23 Dec 2011

Candidate registration in full swing

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carnage SEE PAGE 11

BAGHDAD: Iraqi security forces gather at the scene of a car bomb attack yesterday.

— AP (See Page 11)

Local FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

KUWAIT: Flamingoes are seen on the beach by the Sabah Maternity Hospital in Shuwaikh.

— Photo by Sherif Ismail

From the editor’s desk

Back to square one

By Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan Editor-in-Chief

myopinion@kuwaittimes.net

he political scene in Kuwait can make the working life of a writer so easy when history keeps repeating itself to the letter. All a writer needs to do is get his articles from last year’s archives, change one or two names and it’s still valid for publishing today. I am not planning to do that and sound like a broken record, but we have been there before.

The government resigned, the parliament was dissolved and elections are less than two months away. So what’s new?

To be honest, nothing is new. Come 2nd of February, the same players will be back in parliament with the exception of one or two names who have decided they have had enough of this merry-go-round that has stalled the country and they have bravely stepped down to see if this would change anything. Several political analysts were critical over the date of the elections, claiming there is not enough time for people to campaign. I would normally add my voice to their valid concern in a society that understands its own benefit, but let’s be frank. Does it really matter?

Of course it doesn’t in an election where people don’t care about a political agenda for the development of Kuwait and the majority are concerned with a KD 500 payout or a new car or wasta to get hired here or there or even a fully-paid vacation courtesy of the ministry of health. An election campaign in Kuwait requires candidates to have a big tribe following them and/or a large amount of cash and/or lots of wasta to illegally fast-track voters’ personal interests such as the aforementioned fully paid ministry of health vacation.

Only an insignificant number of candidates get away with winning on a political agenda and they always find themselves fighting a lost cause. If you want proof of this, just go back to the start of the credit crunch and you will realize that only three or four members were capable to comment and suggest solutions to help stabilize the economy ‘the rest just stared quietly as they were clueless of such matters and then they asked for the government to buy people personal debts again! If you’re still not convinced, just go ask the candidates who decided on the last elections not to even bother with starting a campaign or promoting an agenda but still made it to parliament.

The circus that takes place in parliament is the result of our decisions as Kuwaiti voters and if we don’t change our interests then nothing will change at all and perhaps it is better if Kuwait dissolves its parliament and concentrates on educating people of what democracy means and how it works.

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Local FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Satire Wire

Conspiracy Theories

People make their country, not wealth

No joking matter

By Sawsan Kazak

By Badrya Darwish

sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

E

very time I travel to Dubai I return sad because I compare it to Kuwait. I can’t help but start comparing how advanced Dubai is with its highways and excellent infrastructure. It is a country functioning with a proper system. But this is not the focus of my article today. Last week I was on a business trip and I landed in Bangkok for two days. I visited Bangkok a long time ago and I vaguely remembered it. This time it was a totally different story. For a change I will be comparing Bangkok and Kuwait and not Dubai and Kuwait.

Coming back from Bangkok made me more depressed than the visits to Dubai. Dubai is of similar size to Kuwait. It is neatly built and efficient. When you talk about Bangkok, you are talking about 10 million people living in this megapolis. Talk size-wise now. The city is at least 20 times bigger than Kuwait. Correct me if I am wrong on the math here. The country is not an oil producer, which is usually related to a well-built country that has good infrastructure.

Thailand imports its oil. Despite that and not being wealthy like the Gulf, it can compete with the whole Gulf over its infrastructure and cleanliness. It is not only the cleanliness of the streets and places. It is the highways, the motorways and the pavements. If Thailand can have proper pavements for people to walk and enjoy, why can’t we in Kuwait have pavements? We are much smaller - almost the size of one area in Bangkok.

It is not only the infrastructure of the country. It is the people’s attitude. It is in their culture not to throw their thrash out of their windows or empty their ashtrays near the supermarket where they park. Or walk on the beach and leave their garbage in a pile.

I walked in the rich and poor areas too. Of course, the poor areas do not have high-rise buildings but enjoy impeccable cleanliness. Even in the public places where they sell and fry street food on vendors’ carts, after the seller cooks and fries the fish, everything in the surrounding environment is cleaned. Even his cart is shiny and tidy. It makes you feel safe eating the street food.

It is the people who make their country clean. They feel responsible and they have a feeling towards their country. That is why they do not make a mess. Forget the public toilets - you will think that you are at home when it is actually a public toilet used by thousands.

Leave alone taxis. You get in a taxi in Kuwait and it is smelly and dirty. The seats and the floor are filthy. The whole time I was using taxis in Bangkok I could not stop comparing. There is nice fragrance in the car, the windows are shiny and there is not a small piece of dirt on the seats or anywhere in the car. That shows you that it is the people who make their country and they care. We even rode the tuk tuk (rickshaw) which was also cleaner than the taxis in Kuwait.

I am not going to talk about the politeness and attitude of the people. It is in their blood to greet you nicely and smile. They are a tourist country and they know how to greet you and take care of you. They love their country and they care. I arrived in Bangkok just two weeks after the floods. If it was somewhere else, I think I would have to walk in mud with high boots. But the only reminder of the floods were some sacks of mud that were on the sides of some roads.

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ecently, due to the new applications and use of smart phones, there has been an excess of ‘jokes’ circulating around. Videos, pictures, websites and good old jokes are being sent to people in a nanosecond. But there have to be some rules and regulations set down for this joking freefor-all. Now don’t get me wrong. I love getting a funny joke as much as the next girl, but I have recently felt overwhelmed with the amount of material I have had to sift through.

Firstly, there should be a limit to the amount of ‘jokes’ you send in one day. Your aim should not be to overwhelm the person’s phone, but rather to have a positive effect on that person’s day by making them laugh. A couple of ‘funny’ jokes a day is more than enough to get someone laughing.

More than that and you are turning a smart phone into a portable comedy club. Also, take into consideration the time you send jokes. Jokes sent at 3 am or 6 am need to be really funny.

There is also the matter of age appropriate material.

There are a lot of funny jokes that are not in good taste.

Even if you think that the video of a girl flashing men in a

mall is hilarious, remember that the person you are sending to might be in public or at work and that it would not be proper etiquette to stream such a video. When sending a joke, make sure it is in a language that person can understand. Pictures are usually self explanatory, but jokes you have to read or videos you have to understand are much funnier if the person understands what is going on. Try to make different groups for different jokes.

Lastly, when you send someone something, do not walk up to them the next time you see them to ask them if they saw the joke you sent and if it was funny, especially if you see them within the hour. The person might be checking them later or avoiding your material at the time.

Laughter is great medication and should be a large part of our days. But jokes must be done right in order to be funny. So before you send out that great video of a girl falling off a trampoline and on to a wedding cake, make sure you send it to the right audience.

Just kiddin’, seriously

Seriously, is he serious?

By Sahar Moussa

sahar@kuwaittimes.net

“I

t’s been three months since we met, and we have this mutual attraction and understanding but I still don’t have any idea if he is serious or not,” said Reem, a 28year-old Moroccan expat. So this is the ‘BIG’ question every woman and man ask themselves when they meet someone new. It can really get tricky and the question that pops in your head is: ‘I don’t know if he is serious!’ or ‘I don’t know if she is ready!’After pulling your hair out, a better option than pulling out the petals from a flower saying: “He likes me”, “She likes me not”, is to try to decode the universal signs that show some interest or seriousness.

In my previous column, I mentioned about the BBM or the hidden messages that can tell a lot about the other person and opens the door into a new relationship. So one of the important indicators that show when a man is really interested in a woman is when he starts sending constant messages every few hours. This explains that the man is making a real effort and shows that he cares about her and is missing her, without spelling it out.

If he sticks to a fixed routine, like sending a ‘Good morning’ message every day and a ‘Goodnight’ message at night, it only means one thing: that she is on his mind the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. If the woman replies to his messages, it is a clear indication that she is soaking up the attention. I am not saying that all men are the same when it comes to showing their feelings, but here is a small tip: Women love attention and it is always worth the effort.

Another sign showing that the guy is really interested is if he invites you out for dinner on a first date and starts talking

about his life, family and himself in general. This means he is willing to make you a part of his private life - which is something men do not do unless he envisages a woman in his long-term plans. Some men like to show off by talking a lot about themselves. You can sense directly if he starts talking endlessly about his achievements and does not stop until you give him a piece of bread to occupy his mouth.

So here is another tip for men: When you are interested in a woman, try to ask her about her life and family. It is not a secret that women are talkative and they need someone to actually listen to them and not pretend to. If the woman starts talking about herself, it means that she is feeling comfortable with you and you have graduated to an important level with her: Trust. If he keeps you updated on his daily schedule of what is happening in his life (like what time he finishes work, heads to the gym or gets back home), it means that he respects you and expects the same from you. If he shows interest in your daily schedule without behaving like a stalker, it signifies that he is in to you.

If he is a busy man and you know that he is squeezing in special time just to see you or calls you when you least expect it, surprises you by showing up at your regular haunt, asks about small details like if you have eaten, taken your medicine, or checks on you all the time, it means he really cares. If he pays attention to little things that matter and tries to analyze your moves, well woman, you know what it means!

If she welcomes all your efforts gladly and shows you how much she appreciates all your efforts, it means indirectly that she loves the attention. The downside to creating such a warm comforting pattern of communication is that the slightest discrepancy will create confusion. This might give rise to questions and thoughts like “Wait a minute... Where is my ‘Good morning’ message?” or “Why did she not reply with her usual blushing smiley?” So it is important to know what you are getting yourself into. Last, but not the least, in every relationship there are exceptions and people differ, so I guess only time can tell you if they are serious or not.

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Local

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Picture perfect 9ura: A contest that clicks instantly

By Sawsan Kazak

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aking a good picture needs skill. Being able to capture a moment, a culture or even just a pretty sight is a talent.

Catching the right light, the perfect angle and the true emotion of any space in time is the work of an artist. Have you ever taken such a good picture that you thought it deserved to be shared with the public? Well there is now a website that allows you to do that. www.9ura.com is a Kuwait-based website that allows you to share your pictures with a large audience and enter to win a prize.

9ura (Soura), which means picture in Arabic, is a non-profit project that is an online contest which showcases local talent. “Since the rise of more interactive media such as the internet, photos have proven to be a great medium to educate the public. Photography is attracting more attention in the GCC and the Middle East,” said Tahani Al-Soomali, one of the founding members of 9ura.com.

The 9ura.com project was created by a group of individuals who share the idea of giving back to the community in a creative way. “The aim of the project is to bridge the gaps between countries in the Middle East as well as the East and the West,” said Al-Soomali of the idea behind the website. Adding: “The main goal of the 9ura.com project is to edu-

cate people about the Middle East and to showcase the unspoken and unseen sides of our cultures and environments.”

Concept Globalization is an ongoing phenomenon that has certainly reached the Middle East.

“The technological advances in cultures have facilitated the interaction of people from different regions. People here started intermingling aggressively with Western and, most recently, Eastern cultures, and have done so successfully,” explains Al-Soomali. She points to the fact that we are now more aware of others residing in the globe and they are more aware of us.

But even with all these advancements and globalization, Al-Soomali sees some shortcomings. “With this evolving intermarriage between the Middle East and other cultures, we find a missing link among sub-cultures within the Middle East. Our goal of connecting cultures within the Middle East is a result of our awareness of this issue,” she explains.

The connection After a quick visit to the 9ura.com website, one can clearly see that the emphasis is on talent and the development of it. “The website aims to push talent in the photography industry to produce creative and high-quality

work that educates people about certain topics and causes. The 9ura.com official message is ‘Each photograph is a connection and a revelation; share yours,’” Al-Soomali said.

The website officially launched on Aug 15, 2011 and is straightforward and easy to use.

The front and center portion of the home page has an icon that says ‘submit your photo’. Click the icon and follow the steps, which are clearly outlined throughout the submission process, which has now closed. When asked who was eligible to enter the contest Al-Soomali answered “basically anyone who owns a camera”. Adding, “the competition is open to people of all ages and nationalities and is non-gender specific. The only rules for participation are that the photo must be taken by the person submitting and that the photo has to have been taken in the Middle East (GCC countries).”

Launched for a few months now, the website has seen submissions from GCC countries such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Oman. “Many types of photo have been submitted regarding the three themes of the competition, Culture, Urban, and Nature, says Al-Soomali of the recent admissions. “So far we have had mostly positive feedback, although there are many other photo competitions in Kuwait and throughout the Middle East. This competition has a

special cause and a group of people behind the scene who are passionate about the 9ura.com project,” says Al-Soomali of the feedback the website has received.

Winning shot As well as exposing local talent and narrowing the gap between cultures, the 9ura.com project is a contest first and foremost, thus there must be a winner. “A panel of three independent judges will first go through an initial screening process for the photographs submitted. This screening process will be performed through a grading system whereby photographs will be judged on: technical quality, composition, originality, impact, subject, and meaning. The photographs with the top grades will then undergo a second judging process where the final winner for each category will be selected,” explains Al-Soomali of the judging process to choose the winning picture.

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Local

Years

Desert getaway

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

A Filipina jumps in ecstasy as she grabs a ball to play with on the farm.

A mother rides the farm bike. “My son rides better than me”, she said as she steered for the second time around.

Men play football in the open space on the farm.

“The sheesha by the waterside reminds me of Sharm el Sheikh”, said an Egyptian visitor to the farm. The tent on the right is used as a dining place.

The two types of palm trees on this farm in Abdaly, short and tall, produce dates abundantly. An adult always has to bend his head to walk through these dwarf palms.

By Sunil Cherian

O Iyam Sharqi (left) and Mohammed Hashim, caretakers of the farm, pose in front of their kitchen (right, near the water tank), bed cabin and toilet (far left).

This lake is made for agricultural purposes said Mohammed Hashim, a laborer at the farm. Pointing to the coop, he said at the farm there used to be many chickens too.

Expatriate children run amok on the spacious farm. As one of them exclaimed, they find the open space ‘far greater than my apartment compound’.

range color dates, bowing as if to greet visitors; a man-made lake with ducks reeling round and round; and an infinite land with veins of water pipes running across its body will take anyone far, far away from the clutches of ring road traffic. A farm in Abdaly is a perfect Friday getaway if you are looking for the other side of Kuwait - and the other side of you! Forget the cliche ‘an oasis in a desert’. In fact, spending some time on a farm makes one forget everything - including themselves.

A visitor is delighted to hold a pair of squabs as the pigeon caretaker Mohammed Hashim (left) and a cautious flock of pigeons look on.

A visitor poses while collecting dates in a plastic glass. “I feel quite young”, she said.

A girl tries to retrieve the ball she was playing with from water. “Finally I had to help her”, her father said. “But this is a learning experience”.

A girl looks at a hole in the ground. After waiting for ages she said, “It’s too cold outside the burrow”.

Iyam Sharqi (right), a Nepali worker on the farm, and Mohammed Ayub, an Indian laborer, work on the farm. “We always share our duty”, they said, “and the water”, pointing to the water bottle in front.

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Local

Years

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

By Nawara Fattahova

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— Photos by Joseph Shagra

nique pieces of cut-glass works of art created by Akio Kurokawa are now available in Kuwait. The Japanese artist has been designing handmade glassware for over 50 years explains Astrid de Los Rios, who introduced Akio’s artwork to Kuwait. Astrid fell in love with Akio’s art at an exhibition. Later she was introduced to Akio, and then she brought some of this artworks to Kuwait, where it was displayed in an art exhibition. “Akio has a small atelier in the old part of Tokyo, and is working there daily to create his works of art,” said Astrid. Akio perfects his artwork and spends his time completing each of his pieces.

Each piece of artwork by Akio costs about KD 100.

Each piece is signed by him and is a work of art, explains Astrid. “It takes him three to five days to finish one piece of his artwork because the final crystal has to be good,” explains Astrid. This type of art is known as Edo Kiriko. “Edo” stands for the old name of Tokyo, Astrid explains, and came from Japan about 300 years ago, although it originated in Europe.

“The Japanese craftsmen then developed their own style in this art. At the end of the 19th century they developed a more mechanical way to create this art.

There are only a few craftsmen who know how to hand carve, and that is why these handmade pieces are valuable and people like to have some of them. It’s like buying a work of art,” she added.

Kiriko is one of the oldest artisans who work with this artwork in Japan. “He is the successor of an old Japanese art master who already passed away. He is an innovator of a special style in this art, which are the curved lines, as nobody used this style before. He also adds two lines like a moon. He uses geometrical

designs and special creations, and each time he creates a different variation,” Astrid said.

“People in Japan collect his work, they buy some of his art pieces each year. Each motif symbolizes something from their daily life, for example a bamboo basket.

It is a very beautiful piece of art.”

According to Astrid, Akio doesn’t have a book of his own designs and creations.

“When I asked him if he records his artwork in a book, he replied that he memorizes the patterns. I think he knows that each piece will not be exactly the same as a previous one,” she explained. “Akio never repeats any of his art pieces twice. He may use the same motif, color or shape but not in the same order or way”, she said, explaining that each piece he makes is unique and different from any other piece. Akio usually restricts himself to certain colors.

“He uses blue, red, green, and golden yellow. He only uses one color for each piece, and may rarely use more than one color in the same piece.

Local FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

34,000 bedoons may be granted citizenship KUWAIT: Kuwait, home to 105,000 stateless people, may grant citizenship to 34,000 of them, the head of a government authority overseeing their affairs said late on Wednesday. “We will consider making a recommendation to grant citizenship to 34,000 stateless,” Saleh Al-Fadhalah, Head of the Central

Agency for Illegal Residents, told staterun Kuwait TV. The official pledged that a lasting solution for stateless people, whom the government describes as illegal residents, will be implemented over the next five years. The stateless (bedoon in Arabic) claim the right to Kuwaiti

KUWAIT: Bedoons protest in Jahra to demand citizenship and other basic rights, before riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them in this Dec 19, 2011 file photo. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

nationality, saying that their ancestors failed to register for citizenship when the government began registration five decades ago.

Al-Fadhalah, however, said that his agency has established that 71,000 stateless persons are in fact Iraqis, Saudis, Syrians, Iranians and others, and “must produce their nationality papers” to be given legal residence permits.

Kuwait has long said that bedoons, or their forefathers, destroyed their original passports to try to claim a right to Kuwaiti citizenship in order to gain access to the generous benefits and services provided to citizens. According to a report by Human Rights Watch in June, Kuwait has denied them essential documentation, including birth, marriage and death certificates, in a bid to force them to produce their original nationality papers. Hundreds of stateless staged demonstrations in February, March and again in the past two weeks to demand citizenship and other rights, including the right to work.

Police used force to disperse them.

Fifty-two stateless persons are on trial for illegal assembly and assaults on police, while around 30 more were arrested on Monday and are being questioned by prosecutors. — AFP

Iran rejects meddling accusation by Gulf states The drug pusher is seen with his contraband.

TEHRAN: Iran yesterday rejected an accusation by Gulf Arab leaders of interference in their affairs. Iran accused them of parroting “baseless” US charges against it, while ignoring US “espionage” upon Iran.

“In this statement, some fabricated and undocumented claims made by American officials have been pointed to,” the state television website quoted Ramin Mehmanparast, Foreign Ministry spokesman, as saying in reference to US charges of an assassination plot against the Saudi ambassador in Washington.

“However, it was expected that the US espionage activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran be condemned,” Mehmanparast said.

Earlier this month, Tehran displayed a CIA reconnaissance drone it said it had shot down in Iranian airspace. Iran later paraded an American-Iranian, it named as Amir

Mirzai Hekmati, whom it said was sent to Iran to infiltrate the intelligence ministry. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called on Iran to “stop interfering in the internal affairs” of its six member states - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, in a closing statement after its annual summit in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Mehmanparast said Iran “emphasizes good neighborly relations, mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations”. “Violent military response to people not only does not solve... problems but will spread instability and insecurity in the region.”, he added.

Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have deteriorated sharply since March, the intervention in Bahrain by Saudi-led troops that backed a crackdown by Sunni

Bahraini rulers on a month of prodemocracy protests led by the kingdom’s Shiite majority.

In October, they worsened further when US justice officials announced that they had foiled what they said was an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador.

The GCC also called on Iran to “fully cooperate” with the International Atomic Energy Agency and work to resolve regional conflicts “peacefully,” adding that the bloc remained committed to a Middle East “free of weapons of mass destruction”.

Mehmanparast “utterly rejected” any concerns regarding Tehran’s “peaceful nuclear activities, since they are being conducted within the UN atomic watchdog’s framework”. Western governments fear Iran’s nuclear program is cover for a push for a weapons capability, an ambition Tehran denies. — AFP

Pusher busted

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The Narcotics Department arrested a bedoon for pushing drugs to youth in a Kabd camp he owns. Authorities went to the camp armed with a search warrant and found a quarter kilo of hashish. The suspect revealed that he sold the drugs at his camp. The contraband was confiscated and he was referred to concerned authorities.

Businesses closed Eng Ahmad Al-Sabeeh, Municipality Director General, said stores, restaurants and cafeterias must comply with the area mentioned in their licenses and not encroach on any other extra space. He said the municipality will close all stores in violation of the terms of their license. The Hawally governorate emergency team closed down 16 shops in Hawally and Salmiya for encroaching on unlicensed areas, in addition to starting up businesses before receiving municipality approval.

The stores that were closed included cafeterias, restaurants and companies.

Jazeera to reopen bureau in Kuwait KUWAIT: Saad Al-Saeedi, Director of Al-Jazeera TV in Kuwait, said the bureau of the channel will reopen, a year after the station’s offices were closed down. He said the Ministry of Information (MoI) has restored its license, and the office

will open within 10 days. Al-Saeedi thanked the MoI for accepting the application of the channel, especially considering that elections are nigh.

The MoI revoked the license of Al-Jazeera last December following

events at the diwaniya of former MP Jamaan Al-Harbash. MPs and citizens were beaten by police during a gathering there which the government deemed illegal. AlJazeera was the only television station to cover the event.—AL-Aan

Municipal officials seal a shop for encroaching on public space.

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Candidate registration in full swing on 2nd day

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: On the second day of opening the door for registration for election, a total number of 47 candidates registered. This included seven candidates in the first constituency, seven in the second, 10 in the third, 12 in the fourth and 11 in the fifth. Nasser Al-Abdali, candidate of the third constituency, stated that his election program will focus on three issues - organizing political life, rebuilding the economy and a reconsideration of the organization of the security institution, especially after the death of a citizen. “The voters have great responsibility in choosing the right candidates, as we are in the phase of building our country,” he said. Some candidates made sarcastic statements and they did not seem serious.

Abdulsamad Dashti, running in the fifth constitution, said: “I registered for the elections to represent the Christians in Kuwait, as they came to Kuwait 150 years ago. I hope the government will appoint at least one Christian MP. I am sure I will not pass in this election and this will not affect my reputation. I am happy to participate in this democratic event.”

Hisham Al-Shayia, candidate in the third constituency who ran in the previous election but did not succeed, thinks that these elections are the most dangerous. He said that he never expected that one third of the MPs will be arrested for investigation of the increase in their bank

accounts. Mish’al Al-Ayaar, a new candidate running in the fourth constituency, said that Jahra is his first priority due to the events that took place there and its present situation. “I trust the Kuwaiti voters, and I believe they will choose the best to represent them. I think that the coming phase will witness many reforms in all sectors of the country. I also think that women candidates do not have a chance in the fourth constituency,” he opined.

Former MP Sadoun Hammad changed his constituency from the fifth to the third, and is optimistic about his success. “I changed my constituency as I moved to Kaifan, where I bought a new house. In the previous elections I got 16,000 votes. My headquarters will be in Shuhada, and I have the biggest number of key voters in the third constituency,” he noted. He explained his transfer over the bank deposits’ scandal, saying: “I sold a house for KD 450,000 on September 20. Then on October 11, I deposited KD 286,000 in the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK). The accusation against me is part of the fight for power. It came about because I was the only one who spoke about corruption in different cases, so they want to spoil my reputation,” he added.

Adel Al-Kharafi, a new candidate in the Second constituency, called for approving the ‘Financial Wealth Unveiling Law’, which will be his priority in his program.

He also mentioned that he is glad of the support by former speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi, although he has different

political opinions. Al-Kharafi also described the bedoon issue as a time bomb that will grow bigger unless a definite solution is found. He pointed out the benefit of bringing his 30 years of experience in the Municipal Council to parliament.

Anwaar Al-Mana’a, a female candidate in the fifth constituency, stated that she is glad of the support of her tribe in this constituency, and that she is not afraid of the challenge. She added that she expects change in Parliament to reach 80 percent. “The previous women MPs did not focus on all of the important women’s issues, and I call upon the new MPs to take care of them. I expect the presence of women in parliament to reach 40 percent,” she added.

Former MP Musallam Al-Barak, candidate in the fourth constituency, spoke about the deposits’ scandal of one of the MPs. He referred to bribes of political money and said that the Ministry of Interior is able to detect such bribes, which take place in rented apartments. He expected that the change in the next parliament will reach 70 percent.

He said it is too early to announce his support for Ahmad Al-Saadoun to be the speaker. He also stated his support for the bedoons in their issue and criticized the way the government has dealt with this issue. He does not anticipate many chances for women in parliament as, according to him, the past experience of the four women MPs was not good.

KUWAIT: (Clockwise from top left) Former MPs Musallam Al-Barrak, Waleed Al-Tabtabaei, Dhaifallah Buramia, Khaled Al-Tahous, Jamaan Al-Harbash, Askar Al-Enezi and candidate Salwa Al-Mutairi register yesterday for the upcoming parliamentary elections. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Turkey recalls ambassador

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Medvedev offers some reforms but demands stability

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Mythmaking begins for N Korea’s next leader

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BAGHDAD: Iraqi security forces and people gather at the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq yesterday. A wave of bombings ripped across Baghdad yesterday morning killing and wounding hundreds of people, Iraqi officials said, in the worst violence Iraq has seen for months. The bloodbath comes just days after American forces left the country. —AP

Blasts kill 57 as Iraq mired in political crisis Vice president accused of running death squads BAGHDAD: A wave of attacks in Baghdad killed 57 people yesterday as Iraq faced a political crisis, with its vice president accused of running death squads and the premier warning he could break off power-sharing. The apparently coordinated blasts in the capital and the slaughter of a family of five in restive Diyala province were the first major sign of violence in a row that has threatened Iraq’s fragile political truce and heightened sectarian tensions just days after US forces completed their withdrawal.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed that the bombers would not be allowed to have any impact on the political process, while parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi condemned the attacks, which he said “threaten national unity.” “The timing of these crimes and their locations confirm once again to any doubters the political nature of the goals that those criminals want to achieve,” Maliki said in a statement. “The criminals and those who stand behind them will not succeed in changing events or the political process, or in escaping punishment.” Parliament called an urgent

meeting of political leaders for Friday, the Muslim day of prayer and rest. UN special envoy to Baghdad Martin Kobler slammed the “horrendous” attacks, and said Iraq’s leaders must “act swiftly, responsibly and in unity.”

The US embassy noted it was “especially important during this critical period that Iraq’s political leaders work to resolve differences peacefully.” More than a dozen Baghdad attacks, the deadliest in more than four months, mostly targeted Shiite neighborhoods and coincided with the morning rush hour. Security forces quickly cordoned off bomb sites. Health ministry spokesman Ziad Tariq put the toll at 57 dead and 176 wounded, while an interior ministry official said 63 people were killed and 194 wounded. The deadliest single attack involved a car bomb driven by a suicide attacker which blew up at the offices of the anti-corruption agency, killing 23 people, including five senior investigators, the interior ministry official said.

Twin roadside bombs and a car bomb, meanwhile, struck against construction workers in the Allawi neighborhood, central

Baghdad, killing 16. Helicopters could be heard hovering overhead at many of the blast sites and emergency response vehicles rushed to the scene of attacks, while tightened security at checkpoints worsened Baghdad’s already choking traffic. “They didn’t target any vital institutions or security positions,” Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qassim Atta told AFP. “They targeted children’s schools, day workers, the anti-corruption agency.” Atta, who said there had been a dozen attacks across the city, said it was “too early to say” who was behind the violence.

The attacks struck in the Allawi, Bab alMuatham and Karrada districts of central Baghdad; Adhamiyah, Shuala and Shaab in the north, Jadriyah in the east, Ghazaliyah in the west and Al-Amil and Dura in the south, the officials said. A family of five-parents, their two daughters and a son-were gunned down by insurgents in a suburb of the Diyala provincial capital Baquba, north of Baghdad, early yesterday, medical and security officials said.

The father and son were both members of the anti-Qaeda Sunni tribal militia known as

the Sahwa which sided with the US military from late-2006, helping to turn the tide of the insurgency.

Yesterday’s violence was the worst since August 15, when 74 people were killed in a series of attacks across 17 Iraqi cities. It comes with Iraqi politicians at loggerheads over a warrant issued for the arrest of Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, with Maliki demanding that Kurdish authorities hand over the Sunni Arab official, who is holed up in their autonomous region. Hashemi denies the charges.

Maliki has also called for his Sunni deputy, Saleh al-Mutlak, who belongs to the same Iraqiya bloc as Hashemi, to be sacked after he described the Shiite-led government as a “dictatorship.” Iraqiya is boycotting parliament and the cabinet, and Maliki has threatened to replace their ministers in the year-old unity government.

Washington has urged calm, with the crisis coming just days after US troops completed their withdrawal, leaving behind what President Barack Obama had described as a “sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq.”— AFP

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Observers head to Syria amid international uproar BEIRUT: Arab League delegates traveled to Syria yesterday to arrange the deployment of foreign monitors under a plan aimed at ending the regime’s deadly 9-month-old crackdown on dissent. They arrive in the midst of a new international uproar over activist reports that government troops killed more than 200 people in two days, with Turkey condemning President Bashar Assad over the “bloodbath.”

The opposition suspects Assad’s agreement Monday to allow hundreds of Arab League monitors in, after weeks of stalling, is only a tactic to buy time and ward off a new round of international sanctions and condemnation. They said Assad was only intensifying his crackdown ahead of the arrival of the observers, a sure sign he is not sincere about calming violence. Activists have accused government troops of a “massacre” on Tuesday in Kfar Owaid, a village in the rugged mountains near Syria’s northern border with Turkey. A witness and activist groups said military forces completely surrounded about 110 unarmed civilians and trapped them in a valley, then proceeded to systematically kill all of them in an hours-long barrage with tanks, bombs and gunfire. No one survived the onslaught, the activists said.

Turkey, which before the uprising was a close ally of Syria, said the violence flew in the face of the spirit of the Arab League deal that Syria signed and raises doubts about the regime’s true intentions. “We strongly condemn the Syrian leadership’s policies of oppression against its own people, which are turning the country into a bloodbath,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. It added that that no administration “can come out a winner from a struggle against its own people.” On Wednesday, the Obama administration said it was “deeply disturbed” by Tuesday’s attack on Kfar Owaid and accused the government of continuing to “mow down” its people. The French foreign ministry said everything must be done to stop this “murderous spiral.”— AP

UAE strips 6 of citizenship over security concerns DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates said yesterday it is taking the rare step of revoking the citizenship of six men because of concerns they pose a threat to national security. The unexpected order was issued by President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan earlier this month, according to an announcement by state news agency WAM. The men’s names are among those of seven people listed as having signed a statement posted online this week alleging their citizenship had been unjustly revoked because they had called for political reforms. That statement identified them as members of an Islamist organization known as the Reform and Social Guidance Association. It urged the UAE’s leaders to “stop all oppressive measures against advocates of reform in the country.”

The state news agency quoted an unnamed source at the General Administration for Naturalization, Residency and Ports Affairs who said the six men had acted to threaten “the national security of the UAE through their connection with suspicious regional and international organizations and personalities.” Some of the men were associated with groups that have been linked with terrorist financing, the state news agency quoted the official as saying. They were granted Emirati citizenship between 1976 and 1986, according to the report.

It didn’t provide details or say where the men originally came from. A person familiar with the case told The Associated Press that four of the men were of Iranian origin and two came from Yemen. He said the men’s Emirati citizenship status was revoked “once it became clear that the rules under which they were granted (citizenship) were being violated.” The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Officials at the naturalization and residency office couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. —AP

Militant Hamas moves to join PLO umbrella Deal marks significant step toward unifying leadership CAIRO: Rival Palestinian factions reached a key agreement in Cairo yesterday to admit the Hamas militant group into the Palestine Liberation Organization - the umbrella organization of the Palestinian independence movement that has overseen two decades of on-and-off peace talks with Israel, both sides said.

The deal marked a significant step toward unifying the long-divided Palestinian leadership and cleared the way for Hamas, which currently controls the Gaza Strip, to promote itself as the leader of all Palestinians. Hamas has historically opposed the PLO’s peace efforts with Israel, and having a strong voice in the group would further complicate the already troubled Mideast diplomatic process.

“The reconciliation has taken off. It might take time, but we have started,” said Azzam al-Ahmed, a top Fatah negotiator, after the talks in Cairo. Under the agreement, Hamas’ supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, joined a committee that will prepare for elections of the PLO’s parliament in exile. He will serve alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the rival Fatah movement.

The Fatah-dominated PLO has never held a popular election in its nearly 50 years. Instead, members of its exiled parliament were chosen by individual parties and labor unions, or appointed by Palestinian leaders. The election would clear the way for Hamas to become a full member of the body.

Any PLO election is likely years away because of logistics alone. The PLO represents all Palestinians, so the vote would have to include people spread throughout the world, including residents of refugee camps in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. In addition, political battles are likely to hinder the process. Still, yesterday’s deal marked an important step toward reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, whose long-stranding rivalry boiled over into civil war when Hamas overran the Gaza Strip in 2007.

Since then, Hamas has ruled Gaza, while Abbas governed from the West Bank.

CAIRO: A hand out picture provided by the Hamas press office shows Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (R), the exiled leader of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, Khaled Meshaal (2nd R) and Palestinian Fatah members Azzam alAhmed (2nd L) and Jibril Rajoub (L) meet in Cairo yesterday.—AFP Both Hamas and Fatah officials said the reconciliation efforts are a result of the Arab Spring protests that have shaken up the Middle East. Hamas is feeling emboldened by the strong showing by Islamic parties in elections in Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt. “The Arab awakening is shaping the entire region,” said Mohammed Nasr, a senior Hamas official. Abbas also met in Cairo yesterday with Egyptian leaders. With peace talks with Israel stalled, Abbas is eager to reunify the divided Palestinian territories.

The sides have tentatively agreed to hold separate elections next year in the West Bank and Gaza to choose a new government for the territories where Abbas hopes to establish an independent state. Yesterday, Abbas issued a presidential decree naming a committee to oversee preparations for the local elections. The nine-member committee is headed by political independent Hanna Nasr. Hamas favors a Palestinian state that includes Israel’s territory but has indicated willingness to accept a state in the West

Bank and Gaza as a first step.

Israel objects to any Palestinian government that includes Hamas, a group that is committed to Israel’s destruction and has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings, rocket strikes and other attacks. Hamas has sent some signals that it might be willing to reach some sort of accommodation with Israel. The group has largely adhered to a cease-fire with Israel since a brief war three years ago, and Mashaal has said he would not stand in the way if Abbas decides to resume negotiations with Israel.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev rejected any suggestions that Hamas is becoming more moderate. He noted that the group reiterated its calls for Israel’s destruction at its anniversary celebrations early this month. “No one in the international community should have illusions as to Hamas,” Regev said.

“This is a movement that is terrorist to the core. When Abu Mazen walks toward Hamas, he’s walking away from peace,” he said, using Abbas’ widely known nickname.—AP

Egypt’s premier calls for dialogue to end crisis CAIRO: Egypt’s military-appointed prime minister yesterday called for national dialogue to resolve the country’s political crisis and pleaded for a two-month calm to restore security after weeks of protests and bloodshed.

Kamal El-Ganzouri also told a news conference that the ruling military, which took over from longtime leader Hosni Mubarak 10 months ago, was eager to relinquish power and deliver the country to civilian rule, as demanded by some activists and those still staging protesters in the streets around Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

“They want to leave today, not tomorrow,” he said without elaborating.

Few, if any, of the activists demanding

an immediate end to military rule are likely to take up the offer of dialogue.

Instead, they are focused on finding ways to persuade and pressure the generals to quickly step aside, such as offering them immunity from prosecution over the deaths of protesters killed in recent clashes with soldiers and police or calling for presidential elections by next month.

