but I’m glad I won,” he said.

Ramsay rued an unlucky break in the play-off as his remarkable third shot, which he hit over the trees, landed in a pitch mark just after the green.

Rising Thai star Panuphol Pittayarat bogeyed the last hole to finish one shot from the play-off. Shiv Kapur was the best Indian golfer as he shot a 66 for fourth place on 272.

Anirban Lahiri of India, a two-time Asian Tour winner, Arnond Vongvanij of Thailand and Jaakko Makitalo of Finland were a further two shots back in fifth place. —AFP

GEORGIA: United States Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III and Jim Furyk both carded a four-under 66 to share a two-shot lead after the third round of the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island, Georgia on Saturday. Love, the tournament host, birdied his final hole to get to 13-under and join Furyk, one of his Ryder Cup captain’s picks, who enjoyed a bogey free afternoon.

Furyk, a 16-times winner on the PGA Tour, has had a year of golfing heartache, losing to Luke Donald in a playoff at the Transitions Championship, blowing a late lead at the U.S. Open to Webb Simpson and coughing up a hefty final hole lead at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational to Keegan Bradley. The misery continued at last month’s Ryder Cup when Furyk stumbled late against Spain’s Sergio Garcia as the Europeans complete a stunning comeback.

Furyk said nothing he could do in the remainder of the year would have any impact

on his disappointments in 2012.

“It’s an opportunity for me to go out and win a golf tournament, and I’m not trying to make up for the rest of the year,” Furyk told reporters.

“We talked about that earlier in the year.

You said what if you had an opportunity to win, would it make up for anything?

“I said I just wouldn’t look at it that way.

What happened happened. It’s over with. I can’t change it. I’m never going to feel good about what happened, but it’s done with.”

Courtesy of his 20 career PGA Tour wins, the 48-year-old Love is a life member on Tour but is looking for his first title since 2008.

A 21st win would move him into a tie for 29th place on the all-time wins list with Willie Macfarlane, Lanny Wadkins, Craig Wood and James Barnes. Love admitted to having mixed feelings heading into late yesterday’s battling for the lead with Furyk.

“It’s nice to win, no matter what,” Love told

Van Pelt clinches his first title of the year PERTH: American golfer Bo Van Pelt won his first event of the year at the Perth International at Lake Karryinyup yesterday and dedicated the title to caddie Scot Steele who died in the United States on Friday after suffering a heart attack. “He was a good friend to us all and it was great to get the job done for him today,” Van Pelt said. The 55-yearold Steele, who was caddying for Kirk Triplett, collapsed in a golf club car park in North Carolina a week ago.

Van Pelt, the world number 24, had rounds of 70 67 67 and 68 to finish 16 under par on 272 and pocket a cheque for $333,330.

“I’ve had a lot of top 10s this year and it’s great to get a win,” said Van Pelt after starting the day one shot clear of world number 10 Jason Dufner, who closed with a 69 to finish second.

Dufner paid tribute to his fellow American, saying: “Bo played really good today, put a lot of pressure on me to make something happen but I couldn’t quite do it. You’re going to have a hard chance winning when someone plays as well as Bo did.”

Spaniard Alejandro Canizares shot 68 on the final day to grab outright third at 11 under par. Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, who led for much of the tournament, closed with a 74 to finish in a tie for fifth. By the 10th hole it became clear that the final day had become a shoot-out between good friends Van Pelt and Dufner.

Van Pelt opened up a three-shot lead by the 14th tee but there was a two-shot swing when Dufner almost holed his second at the short par four and tapped in for birdie, while his rival took a bogey.

Dufner, however, found a greenside bunker at the next hole and Van Pelt made a regulation birdie to stretch the margin to two. —Reuters

Stenhouse steals Nationwide race KANSAS CITY: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rallied from two laps down at Kansas Speedway to salvage his points day. Then he stole a win, as well.

Stenhouse, the defending Nationwide Series champion, lucked into his sixth win of the season Saturday when leader Kyle Busch ran out gas heading into the final turn. A late caution extended the race by six laps, and it ran the fuel tanks dry of several cars at the front of the field.

Not Stenhouse, though. Because he ran into Joey Logano early into the race, dropping him two laps down during his stops for repairs, he was on a different pit sequence and had plenty of gas to make it to the end.

So he liked his chances when he lined up fifth on the final restart. As the field prepared to take the green, Sam Hornish Jr. ran out of gas and NASCAR called off the start. It tacked on yet another lap, and that cost Paul Menard, who led a race-high 110 laps but ran out of gas as the field took the green.

Busch, who was seeking his first Nationwide win of the season and first in his Kyle Busch Motorsports entry, was the leader on the restart and jumped out to a comfortable lead. But his tank ran dry as he exited the third turn, and Stenhouse cruised past for the improbable victory.

“I saw Kyle and he was really shaking it down the back straightaway trying to make

reporters. “But I know to be able to cap off (with a win) would make the year feel a lot better to him.

“I hope I’m not impeding that but I’d love to keep him from it. We’re both very competitive. We stay competitive no matter what the situation is. “That’s why I picked him for the Ryder Cup team. He competes hard every time he goes out there and he gives you everything he’s got. “I think a win would mean a lot to both of us.”

Trailing the leading duo two shots back at 11-under are American DJ Trahan (66) and overnight leader Arjun Atwal (69) of India.

Tour rookie Bud Cauley (68) is one shot further adrift alone in fifth. South African Rory Sabbatini (67), Australian Mathew Goggin (68) along with Americans Will Claxton (65), Charles Howell III (67) and defending champion Ben Crane, who returned a sizzling course record tying eight-under 62, sit four off the pace on nine-under. —Reuters

sure it had a lot of fuel and I thought it was good to go,” Stenhouse said. “But right in the center it ran out and I was able to sneak by him on the outside and get the win. That was exciting.”

The win tightened up the Nationwide championship race, too. Stenhouse was 13 points behind leader Elliott Sadler at the start of the race, but cut it to six points with three races remaining.

“We knew we had to do that. I didn’t see the win coming like this but I felt we had a car that was capable of winning before we got in the mess there with (Logano),” Stenhouse said. “We know we need to win races and if we win the rest we will win the championship no matter what. We have good tracks coming up for us and we are looking forward to getting to them.” Austin Dillon finished second to clinch the manufacturer championship for Chevrolet.

Logano wound up third, and was still smarting from the early contact with Stenhouse. He made a point to rub against Stenhouse’s car on the cool-down lap to show his displeasure.

“I just got put in the fence,” Logano said.

“It’s just a little early in the race for fencing each other.” Stenhouse was trying to clean debris off his grille when he ran into Logano, and Stenhouse team owner Jack Roush assessed it as “from what I saw was

100 percent Ricky’s fault.”

Stenhouse figured the race was ruined at the time, and focused on getting as many points as possible. “I thought the race was over for us. I thought I had killed it for us,” Stenhouse said. “I knew we would try to salvage as many points as we could. To be honest I was thinking top-15 and to try to get back one lap down and it was one thing at a time and we were able to do that.”

Sadler was fourth, and like teammate Dillon had to made a late pit stop for gas to avoid running out of fuel. “All the fuel mileage and strategy, sometimes you just end up on the wrong side of it,” said Sadler.

“That last caution just killed us and took a lot of points from us. Thought we managed it the best we could. Running for a championship, we had to pit and give up track position to make it to the end.”

Cole Whitt was fifth and followed by Busch, who has won a Nationwide race every year since 2004 but has only three chances left to keep his streak active.

“That’s our year, man. Nothing else to it than that,” said Busch, who led 29 laps.

“What a frustrating defeat. Oh, well. You get defeated sometimes.”

Justin Allgaier was seventh, Michael Annett eighth, Hornish ninth and Danica Patrick rounded out the top 10 — her third top-10 finish of the season.—AP

SEOUL: Suzann Pettersen of Norway kisses the trophy after winning the LPGA Championship golf tournament at Sky72 Golf Club. —AP

Suzann captures title INCHEON: Suzann Pettersen won the HanaBank Championship yesterday for her ninth LPGA Tour title, beating Catriona Matthew with a 5-foot birdie putt on the third hole of playoff after blowing a big lead.

Seven strokes ahead of Matthew at the start of the round, Pettersen shot a 2-over 74 to finish at 11-under 205 on Sky 72 Golf Club’s Ocean Course. The 43-year-old Matthew finished with a 67. They played the par-5 18th three times in the playoff, halving the first two extra holes with pars.

“I felt like I had it all in my hand both the first time around, second time around, and the third around,” said Pettersen the Norwegian who also won the 2007 event. “‘It’s getting closer. I’m getting closer to the hole.’ ... And the third time around I just made a solid stroke, and it dropped.”

Pettersen took a five-stroke lead over South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu into the final round after opening with a course-record 63 and shooting a 68 on Saturday.

Matthew, from Scotland, had a twostroke lead after Pettersen’s double bogey on the par-3 12th. Pettersen rallied with a birdie on the par-4 14th and Matthew dropped a stroke on the par-4 16th to leave them tied at 11 under.

“My game felt great and I had a great warm-up this morning, but did not get off to a good start,” Pettersen said. “I made a few birdies on the back nine, but overall I felt like I played pretty good. But it was just not a scoring day. I tried not to look what was going on around me as that can stress you out.”

She also had a double bogey on the par-3 third and bogeyed the par-3 eighth.

“After I bogeyed eight, I looked at my caddie, I said, ‘If I am going to bogey, I might as well just fire right at the pin. There’s no point playing safe,’” Pettersen said. “He said, ‘Why don’t you just play as aggressive as you have all week. What are you trying

to do?’ So I might have gone out trying to be a little bit protective, which obviously does not fit my game at all.”

She earned $270,000 to move into ninth place on the career list with $9,035,662, passing Beth Daniel and Laura Davies.

“As a girl growing up, I never thought I’d be in that league,” Pettersen said. “It is quite touching that I have achieved that much. I am only 31 and my big goal is the Olympics in four years. It is good to get a head start in Korea. It is always good to get in the winner’s circle.”

Defending champion Yani Tseng was third at 10 under after a 69. The top-ranked Taiwanese player won three of the first five events of the season.

Se Ri Pak was the top South Korean player in the country’s lone LPGA Tour event, closing with a 70 finish fourth at 9 under. American teenager Lexi Thompson and Germany’s Sandra Gal followed at 8 under. Thompson shot a 70, and Gal had a 71. Ryu shot a 73 to tie for seventh at 7 under.

South Korea’s Mi Hyun Kim shot a 78 to tie for 61st at 8 over in the final round of her career. The eight-time tour winner announced her retirement this month and received a sponsor exemption into the field.

“Even until the last putt dropped, it didn’t really hit me that this was my last round,” Kim said. “But after turning in my last scorecard and seeing the other players coming up to me and crying with me and for me and just seeing all you guys in the press conference, it is hitting me now.”

Michelle Wie closed with a 70 to tie for 30th at even par. Cheyenne Woods shot a 75 to finish 60th in the 68-player field at 7 over. Woods is Tiger Woods’ niece.

The tour will remain in Asia the next two weeks. The LPGA Taiwan Championship is next week, followed by the Mizuno Classic in Japan. —AP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

sp orts

Jazz defeat Clippers

ITALY: In this photo provided by Rally Italia Sardegna press office, Finnish driver Mikko Hirvonen steers his Citroen on his way to win the Rally Italy Sardinia in Olbia. —AP

Hirvonen wins in Italy ITALY: Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen won the Rally of Italy yesterday in the absence of Citroen team mate and nine-times world champion Sebastien Loeb.

Frenchman Loeb hit rocks and retired on Friday on the first full day of the rally in Sardinia, the penultimate round of the championship and first event since he retained his title in France earlier this month. Russian Evgeny Novikov was second, one minute 20 seconds behind, with Estonian Ott Tanak third, both in privately-entered Fords.

The victory was Hirvonen’s first for Citroen, and 15th of his career, and secured second place overall in the

standings. Loeb has an unassailable 244 points, Hirvonen 198.

“It feels a bit like I’ve won my very first rally,” said the Finn, who will be Citroen’s main works driver next year with Loeb not defending the title.

“Maybe it wasn’t such a big fight but there will be more in future.” Ford works drivers Petter Solberg and Jari-Matti Latvala finished ninth and 12th respectively, after also crashing out on Friday and restarting with time penalties, but picked up bonus points for first and second places in the closing Power Stage.

The final round of the season is in Spain on Nov. 8-11.—Reuters

Former England skipper Greig has lung cancer SYDNEY: Former England cricket captain Tony Greig, who made his name as a TV commentator after a controversial playing career, has revealed he is suffering from lung cancer.

Greig, initially diagnosed with bronchitis in May, told Australia’s Sunday Telegraph newspaper he would undergo surgery in

Tony Greig Sydney this week to assess the extent of the disease.

Now a commentator for Australian TV, Greig said he first became aware of a serious problem during Australia’s matches against Pakistan in the Middle East in August and September. Tests revealed a lesion at the base of his right lung.

“I have had a few scrapes in my life and this is another one,” South African-born Greig, 66, told the Sunday Telegraph.

“Vivian (his wife) and I are going to put the

boxing gloves on and fight this like we’ve never fought anything before.”

Greig said his commentating commitments with Nine network television for the Australian summer series were “totally up in the air” adding that “my priority, 100 percent, is my family. They will come first.”

Greig courted controversy throughout his cricket career, famously prompting a storm of criticism when he promised to make the West Indies “grovel” ahead of their 1976 tour of England, evoking the spectre of slavery.

He was instrumental in the formation of late Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer’s breakaway World Series Cricket contest staged between 1977-79 which sent shockwaves through the sport and tarred the final days of Greig’s career.

Greig secured the signings of a number of English and other foreign players to the rebel cricket series, launched in response to the Australian Cricket Board’s refusal to give Packer’s Nine Network exclusive Test broadcast rights.

The World Series featured stars such as Dennis Lillee, Imran Khan, Greg and Ian Chappell, Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd and left a lasting legacy on the game, including improved rewards for players.

Australia coach Mickey Arthur, a fellow South African, tweeted: “Get well soon Tony Greig-thoughts are with you.”

Former Australia keeper Ian Healy, who commentates on Nine with Greig, said things were “still at the fingers-crossed stage.” “It’s terrible, but one thing he is though is tough, said Healy, according to the Sun-Herald newspaper. Nine boss David Gyngell said Greig, known for his wide-brimmed hat and habit of testing the quality of pitches across the globe by sticking his car keys into the surface, was a “larger-than-life, generous and inherently decent man”.—AFP

Security tight as stars return to Pakistan KARACHI: Security was tight on Saturday as Pakistan hosted the first international match since 2009, when militants attacked a bus carrying the Sri Lankan team and brought tours to a standstill.

A sell-out 32,000 crowd at the wellcordoned National stadium watched an International World XI, led by former Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya, play Pakistan All Stars, led by Shahid Afridi.

The unofficial match, organised by the sports minister of Sindh province Mohammad Ali Shah, is seen as a small step towards reviving international cricket in Pakistan.

The attacks in March, 2009, which left eight people dead and seven Sri Lankan players wounded, forced foreign teams to shun tours to Pakistan.

“A top-level security plan was devised for the match with around 5,000 policeman in and around the stadium,” said a police official.

“The sweeping of the entire stadium was done 24 hours before the start of the match to eliminate the likelihood of any explosive substance or devices planted by the saboteurs.”

Around one dozen police vehicles led both the teams to the ground, with antiexplosive equipment and sniffer dogs on guard an hour before the scheduled start at 8:00pm (3:00GMT).

“It is a grand occasion,” Jayasuriya said at the toss. “All the players are excited to be the part of this match and the enthusiasm of the fans makes it a befitting

occasion.

“Judging by the enthusiasm it is unfortunate that Pakistan has not been able to host international matches, but this match will definitely help, maybe in a small way to bring cricket back to Pakistan.”

A colourful band welcomed both the teams, as fans settled in the stands, left vacant and unattended in the wake of Pakistan’s cricket exile.

“It’s nice to see cricket back in Pakistan,” former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas told AFP. “It is a small match but the flavour is there, the interest is there and I am glad that this happened.”

Despite the resumption, big-time cricket still remains a distant dream as bombings and killings are rampant in the country.

“We are delighted to see a cricket match finally taking place,” said Suleman Khan. “I hope other teams are also watching and change their minds about Pakistan.”

In an entertaining match Pakistan All Stars won by 84 runs. Batting first, the home team piled up 222-7 in their 20 overs. Umar Akmal, playing at home for the first time since his debut in August 2009, top-scored with 67 not out while opener Shahzaib Hasan made 54.

The International World XI managed 138-8, with paceman Tabish Khan taking 3-25, including a hat-trick. Afghanistan’s Shahpoor Zadran top-scored with 42.

The second match will be played late yesterday.—AFP

SALT LAKE CITY: Marvin Williams scored 18 points, Gordon Hayward added 13 and the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Clippers 99-91 on Saturday night.

The Jazz starters played extensive minutes and all five had reached double figures in scoring before the Clippers mounted a fourth-quarter comeback.

Mo Williams was fouled behind the arc just before the end of the third quarter and made all three free throws to give Utah an 80-65 advantage. Mo Williams, who played with the Clippers last season, finished with 10 points.

DeAndre Jordan slammed home a Chris Paul miss to trim Utah’s lead to 87-80 with 5:35 to play as the Jazz featured their reserves in the fourth period. But Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors made big baskets to hold off Los Angeles.

Matt Barnes scored 22 points while Paul had 17 points and eight assists for the Clippers, who rested three starters.

At Auburn Hills, Rodney Stuckey scored 16 points to lead the Detroit Pistons to an 85-80 preseason win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night.

Brandon Knight added 15 points for Detroit, and Greg Monroe had 15 points and seven rebounds. Kemba Walker scored 15 and Tyrus Thomas had 14 points and 16 rebounds for the Bobcats.

After trailing by as many as 19, Charlotte crawled all the way back and took the lead on a 3-pointer by former Piston Ben Gordon with 3:06 left. But Stuckey had a key 3-pointer late in the game and Knight made three foul shots in the final seconds to seal it for the Pistons.

Gordon made his first appearance in Detroit since being traded to the Bobcats in June for Corey Maggette. Gordon scored 13 points on 4of-15 shooting, while Maggette sat out with a left calf strain and is day to day.

In Albany, Jeff Green scored 25 points and the Boston Celtics came back from an early 20-point deficit to beat the New York Knicks 109-98 on Saturday night in a preseason game.

Kris Joseph’s consecutive three-point plays to open the fourth quarter, part of a 24-4 stretch, gave Boston its first lead since the 7:34 mark of the first quarter. Jason Terry added 22 points for

the Celtics (3-4), who rested Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Rookie Chris Copeland scored 34 points and James White added 16 for the Knicks (2-2), who edged Boston last week in Hartford, Conn. but won’t see the Celtics again until Jan. 7.

The Knicks led 52-47 at halftime.

A night after losing to Toronto in Montreal, the Knicks rested their starting frontcourt of Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler.

They stay in upstate New York to play Philadelphia on Monday in Syracuse, sending Anthony back to where he won a national championship in 2003 as a freshman, an NCAA tournament run that included a stop here.

In Indianapolis, Gerald Green scored 11 of his

18 points in the fourth quarter to help the Indiana Pacers hold off the Memphis Grizzlies 83-80 in a preseason game Saturday night.

Roy Hibbert had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Paul George scored 14 points, Ian Mahinmi had 13 and Tyler Hansbrough added eight points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers.

Memphis had a chance to tie, but Rudy Gay missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. He finished with six points on 3-for-17 shooting. Zach Randolph scored 15 points, Marc Gasol added 13 points.

Indiana won without three starters. George Hill was out with a hip pointer, Danny Granger sat out with a sore left knee and David West did not play.—AP

SALT LAKE CITY: Los Angeles Clippers’ Matt Barnes (left) blocks the shot of Utah Jazz’s Gordon Hayward during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game.—AP

Munster blank Edinburgh PARIS: Star-studded Toulon labored past Cardiff Blues for their second win in two outings in European Cup action yesterday, as former two-time champions Munster ran out comfortable victors over pointless Edinburgh.

Jonny Wilkinson kicked five penalties and a conversion for a personal haul of 17 points as Toulon ran out 22-14 winners in Cardiff.

The French club’s sole try came from erstwhile England flanker Steffon Armitage as a Blues side inspired by Wales trio Leigh Halfpenny, Alex Cuthbert and Lou Reed battled to keep the home side in the game.

Halfpenny opened the scoring with a surprise try in just the second minute, making the most of a midfield defensive lapse by Australian Matt Giteau after a nice inside pass from winger Tom James.

Wilkinson made no mistake with a simple penalty after 10 minutes and hit a second soon after to move his

side ahead, but the English star pushed a third effort wide, as did Halfpenny with his first effort on the half-hour.

Toulon enjoyed the lion’s share of possession but seemed to lack any real gameplan, with an overloaded midfield in which home centre Gavin Evans was stretchered off after a high Delon Armitage tackle. An opportunistic drop-goal by Wilkinson went wide, to cheers from the home crowd, with the French side camped in the Blues 22m area.

With such a lack of ambition, the home side deserved to re-take the lead with a Halfpenny penalty just before the break.

After a turnover, the Blues again put themselves on the front foot, Halfpenny tracking down an isolated Giteau but slipped as he attempted the resulting penalty.

Wilkinson made no such mistake when next up in front of Cardiff ’s posts, but Halfpenny dragged the

hosts back into the game with a penalty with 20 minutes to play.

The French side immediately fired back, however, France scrum-half Frederic Michalak overseeing a series of midfield attacks, with Steffon Armitage eventually crashing over after a break by Giteau, Wilkinson converting.

Going into the final minutes, Halfpenny kicked his third penalty to ensure a nerve-racking finale. But a basic ruck infringement handed Toulon the advantage from the restart, and Wilkinson booted a simple penalty to wrap up an afternoon the French side made much more difficult for themselves than had seemed warranted. In Munster’s Thomond Park fortress, Edinburgh were put to the sword for the second week running. After going down 45-0 to Saracens last week, the Scottish team - last year’s semi-finalist, suffered a humiliating 33-0 drubbing to a Munster side that refocused them-

selves on their traditional strengths up front and around the fringes.

Ian Keatley, deputising for the injured Ronan O’Gara at fly-half, marshalled things well and kicked 13 points (three penalties, two conversions), with the four second-half tries handing the Irish province a winning bonus point.

Scrum-half Conor Murray crossed for the first, opportunist, try, darting from the back of a ruck to cross under a mass of bodies.

Impressive No 8 Peter O’Mahoney notched up Munster’s second, rolling over after a well-executed maul from a line-out, flanker Sean Dougall crossing almost immediately after, thanks to a Paddy Butler break and good backing up by Keatley. With Edinburgh in disarray, replacement hooker Damien Varley then crossed, again from a smart line-out move, to ensure the extra point and deepen the concerns of Michael Bradley, coach of the Scottish region.—AFP

Armstrong sends off riders as UCI ponders his fate AUSTIN: Hours before Lance Armstrong’s fate and legacy face a moment of truth in Europe, the doping-disgraced US cyclist cheered on 4,300 bikers yesterday at a charity race in his hometown.

Embattled Armstrong spoke for about 90 seconds before the start of the Livestrong Challenge, a 100-mile cycling event to benefit the cancer-fighting foundation he created 15 years ago.

Armstrong stepped down as Livestrong chairman on Wednesday in the wake of detailed revelations about his role at the heart of a doping ring that helped him win seven Tour de France titles from 1999-2005. “I’ve been better, but I’ve also been worse,” Armstrong said. “Obviously it has been an interesting and difficult couple of weeks.”

A record turnout of riders raised $1.7 million for Livestrong on the eve of a decision by the International Cycling Union (UCI) on whether or not it will follow through on punishments imposed by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

USADA released 1,000 pages of testimony and evidence 12 days ago about why it imposed a life ban on Armstrong in August and stripped him of his Tour de France victories and other results when he refused to fight doping charges.

Since then, major sponsors distanced themselves from Armstrong, and he stepped down from his leadership role at Livestrong in hopes it would not be damaged by the controversy swirling around him.

In submitting the report to the UCI, USADA chief executive Travis Tygart called the doping scheme centered on Armstrong “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.”

While the cycling world awaited Monday’s announcement in Geneva, Armstrong kept the focus on the cancer-fighting foundation during his appearance in Austin, Texas, which came two days after he spoke to Livestrong donors in a private fundraiser.

“This is truly an honor to be here. I’m truly humble,” Armstrong said. “We have had a lot of lucky breaks along the way, but it has been a special ride.

“When we started this organization 15 years ago, if you told me that little organization, that little idea, would raise half a billion dollars, would have touched two and a half million lives around the world, I would have said you are crazy. But those are all true. That’s what happened.”

AUSTIN: In a photo provided by Livestrong, Lance Armstrong stands onstage during the 15th anniversary celebration for Livestrong, his cancer-fighting charity, on Friday.—AP

Many of the riders were cancer survivors just like Armstrong, who, himself, overcame testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and lungs to win the Tour de France seven times-a tale, nowtainted, that inspired millions into riding.

“I think he’s probably guilty,” said Challenge rider Jenni Stephenson, 32, of Houston. But she added, “I think it’s important for people to support the foundation. I don’t think it takes away from a good cause.” Armstrong’s downfall came in part because of 11 former teammates who testified against him, many of whom said they were pushed into doping because Armstrong insisted on it in an era when dope cheating was seen as rampant.

“Regardless of whether he cheated or not, if they were all cheating, he still won,” said Catherine Young, a 50-year-old bike shop owner.

If found guilty by the UCI, the financial and legal ramifications for Armstrong could overshadow even the doping shame. Armstrong, who has denied any wrongdoing, has told sponsors and others that he was clean and that any finding against him could open the doors to court cases.

But if UCI rejects imposing USADA’s punishments, the fight is likely bound for the Court of Arbitration for Sport and UCI’s own leaders will come into question.

Part of USADA’s report notes a payment Armstrong made to UCI at about the same time as a doping positive that was purportedly explained away by a backdated prescription.

Cycling’s credibility is also at stake: Rabobank, a Dutch bank and a pro cycling team sponsor for 17 years, has backed out following the Armstrong scandal, saying the legacy of doping in the sport is too great to justify continuing their sponsorship.

“We are no longer convinced that the international professional world of cycling can make this a clean and fair sport,” Rabobank board member Bert Bruggink said. “We are not confident that this will change for the better in the foreseeable future,” he added. “What the USADA showed us is that international cycle racing is not only sick but (its) also at the highest level within cycling.”

Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme has said he does not want to award the titles for 1999 through 2005 to other riders if Armstrong is stripped of the victories. “What we want is that there is no winner,” he said.—AFP

17

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

S P ORT S

Garcia stops Morales in 4th round to retain titles

FRANCE: This March 29, 2012 file photo shows Ashley Wagner performing during her women’s short program at the 2012 World Figure skating Championships. —AP

Wagner posts high score in women’s short program KENT: Ashley Wagner delivered a clean performance in the short program to grab the lead at Skate America on Saturday.

The US champion, who scored 60.61 points, is trying to build on her breakthrough season last year. She placed fourth last year at the world championships, the best for a US woman since 2007.

Adelina Sotnikova was second at 58.93.

The 16-year-old has won the last two Russian titles. American Christina Gao was third at 56.63, followed by France’s Mae Berenice Meite at 54.41. Russian Alena Leonova, expected to compete for the title, struggled during her routine and was ninth at 46.72.

Wagner is hoping to build on last year’s breakthrough season. In addition to her U.S. title, she placed fourth at the world championships, the best finish for a U.S. woman since 2007. She also beat two-time world champion Mao Asada to win the Four Continents title.

“I was a little rusty out there, but it’s been seven months since my last real competition,” Wagner said. Her score could have been even better if not for a botched triple loop.

“The triple loop was not exactly the quality I was looking for and I’m so bummed because I think it’s one of my strongest jumps,” said Wagner, who is seeking her first Grand Prix title. “That was my first short program out under the spotlight and the crowd so I’m pleased with how it went.

“I was able to stay on my feet and put out something that was quality. I’m happy with the day.” Sotnikova wasn’t quite as pleased.

The 2011 world junior champion popped her final jump. She finished with a score of 58.93.

“I’m not so happy with what I did today because I did not do what I wanted to do,” Sotnikova said through a translator. “I popped the last jump and it’s a jump that I usually never miss.”

Later, Takahiko Kozuka overtook 17-yearold Yuzuru Hanyu to win the men’s title as Japan swept the top three spots. Kozuka won with 251.44 points, Hanyu had 243.74 and Tatsuki Machida 225.95. Kozuka was second in the 2011 world championships and finished third last year at Skate America.

American Christina Gao was third in the women’s event at 56.63, followed by France’s Mae Berenice Meite at 54.41. Russia’s Alena

Leonova, expected to challenge Wagner and Sotnikova for the title here, struggled mightily and is way down in ninth place.

Olympic silver medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White took a big step toward their third straight Skate America title, easily winning the short dance. They scored 71.39 points with their strong display of artistry, technique and quality.

Canadians Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje were second at 65.79, followed by Russians Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev at 62.91.

Wagner is hoping to build on last year’s breakthrough season. In addition to her U.S. title, she placed fourth at the world championships, the best finish for a U.S. woman since 2007. She also beat two-time world champion Mao Asada to win the Four Continents title.

But the stakes are higher this year, with the world championships in March serving as the qualifier for the Sochi Olympics. No U.S. woman has made the podium at worlds or the Olympics since 2006.

The Americans will need more than Wagner, which makes Gao’s performance particularly encouraging. It was, by far, her best short program at an international event.

Maybe in any competition, Gao said. “It’s hard to compare programs because each is different,” she said. “For this one, my jumps are a little different and my choreography is a bit different. It was definitely one of my better skates. I was pretty confident going into it and I just pretty much let each jump happen.” Gao said she lost some levels on her footwork and spins, but was “really happy with how I did.”

In the men’s competition, Hanyu fell three times during his long program to lose the nearly 10-point lead he had over Kozuka after the short program when he skated flawlessly to set a world record at 95.07 points. Kozuka fell once, but still had the best long score at 166.12. Hanyu had 148.67.

American Jeremy Abbott placed fifth at 211.35. He fell twice and hung his head near tears at center ice after finishing his routine.

He was third after the short program. Russia’s Konstantin Menshov was fourth at 212.53. — AP

Pedrosa captures Malaysia GP MALAYSIA: Dani Pedrosa put on a wet-weather master class to capture a rain-shortened Malaysian Grand Prix yesterday and keep the pressure on MotoGP championship leader Jorge Lorenzo after notching a fifth victory in six races.

The Spanish Honda rider was clear of the field after 13 of the scheduled 20 laps at a rain-swept Sepang International Circuit when the race was red-flagged because of dangerous conditions.

Pole-sitter Lorenzo held on to second place on his Yamaha as the weather deteriorated with world champion Casey Stoner crossing the line in third place on another Honda.

With torrential rain continuing to lash the circuit, the race could not be re-started, giving Pedrosa his first victory in Malaysia as the Spaniard continued his audacious late-season title push.

“In the beginning, I was trying to follow Jorge, in the first lap he was very fast. But the track was not so bad, so I could get some rhythm and tried to be constant on the lap time,” Pedrosa told reporters. “I’m very, very happy today. It’s my first ever win in wet, it’s a great feeling.”

The win enabled Pedrosa (307) to cut fellow Spaniard Lorenzo’s (330) lead in the championship standings to 23 points with two more races remaining and a maximum of 50 points available.

Pedrosa started behind Lorenzo in what was declared a wet race but was soon breathing down the 2010 world champion’s neck as the pair pulled clear of the pack.

The 27-year-old snatched the lead just past the scheduled halfway point and never looked like being challenged by Lorenzo as several riders crashed out on the slippery surface.

Lorenzo was lucky to survive a heavy wobble seconds before the race was red-flagged

as his bike threatened to lose control at the hairpin before the home straight.

“I’m very, very lucky, because once you drop here, it means a much more difficult championship... the second place is a very good result for the championship,” Lorenzo said after failing to convert pole into a victory for a sixth consecutive time. —Reuters Australia’s Stoner recorded his first podium finish since returning from an ankle surgery in

SEPANG: MotoGP rider Dani Pedrosa of Spain lifts the trophy after winning the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix. —AP

NEW YORK: American Danny Garcia stopped Mexico’s Erik Morales at 1:23 of the fourth round on Saturday to retain his WBC and WBA super lightweight belt in the first boxing event at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Garcia (25-0) beat Morales for the second time this year, though this one was much easier than the unanimous decision he won from the 36-year-old in Houston on March 24. After a quiet opening two rounds, Garcia began getting the best of Morales with a series of body blows in the third.

Garcia continued firing blows at Morales in the fourth and ended it quickly it for this 16th career knockout. He hit Morales on the right side of the head with a sharp left hook, and climbed the ropes in triumph while awaiting the official announcement.

The 24-year-old Philadelphia native had his second fourth-round knockout in three months. On July 14, he stopped Amir Khan in his first title defense.