At least 100 people have been killed in such confrontations and in sectarian violence since the military took power in February. The deaths, coupled with the brutality shown by army troops against protesters, including women, have prompted some activists to consider suing the generals in local courts or try

to have them put on trial before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. About 3,000 students from Ain Shams University in Cairo marched yesterday after a prayer service for a student killed in the recent clashes. Students carried a symbolic coffin, Egyptian flags and a large picture of Mubarak in a noose. A Cairo protest rally is scheduled for Friday, called “Regaining honor and defending the revolution.” Ziad el-Oleimi, a newly elected lawmaker who was among the leading figures during the uprising, said for calm to be restored, the culprits behind the recent violence must be brought to trial and held accountable.—AP

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Mexico disbands entire police force in top port Decision part of effort to root out corruption VERACRUZ: The entire police force in the major Gulf coast port city of Veracruz was dissolved on Wednesday, and Mexican officials sent the Navy in to patrol. The Veracruz state government said the decision is part of an effort to root out police corruption and start from zero in the state’s largest city.

State spokeswoman Gina Dominguez said 800 police officers and 300 administrative employees were laid off. At a press conference, she said they can apply for jobs in a state police force, but must meet stricter standards for an agency with officers “who are better trained and more committed and who can deliver under our current security circumstances.”

Armed marines barricaded police headquarters Wednesday and Navy helicopters were flying above the city where 35 bodies were dumped in September.

It was one of the worst gang attacks of Mexico’s drug war. The change was agreed upon Monday by Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte and federal Interior Secretary Alejandro Poire.

Mexico’s army has taken over police operations several times before, notably in the border city of Ciudad Juarez and the border state of Tamaulipas. But Veracruz becomes the first state to completely disband a large police department and use marines as law enforcers.

There are about 2,400 marines in the state of Veracruz. Dominguez said the Navy operations will last only until the state can train more of its own police.

Duarte already had disbanded a police force in the state’s capital of Xalapa, but in that case state agents immediately replaced city police. President Felipe Calderon has pushed an ambitious process for vetting all of Mexico’s 460,000 police officers. His administration allocated $331 million for 200 cities to train and re-equip municipal police forces. Governors have complained they lack the resources to ensure their police forces are clean. Veracruz is a common route for drugs and migrants coming

VERACRUZ: Municipal policemen walk past Mexican navy marines after the entire police force was disbanded in the Gulf port city of Veracruz, Mexico Wednesday. —AP

Brazil police seek to indict Chevron, Transocean officials SAO PAULO: Federal police in Brazil Wednesday recommended the indictment of several Chevron and Transocean officials involved in an oil spill in early November for environmental crimes and withholding information in an investigation. The indictment is unrelated to a civil suit brought against the companies by a public prosecutor on Dec 14, seeking fines of $11 billion for their alleged roles in the spill at Chevron’s Frade field off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

This latest legal action against Chevron, the No 2 US oil company, and Transocean, one of the world’s biggest drillers, for a 3,000-barrel spill that never reached Brazilian beaches highlights the major political risks of operating in Brazil. Head of the investigation for the federal police in Rio de Janeiro Fabio Scliar said Wednesday he submitted his report to the Federal Public Ministry recommending that it bring charges against the two companies and its employees. “I affirmed my conviction ... of environmental crimes and withholding information,” Scliar told Reuters by phone. Employees of the two companies, including Chevron’s Brazil Chief Executive George Buck, could face charges if the federal prosecutor’s office, which is in recess until 2012, accepts Scliar’s recommendations and pursues them in the courts.

from the south. It was first dominated by the Gulf Cartel, and then its former armed wing, the Zetas, took over after the two split. The state saw a rise in crime this spring after a government offensive in neighboring Tamaulipas scared drug criminals away to Veracruz.

But the dumping of the 35 bodies shocked Mexico as it turned the port into a battleground between the Zetas and a gang aligned with the Sinaloa Cartel, led by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. — AP

Scliar said the companies were increasing the risks of an environmental accident in drilling. “They were betting on luck and lost, which caused this whole problem that led to environmental losses of grand proportions,” Scliar said.

Chevron said it was advised the police were seeking indictments against its employees in Brazil, but that it believes these “are without merit,” a company spokesman said.

“We will vigorously defend the company and its employees,” spokesman Kurt Glaubitz said in an email. “The facts ... will demonstrate that Chevron responded appropriately and responsibly.” Representatives from Transocean also said the indictments were groundless and that the facts would exonerate the company and employees when fully examined.

Although such alleged crimes could carry sentences of over 10 years, according to some experts, it is unlikely any of the employees of Chevron or Transocean would spend time in jail. Soon after announcing a series of stunning discoveries in 2006 and 2007 that would become known worldwide, Chief Executive Jose Sergio Gabrielli at the state-controlled oil company Petrobras said exploration of the massive offshore subsalt deposits was virtually without risk. — Reuters

Communist Cuba set to end travel restrictions HAVANA: President Raul Castro is expected to announce an end to onerous, unpopular travel restrictions that have been in place for almost 50 years and which keep most Cubans from traveling abroad. The Roman Catholic Church and regime-friendly musicians like Silvio Rodriguez and Pablo Milanes have joined a chorus of Cubans calling for an end to the rules, including one that penalizes “permanent emigrants.”

And observers say Castro is widely expected to make the announcement in an address to the National Assembly. “Cuba normalizing its relations with Cubans who have left the country is going to have to include eliminating all restrictions,” analyst Jesus Arboleya said in a recent interview in the Catholic magazine Espacio Laical. To travel abroad legally, Cubans have to obtain an expensive exit permit as well as a passport-this in a country where the average monthly salary is about 20 dollars. The exit permit, which is granted for 30 days, can be renewed 10 times, and can also be denied.

Travelers who let their exit permits expire are declared “deserters.” As so-called “permanent emigrants,” the assets of these illegal travelers are promptly seized, and they are not welcome to return to home. Among the changes anticipated in official media: the maximum allowable stay abroad will increase from 11 months to two years, but on a renewable status. That will spell a de facto end to the “permanent emigrant” status, and should mean that no one’s assets will be confiscated any longer, and no one will be less than welcome to return to their homeland. — AFP

Gingrich paying for slow campaign start VIRGINIA: Newt Gingrich is frantically playing catch-up in the Republican presidential race, spending precious time trying to get on Virginia’s primary ballot while his rivals campaign in crucial Iowa and New Hampshire. The two states kick off the voting that will decide who will challenge President Barack Obama next November.

Iowa’s caucuses are Jan. 3, and New Hampshire’s primary is Jan. 10 - and the holiday season cuts into the little remaining time to campaign.

The former House speaker is paying a price for his late start in organizing. Gingrich had to leave New Hampshire on Wednesday and race to Virginia, where he needs 10,000 valid voters’ signatures by Thursday to secure a spot on the March 6 ballot. Virginia is an afterthought for most campaigns at this early stage. They are intensely focused on Iowa and New Hampshire, followed by primaries in South Carolina and Florida.

But Gingrich’s early-December rise in several polls gave him renewed hopes of carrying his campaign deep into the primary season. Failure to compete in Virginia, which is among the “Super Tuesday” group of primaries, would deal a huge blow to any contender who had not locked up the nomination by then.

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning congressman from Texas, want to knock Gingrich out long before Virginia.

Their campaigns and allied groups are saturating the Iowa airwaves with anti-Gingrich ads, and Gingrich’s standing in the polls has suffered.

The tone has gotten so nasty that Gingrich is calling on Romney to halt the ads, or at least defend them in a 90-minute Iowa face-off. Gingrich also mounted a separate petition drive, seeking signatures from voters who don’t want to see Republican candidates ripping into each other. “Attacking fellow Republicans only helps one person: Barack Obama,” the petition says. Republican insiders see Romney, in particular, as having the money, experience and organization needed to survive a long campaign. That makes it urgent for Gingrich to get on all the big state ballots if he hopes to win the party’s nomination. Gingrich said Wednesday he had enough ballot signatures, but he wanted to come to Virginia to deliver them personally. Taking no chances, his volunteers asked everyone to sign petitions before entering Gingrich’s rally Wednesday night in Arlington, just across the Potomac River from Washington.

Romney, meanwhile, continued his bus tour of New Hampshire, where he maintains a home. The state is the closest thing to a must-win state for him. With Gingrich’s new slide in polls and fractures among conservatives who have not rallied behind an alternative to Romney, there’s a growing sense inside and outside Romney’s campaign that his path to the nomination is clearer than it has been in weeks.

For the most part, Romney is letting hard-hitting ads from the independently funded Restore Our Future politcal action committee do the attack work against Gingrich. The group is made up of former Romney advisers. Romney has begun to display a confidence of sorts as he expands what is already a mammoth political machine in early voting states across the country.

On Wednesday, he even taunted Gingrich’s plea to tone down the attack ads. “I’m sure I could go out and say, ‘Please, don’t do anything negative,’” Romney told Fox News. “But this is politics. And if you can’t stand the heat in this little kitchen, wait until Obama’s Hell’s Kitchen turns up the heat.” Gingrich replied, “If he wants to test the heat, I’ll meet him anywhere in Iowa next week.” Paul continues to campaign this week in Iowa, a wide-open state he potentially could win. But few campaign veterans think Paul, whose strong libertarian views give him an intense but limited following, can draw enough support nationwide to win the nomination.

Romney’s campaign generally sees Paul’s rise, particularly in Iowa, as an asset as another way to pull potential votes from Gingrich. Gingrich hopes to do well enough in Iowa and New Hampshire to make it to South Carolina and Florida. They border Georgia, which he represented in Congress for 20 years, ending in 1999. Florida comes next, and Romney by far leads the Republican pack in building a campaign organization there. He’s sitting on a pile of money for a state campaign that is primarily waged with expensive ads. — AP

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Reform suddenly swells Chilean voter rolls SANTIAGO: Chile’s democracy is in for a major shake-up, with millions of citizens now added as registered voters. The nation’s Senate passed a reform that increases Chile’s voting rolls by more than half, from 8.1 million to 12.6 million registered voters in the country of 17 million.

President Sebastian Pinera on Wednesday called the previous night’s 25-8 vote a historic achievement, comparable to Chile’s adoption of secret ballots in 1874 and of women gaining the right to vote in 1949.

Until now, registration was voluntary, but voting thereafter was mandatory, with $150 fines levied for failing to show up at the polls. The dictatorship-era system proved such a disincentive that fewer citizens bothered to register, giving an ever-smaller group of older voters a disproportionate say.

The new law automatically registers Chilean citizens on their 18th birthday, but makes voting optional. Government spokesman Cristian Larroulet called it a much-needed improvement to Chile’s political system. “Our democracy has been getting older, it has been losing prestige,” Larroulet said. “We need to bring politics closer to the people.”

Nearly three-fourths of the new voters are less than 30 years old and part of a generation energized by this year’s massive protests for changes in education funding. Municipal elections in October will provide a first test of the youth vote ahead of presidential and congressional elections in 2013.

“We now have a gigantic challenge: Perhaps because of this, many of us will be replaced in the future. I don’t have the least doubt that there will be brutal changes in Chilean politics,” opposition Sen. Ricardo Lagos said. “If we add to this what hopefully will be a reform of the two-party system and enable Chileans abroad to vote, we’re going to get ever closer to a better and more healthy democracy.”

Chile’s system of dividing the spoils between center-right and center-left coalitions is next up for change. Created by the so-called “brains” of Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, the late Sen. Jaime Guzman, it has all but insured that minority parties are kept out of Congress. In Chile, both senate seats from each region are up for grabs in every other election, and unless a coalition collectively wins at least two-thirds of all the region’s votes, it can be left out entirely.

For example, if one coalition’s candidates win 60 percent and 5 percent, and the other’s win 55 percent and 12 percent totaling 67 percent, or twothirds of votes, the latter party wins both seats, even though neither of its candidates was the top votegetter.

Opposition Sen. Ignacio Walker called on Pinera to keep his promise and send to Congress a project to modify the law. “Unless the binomial system is changed, we won’t have an authentic democracy,” he said.— AP

Turkey recalls ambassador French lawmakers pass genocide law on Armenians ANKARA/ PARIS: Turkey’s state-run TV says the country is recalling its ambassador to France in retaliation for a vote in French Parliament making it a crime to deny the WWI-era mass killings of Armenians amounts to genocide. The bill was passed yesterday in France’s lower house. It still must be approved in the Senate.

Turkey vehemently rejects the term “genocide” to describe the killings and had campaigned to get France to abandon the legislation. TRT television says ambassador Tahsin Burcuoglu would be withdrawn. Foreign Ministry officials would not immediately confirm the report, saying an announcement would be made by the prime minister.

Despite strong protests by Turkey, French lawmakers easily passed a measure yesterday to make it a crime in France to deny that the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 amounted to a genocide.

There was no official vote count in the ballot in France’s lower house of parliament since lawmakers simply voted by raising their hands. The measure now goes to the Senate, where its fate is less clear. The measure could put France on a collision course with Turkey, a strategic ally and trading partner that says the conflict nearly 100 years ago should be left to historians.

France formally recognized the killings as genocide in 2001, but provided no penalty for anyone denying that. The bill sets a punishment of up to one year in prison and a fine of euro45,000 ($59,000) for those who deny or “outrageously minimize” the killings by Ottoman Turks, putting such action on a par with denial of the Holocaust. Lawmakers denounced what they called Turkey’s propaganda effort in a bid to sway them.

“Laws voted in this chamber cannot be dictated by Ankara,” said JeanChristophe Lagarde, a deputy from the New Center party, as Turks demonstrated outside the National Assembly ahead of the vote. The bill’s author said she was “shocked” at the attempt to interfere with the parliament’s work.

“My bill doesn’t aim at any particular country,” said Valerie Boyer, a deputy from the ruling conservative UMP party. “It is inspired by European law, which says that the people who deny the existence of the genocides must be sanctioned.” President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative government backed the measure despite the ire and threats - of Turkey.

ISTANBUL: People wave Turkish flags and hold banners during a rally in front of the French Consulate in Istanbul yesterday, after the French Parliament approved to ban the denial of the Armenian genocide. —AFP An initial bid to punish denial of the Armenian genocide failed earlier this year, killed by the Senate five years after it was passed by the lower house.

Turkey, which vehemently rejects the term “genocide,” has campaigned to get France to abandon the legislation, threatening to withdraw its ambassador and warning of “grave consequences” to economic and political ties.

French authorities have stressed the importance of bilateral ties with Turkey and the key role it plays in sensitive strategic issues as a member of NATO, in Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

However, Sarkozy has long opposed the entry into the European Union of mostly Muslim Turkey, putting a constant strain on the two nations’ ties.

Turkey says with the measure France will be tampering with freedom of expression by denying people the right to say what they think. Turkish authorities attribute the action to a bid by Sarkozy’s party for short-term political gains ahead of spring presidential and legislative elections.

Turkish authorities have weighed in with caustic remarks about France’s past. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has recalled France’s colonial history in Algeria and a 1945 massacre there, as well as its role in Rwanda, where some have claimed a French role in the 1994 genocide there. “Those who do want to see genocide should turn around and look at their own dirty and bloody history,” Erdogan said last weekend. “Turkey will stand against

this intentional, malicious, unjust and illegal attempt through all kinds of diplomatic means.”

Turkish President Abdullah Gul spoke out on the issue this week, saying it will “put France in a position of a country that does not respect freedom of expression and does not allow objective scientific research.” Turkey insists the mass killings of Armenians up to 1.5 million, historians estimate occurred during civil unrest as the Ottoman Empire collapsed, with losses on both sides. Historians contend the Armenians were massacred in the first genocide of the 20th century.

France is pressing Turkey to own up to its history for the sake of “memory” just as the French have officially recognized the role of their state - the collaborationist Vichy government - in the deportation of Jews to Nazi death camps during World War II. In October, Sarkozy visited Armenia and its capital of Yerevan, urging Turkey to recognize the 1915 killings as genocide. “Turkey, which is a great country, would honor itself by revisiting its history like other countries in the world have done,” Sarkozy said.

France, however, took its own time recognizing the state’s role in the Holocaust. It was not until 1995 that then-President Jacques Chirac proclaimed France’s active role in sending its citizens to death camps. And it was only in 2009 that his historic declaration was formally recognized in a ruling

by France’s top body, the Council of State.— AP

Tymoshenko to boycott ‘shameful’ appeal process KIEV: Ukraine’s jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko yesterday announced she and her lawyers would boycott the “shameful” appeal process against her seven year jail sentence. “Watching from behind bars the horror show that the process has become, I have decided to refrain from further participation in this shameful process,” the jailed opposition leader said in a statement. “Seeking truth and justice in the Ukrainian courts is completely futile,” she said. “The current authorities, (President Viktor) Yanukovych’s regime completely destroyed the justice system.”

Her legal team confirmed that they would not be attending the hearings in the future.

It appears that the appeal process will continue as before at the Kiev appeals court but in the absence of any representatives of the defence. The 2004 Orange Revolution leader was sentenced in October for abuse of power while prime minister in a case that was launched just months after she lost a close election to Yanukovych. Her trial and imprisonment have severely strained the former Soviet state’s relations with the European Union and more recently prompted Kiev to explore closer economic ties with

Moscow. The EU warned Yanukovychaccused by his rival of launching a vendetta against her-on Monday that the signing of an agreement taking Kiev a step closer to membership of the bloc depended on Tymoshenko’s release. There has also been growing concern about Tymoshenko’s health, with her relatives saying she is confined to her bed with back pains that make it impossible for her to walk. A controversial video was also leaked to the press earlier this month that showed Tymoshenko lying in bed in the medical wing of her Lukyanovsky prison in Kiev, in comfortable

surroundings that resembled a hotel room.

“What kind of truth can there be when people burst into your room with cameras and then claim it’s replete with plasma televisions and shower cabins?” she asked.

“Or when you are fed with pain killers every two hours but then they claim you are the most healthy person on the planet?” Despite the growing diplomatic problems for Kiev, Yanukovych repeated in a press conference on Wednesday that he played no part in the court’s decision to imprison Tymoshenko and would not be interfering in the case.—AFP

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Russia’s Medvedev offers some reforms but demands stability Proposed changes welcome but insufficient: Opposition

KHARTOUM: A Sudanese Santa embraces a student during Christmas celebrations at a school in Khartoum yesterday.

The fear of kidnappings, a dwindling number of worshippers, and shrinking church finances mar the first Christmas in Muslim-majority Sudan since the Christian South separated, church sources say.—AFP

‘Kidnappings’ mar Sudan Christmas without South KHARTOUM: The fear of kidnappings, a dwindling number of worshippers, and shrinking church finances mar the first Christmas in Muslim-majority Sudan since the Christian South separated, church sources say. “We are going to have a Christmas like parents without children,” said one source. Like others, he asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the issue-in particular the alleged abduction of ethnic southern youth to fight in the country’s southern border region or with rebels in South Sudan.

“The young people are worried about being rounded up to serve in militia on the border,” another church source said. “They take them to the camp, train them for a few weeks and then they send them.” Sudanese forces in the country’s South Kordofan state have since June been fighting former allies of the rebels who fought for the independence of South Sudan. The South gained independence from the mainly Arab Muslim north in July after a two-decade civil war, and an overwhelming vote to break away. The fighting spilled into nearby Blue Nile state as Khartoum moved to assert its authority within its new boundaries.

Philip Aguer, South Sudan’s military spokesman, made essentially the same allegations as the church sources in Khartoum. He said ethnic South Sudanese in Khartoum were among those particularly vulnerable to forced recruitment. “They are sending them to the training camps of Sudan Armed Forces” and then dispatching them to areas including South Kordofan and Blue Nile, or to the forces of George Athor fighting in South Sudan’s Jonglei state, Aguer said.

The Juba government announced on Tuesday that Athor had been killed in a clash with its forces. Sudan’s police spokesman could not be reached for comment on the allegations of forced conscription. “Some youth are becoming a target” in the Sudanese capital, a third church source said, adding the insecurity could affect attendance at midnight services planned for Christmas Eve on Saturday, although churches are asking the authorities to provide protection.

A clergyman and two others were recently held for three days in a suburban home after plainclothes men jumped from a pickup truck and surrounded them after they had left a prayer meeting, sources alleged. They said the three were released after paying thousands of Sudanese pounds (more than $1,000). “There is a lot of insecurity and we are afraid,” one church source said.

Churches are already struggling to deal with increasingly empty pews after, according to the United Nations, almost 350,000 ethnic South Sudanese headed to the South since October last year.

“Every Sunday we set maybe 10 or 15 minutes’ time to pray for those who are going,” said Canon Sylvester Thomas, dean of All Saints Episcopal Cathedral in Khartoum. “Last Sunday we had about six of them who are leaving”. Even the cemetery is emptying, as some returnees dig up the bones of their relatives to take with them, Thomas said at his church, while the evening Muslim call to prayer sounded from a neighborhood mosque. Each traveller receives a certificate of appreciation and thanks. —AFP

MOSCOW: President Dmitry Medvedev responded to protests over the fraudtainted election by proposing some reforms yesterday to liberalize Russia’s political system, but sternly warned that the government won’t allow “provocateurs and extremists” to threaten stability. The opposition said the proposed changes were welcome but insufficient, vowing to keep their push for the Dec 4 parliamentary vote to be rerun and election officials accused of violations to be punished. Medvedev, a lame-duck leader speaking in his last state-of-the nation address before Russia’s March 4 presidential election, said Russia “needs democracy, not chaos” and that the government would strongly resist foreign pressure.

The statement follows massive rallies against fraud in the Dec. 4 vote, in which the main Kremlin party, United Russia, lost a quarter of its seats. Opposition leaders and independent election monitors say United Russia only managed to retain its majority by fraud. A rally in Moscow demanding a repeat vote and punishment for the officials involved was the largest show of discontent since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Another massive rally is set for this weekend.

The protests have dented the power of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and signaled that his bid to reclaim the presidency in next March’s vote may not be as trouble-free as had been thought. He and Medvedev have said they planned to exchange places. Both Putin and Medvedev, his loyal placeholder, have firmly rejected calls for a rerun, saying the vote reflected the people’s will.

Putin has accused the United States of fomenting the protests in order to weaken Russia and Medvedev has rejected US criticism of the vote.

“We won’t allow provocateurs and extremists to drag society into their adventures, and we won’t allow any outside interference into our domestic affairs,” Medvedev said yesterday. While defending the vote results, Putin has suggested easing the tight controls on Russia’s political life that he introduced while he was president from 2000 to

MOSCOW: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, comes to deliver his last state-of-the nation address in Moscow’s Kremlin, Russia yesterday.—AP 2008. Putin said he would support relaxing the draconian rules of registration for political parties and restoring the direct elections of governors. Putin added, however, that the president would retain the power to approve gubernatorial candidates.

Medvedev repeated the pledge to return to direct elections of governors and spelled out Putin’s promise to ease registration rules for political parties. He said a group of 500 people representing more than half of Russia’s provinces would be allowed to register a party - a significant simplification of the current arcane procedure that requires a party to have at least 45,000 members.

Medvedev also proposed reducing the number of signatures a candidate must collect to get on the presidential ballot from 2 million to 300,000. He also promised to ease rigid state control over TV, saying one of the three nationwide TV stations should be allowed to shape its coverage without government interference.

The opposition, however, would only be able to take advantage of the new procedures in the next election cycle.

“Medvedev’s address is like an injection in an artificial limb,” tweeted Oleg Kashin, a columnist at the Kommersant daily. Boris Nemtsov, an opposition leader, said Medvedev’s proposals were welcome but not enough, adding that Saturday’s rally will continue to push for the latest election to be voided and rerun. “We wouldn’t have heard any of these proposals if there hadn’t been protests,” Nemtsov said on Ekho Moskvy radio.

Vladimir Ryzhkov, whose liberal Parnas party had been denied registration, said the changes proposed by Medvedev were long overdue, but added they would mean little if the authorities continued to reject demands for a vote rerun. On the Internet, many argued for keeping pressure on the government to bring more democratic changes. Over 39,000 already have signed up on Facebook for Saturday’s rally. “Well, they threw some bones to us,” Elena Panfilova, head of Transparency International in Russia, said on Twitter. “Now we can either try to build something good out of them or demand the rest of the skeleton.”—AP

Rush to clean major oil spill from Shell field off Nigeria LAGOS: Authorities rushed to prevent one of Nigeria’s worst recent oil spills from reaching the West African nation’s shoreline yesterday, with production from a major Shell field also shut due to the leak. Shell, which said the leak has been stopped, has estimated that less than 40,000 barrels of crude have spilled into the sea and was deploying ships with dispersants to attack the slick.

Planes were also being mobilized. It was Nigeria’s worst offshore spill since a 1998 Mobil incident, officials said, though onshore leaks have been estimated at levels far worse since that time in the oilproducing Niger Delta. “It’s about the same level with what happened in 1998 with the Mobil oil spill,” said Peter

Idabor, head of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency. “The oil slicks went down the whole coast line and beyond Nigeria’s borders.” He said, however, that Nigeria was better prepared this time, with some 210 tons of dispersant being prepared to attack the spill, which has spread to an area between 35 and 45 miles (about 55 to 70 kilometres) in size. He said it was unclear when the oil slick could reach the shore.

London-based Oil Spill Response Limited was to be involved in the clean up, Idabor said. The slick was moving in the direction of Forcados, which is located along the coast of Nigeria’s Delta state, he said. Nnimmo Bassey, the Nigeria-based head of Friends of the

Earth International who has closely monitored spills in the country, called it a major incident and pressed for an independent analysis of the amount of oil leaked. “We can see a real threat to livelihood to fishermen and local communities onshore,” he said. The leak occurred Tuesday at Shell’s Bonga field some 120 kilometers off Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer and an OPEC member.

Production has halted at the field, which has a capacity of 200,000 barrels per day. The company claimed yesterday that “up to 50 percent of the leaked oil has already dissipated due to natural dispersion and evaporation,” but that figure was impossible to verify independently.— AFP

International FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Pakistan PM fears ouster, hits out at army ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s embattled Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani yesterday said conspirators were plotting to bring down his government and delivered an unprecedented tirade against the powerful military. In astonishing confirmation that he fears being ousted, he angrily denied the government was subservient to the army, long considered the chief arbiter of power in Pakistan as his administration grapples with a damaging scandal.

Pressures are at boiling point over a memo, allegedly written with approval from the president, asking for US help to prevent a feared military coup after Osama bin Laden was killed in May. Rampant speculation that President Asif Ali Zardari could be forced out of office over the scandal and illness has refused to die, despite his return to the capital following two weeks of medical treatment in Dubai.

“I want to make it clear today that conspiracies are being hatched here to pack up the elected government,” Gilani told a gathering at the National Arts Gallery, without naming anyone. “But we will continue to fight for the rights of

people of Pakistan whether or not we remain in the government,” Gilani said, declaring himself the country’s longest serving premier, with 45 months on the job.

He was the most senior member of the government to speak so candidly about frenzied speculation pumped out daily by the local media about the future of an administration made unpopular by recession, power cuts, scandal and inflation. Two weeks ago, Interior Minister Rehman Malik dismissed rumours that a coup could overthrow the government, but Gilani’s remarks appeared to show that members of the administration believe their early departure is possible.

Zardari and his government have earned praise for successfully navigating scandals and calls for their resignation since taking office after the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won elections in February 2008. But any decision from the Supreme Court to investigate the memo, as recommended by the military, would build significant pressure on the president at a time of huge tension between the army and the civilian government. Elections are not due until

Probe finds US mistakes in Pakistan air strike: reports WASHINGTON: The United States said yesterday mistakes and misunderstandings resulted in last month’s Pakistan air strikes that killed 24 soldiers, but insisted US forces were fired on first and had “acted in self defense and with appropriate force.” A fundamental lack of trust between the two countries played a big factor in the border incident that has heightened tension in an already fragile relationship, which prompted Islamabad to cut off critical NATO supply routes to Afghanistan.

Results of the US military probe, already shared with the Pakistani and Afghan governments, and the NATO leadership, maintained there was there “no intentional effort to target persons or places known to be part of the Pakistani military,” according to a Pentagon statement.

There was also no effort to “deliberately provide inaccurate location information to Pakistani officials” amid the strike, said the Defense official. A separate NATO investigation also released yesterday found that both the alliance and Pakistani forces made mistakes in the incident, and that forces were unable “to properly coordinate their locations and actions, both before the operation and during the resulting engagement.”

Pakistan has sought a full apology from President Barack Obama for the strikes, and some officials have alleged it was a deliberate assault on Pakistani troops. US officials have insisted the November 26 incident was a regrettable mistake. The Pentagon probe said that “inadequate coordination” by both US and Pakistani military officers in the wake of US and Afghan troops “being fired upon” lead to the strikes. “Gaps in information about the activities and placement of units from both sides, contributed to the tragic result,” said the Pentagon.

The NATO investigation said Afghan and NATO-led forces “legitimately responded in self-defense” after being initially fired upon by “unidentified forces” that were not believed to be Pakistani military at the time, the alliance said. “The combined force did not knowingly fire at the Pakistani forces,” the alliance said. US authorities cited a lack of trust as a key problem for effectively securing the border region, where US, Afghan and NATO forces are battling Taliban insurgents in the area.

The Pentagon said the allied forces “cannot operate effectively on the border-or in other parts of our relationship-without addressing the fundamental trust still lacking between us. We earnestly hope the Pakistani military will join us in bridging that gap.” —AFP

February 2013, but the opposition has begun campaign rallies in earnest and many observers expect polls some time in 2012. No civilian leader in Pakistan has ever completed a full term in office.

Although the military has ruled Pakistan for more than half its existence and seized power in four coups, analysts rule out any imminent takeover. At the National Arts Gallery, Gilani called the army “disciplined”, saying that they “follow the constitution” and “will remain under the government”.

But heading off questions in parliament, he took aim at the army after the defence ministry told the Supreme Court “it does not exercise any operational control” over the armed forces or ISI intelligence agency. “If they say that they are not under the ministry of defence, then we should get out of this slavery, then this parliament has no importance, this system has no importance, then you are not sovereign,” he told lawmakers.

“Nobody is above the law, all the institutions are subservient to the parliament,” Gilani insisted. Appearing to lose patience, he said the government had

stood by the security services over a storm of American pressure over the Osama bin Laden killing, the November 26 NATO attack and the 2008 attacks on Mumbai.

“In the worst circumstances we doubled their salaries. They have to be accountable to parliament.” “We are being asked by the judicial commission (examining the May 2 US raid that killed bin Laden raid and how the Al-Qaeda leader lived in Pakistan undetected) about issuance of visas (to Americans).

“But I want to ask how was (bin Laden) living here for the past six years?

On what type of visa was he living here?

Why was security not taken care of, if he entered Pakistan without a visa?” Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif this week demanded snap elections. The Supreme Court adjourned until Friday a hearing on whether to investigate the memo allegedly written by one of Zardari’s closest advisers to ask for American help over a feared military coup in May. Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington, was forced to resign over the scandal and flatly denies the accusations from a US businessman. —AFP

Popular India activist vows protests over anti-graft bill NEW DELHI: A popular activist who stoked public anger at India’s scandalprone leaders this year threatened yesterday to renew protests at what he sees as watering down of an anti-corruption bill, a move that could blight the government’s New Year election drive. Anna Hazare, 74, said he will gather supporters to picket the homes of ruling party leaders Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, and aims to get arrested to highlight demands for a powerful, graftfighting ombudsman.

Hazare’s anti-corruption agenda has kept Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the ropes since January, impacting the pace of economic reform in Asia’s third largest economy as it battles high inflation and slowing economic growth.

“Sonia Gandhi says the bill is strong. If it is so, let her come out and debate with us in front of media,” Hazare told reporters in his home village. “Convince the people of the country that it is strong. We will explain how it is not strong.”

The government presented the bill to create the new ombudsman yesterday in Parliament , but disruption by opposition parties over details slowed proceedings. Hazare’s team wants the bill redrafted to make the federal police an arm of the new watchdog. The push for the bill follows a series of corruption cases in the past two years highlighted by a telecoms scandal. A former telecoms minister in Singh’s government and a lawmaker of the ruling coalition are among the 14 individuals and three companies charged in a case involving alleged rigging in the grant of licences in 2007/08. A state auditor has estimated a potential revenue loss of up to $39 billion to the government due to sale of licences at below-market prices in that period.

Singh, who launched economic

NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Yadav displays the draft of the government’s version of the Lokpal Bill, an anti-corruption watchdog, outside the parliament house in New Delhi, India yesterday.—AP reforms in India in 1991 as finance minister, retains a clean image but is criticized for failing to stop problems on his watch. His government has struggled to pass legislation ahead of a key election in the largest state of Uttar Pradesh in February, with even a populist measure of food subsidies questioned by state governments. Among other key reforms delayed, Singh failed to win support for plans to allow foreign supermarkets in India late this year.

Hazare struck a rich vein of public anger and rocked the government in the summer when he launched a two week hunger strike that brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets to support him. But for now, he plans to stop eating for three days from Dec. 27, hoping that will prompt the government to re-draft the bill to make

the watchdog much more powerful.

“We will go on agitating, we will go on making people aware, the people are the voters, the more informed they are the more informed decision they will make when the go to vote” said Kiran Bedi, a former senior police officer and close Hazare aide. However, India’s media which covered the fast live on nationwide television and through strident newspaper editorials is not as besotted with the fiesty campaigner as it was a few months back, as subsequent accusations of financial misdeeds by aides may have dented his popularity.

“It becomes more and more impossible to believe that India’s Parliament should listen much longer to their maximalist, unworkable demands,” the Business Standard newspaper said of Hazare and his aides.— Reuters

International FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Japan nuclear utility says power bills must go up TOKYO: The Japanese utility behind the nuclear plant hobbled by the March tsunami said yesterday that electricity bills must go up to cover costs of switching to other forms of power.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., or TEPCO, must compensate those evacuated for radiation risks, as well as the massive costs for shutting down the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

It expressed fears it might not be able to stay afloat without the extra cash. It did not say how much electricity tariffs would increase. The March 11 tsunami damaged backup generators at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan, sending three reactors into meltdown and triggering the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Government approval is needed to raise the utility bill for consumers. Prospects for that are uncertain as the utility is under fire for the nuclear crisis, which has spewed radiation into the air and the ocean.

Raising the utility bill is likely to be seen as passing on to consumers the huge costs of resolving the nuclear disaster. Government officials and experts have recently begun to hint that the only way out for TEPCO may be nationalization under a government bailout. But nothing has been decided. “We are extremely sorry for our customers but we ask for understanding,” TEPCO President Toshio Nishizawa told reporters. TEPCO says its fuel costs for fiscal 2011 are expected to increase by about 830 billion yen ($10.6 billion) from the previous year.

Compensation for victims, decontamination expenses and costs for scrapping the plant are likely to balloon to trillions of more yen (billions of dollars), and some taxpayer money has already been earmarked for a part of that bill. TEPCO is set to receive 891 billion yen ($11.4 billion) in government assistance for compensation payments, including for farmers and other residents demanding damages over businesses hammered by fears of radiation, even when products weren’t contaminated.

The Japanese government said Wednesday it might take 40 years or more to fully decommission Fukushima Dai-ichi as the effort is unprecedented and includes removing melted fuel whose exact location remains uncertain but may have fallen to the bottom of each reactor’s containment vessel. TEPCO stock, once considered a safe investment, has lost about 90 percent of its value since March.— AP

UN says Philippine flood destruction like tsunami UN official appeals for $28 million in aid ILIGAN: A southern Philippine area devastated by flash floods that killed more than 1,000 people looks like it was hit by a tsunami, a UN official said yesterday as he appealed for $28 million in aid for the region. UN humanitarian coordinator Soe Nyunt-U voiced concern about possible outbreaks of disease among the thousands living in evacuation centers after their houses were washed away last Friday when a tropical storm unleashed the flash floods.

“It was as if the cities were hit by an inland tsunami,” Nyunt-U told reporters in Manila. “Entire areas were completely flattened. “ Aid workers were rushing in relief supplies, but a lack of running water was a major concern. “We must improve this situation at the soonest possible time to avoid disease outbreaks that will further compound the hardships of the people already weakened by hunger and grief from loss of family and friends,” Nyunt-U said. He mentioned a cholera type virus that may occur due to problems stemming from congestion in the evacuation centers, where poor sanitation and hygiene posed a health risk. Such concerns were nagging Annaliza Tumanda, who was caring for her baby daughter, Aizee, born at the height of the storm and floods that destroyed their home in Cagayan de Oro. They were at a government-run shelter in the same city.

Tumanda said she, her husband and three children - aged 3 to 8 - swam to a neighbor’s three-story house. She went into labor Saturday morning and was brought by rescuers to the roof of a health center, where she gave birth to a healthy 6.6-pound (3-kilogram) baby.

“With God’s will, we survived,” she said.

MINDANAO: A boy, one of the affected of the devastating flash floods cries next to his sister at a covered court serving as a temporary evacuation center in Cagayan de Oro City, in southern island of Mindanao yesterday.—AFP “It was like a miracle.”In all, 640,000 people have been affected by the disaster, the government and the UN said. “Debris from houses, buildings and other structures that had been destroyed by the storm was all swept out to the sea, leaving huge areas devoid of all traces of habitation,” Nyunt-U said. Nyunt-U said he was hopeful donors and foreign governments would respond to the appeal despite the global economic crisis. An appeal launched following a 2009 typhoon that killed about 500 people in Manila collected only half the funds needed.

“It’s the Christmas season and the willingness of the international community is

high,” he said, adding that “no country can stand alone.” About 45,000 displaced are inside evacuation centers, most of them in worst-hit Iligan and Cagayan de Oro cities in the southern Mindanao region. Another 266,000 are being assisted outside temporary shelters. Nearly 30,000 houses were destroyed and damaged. The two cities are home to nearly a million people.

Local authorities and grieving relatives were moving ahead with dozens of burials each day. The handful of local funeral parlors are overwhelmed and have stopped accepting bodies, which are still being retrieved from the sea or mud almost a week after the disaster. — AP

Thai govt faces lawsuit over flood crisis handling BANGKOK: Hundreds of Thai flood victims have filed a lawsuit with a top court accusing the prime minister, Bangkok’s governor and five state agencies of mishandling the country’s worst flood crisis in five decades. The complaint was presented to Thailand’s Central Administrative Court by a group representing 352 Thais, which blamed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra, three ministers and heads of five government agencies for causing major damage to health and property in their attempts to protect the capital.

The flooding came in late July and lasted until late November, killing more than 600 people and affecting about 2.4 million more in a third of the country’s provinces. The industrialised provinces of Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi and Ayutthaya on the northern fringes of Bangkok were the worst affected, with farmland, homes and industrial estates deluged, causing huge damage to homes, businesses and factories and disruptions in global supply chains.

The suit was filed on Wednesday

by Srisuwan Janya, a legal activist and head of the Stop Global Warming Association (SGWA). In 2009, the group successfully petitioned the

same court to suspend dozens of projects at the Map Ta Phut industrial estate, the world’s eighth-largest petrochemicals hub, over environ-

BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (R) and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (L) inspect an umbrella at a products exhibition after the signing ceremony between Thailand and China at Government House in Bangkok yesterday. Xi is on a three-day official visit to Thailand. —AFP

mental law breaches. Srisuwan told Reuters the SGWA’s petition demanded compensation for victims for damage to property, comprehensive measures to prevent a repeat of the crisis and an annual fund of 2 billion baht ($64 million) to help victims.

A court official said the court would consider the case but gave no timeframe for when it would make a decision on whether to pursue it.

Yingluck and Sukhumbhand came under heavy criticism for sending mixed messages to the public, closing sluice gates and building a network of flood walls to protect inner Bangkok, which meant water levels stayed higher than two metres for several months in surrounding provinces.

Yingluck said on Dec. 8 that floodrelated damages had been put at 1.3 trillion baht ($42.2 billion) and would rise substantially over the longer term with the rebuilding and improvement of flood defences.

The cabinet approved 20.1 billion baht in emergency spending for postflood rebuilding on Dec. 12, part of a previously pledged 130 billion baht for the recovery effort. — Reuters

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Mythmaking begins for N Korea’s next leader ust before North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died, the skies glowed red above sacred Mount Paektu and the impenetrable sheet of ice at the heart of the mystical volcano cracked with a deafening roar.

At least, that’s the official account of the supernatural circumstances preceding Kim’s death last Saturday, as relayed by the staterun Korean Central News Agency. The news agency is one of the chief propaganda organs tasked with building up the quasi-religious mystique around the Kim family, which has ruled North Korea since its founding in 1948.

The tools for making the myth have been developed over two generations, dating back to Kim’s father, late President Kim Il Sung. But with Kim Jong Il’s sudden death and the ascension of his young son Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s image artisans will have to do it all at warp speed.

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Some of the hallmarks of the mythmaking machine in North Korea: THE BLOODLINE Founder Kim Il Sung remains North Korea’s “eternal president” and lies embalmed at his former presidential palace. Son Kim Jong Il took over after his father’s death in 1994 in what was the communist world’s first hereditary succession. He’s now lying in state at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace.

Kim Jong Il is credited with rewriting the main rules behind North Korea’s one-family

PYONGYANG: In this undated file photo released by Korean Central News Agency and distributed by Korea News Service in Tokyo, Nov 25, 2010, Kim Jong Un, son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, accompanies his father’s visit to the Kangso Mineral Water Processing Factory in Pyongannam Do, North Korea. —AP

ideology, called the Ten Principles, after being tapped as his father’s successor. His revisions revolved around mythologizing the Kim family and making them central to the nation’s identity.

The two late leaders’ birthdays are the nation’s biggest holidays, and even the calendar year begins with Kim Il Sung’s birth year, 1912. This year is Juche 100.

With Kim Jong Un poised to extend the Kim family dynasty into an additional generation, North Korea is quickly building the mythology by emphasizing his bloodline and the Kim family legacy, from its roots as revolutionaries fighting the Japanese to their spiritual role as protectors of the North Korean people.

THE LEGENDS Kim Jong Il’s official biography says he was “heaven sent,” born in a log cabin in Mount Paektu while his father was fighting the Japanese.

“Wishing him to be the lodestar that would brighten the future of Korea, they hailed him as the Bright Star of Mount Paektu,” his biography reads.

Lore has it soldiers spread the news of his birth by inscribing the announcement on trees across the country - a practice that North Koreans continue today by carving the leaders’ messages into rocks and mountainsides.

Soviet records, however, reportedly indicate Kim Jong Il was born a year earlier in Siberia. The account of his death was just as mythic. His obituary in state media called him the “illustrious commander born of heaven,” and on Wednesday, KCNA said a Manchurian crane spotted in the city of Hamhung circled a statue of Kim Il Sung for hours before dropping its head and taking off toward Pyongyang. The crane is a traditional Korean symbol of longevity.

The mythmaking for Kim Jong Un has begun as well, with an editorial in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper calling him “born of heaven.” However, details of his birth, and the accompanying legend, have not yet been revealed.

A US official told The Associated Press he is 27 years old, though many observers suspect he will skip a few years and celebrate his 30th birthday in January 2012.

That would make for a mystic convergence of numbers: Kim Jong Il would have turned 70 and Kim Jong Un would turn 30 in the year that Kim Il Sung would have turned 100.

THE ICONOGRAPHY A towering bronze statue of Kim Il Sung, his arm outstretched, lords over the capital city from atop Mansu Hill. In the days since Kim Jong Il’s death, mourners have been streaming to the hill to lay flowers at the statue as they typically do for the leaders’ birthdays and other major occasions. Kim Il Sung’s smiling face also beams from the face of major buildings, though his portrait at the Grand People’s Study House in central Pyongyang was replaced this week by one of Kim Jong Il. Portraits of the two late leaders feature prominently in every building in North Korea, father and son side by side or standing together in colorful portraits, murals and larger-than-life mosaics interspersed in every village and city across the country.

PYONGYANG: In this Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011 photo released by the Korean Central News Agency and distributed in Tokyo yesterday by the Korea News Service, North Koreans pay respects to their late leader Kim Jong Il at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea. —AP Some also portray Kim Jong Il’s mother, Kim Jong Suk, considered the mother of North Korea. Similar portraits of the next leader, Kim Jong Un, have not been revealed, though his name has begun appearing in recent months on plaques commemorating visits and offering blessings to all three leaders. North Koreans are never far from their leaders: Most wear small lapel pins of one of the leader’s faces on their left side, “close to our hearts,” a government official said.

THE PROPAGANDA Most billboards in North Korea carry slogans, not advertisements, with the leaders’ main messages. Recent slogans focus on construction and the economy, such as: “Everything in the name of improving the people’s daily lives” - and tout the goal of building a “strong and prosperous nation.”

Pillars inscribed with “juche,” the national philosophy of self-reliance, line country roads.

North Korea has only one state-run TV channel, which shows cartoons in the late afternoon, the news, and soap operas and films in the evening. Major national announcements including the news of the deaths of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il - are made on state TV. The Korean Central News Agency is the official news agency of the state while the Rodong Sinmun is the newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party. The leaders’ names appear in a larger font than the rest of the text.

THE LOOK Kim Jong Un bears a startling resemblance to Kim Il Sung during his early years as leader.

Some North Koreans say they were moved to tears after seeing Kim Jong Un for the first time last year because he so resembled his grandfather.

THE NICKNAMES The Kims ruled North Korea under the title “suryong,” or “leader,” but are often referred to by other titles as well. Kim Il Sung, who remains the nation’s “eternal President,” is also commonly called the “Great Leader.” Kim

Jong Il was known as the “Dear Leader” until taking power; during his rule, he was called “Great Comrade,” “Supreme Commander” and often “Father.” Kim Jong Un was dubbed “Young General” after being made a four-star general in September 2010. He became “Respected General” in 2011, and was elevated to “Great Successor” after his father’s death. North Korean state media this week have referred to him as “Outstanding Leader.”

THE ARTS The Arirang “Mass Games” are a stunning spectacle of choreography and synchronicity involving 100,000 dancers tumbling and leaping in unison while students use placards to create a huge, cascading wall of images as a backdrop. The performance also is a key tool for broadcasting the North Korean leadership’s main political and economic messages.

In 2010, a new section was added paying homage to ally China that featured somersaulting panda bears.

THE SONG “Tramp, tramp, tramp! The footsteps of our General Kim!” So go the lyrics of the song “Footsteps,” released as the leadership began rolling out the succession campaign for Kim Jong Un - the first hint to the outside world that an heir had been chosen.

In October, young women in traditional Korean dresses and men in Western-style suits danced to the song, clapping their hands above their heads and stomping around the plaza in front of a huge hammer-and-sickle monument.

Another popular tune is the catchy “Song of CNC,” an ode to digital technology, which Kim Jong Un is widely credited with pushing as part of North Korea’s economic reform.

While North Koreans learn many of the same traditional Korean songs as children in the South - such as the popular folk tune “Arirang” - they have their own patriotic tunes, including “Song of Gen. Kim Jong Il,” “Glory to Our Great Party” and “We Live in the Embrace of the Leader.”— AP

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KSE stocks lose ground; UAE, Qatar edge higher

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Public strike brings Belgium to standstill PAGE 21

NEW YORK: Pedestrians with shopping bags make their way along Fifth Avenue in New York. The US economy grew more slowly in the summer than previously thought because consumers spent less than the government had first estimated. But economists expect growth in the current October-December quarter to be stronger. — AP (See Page 20)

BA buys bmi for Heathrow growth Virgin seeks to block $270 million deal LONDON: British Airways owner IAG has agreed to buy Lufthansa’s British unit bmi for 172.5 million pounds ($270 million), seeing off rival bidder Virgin in the race to grab loss-making bmi’s coveted runway slots at London Heathrow.

The all-cash deal, which requires regulatory approval, would give IAG more than half the daily take-off and landing slots at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, which is operating at full capacity after plans to build a third runway were scrapped. Virgin Atlantic, which tabled a rival offer for bmi earlier this month, said it would ask anti-trust regulators to block the deal as it would stifle competition and push up prices.

“We will fight this monopoly every step of the way as we think it is bad for the consumer, bad for the industry, and bad for Britain,” Virgin founder Richard Branson said in a statement.

IAG currently holds 43.1 percent of the slots at Heathrow. This would rise to about 52 percent if its takeover of bmi gets the go-ahead from regulators. That compares with

Lufthansa’s two-thirds share of the runway slots at Frankfurt, and Air France-KLM’s 59 percent of Charles de Gaulle in Paris and 57 percent of Amsterdam’s Schipol, and suggests regulators are likely to approve the deal.

“In terms of dominance and position at a primary hub this would not be setting a new boundary,” said Investec analyst Andrew Fitchie in London. “Expect a bumpy ride, but realistically they’re not setting new records here.”

IAG, which also owns Spain’s Iberia, said absorbing bmi’s runway slots would allow it to launch lucrative new long-haul routes from Heathrow. The deal should be complete by March, and will contribute to earnings from 2014 at the latest, it added. Chief Executive Willie Walsh said there would be “some job losses” as part of an effort to turn around ailing bmi, formerly British Midland International, which last year racked up pretax losses of 153 million pounds.

“We’ve put a lot of time and effort in getting to this point in the process, and we wouldn’t

have done that if we thought it was impossible from a regulatory point of view,” Walsh told reporters on a conference call. IAG shares were up 2.3 percent at 148.5 pence at 1140 GMT, outpacing a 1 percent rise in the FTSE Eurofirst 300 index of top European shares. Lufthansa was 1.3 percent higher.

“I think this is a highly positive strategic move for IAG because it delivers a big boost to its presence in what is arguably the world’s most attractive aviation market,” said Douglas McNeill, an analyst at stockbroker Charles Stanley in London.

“I think Lufthansa will regard the price as quite a good outcome for them as well because they’ve managed to get a cash price for something that is heavily loss-making.”

Lufthansa has the option of selling bmi’s ‘bmi regional’ and ‘bmibaby’ units before the deal completes, and IAG will pay a lower price if those business are not offloaded, IAG said.

Under the deal, agreed in principle last month, the German airline also holds onto bmi’s staff pension liabilities. — Reuters

LONDON: British Midland Airways (BMI) aircraft parked at London’s Heathrow Airport.

Germany’s Lufthansa signed an agreement yesterday to sell its loss-making British Midland, BMI, subsidiary to the parent of rival British Airways. — AP

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Dubai bond rally seen positive sign for 2012 DUBAI: A year-end rally in Dubai-related bonds sends a positive signal for 2012, suggesting more investors are becoming convinced the emirate can arrange smooth refinancing for state-owned firms next year. But there are still major doubts. Government-related entities in Dubai have bonds worth $3.8 billion maturing in 2012. With the real estate market still sagging, the stock market moribund and many banks reluctant to lend because of global financial instability, investors have worried that some of those bonds might be restructured, with changes to repayment terms that disadvantage creditors.

Such speculation prompted Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee, to declare on Dec. 7 that restructuring was not on the cards, though he said the government might look into refinancing part of the debts, presumably through issuing new bonds or loans.

“There is no truth to reports being circulated about an intention to ‘restructure’ certain debts owed by the Dubai government companies in 2012,” Sheikh Ahmed said. The ensuing slide in bond yields for all three of the companies with debt maturing next year shows the Dubai government still commands a substantial amount of trust in the market, partly because a critical mass of investors is convinced that Abu Dhabi will provide further financial support if that proves necessary.

“We have seen some positives...Names such as JAFZA have seen buyers. That goes for all Dubai HY (high yield) recently,” said a Dubai-based fixed income trader.

Dubai credits have outperformed many high-grade bonds in the United Arab Emirates as the year draws to a close. The yield on Jebel Ali Free Zone’s (JAFZA) 7.5 billion dirham ($2 billion) sukuk maturing in November has dropped from 13.50 percent on Dec. 6 to 12.19 percent.

Standard & Poor’s has identified the JAFZA issue as among the Dubai obligations in 2012 with the greatest chance of encountering repayment issues. JAFZA’s chairman told Reuters this month that the company was confident it could refinance the sukuk without government aid and was already in talks with bondholders about that. He did not rule out asset sales to raise funds.

DIFC Investments’ 0.713 percent, $1.25 billion sukuk comes due in June. Its yield has dropped from 19.32 percent on Dec. 6 to 16.57 percent.

The third Dubai company with debt maturing next year, Dubai Holding Commercial Operations Group, a unit of the conglomerate owned by the ruler, has said it will repay in full and on time its 0.804 percent, $500 million bond maturing in February. The yield on that is at 16.22 percent, down from 18.07 percent on Dec 6. The Dubai sovereign has also benefitted; the yield on the$750 million, 7.75 percent 2020 bond has dropped about 35 basis points. By contrast, the yield on a top Abu Dhabi credit, Abu Dhabi National Energy Co’s (TAQA) 5.62 percent, October 2012 bond, has risen to 2.23 percent from around 2.10 percent since Dec. 6.

The origins of the Dubai rally are more complex than simple optimism about refinancing, however. Thin trading turnover at the year-end may to some extent have distorted prices. “We saw better buyers on thin liquidity, which has driven prices up more than usual,” the Dubai trader said. A sudden halt in new bond supply, after TAQA’s $1.5 billion issue in early December, may also have boosted prices. Several UAE companies including some from Dubai were originally looking to issue after TAQA but did not proceed as the year-end issuance window closed.

In addition, Dubai bonds’ trading levels are in some cases less impressive than they might seem. DIFC Investments’ bond yield was at 14.52 percent at the start of December before a burst of speculation about a possible restructuring pushed it up sharply. The bond has still not recouped all the losses caused by that speculation.

In price terms, DIFCI is trading at 93.20 bid and JAFZA at 93.75 bid-levels that still suggest considerable concern about the terms on which the bonds may be retired.

One source of concern is the fact that some Dubai companies are still struggling to negotiate terms for restructuring their syndicated loans. As long as these deals have not been done, the market may worry about Dubai’s ability to repay bonds in full and on time.

One restructuring effort which is struggling is that of Dubai Group. When it announced it needed to renegotiate its debts last year, the company said it would continue to service them. — Reuters

KSE stocks lose ground; UAE, Qatar edge higher MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: UAE markets edged higher yesterday, recovering from multi-year lows of a day earlier as traders picked up cheap stocks, while Gulf markets were mixed in muted trading activity. Dubai’s index advanced 0.2 percent, up from Tuesday’s seven-year low. Volumes fell to a three-week low.

“This is mainly technical... a small retracement is bound to happen after such a huge dip,” said Firas Yaish, business development manager at ICM Capital. “Especially since the drop wasn’t based on fundamentals.” Dubai Islamic Bank gained 1.6 percent, Deyaar Development climbed 5.1 percent and Emaar Properties edged up 0.4 percent.

In Abu Dhabi, Aldar Properties rose from an all-time low, ending 1.2 percent higher. It dismissed on Wednesday speculation it may delist from the Abu Dhabi market, which had pressured the stock in recent sessions.

“The news on Aldar’s delisting also helped cool the market worries,” Yaish added. The emirate’s benchmark climbed 0.3 percent but continues to hovering at a March 2009 low. Etisalat and Sorouh Real Estate also supported the bourse, rising 1.4 and 2.5 percent respectively. Elsewhere, Qatar’s Barwa Real Estate closed 6 percent higher after signing off Barwa Financial District to Qatar Petroleum. The initial value of the project was estimated at 11 billion riyals, the developer said in a bourse statement. Doha’s index ended little changed. In Oman, heavy-weight stock Bank Muscat rose 1.8 percent higher

after saying it will launch a 100 million rials ($259.7 million) rights issue in the second quarter of 2012.

“The fund raising plan would help the bank in reinforcing its capital base and achieving higher asset growth,” said Kanaga Sundar, Gulf Baader Capital

overall market, we see improved activity in the coming trading sessions looking at the New Year,” Sundar added. Losers outnumber gainers 17 to four. Raycut Cement limited gains on the index, falling 2.1 percent.

Kuwait’s index slipped 0.3 percent to

TEHRAN: A dealer counts the dollar banknotes as Iranian Rial currency are seen in a currency exchange office in a shopping center in Tehran yesterday. The Iranian currency the rial was trading at 15,800 to the dollar — its lowest point ever, an indication of the fragility of the sanctions-hit economy. —AFP Markets head of research. “We remain positive on Bank Muscat.” The index edged higher 0.05 percent, taking its December gains to 4 percent. “For the

its lowest close since Nov 28. Traders expect choppy and sluggish sessions amid a lack of local catalysts until the year-end. — Reuters

US economic growth slower in summer WASHINGTON: The US economy grew more slowly in the summer than previously thought because consumers spent less than the government had first estimated. But economists expect growth in the current October-December quarter to be stronger. The Commerce Department says the economy grew at an annual rate of 1.8 percent in the July-

September quarter. That was the fastest growth this year, up from 1.3 percent in the April-June quarter. But it was down slightly from last month’s estimate that the economy was expanding at a 2 percent rate in the summer.

The government now estimates that consumer spending grew at a 1.7 percent annual rate last summer, instead of

WAYNE: A line worker assembles an engine for a Ford Focus at the Ford Michigan Assembly plant in Wayne, Michigan. The number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped to its lowest level since April 2008, continuing a downward trend that reflects a strengthening job market. —AP

2.3 percent. The updated estimate reflects data showing less spending on hospitals.

Meanwhile, the number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped last week to its lowest level since April 2008, extending a downward trend that shows the job market strengthening. New applications for unemployment benefits fell last week by 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 364,000, the Labor Department said yesterday. It was the third straight weekly decrease.

The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, fell for the 11th time in 13 weeks. At 380,250, it was the lowest average since June 2008.

Applications generally must fall below 375,000 - consistently - before hiring is strong enough to reduce the unemployment rate.

Unemployment applications are a measure of the pace of layoffs. Job cuts have fallen sharply since the recession, though employers have been slow to start hiring. The declining number of applications suggests that the economy may finally be regaining strength, two and a half long years after the end of the Great Recession.

The nation added at least 100,000 jobs every month from July through November, the first five-month streak since 2006. —AP

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Tarnished lion of Swiss banking to roar no more ZURICH: The Dom Perignon is still flowing at the exclusive Bar al Leone that is a regular haunt for employees of Switzerland’s oldest bank brand.

But the men in tailored suits are more likely to be drowning their sorrows than toasting a new deal.

Credit Suisse Group AG will integrate private bank Clariden Leu into its organization next year, ending the 250-year-old Leu name along with its lion logo and cutting 550 jobs to save an annual 200 million Swiss francs ($220 million). “What saddened me was the loss of a strong brand which many people had a strong emotional

attachment to and expectations of,” said Ronald Wildmann, former head of brokerage research at Bank Leu and now a partner of asset manager Basinvest.

The demise of the bank, whose roots go back to 1755, makes it the highest profile casualty of a global attack on Swiss bank secrecy in recent years. It also marks the failure of Credit Suisse’s attempts to merge its five independent private banks.

Clariden Leu had been struggling to forge a new identity since it was formed in 2007 by the merger of Clariden Bank, Bank Leu and three

other private banks owned by Credit Suisse. “Over 250 years of tradition.

And just as much experience,” the bank proudly proclaimed in a brochure its wealthy clients could peruse as they waited on creamleather armchairs - not that the bank made a habit of keeping them waiting. Revelations in US courts of improper practices by Swiss bankers, German criminal investigations and the discovery of dictators’ loot stashed in Swiss accounts have been punishing to the country’s $2 trillion offshore industry, and particularly painful for dozens of smaller private

banks like Clariden Leu. That is causing a quiet revolution in the industry as rich foreigners pull funds from secret accounts in Zurich and Geneva, prompting big players to gobble up smaller rivals and undermining the personal touch that is the pride of Swiss private bankers. “We could close our eyes and hope the good old times come back but we’re not going to do that,” said Hans-Ulrich Meister, the chief executive of Credit Suisse private banking when he announced the end of Clariden Leu last month. “There have been brutal changes in the environment.” — Reuters

Public strike brings Belgium to standstill New twist to anti-austerity protests

ROME: Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti (second row), surrounded by his government, attends a session at the Senate yesterday. Italian senators headed to give final approval to austerity tax increases and pension reforms in a bid to avoid bankruptcy for the euro-zone’s thirdbiggest economy as recession looms. — AFP

Italy votes to seal austerity budget ROME: Italy will be able to hold its head high again in Europe after passage of a tough austerity budget in a confidence vote later yesterday, Prime Minister Mario Monti said. The package of spending cuts, tax rises and pension reforms is intended to reverse a collapse of market confidence which has pushed borrowing costs in the euro zone’s third-biggest economy to untenable levels. Monti is expected to win the vote easily. Addressing the Senate before the vote at around 1400 GMT, Monti said his technocrat government had been forced to push through the budget as fast as possible to fend off the crisis.

“Today this chamber concludes a rapid, responsible, complex job... on a decree that was passed in extreme emergency and that enables Italy to hold its head high as it faces the very serious European crisis,” Monti told the upper house. The prime minister, appointed only five weeks ago to face the crisis, said that after addressing Italy’s massive debt in the 33 billion euro($43 billion) budget, the government would turn its attention to the country’s second economic millstone, a decade of near zero growth.

Investors turned their spotlight on these two problems in July, sending Italy’s borrowing costs rocketing and putting it at the centre of a systemic euro-zone debt crisis. In a reference to serious tension in recent days between the government and trade unions over labor market reform, Monti said the issue would need more detailed dialogue with both them and employers before it was decided.

He also called on Italians themselves to buy government bonds to help solve the debt crisis. Monti repeated a frequent refrain over recent days, that European policy must address growth as well as cutting debt. Euro-zone paymaster Germany has insisted that policy should concentrate on fiscal discipline despite fears by both indebted countries and economists that this will choke off essential growth if taken too far. — Reuters

BRUSSELS: Angry public sector workers protesting pension reforms shut down Belgium’s schools, post offices and almost its entire transport grid yesterday in the latest anti-austerity protest to grip Europe.

Called the day parliament prepares to debate the controversial reform, the 24-hour stoppage is the first political test faced by the fledging centre-left government that took office barely two weeks ago.

The strike severely disrupted travel across Belgium’s borders, halting all international rail traffic including busy high-speed Thalys services to France, Germany and the Netherlands, and the Eurostar link to Britain. In Brussels, where the entire bus, tram and underground rail network ground to a halt, people walked to work or cycled as protesters flagged down city-bound vehicles to hammer home their reasons for the stoppage.

“Workers aren’t responsible for the crisis,” said Andrea Della Vechia of the FGTB union. “If funds be needed, they should go to the financial markets or the banks for cash, not the workers.”

In Antwerp, Europe’s second busiest port, a score of ships were unable to leave and as many idled at sea when tug-boat pilots joined the stoppage. Only around one out of 10 buses was running.

“It’s a great success,” said Francis Wegimont, secretary general of the CGSP union. “Our members are determined and furious.” Postal workers, teachers, public broadcasters and prison guards joined the strike against a pension overhaul plan by the government of Socialist Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, who took office on December 6. In court houses across the country, judges and magistrates too turned out to protest at proposals that if adopted, as expected, will add years to their working lives.

Di Rupo’s coalition government has pledged to cut 11 billion euros ($14 billion) off the budget to trim the country’s debt and deficit-respectively

at 96.2 percent and 4.1 percent of gross domestic product in 2010. It has vowed to maintain pension payments and retirement at 65, but due to the increasingly elderly population is proposing to delay early retirement from 60 to 62 and make it harder to stop working earlier-as is the case for some careers, such as magistrates.

In the longer term it aims to bring public service pensions in line with the private sector. A 2008 report showed average monthly pensions in Belgium at 1,155 euros-but at 2,400 euros for male public sector retirees and only 1,100 euros for male private sector retirees. After an epic political crisis that left the euro-zone nation

without a government for a world record 541 days, the new government has pledged a wide range of structural reforms. Political parties agreed to drastic budget cuts after the country’s credit rating was downgraded and the European Commission warned of potential penalties. But unions are angry both over the substance of the reform and the government’s failure to negotiate its terms with the trade unions. Workers in Greece, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus and Britain held strikes or protests in recent weeks to denounce cuts in their countries as governments scramble to resolve a two-year-old debt crisis threatening the euro. — AFP

BRUSSELS: Belgian trade union members block a main boulevard in Brussels yesterday. A 24-hour pre-Christmas public sector strike to protest pension reform hit rail, road and bus traffic across Belgium. —AP

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Japan cuts growth outlook as yen, disasters weigh TOKYO: Japan yesterday cut its economic growth forecast for the year to March 2012 and the following 12 months, citing the impact of a soaring yen, natural disasters and the euro-zone debt crisis.

Tokyo said it expects Asia’s second-largest economy to grow a real 2.2 percent in fiscal 2012, downgrading its previous forecast, released in August, for expansion of between 2.7 percent and 2.9 percent. Asia’s number two economy will contract 0.1 percent in the year to March, the government said, a turnaround from the 0.5 percent expansion tipped in August.

It added that “economic activities were seriously damaged” by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that-as well as killing thousands of people-smashed supply lines and shuttered factories. Tokyo said activity picked up after the supply chain was rebuilt, “but after summer, the recovery has slowed due to a quickly rising yen and the global economic slowdown brought about by the European sovereign debt crisis.”

Japanese firms, especially exporters, have been hit hard by the strong yen, which is sitting near post-war record highs against the dollar due to its safe-have status at times of global economic uncertainty. Growth prospects were dealt a further blow as the floods in Thailand either damaged or led to the closure of several factories owned by big Japanese firms, who were only just recovering from the March 11 disasters.

Government officials said they expect consumer prices to remain stable, projecting them to rise 0.1 percent in 2012, adding to the woes of companies that have long grappled with the damaging effects of deflation. The reading represents a faint hope and a reversal from a 0.2 percent fall in the consumer price index expected during fiscal 2011. Industrial output will grow 6.1 percent, the report said, as domestic demand ramps up and a full recovery gets under way, a marked reversal of fortunes after a 1.9 percent fall in factory production to March 2012.

Yesterday’s outlook comes a day after the Bank of Japan said the economic recovery “has paused” because of the slowing global economy and strong yen, while data revealed a growing trade deficit for the export-dependent nation. “The pick-up in Japan’s economic activity has paused, mainly due to the effects of a slowdown in overseas economies and of the appreciation of the yen,” the central bank said after a two-day policy meeting. It warned the European financial crisis was posing a serious risk to the global outlook. “The sovereign debt problem in Europe could result in weaker growth not only in the European economy but also in the global economy, particularly through its effects on global financial markets,” it said.

Underlining the difficulties facing Japan’s export sector, figures Wednesday showed a trade deficit for a second straight month in November, with shipments to the crucial European market hit as the region struggles with a debt crisis. — AFP

Obama to pressure Republicans on tax President delivers a personal tweet

SEOUL: A currency trader watches a TV news reporting the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Korea Exchange Bank headquarters in Seoul yesterday. — AP

Asian markets down amid ECB loan skepticism HONG KONG: Asian markets slipped yesterday as traders questioned whether a European Central Bank move to pump cheap cash into banks would be enough to unclog credit markets and ease the region’s debt crisis. Following the ECB’s announcement that it would provide three-year loans at rates as low as one percent, a total of 523 banks snapped up a record 489.2 billion euros ($641 billion). However, some market watchers said the fact that so many institutions jumped in so quickly highlighted the precarious state that they were in. Tokyo ended 0.77 percent, or 64.82 points, lower at 8,395.16 and Sydney shed 1.18 percent, or 48.7 points, to close at 4,090.8, while Seoul was flat, nudging 0.92 points down to 1,847.49.

Hong Kong fell 0.21 percent, or 38.22 points, to 18,378.23 and Shanghai ended 0.22 percent lower, shedding 4.85 points to 2,186.30. The ECB move-along with strong US data, a successful Spanish bond auction and upbeat German confidence indicatorshelped boost Asian markets and the euro on Wednesday but doubts soon returned yesterday. Until now, the ECB has lent for a maximum of one year and the new arrangement is part of a series of unprecedented measures to keep credit flowing in Europe at a time when banks are increasingly wary of lending to each other due to the debt crisis.—AFP

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama will heap pressure on Republicans to extend a payroll tax holiday for 160 million Americans for two months, seeking to lock in an apparent political victory.

Obama will take on foes in the House of Representatives who have spent the year blocking his agenda, but now find themselves derided, even by their some fellow Republicans, for rejecting a Senate compromise on the tax break. A White House official said Obama would highlight the pain caused to average Americans who stand to lose $40 a paycheck if the tax cut is allowed to lapse on January 1.

The president took to Twitter late on Wednesday to deliver a rare, personal tweet on the issue which has whipped up a political controversy with huge implications for his future authority with Congress.

“Everyone should see what #40dollars means to folks: groceries, daycare, gas copays. Keep it going. I’ll talk abt this tmrow @12:15ET. -bo,” the president tweeted. Seeking to further isolate House Speaker John Boehner, the White House solicited 25,000 statements from Americans on Twitter and on its website in just over 24 hours testifying how much a $40 means to them.

House Republicans triggered a furor Tuesday by blocking a Senate compromise which would have extended the payroll tax rate of 4.2 percent for two months. But Republicans, initially cool to the idea of a payroll tax holiday extension now want to guarantee the tax break lasts a year.

Obama had always pushed for a 12month extension, but the Senate could not agree on how to pay for it, so settled for a stopgap solution. “We are here, we are trying to go to work,” said Republican House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday, repeating a call for the Senate to follow his lead in appointing negotiators to reach an agreement on a new joint approach.

Democratic Senate Majority leader Harry Reid has refused to recall his members, after passing a compromise hammered out with Republicans in his chamber which was reportedly initially backed

by Boehner. If an extension is not agreed

by January 1, the payroll tax, which pays for the social security retirement system, will go back up to 6.2 percent. Additionally, around two million people also stand to lose federally funded unemployment benefits. Reid told Boehner in a letter on Wednesday that he would be glad to recall Senate negotiators to seek a compromisebut only if the House reversed course and backed the bipartisan plan that passed the Senate 89-10.

“Because we have a responsibility to assure middle-class families that their taxes will not go up while we work out our differences, we must pass this immediate extension first,” Reid wrote.

Democrats were milking the discomfort of Republicans for all it was worth, as Obama delayed joining his wife and daughters in his native Hawaii for his annual Christmas holiday vacation. The president called Boehner and asked him to recall the House to pass the Senate plan, an option that could lead to an outright revolt among Tea Party conservative members of his caucus. Steny Hoyer, a senior member of the House Democratic leadership accused Republicans of holding 160

million Americans “hostage.”

The White House released examples of personal testimony of Americans who fear losing the $40 from their pay check. “To some people $40 is nothing, but $40 is big money for us,” said one respondent, an LA Hamden of Connecticut. Republican Senator Bob Corker joined the growing number of his peers to criticize his fellow Republicans in the House over their handling of the issue, despite saying the House policy approach was better than the Senate’s. “Probably the best thing to happen now is just to get it over with-one more public policy blunder-and move on,” Croker told CNBC. The Wall Street Journal editorial page, normally solid in support of Republicans, questioned whether the whole affair might so damage Republicans that it “might end up re-electing the president before the 2012 campaign even begins in earnest.”

“Republicans have also achieved the small miracle of letting Mr Obama position himself as an election-year tax cutter,” the paper said.

“The entire exercise is political, but Republicans have thoroughly botched the politics.” — AFP

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama speaks during the news briefing at the White House. — AP

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

S&P ‘junk’ downgrade adds to Hungary woes IMF credit-line looks increasingly hard BUDAPEST: Hungary was under increased pressure yesterday to secure a rescue credit line with the IMF after Standard & Poor’s followed Moody’s in cutting the EU member’s debt rating to so-called “junk” status.

Further weakening Hungary’s embattled forint currency early yesterday, S&P said that the downgrade “reflects our opinion that the predictability and credibility of Hungary’s policy framework continues to weaken.” The ratings agency also hit out at Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s planned reforms of the central bank which “raise questions about the independence of oversight institutions and complicate the operating environment for investors.”

S&P’s downgrade “reflects investors’ negative views” about Hungary, Gyorgy Barta, analyst at CIB, part of Intesa Sanpaolo, said yesterday.

“The government’s unorthodox economic policy goes against market rules and the lack of flexibility towards international organizations is extremely harmful for the country’s external image and for financing possibilities,” Barta said. The gov-

ernment though said it was “easy to see” that S&P’s move, after a similar downgrade

by Moody’s to non-investment grade last month, was “not based on the evaluation of the Hungarian economy and financial system.”

Instead the downgrade was due to “pressure by those market participants who are interested in strengthening the dollar zone and weakening the eurozone,” the economy ministry said in a statement. It stressed Hungary’s solid fundamentals, saying the 2011 budget would be in surplus and that unlike in much of Europe, the public deficit would be less than the EU ceiling of three percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2012.

Peter Kreko, analyst at the Political Capital think-thank, agreed: “The predictability of Hungary’s policy framework continues to weaken, harming Hungary’s medium-term growth prospects.”

Orban has drawn sharp criticism from the European Commission and the European Central Bank for the planned central bank revamp, which critics say is

aimed at increasing government influence in monetary policy. Hungary’s central bank chief Andras Simor said the reforms are a “total takeover” by the government, bringing “the final elimination of the central bank’s independence dangerously close.”