Morales (52-9) failed two random tests this month because of the diet supplement clenbuterol. He blamed the results on tainted meat, then passed a third test this week and remained on the card.

Morales, who has held the super bantamweight, featherweight, super featherweight and junior welterweight titles, was fighting for the first time on the East Coast and lost for third time in his past four fights.

The fight marked the return of

NEW YORK: Boxer Danny Garcia (left) from Philadelphia, the current Ring Magazine, WBC and WBA Super Lightweight Champion, wears his belts, as he poses with opponent Erik Morales outside the Barclays Center. —AP championship boxing to Brooklyn for the first time in more than 80 years and the card had a Brooklyn feel to it. Leading into the main event was an undercard featuring Brooklyn natives Paulie Malignaggi

and Peter Quillan, who each won their fights.

According to Showtime boxing analyst and historian Steve Farhood, these were the first title fights in Brooklyn since Aug. 5, 1931, at Ebbets

Field when light-heavyweight champion Maxie Rosenbloom retained his title with a 15-round decision over Jimmy Slattery. Brooklyn natives Mike Tyson and Zab Judah were in attendance. —AP

Del Potro stays in race to London with Vienna win

MOSCOW: Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki holds the trophy after winning the final match against Australia’s Samantha Stosur in the Kremlin Cup tennis tournament. —AP

Wozniacki bags Moscow title MOSCOW: Third seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark won the WTA Kremlin Cup here yesterday, beating Australian top seed Samantha Stosur to claim the 20th title of her career.

The former world number one survived a tough match against Stosur winning 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 for her second title this year to level her head-to-head record with the ninth-ranked Australia at 3-3.

“It was a tough match and it could have gone either way,” said Wozniacki, who had to dig deep to fight back from 1-3 down in the third set. “But at the right times I managed to win the right points. I tried to stay agressive and stay close to the line and just dictate.”

Wozniacki, currently 11th in the world, had made a confident start with an early break giving her a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Stosur broke back in the fifth game but failed to level as the Dane produced two more breaks to take the opening set in 37 minutes.

Stosur, looking for her first title since the 2011 US Open, fought back in the second set to level at one set all after one hour 20 minutes on court. The 28-year-old started the deciding set with an immediate break to grab a 2-0 lead but Wozniacki broke back in the sixth to level at three games all.

In the 12th game Wozniacki made the deciding break to win the match in 2hr 13min when Stosur, who survived two match points, sent the ball wide with a forehand cross.

Wozniacki promised to come to Moscow next year to defend her title here. “It’s always nice to come back to the tournament, which you have won,” she added. The Dane received a silver Cartier trophy and a $122,000 cheque, while runner-

up Stosur pocketed $66,250.

Stosur criticised herself for producing too many mistakes in the match, saying that early errors prevented her from staging a comeback. “I certainly put myself in too much of a hole to be allowed to get out of it,” Stosur said, adding she had no regrets about playing aggressively in the decider.

“I feel like I went for the right things and missed by just a couple of inches.” Later yesterday secondseeded Italian Andreas Seppi battled from a set down to see off fourth seed Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil to win the ATP Kremlin Cup title.

The 28-year-old Seppi won through 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 for his third career title and second of the year. “Thomaz started well and was serving very good, while I experienced problems on return,” Seppi said. “But I tried hard to stay close and put pressure on him.

“He played two bad games when he was serving for the match in the second set and it boosted my confidence and helped me to win the tie-break and especially the third set.”

Bellucci, 24, who was playing his first ever indoor final, broke his opponent’s serve in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead and he took the set in 30 minutes.

In the second both men traded breaks before Bellucci, ranked 41st, twice served for the match. But Seppi refused to surrender and broke back twice, forcing a tiebreak, which he won to level proceedings. In the decider, Seppi took command, breaking his rival’s serve twice to take the match in two hours 11 minutes.

The Italian earned a silver Cartier trophy and 121,520-dollar prize purse, while runner-up Bellucci received $64,000. —AFP

VIENNA: Juan Martin del Potro spoiled the day for Slovenian tennis but kept his own hopes of qualifying for the ATP year-end finals alive with 7-5, 6-3 defeat of qualifier Grega Zemlja yesterday to win the Austrian Open.

The Argentinian, who had missed a month of play after Davis Cup due to a right wrist injury, prevented Zamlja from becoming the first Slovenian to win an ATP title.

Del Potro stands provisional seventh in the points race for one of three remaining positions in the ATP World Tour Finals starting on November 5 in London. He will continue his quest next week in Basle as second seed behind Roger Federer at the Swiss Indoors.

“I’m looking to keep improving, keep playing at this level and hopefully qualify for London,” said the Argentine who stormed back into the game this week in the Austrian capital.

“Things are looking better for me, I have my chances. But there are two big events next week (500 tournaments Basel and Valencia) coming up.

“Everyone has a chance to improve his point totals.” The South American claimed his title in Vienna on his third try after losing the 2011 final. He was forced to quit before his first match during his debut in 2008 and now stands 8-1 in the Austrian capital.

Del Potro, the top seed, spent more than an hour winning the first set against the number 70 playing in the first final of his career and finished the job on his first match point after one hour 41 minutes. Del Potro added Vienna to trophies claimed this season in Marseille and Estoril.

He now owns 12 titles from 17 finals. “He played an unbelievable match and I really had to play well

to beat him, I served well and managed, it feels good right now,” the winner said of his European challenger. “It feels good to finally win this title. “It took a really really tough match against a player who played really well.

“This is a great win after the wrist recovery, I’m getting better match by match. I’m making improvements in my game and my confidence is growing,” warned Del Potro.

The South American who rained down ten aces went down a break of serve in the opening set as Zemlja took a 4-2 lead. But that was quickly brought under control in the eighth game for 4-4 as Del Potro began taking command.

Prior to Vienna, the 26-year-old Zemlja, who trains in Austria, had never reached even a quarter-final at ATP level.

He set several personal bests during his unexpected run here, beating Tommy Haas for a first top 20 win, reaching the final over Janko Tipsarevic for a first top 10 victory and raising his level consistently throughout the best week of his career.

“I made history two or three times this week,” joked the surprise finalist. “I’m the guy for that. But this week was really something special. Even if I lost I’m pretty satisfied.” Zemlja almost didn’t play this tournament. “It was an interesting and difficult situation for me before the tournament,” said the 26-yearold. “I was preparing last week for Vienna and found out I was the first on the waiting list to get into the main draw in Stockholm.

“I was deciding whether to go to Stockholm or play in the qualification here. I said I’d rather play here.

“I had a good feeling. it was a pretty good decision and I don’t regret it.” —AFP

VIENNA: Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro holds the trophy after winning against Grega Zemlja of Slovenia in their final match at the Erste Bank Open tennis tournament. —AP

18

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

sp orts

Gators thrash Gamecocks, Alabama roll GAINESVILLE: No. 3 Florida lived up to its surprising BCS ranking by thrashing a South Carolina team that appeared to be a contender in the SEC. The Gamecocks gave LSU almost all it could handle in Death Valley last week, and figured to follow up with a good showing in The Swamp. Instead, Loucheiz Purifoy knocked the ball out of South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw’s hands on the first play, and Florida punched it in to start a 4411 rout in Gainesville.

Jeff Driskel threw four touchdown passes three of them after turnovers - and the Gators matched their win total from last season. Florida avenged consecutive losses to the Gamecocks, including one a couple of years ago that ended with Steve Spurrier and his players celebrating a division title on the Gators’ home field.

Florida managed just 29 yards and two first downs in the first half against South Carolina (6-2, 4-2). But the Gators led 21-6 thanks to three turnovers and never looked back. Florida’s latest whatever-it-takes win kept coach Will Muschamp’s team undefeated and put it on the cusp of the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division title. The Gators can clinch a spot in the SEC championship game by beating No. 13 Georgia next week.

The Gators finished 7-6 last season, barely avoiding the program’s first losing season since 1979. The struggles had outsiders questioning whether Muschamp could get them back to national prominence. Florida’s record says he has, even if the stat sheet leaves doubts.

The Gamecocks actually outgained the Gators, 193-182, in a low-wattage affair everywhere but on the scoreboard. The Gators can use eye-popping result. Oregon is close behind the Gators in the BCS rankings and actually No. 2 in The Associated Press Top 25, which doesn’t count in the BCS, and in the coaches’ poll, which does.

The Ducks already posted a comprehensive victory at Arizona State on Thursday night, in which they reached 43 points in 20 minutes, then coasted to a 43-21 win over the Sun Devils.

Alabama 44, Tennessee 13 In Knoxville, Alabama may have a champi-

Kansas State scored on its first eight possessions, making it 52-7 with 2:25 left in the third quarter when Klein hit Tyler Lockett over the middle for a 20-yard score.

Notre Dame 17, Brigham Young 14 In South Bend, Theo Riddick pounded his

MORGANTOWN: Kansas State’s Tyler Lockett (16) is brought down by West Virginia’s Karl Joseph during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game. —AP way for a career-high 143 yards and Cierre Wood added 114 yards. Riddick had runs of 55 and 27, the two longest rushes of his career, to pace Notre Dame (7-0), which is off to its best start in a decade and has a big game ahead against No. 10 Oklahoma next week. The Cougars (4-4) fell to 0-3 on the road as they surrendered a season-high 270 yards rushing.

Backup quarterback Tommy Rees, starting in place of injured Everett Golson, completed 6 of 7 passes in the first quarter for 86 yards and a touchdown, throwing four of those to Tyler Eifert. But Rees missed his next seven passes and the Irish attempted only three passes in the second half.

Rees’ only completion of the second half

LOS ANGELES: Southern California wide receiver Robert Woods (right) catches a pass for a touchdown as Colorado defensive back Kenneth Crawley defends during the first half of their NCAA college football game. —AP onship-caliber offense to go with its best-inthe-nation defense. AJ McCarron tossed four touchdown passes and threw for a careerhigh 306 yards as the top-ranked Crimson Tide trounced Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. Freshman receiver Amari Cooper caught seven passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman running back T.J. Yeldon ran for 129 yards and two scored on 15 carries.

Tyler Bray went 13 of 27 for 184 yards with two interceptions and no touchdown passes for Tennessee. The Volunteers had scored at least 31 points in each of their first six games, but they couldn’t muster much offense against an Alabama team that entered leading the country in total defense, scoring defense, run defense and pass efficiency defense.

Tennessee (3-4, 0-4 SEC) has lost 11 of its last 12 SEC games and is 0-14 against the Top 25 since Derek Dooley took over the program in 2010.

More than one-third of the 102,455 fans were cheering for Alabama (7-0, 4-0). By the midway point of the fourth quarter, many of the Tennessee fans already had headed to the parking lot.

Kansas State 55, West Virginia 14 In Morgantown, Collin Klein ran for four touchdowns and threw three TD passes as Kansas State got little resistance from West Virginia in an easy victory that turned a matchup of Heisman Trophy contenders into a campaign ad for the Wildcats’ quarterback.

Klein was 19 of 21 for a career-high 323 yards and added 41 yards rushing for the Wildcats (7-0, 4-0 Big 12), the only unbeaten team in the conference.

It was no surprise the Mountaineers (5-2, 2-2) were awful on defense - it’s been that way all season. For the second straight game, though, Geno Smith and the offense did nothing to keep it close.

Smith followed up a clunker at Texas Tech last week with an even worse game, throwing his first two interceptions of the season and finishing 21 of 32 for 143 yards. The senior has gone from Heisman front-runner to long shot in two weeks.

er scored on TerBush TD passes of 83 yards to Akeem Shavers - on the first offensive play of the game - and 31 yards to Gary Bush in the third quarter, along with Akeem Hunt’s 100yard kickoff return. The Boilermakers also picked up a safety when Ohio State was called for an illegal block in the end zone in

was a 31-yard pass to TJ Jones with a little more than a minute left in the third quarter.

Riddick ran the ball up the middle for 19 yards to the BYU 5. Three plays later, George Atkinson III scored on an end around, cutting inside BYU safety Joe Sampson for a touchdown and the final margin.

LSU 24, No. 20 Texas A&M 19 At College Station, Jeremy Hill rushed for a career-high 127 yards and a touchdown, and the sixth-ranked Tigers rallied from an early deficit. Michael Ford also had a touchdown run and Zach Mettenberger threw a TD pass to Kadron Boone for the Tigers (7-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference), who scored 21 points off four Texas A&M turnovers.

A&M (5-2, 2-2) outplayed the Tigers for much of the first half and led 12-0, LSU’s largest deficit since the national championship game against Alabama in January.

But the Aggies gave away two costly turnovers just before halftime, and Boone’s diving catch in the end zone with 11 seconds left put LSU up 14-12 at the break. Hill finished off A&M with a 47-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Johnny Manziel, A&M’s dual-threat redshirt freshman quarterback, completed 29 of 56 passes for 276 yards, but threw three interceptions and was sacked three times. He was the SEC’s leading rusher coming into the game and was held to 27 yards on 17 carries.

Ohio State 29, Purdue 22 In Columus, backup Kenny Guiton came off the bench in relief of injured Braxton Miller to lead touchdown drives in the final minute of regulation and Carlos Hyde scored on a 1-yard run in in overtime. Purdue (3-4, 03 Big Ten) led 22-14 when Ohio State got the ball with just 47 seconds left in regulation.

Guiton, inserted when Miller went out with an undisclosed injury, hit Chris Fields on a 2yard touchdown pass with 3 seconds remaining. Guiton then found freshman Jeff Heuerman on the conversion pass to tie it at 22. Hyde scored on a short plunge for Ohio State (8-0, 4-0) before Purdue’s Caleb TerBush, who had two TD passes, misfired on four passes in the overtime. Purdue had earli-

the fourth quarter. Miller completed 9 of 20 passes for 113 yards with an interception and ran for 47 yards on 12 carries before leaving the game on the next-to-last play of the third quarter.

Oregon State 21, Utah 7 In Corvallis, Oregon State’s defense helped out when quarterback Cody Vaz struggled in the rain, and the undefeated Beavers beat Utah for their best start in more than a century.

Vaz made his debut last weekend as the starter in place of injured Sean Mannion and threw for three touchdowns against BYU to earn Pac-12 player of the week honors. This time, he passed for 174 yards against the Utes. But the Beavers’ defense had an interception and a fumble recovery that led to two first-half touchdown runs by Storm Woods.

Woods had all three TDs for Oregon State (6-0, 4-0 Pac-12), which hadn’t opened 6-0 since 1907, when the school was the Oregon Agricultural College. The victory also meant bowl eligibility for the Beavers, who went 3-9 last season and were picked to finish last in the Pac-12 North this year. Freshman Travis Wilson threw for 172 yards and a touchdown for Utah (2-5, 0-4), which began conference play with four consecutive losses for the second straight season.

Oklahoma 52, Kansas 7 In Norman, Landry Jones threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Oklahoma scored on a kickoff return and a punt return in the same game for the first time in school history.

Justin Brown made up for a lost fumble on his previous punt return by running his next chance back 90 yards and diving at the pylon for the score. Roy Finch then opened the second half with a 100-yard runback to stretch the lead to 45-0.

The Brown-Finch combo marked the first time the Sooners (5-1, 3-1 Big 12) have had two plays at least 90 yards long in the same game. James Sims scored on a shutout-preventing touchdown run in the fourth quarter for Kansas (1-6, 0-4), which never presented much of a challenge while losing its 16th straight conference game and 27th out of the last 28. The Sooners’ first-team defense hasn’t given up a point in two straight weeks heading into next Saturday night’s showdown against No. 5 Notre Dame on Owen Field.

Jones and the first-team offense scored on their first six possessions.

USC 50, Colorado 6 In Los Angeles, Matt Barkley threw for 298 yards and six touchdowns while setting Southern California’s career record for TD passes, and Robert Woods set a pair of school marks himself.

Barkley and Woods climbed atop the Trojans’ record books during the most prolific day of their three-year partnership at USC (61, 4-1 Pac-12), connecting on scoring throws of 39, 29, 17 and 3 yards in the first 35 minutes against hapless Colorado (1-6, 1-3). That gave Woods a school record for TD receptions in a single game.

Barkley hit Woods with his 100th career touchdown pass in the second quarter to surpass Matt Leinart’s USC and conference records. Woods passed Dwayne Jarrett on USC’s career receptions list a few minutes later with his 217th career catch, going 17 yards for another TD. USC has won four straight since its only loss, at Stanford.

Barkley tied his own single-game USC mark for TD passes while going 19 for 20 to break Rick Neuheisel’s conference record for completion percentage in a game with at least 20 passes. Barkley also hit Marqise Lee and Xavier Grimble for scores, and his only incompletion was a drop by Curtis McNeal.

Woods finished with eight catches for 132 yards. Lee had six catches for 103 yards.

Florida State 33, Miami 20 In Miami, EJ Manuel threw for 229 yards, Devonta Freeman ran for a pair of fourthquarter touchdowns and Florida State overcame a shaky start to beat Miami, the Seminoles’ third straight win over their

archrival. Manuel completed 21 of 31 passes for Florida State (7-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which won despite 12 penalties and five fumbles, two of them lost. Dustin Hopkins kicked four field goals and James Wilder added a touchdown run.

Stephen Morris, playing a week after spraining his left ankle, started and threw for 223 yards and a late touchdown for Miami (44, 3-2), which has lost three straight but controls its Coastal Division destiny. Mike James had a touchdown run for the Hurricanes, who lost freshman Duke Johnson in the second half with an undisclosed injury. Miami finished with 29 yards rushing on 21 attempts.

The win put the Seminoles a half-game ahead of Clemson in the ACC’s Atlantic Division, which has four teams with one loss in league play.

Georgia 29, Kentucky 24 In Lexington, Aaron Murray threw four touchdown passes to rally Georgia over stubborn Kentucky. The junior finished 30 of 38 for 427 yards as the Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1 SEC) stayed within reach of East-leading Florida entering next week’s showdown against the unbeaten Gators in Jacksonville, Fla. Georgia, coming off a bye following a 35-7 loss at South Carolina, had to work hard to get past Kentucky (1-7, 0-5), which has lost six in a row. Despite outgaining the Wildcats 504329, the Bulldogs trailed three times and needed Murray’s fourth TD for a cushion. Two of Murray’s scores were to Tavarres King, who had nine receptions for 188 yards - included a 66-yard TD. Arthur Lynch and Chris Conley also caught TDs for the Bulldogs.

Kentucky senior Morgan Newton had a hand in all the Wildcats’ scores, running and passing for a touchdown and leading a fieldgoal drive. He played the entire second half in place of freshman Jalen Whitlow, who left with a migraine.

Clemson 38, Virginia Tech 17 In Clemson, Tajh Boyd ran for two touchdowns and passed for another and Jonathan Meeks had a 74-yard interception return score and the Tigers beat the Hokies for the third straight time.

Andre Ellington had a 12-yard touchdown run and 96 yards for the Tigers (6-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who relied on their much-maligned defense to bail them out of this one. Clemson finished with three interceptions and twice stopped fourth downs to end drives by the Hokies (4-4, 2-2).

Logan Thomas passed for 207 yards and ran for 99, accounting for two Virginia Tech touchdowns. He was continually harassed by the Tigers and threw two picks. Boyd was 12 of 21 for 160 yards, 131 fewer than he averaged coming in.

Clemson tied a school record with its 11th straight home victory, something it had done twice before from 1937-42 and 1989-91. To match the mark this time, the Tigers had to count on their usually unreliable defense as their high-flying offense was largely grounded.

The Hokies put up 406 yards, but that’s still under the 445 a game Clemson had been allowing. Tigers defenders turned the tide early, halting Michael Holmes on third and fourth downs in the opening quarter to end the Hokies’ 15-play drive on Clemson’s 18.

Mississippi State 45, Middle Tennessee 3 In Starkville, Tyler Russell threw for 191 yards and three touchdowns, Johnthan Banks tied a school record with his 16th career interception and Mississippi State pulled away in the second half.

best opening to a season since 2006.

Louisville (7-0, 2-0 Big East) rallied after yielding 15 straight points to South Florida and a season-high 197 yards rushing.

BJ Daniels threw three TD passes in the second half, the last one putting South Florida ahead 25-21 with 3:09 left. The Bulls had one last chance for the win, but Adrian Bushell intercepted Daniels’ last-gasp throw as time ran out, well short of the end zone.

IDAHO: Boise State’s Jerrell Gavins (4) makes an interception in the end zone against UNLV’s Eric Johnson (9) during the first half of an NCAA college football game. —AP South Florida (2-5, 0-3) has dropped five straight games. It has just one win in its last 12 conference games dating to last season.

Louisville finished with four sacks and a big goal-line stand late in the third quarter.

Bridgewater was 21 of 25 for 256 yards and two TDs, and the sophomore quarterback also led the Cardinals with 74 yards rushing on 10 carries.

Texas Tech 56, TCU 53 In Fort Worth, Seth Doege tossed a touchdown pass in each of the three overtime periods, giving him seven for the game and helping Texas Tech beat TCU after blowing a late 10-point lead.

The game-winning pass was an 8-yarder to Alex Torres, which came four plays after freshman Jaden Oberkrom’s Big 12-record sixth field goal had put TCU ahead. Both teams scored touchdowns in the first two overtime periods. TCU (5-2, 2-2), the Big 12 newcomer, has lost consecutive home games in a single season for the first time since it dropped its final two home games of 1998.

Two weeks ago, the Horned Frogs lost their first Big 12 home game to Iowa State. Doege hit Torres in the middle of the end zone to end the game with the most combined points ever for Texas Tech, and the secondmost for TCU. He threw a 6-yard TD pass to Eric Ward in the first overtime, and a 25yarder to Jakeem Grant on the first play of the second extra period. Doege completed 30 of 42 passes for 318 yards and Texas Tech (6-1, 31) became bowl eligible a year after its first losing season since 1992. The Red Raiders were coming off an impressive 49-14 victory over then-No. 5 West Virginia.

Rutgers 35, Temple 10 In Philadelphia, Cory Nova threw four touchdown passes in the second half to keep Rutgers undefeated. Jawan Jamison had 114 yards rushing and 81 receiving, Nova threw

MORGANTOWN: West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith (12) looks to pass as Kansas State’s Adam Davis (55) is pushed away by Nick Kindler (79) during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game. —AP Mississippi State (7-0) led just 10-3 at half- for 232 yards, and the Scarlet Knights (7-0, 4time, but scored three touchdowns in the 0 Big East) rallied from a 10-0 halftime deficit third quarter to open a comfortable lead in in their first game against Temple (3-3, 2-1) the non-conference game. It was the ninth since the Owls were kicked out of the conferstraight win for the Bulldogs, dating to last ence in 2004. season.

Held to just 110 total yards in the first 30 LaDarius Perkins shook Mississippi State’s minutes, Rutgers was unstoppable in the secoffense out of an extended drought midway ond half. The Scarlet Knights scored on their through the third quarter, bursting through first four possessions and racked up 271 the middle of the line for a 64-yard touch- yards. A crowd of 35,145 was the thirddown to put the Bulldogs ahead 17-3. He fin- largest for Temple at Lincoln Financial Field, ished with 125 yards rushing on 20 carries. home of the Philadelphia Eagles. There were Mississippi State’s Chris Smith caught a plenty of red-clad Scarlet Knights’ fans who career-high seven passes for 66 yards and made the trip down the New Jersey Turnpike. two touchdowns. Middle Tennessee (4-3) was led by Jordan Parker’s 66 yards rushing.

Toledo 29, Cincinnati 23 The victory sets up Mississippi State’s undeIn Toledo, Bernard Reedy scored on a 91feated conference showdown at No. 1 yard kickoff return and Toledo handed Alabama next weekend.

Cincinnati its first loss of the season.

Cincinnati (5-1) led just once, late in the Louisville 27, South Florida 25 third quarter, but Reedy quickly erased the In Louisville, Louisville’s perfect start deficit with his third special teams touchappeared to be over before Teddy down in three weeks, putting Toledo up 26Bridgewater came up with one more big 20. Toledo’s defense stifled Bearcats quarterplay. Bridgewater threw an 11-yard touch- back Munchie Legaux and his high-powered down pass to Eli Rogers with 1:35 left, and offense, which had been averaging 37 points the 16th-ranked Cardinals were off to their per game. — AP

19

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

SPORTS

Everton held by QPR QPR 1

Everton 1

FRANKFURT: Hannover’s Mohammed Abdellaoue of Norway (left) and Frankfurt’s Sebastian Rode challenge for the ball during the German First Division Bundesliga soccer match.—AP

Stuttgart defeat Hamburger BERLIN: Stuttgart earned a hard-fought 10 win at Hamburger SV to end the home side’s four-game unbeaten run yesterday.

Vedad Ibisevic’s 31st-minute strike was enough for the visitors to claim just their second win of the season and stem talk of a crisis engulfing the club.

Martin Harnik crossed for the Bosnian striker to steal ahead of his marker and convert at the near post past goalkeeper Rene Adler. “You couldn’t see that we had collected 10 points from the previous four games,” Hamburg captain Heiko Westermann said.

Adler had made a great block to deny Harnik in the second minute, and Ibisevic had another chance in the 15th but fired wide under pressure from a defender.

“The win does us a lot of good,” said Stuttgart coach Bruno Labbadia, who used to be in charge of Hamburg. “It was a sensational performance today.”

The home side’s first big chance fell to Dutchman Raphael van der Vaart in the 43rd but Arthur Boka made a crucial intervention.

Boka hobbled off injured as a result, and there was still time before the break for Artjoms Rudnevs’ effort to be ruled offside after Milan Badelj’s initial 30-meter (yard) strike hit the crossbar.

Either side could have scored after the interval. Hamburg defender Dennis Diekmeier dispossessed Ibrahima Traore in the penalty area, before the outstanding Sven Ulreich made saves from Maximilian Beister, Van der Vaart and Rudnevs. Son Heung-min then wasted the next chance from a rebound.

Adler kept the result in doubt until the end with another save from Harnik.

“We said before the game that they were a good team, even if they were low down (in the standings),” said Van der Vaart, who wasn’t at his best after returning from international duty with a thigh strain.

Earlier yesterday, Nuremberg ended its four-game losing streak with a 0 -0 draw at home to Augsburg. Augsburg came closest to scoring in a keenly contested game of little quality, and the final whistle was greeted by whistles from the Nuremberg fans who have not seen their side win at home since April.

“At least we stopped the bad run somewhat,” said Nuremberg goalkeeper Raphael Schaefer, who went off at the interval with an Achilles problem. “Of course it wasn’t a good game. You can see how insecure the team is at the moment.”

Knowledge Musona had the game’s first shot on target in the 30th minute, straight at Schaefer, and Nuremberg defender Hanno Balitsch had a half-chance at the other end but failed to connect properly with the ball before the break.

Substitute ‘keeper Patrick Rakovsky almost gifted Augsburg the opener by failing to claim a corner, with Aristide Bance, Thomas Oehrl and then Ragnar Klavan all having attempts blocked before he finally gathered the ball.

Rakovsky then denied Bance in the 67th. “If you score goals you can also win such a game,” said Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl. “So (at least) we can be happy we took the point.”—AP

German League results/standings

LONDON: Everton held on for a 1-1 draw at QPR despite Steven Pienaar’s second half dismissal at Loftus Road yesterday.

South African midfielder Pienaar was sent off for a second booking in the 61st minute, but struggling QPR were unable to take advantage as Everton cemented their position in the Premier League’s top four. David Moyes’ side had earlier recovered from Junior Hoilett’s early strike to equalise when a Sylvain Distin header deflected in off QPR goalkeeper Julio Cesar’s back for an own goal.

Everton are now one point clear of fifth placed Tottenham after their fifth league game without defeat, while QPR, still without a league win this season, remain bottom of the table.

“I think sending a player off under the circumstances is a ludicrous decision, I really do,” Moyes said. “The referee must have known he was on a yellow card. It ruined our opportunity to go and win three points but the players did well to hang on to get something out of the game.”

QPR boss Mark Hughes added: “The little details are hampering us at the moment, but overall our performances have been good.

“I thought some of our play was excellent. It’s a good point that gives us confidence to go on and build from here.” The build-up to the match was dominated with speculation as to which players would boycott wearing t-shirts in the warm-up supporting the antiracism ‘Kick it Out’ campaign.

Anton Ferdinand and QPR teammates Shaun Wright-Phillips and Hoilett opted not to wear the shirt, following the stance taken by Ferdinand’s brother Rio prior to Manchester United’s game against Stoke on Saturday.

Hughes’ team didn’t seem dis-

LONDON: Queen’s Park Rangers David Hoilett (left) is out jumped for the ball by Everton’s Sylvain Distin during their English Premier League soccer match.—AP tracted by the controversy as they took the lead in the second minute.

Everton captain Phil Neville lost possession to Hoilett and the former Blackburn winger fired in a powerful shot that beat Tim Howard after taking a deflection off Leighton Baines.

But Everton equalised in fortuitous circumstances in the 33rd minute. Pienaar whipped in a deep free-kick that Distin headed onto a post and, with Cesar prone on the turf after attempting a save, the

ball rebounded, hit the Brazilian on the back and cannoned into the net. Referee Jonathan Moss waved away Everton striker Nikica Jelavic’s appeals for a penalty after he went down following a Stephane Mbia challenge late in the first half, while Toffees defender Phil Jagielka struck the crossbar from a corner before the break.

Everton’s hopes of victory suffered a major blow when Pienaar received his second booking in quick succession. Pienaar had

already been booked for one wild lunge, but his second yellow card was slightly harsh as he made minimal contact on Jose Bosingwa.

It took a fine save from Cesar to keep out a Jagielka header soon after, but QPR finished the stronger and Howard had to be alert to push away a Hoillet strike.

QPR appealed in vain for a penalty when Seamus Coleman appeared to trip Hoilett, who then a goalbound effort saved by Howard in a frantic finale.—AFP

EPL results/standings QPR 1 (Hoilett 2) Everton 1 (Cesar 33-og); Sunderland 1 (Ba 86-og) Newcastle 1 (Cabaye 3).

English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

Chelsea Man Utd Man City Everton Tottenham West Brom West Ham Fulham Arsenal Swansea

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

7 6 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 3

1 0 3 3 2 2 2 1 3 2

0 2 0 1 2 2 2 3 2 3

19 21 17 15 15 12 12 16 13 14

6 11 9 9 12 9 9 11 6 12

22 18 18 15 14 14 14 13 12 11

Newcastle 8 Liverpool 8 Stoke 8 Sunderland 7 Norwich 8 Wigan 8 Aston Villa 8 Southampton 8 Reading 7 QPR 8

2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

4 3 5 5 3 2 2 1 3 3

2 3 2 1 4 5 5 6 4 5

9 10 8 6 6 8 6 13 8 7

12 12 9 8 17 15 13 24 14 17

10 9 8 8 6 5 5 4 3 3

Ba’s own goal rescues Sunderland Sunderland 1

Newcastle 1

Nuremberg 0 Augsburg 0; Hamburg 0 VfB Stuttgart 1 (Ibisevic 30).

German League table after yesterday’s game (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Bayern Eintracht Schalke Dortmund Leverkusen Hanover Freiburg Mainz Werder

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

8 6 5 3 3 3 3 3 3

0 1 2 3 3 2 2 2 1

0 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 4

26 19 17 18 13 16 13 9 14

2 11 8 11 11 13 10 10 13

24 19 17 12 12 11 11 11 10

Hamburg 8 Duesseldorf8 VfB Stuttgart8 Borussia 8 Hoffenheim8 Nuremberg 8 Augsburg 8 Greuther 8 Wolfsburg 8

3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1

1 4 3 3 2 2 3 2 2

4 9 11 10 2 6 8 10 3 8 14 9 3 9 16 9 4 13 17 8 4 7 14 8 4 5 11 6 5 5 14 5 5 2 15 5

Age-old Asian rivalry takes centre stage SINGAPORE: Saudi giants Al Ittihad take on city rivals Al Ahli in the AFC Champions League semi-finals today as one of Asia’s oldest and fiercest local derbies stages arguably its most important edition yet.

Having fought on the domestic stage for three-quarters of a century, the stakes are unprecedented for the Jeddah teams with the winner over two legs reaching a final against Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor or South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai.

The two clubs are among the most venerable in Asia-Al Ittihad were formed in 1929, and Al Ahli eight years later-and they have been frequent foes in Saudi Arabia’s league and cup competitions since their first clash in 1938.

It is not the first time that two clubs from the same country have been drawn together in the last four: South Korea’s Jeonbuk Motors and Ulsan Hyundai met in 2006, and Japan’s Gamba Osaka and Urawa Reds clashed in 2008.

But none of those other teams shared an age-old rivalry like Al Ittihad and Al Ahli have developed over the years. Al Ittihad, who are the nominal home side for the first leg at the shared Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, have the richer history with AFC Champions League wins in 2004 and 2005, plus eight domestic league titles.

By contrast, Al Ahli have only two league titles to their name, but they have held the edge in recent times after they beat Al Ittihad to win the King’s Cup in 2011 and finished second in the league behind Al Shabab earlier this year.