Orban’s government, which has also come under fire over a controversial media law, a new constitution and justice reforms, meanwhile says the changes are a response to past failures by the central bank. European Union and International Monetary Fund officials, with whom Hungary is seeking a 15-20-billion-euro ($19.7-26.2 billion) credit line, broke off a visit last week in protest.

The government, which has a twothirds majority in parliament, however denied any breakdown and said “formal” negotiations would start in January. The forint, which has slumped more than 20 percent against the euro in the last three months, slipped to 309 against the single currency early Thursday before recovering to 306.52, down from 303-304 forints on Wednesday. — AFP

Russia to place $7bn in eurobonds in 2012

PARIS: Striking security workers demonstrate surrounded by policemen yesterday inside the Paris international airport of Roissy-Charles de Gaulle. —AFP

French police to ease Xmas airport strike PARIS: France has ordered police to deploy at two airports from yesterday to make sure striking private security staff do not paralyze flights in the pre-Christmas travel rush, a police union official said on Wednesday.

President Nicolas Sarkozy’s government had said it was ready to order police to take over security at Lyon airport and part of Charles de Gaulle, the busy international hub on the northern outskirts of Paris. “If the strike continues, the government will see to it that normal transport service is guaranteed,” Transport Minister Thierry Mariani said. “We cannot yet

again have a situation where the French people are prevented from going home to their families.”

About 400 police were put on standby Wednesday after the pay talks broke up without agreement.

The talks were due to resume but a police union official said the police had been instructed to intervene from Thursday.

The Interior Ministry would only say that “the operation is in place and ready to be activated at any moment.” By Wednesday evening, disruption was limited, with reports of only minor delays in takeoffs, Mariani said. — Reuters

MOSCOW: Russia announced plans yesterday to place up to $7.0 billion (5.4 billion euros’) worth of eurobonds next year depending on market conditions and the pace of Europe’s recovery from its sovereign debt crisis. “We will be placing them in parts depending on the situation on the market,” news agencies quoted Finance Minister Anton Siluanov as saying. “We will see how the situation develops, how acceptable the borrowing costs are,” he said. “We will be taking a conservative approach.” A top finance official had earlier said that Russia would probably place its bonds at the start of the year because market conditions could deteriorate with time. The ministry has on previous occasions preferred to issue 10-year note. —AFP

NEW DELHI: Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata (left) and deputy chairman Cyrus Mistry wait to meet India’s Commerce Minister Anand Sharma in New Delhi yesterday. Mistry is expected to take over from leading Indian industrialist Ratan Tata when he retires next year.—AP

Britain surprises with 0.6% growth in Q3 LONDON: Britain’s economy grew by a higher-than-expected 0.6 percent in the third quarter, a revised estimate from the Office for National Statistics showed yesterday. Analysts had expected no change to the earlier forecast putting British gross domestic product growth at 0.5 percent in the third quarter from July to September, compared with the second quarter.

The ONS added in a statement that British GDP grew by 0.5 percent in the third quarter compared with the equivalent period in 2010, unrevised from its earlier estimate in November. It also noted that second quarter GDP was in fact flat after previously stating that it had expanded by 0.1 percent. “GDP growth in recent quarters continues to point towards a rather fragile economic picture” for Britain, the ONS said in its statement.

“During the nine quarters of the recovery (since recession), the economy has gained just over half of the output lost during the five quarters of contraction.”

The ONS noted that the services sector continued to support GDP growth, expanding by 0.5 percent in the third quarter. “However, this growth has been concentrated in just a few sub-sectors, primarily scientific administration and support, finance and insurance activities, education and health.

“Growth in a number of sectors that are orientated towards the household sector, such as wholesale and retail, real estate and other services, are relatively weak by comparison,” it added.

The British government last month slashed its growth outlook, blaming the impact of the euro-zone debt crisis.

Finance minister George Osborne has insisted however that there will be no let-up in the coalition’s plans to axe Britain’s huge deficit and steer clear of the global debt storm. Britain’s economy is set to grow by just 0.7 percent next year, about a quarter of the previous official government forecast of 2.5 percent given in March. — AFP

Airbus aid row: EU, US talks in January GENEVA: The United States and the European Union will hold talks in January after Washington accused EU governments of failing to eliminate illegal subsidies to Airbus, trade officials said yesterday.

The US has threatened multi-billion dollar sanctions against the EU which it claims has failed to comply with a WTO ruling against subsidies to the aircraft maker and even provided it new aid.

The EU has accepted a US request for talks which are scheduled for “early January”, officials said following a meeting of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) yesterday.

If no agreement is reached Washington can then ask for a special panel to be established to review the EU’s compliance package, submitted to the World Trade

Organization on December 1.

The US is seeking permission to impose on the EU an estimated $7 billion to $10 billion (5.3 and 7.6 billion euros) in trade sanctions annually. The request has been referred to arbitrators who according to WTO rules have 60 days to rule on the level of retaliation unless the process is suspended.

In June the DSB ruled that some subsidies, including launch aid to Airbus, had caused “serious prejudice” to US interests and gave the EU six months to end the unfair aid in the seven-year-old dispute. A parallel EU complaint against US aid to Boeing is also wending its way through the WTO dispute process, with a possible ruling in February. — AFP

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

UPS, FedEx holiday package volume up from 2010 LOUISVILLE, Kentucky: Tiera Washington’s workload doubled during the holiday rush at UPS’ largest air hub, where seemingly endless streams of packages are sorted and shipped as the peak season puts the package delivery company to the test. The 23-year-old’s usual four-hour daily shift can stretch to seven or eight hours, and sometimes lasts 10 to 12 hours, as a small army feverishly plucks packages off a conveyor belt and loads them for air and ground travel in a cavernous building that would cover 90 football fields.

“We get to make Christmas better for our families,” she said during a break. “So we’re helping them (customers) and they’re helping us.”

UPS, the world’s largest shipping carrier, expects to deliver more than 120 million parcels around the world during the peak week leading up Christmas, up 6 percent from the 113 million shipped during the same period a year ago.

The Atlanta-based company expects the pace to reach its pinnacle, with close to 26 million packages reaching their destinations. That volume is up more than 60 percent from daily norms. Rival FedEx Corp, based in Memphis, Tennessee, shipped about 17 million packages on Dec. 12, the busiest day in company history, it said.

That one-day volume was up 10 percent from last year’s busiest day, and doubled total shipments on an average night.

Shipping performance and forecasts from UPS and FedEx are closely watched because they tend to indicate how the broader economy is doing by shipping so many packages for consumers and businesses. FedEx attributed its recent record day to steady growth in online commerce, spokeswoman Carla Boyd said. Since 2005, the company’s busiest-day volumes are up almost 75 percent.

UPS has declined to offer a full estimate for how many packages it will deliver between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year, the company said it shipped more than 440 million packages worldwide between the two holidays. But UPS spokesman Norman Black said that “clearly our volume has grown compared to last year.”

Last year, UPS had one day of deliveries topping 25 million, Black said. This holiday season, the company expects at least five days with deliveries approaching or exceeding 25 million, he said.

A surge in online sales, as more consumers shop on computers rather than at malls, contributed to the shipping boost, along with last-minute bargain hunting, he said. The result is the company’s peak season is compressed to the last two weeks before Christmas, he said.

“That’s obviously making for a busy peak shipping season for us,” Black said. At the UPS Worldport hub at Louisville International Airport, about 3 million packages were sorted daily during the holiday season, twice normal volumes. Packages ride a labyrinth of conveyors belts stretching some 150 miles during the automated sorting process.—AP

Toyota eyes 20% global sales growth in 2012 8.48m Toyota, Lexus units expected to be sold in 2012 TOKYO: Japan’s biggest carmaker Toyota said yesterday it would aim to boost global sales by a fifth next year, seeking growth in emerging markets to counter sluggish demand in the crisis-hit developed world.

A dismal 2011, which saw sales shrink six percent, means the Japanese giant is unlikely to retain its spot as global top dog and will be overtaken by General Motors and Volkswagen.

The forecasts come weeks after Toyota more than halved its full-year net profit outlook as it grapples with a strong yen, the impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and flooding in Thailand which hit supply chains.

But the company is hoping for a bumper 2012 both at home and abroad, setting ambitious sales and production targets. The automaker expects to sell 8.48 million Toyota and Lexus units worldwide in 2012, up from 7.05 million in 2011, and plans to boost their global production by almost a quarter to a record 8.65 million vehicles, rising to 8.98 million in 2013.

A turbulent 2011, when the global economic slowdown also hit the firm, is expected to show group domestic salesincluding subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hinoslumped 19 percent, with a 24 percent fall in Toyota brand sales. Worldwide group sales are expected to show a six percent fall for the year, the company said, down to 7.9 million units.

Toyota spokeswoman Amiko Tomita admitted the 2012 global production target was an ambitious one, and would beat its current record of 8.53 million units for the Toyota brand, which includes Lexus, set in 2007 before the onset of the financial crisis. The 2012 global sales target of 8.48 million would also be a new record, beating the current largest sales of 8.43 million in 2007, she said. “But what we are envisioning behind these figures is different from the time of 2007,” Tomita said. “We will have more focus on emerging markets.” “We have a global vision to build more balanced business operations in different regions, compared with 2007 when the company focused more on Japan, North America and Europe.” Toyota said it wanted to further boost its sales in 2013, with a target of 8.95 million units in the

CHICAGO: Sun-Times building in Chicago. A new investment group led by a Chicago entrepreneur and a former Newsday media executive has agreed to buy Sun-Times Media Holdings, the company that owns the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. — AP

TOKYO: An employee of Toyota Motor dusts a vehicle of Toyota’s Lexus brand at Toyota’s showroom in Tokyo yesterday. Japan’s biggest carmaker Toyota announced it would aim to boost global sales by a fifth next year, seeking growth in emerging markets to counter sluggish demand in the crisis-hit developed world. — AFP year. The car giant has been at the top of the global automakers’ tree by sales for three years after overtaking GM, but looks set to be knocked off its perch. GM sold 6.79 million vehicles in the first nine months of the year, up 9.2 percent on the year earlier and on target for more than nine million for the full year if it can maintain the pace, Dow Jones Newswires reported.

Volkswagen saw its sales jump 14 percent to 7.51 million for the first 11 months of the year and is eyeing a year-end figure in excess of eight million units. Toyota’s 2011 production was hampered when supply chains were shattered in the wake of the huge tsunami that swamped northeast Japan, while massive flooding in Thailand added to the production gloom.

Earlier this month the firm cut its profit outlook to 180 billion yen ($2.3 billion), 54 percent down from its August estimate after the Thai floods forced plant closures and caused supply-chain problems.

It also said that the strong yen, which is sitting near post-war record highs against

the dollar, had hit it hard as repatriated earnings were severely reduced.

Toyota is seen as particularly sensitive to fluctuations in the yen. A mood of austerity among Japanese consumers affected appetite for all manner of consumer goods during the year. In March, just days before the natural disaster struck and claimed 20,000 lives, Toyota unveiled its “Global Vision” business plans, aiming to make half its global sales in emerging markets by 2015. It is looking to increase production abroad to be closer to demand, reduce logistics costs and limit exposure to the Japanese yen. Toyota has strengthened annual production capacity in Argentina by more than 40 percent to 92,000 units, most of which are exported to Brazil and nine other Latin American countries.

It has also announced plans to build a new factory in Indonesia, where it wants to boost annual production to 180,000 units by 2013, and in India a subsidiary based on the outskirts of Bangalore plans to almost double annual production to 310,000 in 2013. — AFP

Investment group to buy Sun-Times

TeliaSonera announces control of Kazakh Kcell

CHICAGO: A new investment group led by a Chicago entrepreneur and a former Newsday media executive has agreed to buy Sun-Times Media Holdings, the company that owns the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, group officials said late on Wednesday.

Wrapports LLC released a statement saying the transaction should close by year’s end, though terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Sun-Times Media also owns several newspapers in suburban Chicago and Indiana. The investment group is led by Michael Ferro Jr., CEO of private equity firm Merrick Ventures, which deals with technology companies, and Timothy Knight, the former publisher of Newsday. They said the investment company’s name refers to a mix of old media, the “wrapping” of a newspaper, with the “rapport” planned by new technology. “We look forward to introducing cutting-edge technologies, new content portals and other tools that will expand and drive richer and more satisfying content to readers, while providing more targeted and measurable promotion options for our advertising partners,” Knight said in a statement.—AP

STOCKHOLM: Swedish telecom group TeliaSonera said yesterday it had agreed to buy 49 percent of GSM Kazakhstan LLP which operates under the brand Kcell for $1.519 (1.16 billion euros).

TeliaSonera said that it would then float 25 percent of this holding, minus one share, on the stock market during 2012. The head of TeliaSonera Eurasia, Tero Kivisaari, said that the deal would strengthen control by the Swedish group of Kcell, noting that it already controlled management and operations. GSM Kazakhstan LLP is 49.0-percent controlled by Kazakhtelecom and 51.0 percent by Fintur Holdings.

TeliaSonera Eurasia owns 58.55 percent of Fintur Holdings. —AFP

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Neighbors cash in on Laos boom West sits out quiet an economic revolution

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he Japanese cars and sport utility vehicles that clog the streets of Laos’s once sleepy capital are testament to the changes quietly under way in a county once seen as a basket case isolated for decades behind Asia’s bamboo curtain.

Shopping malls are under construction, mobile phone shops and modern coffee houses with Wi-Fi are popping up in Vientiane, the bicycles that thronged roads lined with golden temples are rarely seen, replaced by imported motorcycles and cars. These are some of the fruits of a quiet economic boom that’s steadily transformed a secretive country little known in the West beyond the tales of backpackers and Vietnam War veterans.

Nominally communist since the overthrow of a US-backed government in 1975, the former French colony is courting neighboring China, Vietnam and Thailand to develop resources and infrastructure, and they are piling in, indifferent to the risk aversion that keeps Western firms on the sidelines. A big Thai-led dam project was suspended this month pending environmental surveys, but other Thai-built hydropower projects are underway across Laos’s network of waterways. Vietnamese agribusinesses are proliferating and Chinese firms are pouring into the mining and transport sectors.

Little has changed in Laos’ one-party political system and its rulers are trying to emulate the market-based authoritarianism of China and Vietnam with pro-business reforms, with some success. The once fragile economy has grown an average 7.9 percent a year since 2006. Asian Development Bank Country Director Chong Chi Nai said the mountainous, jungle-clad country was becoming an economic success story, but growth should not be its sole focus. “The challenge for Laos is not the amount of funds coming into the country, but whether these funds are invested in a responsible and environmentally sustainable manner,” he said. “But there’s no doubt Laos is on the right track.”

International financial institutions forecast economic growth of between 8.1 and 8.6 percent this year-one of Asia’s highest growth rates-fuelled by hydropower production, copper and gold mining, tourism and domestic consumption. Laos’s $7.5 billion economy is dwarfed by its neighbors 790 times smaller than China’s, a 14th of the size of Vietnam’s, and roughly two percent of Thailand-but it has more than doubled since 2006, as has GDP per capita, which jumped from $600 to $1,200, according to World Bank data.

But it’s still off the radar to Western companies concerned about regulation, labor capacity, a lack of transparency and Laos’s very cozy political and business ties to its neighbors. “Laos is still seen as a frontier market by most foreign investors, but there’s strong potential,” said a Western diplomat in Vientiane.

“Trends in the investment environment are generally in the right direction.” Urban Laos is modernizing fast, with 19 commercial banks and new special economic zones offering tax breaks. The mobile phone sector is thriving, with its five operators boasting a staggering 10 million users among the 6.4 million population, suggesting many customers use several numbers.

A $7 billion Chinese-led high-speed railway linking China with Thailand is planned and national carrier Lao Airlines last month expanded its fleet of eight propeller planes with the $91 million purchase of two Airbus A320 airliners.

Perhaps its most significant leap was a stock exchange launched in January, a $20 million venture with Korea Exchange, Asia’s fourth-largest bourse operator.

Only its top lender, Banque Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao (BCEL), and Electricite du Laos Generation Company (EDL-Gen) have listed on the Lao Securities Exchange (LSX) and trade is too sparse to interest funds, although private equity funds are starting to take notice. LSX CEO Dethphouvang Moularat said the priority was to educate sceptical firms about regulation to make them more competitive and boost investor confidence.

Internet and cellphone provider Enterprise of Telecommunications Lao (ETL) and cassava and tapioca firm LaoIndochina Group are expected to list in early 2012. Lao Airlines, Lao Brewery Company-a 50-50 joint-venture between a state firm and Danish brewery Carlsberg- and diversified Lao World Group would also join. “These enterprises are becoming aware that the benefits of listing on the LSX are greater than the risk they may take,” Dethphouvang told Reuters in an e-mail.

But for now, the boom is fuelled by mining and hydropower, accounting for 80 percent of foreign direct investment (FDI) and half of gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

Export revenue from copper and gold from Laos’s two big

mines was projected to reach $1.3 billion and $240 million respectively this year, double the 2009 figure, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Thai firms dominate hydropower. With dozens of new dams, Laos aims to become the “Battery of Southeast Asia”, providing 8 percent of its power by 2025, with the potential to generate 28,000 megawatts (MW). Half of that is committed to neighbors by 2015. Output doubled in March 2010 with the start of the $1.45 billion, 1,086 MW Nam Theun 2 hydroelectric dam, a joint venture between Electricite de France, Lao Holding State Enterprise and Thailand’s Electricity Generating Pcl. Thai miner Banpu and Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Pcl each hold 40 percent stakes in the $3.7 billion, 1,800 MW Hongsa Lignite thermal power plant, set to be Laos’s largest power station when completed in 2015.

But these plants are prime targets for environmentalists. Laos recently bowed to pressure from Cambodia and Vietnam and

telephone. “There may be a negative perception, of slow progress and difficulties in investment, but this is changing.”

That perception suits China, Thailand and Vietnam, Laos’s biggest sources of FDI. Official data since 2000 shows Vietnam has invested $2.77 billion, China $2.71 billion and Thailand $2.68 billion, and they have little competition.

Critics say that’s because too many projects are agreed opaquely and informally, through incentives and lobbying of the political elite-arrangements that frustrate Western firms. “Where does this leave Western companies? Well, at a certain disadvantage, not only from the business cultural angle but also from the business ethics point of view. This environment may suit regional companies as it scares off competition,” said a Western diplomat.

CHINESE INTEREST Vietnam has a foot-in because of its close political relationship, but China appears to be using its wealth to muscle in on

Shopping malls are under construction, mobile phone shops and modern coffee houses with Wi-Fi are popping up in Vientiane as Laos undergoes a quiet economic boom. shelved the $3.5 billion, 1,260 MW Xayaburi Dam on the Mekong River, in which Thai builder CH Karnchang Pcl, has a 57 percent share and Thai state-run EGAT, has 12.5 percent. Japanese experts will investigate the potential dangers of Xayaburi, which activists say could impact 60 million people, wipe out fish species and block fertile silt from flowing to Vietnam, the world’s secondbiggest rice exporter.

RISKY BUSINESS? Economists are bullish about Laos’s potential but say much needs to be done. Corruption, rudimentary regulation and limited skilled labor have put the country second-bottom in East Asia and the Pacific, ahead of East Timor, in the World Bank’s Doing Business survey. The IMF says Laos had made “impressive progress” but needed proper data, banking supervision and streamlining of procedures.

Bounthavy Sisouphanthong, vice minister for planning and investment, takes issue with the low ranking and says attention should be paid to political and economic stability, reforms initiated and incentives available for investors.

“Growth is here, we’ve increased our FDI but we’re still ranked low and we need to change that,” Bounthavy told Reuters by

Hanoi’s turf. China sees Laos as its gateway to Southeast Asia’s 600 million people and $2 trillion GDP, and bilateral trade with Laos has grown 40 percent to $1.1 billion annually since 2009.

Chinese banks have offered loans to Laos to hire Chinese firms to build infrastructure, including $3 billion from the China Development Bank alone. China is bargaining hard, not just for influence but for long-term land and agricultural concessions in return for help, sometimes causing friction, with land promised in return for a national stadium not forthcoming and the rail plan put on ice over a concession dispute.

China’s growing presence is also contentious, with concern about gang crime linked to Chinese casinos and an influx of migrant workers settling after work is finished.

With Western companies sitting out the boom, Laos seems happy to rely on its neighbors and gain from their competition.

“The politics of Laos is the politics of patronage. They like to play China and Vietnam off each other,” said Ian Storey, a Laos expert at Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

“Vietnam still has the inside track politically. What Laos does is try to balance its relations with Vietnam and China, not favoring one over the other, and get benefits from both.” — Reuters

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Opinion

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Assessing foreign intervention in Syria

By Scott Stewart

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he ongoing unrest, violence and security crackdowns in Syria have been the subject of major international attention since February.

Our current assessment is that the government and opposition forces have reached a stalemate in which the government cannot quell the unrest and the opposition cannot bring down the regime without outside intervention. In the Dec 8 Security Weekly, we discussed the covert intelligence war being waged by the United States, Israel and other US allies against Iran. Their efforts are directed not only against Tehran’s nuclear program but also against Iran’s ability to establish an arc of influence that stretches through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. To that end, the United States and its allies are trying to limit Iran’s influence in Iraq and to constrain Hezbollah in Lebanon. But apparently they are also exploring ways to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, a longtime ally of Iran whose position is in danger due to the current unrest in the country. In fact, a US State Department official recently characterized the Assad regime as a “dead man walking”. We therefore would like to examine more closely the potential external efforts required to topple the Syrian regime. In doing so, we will examine the types of tools that are available to external forces seeking to overthrow governments and where those tools fit within the force continuum, an array of activities ranging from clandestine, deniable activities to all-out invasion. We will also discuss some of the indicators that can be used by outside observers seeking to understand any efforts taken against the Syrian regime.

Syria Is Not Libya It is tempting to compare Syria to Libya, which very recently was the target of outside intervention. Some similarities exist. The Assad regime came to power in a military coup around the time the Gaddafi regime took control of Libya, and the regimes are equally brutal. And, like Libya, Syria is a country that is quite divided along demographic and sectarian lines and is governed by a small minority of the population. However, we must recognize that the situation in Syria is quite different than Libya’s. First, the fault lines along which Syrian society is divided are not as regionally distinct as those of Libya; in Syria, there is no area like Benghazi where the opposition can dominate and control territory that can be used as a base to project power. Protests have occurred throughout Syria, and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) claims to have a presence in many parts of the country.

Moreover, while some low-level, mostly Sunni soldiers have defected from the Alawite-controlled Syrian military to the FSA, Syria has not seen the large-scale military defections that occurred in Benghazi and eastern Libya at the beginning of that conflict that immediately provided the opposition with a substantial conventional military force (sometimes entire units

defected). The Syrian military has remained far more unified and intact than the Libyan military.

Second, Syria simply does not have the oil resources Libya does. We have not seen the Europeans push for military intervention in Syria with the same enthusiasm that they did in Libya. Even France, which has been the most vocal of the European countries against Syria, has recently backed away from advocating direct military intervention. The strength of the Syrian military, specifically its air defense system - which is far superior to Libya’s - means military intervention would be far more costly in Syria than in Libya in terms of human casu-

and therefore easier to deny, than training provided by the US Army’s Special Forces.

The least risky and least detectable option for a country pursuing intervention is to ramp up intelligence activities in the target country. Such activities can involve clandestine activities like developing contact with opposition figures or encouraging generals to conduct a coup or defect to the opposition. Clandestine efforts can also include working with opposition groups and non-governmental organizations to improve their information warfare activities. These activities may progress to more obvious covert actions, such as assassinations

fragmented than its Libyan counterpart. In this level, outside governments often take opposition fighters to a third country for training. This is because of the difficulty involved with training inside the home country, which is controlled by a hostile government that rightfully views the opposition as a threat. Already we are seeing signs that this is happening with the training of FSA members in Turkey. The next step beyond training and intelligence-sharing is to provide the opposition with funding and other support, which can include food, uniforms, communication equipment, medical assistance and even weapons.

To restate a point, providing funding

Syrians hold a large poster depicting Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad during a rally in Damascus on Dec 19, 2011. —AP alties and money. In fact, Syria spent some $264 million on air defense weapons in 2009 and 2010 after the embarrassing Sept 2007 Israeli airstrike on a Syrian nuclear reactor.

With the future of Libya still unclear, it does not appear the United States and Europe have the political will or economic incentive to conduct another major military intervention (operations in Libya were very expensive). We also do not believe that regional powers interested in Syria, such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Turkey, could take military action against Syria without US and NATO support.

Regardless, it is important to remember that there are many options foreign governments can apply against the Assad regime (or any regime, for that matter) that do not constitute outright invasion or even entail an air campaign supported by special operations forces.

The Force Continuum As we examine some of the actions available along that force continuum, we should keep in mind that the steps are not at all static; there can be much latitude for action within each step.

For example, training provided by mercenaries or the CIA’s Special Activities Division is far more low-key,

or sabotage. Most of actions taken in the covert intelligence war against Iran can be placed in this level.

Clandestine and covert activities often are accompanied or preceded by overt diplomatic pressure. This includes press statements denouncing the leadership of the target country, the initiation of resolutions in international organizations, such as the Arab League or the United Nations, and international economic sanctions.

These overt measures can also include formally meeting with representatives of the opposition in a third country, as when US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Dec. 6 with Syrian opposition members in Geneva.

The next level up the force continuum is to solidify a relationship with the opposition and to begin to provide them with intelligence, training and advice. In the intervention in Libya, this happened fairly early on as foreign intelligence officers and special operations forces traveled to places like Benghazi, then later the Nafusa Mountains, to provide the Libyan opposition with intelligence regarding Gadhafi’s forces, and to begin to train the militia forces to fight. In Syria there is still a very real issue of a lack of unity within the opposition, which is apparently more

is not as aggressive as providing weapons to the opposition, so there is a great deal of latitude within this level. When providing weapons, an outside government will usually try to supply opposition forces with arms native to their country. This is done to maintain deniability of assistance. For example, at the outset of international support for the mujahideen who were fighting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, efforts were made to provide the fighters with weapons consistent with what the Soviets and the Afghan communists were using.

However, when those weapons proved insufficient to counter the threat posed by Soviet air superiority, the decision was made to provide US FIM-92 Stinger man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) to the Afghan fighters. Tactically, the MANPADS greatly benefited the mujahideen on the battlefield. But since they were advanced, exogenous weapons systems, the MANPADS stripped away any sense of plausible deniability the US might have maintained regarding its operations to arm the Afghans.

We saw a similar situation in Libya in May, when rebels began using Belgian-made FN-FAL battle rifles.

While the rebels had looted many

Gaddafi arms depots filled with Soviet-era Kalashnikovs, the appearance of the FN-FAL rifles clearly demonstrated that the rebels were receiving weapons from outside patrons. The appearance of Iranianmanufactured bomb components in Iraq in 2006-2007 was another instance of a weapon indicating foreign government involvement in an armed struggle.

Since furnishing weapons foreign to a country eliminates plausible deniability, we are listing it as a separate step on the force continuum.

Unveiling the foreign hand can also have a psychological effect on members of the regime by signaling that a powerful foreign actor is supporting the opposition. The next level begins to bring direct foreign involvement into play. This usually entails foreign special operations forces working with local ground forces and foreign air power being brought to bear. We saw this model used in the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, where the CIA, special operations forces and air power augmented Afghan Northern Alliance ground troops and helped them to defeat the Taleban quickly. This model was also used successfully against the Gaddafi regime in Libya. The highest and least exercised step on the force continuum is foreign invasion, like the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Preludes to Intervention With this range of actions in mind, outside observers can look for signs that indicate where foreign efforts to support a particular struggle fit along the continuum. Signs of a clandestine intelligence campaign can include the defection of critical officers, coup attempts or even major splits within the military. When figures such as former Libyan intelligence chief and Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa defected from the Gaddafi regime, they were doing so in response to clandestine intelligence efforts.

Signs of training and support will translate to increased effectiveness by the FSA - if they suddenly begin to employ new tactics, strike new targets, or show the ability to better coordinate actions over a wide geographic area, for example. Another sign of increased effectiveness would be if the FSA began to execute sophisticated asymmetrical warfare operations, such as coordinated ambushes or hitand-run strikes directed against highvalue targets. Foreign trainers will also help the FSA learn how to develop networks within the local population that provide intelligence and supplies, communication, shelter and early warning. Outside training and intelligence support would lead to an increase in the strategic impact of attacks by armed opposition groups, such as the FSA. The opposition claims to have conducted several strikes against targets like the Syrian Directorate for Air Force Intelligence in suburban Damascus, but such attacks do not appear to have been very meaningful. To date these attacks have served more of a propaganda function than as a means to pursue military objectives. — Stratfor

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www.kuwaittimes.net

A two-day-old white lion cub playing with its mother Sumba, in Belgrade Zoo, Serbia, yesterday.

Four white lions cubs, an extremely rare subspecies of the African lion were recently born in Belgrade Zoo. White lions are unique to the Timbavati area of South Africa and are not albinos but a genetic rarity. —AP

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Te c h n o l o g y

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

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hristmas is coming, which means there’s a game out there for every type, whether sporty, laidback or prone to black humor.

Offerings include gangster thrillers like Saints Row; wrestling matches with WWE 12; as well as a new Zelda adventure. But the fact remains that any company that wants to make a splash this season has already had its game on the market for a long time. Thus, there are few new games appearing in December. But there is plenty left over from the last half of November.

Saints Row: The Third has already been out for a while. It focuses on the Third Street Saints, a street gang. The series has already shown its mettle and market draw with two previous versions. This time the Saints’ questionable claim to fame - notoriety - is under attack from the evil Syndicate.

Fighting and violence ensue.

Players will find they are not limited to handguns and motorbikes, like they might be in some other gangster games. The first levels of the game already have players testing out parachutes, satellite-aided airstrikes and tanks.

The whole adventure is sprinkled with black humor and double entendres, sometimes pushing the boundaries of taste, meaning it is not suitable for children. The game is available for the Playstation 3 and XBox 360 and costs about 55 euros (74 dollars). The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the newest installment of Nintendo’s action-adventure series. The game’s hero, Link, seems to have gained the abilities of a bird this time, letting him take the adventure to the skies.

As usual, the game is filled with puzzles, challenges and fighting. The first challenge already comes at purchase, since the game’s swordplay is only possible with Wii’s Motion Plus system, automatically included with newer consoles. People with older Wiis will have to upgrade. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is exclusively available for the Nintendo Wii and costs about 50 euros.

Dtp Entertainment has brought an adventure for Sherlock Holmes fans to stores with Sherlock Homes - The Secret of the Silver Earring, for the Wii. Players alternate between the roles of Holmes and Dr Watson on a search for a murderer that takes them to 40 authentic London locales as they gather a bag full of clues and tips.

To win, you have to be able to make connections and think like the criminal.

However, the story’s pace is more leisurely than a lot of other games on the market.

The Secret of the Silver Earring costs about 40 euros.

Sofa-based athletes will not be left out in the end-of-the-year rush. Just in time for the season, Koch Media is bringing Eurosport Winter Stars to market. Up to four players at a time can compete on one console in 11 disciplines. There are traditional games like the biathlon, four-man bobsled and ski jumping, but newer games like curling, paraskiing and snowmobiling are also represented.

Each player can set his own personal difficulty level, keeping some suspense, even in contests between beginners and people who have played for a while. Eurosport Winter Stars is available for the Wii, XBox 360 and the Playstation 3, all of which support the necessary motion controls. The Wii version costs about 40 euros, while the

Playstation 3 and X Box 360 versions costs about 50 euros.

And if the ski jump isn’t your thing, there’s always the ring, thanks to WWE 12, the new wrestling title from THQ. It promises a new graphics engine to make the fights seem more realistic than predecessor versions. But the game also tracks players’ attributes, like endurance.

Players have the choice of taking on the role of one of the players that comes with the game, or to create their own wrestler, with his own manoeuvres and entrance music. WWE 12 is available for the Wii (about 40 euros) and the XBox 360 and Playstation 3 (both around 55 euros). — dpa

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Relationships

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Technology keeps us close

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aby boomers grew up in a time of outlandish predictions. They were promised that during their lifetime that they would witness time travel, flying cars and telephones that showed who was on the other end. The idea of time travel, albeit potentially dangerous, seemed pretty cool. It could be fun to go back and relive a first kiss or a child’s birth.

Certainly, flying cars would help during rush-hour traffic.

But computers and phones with live images? Surely that prediction was nothing more than bunk. Who would want a caller to catch her with disheveled hair and torn jammies?

Fast-forward a few decades. Kent, Ohio’s Barb and Bruce Vasbinder say their relationship with their grandchildren, who live on the West Coast, just wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for Skype. With the free software application, a webcam and a high-speed Internet connection, users can talk to and see each other live via the Internet.

“It allows us to be a part of their lives and share special moments with them even though many miles separate us,” said Barb, 60.

The Nielsen Wire, the website for the measurement and information company Nielsen, reports: “Conventional wisdom that boomers spend little, resist technology and are slow to adopt new products needs to be reassessed.

Boomers are an affluent group who adopt technology with enthusiasm.”

The Vasbinders’ son, Aaron, his wife, Meghan Burke Vasbinder, and their children, Caitlin, 4, and Lindsay, almost 2, Skype at least once every couple of weeks from Tracy, Calif. And they get far more out of it than they would a simple telephone call. On one recent call, the couple gleefully watched as Caitlin showed them how she stretches before soccer games, and celebrated when seeing Lindsay learning to walk. They also play games with the kids.

“Caitlin will draw the cards, or roll the dice and move my player around the board,” Barb said. The couple showed the girls what the first snowfall of the season looked like in Ohio. Her son has given them tours of his house. “Recently, Caitlin showed us her newly painted bedroom,” Barb said. “And one night, as we were ready to sign off Skype, Lindsay blew us a kiss.” Grandpa, 61, who works for Larry Kannal State Farm, and Grammie, who is a physical education teacher for Kent schools, even help

Grandparents maintain contact with family baby-sit, Barb said. “Sometimes we read a few books so Meghan and Aaron can clean up in the kitchen and talk without interruption.”

Using creative ways to keep relationships intact, like Skype or the iPhone’s FaceTime feature, is something boomers in job-strapped places like Northeast Ohio may be experimenting with more as their kids and grandchildren are forced to leave the area to find employment.

“Aaron had a number of job offers before graduation from Virginia Tech in mining engineering, but none in Ohio,” Barb said. “So following graduation, he felt the California offer was his best opportunity. “The time difference is an issue, but we make it work, even if it is a quick story before we go to bed.”

Facebook pros and cons In 1977, the late Ken Olson, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., manufacturer of big business mainframe computers, argued against the personal computer, saying, “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” Now it’s hard to find a home without one. And even many anti-technology boomers are making their way to social networks like Facebook to stay connected and be hip. “The baby-boomer generation is one of the fastest growing users of social media,” said Erin E. Hollenbaugh, assistant professor of communication studies at Kent State University’s Stark Campus.

But beware of limiting yourself to written messages, such as Facebook messages or emails, as the only way to

Barb and Bruce Vasbinder read a book to their granddaughters, Caitlin, 4, and Lindsay, 20 months, through Skype from their home n Kent, Ohio, on Saturday, May 28, 2011.

Barb Vasbinder and Elmo talk to her grandaughter, Caitlin 4, who lives in Tracy, California, through Skype from their home in Kent, Ohio, on Saturday, May 28, 2011.

communicate. “One nice thing about the Internet is that we sometimes feel more confident when talking with others online. The fact that you don’t have to see the other person’s reactions when you tell them something makes it easier to share things that may upset them. On the other hand, that same quality can backfire on us,” Hollenbaugh said.

“For example, plenty of people post nasty things on another person’s Facebook profile. This is likely because they didn’t consider how it might hurt the other person or how that person’s reaction would cause them to feel.

Similarly, sometimes people share secrets online or are overly disclosive, and that can lead to problems with friends, teachers or employers.”

Social media, especially Facebook, are used to maintain or rekindle connections with “friends” - current and former. “While it’s great to increase your social network, researchers have found that the vast majority of these relationships tend to be weak-tie relationships,” Hollenbaugh said. “In other words, they are fairly superficial, distant friendships.

“As I look at my friend list on Facebook, I know that’s the case because most of the people I’m friends with online I would not call on the phone and chat, nor do I even have their phone number. So while quantity is increased, quality may be decreased.” Sometimes written messages are perceived differently from what was intended. Perhaps that is why people invented emoticons - the faces made with symbols like :).