Al Ittihad were fifth, their worst league performance in 14 years, but their form has picked up dramatically since the appointment of Raul Caneda as head coach in February.

Under the Spaniard, Al Ittihad were unbeaten in 22 games in all competitions

until this month’s 2-1 away loss to Guangzhou Evergrande in the second leg of the Asian quarter-finals-although they still advanced 5-4 on aggregate.

The Tigers will have to cope with the absence of veteran defender Redha Takar, who picked up yellow cards in each of the quarter-final games.

While there will be little travel involved in the semi-final, whose first leg was brought forward two days because of Eid celebrations in Saudi Arabia, the winner faces a trip to either Uzbekistan or South Korea for next month’s final.

Bunyodkor emerged from a hard-fought quarter-final against Australia’s Adelaide United, which went to extra-time before they eventually prevailed 5-4 on aggregate.

Formed only in 2005, the four-time Uzbek champions are keen to add the continental title to their trophy haul after going out in the semi-finals in 2008 and the quarter-finals a year later.

The team coached by Uzbek legend Mirdjalal Kasimov have done well this year against Korean clubs in the AFC Champions League, beating Pohang Steelers twice in the group stage and eliminating Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the round of 16. But Ulsan are unbeaten in this year’s competition and Kim Ho-Gon’s side impressed in their quarter-final against Al Hilal as they hammered the Saudi club 4-0 in the second leg to reach the last four for the first time since 2006.

K-League clubs have traditionally done well in the AFC Champions League and Ulsan will be looking to become the fourth consecutive Korean side to appear in the final.

Bunyodkor will be without midfielder Anvar Gafurov, who was sent off in the second leg of the quarter-final against Adelaide.—AFP

SUNDERLAND: Sunderland rescued a 1-1 draw against 10-man Newcastle yesterday as Demba Ba’s late own goal cost his team a victory over their bitter rivals in the Tyne-Wear derby.

Martin O’Neill’s team had laboured in vain to break down the Newcastle defence despite having the numerical advantage following Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote’s 25thminute dismissal. Newcastle, who had taken the lead through Yohan Cabaye’s early strike, were hanging on for three points at the Stadium of Light until Senegal striker Ba diverted John O’Shea’s header into his own net with just four minutes remaining.

Ba’s own goal ensured the fourth 1-1 draw in the last six meetings between these two old enemies, but Sunderland, who have beaten Newcastle just once in their last 16 clashes, are still waiting for their first win over the Magpies since 2008.

Despite the late equaliser, Pardew was delighted with Newcastle’s spirit and said: “It was a magnificent effort. We said to the players before the game how important it was to the fans, we’ve now shown how important it is to us. “Playing an hour with 10 men, if we could have just seen it out it would have been one of the greatest victories ever here. But it’s a great point and I’m very proud of my players.”

Sunderland defender O’Shea added: “Newcastle work hard on their shape with two banks of four and the big men up front, so it was difficult, but we managed to get the goal.

“It was a great game to be involved in, both (sets of) players wanted to win so much, It was vital not to lose the game.”

Newcastle’s dominance in these ferocious encounters looked like continuing when French midfielder Cabaye opened the scoring in the third minute.

LONDON: Newcastle United’s Jonas Gutierrez (right) vies for the ball with Sunderland’s Jack Colback during their English Premier League soccer match.—AP Hatem Ben Arfa found space down the right and played the ball in to Ba, whose shot from a tight angle was blocked by Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet at his near post.

But Mignolet could only turn the ball into the path of Cabaye and he kept his cool to slot a fine low strike past two defenders into the far corner of the net.

O’Shea made an important block to keep out Ba’s volley as Newcastle pushed for a second goal. However, Sunderland were given a major bost with 25 minutes gone when Ivory Coast midfielder Tiote was sent off.

Referee Martin Atkinson had already blown for a foul on Tiote by Sunderland’s Jack Colback, but the Newcastle star carried on running and crashed into Steven Fletcher with his foot raised.

Atkinson deemed the challenge was worthy of a red card and a furious Tiote trudged off while Newcastle’s players protested. Despite

going down to 10 men, Newcastle could have doubled their advantage just before half-time when Fabricio Coloccini’s shot was blocked and Ba hooked the ball over the bar after controlling the rebound.

Sunderland went close soon after the interval when Fletcher headed across goal from a Sebastian Larsson cross.

James McClean’s 64th-minute shot was deflected wide as Sunderland pressed forward, but with Coloccini and Williamson in commanding form at the back, Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul was rarely threatened. Cabaye and Ben Arfa combined to set up Ba as Newcastle tried to snatch a second goal on the counter but the forward’s shot was blocked by O’Shea.

And Ba’s frustration was compounded in the 86th minute when O’Shea met Larsson’s deep free-kick with a header which hit the striker and flew past Krul to spark wild celebrations from the home fans.—AFP

Preview

City facing crunch time in CL LONDON: Fresh off a first English league title in 44 years, Manchester City was supposed to make its presence felt among Europe’s elite this season with its expensively assembled squad.

A slip-up in the Champions League this week, however, will leave the English club facing the prospect of another campaign in the Europa League — or worse, dropping out of Europe altogether. Of the continent’s top sides, City is under the most pressure heading into the third round of group-stage matches in the Champions League.

With just one point from two matches so far, failing to beat Ajax on Wednesday could leave City with too much to do to qualify from a tough Group D that also contains Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. City also failed to progress from the group stage last season, although that was put

down to a lack of experience at this level.

Much more is expected this time. “I don’t know if it is a learning curve - we are in with the big boys now, there is no place to hide,” City goalkeeper Joe Hart said. “There is no point learning if you are not going to win. We need one big game against Ajax next.” There are no such concerns for competition heavyweights Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Arsenal, who are all looking for their third straight group wins.

As is BATE Borisov, the Belarusian team that inflicted a shock 3-1 loss on last season’s runner-up Bayern Munich last time out and next hosts Valencia in Group F. Bayern visits bottom-place Lille and will look to transfer its domestic form to the Champions League after becoming the first side to start a

Bundesliga campaign with eight wins. “We have to keep it up and ... be ready for Lille,” Bayern winger Franck Ribery said.

Malaga, which is making its debut in the competition, and FC Porto are the other two teams to have made 100-percent starts in the competition.

The group involving City and Madrid has been given top billing this season, but while the English champions have struggled to get going, their Spanish counterparts have been in fine form and scored seven goals already.

However, Jose Mourinho’s team heads into its tough away match at Dortmund with defensive problems because of injuries to fullbacks Marcelo, Alvaro Arbeloa and Fabio Coentrao. Michael Essien, a central midfielder, was forced to fill in at left back in the 2-0 win over Celta Vigo on Saturday.—AP

Everton held by QPR

Garcia stops Morales in 4th round to retain titles

19

17

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

Gators thrash Gamecocks, Alabama roll

Page 18

SAN SEBASTIAN: Atletico Madrid’s Colombian forward Radamel Falcao (right) vies with Real Sociedad’s defender Inigo Martinez (center) during the Spanish League football match. —AFP

Falcao keeps Atletico level with Barca MADRID: Atletico Madrid stretched their winning run to seven matches and kept pace with Barcelona at the top of La Liga when Radamel Falcao’s brilliant late free-kick snatched a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad yesterday.

With the rain lashing down in San Sebastian, Colombia striker Falcao had an unusually quiet night until he curled the ball over the wall and into the net for a 90th-minute winner, his ninth goal of the campaign. Atletico, resurgent under Argentine coach Diego Simeone, have not won seven La Liga games in a row since the 1991/92 season. The victory put them level on 22 points with Barca but behind on goal difference.

Barca, like Atletico unbeaten this season, survived the dismissal of centre back Javier Mascherano and held on for a 5-4 success at Deportivo Coruna on Saturday with Lionel Messi

netting his 15th La Liga hat-trick.

Malaga are three behind Atletico in third thanks to a 2-1 win at home to Real Valladolid on Saturday, when Real Madrid continued to claw their way up the standings after a poor start to the defence of their title.

Jose Mourinho’s side climbed to fourth on 14 points after Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo scored in a drab 2-0 win at home to Celta Vigo on Saturday.

In yesterday’s other games, Real Betis missed the chance to climb above Real when they played out an uninspiring 0-0 draw at bottom side Osasuna to stay fifth on 13 points.

Michel’s spectacular long-distance effort three minutes from time secured a 1-0 success for Levante at Getafe which lifted the Valencia-based side to sixth.

Espanyol secured their first win of

the campaign and climbed off the bottom when Christian Stuani’s towering header in the third minute of added time secured a 3-2 win at home to Rayo Vallecano. Real Zaragoza moved up to 14th when they won 2-1 at Granada, who had midfielder Iriney sent off for a wild challenge in the 72nd minute.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi’s hat-trick in Barcelona’s 5-4 tightrope walk of a win over Deportivo La Coruna has brought the forward closer to beating Pele and Gerd Mueller’s all-time calendar marks of 75 and 85 goals respectively. Messi has now scored 71 goals in 2012, meaning that by his standards he is only a couple of games away from surpassing Pele’s 1959 tally of 75 for Santos and Brazil, Catalan daily El Mundo Deportivo pointed out Sunday on its website.

“Messi now has 71 goals, 12 of

Inter keep Juve in sight MILAN: Inter Milan maintained their pursuit of Serie A leaders Juventus with a 2-0 win over Catania as Fiorentina lost ground after being held to a 1-1 draw at Chievo yesterday.

Inter’s fourth win on the trot came thanks to goals from Antonio Cassano and Argentina international Rodrigo Palacio and leaves Andrea Stramaccioni’s side in fourth place only four points behind leaders Juventus. The Nerazzurri face Juventus away on November 3, and Stramaccioni believes the match-coming after fixtures against Bologna and Sampdoria-could be a turning point for their season.

Although Inter have the league’s fourth highest goals tally, Stramaccioni is particularly pleased by the fact his defence has tightened since they leaked three goals in a shock 3-1 home defeat to Roma nearly seven weeks ago.

“After we conceded those goals against Roma we’ve conceded only three more in six games, I’m happy about that,” he said. “Maybe after the Juve game we’ll have a clearer idea of what lies in store for us this season.”

Juve took sole lead of the title race Saturday when goals from second-half substitutes Juan Caceres and Paul Pogba secured a 2-0 home win over Napoli and left Walter Mazzarri’s side in second three points adrift. Juventus, now on 22 points, remain the only unbeaten team in the league. Inter stand-in coach Angelo Alessio said Juve had only one priority. “We went out tonight (Saturday) to win. When we scored our opener, it was no surprise. We put six players up for that corner who could potentially score,” he said. Lazio, meanwhile, maintained their early season charge with a 3-2 win over embattled AC Milan that left the Rome-based side in third place four points behind Juve.

AC Milan’s fifth defeat in eight games in

unlikley to lead to the sacking of coach Massimiliano Allegri, according to Milan officials mindful of the fact he lost the spine of his team during a turbulent summer transfer period.

However the club have reacted to Saturday’s reverse - at one point Lazio were leading 3-0 until goals from Nigel De Jong and Stephan El Shaarawy reduced arrears - by ordering the players to a week-long training camp.

Milan’s squad will meet at Montanello outside Milan for training on Monday before flying out to Spain Tuesday for their Champions League Group C fixture against Malaga a day later. They will then return to Montanello to prepare for Saturday’s visit of Genoa, a match which Milan, sixth from bottom on seven points, must win if they are to consider getting back into the title race.

San Siro neightbors Inter have no such problems so far. In 30 previous encounters Catania had registered only five wins to 21 for their hosts. And win number 22 looked on the cards when Cassano, who has recently been left on the sidelines by Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, headed the ball between the legs of ‘keeper Mariano Andujar to give Inter a 28th minute lead. Although Diego Milito has yet to score this month, the Argentine striker initiated the move which led to Cassano’s goal and provided the assist for Palacio to open his Inter account in the 85th minute.

With five goals in a total of eight matches Stramaccioni is getting a good return on former Milan striker Cassano. But the Inter handler believes Milito will come good during the season. “Milito didn’t score because he made some sacrifices, but I still think he will be our top scorer in the end,” he added. Genoa host Roma in yesterday’s late match.—AFP

those for Argentina, and has another eight weeks to boost the tally,” the paper noted.

“Everything therefore points to him beating ‘O Rei’ (‘king’ Pele) and maybe also Mueller, who in 1972 .... piled up 85 with Bayern and the German national side,” the Barcelona daily continued.

Messi, also looking for a fourth world footballer of the year award, has already set a new Barcelona record in scoring 59 goals already in 2012 this year - one more than his total in 2010.

He has also managed 15 league hat-tricks for Barca, with Saturday’s effort moving him ahead of legendary former star Cesar.

A further two trebles in the Spanish Cup, three more in the Champions League and one in the Spanish Supercup mean he has 21 overall for his club.—AFP

Italian Serie A results/standings Atalanta 2 (Cigarini 62, Bonaventura 82) Siena 1 (Ferreira 59); Cagliari 1 (Nianggolan 61) Bologna 0; Chievo 1 (Thereau 17) Fiorentina 1 (Gonzalo 18); Inter Milan 2 (Cassano 28, Palacio 85) Catania 0; Palermo 0 Torino 0; Parma 2 (Amauri 36-pen, 53) Sampdoria 1 (Eder 81-pen); Udinese 1 (Maicosuel 53) Pescara 0; Genoa 2 (Kucka 7, Jankovic 15) Roma 4 (Totti 27, Osvaldo 44, 55, Lamela 83).

Italian Serie A table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Juventus 8 7 1 0 19 4 22 Napoli 8 6 1 1 14 5 19 Lazio 8 6 0 2 15 8 18 Inter Milan 8 6 0 2 13 6 18 Roma 8 4 2 2 18 13 14 Fiorentina 8 3 3 2 9 7 12 Catania 8 3 2 3 9 13 11 Sampdoria 8 3 2 3 10 10 10 Torino 8 2 4 2 9 5 9 Genoa 8 2 3 3 10 12 9 Parma 8 2 3 3 8 11 9 Udinese 8 2 3 3 8 11 9 Atalanta 8 3 1 4 7 12 8 Cagliari 8 2 2 4 5 11 8 AC Milan 8 2 1 5 9 10 7 Bologna 8 2 1 5 9 11 7 Chievo 8 2 1 5 7 15 7 Pescara 8 2 1 5 6 15 7 Palermo 8 1 3 4 6 11 6 Siena 8 2 2 4 9 10 2 Note: Sampdoria (one point), Torino (one point), Atalanta (two points) and Siena (six points) all docked points for involvement in ‘Calcioscommesse’ illegal betting scandal

Spanish League results/standings Getafe 0 Levante 1 (Herrero 87); Espanyol 3 (Verdu 37, 48, Stuani 90+3) Rayo Vallecano 2 (Carrilho Baptistao 11, 63); Granada 1 (El-Arabi 77) Real Zaragoza 2 (Postiga 3, Rodriguez Romero 27); Osasuna 0 Real Betis 0; Real Sociedad 0 Atletico Madrid 1 (Falcao 90) Spanish League table after yesterday’s early matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Barcelona Atletico Malaga Real Madrid Levante Real Betis Real Mallorca Sevilla Valencia Valladolid

8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 8 8

7 7 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 3

1 1 2 2 1 0 2 2 2 1

0 0 1 2 3 3 2 2 3 4

24 19 13 16 9 12 8 8 11 12

11 8 5 7 13 13 6 7 11 9

22 22 17 14 13 13 11 11 11 10

Getafe Vallecano Celta Vigo Real Sociedad Real Zaragoza Granada Athletic Bilbao Deportivo Espanyol Osasuna

8 8 8 7 8 8 8 8 8 7

3 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 1

1 1 0 0 0 2 2 3 2 1

4 4 5 4 5 4 4 4 5 5

8 11 9 8 7 7 11 13 11 7

11 17 10 11 10 12 17 19 15 11

10 10 9 9 9 8 8 6 5 5

‘Geddo’ lifts Ahly into final JOHANNESBURG: Mohamed ‘Geddo’ Nagy confirmed his recent return to scoring form with the winner yesterday as Al Ahly of Egypt beat Sunshine Stars of Nigeria 1-0 in Cairo to reach the CAF Champions League final.

A deflected shot past goalkeeper Moses Ocheje after 28 minutes at the empty June 30 stadium settled the second leg of the semi-final after a 3-3 draw in Nigeria two weeks ago.

Record six-time African champions Ahly advanced 4-3 overall and face bitter rivals Esperance of Tunisia over two legs during November, with the Egyptians having home advantage first.

Geddo, who became the five-goal star of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations after entering the tournament as an unknown, had scored only once in the CAF Champions League this season before the semi-finals. But a first-leg brace followed by the second-leg winner lifts him to four goals, two less than leading Ahly scorer Mohamed Aboutrika, who is serving a twomonth club suspension for refusing to play in a recent domestic fixture.

Geddo could have finished the return match with four goals as the woodwork denied him twice in the opening half and once after the break while Sunshine substitute Harrison Egbune rattled the crossbar in the latter stages.

Ahly controlled most of a match that rarely rose above the ordinary and was played behind closed doors with Egyptian authorities refusing to allow spectators amid post-Arab spring security fears. Competing in the Champions League for the first time this season, Sunshine seemed overawed apart from a brief secondhalf spell when Tamen Medrano, Dele Olorundare and Egbune threatened goalkeeper Sherif Ekrami.—AFP

CAIRO: Egypt’s Al-Ahly player Mohammed Nagieb (left) vies for the ball against Nigeriaís Dele Olorundare of the Sunshine Star club during their semi-final football match in the African Champions League.—AFP

Orascom widens business links with Vimpelcom Page 22

Wataniya Telecom posts KD 62.9m net profit for 9 months in 2012 Page 23

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

Hollande reform bid greeted with skepticism Page 24

Jet Airways commences non-stop flight to Page 25 Kochi

Kuwait bourse plunges 3.1% Biggest daily drop since 2009 DUBAI: Kuwait’s bourse tumbled 3.1 percent yesterday, its biggest daily drop since July 2009, ahead of a demonstration called by opposition leaders to protest against planned changes to the electoral law.

Market participants said they believed state-linked funds were buying blue-chips in an effort to support the market, as they have done during some periods of weakness in the past.

But selling pressure was very heavy in small-capital stocks favored by retail traders, who cut their exposure because they feared a confrontation between police and protesters yesterday evening. “The government was tr ying to stabilize the market today through the National Portfolio Fund, but the sell-flow was heavy,” said a Kuwait-based trader who asked not to be identified. “There’s only so much selling they can absorb.”

Yesterday’s protest was to start from a number of locations in Kuwait City after Muslim evening prayers and gather outside government offices. State news agency KUNA reported Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad AlHamoud Al-Sabah had instructed security forces to “decisively confront” any attempt to hold protests outside designated areas. The ministry also said special forces were on alert to deal with any unrest.

Kuwait has avoided the uprisings that have forced four Arab

KUWAIT: Investors monitor share prices at the Kuwait Stock Exchange. Kuwait shares tumbled 3.1 percent yesterday, its biggest daily drop since July 2009. — File photo

heads of state out of office since last year, thanks partly to its generous welfare system, but the protests may indicate parliamentary elections scheduled for Dec 1 will not end a political deadlock between the cabinet and parliament that is blocking economic policy-making and development.

The benchmark stock index slumped to 5,729 points, near an eight-year low of 5,661 points hit in August. Its last daily fall of this magnitude occurred when the global financial crisis was affecting

the market. Blue-chips recovered in late trade with the three largest stocks, National Bank of Kuwait, Zain and Kuwait Finance House, ending flat.

But among smaller caps, Gulf Finance House and National Ranges dropped 6.9 and 11.4 percent respectively, while Abyaar Real Estate lost 5.8 percent.

Trading in these three stocks accounted for more than a third of overall volume on the bourse.

“Kuwait’s index is approaching the strong support zone of 5,660,”

said Mohabeldeen Agena, head of technical analysis at Cairo’s Beltone Financial.

“We are expecting the index to move flat between 5,650 and 5,800 before rising again. Any dip below 5,600 means that we are going to see lower lows.”

In Saudi Arabia, the bourse declined for a second session, down 0.4 percent from last Wednesday ’s 10-day high as investors cut risk with the approach of a long holiday.

Banks were lower with the sec-

tor ’s index down 0.4 percent.

Heavyweight Al Rajhi Bank shed 0.4 percent, Arab National Bank fell 1.2 percent and Bank Albilad lost 1.8 percent. Saudi Telecom Co (STC) weighed on the market with a 3.5 percent drop after missing third-quarter profit estimates.

“We believe higher operating expenses, particularly outside of Saudi, and a poor performance on the non-operating line led to the net income miss,” NBC Capital said in a note. Bucking the trend, Refining & Petrochemical Co (PetroRabigh) soars its daily 10 percent limit after announcing it has swung to a quarterly profit.

Shares close at their highest since Sept. 19. The firm made a net profit of 409.3 million riyals ($109 million) in the third quarter compared to a 280 million riyal loss in the year-ago period, because of improved gross margins on refined products and higher sales, PetroRabigh said.

Saudi Arabia’s market will close on Oct. 25 for Eid al Adha holidays and resume trade on Nov. 3.

In the UAE, Dubai’s benchmark eased away from Thursday’s 25week closing high, ending 0.3 percent lower. Investors booked recent gains in Emaar Properties, which slipped 0.8 percent.

Emirates NBD shed 0.7 percent and Dubai Islamic Bank declined 1.0 percent. Elsewhere, Abu Dhabi and Qatar ’s measures ended essentially flat, while Oman’s market eased 0.1 percent.— Reuters

KD10.791bn deficit projected in Kuwait budget KUWAIT: State budget of the 20122013 fiscal year is projected to post deficit amounting to KD 10.791 billion, according to a relevant approved bill. Overall forecast revenues are estimated at KD 13.932 billion, total expenditure at KD 21.240 billion, according to the law, published by Kuwait Gazette in yesterday’s issue-regarding approval of the budgets of ministries and government departments.

Up to KD 3.483 billion of the income were allocated for the next generations’ fund.

Total spending and allocations are forecast higher than overall returns

by KD 10.791 billion, that is the projected deficit, to be covered by the state reser ve financial resources.

Projected oil proceeds, in the same fiscal year, amounted to KD 12.768 million, 91.6 percent of the overall returns, amounting to KD 13.932 billion. Spending on salaries and wages was estimated at KD 4.537 billion, commodities and services KD 4.169 billion, transport means and equipment KD 477 million.

The law forecast expenditure on construction projects, maintenance and public properties at KD 2.162 billion, miscellaneous and transfer payments at KD 8.938 billion, complementar y credits KD 956.534 million.— KUNA

Classifieds MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JZR QTR JZR SVA ETH KAC GFA UAE ETD FDB KAC KAC MSR QTR JZR QTR THY DHX KAC SVA BAW KAC FDB KAC SVA KAC UAE ABY GFA KAC QTR KNE SVA FDB ETD BAB KAC GFA SVA SVA UAE MEA JZR IRC SVA MSR MSC SVA JZR SVA MSR GFA KAC FDB OMA SVA KNE QTR SVA RJA KAC JZR KAC QTR KNE JZR SYR JZR KAC SVA ETD UAE UAL KAC SVA GFA JZR JZR ABY SVA KAC QTR BAB KAC KAC FDB MSC MSR KAC KAC KAC JAI KAC FDB MEA QTR KAC GFA FDB ALK TMA UAE JZR ETD ABY KAC QTR JAI KNE JZR AIC GFA UAL TAR JZR DLH MSR THY KLM PIA

Arrival Flights on Monday 22/10/2012 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 148 DOHA 539 CAIRO 4769 JEDDAH 620 ADDIS ABABA 1924 JEDDAH 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 67 DUBAI 1926 JEDDAH 1928 JEDDAH 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 503 LUXOR 6130 DOHA 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 4149 JEDDAH 157 LONDON 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 4155 JEDDAH 362 COLOMBO 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 223 BAHRAIN 284 DHAKA 132 DOHA 2156 JEDDAH 4157 JEDDAH 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 436 BAHRAIN 344 CHENNAI 213 BAHRAIN 4147 JEDDAH 4133 JEDDAH 871 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 6521 LAMERD 4153 JEDDAH 618 ALEXANDRIA 401 ALEXANDRIA 4151 JEDDAH 561 SOHAG 4145 JEDDAH 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 672 DUBAI 57 DUBAI 645 MUSCAT 4141 JEDDAH 472 JEDDAH 140 DOHA 500 JEDDAH 640 AMMAN 788 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 546 ALEXANDRIA 134 DOHA 2158 JEDDAH 1775 JEDDAH 341 DAMASCUS 535 CAIRO 118 NEW YORK 4161 JEDDAH 303 ABU DHABI 857 DUBAI 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 1938 JEDDAH 510 RIYADH 215 BAHRAIN 177 DUBAI 777 JEDDAH 127 SHARJAH 4143 JEDDAH 542 CAIRO 144 DOHA 438 BAHRAIN 786 JEDDAH 104 LONDON 63 DUBAI 405 SOHAG 620 ASSIUT 674 DUBAI 1939 JEDDAH 742 DAMMAM 572 MUMBAI 774 RIYADH 61 DUBAI 402 BEIRUT 146 DOHA 1942 JEDDAH 221 BAHRAIN 59 DUBAI 229 COLOMBO 213 BEIRUT 859 DUBAI 135 BAHRAIN 307 ABU DHABI 129 SHARJAH 1944 JEDDAH 136 DOHA 576 COCHIN 2160 JEDDAH 1779 JEDDAH 975 CHENNAI/GOA 217 BAHRAIN 981 BAHRAIN 327 TUNIS 239 AMMAN 636 FRANKFURT 614 CAIRO 772 ISTANBUL 411 AMSTERDAM/DAMMAM 239 SIALKOT

Time 00:15 00:20 00:30 01:10 01:45 02:15 02:20 02:25 02:30 03:10 03:10 03:15 03:20 03:25 03:55 04:25 04:35 05:00 06:15 06:20 06:30 07:15 07:45 07:50 08:10 08:20 08:25 08:30 08:40 08:45 09:00 09:05 09:10 09:20 09:30 09:35 09:45 10:00 10:10 10:40 10:45 10:55 11:05 11:10 11:10 11:25 12:00 12:10 12:25 12:40 13:30 13:40 13:40 13:45 14:00 14:10 14:15 14:25 14:30 14:55 15:00 15:00 15:05 15:15 15:30 15:30 15:55 16:00 16:00 16:10 16:35 16:55 17:10 17:10 17:20 17:20 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:10 18:15 18:20 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:45 19:00 19:10 19:25 19:30 19:30 19:35 19:40 20:00 20:15 20:25 20:30 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:00 21:15 21:15 21:25 21:30 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:05 22:10 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:55 22:55 23:10 23:35 23:40 23:40 23:45

Airlines AIC SVA UAL DLH MSR JAI PIA THY SVA ETH UAE FDB ETD MSR QTR QTR QTR JZR JZR GFA THY SVA KAC BAW FDB JZR JZR ABY JZR KAC GFA KAC UAE SVA KNE QTR FDB ETD BAB SVA GFA KAC SVA KAC MEA IRC SVA JZR UAE MSR KAC SVA KAC MSC KAC JZR SVA KAC SVA GFA FDB MSR OMA KAC KAC KNE SVA JZR SVA RJA QTR KNE KAC KAC SYR ETD JZR SVA JZR QTR UAE GFA JZR ABY UAL SVA KAC QTR FDB BAB SVA KAC MSC JZR MSR KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC KAC MEA FDB GFA JZR DHX ALK ABY ETD UAE QTR KAC KAC TMA KNE JZR JAI QTR GFA KAC TAR

Depature Flights on Monday 22/10/2012 Flt Route 982 AHMEDABAD/CHENNAI 5755 JEDDAH 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 573 MUMBAI 206 PESHAWER/LAHORE 773 ISTANBUL 5769 JEDDAH 621 ADDIS ABABA 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 6131 DOHA 560 SOHAG 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 5149 JEDDAH 545 ALEXANDRIA 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 1774 JEDDAH 126 SHARJAH 534 CAIRO 671 DUBAI 224 BAHRAIN 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 5155 JEDDAH 2157 JEDDAH 133 DOHA 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 437 BAHRAIN 5157 JEDDAH 214 BAHRAIN 541 CAIRO 5147 JEDDAH 1937 JEDDAH 405 BEIRUT 6522 LAMERD 5133 JEDDAH 776 JEDDAH 872 DUBAI 619 ASSIUT 103 LONDON 5153 JEDDAH 1940 JEDDAH 406 SOHAG 785 JEDDAH 176 DUBAI 5151 JEDDAH 1941 JEDDAH 5145 JEDDAH 220 BAHRAIN 58 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 646 MUSCAT 1943 JEDDAH 673 DUBAI 473 JEDDAH 5141 JEDDAH 1778 JEDDAH 501 JEDDAH 641 AMMAN 135 DOHA 2159 JEDDAH 773 RIYADH 741 DAMMAM 342 DAMASCUS 304 ABU DHABI 238 AMMAN 5161 JEDDAH 538 CAIRO 141 DOHA 858 DUBAI 216 BAHRAIN 134 BAHRAIN 128 SHARJAH 982 BAHRAIN 511 RIYADH 1945 JEDDAH 145 DOHA 64 DUBAI 439 BAHRAIN 5143 JEDDAH 1947 JEDDAH 402 ALEXANDRIA 184 DUBAI 621 ALEXANDRIA 283 DHAKA 571 MUMBAI 62 DUBAI 331 TRIVANDRUM 351 COCHIN 1949 JEDDAH 403 BEIRUT 60 DUBAI 222 BAHRAIN 502 LUXOR 171 BAHRAIN 230 COLOMBO 120 SHARJAH 308 ABU DHABI 860 DUBAI 137 DOHA 301 MUMBAI 205 ISLAMABAD 214 BEIRUT 2161 JEDDAH 554 ALEXANDRIA 575 COCHIN 147 DOHA 218 BAHRAIN 411 BANGKOK/MANILA 328 DUBAI/TUNIS

Time 00:05 00:10 00:25 00:30 00:35 00:50 01:10 02:15 02:40 02:45 03:45 03:50 04:05 04:20 04:50 05:40 05:55 06:00 06:55 07:05 07:10 07:50 08:10 08:25 08:25 09:00 09:05 09:05 09:10 09:20 09:25 09:35 09:40 09:45 09:55 10:00 10:05 10:15 10:25 10:40 10:45 11:30 11:40 11:55 11:55 12:10 12:10 12:15 12:20 12:25 12:30 12:40 12:55 13:00 13:10 13:20 13:40 13:55 14:10 14:25 14:25 14:30 15:00 15:05 15:05 15:15 15:40 15:45 15:45 15:50 16:15 16:20 16:25 16:30 16:55 17:20 17:30 17:35 17:40 17:45 18:05 18:20 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 19:05 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:40 19:55 20:00 20:05 20:10 20:15 20:35 20:40 20:50 21:05 21:05 21:15 21:25 21:35 21:45 21:50 21:55 22:10 22:20 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:45 22:45 22:55 23:00 23:00 23:10 23:30 23:40 23:45

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

ACCOMMODATION

LOST

Room with attached bath available in a C-AC flat in Abbassiya near High Way Center, couple or ladies are preferred.

Contact: 66552905. (C 4185) 22-10-2012

Policy No. 6330001223 issued by the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan Gulf zone on the Life of Mr. Mohammad Sultan Kaler Mushtaq Ahmed is reported to have been lost. Anyone finding the same or claiming any interest in it should communicate with the Manager (PHS) State Life P.O. Box No. 11278, Dubai, UAE within one month from this date.

18-10-2012

Sharing accommodation Salmiya Bahrain street, near big jamiya, Gadeer Clinic.

Tel: 66792392, 60625120, 66047295. (C 4184) 21-10-2012 A room available in a furnished 2 bedroom flat in Salmiya 単near the bus stop for a working class lady.

Please call 99702658.

18-10-2012 FOR SALE Mercedes 280s 1994 dark blue registered valid to July 2013, KD 1,000 please call 99633674 after 5 pm.

(C 4186) Mazda (3) white color, 2012, excellent condition, km 12000, KD 2850. Tel: 50699345. (C 4187) 22-10-2012 A Nissan Maxima in very good condition with one year registration validity.

Tel: 90908406.

20-10-2012

Prayer timings Fajr:

04:32

Duhr:

11:33

Asr:

14:48

Maghrib:

17:15

Isha:

18:31

SITUATION WANTED Australian Engineer with two-Engineering (Civil/ Elect) & four Master Degrees (Engg/Prog Mgmt/ Education/MBA). 23 years experience in Dubai/ Qatar/ Australia, looking project Mgr / QHSE Mgr job. Contact: 65695468. (C 4160) 7-10-2012

112 Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw

No:

15606

TUITION Maths teacher over 20 years experience. Tuition: KS2/3, IGCSE, AS/A2, CIC2C3C4, S1S2, M1M2, familiar with all boards.

Contact: 66710630.

(C 4183) 20-10-2012

SITUATION VACANT Live-in maid wanted for a small family in Farwaniya.

Full time.

Contact: 50833103.

10-10-2012

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

BUSINESS Weekly commodity update

Gold retreats as data improves

Wataniya Telecom posts KD 62.9m net profit for 9 months in 2012 Continued growth in customers and revenue KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom (National Mobile Telecommunications Company: NMTC) yesterday announced financial results for the first nine months for 2012.

By Ole S Hansen KUWAIT: The macro economic outlook continues to show signs of stabilization with US data, especially on house building activity, beginning to get a bit of traction. China’s economy slowed for a seventh quarter but signs of a pick-up in Q4 could indicate the worst may be over in the world’s second largest economy. Meanwhile in Europe the EU summit saw politicians reach an accord on a banking union and further integration although much work and sorting out of disagreements remains.

Overall these events helped to weaken the dollar which once again moved back above EUR 1.3000 while stock markets saw gains with the S&P 500 coming close to an almost five-year high, having recouped most of the previous week’s losses.

The November US election and fiscal cliff together with geo-political uncertainties remain some of the key drivers over the coming weeks.

The broad based DJ-UBS Commodity Index rose for the second week in a row but is currently up just five percent during 2012, still a little better than the three percent return on the energy heavy S&P GS Commodity Index. Most of the gains occurred within the agriculture sector with cotton, lumber and cocoa especially sticking out while losses were driven by gasoline, silver and coffee.

Speculative positioning Despite the overall lacklustre performance of the two major commodity indices the speculative positioning across 24 US traded commodities remains elevated with the net-long number of futures and options contracts currently standing at 1,718k contracts compared with 908k at the beginning of the year. The energy and metal sectors have roughly seen a doubling of contracts during this timeframe while the agriculture sector has risen by 150 percent, not surprisingly led by grains given its strong performance over the last six months.

Gasoline the main mover With the major crude oil contracts range bound the attention in the energy sector turned to gasoline which lost some of the support seen recently as refineries ramped up production. This resulted in a collapse of the crack spread which is the price which measures the profitability of refining crude oil into products such as gasoline. Natural gas traded sideways around $3.5 per term with the weekly injection of gas into storage signalling a new record in terms of gas availability over the coming winter extraction period which begins in a few weeks’ time. On this basis and with the peak winter month of February already trading above $4 per term further near-term upside looks questionable with weather developments holding the key.

Precious metals Following a strong eight-week rally in gold which has seen speculative positioning more than double to 24.4 million ounces investors have increasingly been suffering from buying fatigue which raises the risk that a near-term clear-out of weak long positions may be required before another attempt at the important $1,800 per oz. can be initiated. Silver is leading the way having lost some nine percent from its recent highs while on-going concerns about developments in South Africa see platinum as a reluctant downwards follower.

Performance amongst the different agriculture sectors was mixed with especially soft commodities showing solid gains. This was led by cotton which rose to the highest level since May after stock piles monitored by the ICE Futures US exchange dropped to the lowest level in 10 years.

Hot and dry weather this summer in the US, the world’s largest exporter, has reduced the amount of cotton available for delivery at the futures exchange due to erosion of the fibre quality. US Lumber, the third best commodity performer this year behind soybeans and wheat, rallied by 6.5 percent as US home building rose to its fastest pace in four years. This comes at a time where beetle infestation is troubling producers and reducing the availability of pine trees creating some tightness in supplies.

Brent crude Oil markets have been generally trading quietly over the last couple of weeks with Brent crude lacking the drive which could take it away from its current range with most of the action remaining close to the 200-day moving average at 112.20 which coincides with the average price of 2012 so far. Its premium over WTI crude has however contracted as WTI rallied above $90 per barrel as supplies from Canada were reduced due to the temporary closure of a key pipeline. The spread however remains elevated due to strong demand for North Sea oil, especially from Korea.

Overall the crude oil market remains well supplied but also finely balanced as spare capacity, especially from Saudi Arabia remains low and leaves little room to cope with any major supply disruption. The inability of the price of especially Brent crude to reflect the current levels of adequate supplies is primarily due to the on-going geo-political concerns, currently involving Turkey versus Syria and Iran versus Israel. Goldman Sachs, one of the major advocates for higher prices in recent years, cut its 2013 forecast to $110 per barrel from $130 /barrel citing a continued strong rise in unconventional US and Canadian production.

We continue to hold a slight negative bias on the near-term price development of Brent crude and would expect the 116 level to halt any advances to the upside leaving the door open for a test of support located at 108.50 followed by 107.00.

Highlights Total customer base increased to 18.8 million at the close of Q3 2012, versus 17.4 million at the same period in 2011, leading to growth of 8.5%.

Revenues for first nine months of 2012 amounted to KD 559.1 million ($2.0 billion), compared with KD 540.2 million ($1.9 billion) for the same period in 2011, amounting to growth of 3.5%.

EBITDA for the first nine months of 2012 was KD 231.3 million ($822.8 million), compared to EBITDA of KD 234.8 million ($835.6 million) for the same period in 2011, a decrease of 1.5%.

The consolidated net profit stood at KD 62.9 million ($223.9 million), compared to net profit for the same period in 2011 of KD 345.0 million ($1.2billion). Net Profit for Q3 2011 includes a fair value gain of KD 265.5 million ($944.7 million) recorded due to revaluation of existing held interest in Tunisiana following the increase in the shareholding from 50% to 75%. In Q1 2011 a fair value gain (noncash) of KD 265.5 million ($944.7 million) was recorded due to a revaluation of the existing interest in Tunisiana following the increase in the shareholding from 50% to 75%.

Q3 and nine month period ended 2011 amortization for intangible assets resulting from the additional interest in Tunisiana was originally based on estimates. Following the completion of the purchase price allocation in Q4 2011, the amortization charge for the year 2011was lower than estimated. As a result, the previously reported net profits for 2011 have been re-stated. 2011 nine months period ended includes an adjustment of KD 21.3 million ($75.8 million).

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Thani, Chairman of Wataniya Telecom commented: “Wataniya Telecom in 2012 has seen revenue growth of 3.5% while EBITDA has remained stable at KD 231 million.

Foreign exchange movements in some of our key operations have impacted profitability, while our domestic market continues to face competitive challenges.”

He added: “Positive performances from our operations in Algeria and Palestine further demonstrated the growth potential we see across the Group and the successful strategies we are implementing.

We are delighted with thelaunch of 3G services in Tunisia and look forward to the future rollout of fixed services as both form part of our strategy which focuses on data.”

The net profits for 9M were adversely impacted by competitive pressure in Kuwait and foreign exchange movements in Algeria and impairment for an operation in Q3 2012.

The consolidated earnings per share was 126fils (45 Cents), compared to688fils ($2.4) per share earned for the same period last year. Excluding revaluation gain the earnings per share in 9M2011 was 159fils (57cents) a decrease in 9M2012 by 20.9% compared with 9M 2011.

Review The Group’s operational performance can be summarized as follows: Wataniya - Kuwait Wataniya Kuwait’s customer base increased to 2.01 million customers at the end of Q3 2012, an increase of 3.7% on Q3 2011. Revenues for the first nine months of 2012were KD 172.1million ($ 612.3 million) compared to revenues for the same period in 2011 of KD 185.5 million ($660.0 million), decrease of 7.2%.

Business in nine months of 2011 benefitted from the independence anniversary and government bonus payments, which had a positive impact on revenues. EBITDA for nine months ending 2012was KD 64.8million ($230.6million) compared to EBITDA for the same period in 2011 of KD 85.5 million ($304.3million), decrease of 24.2%. Net profit was at KD 41.4 million ($147.3million), compared to Net Profit for the same period in 2011 of KD 321.1million ($1.1billion).

Net profit for Q1 2011 includes a fair value gain of KD 265.5 million ($944.7 million) recorded due to revaluation of

existing 50% held interest in Tunisiana following the increase in the shareholding from 50% to 75%. The net profit in Q3 2011 without the fair value gain was KD 55.5 million ($197.6 million).

Tunisiana - Tunisia The Tunisiana customer base at the end of Q32012 stood at7.06million customers: an increase of 10.2% on the same period 2011.

Revenues for the first nine months ending 2012were KD 153.2 million ($545.2 million), compared to revenues for the same period in 2011 of KD 154.5 million ($ 549.8million), decrease of 0.8%. EBITDA for nine months of 2012was KD 88.8 million ($316.0 million) from KD 87.3 million ($310.5million) for the same period last year representing an increase of 1.8%.

The total net profit stood at KD 42.6 million ($151.4 million) an increase of 11.3% when compared with KD 38.2 million ($136.1 million) for the same period in 2011. The Net Attributable Profit to Wataniya Telecom for the nine months 2012was KD 32.0 million ($113.8 million), compared to KD 28.7million ($102.1 million) for the same period in 2011.

Nedjma - Algeria The Nedjma customer base at the end of Q32012was 8.86million customers, an increase of 7.5%.Revenues for the nine months ending 2012were KD195.0 million ($694.0 million), an increase of 19.1% compared with revenues of KD 163.7 million ($582.5 million) for the same period in 2011. EBITDA for nine months of 2012was KD 77.5 million ($275.7million), an increase of 24.9% on KD 62.0 million ($220.7million) for the same period in 2011. The total net profit for the first nine months of 2012 was KD 15.8 million ($56.3 million) compared to atotal net profit of KD 11.2million ($39.7 million) for the same period in 2011. The Net Attributable Profit to Wataniya Telecom for the nine months of 2012 was KD 11.2 million ($40.0 million) compared to a net attributable profit of KD 7.9 million ($28.2 million) for the same period in 2011.

Murky deals cast doubt over Nigeria’s power sell-off ABUJA: For decades Nigeria has failed to fix chronic electricity shortages that stifle growth and help keep millions in poverty. That is about change, the government says, when most of the power sector is privatized by the end of the year. Its target is to increase electricity output tenfold to 40,000 megawatts by 2020.

Turning on the lights in a country where power cuts are a daily ordeal could push Nigeria’s growth into double digits and help diversify its economy away from oil, which in 50 years has created a super-rich elite but has done little to reduce mass poverty.

Yet since power minister Barth Nnaji resigned in August over an alleged conflict of interest, doubts are gathering about the integrity of the process, as oligarchs with scant experience in running power firms line up for a slice of this lucrative pie.

As with Russia in its 1992-1994 sell off of state assets, it is entrenched political and business elites who look set to win much of Nigeria’s power sector, even while Western aid agencies are backing the process with tens of millions of dollars. The government announced preferred bidders for 10 power distribution firms this week and has approved bids for five power plants, a major step forward. But already the companies who lost out and labor unions have said the process was fraudulent and the results to be scrapped. The wealthy figures behind the consortia bidding already control vast stakes in Nigeria’s economy and political machine, and many of the assets only had one approved bidder each. It is often felt that since the oligarchs have such sway in Nigeria, it is better to have them in the process rather than outside it.

In past Nigerian privatization efforts, unqualified bidders and political wrangling caused years of legal battles and delays after assets were awarded. Sometimes funds were diver ted to people who failed to revive the firms and left debts unpaid.

Nigeria tried to sell former telephone monopoly NITEL for more than 10 years but buyers who won privatization bids never paid up. After years of legal rows, it remains in state hands.

The stakes are higher for power.

“For a sector being primed for the most comprehensive overhaul in its history, it was perhaps expected that entrenched forces of the ancient regime would not let go without a fight,” Nigerian policy analyst Sanya Oni said.

“It is ... the beginning of the long,

difficult road.”

Despite holding the world’s seventh largest gas reserves, Nigeria produces less than a tenth of the amount electricity South Africa provides for a population a third of the size. Some $40 billion has gone into reforms in the last 20 years, says Control Risks, a consultancy, yet power has only improved slightly.

Sorting out this mess would seal President Goodluck Jonathan’s legacy. The Power Holding Company of Nigeria is being sold as six generation firms and 11 distribution companies.

A contract for transmission has been given to Canadian firm Manitoba Hydro.

Among the figures angling for a slice of privatized power is billionaire businessman Emeka Offor. His company Chrome Group is the highest bidder for firms in the capital Abuja and Enugu.

Offor made his fortune from government contracts, especially under militar y dictator Sani Abacha in 1990s. Between 1999 and 2002, Chrome Group worked on a $100 million contract for maintenance on Nigeria’s Port Harcourt oil refineries, in Africa’s biggest oil industry. They have operated at just 30 percent capacity since, and the state oil firm has said the work was not done properly. “The turnaround maintenance was successfully completed and duly handed over to Por t Harcour t Refining Company,” Chrome Group spokeswoman Val Oji wrote in an email, with the relevant completion certificates attached, when asked about it.

Global Witness, a UK-based watchdog, investigated Offor’s Seychellesregistered oil firm Starcrest in February. It said it won an oil block in 2006, then within months signed Swiss firm Addax on as ‘technical partner’ for a $35 million fee. That deal left Starcrest with a big minority stake, and Addax, the firm with the expertise to produce the oil, paid a $55 million signature bonus. Offor told the NGO that Nigeria’s financial crimes commission had cleared Starcrest of wrongdoing.

The deal resembles arrangements common in Nigeria, in which a company run by a local oligarch ‘partners’ with a foreign firm with the knowhow, and takes a cut.

Industry sources say power privatization is going on in the same way, which will make it slow and costly, even if it does finally turn the lights on. Oji cited two transmission lines completed in the northern state of Gombe in 2010 as evidence Chrome

had relevant experience. Another powerful figure lining up is General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who was military ruler for a year after Abacha’s death in 1998. He chairs Integrated Energy, which has the preferred bid for electricity distribution companies in Yola, Ibadan and the two covering the commercial capital Lagos.

Local press have reported that former militar y dictator Ibrahim Babangida, one of the most powerful ‘godfathers’, is putting his weight behind the Nor th South Power Company, the only consor tium approved to bid on the Shiroro plant.

A spokesman for Babangida, Kassim Afegbua, however denied that he was “involved in any power company at all”. Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor of Lagos and undisputed godfather of Nigeria’s commercial hub, is backing Oando’s bid for a distribution company ser vicing the south, including Lagos. Oando, run by his nephew Wale, is an oil and gas company, but it has made small inroads into power.

It set up the Akute Power company to develop a 12.15 MW power station that now services a Lagos water plant. Tony Elumelu’s Transnational Corporation, which owns, amongst other things, The Hilton hotel in Abuja, is a preferred bidder for the Ugheli thermal power plant.

“None of these guys has much of a background in power. They can’t do it alone. They need par tners,” said Bismarck Rewane, CEO of Lagosbased consultancy Financial Derivatives.

Some do have them. Yet globally respected power companies like AES, Essar and Schneider Electric who showed an initial interest in buying assets in 2010 decided not to join up with Nigerian par tners and bid.

Others involved in bids, including Arumemi Johnson, the chairman of airline Arik Air, and billionaire oil magnate Femi Otedola, were banned last month by the central bank from borrowing money due to unpaid debts-poor financing is a key risk to the long-term success of power projects, as the government estimates the industry needs $10 billion a year.

Otedola repaid his debt days after the ban was announced. “In the history of privatization in this country, the commonwealth has largely ended in the hands of senior government officials and their cronies and kin,” wrote Mohammed Haruna in The Nation on Wednesday. “Unless the authorities ... guarantee integrity, their privatized offspring can only bring more pain.” — Reuters

Wataniya - Palestine Total customers at end of Q3 2012 were 0.59 million, an increase of 36.7% from Q3 2011. Revenues were KD 17.5 million ($62.3 million) for nine months ending 2012 compared to KD 15.2 million ($54.0 million) for the same period 2011and increase of 15.5%. EBITDA for nine months of 2012 was KD 1.2 million ($4.3 million) which is an increase of 51.5% when compared to the EBITDA of KD 0.8 million ($2.8million) same period in 2011. The net attributable Loss for the first nine months 2012 was KD 2.3 million ($8.1 million) compared to the loss of KD 3.3 million ($11.9 million) for the same period in 2011.

Bravo - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Bravo’s customer base stood at 0.16 million at the end of Q3 2012. Revenues for the nine months of 2012 decreased to KD 13.1 million ($46.7 million) from KD 14.1 million ($50.3 million) for the same period in 2011. The total net Loss for the year to date Q3 2012 was KD 7.3 million ($25.9 million) compared to a total net Loss of KD 8.1 million ($28.7 million) for the same period in 2011. The net attributable Loss to Wataniya Telecom for the first nine months of 2012 was KD 6.6 million ($23.4 million), compared to a net attributable Loss of KD 4.5 million ($16.0 million) for the same period in 2011.

Wataniya - Maldives Total customers at end of Q3 2012were 0.17million, an increase of 24.0% from the same period 2011.

Revenues for the first nine months of 2012 were KD8.1million ($28.9million) compared to KD 7.1million ($25.3 million), an increase of 14.0% over the same period in 2011. EBITDA for the nine months 2012increased 12.3% to KD 1.6 million ($5.6 million) compared to an EBITDA of 1.3 million ($ 4.6 million) for the same period in 2011. The net attributable Loss for the first nine months of 2012 was KD 2.0 million ($7.1 million) compared to the loss of KD 2.1 million ($7.5 million) for the same period in 2011.

The KD to USD conversion rate used is 0.28105 as of 30 September 2012.

China’s new leaders face tough economic choices BEIJING: China’s economic model that delivered three decades of double-digit growth is running out of steam and the country’s next leaders face tough choices to keep incomes rising. But they don’t seem to have ambitious solutions. Even if they do, they will need to tackle entrenched interests with backing high in the Communist Party. The cost of inaction could be high.

The World Bank says without change, annual growth could sink to 5 percent by 2015 - dangerously low by Chinese standards. Some private sector analysts give even gloomier warnings.

The government’s own advisers say it needs to promote service industries and consumer spending, shifting away from reliance on exports and investment. That will require opening more industries to entrepreneurs and forcing cosseted state companies to compete.

State banks would have to lend more to private business that is starved for credit. The ruling party’s latest five-year development plan promises reforms in broad terms. Premier Wen Jiabao apologized at a news conference in March for not moving fast enough and vowed quicker action. But many changes could face opposition from China’s most influential factions - state companies, their allies in the party, bureaucrats and local leaders.

“If the challenge is, can they do radical reform all at once, we know that won’t happen because these leaders aren’t powerful enough,” said Scott Kennedy, director of Indiana University’s Research Center for Chinese Politics & Business in Beijing. “They are facing interests which wouldn’t possibly allow that to occur.” Also at issue is how much Communist Party leaders are willing to cut back state industry that provides jobs and money to underpin the party’s monopoly on power.

Li Keqiang is the man in line to lead reforms as the next premier, China’s top economic official. Now a vice premier, Li is seen as a political insider with an easygoing style, not a hard-driving reformer. Along with the rest of the party’s Standing Committee, the ruling inner circle due to be installed in November, Li will govern by consensus, which could blunt their force.

“They are under pressure to change the economy, but they will not demolish party control,” said Mao Yushi, an 83-year-old economist who is one of China’s most prominent reform advocates. He co-founded the Unirule Institute of Economics, an independent think tank in Beijing. Li showed his political skills but little zeal for reform as governor and later party secretary of populous Henan province in 1998-2004. His time there coincided with several fatal fires - including a Christmas Day blaze at a nightclub in 2000 that killed 309 people and efforts by local officials to suppress information about the spread of AIDS by a blood-buying industry.

Other officials were punished for the fires but Li emerged unscathed and rose to national office.

“Li was known for not acting very aggressively in Henan, to put it charitably,” said Dali Yang, a University of Chicago political scientist. The man in line to become Communist Party leader and China’s president, Xi Jinping, has a similar reputation for successful inaction.

In the 1990s, he served as party secretary of Zhejiang province, a thriving center for private business south of Shanghai, and won praise from observers including former US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who dealt with him as an investment banker. They lauded him not for spearheading change but for not tampering with Zhejiang’s free-market success. — AP

24

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

business

Hollande reform bid greeted with skepticism Initiative comes a decade after Schroder reform drive PARIS: A left-wing leader takes office in a troubled European nation. Company bankruptcies are piling up and unemployment is on the rise. His pledge to pull off long-overdue economic reforms is greeted with weary skepticism.

The scene that played out in Germany a decade ago is being repeated in France today. But whereas Gerhard Schroeder in 2003 launched deep labor reforms that helped revive a moribund German economy, Francois Hollande will find his room for manoeuvre hemmed in by the global slowdown and France’s prickly industrial relations. “This is not about copying someone else’s model - just improving our own,” said Lionel Fontagne, an economics professor at Paris’s Sorbonne university who has tracked France’s gradual decline as a global economic force.

“But it is very difficult to discuss the real issues.” Hollande came to power five months ago on promises to revamp France’s economy and halt a spate of industry closures that have pushed joblessness to a 13-year high of over three million.

In a nod to the “Agenda 2010” label that Schroeder gave to his reform drive, he has christened his own push “Agenda 2014” the ambitious deadline he has set to restore jobs and growth.

He has tasked trade unions and employers with negotiating a “historic” overhaul of the French labour market and charged Louis Gallois, ex-head of European aero-

space concern EADS, to propose by Nov. 5 measures to boost French competitiveness.

It is a bold timetable that, in coming months, will show whether the euro zone’s second biggest economy can follow the largest in grasping the nettle of reform.

Back in 2003, Germany was struggling to digest the cost of the 1990 reunification

Francois Hollande of west and east. Over 4.4 million had no job and the head of the revered Ifo economics institute said Germany was “the sick man of Europe”, its citizens lagging behind the rising income per head elsewhere in Europe.

But World Bank data put German income at $39,211 a head last year against $34,993 in France, with Germany outdoing its southern neighbor on just about every economic benchmark.

Schroeder’s reforms such as the creation of a new low-wage sector and wage mod-

eration pacts with unions have meant German labor costs have risen less than 10 percent in the past decade, compared to 30 percent in France. Critics say the “Hartz reforms” - named after Peter Hartz, the personnel director of auto giant Volkswagen whom Schroeder named to draft the plans led to a generation of “working poor” in Germany, sometimes paid less than one euro an hour.

While that carries a social cost, few dispute the German economy as a whole is currently in a better shape than France’s.

Where German exports are at record levels, France’s share of total euro zone exports has crumbled from around 17 percent at the turn of the century to 12.9 percent.

Unemployment is at 6.8 percent in Germany against over 10 percent in France.

Schroeder’s left-leaning credentials helped persuade unions to moderate wage claims in return for future job security.

Socialist diehard Hollande enjoys similar confidence with France’s main unions. But the way French industrial relations work will make it harder for him to get the same result. Whereas German unions such as the auto sector’s IG Metall can strike wage deals across an entire industry, French accords are made at company or individual level and so cannot be used as a policy tool for nationwide wage restraint.

Schroeder also had the benefit of a more predictable trade union scene: workable contacts with the main umbrella

group, the German Trade Union Federation (DGB), and unionists who were less inclined to call for strikes because their statute gave them “co-determination” rights to influence company policy.

In contrast, Hollande must deal with at least a handful of main trade unions ranging from moderate to militant and which compensate for lacking the statutory powers of their German counterparts by having earlier recourse to the street.

“French trade unions are structurally weak but time and time again they show their ability to mobilize,” Jacques Freyssinet of France’s Centre of Labour Studies (CEE) said of protests and strikes that sporadically bring the country grinding to a halt.

With the economy near recession, Hollande cannot risk protests such as a 1995 strike over welfare cuts that brought France to a halt for weeks, or fierce 2010 protests against pension reforms by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.

Yet even if he can find some common ground with the unions, things are less promising on the employers’ side. Whereas Schroeder cultivated a pro-business image - and even enjoyed the nickname “Comrade of the Bosses” - Hollande campaigned on a solidly leftist platform of reining in the excesses of big business and the world of finance. His first annual budget targeted the wealthy and corporate world, with a symbolic 75 percent tax on the super-rich among a raft of tax hikes aimed at bolster-

ing public finances. The government has poured cold water on demands for at least 30 billion euros ($39 billion) of social charges businesses pay to be transferred to other levies such as value added tax (VAT).

Employers insist such cuts are vital, pointing to the fact that French labor charges are among the highest in the European Union alongside those in Belgium and Sweden. But the government fears a shift of those charges onto VAT or other taxes would hurt consumer spending, for years one of the main props of the French economy. “We are looking at all the options,” said a source close to Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. “But we won’t be looking at any transfers that would bring on a recession.”

French research and development spending has remained flat at 1.4 percent of national output over the past decade while Germany’s has risen from the same level to over 1.9 percent of output.

French research group Coe-Rexecode estimates gross operating margins in the French manufacturing sector have fallen from 37 percent in 2000 to 29.9 percent last year, while German margins are up from 27 percent to 34.4 percent. “French companies are not profitable enough to spend as much on R&D as German ones. Why? Labor costs,” concluded Chaney, who in 2007 investment note entitled “France - the new sick man of Europe”, was among the first to sound the alarm on its economy. — Reuters

HERAT: An Afghan laborer works at a brick factory in the outskirts of Herat yesterday. Over a third of Afghans are living in abject poverty, as those in power are more concerned about addressing their vested interests rather than the basic needs of the population, a UN report said. — AFP

Europe, China don’t need trade war: EU trade chief BRUSSELS: The European Union will not back down from protecting its industries against Chinese competition it sees as unfair, but mutual selfinterest will prevent a damaging trade war, the EU’s trade chief Karel De Gucht said.

Disputes with Beijing have taken on a bigger scale in recent months and Brussels brought its biggest ever trade case against Beijing in September after European companies accused China of dumping solar panels in Europe. The EU is also gathering evidence to see whether Chinese telecoms companies Huawei Technologies and ZTE are dumping or receiving illegal subsidies. “We are not going to shy away from what we have to do,” De Gucht told Reuters in an interview.

“But we are not interested in escalating tensions. I believe that the Chinese also realize that this has to be kept within limits,” he said from his office in the European Commission. The growing trade spats come at a dangerous time.

Europe’s economy is hardly growing and the continent is suffering from record unemployment, while China’s much-faster growth is cooling. Both downturns raise the specter of social instability.

De Gucht, who first got to know China during his term as Belgium’s foreign minister between 2004 and 2007, sees the tensions persisting precisely because China is seeking to produce sophisticated products that will compete with Europe.

“China is facing a tremendous challenge: how to get a larger share of the value-added pie, as it otherwise can’t possibly take the next step in economic development, which Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong have already taken,” De Gucht wrote in a book published this month called “Freedom: Liberalism In A Time of

Cholera”. There he cites a Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Trade between China and the European Union has doubled since 2003, rising to 428 billion euros ($558 billion) in 2011, making the EU China’s biggest trading partner.

China is the second biggest destination for European goods after the United States. But ongoing disputes range from metal tubes to China’s restrictions of exports of rare earth metals. In the solar panel case, European makers want duties placed on Chinese imports amid a sharp drop in prices, something the United States has already implemented. EU diplomats say De Gucht could be using the solar panel dispute in Europe as leverage over Beijing to push the Communist government to cut what they see as illegal subsidies to Huawei and ZTE and avoid another formal trade case with Brussels. De Gucht declined to go into details about either case, but said he hoped solutions could be found. “You can imagine that: a mushrooming of problems between China and Europe,” said De Gucht, one of Europe’s most powerful commissioners and who leads trade policy on behalf of the EU’s 27 countries.

“Both parties realize that this would be a very bad thing for the whole of the world economy.”

The US ambitions of Huawei and ZTE were stopped in their tracks earlier this month as a congressional report urged American companies to stop doing business with the firms, raising fears of retaliation from China.

The US House of Representatives’ Intelligence Committee warned industry that Beijing could use equipment made by the two companies to spy on certain communications and threaten vital systems through computerized links.

Europe’s dealings with Beijing lack

the geo-political dimensions of China’s relations with its other big trading partners, such as Japan, which is in a tussle over the ownership of some islands, and the United States, which has a naval fleet based in Japan to wield influence over the region. That means Europe lacks leverage beyond trade defense instruments, but also makes the partnership less complicated. “That fact deprives us of a number of possible levers, but on the other hand also facilitates a more rational discussion on a number of trade issues,” De Gucht said.

Trade has always been a fundamental aspect of the European Union and is one of the few things that still unite euroskeptic Britain with EU enthusiasts such as De Gucht’s Belgium.

The European Union implemented a landmark free-trade deal with South Korea in 2011, which went beyond tariff reductions and took in regulation and services. Now it is seeking to forge similar pacts with Japan and the United States.

While a free-trade pact between China and Europe is unlikely even in the medium term, Brussels and Beijing could agree on an investment pact that would lay down rules for companies expanding in both regions, something De Gucht said was gaining momentum. “It is of prime interest for us,” he said.

As things stand, burdens on European investors in China - including rules requiring companies to share their know-how with Chinese firms - makes deepening investment links problematic. “They are much more ready than in the past to put these topics, which are rather sensitive for them, on the negotiating table,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that China is suddenly an easy partner, but they realize they have to engage.” — Reuters

25

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

business NBK MONEY MARKETS REPORT

EU summit disappoints market, dollar falters KUWAIT: The US dollar lost its footing against most of its counterparts as risk appetite staged a return at the beginning of the week, driving investors to shift to riskier assets amid better-thanexpected data from major economies combined with solid earnings in the US. The US dollar index started the week at 79.67, only to drop to a low of 78.94 as better data helped boost the risk rally.

However, the dollar recouped some of its losses as the market shifted its focus towards the outcome of the EU summit.

Additionally, disappointing earnings released from Google and Microsoft at the end of the week triggered mild risk aversion on Friday. The Index closed the week at 79.62.

The Euro opened the week at 1.2951 and quickly gained against the greenback to reach a high of 1.3140 midweek, as Moody’s refrained from reducing Spain’s credit rating to junk status and as lower Spanish 10-year yields joint with better economic data from the US lifted sentiments in the markets.

On Friday, the single currency traded sideways as news showed that EU leaders agreed upon the banking union and deeper EU integration. However, Germany claims that outstanding questions regarding budget and implementation will stall progress for a year. The Euro reached a low of 1.2891 and closed the week at 1.3024.

The Sterling Pound followed suit, and reached a high of 1.6178 mid-week after opening the week at 1.6072.

However, cable dropped dramatically towards 1.6021, as comments from a Bank of England policymaker suggested more easing in the near term. The announcement fuelled expectations that the UK’s AAA rating was at risk as the markets focused on the country’s public borrowing numbers. However, the figure exceeded expectations and gave a boost to sentiments. Cable regained some of its losses and closed the week at 1.6004.

The Japanese Yen dropped throughout the week against the greenback as the improved sentiments in the Euro area reduced demand for the relative safety of the currency. Additionally, investors still suspect that Japanese officials may intervene in the FX markets. The USD/JPY opened the week at 78.44 and reached a high of 79.47. The currency closed the week at 79.32.

The Australian dollar gained dramatically last week as signs of improvement in the global economy supported demand for riskier investments. The Aussie opened the week at 1.0233 and gradually gained throughout the week to reach a high of 1.0412. The Aussie eased on Friday and closed the week at 1.0331.

On the commodities side, Gold traded in a volatile matter last week but remained subdued throughout the week amid solid data from major economies reducing prospects of further easing initiatives. The precious metal opened the week at $1,754 and quickly dropped to its week low of $1,729. Gold recouped its loss to reach a high of $1,753 mid-week but positive sentiments triggered by better growth in China, a successful Spanish bond auction and better housing numbers from the US reversed the movement and pushed gold to close at $1,721.

Improvement Constructions of new-homes in the US surged in September to the highest level in four years, a sign that the industry is on the path to recovery. Housing Starts jumped 15% to an 872,000 annual rate last month, the most since July 2008 and exceeding all forecasts. A pickup in sales stoked by record-low mortgage rates and population growth indicates construction can continue strengthening, contributing more to economic growth. In parallel, Americans took out more residential construction permits in September than at any time in the past four years, adding more signs that the market will continue to improve. Permits rose by 11.6% to reach 894,000, exceeding both expectations of 810,000 and the prior result of 803,000. Meanwhile, Sales of previously owned US homes held near a two-year high in September, restrained by a lack of supply that is pushing prices higher.

Purchases of existing houses decreased 1.7% to a 4.75 million annual rate, matching expectations. The median prices from a year earlier jumped by the most since 2005 as inventories declined.

Claims rise More Americans than forecast filed applications for unemployment benefits last week, Jobless claims increased by 46,000 to 388,000 in the week ended Oct. 13 from a revised 342,000 the prior

period that was the lowest since February 2008. A spokesperson from the Labor department explained that the pattern of a large increase in claims at the start of the quarter seems to have shifted by a week in one state, causing the adjusted data to be volatile.

Consumer Prices in the US rose in September, for a second month as a jump in energy expenses overshadowed smaller gains in other goods and services. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.5% last month after climbing 0.6% in August. Likewise, the core index that excludes food and energy costs, climbed 0.1%, less than the projected 0.2%.

Retail sales Retail sales in the US rose more than projected in September, reflecting broad-based gains that indicates that household spending helped bolster economic growth last quarter. The 1.1% gain followed a revised 1.2% increase in August that was the biggest since October 2010. Similarly, sales excluding autos and energy, a closely followed indicator of consumer spending, climbed 0.9% last month and exceeded the expected rise of 0.4%.