Emoticons give us a chance to replicate what we do face-to-face, Hollenbaugh said. But a text-only email is less rich than a Skype call, which includes nonverbal and verbal cues. The Vasbinders believe that without Skype, their grandchildren may not be as comfortable around them when they get the chance to visit in person. “They run to us in an airport without hesitation. They know us, not just pictures of us,” Barb Vasbinder said. “We have all this technology at our fingertips to improve the way we can communicate. Why not use it?” — MCT

Fo o d FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Everyday cooking

Quick holiday

recipes

By Sawsan Kazak

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Orange-Scented Cranberry Sauce

2 bags (12 ounces each) fresh or frozen cranberries 1 1/2 cups sugar 4 wide strips orange zest, plus 1 cup fresh orange juice Coarse salt and ground pepper In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, orange zest, and 1/2 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange juice.

Eggnog

y mouth waters just thinking of a plate overflowing with juicy turkey meat covered with gravy, a mound of mashed potatoes topped with a large, melting dab of butter, sweet and savory stuffing soaking up its neighbors’ juices. But who has the time to roast, peel and bake all day? With a few short cuts, that perfect holiday meal is but a few minutes away.

Happy holiday cooking!

Send your suggestions to: sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

• 6 large eggs, plus 2 yolks • 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 4 cups whole milk • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract • 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg • 1/4 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks • Additional grated nutmeg for garnish Preparation: Combine eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3- or 4-quart pan, whisking until well-combined. Continue whisking while pouring milk in a slow, steady stream until completely incorporated. Turn on burner to lowest possible heat setting. Place pan on burner and stir mixture continuously until an instant-read thermometer reaches 160 degrees F and the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Be patient. This should take about 45 to 60 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a large bowl to remove any accidental small cooked bits of egg. Add vanilla extract and nutmeg, stirring to combine.

Pour into a glass pitcher, decanter, or container and cover with a lid or plastic wrap.

Refrigerate this egg custard mixture to chill at least 4 hours or up to 3 days before finishing. When ready to serve, pour heavy cream into a bowl and whip until it forms soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into cold custard mixture until combined.

Fo o d FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Mushroom and walnut stuffing 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking dish 2 large yellow onions, diced small 3 celery stalks, diced Coarse salt and ground pepper 10 ounces button mushrooms, diced 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, finely chopped 1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped 1 loaf crusty white bread, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (8 cups) and left uncovered overnight or toasted 1 1/2 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken or turkey broth 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Herb roasted

turkey breast with pan gravy

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n a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high.

Add onions and celery; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil, mushrooms, and sage to skillet; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are browned, 5 minutes.

Add about half cup of stock, stirring and scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until wine is almost evaporated. Transfer to bowl with vegetables; add walnuts, bread, and enough broth to moisten (stuffing should feel moist but not soggy). Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Add eggs to bread mixture and toss well to combine. Reserve 4 cups stuffing for turkey. Spoon remaining stuffing into a lightly oiled 2-quart baking dish. (To store, cover and refrigerate, up to 1 day.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in upper third. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top, 30 minutes.

Creamy garlic mashed potatoes 3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes 2 tablespoons kosher salt 16 fluid ounces (2 cups) half-and-half 6 cloves garlic, crushed 6 ounces grated Parmesan

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eel and dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan, add the salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork. Heat the half-and-half and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering.

Remove from heat and set aside. Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Mash and add the garlic-cream mixture and Parmesan; stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.

1 small onion, coarsely chopped 1 lemon, scrubbed clean 12 fresh sage leaves Large handful fresh flat-leaf parsley 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 6 fresh bay leaves 4 tablespoons butter 2 boneless turkey breast halves, skin on Freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 to 3 cups apple cider Salt and pepper

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No bake pumpkin pie 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust 1 (.25 ounce) package unflavored gelatin 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 2 eggs, beaten 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

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n a heavy saucepan combine gelatin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in condensed milk and beaten eggs, mixing well. Let stand one minute, then place on burner over low heat, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes, or until gelatin dissolves and mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in pumpkin, mixing thoroughly, and pour mixture into graham cracker crust. Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

reheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Oil a roasting pan and set it aside. Put the onion into the bowl of a mini food processor. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the lemon in thin strips, being careful not to cut into the bitter white pith. Add the lemon zest to the food processor and reserve the whole lemon for another use. Chop the onion and lemon zest until fine. Add the sage, parsley, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse until it forms a coarse paste.

Put 2 of the bay leaves and the butter into a small pan and heat over medium-low heat until the butter is bubbling.

Remove from the heat and set aside.

Put the turkey breasts on a work surface. Carefully run your fingers between the skin and the flesh from 1 end, being careful not to pull it completely off, creating a pocket. Season the turkey breasts generously with salt and pepper. Stuff half of the herb paste under the skin of each breast, and spread it evenly under the skin. Transfer the breasts to the roasting pan, and slide 2 bay leaves underneath each one. (The heat of the pan will release the bay leaf oils and flavor the breast.)

Using a pastry brush, baste the breasts with half of the bay butter. Place the turkey in the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 400 degrees F. After 20 minutes, baste the turkey breasts with the remaining butter, and roast for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through, and a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the breast registers 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes before carving while you make the gravy.

Put the roasting pan over the burner on medium heat.

Sprinkle the flour over the pan juices, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the apple juice, and scrape the pan to lift the bits that are stuck to the bottom. Bring to a simmer, and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the turkey breast on the diagonal, and serve with warm gravy.

THEY ARE THE 99!

99 Mystical Noor Stones carry all that is left of the wisdom and knowledge of the lost civilization of Baghdad. But the Noor Stones lie scattered across the globe - now little more than a legend. One man has made it his life’s mission to seek out what was lost. His name is Dr. Ramzi Razem and he has searched fruitlessly for the Noor Stones all his life. Now, his luck is about to change - the first of the stones have been rediscovered and with them a special type of human who can unlock the gem’s mystical power. Ramzi brings these gem - bearers together to form a new force for good in the world. A force known as ... the 99!

THE STORY SO FAR : The 99 visits the opening of the brand-new amusement park ROBOT WORLD -- just in time for its robot pirates to run amok! Now the Mubdiayn, The 99’s resident problem-solvers, struggle to help Mukit and Rafie stop the pirates...

The 99 ® and all related characters ® and © 2011, Teshkeel Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

www.the99.org

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C h i l d re n FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

color me

connect the dots

maze

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C h i l d re n

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

alfa-search

number-search

Can you find the hidden numbers? They may be horizontal or vertical.

04847, 09348, 09899, 24884, 37487, 38338, 40484, 65358, 67684, 78373, 79173, 87483, 88820, 89334, 94345, 97876.

Can you find the hidden words? Each word ends with the letter F. The words may be horizontal or vertical.

BEEF, BELIEF, BRIEF, CALF, CHEF, CHIEF, CLIFF, GOLF, HALF, LEAF, PROOF, ROOF,

alfa-cross

SCARF, SHELF, SHERIFF, SNIFF, STAFF, SURF, THIEF, WOLF.

sudoku

solution

The first letter of each answer appears next to its clue in alphabetical order. All the first letters have been entered into the grid. Can you complete the puzzle?

A. Type of nut (5) A. Disagree (5) B. Used for travel on water (4) D. Precious gem (7) D. Animal often kept as a pet (3) D. A pair of singers (3) E. Not difficult (4) E. Night (7) N. Require (4)

O. Tree that grows from 1 across (3) O. Single number (3) P. Fruit (4) P. Farm animal (3) R. Waterway (5) S. Large fish (5) S. Drink slowly (3) S. Grin (5) T. Striped animal (5)

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Books

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Christmas books of all time

By Chris Van Allsburg

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ne couldn’t select a more delightful and exciting premise for a children’s book than the tale of a young boy lying awake on Christmas Eve only to have Santa Claus sweep by and take him on a trip with other children to the North Pole.

And one couldn’t ask for a more

talented artist and writer to tell the story than Chris Van Allsburg.

Allsburg, a sculptor who entered the genre nonchalantly when he created a children’s book as a diversion from his sculpting, won the 1986 Caldecott Medal for this book, one of several award winners he’s produced. The Polar Express rings with vitality and wonder.

By Dr Seuss

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By Charles Dickens

he Grinch hates Christmas, and wants to stop it from coming. So he forms a devious plan: to impersonate Santy Claus and to steal the Whos’ Christmas presents. But come Christmas morning, the Grinch is in for a shocking surprise. He did not stop Christmas from coming!

And the Grinch realizes something new. That maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. That maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!

“B

ah!” said Scrooge. “Humbug!” With those famous words unfolds a tale that renews the joy and caring that are Christmas.

Whether we read it aloud with our family and friends or open the pages on a chill winter evening to savor the story in solitude, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a very special holiday experience. It is the one book that every year will warm our hearts with favorite memories of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Futureand will remind us with laughter and tears that the true Christmas spirit comes from giving with love. With a heartwarming account of Dickens’ first reading of the Carol, and a biographical sketch.

By L Frank Baum

Robert L May (Author), David Wenzel (Illustrator)

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very year at Christmastime, young and old alike fall under the finger-snapping, joy-inspiring spell of this song. Now fans of the most famous reindeer of them all can become acquainted with the original story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, written in verse by his creator, Robert L. May, in 1939.

Sumptuously re-illustrated with the vibrant and magical art of David Wenzel, this beautiful edition of an American holiday classic is a book to treasure and to share, year after year.

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very child knows about Santa Claus, the jolly man who brings gifts to all on Christmas. There are many stories that tell of his life, but the delightful version relayed in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is by far the most charming and original of all. Only L. Frank Baum, the man who created the wonderful land of Oz, could have told Santa’s tale in such rich and imaginative detail. Acclaimed children’s artist Michael Hague has created strikingly beautiful illustrations for this wondrous holiday story. In delicate ink drawings and lush watercolor paintings he brings to life that most beloved of all childhood heroes, Santa Claus, in a gorgeous Christmas classic that will be cherished for years to come.

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Books

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

By Clement Clarke Moore

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s St Nick and eight tiny reindeer descend through a brilliant night sky, the famous Christmas poem begins. The father narrates the words just as Clement Moore wrote them, and artist Jan Brett captures the spirit of the story in glorious illustrations. Visually she extends it for children who will delight in watching two mischievous stowaways from the North Pole enthusiastically exploring the sacks of gifts on the roof. St. Nick, inside

the house, is unaware, until the toys spill down onto the lawn — then he turns with a jerk, and sees them.

Antique toys and exquisite ornaments frame the borders, in which the father, St.Nick, or the family cat and dog can be found watching the action. A unique and beautiful edition, which all the family will cherish for years to come.

By Colleen Monroe

By Hans Christian Andersen

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ndersen’s tale about a little girl who’s afraid to go home because she hasn’t sold enough matches is a classic. The little girl, bareheaded and barefoot, curls up in a corner, lighting match after match to warm herself. In the flames she sees visions; in the final one, her grandmother appears and lifts the little girl into heaven. With muted blues, grays and browns, Isadora captures the mood of a snowy Victorian winter reminiscent of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. With these illustrations, coupled with superb book design, the artist has surpassed even the splendid art in her previous books.

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his charming tale of an overgrown pine that was always passed over for Christmas, and what his woodland friends do to help him, is sure to become a holiday classic for years to come. With delightful illustrations by wildlife artist Michael Glenn Monroe and enchanting text by Colleen Monroe.

By ETA Hoffmann

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By Jack Rollins

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rosty the snowman

was a jolly, happy soul, with a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal!

Everybody’s favorite snowman comes magically to life in the pages of this picture book. Featuring the festive spirit and rollicking lyrics of the original song, it’s the perfect read-aloud for this holiday season.

he tale of Nutcracker, written by E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816, has fascinated and inspired artists, composers, and audiences for almost two hundred years. It has retained its freshness because it appeals to the sense of wonder we all share. Maurice Sendak designed brilliant sets and costumes for the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Christmas production of Nutcracker and created even more magnificent pictures especially for this book. He joined with the eminent translator Ralph Manheim to produce this illustrated edition of Hoffmann’s wonderful tale, destined to become a classic for all ages. The world of Nutcracker is a world of pleasures. Maurice Sendak’s art illuminates the delights of Hoffmann’s story in this rich and tantalizing treasure.

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Beauty

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Teeth whitening facts and myths Why teeth get dark There are many causes of tooth discoloration. The most common include genetics, aging, consumption of staining substances (smoking, coffee, tea, and colas), tetracycline (antibiotic) staining, excessive fluoride, and old fillings. Whitening toothpaste can remove stain that is on the outside of the teeth. Dentists call this extrinsic staining. However, whitening toothpaste and professional dental cleanings will not change the color or intrinsic staining of the teeth. That is why tooth whitening (sometimes called tooth bleaching) is so popular Here’s how tray teeth whitening works A whitening gel is placed in a tray that fits over your teeth. As the active ingredient in the gel, carbamide peroxide, is broken down, oxygen enters the enamel and bleaches the colored substances. The structure of the tooth is not changed; only the tooth is made lighter and whiter.

Fillings, Crowns, and Bonding will not lighten.

The fit of the tray is critical to success of treatment. Impressions are made by your dentist.

Accurate models of your teeth are obtained from which custom fitting whitening trays can be made.

How safe is this?

Dentists have known for years that tray whitening or bleaching is a fast, safe and predictable way to whiten teeth 2-5 shades in a matter of days.

What is the difference between laser whitening and custom mouthpieces?

Laser is done by a dentist who applies a 35% Hydrogen Peroxide solution on your teeth. Once this solution is on, a light is held a couple of inches away from your teeth to speed up the chemical reaction of the Hydrogen Peroxide. Many dentists advertise that this works better than tray type whitening.

There is NO clinical data to indicate the laser whitening works any better than tray whitening. NONE! The problem with this procedure is that after a year of your normal eating habits (drinking coke, tea, coffee, etc.) your teeth become slightly discolored again and develops a new stain. With the laser whitening, you will have to go and pay $500 plus to have white teeth again. With the custom mouthpieces, you already have the custom mouthpieces that you can wear a year later for a night to take off the new stain at no cost.

How does the tray whitening system compare to crest whitestripes?

Crest White Stripes are a new plastic strip that is coated with Hydrogen Peroxide and placed across the front teeth. The strips do work...sort of. Tests by Crest show that teeth are lightened an average of 1 to 2 shades They tend to whiten only the front teeth while and the visible premolars are still dark.

How Long will Whitening Results Last?

For most people, the treatment is long-lasting. Exposure to coffee, smoking, red wines, and some medicine products will gradually darken teeth again over time. After an initial treatment, most people do touch-ups one day about every 3-6 months.

How long will it take and how white will they get?

When wearing the trays

Carbamide Peroxide is slowly broken down to Hydrogen Peroxide which whitens the teeth. The 16% gel whitens more slowly but causes less tooth sensitivity. The 22% gel whitens quickly but can cause temporary sensitivity to temperatures. Both the 16% and 22% gels need to be worn for about 10-14 days to achieve maximum whiteness.

Virtually everyone who whitens their teeth will see improvement.

The ultimate whiteness will be determined by the length of time the teeth are exposed to the whitening gel and the mineral composition of the teeth. Teeth whitening is kind of like a reverse suntan. Some people get great results in only one or two days while others need more treatment time.

The American Dental Association (ADA) has recently made public a review by the Cochrane Collaboration of 25 stud-

ies of home-use tooth whitening products. The 25 clinical studies looked at the effectiveness of home-use whiteners including: The tooth-whitening agents used by all the products were either carbamide peroxide; or hydrogen peroxide. Each homeuse tooth whitening product was used for two or more weeks. After two weeks, the teeth looked whiter than if no whitening product had been used, and differences

in effectiveness were due to levels of active whitening agents in the ingredients. Store-bought kits have weaker whitening agents.

Bias in the studies The Cochrane review noted that all 25 studies were conducted by manufacturers of tooth-whitening products and had “moderate to high levels of bias”. They also noted that reviewing these studies of at-home users was particularly difficult, “given the significant variation in whitening products, concentrations of active ingredients, study designs and application methods.” The reviewers also called for some long-term studies (at least 6 months) of at-home tooth whitening, to evaluate its potential health effects, and effectiveness.

Summary Tray teeth whitening procedures have been common in dentistry since the late 1980’s. The procedure typically takes about 114 days to complete. Side effects are minimal. The most common side effect is tooth increased sensitivity particularly to cold. These symptoms go away when whitening is discontinued.

Tooth whitening is currently the safest and most conservative dental cosmetic procedure. As dental care is moving from being a boring chore to another way to be glamorous the popularity of this treatment is sure to continue. (www.healthmantra.com)

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

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or some people, going to the salon or barber shop is an enjoyable experience.

For others, it is something that they would rather not do. Whether it is because of the cost or other factors, if you decide to cut your own hair, you should keep a few things in mind. Here is our hair cut how to guide: Let’s get started with these helpful tips. ● Wet hair is much easier to cut than dry hair. Start with freshly shampooed, tanglefree hair. Keep a bottle of water with a spray nozzle nearby so that you can dampen your hair if it begins to dry while you are working on it. ● Be sure that your scissors are nice and sharp to avoid pulling your hair. If you plan to cut your hair on a regular basis, it will be worth investing in a good quality pair of scissors, shears, or clippers designed specifically for use on hair. ● You might even want to get a RoboCut, a great haircutting system. No matter what style you choose, cut a little at a time, especially if you are a beginner. You can always cut it a little shorter, but once you’ve gone too short, all you can do is wait for it to grow back! ● Simple styles are best for home haircuts.

The easiest cut will be one length everywhere.

Decide on an overall length (it’s a good idea to measure your hair when you have a cut that you find especially flattering) and then grab your ruler. Working in small sections, comb your hair straight out from your scalp and hold a section smoothly between your index and middle fingers. Measure to the desired length and carefully snip off the excess. Continue in this manner until you have cut all of your hair. This method works equally well for both men and women, with long hair or short hair. The length of the chosen cut can vary from quite short to shoulder length and beyond. ● Do you have dry scalp and dandruff, or do you dream of re-growing hair? I recommend you strengthen the hair you have and re-grow what you’ve lost using this ancient Indian remedy, known simply as the Herbal Hair Solution. ● You may want to start with a professional cut and then just trim about the same amount of hair from all areas of your head every month or two to maintain the style. Be aware that on most people, the hair on one side of their head grows faster than on the other, so if you choose this method, you will need to visit your stylist every now and then as the cut begins to get uneven. ● Another idea for a simple, yet attractive cut is to lean over and comb all of your wet hair straight forward.

Smooth sections of your hair through your fingers and cut all hair in one straight line across.

Be sure to work in small sections and continue from one side to the other. Double check to

see that the cut feels pretty even and then stand upright. Part your hair in the middle and comb it straight down. Run small sections of your hair between your index and middle fingers to see if there are any long pieces. If you find some, carefully snip off the excess. ● If you have curly hair, be sure to cut your hair considerably longer than the desired finished length.

Curls shrink up quite a bit as they dry, so you must allow for this. If your hair is very thick or coarse, hold very small sections of hair for trimming. Trying to cut too much hair at once, especially for thick hair, can make the hair bend between the blades of the scissors, instead of cutting evenly. ● For all styles, when you think that you are finished, be sure to check that the cut feels even everywhere. Simply take sections of hair from opposite sides of your head and gently tug them toward your eyes, nose, chin and jaw line to see that the sides are fairly evenly matched.

Carefully trim prices that seem a

little too long. ● For bangs, begin with your hair parted in the center. Using your comb, take an equal amount of hair from each side of the part line and comb it forward. Smooth the hair between your index and middle fingers and cut across, being careful to maintain a straight line. ● Currently, many men are choosing to wear their hair “buzzed” or cut extremely short. This cut can be easily achieved at home by using an electric hair clipper. These lightweight clippers allow you to set the blades to your desired length, ranging from completely bald to several inches of hair. By simply running the clipper across your head repeatedly, you will clip all hair to the desired length. For the easiest men’s haircut of all, simply lather up with a thick shaving cream and shave your head smooth. This look is especially favored by athletes. ● One word of caution-keep it simple. If you are inexperienced at cutting your own hair and looking for a complicated style with many angles or layers, you will probably need to enlist the help of a friend to be sure that your haircut is even in areas that are difficult for you to reach. ● As you get more comfortable cutting your own hair, you may want to attempt more

complicated styles. There are a number of terrific books and videos available that offer step-by-step guidance. A video can be especially helpful since you get to see the procedure in action and can replay it as many times as necessary to help you fine-tune your skills. (www.howtodothings.com)

Required Tools: ● Comb ● Scissors ● Spritzer bottle of water ● 2 mirrors Caution: ● Be careful! It is easy to snip your fingers along with your hair! ● Cut a little at a time-especially if you are a beginner.

Quick Tips: ● Take your time, especially the first few times that you cut your own hair.

Like anything, it will get easier with practice. ● To check the back of your hair, stand in front of a mirror and hold a hand-held mirror behind you. ● When you do go to the salon, pay attention to how your stylist cuts your hair. It’s the perfect place to pick up some helpful tips!

HEALTH FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2011

Stop scratching naturally Common rashes defined and treated with home remedies What are common skin rashes?

Common rashes are often called dermatitis, meaning inflammation of the skin; they involve changes in the color or texture of the skin including skin redness or inflammation.

Common rashes are also known as skin lesions, Rubor and Erythema.

Causes of common rashes Causes of common rashes are as varied as the rashes themselves and can often be determined from the visible characteristics and other symptoms of the rash.

The most common rashes and their causes: Contact Rashes - are common rashes often caused by dyes and chemicals in clothing, rubber, latex and elastic, cosmetics, soaps, detergents and plants like Poison Oak, Poison Ivy and Poison Sumac.

Dandruff or Seborrheic Dermatitus - are common rashes associated with age, stress, fatigue, weather extremes, oily skin, infrequent shampooing and alcohol-based lotions.

Other common rashes include Eczema (often associated with allergies or asthma), Psoriasis, Impetigo, Shingles and rashes caused by a host of childhood diseases like chickenpox, measles and scarlet fever. Medications can cause rashes as well as insect bites and stings.

Natural alternatives to cortisone Cortisone is often used to decrease local inflammation, swelling, burning and itching often associated with common rashes. A common side effect to using strong cortisones ointments and creams to treat rashes is permanent thinning of the skin, especially when applied to skin-folds such as under the breast, the armpit, and the groin.

There are natural alternatives to cortisone cream treatment for rashes. For example Eczema is often treated with

cortisone cream to combat the itching. There is, unfortunately, no known cure for Eczema, but natural medicines can help reduce the symptoms of Eczema without the harmful side effects associated with cortisones and other pharmaceutical medications.

Many natural rash remedy creams that provide instant and long-term relief for Eczema and Dermatitis can also be helpful in treating common rashes like dry skin, itchy skin, vaginitis, cuts, insect bites, hives, cradle cap and diaper rash.

Natural rash remedies can also be effective treatments for Psoriasis, Rosacea, Seborrhea and Acne.

Read about Ayurvedic Medicine - Ayuderme is a time tested composition of authentic herbal ingredients that provides nourishment to the body to help promote healthy skin and restore and balance the digestive and glandular system.

your skin? In many of the natural remedies for common rashes, authentic herbal ingredients provide nourishment to the body to help combat rashes (from the inside out), promote healthy skin and restore and balance the digestive and glandular system.

Advanced remedies for common rashes traditionally address a variety of skin problems (such as Psoriasis) by improving digestion and supporting the function of the liver, colon and kidneys in eliminating bodily wastes and toxins.

Most natural rash remedies are free from the side effects typically associated with over-the-counter preparations commonly used to treat every day common rashes (e.g. acne, eczema, itching, psoriasis, etc.). Natural rash remedies are developed to provide nutrition and support for skinrelated conditions including many of the common rashes.

Common rashes may mask other problems There are many different reasons why excess toxins may be present in the blood and skin. When there is an excess of toxins present in the body they may be deposited in the skin where the sweat glands are left to deal with them. This often results in inflammatory skin conditions characterized by frequent episodes of redness (including common rashes) and itching. Other symptoms may include thick, dry silvery scales or rough patches on the skin or superficial skin eruptions that are caused by the blocked skin pores.

Natural medicine has linked many common rashes with the functions of various excretory organs and the general health of the body. Unlike pharmaceutical remedies, many natural rash remedies also treat the whole body when a common rash is present in the system.

Natural rash remedies can...

• Help cleanse and detoxify the body • Help provide astringent, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties • Support the function of the liver • Never Ignore Common Rashes Common rashes can also be indicators of more serious medical conditions like Lupus and Arthritis so never ignore a persistent rash, however common it may appear. (www.herbalab.com)

Nourish the body to treat skin rashes Why would you take a pill to treat common rashes on

HEALTH FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2011

Belly dancing as an exercise option

Back and joints pains are relieved During the dance, the movements of hip drops, circles, figure eights, and shimmies put the joints and ligaments in the lower back and hip through a full range of gentle, repetitive motion. This movement helps increase the flow of synovial fluid (nature’s lubricant) in these joints. When movements are done properly, the pelvis is tipped forward, or tucked somewhat; a neutral position that can help prevent lower back problems. Raks sharki (belly dancing) can help relieve stress to the back, counteracting the almost constant compression of the disks that occurs from sitting and a sedentary lifestyle. These toned muscles improve posture and help prevent back pain that can be caused by the unnatural curving forward of the spine that occurs when muscle groups are weak (lordosis).

abdomen, pelvis, trunk, spine, and neck, working with the body instead of against it.

Unlike ballet, which can potentially alter and deform the skeleton, or other dance forms that work against rather than with the body’s physical inclinations, raks sharki is based on movements that come naturally to the female form. The benefits of belly dance can be enjoyed by women of all ages.

Bone density increases Because a woman is on her feet, moving during the dance, it is considered a weightbearing exercise. Weight-bearing exercise can prevent osteoporosis and strengthen bones.

Belly dance helps in preparing for childbirth The movements of raks sharki make an excellent prenatal exercise regimen that strengthens the muscles used during the childbirth process. The toned abdominal muscles and natural hip tucks, which are similar to the “pelvic rocking” taught during prenatal classes, teach the expectant mother how to

Belly dance is a low impact form of exercise The graceful hip drops, rolls, and pivots of this dance form utilize muscle groups in the

Belly dance helps in losing weight Raks sharki can burn up to 300 calories per hour. This estimate will vary, of course, depending on the intensity of your dancing.

Combined with a healthy diet that involves sensible eating, raks sharki can without a doubt be part of a sound weight loss program. (Looking for good Health cover for yourself?)

move her pelvis. For women who desire natural childbirth, this form of exercise through dance, with its emphasis on muscle control not only facilitates natural childbirth, but also makes an excellent post-natal exercise that helps encourage abdominal tone. During those first weeks after giving birth, when caution is needed while healing from the birth process, these movements work the muscles gently and effectively, if done very gradually.

Learn more about Belly dance during pregnancy.

Stress levels become lower Repetitious swaying, circular and flowing movements are likened to a state of dancemeditation. The dancer often finds that a session of slow, graceful dancing will clear the mind and induce a state of mental relaxation.

The faster forms of belly dance are stimulating and fun, and either slow or fast belly dancing can be useful in cases of anxiety or mild depression Belly dancing boosts self-esteem The movements are artistic and feminine, creating a positive feeling of sensual expression and freedom. With sensuality being a desirable quality of belly dancing, the dancer

feels safe to explore the soft, beautiful ways the body can move. In the act of dancing with sensuality, the dancer frees herself in physical and emotional ways.

The body, which becomes increasingly supple and graceful through practicing the dance, literally learns to move more beautifully. Dancers feel a heightened sense of elegance and poise when they dance, and this delightful confidence remains long after the class or performance is finished. The body awareness that comes from belly dancing often triggers an emotional response. Women with low self-image begin to honour their bodies. Previously weight conscious participants relax and become comfortable with their bellies and hips. Voluptuous women appreciate their ample curves.

Belly dancing can help relieve PMS Soothing belly dance movements such as rolling the hips, figure of eights and undulations can help to alleviate congestion in the pelvic area. Circulation to the pelvic area improves and at the same time, the feeling of relaxation alleviates stress. (www.worldbellydance.com)

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

The art of dissent Ai Weiwei: ‘Younger people can be more hurt. I have my own beliefs’ When the artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei was arrested by the Chinese government in April and held in secret for 81 days, he became an international cause celebre

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welve months ago, Ai Weiwei was a celebrated artist, whose Sunflower Seeds had just opened at Tate Modern to widespread acclaim.

Today he is as famous for the 81 days he spent in detention this spring as for his work. In attempting to silence him, the Chinese authorities appear to have amplified his voice.

His sudden disappearance, as he passed through immigration at Beijing airport on 3 April, shocked even the friends who had feared such a moment. His high profile, and his revered late father - the poet Ai Qing - had offered him some protection until then. Human rights groups say his detention showed that no one was immune.

It prompted a global outpouring of outrage that he admits startled even him. “I never imagined it could happen. I think it shows we are in a very different time through the internet, the media. I had communicated so often with the outside world and made it very clear what was in my mind,” he says.

Though he says that he has learned from his experiences, he has also been clear about how damaging the period was. “You know from the first they are not going to be lawful... I felt very sorry for my family, my child, the people associated with me,” he says.

He has always insisted that China is his home - he is rare in having lived in America for years as a young man without opting for a US passport - but in his lowest moments he questioned even that decision.

“I asked myself: ‘You were so many years in the US and never got citizenship - how stupid could I be?’ You think: ‘This is dangerous.’

“You just want to get out. They ask you to sign everything... At the beginning, I thought it ridiculous. In the end I said that if I did anything wrong, I would take responsibility.”

This year has left him less innocent and more suspicious. But he suggests he emerged with fewer scars than most of the dozens taken in the wider crackdown on activists, lawyers and dissidents this year. Though none are supposed to discuss their experiences, he appears to have been treated considerably better; he thinks his age helped too.

“I’m old enough. I think younger people can be more damaged, more crushed. I have my own beliefs,” he adds.

“I told them: ‘You can change the frame but you can’t change the content. You can’t make a chestnut into a pear.’”

Chinese authorities say that his detention was nothing to do with human rights, only economic crimes. They have said the company handling Ai’s affairs was guilty of tax evasion and argued that he is personally responsible: last month, they handed him a £1.5m fine.

Thousands of well-wishers sent him cash to pay it- money, he says, he accepted as loans, despite his concern about repercussions and despite having other ways to find the money, because he felt it was important to recognise the stirrings of civic instinct.

Then police suggested to his cameraman that pictures of Ai and several women naked might constitute pornography. Supporters promptly tweeted nude pictures of themselves.

There is no sign of the tensions easing: at the end of November, police questioned Ai’s wife. Many of the artist’s friends fear he may be detained again; perhaps, this time, for years.

“I do worry. All the time. But it doesn’t help,” he says. He knows that he could lose the thing he values most - his freedom.

“Every day I think about [the lawyers and activist] Gao Zhisheng and Chen Guangcheng and Hu Jia, who have been crushed and beaten. But somebody has to bear responsibility.

“I have a chance to talk to you. Millions of people in their lives can never even clearly state their life and emotions and will die in this darkness.” —Guardian

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Asian art appeal sparks crisis-defying investment boom

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n a spacious, luxury apartment perched on the leafy hills of Hong Kong, Kai-Yin Lo browses through a trove of Chinese art acquired over several decades, reflecting how her niche, scholarly pursuit has now hit the mainstream.

Despite giddy Chinese art prices showing some strain from global economic uncertainty, collectors like Lo think values will continue to rise due to limited supply and continued strong demand as Asian collectors become more affluent.

“As east and west get into more of a confluence in taste and in the market place, it will still go up,” said Lo, a Cambridge-educated writer and jewellery designer famously known for wearing mismatched designer shoes.

She is one of Hong Kong’s leading art collectors - her home is stacked with rare Chinese furniture, stone carvings and paintings, including an inkbrush panorama of the Grand Canyon by 20th-century Chinese master Wu Guanzhong.

Hong Kong’s auction market skyrocketed 300% between 2009 and 2010. The Mei Moses Global Art Index - a broader measure of global art - showed an 11.8% rise in the first eleven months of 2011; statistics belying the global fiscal crises.

Despite the art market’s vulnerability to shocks, including the 2008 Lehman Brothers collapse, when unrealistic estimates left scores of unsold lots amid tepid bidding even in the red-hot Chinese ceramics market, Asia’s rapid wealth accumulation will likely see more and more money flow into art and other alternative investments such as wine.

Asia’s wealth management and private banking industry remains a sparkling growth area for many struggling banks, with an estimated 3.3 million high net worth individuals worth more than $1m, according to Capgemini and Merrill Lynch’s latest annual World Wealth report.

With a combined wealth of $10.7trn, Asia’s wealthy have even eclipsed the $10.2trn held

by Europe’s generational millionaires. “The exponential growth in the number of emerging market [millionaires] ... is expanding the global market for investments of passion,” the report said. While art often comes straddled with hefty commission, storage and insurance costs, it can serve as a fun portfolio diversifier, mixing decent returns with aesthetic pleasure.

“It may not be a good time for sellers but it’s an excellent time for buyers. During late 2008 and 2009, I highly advised clients to buy,” said Bobby Mohseni, director of MFA Asia, an art consultancy. “With Chinese con-

temporary art, some prices have gone exceptionally high and that’s just over a decade ... so it’s best to look at upcoming or mid-tier artists.”

While stocks on the S&P 500 have outperformed western art over the past 25 years, according to Mei Moses data, top Chinese and Asian art is still comparatively cheap compared with Western impressionists or American contemporary art. A Mei Moses index for traditional Chinese art showed a 24% jump in the first three quarters this year.

“The confidence in the Chinese contemporary art market remains high despite art market confidence dropping sharply in the US and European contemporary market,” Anders Petterson, head of art research consultancy ArtTactic, told Reuters.

Even for those with less purchasing muscle, experts say bargains can still be had in less spotlighted categories, including modern Filipino and Indonesian painters, as well as photography, and Chinese snuff bottles, to name a few. “Collect what other people aren’t collecting,” said Tony Miller, a former top Hong Kong government official and longstanding collector of scholars’ objects and Chinese art. “If you can’t afford Qi Baishi paintings going at HK$2m a throw, well, go for prints.”

Qi is one of the masters of inkbrush paintings and his pieces routinely sell for millions of dollars. Owners of Hong Kong’s art gal-

leries, many of them crammed along the winding Hollywood Road in the Central district, say timing is the key. “If you get good works of art, then without any question it is a safe haven, but it doesn’t have the liquidity.

That’s the difficulty,” said Sundaram Tagore, whose galleries in Hong Kong and the United States feature a stable of culture-bridging artists.

“If you’re trying to sell at the wrong time it becomes part of the distressed market, but if you’re selling at the right time then you could make 100 times more, maybe more than property or any bonds can provide you.”

The search by Asian investors for alternative assets has extended beyond art into wine, gems, watches, postage stamps and other memorabilia - the rarer and more exclusive, the better.

With about two-thirds of the world’s stamp collectors in Asia, the stamps and collectibles market has surged, says Geoff Anandappa of stamp and memorabilia retailer Stanley Gibbons.

Hong Kong-based InterAsia Auctions which specialises in Asian stamps - broke world records for Chinese stamps in September, raking in $12.6m over four days. A 1941 Dr Sun Yat-Sen inverted centre stamp fetched $221,000, up 66% from a similar sale a year ago.

Chinese and Asian buyers have cornered the fine wine market, with a Hong Kong Acker

Merrall & Condit wine auction in December bringing in $9m, including a single super-lot of 55 Romanee Conti vintages that fetched a record-breaking $813,000. Similarly, Asian buying is behind the boom for diamonds and gems. China is on course to become the world’s top diamond buyer and retailers in Hong Kong report a rise in the number of men coming to buy loose diamonds for investments. A Hong Kong jewellery retailer recently raised $2bn in one of the city’s biggest initial public offerings this year to fund expansion in the region.

“It’s not the old days of ‘safe as houses’, put your money in the bank and that will sort you out,” said Jon Reade of the Art Futures Group, a Hong Kong-based art investment firm.

“Those are the days probably of my parents’ generation ... people are getting more creative with their money.” —Guardian

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Word Sleuth Solution

Yesterday s Solution

ACROSS 1. The basic unit of money in Western Samoa.

5. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.

9. An architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness.

13. The act of scanning.

14. Panel forming the lower part of an interior wall when it is finished differently from the rest.

15. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

16. A former copper coin of Pakistan.

17. Harsh or corrosive in tone.

18. Long and thin and often limp.

19. A rare heavy polyvalent metallic element that resembles manganese chemically and is used in some alloys.

20. Egyptian statesman who (as President of Egypt) negotiated a peace treaty with Menachem Begin of Israel (1918-1981).

24. A protocol developed for the internet to get data from one network device to another.

25. A light touch or stroke.

28. A book of the New Testament.

32. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.