US manufacturing Manufacturing in the Philadelphia region expanded in October for the first time in six months, a sign that the industry may be starting to stabilize.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s general economic index rose to 5.7 from minus 1.9 in September. A reading of zero is the dividing line between expansion and contraction. The figure indicates that a pillar of the recovery is starting to regain its footing. Gains in confidence and household wealth mean consumer spending may help support manufacturing at a time when business investment and exports are hurt by slowing global growth and the uncertainty about US tax changes.

Europe EU Summit Sets Route for the EuroArea Bank Supervision Initiative to Start in 2013 European leaders committed to their goal of establishing a Euro-area bank supervisor by year-end, opening the prospect of direct aid to Spain’s banking sector. The EU will seek to agree on a framework that makes the European Central Bank the main supervisor by the beginning of January 2013.

The new system, intended to break the link between banks and governments at the root of the region’s financial crisis, will phase in over the next year and could cover all 6,000 Euro-area banks

by January 1st 2014. The supervisor can “probably be effectively operational,” allowing the Euro bailout fund to lend directly to banks, as soon as 2013, EU President Herman Van Rompuy told reporters after the meeting. He said finance ministers would design rules for such bank rescues.

Spanish aid Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy wants the Euro area’s firewall to inject cash directly into its ailing banks, to relieve it of the burden of paying back as much as Ä100 billion ($131 billion) in bankrescue loans. The prospect of direct bank rescues became less urgent after stress tests revealed that Spain’s lenders required less than half of the funds approved by Euro-area states. Spain estimated on September 28 that it might need about Ä40 billion to recapitalize its banks. The government has played down the necessity of seeking additional aid while pushing for progress on a European banking union.

“The direct recapitalization of banks can take place when the banking supervision process is in place and approved by the euro group,” Rajoy told reporters. “I don’t know when that will be.”German investor confidence gained for a second month in October as the European Central Bank’s plan to buy government bonds fueled speculation that the sovereign debt crisis can be contained. The ZEW Indicator climbed to minus 11.5 from minus 18.2 in September. Spanish 10-year government bonds rose for a third day after the nation sold more than its maximum target at an auction and as European Union leaders gathered for a two-day summit in Brussels. Spain’s benchmark yields dropped to the lowest level since April after Moody’s Investors Service kept the nation’s credit rating at investment grade.

Kuwait Kuwaiti Dinar at 0.28085 The USDKWD opened at 0.28085 yesterday morning.

KUWAIT: Jet Airways officials, dignitaries and staff during the launch of non-stop flight to Kochi from Kuwait on Thursday. (From right): Abdulrahim Al-Awadhi, President, Horizon Aviation and Jet Airways GSA, Ratan Ratnakar, Vice President Gulf & Middle East, Bruce Richterkessing, COO NAS Aviation-Kuwait, Jaleel Khaled, General Manager, Abu Dhabi, Al-Ain and Kuwait and Joy Bernard, General Manager, Bahman Travel. (Right) A passenger is greeted by a staff. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

Jet Airways commences direct flight to Kochi Airline now offers 15 flights to India weekly

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, re-launched direct flights between Kuwait and Kochi effective last Thursday. This will be Jet Airways’ second nonstop destination between Kuwait and India. The flight will operate four days a week on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The re-launch of Jet Airways was prompted by an increasing demand and a growing market opportunity for the airline in Kuwait, officials said. Speaking with the Kuwait Times, Ratan Ratnakar, Jet Airways Vice President for Gulf and MENA region, said the persistent demand from a growing Indian Diaspora in Kuwait prompted Jet Airways to re-launch the direct flight to Kochi.

“We have seen a very clear opportunity for growth here. The Keralite population alone stands at 400,000. So it’s a huge population base and with the stable oil price, we cannot go wrong,” Ratnakar added.

“Kuwait is a great country that offers a huge opportunity for development and progress. It means a lot to us,” he said hoping that Kuwait would not stop hiring and bringing in more people from this part of the world as more and more manpower and expertise are needed. “A carrier like us will always be essential to meet the rising travel needs,” he added.

With the launch of this new service, Jet Airways will now offer 15 flights a week from Kuwait to India making it the largest Indian carrier operating from Kuwait. The introduction of this new service will further strengthen Jet Airways’ presence in the Gulf, where it has emerged as one of the leading carriers on the Indo-Gulf sector in a relatively short period of time. Sudheer Raghavan, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said, “In keeping with the growing demand from our guests for seamless connections between the Gulf and India, as well as onward connections via our international hub in Mumbai, Jet Airways is delighted to enhance its services on the India-Gulf sector in the winter schedule. Having emerged as among the leading airlines on the highly competitive Indo-Gulf sector in a relatively short period of time, we are confident that the new services will become popular with our guests.”

KUWAIT: Ratan Ratnakar, Vice President Gulf & Middle East (right) and Jaleel Khaled, General Manager, Abu Dhabi, AlAin and Kuwait.

Jet Airways also offers extra packages for group travelers such as university students and tourists. The new package services ‘Jet Escape’ can be tailor-made to clients who can schedule their visit to destinations in India where all special arrangements from hotels to transit points will be provided.

“We are now very aggressive in marketing our products and services. We have launched the products and we have seen positive response from the customers. Private tours also can be arranged,” he added. The airline will deploy its state-of-the-art Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with premiere and economy configurations on this route, offering

guests its superior in-flight product, warm service, award-winning in-flight entertainment and cuisine. The service will complement the airline’s existing 46 daily flights between the Gulf and India with operations from Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Muscat, Riyadh and Sharjah.

The flight 9W575 will depart Kuwait at 2255 hrs local time (LT) and arrive Kochi at 0615 hrs(LT). On the return leg, 9W 575 will depart Kochi at 1900 hrs (LT) and arrive Kuwait at 2155 hrs (LT). The additional flight will complement the flights being operated between Kuwait and Mumbai by Jet Airways.

“The four times per week is just the start up flight. We could increase it as the demand grows,” he said. Jet Airways currently operates a fleet of 99 aircraft, which include 10 Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, 11 Airbus A330-200 aircraft, 58 next generation Boeing 737-700/800/900 aircraft and 20 modern ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft. With an average fleet age of 6.13 years, the airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world. Flights to 74 destinations span the length and breadth of India and beyond, including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Bangkok, Brussels, Colombo, Dammam, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Kathmandu, Kuwait, London(Heathrow), Milan, Muscat, New York (both JFK and Newark), Riyadh, Sharjah, Singapore and Toronto.

KUWAIT: The first passenger of Jet Airways flying to Kochi from Kuwait checks-in his baggage at the Kuwait International Airport.

KUWAIT: The Jet Airways’ Kuwait team poses for a group photo.

Australia hopes to ensure budget surplus CANBERRA: The Australian government will outline the extent of savings it needs to make to deliver on its promise of a budget surplus for the year to next June when it releases a mid-year budget update on Monday amid falling commodity prices.

Australia has delivered consecutive budget deficits since 2008 due to stimulus spending to help Australia avoid recession after the global financial crisis. It faces elections in the second half of 2013 and is determined to restore the budget to surplus to head off opposition attacks on its economic credentials. Treasurer Wayne Swan said he would announce “signifi-

cant” savings in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook to offset lower than expected government revenue as a result of renewed weakness in the global economy and lower commodity prices.

“The toughest conditions in the global economy in generations have cut a swathe through traditional sources of revenue,” Swan said. “And the renewed weakness in the international economy combined with lower-than-expected commodity prices has further hit revenues. This will require more savings to be found in our budget.”

In its May budget, the government promised it would return a

surplus of A$1.5 billion ($1.5 billion), or 0.1 percent of gross domestic product, by mid-2103.

Since May, government revenue has been hit by falling commodity prices, a slowdown in the economies of its major trading partners and lower-than-forecast revenue from its controversial tax on coal and iron ore profits.

China’s slowing economic growth has cut once red-hot demand for Australia’s resources.

Iron ore prices have fallen around 15 percent, thermal coal by 9 percent and coking coal some 30 percent since the mining tax was launched in July, placing pressure on the budget forecast that the tax

would provide an estimated $13.4 billion over its first four years.

Miners including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata have shelved expansion plans and cut production. Swan didn’t provide any detail of the proposed savings cuts or revisions to forecasts made in May but reaffirmed a commitment to returning a surplus. Finance Minister Penny Wong said in an interview with Sky News on Sunday that although global circumstances had changed, the Australian economy was still growing “at around trend growth”. “And in those circumstances, what you want to do is bring the budget back to surplus.” — Reuters

26

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

business

MEED to host Kuwait Energy and Infrastructure Conference Ambitious plans will be put under the spotlight KUWAIT: MEED, a primary source of business intelligence for the Middle East, announced that it will host the 7th Annual Kuwait Energy and Infrastructure Projects Conference 2012 from Sunday 04 November to Wednesday 07 November, 2012 at Marriott Courtyard. The conference will highlight up to date business intelligence on the fast and expanding energy and infrastructure project sectors of Kuwait Keynote speakers addressing the 7th Annual Kuwait Energy and Infrastructure Projects Conference 2012 include Farouk Al-Zanki, Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation who will address opportunities and progress developments in exploiting the hydrocarbons sector to optimize Kuwait’s energy resource; Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Kulaib, Undersecretary, Ministry of Public Works, Kuwait, who will give an overview of mega infrastructure projects led by Ministry of Public Works working towards the Kuwait Development Plan; and Adel AlRoumi, Director General, Partnership

Technical Bureau who will open a day dedicated to discussing the progress of Kuwait’s extensive planned PublicPrivate Partnerships (PPP) program on November 7.

MEED has put together a three-day program designed to showcase the growing number of opportunities emerging in Kuwait. Meed Projects data reveals that there are $99.5bnworth of schemes across all sectors currently at the design, prequalification or tender phase in Kuwait. Almost $55bn of the projects are in the country’s oil and gas, and power and water sectors Edmund O’Sullivan, Chairman, MEED Events, said: “The 7th Annual Kuwait Energy and Infrastructure Projects Conference 2012 will provide exclusive insight into the country’s various projects and key associated challenges across sectors including oil & gas, power & water, social & transport infrastructure and finance. While last year’s conference attracted recordbreaking 250 attendees, the 2012 event has been expanded to include more client-led presentations and case

GIC CEO Al-Razzukki resigns KUWAIT: During the periodic meeting of in his future endeavors. Hisham A Althe Board of the Gulf Investment Corporation, Razzuqi served as Executive Vice President Hisham A. Al-Razzuqi, the Chief Executive of Gulf Investment Corporation since its Officer of GIC, formally presented his resigna- inception in 1984. He then was appointed the Chief Executive Officer tion to the Board of Directors in 2001. Throughout his effective December 31, 2012 long career, Hisham has for personal reasons. been actively engaged in After dully deliberating numerous financial and the request, the Board of industrial activities regionDirectors decided to ally and internationally. accept his resignation and He also serves as a expressed its appreciation board member of many for Al-Razzuqi’s distincompanies in the field. He guished efforts and contriserves as a board member butions during his long of the Olayan Business years of service in GIC in School of the American lead positions and University of Beirut. throughout his tenure as For many years, Mr. the Chief Executive Officer, Hisham A. Al-Razzuqi Hisham has been serving which were exemplary of loyalty, personal giving as well as honesty, as General Councilor of the integrity, outstanding management and Conference Board Global Advisory Council in New York and is a member exceptional performance.

Recognizing all of that, the Board of the Bretton Woods Committee, expresses its best wishes to Hisham A Al- International Council in Washington Razzuqi for continued excellence success DC.

Al-Tijari announces winners of daily draw with Najma Account KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait held the Al-Najma Account draw yesterday. The draw was held under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry represented by Mr. Saquer Al Manaie. The winners of the Al Najma daily draw are:l Laila Ibraheem Abdulqader Haidarah — KD 7000, l Hasnah Barjas Ghareeb — KD 7000, l Jassim Mohammed Ali Salman AlAshwak— KD 7000, l Noor Mohammed Agha Mohammed — KD 7000, l Ahmed Abdullah Al-Hajji — KD 7000.

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait announces the biggest daily draw in Kuwait with the launch of the new Najma account. Customers of the bank can now enjoy a KD 7,000 daily prize which is the

highest in the country and another 4 mega prizes during the year worth KD 100,000 each on different occasions: The National Day, Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al-Adha and on the 19th of June which is the date of the bank’s establishment.

With a minimum balance of KD 500, customers will be eligible for the daily draw provided that the money is in the account one week prior to the daily draw or 2 months prior to the mega draw. In addition, for each KD 25 a customer can get one chance for winning instead of KD 50.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes this opportunity to congratulate all lucky winners and also extends appreciation to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for their effective supervision of the draws which were conducted in an orderly and organized manner.

Paolo de Renzis, British Airways area commercial manager in ME, Central Africa KUWAIT: Appointed to his current position in February 2009, Paolo De Renzis is responsible for British Airways’ commercial operations the Middle East and Central Asia.

Having served as Commercial Manager in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, Paolo brings vast experience in the airline’s European operations to his first regional posting.

Paolo joined British Airways in 1988, where he entered the sales department, after having successfully finished his University studies of Law, Business & Commerce.

In 1994 Paolo was appointed Business Manager Italy, based in Rome. After two years he moved to Milan, where he took over responsibility as Sales Manager Northern Italy.

From December 2006 until he took up his current responsibilities, Paolo was based in Frankfurt. He is married with three young children.

Paolo De Renzis

ABK, MasterCard special offers from Jumeirah Group

Stewart Lockie

KUWAIT: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait in cooperation with MasterCard is offering its customers discounts and special offers from Jumeirah Group Dubai.

ABK offers its MasterCard Cardholders the opportunity to enjoy great discounts on room rates, restaurants and Spa visits from a selected number of Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts in Dubai. Stewart Lockie, General Manger of the Retail Division commented “ABK are extremely pleased to offer such value added benefits, through our partnership with MasterCard, and not only that our cardholders will also benefit from free miles when using their ABK Emirates MasterCard’s. ‘ So travel, spend and be rewarded with you ABK MasterCard Credit Cards.

study analysis opening up new avenues of opportunity.”

“At this event, we are bringing together all major project teams and government authorities so that an

Kuwait and also to expand and fast track commercial success,” added O’Sullivan.

Other confirmed speakers addressing vital issues include:

effective future strategy can be shaped. 30+ handpicked country experts have been specifically selected to give an in-depth insight into the opportunities available in the market.”

“This event is the perfect platform to meet key decision makers who can significantly influence future profitability, to explore the opportunities in

l Eng Saud A Azeez Al-Naki, Assistant Undersecretary (Roads) , Ministry of Public Works l Eng. Khaled Al-Khazi, Asst Under Secretary Engineering Sector, Ministry of Public Works l Khaled Mubarak Al-Mushileh, Manager-Corporate Planning, Kuwait National Petroleum Company

l Qasem Al-Mejadi, Deputy Managing Director (Technical Affairs), Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC) l Eng. Mohamed Boshehri, Asst Under Secretary Water Operation & Maintenance, Ministry of Electricity and Water l Eng. Saad Soud Al-Muhailby, Director of Master Plan Department, Kuwait Municipality l Nahed Al-Hajri, Senior Engineer Projects - Engineering Group, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) lNaser Al Anezi, Manager Corporate Planning, Petrochemicals Industries Company (PIC) l Dr Salah Al-Mudhi, Director General, Environment Public Authority Kuwait Petroleum Company (KPC) is a Supporting Partner along with the Ministry of Public Works and Partnership Technical Bureau (PTB) The event’s primary focus will be on the major private sector players to discuss various projects and key associated challenges across sectors including oil & gas, power & water, social & transport infrastructure and finance.

X-cite by Alghanim Electronics and Philips hold mall demos New range of smart TVs by Philips launched KUWAIT: X-cite by Alghanim Electronics in collaboration with Philips have been conducting a series of mall promotions displaying the exciting new range of smart TVs by Philips in an aim to educate the customers and create awareness about the latest Smart TV technology. This new range consists of various series of LCD, smart LED and smart 3D TVs ranging from size 32” right up to 55”. With the advent of the smart TV technology users can not only enjoy cinematic entertainment but can also browse through the web with integrated wifi system.

Users can download a host of apps, control the TV from their smart phones, make voice and video calls over skype and lots more.

The new Philips Smart TV series is targeted at users looking for state-of-the-art online services and high picture quality yet at an affordable price. This smart series feature a sophisticated choice of Smart TV applications, internet browsing, USB recording and usage of online apps. In the Philips 3D TV series, the integration of active shutter glasses technology has made it possible to display 3D movies with excellent picture quality. Philips also offers real-time, high-quality 2D/3D conversions of any 2D content at the push of a button allowing for an unparalleled cinematic as well as gaming experience.

X-cite held its first mall demonstration at Marina that took place from 18th -20th October. Promoters at the display stand interacted with customers in the mall and helped to educate the people about the various features of the new smart TV series by Philips.

Customers were thrilled to experience this new technology. Additional road shows are slated to be held at 360 mall from 25th -27th Oct and at the Avenues from 22nd - 24th Nov.

Please visit the Philips demo stalls during these days and get a glimpse of the latest smart TV range by Philips.

X-cite is the largest consumer electronics retailer in Kuwait and the Middle East.

Headquartered in Kuwait, the award winning retailer delivers a modern, dynamic and convenient shopping experience with the primary objective of delighting its customers. With touch and feel displays, cash and carry shopping, a highly trained multilingual sales staff and the latest gadgets and gizmos, shopping

at X-cite is an unforgettable experience.

Operating a network of 17 stores in addition to the regions premier e-commerce electronics website, X-cite’s customers are offered an unparalleled shopping experience by providing access to amazing range of international brands under one roof.

The X-cite experience is further enhanced by providing customers with Easy Credit, 24hour shopping in select outlets and extended warranty programs with 24-hour free delivery and installation services.

Joyalukkas opens largest showroom in Visakhapatnam he world’s favorite jeweler, Joyalukkas opened its first and largest jewelry showroom in Visakhapatnam on 17th October, 2012. The showroom was inaugurated jointly by film actors Samantha and R. Madhavan, in the presence of VIP guests, local dignitaries and Joyalukkas’ senior management team.

“Opening in Visakhapatnam is a dream come true; Visakhapatnam is a thriving, prosperous, and prestigious city and we are excited to serve the cosmopolitan mix of people here. The Visakhapatnam showroom is our 7th showroom in Andhra Pradesh and I am overwhelmed with the great reception and support brand ‘Joyalukkas’ is enjoying in Andhra Pradesh. A city of Visakhapatnam’s stature deserves the biggest and largest experience in jewelry shopping; hence we have opened the largest jewelry showroom for its residents here. This is the one and only Joyalukkas showroom in Visakhapatnam and it houses over one million collections and choices from every corner of the world to make every jewelry lover’s dream come true,” said Joy Alukkas, Chairman and MD of Joyalukkas Group.

Joyalukkas showroom is located at Aslimetta Road and offers three floors of parking space and three very spacious floors of shopping space. The showroom features the widest range of collections in gold, diamond and precious stones, platinum, pearl and silver. The mix of jewelry offered is the largest choice of traditional and contemporary jewelry and is designed to meet all

T

the needs of jewelry lovers.

Film star and celebrity Samantha said, “I have always enjoyed shopping jewelry at Joyalukkas. Their designs, range and choice are the finest in the world. I feel privileged to be associated with the brand and to be a part of the Joyalukkas Visakhapatnam showroom opening. I am really excited to be at Visakhapatnam for the grand opening of Joyalukkas.”

Joyalukkas Brand Ambassador and Bollywood actor R Madhavan said, “I can say I am travelling the length and breadth of India, thanks to Joyalukkas. I always see a lot of excitement and positive response to all Joyalukkas openings and I was sure the residents of Visakhapatnam will give us a grand welcome. I assure the Visakhapatnam residents that the Joyalukkas experience is the most refreshing and the best in jewelry shopping.”

Joyalukkas Group is a multi-billion dollar global conglomerate

and its rapidly expanding jewelry retail chain is one of the largest in the world.

The renowned jewelry retail chain’s presence is spread across nine countries - Singapore, London, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and India.

Joyalukkas is committed to offering best prices on the over one million choices of jewelry designs it offers at its showroom. The global jewelry retail chain has also recently announced for the first time in the world the unique concept called ‘Clear Price Tag’ (CPT ) to ensure 100 percent transparency on its pricing of jewelry. The Joyalukkas CPT ensures the best value on jewelry and is the most reliable gold price indicator to ensure customers enjoy the best price at all times.

The Joyalukkas, Visakhapatnam showroom has a grand design with convenient interiors and the best mix of jewelry collections from

around the world. “There are some brands with similar name and look and feel, who claim to be associated with brand ‘Joyalukkas’, However I would like to clarify that we have no associates in the jewelry business and I would request jewelry shoppers not to be misled by jewelers claiming to be associated with Joyalukkas,” added Mr. Joy Alukkas.

Joyalukkas, is the first and only ISO 14001-2006 and ISO 9001-2008 certified jewelry retail chain, which also ensures and adheres to best quality standards like the BIS Hallmark for gold jewelry, IGI certification for Diamond jewelry and PGI certification for Platinum jewelry to ensure the customers trust, assurance and total peace of mind.

Other unique features of Joyalukkas jewelry include consumer friendly value added schemes like Easy Gold schemes, Joyalukkas Golden Rewards Card, 100 percent buy back guarantee and more.

27

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

TECHNOLOGY

Yahoo CEO comeback plan homes in on technology SAN FRANCISCO: Marissa Mayer, who earned a reputation for decisive action and intensity during her 13-year stint at Google Inc, has spent her first months as Yahoo Inc CEO quietly moving the Internet pioneer back to its roots in technology. Long torn between whether it should focus on media content or on tools and technologies, Yahoo under Mayer is being positioned firmly in the latter camp, according to sources inside and outside the company. Her hires, acquisition musings, and other early moves hint at an ambitious, technology-driven comeback plan designed to revitalize aging but welltrafficked properties such as Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Finance and Yahoo Sports.

Yahoo has been criticized for allowing these sites to stagnate - they look very much like they did five years ago, and do not have many bells and whistles to encourage users to spend more time on them. Mayer, 37, wants to make Yahoo’s properties much more interactive, on PCs and on mobile devices, using social media tools to personalize the user experience and new technology to boost advertising sales.

Her well-known focus on user design is expected to result in a simpler, lesscluttered email and home page, one source said.

Yahoo declined to comment for this article. Mayer, who gave birth to her first child weeks ago, will unveil details of her comeback plan when Yahoo reports quarterly results today. Mayer’s focus on technology in many ways reverses a course set by her predecessors, who had concentrated on media

content deals, such as those that gave prime billing to Walt Disney Co’s ABC News or CNBC, or to bring an original program starring actor Tom Hanks to its website. The new strategy is not without risks: it positions Yahoo squarely against Facebook Inc and Google. It also risks alienating a large, mediafocused contingent that is already weakened by the departure of Ross Levinsohn, who had championed a media-centric approach when he was interim CEO before Mayer’s arrival in July.

Mayer has been meeting with Internet gurus including AOL Inc CEO Tim Armstrong, another ex-Googler; Silicon Valley lawyer Larry Sonsini; and Wall Street investment bankers, according to people familiar with the matter.

Bankers have pitched Mayer and her team on a slew of potential acquisitions, and they appeared to show interest in restaurant reservation site OpenTable Inc and advertising technology companies PubMatic, Turn and Millennial Media, one of the people said. Caterva, a small start-up whose technology analyzes social media activity, has also been in low-level talks with Yahoo, said another source familiar with the situation. OpenTable and PubMatic declined comment. Millennial Media and Caterva did not respond to requests for comment.

With more than $2 billion in cash and short-term securities, Yahoo has the money to acquire engineering talent or bolt-on services. Two types of deals are under consideration: companies that will increase user engage-

ment, including on mobile, and those that will boost advertising returns, source said. “What they’ve signaled so far is that the deals will be more niche in nature, smaller deals that maybe have a lot of promise,” said Ken Allen, a director at Blackstone Advisory Partners.

Many industry insiders believe Mayer is Yahoo’s final hope for reversing a years-long decline from the pinnacle it once attained as the leading gateway to the Internet. Four of her predecessors have tried in vain to right the ship - Yahoo’s market value of $19 billion, is less than half its $44 billion value in 2005.

Mayer, who earned a masters degree in computer science from Stanford University specializing in artificial intelligence, has moved quickly on the personnel front, shelling out rich pay packages to attract ex-colleagues from Google and elsewhere.

She brought in ad technology systems guru Henrique de Castro as chief operating officer; a new finance chief in Ken Goldman, who also has tech chops, to replace Tim Morse; and Jacqueline Reese to assume the dual role of hiring and acquisitions, suggesting the start of a train of “acqui-hires” or buying small companies for their engineering talent. “She’s spending almost all her time with the product folks. She’s spending it on technology. She’s talking about engineering hires,” a person close to Yahoo said about Mayer’s early days.

Yahoo’s advertising technology products, headed for the auction block

before Mayer’s arrival, are back in favor.

De Castro, her highest-profile hire, is known for a deep-understanding of the complex advertising landscape, where dozens of businesses and technology providers are interlinked. Mayer has also shown an interest in the company’s ad tech platform, including Right Media, an automated exchange that allows marketers to blast ads across a network of websites.

The group has been a long-standing source of division among Yahoo’s management, including with Levinsohn, who was keen on divesting the unit, according to two sources close to the matter. But shortly after Mayer’s arrival, Yahoo told AdAge that it had no intention of selling Right Media. Yahoo’s advertising salesforce, responsible for signing splashy home-page ad deals and premium marketing campaigns, has received scant attention from the new CEO, say people close to the company. Michael Barrett, Yahoo’s chief revenue officer hired by Levinsohn shortly before Mayer’s arrival, recently announced his resignation, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Roughly 700 million users visit a Yahoo website every month - putting it in the top ranks globally. But the amount of activity people engage in on many sites is steadily declining, and its smartphone offerings are deemed lackluster.

“The largest change is to be deadly serious about mobile,” said a former Yahoo manager who remains in touch with people at the company. Yahoo faces tough competition from

Facebook and Google, two companies that have taken consumers’ time, engineering talent and market value from Yahoo. They are also trying to make the transition to mobile, but it has been difficult.

Some say the direction signaled by Mayer is not so different than strategies espoused by previous CEOs that Yahoo has consistently struggled to implement. A fragmented culture in which short-term finances usually trump product plans is to blame, according to those who know the company. The recent departure of CFO Tim Morse could signal a change in approach, said several former Yahoo employees.

Morse was considered the force behind Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group and Yahoo’s $7.6 billion deal over the summer, which saw Yahoo sell about half of its 40 percent stake in Alibaba after years of wrangling over terms.

But now Yahoo’s Asian partners, including Yahoo Japan Corp, are not on the front burner for Mayer, one source familiar with the situation said.

Whether Wall Street has the patience for yet another Yahoo revival plan remains to be seen. “Every CEO needs time to have their full vision articulated and understood,” said Dan Rosensweig, a former Yahoo chief operating officer, who now serves as CEO of online textbook rental company Chegg.com. “To count Yahoo out would be an enormous mistake, because the users have not counted Yahoo out,” he said. “It’s not like MySpace, where all the users went away.” — Reuters

Iraqi officials venture into world of Internet Net penetration in Iraq lowest in region

Xerox supports GEMS DUBAI: Xerox Emirates and GEMS Education have signed an agreement to support GEMS sustainability commitment through its Managed Print Services. Through this partnership Xerox will establish print solutions using multifunction devices in GEMS Schools, which will use approximately 50 percent less energy than the combined annual consumption of the individual products it replaces.

Whilst the partnership is initially focussed on the UAE, Xerox Global reach and help desk will allow GEMS Education to link their regional around the world sites through a single point of contact. Dino Varkey, Group Executive Director and Board Member, GEMS Education stated, “We look forward to working closely with Xerox Emirates to keep finding ways to

improve our approach to document management and deliver more value.”

“Through the partnership between Xerox Emirates and GEMS Education we strive to streamline GEMS Education printing practices, while reducing their impact on the environment, through optimising their current infrastructure.,” stated Andrew Hurt, General Manager, Xerox Emirates.

“We at Xerox Emirates are very excited about this collaboration with GEMS Education and we believe we have the right technology, support, best practices, subject expertise and resources to execute and implement an extensive MPS initiative such as this one. This is the latest success for our Managed Print Services offering that is transforming the UAE market place.”

Google faces moment of truth on monopoly probe WASHINGTON: Google faces a moment of truth in the coming weeks over a lengthy US probe into potential abuse of its Internet search dominance, amid regulatory woes on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Federal Trade Commission is widely reported to be nearing a decision on whether to pursue Google for monopoly abuses, at the same time European regulators are conducting a similar review. At least one member of Congress is warning the FTC to be wary of meddling in Google’s business, but some of Google’s rivals are pressing hard for action.

Critics point out that Google controls some 70 percent of the Internet search market -and the advertising that goes along with it - and may exert even more power in the mobile sector by controlling the Android operating system used on two-thirds of smartphones. “These are practices which drive up prices and drive down competition,” said Ben Hammer, whose Fairsearch.org coalition includes the travel websites Expedia and Kayak, mobile phone maker Nokia, and Microsoft, a company which faced its own antitrust case over a decade ago.

Google is accused of “scraping” content from other services like travel and restaurant reviews while keeping consumers on its own sites. It is also under fire for allegedly promoting its own services including travel, restaurant reviews and YouTube videos - in its search results.

Another of Google critics’ concerns is the way the company limits how advertisers can manage ads with Google and com-

petitors. “They remind me a lot of Microsoft in the 90s: massively arrogant, having the feeling they have the power to do anything they want,” said Rob Enderle, a Silicon Valley consultant and analyst.

“Companies that get this way eventually run afoul of the government, sometimes catastrophically. They haven’t been competing fairly for some time.”

Google’s problems are not limited to Washington. European data protection agencies have said Google’s new privacy policy does not comply with EU laws and told the US firm to fix it within months or face legal action. Google claims “that our privacy notices respect European law”.

Google has also made proposals to regulators in the EU anti-trust probe into whether the Internet search giant had abused its dominant market position, which officials called “a good basis for further talks.”

But in the US, a case from trade regulators would not be clear cut, say some analysts. Danny Sullivan, who edits the blog Search Engine Land, said it is problematic for regulators to determine whether a search is “fair”. Even if Google searches favor its own sites, “it’s probably not wrong,” said Sullivan, who argued that the case offers a test of freedom of expression. Sullivan said those seeking to impose “neutral” search results suggest a scary type of regulation: “It’s like saying the New York Times algorithm should be decided by a government committee.

Nobody should question that the government should stay out.” — AFP

BAGHDAD: Smiling shyly, Wassan Saleh admitted to being the face of a vast problem across Iraq’s bureaucracy that officials are now trying to remedy: she had never used a computer. Her participation in information technology (IT) classes at a Baghdad college is part of efforts by university professors to help modernise Iraq’s civil service. The system routinely frustrates - to put it mildly - Iraqis, with its Byzantine rules and paper-based system that has remained largely unchanged for decades. “This is the first time in my life that I am using a computer,” said Saleh, an official in the commerce ministry, as her introductory class at Baghdad Technical College drew to an end. “I have a computer at my home, but I had no idea how it worked,” said the 35-yearold. “Now, I will use everything I have learned.

It’s really a great experience that I can pass on to my family and my neighbours.”

Internet penetration in Iraq is by far the lowest in the region - it was just 1.1 percent in 2010, according to the International Telecommunication Union. While mobile phone usage has skyrocketed since the 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein, use of computers has not expanded at nearly the same rate. With that in mind, the IT classes for civil servants are designed to be simple. There is no jargon, no cryptic technical language, and initial lessons are devoted to basic operations and use of simple programs such as Microsoft’s Word or Excel software.

Shortly afterwards, students are introduced to the Internet, and different social media services like Twitter and Facebook, which have been added in recent years as mandatory courses that students at the college must take.

The lessons are the brainchild of Harith Fuad Jawad, the head of the college’s IT department. He started them in Dec 2008 after reading a newspaper article that lamented Iraqis’ “technological illiteracy”. In the article, an unnamed professor recalled how, when teaching students to use computers, “I asked them to drag the mouse up - one of them grabbed the mouse and held it up in the air, over the computer.”

The students take lessons for three hours a day over a 10-day period in a small room with 30 computers. Government ministries decide

who to send and the courses are relatively cheap, even by Iraqi standards - just 50,000 dinars ($42), paid for by the government. “We learned to use several programs like Word and Excel, and we went on the Internet,” said Abdul Jalil Hanoun, a 55-year-old civil servant in the justice ministry. “We learned things we did not even know existed.”

The lack of advancement in Iraq in the field of computers comes as a direct result of 30 years of war and sanctions: the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War; Saddam’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the international response the following year, along with the resulting economic embargo; and the 2003 invasion. “Until 1980, Iraq was the most advanced country in the Middle East when it came to technology,” Jawad complained. “But the war with Iran changed all that, and today, in the technology race, we are lagging far behind.”