37. A deep bow.

39. The compass point that is one point east (clockwise) of due north.

40. Free from liquid or moisture.

41. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

42. The cry made by sheep.

44. The capital and largest city of Yemen.

46. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

48. The Mongol people living the the central and eastern parts of Outer Mongolia.

52. Scottish sea captain who was hired to protect British shipping in the Indian Ocean and then was accused of piracy and hanged (1645-1701).

53. A son who has the same first name as his father.

55. A branch of the Tai languages.

56. Not in good physical or mental health.

61. A master's degree in business.

62. (meaning literally `born') Used to indicate the maiden or family name of a married woman.

63. A written statement of the grounds of complaint made to court law asking for the grievance to be redressed.

64. Tag the base runner to get him out.

65. (Norse mythology) God of war and strife and son of Odin.

66. Joint capital (with Mecca) of Saudi Arabia located in the central oasis.

67. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

DOWN 1. A male monarch or emperor (especially of Russia prior to 1917).

2. An inflammatory disease involving the sebaceous glands of the skin.

3. A local computer network for communication between computers.

4. Squash bugs.

5. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

6. Covered with paving material.

7. A nearly horizontal passage from the surface into a mine.

8. An open box attached to a long pole handle.

9. A member of a North American people formerly living in the Colorado river valley in Arizona.

10. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

11. A Russian river.

12. The cardinal number that is the fifth power of ten.

21. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

22. A white trivalent metallic element.

23. A unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns.

26. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

27. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.

29. Rare (usually fatal) brain disease (usually in middle age) caused by an unidentified slow virus.

30. Any of various dark heavy viscid substances obtained as a residue.

31. Lacking self-confidence.

33. Food mixtures either arranged on a plate or tossed and served with a moist dressing.

34. Large burrowing rodent of South and Central America.

35. A gradual decline (in size or strength or power or number).

36. An accidental hole that allows something (fluid or light etc.) to enter or escape.

38. Music in triple time for dancing the landler.

39. Squash bugs.

43. An associate degree in applied science.

45. United States choreographer noted for his use of African elements (born in 1931).

47. A genus of Platalea.

49. A genus of Lamnidae.

50. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

51. Jordan's port.

54. The basic unit of money in South Africa.

57. An emergency procedure consisting of external cardiac massage and artificial respiration.

58. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

59. A negative.

60. Last or greatest in an indefinitely large series.

Yesterday s Solution

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

In Lapland, young and old fall for

Santa’s magic T

he letter came from Italy, addressed simply “Babbo Natale”, but that was enough to reach this frozen, far-north addressalong with hundreds of thousands like it from around the world. Some arrive without postage. And they’re written in a host of languages-”Pere NoÎl et ses lutins, Planete des rives” (France), “Djeda Mraz, 96 930 Articki Krug, Finska” (Serbia), “Santa, Santa’s Grotto, North Pole, Lapland” (Britain), “Santa !!! North Pole, Finland” (United States). Other people make the trip to Santa Claus’ Village in the Finnish town of Rovaniemi near the Arctic Circle to meet for themselves the

Santa Claus receives a wish list from a boy in his office in the Santa Park near Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland, on December 14, 2011. —AFP photos

Santa Claus welcomes his visitors to his “office” in Rovaniemi.

recipient of all these December missives. “Oh... Santa Claus,” said Akihiko Asao and his wife Chihiro, 30, who came all the way from Yamanashi, near Tokyo.

“I believe in Santa Claus a little, in my heart,” he admitted, smiling as he tugged the long, curly white beard of the roly poly man in red. “He’s real, we believe in him!” insisted in unison Dino Tariciotti, 28, and Federica Paglia, 29, who came from Rome “just to see him, he’s wonderful”. A surprising number of the visitors here are adults without children in tow. For the man with the funny red hat atop a mop of white hair, whether the guests are young or old makes no difference.

“When you are my age — I’m over 400 — everybody is a child,” Santa told AFP, noting that “people make

A Santa Claus clerk receives a wish list from a little girl in his “office”.

big efforts to reach Rovaniemi and see me.” The youngest visitors are clearly true believers. Five-year-old Xavi from Vinaros, Spain, gets straight to the point as he sits on Santa’s lap. He pulls out a long wish list of Christmas presents with drawings and gives Santa an oral explanation as well just to make sure he understands. “That’s a train, and that’s a workbench,” he says in Spanish. Next, six-year-old Dimitri steps forward, overcomes his

shyness and gets down to business, asking Santa boldly: “Are all the presents ready?”

An atlas in Santa’s office marks some of the far-flung places from where his visitors hail, including North Korea, Mozambique, and the Pacific Islands to name just a few... As every year, Santa-local lore holds-will leave Rovaniemi on December 24, making his first stops in Scandinavia where children receive their presents from

“Santa” in person. Then, according to a Swedish study, his Christmas Eve tour will take him to some 2.5 billion homes around the planet. In order to make the trip on time, the report by the engineering consultancy Sweco said Santa’s reindeer must travel at a speed of 5,800 kilometers (3,604 miles) per second.

This means he has only 34 microseconds at each stop to shimmy down the chimney and drop off his gifts, the study concluded. Impossible, say cynics, who suggest that Santa’s sleigh, weighed down with presents and travelling at supersonic speed, would encounter such massive air resistance that the entire contraption would burst into flames and vaporize almost immediately.

“But there is a trick: it’s the time machine,” confided Rovaniemi’s Santa. In fact, before visitors step into his office, they pass in front of a giant scale. This, he says, makes it possible to slow down the Earth’s rotation to make the night of December 24th last longer. —AFP

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Michael home for Christmas

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ritish singer George Michael has been discharged from the Vienna hospital where he has been for the past month and is due to fly back home for Christmas, Austrian media reported Thursday. The British singer, 48, who had been in intensive care with a severe bout

Kid Rock, Detroit church donate gifts to needy

of pneumonia, left hospital on Friday morning and was taken by limousine to Vienna airport, the Oesterreich tabloid reported, citing hospital workers.”He is a lot better. So much so that he can fly,” the paper quoted one hospital employee as saying on its website. Contacted by AFP,

Vienna’s general hospital (AKH) declined to comment. The former Wham! singer was forced by the illness to postpone the rest of his “Symphonica” tour, having performed 45 shows. He had been due to give a concert in the Austrian capital when he was admitted to hospital.

Ferrera enjoys Xmas movies A

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id Rock is teaming up with a Detroit church to give away hundreds of gift baskets and retail gift certificates to needy families in the area where he got his start and still calls home. The musician’s nonprofit organization joined Hartford Memorial Baptist Church on Wednesday to distribute 100 gift certificates for Meijer retail and grocery stores, along with more than 300 gift

baskets. Kid Rock, who was born Robert Ritchie, grew up and lives in suburban Detroit. He and the Kid Rock Foundation have been honored this year for their philanthropic contributions by Goodfellows Detroit and the NAACP’s Detroit branch. Kid Rock is known for dabbling in various musical styles, from hip-hop and hard rock to country and Southern rock.

Parker sets Christmas deadlines

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he ‘New Year’s Eve’ actress - who has children James, nine, and two-year-old twins Marion and Tabitha with husband Matthew Broderick - loves the festive season but thinks it is important to be organized so she doesn’t become a “hysterical person”. She said: “I’m a huge fan of Christmas. Though I will say having three children makes Christmas come around very quickly each year, and there is a lot of preparation. “I’m a working mom, so I try to set a

date by which everything is done, so by 16 December every present has to be wrapped - and that way I can take it easy rather than turn into this hysterical person.” The 46-yearold actress loves the fact her kids still believe in Santa Claus and she liked them to have an “old fashioned” experience. She added: “I like to think that the children come downstairs and have this really traditional, oldfashioned experience. “And they still believe in Santa Claus, which is really nice.”

merica Ferrera watches the same movies every Christmas. The ‘Ugly Betty’ star loves to get into the festive spirit with ‘Love Actually’, which is set around the Yule Tide period, but this year thinks she will try something a little bit different with the classic ‘Singin’ in The Rain’. She said: “I have to say I watch ‘Love Actually’ every Christmas season but I already have it in my stocking, so ‘Singin’ In The Rain’ would be fun. I have a real nostalgia for Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds and for old classics and classic musicals.”

America is not the only Hollywood star planning to watch some DVDs over Christmas. Emma Watson is hoping to spend some time during her vacation re-watching the extras on the DVD of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2’ - in which she plays witch Hermione Granger for the final time. She said: “I have already seen the ‘Extras’ on ‘The Deathly Hallows - Part 2’, it’s pretty amazing. There’s a behind-thescenes documentary; I think it will give fans a real insight into what it was actually like making the film as well as, you know, you actually get to see the film again.” Actress Gemma Arterton shares similar viewing tastes to America and revealed she will be snuggling up on the couch to watch classics ‘High Society’ and ‘Singin’ in The Rain’. She said: “I always like the old ones like ‘High Society’ but I chose ‘Singin’ in The Rain’ because I love the Got to Dance sequence.

That whole bit’s amazing.”

Meanwhile, Robin Williams will be settling down to one of his own films when he wants to relax over the holidays. He plans to watch animated movie ‘Happy Feet’, in which he voices the characters Ramon and Lovelace. The exuberant star said: “Mmmmmn it’s a lot going on, eets crazy, c’est la vida loca. I think I’ll be watching ‘Happy Feet’ and ‘Doctor Strangelove’ just to get a different Christmas going so it’s a good day.”

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Aniston, Theroux send joint Christmas cards

Bieber never believed in Santa J

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ennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux have sent out joint Christmas cards. The couple - who have been dating since earlier this year - have sent festive greetings to their close family and friends and made donations in their names to the St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee and the Best Friends Animal Society in Utah. According to gossip website laineygossip.com, the card greeting reads: “We wish you and your family a holiday season full of happiness & joy. “A donation has been made in your name to St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and Best Friends Animal Society. “With warmth and love, Jen and Justin (sic).” Jennifer and Justin are planning to spend the festive season with her father, former ‘Days of Our Lives’ star John Aniston and his wife Sherry as John is impressed with his daughter’s boyfriend and is hoping they will wed soon. A source said: “Justin and John got along great from the moment they met. John feels that Justin has been wonderful for his daughter and says he’s never been Jen happier. “John would love nothing more than to see them walk down the aisle. He’s told Justin he’s willing to do whatever he can to help.” Now that Justin and John have hit it off so well, they are really looking forward to spending the holidays together.

And of course John is thrilled that he’ll have Jen around more.”

Cole wants to cook the Christmas dinner

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heryl Cole will cook the Christmas dinner this year.

The 28-year-old singer admits she does not know exactly what she will be doing over the festive period, but may spend time with her family from the North East of England and may even make the traditional festive turkey with all the trimmings. She said: “What am I doing for Christmas? I honestly have no idea. I’ve got into this zone of just waiting to see what happens. “I want to speak to my family, see what everyone wants to do. If it comes to it, I’ll cook.” Despite being unsure of what she will be doing on the day, she does know what presents she will be giving to her famous friends - something from her debut shoe range which recently launched on website StylistPick. She said: “Rihanna will be getting Ri Ris, Kimberley’s getting the Glam Slams - I don’t want to spoil it, but I think everyone will be getting shoes from me!”

ustin Bieber has never believed in Santa Claus. The ‘Baby’ hitmaker explained his mother, Pattie Mallette - who raised the 17-year-old singer singlehandedly - wanted to be “straight up and honest” with him, and was concerned he would think she was a “liar” when he later found out Father Christmas wasn’t real. He said: “My mom

always told me there wasn’t a Santa.

This was her logic: she thought if I grew up knowing about Santa then finding out he wasn’t real, that it would be like she was lying to me. And then when she told me about God, I maybe wouldn’t believe her. “She wanted to be straightup and honest with me all the time. I didn’t tell my friends or ruin it for any-

one - I was a good kid!” Justin - who is dating singer-and-actress Selena Gomez - admitted his only Christmas wish this year is for his family to be happy and healthy. He added in an interview with AOL Music: “To be honest, I really don’t have any Christmas wishes this year. I just wish to be happy and that everyone be healthy in my family.”

Knowles bans Christmas TV B

eyonce Knowles’ house is a “no-TV zone” over the festive period. The ‘Halo’ hitmaker is currently expecting her first child with husband JayZ and the couple are both so busy during the year that they prefer to focus on quality family time over Christmas rather than relaxing in front of the TV. Beyonce said: “I will be with family. We are both so busy throughout the year that Christmas is just a time to relax with family and count the many blessings in your life.

“Christmas Day is a no-TV zone.

We just like to sit and talk together as a family.” Although she refused to reveal what she will buy her husband, the singer can’t wait to purchase lots of gifts for their unborn baby. She said: “I can’t say, it has to be a surprise! Seriously, though, we both keep seeing super-cute stuff for the baby, so I am sure even our presents for each other will involve the baby in some way! “Also Kelly [Rowland] has been so busy buying gifts for the baby, I think she might forget to buy for me this year! She is always seeing cute gifts for the baby in London.”

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Suspended life-size figures of Santa Claus delivering toys from in his sleigh being pulled by reindeer are seen against an office building on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills yesterday in California. As gift-buying frenzy mounts in the days before Christmas, US retailers are exporting the country’s shopping culture along with once hard-to-get goods to locales around the world with spending at US ‘e-commerce’ websites climbing 15 percent from the previous year by the start of December, and online sales on the ‘Cyber Monday’ following Thanksgiving setting a new record high of $1.25 billion, according to comScore. — AFP

‘X Factor’ finalists back to roots with audition songs T

he three finalists of TV contest “The X Factor” went back to their roots on Wednesday, each performing their first audition songs as they battled for votes and a $5 million recording contract. Power ballad singer Melanie Amaro, 19, belted out Beyonce’s hit “Listen,” while 30-year-old rocker Josh Krajcik played guitar for a pared-down version of the Etta James classic “At Last.” Recovering drug addict Chris Rene, 28, performed his original rap song “Young Homies” that captivated judges at his September audition and has since racked up more than 10 million views on YouTube.

“This is going to be a very, very close call,” said British judge and “X Factor” creator Simon Cowell. But after Amaro closed the show, Cowell declared she deserved to win the $5 million prize and a Pepsi commercial. “Based on that performance tonight, you should be the winner of the ‘X Factor’,” Cowell said. The winner will be decided by public votes and announced at the end of a two-hour live show on Thursday that will feature performances by teen idol Justin Bieber, rapper Pitbull and R&B singer Ne-Yo. On Wednesday night’s live show, the three finalists also performed duets with established pop stars but earned less favorable comments from the judges.

Amaro struggled with the key when she teamed up with R Kelly for “I Believe I Can Fly,” Krajcik seemed intimidated next to Alanis Morissette on “Uninvited” and Rene’s singing was deemed shaky when he took the stage with Avril Lavigne on “Complicated.” The two-part finale marks the close of the first season of the US version of “The X Factor,” which has fallen short of the ratings and critical expectations set up by Cowell earlier this year. The talent contest is drawing an average 12 million viewers for the Fox network but lags comedies like “Two and A Half Men” and “Modern Family” and crime series “NCIS” in terms of audience. Cowell admitted to reporters on Monday that he was probably “a little too cocky” when he launched the U.S. version of his hit British show. But he said “The X Factor” would be better when it returns for a second season in 2012. — Reuters

File photo shows Chris Rene performs on the singing competition series, ‘The X Factor,’ in Los Angeles, where contestants sang songs

by Michael Jackson for a tribute to the late King of Pop. (Center) File photo shows Josh Krajcik performing. (Right) File photo shows Melanie Amaro.—AP

‘Hobbit’ trailer has film fans buzzing

“L

ord of the Rings” movie fans were given an early holiday treat this week with the release of a trailer for prequel “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” whetting their appetites a year before the film hits theaters. “The Hobbit” is the fourth film in director Peter Jackson’s boxoffice hit “Lord of the Rings” film franchise. It explores the journey of hobbit Bilbo Baggins and how he came to possess the ring that he later passed onto his kinsman, Frodo Baggins.

The two and a half-minute trailer shows an elderly Bilbo writing a letter that tells Frodo-

the key character in the “Rings” movies-about his own adventures. It then flashes back to a younger Bilbo being pushed out of the comfort of the Shire and into a journey across foreign lands guided by the wizard, Gandalf. The films are based on novelist J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy series “Lord of the Rings,” which followed his novel “The Hobbit.” To date, the trilogy of “Rings” books has sold more than 150 million copies around the world.

“The Hobbit” will be split into two parts with the first installment due in December 2012 and the second in December 2013. The

movies feature “Love Actually” actor Martin Freeman as Bilbo, and see the return of Ian McKellen’s Gandalf, Cate Blanchett’s elf queen Galadriel and Andy Serkis’ Gollum. The trailer’s release roughly coincided with the 10-year anniversary of the first “Rings” movie landing in theaters. The trailer had critics buzzing Wednesday, with Time Magazine’s Gilbert Cruz saying “Is it possible to feel nostalgia for something that is only a decade old? Of course it is. And that’s exactly the feeling one gets from watching this trailer, which throws us right back into Middle-earth.” —Reuters

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

A new star is born

By Lenin Polineni

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pcoming sensational star of Tollywood, Nara Rohit (hero of ‘Solo A Solid Love Story’ currently running successfully in theatres) is presently in Kuwait on a three-day visit. The Telugu Lalita Kala Samiti will be organizing a New Year’s celebration today with Nara Rohit being the chief guest of the occasion. Nara Rohit is the son of Ram Murthy Naidu and the nephew of Chandra Babu Naidu, former Chief Minister of Andra Pradesh and TDP Chief.

During his exclusive interview, he shared his experience as an upcoming actor and gave an insight into his latest release ‘Solo A Solid Love Story’. His success has boosted his self-confidence and he is now motivated to work on different roles in the near future.

Duryodhana being his dream character, Rohit someday wishes to land a role in a mythological movie of such genre.

er training in a professional institute before making my debut. That’s when I joined NYFA to hone my skills in acting and enrolled in classes for diction and voice modulation before I left for the US. I also took up some courses to get acquainted with the whole film-making process which helped me understand what was going on behind the camera.

Q) I read in your previous interview that you are passionate about the mythological character ‘Duryodhana’, is this true?

Q) When can we expect to see you co-star with Tollywood top star Balakrishna?

A) Well, if that happens, then it will definitely be a huge one, but some day I wish to co-star with Balaiahbabu.

Q) What kind of movies do you like?

A) I like to watch romantic comedies. I also like war epics and sports-based movies.

Q) What do you think are your strengths and weakness as an actor?

A) I do have my weaknesses but I try to

Q) It is a pleasure to have you in Kuwait.

How has the experience been?

A) It has been amazing. I feel really good being received by Telugu people living in Kuwait; especially TDP followers and Nadamuri fans. I have been appealing to everyone to do some good for their native village, like spend at least one percent of their earnings to help others.

Nara Rohit

Q) Well, congrats on your latest release ‘Solo - A Solid Love Story’ which is running successfully. So how are you enjoying this success?

A) Honestly, I am very happy at the moment and can’t express my joy. Well, this is just the beginning and I have a long way to go. I feel some sense of responsibility towards my fans and I want them to experience more than what they did in ‘Solo’.

Q) We have seen actors turn politicians.

You are venturing into the film industry, even though you come from a family of political lineage? Was it always your dream to enter the film industry?

A) Actually no, but it was my father who encouraged me into acting and it all started when I was doing my engineering. I approached Uncle (Chandra Babu Naidu) for advice before joining films and he suggested that I should get prop-

A) Yes, I just love the character of Duryodhana and wish that one day I will be able to portray it on the big screen. I have already been complimented on my voice and diction, so that being a plus point; I know I will be able to execute the role very well. I’m also a great fan of NTR, especially his mythological roles.

Q) What are your future projects?

A) I have signed up for a new movie with Srinivas Raga from April 2012 I will be doing a film with Parasuram. Another project with the producers of the movie ‘Prasthanam’ is in the pipeline.

Q) You have lots of relatives as heroes in the film industry. What is their reaction?

A) Well if it wasn’t for support from my relatives, I guess it would be very tough, but they made it easier with their constant encouragement and guidance which has been the driving force for me. I’m also in constant touch with Balakrishna.

fight it with my strengths, which are my good voice and screen personality. For me, every shot I take is a learning process and I try to improve from these mistakes I make, and I guess, that is what has made me a good actor.

Q) What should the Telugu audience expect from Rohit?

A) At the moment, I don’t have the choice of roles but as time goes by, I will decide on the character I play and will definitely try to bring something new to the audience and will avoid landing in monotonous roles. I know I have already won over the hearts of the Telugu audience. Finally, I want to conclude by saying that Banam was one aspect of my performance, now Solo has hit the box-office and has portrayed a number of new variations in my performance. In the future I will mould myself according to the needs of the Telugu audience and exceed their expectations.

British folk group mixes rural traditions with Christmas

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s its name might suggest, The Albion Christmas Band has a limited sell-by date musically speaking.

There is little demand for songs celebrating holly and ivy in August. That said, the band - which includes some of British folk-rock’s best-known performers - is currently on its 12th seasonal tour, proving that there is little more Christmassy than a blast of Anglo-Celtic roots music.

A recent performance at Norden Farm, a rural-ish venue some way out to the west of London, was a case in point.

From the opening 19th century “Sans Day Carol” through the medieval “CherryTree Carol”, the band took the audience deep into Britain’s winter festival with visions of frosty mornings, a rejoicing Earth, burning logs and berries. All delivered with professional flair mixed with tones redolent of a rustic English village “We have shed a light into every little dark corner of Christmas that we can find,” said guitarist and vocalist Simon Nicol, enjoying a side-project with the band from his full-time job at folk-rock

group Fairport Convention. Along the way was a magnificent rendition of the Tears for Fears classic “Mad World” - not a Christmas special per se, but certainly in the spirit of the thing.

The song was taken to gorgeous vocal heights by singer Kellie While, a morethan-worthy successor in her mid-30s to folk-rock divas from the late 1960s/early 1970s such as Steeleye Span’s Maddy Pryor and Fairport’s Sandy Denny. Which is just as well given that as well as Nicol, Albion Christmas features bassist Ashley

Hutchings, who was a founding member of both bands and is something of a godfather for the genre. The band was rounded off by Simon Care, a rollicking melodeon player who started off with ceilidhs and Morris dance bands and was a member of The Albion Band. If the latter sounds suspiciously familiar, it is because the Albion Christmas Band is a surviving combo from Hutchings’s Albion groups The Albion Country Band, The Albion Dance Band and the plain old Albion Band. —Reuters

Lifestyle FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

‘The Nutcracker’ rings in holiday cheer for Americans

An American alligator hatchling peers out of a Christmas boot at the Australian Reptile Park near Sydney yesterday. The park displays 157 species of native and exotic fauna as well as hosts a breeding program for endangered animals. — AFP

File photo shows ballerina Iohna Loots as she performs as ‘Clara’ alongside ‘Drosselmeyer’s Nephew’ played by Ricardo Cervera in “The Nutcracker” during a preview at The Royal Opera House in London. —AFP

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hen “The Nutcracker” comes to US theaters, the two-act ballet that enchants children around the world ushers in the Christmas season, on an equal footing with Santa Claus and decorated fir trees. “It’s just an American tradition... When you hear about ‘The Nutcracker,’ Christmas is right there,” said Barb Wilbur, a teacher in Kennewick, Washington state, who has taken her grandchildren to see the show for the past seven years. From late November, the mice and wooden soldiers that fill Tchaikovsky’s ballet are everywhere: in theaters, but also on television, in Christmas storefront displays, games, books and even gift wrapping, coffee mugs and stuffed animals.

On December 13, 560 movie theaters broadcast live a New York City Ballet production, which was screened the next day on television. And the ballet is currently being performed in 121 American cities with a total of 751 different shows, according to a Los Angeles Times count. The infatuation took off after George Balanchine showcased his 1954 take on the ballet for the New York City Ballet, although the dance spectacular first arrived on US stages in San Francisco 10 years earlier.

Many other interpretations of the ballet adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” story have since graced stages across the United States. This year alone, Las Vegas saw jazz versions, Philadelphia a Harlem style take with black dancers, Virginia an urban dance, Vermont a hip-hop extravaganza and even an adults-only “Nutcracker Burlesque” has played in Portland, Maine.

Hundreds more local productions have been featured at dance schools, city workshops or end-of-year school shows where children get to dive into the many roles available.

‘It’s magical’ For all its success today, the ballet’s December 1892 premiere at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg got a less than enthusiastic reception. It was not until the post-World War II period that Tchaikovsky’s creation drew a huge following, with countless ballet companies taking on the challenge.

Children-and parents alike-delight in the story of young Clara, who receives a painted wooden nutcracker shaped like a soldier for Christmas. At night, the toy comes to life and fights against the mice until the nutcracker-turned-prince defeats the evil mouse king in a battle and carries the little girl to his magical kingdom far, far away. —AFP

Staple diet: Christmas turkey nightmare is resolved at last

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he table has been set, the wine has been poured and the Christmas turkey is brought out for everyone’s approval.

Oh dear. Applause is short-lived, as the assembled host witness a calamitous case of what turkeyphiles call stuffing creep. It’s that moment when stuffing, expanding in the heat of the oven, rudely pushes its way out of the bird’s rear end and spoils the cosmetic appeal. After rigorous scientific experiments, four Swedish veterinary surgeons have found the answer: surgical staples. Writing in the British journal Veterinary Record, the team report how they took 15 turkeysaverage weight 3.56 kilos (7.83 pounds) — and randomly allocated the birds to five types of carcass closure before roasting them for exactly two hours at 180 degrees Centigrade (356 degrees Fahrenheit).

Among four types of suture, the most effective was the Utrecht Pattern, a stitching frequently used to close up the wombs of cows after Caesarean section. The most effective technique of all was surgical staples. They scored 0.3 for skin breakage on a scale of zero to three, where zero means no breakage, and a stellar 4.6 for appearance on a scale of one to five, where five is excellent.

“Using this technique you will be able to impress family and friends at a Christmas dinner, and finally show them your surgical skills,” say the Swedish vets.

Spanish Christmas lottery dishes out billions

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ays before Christmas, a tiny town of 2,000 in cash-strapped Spain found itself richer by euro 720 million ($940 million) yesterday after scooping the top prize in the nation’s famed Christmas lottery. Billed as the world’s richest, the lottery dishes out some euro2.52 billion ($3.29 billion) to winners across the nation. The top prize - dubbed “El Gordo” (The Fat One) - was split among the holders of tickets bearing the number 58268. The number appeared on 1,800 tickets, giving winners euro400,000 for their euro20 ticket.

The state lottery agency said all 1,800 People dressed in costumes watch the tickets with that number were sold in Spain’s Christmas lottery draw known as “El Gordo” or “The Fat One” in Madrid, yester- the town of Granen, located in the arid and barren northeastern Los Monegros day. — AP

area. Spain is struggling to emerge from a near two-year recession that has left it with a eurozone-high 21.5 percent unemployment rate. The Gordo lottery aims for a share-the-wealth system, rather than a single jackpot, and thousands of numbers yield at least some kind of return. Lots of people chip in together and buy shares of several or many tickets, meaning it is common for multiple prizes to go to the same town.

Other lotteries have larger individual top prizes but El Gordo is ranked as the world’s richest for the total sum paid out. The winning number was picked and announced by pupils of Madrid’s Saint Ildefonso School in a nationally televised draw. —AP

Stars

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Aries (March 21-April 19) You could be tempted to let office gossip interfere with the normal flow of business today. This is an excellent time to emphasize practicality and realism in any endeavor in which you are engaged. It is also important to effectively communicate your ideas to coworkers and those who work under you. Ideas and technologies that change the way people live—not just one person, but many—are a major new focus in your life now. Your powers of creativity are great—placing problem-solving difficulties in the past. You are particularly witty in social surroundings and this evening you make for stimulating company. You may seek intellectual stimulation in both love life, social and leisure time activities. This is a good time to fully demonstrate your affection.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You gain profound insights today—you want to improve the world. Be very clear in all things you do and say. Also, make sure you have complete information before gambling with an investment.

You may experience abrupt changes in fortune—in a relatively short period of time—good or bad. You may find yourself in the pursuit of recognition at this time. This could bring into focus the practical, the successful and the sensible—whatever it takes to get you ahead in the long run. Your ambition will increase and you will take a more serious approach at taking better care of yourself. You will feel the urge for excitement and should consider traveling—avoid extravagance, however. You become aware of new concepts and ideals.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) An outgoing and very expressive cycle of experience has begun for you. You may have a mad desire to do nothing but communicate and exchange ideas today. You could shoot the breeze with someone for hours, if given the opportunity. There could be a temptation, however, to play devil’s advocate or analyze things to death. Just enjoy the interactions and give the other guy a chance. Also, if too much time is taken up in conversation during your work time today, higher-ups could be unhappy. You face many responsibilities with loved ones this evening. You are apt to have difficulty listening to the wants and desires of your companions— easy-does-it. Your patience and unending attention will bring unexpected rewards.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) A kind of romantic dreaming characterizes your approach to life now. This could mean a longing for a soul mate or a yearning to save the world—it could mean carrying a torch as well. Secret loves, lost loves—all you need is love. There could be a more dynamic and outgoing quality to your life style now. Beating others in the heat of competition and taking on a leadership role may mean more to you now than in the past.

Second best just isn’t good enough. You have plans and the coming year will show a great deal of success. Others should find you most gracious and elegant, especially in social circles. You seem to know and appreciate transcendent and spiritual ideas and have the talent for presenting or communicating them to others, as well.

Leo (July 23-August 22) In the workplace, conference calls and other means of communication that will help you be part of some decision-making action have positive results. Later, this afternoon, you are enthusiastic in making new friends and becoming involved in some new activity. Now is the time for showing off your talents. In the past, you may have been encouraging others to be expressive but for now, it is your turn to enjoy the art of expressing yourself. Perhaps a creative writing course is in order or a dancing contest. Things and people that are dear to your heart, as well as lovers, children and other people are emphasized at this period of your life. Taking chances can bring huge rewards. Getting things taken care of for work tomorrow keeps you very busy tonight.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) This time period in the workplace may open up several opportunities for you to involve yourself with some highly ambitious projects. The accent is on charisma today. Manners and respectful actions will bring many listeners to your attention. You will have the co-workers you need to help you with the unexpected workload. Persistent follow-through will find you and your teammates completing what you thought was impossible. If you cannot get yourself invited to some kind of a social function later this evening, then do not hesitate to create one—you should shine. You might invite those teammates that were so ready to help you today. Your approach to life and people both in thought and deed are commendable and most useful.

COUNTRY CODES Libra (September 23-October 22) This is a good time to lead the way in a particular project. Your originality is at a high—you are ready to apply those creative ideas to the work in front of you now. If you give your best effort considerable success will follow. Everything is moving in your direction to put together a great sales package or some presentation package. What a day to make a deal favorable for any business, financial or legal ventures! Your mind is alert—your objectives are clear. Your cheerful confidence will help you to win your way. At this time, athletic energy also is high. Why not jog around the park or shoot some baskets this afternoon? At home this evening you may find that what seemed like a negative path has taken on positive results.

Celebrate!

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You will find that pleasant surroundings in the workplace or at home make for good vibrations today. You could be in the limelight, especially with superiors or in relation to your work. Bigger and better is the theme when it comes to creativity, romance and self-expression now. This is a time when taking chances in these areas of your life pays off beyond your wildest imagination. Your emotions in particular, or the feelings of those around you, are very clear at this time. Others should find it easy to understand how you feel and will lend advice—if that is what you need. A great many enjoyable and interesting times can be shared with a new friend—you each have something to offer the other. Enjoy this very special day.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) A very powerful need for nurturing is a larger than life issue just now. You could be feeling the need to care for other people or to have them care for you. This could be on a public rather than a private level—service or health care oriented. Your needs are very strong and you feel the needs of others, as well. Being able to bring the two together in harmony is what will make the day move along smoothly. This could be political and will have a positive outcome because of your attention. Others will find you most sensitive and intuitive. Conducting a deep study of a group issue or in regard to your situation, could be in order. Others could ask for you guidance or your psychological opinion. This is a positive time; you certainly feel needed.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) It may come as a big surprise for you to be given some extra support or recognition—perhaps in relation to your work.

Some kind of a little boost will definitely be yours now. You should be feeling as though those around you are in touch and harmony with you at this time.

You will not want for support—it will be there when you need it. Mentally, you are very perceptive, with sharp ideas and clear thoughts. It should be an excellent time to make decisions and to take care of any mental task. Great practical job-related thoughts and ideas will be yours today. The ability to communicate with superiors or describe what you see is a definite asset.

Something electric is in the air tonight; perhaps a rain storm is coming. Enjoy your evening; it’s not raining inside.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You may have some heavy responsibility today. However, this is a good time for you to show off your capabilities—you are in a high achievement mode. You may find that you enjoy your job or the responsibility of your position more than usual. You are empowered with a clear and inquisitive mind. You will be discussing ideas with co-workers and higher-ups—this can be most rewarding. New insights or breakthroughs are possible with authorities or someone older. Communal activities, which take place after work, should be both well-attended and successful. This afternoon—your charisma shines! If any new friendship is made today, it should last for a very long time. You may decide to stay home this evening with your loved ones.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Your ability to truly understand and have a handle on things of a conceptual and spiritual nature certainly won’t hurt your popularity in a social situation. Others appreciate the time that you take to listen or share in conversations. Take a long hard look at your own personal situation. Those around you could come to you for your observant, psychological viewpoint and understanding. A possibility of some changes in your environment is at hand. Getting down to the basics and making sure that everything around you is taken care of` could be where your emotional orientation is concentrated now. Establishing a good plan of organization could be your number one priority. Take advantage of this time to secure your relationships.

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 Republic 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 Somalia 00252 South Africa 0027 South Korea 0082 Spain 0034 Sri Lanka 0094 Sudan 00249 Suriname 00597 Swaziland 00268 Sweden 0046 Switzerland 0041 Syria 00963 Taiwan 00886 Tanzania 00255 Thailand 0066 Toga 00228 Tonga 00676 Tokelau 00690 Trinidad 001868 Tunisia 00216 Turkey 0090 Tuvalu 00688 Uganda 00256 Ukraine 00380 United Arab Emirates00976

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

AUK hosts exhibition T

he Art& Graphic Design Program (GDES) at AUK inaugurated its Senior Capstone Exhibition on December 18. The opening ceremony was held in the Multipurpose Room at the AUK Campus in Salmiya.

The exhibition ran until December 21, 2011 and saw attendance by AUK students, faculty, parents, and public visitors.

The ceremony started with an opening word by Professor Marcella Kulchitsky, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design and Program Lead of GDES, followed by a tour by the AUK President Dr. Winfred Thompson, who discussed with the students their project concepts and their applications. Among the VIP visitors of the Senior Capstone Exhibition were the ambassadors of Qatar and Somalia, who visited as parents of two student participants in the exhibition. During the opening ceremony 15 senior students showcased and presented their graduation projects to visitors, who were impressed by the creativity of the designs and concepts. The themes of the exhibition included, but were not limited to, new business concepts, identity designs, educational/awareness projects, ideas to preserve culture along with creative ideas for personal safety and health.

Participating students will be graded based on the creativity and presentation of their projects, which reflect their ability to conduct and use graphic design research strategy effectively and efficiently; their ability to design problem solving solutions in 2D and 3D formats; and their ability to plan and implement a compelling graphic design exhibition.

The GDES Capstone course is designed to teach graduating students how to visualize the complex intersection between personal voice, conceptual understanding, and the use of research for a graphic design exhibition.

The course is largely self-directed and students are expected to select and investigate a graphic design topic using design as a means to present their findings.

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Telugu film star Nara Rohit visits Kuwait

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA On the occasion of Christmas and New Year’s, the Australian Embassy wishes to advise that it will be closed on: Sunday 25th December 2011, Monday 26th December 2011, Tuesday 27th December 2011 and Sunday 1 January 2012.

The embassy will reopen on Wednesday and Thursday 28 and 29 December 2011 after the Christmas holidays, and on Monday 2 January 2012 after the New Year’s holiday. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF GREAT BRITAIN

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pcoming sensational star of Tollywood, Nara Rohit received a grand welcome in Kuwait last Wednesday. Rohit came to Kuwait on a three-day visit. The Telugu Lalita Kala Samiti will be organizing a New Year’s celebration today with Nara Rohit as the main guest on the occa-

sion. Nara Rohit is the son of Ram M u rth y N a i d u a nd t he nep hew o f Chandra Babu Naidu, former Chief Minister of Andra Pradesh and TDP Chief.

Telugu Lalita Kala Samiti President Mohan Babu, and officials Indra Kumar Raju, Sekhar Raju, Ratakonda

Laxmipati, Gulf-wide Nandamuri fans association President Polineni Santharam Naidu, Honorable President Dara Srinivasa Achari, and officials Divakar Naidu, Y Venkatesh Naidu, Polarapu Babu Naidu received him at Kuwait International Airport on Wednesday evening.

Get ready get set - RunQ8

R

egistrations are now open for RunQ8, the annual 10km charity race to be held on January 21, 2012.

Organized by the Fawzia Sultan Rehabilitation Institute (FSRI) and Agility, the race route will run from Marina Crescent in Salmiya along the Gulf Road up to the Third Ring Road and back. The race is aimed at supporting health issues affecting our community and raising awareness around them.

In its second year, RunQ8 is promoting road traffic safety. 2011-2021 has been named the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety with a goal to stabilize and then reduce global road traffic fatalities by 2021. In Kuwait, traffic accidents are the third leading cause of mortality and a large number of people and their families are affected by the debilitating effects of injuries caused by road accidents.

Last year, the race raised over KWD 50,000 for the Kuwait University’s Community Eye Health Care Initiative that supports Vision 2020, a joint initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).

RunQ8 invites all members of the community to join in this initiative and help support road traffic safety in Kuwait. To register contact the FSRI office 25720338 or visit the race websitewww.Runq8.org for more details.

There are also pre-race articles and videos produced

by FSRI’s specialized sports trainers, physiotherapists, nutritionists and psychologists to help get you ready for the race. Please see our website www.runQ8.org and our Facebook page for updates on our running and walking clinic, race events, and other initiatives.

Upcoming events New Year Hangama The RAK Dance Academy (RDA) Kuwait, is planning to put a charity event in celebration of its New Year Hangama 2012, on 31st December, 2011, from 6 pm onwards, at Carmel School Khaitan. All participants are well known artists from Kuwait. The main purpose of this celebration is to collect donations and raise money for supporting handicapped children in India. contributions from you. Your attendance is your donation.

Please join for an evening for a good cause. Call 99692266, 65925730 for details.

Aware Center Arabic lessons The AWARE Management is glad to inform you that Winter 1 Arabic language courses will begin on November 20th, 2011 until January 12th, 2012. AWARE Arabic language courses are designed with the expat in mind. The environment is relaxed and courses are designed for those wanting to learn Arabic for travel,

The British Embassy will be closed on the following days: Sunday 25th December until Tuesday 27th December 2011 for Christmas holidays. Sunday 01 January 2012 on the occasion of the New Year.

The Consular Section will also be closed on the same dates above. For information on the British Embassy services, visit the British Embassy website: www.ukinkuwait.fco.gov.uk nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF FRANCE On the occasion of Christmas, the French Embassy in Kuwait will be closed on Sunday, December 25th. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed December 25, 2011 (Sunday) “Christmas Day”. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF PAKISTAN The Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan will remain closed on December 25, 2011 (Sunday), on the occasion of Birth Anniversary of Qauid-E-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Christmas. The Embassy will resume its services on December 26, 2011 (Monday). nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF PERU Peruvian Permanent Expo will be temporary close from December 2lst 2011 to January 21st 2012. The Expo will reopen on January 22nd 2012 and offer once again “Peruvian Private Gastronomy Tasting Lunches” and much more like Peruvian culture, tourism, trade and great possibilities of investment. nnnnnnn

cultural understanding, and conducting business or simply to become more involved in the community. We cater to teachers, travelers & those working in the private business sector. Arabic classes at the AWARE Center are unique because students are provided with the chance to practice their Arabic through various social activities that aim at bringing Arabs and Westerners together.

AWARE Arabic courses highlight: ¥ Introductory to Level 4 Arabic language basics ¥ Better prepare you for speaking, reading and writing Arabic ¥ Combine language learning with cultural insights ¥ Taught in multi-nationality group settings ¥ Provide opportunities to interact with Western expatriates and native Kuwaitis/Arabs.

For more information or registration, call 25335260/80 ext 105/104/0 or log onto: www.aware.com.kw.

EMBASSY OF SOUTH AFRICA On the occasion of Christmas and Good Will Day, the South African embassy will be closed from Sunday, 25th December 2011 to Tuesday, 27th December 2011. The Embassy will resume it’s normal working hours on Wednesday, 28th December 2011, from Sunday to Thursday. Please note that the working hours will be from 8am to 4pm and the consular section operation hours will be from 8.30am to 12.30pm. On the occasion of the New Year, the embassy will be closed on Sunday, 1st January 2012. On Thursday, 29th December 2011, working hours will be from 8am to 10am. The embassy will resume its normal working hours on Monday, 2nd January 2012, as follows: The Working hours will be from 8am to 4pm and the consular section operation hours will be from 8.30am to 12.30pm. “On the behalf of the South African Embassy, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”.

TV Listings FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

00:50 01:45 02:40 03:35 04:00 04:30 05:25 06:20 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:10 10:35 11:05 12:00 12:55 13:20 13:50 14:45 15:40 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:25 19:20 20:15 20:40 21:10 22:05 23:00 23:55

I’m Alive Animal Cops Houston Monster Bug Wars Animal Kingdom Animal Kingdom I’m Alive Dogs 101: Specials Animal Cops Houston SSPCA: On The Wildside RSPCA: On The Frontline Monkey Life Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Talk To The Animals The Really Wild Show Breed All About It Extraordinary Dogs Extraordinary Dogs Dogs 101: Specials Animal Cops Houston Bondi Vet Wildlife SOS New Breed Vets With Steve Irwin Animal Cops Houston Monster Bug Wars Monkey Life Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Talk To The Animals The Really Wild Show Dogs 101: Specials Bad Dog Bondi Vet Breed All About It Dogs 101: Specials Monster Bug Wars Whale Wars Untamed & Uncut

00:40 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:20 04:10 04:40 04:50 05:00 05:15 05:20 05:40 06:00 06:10 06:20 06:35 06:40 07:00 07:10 07:30 07:40 07:50 08:05 08:10 08:30 08:40 09:00 09:10 09:25 09:35 09:40 09:45 10:05 10:20 10:40 11:10 11:40 12:25 13:25 13:55 14:25 15:20 15:50 16:20 17:15 18:05 18:35 19:05 20:00 21:00 21:45 22:20 23:05

Married, Single, Other Last Of The Summer Wine Last Of The Summer Wine The Weakest Link Elephant Diaries Doctors Little Robots The Large Family Penelope K, By The Way Poetry Pie Tweenies Balamory Little Robots The Large Family Penelope K, By The Way Poetry Pie Tweenies Charlie and Lola Balamory Little Robots The Large Family Penelope K, By The Way Poetry Pie Tweenies Charlie and Lola Balamory Little Robots The Large Family Penelope K, By The Way Poetry Pie Poetry Pie Tweenies Charlie and Lola Balamory My Family My Family The Weakest Link Coast Doctors EastEnders Elephant Diaries Update My Family My Family Coast The Weakest Link Doctors EastEnders Elephant Diaries Update Coast The Weakest Link Doctors Doctor Who Married, Single, Other

00:10 Kirstie & Phil’s Perfect Christmas 01:00 Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey: Christmas 01:55 Chef At Home 04:30 Chef At Home 04:55 Kirstie & Phil’s Perfect Christmas 05:45 Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey: Christmas 06:40 Chef At Home 07:45 Chef At Home

15:15 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 15:40 Ed, Edd n Eddy 16:05 Camp Lazlo 16:30 Chowder 16:55 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 17:25 Cow & Chicken 17:50 Courage The Cowardly Dog 18:15 I Am Weasel 18:40 George Of The Jungle 19:05 Megas XLR 19:30 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 19:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Challenge 20:20 Generator Rex 20:45 Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders 21:10 Sym-Bionic Titan 21:35 Batman: Mystery Of The Batwoman 22:50 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 23:00 Ben 10 23:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 23:50 The Secret Saturdays

00:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson 01:00 Backstory 01:30 World Sport 02:00 The Situation Room 03:00 World Report 04:00 Anderson Cooper 360 05:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 06:00 Quest Means Business 06:45 CNN Marketplace Europe 07:00 Erin Burnett Outfront 08:00 World Sport 08:30 Backstory 09:00 World Report 10:00 World Report 11:00 World Sport 11:30 The Best Of Backstory 12:00 World Business Today 12:45 CNN Marketplace Middle East 13:00 Backstory 13:30 Talk Asia 14:00 World One 15:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 16:00 News Stream 17:00 World Business Today 18:00 International Desk 19:00 The Brief 19:30 World Sport 20:00 World Report 20:45 CNN Marketplace Middle East 21:00 International Desk 21:30 The CNN Freedom Project 22:00 Quest Means Business 22:45 CNN Marketplace Africa 23:00 Piers Morgan Tonight

MINDHUNTERS ON OSN ACTION HD 08:10 Come Dine With Me 09:00 Chef At Home 09:20 Chef At Home 09:45 Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes 10:35 Indian Food Made Easy 11:30 Indian Food Made Easy 11:55 James Martin’s Champagne 12:15 James Martin’s Brittany 12:40 James Martin’s Brittany 13:05 Chef At Home 15:20 Chef At Home 15:45 Come Dine With Me 17:25 Come Dine With Me 18:15 James Martin’s Brittany 18:40 James Martin’s Brittany 19:00 Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey: Christmas 19:55 Rick Stein’s Taste Of Italian Opera 20:50 The Hairy Bakers’ Christmas Special 21:45 Come Dine With Me 23:25 Come Dine With Me

00:00 00:30 01:00 01:30 01:45 02:00 02:30 02:45 03:00 03:30 03:45 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00 05:30 05:45 06:00 06:30 06:45

BBC World News America Hardtalk BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today BBC World News America Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today

07:00 Newsday 07:30 Peschardt’s People 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 BBC World News 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 World Business Report 11:45 Sport Today 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 Peschardt’s People 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 BBC World News 14:30 World Business Report 14:45 Sport Today 15:00 GMT With George Alagiah 15:30 GMT With George Alagiah 16:00 Impact 16:30 Talking Books 17:00 Impact 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 World Have Your Say 18:30 World Have Your Say 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 19:30 BBC World News 19:40 Weekend World 20:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 BBC World News 21:30 Middle East Business Report 22:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Have Your Say Extra 22:40 Weekend World 23:00 BBC World News 23:30 Talking Books

00:15 Samurai Jack 00:40 Megas XLR 01:05 Robotboy 01:30 Squirrel Boy 01:55 George Of The Jungle 02:20 Cramp Twins 02:45 Chop Socky Chooks 03:10 Best Ed 03:35 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 04:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 04:25 Generator Rex 04:50 Adventure Time 05:15 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 05:40 Chowder 05:55 Powerpuff Girls 06:30 Ed, Edd n Eddy 06:55 I Am Weasel 07:20 Squirrel Boy 07:45 Cow & Chicken 08:00 Eliot Kid 08:25 Angelo Rules 08:50 Best Ed 09:15 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 09:40 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 10:05 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 10:30 Courage The Cowardly Dog 10:55 Cow & Chicken 11:20 I Am Weasel 11:35 Adventure Time 12:00 Ben 10 12:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 12:50 The Secret Saturdays 13:15 Samurai Jack 13:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 14:05 Codename: Kids Next Door 14:30 Skunk Fu! 14:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey

00:15 04:50 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:45 09:10 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:25 11:50 12:20 Junior 13:15 17:50 18:45 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:30 22:25 22:50 23:20

Gold Rush: Alaska Gold Rush: Alaska How It’S Made Dirty Jobs Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear Overhaulin’ How Stuff’S Made Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Scrappers Ultimate Biker Challenge South Beach Classics American Chopper: Senior vs Surviving The Cut Surviving The Cut Cake Boss Border Security Scrappers How It’S Made How Stuff’S Made Cash Cab Us American Chopper Carfellas South Beach Classics Wheeler Dealers

00:40 The Gadget Show 01:05 The Tech Show 01:35 Superships 02:25 Stunt Junkies 02:50 Wallace & Gromit’s World Of Invention 03:15 Wallace & Gromit’s World Of Invention 03:40 Science Of The Movies 04:35 The Gadget Show 05:00 The Gadget Show 05:25 How Stuff’s Made 05:50 Superships 06:40 One Step Beyond

07:10 Brainiac 08:00 Scrapheap Challenge 08:50 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 09:40 The Tech Show 10:10 Weird Connections 10:35 The Gadget Show 11:00 The Gadget Show 11:25 Brainiac 12:20 Sci-Fi Science 12:45 How Stuff’s Made 13:15 Wallace & Gromit’s World Of Invention 13:40 Wallace & Gromit’s World Of Invention 14:05 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 14:55 One Step Beyond 15:20 Stunt Junkies 15:50 Superships 16:40 Weird Connections 17:05 Scrapheap Challenge 18:00 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 18:50 Sci-Fi Science 19:15 The Tech Show 19:40 Futurecar 20:30 Eco-Tech 21:20 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 22:10 The Gadget Show 22:35 The Gadget Show 23:00 Futurecar 23:50 Eco-Tech

00:00 00:25 01:15 02:00 02:50 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:00 06:20 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:10 08:35 09:00 10:45 11:35 12:00 12:25 12:45 13:10 13:30 13:55 14:20 15:00 16:35 17:00 17:25 17:50 18:15 18:45 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:35

Kim Possible Fairly Odd Parents Stitch Replacements Emperor’s New School Stitch Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Hannah Montana The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie 16 Wishes A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Fish Hooks Fish Hooks Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Go Figure So Random Fairly Odd Parents Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Hannah Montana Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up Shake It Up Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place

00:25 00:55 01:25 01:50 02:20 03:15 04:10 05:05 06:00 07:50 08:20 09:15 10:15 12:05 13:05 17:25 17:55 18:55 19:25 19:55 20:25 20:55 21:25 22:25 23:25 23:55

Kendra Style Star E!es E!es E!es 25 Most Stylish Sexiest Extreme Hollywood THS Behind The Scenes E! News Dirty Soap Christina Aguilera E! News Style Star Style Star E! News Style Star Style Star Style Star The Soup Fashion Police Giuliana & Bill E! News The Soup Keeping Up With The Kardashians

TV Listings FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

00:40 01:30 02:15 03:05 03:50 04:40 05:25 06:15 07:10 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:25 11:10 11:35 11:55 12:40 13:25 14:15 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:35 17:20 18:10 19:00 19:45 20:10 20:55 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

Extreme Forensics The Haunted A Haunting I Faked My Own Death Forensic Justice Extreme Forensics The Haunted A Haunting Life Or Death: Medical Mysteries FBI Files Forensic Detectives Fugitive Strike Force Life Or Death: Medical Mysteries Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On the Case with Paula Zahn Disappeared Fugitive Strike Force Life Or Death: Medical Mysteries Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On the Case with Paula Zahn Disappeared FBI Files Forensic Detectives Fugitive Strike Force Real Emergency Calls Life or Death: Medical Mysteries Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On the Case with Paula Zahn Disappeared True CSI True Crime With Aphrodite Jones

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00

Departures Bondi Rescue: Bali Bondi Rescue Travel Madness First Ascent The Best Job In The World Dive Detectives David Rocco’s Dolce Vita Departures Bondi Rescue: Bali Bondi Rescue Travel Madness First Ascent The Best Job In The World Dive Detectives David Rocco’s Dolce Vita Departures Geo Sessions Earth Tripping Travel Madness Madventures Around The World For Free A World Apart Somewhere In China Geo Sessions Earth Tripping Travel Madness Madventures Around The World For Free A World Apart

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Saw VI-R Assassination Tango-18 4.3.2.1.-18 Echelon Conspiracy-PG15 Rocky v-PG15 Triassic Attack-PG15 S.W.A.T.: Firefight-PG15 Rocky v-PG15 Altitude-PG15 S.W.A.T.: Firefight-PG15 Fighting-PG15 Mindhunters-18

00:45 02:45 PG15 04:45 07:00 09:00 PG15 11:00 12:45 14:45 16:30 19:00 21:00 23:00

A Way With Murder-18 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star-

00:30 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report Louie Neighbors From Hell The Cleveland Show Friends Friends Will And Grace

04:30 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:30

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Seinfeld Two And A Half Men Melissa And Joey Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Will And Grace Friends Seinfeld 30 Rock Wilfred Melissa And Joey The Tonight Show With Jay Leno Two And A Half Men Will And Grace Friends Seinfeld Melissa And Joey Wilfred 30 Rock The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report Happy Endings Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Raising Hope The Office 30 Rock Hot In Cleveland The Tonight Show With Jay Leno The Daily Show With Jon Stewart The Colbert Report Louie Neighbors From Hell The Cleveland Show Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00

The X Factor (US) Look-A-Like Rescue Me Eureka No Ordinary Family Good Morning America The Glades Emmerdale Look-A-Like The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View

12:00 13:30 14:00 15:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 22:00 23:00

The X Factor (US) Look-A-Like No Ordinary Family Live Good Morning America The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Bachelor Glee The X Factor (US) Survivor: South Pacific Damages

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:30 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:30 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 22:00 23:00

Drop Dead Diva Rescue Me Supernatural The X Factor (US) Look-A-Like Eureka Drop Dead Diva Tower Prep Law & Order: Los Angeles Eureka The X Factor (US) Look-A-Like Tower Prep The Ellen DeGeneres Show Law & Order: Los Angeles Drop Dead Diva Tower Prep The Ellen DeGeneres Show Kojak Glee The X Factor (US) Survivor: South Pacific Damages

01:00 Icarus-18 03:00 Reykjavik: Whale Watching Massacre-18 05:00 From Within-PG15 07:00 Ip Man-PG15 09:00 You Got Served-PG15 11:00 Age Of The Dragons-PG15 13:00 Rocky III-PG15 15:00 You Got Served-PG15 17:00 The Karate Kid II-PG

19:00 The Gene Generation-18 21:00 The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations18 23:00 Carriers-PG15

00:00 Elle: A Modern Cinderella TalePG15 02:00 Away We Go-PG15 04:00 Hey Hey Its Esther BlueburgerPG15 06:00 Roommates-PG15 08:00 Did You Hear About The Morgans?-PG15 10:00 Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement-FAM 12:00 Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel-FAM 13:30 The Parent Trap-PG 16:00 Elle: A Modern Cinderella TalePG15 18:00 Love Hurts-PG15 20:00 Without A Paddle-PG15 22:00 Mallrats-18

01:30 03:15 05:30 07:15 09:15 11:15 12:45 15:00 17:15 19:00 21:00

Cape Fear-PG15 Entre Les Murs-PG15 Robin Hood (1991)-PG15 Me And Orson Welles-PG Guarding Tess-PG Winning Time-PG15 Me And Orson Welles-PG Mary, Queen Of Scots-PG15 Who Is Clark Rockefeller-PG The Last Station-PG15 Titanic-PG15

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 PG 11:00 12:45

Asylum-18 The Open Road-PG15 Antwone Fisher-PG15 Where The Wild Things Are-PG Nanny Mcphee And The Big BangDean Spanley-PG Glorious 39-PG15

15:00 17:00 PG 19:00 PG15 21:00 22:45

Paper Man-PG15 Nanny Mcphee And The Big BangThe Private Lives Of Pippa LeeLittle Fockers-PG15 Inception-PG15

00:00 Toy Story 3-FAM 02:00 Last Of The Mohicans-PG 04:00 Shipwrecked-PG 06:00 Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Jr.-PG 08:00 Toy Story 3-FAM 10:00 Dr. Dolittle 2-PG 12:00 A Venetian Rascal Goes To America-PG15 14:00 Shipwrecked-PG 16:00 The Nutty Professor-FAM 18:00 Dr. Dolittle 2-PG 20:00 Legend Of The Guardians-PG 22:00 A Venetian Rascal Goes To America-PG15

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 09:45 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

The List-PG15 Cyrus-18 Strength And Honour-PG15 Relative Stranger-PG15 Open Season 3-FAM School Of Rock-PG15 Strength And Honour-PG15 Bond Of Silence-PG15 School Of Rock-PG15 Shanghai-PG15 Little Fockers-PG15 Invisible Sign Of My Own-PG15

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 07:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 15:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 22:00 23:00

UFC Unleashed WWE NXT Trans World Sport Intercontinental Le Mans Cup Masters Football Volvo Ocean Race Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Powerboats Nations Cup Powerboats Nations Cup Trans World Sport Speedway Masters Football Volvo Ocean Race Powerboats Nations Cup Trans World Sport UFC Unleashed UFC Unleashed WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line WWE NXT

02:00 World Cup of Pool 03:00 World Pool Masters 04:00 Ping Pong World Championship 05:00 European Challenge Cup 07:00 Darts PDC World Championship 11:00 Golfing World 12:00 World Cup of Pool 13:00 World Pool Masters 14:00 Ping Pong World Championship 15:00 Masters Football 18:00 Golfing World 19:00 ICC Cricket World 19:30 World Hockey 20:00 SPL Highlights 20:30 Futbol Mundial 21:00 Trans World Sport 22:00 Live Darts PDC World Championship

The Flyboys-PG15 Planet 51-PG Dickie Roberts: Former Child StarMars Needs Moms-PG Flipped-PG Hachiko: A Dog’s Story-PG15 The Karate Kid-PG The Gray Man-PG15 Last Ride-18 The Nanny Express-PG15

LAST RIDE ON OSN CINEMA

00:00 01:00 02:00 02:30 06:30 07:00 08:00 11:00 11:30 13:30 14:00 15:00 19:00 20:30 21:30

European Senior Tour Highlights European Senior Tour Highlights Futbol Mundial Darts PDC World Championship World Hockey Golfing World Masters Football ICC Cricket World Scottish Premier League Futbol Mundial Trans World Sport Darts PDC World Championship Volvo Ocean Race Volvo Ocean Race Pool Mosconi Cup

02:00 03:00 04:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00

WWE NXT UFC Unleashed UFC 133 WWE NXT WWE Tough Enough Speedway FIM World Intercontinental Le Mans Cup V8 Supercars Championship

12:00 13:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 22:00 23:00

V8 Supercars Championship Prizefighter WWE NXT WWE Tough Enough Speedway WWE Vintage Collection WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line WWE NXT

00:05 00:30 00:55 01:20 01:45 02:10 02:35 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:00 04:25 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:15 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:00 09:25 09:50 10:15 10:40 11:05 11:30 11:55 12:20 12:35 13:00 13:15 13:40 13:55 14:20 14:45 15:15 15:40 16:05 16:30 16:55 17:20 17:45 18:10 18:30 18:55 19:20 19:45 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:45 22:10 22:35 23:00 23:25 23:55

The Garfield Show Scooby Doo Where Are You! The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop Droopy: Master Detective The Flintstones Johnny Bravo Duck Dodgers King Arthur’s Disasters The Scooby Doo Show Popeye Classics Tom & Jerry Popeye The Jetsons The Flintstones Looney Tunes Pink Panther & Pals Tex Avery Duck Dodgers The Garfield Show New Yogi Bear Show Bananas In Pyjamas Baby Looney Tunes Gerald McBoing Boing Jelly Jamm Pink Panther And Pals Puppy In My Pocket The Garfield Show Dastardly And Muttley The Flintstones Tom & Jerry Pink Panther And Pals Top Cat New Yogi Bear Show Puppy In My Pocket Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Bananas In Pyjamas The Jetsons Duck Dodgers Looney Tunes Scooby Doo Where Are You! Tom & Jerry The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop Droopy: Master Detective Wacky Races Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo Dastardly And Muttley Tom & Jerry Puppy In My Pocket Pink Panther And Pals The Garfield Show Dexters Laboratory Gerald McBoing Boing Bananas In Pyjamas Top Cat Wacky Races Tom & Jerry The Scooby Doo Show Dastardly And Muttley Tom & Jerry Johnny Bravo Dexters Laboratory

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Globe Trekker Floyd Uncorked Glutton For Punishment Indian Times Wild Camping Cruising The South China Sea Globe Trekker Floyd Uncorked Glutton For Punishment Top Travel Top Travel Globe Trekker Intrepid Journeys Third Class Traveller Floyd Uncorked Glutton For Punishment Top Travel Top Travel Globe Trekker Planet Food Indian Times Cruising The South China Sea Globe Trekker Top Travel Top Travel Planet Food Globe Trekker Intrepid Journeys People Of The Sea Rivers Of The World

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Years

Information

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines LMU JZR PIA JZR JZR ETH MEA THY UAE QTR DHX MSR FDB ETD RJA GFA MEA KAC THY JZR JZR KAC BAW KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR ETD FDB IRA GFA RBG JZR RKM MEA IYE MSR MSR JZR KAC GFA KAC FDB UAL OMA QTR RJA KAC KAC JZR KAC QTR JZR JZR ETD UAE GFA SVA JZR

Flt 1109 185 205 267 539 620 406 772 853 138 370 612 67 305 642 211 400 544 770 555 529 416 157 206 53 352 302 332 676 344 855 125 132 301 55 619 213 3555 165 310 404 825 623 610 201 672 219 618 57 982 645 140 640 788 284 257 546 134 561 213 303 857 215 510 269

Arrival Flights on Friday 23/12/2011 Route ALEXANDRIA DUBAI LAHORE BEIRUT CAIRO ADDIS ABABA BEIRUT ISTANBUL DUBAI DOHA BAHRAIN CAIRO DUBAI ABU DHABI AMMAN BAHRAIN BEIRUT CAIRO ISTANBUL ALEXANDRIA ASSIUT JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR LONDON ISLAMABAD DUBAI COCHIN MUMBAI TRIVANDRUM DUBAI CHENNAI DUBAI SHARJAH DOHA ABU DHABI DUBAI LAR BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA DUBAI RAS ALKHAIMAH BEIRUT SANAA SOHAG CAIRO DAMASCUS DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI WASHINGTON DC DULLES MUSCAT DOHA AMMAN JEDDAH DHAKA BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA DOHA SOHAG DEIREZZOR ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH BEIRUT

Time 0:01 0:20 0:25 0:45 0:50 1:45 1:45 2:15 2:35 2:40 2:55 3:00 3:05 3:10 3:10 3:15 3:40 4:40 4:50 6:00 6:20 6:25 6:40 7:40 7:45 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:10 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:05 9:15 9:20 9:50 9:55 10:45 11:20 11:45 11:55 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:00 13:20 13:25 13:40 13:50 14:05 14:15 14:20 14:40 14:50 15:00 15:00 15:20 15:25 16:10 16:45 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:30

RBG ABY JZR MLR ALK JZR FDB KAC KAC JZR KAC AIC KAC KAC KAC KAC FDB JAI KAC SVA DHX VOS FCX MEA GFA QTR JZR UAE KAC SAI JZR UAL PIA DLH Airlines UAL LMU AXB BBC AIC DLH PIA KAC MEA ETH THY FDB UAE DHX MSR ETD MEA QTR THY JZR GFA RJA JZR FDB KAC BAW KAC JZR KAC JZR UAE

3557 127 125 403 227 177 63 542 744 787 674 975 166 102 774 562 61 572 786 506 372 81 304 402 217 136 135 859 502 441 239 981 215 636

SOHAG SHARJAH BAHRAIN COLOMBO/DUBAI COLOMBO/DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI CAIRO DAMMAM RIYADH DUBAI CHENNAI/GOA PARIS/ROME NEW YORK/LONDON RIYADH AMMAN DUBAI MUMBAI JEDDAH JEDDAH BAHRAIN BAGHDAD RIYADH BEIRUT BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT LAHORE AMMAN BAHRAIN KARACHI FRANKFURT Departure Flights on Friday 23/12/2011 Flt Route 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 1110 ALEXANDRIA 390 MANGALORE/KOZHIKODE 44 DHAKA 982 AHMEDABAD/HYDERABAD/CHENNAI 637 FRANKFURT 206 LAHORE 283 DHAKA 407 BEIRUT 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 613 CAIRO 306 ABU DHABI 401 BEIRUT 139 DOHA 771 ISTANBUL 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 643 AMMAN 200 DAMASCUS 54 DUBAI 545 ALEXANDRIA 156 LONDON 671 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 787 JEDDAH 560 SOHAG 856 DUBAI

17:35 17:40 17:45 17:55 18:00 18:15 18:40 18:50 18:55 19:05 19:25 19:30 19:30 19:35 19:40 19:50 20:00 20:10 20:20 20:35 21:00 21:15 21:20 21:20 21:25 21:35 21:55 22:00 22:00 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:30 23:50 Time 0:45 0:45 0:50 1:00 1:05 1:20 1:25 2:40 2:45 2:45 3:15 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:00 4:00 4:40 4:55 5:50 6:55 7:00 7:10 7:30 8:25 8:30 8:40 9:00 9:00 9:25 9:30 9:40

ABY ETD KAC FDB QTR KAC KAC GFA IRA JZR JZR RBG KAC KAC RKM MEA IYE MSR JZR MSR GFA JZR FDB KAC KAC KAC OMA UAL RJA JZR KAC KAC KAC QTR JZR ETD JZR QTR UAE GFA RBG ABY SVA JZR MLR JZR ALK FDB JZR KAC FDB KAC KAC JAI SVA DHX MEA GFA QTR KAC JZR KAC FCX UAE JZR SAI KAC

126 302 117 56 133 617 177 214 618 212 268 3558 541 103 311 405 825 624 176 611 220 124 58 561 673 785 646 982 641 786 501 743 773 141 238 304 538 135 858 216 3556 128 511 266 404 134 228 64 184 361 62 343 351 571 507 373 403 218 137 301 554 205 102 860 502 442 411

SHARJAH ABU DHABI NEW YORK DUBAI DOHA DOHA FRANKFURT/GENEVA BAHRAIN LAR DEIREZZOR BEIRUT SOHAG CAIRO LONDON RAS ALKHAIMAH BEIRUT DOHA/SANAA SOHAG DUBAI CAIRO BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI AMMAN DUBAI JEDDAH MUSCAT BAHRAIN AMMAN RIYADH BEIRUT DAMMAM RIYADH DOHA AMMAN ABU DHABI CAIRO DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA SHARJAH RIYADH BEIRUT DUBAI/COLOMBO BAHRAIN DUBAI/COLOMBO DUBAI DUBAI COLOMBO DUBAI CHENNAI COCHIN MUMBAI JEDDAH BAHRAIN BEIRUT BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA ISLAMABAD DUBAI DUBAI LUXOR LAHORE BANGKOK/MANILA

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

9:45 10:00 10:00 10:05 10:10 10:25 10:35 10:40 10:50 10:50 11:25 11:25 12:00 12:30 12:50 12:55 13:05 13:30 13:50 13:55 14:20 14:30 14:35 14:45 15:05 15:10 15:15 15:20 15:35 15:50 16:15 16:15 16:25 16:30 17:15 17:35 17:40 17:45 18:10 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:35 18:45 18:55 19:05 19:10 19:20 19:55 20:20 20:40 20:55 21:05 21:10 21:55 22:00 22:20 22:25 22:35 22:45 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:10 23:35 23:50 23:55

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

LOST State Life Insurance Policy # 633000165 - Name: Maqsood Ali and Policy # 633001462 1471 Mumtaz Hussain has been lost. Anybody found, please contact SLIC office No.: 2245208-9. (C 3794) 23-12-2011

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

African glory for Libyans who risked lives JOHANNESBURG: Libyan footballers risked their lives this year to fulfill Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures and were rewarded with a place at the 2012 tournament.

Tripoli-based stars drove to Tunisia and those living in Benghazi to Egypt while war raged between proand anti-Muammar Gaddafi forces for control of the oil-rich north African state. Unpaid Brazilian coach Manuel Paqueta joined his constantly changing squad in neighboring countries to prepare for ‘home’ matches staged by Mali and Egypt and away assignments on the Comoros Islands and in Zambia.

Libya, whose national team was once captained by a son of ousted dictator Gaddafi, won ‘homes’ games in Bamako and Cairo and drew away twice to claim one of two places reserved for the best group runners-up. No one played a bigger role in the football fairytale than 39year-old Samir Aboud, who displayed the agility of a goalkeeper half his age to defy Zambia in a stalemate that sealed Cup of Nations qualification for only the third time. Botswana and Niger secured places at the biennial CAF

football showpiece for the first time against massive odds while defending champions Egypt, Algeria, Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa were shock casualties. A stunning 10 triumph in Tunisia got Botswana off to a perfect start and they lost just once in eight games while a perfect home record enabled Niger to top a pool including South Africa, Sierra Leone and Egypt. Chasing a record fourth consecutive title, Egypt relied too heavily on ageing icons like Essam El Hadary, Wael Gomaa and Mohamed Aboutreika and the lone win came when they were ditched in favour of under-23 stars at home to Niger.

Samuel Eto’o had a rare miss from the penalty spot as Cameroon took only one point off resurgent Senegal and finished a distant second while Nigeria failed after conceding a stoppage-time equalizer at home against Guinea. South Africa became an African football laughing stock as they ‘celebrated’ qualification after a home draw with Sierra Leone, believing goal difference separated teams only to discover later that the head-to-head rule applied. Algeria were the fourth

Ajax cup match halted after fan attacks player AMSTERDAM: An Ajax supporter ran onto the field and tried to attack the goalkeeper of visiting AZ Alkmaar in a Dutch cup match Wednesday, leading to the game being suspended after just 36 minutes. The fan, identified by Ajax as a 19-year-old who had been drinking, approached Alkmaar’s Esteban Alvarado from behind, but the Costa Rican keeper saw the supporter in time and skillfully tripped him.

Immediately afterward, Alvarado, enraged by the unexpected and unprovoked attack, kicked the su pp o rt e r t wi c e wh e r e he l ay b efo re securit y guards dragged the intruder off the pitch. Referee Bas Nijhuis then gave Esteban a red card for violence. Alkmaar coach Gertjan Verbeek ordered his side to walk out in protest. “I understand that Esteban was defending himself, but he walked to him (the supporter) and kicked him multiple times,” Nijhuis said, defending the decision to send the goalkeeper off. “He could also have walked away.”

Ajax was leading the round-of-16 match 1-0 after a goal by Gregory van der Wiel. Attempts to convince Alkmaar to continue were fruitless.

Alkmaar’s players “didn’t feel safe anymore in this situation,” said club director Toon Gerbrands. Ajax apologized for the security lapse and said the supporter will receive a lifetime ban from games.

Dutch football association director Bert van Oostveen said his organization is considering the incident, but is not certain whether the game will be replayed. “Maybe I would have done the same thing, maybe not,” said Ajax coach Frank de Boer, a renowned former defender for Netherlands’ national team, of Alvarado’s reaction. “But emotionally I do understand it.”— AP

2010 World Cup qualifier after Cameroon, Nigeria and hosts South Africa to miss out on the Cup of Nations after a terrible start saw them held by Tanzania and lose in the Central African Republic.

Ivory Coast emerged the most impressive qualifiers for the January 21-February 12 tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea after winning all six mini-league games as Benin and Rwanda offered surprisingly feeble resistance. The Ivorians topped the monthly FIFA rankings as the year drew to a close followed

by Ghana, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon, South Africa, surprise side Cape Verde Islands and Tunisia. A Tunisian revolution that ended with ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fleeing to Saudi Arabia was followed by a home-based national side winning the second African Nations Championship thanks to a 3-0 hiding of Angola in Sudan.

Gabon were shock winners of the first CAF under-23 championship after beating hosts Morocco, Nigeria overcame Cameroon to claim the youth title and Burkina Faso turned party-poopers to defeat home side Rwanda for the junior crown. Tunisia

and Morocco supplied the four finalists in the CAF club competitions with Esperance edging Wydad Casablanca for the Champions League title and Moghreb Fes pipping Club Africain on penalties for the Confederation Cup. Esperance talked big ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan only to finish sixth of seven starters following losses to Qataris Al-Sadd and Mexicans Monterrey and their unruly supporters caused embarrassment in the stands.