Saddam’s regime clamped down on freedom of expression, which extended to use of the Internet, but while the shackles on Iraqis’ use of the web were lifted in 2003, the government has not promoted the use of computers. Iraqis seeking to get things done at

ministries face immense amounts of paperwork, with no option to do any of their work online. US soldiers, who were stationed in Iraq from the invasion until their withdrawal in December, were often surprised to learn that orders from town police chiefs could take days to get to individual police stations because they were not conveyed by email, but by paper. At home, meanwhile, Internet subscriptions remain expensive, ranging between $60 and $100 per month, and connection speeds trail behind the rest of the region, let alone the rest of the world.

The course at Baghdad Technical College, however, has made small inroads into that lack of digitization. In the first five months of this year, 547 mandarins took their first steps in computer science, according to figures provided by the college.

Other Baghdad colleges have since started similar programs. Najwa Abdulridha, 27, proudly declared that she had now learned to send emails, after recently completing a course. “These computers have reduced the planet to a village, and we want to live in this village,” she said. — AFP

BAGHDAD: An Iraqi man uses a computer at an Internet cafe in this June 26, 2012 photo. —AFP

Doing diplomacy, 140 characters at a time PARIS: When Canada’s ambassador to China posted photos of his car on the embassy’s Twitter-like weibo page, the instant, mass response boosted his country’s image in a way that surely stunned many diplomats. Hundreds of Chinese netizens posted comments marvelling that the Canadian envoy at the time - David Mulroney - was driving a relatively inexpensive car compared to the luxury vehicles favoured by their own officials. In just one click, Ottawa had managed to engage a wide audience in a debate about corruption and transparency, using one of China’s hugely popular social networks. “Digital tools - including social media - are being used by an increasing number of countries,” said Antonio Deruda, author of “Diplomazia Digitale”, a book on the topic. “It is an important process that can be very useful for

administrations... Through social media, the goal is to establish a dialogue with the foreign public.”

Dubbed “21st century statecraft” by the United States, the use of digital tools to help achieve diplomatic goals is on the rise in a world where the web has changed how people engage with each other and higher authorities. Washington is at the forefront of this trend - led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was made painfully aware of the power of social media when she lost the Democratic nomination to a tech-savvy Barack Obama in 2008.

There are now around 300 State Department-affiliated Twitter accounts globally - which include those run by ambassadors or embassies - over 400 Facebook pages and 180 YouTube channels.

US ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, for instance, has used the embassy’s Facebook page to post

declassified satellite images showing troop movements in civilian locations, in a propaganda tug of war with the Damascus regime. The State Department has also organised Google+ Hangouts-group video chats - to engage with people in Iran on issues such as sanctions and studying in the United States. “One of the benefits of using these technologies is we’re in places where we don’t have a diplomatic presence on the ground,” said Victoria Esser, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Digital Strategy at the State Department.

Other countries have also got in on the act in a bid to improve their political clout, or attract foreign investment and tourists. Widely regarded as a symbol of the modern Arab woman, for instance, Queen Rania is a key asset in Jordan’s soft power push. With Twitter, she is an even more power-

ful force, with each post reaching over 2.3 million global followers.

“Queen Rania is followed not only by people interested in Middle East issues and political issues, but by people who are more interested in what she buys in shops or where she goes abroad,” said Deruda.

“This is a key point for digital diplomacy - the importance of reaching a broader audience, not just the same old people who usually follow foreign affairs.”

As such, top diplomats are increasingly holding live, virtual chats on social networks to engage with people whom they would otherwise never meet. British foreign secretary William Hague took this a step further earlier this month, meeting five of his 109,000 Twitter followers to discuss Somalia, Europe and other issues in an effort to bring online interaction offline. — AFP

28

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

health & science

In Myanmar, only sickest HIV patients get drugs 18,000 people die from HIV every year

BAIKONUR: The Soyuz TMA-06M spaceship is mounted on a launch pad at the Russian leased Kazakh Baikonur Cosmodrome yesterday. — AP

Soyuz craft readied for space station mission BAIKONUR: A Russian-made Soyuz rocket was erected into place yesterday, ahead of the start of a mission to take a three-man crew to the International Space Station. For the first time since 1984, the manned launch will take place from Baikonur cosmodrome launch pad 31, while the pad that is normally used, from which Yury Gagarin began his landmark space mission, is undergoing modernization.

The Soyuz craft remains the only means for international astronauts to reach the space station since the decommissioning of the US Shuttle fleet in 2011. NASA’s Kevin Ford and Russian astronauts Oleg Novitsky and Yevgeny Tarelkin will blast off tomorrow from the Russian-leased facility in southern Kazakhstan and will spend around six months on the orbiting laboratory.

They will join US astronaut Sunita Williams, Russia’s Yuri Malenchenko and Aki Hoshide of Japan’s JAXA agency. In accordance with custom, the entrance to the hangar storing the Soyuz craft slid open in the pre -dawn darkness as Russian and U.S. space officials looked on and took photographs. By the end of the Soyuz’s slow, half-hour trip from storage to the launch site resting on its side on a flatbed railway car, the sun had risen to reveal a cloudless sky.

Over the following hour, the craft was raised into its upright launch position, setting it off starkly against a backdrop of rolling, tinder-dry steppe. Russia’s Roscosmos space agency spokesman Alexei Kuznetsov said launch pad 31 had recently been renovated and already been used for an unmanned mission

over the summer. “Now we need to do similar things at Site No. 1. As soon as that is finished, it will be in a condition to resume launches,” he said. Site No. 1, better known as Gagarin’s Start in recognition of the historic 1961 mission, was last overhauled in 1983. The need for a backup launch site became particularly acute with the decommissioning of the US shuttle fleet, when Gagarin’s Start became the only operating pad available for manned launches to the space station. The Soyuz’s trip will last around two days and end when it docks with the Poisk module in the Russian segment of the ISS. Ford, Novitsky and Tarelkin are scheduled to remain in orbit until March, covering a busy time at the space station that will include the first ever arrival of “Cygnus,” a commercial cargo vehicle from the Orbital Sciences Corp., of Dulles, Virginia, scheduled for December.

Another two commercial SpaceX Dragon craft are also expected over the same period, as are an additional four Russian Progress resupply vehicles. Of the three men blasting off Tuesday, only Ford has spent any time in orbit. He spent two weeks in space as pilot of the space shuttle Discovery in 2009 on a mission to transport scientific equipment to the ISS. “They’ll be really prepared. Their training has been excellent,” said William Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for space operations, speaking at launch pad 31. “They have got time to learn on station, so if there are some little rough spots as they get started, they’ll be able to accomplish their tasks,” he said. — AP

YANGON: Thein Aung has been trained not to show weakness, but he’s convinced no soldier is strong enough for this. He clenches his jaw and pauses, trying to will his chin to stop quivering and his eyes not to blink. But he’s like a mountain that is crumbling. His shoulders shake, then collapse inward, and he suddenly seems small in the denim Wrangler shirt that’s rolled up to his elbows and hanging loosely off his skinny arms. Big tears drip from his reddened eyes, and he looks away, ashamed.

As he sits outside a crowded clinic on the outskirts of Myanmar’s biggest city, he knows his body is struggling to fight HIV, tuberculosis and diabetes - but he can’t help wishing he was sicker. Although Aung is ill enough to qualify for HIV treatment in other poor countries, there’s simply not enough pills to go around in Myanmar. Only the sickest of the sick are lucky enough to go home with a supply of lifesaving medicine here. The others soon learn their fate is ultimately decided by the number of infection-fighting cells found inside the blood samples they give every three months.

The World Health Organization recommends treatment start when this all-important CD4 count drops to 350. In Myanmar, it must fall below 150. Antiretroviral therapy, in the past considered a miracle only available to HIV patients in the West, is no longer scarce in many of the poorest parts of the world. Pills are cheaper and easier to access, and HIV is not the same killer that once left thousands of orphaned children in sub-Saharan Africa. But Myanmar, otherwise known as Burma, remains a special case. Kept in the dark for so many decades by its reclusive ruling junta, this country of 60 million did not reap the same international aid as other needy nations. Heavy economic sanctions levied by countries such as the United States, along with virtually nonexistent government health funding, left an empty hole for medicine and services. Today, Myanmar ranks among the world’s hardest places to get HIV care, and health experts warn it will take years to prop up a broken health system hobbled by decades of neglect.

“Burma is like the work that I did in Africa in the’90s. It’s 15, 20 years out of date,” says Dr Chris Beyrer, an HIV expert at Johns Hopkins University who has worked in Myanmar for years. “If you actually tried to treat AIDS, you’d have to say that everybody with every other condition is going to die unless there are more resources.” Of the estimated 240,000 people living with HIV, half are going without treatment.

And some 18,000 people die from the disease every year, according to UNAIDS. The problem worsened last year after the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria canceled a round of funding due to a lack of international donations. The money was expected to provide HIV drugs for 46,500 people. But as Myanmar wows the world with its reforms, the US and other nations are easing sanctions. The Global Fund recently urged Myanmar to apply for more assistance that would make up the shortfall and open the door for HIV drugs to reach more than 75 percent of those in need by the end of 2015. It would also fight tuberculosis, a major killer of

HIV patients. TB in Myanmar is at nearly triple the global rate as multi-drug resistant forms of the disease surge.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders has tried to take up the slack by providing more than half the HIV drugs being distributed. But every day, physicians at its 23 clinics must make agonizing decisions to turn away patients like Aung, who are desperately ill but still do not qualify for medicine because their CD4 counts are too high.

“It’s very difficult to see those kind of situations,” says Kyaw Naing Htun, a young doctor with a K-pop hairstyle and seemingly endless energy, who manages the organization’s busy clinic in Insein. He says about 100 patients who should be on drugs are turned away every

save himself and ultimately his family. No one but his wife could know, or he would lose his job and their home on the military base because of the deep fear and discrimination surrounding the disease. Drugs were his only chance to keep the secret. “If I get the medicine, and I can stay in this life longer, I will serve the country more and my family will not be broken,” he says. “My family is invaluable.”

At the clinic in Insein, an area of Yangon better known for a notorious prison, Aung, who is using another name to protect his identity, waited nervously for the results of his first blood test. CD4 count: 460. Low enough for drugs in the US, but well above the 150 cutoff in Myanmar. He was given TB meds and told to come back in three months. Many of the 200

YANGON: In this photo, workers from a free funeral service move the body of HIV victim Kyaw Naing Aung, who died a day earlier at the age of 29, in a morgue of a special hospital for HIV/AIDS patients in Myanmar. — AP month in Yangon alone. “It takes a lot more resources when they come back sicker. It’s a lose-lose game.”

Aung first learned about the virus living inside him in April. He had dropped weight and wasn’t sleeping well, but figured it was the TB and diabetes running him down. When the test came back positive for HIV, he was shocked and scared: How? Why? “I wanted to commit suicide when I found out the results,” he says softly, looking away. “What upset me most was my wife. She says I shouldn’t die now because we have children.” The questions swarmed and consumed him, followed by a flood of worry and guilt that he had possibly infected his spouse. Then the bigger concern: What’s next?

Unlike many living in a country closed off to the world for the past half century of military rule, Aung, an Army staff sergeant, had some firsthand knowledge about HIV. He had watched the disease rot one soldier from the inside out, punishing him with a cruel death.

But he also saw another get on treatment and live a normal life, despite the military kicking him out. With the images of those two men locked in his head, Aung decided to fight to

people crammed into the two small buildings of an HIV center just outside Yangon are simply waiting to die.

Beloved opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi visited patients there in November 2010, just days after being freed from house arrest, appealing to the world for more medicine. She also spoke passionately in July about the stigma of HIV via a video link to the International AIDS conference in Washington, saying, “Our people need to understand what HIV really is.

We need to understand this is not something that we need to be afraid of.”

There are no doctors or nurses stationed at the hospice supported by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, forcing patients to care for each other. One man hangs a drip bag on a plastic string from the ceiling over an emaciated body. Other caregivers - many of whom are also infected - wave paper fans beside their loved ones for hours, providing the only relief they can offer. Infected children whose parents have already passed away play barefoot in the stuffy, crowded rooms. Bodies, some nothing more than breathing corpses, are stacked side by side on bamboo slats above dirt floors. — AP

Meningitis victims face long, uncertain recovery

Father of bone marrow transplant is dead at 92 SEATTLE: E Donnall Thomas, a physician who pioneered the use of bone marrow transplants in leukemia patients and later won the 1990 Nobel Prize in medicine, has died in Seattle at age 92. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center announced the death Saturday. A spokesman said the cause was heart disease. Thomas’ work is among the greatest success stories in the treatment of cancer. Bone marrow transplantation and its sister therapy, blood stem cell transplantation, have improved the survival rates for some blood cancers to upward of 90 percent from almost zero.

This year, about 60,000 transplants will be performed worldwide, according to the Hutchinson Center. ‘Imagine coming up with an idea, making it a reality and touching that many lives,’ said Dr Fred Appelbaum, Thomas’ friend and the director of the center’s Clinical Research Division. Thomas took after his father and became a doctor after getting his medical degree from

Harvard. In 1956, he performed the first human bone marrow transplant.

Thomas, along with a small team of fellow researchers, including his wife Dottie, pursued transplantations throughout the 1960s and 1970s despite skepticism from the medical establishment. They sought to cure blood cancers by destroying a patientís diseased bone marrow with near-lethal doses of radiation and chemotherapy and then rescuing the patient by transplanting healthy marrow. The aim was to establish a functioning and cancerfree blood and immune system. The procedure would go on to become the standard treatment for many sufferers of leukemia and lymphoma.

‘He was brilliant, he was incredibly generous and he was quick to deflect praise from himself to the individuals around him,’ Appelbaum said. ìAt the same time, while he was quiet and modest, he was stubborn,’ he added. ìHe believed in what he was doing and he was going to make it happen. — AP

OCALA: Vilinda York lies in her Florida hospital bed, facing a dryerase board that lists in green marker her name, her four doctors and a smiley face. Also on the board is this: “Anticipated date of discharge: NOT YET DETERMINED.” The 64-year-old contracted fungal meningitis after receiving three tainted steroid shots in her back.

She’s one of 284 people nationwide who are victims of an outbreak that began when a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy shipped contaminated medication. Twenty-three people have died.

Like many trying to recover, York, who has been hospitalized since Sept. 27, faces a long and uncertain road. Many people have died days or even weeks after being hospitalized. Fungal meningitis - which is not contagious - is a tenacious disease that can be treated only with powerful drugs.

“I’m determined I’m going to fight this thing,” she said. “The devil is not going to win.” Dr William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist who chairs Vanderbilt University’s Department of Preventive Medicine, said the treatment includes intravenous antifungal medicines that are tricky to use.

“These are powerful drugs.

They’re toxic,” he said. “You’re walking a tightrope because you want to get enough into a patient to have the therapeutic effect while at the same time you’re trying not to affect, or to minimize the effect on the liver and kidneys.” Even after leaving the hospital, patients will continue antifungal drugs for weeks or months, he said.

The infectious disease doctor

handling York’s case did not immediately respond to a phone message. When York talks about the last six weeks, tears run down her cheeks. She knows the disease is deadly. And if she needed a reminder, it’s right there in the headline from a local newspaper on her hospital bed: “Third death reported in Marion County from fungal meningitis.”

For York, 2012 started well. The retired clothing shop clerk and widow from Illinois was doing water aerobics three times a week, tending to her flower garden and spending time with church friends.

They’d get together at Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants a couple of times a week and go to church every Sunday.

On Jan 21, she was on her way to a wedding when she got into a car crash. It wasn’t enough to put her in the hospital, but she did suf-

fer back problems. The pain was strong enough for her to visit a doctor at Marion Pain Clinic, where she received two steroid shots on Aug 16. A week later, the pain was still there and she began feeling headachy, nauseous and dizzy. She chalked it up to her back and got a third shot Aug 28.

In the weeks that followed, her health deteriorated. She couldn’t lie down without extreme back pain. A friend gave her a recliner to sleep in. The headaches grew severe, sharp pains shooting from all directions into her skull. “I couldn’t walk well, I couldn’t see good and I could wipe the sweat off my arms,” she said. On Sept 27, her legs and arms grew numb. The numbness flowed upwards to her waist. That’s when she called the emergency dispatcher.

“I didn’t know whether I was getting ready for a stroke,” she said.

This undated file image made available by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the Exserohilum rostratum fungus. — AP

When she arrived at the hospital, doctors took a spinal tap and discovered she had meningitis.

Health officials have noticed that the sickest patients with meningitis are those who either did not catch the symptoms early or who didn’t receive appropriate treatment early because doctors didn’t know what they were dealing with. The fungi become harder to kill once they have established themselves in a person’s body.

“If treatment is given early, it is very effective,” said Dr David Reagan, medical officer for Tennessee, where the outbreak was first detected. “If it is given late, it is not very effective.” Most of the positively identified cases are caused by Exserohilum rostratum (ex-sir-oh-HY-lum ross-TRAH-tum).

The fungus is commonly found in the environment, but it has never before been observed as a cause of meningitis.

Because of that, Reagan said, officials have been unable to firmly establish the incubation period and give those who received the tainted injections a date for when they will no longer need to worry about developing meningitis.

“We’re saying at least six weeks, or 42 days, but we probably will extend that,” he said. “This is new territory. There’s no literature to tell us how long.”

In York’s case, doctors initially thought she had bacterial meningitis, but when she told them about the steroid shots, doctors began to assemble a theory. On Sept. 25, the New England Compounding Center had voluntarily recalled three lots of the steroid methylprednisolone acetate. — AP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

3-D mammograms offer clearer view of breast cancer

LEIPZIG: The Amur tigers Ivo and Tamur cuddle inside their enclosure at the zoo yesterday. The two tigers were born on July 20, 2012. —AFP

FORT LAUDERDALE: Bringing life-like detail to a hospital near you: the 3-D mammogram, which doctors say is detecting breast cancer earlier and more accurately than traditional tests. Approved last year by the Food and Drug Administration, 3D-equipped “tomosynthesis” machines are now available at some hospitals and diagnostic centers.

And while they look and feel like the standard, two-dimensional model, these high-tech, touchscreen devices are able to see more deeply and clearly into a woman’s breast tissue, detailing even the fatty or dense flesh that can disguise a lurking lump. “If we can reduce false alarms by 30 percent, we are doing a tremendous job for our patients and our community,” said Dr Mary K Hayes, medical director of women’s imaging for the Memorial Healthcare System.

“Because it’s less anxiety, less lost work time and lower costs because we’re not having to do all those additional tests. So the patient wins, the employer wins, and the family wins.”

And by cutting down on false alarms, the more accurate screenings also are cutting down on the cost and distress that come with extra procedures such as sonogram screenings and biopsies. The 2-D portion of tomosynthesis is typically covered by insurance, but most health plans don’t cover the costs of the 3-D portion yet because the FDA approval is relatively new, said a spokesman for Hologic, which manufactures the machines.

To help make the test more affordable, Memorial Regional and Memorial Hospital Miramar, Fla., are running a special throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, offering tomosynthesis screenings - normally $135 - for $99 and regular mammograms for $50 for those without insurance.

At Bethesda Women’s Health Center in Boynton Beach, Fla., which has offered tomosynthesis for the past two months, standard digital mammograms will be offered for $75 instead of the usual $100 throughout October. Tomosynthesis will cost another $50, all year-round. Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla, was on the forefront of discovering just what tomosynthesis means in detecting cancers of the breast. In 2008 and 2009, it was one of 16 hospitals across the nation that participated in a Harvard University-led clinical trial of 3-D mammography.

The study found that tomosynthesis detects 15 percent more breast cancers and cuts false alarms by 30 percent when compared with the standard, two-dimensional digital mammograms - helping to persuade the FDA to give its nod.

“For us, it’s a tool that allows us to do a better job for our patients,” Hayes said. In addition to cap-

turing 2-D images like standard mammograms, the tomosynthesis camera also moves in an arc over the breast, taking 15 mini-pictures over four seconds to yield a more ayered, detailed view of the tissue. Hologic, the company that manufactures the machines, likens the results to pages in a book, allowing radiologists multiple views of potentially problematic spots. “Basically, you’re getting more information - you’re getting slice by slice” instead of a single composite, 2-D picture, said Bethesda radiologist Dr Ariana Alvarez. Mary Shallcross, 61, was sold on the concept after seeing a TV news story last year. “I have really dense breasts, and so when I heard about this, I thought, this is the test for me,” said Shallcross, who drove from her home in Miramar to Memorial Regional in Hollywood after learning it was, at the time, the only facility in Broward with tomosynthesis. “That’s why I

came all the way out here.”

Two days later, Memorial’s sister hospital, Memorial Hospital Miramar, began offering the 3-D mammograms. Kristie Labonte, 39, had her first mammogram last week, and when the nurses at Memorial Regional told her about tomosynthesis, the Dania Beach, Fla, resident opted for the more high-tech exam. “With 3-D, you usually think of movies or something,” said Labonte, who has breast cancer in her family and recently lost a friend to the disease. “I think it’s amazing what they can do now to detect it early.”

Dr Darlene Da Costa, another Bethesda radiologist, said tomosynthesis’ early detection benefits are important in the fight against the deadly disease. “All we want is to find breast cancer early, as early as possible,” Da Costa said. “So with this technology, we’re able to save lives.” — MCT

This handout photo shows part of the small pit or bite created when NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity collected its second scoop of Martian soil at a sandy patch called “Rocknest.” — AP

Something odd, bright, white in Martian dirt WASHINGTON: NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has dug up a mini-mystery for scientists: an odd white fleck that sticks out like a beacon in the reddish soil. It looks out of place, but scientists said Thursday that it’s probably just a different hued bit of Martian soil. It’s only 1 millimeter in size and was spotted after the rover used its mechanical scoop to dig up some dust.

Project scientist John Grotzinger (GRAWT’sihn-ger) said researchers first thought it was earthly contamination from Curiosity. But it’s likely natural Martian soil that looks different because of the way it’s angled in the light or how the soil broke apart. Or it could be made of different minerals.Curiosity will use its camera and instruments to try to learn more about what it is.— AP

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

WHAT’S ON

Kuwait Marriott Hotels welcome new Cluster Director of Sales and Marketing

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

uwait Marriott Hotels are proud to announce and welcome Ahmad Shaban as its newly appointed Cluster Director of Sales and Marketing.

Ahmad Shaban served as a former Director of Sales for two years for the Marriott Executive Apartments in Dubai Creek in 2007 before moving to Jordan to become Cluster Director of Sales for the Jordan portfolio of the Intercontinental Hotel Group, spearheading sales efforts for their four properties in the country.

Shaban is renowned for his management and leadership skills where he has successfully grown the past teams from professional sales people to work with the understanding of real businessmen. His current ambitious plan involves building on the strengths of the Kuwait team to develop a solid platform that will serve the three units in Kuwait to its highest

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! This summer, 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

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Galleries in Kuwait Gallery Tilal Gallery Tilal is located in Shuwaikh, Jahra road, Tilal Complex, M3-M4. For more information check out their facebook page.

potential - The JW Marriott Kuwait City hotel, Courtyard by Marriott Kuwait City hotel and Arraya Ballroom.

He views Kuwait as a promising destination for many segments, ranging from the corporate sector and their rising ongoing activities to the social and lifestyle sector with their grand celebrations on different occasions. He believes that Kuwait Marriott Hotels have maintained a prestigious image in the country due to the consistent training sessions for all of the employees and uniquely designed “Spirit to Serve” global corporate social responsibility programs.

Commenting on his new appointment, Shaban said: “I am very proud to delve back into the Marriott family after my seven year tenure previously. I consider ‘Marriott’ a highly reputable brand that can be positioned as the preferred

authentic hospitality provider for both business and leisure needs. It gives me great pleasure in reconnecting with a team famed for its professionalism and unwavering dedication to demonstrate the brand as a world-class leader in luxury service.”

General Manager of Kuwait Marriott Hotels, George Aoun commented on Ahmad Shaban’s appointment, saying: “We are delighted to welcome back a very well-rounded and distinguished figure that has a strong and diverse background in the hospitality industry. We believe that Shaban will grow to new heights in our hotel and carry the brands name with it, to ultimately position it as the leading hospitality provider in Kuwait”.

Al M Gallery Al M. Gallery is located in Kuwait City, Salhiya Complex, Mezanine 2, Gate 4, Place 16. Working hours: Sunday Thursday 10 am-3 pm and 5pm - 9pm. Saturday by appointment only.

CAP Kuwait CAP Kuwait is a nonprofit venture, supported by an extensive private collection of modern and contemporary artwork.

The Contemporary Art Platform is located in Industrial Shuwaikh Block 2, St. 28, Life Center, top floor (Across from the Shuwaikh Immigration Dept).

Pathanamthitta Onam celebrations- Sraavana Pournami 2012 athanamthitta District Association, Kuwait (PDA) is holding its Onam 2012 celebrations on Saturday 27th Ocotber 2012 at Abbassiya Indian Central School from 10 am to 7 pm with cultural programs and variety entertainments. The highlights of the cultural programs are “GANAMELA” featuring Cine Playback Singer, Abdul Rehman (Songs in Arabi Ottakam, etc.), Anwar Sarang, Idea Star Singer fame, Neelima, Singing Superstar winner Julia Anil and talented local artists, Comedy Show featuring Kalabhavan Abbi and Film Actor Kalabhavan Sudhi (Kottiyam Sudhi), “Naadenpattukal” by Kadambanadu Jayachandran, Mimics by Kerala University Kalathilakom, MS. Divya, and performances by talented School going children of the Association members.

As a part of our Onam celebrations programmes, Pathanamthitta District Association, will also be holding a writing competition as done in previous years, for which the Association is inviting Short Stories and Poems from local writers with the aim of encouraging and promoting talented writers. The winning articles will be included in the Association’s Souvenir, which will be published in connection with the Onam celebrations and will be released during the event. Poems should not be more than 20 lines and Short Stories not more than 40 lines.

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GUST students visit Kuwait National Museum, Sadu House he Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) Archeology class students, decided to take a trip to the Kuwait National Museum and Sadu House with their instructor Elvisa Al-Duaij as a part of their class in depth look into archaeological elements in history. On their trip, they visited the Archeological Heritage where they explored many remains from Failaka island such as Greek, Roman and Islamic coins and tools. Their next destination was the Planetarium where we saw a movie about the stars and solar system.

Following the film, they took a walk through in the Kuwaiti Heritage section where they entered Kuwait’s past with pictures and statues depicting the Kuwaiti lifestyle and jobs in the past.

Following their visit to the National Museum, they went to the Sadu House next door, where they learnt how people in the past used to make the Sadu pattern, how they extracted the colors from

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the herbs and other with natural sources and blended them with dyes to make beautiful patterns visualizing their surroundings. At the end of the trip, they realized that the Kuwaiti culture has a lot

of valuable heritage and traditions that makes them proud of their nationality and culture. Students Alaa Al-Blooshi and Fajer Abdullah thanked their Instructor Al-Duaij and noted: “This trip

allowed us to explore our culture and our past in an interesting and fun way.

We really appreciated the experience.”

Indian Embassy Announcements Indian Embassy passport and visa Passports and visa applications can be deposited at the two outsourced centers of M/S BLS Ltd at Sharq and Fahaheel. Details are available at www.bls-international.com and www.indembkwt.org.

Consular Open House Consular Wing is providing daily service of Open House to Indian citizens on all workings days from 1000 hrs to 1100 hrs and from 1430 hrs to 1530 hrs by the Consular Officer in the Meeting Room of the Consular Hall at the Embassy. For any unaddressed issues, Second Secretary (Consular) can be contacted. Furthermore, the head of the Consular Wing is also available to redress grievances.

Indian workers helpline/helpdesk Indian workers helpline is accessible by toll free telephone number 25674163 from all over Kuwait. It provides information and advice to Indian workers as regards their grievances, immigration and other matters. The help desk at the Embassy (Open from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 4:30PM, Sunday to Thursday) provides guidance to Indian nationals on routine immigration, employment, legal and other issues. It also provides workers assistance in filling up labour complaint forms. For any unaddressed issues, the concerned attachÈ in the Labour section and the head of the Labour Wing can be contacted.

Legal Advice Clinic Free legal advice is provided on matters pertaining to labour disputes, terms of contracts with employers, death/accident compensation, withholding of dues by employers, etc. by lawyers on our panel, to Indian nationals on all working days between 1500hrs to 1600hrs.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

AUK presents the Dejean Quartet he Department of Music and Drama at the American University of Kuwait (AUK), under the auspices of the German Embassy in Kuwait, presented the Dejean Quartet on the AUK campus on Tuesday, Oct 16. The ensemble of flute, violin, viola, and cello are all members of the prestigious Kassel State

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Orchestra in Germany.

Over 200 students and outside guests were in attendance as the group performed, discussed their instruments, and answered questions. One student had the opportunity to try his hand at conducting the ensemble, which resulted in quirky, fun filled performance, to the

delight of the audience. Afterwards, each musician worked independently with small groups of specialized music students, helping them to hone their craft.

Dr Lisa Urkevich, Chair of the Dept of Music and Drama said, “The event was a great success. It provided a wonderful opportunity for our students to interact

with musicians of the finest caliber, learn about other cultures, and expand their horizons. Our thanks goes to the German Embassy for their efforts in keeping these quality arts alive and sharing them with our community.”

Harley-Davidson wraps up ‘Open House’ day in Kuwait arley-Davidson Kuwait wrapped up its “Join the Ride, Change Lives” Open House day in Kuwait with another year of great success and an attendance of approximately 60 riders; launching its 2013 model year line of the most dazzling motorcycles earmarked with big bold metal finishes attesting to Harley’s longstanding riding legacy. 2013 had also marked the 110 anniversary of the iconic brand starting from Milwaukee all the way to Rome and in dozens of other cities all across the globe and commemorating decades of classic motorcycles and classic good times.

Building on the resonating success of “Make Every Day Count” in 2011 which donated a cheque amounting to $20,600 to the United Nations World Food Programme; Harley-Davidson Middle East and North Africa (MENA) again achieves a great success with the 2012 Open House Days under the theme “Join the Ride, Change Lives” which hosted both riders and non-riders in countries including Oman, UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi), Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, KSA (Riyadh, Jeddah, Dahran, Jubail), Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt

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and Morocco.

“We are so proud to see the MENA region expanding with great demand from loyal riders to attracting new ones on board. This year’s open house parade proved to be a great success in its second year and we thank everyone who participated and made this event happen” says Paul De Jongh Country Manager HarleyDavidson MENA. The Kuwait event saw hundreds of Harley and non-Harley riders summing up to 60 riders along with other Harley aficionados; who got together to embody the spirit of camaraderie and embrace the road

for a good cause helping raise funds for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to feed school kids in the MENA region.

All riders were invited to buy HarleyDavidson pins to raise money that will be donated to feed over thirty underprivileged school children a day. Country Manager MENA Region, Paul De Jongh, says “The 2012 Open House day was a strong testament to the brand’s image of being a devout supporter to the community.

Wherever the brand is in the world, HarleyDavidson makes sure to spread good deeds. This is the true character of our lov-

ing riders who live up to this spirit each time they start their bike. We are proud to have them with us all the way”.

The 2013 line includes: Super Low, 1200 Custom, Forty-Eight, Seventy-Two, Street Bob, Super Glide Custom, Wide Glide, Fat Bob, Switch Back, Fat Boy, Fat Boy Lo, Black Line, Softail Deluxe, Heritage Softail-Classic, Night Rod Special, V-Rod Muscle, Road King, Street Glide, Road Glide Custom, Road Glide Ultra, Electra Glide Classic, Ultra Classic Electra Glide, Electra Glide Ultra Limited, CVO Road Glide, CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide, CVO Road King, CVO Breakout, and Tri Glide Ultra Classic.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

WHAT’S ON

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department.

All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office).

In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

ACK engineering graduates

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ACK’s graduation ceremony

ACK celebrates graduation of diploma, degree students midst a large audience, which included members of the board of trustees, academic faculty, administrative staff, international partners, graduates and their families, the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) held its 10th annual graduation ceremony for 556 new graduates, Wednesday, October 17 at Al-Baraka Ballroom, Crowne Plaza, Kuwait.

In his address on the occasion, Abdullah Abdulmohsen Al-Sharhan, Chairman of the board of trustees, stressed that ACK provides Kuwait’s labor market with qualified graduates who enhance Kuwait’s developmental goals. He said that ACK’s main goal was the provision of human capital for the socio-economic growth of Kuwait.

Al-Sharhan reviewed a number of ACK’s achievements that reflected the commitment by the board of trustees to quality education. He announced that ACK was the first institution outside of Australia to have its engineering programs accredited by Engineers Australia, the official Australian accrediting body. He also added that ACK commenced the implementation of an ambitious program to upgrade English language proficiency and mathematics skills at all levels to overcome the challenges of the transit phase for students

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coming from secondary schools.

He also expressed satisfaction that a large proportion of ACK graduates work within the oil and other industrial sectors. He went on to acknowledge that much of ACK’s achievement were due to its distinctive academic and administrative staff.

Concluding his address, Al-Sharhan congratulated the graduates and their families, stating his appreciation for their support.

Challenges facing graduates Professor Vishy Karri, President of ACK, referred to the challenges that graduates will face. “The first challenge is how to achieve the objective of success.” He stated. He requested the graduates to think prudently, set for themselves ambitious goals, and dedicate their lives to achieving their objectives. “Persistence, coupled with discipline, is so important in this context” he said.

Professor Karri indicated that ACK constantly sets its goals and finds the approaches and methods to achieve such goals. He also stated that “Persistence and dedication rendered ACK as the first institution outside Australia to be accredited by Engineers Australia, the entity that accredits all

engineering programs in Australia. All degrees, diplomas and programs provided by ACK are the outcome of relentless efforts towards providing education of the highest standards” he added.

New ambassadors of ACK In an address on the occasion, Dr Raghad Al-Kazemi, Associate Dean for Students Affairs of ACK, described the graduates as ambassadors to the labor market. “They represent ACK’s ambitious vision adopted by since its inception. I am proud of eight years of ACK in Kuwait.”.

Significance of quality Alexis Manley, Vice-President for student affairs at Cape Breton University of Canada (CBU), in her address, expressed happiness and pride of the progressive achievements realized by ACK. Representing President John Harker of CBU, Manley said: “Graduation is an important progress for human potential, as well as for individuals and communities. She stressed that quality is important in university field. “Cape Breton University is convinced that education quality has been made possible through cooperation and partner-

ship. I appreciate the partnership with ACK, and I wish it will continue for many years to come.” She elaborated.

Graduates address In the graduates address on behalf of Diploma Program, Hussain AlHaddad said: “I am proud being part of the ACK graduation ceremony. There are challenges facing the graduates when they knock the door of on-site employment.”

On her part, graduate Aya Shadeed delivered an address on behalf of Degree Program, congratulating her colleagues and herself on this great day. Al-Jazi Falah Al-Ajmi, who works for Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) as an engineer in the Planning Department, spoke about her experience in success and outstanding performance. She was the first to be hosted in the graduation ceremony as an Alumni of ACK. AlSharhan distributed degree and diploma certificates to the graduates, amidst the joy and interaction of the audience.

Professor Karri then concluded the evening by officially conferring degrees and diplomas.

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Canadian Embassy in Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visa and immigration matters including enquiries is conducted by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE Individuals who are interested in working, studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-im-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 7:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed for lunch from 12:30 to 13:00. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday.

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EMBASSY OF CYPRUS In its capacity as EU Local Presidency in the State of Kuwait, the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of the Member States of the EU and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, would like to announce that as from 2nd October 2012 all Schengen States’ Consulates in Kuwait will use the Visa Information System (VIS). The VIS is a central database for the exchange of data on short-stay (up to three months) visas between Schengen States. The main objectives of the VIS are to facilitate visa application procedures and checks at external border as well as to enhance security. The VIS will contain all the Schengen visa applications lodged by an applicant over five years and the decisions taken by any Schengen State’s consulate. This will allow applicants to establish more easily the lawful use of previous visas and their bona fide status. For the purpose of the VIS, applicants will be required to provide their biometric data (fingerprints and digital photos) when applying for a Schengen visa. It is a simple and discreet procedure that only takes a few minutes. Biometric data, along with the data provided in the Schengen visa application form, will be recorded in the VIS central database. Therefore, as from 2nd October 2012, first-time applicants will have to appear in person when lodging the application, in order to provide their fingerprints. For subsequent applications within 5 years the fingerprints can be copied from the previous application file in the VIS. The Cypriot Presidency would like to assure the people of Kuwait and all its permanent citizens that the Member States and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, have taken all necessary technical measures to facilitate the rapid examination and the efficient processing of visa applications and to ensure a quick and discreet procedure for the implementation of the new VIS. ■■■■■■■

Engineering graduates

Hussain Al-Hadad seen with GPA diploma graduate

EMBASSY OF FRANCE The Embassy would like to inform that starting September 2nd, 2012, visa demands for France will be handled by the outsourcing company “Capago - MENA Company”. Capago - MENA’S Call Center will be operational starting Sunday August 26 for setting appointments beginning September 2nd (+965 22270555).

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EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on Oct 24, 2012 -Wednesday-Dussehra (Vijaya Dashami) ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF NEPAL On the happy occasion of Vijayadashmi and Eid Al-Adha, the Embassy of Nepal will remain closed from Monday, October 22 to Saturday, October 27, 2012. The office will resume on Sunday, October 28, 2012.

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EMBASSY OF UKRAINE

Dean of Academic Affairs Dr Saad Al-Omari

President of ACK Prof Vishy Karri

Almuni speaker Aljazi

Yamama Al-Sabah

Associate Dean Dr Raghad Al-Kazemi

Chairman of Board of Trustees Abdullah Al-Sharhan

Prof Vishy Karri and ACK auspice partners

The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait would like to remind that the external polling station No 90046 was created in the Embassy’s premises at the following address: Hawalli, Jabriya, bl.10, str. 6, build. 5. The working hours of the polling station: Sunday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Monday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Tuesday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Wednesday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Thursday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Friday from 10.00 to 13.00 pm; Saturday from 10.00 to 13.00 pm On October 28, 2012 the working hours of the polling station from 8.00 am to 20.00 pm. Please be advised to refer to the Embassy to check your data in the Electoral Register as well as to pick up your personal invitation from the polling station if you did not receive this document by post.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

TV PROGRAMS 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40 00:45 01:35 02:25 03:15 04:05 04:55 05:45 06:35 07:00 07:25 08:15 09:10 10:05 10:30 11:00 11:25 11:55 12:50 13:45 14:40 15:05 15:35 16:00 16:30 17:25 18:20 19:15 20:10 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:50

Animal Cops Phoenix Tigers Attack Bad Dog Cats 101 Wildest Latin America Animal Cops Phoenix Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Wildlife SOS Talk To The Animals Dogs 101 Crocodile Hunter Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Breed All About It Natural Born Hunters The Really Wild Show Wildest Latin America Wild France Wild France Safari Vet School Safari Vet School Wild Animal Orphans Wild Animal Orphans Bad Dog My Cat From Hell World Wild Vet Max’s Big Tracks Crocodile Feeding Frenzy Wildest Latin America Speed Of Life The Magic Of The Big Blue I’m Alive

23:50 Animal Cops Houston 00:10 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 00:55 Bargain Hunt 01:40 Bargain Hunt 02:25 Antiques Roadshow 03:15 Antiques Roadshow 04:10 Antiques Roadshow 05:05 Antiques Roadshow 05:55 Antiques Roadshow 06:50 MasterChef Australia 07:35 MasterChef Australia 08:25 MasterChef Australia 09:10 MasterChef Australia 09:40 MasterChef Australia 10:25 MasterChef Australia 10:50 MasterChef Australia 11:40 MasterChef Australia 12:25 MasterChef Australia 13:15 MasterChef Australia 13:40 Twiggy’s Frock Exchange 14:30 10 Years Younger 15:20 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 16:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 16:45 DIY SOS 17:10 Holmes On Homes 18:00 Bargain Hunt 18:45 Bargain Hunt 19:30 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 20:15 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 21:00 MasterChef 21:55 MasterChef 22:50 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 23:35 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition EditionEdition 00:40 01:35 02:30 03:00 03:25 03:55 04:20 04:50 05:15 05:40 06:05 06:35 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:45 09:40 10:30 11:25 12:20 12:45 13:15 13:40 14:10 14:35 15:05 15:30 15:55 16:25 16:55 17:20 17:50 18:15 18:45 19:10 20:05 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:45

Hellriders Ultimate Cops How Do They Do It? How It’s Made How Do They Do It? How It’s Made How Do They Do It? How It’s Made How Do They Do It? How It’s Made How Do They Do It? How It’s Made How It’s Made How Do They Do It? Dirty Great Machines World’s Top 5 Wheeler Dealers Around The World In 80 Ways Deadliest Catch How It’s Made How It’s Made How It’s Made How It’s Made How It’s Made Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Auction Hunters Border Security Border Security Border Security Border Security Border Security Mythbusters Mythbusters Deception With Keith Barry Secret Service Secrets One Car Too Far One Car Too Far

23:20 Surviving Disaster 00:35 Weird Or What?

01:25 Catch It Keep It 02:15 Things That Move 02:45 Morgan Freeman’s Through The Wormhole 03:35 Moon Machines 04:25 Stephen Hawking’s Grand Design 05:15 How The Universe Works 06:05 Morgan Freeman’s Through The Wormhole 07:00 Meteorite Men 07:50 Meteorite Men 08:40 Head Rush 08:43 Sci-Fi Science 09:12 Sci-Fi Science 09:40 Mega World 10:30 Things That Move 10:55 Things That Move 11:20 Moon Machines 12:10 Weird Or What?

13:00 Space Pioneer 13:50 Catch It Keep It 14:45 Futurecar 15:35 Things That Move 16:00 Head Rush 16:03 The Tech Show 16:32 The Tech Show 17:00 Morgan Freeman’s Through The Wormhole 17:50 Da Vinci’s Machines 18:40 Things That Move 19:05 Things That Move 19:30 How The Universe Works 20:20 Mission Critical

Moon Machines How The Universe Works When Aliens Attack When Aliens Attack

20:20 Bang Goes The Theory 00:15 00:40 00:55 01:10 01:30 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:20 03:40 04:10 04:35 05:00 05:15 05:30 05:50 06:00 06:15 06:30 06:45 07:00 07:15 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:45 Pooh 08:55 09:20 09:30 09:45 09:55 10:05 10:15 Pooh 10:20 Pooh 10:45 11:10 11:35 12:05 12:15 12:30 12:45 13:00 13:15 13:25 13:40 13:50 14:15 14:30 14:55 15:20 15:50 16:05 16:20 16:30 16:45 17:10 17:40 18:05 18:20 18:35 19:05 19:25 19:40 Pooh 20:05 20:20 20:30 20:45 Pooh 20:50 20:55 21:00 21:25 21:40 21:55 Pooh 22:20 22:30 22:45 22:55 23:20 23:35 23:50

Little Einsteins Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Special Agent Oso Lazytown Little Einsteins Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Special Agent Oso Lazytown Little Einsteins Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Imagination Movers Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Lazytown Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jake & The Neverland Pirates Doc McStuffins Doc McStuffins The Hive Mini Adventures Of Winnie The New Adventures Of Winnie The Art Attack S2 Imagination Movers Lazytown Special Agent Oso Mouk Jungle Junction Jake And The Neverland Pirates Jake & The Neverland Pirates Doc McStuffins Doc McStuffins Mouk Art Attack S2 Mouk Pixie Hollow Games Jake And The Neverland Pirates Jake And The Neverland Pirates Jake And The Neverland Pirates Jake And The Neverland Pirates Doc McStuffins Doc McStuffins Art Attack S2 Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mouk Jake And The Neverland Pirates Imagination Movers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jungle Junction New Adventures Of Winnie The Jake & The Neverland Pirates Doc McStuffins Doc McStuffins Mini Adventures Of Winnie The A Poem Is...

Animated Stories Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Special Agent Oso New Adventures Of Winnie The Timmy Time Jungle Junction Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Lazytown

ecial Agent Oso 23:50 Lazytown 00:25 01:20 02:15 02:40 03:10 Ride 03:35 Ride 04:05 Ride 04:30 Ride 05:00 05:55 07:00 07:55 08:50 09:45 10:40 11:35 12:00 12:30 13:25 14:20 15:15 16:10 17:05 18:00 Ride 18:25 Ride 18:55 Ride 19:20 Ride 19:50 20:15 20:45 21:10 21:40 22:35 23:30

00:05 00:30 00:55 01:45 02:35 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:15 04:40 05:05 05:30 06:10 06:35

TNA: Greatest Matches M1 Selection 2010 The Cool Guy Files The Cool Guy Files Pinks: Lose The Race, Lose Your Pinks: Lose The Race, Lose Your Pinks: Lose The Race, Lose Your Pinks: Lose The Race, Lose Your Blood, Sweat And Gears Blood, Sweat And Gears Winter Dew Tour 09/10 Winter Dew Tour 09/10 Winter Dew Tour 09/10 Blood, Sweat And Gears Blood, Sweat And Gears X-Traordinary X-Traordinary Winter Dew Tour 09/10 Winter Dew Tour 09/10 Winter Dew Tour 09/10 I’ll Do Anything I’ll Do Anything Carpocalypse Pinks: Lose The Race, Lose Your Pinks: Lose The Race, Lose Your Pinks: Lose The Race, Lose Your Pinks: Lose The Race, Lose Your Formula Drift 2011 Formula Drift 2011 The Cool Guy Files The Cool Guy Files One For The Road Echo Beach Continuum

Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Best In Smoke Chopped Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Guy’s Big Bite Outrageous Food Unique Sweets Chopped Barefoot Contessa Barefoot Contessa

07:00 Iron Chef America 07:50 Barefoot Contessa 08:15 Barefoot Contessa 08:40 Unique Sweets 09:05 Charly’s Cake Angels 09:30 Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco 09:55 Cooking For Real 10:20 Cooking For Real 10:45 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 United Tastes Of America 12:00 Chopped 12:50 Guy’s Big Bite 13:15 Cooking For Real 13:40 Barefoot Contessa 14:05 Barefoot Contessa 14:30 Unique Sweets 14:55 Charly’s Cake Angels 15:20 Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco 15:45 Food(Ography) 16:35 Barefoot Contessa 17:00 Barefoot Contessa 17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:15 Guy’s Big Bite 18:40 Unique Sweets 19:05 Charly’s Cake Angels 19:30 Chopped 20:20 Iron Chef America 21:10 Food Network Challenge 22:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 22:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 22:50 Unwrapped 23:15 Unwrapped 23:40 Guy’s Big Bite

00:30 A Haunting 01:20 The Haunted 02:05 Ghost Lab 02:55 A Haunting 03:45 A Haunting 04:30 On The Case With Paula Zahn 05:20 Mystery Diagnosis 06:10 Disappeared 07:00 Mystery Diagnosis 07:50 Street Patrol 08:15 Street Patrol 08:40 Real Emergency Calls 09:05 Who On Earth Did I Marry?

09:30 True Crime With Aphrodite Jones 10:20 Murder Shift 11:10 Disappeared 12:00 Mystery Diagnosis 12:50 Street Patrol 13:15 Street Patrol 13:40 Forensic Detectives 14:30 True Crime With Aphrodite Jones 15:20 Real Emergency Calls 15:45 Who On Earth Did I Marry?

16:10 Murder Shift 17:00 Disappeared 17:50 Forensic Detectives 18:40 Mall Cops‚Äì Mall Of America 19:05 On The Case With Paula Zahn 19:55 Stalked: Someone’s Watching 20:20 Nightmare Next Door 21:10 Couples Who Kill 22:00 The Will: Family Secrets Revealed 22:50 Great Crimes And Trials 23:15 Great Crimes And Trials 23:40 Fatal Encounters

00:15 Bondi Rescue 00:45 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 01:40 Roam 02:05 Don’t Tell My Mother 02:35 Gone to save the planet 03:00 Gone to save the planet 03:30 One Man & His Campervan 03:55 One Man & His Campervan 04:25 Market Values 04:50 Market Values 05:20 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 3 05:45 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 3 06:15 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 06:40 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 07:10 On Surfari 07:35 On Surfari 08:05 Bondi Rescue 08:30 Bondi Rescue 09:00 Bondi Rescue 09:25 Bondi Rescue 09:55 Bondi Rescue 10:20 Bondi Rescue 10:50 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 11:45 Roam 12:10 Don’t Tell My Mother 12:40 Gone to save the planet 13:05 Gone to save the planet 13:35 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 14:00 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 14:30 Market Values 14:55 Market Values 15:25 Dive Detectives 16:20 Bondi Rescue 16:45 Bondi Rescue 17:15 Bondi Rescue 17:40 Bondi Rescue 18:10 Bondi Rescue 18:35 Bondi Rescue 19:05 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 3 19:30 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 3 20:00 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 20:30 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 21:00 On Surfari 21:30 On Surfari 22:00 Bondi Rescue 22:25 Bondi Rescue 22:55 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 23:20 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 23:50 Kimchi Chronicles

19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 22:00 23:00

Untamed Americas Monster Fish Prehistoric Predators Zoo Confidential Sharks In The City Crimes Against Nature Shark Nicole

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 15:45 18:15 20:00 22:00

Chain Letter-R Ronin-18 Bending The Rules-PG15 Four Brothers-PG15 Enter The Phoenix-PG15 Smoke Screen-PG15 The Reunion-PG15 Enter The Phoenix-PG15 Master And Commander-PG15 The Reunion-PG15 Machete-18 Batman: Year One-PG15

20:00 Fighting-PG15 22:00 Homecoming-18 01:30 04:00 04:30 Leno 06:00 07:00 08:00 11:00 Leno 12:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 20:30 21:30 23:30 on

Saturday Night Live Two And A Half Men The Tonight Show With Jay

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 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 23:00

Fairly Legal C.S.I. C.S.I. Miami Grimm House C.S.I. Miami Fairly Legal Emmerdale Coronation Street Castle Breakout Kings C.S.I. House Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Castle Fairly Legal Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Castle House Unforgettable The Killing True Blood Grimm Grimm

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Malibu Shark Attack-18 Bending The Rules-PG15 The Warlords-PG15 Men In Black-PG15 Shanghai Noon-PG15 The Warlords-PG15 True Justice: Street Wars-PG15 Shanghai Noon-PG15 Anaconda-PG15 The Nun-18 Batman: Year One-PG15 Exorcismus-18

Friends Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Two And A Half Men The Tonight Show With Jay Friends Friends Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Happy Endings Hot In Cleveland Melissa & Joey The Colbert Report Late Night With Jimmy Fall

23:00 Luster-18 00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Frenemy-18 Big Fat Important Movie-18 Feed The Fish-PG15 Flipped-PG My Last Five Girlfriends-PG15 Can’t Hardly Wait-PG15 The Ladykillers-PG15 The Beverly Hillbillies-PG15 Can’t Hardly Wait-PG15 Dinner For Schmucks-PG15 The Guru-18 Cyrus-18

22:00 Frenemy-18 01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 PG15 09:00 10:45 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Espions-PG15 Essential Killing-18 Senna-PG15 The LXD: Secrets Of The RaCertified Copy-PG15 Random Hearts-PG15 Relative Stranger-PG15 Certified Copy-PG15 Divorces!-PG15 127 Hours-PG15 Partir-18 Patriot Games-PG15 Square Grouper-18

00:15 Hanna-PG15 02:15 The Smurfs-PG 04:00 My Afternoons With Margueritte-PG15 05:30 Tim Richmond: To The LimitPG15 07:00 According To Greta-PG15 09:00 Sundays At Tiffany’s-PG15 11:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2-PG 13:00 Flash Of Genius-PG15 15:00 Lies In Plain Sight-PG15 17:00 Sundays At Tiffany’s-PG15 19:00 The Roommate-PG15 21:00 Water For Elephants-PG15 23:00 Dirty Girl-18

23:00 Naked Science 00:00 01:00 01:55 02:50 03:45 04:40 05:35 06:30 07:25 08:20 09:15 10:10 11:05 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00

Amazonia’s Giant Jaws Caught In The Act Monster Fish Mother Croc Brutal Killers Caught In The Act World’s Weirdest Outback Wrangler Outback Wrangler Cliffhangers Python Hunters Built For The Kill Caught In The Act Untamed Americas Monster Fish Prehistoric Predators Zoo Confidential Sharks In The City Big Cat Odyssey The Great Serengeti

00:00 Little Einsteins: Rocket’s Firebird Rescue-FAM 02:00 Tom Tom & Nana-FAM 03:45 Marco Macaco-FAM 06:00 The Ugly Duckling In The Enchanted Forest-FAM 08:00 Turandot-PG 10:00 Arthur And The Revenge Of Maltazard-PG 12:00 Robots-PG 14:00 Teo: The Intergalactic HunterPG 16:00 Good Boy!-PG 18:00 Arthur And The Revenge Of Maltazard-PG 20:00 Treasure Buddies-PG 22:00 Teo: The Intergalactic HunterPG 20:00 Tommy & Oscar-FAM

KUWAIT KNCC PROGRAM FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (18/10/2012 TO 24/10/2012) SHARQIA-1 TAKEN2 :2D THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) TAKEN2 :2D THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

SHARQIA-2 THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-3 LOOPER (DIG) HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET LOOPER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-1 THE EXPATRIATE: 2D 1:30 PM HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET 4:00 PM NO FRI+SAT CAMERAMAN GANGATHO RAMBABU (DIG) (Telugu) 4:00 PM FRI+SAT THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) 7:00 PM HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET 9:00 PM THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) 11:00 PM THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) 1:00 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED MUHALAB-2 LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) AL SULTAN AL FATIH (Turkish) NO FRI+SAT DAMARUKAM (DIG) (Telugu) FRI+SAT LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 5:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-3 THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) TAKEN2 :2D THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:15 PM 4:15 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-1 HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET AL SULTAN AL FATIH (Turkish) HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET AL SULTAN AL FATIH (Turkish) HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-2 THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-3 STUDENT OF THE YEAR (DIG) (HINDI)1:30 PM NO THU THE EXPATRIATE: 2D 1:30 PM THU THE EXPATRIATE: 2D 4:45 PM STUDENT OF THE YEAR (DIG) (HINDI)7:00 PM STUDENT OF THE YEAR (DIG) (HINDI)10:00 PM THE EXPATRIATE: 2D 1:00 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED FANAR-4 THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) TAKEN2 :2D THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) TAKEN2 :2D THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) TAKEN2 :2D NO SUN+TUE+WED FANAR-5 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

MARINA-1 LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) THE EXPATRIATE: 2D LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) THE EXPATRIATE: 2D NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

MARINA-2 HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

MARINA-3 THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) TAKEN2 :2D THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) TAKEN2 :2D THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-1 HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET 2:30 PM HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET 4:45 PM HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET 7:00 PM

HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET 9:15 PM HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET 11:30 PM NO SUN+TUE+WED

THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) NO SUN+TUE+WED

AVENUES-2 THE EXPATRIATE: 2D THE EXPATRIATE: 2D THE EXPATRIATE: 2D THE EXPATRIATE: 2D THE EXPATRIATE: 2D THE EXPATRIATE: 2D NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

AVENUES-3 LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 1:00 AM

360 º- 7 THE EXPATRIATE: 2D 2:00 PM THE EXPATRIATE: 2D 4:15 PM THE EXPATRIATE: 2D 6:30 PM NO THU (18.10.2012) French Film Festival Show“War is declared” 6:30 PM THU (18.10.2012) French Film Festival Show“The Artist” 8 : 3 0 PM THU (18.10.2012) THE EXPATRIATE: 2D 8:45 PM NO THU (18.10.2012) THE EXPATRIATE: 2D 11:00 PM

AVENUES-4 LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 1:00 AM

AVENUES-5 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-6 TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:15 AM

AVENUES-7 AL SULTAN AL FATIH (Turkish) 12:45 PM STUDENT OF THE YEAR (DIG) (HINDI)3:30 PM NO THU AIYYAA: 2D (Hindi) 3:30 PM THU AIYYAA: 2D (Hindi) 6:30 PM STUDENT OF THE YEAR (DIG) (HINDI)9:30 PM AL SULTAN AL FATIH (Turkish) 12:30 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED AVENUES-8 THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH THE IMPOSTER THE IMPOSTER THE IMPOSTER THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM

AVENUES-9 THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-10 THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-11 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

360 º- 1 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

360 º- 2 AL SULTAN AL FATIH (Turkish) AL SULTAN AL FATIH (Turkish) AL SULTAN AL FATIH (Turkish) AL SULTAN AL FATIH (Turkish) AL SULTAN AL FATIH (Turkish) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:15 PM 6:00 PM 8:45 PM 11:30 PM

360 º- 3 PREMIUM RUSH (2D-Digital) THE APPARITION :2D PREMIUM RUSH (2D-Digital) THE APPARITION :2D LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 1:00 AM

360 º- 4 HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

360 º- 5 THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH:2D FRI+SAT THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH:2D PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) THE WOMAN IN THE FIFTH:2D PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) 360 º- 6 THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D)

2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM 11:30 PM 12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM

9:30 PM 11:45 PM

360 º- 8 LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:15 PM 6:45 PM 9:15 PM 11:45 PM

360 º- 9(VIP-1) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:15 PM 6:45 PM 9:15 PM 11:45 PM

360 º- 10(VIP-2) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) 12:45 PM PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) 3:00 PM PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) 5:15 PM PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) 7:30 PM NO THU (18.10.2012) Special Show “PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG)” for Ms. Lulwa Salem Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah 7:30 PM THU (18.10.2012) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) 9:45 PM PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) 12:05 AM NO SUN+TUE+WED 360 º- 11 THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG)

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM

360 º- 12 TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

360 º- 13 THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN THE DARK KNIGHT RISES RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:45 AM

360 º- 14 TETA RAHIBA(2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA(2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA(2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA(2D-Digital) TETA RAHIBA(2D-Digital)

2:15 PM 4:30 PM 6:45 PM 9:00 PM 11:15 PM

360 º- 15 STUDENT OF THE YEAR (DIG) (HINDI)2:30 PM NO THU AIYYAA: 2D (Hindi) 2:30 PM THU AIYYAA: 2D (Hindi) 5:30 PM STUDENT OF THE YEAR (DIG) (HINDI)8:30 PM STUDENT OF THE YEAR (DIG) (HINDI)11:30 PM NO SUN+TUE+WED AL-KOUT.1 THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) TAKEN2 :2D THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) TAKEN2 :2D THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:45 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.2 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) THE EXPATRIATE: 2D PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

AL-KOUT.3 LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) NO SUN+TUE+WED

2:15 PM 4:45 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

AL-KOUT.4 HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET AL SULTAN AL FATIH (Turkish) HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET AL SULTAN AL FATIH (Turkish) HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

BAIRAQ-1 THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D NO SUN+TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

BAIRAQ-2 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG)

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 7:30 PM 9:30 PM 11:30 PM

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

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

Kaizen center

25716707

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Hawally

ST TAT TE OF K KUW WA AIT

Tel.: e 161

DIRECTORA ATE T GENE GENERAL OF CIVIL AVIA V ATION T METEOROLOGICAL DEP PA ARTMENT

Ext.: 2627 262 - 2630

WWW.MET.GOV V.KW .

Partly cloudy and relatively humid with light to moderate freshening gradually south easterly to easterly wind, with speed of 15 - 40 km/h with a chance for scattered light rain\n

BY Y NIGHT:

Partly cloudy with moderate freshening at times north easterly becoming south easterly wind, with speed of 20 - 40 km/h with a chance for scattered light rain No Current Warnings arnin a

WARNING A

34 °C

29 °C

22451082

KUW WA AIT AIRPOR RT

34 °C

28 °C

Al-Mirqab

22456536

NUW WA AISEEB

39 °C

27 °C

Sharq

22465401

WA AFRA

39 °C

26 °C

Salmiya

25746401

SALMI

36 °C

21 °C

ABDAL LY

35 °C

21 °C

Jabriya

25316254

JAL ALIY YA AH

33 °C

25 °C

Maidan Hawally

25623444

FAILAKA A

32 °C

28 °C

Bayan

25388462

AHMADI POR RT

32 °C

29 °C

Mishref

25381200

UMM AL-MARADEM

32 °C

30 °C

W.Hawally

22630786

WA ARBA A - BUBY YAN A

31 °C

28 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

ST TATION T

SFC. CHART

21/10/2012 0000 UTC

4 DA AY YS FORECAST Temperatures DA AY

DA ATE T

WEA AT THER

Monday

22/10

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

Tuesday

South Jahra

24775066

Weednesday

North Jahra

24775992

Thursday

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

MAX.

MIN.

Wind Direction

Wind Speed

partly cloudy

34 °C

26 °C

S-SE

15 - 38 km/h

23/10

Relatively humid + scattered clouds

35 °C

25 °C

S-SE

12 - 35 km/h

24/10

humid

35 °C

24 °C

SE

12 - 32 km/h

25/10

Relatively humid

35 °C

25 °C

SE-S

15 - 40 km/h

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WA AIT AIRPORT

RA AYER Y TIMES PRA Fajr

04:34

MAX. Temp.

34 °C

Sunrise

05:54

MIN. Temp.

26 °C 78 %

Firdous

24892674

Zuhr

11:33

MAX. RH

Al-Omariya

24719048

Asr

14:46

MIN. RH

Sunset

17:12

MAX. Wiind

Isha

18:29

TOT TA AL L RAIINF FALL A L IN 24 HR.

23900322

29 % SE 57 km/h 00 mm

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Dr. Salem soso General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

3729596/3729581

Neurologists Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

BY Y DA AY:

KUW WA AIT CITY

Fintas

Al-Shohada’a

Expected Weeather for the Next 24 Hours

MIN. REC.

24710044

22418714

Fax: 24348714

MAX. EXP P.

N.Kheitan

Al-Madena

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

36

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Adele gives birth to baby boy he 24-year-old ‘Someone Like You’ singer is said to have given birth to her first child with boyfriend Simon Konecki last week and is said to be ecstatic. A source told The Sunday People: “Adele and Simon are ecstatic at their new arrival. “She was over the moon that they were expecting their first child together.” The ‘SkyFall’ singer has been keeping a low profile since announcing she was pregnant four months ago on her official website following weeks of rumours. The multiple Grammy and Brit-award winner confirmed the news in June, just seven months after she found love with 38-year-old charity worker Simon, who has a five-year-old daughter with his ex-wife Clary Fisher. She wrote at the time: “I’m delighted to announce that Simon and I are expecting our first child together. I wanted you to hear the news direct from me, obviously we’re over the moon and very excited but please respect our privacy at this precious time. Yours always, Adele xx.” The couple began dating after meeting last summer but only confirmed their relationship in January after being introduced by mutual friends.

The singer was forced to deny speculation they had tied the knot in August amid reports Simon had quietly popped the question on her 24th birthday in May. She wrote on twitter: “I’m not engaged blah blah”. A spokesperson for Adele refused to confirm the arrival of her baby boy and would only say: “We are not releasing a statement at this time. No comment.”

T

Swift ex-boyfriends too ‘competitive’ aylor Swift thinks her ex-boyfriends were too “competitive”. The country singer - who has dated Hollywood hunks Jake Gyllenhaal, Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner and John Mayer - claims her showbiz relationships have all ended because her jealous exes couldn’t handle her being more successful than them. Taylor explained: “I’ve found that men I’ve dated who are in the same business can be really competitive. I’ve found a great group of girlfriends in the same business who aren’t competitive, but a few times guys have started comparing careers and it has been... challenging. “The last thing I think about when I fall for someone is what they do for a living as I like to get to know that person, but sometimes guys start acting weirdly towards me, especially if I get good news and they get bad... It’s usually downhill from there.” The ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ hitmaker is famed for penning lyrics about her exboyfriends and she can’t believe anyone would ask her not to put down her feelings in music as they should assume it’s a “waiver” of dating her.

Taylor told You magazine: “It’s mind-blowing how some guys have just handed me inspiration for some of these songs on a plate. Some have said, ‘Please don’t write about me,’ but only when we’re in the process of breaking up. “If a man dates me, he’s kind of signing a waiver saying he’s cool with me writing songs about him. I write songs about my life: it’s not something I’ve kept secret.” The blonde beauty - who is now dating Conor Kennedy - says she wasn’t always so popular with the boys, however, and struggled to get a date at school. She admitted: “I was never a boy magnet at school. There was always the girl all the guys liked and wanted to date, but it was never me.”

T

Cannon and Carey create candy room at home

Ortise Williams was rejected by Nicki Minaj he JLS singer tried to woo the American rapper by sending her witty tweets, but when they met up in person this summer she wasn’t too impressed with Ortise’s offer of a date. He sighed: “We had a thing going on twitter for a while. She came over for the V Festival and we got chatting and I said I’d love to take her out and we left it there. “She hasn’t got back to me. So I’m still looking for love. Any nice girls out there? Hit me up!” Not only is the ‘Makes Me Wanna’ singer having no luck with the ladies, he is also getting no sleep on the JLS tourbus thanks to his bandmate Marvin Humes’ love of practical jokes. Ortise added to We Love Pop magazine: “Marvin is more of a prankster than people realise. He’ll set my phone alarm for 3am, then place it next to my head on the tourbus. When it goes off, everybody moans at me, and I’m like ‘I didn’t set it! I didn’t set it!’”

Newlywed Marvin could be acting up because he misses his wife Rochelle, who he didn’t see for five weeks after their wedding because she jetted off to Los Angeles to film her new reality show with The Saturdays. He confessed his days as a party-mad singleton are firmly behind him, saying: “I’m always doing DIY! I even wallpapered a room in my house. I’m also a master at cooking breakfast - Rochelle will tell you that. “Things definitely feel different in our relationship - we feel a lot closer.”

T

ick Cannon and Mariah Carey have a candy room in their house. The couple - who have 18month-old twins Moroccan and Monroe together - created the room in their Los Angeles home complete with photo booths and tubs full of their favorite treats. Nick told Us Weekly magazine: “We have a nice side of the house where you can’t sit on the couches. I rarely go over there; I spend time here [in the candy room]. The kids go crazy for lollipops.” While they may have an entire room dedicated to treats, Nick recently admitted he doesn’t want the twins to be spoiled and wants them to appreciate how lucky they are. He said: “I want my kids to understand that every child isn’t as fortunate as they are, “I want [them] to grow up helping others. I was raised by my grandmother. We were low-income, but she was always taking in foster kids. She would help anyone, and it was a good lesson for me growing up.”

N

Warwick’s Whitney

Hudson’s thin hate ennifer Hudson hated being skinny for ‘The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete’.

The former ‘American Idol’ star had to slim down to 138lbs for her part in the drama movie but admitted she gorged for a week to get back to 155, the weight she is happiest at. She told InTouch magazine: “I was shooting a film where I had to lose around 10lbs. I was like ‘I don’t know if that’s necessary’.

Afterwards I spent a week eating it back up to this weight.”

However, once Jennifer reached her ideal weight, she quickly went back to eating healthy.

She said: “I gave the rest of the chocolate away. I was like, ‘OK I’m there now. It’s time to stop.”

Earlier this year, Jennifer whose weight has fluctuated over the years - unveiled her clothing line and said she hopes it will appeal to women of all sizes and ages. She said: “I’m nervous and excited at the same time! I hope the public embraces my line ... it’s my baby.

“I’ve been on both sides of the fence. I’ve been a big girl and now whatever this is, the average size, whatever you want to call it.”

J

prediction ionne Warwick thinks Whitney Houston will live forever through her music. The 71-year-old singer was devastated when the ‘I Will Always Love You’ hitmaker - who she regarded as “the daughter I never had” - died in February but refuses to mourn her passing because she thinks she had fulfilled her purpose in life. Asked how she mourns Whitney she said: “I don’t. I prefer to celebrate her life. She gave so much of herself. She was a wonderful, good girl. I always used to say she was the daughter I never had. “The way I feel about her passing is that it seems she had done what God wanted her to do. “And we still have her; her legacy is her music. You hear her on the radio every day. That’s how she will live on.” Dionne says she “accepted” that her loved ones would die as she has lost so many people close to her at a young age. She told Britain’s Hello! magazine: “I’m a survivor. There are no promises in this life, no certainties. I was taught at a very early age to accept the transition of loved ones from this world to the next. “My nephew passed recently. He was too young to go. So was Karen Carpenter, another dear friend. My brother, Mancel, died in an accident - he would have been 21 the following week. I was with my sister, Dee Dee, when she passed. And then there was Whitney.”

D

Zayn Malik wants to get a tattoo sleeve he One Direction star - who has a number of inkings already - wants to complete his look with a complete armful of designs and he admits he is “addicted” to coming up with new ideas for artwork. He said: “I want to fill my entire right arm up to my elbow to start. I’ve got loads of ideas. I draw as well. “I’m more addicted to coming up with the ideas of what I can get tattooed rather than the actual tattoo itself.” Zayn is currently dating Little Mix star Perrie Edwards, and he believes one of the reasons she likes him so much is his image. He added: “She likes my tats. She likes the whole rock and roll look.” However, tattoos are not the only thing Zayn enjoys he also loves spending time with his band, who he thinks will be together as long as they have fans. He said: “We want to stick together as a group for as long as people are supporting us and listening to our music. “You know, in the future, who knows what’s going to happen? Two years ago, if anyone had told me I’d be doing half the stuff I’m doing, I wouldn’t have believed it.” —BangShowbiz

T

37

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

lifestyle M u s i c

&

M o v i e s

Grand Cinemas launches its first location in Kuwait elim Ramia & Co announced yesterday that Grand Cinemas, the region’s leading theatre chain, will open its doors to the public for the first time in Kuwait on October 26th. Located in the country’s tallest skycraper, Al Hamra Tower, the new cinema will offer Kuwait residents an unforgettable experience, starting with the exclusive release of the highly anticipated James Bond film, Skyfall.

In keeping with this desirable address, Grand Cinemas at Al Hamra Luxury Center offers customers only the best. With eight spectacular screens and the first Grand Class theatre for VIP luxury, the cinema has a total of 1450 seats. From the moment consumers enter the spacious, stylish main lobby, they can feel the Grand Cinemas difference.

All screens are uniquely equipped with the latest digital technology, including 4K projectors capable of a whopping 8 million megapixels - a first in Kuwait. The signature Grand Class theatreoffers film buffs superior comfort and exclusivity with an elegant private lobby, deluxe leather recliner seats and a personal waiter service.

As would be expected of the largest cinema chain in the Middle East, the new location enjoys lavish designs and installations, an

S

File photo shows Susan Boyle performs during her musical ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, England. —AP photos

Susan Boyle’s fairy tale dream tempered by reality he dreamed a dream, and it came true. But what happened next for Susan Boyle? The middleaged church volunteer from a small town in Scotland became an instant global celebrity in 2009 with her heart-stopping rendition of the “Les Miserables” number “I Dreamed a Dream” on a TV talent show. A week is a long time in showbiz - and in our hyper-speed online age three and a half years is an eternity - but Boyle is still going strong. She has sold millions of records, received an honorary doctorate, sung for Pope Benedict XVI and performed in Las Vegas. A stage musical about her life has played to enthusiastic crowds across Britain and is headed for Australia, and next month she releases her fourth album, “Standing Ovation.”

But the 51-year-old singer who entered the TV talent contest to make her late mother proud is remarkably unchanged. She’s still a bit frumpy, though she’s acquired a new hairdo, more expensive clothes and a makeover. She still lives in her down-at-heel home town, has outbursts of anger and struggles to overcome her nerves before live performances. It’s a fairy tale, yes, but with dark shadows lurking in the corners.

“People can’t accept that you can dream a dream, but part of the dream is also a nightmare,” said Elaine C. Smith, a Scottish actress who knows Boyle and plays her in the biographical stage show “I Dreamed a Dream.”

“Fairy dust comes out, but shrapnel comes out as well.” Boyle now has a car and chauffeur to take her to appointments, but she sticks close to familiar places and routines. She has bought a new house, a modern four-bedroom two-story in Blackburn that cost 300,000 pounds ($480,000), but locals say she often stays in the modest row house she grew up in. And she still shows up occasionally to sing karaoke at The Crown pub.

“She belts them out like she used to and is not averse to a duet,” said 20-year-old local Helen Cameron. “It’s nice that this has not changed her. I think she’s under a lot of pressure normally. Here she can be herself.” As well as having the support of her community, Boyle is well protected by her manager, Andy Stephens, and a close circle of friends and family - a factor that helps act as a “psychological vaccine” against the pressures of sudden fame, according to Cary Cooper, professor of psychology and health at Lancaster University.

“If you don’t have the proper social support system to protect you, your celebrity status can cause you enormous stress,” said Cooper, who has studied the relationship between celebrity and stress. “She is still rooted in her friends and people who know her. Most celebrities aren’t.”

Boyle’s life changed in a few minutes when her first appearance on “Britain’s Got Talent” was broadcast in April 2009. The soaring voice emerging from the dowdy, frizzy-haired figure; the audience titters turning to gasps; the shocked faces of Simon Cowell and the other judges - it was artfully staged television, but also a moment of genuine emotion.

“We judged her. Anybody who says they didn’t is telling lies,” Smith said. “She walked on and opened her mouth, and within minutes everybody watching was in tears.” The Internet clip went around the world, and keeps on going. On YouTube alone it has been viewed more than 106 million times.

Boyle’s first album, “I Dreamed a Dream,” topped both the UK and US charts. So did her second, “The Gift.” Although Boyle’s covers of pop classics and musical theater standards rarely make critics swoon, her three albums collectively have sold more than 14 million copies. This month she’s sung on “Dancing With the Stars” in the US and performed in Las Vegas with Donny Osmond, a childhood idol. It’s a long way from Boyle’s home town of Blackburn, a community of about 5,000 people 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Edinburgh that lies in one of Britain’s most deprived areas.

The youngest of nine children of a devout Roman Catholic family, Boyle had learning difficulties as a child, the result of oxygen deprivation at birth. She struggled in school and was bullied by other children.

She left school with few qualifications, never married though she later said she’d exaggerated in telling the “Britain’s Got Talent” judges she’d “never been kissed” and spent years caring for her widowed mother, Bridget, who died in 2007.

The thing that gave her the greatest pleasure was singing, in church or during karaoke nights at the pub.

She has said she entered “Britain’s Got Talent” in memory of her late mother, “to show her I could do something with my life.” All did not all go smoothly after her astonishing debut. During the final stages of the competition she got into a dustup with two reporters.

Although she was widely expected to win the 100,000 pound ($160,000) prize, she ended up coming second to dance troupe Diversity. After the series ended, she checked into the Priory, rehab clinic to the stars, to be treated for nervous exhaustion. She still has outbursts of temper, and has said she still suffers anxiety when singing live before audiences. — AP

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In this April 16, 2009 file photo, Susan Boyle, whose per formance on the television show “Britain’s Got Talent” wowed the judges, poses singing with a hairbrush at her home in Blackburn, Scotland

unparalleled variety of concession offerings, as well as a compreshensive array of services, including online booking, kiosk ticket purchase, a mobile application for booking on the move and an award-winning Facebook community.

“I’m proud to lead Grand Cinemas into Kuwait and to share this experience with consumers. We chose the site very carefully: a prime location, located in a landmark tower,” says CEO Selim Ramia. “With the inauguration of our newest location in Al Hamra Luxury Center, we hope to usher in a new age in movie-viewing in Kuwait. We guarantee that all our customers will experience a high standard of service and look forward to welcoming a new set of film-goers to the Grand experience.” To kick off celebrations, Grand Cinemas Al Hamra Tower has been scheduled for the year’s biggest titles. Following Skyfall, which premieres on October 24th at a red carpet screening, moviegoers can look forward toblockbusters such as the Twilight finale and The Hobbit; plusall the Hollywood, Arabic and 3D exclusives that patrons have come to expect from the regional leader in entertainment.

Rust and Bonewins best film at London- fes ust and Bone”, Jacques Audiard’s moving romance about a street fighter and a killer-whale trainer, was named best picture at the London Film Festival late Saturday. Organizers said the film, starring French Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as a whale trainer who has a catastrophic accident and Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts as her unlikely lover, was “full of heart, violence and love”.

French director Audiard, 60, also won best film at the festival in 2009 for his prison drama “A Prophet”, and was nominated for the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for “Rust and Bone”.

“Jacques Audiard has a unique handwriting, made up of music, montage, writing, photography, sound, visual design and acting,” said playwright and director David Hare, the festival’s jury president.

“He is one of only a very small handful of film-makers in the world who has mastered, and can integrate, every element of the process to one purpose: making, in

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‘Rust and Bone’, a film full of heart, violence and love.”

The jury also commended “After Lucia”, Michel Franco’s tale of bullying in a Mexican high school, and Chilean film “No”, starring Gael Garcia Bernal, about how advertising contributed to the end of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, a fantasy set in an impoverished US bayou community, and “Mea Maxima Culpa”, a documentary about the Catholic sex abuse scandal, also picked up prizes. British director Tim Burton and his partner, the actress Helena Bonham Carter, were awarded with fellowships to the British Film Institute for their “outstanding contribution to film culture”.

The 12-day festival, which closes yesterday, has also seen the premiere of “Crossfire Hurricane”, a documentary about the Rolling Stones’s 50 years in rock and roll. —AFP

In this file photograph taken on September 27, 2012 Indian Veteran Bollywood filmmaker, director, screenwriter and producer Yash Raj Chopra gestures as he celebrates his 81st birthday with actor Shah Rukh Khan at a film promotion in Mumbai. —AFP

Yash Chopra,Bollywood s king of romance passes eteran filmmaker Yash Chopra, who was known as Hindi cinema’s ‘king of romance’ for making some of Bollywood’s most memorably intense romantic dramas, passed away in Mumbai yesterday. He was suffering from dengue.

Chopra had celebrated his 81th birthday on September 27. ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’, starring Shah Rukh Khan was his final film as director. Regarded as the country’s king of celluloid romance, Chopra has also proved his mettle with intensely emotional and tragic movies, many of which went on to become box-office blockbusters.

Chopra has been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai with an attack of dengue, a spokesperson for his company said. Chopra attended actor Amitabh Bachchan’s 70th birthday party with wife Pamela on October 11.

Born in 1932 in Lahore, now in Pakistan, the film-maker was favored by leading Indian actors with his movies seen as a sure-fire way to become a hit with audiences. Chopra recently reminisced about a Bollywood career that spanned five decades, narrating how he came to Mumbai with 200 rupees in his pocket, hoping to make it as a film director.

Chopra’s disclosure, made at an event marking his 80th birthday with actor Shah Rukh Khan by his side, took the Indian film industry by surprise.

“I think I’ve had enough, Shah Rukh,” Chopra replied when Khan asked him about his next project. “I have always lived according to what my heart tells me,” he said. “I won’t make any film after Jab Tak Hai

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Mary Campbell, music writer for the AP, dies at 78 ary Campbell, whose childhood affection for the big bands and opera she heard on her radio set the stage for four decades as a music writer for The Associated Press, died Friday. She was 78. Campbell died in Bloomington, Ind, according to her sister, Ruth Miller. From symphony to rock ‘n’ roll, from Duke Ellington to Beverly Sills to the Dixie Chicks, Campbell covered the entertainment scene, earning respect from the artists she wrote about and devotion from the public who followed her profiles and reviews. “Mary Campbell is a most admired reporter, not only because she writes so well but also because she knows an interesting story when she hears about it,” celebrated conductor-tenor Placido Domingo once said.

At a party for the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary in the 1990s, Mary Travers politely greeted the many luminaries in attendance but spent much of the evening huddled in a corner with Campbell, catching up with her old friend. “It will be hard to think of The Associated Press without Mary Campbell on its staff,” said crooner Tony Bennett upon her retirement in 2000. Many of her readers likely agreed. In one of her final articles, she interviewed Joe Cocker and asked the veteran rocker, “Do you still make jerky movements onstage?” Yes, replied Cocker, “playing an imaginary piano and air guitar. That was the frustration of not being able to play, really.” Campbell couldn’t play a musical instrument, either, nor could she carry a tune. It didn’t matter to her. She loved her role as a member of the audience, reporting on music for other music lovers. “I write for an ordinary person like me,” she told writer Tad Bartimus in an interview in 2000. “I’m not trying to be erudite. I’m trying to be enthusiastic and clear. I always feel like the person I’m writing for would be just as touched by the music or the play as I am if they were standing in my shoes.” A tall, gentle and sad-eyed woman, Campbell more fit the image of a reference librarian than of a music reporter, but she was a pioneering rock journalist who was covering the Beatles and other bands before the rise of Rolling Stone and other magazines, before there even was a “rock” press.

And her kindly demeanor was a welcome change for many rock stars, who came to trust her and even request her for interviews. Keith Richards and Lou Reed were among the musicians who expressed surprise, and sometimes dismay, when an AP journalist other than Campbell turned up.

Few witnessed as much rock history as Campbell. She was there when the Beatles played Shea Stadium in 1965, reporting that their show was “better than the World Series, the All-Star Game and 50 grand slam homers rolled into one.” She interviewed Elton John before he even had a recording contract. She would recall talking to Janis Joplin around the time of Woodstock, and

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In this June 1968 file photo, AP Newsfeatures editor Mary Campbell poses in New York. —AP how the singer confided being torn between the rock ‘n’ roll life and her desire to raise a family.

One of her favorite stories was visiting the set of “Saturday Night Live” in 1976, when George Harrison was a guest. The exBeatle, seated in his dressing room, was initially abrupt with Campbell, offering oneword responses to her questions. Then, a second guest joined the conversation: Paul Simon, who greeted Campbell so warmly that Harrison, too, opened up. “Mary was completely and authentically herself, which charmed her colleagues and the many performers she interviewed over the years, from Tony Bennett to Mick Jagger to members of the New York Philharmonic,” said Kristin Gazlay, an AP vice president and managing editor. “If you met her, it’s impossible to ever forget her. She is greatly missed.”

She was born in Mount Sterling, Ill, in 1934. As a farm girl, she hid under the cover with her radio to catch the late-night big band broadcasts from Chicago. On Saturday afternoons, she was transfixed by the Metropolitan Opera productions aired from the distant city of New York. And, even then the dogged researcher, she logged time at the local library, boning up on the next week’s performance.”We lived outside the town limits, so they wouldn’t let me check the books out,” she remembered.

“When I was about 8, I discovered that all the opera stories were in the encyclopedia, so I’d stop by on my way home after school and read them.” Campbell attended the University of Illinois, earning a degree in journalism, and after joining the AP in Chicago in 1960, transferred to the AP’s New York headquarters the same year. There, she became a fixture as a music and drama writer and critic. She could be found most any night in a theater or performance hall in her customary seat (10th row on the aisle) and days at her desk, whose legendary mountain of clutter underscored her immersion in her beat. — AP

Jaan.” Since then, Chopra has made some of Indian cinema’s most memorable filmssuch as ‘Deewar’, ‘Kabhi Kabhie’, ‘Silsila’ and ‘Chandni’. His flamboyant style of film-making, movies filmed in exotic locales and mellifluous music became a hallmark, endearing him to filmgoers.

Chiffon sarees and the Swiss Alps are so synonymous with Chopra’s style of filmmaking that Switzerland Tourism even offered visitors a guided tour of the places where the director filmed some of his most famous songs and scenes.

Riding on his success, Chopra established Yash Raj Films, one of Bollywood’s biggest production houses, churning out at least three movies a year. In November, the film studio announced its foray into Hollywood, signing on actors such as Nicole Kidman and Jason Bateman for its overseas productions. Chopra also produced Indian cinema’s longest-running blockbuster, ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ (1995), which marked the debut of his son Aditya as director. Minister for I&B, Smt Ambika Soni has condoled the death of veteran director and producer, Shri Yash Chopra. In her condolence message she said, “Today Indian cinema has lost one of its iconic personalities and a creative genius. Through films, Yashji connected generations together. His idea of portraying love as the essence of life and relationships will fondly be remembered by all movie lovers. His untimely death is a void which will be difficult to fill.” —ibnlive.in.com

In this photograph taken on December 3, 2009 Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan poses with director Yash Chopra at the premiere of the Bollywood Hindi film “Paa” in Mumbai. —AFP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

lifestyle T r a v e l

Pollack Mountain at Logan’s Pass, Glacier National Park, Montana. —MCT photos

By Ellen Creager est you panic and picture Glacier National Park sprouting palm trees and reinventing itself as the Florida of northwest Montana, here’s a big secret.

The glaciers, as beloved as they are, and as important a climate sentinel as they are, are nowhere near the top attractions in this park. Most people never visit them.

They see snow, yes. But they see glaciers only from a distance, if at all.

“The joke is, once the glaciers are gone, we’ll have to change the name of the park,” says park ranger Leigh Linstrom at the Apgar Visitors Center. But the name, she says, really came from how

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this park’s towering landscape was formed-by glaciers. “When you come here, you are seeing mountains, gorgeous lakes and wildflowers,” she says.

“That will all still be here after the glaciers are gone.”

There are an estimated 25 glaciers left at the park, down from about 150 in 1850. At least 100 feet thick, they provide critical water to these mountains.

Scientists now think the last of them could melt in the next eight years with the unseemly haste of Frosty the Snowman in a tanning booth.

But what a lot of people don’t know is that these are not the glaciers from 12,000 years ago, which formed the park.

They are more recent, growing large and mighty between 1400 and 1850 during what’s called the Little Ice Age and retreating since then. This is the end of an act, not the whole play. In Michigan, we thank glaciers for creating the Great Lakes. People in Montana thank them for creating the majestic terrain of this national park near the Canadian border with its long, deep, narrow lakes and its sheer, angled limestone peaks. Out of aching geological upheaval has come such a stunning place that writers have struggled to describe its glories.

“Here is the backbone of the continent and the little and big beginning of things. ... Here peak after peak, named and unnamed, rear their saw-tooth edges to the clouds,” an early brochure described. “The air is laden with the fragrance of pine and hemlock that grow tall and stately in the valleys and on the mountainsides; it blows you alive with vigor.” All that? Still true.

Things to know about Glacier: Glacier has the nation’s most famous national park tour, the Red Jammer bus tours in big, red 1930s vehicles. It has the coolest name of a road in any national park, maybe any road in America. Going-tothe-Sun Road crosses the middle of the park, west to east, and provides spectacular scenery. It has gorgeous lodges, thanks mostly to the Great Northern Railway, which built the best ones in the

early 1900s.

It is intertwined with American Indian heritage. The Blackfeet Reservation borders Glacier to the east, with its Plains Indians museum and resurging (but still tiny) roaming bison herds. It has the most romantic way to get to a national parkthe Amtrak Empire Builder cross-country train. It can drop you off at two stops in the park.

Its border with Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park, a smaller but northern extension of Glacier, gives it an international flair. It has deceptively cute animals. Bighorn sheep. Mountain goats.

Grizzly bears. Mountain lions. Aw, they look so cuddly, just like those stuffed animals-except the bears have long sharp claws and teeth, and bear spray out here is sold in heavy-duty XL size.

When I visited in late July, Glacier was warm. And impressions of global warming are all about what happens to you on your vacation, right? On July 26, it was 76 degrees at Logan Pass Visitor Center, at nearly 6,700 feet elevation-shorts and flip-flops weather. By Aug 23, it was in the 20s at night at some places in the giant park, and a snow warning was issued.

The winter of 2010-11 featured 400 feet of snow and bitter cold. But last winter, it was so mild that Going-to-the-Sun Road opened June 18, about a month early. That is good for tourism, which was up 14 percent the first six months of the

One place to glimpse a glacier along the Going to the Sun Road is at this point, where you can see the Blackfoot Glacier in the distance.

make you crazy with all the construction going on in the short season. Going-tothe-Sun Road repairs are due to end by 2015, but in the meantime, prepare for high-altitude stops. And yes, there still are glaciers, even if you don’t visit them.

“Less than 1 percent of people get up to a glacier; they are tucked up there in the north- and northeast- facing slopes,” says Park Ranger Scott Emmerich. “Can people see them for years to come? Yes.” But don’t waste time. Come on up to the future Florida of Montana-I mean, Glacier National Park. —MCT

Sun Point is an iconic view of Glacier National Park.

Two Medicine Lake in the morning.

The geology of Glacier National Park, Montana is reflected in the multi-colored rocks in the river just below Running Eagle Falls.

year (the trend continued in July, with 630,093 visitors, up 9 percent from 2011).

On the other hand, it makes it hard to plan a trip to Glacier. Should you rely on Glacier opening early? Or being socked in by snowdrifts? Wear a coat? Or shorts?

Beloved by hikers and others who treasure its 700 hiking trails, remoteness and heavenly sights, the park is powerful and mighty. Its cascading rivers can entrance or drown you. Its hiking trails can awe you or lose you (a 19-year-old park worker from Michigan has been missing since July 28 after setting off for a hike alone).

Its scenic mountain roads can stun with their beauty and at the same time

The chandelier in the lobby at Lake McDonald Lodge in Glacier National Park reflects the region’s Blackfeet heritage.

Many waterfalls, too numerous to count, splash down the mountainsides at Glacier National Park, Montana.

A rock cairn near the visitors’ center at Two Medicine, Glacier National Park, Montana.

Sinopah Mountain at Two Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana.

Sinopah Mountain at Two Medicine Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana, is a calm place to take a boat ride on a peaceful summer’s day.

One of the 33 Red “Jammer” tour buses that have continually given tours in Glacier National Park, Montana, since the 1930s.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

lifestyle F a s h i o n

Splash unveils

autumn winter 2012 Fashion Royale Collection ashion found inspiration in the past with the new AW’12 Splash collection featuring a minimalistic mix of culture and trends. The new season wardrobe revisits the realm of Kings and Queens with swishing gowns, bow ties, and ornate jewellery all in the new Fashion Royale collection. Splash Fashion Royale is a collection filled with a melange of traditional and contemporary opulent ‘runway’ feast fit for royalty.

Inspired by the season’s trends and the recently concluded catwalk extravaganza in Dubai, Raza Beig, CEO, Splash & ICONIC, said, “Each season the Splash Fashion Shows are uniquely themed keeping in sync with the latest International cat-walk trends and this season Splash’s AW’12 collection is inspired by the majestic figures of our world and a setting that included seasonal imagery. This season, we also got into a very exclusive environment where all fashion enthusiasts

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will get to witness the collection up close and personal.”

With the AW’12 blockbuster trends already at the top of every fashionistas shopping list, ranging from retro mix of the 19th century to tapestry and heritage classics and all the way to military alongside some Eastern futurism, the trends were given a spin providing chic and elegant fashion.

Glossy satins, lace, sumptuous knits, fur, exotic skins, feathers and embellishments and sequins are back into the wardrobe with black in plentiful with an offbeat mix of electric blackberry, bitter chocolate, aubergines and plum brown darks being the predominant colors.

The silhouettes are all about sharp tailoring, peplums, throw-on or slouchy jacket shapes, while glamorous evening wear was decorated with luxurious lace and embroidered with touches of gold. Pea coats and

capes teamed with pencil or long pleat skirts, pocketed sweatshirts with skinny pants and jumpsuits remain an integral part of the collection while beautifully brocaded kimono jackets, elaborate obi belts, cheongsam-style dresses in rising-sun red color are a hit. The entire collection is teamed with accessories to covet with and makes each ensemble stand out.

To get your pick of the latest looks and styles that range from vintage to modern chic head to any Splash store, where the collection will be available from now until December 2012. Splash is located in Centrepoint stores across Kuwait in Al Rai, Salmiya, Kuwait City, Hawally, Fahaheel, Jahra, Fintas, Sulaibikhat and the stand alone store at The Avenues.

(From left) Photo shows Raza Beig, Micky Jagtiani and Rahul Jagtiani.

Taylor Swift wins Nose of the Year

Stewart praises Ghesquiere risten Stewart credits her love of fashion to Nicolas Ghesquiere The ‘Twilight Saga’ star believes Balenciaga’s creative director has changed her view on fashion, “evoking a feeling” from her rather than it being just another job. She said: “I had to have a relationship with fashion from such a young age - you walk down the red carpet, and it matters. It’s strange. “At first I just wanted to

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Kristen Stewart

get it right, I wanted it to be smooth sailing and just to be able to do my job.

“Then I did a photo shoot with Nicolas and it was the first time that taking photos in high fashion felt like telling a story, that it was part of a concept - it wasn’t just about something on the surface, it really evoked a feeling.” The 22-year-old actress is so loyal to the band that she is now the face of the house’s new fragrance Florabotanica, but her favorite piece is her leather jacket, which she describes as her “second skin”. Kristen also talked about how “natural” it is working with Nicolas and appreciates his professional approach to projects.

She added in an interview with vogue.co.uk: “He’s really one of the only guys I’ve ever met in [fashion] that makes me feel like I’m working for a director. “He’s really creatively impulsive. Fashion can be a very superficial, surfacelevel thing that is all about money and image, but he really creates a show. You can pull clothes out of a show and it’s like watching a movie.” —Bang Showbiz

aylor Swift won Nose of the Year at the Perfume Shop’s Love Perfume Awards 2012. The ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ hitmaker beat off competition from singer Cheryl Cole and TV presenter Holly Willoughby to take home the prize from the glamorous event at London’s Vanilla bar. Soccer star David Beckham was deemed to have had the best male nose, defeating last year’s winner Gary Barlow and Justin Bieber in the process. Lady Gaga’s fame perfume won Best Celebrity Launch, while Marc Jacobs’ Dot took home Best Women’s Launch and Best Bottle Design.

Michelle D’vaz, National Advertising & PR Manager, commented on the awards: “The return of The Perfume Shop’s Love Perfume Awards has offered a fantastic opportunity to ask our customers what their favourite products are and ascertain which brands are most popular. Customer

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Taylor Swift

feedback is such an important part of our business and we continue to reflect on what our customers want, in order to improve on our service and product range.

It has been brilliant to see the vast amount of votes cast and the excitement these awards have created amongst the industry.”

The full list of winners at The Perfume Shop’s Love Perfume Awards 2012: Nose of the Year - Men David Beckham Nose of the Year - Women Taylor Swift Best Women’s Launch Marc Jacobs Dot Best Men’s Launch Armani Code Ultimate Best Celebrity Launch Lady Gaga Fame Best Bottle Design Marc Jacobs Dot —Bang Showbiz

Yash Chopra, Bollywood’s ‘king of romance’ passes away

Christie’s Auction house in Dubai

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012

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A woman stands in front of “Unveiling” (from the Women of Allah series) art piece of Iranian artist, Shirin Neshat.

Visitors look at “Lipstick” painting by Lebanese artist, Flavia Codsi in an exhibition at Christie’s Auction house in Dubai yesterday, prior to the sale of modern and contemporary Middle Eastern art including Turkish and Iranian pieces to be auctioned on October 23 and 24.—AFP

Vegetarian Festival

Devotees of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine take part in a street procession marking the annual Vegetarian Festival in the southern town of Phuket yesterday. During the festival, which begins on the first evening of the ninth lunar month and lasts nine days, religious devotees slash themselves with swords, pierce their cheeks with sharp objects and commit other painful acts to purify themselves, taking on the sins of the community.—AFP

A woman walks past ‘Fishermen in Rashid’ by the father of modern Egyptian art Mahmoud Said.

Young Kenya designer basks in a New York minute

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atungulu Mwendwa knew she wanted to be a fashion designer ever since the day she put the scissors to her mother’s wardrobe. “I think I did that to her wedding evening dress,” said the 24-year-old from Nairobi, recalling her childhood. “I’m not sure she was very happy about that one-but here I am in New York, so she can’t complain.”

In a career breakthrough, Mwendwa was the lone African invited to join the Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion showcase for up and young Kenyan fashion designer coming designers during the Katungulu Mwendwa poses in recent New York fashion New York’s Chelsea district on week. In its 14 years, the September 14, 2012 after showevent has been a springboard ing a capsule collection during for the likes of Zac Posen, GenArt’s Fresh Fashions in Phillip Lim, and Rodarte sisters Fashion event, a showcase for upKate and Laura Mulleavy-and and-coming design talent during Mwendwa is no less ambi- New York fashion week.—AFP tious. She brought to New York a capsule collection of 10 outfits with light flowing silhouettes and generous cowl necks inspired by the Tuareg desert nomads of north Africa. “Showing in New York was something adventurous,” she told AFP before flying back home to Nairobi, where she is hard at work establishing her own label. “It was a learning experience.” It was her first time in North America’s fashion capital, and she fit right in, sporting one of her own tailored oversized T-shirts with a billowing scarf, silver bangles and a pendant styled from a Kenyan tribal smoking pipe. Mwendwa’s first steps in fashion came in 2007 when, not long out of high school, she entered “Catwalk Kenya,” a reality TV design competition, and surprised herself.

“I actually won, competing against other people who had (university) degrees,” she said. “That was nerve wracking and scary.” She went on to appear on the “Idols East Africa” talent show, then headed to the University of the Creative Arts in southeast England for three years to hone her design skills. Returning to Kenya with a bachelor’s degree, she spent three months at Lalesso, the ethical fashion label launched by expat entrepreneurs Olivia Kennaway and Alice Heusser.

“Of course, I remember Katungulu. She was an absolute to pleasure to have as a part of the team,” Kennaway told AFP by email, praising her “enthusiasm and natural flair for fashion.” From there, Mwendwa struck out on her own-and won another contest. That was a Gen Art event for local designers that she only heard about the night before. Luckily, she had just finished her latest collection, and while there was no time to panic, there was a sense of deja vu.

“I think I was the least experienced designer there, and also the youngest,” she said. “That was scary because they (the other contestants) were so organized, they had whole teams, and I was just by myself.” “The event showcased seven emerging designers in Kenya,” said Jenna Duncalf, who oversees Gen Art’s fashion programs. “It was an amazing experience that we would love to continue in the future.”

Mwendwa still feels as if she’s flying solo. Finding skilled garment workers in Kenya is tough, for instance, so Mwendwa often finds herself sitting at the sewing machine herself, on top of designing and marketing chores. “Trying to get people to believe in you, to want to work with you, it’s kind of difficult” for a designer who is both young and female, she said. But she’s making headway: conventional and online boutiques in Kenya are taking on her creations. And in her first month back in Nairobi she has had a lot more requests for her work, she reported in an email.

She’s also busy researching her next collection and preparing for a Fashion and Music Without Boundaries festival that will bring talent from across Africa to the Kenya beach town of Diani in December.—AFP