Veteran Egypt midfielder Ahmed Hassan equaled the 178-cap record of retired Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed Al Deayea when he came on as a substitute against Brazil in Doha. Most African football followers would instantly recognize Hassan, the swarthy ‘general’ in his mid-30s with movie-star looks, but the same cannot be said of Botswana striker Jerome Ramatlhakwane. Despite little game time because of a dispute with his South African club, he rewarded the endless faith of national coach Stanley Tshosane by scoring five of the seven goals that propelled his country to the Cup of Nations.— AFP

PSG ‘fire’ Kombouare PARIS: Paris St Germain sports director Leonardo has informed club manager Antoine Kombouare that he has been fired, the day after his side went top of the French first division, a source close to the coach said yesterday. “Antoine was informed he was being sacked today by Leonardo,” the source said, adding that the manager’s assistants were also being fired. An official announcement was expected to be made later in the day. Kombouare, who took over as coach of the Paris club in May 2009, moving over from Valenciennes to replace Paul le Guen, has already told certain close friends that he had lost his job, the source said.

His sacking comes the day after Paris St Germain moved back to the top of the French first division with a 1-0 win at St Etienne in the last round of matches before the winter break. Despite the good form in the league, the explosive Kombouare’s position had been under threat for several weeks with Leonardo holding talks with Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, who has been out of work since being fired by Chelsea. Others mentioned as possible replacements were Dutchman Frank Rijkaard and former PSG midfielder Claude Makelele.

A former popular player with the club, Kombouare enjoyed mixed success in his first two seasons as coach placing fourth in the league last year and reaching the final of the French Cup where they lost to league champions Lille. But the parameters and expectations all changed in the close-season when the club were bought by wealthy investors Qatar Sports Investments (QSI). The Gulf company strode into the French capital with a 70 percent controlling stake and their president Nasser

SAINT-ETIENNE: Paris Saint Germain’s coach Antoine Kombouare celebrates after they won their French League One soccer match against Saint-Etienne on Wednesday, Dec 21, 2011.— AP Al-Khelaifi promised “to make the club a great team and a strong brand on the international scene.” They promptly spent 85 million euros in the summer to attract new talent including a massive 42 million euros forked out to Italian side Napoli for 22-year-old midfielder Javier Pastore.

In recent weeks Leonardo has been in talks to bring England star David Beckham to play in Paris for a huge salary although there has yet to be an official announcement on his arrival.

PSG meanwhile crashed out of the French League Cup and the Europa League and struggled for league points in November before rediscovering their form in the last fortnight. Several sources said that there were also concerns among the club’s Qatari owners over what they saw as the conservative

style of play preferred by Kombouare at PSG and whether or not he would be able to handle some of the big signings that had come his way.

Born on the south-west Pacific island of New Caledonia, Kombouare established a reputation as a rugged centreback in a 15-year playing career with Nantes, PSG, Swiss side FC Sion and Scottish club Aberdeen. Having earned his coaching spurs in charge of PSG’s reserves, he spent a little over a year at Strasbourg before moving to Valenciennes (VA), whom he led to the Ligue 2 title in 2006 in his first season in charge. At Valenciennes his outbursts at referees frequently landed him in hot water with the football authorities but he succeeded in establishing VA in the elite before returning to the Parc des Princes in 2009.—AFP

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Strike threat forces Arsenal to delay match LONDON: Arsenal have postponed Monday’s home Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers for 24 hours because of a planned strike by London Underground train drivers which threatens to plunge the capital into chaos. The match at the Emirates Stadium will now be played on Tuesday at 1500 GMT, but Chelsea’s fixture against neighbors Fulham at Stamford Bridge on the Dec. 26 Boxing Day bank holiday is going ahead despite the threatened travel shut-

down. “This decision has had to be made now, before the result of the legal challenge to the proposed industrial action is finally known, due to the preparation period needed to safely operate Emirates Stadium by all the relevant agencies,” Arsenal said in a statement on their website yesterday.

“The paramount concern was always the duty of care towards the Arsenal supporters, Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters, matchday employees, workers and indeed everyone who was planning to attend the

match on Boxing Day.” The club said that as there were no services operating on mainline train services into London on the day, there was likely to have been “severe disruption, or at worst, inability for supporters or matchday employees and workers” to get to the match.

The planned strike is the result of a dispute over workers’ bank holiday pay but the legality of the walkout has been challenged by the transport authorities and will be decided in the High Court in London later. Lower

league matches in and around London will also be going ahead with the Championship (second division) matches between Watford and Cardiff City and Millwall and Portsmouth taking place.

Leyton Orient’s match with MK Dons and Brentford’s clash against Bournemouth in League One (third division), as well as the League Two (fourth division) fixtures between Wimbledon and Oxford United and Dagenham & Redbridge and Barnet will also be played.— Reuters

Rivals fear City’s Eastlands fortress MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes rival teams are scared to play at Eastlands as his Premier League leaders ended 2011 with a 3-0 victory over Stoke. Two goals from Sergio Aguero and one from winger Adam Johnson secured a routine three points which mean City have won 17 and drawn one of the 18 league games they have played at home in the calendar year 2011.

More than that, however, since December 2010 and a defeat against Everton, City have played 29 home games in all competitions, winning 27 of them and drawing twice-against Fulham in the Premier League and Napoli in the Champions League. Stoke’s toothless and defensive performance, in which they failed to register a single shot on target against Mancini’s side, showed how much opponents now dread a visit to play his club.

“It’s the same thing that happens against (Manchester) United,” said Mancini. “All the teams that play against United play with fear and don’t attack because United have been a top team for a very long time. “Probably now, against us, some teams have a problem and they play in a different way. It’s a great thing but sometimes it would be better to have a good, open match and have a good match for both teams. “I’m happy to be at the top at Christmas, I’m happy for our supporters, they can have a good Christmas Day but I think it’s important to stay there at the end of the season and this will be difficult. “United continue to win every game, Arsenal and Tottenham. But it is better to be at the top then second.”

City’s incredible home form is indicative of the major strides taken by Mancini and City in the two years since the Italian took over from Mark Hughes although the manager wants to see an improvement in his side’s away form. Mancini must take his team to West Brom and Sunderland over the holiday period, games which the demanding manager will expect to win if his side is to remain at the top of the Premier League summit into 2012. “I am happy with our progress over the two years I have been here, we have improved a lot and worked very well,” he said.

“We’re at the top but we’re at a difficult moment if we are to stay at the top. We have to work more and have to believe in ourselves, always. “It’s not easy not to lose at home in the Premier League because every game is hard in this league. “It is very important we continue to win at home. But it is important we start to win away again. The last two away games we only have one point and it is time to start again.” Stoke manager Tony Pulis conceded his team did not punch their weight, although he also insisted that City’s dominance underlined the fact that they should have been competing for the Champions League this season.

Ironically, a rare home slip-up-the draw in group play against Napoli-cost City a place in the last 16 and Pulis said: “You’ve just got to look at Man City’s bench to see how tough it is for anybody to play against them and they must be distraught they are out of the Champions League. “With the quality they have, the strength in depth they have, they would have run that competition close this season, never mind the (league) championship. “They are contenders for everything they are in but you’d expect that, spending £240 million or whatever they have spent.”— AFP

LONDON: Manchester United’s Dimitar Berbatov (second left) scores past Fulham’s Stephen Kelly (right) during the English Premier League soccer match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage stadium on Wednesday, Dec 21, 2011. — AP

Man United count cost of stylish win LONDON: Manchester United kept up their pursuit of leaders Manchester City with a 5-0 victory at Fulham but the three points came at a cost as England duo Phil Jones and Ashley Young were injured. Both will now miss games over the holiday period and beyond. Jones, who was back in defense to replace Rio Ferdinand after a lengthy spell in midfield, was forced off early on after being hit in the jaw by the arm of Clint Dempsey. Young, who had replaced him in the 20th minute, was forced off in the second half following a collision with Dickson Etuhu.

It is feared Jones, 19, has suffered a fracture and as a result will be out for six weeks. “We’ve got a couple of injuries,” United manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed afterwards. “Phil Jones got an elbow to the jaw and we’ll send him for an X-ray tomorrow. It doesn’t look good.

Rio will be back for the Blackburn game on New Year’s Eve, Phil is a concern and Ashley is out for two or three weeks.”

Manchester City won 3-0 at home to Stoke City to remain two points clear at the top but United’s performance suggested they were in no mood to let the gap widen.

Danny Welbeck gave them a fifth-

minute lead after Nani had run half the length of the pitch down the left wing and the Portugal international made it 2-0 himself just before the half-hour mark. Ryan Giggs continued his remarkable record of having scored in every Premier League season so far with the third just before half-time, with a shot that took a big deflection off Philippe Senderos, Fulham’s Switzerland international defender. Fulham improved after the break but could not beat goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard, who had been picked ahead of David de Gea. Late additions from Wayne Rooney, who fired in an impressive long-range effort, and substitute Dimitar Berbatov via a cheeky back-heel, made the winning margin a convincing one. “The performance in the first half was as good as we have played all season,” Ferguson added. “You would have thought the third goal would have killed Fulham but they came out very aggressively in the second half. They changed the pattern of the game but on the counter we always looked a threat.”

Rooney was also pleased with the way they had controlled the game and forecast more of the same in the final fixtures of 2011, against Wigan and

Blackburn. “We played really well and we took our chances,” he said. “It was comfortable. In the second half we took our foot off the gas but we were always in control and we knew we were going to win the game. “We have a lot of games coming up so it was nice to not run as much. We knew that if we could win we have two home games coming up. We need to keep pushing and if City slip up we’ll be there. It’s an amazing turnaround in our away form.”

Fulham manager Martin Jol admitted his side’s first half display had been sub standard and will insist on an improvement on Boxing Day at Chelsea. “I am angry and disappointed,” he said. “They had eight attempts on goal and scored five goals.

They played around us on the flanks and we did not defend well. Nani scored a header which tells you all. We let ourselves down. We improved and could have scored a few but it is easy when you are 3-0 down. “They have a lot of quality but we were not aggressive enough. Conceding early is not good for your confidence. It was too easy for them. We have to pick ourselves up because there are a lot of teams on the same amount of points.”— AFP

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

KARACHI: Liu Xiantang (down) of China and Muhammad Rizwan of Pakistan crashed during the second field hockey match in Karachi yesterday. — AFP

Pakistan beat China 5-3 KARACHI: Pakistan came from two goals down yesterday to beat a much improved China 5-3, taking the lead 2-0 in a four-match series that marks the first international hockey in the troubled country for seven years.

Forwards Waqas Sharif and Haseem Khan hit two goals each with Ali Shah netting once to lead Pakistan’s fight-back after China dominated initial play with two goals by the 11th minute.

Pakistan won the first match 3-0 on Wednesday in Karachi, in the first international hockey hosted by Pakistan in seven years.A campaign of Taleban and Al-Qaeda linked attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2008, has made Pakistan a virtual “no go” zone for international sport. China struck in the third minute when striker Dong Yang scored off the first penalty corner, going

under the feet of Pakistani goalkeeper Salman Akbar, who had a miserable match.

Liu Xiang Tang doubled the lead in the 11th minute when he sneaked past Pakistan’s defense to score a field goal, much to the shock of Pakistan.

Awoken by their rivals’ sudden surge, Pakistan struck three times within the next 14 minutes as Khan (14 and 28 minutes) and Waqas Sharif (23 minutes) put Pakistan

Seattle fall short in loss to No 24 Virginia SEATTLE: In its first two seasons making the transition back to Division I, Seattle made headlines with wins over Oregon State and Virginia. The Redhawks almost added the Cavaliers to the list again Wednesday night, this time as a ranked team, only to fall short in the closing moments. Aaron Broussard scored a career-high 29 points and Sterling Carter added 17, but Seattle couldn’t complete its rally from 14 points down in the final 8 minutes, and No 24 Virginia held on for an 83-77 victory.

Tired of underperforming for the first month of the season, Seattle finally found life and energy for more than just a few spurts. The result was Seattle’s best effort of the season, but still not enough to knock off a ranked team for the first time during its move back to the top level of college hoops. “It’s good to have energy and enthusiasm and have a display like this as you’re doing it, because it helps you keep going and gives you a little more buzz to keep going,” Seattle coach Cameron Dollar said. “But it doesn’t stop the fact that you’ve got to keep going.” Mike Scott scored a career-high 33 points, including 19 in the first half, as the Cavaliers (10-1) won their eighth straight and improved to 10-1 for the first time since 2000-01. They also avenged a shocking 59-53 home loss to Seattle last season.

Meanwhile, the Redhawks dropped their sixth straight, but at least left with an idea of how they want to play going forward. “We were going to go out give our all attitude. I don’t feel like we had that at the beginning of the year,” Carter said.

“It wasn’t purposely, it’s just that time where we feel like we’re

a better team than we’ve been showing.” Virginia was on its way to an easy victory after Seattle missed eight of its first nine shots to begin the second half. Scott’s three-point play pulled the Cavaliers within 43-42 and Chelan, Wash.- native Joe Harris gave Virginia its first lead on a baseline leaner with 15:12 remaining.

The Cavaliers’ lead continued to grow until Dollar finally snapped with 8:45 left when he walked out to midcourt yelling about Scott’s rebound putback while being fouled and was quickly issued a technical foul. Scott converted one of the two free throws for the technical, then completed the threepoint play to give Virginia a 14-point lead with 8:45 remaining.

The technical woke up the Redhawks and instead of Virginia coasting to an easy road win they started crumbling under Seattle’s pressure. “I feel like we panicked a little bit. I feel like we could have been more sure with the ball,” Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon said. Using an aggressive, trapping defense, Seattle scored 19 of the next 23 points following Dollar’s technical, the only Virginia points coming on free throws from Harris and Brogdon.

Broussard scored nine points and Carter had eight as Seattle went back in front on Broussard’s leaner with 3:29 left to take a 68-67 lead. After a quick Virginia timeout, came the clutch plays Virginia needed. Sammy Zeglinski hit an open 3 to retake the lead, the Cavaliers first field goal in more than 5 minutes, and he added two free throws to push the lead to 72-68. —AP

ahead with 3-2. Yang pulled one back in the 54th minute in a slick move from the forward line before Sharif ended the score with another field goal in the 56th minute. The remaining two matches will be played in the cities of Faisalabad tomorrow and Lahore on Sunday. Pakistan, who last hosted an international hockey game in 2004, hopes the Chinese tour will help convince other foreign teams to visit. —AFP

Noves looks for rebound factor in title final repeat PARIS: Toulouse’s legendary head coach Guy Noves has demanded his players bounce back after the home defeat in the European Cup last Sunday starting in Friday’s Top 14 clash with Montpellier which is a repeat of last season’s final.

Toulouse just edged Montpellier in that final but their seemingly serene progress in both the Top 14 and the European Cup was brought to a shuddering halt by Harlequins last Sunday in Toulouse. Noves, who has guided Toulouse to nine domestic titles and four European Cup trophies, said that he didn’t feel let down by the players but still wanted them to show their true qualities at Montpellier.

Victory for them would keep them top of the table - they are three points clear of 2010 champions Clermont - and leave them with just two defeats in their 13 matches in the domestic league this term. “I am always more tolerant in defeat than in victory,” said the 57-year-old, nicknamed the ‘Gipsy’. “The guys have taken a knock to the head but now they must re-motivate themselves for the Montpellier match.

“The important thing is that we know what it is like to win.”

Toulouse know they have a tough task on their hands on Friday as Montpellier are back playing the type of rugby that made them such a formidable opponent last term much to the surprise of their rivals.

A difficult start to the season where their star players were away at the World Cup has been transformed since their return and they go into the match with a run of three successive wins in the championship. —AFP

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NFL makes two changes in concussion protocols NEW YORK: The NFL is changing how it handles concussion examinations after Browns quarterback Colt McCoy went back into a Dec. 8 game without being tested for one. A certified athletic trainer, paid by the league, will be at each game to monitor play and provide medical staffs with “any relevant information that may assist them in determining the most appropriate evaluation and treatment,” the NFL said in a statement Wednesday.

The trainers will not diagnose nor prescribe treatment and can’t order that players be removed from a game.

Their presence is intended to assist team medical staffs in addressing a variety of injuries. The trainer’s “role will be to provide information to team medical staffs that might have been missed due to a lack of a clear view of the play or because they were attending to other players or duties,” the statement said.

The trainer will be in a booth upstairs with access to video replay and direct communication to the medical staffs of both teams. “In most cases, the athletic trainer will be affiliated with a major college program in the area or will have previously been affiliated with an NFL club,” the league said. The league and each team are in the process of selecting the trainers. Also, team medical staffs will be permitted to use cell phones during games to gather information relating to the care of an injured player. This is not limited to concussions. McCoy was hurt on a helmetto-helmet hit by Steelers linebacker James Harrison late in Pittsburgh’s win. He returned to the game after missing just two plays without being examined for a concussion.

The quarterback wasn’t tested until after the game, when he was diagnosed with a concussion. McCoy is still experiencing symptoms and hasn’t played since. The Browns said McCoy wasn’t showing symptoms of a concussion during the game, so they didn’t test him. Team doctors were treating other players and didn’t see the impact from Harrison’s vicious hit. Harrison later was suspended for one game for being a repeat offender and returned to practice Wednesday after missing a loss at San Francisco. The NFL said the Browns would not be disciplined for their handling of the situation. “Clubs also were reminded of the importance of team coaching and medical staffs continuing to work together to ensure that full information is available at all times to medical staffs,” the NFL’s statement said, “that players do not take steps to avoid evaluations, and that concussions continue to be managed in a conservative and medically appropriate way.”— AP

Modest Dhoni leads by example for India SYDNEY: Live in the moment, keep it simple and work hard. It may not be the most sophisticated philosophy to come out of India but it is a concise mantra which has served MS Dhoni well in four years as captain of his country’s cricket team. As India’s first skipper from outside the main urban centers, the 30-year-old has already delivered the Holy Grail of the World Cup and over the next month takes on the challenge of leading his team to a maiden test series triumph in Australia.

Hailed by master batsman Sachin Tendulkar as the finest captain he has played under in a career spanning more than two decades, Dhoni’s leadership is not about rousing pep talks or even inspired gambles. “The important thing is that he keeps things simple and not complicated,” chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth said recently. What Dhoni does display is leadership by example, no less so than when he promoted himself up the batting order and hit 91 not out to lead India to the World Cup triumph on home soil in early April, sealing the dramatic victory with a six.

The wicketkeeper-batsman cut his international captaincy teeth in the Twenty20 format by leading his country to victory of the inaugural World Cup in 2007. There was immediate success too when he took the reins of the one-day side and led them to a series victory in Australia. He assumed the test captaincy in 2008. “I love to be in the moment, I love to analyze things a bit,” Dhoni said in a recent interview with CNN news channel. “Very often what is important is to realize what went wrong, not only when you are losing a series or a game, but also when you are winning a series. You need to realize which are the areas you need to work on.” —Reuters

Knicks pound Nets Magic overcome heat NEW YORK: Carmelo Anthony had 21 points and eight rebounds, and the New York Knicks tuned up for the NBA season opener by beating the New Jersey Nets 88-82 on Wednesday night. Amare Stoudemire scored 15 points, and Tyson Chandler added eight points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who host the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon in the first game of the 2011-12 season.

Neither team looks ready for real games to start: The Nets made 50 percent of their free throws, 15 percent of their 3point attempts, and starting guard Anthony Morrow was 0 for 10 from the field. The Knicks shot 34 percent overall.

“We know it’ll be a lot different Sunday against the Celtics,” Anthony said.

“They’re preparing for us, we’re preparing for them. We have the first NBA game of the season and we’re excited about that. We’re just ready to go out there and get this thing rolling.”

Point guard Toney Douglas finished with 13 points in the first NBA game at Madison Square Garden since renovations began on the arena. He got additional time after his backup, Mike Bibby, sat out the second half with back spasms. Kris Humphries, who re-signed earlier Wednesday with the Nets, entered in the second quarter for his first action since his failed marriage to reality star Kim Kardashian. The forward was loudly booed every time he touched the ball in his brief stint, a reception that rivaled what LeBron James received in his first visit here last season after choosing Miami over New York.

“It’s tough, it’s a tough situation. New York fans are New York fans,” said Anthony, who attended the wedding. “I like it, to be honest with you. That’s how it should be. Our fans shouldn’t be cheering for nobody else.” Chants of “We want Humphries! We want Humphries!” broke out in the fourth quarter, but he did not return. “I felt like Rudy,” Humphries said. Added Deron Williams: “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard a crowd rooting for an opposing player to enter the game. It was a nice gesture,” he added sarcastically.

Williams scored 21 points and Brook Lopez had 15, though 11 came against Knicks reserves in the fourth quarter.

New York completed a sweep of the two-game series after winning at New Jersey on Saturday.

“We did a great job defensively, that’s the first thing we’ve got to try to get our grips on,” Stoudemire said. “Offense is going to come, we’re very talented offensively, that’s going to happen, but defense is where we seem to be making our strides.” Among the changes at the arena after the first of a planned threeyear project were new locker rooms and the removal of the tunnel from where players used to enter the court. Before the game, the Knicks announced they had claimed Steve Novak off waivers after he was cut by San Antonio.

MAGIC SECURE 104-100 VICTORY The countdown to the NBA regular season is now in its final stages for the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic. Though it’s clear after their final preseason matchup Wednesday night that both

FLORIDA: Orlando Magic forward Glen Davis (11) goes up for a basket over Miami Heat center Joel Anthony (50) during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game on Wednesday, Dec 21, 2011, in Orlando. The Magic won 104-100. — AP teams could use a few extra days to prepare for their Christmas Day openers.

The Magic showed some late-game toughness to secure a 104-100 victory on Wednesday night, but needed a furious comeback to erase a 14-point halftime deficit. The Heat played well early before slowing in a forgettable second half. “I don’t think it was that we didn’t show life (early), we didn’t make shots,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “...I thought we had good life in the second half.”

Glen Davis, who had 13 points in the third quarter to ignite the comeback, finished with 18 points, and Dwight Howard and Jason Richardson each added 15 for the Magic. “It felt good,” Davis said.

“This is my new home, to come here and kind of show everybody what I can do - because there’s a question mark.”

Orlando also got a late lift from its reserves to secure the win, including strong fourth-quarter efforts by veteran Larry Hughes and rookie Justin Harper.

LeBron James had 27 points and Dwyane Wade added 21 for the Heat.

Reserve Norris Cole chipped in 11 points.

Both teams open the regular season as part of the NBA’s four-game Christmas Day schedule. Miami travels

to defending champion Dallas for a finals rematch and Oklahoma City hosts the Magic. “It’s upon us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We have about three days to get ready ... Now it’s all about getting healthy and ready for Sunday.”

The Magic played without Hedo Turkoglu, who sat with a bruised left hip.

The Heat also were tender, with Mike Miller (hernia), Shane Battier (quadriceps), Eddy Curry (hip) and Eddie House (knee) all resting. Whether it was just the injury bug or something else, the rust definitely showed for both sides early on. James badly missed on a pair of free throws in the opening minutes, including an air ball on one attempt.

Both James and his teammates were able to settle down, however, with James and Wade each scoring to push the lead to as many as 23 en route to the halftime advantage. Orlando missed its first 12 shots from the field overall and its first 13 3-point attempts. The Magic regrouped to make 8 of its final 14 shots from beyond the arc. The matchup of division rivals did have a small dustup late in the third quarter when Richardson was called for a technical after he was caught delivering a shoulder into James’ chest. The contact came after the pair collided while running down the court.

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Canucks down Red Wings Sharks stun Lightning VANCOUVER: Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 38 shots as the Canucks beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 on Wednesday to close within a point of the lead in the NHL’s Northwest Division. Alex Burrows scored for the fourth straight game after Chris Higgins and Cody Hodgson had scored 21 seconds apart midway through the first period. Alex Edler also netted as the Canucks improved to 12-2-1 in their past 15 games. Burrows tied Daniel Sedin for the team lead with 13 goals. Todd Bertuzzi and Drew Miller scored for the Red Wings.

scored for the Blues, who lost in regulation for just the second time in the past 13 games.

SHARKS 7, LIGHTNING 2 In San Jose, the hosts scored a team-record five goals inside the first 14:47, blowing away Tampa Bay. Logan Couture scored twice while Benn Ferriero, Joe Pavelski, Andrew Desjardins, Brent Burns and Patrick Marleau also got goals for the Sharks, who won their third straight. Dominic Moore and Martin St Louis scored for the Lightning.

COYOTES 4, HURRICANES 3 In Raleigh, North Carolina, Lauri Korpikoski and Ray Whitney both had a goal and an assist to lead Phoenix past Carolina.

Korpikoski scored the game-winner at 10:48 of the third period. Cal O’Reilly and Rostislav Klesla also scored for the Coyotes, who overcame a deficit entering the third period for the first time this season, at the 13th attempt.

Tuomo Ruutu got his team-leading 11th goal for the Hurricanes, while Andreas Nodl and Jiri Tlusty also scored. — AP

FLYERS 4, STARS 1 In Dallas, Claude Giroux had a goal and three assists in his return from a four-game concussion absence as surging Philadelphia beat Dallas.Simmonds and Jaromir Jagr added power-play goals, and defenseman Andrej Meszaros connected at even strength for Philadelphia, which improved to 10-2-1 in their past 13 overall and 13-3 2 on the road this season. The Flyers restored their lead in the Atlantic Division to four points over the New York Rangers, who won Tuesday.

Michael Ryder scored in the first minute for the Stars, who lost the outright lead in the Pacific Division, being joined by Phoenix.

NHL results and standings on Wednesday.

Phoenix 4, Carolina 3; Chicago 5, Montreal 1; Philadelphia 4, Dallas 1; Colorado 3, St Louis 2; Vancouver 4, Detroit 2; San Jose 7, Tampa Bay 2.

American League Eastern Division W LOTL GF GA PTS Philadelphia 21 8 4 116 95 46 NY Rangers 19 8 4 91 68 42 Pittsburgh 19 11 4 110 90 42 New Jersey 18 14 1 91 96 37 NY Islanders 11 14 6 72 99 28 Northeast Division 22 9 1 111 63 16 13 4 102 108 16 14 4 106 117 16 14 3 90 98 13 15 7 88 97

45 36 36 35 33

Southeast Division Florida 18 10 6 91 86 Washington 17 14 1 95 97 Winnipeg 15 13 5 91 100 Tampa Bay 14 17 2 89 114 Carolina 10 19 6 89 120

42 35 35 30 26

Western Conference Central Division Chicago 22 9 4 118 102 Detroit 21 11 1 109 75 St. Louis 19 10 4 84 72 Nashville 17 12 4 86 88 Columbus 9 20 4 80 111

48 43 42 38 22

Northwest Division 20 10 5 85 78 21 11 2 114 82 17 17 1 94 104 15 15 4 84 95 14 16 3 89 90

45 44 35 34 31

Boston Toronto Ottawa Buffalo Montreal

BLACKHAWKS 5, CANADIENS 1 In Chicago, Andrew Brunette and Patrick Sharp scored 21 seconds apart midway through the second period, setting up Chicago’s win over Montreal. Viktor Stalberg scored midway through the third period and Jonathan Toews and Bryan Bickell added late goals for NHL-leading Chicago. Corey Crawford made 20 saves in his first start for more than two weeks for the Blackhawks, who are 8-1-1 in their past 10 games. Andrei Kostitsyn scored a power-play goal for Montreal, which lost its fourth straight - including the past three since Randy Cunneyworth replaced Jacques Martin as coach.

AVALANCHE 3, BLUES 2 In Denver, Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 37 shots to help Colorado edge St. Louis and notch its seventh straight home win. Jay McClement scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period while Paul Stastny and Cody McLeod also scored for the Avalanche. David Backes and Chris Stewart

NHL results/standings

Minnesota Vancouver Colorado Calgary Edmonton

VANCOUVER: Mason Raymond #21 of the Vancouver Canucks tries to tie up Niklas Kronwall #55 of the Detroit Red Wings along the side boards during the third period in NHL action on December 21, 2011. — AFP

Pacific Division San Jose 18 10 3 93 76 39 Dallas 19 13 1 86 93 39 Phoenix 18 13 3 90 89 39 Los Angeles 15 14 4 72 81 34 Anaheim 9 19 5 78 110 23 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

Kuwaiti swimmer clinches first golden medal in doha DOHA: Kuwaiti swimmer Yousef Al-Thuwaini won the first gold medal for first place in the men’s (50-meter) finals competition, in the 12th Arab Games hosted currently by Qatar.

By that achievement, Al-Thuwaini is the first Arab swimmer to compete against Tunisian swimmer Osama Maloli that broke records in swimming competition in the Arab Games.

The Kuwaiti swimmer won the golden medal with 26.41 seconds, while the Egyptian competitor Mohammad Hussein Ali achieved the silver medal with 26.63 seconds and the Moroccan swimmer Amin Koami came in third and achieved the bronze medal with 27.18 seconds.

The other Kuwaiti swimmer competing Shuaib Al-Thuwaini came in fifth place with 27.62 seconds after the Tunisian Zaki Marbat that came in fourth place. Eight swimmers

competing for the finals from six countries; Libya, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and Kuwait.

Female shooter wins bronze medal In another development, Kuwaiti shooter Shahad Al-Hawal won a bronze medal in the finals for the women trap singles’ competition yesterday.

Al-Hawal was able to shoot 80 plates, while her Qatari competitor Amna AlAbdullah succeeded in getting the gold medal for a total of 86 plates as the Lebanese shooter Raya Basil won the silver medal.

Another Kuwaiti shooter Sara Al-Hawal took the fourth place with 79 plates.

The competition included 11 shooters from five different countries; Egypt, Morocco, Qatar, Lebanon and Kuwait. — Agencies

DOHA: Egypt’s Mohammed Hashem (center) jumps to score against Qatar during the men’s handball final match at the 2011 Arab Games in Doha yesterday. Egypt won 26-21. — AFP

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011

Djokovic steps up to dominate men’s tennis

LAS VEGAS: Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr listens as his attorney speaks on his behalf before his sentencing in Clark County District Court on Wednesday, Dec 21, 2011. — AP

Mayweather gets 90 days jail term LAS VEGAS: Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr is a perfect 42-0 in the ring and has dodged significant jail time several times in domestic violence cases in Las Vegas and Michigan. But his courtroom streak came to an end Wednesday when a Las Vegas judge sentenced him to 90 days in jail after he pleaded guilty to a reduced battery domestic violence charge and no contest to two harassment charges.

The case stemmed from a hair-pulling, punching and arm-twisting argument with his ex-girlfriend Josie Harris while two of their children watched in September 2010. “Punishment is appropriate,” Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa said after a prosecutor complained that Mayweather has been in trouble before and hasn’t faced serious consequences. “No matter who you are, you have consequences to your actions when they escalate to this level of violence,” she said.

Good behavior could knock several weeks off Mayweather’s sentence. but he will likely serve most of the sentence set to begin Jan. 6, said Officer Bill Cassell, a Las Vegas police spokesman. Mayweather and his manager, Leonard Ellerbe, declined comment outside the courtroom. The jail time raises doubts about a possible showdown between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, a champion fighter from the Philippines against whom Mayweather’s welterweight success is usually measured.

A long-awaited fight between the two men regarded as among the best of their generation has been delayed by stalling techniques and verbal sparring.

The two men have a defamation lawsuit pending in Las Vegas federal court stemming from statements by Mayweather that he suspects Pacquiao was taking performance-enhancing drugs. Mayweather returned in September from a 16-month layoff to continue his undefeated record with a controversial knockout of Victor Ortiz in Las Vegas.

Mayweather’s promoters have a May 5 date reserved against an as-yet unnamed opponent at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. But if Mayweather is jailed until the end of March, it could cut into the usual eight-plus weeks he takes to train.

Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said licenses for all fighters expire on Saturday, and most, including Mayweather, have yet to reapply for next year. He said Mayweather would be asked on his license application if he was convicted of any misdemeanors or felonies. Kizer said commissioners would then decide whether to approve or deny his license or hold a hearing to talk about it. The commission has been in contact with prosecutors and Mayweather’s lawyers as cases against him have progressed, he said. — AP

LONDON: Novak Djokovic is about to find out what it takes to follow up on a nearly unbeatable season. The 24-yearold Serb won three of the four Grand Slams titles, lifted seven other trophies and wrested the No 1 ranking from Rafael Nadal. His 70-6 record included a staggering 41match winning streak to begin the season. “It was incredible,” Djokovic said. “I made so many wins in a row that I really didn’t count any more. I was just trying to play one match at the time and trying to think how long the streak will go on, not when it will end.”

Djokovic eventually fell one short of matching John McEnroe’s record of 42 straight wins to begin the 1985 season. Despite that, the American great said the tougher competition and greater athleticism in today’s game made the Serb’s feat “more impressive.” The run also included four wins over Nadal, all in finals. Two of them came on the Spaniard’s favorite clay surface. Djokovic, who won the Australian Open early in the season, finally lost in June when Roger Federer prevailed in the French Open semifinals. But the Serb quickly picked himself up and swept the Wimbledon and US Open titles. In New York, Federer seemed certain to repeat his Roland Garros success. He held two match points on serve in the fifth set of their semifinal match, but Djokovic saved both - the first with a blistering forehand return winner that was one of the year’s most memorable moments. It was also the perfect demonstration of the belief that Djokovic says was the key to his dramatic improvement in 2011 after a three-year gap since his first Grand Slam title in 2008. “The truth is that this year, mentally I am more mature and a stronger player,” he said. “I believe on the court more in my qualities, more that I can win against Federer and Nadal and all the top players.” While Djokovic’s confidence soared, Nadal’s seemed to drain away a little more with each loss. His three titles for the season was his worst haul since 2004, and after months of complaining about the hectic calendar, Nadal left the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals stating that he had a “little bit less passion for the game.” Spain’s Davis Cup win their fifth since 2000 - at least provided a silver lining to a difficult season, but Nadal said dropping the team competition from his schedule in 2012 would be part of his mission to turn around his fortunes. “My goal is always the same, be a better player in 2012 than I was in 2011,” Nadal said. When Djokovic’s phenomenal season finally took its

toll on his body - four of his six losses for the year came after the US Open - it wasn’t Nadal who took advantage but Federer and Andy Murray. Murray, who spent the whole season in the top four but still ended it without a first Grand Slam, won three straight titles in Asia while Federer ended the season with a 17-match winning streak which culminated in a record sixth title at the year-end championships in London. “To win Grand Slams would be nice,” Federer said of his aim for 2012. “I feel like it might be around the corner.” The 16-time Grand Slam champion went through a season without a major for the first time since 2002. — AP

Novak Djokovic of Serbia

Farah chasing possible Olympic distance double LONDON: Hot on the heels of his gold and silver at the world championships, Britain’s Mo Farah is keen to attempt a distance double at next year’s London Olympics. Farah won the 5,000 meters world title in Daegu in September and narrowly missed out on 10,000 gold at the championships when he was overtaken in the final straight by Ethiopia’s Ibrahim Jeilan.

“There is a still a good chance (I will run both events) but I just have to stay injury-free, stay focused, keep doing what I’m doing, keep racing, then my coach and I will decide when we get close to the Olympics,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I would like to do both but then who knows (coach) Alberto (Salazar). Alberto could say just do one and I could do one. I’ll just wait to hear what the coach says.” Since Farah moved his family to Oregon in the US and teamed up with coach Alberto Salazar he has become one of Britain’s best

hopes for Olympic glory. Under threetimes New York marathon winner Salazar, the 28-year-old set a European 10,000 record of 26 minutes 46.57 seconds and finished the season as the fastest man over 5,000. Farah said he planned to qualify to run in both events in London and the final decision would be made a few days before the Olympics commence. He dismissed the notion that competing in both events at the July 27-Aug 12 Games could potentially endanger his medal hopes. “It’s not a risk. It just depends on how you recover and when you come off the race,” Farah told Reuters. “It’s going to be exciting but I don’t know what the coach will say about it. I’m looking forward to it.” Farah said the pain of missing out on medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, where he finished sixth in his heat, has made him physically and mentally tougher ahead of his home Olympics.

“I believe I learned a lot from that,” the Somali-born runner said. “Beijing is

something that’s opened my eyes.

Obviously, I went out there and didn’t do as well as I wanted. I was very disappointed. “It’s helped me a lot. I’ve become a world champion and if we look back before, I wasn’t there. I didn’t quite have it. But now, I have what it takes and I’m a lot more confident and winning a lot more races.

Before I went to Beijing, I wasn’t winning any races,” he said. Farah, who moved to Britain when he was eight years old, is now one of the most recognizable track athletes in the country thanks in part to his beaming, wide smile. Yet nothing prepared him for the reaction he received when he visited Somalia in September with his wife Tania and six-year-daughter Rhianna. “It was like Beatle-mania, that’s the only way I can describe it,” Tania said. “People were jumping on the cars, we were bombarded, the whole time we were there we couldn’t go out in public and the word just spread. — Reuters

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Knicks pound Nets as Magic overcome heat

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Mayweather gets 90 days jail term Page 63

Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr