24th Nov

IPT IO N SC R SU B

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

15

9

No: 15637

45

Tensions between rich and poor EU states rise

2 dead in Texas highway pileup of 140 vehicles

150 Fils

MOHARRAM 10, 1433 AH

QPR manager sacked after winless start

‘New pharaoh’ draws fire with new decree Violent protests in Alexandria, Port Said, Suez

Max 25º Min 18º

ALEXANDRIA: Egyptians beat a young boy during clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi, in the northern coastal city of Alexandria yesterday.

(Right) Protesters storm an office of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood Freedom and Justice party yesterday. — AP CAIRO: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s decree that put his decisions above legal challenge until a new parliament was elected caused fury amongst his opponents yesterday who accused him of being the new Hosni Mubarak and hijacking the revolution. Police fired tear gas in a street leading to Cairo’s Tahrir Square, heart of the 2011 anti-Mubarak uprising, where thousands demanded Morsi quit and accused him of launching a “coup”.

There were violent protests in Alexandria, Port Said and Suez.

“The people want to bring down the regime,” shouted protesters in Tahrir, echoing

a chant used in the uprising that forced Mubarak to step down. “Get out, Morsi,” they chanted. Morsi’s aides said the presidential decree was to speed up a protracted transition that has been hindered by legal obstacles but Morsi’s rivals were quick to condemn him as a new autocratic pharaoh who wanted to impose his Islamist vision on Egypt. “I am for all Egyptians. I will not be biased against any son of Egypt,” Morsi said on a stage outside the presidential palace, adding that he was working for social and economic stability and the rotation of power.

“Opposition in Egypt does not worry me,

but it has to be real and strong,” he said, seeking to placate his critics and telling Egyptians not to worry and that he was committed to the revolution. “Go forward, always forward ... to a new Egypt.” Buoyed by accolades from around the world for mediating a truce between Hamas and Israel, Morsi on Thursday ordered that an Islamist-dominated assembly writing the new constitution could not be dissolved by legal challenges.

“Morsi a ‘temporary’ dictator,” was the headline in the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm. Morsi, an Islamist whose roots are in the Muslim Brotherhood, also gave himself

sweeping powers that allowed him to sack the unpopular general prosecutor and opened the door for a retrial for Mubarak and his aides. The president’s decree aimed to end the logjam and push Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous nation, more quickly on its democratic path, the presidential spokesman said. “President Morsi said we must go out of the bottleneck without breaking the bottle,” Yasser Ali said.

The president’s decree said any decrees he issued while no parliament sat could not be challenged, moves that consolidated his Continued on Page 9

in the

news

New cases of SARS-like virus in Saudi and Qatar

Singaporeans react to ‘emotionless’ tag

Indian girl shot dead by a ‘urinating man’

LONDON: A new virus from the same family as SARS which was discovered and sparked a global alert in September has now killed two people in Saudi Arabia and Qatar and the total number of cases has risen to six, the World Health Organization said yesterday. The UN health agency issued a global alert in late September saying a virus previously unknown in humans had infected a 49year-old Qatari who had recently travelled to Saudi Arabia, where another man with the same virus had died.

Yesterday, it said in a disease outbreak update that it had registered four more cases and that one of the new patients had died.

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans have reacted to a survey depicting them as the world’s most emotionless people with many saying the city state’s competitive culture leaves them no room for feelings. “Singaporeans are the least likely in the world to report experiencing emotions of any kind on a daily basis,” US-based pollster Gallup said in a report on a threeyear study conducted in more than 150 countries. The Philippines came out as the most emotional society in the world, with Latin American countries dominating the top of the list. Media in Singapore, one of the world’s wealthiest and most stable societies, gave prominent coverage to the report, setting off some strong reactions.

NEW DELHI: An Indian man shot and killed his teenaged neighbor in a rage after she objected to him urinating near the gate of their home in the heart of New Delhi, police said yesterday. Officers named the victim as Yusra, aged 17, saying she was shot twice by the man who broke into her home and also wounded her mother late on Wednesday in the Nizamuddin residential and commercial district. “During the day, Yusra objected to him urinating at the gate of the building in which both lived,” additional police commissioner Ajay Chaudhry said. Chaudhry said the 21-year-old man then returned with a handgun the same evening and shot at Yusra and her mother in a bedroom of their working-class home in Nizamuddin, a Muslim-majority enclave.

LOCAL

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Condition of children gets worse every year Women committee holds discussion

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: On the occasion of universal Children’s Day, the Woman and Child Committee at the Kuwait Society for Human Rights held a discussion on child protection and their problems in the present legislation. The participants agreed on the need for a complex law for the protection of children’s rights.

The world is celebrating Children’s Day and the condition of children is getting worse every year. “We demand better life for children all around the world, especially in the Arab countries. Children are abused physically and sexually. They are even used for political purposes, which was clear during the recent demonstrations in Kuwait, when youngsters were transferred to Juveniles Department. Children in Kuwait are roaming in the streets begging and selling stuff, which is a kind of violation against them,” said Sameera AlQinai, Head of the Woman and Child Committee at the Kuwait Society for Human Rights.

“Education is also getting worse.

Many children are facing learning difficulties and poverty and hunger is also rising. The biggest losers in the Arab spring are the kids. Yet the condition of children in Kuwait is better

than in other Arab countries, where they are subjected to military attacks and wars, like in Palestine,” she further added.

Col Bader Al-Ghadouri, Head of the Juveniles Protection Department (JPD) said that Kuwait has very good laws for protecting children but there’s a problem in application.

“There are three elements affecting children and their lives: family, school, and community. Many children are now suffering with their parents, and with the modern small family, nobody can protect them. Everybody is complaining about the low standards of education but the school administration is passive,” he explained.

According to him, there are three institutions dealing with kids: the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice.

“Unfortunately the Ministry of Information has no role in protecting and preventing children. They should have an awareness role to play in the media. We need more short clips to raise awareness amongst children and youngsters. We at the JPD deal with children who are found sleeping in the streets or at the mosque,” added Al-Ghadouri.

Paediatrician Dr Nada Al-Terkit highlighted the fact that there is an absence of a complex law for kids.

“We have some articles separated in different laws, but we need a single unified law to solve the problems of children. Six new committees were formed in 2010 in the six governorates to observe the case of an abused child. If the doctor found a case of an abused child, especially sexual abuse, he will then inform the Ministry of Interior within 24 hours,” she noted.

Dr Siham Al-Fareeh, Head of the National Society for Protecting the Child has proposed a law draft for protecting children but none of the former MPs paid attention to this draft.

“We need complex law for children containing about 100 articles to deal with all the problems of the children.

We also need a shelter for kids who are subjected to aggression. Even in Saudi, they have such shelters while here they have refused it as they are saying that it’s against our traditions to let a girl stay at such a shelter, although sexual abuse by her family is the shameful crime that is really against our traditions,” she pointed out.

Lawyer Najla Al-Naqi stated that Kuwait has ratified many international treaties on children’s rights, but none of it was applied. “I hope that the recommendations of this meeting and other conferences in this field will be realized”.

KUWAIT: Temperature dropped dramatically as Kuwait witnessed another day of scattered rain yesterday.

Weather experts said that this climatic condition will continue for one more day. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

‘Popular decisions’ await new parliament KUWAIT: The government put on hold plans to release a number of regulations which include financial privileges to citizens until the new parliament is elected, a local daily reported yesterday quoting sources close to the cabinet.

During an extraordinary meeting Thursday, the cabinet approved draft laws including amendments to sports regulations in order to prevent suspension of Kuwait’s international competition, as well as setting the maximum number of people to be naturalized in 2013 at 2000.

However, the cabinet didn’t issue laws dubbed ‘popular decisions’ such as increasing the maximum rate for housing loans as expected. “The cabinet went with the recommendation to wait on these decisions until the new parliament is elected” on Dec 1, said the sources who spoke to Al-Rai on the condition of anonymity.

The cabinet holds its next meeting tomorrow, with amending the housing law “in order to provide incentives to the private sector to participate in building residential cities” on its agenda, according to the sources.

Review of Fifth Constituency representation

ABK supports students conference KUWAIT: As part of its corporate social responsibility awareness programmes, under the umbrella of its CSR banner ‘Our Society....Our Responsibility,’ Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait is proud to support the National Union of Kuwaiti Students (NUKS) at its annual conference currently being held in Washington, DC. Sahar Al-Therban, Public Relations Manager at ABK stated that, “For many years now, the Bank has been proud to support NUKS, the National Union of Kuwaiti Students, both in Kuwait and abroad, as we feel it is part of our social and corporate responsibility to ensure that the students have the right advice and the

right services available to them at this time.

Under the umbrella of ‘Our Society....Our Responsibility,’ ABK knows that our support does not stop in Kuwait but reaches to wherever we are needed in the world today.”

Al-Therban continued to explain that, “It is at these conferences that the NUKS USA Branch holds its annual seminars and its essential election campaigns and we are there to show our support for the Kuwaiti students.”

Every year the Bank proudly supports the students by sponsoring the conference, clearly portraying its support for the NUKS initiatives towards supporting youth .

KUWAIT: Within the ten parliament lineups elected between 1981 and February 2012, the Fifth Constituency was represented by 61 MPs, and it is the first constituency in terms of change of representatives throughout this period.

The Fifth Constituency covers what used to be the 21st-25th constituencies in the old 25-district system. Khaled Al-Adwah, Fahad Duhaisan Al-Lumaie, and Marzouq Faleh AlHubaini served as MPs in the constituency for five legislative sessions, and Hadi Hayef Al-Huwailah served for four sessions.

Serving for three sessions are Rashed Saif Al-Hujailan, Waleed Al-Jeri, Abdullah Faleh Raie Al-Fahma, Saadoun Hammad Al-Otaibi, and Ghanim Ali Al-Lumaie.

Candidates who secured constituency representation twice are Khaled Ajran AlAjran, Mubarak Faleh Raie Al-Fahma, Hadhil Salem Al-Jlawi, Ayidh Alloush Al-Azmi, Saad Falah Al-Ajmi, Khamees Talaq Oqab, Ayidh Alloush Al-Mutairi, Jamaan Faleh Al-Azmi, and Abdullah Rashed Al-Hajeri. This group also included Abdullah Akkash Al-Abdeli, Ali Humoud Al-Hajeri, Essam Salman AlDabbous, Jaber Saad Al-Azmi, Mohammad Al-Huwailah, Abdullah Al-Barghash, Salem Namlan Al-Azmi, Khaled Mashaan Tahous, and Al-Saifi Mubarak Al-Saifi. Then there are those who served one time only; Khalifa Talal Al-Jeri, Muraikhan Saad Al-Ajmi, Hizam

Faleh Al-Maie, Mubarak Abdullah AlDabbous, Duaij Khalifa Al-Jeri, Mubarak Hamad Al-Zuwair, Share’ Nasser Al-Ajmi, Turki Mohammad Al-Azmi, Saad Bulaiq AlAzmi, Musleh Humaijan Al-Azmi, and Mohammad Abdullah Al-Olaim.

Also serving once were Hussain Barrak Al-Dousari, Mubarak Abdullah Al-Ajmi, Fahad Mubarak Al-Hajeri, Mashaan Mujbel Al-Azmi, Jassem Ali Ahmad, Abdullah Mahdi Al-Ajmi, Falah Fahad Al-Hajeri, Saad Rughaian Al-Shuraie, Mohammad Faleh AlAjmi, Falah Mutlaq Al-Azmi, Saad Zunaifer Al-Azmi, Dulaihi Saad Al-Hajeri, and Badi Hussaian Al-Dousari. Out of 25 MPs appointed ministers, four were selected from the constituency from 1981 till the 2012 cabinet.

Jamaan Faleh Al-Azmi was appointed Minister of Justice and Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in 1992, while Abdullah Rashed AlHajeri was appointed Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Housing Affairs in 1996. Fahad Duhaisan Al-Lumaie was appointed Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Housing Affairs in 2001, while Falah Fahad Al-Hajeri was appointed Minister of Commerce and Industry in 20062007. There were no ministers from the constituency in the cabinets of 1981, 1985, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012. — KUNA

LOCAL

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

No license required for daytime procession Opposition leaders discuss future plans KUWAIT: Leading opposition figure Ahmad Al-Saadoun said that obtaining a license for a procession held at daytime isn’t required according to the Constitution, calling simultaneously for police protection for a demonstration planned on the eve of parliament elections set for Dec 1. Al-Saadoun’s statements were made after a meeting he hosted Thursday for the opposition to discuss their plans for election day as well as the days prior to it during which they urged the public to boycott ballots in protest against an emergency decree that altered the voting mechanism.

Youth groups affiliated to the opposition plan to organize a procession on Friday, Nov 30, but authorities are unlikely to issue the required license given the fact that unauthorized marches are banned under Kuwait’s law.

The event is titled ‘Karamat Watan (Dignity of a Nation) III’, as it follows two processions held late October and earlier this month which recorded injuries and arrest after police forcibly dispersed the unlicensed gatherings.

“We reviewed the boycotting activities in the past weeks and discussed those planned for the upcoming days, which include holding seminars to explain to the public the reasons for boycotting the elections”, Al-Saadoun said, adding that he sensed a positive response from Kuwaitis to the boycotting campaign which he described as “more than remarkable”.

The meeting featured members from the Majority Bloc, a coalition of at least 34 oppositionist former lawmakers who won majority seats in elections held last February and annulled by a Constitutional Court ruling four months later. Al-Saadoun also announced that organizers of the Karamat Watan III procession will be invited to a seminar that takes place today at the diwaniya of former MP Jamaan Al-Harbash.

Last June’s verdict had reinstated a Parliament elected in 2009 and dominated by a pro-government majority, which has since been dissolved for the second time last month. Before a decree was issued to call Kuwaitis into electing a new parliament, HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah released an emergency decree reducing the number of maximum votes each citizen was entitled to from four to one. The government had before that challenged the constitutionality of the electoral law - which divides Kuwait into five constituencies - but the Constitutional Court upheld the law. The opposition claims that the change in the voting mechanism is aimed to limiting their chances into getting elected and at the same time boosting chances for pro-government activists.

The 2009 Parliament was dissolved the first time in December 2011 following public protests fueled by allegations of corruption made by the opposition against former Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlSabah and a number of MPs. In the written judgment for the verdict which reinstated the 2009 Parliament, the Constitutional Court said on June 20, 2012 that the dissolution was unconstitutional because it was made following a request made by a resigned Cabinet. Current Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah had been assigned to take over as interim premier before a new Cabinet is formed after parliamentary elections.

Media center to host more than 70 organizations KUWAIT: Minister of Information and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah AlMubarak Al-Sabah said on Thursday that the media center located at the information ministry will host more than 70 local and foreign media organizations to cover the upcoming 15th parliament election.

Sheikh Mohammad said, in a statement to reporters dur- Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Aling the opening of the Late Mubarak Al-Sabah Hamad Al-Roumi media center, among those who will be invited to cover the election; including a tour to ballot stations, will be the British Broadcast Corporation (BBC), US Fox News and a Japanese media organization.

The center will provide a comprehensive data information, an imagebased central department, and a library of photos to all reporters regarding all related issues on the election, Sheikh Mohammad added.

The minister noted that foreign media sector in the ministry has been working since the past month to ensure readiness to host media and Kuwait guests to cover the election, including their work was also to ease their mission in covering the election. The ministry also formed a higher committee, which will consist of around 750 media figures distributed in all ballot stations and subcommittees, the minister added.

The ministry has also provided means of transportation to ballot stations and candidates headquarters, noting that this election will be the first election where radio and television correspondents will join to cover the election. The elections’ website, just like in the previous election, will also be available to provide the latest numbers coming from ballot stations, the minister noted, adding that this year’s election will be even more transparent due to the participation of members of the Kuwait Transparency Society and international observers. — KUNA

Two hundred and ninety candidates are registered to compete for parliamentary seats in the upcoming elections as of Thursday, with one day remaining before the door for withdrawing nominations is shut. The administrative court is set next week to release verdicts in appeals made by dozens of candidates against their disqualification decisions.

The Ministry of Interior finalized preparations in the mean-

time to “maintain security” during election day, according to a local daily, which reported yesterday that security directors in each governorate were assigned with this task during “a series of meetings” held Thursday. This comes on the heels of reports hinting of activities planned by boycotting activists at ballot locations on election day including gatherings to talk citizens out of voting.

LOCAL SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Egyptian stabs his ex-wife over infidelity suspicions Two dead in Sixth Ring Road accidents KUWAIT: A woman was hospitalized in a critical condition after her husband attempted to murder her by stabbing her.

The Egyptian man reported to Salwa police station Wednesday night, blood-handed and accompanied by a child he claimed was his son. He told officers that he had just killed his ex-wife over infidelity suspicions. An ambulance rushed to the Lebanese woman’s apartment located in the same area, and she was found alive but bleeding from several stab wounds. The suspect explained that he and his exwife had separated after discovering ‘love texts’ in her cell phone. He had got custody over two of their children while she had custody over the third whom he brought to the police station on the night of the crime. Police handed the child to a relative while the suspect was detained for further investigations while the victim is recuperating at the intensive care unit in Mubarak Hospital.

Kidnap foiled Jahra patrol officers arrested four men after they failed to kidnap a female pedestrian in the area. The incident took place recently as the suspects attempted to force the Filipina woman inside their vehicle after she stepped out of a beauty salon where she works. The patrol vehicle was passing by at the same time and quickly blocked the suspects’ way. The four young men were put under arrest despite claiming that they offered to take the woman to her destination as the woman insisted that they were trying to kidnap her. They were referred to the proper authorities to face charges.

Brothers in crime Two brothers were arrested after mugging a pedestrian in Maidan Hawally recently. Local police launched investiga-

tions after being approached by a Filipino man who reported two male suspects who stole his cell-phone and KD 250.

He gave the license plate number of the suspects’ car, through which police managed to identify its owner and put him under arrest. The Jordanian man admitted his crime and said that his accomplice was his brother who was later arrested. The two remain in custody pending further action.

Road accidents A male driver was killed when his sports vehicle slammed into the steel barrier at the side of the Sixth Ring Road. The accident was reported Thursday morning as paramedics and police rushed to the crash site and found the young man dead. The body was taken to a coroner while a case was filed for investigations to reveal the circumstances behind the accident.

Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti man in his twenties died after his Japanese-made car crashed into a truck. The accident was reported at the Sixth Ring Road near Saad Al-Abdullah where the driver was pronounced dead. Investigations are ongoing in search for the truck driver who according to eyewitnesses, fled the scene following the accident.

Technician hospitalized An electric technician was hospitalized after being electrocuted while fixing a converter inside a Rumathiya house.

The 39-year-old Pakistani man was in a coma when he arrived at the Mubarak Hospital where he was rushed by the Kuwaiti homeowner. A case was filed at the area’s police station where the homeowner was asked to give details of the incident. ñ Al-Watan, Al-Rai, Al-Anbaa

KUWAIT: Kuwait Fire Service Directorate and the UK Fire Service College Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire, signed a contract here on Thursday to train the Kuwaiti firemen and rescuers. The deal aims to build the capacity of the KFSD personnel and train them on the latest techniques. It’s part of the KFSD capacity-building program and strategy for service innovation. — Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

Human rights authority proposed KUWAIT: Kuwait’s defense and foreign ministries are “pushing strongly” for an emergency decree to be issued to establish a Kuwaiti authority for human rights, a local daily reported yesterday quoting Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor sources.

“The law is one of the most important international duties that the International Labor Organization asked Kuwait to fulfill during its most recent conference in Geneva,”, said the sources who spoke to Al-Jarida on the condition of anonymity. They described the establishment of “a national authority that protects human rights” to be “an achievement recognized by international organizations concerned with human rights, and specially the rights of expatriate and domestic workers”.

The proposed authority would handle human rights violations by conducting “urgent investigations in violations they detect and then refer to the proper authorities for necessary legal action to be taken”, the sources added.

The authority would also send periodic reports to the Kuwaiti parliament as well as international human rights organizations about human right conditions in Kuwait. Meanwhile, the same sources revealed that the MSAL will present recommendation to the cabinet in order to release an emergency decree for a law to combat human trafficking. “The law includes jail terms ranging between ten years to life in prison, or even capital punishments in cases of forcing labor forces to commit illegal actions”, the sources said.

LOCAL

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

GCC states to enhance private sector activity Focus on infrastructure development KUWAIT: Wary of their heavy reliance on oil and gas sectors, all GCC states have embarked on strategies and programs designed to diversify their economies, enhance private sector activity, improve education standards and boost employment for their nationals. A report prepared by the Kuwait Finance House (KFH) said yesterday that these efforts include large public spending programs on infrastructure, education and health with supporting investments envisaged from the private sector.

Not all are fully costed out, but Saudi Arabia’s 9th Development Plan covering 2010-14 envisages spending of $385 bn. Kuwait’s development plan meanwhile proposes $125 bn over the same time frame, while Oman’s 2011-15 plan envisages $78 bn in expenditure, it said.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Qatar have established Vision 2030 frameworks and national development plans/strategies to achieve those visions. The National Development Strategy (NDS) for Qatar covering 2011-16 envisages spending totalling $ 226 bn, while Abu Dhabi’s Vision

2030 report estimated spending of $160 bn during the five year period 2008-13, it added. All GCC plans highlight investment opportunities in such sectors as transportation, power, water, utilities, health care, housing, ITC, education and training. Spending on infrastructure is expected to be particularly large in the coming years offering large opportunities in the construction sector. Transport projects are particularly prominent, with all GCC states planning to develop new interlinked train networks, as well as boosting roads, airport and port infrastructure.

The report pointed out that in 2010, the Kuwait national assembly approved a five year (2010-14) development plan aimed at restoring the economy to growth following the economic crisis post 2008.

The plan forms the first phase of a larger program known as Kuwait Vision 2035 that will run in five-year blocks over the next 25 years, and includes 1, 100 projects with an estimated value of $125 bn focused on both the oil and non-oil sectors.

Similar to other GCC development

strategies the plan focuses on economic diversification, including turning Kuwait into a regional trade and financial hub.

While Kuwait public finances are exceptionally strong, the report said, implementation of the development plan has been stalled both by political disagreements and institutional capacity constraints.

Kuwait needs to get parliament to approve and execute new laws aimed at supporting private sector engagement. Kuwait are thus likely to remain hostage to political wranglings. The state clearly has the financial resources to push ahead with its major infrastructure projects, but implementation will probably remain halting, it added.

It said state spending has certainly increased and topped $62 bn in 2011, but much of this represents larger government transfers in the form of grants and subsidies to Kuwaiti nationals.

This has bolstered consumption, and may offers opportunities in retail and some services, but private sector activity has remained muted in the absence of large development spending. — KUNA

NBK’s YouTube competition attracts 1200 participants KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) announced the winners in its YouTube competition celebrating NBK’s 60th anniversary. The competition received more than 1200 participants in six days.

The competition awarded six winners with valuable cash prizes. Kosar Bahai Seraj Bahai Padarva, Ayman Saeed Mohammed Wali, Ali Houssein Saleh Houssein Saeed, Yousef Otroula Abbas Otroula, Omar Jamil Abdulrahman and Felcy Dias won valuable cash prizes by simply answering one question posted each day on YouTube related to NBK’s history.

NBK YouTube competition attracted hundreds of new subscribers to NBK YouTube Channel “NBKMedia” and received more than 1200 participations in six days.

NBK enjoys the largest coverage of social media networks in Kuwait including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Foursquare and Google+. NBK is keen to support customers through all channels and views social media networks as important aspects for supporting the lifestyle and banking habits of NBK clients. For more information regarding banking transactions, events and competitions check out National Bank of Kuwait official facebook page NBK - Official Page or follow NBK on Twitter @NBKPage, Instagram @NBKPage, or on YouTube “NBKMedia”.

Large drug shipment busted at airport

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Customs officials at the Kuwait International Airport busted a large amount of drugs smuggled in a shipment that arrived from an Arab country recently. The package which contained wall portraits supervised for a number of days till an Arab man claimed it yesterday. The package was opened and 20,000 captagon tablets were found in plastic bags, hidden in cavities made in the portraits. The suspect was referred to the proper authorities for investigations.

KUWAIT: Dasman Diabetes Institute organized an open health awareness day, to celebrate the World Diabetes Day. The event included free checkups for blood pressure, weight, blood sugar level and other related tests. There were also lectures on diabetes. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Human rights authority proposed KUWAIT: Kuwait’s defense and foreign ministries are “pushing strongly” for an emergency decree to be issued to establish a Kuwaiti authority for human rights, a local daily reported yesterday quoting Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor sources.

“The law is one of the most important international duties that the International Labor Organization asked Kuwait to fulfill during its most recent conference in Geneva,”, said the sources who spoke to Al-Jarida on the condition of anonymity. They

described the establishment of “a national authority that protects human rights” to be “an achievement recognized by international organizations concerned with human rights, and specially the rights of expatriate and domestic workers”.

The proposed authority would handle human rights violations by conducting “urgent investigations in violations they detect and then refer to the proper authorities for necessary legal action to be taken”, the sources added. The authority would also send

periodic reports to the Kuwaiti parliament as well as international human rights organizations about human right conditions in Kuwait.

Meanwhile, the same sources revealed that the MSAL will present recommendation to the cabinet in order to release an emergency decree for a law to combat human trafficking.

“The law includes jail terms ranging between ten years to life in prison, or even capital punishments in cases of forcing labor forces to commit illegal actions”, the sources said.

Drunk held A man was arrested in Al-Subahiya recently for shooting under the influence of alcohol. The Kuwaiti man was busted after police received random shooting reports. He was found in possession of an unlicensed handgun. The Kuwaiti man was taken to the proper authorities to face charges.

Drug overdose A male citizen was found dead in Al-Riqqa and officials are suspecting it to be a case of drug overdose. Criminal investigators found drug paraphernalia at the scene. The body was taken to the forensic department for an autopsy to confirm the cause of death.

Seven wounded Seven people were injured in an accident reported in Shuwaikh early morning yesterday. Eight ambulances carrying 16 EMTs carried the Indian men to Al-Sabah Hospital.

The victims, aged between 22 and 47, sustained injuries that varied between head wounds and broken hands. An investigation was started to determine further details.

LOCAL SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Kuwaiti students conference in Washington

Kuwait invests large in bid for Northern Gulf Gateway Dubai to host maritime conference KUWAIT: A recent World Bank report ranked Kuwait in 36th place out of 155 countries in terms of the movement of goods and services through its ports, but traffic congestion at existing locations has prompted significant investment into new facilities in order to capitalise on commercial potential and secure gateway status for the Northern Gulf region.

The Gulf state’s $1.2billion Mubarak Al-Kabeer megaport project on Boubyan Island in the north-east of the country, is the poster child for the future of Kuwait’s maritime sector, and senior port authority officials including Sheikh Dr Sabah Al-Jaber AlAli Al-Sabah, President of the Arab Transport Sector, Head of the Arab Sea Ports Federation and Director General of Kuwait Ports Authority, will lead Kuwait’s participation at Seatrade Middle East Maritime 2012.

The leading maritime event for the region, SMEM 2012 exhibition and conference returns to Dubai from Nov 27 to 29, with international visitors and high profile industry experts heading to the UAE to discuss and analyse the state of the regional maritime sector.

Sheikh Dr Sabah Al-Jaber will be a

keynote speaker at the opening session of the three-day conference, as part of a panel of industry leaders from across the region, who will discuss the state of the industry.

“Capacity utilisation for Kuwait’s busy ports stood at 77% in 2011, a figure that the government is looking to boost with significant investment into terminal infrastructure at existing locations, as well as the long-awaited debut of the Mubarak Al-Kabir megaport project, which is tentatively scheduled for 2016-17,” said Chris Hayman, Chairman of Seatrade.

A 2012 Oxford Business Group report noted that Kuwait’s two main ports at Shuaiba and Shuwaikh are both facing capacity boundaries, with a combined capacity of 1.2 million TEUs, as well as challenges due to the shallow waters surrounding both facilities, resulting in delayed shipment clearance and access for larger vessels. Berth renovations and the addition of a number of new gantry cranes and equipment at existing facilities is helping to offset any short to medium term capacity handling issues, but in order to realise its economic goals, Kuwait is looking to the Boubyan Island deep-water port as the long

term solution. “Kuwait’s strategic location, with access to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran, makes it a natural transit and transport hub for the Northern Gulf, but with neighbouring nations working on their own infrastructure upgrades, the market is becomingly increasingly competitive,” added Hayman.

According to Jim Robb, general manager for Kuwait and Iraq at Inchcape Shipping Services, the buoyant consumer sector, with its growing levels of disposable income, is boosting retail trade and commercial cargo business for the country’s ports.

Kuwait’s logistics pedigree, which has been largely driven by defence contracts with the US and coalition forces, has also seen the Gulf nation grow its local expertise, with leading international logistics companies including Agility, KGL Holding and Mubarrad Transport resident in the market.

“While Boubyan Island will be a major boost for the logistics sector, the possibility of introducing a rail link - connecting to the proposed GCC rail network - will be a logical next step linking the region’s transportation infrastructure,” remarked Hayman.

WASHINGTON: Kuwait’s Ambassador to the US Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah inaugurated here late on Thursday the 29th annual conference of the National Union of the Kuwaiti Students (USA) branch, held under patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

In his speech before the conference, entitled “Kuwait: more beautiful with working hands,” the Ambassador delivered on behalf of the students greetings to HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah and HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and thanked the patron of this conference, HH the Prime Minister and also extended his personal greetings to the students.

The Ambassador stressed in his speech his keenness every year to personally attend this conference to “revive my hope and optimism in Kuwait’s future one year after the other.”

He affirmed that the conference this year is distinctive as it is held in the U.S. capital following a fierce election campaign witnessed across the U.S. and was witnessed by the whole world.

He added that this conference is even more important as it is held 11 days after Kuwait’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the Constitution and only eight days before the parliamentary elections are held.

Sheikh Salem addressed the students reminding them that Kuwait needs them now and to give back “to our country, protect it and protect its unity, as Kuwait has given us so much.”

The ambassador noted that Kuwait is going through “critical” period which it will come out of much stronger and more united, calling on the students to be a “productive” future generation.

He continued saying that “what we witnessed a few weeks ago following hurricane Sandy proves that your high sense of responsibility as you joined together to ensure the safety of your colleagues in the affected areas.” The Ambassador took the opportunity to praise the member of the Union’s administrative body for their efforts in cooperating with the Kuwait Embassy and the Cultural Office during the destructive hurricane and other natural disasters.

“Our role is huge and important in representing our dear Kuwait here in the US, to reflect the civilized picture of our society and its rich history and heritage,” the Ambassador remarked.

Meanwhile, the Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait Dr. Mohammed Al-Hashel said in his speech before the conference that he feels pride “that we are all united and gathered here towards the goal of seeing Kuwait more beautiful, more developed and more prosperous.” He called on the students to take advantage of their studies in the U.S. and to learn from this experience and enrich themselves with new cultural horizons but to remain attached to their identity and culture. He affirmed that reform and development in Kuwait depend on strong pillars among which are political stability and national harmony. —KUNA

Kuwait laments tipped geographical representation within UN high rank UNITED NATIONS: The real fortune of the United Nations (UN) lies in investing human resources, and the reform in this area is a main pillar in its development, said Third Secretary in the Kuwaiti permanent delegation to the UN Waleed Al-Yagout, over the weekend. The speaker emphasized the need to consider more balanced geographical representation when employing citizens of UN members, including Kuwait, in high positions. A number of UN mem-

bers, including Kuwait, repeatedly nominate nationals for posts within the UN, to no avail, Al-Yagout stressed.

The Kuwaiti was representing the state at the 67th meeting of the Economic and Financial committee of the UN General Assembly. The UN should approve new procedures that increase the chances for approving employment requests from so far inadequately represented UN member countries, he added. — KUNA

WASHINGTON: Ambassador Sheikh Salem AlSabah inaugurating the conference.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Bomb in Palestinian camp in Damascus kills four

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Congo army fights back as rebels hold Goma

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Crack epidemic ushers in a wave of bloodletting in DC

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DAMASCUS: A handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) yesterday shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (C-L) speaking to the press with Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani (2R) following their meeting in Damascus, as the latter began a regional tour to find a solution to the conflict in his country’s key ally. — AFP

Larijani in Damascus to seek ‘solution’ Moscow warns Turkey on plans to deploy missiles DAMASCUS: Iran’s influential parliament speaker Ali Larijani met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus yesterday to discuss a solution to the conflict in his country’s key ally, reports said.

The meeting came as Moscow warned Turkey against deploying Patriot missiles on its troubled border with war-torn Syria after Ankara turned to NATO to request the surface-to-air defences.

On the ground, violence erupted in Syrian flashpoints across the country while tensions spiked in the northeast, where Kurdish militia are engaged in a standoff with rebel fighters.

Larijani said before leaving Tehran that he would “try to find a solution to the Syrian problem” on a regional tour that will also take him to Lebanon and Turkey, Iran’s Mehr news agency said. In Damascus, Larijani accused regional powers he did not name of causing “problems” in Syria, in an allusion to the principal champions of arming the rebels fighting to overthrow Assad’s

regime-Qatar and Saudi Arabia. “Syria has played an important role in supporting the resistance (against Israel and the United States) but some in the region want to carry out actions with negative consequences, to cause problems in Syria,” he told journalists. “But Iran appreciates the key role Syria has played in supporting the resistance,” he added. Iran warned Western governments on Sunday against arming the rebels after France said it would consult its European partners on easing an embargo to clear the way for deliveries of “defensive” weapons. Damascus ally Moscow meanwhile warned Turkey, a supporter of the Syrian rebellion and NATO member, against pressing ahead with its plans to deploy surface-to-air Patriot missiles along its border with Syria.“I understand that no one has any intention to see NATO get sucked into the Syrian crisis,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters. But “the more arms are being accumu-

lated, the greater the risk that they will be used.”

Assad’s regime has repeatedly warned that the conflict in the country, now in its 21st month, may spark a regional conflagration. NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said this week that it would consider Turkey’s request for Patriots “without delay.” The approval is expected in coming days, diplomatic sources have said.

“Any accumulation of weapons creates a risk that any provocation may trigger a serious armed conflict. We would like to avoid it at all costs,” said Lavrov. Russia issued its warning a day after Qatar said the National Coalition should name an ambassador to Doha, as the group became increasingly recognised as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

“The Qatari request aims to support the objectives of the National Coalition...on the path to achieve the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people for freedom and dignity,” said the Qatari

official news agency, quoting a senior official.

The coalition, headed by moderate Islamist Sheikh Moaz al-Khatib, has been recognised by the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, France and Britain. Meanwhile, army troops shelled Daraya and Moadamiyet al-Sham southwest of Damascus, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, while fighting raged in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, a day after troops pulled out of the nearby city of Mayadeen.

Following several days of combat against rebels advancing on Kurdish areas in the northeast, rival Kurdish fighters agreed to join forces and fight together in a standoff against hundreds of Islamists in Ras al-Ain, an activist said.

“The two Kurdish national councils in western Kurdistan have agreed...to create a united military force, bringing together PYD forces and other Kurdish dissidents” in Syria, said the activist, who identified himself as Havidar. —AFP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Palestine envoy says Beijing backs UN entry BEIJING: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ envoy to China said yesterday that Beijing backs their Un ited Nations membership bid, a day after France indicated it would support a diplomatic upgrade for Palestine.

Bassam al-Salhi, in China on a threeday trip to discuss tensions in Gaza, echoed earlier calls from China’s Foreign Ministry that Beijing would support Palestinian statehood and its entry into the United Nations.

“They (China) support the Palestinian right for ending occupation and building a Palestinian state ..and support the bid of the Palestinian membership in the United Nations,” Salhi told Reuters in an interview after meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

China’s official Xinhua new agency quoted Yang as saying China “supports Palestine’s entry into the United Nations and other international organisations and understands, respects and backs Palestine’s bid for the UN observer status”. After their drive for full UN membership failed in the UN Security Council last year amid US opposition, the Palestinians have launched a watered-

down bid for recognition as a “nonmember state”, similar to the Vatican’s UN status. This request can be approved by the 193-nation UN General Assembly and seems certain to pass.

Washington says it favours eventual statehood for the Palestinians, but wants it to come as a result of negotiations with Israel. The United States can block full recognition of Palestine as a U.N. member at the Security Council, where it has a veto.

On Thursday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius indicated support, reminding the French Senate of a campaign promise for international recognition of a Palestinian state made

by President Francois Hollande.

Beijing has kept close ties with the Palestinians for decades, but in recent years, it has cultivated stronger relations with Israel, especially in the field of defense. Salhi downplayed China’s new ties while lashing out at the United States, saying Beijing has played an “active and vital” role on Palestine’s behalf. “We could not ask China not to make these ties (with Israel). What we need is more balance from all the inter-

BEIJING: Bassam Al-Salhi (L), the general secretary of the Palestinian People’s Party, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (R) at the Foreign Ministry building in Beijing yesterday. The Palestinian member of parliament is visiting China to discuss the violence in Gaza. — AFP national community,” Salhi said, adding that Washington had “given nothing in the past 15 or 16 years”.

A permanent member of the U.N. Security Council with veto powers, China has kept a low profile in Middle East diplomacy, and had little success in

off-and-on attempts over the years to mediate in the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

China’s Foreign Ministry has repeatedly called for both sides to resume peace talks, and said it was concerned about Israel’s recent large-scale military operations around Gaza. — Reuters

Truce hits PM support but set for poll win Israelis want offensive to go on

SARAJEVO: Demonstrators take part in a rally in support of Palestinian people following the latest Israeli attacks in Gaza yesterday in Sarajevo. — AFP

Bomb in Palestinian camp in Damascus kills four BEIRUT: A bomb blast in a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus killed four people and seriously wounded a member of a faction that has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad in the country’s bitter civil war, activists said yesterday.

The explosion late Thursday in the Yarmouk camp targeted the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. Four people died and a PFLPGC activist was seriously wounded when the bomb planted under his car went off, the group said. It blamed the rebel Free Syrian Army for the attack.

Yarmouk has been pulled into Syria’s fighting before, most recently earlier this month when clashes in and around the camp killed and wounded dozens. The refugee camp is also close to two southern neighborhoods of the capital - Tadamon and Hajar Aswad - that have seen weekslong clashes between rebels and government troops. Regime forces shelled the two

neighborhoods yesterday and also raided the central Damascus neighborhood of Bab Sreijeh, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Activists said several people were arrested.

In other violence around the country, Islamic extremists, including members of the al-Qaeda inspired Jabhat al-Nusra group, battled yesterday with pro-government Kurdish gunmen in the northern town of Ras al-Ayan, near the border with Turkey.

The Islamist militants entered the town earlier this month and have since clashed almost daily with the Kurdish gunmen. The Islamic militants and the Kurdish factions have also added to the complexity of Syria’s conflict. When government forces withdrew from Kurdish areas in northeastern Syria in July, they were quickly replaced by Kurdish fighters from the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD. The Kurds would battle the rebels when they attacked predominantly Kurdish areas in Syria. — AP

JERUSALEM: Discontent over the ceasefire Benjamin Netanyahu struck with Hamas in Gaza has cost the Israeli prime minister support but he should still win a Jan 22 election, an opinion poll showed yesterday.

Maariv newspaper conducted the survey after an eight-day Israeli offensive against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip ended on Wednesday with an Egyptian-mediated truce that Netanyahu’s critics said was premature.

The survey said the newly-merged party of Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Likud Beitenu, would take 37 of the 120 parliamentary seats up for grabs on Jan 22. A poll before the conflict suggested they would win 43.

The two factions presently hold 42 seats combined. Israel launched its offensive last week with the declared aim of ending rocket attacks on its territory from Gaza, which is ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas. Some 163 Palestinians, including 37 children, and six Israelis were killed in the violence.

After the announcement of the truce, Netanyahu’s political opponents were immediately critical, saying the peace would never last and that Hamas had been let off the hook.

“Right-wing and ultra-religious voters favoured continuing the military operation,” Professor Yitzhak Katz, who conducted the Maariv poll, told Army Radio.

The survey said 31 percent of Israelis approved of the ceasefire while 49 percent were opposed. Asked if the army should have re-occupied Gaza, 41 percent were against and 29 percent in favour.

Israel captured the Gaza Strip from

Egypt in the 1967 Middle East war and withdrew in 2005, leaving the territory in the hands of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. Hamas seized control in 2007.

Despite the predicted drop in support, Netanyahu remains on track to win a third term as prime minister at the head of a coalition of right-wing and religious parties that together look set to take 67 seats, the poll said.

While the prime minister has seen a dip in support, his defence minister, Ehud Barak, appears to have got a boost from the conflict, with his tiny Atzmaut faction on course to win four seats. Previous polls predicted it would win none.

The poll showed Israel’s splintered centre-left bloc taking 50 seats, with a reinvigorated Labour almost tripling its quota of parliamentarians from eight to 22.

Centrist party Kadima, Israel’s largest faction, is teetering on the brink of elimination from the next parliament. The poll showed it falling from 28 to 2 seats. Other surveys have shown it disappearing altogether. Israel’s former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, pushed out as Kadima’s leader in March, is widely expected to announce next week that she will run at the head of a new centrist party that the poll predicted would win eight seats.

Livni is likely to challenge Netanyahu on diplomacy, charging that he has left Israel isolated on the world stage.

Olmert has been reportedly considering a political comeback, but commentators said he was expected to announce next week he will not run in the January election. — Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

‘New pharaoh’ draws fire with new decree Continued from Page 1 power but look set to polarize Egypt further, threatening more turbulence in a nation at the heart of the Arab Spring. The turmoil has weighed heavily on Egypt’s faltering economy that was thrown a lifeline this week when a preliminary deal was reached with the International Monetary Fund for a $4.8 billion loan. But it also means unpopular economic measures. In Alexandria, north of Cairo, protesters ransacked an office of the Brotherhood’s political party, burning books and chairs in the street. Supporters of Morsi and opponents clashed elsewhere in the city, leaving 12 injured.

A party building was also attacked by stone-throwing protesters in Port Said, and demonstrators in Suez threw petrol bombs that burned banners outside the party building. Morsi’s decree is bound to worry Western allies, particularly the United States, a generous benefactor to Egypt’s army, which effusively praised Egypt for its part in bringing Israelis and Palestinians to a ceasefire on Wednesday. The West may become concerned about measures that, for example, undermine judicial independence. But one Western diplomat said it was too early to judge and his nation would watch how the decree was exercised in the coming days.

“We are very concerned about the possible huge ramifications of this declaration on human rights and the rule of law in Egypt,” Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay, said at the United Nations in Geneva.

The United States has been concerned about the fate of what was once a close ally under Mubarak, who preserved Egypt’s 1979 peace treaty with Israel. The Gaza deal has reassured Washington but the deepening polarization of the nation will be a worry.

“The decree is basically a coup on state institutions and the rule of law that is likely to undermine the revolution and the transition to democracy,” said Mervat Ahmed, an independent activist in Tahrir protesting against the decree. “I worry Morsi will be another dictator like the one before him.” Leading liberal politician Mohamed ElBaradei, who joined other politicians on Thursday night to demand the decree was withdrawn, wrote on his Twitter account that Morsi had “usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt’s new pharaoh”.

Almost two years after Mubarak was toppled and about five months since Morsi took office, propelled to the post by the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt has no permanent constitution, which must be in place before new parliamentary elections are held. The last parliament, that sat for the first time earlier this year, was dissolved after a court declared it void. It was dominated by the Brotherhood’s political party. An assembly drawing up the constitution has yet to complete its work. Many liberals, Christians and others have walked out accusing the Islamists who dominate it of ignoring their voices over the extent that Islam should be enshrined in the new state.

Opponents call for the assembly to be scrapped and remade.

Morsi’s decree protects the existing one and extends the deadline for drafting a document by two months, pushing it back to February, further delaying a new parliamentary poll. Explaining the rationale behind the moves, the presidential spokesman said: “This means ending the period of constitutional instability to arrive at a state with a written constitution, an elected president and parliament.”

Thousands of the president’s supporters had gathered near

the presidential palace, some holding up Morsi posters or chanting for him. “The people want the implementation of shaira (Islamic law),” they chanted as Morsi addressed them at the rally called by the Muslim Brotherhood. Analyst Seif El Din Abdel Fatah said the decree targeted the judiciary which he said had reversed, for example, an earlier Morsi decision to remove the prosecutor. Morsi’s new decree protects him from such judicial reversals.

Although many of Morsi’s opponents also opposed the sacked prosecutor, who they blamed for shortcomings in prosecuting Mubarak and his aides, and also want judicial reform, they say a draconian presidential decree was not the way to do it. “There was a disease but this is not the remedy,” said Hassan Nafaa, a liberal-minded political science professor and activist at Cairo University. “I can see from the reaction of the political forces that we are going towards more polarization between the Islamist front on one hand and all the others on the other. This is a dangerous situation,” he said, adding it could spark more street trouble.

The streets have been relatively quiet since Morsi took office, although this week protesters have clashed with police during rallies to mark deadly demonstrations last year. In June, the then ruling military council issued a decree as Morsi was being elected that sought to rein in his powers, but he struck back in August issuing a decree as president revoking that, giving himself those powers and sacking top generals. The new army leaders are now appointees of Morsi and have stepped back from politics. The military still wields hefty influence through its huge business interests and security role. But one analyst said the generals had been “neutralized.” — Reuters

Congo army fights back as rebels hold Goma Rebels ‘not confident’ about peace talks

KOMOTINI: In this Monday, Oct. 8, 2012 a police officer speaks with illegal immigrants behind a fence at a detention center in Komotini town, northern Greece. Police yesterday in northeastern Greece say they have intervened to try to end a revolt at a detention center for illegal immigrants. — AP

2 die in massive pileup in Texas TEXAS: A high-speed pileup of up to 150 vehicles on a fog-bound Texas interstate highway killed at least two people on Thursday and injured up to 100, a sheriff’s spokesman said. The chain reaction of collisions shut down Interstate 10 about 15 miles (25 km) west of Beaumont for several hours, said Deputy Rod Carroll of the Jefferson County Sheriffís Office. ‘We have 18-wheelers on top of cars, we have cars on top of cars. Itís just catastrophic,’ he said, adding that rescuers were still looking for victims.

Two bodies were found underneath a tractor-trailer, he said. After all vehicles were searched, authorities determined as many as 100 people were injured, up to 12 of them seriously or critically hurt, Carroll said. ‘People were not driving for the conditions at hand,’ he said. He said the initial accidents took place separately about a mile (1.5 km) apart on the east- and westbound sides of the interstate. The highway had been crowded with motorists traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday. Many of the vehicles were moving close to the posted speed of 70 mph (110 kph) despite dense fog that limited visibility, Carroll said. The westbound lanes of the interstate have been reopened, he said. — Reuters

SAKE/GOMA: Congolese troops fought back against rebels who rejected calls from African leaders to quit the eastern city of Goma, captured earlier this week in a major upset that forced UN troops to withdraw.

Thousands of people fled the area of clashes around the town of Sake, as M23 rebel fighters rushed from Goma to reinforce their positions against an army counter-offensive. Both sides claimed control of Sake as night fell on the troubled eastern area. There was no independent verification of who was holding the town. The M23 rebel movement, widely believed to be backed by Rwanda, has vowed to “liberate” all of the vast, resource-rich country after taking Goma, a provincial capital on the Rwandan border, ramping up tensions in a fragile region.

With Congo struggling to regroup its fractured army, President Joseph Kabila suspended the head of ground forces following allegations levelled by a United Nations panel of experts that he sold weapons to other armed groups in the east. “The head of state decided to immediately suspend General Major Gabriel Amisi due to an inquiry. Other officers of lower ranks will also be investigated by the army,” Information Minister Lambert Mende said. The head of M23’s political arm, Jean-Marie Runiga, said the rebels would not retreat despite the call to do so from governments in central Africa, preferring to hold their ground until Kabila opens direct talks with them. “We’ll stay in Goma waiting for negotiations,” Runiga told Reuters in the city. “They’re going to attack us and we’re going to defend ourselves and keep on advancing.” Runiga flew to Uganda on Thursday for three

days of talks with President Yoweri Museveni, who is acting as an intermediary for negotiations, a Ugandan presidential source said.

of many colonial-era frontiers and long a tinderbox of ethnic and political conflict, with rich mineral deposits as the spoil.

On Wednesday, foreign ministers of

KINSHAHA: Congolese women, dressed in black, stage a demonstration asking for peace in the east of the country yesterday in Kinshasa. Meanwhile, thousands of civilians poured out of the town of Sake in the eastern DR Congo in the face of a rebel advance that has raised fears of wider conflict erupting in the chronically unstable region. —AFP Rebel fighters seized Goma, a sprawling lakeside city of a million people, on Tuesday after government soldiers retreated and UN peacekeepers gave up trying to defend it. The next day the rebels moved unopposed into Sake, about 25 km (15 miles) west along the main road. It was there that government troops and allied militia were hitting back in fighting that flared up late on Wednesday.

Regional and international leaders have been scrambling to halt the fresh conflagration in the Great Lakes, a region

the Great Lakes states demanded the rebels leave Goma and halt their advance. Kabila - in a concession to the rebels that fell short of opening talks promised to look into their grievances.

“I’m not confident, because I’ve already waited for three months in Kampala for talks,” Runiga said of a recent stay in the Ugandan capital, before travelling there again. He said M23 wanted aid groups to return to Goma, after they evacuated during the fighting. Reuters correspondents saw aid workers driving in the city on Thursday. —Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Brazil gets first black Supreme Court chief BRASILIA: Brazil’s Supreme Court is now headed by a black justice for the first time. Joaquim Barbosa was sworn in on Thursday. He became the only black ever to serve on the court when he joined it in 2003, even though more than half of the country’s 192 million people identify themselves as having African descent. Barbosa, 58, was elected in October to a two-year tenure as Supreme Court president. His election was a foregone conclusion since the court’s presidency always goes to the justice who has served on the bench the longest.

Over the past several weeks he gained national and international

renown presiding over a high-profile corruption trial involving a congressional cash-for-votes scheme.

The court has convicted 25 people including the former chief of staff of ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. President Dilma Rousseff, members of her Cabinet, state governors, congressional leaders and several sports and entertainment personalities were present at Barbosa’s swearing in. “The multiculturalism that characterizes the Brazilian people is evident here today with Joaquim Barbosa heading the highest court of the land,” said Ophir Cavalcante, president of the Brazilian Bar Association in a

speech during the swearing in ceremony.

Barbosa as Supreme Court president “has a strong symbolic impact for Brazilian blacks,” Valter Silveiro, coordinator of the Center for AfroBrazilian Studies of the University of Sao Carlos, said. “The new generations of blacks will have the opportunity that my generation never had - of seeing a black man presiding over one of the three branches of government.” Silveiro said Barbosa’s history, background and achievements “strengthen affirmative action programs that try to increase the presence of blacks in the country’s universities.” Barbosa was born in 1954 in

the small town of Paracatu in Minas Gerais state, where his father worked as a bricklayer. When he was 16 Barbosa went to the capital, Brasilia, to study.

He worked as a cleaner and a typesetter at the Senate to pay for his studies at the University of Brasilia’s law school. After graduating he was hired by the Foreign Ministry and served three years at the Brazilian Embassy in Finland. A former federal prosecutor, Barbosa taught law at Rio de Janeiro State University and was a visiting scholar at the Human Rights Institute of Columbia University’s law school in New York and the UCLA law school in California. — Reuters

Crack epidemic ushers in a wave of bloodletting in DC Homicide detectives hustling between crime scenes WASHINGTON: The crack epidemic that began in the 1980s ushered in a wave of bloodletting in the US capital and a death toll that ticked upward daily. Dead bodies, sometimes several in a night, had homicide detectives hustling between crime scenes and earned Washington unwelcome monikers such as the nation’s “murder capital.” At the time, some feared the murder rate might ascend to more frightening heights. But after approaching nearly 500 slayings a year in the early 1990s, the annual rate has gradually declined to the point that the city is now on the verge of a once-unthinkable milestone.

The number of 2012 killings in the District of Columbia stands at 78 and is on pace to finish lower than 100 for the first time since 1963, police records show. “It strikes me probably daily as I ride around the city, or sometimes when I’m sitting at home at night, and it’s 10 o’clock and my phone’s not ringing. Or I get up in the morning, and I go, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve slept five hours,” said Police Chief Cathy Lanier, who joined the department amid violent 1991 street riots. “It strikes me quite often how different things are now.”

The drop reflects a downward trend in violent crime nationwide and is in line with declining homicides in other big cities. Though killings have risen in Chicago, New York City officials say homicides dropped to 515 last year from 2,262 in 1990. Houston police reported 198 homicides last year, down from 457 in 1985, while Los Angeles ended last year with fewer than 300 after reporting 1,092 in 1992. Across the country, violent crime reported by police to the FBI fell by 3.8 percent last year from 2010.

Though DC is hardly crime-free today, and crime in some categories is even up, the homicide decline is especially notable in a place where grizzly acts of violence - sometimes not far from the US Capitol - embodied the worst of the crack scourge. The number of

homicides in this city of more than 600,000 residents averaged about 457 between 1989 and 1994, a staggering rate that attracted unwanted attention. “A war zone? No, Washington, D.C.,” was the sub-headline of a 1992 People magazine story, while The Economist in 1995 called it “the violence capital of America.” Tony Patterson, a longtime homicide detective, recalled one eight-hour shift when every detective on his squad landed a homicide investigation.

Drive-by shootings with multiple victims were common, as were witnesses who’d see something - but say nothing. The 1990 arrest of thenMayor Marion Barry for smoking crack cocaine fed a perception that the city where the nation’s laws were made was, itself, lawless.

“If you asked people what would happen first, there’ll be a thousand murders in DC in a year or there’ll be less than a hundred, I think virtually everybody would have said there

would be 1,000,” said John Roman, a senior fellow at the Washingtonbased Urban Institute. Everyone agrees there’s no single cause for the trend.

One overarching factor is the city’s continued gentrification - the 2011 median household income of $63,124 is higher than all but four states, census figures show. Whole city blocks have been refashioned, drug dens razed, a Major League Baseball stadium built in place of urban blight, high-rise public housing replaced by less-dense garden style apartments.

Though the poverty rate has risen, the growing wealth has pushed impoverished communities farther away from the city center. Some crime has also migrated to neighboring Prince George’s County, Md., though homicides are down there too. “There are just more physical places in Washington, D.C., that are affluent and safe than there used to be,” Roman said. —AP

WASHINGTON: This Aug. 15, 2012 file photo shows Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier meeting with reporters in Washington. Washington’s murder rate was approaching nearly 500 slayings a year in the early 1990s, the annual rate has gradually declined to the point that the city is now on the verge of a once-unthinkable milestone. — AP

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama gestures as he answers a question during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington. When black voters served up 93 percent support for Obama in defiance of predictions that they might sit out the election, black leaders breathed a collective sigh of relief. — AP

Black US voters look to leverage their loyalty WASHINGTON: When black US voters gave President Barack Obama 93 percent support on Election Day in defiance of predictions that they might sit it out this year, black leaders breathed a collective sigh of relief. That encouraged those leaders to try to leverage more attention from both Obama and Congress. Although they waver over how much to demand from the president - particularly in light of defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s assertion that Obama gave “gifts” to minorities in exchange for their votes - they are delivering postelection wish lists to the president anyway. “I think the president heard us loud and clear. The collective message was, ‘Let’s build on where we already are,’” the Rev Al Sharpton told reporters after a White House meeting last week with a collection of advocates representing largely Democratic constituencies. Specifically, Sharpton said, that means keeping the brunt of the looming “fiscal cliff” of tax increases and spending cuts off the backs of the middle and working class. NAACP President Benjamin Jealous aimed that same message at Congress, especially on where tax relief is extended. “We need Republicans to think hard and to pull back from the cliff 98 percent of our families, who make up the bulk of this nation, from seeing our taxes being raised,” Jealous said.

Blacks made up 13 percent of the electorate this year, about the same as 2008, while participation among whites shrank slightly to 72 percent and Hispanics increased to 10 percent, national exit polls showed. Black leaders point to that minority participation as they sharpen their calls for initiatives to address black unemployment, which was 12.7 percent when Obama took office, peaked at 16.5 percent roughly a year later, and stood at 14.3 percent in October. The overall unemployment rate is 7.9 percent. National Urban League President Marc Morial acknowledged in an interview that “we sweated turnout all the way to the end,” because the country’s underlying economic conditions made it tougher to mobilize black voters. — AP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

S Lanka chief justice faces impeachment Bandaranayake denies any wrongdoing

YEONPYEONG: South Korean soldiers march during an exercise to mark the second anniversary of the North’s shelling at Yeonpyeong island yesterday. South Korea marked yesterday the anniversary of North Korea’s 2010 shelling of a border island with a military drill and memorials, clouded by the threat of a fresh attack from Pyongyang. — AFP

South Korea military drill marks shelling anniversary YEONPYEONG: South Korea marked yesterday the anniversary of North Korea’s 2010 shelling of a border island with a military drill and memorials, clouded by the threat of a fresh attack from Pyongyang. The November 23 attack on Yeonpyeong island killed two South Korean marines and two civilians in one of the most serious border incidents since the 1950-1953 Korean War. In the intervening two years, most of the islanders who fled with the intention of resettling on the mainland have returned.

But their home has changed dramatically and now bristles with new fortifications, a three-fold increase in troop numbers and the regular wail of sirens signalling another attack warning drill. “Some say they still can’t sleep well at night, can’t breath well or their heartbeat gets faster when the sirens go off,” local doctor Park Kil-Soon told AFP. On Friday, the South Korean military conducted simulated and field exercises in and around the island involving the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force, under various North Korea attack scenarios. Defence officials stressed that no live artillery rounds were used in an apparent effort to avoid provoking Pyongyang.

A new museum was inaugurated in Yeonpyeong, featuring photos, 3D images and videos detailing the 2010 attack, and incorporating the wreckage of two shelled homes, with charred children’s bicycles and other items. In Seoul, Prime Minister Kim Hwang-Sik led a service at the city’s War Memorial, during which he spoke of the “reckless brutality” displayed by the shelling.

North Korea has ridiculed the memorial activities, and its military on Thursday threatened another attack on the island, saying its only regret was not sending Yeonpyeong “to the bottom of the sea” two years ago.

“It is (our) steadfast will ... not to miss the opportunity to do so if the warmongers perpetrate another provocation,” an army spokesman said. Choi Ok-Sun, a 30-year resident who owns an inn on the island, initially moved to the mainland port city of Incheon after the shelling with the intention of starting a fresh life. But within a year she was back on Yeonpyeong. “Where else can you go after spending nearly all your life here?” she said.

Many were lured back by a mini-boom in the local economy, as the authorities rushed to reconstruct shattered homes and build new ones for workers, troops and their families.

“It was really scary back then and everyone was so worried about their livelihood, but now things have improved in that sense,” Choi said. The population has actually increased from 1,700 to 2,000, while the number of troops has reportedly grown from 500 to 1,500. New buildings display patriotic murals painted by visiting artists and slogans like “Peace” and “We love Yeonpyeong,” while street banners remind residents of “The unpardonable provocation! We will never forget!”

Cho Kwang-Wook, a governing county official, sees unlikely tourism potential in promoting Yeonpyeong’s experience as a target of North Korean aggression. “We hope the island will become a popular destination for those wishing to see one of the worst tragedies of our history,” Cho told AFP. “Peace cannot be achieved without strong national defence ... no other place can teach that lesson better than this island,” he said. On Thursday evening, an entertainment troupe made up of North Korean defectors gave a song and dance performance on a stage erected at a new underground bunker built after the 2010 attack. “If the North drops the bomb on you again ... we will stay with you to defend the island. I hope that our performance will comfort you,” one of the performers told the audience. —AFP

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s chief justice attended the first day of a parliamentary hearing on Friday investigating an impeachment motion that accuses her of misusing power and having unexplained wealth.

Lawyers shouted slogans condemning the motion and cheered for Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake as she left the Supreme Court and drove to the parliament to face an 11-member committee that is probing 14 charges against her. The committee is made up of seven government lawmakers and four from the opposition. She appeared with her lawyers and remained in front of the committee about 90 minutes, said parliament officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Her lawyers declined to comment after the hearing when questioned by journalists.

Bandaranayake has denied any wrongdoing, and opposition parties and independent analysts say the impeachment attempt is aimed at stifling judiciary independence and concentrating power with Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Yesterday, lawyers smashed coconuts, in front of the supreme courts, a symbolic request seeking divine intervention to halt the impeachment process. “We urge the government to withdraw this motion and restore the impendence of the judiciary,” said lawyer Sunil Watagala. He said the motion is “clearly a politically motivated one” which threatens the judiciary’s independence. Watagala said the legal community will hold public meetings countrywide to seek public support. The motion was submitted three weeks ago calling for a Parliament Select Committee to investigate 14 charges and remove Bandaranayake. It

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake smiles as she leaves the parliamentary complex in Colombo yesterday ahead of impeachment proceedings. Bandaranayake attended parliament for the start of a process expected to impeach her over alleged financial misconduct, witnesses and officials said. — AFP alleged her actions had “plunged the Supreme Court and the office of chief justice into disrepute.”

Parliamentary Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, who is the president’s brother, announced the setting up of the committee last week. Bandarananyake has said she “can easily refute” the allegations. She said she will continue to discharge her duties impartially in accordance with the law. The complaint alleges Bandaranayake did not disclose how she obtained 19 million rupees ($146,000) to pay for a house purchased under power of attorney for another person. It also alleges that she took control of several cases filed against

the company that sold the property after removing the judges who originally heard them. The motion accuses Bandaranayake of not declaring the contents of 20 bank accounts, including four foreign currency accounts containing the equivalent of 34 million rupees ($260,000), and alleges that she misused her position to harass other judges. If the committee determines that the complaint has merit, an impeachment motion will be voted on and forwarded to President Mahinda Rajapaksa for further action. With his ruling coalition controlling more than two-thirds of Parliament’s seats, the motion is expected to be carried easily. —AP

Vietnam arrests 11 on hijacked Malaysian ship KUALA LUMPUR: Vietnamese authorities have arrested 11 suspected pirates aboard a chemical tanker after the first hijacking of a vessel en route to Malaysia’s Borneo island in years, the International Maritime Bureau said yesterday.

Pirate attacks off Malaysia have dropped in recent years, following stepped-up patrols and co-operation with neighbouring countries to secure the region’s waterways. “IMB hopes that the authorities will take action and investigate the incident to contain and stop this type of menace,” said Noel Choong, head of the bureau’s Kuala Lumpur-based piracy reporting centre, adding it was a “serious” concern.

The Malaysian-owned vessel lost communication on Saturday after leaving the country’s southern Johor state, Choong said. The vessel was likely attacked in the South China Sea, he said, adding that the IMB, which sent out an alert to help locate the tanker, was still waiting for further details. Vietnamese marine authorities managed to intercept the tanker on Thursday, arresting 11 suspects. The pirates had changed the ship’s name and were flying a Honduran flag.

The tanker’s nine crew members were released at sea on Wednesday by the pirates, said Choong, adding the crew were all safe after being rescued by local fishermen.

Vietnam’s Tuoi Tre News reported the sailors, five from Myanmar and four from Indonesia, had been forced onto a

life raft. It said the suspected pirates were all Indonesians and had been masked, according to initial testimonies, and that Vietnamese authorities opened fire on the vessel before making the arrests.

Vietnamese authorities could not immediately comment on the case when contacted, while the Malaysian owner of the vessel, named Zafirah, could not be reached.

The maritime bureau praised Vietnamese and Malaysian authorities for their efforts. “Ships sailing in the region should maintain anti-piracy watches especially at night in Asian waters,” Choong said.

In October, four Indonesian suspected pirates were arrested for trying to hijack a tugboat and barge off Malaysia’s Sarawak state. Choong said authorities were still investigating that case. The United Nations this week called for stronger prosecutions of pirates and more action by shipping companies to deter bandits at sea.

The body’s deputy secretary general said while attacks this year had been reduced off the coast of Somalia, a piracy hot spot, numbers could take off again unless countries take action. According to International Maritime Organization (IMO) figures, there were 291 attacks against ships in the first 10 months of the year and 293 crew still being held hostage. East Africa, West Africa and Asia-Pacific are the worst hit zones. — AFP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

UN begins airlifting tents for Myanmar displaced GENEVA: The UN’s refugee agency said yesterday it had begun airlifting tents to provide shelter for thousands of people displaced by sectarian unrest in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State.

“The plane that left Dubai today (Friday) is the first of two planned flights for this weekend,” UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva.

In total, he said, the UNHCR would provide 3,500 family-sized tents to house 17,500 displaced people.“The shelter needs are immense,” he said, pointing out that the renewed violence in late October had brought the number of people internally displaced in the area to around 115,000.

“The displaced population is in urgent need of a safe place to stay,” Edwards said.

More than 100,000 people have been displaced and about 180 killed since clashes between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims erupted in June, followed by another outbreak of violence in October.

Most of the displaced are stateless Rohingya, considered by the UN to be among the most persecuted minorities in the world. They are crammed into makeshift camps. The international community has urged Myanmar, which does not recognise the Rohingya as citizens, to address the group’s plight and the world’s top Islamic umbrella group has described

their treatment as a “genocide”. The UNHCR stressed that the existing camps were overcrowded, while host families who had taken in people fleeing the violence were struggling even to support themselves. “Some people are living on the sites of their burnt-out homes while others are sleeping on boats or taking refuge on islets,” Edwards said.

The agency said it had already distributed more than 500 tents from its stocks inside the country since the violence broke out in June, as well as 700 tents donated by the Korea International Cooperation Agency. It had also already handed out aid to more than 50,000 displaced people in the region, including

blankets, mosquito nets, kitchen sets, clothing and hygiene materials, Edwards said. However, another 25,000 relief kits were urgently needed, he said, adding that the UNHCR and other agencies needed $24.35 million (18.9 million euros) to meet the needs for emergency shelter, non-food relief items, camp management and security until next June. The UNHCR was also deeply concerned about “increased restrictions on movement (since June), which is affecting people’s livelihoods and food security.” “Access to basic services has also been difficult, he said, cautioning that “if not addressed, these problems could trigger further displacement.” — AFP

Speedy trial demanded in Philippine massacre Only 103 of 196 accused are in custody

BANGKOK: Thai policemen patrol inside the compound of Government House in Bangkok, yesterday. Anti-government protesters are expected to show up in Bangkok today to demand an overthrow of the current government under the rule of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. — AP

Thailand braces for large anti-govt rally BANGKOK: Thailand will deploy thousands of police officers and has invoked a special security law for an anti-government rally yesterday that is expected to be the largest since Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra took office in 2011 and that officials fear could turn violent.

Authorities expect tens of thousands of protesters, a turnout that would serve as a sharp reminder of the deep political divisions in the country despite two years of relative calm. Yingluck yesterday accused the protesters of seeking to overthrow her elected government. The demonstration is being organized by a royalist group calling itself “Pitak Siam” - or “Protect Thailand” - at Bangkok’s Royal Plaza, a public space near Parliament that has been used by protesters in the past.

While the group is a newcomer to Thailand’s protest scene, it is linked to the well-known “Yellow Shirt” protesters, whose rallies led to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s overthrow.

The same movement later toppled a Thaksin-allied elected government after occupying and shutting down Bangkok’s two airports for a week in 2008.

Thaksin, who is the brother of current prime minister Yingluck, remains a divisive figure in Thai politics. The Yellow Shirts and their allies say he is personally corrupt and accuse him of seeking to undermine the popular constitutional monarch - a charge Thaksin denies.

Yingluck is taking Saturday’s rally seriously. Her Cabinet invoked the Internal Security Act on Thursday in three Bangkok districts around the protest site, and she later addressed the nation to explain the move, citing concerns of violence. In a nationally televised address, Yingluck said protest leaders “seek to overthrow an elected government and democratic rule ... and there is evidence that violence may be used to achieve those ends.” The security act allows authorities to close roads, impose curfews and ban use of electronic devices in designated areas.

Measures began taking effect Thursday night, with police closing roads around Yingluck’s office, the Government House, and placing extra security at the homes of senior officials, including the prime minister.

National police chief spokesman Maj. Gen. Piya Uthayo said Friday that nearly 17,000 police officers had been called in from around the country to provide security for the rally. —AP

MANILA: Relatives and supporters of 58 people massacred in the Philippines in the country’s worst election violence held protest marches yesterday to mark the third anniversary of the carnage to demand a speedy trial for nearly 200 suspects and an end to political killings.

The protesters carried mock coffins to represent the victims, including 32 media workers, of the Nov. 23, 2009, massacre as well as dozens of other journalists killed in the Philippines since 1986. Harry Roque, a lawyer for the victims, said he is pushing to shift the focus of the trial to members of a powerful political clan that allegedly masterminded the massacre instead of waiting for the presentation of the evidence for multiple murders against all of the accused.

Only 103 of 196 accused are in custody, including clan patriarch and former Maguindanao provincial Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., who allegedly masterminded the massacre, his son, Andal Jr. who witnesses say was among the gunmen, and several other sons and relatives. They have denied the murder charges. The wife and female relatives, lawyers and supporters of Ampatuan’s political rival, Esmael Mangudadatu, were en route to file his candidacy in provincial elections when gunmen allegedly led by Andal Jr. stopped them and led them to a hilltop clearing where they were mowed down and hastily buried in mass graves.

All 32 media workers who were in their convoy were gunned down, making it the worst killing of journalists in the world. “You can never finish everyone at the same time, and you can never wait until everyone is finished before you come up with a judgment ... because there are so many victims, so many accused,” Roque told The Associated Press in explaining why he wants verdicts against the political clan members first.

He cited the Nuremberg Trial after World War II where only about two dozen were tried despite the millions who were killed. He proposed reducing the number of the accused “to those who took part in the shooting, those

MANILA: Philippine journalists and students carry mock coffins as they march towards Malacanang Palace in Manila yesterday, to commemorate the third anniversary of the November 23 Maguindanao massacre. — AFP who took part in the planning.” As an example, he said firing police officers who did not prevent the killings would be “punishment enough.”

Since the trial began in January 2010, more than 260 twice-weekly hearings have been held and only 81 people have been arraigned. One of the principal accused, former regional Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan, another son of the clan patriarch, has not yet been arraigned.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the defense was delaying the trial by filing motions questioning the presentation of evidence and witnesses. In all, 110 witnesses have testified.

Prosecutors say at least six witnesses, potential witnesses and their relatives have been killed since the trial started in an attempt to suppress testimony.

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, a media watchdog, said the trial needs to end in justice for the victims or “encouraged by the glacial

pace of the trial and uncertainty of the culprits ever being punished, the killers of journalists and political activists will continue to kill with impunity.”

The US-based Human Rights Watch has criticized President Benigno Aquino III for not dismantling militias and private armed groups such as those utilized by the Ampatuans. “Three years since the horrors of the Maguindanao Massacre, the trial crawls along, half of the suspects remain at large, and the victims’ families still face threats,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Yet the larger problem is that the Aquino administration has done next to nothing to disband the rest of the country’s private armies.”

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the Aquino administration, which took office in 2010, has urged the judiciary to “expedite the process without, of course, sacrificing due process.” — AP

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Chef’s assault on Nepal Maoist reflects grassroots anger KATHMANDU: Padam Kunwar might have expected infamy after assaulting Nepal’s Maoist leader but the young chef has instead become an unlikely emblem of the nation’s simmering frustration at its political overlords.

Social media users and bloggers have rallied behind the 25-year-old after he was arrested for slapping Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal last week in an attack his family attributed to a sense of betrayal by the communist movement.

“My brother’s actions were the result of deep frustration against the Maoist party and the painful situation under which our family has been forced to live,” Kunwar’s sister Pratibha Kunwar, 28, told AFP. Dahal-better known as Prachanda, the leader of the Maoist insurgency which claimed more than 16,000 lives before a peace deal in 2006 — was left shaken on Friday when Kunwar slapped the ex-guerrilla across the face at a public function.

Police whisked Kunwar away after furious Prachanda supporters mobbed him and beat him up, yet public opinion outside the party has largely come out in his favour since details of his family’s support for the Maoists emerged. Kunwar is the youngest son

of a family of poor farmers and traders in remote, western Nepal which made huge sacrifices in support of the Maoists’ 10-year “people’s war” against the state. Rebel leaders hailed the loyalty of grassroots supporters like the Kunwars when they became a mainstream political movement and were swept to power in nationwide elections in 2008. But distrust among grassroots activists has been growing, fuelled by the revelations earlier this year that Prachanda had moved into a lavish mansion in the capital, and that the party offered his son $250,000 to climb Mount Everest. Prachanda was elected prime minister in August 2008 but resigned nine months later when his government collapsed in a row over the integration of former Maoist fighters into the national army.

Nepalese politics has been in flux ever since, with rival parties swapping control of the government several times and progress on writing a new constitution and investment in infrastructure hamstrung by political infighting. “My father was repeatedly imprisoned for supporting the communist movement during the insurgency,” said Pratibha, whose elder brother Tek Bahadur still suffers health problems from wounds suffered as a

Maoist commander in the war.

“I have been an active supporter of the party since 2000. My ribs were broken when the military raided our house in 2005 but we have not been able to get proper treatment because of our poor economic situation,” Pratibha said.

Kunwar, just nine when the conflict began, fled to India and later Qatar, finally returning to his Nepalese village after the conflict and becoming a popular local activist, although he has never been a Maoist party member.

A trainee chef at the five-star Yak and Yeti hotel in Kathmandu before his arrest, Kunwar often voiced frustration over the lavish lifestyle of party apparatchiks he believed had sold out and forgotten their revolutionary roots. “He used to complain that they had strayed from their duty to work for the people and had failed to deliver a new constitution for the country. He was depressed over our leaders’ failure to improve themselves,” Pratibha said.

Kunwar is in police custody accused of committing a public order offence and could be kept under lock and key for 35 days before being allowed a court appearance. “His decision to slap the party chairman was wrong and socially unacceptable. But it shows the

anger of families whose loved ones were killed or wounded or disappeared during the war when they fought for the Maoists,” his brother-inlaw Bhim Bharati told reporters.

A Maoist statement blamed Kunwar’s actions on “extremists” whom it said were part of a conspiracy to destabilise Nepal’s fractious peace process. But local media have represented the assault as emblematic of the public’s disdain not just for the Maoists but for the political class as a whole. “If Facebook comments and letters to the editor are any guide, Kunwar has found many supporters for his ‘courage’,” the Republica daily observed. “The consensus among Kunwar’s sizeable group of backers seems to be that the politicians responsible for the current state of the country deserve no less.”

A Facebook page has attracted more than 1,200 supporters while an official Padam Kunwar online campaign is demanding his release and people have taken to Twitter to back their new hero. “Only if Padam Kunwar had managed to punch the rest of the idiots sitting (on) the podium, tomorrow would have been declared a holiday,” tweeted Kathmandu-based financial adviser Prasanna KC. — AFP

Afghan ‘revenge’ attack kills three, wounds 90 Suicide attacks are a Taleban trademark GHAZNI: A suicide car bomber killed three people and wounded dozens near a NATO-run training base yesterday, in an attack claimed by the Taleban as revenge for the execution of its militants. Several NATO soldiers were lightly wounded, a spokesman for the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said, without giving further details. A police spokesman said the blast was near “a joint coordination office” for the Afghan army, police and NATO troops in Maidan Shar, the capital of Wardak province, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Kabul.

“From this centre they go for military operations,” Abdul Wali told AFP. The base is close to the provincial governor’s office and two of his bodyguards were among the dead, his spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told AFP. “We have three killed-two bodyguards of the governor and a 10-year-old girl.

Ninety people were wounded, 75 men, 11 women and four children.” Taleban insurgents claimed responsibility for the blast, saying it was to avenge the execution on Wednesday of four Taliban members on death row in Kabul.

“It was a car bomb by our mujahed on a military training centre,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP. “It was a revenge attack by our mujahed in response to the execution of four mujahedeen by the Kabul administration.” The four executed Taleban members were among a total of 14 prisoners hanged over two days this week in rare mass executions. The Taleban, who are leading an insurgency against the Western-backed government and 100,000 NATO troops,

had warned there would be “heavy repercussions” for government officials if any of their militants were executed.

President Hamid Karzai approved the executions of the men who were sentenced to death “on charges of terror, conducting attacks, explosions and organising suicide attacks”, the government said. The executions were condemned by the European Union, the United Nations and human rights groups, with many pointing out that Afghanistan’s justice system is notoriously weak.

The Taleban described the hanged men as “prisoners of war” and had called

on the UN and rights groups to prevent their deaths. The Islamists, ousted from power by a US-led invasion in 2001, were notorious for executing people in public for “crimes” including adultery.

The killings were often carried out at half-time during games in the main football stadium in Kabul.

Suicide attacks are a Taleban trademark. On Wednesday, a suicide bomber on foot blew himself up near a NATO base in Kabul’s heavily-fortified diplomatic district, killing two Afghan security guards and wounding two government officials. — AFP

KABUL: A US soldier stands guard at the site of suicide attack in Wardak Province of Kabul Afghanistan, yesterday. — AP

KARACHI: A Pakistani cellular phone user poses with his instruments having failed to make a call following the suspension of mobile phone services in Karachi yesterday. — AFP

Pakistan suspends phone network over security fears KARACHI: Pakistan yesterday suspended mobile phone services in major cities to prevent terror attacks from marring Shiite Muslim commemorations, officials said. Mobile and wireless phone services were temporarily blocked in the commercial capital Karachi, the southwestern city of Quetta and in parts of the capital.

It is the second time Pakistan has shut down mobile networks during the holy month of Muharram, which culminates with Ashura, the holiest day in the Shiite Muslim calendar when faithful march to mourn the seventh-century killing of Imam Hussein. A suicide bomber killed 23 people and wounded 62 others at a Shiite procession in Rawalpindi on Thursday, the deadliest bombing in Pakistan for five months.

Ashura falls this year on Sunday and has been a magnet for sectarian attacks with rights groups heavily criticising the government for failing to stop extremist violence. “We have shut our service in Karachi and Quetta on the instructions of the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority from 1:00 pm (0800 GMT) to midnight,” said an official at Mobilink, the country’s largest mobile phone service provider. An official at PTCL, which runs the landline and wireless phone services, said wireless phones had also been turned off at the government’s instructions. Interior Minister Rehman Malik announced the phone suspension earlier, saying it was intended to “ensure security during and after the Muharram processions”. — AFP

16

Autonomy founder says HP allegations ‘do not add up’

17

German states reject Swiss tax deal in slap to Merkel

Business

19

Cameron decries excessive European ‘pay and perks’

18

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

S&P hails French reforms, but outlook still negative

NEW YORK: Crowds gather outside Macy’s department store in New York in advance of the midnight opening to start the stores’ “Black Friday” shopping weekend. — AFP

EU budget summit edges towards collapse Tensions between rich and poor states rise BRUSSELS: EU leaders looked set to throw in the towel yesterday as talks on a trillion-euro budget for the 27-member bloc faltered over tensions between rich and poor states and Britain’s “virulent” demands for austerity. British Prime Minister David Cameron kept up his defiant stance on the second day of bitter negotiations on the European Union budget for the seven years from 2014 to 2020.

“There really is a problem that there hasn’t been the progress in cutting back proposals for additional spending,” Cameron, who back home has to pander to the powerful eurosceptic wing of his Conservative party, told reporters. Britain, like many countries across Europe, is responding to economic crisis with major public spending cuts and Cameron argues that at a time of austerity at home the EU must also make deep cuts.

His bleak assessment of the state of the budget talks was shared by other EU leaders, who arrived one by one at European Council building in Brussels for bilateral meetings before the summit proper resumed after lunch. “I believe that also in this round, we won’t be where have to get to, which is a unanimous decision,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel, repeating a line she had adopted even before arriving in the Belgian capital.

“If we need a second round, then we will take the time necessary for it,” she added, referring to the prospect of another summit in the coming months to nail down a deal. Merkel and French President Francois Hollande both saw Cameron in bilateral meetings Friday. A British official said after-

ward that Merkel was “sympathetic” to the British position. No details emerged of the Hollande meeting. Nearly a year after he angered his European counterparts by vetoing a pact to resolve the eurozone crisis, Cameron was again at odds with them by demanding cuts to the perks enjoyed by so-

called “eurocrats”-the well-paid EU civil servants frequently targeted by the British press.

An EU diplomat said the main obstacle at the summit was Cameron’s demand for reductions in the planned trillion-dollar budget, adding that “the most virulent” countries seeking cuts were Britain,

BRUSSELS: EU leaders began what is expected to be a marathon summit on the budget for the years 2014-2020 yesterday in Brussels. — AP

Sweden and the Netherlands. European Parliament member and Belgian former prime minister Guy Verhofstadt was scathing about the British position: “It’s not necessary to isolate Cameron, he can isolate himself.” Cameron had vowed to bring down the budget from a proposed 1.047 trillion euros ($1.347 trillion) to 886 billion euros.

The summit was set to resume Friday once delegates from the 27 member nations-which have a total population of 500 million people-have had time to examine new proposals on the budget submitted by EU President Herman Van Rompuy. The proposals reintroduce his own earlier figure of 972 billion euros in spending, which comes to just over one percent of the EU’s total economic output, the usual benchmark used in Brussels budget talks.

The latest blueprint which negotiators will work from Friday spreads the funds more generously to sensitive envelopes like the “cohesion” funds for regional development, and the Common Agricultural Policy, the farm subsidy programme cherished by France that is the budget’s biggest single item. “We will not accept the unacceptable,” warned Prime Minister Mario Monti of Italy, which like France defends farm subsidies, but also backs cohesion funds which have vastly aided Italy’s less developed south. Italy is among the “net contributors”, the countries that contribute more to the EU budget than they get back, while once mighty Spain, brought low by the euro-zone debt crisis, rejoined the camp of those who get more cash than they put in. —AFP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Autonomy founder says HP allegations ‘do not add up’ Revenue accounting standards differ in US vs UK

MADRID: A couple smokes a cigarette on their house balcony (below right) in Madrid. Spain’s real estate bubble that supercharged the economy for more than a decade burst in 2008 and borrowing costs have risen to near unsustainable levels despite their efforts to cut spending and reform their labor markets. — AP

UAE’S NBAD issues $163m sukuk ABU DHABI: National Bank of Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s largest lender by market value, has issued a 500 million Malaysian ringgit ($163 million) Islamic bond or sukuk, its third in the south Asian currency.

The 15-year sukuk was issued at a coupon of 4.75 percent and is the first ever issue of subordinated debt by a non-Malaysian financial institution in Malaysia, the bank said yesterday. NBAD, which recently opened a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Malaysian capital, issued its first, five-year 500 million Malaysian ringgit sukuk in June 2010. It issued the second ten-year 500 million ringgit sukuk in December 2010.

“This new issue ... reflects the commitment of NBAD to create a yield curve in Malaysian ringgit to meet the strong investor demand for our credit and fits in very well with our core strategy of diversifying the bank’s funding sources and extending our maturity profile,” Stephen Jordan, NBAD’s Group Treasurer said in a statement. HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad, Maybank Investment Bank Berhad, Standard Chartered Saadiq Berhad, and National Bank of Abu Dhabi Malaysia Berhad were the joint lead managers of the transaction. Last month, RAM Ratings, the Malaysian credit-rating agency reaffirmed National Bank of Abu Dhabi PJSC’s (NBAD) long and short-term financial institution ratings, at AAA and P1 respectively. —Reuters

Jordanians protest fuel price hikes AMMAN: Hundreds of Jordanians protested yesterday against rising fuel prices and called for political and economic reform, an AFP photographer said. Around 300 people, including Islamists and leftists, demonstrated in front of the Grand Mosque in the centre of Amman, chanting slogans that included calls for the government to step down. “This government has to go,” and “those who want to raise (fuel) prices want to see the country burn,” they shouted.

The protest ended peacefully in the presence of security forces and around 100 government supporters. In Zarqa, east of Amman, around 200 people protested in a demonstration organised by the Muslim Brotherhood, and protesters also gathered in Maan and other towns in the south of the country, according to security officials.

A government announcement last week that fuel prices were set to rise, including household gas by up to 53 percent, sparked a series of protests, some calling for King Abdullah II to step down. Calling for the king’s overthrow is punishable by imprisonment, so the slogans were a major departure for a kingdom previously spared protests on the scale of other countries swept up in the Arab Spring. Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur defended the price hike, saying the decision was “unavoidable” given the country’s $5-billion (3.9-billion-euro) budget deficit, and that the measures would save $42 million by year end.

Initial protests against the announcement descended into violence, with one person killed and 71 injured, police said. Jordan relies on imports for 95 percent of its energy needs and has been struggling to find affordable alternatives to Egyptian gas supplies, which have been repeatedly hit by sabotage. Oil-rich Gulf monarchies of the Gulf Cooperation Council were mulling ways to help Jordan shore up its fuel supplies, the United Arab Emirates said on Monday. — AFP

LONDON: Mike Lynch, mathematics whiz and former boss of Autonomy, said he can’t see how accusations leveled by Hewlett-Packard Co of dodgy accounting add up to a $5 billion writedown on the software business he sold them last year.

HP said on Tuesday it would write $8.8 billion off its $11.1 billion purchase of the British company, $5 billion of it due to “serious accounting improprieties” and “a wilful effort by Autonomy to mislead shareholders” revealed by a whistleblower and a forensic audit by accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers.

It has alerted regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. Mike Lynch says he has yet to hire a lawyer and has not spoken to either HP or any investigators, but he has sat down with past accounts of the firm he founded in an attempt to answer the accusations laid out in HP’s public statements.

HP’s general counsel John Schultz claimed Autonomy created more than $200 million in revenue over a two-year period from 2009, which would amount to 12.5 percent of Autonomy’s $1.6 billion in revenues in their annual accounts for 2009 and 2010.

While denying the allegations as “utterly wrong”, Lynch said there were three areas where accounting rules gave scope for differences of interpretation. Accounting rule setters have been working on plans for a decade for common global accounting rules so regulators and investors can compare company accounts, but until that task is complete, there are competing standards that can produce different results for companies doing broadly the same thing.

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has devised International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), used in more than 100 countries, and the basis for Autonomy’s accounts prior to HP’s acquisition.

But many US companies such as HP use US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), which can differ from IFRS, notably in respect of software revenue recognition. One of the accusations HP levels against Autonomy’s former management is that the company was booking licensing revenue upfront before deals

closed, thereby inflating revenue.

“Revenue recognition for software vendors can be complicated, to say the least,” accountants Grant Thornton wrote in a note. This is because software companies often bundle products and services such as licenses, installation, training and maintenance support into a single contract.

Under accounting rules, a company can establish a model for pricing different parts of the contract so that some revenue can be taken up front and the rest over the period of the contract. Under IFRS this is governed by rule IAS 18. Under US GAAP there are more stringent conditions to satisfy, requiring what is called VSOE, or vendor-specific objective evidence. “It shouldn’t be a surprise this issue is coming up. It shows how loosey-goosey IFRS is,” said Lynn E. Turner, former chief accountant of the Securities and Exchange Commission, who was running the SEC department that issued Staff Accounting Bulletin 101, which set a lot of the specific rules around revenue recognition.

Lynch believes that HP might not have

yet established its own VSOE model and therefore might not be recognizing revenues upfront, which might result in a restatement of Autonomy revenues. “All of these deals went through (Autonomy’s auditors) Deloitte themselves,” said Lynch.

“Deloitte apply the test independently of us, and it is a standard test, and it is explicitly stated in the annual report and accounts.” Autonomy would submit every single invoice to Deloitte each quarter as part of the auditing process, added Lynch.

Deloitte said it conducted its audit work “in full compliance with regulation and professional standards”, and “categorically denied” any knowledge of improprieties or misrepresentations in Autonomy’s financial statements.

Another allegation HP has stated in public is that Autonomy mischaracterized revenue from low-margin hardware sales as software sales. Autonomy always represented itself as a software firm but 10 percent to 15 percent of its revenue came from money-losing sales of low-end hardware, HP said. —Reuters

YANGON: Unskilled workers unload pebbles from a tug boat in Yangon, Myanmar yesterday. Workers, including children carry baskets full of pebbles weighing 19.5 kilograms (43 pounds) from the tug boat to a collection center, that is about 40 meters (44 yards) away. —AP

Greece lenders closer to compromise on debt ATHENS: The International Monetary Fund has relaxed its debt-cutting target for Greece and only a 10 billion euros ($13 billion) gap remains to be filled for a vital aid tranche to be paid, Greece’s finance minister said yesterday.

But other sources involved in the talks cautioned that the funding gap was far bigger than that suggested by Greece and that the two sides were not on the verge of striking a deal to resolve the euro zone’s most intractable problem. Greece’s finance minister signalled that a compromise was near by saying the International Monetary Fund had agreed to deem the country’s debt viable if it falls to 124 percent of GDP in 2020, giving ground on its earlier target of 120 percent.

The Eurogroup has already agreed on measures to reduce Greek debt to 130 per-

cent of GDP in 2020, Yannis Stournaras said. “That leaves a gap of 5-6 percentage points of GDP to be covered-about 10 billion euros,” he told reporters in Brussels.

The EU and IMF are considering bringing the debt down through a combination of interest rate cuts and extension of maturities on the country’s loans, a debt buyback and having the ECB forego profits on its Greek bond holdings, a Greek finance ministry official told Reuters.

Teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, Greece is increasingly frustrated that its lenders are still squabbling over a deal to unlock fresh aid despite the country pushing through unpopular austerity cuts that brought thousands on to the streets.

Athens says time is running out and that it needs its next tranches of almost 44 billion euros in aid to recapitalize banks and stabi-

lize its recession-hit economy. Its next big debt repayment falls due in midDecember. It expects the aid to be paid out in one installment, Greece’s government spokesman told Greek radio, playing down recent speculation that it could be dribbled out in bits.

The euro hit a three-week high against the dollar on growing optimism that Greece’s lenders were close to an agreement. Euro-zone finance ministers, the IMF and European Central Bank failed earlier this week to agree how to get the country’s debt down to a sustainable level and will have a third go at resolving the issue on Monday. A senior source involved in the negotiations confirmed that the IMF would now accept 124 percent as a target but was dismissive of the gap amounting to only 10 billion euros. —Reuters

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

GUANGZHOU: A Ferrari car on display and (right) a man wiping the window of a Lamborghini car on display at the 10th China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou. — AFP

Oil dips near $110 as Gaza ceasefire holds LONDON: Oil dipped towards $110 a barrel yesterday as the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip held, easing supply concerns, but better-than-expected German business sentiment data failed to ease worries about demand in the euro-zone economies.

Brent crude futures were down 16 cents at $110.41 a barrel at 0928 GMT. US crude was down 27 cents against Wednesday’s settlement to $87.11. The US market, which was closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday, will not issue a formal settlement price until Friday.

Analysts and traders said that although it had been a good week for stock markets and improved risk sentiment, the ceasefire in Gaza had limited gains in the oil markets.

“Oil prices will probably be under pressure as long as the ceasefire holds,” said Filip Petersson, a commodity strategist at SEB Commodity Research. “The fact that it’s still holding quite well is surprising considering how difficult it is to get these different factions working together.” Worries about potential disruptions to oil supplies from the Middle East eased after Israel began pulling back its army from Gaza, with both sides declaring they had won their eightday battle.

Petersson said there was still some risk premium in the price however, with no real downturn since the ceasefire.

This is partly because risk sentiment has improved this week so the two factors have offset each other.

“It’s been a week for risk on, we’ve seen strong gains in stock markets, bond yields have come down in Portugal and Greece, and the dollar has weakened,” said Ole Hansen, senior commodity strategist at Saxo Bank.

However, the oil market is still waiting for some definitive indication that demand is picking up, he added.

German business sentiment surprised with a rise in November, breaking a six-month run of declines. The closely-watched Munich-based Ifo think tank said its business climate index, rose to 101.4 in November, beating forecasts. This was an improvement on Thursday’s business surveys which showed the euro-zone was on course for the worst quarter since early 2009. But the IFO news followed the news that German gross domestic product growth had slowed 0.1 percentage points to 0.2 percent in the three months to end-September. Also affecting investor sentiment were the dimming prospects of a deal on the European Union’s long-term budget. A fresh compromise proposal offered concessions to France and Poland but ignored British and German demands for deeper overall spending cuts. The summit of EU leaders continues today. “If they leave the meeting with absolutely no agreement, that would be bad for market sentiment,” Petersson said.

Another relatively quiet trading session is in prospect as some US traders are expected to remain at home following the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. Hansen this would likely limit price moves. “We are going to lack volume today so the question is how much we can do. We should see some support at $110 but it’s doubtful we will move above $111.17 unless shots are fired again in Gaza. The question is how much more upside drive there is,” he said. —Reuters

German states reject Swiss tax deal in slap to Merkel Switzerland still ‘committed to ratification’ BERLIN: Germany’s upper house of parliament yesterday rejected a deal with Switzerland to tax assets stashed by German citizens in Swiss bank accounts, dashing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s hopes of having the lucrative agreement in place by 2013.

Despite a last-ditch appeal to the assembly by Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, the agreement was rejected by states run by the opposition Greens and Social Democrats, who said the legislation would have let off tax evaders too easily. Merkel’s centre-right government had struck the deal with Switzerland in April, but without a majority in the Bundesrat upper house, where Germany’s 16 states are represented, it needed opposition support. Schaeuble’s spokesman said the outcome was regrettable and the cabinet would decide next Wednesday whether to start a mediation procedure that seeks to resolve differences between the Bundestag lower house and the Bundesrat. “When you consider how many decades we have been struggling over this, and how many attempts we have had to solve this problem, then this deal is worth fighting for,” Martin Kotthaus told reporters.

The deal would have required Swiss banks to levy a punitive charge on an estimated 150 billion Swiss francs ($160 billion) in undeclared funds squirrelled away by Germans in Swiss accounts.

The proceeds would be passed on to Germany, including its 16 Laender, or states, without the identities of the account holders being revealed. SPD-led German states like North Rhine-Westphalia have resorted to buying Swiss banking data from whistleblowers in order to pursue tax dodgers,

angering the Swiss and only catching a fraction of the wrongdoers. Peer Steinbrueck, the SPD’s candidate for chancellor in next year’s German election, cracked down hard on bank secrecy when he was finance minister in Merkel’s 2005-09 “grand coalition” government, famously referring to the Swiss as Indians running from the cavalry. His party is planning to trumpet its rejection of the deal in the looming election campaign to try to paint Merkel as soft on financial wrongdoing by the wealthy.

With the SPD dead-set on torpedoing the deal and legislation already fully ratified in Switzerland, there is little scope for change to the terms already agreed or for mediation to

succeed. “The German upper house has missed a major opportunity to reach a fair, optimum and sustainable solution for all parties to definitively settle the bilateral tax issues,” the Swiss Bankers Association said in a statement. Swiss Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said her government remained “committed to a successful ratification”. Britain and Austria have ratified similar deals, which will come into force next year, and Switzerland hopes other countries including Greece and Italy - will follow suit.

An Italian source close to the negotiations with Switzerland said the Bundesrat vote had not changed anything for them and officials would meet as planned next week. — Reuters

BERLIN: German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble (center) gestures, during a meeting of the Federal Council of Germany (Bundesrat) in Berlin yesterday. — AP

Cyprus awaits EU announcement on bailout deal NICOSIA: Trade union leaders were briefed yesterday on terms the Cyprus government has agreed for a bailout by international lenders, as Nicosia awaits final confirmation from Brussels, officials said. Cyprus government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said union bosses were informed of the draft agreement ahead of an official announcement from the European Commission expected later yesterday. “We are waiting on Brussels for an announcement related to the memorandum and briefings will continue once the procedures are finalized,” Stefanou told reporters.

“That there are unpleasant and painful

measures and provisions in this memorandum is a given. It is something that we as a government had warned of and declared from the beginning,” he added. After the meeting, influential civil servants union leader Glafcos Hadjipetrou voiced dissatisfaction with the deal. When asked about possible strike action he replied: “Certainly we are not going to say bravo because our salaries have been slaughtered.”

On Thursday President Demetris Christofias said a deal was “very close” with the so-called troika of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund for a

bailout the finance minister said would involve some 17 billion euros ($21.8 billion).

It appears a compromise deal was reached on the sticking points of index-linked salaries, privatizing the telecommunications authority and managing revenues from a major natural gas find. The money needed by Cyprus was widely reported to total 17.5 billion euros ($22.6 billion) — 10 billion euros for the banks, 6 billion euros for maturing state debt and 1.5 billion euros for public finances. An independent audit of the banks’ requirements is still underway, so the final figure for aid to the banks has not yet been announced. —AFP

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Wal-Mart suspends India staff in corruption probe MUMBAI: Wal-Mart’s Indian joint venture said yesterday it has suspended several employees as part of an internal corruption investigation, another blow to the US company’s plans for aggressive expansion in a giant market that is largely untapped by foreign retailers.

Bharti Walmart, Wal-Mart’s joint venture with India’s Bharti Enterprises, said it had suspended “a few associates” and was “committed to conducting a complete and thorough investigation.” India’s Economic Times newspaper reported that the company’s chief financial officer was among the five employees suspended, a claim the company declined to verify. The news comes at a sensitive time for foreign retailers in India, where corruption scandals in everything from telecommunications to coal mining have badly damaged the ruling Congress Party.

Eager to rekindle foreign investment, the Congress Party eased foreign investment rules in September, paving the

way for Wal-Mart and others - which had been limited to wholesaling - to run retail shops with a local partner.

When parliament reconvened this week, opposition politicians quickly shut down proceedings to protest the move, which has already cost the Congress Party a key coalition partner. In a November 15 filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Wal-Mart said it was investigating potential violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in Brazil, China and India, among other markets. Wal-Mart’s Mexico subsidiary is already embroiled in a public scandal over alleged payments to middlemen to speed up the store-opening process, possibly through payments to local officials.

Wal-Mart told the SEC it had spent $99 million in the nine months to October on corruption investigations and related lawsuits and said that it is cooperating with ongoing Department of Justice and SEC investigations.

Indian authorities are also reportedly investigating WalMart for possible violations of foreign investment rules, relating to a $100 million investment in a company owned by its wholesale joint-venture partner, Bharti Enterprises. Bharti Walmart said Friday that it was in compliance with all Indian foreign investment laws. “All procedures and processes have been duly followed and details filed with relevant Indian government authorities, including the Reserve Bank of India.

The Central Government has sought certain information and clarification which has been provided by us,” the company said in a statement. Wal-Mart currently operates 18 wholesale shops in India through its joint venture, according to its website. Wal-Mart said in September that it planned to open retail stores in India over the next 18 months, but the corruption investigation may slow its aggressive expansion strategy. — AP

S&P hails French reforms, but outlook still negative Benefit of doubt to govt’s resolve to reform

PARIS: Striking workers at a Coca-Cola bottling plant gathered outside their factory in Fresnes, south of Paris yesterday. Workers at the bottling plant are striking to protest against a round of redundancies. — AP

‘No meatballs’ as IKEA hits hurdles in India NEW DELHI: Swedish retailer IKEA said yesterday it was reviewing sweeping curbs imposed on what it can sell at its planned new stores in India that will reportedly prevent it offering its famed meatballs.

India’s foreign investment panel has rejected 15 of IKEA’s 30 product lines, a report said on Friday, underscoring the regulatory hurdles faced by foreign stores who are eyeing the Indian market with renewed interest. “We are now internally reviewing the details (of the investment board’s decision),” an IKEA spokeswoman told AFP, adding that she could not confirm the curbs as reported by The Economic Times yesterday.

Among the lines IKEA has been told by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board that it cannot sell are gift items, fabrics, books, toys, consumer electronics and food, the newspaper reported.

The group will, however, be allowed to sell furniture-its core business. The investment panel also reportedly told IKEA it cannot offer customer financing schemes because that would violate banking regulations, or open cafes and food markets because that would break food policy regulations. IKEA’s entry into India-it has pledged to invest $1.9 billion in the coming years-is being closely watched by competitors as a test case for how a large foreign corporation negotiates India’s byzantine rules and red tape.

India’s government announced a string of pro-market and investor-friendly reforms in September that relaxed or removed barriers preventing foreign retailers from operating in the country.

IKEA hopes to open 25 of its trademark blue-and-yellow stores in India through a 100-percent owned unit, Ingka Holding, as part of a wider push into emerging markets like China and Russia.

The government initially insisted that IKEA obtain 30 percent of its supplies from small Indian manufacturers that the Swedish retailer feared would not be able to keep pace with demand.Later the government dropped the demand specifying the size of the supplier, but kept the 30 percent local sourcing requirement. — AFP

PARIS: Rating agency S&P took a watchand-wait attitude to new French economic reforms yesterday, holding an already downgraded notation but with a negative outlook, while giving the benefit of the doubt to the government’s determination to enact change.

The S&P decision came four days after Moody’s cut its top rating for the country by one notch and warned that more could come. S&P, which downgraded France from top notch in January, referring to recent French announcements on the economy, said although the government was “determined to carry out budgetary and structural reforms” France’s long-term outlook was “negative.”

It said: “After flat growth this year, we believe that the French economy will grow by 0.4 percent in real terms in 2013.” This is about half the target of the government which is hoping for growth of 0.8 percent.

The European Commission is forecasting growth of 0.4 percent for France in 2013.

S&P expressed concern over “wavering consumption levels, rising unemployment, and decelerating wages.” However, S&P said it thought that the government would press on with important structural reforms despite internal opposition from vested interests. Reacting to the statement, French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici, underscored the government’s “resolve” to “follow up on ambitious reforms to help in economic recovery and job creation.”

However in a slight boost for France, the second-biggest economy in Europe after Germany, its borrowing rate fell to 2.161 percent in morning trading after the announcement. It had stood at 2.181 percent at close on Thursday. The International Monetary Fund, the European Commission, and leading voices in Germany have all warned France that it must catch up with deep structural reforms to its economy, as do analysts on financial markets where France borrows to fund its public deficit and debt.

S&P said, in a significant passage, that it believed “that the French government remains committed to budgetary and structural reforms that would build on the measures it has proposed so far and improve the country’s growth potential. It noted that this month the government had announced a national

BRUSSELS: French President Francois Hollande gestures while speaking during a media conference after an EU summit in Brussels yesterday. — AP pact for growth and competitiveness. economic policy, widely seen as having The S&P statement said: “Our baseline changed direction more towards reform expectation is that the government will in recent months, is vital if the country is press ahead with further important to be able to continue borrowing at structural reforms, despite opposition record low levels of about 2.0 percent. from vested interests which benefit This is not much above the rate at which from long-entrenched entitlements. Germany borrows. One key policy target Substantial reforms would underpin the is for France to reduce its public deficit government’s fiscal consolidation strate- to within EU limits.

This week, rating agency Moody’s gy, in our view, and improve economic growth prospects.” But it also said that became the second of the three major reforms, announced in recent weeks, to ratings agency to cut France’s top-notch spur the competitiveness of French triple A rating, noting it down to “Aa1”.

France has not run a balanced budgindustry, including a corporate tax credit for firms’ payrolls, were “useful but et since the 1970s. The S&P statement insufficient to significantly unlock eco- used a slightly more optimistic tone nomic growth potential.” The statement about the outlook for reforms being said that “labor and service-sector carried through than had Moody’s.

Moody’s said that although recent reforms would be positive for competitiveness, economic growth, and, in turn, announcements in France went in the right direction, a legacy of 20 years of sovereign creditworthiness.”

The agency also said that France’s tax difficulty by successive governments in burden was high at “more than 46 per- reforming the economy hung over the cent of GDP over 2012-2015 ... while we outlook. The economy has been stumproject general government spending bling along at almost zero growth for will stay above 56 percent of GDP (gross about a year but in the last quarter raldomestic product) over the same peri- lied to show a gain of 0.2 percent, the same level as in Germany where the od, the highest in the euro-zone.”

It said there was a one-in-three economy had been resilient but has chance the rating could be lowered next been hit by a slowdown in business year if growth prospects deteriorated activity. French industrial confidence further or reforms failed to overhaul the rose marginally in November from labor market, or if France’s general gov- October, when it had hit a three-year ernment deficit stayed close to current low, the national statistics office said levels. The issue of confidence in French yesterday. — AFP

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Cameron decries excessive European ‘pay and perks’ EU divided over spending plans at Brussels meeting

BRUSSELS: Broadcast trucks are parked near the EU Headquarters yesterday in Brussels, during a two-day European Union leaders summit called to agree a hotlycontested trillion-euro budget through 2020. — AFP

Australian tax office to pursue coal baron Tinkler SYDNEY: The Australian government was granted permission by a court yesterday to prepare legal action against coal baron Nathan Tinkler as creditors close in on the former billionaire, threatening to end a rags-to-riches story built on the nation’s mining boom. The New South Wales Supreme Court gave the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation leave to prepare a case against Tinkler’s holding company, the latest of a series of legal actions over unpaid bills and commercial disputes.

Further adding to Tinkler’s woes, court documents also showed an Irish racehorse stud owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, has subpoenaed Tinkler personally to provide information in an unrelated case.

The emergence of two new, powerful potential foes is likely to unsettle Tinkler’s lenders and raises questions about the future of his main asset, a near one-fifth stake in Whitehaven Coal, Australia’s largest independent coal miner.

“He’s exposed to great liability,” Marina Nehme, a senior law lecturer at the University of Western Sydney, told Reuters.

“It’s like a house of cards falling.” Tinkler, 36, enjoyed a heady rise from mining pit electrician to Australia’s youngest billionaire in just a few short years, riding on the back of the country’s once-in-a-century mining boom.

But a slide in coal prices has hit his net worth and a series of lawsuits have followed. Liquidators were appointed this week to two firms of which he is director, Patinack Farm Administration Pty Ltd and Mulsanne Resources Ltd, over debts totalling more than A$28 million.

Tinkler paid creditors A$500,000 ($520,000) this week to stop wind-up petitions against Tinkler Group Holdings Administration Pty Ltd. But the relief was short-lived when the Australian tax office stepped in to take over the action as a potential creditor. Senior deputy court registrar Rebel Kenna gave the tax office until Dec. 10 to prepare a case against the company. The Australian Taxation Office declined to provide any further details on the case.

Andrew Korbel, a partner at Corrs Chambers Westgarth, who represented Tinkler Group Holdings Administration on Friday declined to comment outside court. Tim Allerton, a Sydney-based spokesman for Tinkler, also declined to comment. Court documents show the Kildangan Stud Unlimited subpoena is to be heard by another New South Wales state court next week. Kildangan is part of Darley, the global breeding operation owned by Sheikh Mohammed, a keen equestrian and breeder with horse studs around the world.

Located in County Kildare, Ireland, the Kildangan Stud is home to eight stallions, including Sharmadal, the sire of two winning mares, Marquardt and Happy Hippy, bought by Tinkler’s Patinack Farm. “This is a commercial matter between Kildangan Stud and Tinkler relating to thoroughbred stallion nominations and we have no further comment on the matter,” Darley’s managing director Joe Osborne told Reuters in an email. Stallion nominations involve fees for broodmares to mate with selected stallions. Tinkler spent millions of dollars building Patinack into Australia’s largest thoroughbred racing and stud operation. He built his empire spanning horse racing, sports clubs and coal on debt, scraping together A$1 million from lenders for an underrated coal deposit that quickly soared in value. —Reuters

BRUSSELS: Britain is calling for billions of euros in cuts to European Union officials’ pay and pensions, a move that has support in Britain and other northern European countries but risks blocking attempts to reach a long-term EU budget deal.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who wants a real-terms freeze in EU spending between 2014 and 2020, is pushing for the EU to cut its wage bill by 10 percent, push officials’ retirement age up to 68 from 63 and reduce generous pensions benefits.

The measures would cut around 6 billion euros from the 7year budget, British officials say, a fractional amount in actual terms but one with heavy symbolic value at a time when all EU countries are struggling to keep budgets in check.

Cameron, trailing in the polls on the back of unpopular public spending cuts and weak growth, said Europe had to reduce “unaffordable spending” if it was to retool its economy.

“That is what is happening at home, that is what needs to happen here,” he told reporters as he arrived for a second day of talks on a budget that Cameron has threatened to veto unless there are deep cuts to the proposed 1 trillion euro package.

Officials said it was an issue on which Cameron intended to “hang tough” during negotiations that could run late on Friday.

Cameron’s stance has tapped into a rising anti-EU mood in Britain, where a largely Eurosceptic press has for year portrayed the EU as a wasteful bureaucracy filled with staff on overly generous pay packages. It may also appease the anti-EU camp in his ruling Conservative Party. But he also has tacit support in northern corners of Europe, such as Germany, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands, where there is an acknowledgement that if the budget is going to be cut, EU administration costs, which account for nearly 63 billion euros, need to come under the knife.

In the latest proposal administration costs are not touched.

However, Cameron’s demand for more cuts, coupled with a pledge to protect Britain’s cherished annual EU rebate, has upset the European Commission, the EU’s executive, and some leaders as they struggle to narrow divisions and reach a deal.

In an email sent to journalists late on Thursday night, the Commission pointed out that the salaries of British civil servants are set to rise by around 1 percent, while Cameron is calling for EU civil servant wages to be cut by 10 percent. Cameron has countered that about 200 of the Commission’s 30,000 employees are paid more than he is-in excess of 180,000 euros a year.

French President Francois Hollande said he could not accept that “the richest countries come and ask for rebate cheques”- a direct dig at the money Britain gets back from the budget, most of which is paid by France. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country is the biggest net recipient of EU funds, said talk of cutting administration costs was a mistake that could block a deal. “We shouldn’t fall into a trap such as when someone says ‘100 billion or 10 billion of cuts’, and pretends it’s about administration. This is an effort to block the compromise more than any-

BRUSSELS: British Prime Minister David Cameron talks to the press as he arrives at the EU Headquarters yesterday in Brussels. — AFP thing else,” he said. British officials played down reports Cameron had had a “bust-up” with Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso when he presented his plan to cut 6 billion euros from administration.In its proposal, Britain has said that EU workers aged under 58 should have their retirement age raised to 68 from 63, that the total wage bill should be cut 10 percent and that officials’ pensions should be reduced from 70 percent to 60 percent of their final salaries, which would save 1.5 billion euros.

Reports in British newspapers said another target for cuts could be a compensation payment given to some EU officials who live outside their home country. “These are not dramatic changes,” one British official said. “The Commission and others are telling the Greeks, Italians and others that they should put the retirement age up to 68.” One concession that was made in the latest draft of the budget plan from Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, was to raise the hours EU officials must work each week to 40 from 37.5. — Reuters

Gold crawls up as Greece inches near deal SINGAPORE: Gold ticked up yesterday, on course for a second weekly rise in three, as the euro firmed on news of progress in Greece’s bailout talks while concerns about US fiscal issues continued to lend support to bullion.

Greece’s lenders have agreed on new measures to cut its debt pile further but it still has to fill a 10 billion euro ($12.9 billion) gap to gain the approval of International Monetary Fund, a senior Greek official said. The euro rose to a three-week high versus the dollar on the news, while the dollar index was on track for a weekly loss of 0.8 percent, its biggest drop in more than two months.

A weaker greenback makes dollarpriced commodities more affordable for buyers holding other currencies. Bullion is

getting additional support from worries about the US “fiscal cliff” - $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts scheduled to kick in early next year, which may push the economy into another recession. Gold has been stuck in a narrow range around $1,730 an ounce most of this week as investors wait to see if US lawmakers will be able to avert the looming fiscal crisis.

“We are stuck between $1,715 and $1,740 area for now, but speculators are still bullish on gold, as uncertainties about the ‘fiscal cliff’ hang around and they believe that central banks around the world will stay loose on monetary policy,” said Ronald Leung, chief dealer at Lee Cheong Gold Dealers in Hong Kong. Easing monetary policy boosts gold’s appeal as a hedge against inflation. The US Federal

Reserve’s stimulus measures have been a major driver behind gold’s 11-percent rise so far this year. Spot gold edged up 0.1 percent to $1,731.36 an ounce by 0808 GMT, headed for a weekly gain of 1 percent. US gold gained 0.2 percent to $1,731.60. Technical analysis suggested that spot gold looks weak below resistance at $1,734 and may retrace to $1,720 an ounce, said Reuters market analyst Wang Tao. Physical market in Hong Kong and Singapore was quiet, as the rangebound prices put off interest from both buyers and scrap sellers, dealers said. “Physical demand is very slow, especially from the jewellery sector, for this time of the year,” said Dick Poon, general manager of Heraeus Metals Hong Kong Ltd. —Reuters

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Early start to US ‘Black Friday’ shopping frenzy Stakes are high for American retailers

ATHENS: Striking IKEA employees stand outside the chain’s store in Athens yesterday protesting against salary cuts . Employees at IKEA (owned by Fourlis Group in Greece) are on strike since Wednesday, opposing management’s decision to apply pay cuts ranging from 8.5 to 11% , but the store remains open. — AFP

UK lawmakers consider overhaul of banking IT LONDON: British lawmakers are considering an overhaul of banks’ IT systems to stimulate competition by making it easier to switch accounts, a member of an inquiry into banking standards told Reuters.

The parliamentary commission is seeking ways to break the stranglehold of the few large lenders that have long dominated the British banking sector. The creation of IT infrastructure and the reluctance of customers to move accounts are viewed as two of the most significant barriers to new entrants. Conservative MP Mark Garnier said he supported proposals for a system that would enable customers to retain their account details when they move banks, adding that money being used to maintain outdated systems would be better spent creating an entirely new framework.

The former investment banker said that plans for banks to be given a strict seven-day deadline when transferring customers’ accounts to rival institutions did not go far enough and the commission is assessing a more radical solution. “Seven-day switching is a red herring, it’s missing the point,” Garnier told Reuters. “You cannot have 40-yearold systems. I’d like to see full account portability and a uniform IT system that makes it easier for challengers to enter the industry.”

The fragility of banks’ computer systems was laid bare this year by a software glitch that caused chaos for millions of Royal Bank of Scotland customers. Speaking to the commission this month, Andy Haldane, the Bank of England’s director of financial stability, said he was keen on customer account details being stored in a “central utility-type function”. Haldane said that banks would then “compete to plug and play into that central utility”.

“Once the information is held centrally it will become easier to switch both deposit accounts and loan accounts.

This is potentially a transformational idea for the industry and one I hope it could embrace,” Haldane said. Although analysts say that such a move would cost several billion pounds, Haldane does not believe it would be “out of reach financially”, given that banks are already spending billions each year on IT, the majority of which is used to maintain legacy systems. RBS, alone, is expecting to spend about 1.5 billion pounds ($2.4 billion) on implementing changes to its IT systems this year.

The commission was set up in July after the government came under pressure to scrutinize banks more effectively in the wake of Barclays being fined 290 million pounds for manipulating key interest rates including Libor - one of a number of scandals that have rocked the industry. Its original remit to examine standards and conduct within the industry shifted when it was asked to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny of the government’s draft banking reform bill.

The pre-legislative work has hogged the commission’s agenda so far, focusing on issues relating to the separation of banks’ retail operations from riskier investment activities. The commission has been asked to report its views on the proposed legislation by Dec. — Reuters

NEW YORK/BLOOMINGTON: The US shopping frenzy known as “Black Friday” kicked off at a more civilized hour, with some shoppers welcoming decisions by retailers such as Target Corp and Toys R Us Inc moving their openings earlier into Thursday night.

While the shift was denounced by some store employees and traditionalists as pulling people away from families on Thanksgiving (held on the fourth Thursday of November), many shoppers welcomed the chance to shop before midnight or in the early hours of the morning. “I think it’s better earlier.

People are crazier later at midnight,” Renee Ruhl, 52, a hotel worker, said at a Target in Orlando, Florida, where she was already heading to her car with an air hockey game loaded in her shopping cart at 9:30 p.m., or 2-1/2 hours before the chain opened last year.

The stakes are high for US retailers who can earn more than a third of their annual sales in the holiday season of which Black Friday marks the unofficial start - as they fight for a share of consumer spending that many economists don’t expect to grow as much as last year. The National Retail Federation forecast a 4.1 percent increase in retail sales during the November-December holiday period this year, down from a 5 .6 percent increase seen in 2011.

In a separate survey, the NRF said 147 million people would shop on Friday through Sunday, down from 152 million the same weekend last year. It did not say how many planned to shop on Thursday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc’s US discount stores, which have been open on Thanksgiving Day since 1988, offered some “Black Friday” deals at 8 p.m. local time on Thursday and special deals on certain electronics, like Apple Inc iPads, at 10 p.m.

The earlier hours lured people who had not previously considered braving the crowds on Black Friday, Jason Buechel, a senior executive in the retail practice of consultancy Accenture, said of his observations from malls.

And they also made things more orderly. “There’s no stress, no bustling, no people busting down doors,” Richard Stargill, a 43-year-old construction worker from New York, said, referring to incidents such as the 2008 death of a Walmart worker who was trampled by a mob of eager shoppers.

For Edward Segura, 50, who was at a Target in Tucson with his wife Belinda, 44, a nd their daughter, the earlier hours were a blessing.

“We’ll shop tonight and tomorrow is freed up for enjoyment. I get to play golf and we’re going to a football game later,” said Segura. “My wife thinks of this as the Super Bowl of shopping, but I’d rather do something else.” Like many shoppers on Black Friday, Segura was looking at televisions. But electronics were not the only hot sellers. At Macy’s in Herald Square, the line at the Estee

Lauder counter was four deep shortly after its midnight opening. The cosmetics department’s “morning specials” included free high-definition headphones with any fragrance purchase of $75 or more and a set of six eye shadows for $10. A Macy’s employee, who declined to be named, said the crowds were huge and more than she was expecting. And at the Target on Elston Avenue on Chicago’s Northwest side, known as one of the highest-volume

Target stores in the chain, the $25 Dirt Devil vacuum that normally goes for $39.99 was sold out, though there were still several large televisions. Items such as $2 towels were selling well, as w er e blankets, kids’ slippers and pajamas. As of 2 a.m. Central Time, Minnesota’s Mall of America was poised to beat the record number of shoppers - 217,000 - it attracted the same day last year, according to the mall’s public relations director Dan Jasper. — Reuters

NEW YORK: People crowd the first floor of Macy’s department store as they open at midnight (0500 GMT) yesterday in New York to start the stores’ “Black Friday” shopping weekend. — AFP

Christmas shopping creeps into Thanksgiving Day NEW YORK: Forget the traditional Thanksgiving holiday dinner. Many in the US chose to get an even earlier jump on Christmas shopping, even if that meant sleeping on the sidewalk outside stores.

The early morning shopping chaos that has become a day-afterThanksgiving tradition has crept back this year to eat into Thanksgiving Day itself. What was known as Black Friday - the day when stores traditionally turn a profit for the year - started on Thursday evening in many places.

Target Corp. was opening its doors at 9 pm Thursday, three hours earlier than last year. Sears, which didn’t open on Thanksgiving last year, was opening at 8 p.m.

Others such as Macy’s Inc. were opening at midnight on Black Friday.

Overall, about 17 percent of shoppers planned to take advantage of Thanksgiving hours, according to a International Council of Shopping Centers-Goldman Sachs survey of 1,000 consumers.

Michael Prothero, 19, and Kenny Fullenlove, 20, missed Thanksgiving dinner altogether. They started

camping out on Monday night outside a Best Buy store in Ohio, which was scheduled to open at midnight.

“Better safe than sorry,” Prothero said.

Americans have grown more comfortable shopping online, which has put pressure on stores, which can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue during the two-month holiday shopping season, to compete.

That’s becoming more difficult.

The National Retail Federation, an industry trade group, estimates that overall sales in November and December will rise 4.1 percent this year to $586.1 billion, or about flat with last year’s growth. But the online part of that is expected to rise 15 percent to $68.4 billion, according to Forrester Research.

“Every retailer wants to beat everyone else,” said C Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, a research firm.

“Shoppers love it.” Indeed, there were 11 shoppers in a four-tent encampment outside one Best Buy store in Michigan. A $179 Toshiba LCD television was worth missing Thanksgiving dinner at home. — AP

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Author Rafik Schami fears for post-Assad Syria www.kuwaittimes.net

PAGE 24

A Christie’s specialist displays a Rolex watch given to Elvis Presley by his manager for Christmas in 1976, during a photocall. — AP

Blind pianist beats odds to become Taiwan movie star PAGE 27

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

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he ‘Trouble with the Curve’ star - who has twoyear-old daughter Aviana with fiance Darren Le Gallo - says finding fame relatively late in life means she still views herself as the “poor girl from Colorado” and she is always shocked when people stop her in the street. In an interview in The Guardian newspaper, the 38-year-old actress said: “I still think I’m like the poor girl from Colorado who worked three jobs to buy a car. That’s still my mentality, so I’ll be walking down the street, and I forget what I do and who I am.

Someone will come up to me and say hi, and I’m thinking, I must know you, and I realise that, no, I don’t know them and they don’t know me. At all!” Amy was catapulted to worldwide fame by 2007 Disney movie ‘Enchanted’ and followed it up with prominent roles in ‘The Fighter’, ‘The Muppets’ and ‘On The Road’. And

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he ‘Girl On Fire’ singer is already predicting her two-year-old son Egypt - whose father is music producer Swizz Beatz - will be a huge “pain” when he’s older and says he loves being the centre of attention and showcasing his vocal skills whenever possible. Alicia laughed: “He’s definitely going to be a pain! I don’t know where he gets it from but he’s a little boy on fire. Egypt loves to sing and perform already. He sings ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ which is the cutest thing as he only knows half the words.” The 31-year-old R&B superstar who has been married to Swizz for over two years - also revealed the tiny tot stole the show at a recent gig and was milking

his time in the limelight standing at the side of the stage while she performed. In an interview in The Sun newspaper, Alicia recounted: “I did my very first show back recently and Egypt was on the side of the stage with his daddy. All the crowd were cheering and applauding and I was like, ‘Wow, they’re really into it!’ Then I walked off stage for my break and they were still cheering. “I looked behind to see Egypt blowing kisses and waving to the crowd.

And I smiled and said to myself, ‘That’s my boy. Go get ‘em.’ “

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the screen beauty believes her early years travelling around because of her father Richard Kent’s career in the US military taught her useful skills for her Hollywood career. She explained: “It definitely makes you a little bit more transient, which can turn out to be a good quality in life, and in fact has helped me in what I do ... What it really does is teach you how to adapt and change and fit into a new group or school, and that really is a lot like turning up to a new movie project and finding your place.”

he 45-year-old rocker - who has sons Donovan, five, and Sonny, two, with wife Sara MacDonald, as well as 12-yearold daughter Anais with former spouse Meg Matthews - is being forced to take lessons by his spouse, but is so determined not to legally be allowed behind the wheel, he says he will deliberately fail if he ever sits his driving test.

He said: “My lovely wife is insisting I take driving lessons. “She said, ‘Who is going to take the boys to the football?’ And I am like, ‘Well you are.’ But I have sussed it, you see. If I ever qualify for a test I will deliberately fail. “I would rather be in the passenger seat. I would crash a lot of cars. I have had 40-odd years looking out the window.” The former Oasis guitarist also admitted his rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle means he is “dreading” his sons reaching their teens but he won’t advise them to stay away from smoking and drugs

completely - so long as they remember they will never be as “cool” as him. Speaking to Alan Carr on UK TV show ‘Chatty Man’, he said: “I am dreading them in their teens. My attitude is everything in moderation, but I have told them, ‘You will never be as cool as your dad.’ “ However, the ‘If I Had A Gun’ hitmaker admits he can no longer party like he used to because he gets such bad hangovers.

He said: “I find hangovers dreadful now.

Terrible. “It’s called age. I usually wake up still drunk and when I go out to get the papers I wonder which way the traffic is going. “The longest bender I have been on? I went three days without sleep once and ended up in hospital but that was a good party.”

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

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he ‘Young’ singer - who is currently dating Newcastle United soccer player Danny Simpson - can’t wait to have children and once she does, she will give up her showbiz career. She said: “I believe my life will begin when I settle down and have kids. I will literally wake up one day and say that I don’t want to be in entertainment anymore and you won’t see me again. I’ve already bought my dream house in the country. I can’t wait!” Tulisa - who is known as ‘The Female Boss’ - also says she’s a lot softer in real life than her tough public image, espe-

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he 22-year-old singer has reportedly begun house-hunting in the UK and is ideally looking for a place close to the £3 million home in the Primrose Hill area of the city which the One Direction hunk - who she has been romantically linked with since splitting from Conor Kennedy - bought earlier this year. A source told LOOK magazine: “Taylor says the reason things fizzled out between them last time was because they had no time together. “I’m sure their recent contact is behind her sudden enthusiasm to buy in London. She says they’ll be able to pick up where they left off. She has even asked Harry if he’ll look at some places with her, since he knows the area.” However, insiders believe that Harry, 18, won’t be too impressed with her plan. The source added: “I’m not sure how Harry will cope if Taylor does move in down the road.” If Taylor does buy a London house to be near Harry, it won’t be the first time she has let love influence her property purchases. In August, the ‘We Are Never Ever Getting

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Back Together’ hitmaker bought a $4.9 million 13-room property in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts after spending time in the area with Conor, 18, and the property is across the street from his grandmother’s home. Additionally, the country singer bought a home in Nashville for $2.5 million in 2011. She also owns a huge penthouse apartment in the city, as well as a $3.3 million home in Beverly Hills.

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cially when she’s in love. She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “Am I still the boss? Even more so now as I’ve got to stand my ground and be even stronger. The only time I’m not like that is when I’m in love. then I show a lot more of my softer side. That’s my private side. It’s very different and people would be surprised about it.”

he quirky actress has set up a Double Dutch club among cast and crew on the show and finds the game - in which two long jump ropes turning in opposite directions are jumped by one or more players jumping simultaneously - a great way to keep in shape. She told People magazine: “We started a Double Dutch club on the ‘New Girl’ set. It’s a great way to stay active no matter what your age.” Zooey previously revealed one of the main reasons she loves working on the FOX show is because her older sister Emily works on the same lot and brings her son Henry, who was born in September 2011, to work with her. She explained: “We shoot on the same lot, so I’ll stop by her trailer. “Right now [Henry] just gets excited when he sees anything that moves, so I’m really fun, because I move. He’s with my sister all the time so I get to go hang out with them.”

he ‘Jersey Shore’ star and her “amazing” fiance Jionni LaValle enjoyed their threemonth-old baby Lorenzo’s first Thanksgiving and the reality TV beauty is so grateful to have such a “beautiful and healthy” little one. She tweeted: “Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I’m thankful for my beautiful & healthy baby boy&my amazing fiance. And of course my AMAZING fans/supporters! (sic)” Snooki - whose real name is Nicole Polizzi took to her Instagram account to post a series of images of her, Jionni and Lorenzo. To accompany one picture of the brunette star - who turns 25 years old today (23.11.12) clutching her little one in a garden, she wrote: “My baby’s first thanksgiving (sic)” Snooki recently said having Lorenzo has convinced her there is more to life than partying, and nowadays she just wants to spend all her time hugging her baby. She said: “Jionni is like [Lorenzo’s] other mother. He’s so hands on. He changes his diapers, he does everything.

So, Lorenzo kinda has like two moms. “I love Lorenzo so much - he’s perfect, he’s an amazing baby. I used to care about like, partying, like what’s going on tonight, what am I going to wear, and now it’s like, what is Lorenzo going to wear to bed? He’s so cute, I just wanna cuddle with him.”

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

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A black leather jacket worn by George Harrison of The Beatles on display, at the Beatles Story Museum, in Liverpool, England, yesterday. — AP

he Beatles audition tape rejected by a record label executive in arguably the biggest blunder in pop history has resurfaced and will go on sale at a London auction next week. Ted Owen of The Fame Bureau, an auction house specialising in pop memorabilia, said the 10-song tape was recorded on New Year’s Day, 1962, at label Decca’s studios in north London. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Pete Best - who would later be replaced on drums by Ringo Starr - performed up to 15 songs at the session, 10 of which appear on the tape to be sold on Nov 27.

The band members had been driven from Liverpool to London the night before, and, despite getting lost on the way managed to get to the studios in time for the infamous session paid for by their manager Brian Epstein. Decca’s senior A&R (artists and repertoire) representative Dick Rowe, who later became known as “the man who turned down the Beatles”, decided against signing them in favour of Brian Poole & The Tremeloes who also auditioned that day.

“Guitar groups are on their way out, Mr Epstein,” he is widely quoted as saying. Rowe did, however, sign the Rolling Stones, who went on to become one of the biggest acts in British rock, and experts dispute whether it was him or a more junior colleague who passed the Beatles over. There are bootleg versions of the session in existence, but the “safety master”, or back-up tape, on offer at auction is unique, Owen said.

“The most important thing about this is the quality,” he

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eated in a plush Vienna hotel, Rafik Schami is half a world away from the unrest tearing Syria apart. But that doesn’t stop the author caring and worrying deeply about the country he fled 41 years ago. Even in the best-case scenario, the award-winning Schami told AFP in an interview, creating a democratic Syria once “dictator” Bashar al-Assad has gone will take at least a decade of “sweat and tears,” The situation “is more dangerous than in Iraq,” says the 66-year-old author, whose books have been translated from German-the language that he writes in, that of his adopted homeland-into 24 languages.

But because Syria’s population is more diverse than Iraq, which was plunged into years of sectarian violence after the US-led invasion in 2003 that ousted Saddam Hussein, Schami sees a glimmer of hope. “I am not naive but I think that if we are lucky, we will need 10 years. We are not Tunisia, it’s going to take more than three weeks to become democratic,” he says. “It will be 10 years of reconstruction, of stretching out the hand of reconciliation to heal all the wounds between families. There is now hardly a single family that has not experienced loss.”

Creating a functioning, modern society will take billions of dollars, money that should come from Arab states to pay for European technology and help build up

Iraqi-German author Rafik Schami is pictured during an interview in Vienna. — AFP

told Reuters. “There are bootlegs out there, horrible bootlegssome are at the wrong speed, others are crackily and taken from a cassette off an acetate (disc). “This quality we have never heard.” Despite its rarity, the tape has been estimated to fetch 18-20,000 pounds ($29-32,000), which Owen said had been set by the owner and was a “sensible” starting point.

He added that only a handful of collectors were likely to bid for the piece of pop history, and, given that the Beatles own the copyright through their company, a commercial record release based on the tape was extremely unlikely. Marked as the “Silver Beatles”, which the “Fab Four” were briefly called, the tape comes with a hand-written track list and black-andwhite photograph of the musicians posing in leather jackets that would be been used for the record sleeve. Also on offer at the Popular Culture auction is a guitar used by Jimi Hendrix to play the bulk of his breakthrough set at the Monterey festival in California in 1967. The black Fender Stratocaster is expected to fetch 120-180,000 pounds. — Reuters

democratic institutions from scratch, he says. “I don’t envy the new government. No one is going to give them flowers,” says Schami, whose awards include Germany’s Hermann Hesse Prize and the Chamisso Prize. “This is why the term ‘Arab spring’ is wrong. This is no walk in the park with little bunches of flowers. No, this is going to take work, sweat and tears.”

Healing wounds with words Having lived in Germany since 1971, where he now lives in a village “with 1,500 inhabitants” Schami says he has no plans to move back to Syria once Assad’s regime has fallen, although he says he has been asked to play a political role. But he hopes to visit and to give readings from his books because literature, he believes, can also help Syrians find peace. Novelists “cannot provide political solutions, but we can provide comfort, we can write stories about forgiveness, stories about the enemy to show that they are human,” Schami says.

“Literature can help by creating new people, a person of freedom, a person of forgiveness, a person with a heart.” Under Assad, and during the three decades of rule by his late father Hafez al-Assad, writing was a dangerous occupation, Schami says. This comes across in one of his best-known books, the semi-autobiographical “Eine Hand voller Sterne” (“A Handful of Stars”) — 100,000 copies of which were handed out free in Vienna this week as part of the annual “Eine Stadt, ein Buch” eventabout growing up in Damascus and wanting to be a journalist. “Writers were able to publish, but you had to be careful, and authors had ‘scissors in their heads.’ Because of censorship, people began to censor themselves,” he says. “Caution and literature don’t mix well. Either it is fresh and written in total liberty, or it’s nothing,” Schami says. “You could get five years for a poem and be humiliated by primitive torturers who can’t read.”

Schami, who says that as an old imperial capital Vienna “reminds him of Damascus,” talks as if Assad has already fallen. This is because this is now inevitable, he says. He has too much blood on his hands to play any role in Syria’s future. “He is the commander-in-chief and he bears the responsibility,” Schami says. “It’s finished for him now... I am slowly coming to the conclusion that he can no longer escape with his life.” — AFP

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film is being planned about the life and times of Michael Hutchence, the frontman of Australian rock band INXS who committed suicide 15 years ago, a report said yesterday.

Former Hollywood screenwriter Bobby Galinsky, best-known for his work on the 1990 Kiefer Sutherland thriller “Flatliners”, told ABC radio casting was expected in the new year. “It is a big task, I’ve been a writer for 35 years and this is something I’ve wanted to do for over a decade and everything has now come together with it,” he said.

The movie will be called “Two Worlds Colliding”, based on the book “Just a Man-The Real Michael Hutchence” penned by the singer’s mother and sister, after Galinsky obtained the rights. He said he planned it to be along the lines of “Ray”, the story of Ray Charles, or “Walk the Line” which focused on Johnny Cash, “about a life, not a chapter”. “We’d like to start in his childhood and what made the man, then the evolution of when he got into INXS and how that transformed him, and then of course his personal life,” said Galinsky. “I want it to be what was behind the man, not just the guy you saw on stage, but who was Michael Hutchence, what drove him, what were his demons, what were his loves, not the persona that people saw on stage for a couple of hours.”

INXS were one of the world’s biggest acts throughout the late 1980s and early ‘90s, fuelled by Hutchence’s charismatic performances, with the band having multiple hits around the world. During his life, Hutchence had a string of love affairs with prominent actresses, models and singers, including Kylie Minogue. But he was found dead in a Sydney hotel room in 1997, with the coroner ruling his death was suicide while the singer was depressed and under the influence of drugs and alcohol. —AFP

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

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ne of Australia’s best-selling and most popular authors, Bryce Courtenay, who shot to prominence with his first book “The Power Of One”, has died aged 79, his family said yesterday. The South African-born Courtenay, who moved to Australia in the 1950s and sold more than 20 million books, had been suffering from stomach cancer and died at his Canberra home on Thursday. “We’d like to thank all of Bryce’s family and friends and all of his fans around the world for their love and support for me and his family as he wrote the final chapter of his extraordinary life,” his wife Christine said on Facebook. Courtenay’s biggest suc-

cess was “The Power of One”, about a young English boy raised during the apartheid era in South Africa.

It was made into a successful film starring Stephen Dorff, John Gielgud, and Morgan Freeman, with James Bond star Daniel Craig appearing in his first major screen role. Courtenay came to novels late in life after years working in the advertising industry, with the “Power of One”, published when he was 55 and selling eight million copies. He went on to write 21 books, including “The Potato Factory”, “Tommo & Hawk”, and “Solomon’s Song”.

Courtenay did not let his fight with cancer slow him down,

with his final book, “Jack of Diamonds”, being released this month. He knew he was dying and in a moving final video clip to accompany the book, he said: “This is my last book because my use-by date has finally come up and I’ve probably got just a few months to live.—AFP

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t a colourful temple next to the turquoise sea off Ly Son Island, weather-beaten Vietnamese fishermen offer up their prayers to an unusual god-”Ca Ong” or Mr Whale. Before setting sail on a month-long voyage, Nguyen Hoang Loi makes a pilgrimage to the ornately decorated Tan Temple, which houses the remains of two sacred giant whales. “Praying to the whale will help us if we encounter trouble at sea,” the 45-year-old said as he and his crew prepared to depart from Ly Son, an island of 21,500 people off the coast of central Vietnam. Up and down Vietnam’s 3,200 kilometres (2,000 miles) of coastline, fishing communities worship giant whales, which they view as their guardian angels-a religious phenomenon of a type that experts say is unique to the country.

“If fishermen encounter a sudden storm when fishing and don’t know where to shelter, then they pray to Mr Whale to help,” Ly Son Island’s whale priest Tran Ngo Xuong told AFP. “The whale will appear beside their boat, helping them through the dangerous moments,” said Xuong, a 79-year-old retired fisherman who now acts as a custodian at Tan Temple. After an elaborate prayer ceremony to appease the whale spirits, Xuong unseals two dimly lit rooms behind Tan Temple’s ornate altar piece, where the bones of two giant whales are stored.

The whales-which weighed between 50 and 70 tons when alive and were both more than 20 metres long-beached in separate incidents on Ly Son’s shores over 100 years ago, Xuong said. The creatures were so big that hundreds of people would normally have struggled to haul them in, but after many prayers and rituals, just a few dozen islanders managed to drag them ashore with the help of a favourable tide, he said. Beached whales are given traditional Vietnamese funerals-they are buried for between five and 10 years, and then their bones are excavated and kept above ground. Whale oil is separated off and stored in huge ceramic containers to be used during ritual cleaning of the whale bones on their death anniversary.

‘A giant whale guided us back to shore’ Official media frequently report on stories of miraculous escapes by fishermen aided by whales, with Suc Khoe Doi Song, a newspaper under the Ministry of Health, most recently describing fisherman Dang Chau’s escape. Chau’s boat was heading back to shore after a long fishing trip when it was caught in a storm.

Heavily overloaded with fish, the crew feared they would capsize.

“Then a giant whale came, swimming in front of the boat and blocking the storm so that the crew could sail back to shore,” the report said. “The whale only swam back to sea when the fishermen got to safety. The fishermen were all so surprised, they bowed their heads in prayer to the whale as he swam away,” it added.

Unlike in other countries where whales are revered, in Vietnam the practice is based on specific incidents in the past where the giant mammals beached near local fishing communities, according to expert Sandra Lantz. The Ca Ong religion was, for this reason, “unique” to Vietnam, said Lantz, who authored a 2009 study on whale worship printed in the Swedish Science Press.

The practice of traditional rituals such as whale worship is encouraged by communist authorities, which for decades discouraged all religious activities, before loosening restrictions in 2004.

The majority religion, Buddhist, is now openly practiced, although vocal minority groups of all faiths routinely complain of official discrimination.

This picture shows 79-year-old fisherman Tran Ngo Xuong (left) and others fishermen praying at a whale-worshiping temple on Ly Son island. — AFP

Whale worshiping festivals-which celebrate the cetaceans and ask that the fishermen be blessed with bumper hauls and safe passage across the treacherous seas-have been given the official seal of approval. A recent such event in southern Ba Ria Vung Tau was designated one of Vietnam’s “top 15 festivals” by authorities. Ly Son islanders hope the whales could help boost their own tourist arrivals, which currently stand at about 3,000 plus a year. The authorities plan to reassemble the skeletons and build a new temple to put them on display to attract visitors and make the community less dependent on fishing. - AFP

This picture shows a whale sculpture on the walls of Tan temple, a whale-worshiping temple on Ly Son island. — AFP

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Indian Bollywood actor Aamir Khan (center) poses with cast members as he visits a television studio in Mumbai. — AFP

Halle Berry’s ex arrested after fight at her house H

alle Berry’s ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry was arrested for investigation of battery Thursday after he and the Oscar-winning actress’s current boyfriend got into a fight at her Hollywood Hills home, police said. Aubry, 37, was booked for investigation of a battery, a misdemeanor, and released on $20,000 bail, according to online jail records. He’s scheduled to appear in court Dec 13. Aubry came to Berry’s house Thanksgiving morning and police responded to a report of an assault, said Los Angeles Police Officer Julie Boyer. Aubry was injured in the altercation and was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released.

Emails sent to Berry’s publicist, Meredith O’Sullivan, and Aubry’s family law attorney, Gary Fishbein, were not immediately returned. Berry and Aubry have been involved in a custody dispute involving their 4-year-old daughter, Nahla. The proceedings were sealed because the former couple are not married. Both appeared in the case as recently as Nov 9, but neither side commented on the outcome of the hearing. Berry has been dating French actor Olivier Martinez, and he said earlier this year that they are engaged. — AP

Actress Deborah Raffin dies at age 59

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eborah Raffin, an actress who ran a successful audiobook company with the help of her celebrity friends, has died. She was 59. Raffin died Wednesday of leukemia at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, her brother, William, told the Los Angeles Times. She was diagnosed with the blood cancer about a year ago. Raffin, the daughter of 20th Century Fox contract player Trudy Marshall, had roles in movies such as “Forty Carats” and “Once Is Not Enough.”

She also starred in television miniseries, most notably playing actress Brooke

Hayward in “Haywire” and a businesswoman in “Noble House,” based on the James Clavell saga set in Hong Kong.

She and her then-husband, music producer Michael Viner, launched Dove Books-on-Tape in the mid-1980s, which blossomed into a multimillion-dollar business. The company’s first best-seller was Stephen Hawking’s opus on the cosmos entitled “A Brief History of Time.” Raffin’s job was getting celebrities to provide voices for some of the books. Among them were the nonfiction bestsellers “Anatomy of an Illness” and “The Healing Heart,” both

by Norman Cousins and read by Jason Robards Jr. and William Conrad, respectively. Raffin also compiled celebrities’ Christmas anecdotes for a 1990 book, “Sharing Christmas,” which raised money for groups serving the homeless. It included stories from Margaret Thatcher, Kermit the Frog and Mother Teresa. Raffin and Viner sold the company in 1997 and the couple divorced eight years later. Viner died of cancer in 2009. Raffin is survived by her two siblings, William and Judy Holston; and a daughter, Taylor Rose Viner. Services are set for Sunday in Culver City. — AP

British codebreakers stumped by WWII pigeon message

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In this file photo, Model Gabriel Aubry and actress Halle Berry attend the Calvin Klein 40th anniversary party during Fashion Week in New York. — AP

ritish intelligence officials are baffled by a secret World War II message that was discovered on the leg of a dead pigeon, they admitted yesterday. The message, consisting of 27 hand-written blocks of five letters, was attached to a pigeon skeleton that was found by retired probation officer David Martin when he was renovating his house in Surrey, southeast England. Martin handed the piece of paper to experts at intelligence agency GCHQ at the start of November, and they have been scratching their heads ever since.

Codebreakers said the message, which did not include a date, was impossible to crack without its codebook. Written on a small sheet of paper headed “Pigeon Service”, the code was found in a small red canister and listed the sender as “Sjt W Stot”. The recipient is named as “X02”. A GCHQ spokesman said: “Although it is disappointing that we cannot yet read the message brought back by a brave carrier pigeon, it is a tribute to the skills of the wartime code-makers that, despite working under severe pressure, they devised a code that was indecipherable both then and now.” Britain used some 250,000 pigeons as military messengers during World War II. — AFP

Portrait images are projected on the walls of a building as a art project “Video Guerrilha (guerrilla in Portuguese)” in Sao Paulo, Brazil yesterday. — AFP

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Sudan

Film on break-up makes ‘footsteps’ in history

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udanese-born British Taghreed Elsanhouri, whose documentary about last year’s partition of Sudan premiered in her homeland on Thursday night, is making footsteps. The award-winning film-maker said she wanted Sudanese to have “ownership” of their history-and by doing so to take responsibility for what happened. “Our Beloved Sudan” weaves the personal story of one family with the history of the country shown through archival footage and interviews with key political figures in the lead-up to partition last year.

Predominantly black African and Christian South Sudan became independent from the Arab-dominated Muslim north in July 2011 after a nearly unanimous vote in a referendum. The vote came under a 2005 peace deal which ended 23 years of civil war that killed about two million people and displaced millions more. Elsanhouri said her motivation as a film-maker came from growing up in Britain where, as a university student wanting to learn about her ancestral home, she found diaries of colonial administrators but no Sudanese voices.

“I felt very frustrated by this, and I thought... did they not leave any footsteps in history?” she told AFP in an interview. “I guess that upset me a lot,” she said.

“So I think my whole project, my life project, is about creating these footsteps.” Her latest production is not just a film but an act of historical documentation, said Elsanhouri, who moved to Britain when she was nine.

“I want, 50 years from now, if a researcher is looking for something about the partition, to find something by a Sudanese,” she said before the film’s Khartoum screening. The 90-minute production features Amira, a young woman with a northern father and a southern mother. It chronicles the impact of the civil war and the lead-up to independence on Amira and her ethnically-mixed family, alongside interviews with prominent political figures from the north and south.

Journalists and press freedom advocates say a media crackdown intensified in Sudan after South Sudan separated but Elsanhouri said she did not face any official obstacles “because I work in a very quiet and non-confrontational way.” The British citizen also admitted to having “less to lose” than a Sudanese living permanently in the country.

The real obstacle in making the film came in trying to establish a bond with her southern characters.

“They trusted me up to a point but ultimately I am a northerner, and they could not give me their testimony,” she said. “I really came face to face with the extent of the divide between us as a people.” “Our Beloved Sudan” has not yet been shown in the South.

The film cost about 50,000 euros ($64,000), much of it from her own pocket and some from the European Union. “We have funded this movie as (an) expression of our will to bring better understanding” between north and south, EU ambassador Tomas Ulicny told more than 200 people who filled an outdoor terrace at Khartoum’s Goethe-Institut for the screening.

Amira, the film’s main character, was among the audience for the documentary which had its global premiere late last year at the Dubai International Film Festival. Elsanhouri said that although she had wide access to politicians-including former prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and the wife of the late southern leader John Garang-a key voice was missing.

Vice President Ali Osman Taha, who analysts say is a possible successor to President Omar al-Bashir, would not give Elsanhouri an interview. “And that saddens me because I think you cannot be silent,” she said.

“Fifty years from now when we wanted to know how did this country come to part, what were the processes, what were the internal dynamics, what was it that Mr Osman thought? This will be lost to history.” More than a year later, the anticipation and sadness which preceded Sudan’s division has not been replaced with needed reflection, she said, describing the partition as an inevitable outcome of history. —AFP

Mexican actress Salma Hayek holds the Bambi trophy during the ambi 2012 media awards, Thursday, Nov 22, 2012, in Dusseldorf, Germany. Hayek won the Bambi for Film International. — AP

Christie’s specialist Caitlin Graham adjusts a Chinese dancing costume with headdress worn by actress Anna May Wong in the 1937 film ‘Daughter of Shanghai’, during a photocall at the auction rooms in London yesterday. The costume estimated at 3,000-5,000 pounds ($4,800-$8,000) will go on sale in the Pop Culture auction on Nov 29 in London. — AP

Blind pianist beats odds to become Taiwan movie star H

uang Yu-siang was born with a gift and a disability. He has a huge talent for music, but he is blind. His story has become a movie that has captivated audiences in his native Taiwan. The film, “Touch of the Light”, marks a double triumph for the 25-year-old.

First he overcame awe-inspiring odds by becoming a successful pianist in real life. Then he beat the odds once more by playing himself on the big screen. “I was surprised by the warm reactions at home and abroad. Many people told me they were encouraged by the film to persist in their dreams,” Huang told AFP in an interview.

Huang’s musical gift was discovered at the age of two when he could play on the piano songs he had heard only once. He went on to win many competitions and became the first blind person in Taiwan to obtain a bachelor’s degree in music majoring in piano. His story was

This photo shows blind Taiwanese pianist Huang Yu-siang (left) and Taiwanese-French actress Sandrine Pinna in the island’s latest hit movie “Touch of the Light”. — AFP

made into a short film in 2008 by Taiwanese director Chang Jung-chi.

This attracted the attention of acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, who encouraged Chang to build it into a full-length feature. It has become a top-grossing movie in Taiwan since its September release, winning over fans including President Ma Ying-jeou, who praised its “subtle character portrayals” on his Facebook page. The film has also been welcomed by civil groups that hope it will sharpen the focus on the plight of the island’s blind. While attitudes towards those with disabilities have improved in recent years, support groups and charities say Taiwanese society still has some way to go when it comes to equality. Taiwan prides itself on its facilities for the physically impaired-wheelchair ramps abound in the cities-but the fact remains that blind people face drastically limited opportunities. “The visuallyimpaired are a minority among the minorities, as employers are more willing to hire the physically or hearing-impaired,” said Chiang Pei-fen, a spokeswoman for Taiwan Foundation for the Blind. “The majority of the visually-impaired are still limited to working as masseurs or in telemarketing, and even though general workplace acceptance is improving, there is still a big gap between the number of job seekers and employers willing to hire them.” Despite his gift, Huang himself has not avoided discrimination. He said he was mocked by fellow students at school and was rejected by a junior high school music programme because he could not see the scores.

The real shock came when Huang left home to attend university, where he struggled to cope, with some classmates reluctant to accommodate him. “It was a difficult time adjusting to a new environment but I came to realise that I could not always sit back and wait for other people to come to me. I had to take the initiative to make friends,” he said. His adjustment process and the friendships he eventually developed form the bulk of the plot in “Touch of the Light”. The experience has transformed Huang from a “shy, introverted” boy who dared not respond to people greeting him, he said, to a celebrity musician and actor who mingled with fans and travelled abroad to promote his work. —AFP

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

A

72-year-old Chinese man who became an Internet sensation after his granddaughter used him as a cross-dressing model to promote her clothing store was delighted at his new-found fame, she said. Lu Qing, who lives in southern China’s Guangdong province, posted pictures of her grandfather dressed in an array of pink skirts, red tights and fur-lined women’s jackets to promote her online fashion outlet Yuekou.

The images of Liu Xianping have since gone viral and seen him branded the “world’s coolest” grandfather by Internet users for his slender legs and modelling poise. They have also boosted his granddaughter’s bottom line.

“Since the pictures came out, we’ve had a huge number of website visitors, and are selling five times as many clothes as before,” Lu told AFP. “Previously, we sometimes sold less than 10 items a day, and were feeling depressed about the business.” Lu said her grandfather was “surprised” by the reaction to the photos and at least three other stores had asked him to pose for them, but he was unlikely to accept.

“He doesn’t see modelling as a way of making money, it’s just about having fun with

Models display creations by Kyrgyz designer Zhanara Chyngysheva during a Muslim fashion in the Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek. — AFP photos

his relatives,” she said, adding she hopes to use his services again. Liu “had a young heart”, she said, and enjoys visits to parks and zoos, as well as playing games on his mobile phone. “He thinks bringing people’s attention to the elderly is great, so he’s been very happy recently.”

The Offbeat China website, which tracks Internet developments in the country, said Liu’s modelling illustrates the transformation it has undergone. “It is stories like this when one can get a sense of what a diversified society China has changed into in the past 40 years, especially for someone like Liu who has lived through one of the most rigid times in China’s history,” said a post on the site.

Liu, who has worked as a teacher and a farmer, did not need prompting to take up modelling, Lu said. “My grandfather saw some new stock one day and thought some of the colours were pretty... he wasn’t embarrassed to model because we’re all very close to him,” she said, adding that his favourite item was a red women’s coat. — AFP This picture shows Liu Xianping (left) who is a 72 year old grandfather preparing to model women’s clothing for his granddaughter’s online fashion company “Yecoo” in Guangzhou, south China. — AFP

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

T

his season’s clothes aren’t taking their cues from club kids, college students or teenage rebels. There’s something grown-up about some of the most popular looks: They’re a little refined and very wearable, but they’ve avoided being stodgy or, worse, just plain old. Some of the influence could be coming from pop culture with “The Great Gatsby” and “Anna Karenina” among the most anticipated movies before year’s end, and the popularity of TV period pieces such as “Downton Abbey,” “Mad Men” and “Boardwalk Empire.” No flannel PJ bottoms or ripped jeans there.

On fall-winter runways, Marlene Dietrich lookalikes appeared at Donna Karan, Charles Dickens-inspired characters at Marc Jacobs and the models at Louis Vuitton seemed poised for a romantic rendezvous on the Orient Express.

Polished sophistication can be tempting after going periods over the past decade that have alternately favored bohemian, aggressive and blingy looks.

“I’m not a psychologist, I’m just a fashion designer,” says Banana Republic creative director Simon Kneen, “but the air of fashion is a little more elegant right now. ... We’re not in a moment when casual feels like the right mood.” Some of the trends on retail racks include rich jewel tones of purple, blue and green, lace handiwork and refined accessories including brooches, opera gloves and top-handle bags.

The newness is coming from the feeling of aristocracy with a dash of opulence, says Brooke Jaffe, director of fashion accessories at Bloomingdale’s.

“Dressing from the top of society is where trends are coming from, not street trends. We started our fall trend report with the jewelry category, specifically ‘fantasy jewelry.’ Where’s that coming from?

The royal family? ‘Downton Abbey’? I’m not sure, but we believe 120 million percent in fancy and opulent jewelry,” she says.

Buttery, work-appropriate leather pants, equestrian jackets, quilting and gilded baroque embellishments are also on the sophisticated shopping list,

says Brandon Holley, editor-in-chief of Lucky magazine. It’s not just fashion experiencing this adult-quake, says Tom Morton, North American chief strategy officer for forecasting and advertising company Havas Worldwide. He prepared a report that dealt with the “pushback against youth obsession.”

“People are going where the money is,” Morton says.

A side effect of the economic downturn is that teenagers and 20-somethings aren’t entering the economy as early as their counterparts did a generation ago, he explains. Meanwhile, famous faces aren’t leaving the stage as they age: Morton points to the popularity of Paul McCartney at the Olympics and Bruce Springsteen on the presidential campaign trail.

Even James Bond is 50 - and actor Daniel Craig, who portrays him, is 44.

Just passing a newsstand in Manhattan, Morton noted the celebrities on the covers of the glossy magazines - Jessica Alba, Eva Longoria and David Beckham, all in their 30s, and “everyone else was even older.” And saying something is “modern” or “contemporary” is no longer shorthand for “young.”

“You look at the Apple store. It’s what contemporary life looks like, but there’s not an upper age limit on it. ... There was an assumption of people growing out of things, but that’s not happening,” Morton says.

Adam Glassman, creative director of O, The Oprah Magazine, says more people are comfortable in their own skin. Women aren’t necessarily using fashion and beauty as a tool to look younger, he observes. Instead, they’re using those tools to be the best 40-, 50- or 60-year-old they can be. “When young people wear it, they looked pulled together, polished. When older women wear it -

and, yes, they do have to be careful about going too far this way or they risk looking a bit like a dowager - they like the trends of being more covered, the return to hosiery and vintage jewelry. A lot of women appreciate sleeves on dresses,” he says.

Younger women are learning that sophistication doesn’t mean matronly, and they’re seeing these grown-up styles as a fast track to confidence and credibility, Glassman says. One might think the plugged-in culture that allows one to run a business from a local coffee shop is an excuse to dress down, but it’s not, Kneen says. “You’re never doing just one thing. You have to prepare yourself for the unexpected: What meeting you’ll be called into unexpectedly, who you’ll bump into, if you’ll have coffee with a friend or go from there to dinner.”

He adds: “It’s just easier to be a little dressed up.” Knowing you look the part of a responsible, respectable adult can make you stand a little straighter, says Jacqueline Durran, the costume designer of “Anna Karenina.” She worked with Kneen on looks inspired by the film to be sold at Banana Republic during the holiday season. “As I see with my working in costuming, the act of simply putting on a piece of clothing can truly transform someone’s attitude and make them carry themselves in a different way,” says Durran. “This obviously translates beyond acting to everyday dressing, which is about feeling confident in what you’re wearing and looking poised in all situations.” — AP

technology

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

At Helsinki’s Slush, start-ups ‘speed date’ for financing HELSINKI: It’s 10:00 am at Helsinki’s Cable Factory and for Yan Shtefanets, a 23-year-old Russian student, the clock is ticking: he has two minutes to pitch his start-up to investors to secure much-needed financing. The Slush start-up conference brought together hundreds of investors and start-ups from northern Europe over the course of two days Wednesday and Thursday, to take part in the technology sector’s equivalent of the talent show XFactor.

For his 120-second presentation, Shtefanets stands on a small podium to present his business plan to three judges who are either tech investors or job coaches. “My smartphone app

allows its users to locate cool events, close to their place,” he explains, his eyes scanning the jury and the rest of the room jam-packed with a hundred investors, journalists and other entrepreneurs waiting their turn to present. Tuomas Kosonen, a jury member and partner at the Finnish venture capital group Inventure, fires off his questions: “What’s a cool event? Where’s the money?”

Flustered, Shtefanets loses his cool and stumbles through his answers, and his two minutes are up.

He doesn’t find out immediately if he will proceed to the next round, but he can tell by the judges’ faces that they weren’t impressed and he leaves the podium, dejected. Just

like on reality television, the judges can be ruthless. “When you decide to come and present your project on a stage, rehearse before! I didn’t understand anything,” thunders Finnish investor and judge Aape Pohjavirta at one entrepreneur. At the Cable Factory, Helsinki’s main cultural centre, investors in snazzy suits rub shoulders with budding tech entrepreneurs clad in their standard uniform, hoodies. Slush is divided into three categories, borrowing terms from the boxing ring: lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight, with elimination rounds for each.

The start-ups are also divided by number of employees (six, 20 or 50

people) and their financing needs (100,000 euros, 500,000 euros or 10 million euros). For Shtefanets, who is a “lightweight” and who arrived the same morning after an exhausting bus trip from Saint Petersburg, the event ends in disappointment. “I should have prepared more. Two minutes, it’s really short,” he says. Of the 100 candidates in his division, only three finalists will secure financing. Throughout the day, the hopefuls take turns at the podium.

Several have come up with the same idea: to use a smartphone to find the best beer in a given city. Bored, the judges yawn at some of the presentations, before bursting suddenly with enthusiasm. — AFP

Doubts as greenhouse gas leader hosts climate meet Oil- and gas-guzzling Qatar seek to expand global reach DUBAI: Qatar has much to prove in the coming days as the fossil fuel producing nation with the world’s largest per capita carbon footprint hosting the 18th UN climate change conference. Environmentalists question whether the tiny emirate has the diplomatic muscle, and more importantly, the political will, to play a positive role in the critical twoweek huddle that kicks off next Monday in Doha.

The oil- and gas-guzzling Gulf nation, seeking to expand its global reach and recently awarded the 2022 football World Cup, insists it is committed to a successful conference.

Not all are convinced. “It (Qatar) would not be my choice,” Raul Estrada, an architect of the historic 1997 Kyoto Protocol said. He says the country’s funding of the conference would have been an important factor in awarding it the event. But as conference president, Qatar hasn’t been seen to be “pushing for a result”.

“You need to have a strong leadership to have progress, to advance. I don’t see that leadership,” said the Argentine ex-diplomat.

“In the whole history of the climate negotiations, Qatar was trying to avoid the adoption of commitments to reduce the use of fossil fuels in order to mitigate climate change.” The Gulf state which depends almost entirely on fossil fuels for income and energy will find itself in a strange role-expected to steer some 194 nations towards a new deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and by default, their dependence on oil and gas.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook, Qatar was the world’s 19th largest crude oil producer last year and the fourth biggest natural gas exporter. In its latest Living Planet Report in May, green group WWF named the emirate as the country with the largest ecological footprint. Qatar has signed up to the Kyoto Protocol on curbing Earth-warming gas emissions, but as a developing country does not have fixed emission reduction targets, nor has it made any voluntary pledge.

It is a coastal dryland that depends solely on energy intensive and costly desalination plants for its water needs. Qatar “is also one of

SAILIYA: A general view shows burning flames from a gas well in Sailiya, 40km north of the Qatari capital Doha. Environmentalists question whether the tiny emirate has the diplomatic muscle, and more importantly, the political will, to play a positive role in the oncoming 18th UN climate change conference held in Doha. — AFP the 10 developing countries predicted to be most affected by rising sea levels,” former Qatari petroleum minister and conference president Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah said in a statement Wednesday. “Environmental sustainability is a key pillar of our national vision,” he said. Sven Teske of Greenpeace International argues that steering the talks towards success was clearly in Qatar’s “midterm and long-term interest.”

“Reducing (greenhouse gas) emissions is not a burden anymore, it’s a business opportunity... and that changes the dynamics” at the negotiating table, he said.”When climate negotiations started years ago, solar energy was ten times more expensive than today...

Now, it’s really good business,” said Teske, adding Qatar should grab this opportunity for “new markets, new technologies and new businesses in renewable” energy. But some think this is expecting too much.

“We weren’t reassured by this story showing the Qatari (conference) President (Attiyah) schmoozing at the Oil and Money conference in London the other day,” said Kelly Rigg of the Global Campaign for Climate Action. “This

was clearly bad judgment.” One European negotiator said Qatar’s latest row with Russia over the crisis in Syria could further hamper its ability to bring the parties to the negotiating table. Climate conferences have made halting progress in the past, even with host nations deemed to have fewer conflicts of interest than Qatar.

There is one thing even the critics seem to agree on: the nation of some 1.6 million stands to lose much if the world’s leaders fail to reverse the global warming trend.

“Climate change and increase in temperatures is making Qatar even more vulnerable to the lack of water and food insecurity” it already faces, UN climate Chief Christiana Figueres said in a video posted on the UNFCC website. “Every single drop of water that is used in Qatar needs to be desalinated. Every single gram of food that is eaten needs to be either imported or grown with desalinated water,” she added. “I have no doubt they (Qatar) are committed to a (meeting) that is not only going to be successful in format but that is actually going to be successful in substance.” — AFP

Apple products at top of children’s wish lists LOS ANGELES: In 2012, 48 percent of children age 6 to 12 will ask Santa for an iPad, according to a new survey from Nielsen. Each year Nielsen conducts two surveys, one of children 6 to 12, the other of teens 13 and older to find out what they really want for Christmas (or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa). On Tuesday, the company released the results of its 2012 survey of 3,000 kids. It found that the answer this year is no different than it was in 2011 and 2010: Kids want Apple products. Specifically, the iPad. The iPad craving starts young.

This year, 48 percent of kids age 6 to 12 said they were interested in getting an iPad in the next six months.

That’s up from 44 percent who said they wanted an iPad in 2011. A fullsized iPad starts at $499.

Kids surveyed were not limited to picking just one gadget, and the next most popular item, for 39 percent of kids 6 to 12, was the Nintendo Wii U, which launched last weekend. The price for the Wii U is $350 to $400. Thirty-six percent of kids said they want the iPod Touch ($199). The same percentage said they want the iPad Mini ($329). The iPhone was the fifth most-popular item on the list, with 33 percent of kids expressing interest in Apple’s smartphone.

When it came to kids 13 and older, only 21 percent said they hoped to get an iPad in the next six months. An almost equal number said they wanted a computer (19 percent) and a tablet other than an iPad (18 percent). Only 14 percent of the older kids said they hoped to get an iPhone.

But that might be because many teenagers already have an iPhone. A survey by Piper Jaffray & Co. of 7,700 kids in October found that 40 percent of teenagers own an iPhone. In other words, when it comes to older kids, Santa may have to get creative. — MCT

technology

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

India’s capital widens ban on plastic bags NEW DELHI: The Delhi government imposed a blanket ban on the use of all plastic bags yesterday in an attempt to tackle the city’s mounting rubbish problems, an official said.

Thin plastic bags-measuring less than 40 microns thick-were banned in India’s capital in 2009, but the new rules will cover all plastic packaging for items such as magazines and greeting cards as well as garbage bags. “From today, the government has banned all use, sale and manufacture of plastic bags in the city. No

exceptions will be made,” a senior official in the Delhi chief minister’s office told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“Plastic is an environmental disaster. These bags clog the city’s drains, they are non-biodegradable. It might take time, but we have to ensure that this ruling is enforced throughout Delhi,” he added. Those caught violating the new rules will face a unspecified fine.

The 2009 ban on plastic bags is rarely enforced, with vegetable and

fruit sellers, small shops and takeaway restaurants still freely using cheap, thin bags to package their products. According to the Delhi government’s website, the city, which is home to 17 million people, generates 574 metric tons (1.2 million pounds) of plastic waste each day.

Earlier this month, a leading plastic manufacturers’ association took the government to court over the new ban in a case that is being heard by the Delhi High Court. The All India

Plastic Industries Association (AIPIA) said the order would jeopardize the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people involved in the manufacture and sale of plastic bags.

The ban on items such as plastic garbage bags is also likely to stir resistance with few alternatives available on the market. Shopping bags made from jute, a vegetable fibre used to make coarse-textured fabric, have become popular since the 2009 ban but are not widely available for sale. — AFP

NEW DELHI: An Indian rag picker searches for plastic waste through smoke coming from burning waste at a garbage dump site in New Delhi.

(Right) An Indian pedestrian carries goods in a plastic bag while walking through a crowded market in New Delhi. — AFP

UAE a safer country with ‘lower threats’ Kaspersky participates at IDC IT in Government Roadshow DUBAI: Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content management solutions, participated yesterday at the IDC IT in Government Roadshow 2012 that was held in the United Arab Emirates on November 21st at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi.

The event discussed key business and technology changes taking place as governments are transitioning to new post-recession environments and citizen expectations.

Speaking at the conference, Vladimir Zapolyansky, Head of Technology Positioning, the delegate of Kaspersky Lab, spoke about the global network intrusions and cyberattacks the governments have seen throughout the past few years, especially in the Middle East region.

Zapolyansky highlighted that the numerous intrusions into networks have not been detected due to the complex set of malware techniques that cybercriminals used to perform them; and he presented innovative and preventive approaches and actions that governments must

deploy to achieve a resilient and secure IT infrastructure and regain control over it.

Zapolyansky analyzed also the security level of the United Arab Emirates, and according to the previous month’ figures of Kaspersky Security Network he said, “From a malware outspreading point of view, the average rate of worldwide web infection is around 28%, while the UAE’s web infection is around 17%, ranking it 71st in the world; a safer country with a lower threats; meaning that 17% of all internet users in the country regularly face malware during web surfing.

“Furthermore, the average worldwide infection rate through removable devices 16%, positioning the UAE in the 65th place with a rate of 19%, are relevantly safer than other countries in the world; still, users must should pay attention to the devices they use as the 5th removable device in the country in infected”, he continued.

Commenting on the conference,

Tarek Kuzbari, Managing Director of Kaspersky Lab Middle East and Turkey said, “According to IDC, IT spending in the government vertical in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa region (META) reached $6.44 billion in 2011, representing an increase of 10.7% year on year. IDC expects IT spending in the sector to expand steadily over the forecast period with a CAGR of 12.3% to reach $10.40 billion in 2015. The sector accounted for 10.0% of total MEA IT spending in 2011.”

He continued saying, “Kaspersky Lab took part in this roadshow to communicate its commitment to the governments of this region, and to share its expertise and best practices in information security. This event forms the linking platform between governments and technology experts to discuss the current and future emerging strategies and capabilities that MEA government IT organizations need to adopt to deliver higher decision-making competency and improve operational efficiency for 2012 and beyond.”

Facebook proposes abolishing user votes on privacy changes CALIFORNIA: Facebook has proposed taking away users’ ability to vote on certain privacy policy changes and restructuring the social network’s governance process. Currently, the Menlo Park, Calif.-based social network allows users to vote if a proposed change to the policy receives more than 7,000 comments. Once a vote is triggered, if more than 30 percent of Facebook members participate, the results of the balloting stand.

In a post Wednesday, Facebook said the current system has become outdated because with 1 billion members, getting 7,000 comments is easy, but getting 300 million members to vote is a tough task. “We’re proposing to end the voting component of the process in favor of a system that leads to more meaningful feedback and engagement,” Elliot Schrage, Facebook’s vice president of communications, public policy and marketing, said in the post.

Instead, the company wants to have a system that relies solely on the feedback users give during a sevenday review-and-comment period.

Additionally, the company would introduce an “Ask the Chief Privacy Officer” feature so that users can send questions about privacy directly to Erin Egan, Facebook’s chief privacy officer. Egan would also hold webcasts on a regular basis to address users’ questions and concerns regarding privacy on the social network, the company said. The proposal to change the voting process must be approved using the current voting process. If the proposal does not obtain 7,000 comments by Nov. 28, it will go through without a vote.

Besides abolishing users’ voting rights, Facebook also proposes other, smaller changes in the post. — MCT

TV listings

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

00:50 01:45 02:35 03:25 04:15 05:05 05:55 Baker 06:20 06:45 07:35 08:00 08:25 09:15 10:10 11:05 11:30 12:00 12:25 12:55 13:50 14:45 15:40 16:35 17:30 18:25 19:20 20:15 21:10 22:05 23:00 23:55

Animal Cops South Africa Buggin’ With Ruud Untamed & Uncut Killer Sharks Monster Bug Wars Wildest Arctic Deep Into The Wild With Nick Going Ape Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Wildlife SOS Talk To The Animals Dogs 101 Crocodile Hunter Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Breed All About It Jeff Corwin Unleashed The Really Wild Show Wild France Ocean Odyssey The Jeff Corwin Experience The Jeff Corwin Experience The Jeff Corwin Experience The Jeff Corwin Experience The Jeff Corwin Experience Wildest Africa Wildest Africa Natural World Wild France My Cat From Hell Baboons With Bill Bailey

00:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 00:45 Come Dine With Me 01:35 Antiques Roadshow 02:30 Fantasy Homes In The City 03:20 Celebrity Fantasy Homes 04:05 The Restaurant UK 05:05 House Swap 05:50 Saturday Kitchen 06:15 The Restaurant UK 07:15 House Swap 08:00 Antiques Roadshow 08:50 Antiques Roadshow 09:40 Antiques Roadshow 10:30 Antiques Roadshow 11:25 Antiques Roadshow 12:20 Baking Made Easy 12:50 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 13:15 Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard 13:40 The Hairy Bakers 14:10 Come Dine With Me 15:00 Bargain Hunt 15:45 Bargain Hunt 16:30 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 17:45 Baking Made Easy 18:10 The Hairy Bakers 18:35 Antiques Roadshow 19:25 Antiques Roadshow 20:15 Antiques Roadshow 21:05 Antiques Roadshow 22:00 Cash In The Attic 22:45 Cash In The Attic 23:30 Bargain Hunt

00:05 00:20 00:45 01:10 01:35 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:15 03:40 04:00 04:25 04:50 05:15 05:40 06:00 06:25 06:50 07:00 07:15 07:35 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:40 09:55 10:20 10:40 11:05 11:30 11:55

00:40 The Gadget Show 01:05 The Tech Show 01:35 Colony 02:25 Building The Future 03:15 Mega World 04:05 Weird Connections 04:35 Colony 05:25 Prototype This 06:15 The Gadget Show 06:40 The Tech Show 07:05 How The Universe Works 08:00 Building The Future 08:50 Brave New World 09:40 Head Rush 09:43 Sci-Fi Science 10:10 Sci-Fi Science 10:40 Robocar 11:30 Sport Science 12:20 Sport Science 13:10 Sport Science 14:00 Sport Science 14:50 Sport Science 15:45 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 16:35 Things That Move 17:00 Head Rush 17:03 Tech Toys 360 17:30 Tech Toys 360 18:00 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 18:50 Scrapheap Challenge 19:40 Build It Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg 20:30 Meteorite Men 21:20 How Tech Works 21:45 How Tech Works 22:10 Gadget Show - World Tour 22:35 Gadget Show - World Tour 23:00 Meteorite Men 23:50 Things That Move

Popeye The Jetsons Duck Dodgers Puppy In My Pocket Tom & Jerry Kids Scooby Doo Where Are You! The Flintstones Pink Panther And Pals Looney Tunes Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch Dexter’s Laboratory Tom & Jerry Looney Tunes The Scooby Doo Show Johnny Bravo The Flintstones The Jetsons Wacky Races Dexters Laboratory Johnny Bravo The Addams Family Bananas In Pyjamas Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Gerald McBoing Boing Cartoonito Tales Moomins The Looney Tunes Show Taz-Mania What’s New Scooby Doo? Tom & Jerry Tales Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries

BARRICADE ON OSN ACTION HD 12:20 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:00 14:10 14:35 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:05 16:30 16:55 17:20 17:45 18:00 18:25 18:50 19:05 19:30 20:15 21:00 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:40

Wacky Races Puppy In My Pocket Moomins Pink Panther And Pals The Garfield Show Wacky Races Tom & Jerry Dastardly And Muttley The Addams Family Looney Tunes The Garfield Show Dexter’s Laboratory Johnny Bravo Pink Panther And Pals Scooby Doo Where Are You! New Yogi Bear Show Tom & Jerry Looney Tunes Dexters Laboratory Taz-Mania The New Scooby Doo Movies The New Scooby Doo Movies Wacky Races Tom & Jerry Tales Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries The Looney Tunes Show What’s New Scooby Doo? The Garfield Show Johnny Bravo Dexter’s Laboratory

00:40 Chowder 01:30 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 01:55 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 02:20 Foster’s Home For...

02:45 Foster’s Home For...

03:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog 04:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball

04:25 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 04:50 Adventure Time 05:15 The Powerpuff Girls 05:40 Generator Rex 06:05 Ben 10 06:30 Ben 10 06:55 Angelo Rules 07:00 Ed, Edd n Eddy 07:30 Casper’s Scare School 08:00 The Marvelous Misadventures...

08:25 Redakai: Conquer The Kairu 08:45 Grim Adventures Of...

09:35 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 09:55 Level Up 10:15 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 10:35 Transformers Prime 11:00 Ben 10: Omniverse 11:25 Thundercats 11:50 Regular Show 12:00 Adventure Time 12:25 Regular Show 12:50 Adventure Time 13:15 Regular Show 13:40 Adventure Time 14:05 Regular Show 14:30 Adventure Time 14:55 Regular Show 15:20 Adventure Time 15:45 Regular Show 16:10 Adventure Time 16:35 Regular Show 17:00 Adventure Time 17:25 Regular Show 17:50 Adventure Time 18:15 Regular Show 18:40 Adventure Time 19:05 Regular Show 19:30 Adventure Time 19:55 Regular Show 20:20 Adventure Time 20:45 Regular Show

21:10 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:00 23:25 23:50

Adventure Time Regular Show Adventure Time Regular Show Adventure Time Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Ben 10: Ultimate Alien The Powerpuff Girls

00:15 01:10 02:05 03:00 03:55 04:20 04:50 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:25 08:15 09:10 10:05 10:55 11:50 12:45 13:40 14:35 15:30 16:25 17:20 18:15 19:10 20:05 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:45

Machines Of Glory World’s Top 5 Wheeler Dealers Mythbusters Border Security Scrappers Auction Kings How Stuff’s Made How It’s Made Hillbilly Handfishin’ How It’s Made Mighty Ships Mega Builders Extreme Engineering Man-Made Marvels China Man, Woman, Wild Gold Rush Machines Of Glory World’s Top 5 Wheeler Dealers Dynamo: Magician Impossible Mythbusters Mythbusters You Have Been Warned Bear’s Mission Everest Ultimate Survival Deadliest Catch Earth 2050 An Idiot Abroad American Guns

00:10 00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40 03:05 03:30 03:55 04:20 04:45 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:15 06:40 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:10 09:35 10:00 10:25 10:35 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:10 14:35 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:15 16:40 17:00 18:45 20:10 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:05 22:30 22:40 22:55 Cody 23:20 Cody 23:45

Kim Possible Kim Possible Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Kim Possible Kim Possible Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas And Ferb Shake It Up Jessie My Babysitter’s A Vampire A.N.T. Farm Good Luck Charlie Austin And Ally Gravity Falls Phineas And Ferb Radio Rebel A.N.T. Farm My Babysitter’s A Vampire Gravity Falls Austin And Ally Jessie Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Gravity Falls A.N.T. Farm Let It Shine Radio Rebel Phineas And Ferb My Babysitter’s A Vampire Austin And Ally Austin And Ally Jessie Jessie Fish Hooks Fish Hooks The Suite Life Of Zack And The Suite Life Of Zack And Stitch

00:30 M1 Challenge 01:25 Fantasy Factory 01:50 Fantasy Factory

02:20 03:15 04:10 05:05 06:00 06:55 08:00 08:55 09:50 10:45 11:40 12:35 13:00 13:30 14:25 15:20 16:15 16:40 17:10 17:35 18:05 19:00 19:25 19:55 20:20 20:50 21:15 21:45 22:10 22:40 23:55 Of...

Pro Bull Riders 2011 World Combat League Enfusion Monster Jam M1 Challenge Pro Bull Riders 2011 Alli Presents Alli Presents Alli Presents AMA Motocross 2011 AMA Motocross 2011 Tread BMX Tread BMX Alli Presents Alli Presents Alli Presents Featured Featured Featured Featured BMX Megatour Mantracker Mantracker Mantracker Mantracker Ed’s Up Ed’s Up Transworld Sessions Transworld Sessions Singlefin Yellow Foam To Finish: The Making

00:45 Keeping Up With The Joneses 01:10 Keeping Up With The Joneses 01:40 Danger Beach 02:05 Danger Beach 02:35 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 03:00 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 03:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 03:55 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 04:25 Travel Madness 04:50 Travel Madness 05:20 Bondi Rescue 05:45 Bondi Rescue 06:15 Street Food Around The World 06:40 Market Values 07:10 Roam 07:35 Travel Madness 08:05 City Chase Rome 09:00 City Chase Rome 09:55 City Chase Rome 10:50 Keeping Up With The Joneses 11:15 Keeping Up With The Joneses 11:45 Danger Beach 12:10 Danger Beach 12:40 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 13:05 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 13:35 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:30 Travel Madness 14:55 Travel Madness 15:25 Roam 15:50 Travel Madness 16:20 City Chase Rome 17:15 City Chase Rome 18:10 City Chase Rome 19:05 Bondi Rescue 19:30 Bondi Rescue 20:00 Street Food Around The World 20:30 Market Values 21:00 Roam 21:30 Travel Madness 22:00 Bondi Rescue 22:25 Bondi Rescue 22:55 Bondi Rescue 23:20 Bondi Rescue 23:50 Danger Beach

00:45 Keeping Up With The Joneses 01:10 Keeping Up With The Joneses 01:40 Danger Beach 02:05 Danger Beach 02:35 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 03:00 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 03:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 03:55 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 04:25 Travel Madness 04:50 Travel Madness 05:20 Bondi Rescue 05:45 Bondi Rescue

TV listings

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012 06:15 Street Food Around The World 06:40 Market Values 07:10 Roam 07:35 Travel Madness 08:05 City Chase Rome 09:00 City Chase Rome 09:55 City Chase Rome 10:50 Keeping Up With The Joneses 11:15 Keeping Up With The Joneses 11:45 Danger Beach 12:10 Danger Beach 12:40 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 13:05 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 13:35 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:30 Travel Madness 14:55 Travel Madness 15:25 Roam 15:50 Travel Madness 16:20 City Chase Rome 17:15 City Chase Rome 18:10 City Chase Rome 19:05 Bondi Rescue 19:30 Bondi Rescue 20:00 Street Food Around The World 20:30 Market Values 21:00 Roam 21:30 Travel Madness 22:00 Bondi Rescue 23:20 Bondi Rescue 23:50 Danger Beach

00:00 Nefertiti’s Odyssey 01:00 Templars: The Last Stand 02:00 Alaska State Troopers 03:00 Animals At The Edge 04:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 05:00 Expedition Antarctica 06:00 Stonehenge Decoded (1 hour) 07:00 Somewhere In China 08:00 Nefertiti’s Odyssey 09:00 Templars: The Last Stand 10:00 Alaska State Troopers 11:00 Animal Omens 12:00 World’s Deadliest Animals 13:00 Hubble’s Final Frontier 14:00 Bible’s Buried Secret 15:00 Somewhere In China 16:00 Hippo Hell 17:00 Ghost Ship of the Great Lakes 18:00 Alaska State Troopers 19:00 Alaska Wing Men 20:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 21:00 Megaship 22:00 Secrets Of The Cross 23:00 Nat Geo Amazing!

00:00 01:00 01:55 02:50 03:45 04:40 05:35 06:30 07:25 08:20 09:15 10:10 11:05 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

00:00 01:00 01:55 02:50 03:45 04:40 05:35 06:30 07:25 08:20 09:15

10:10 11:05 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Night Stalkers Shark Men Built For The Kill Catching Giants World’s Deadliest Cliffhangers Cliffhangers Philly Undercover Crocodile King Built For The Kill Catching Giants World’s Deadliest Cliffhangers Cliffhangers

00:00 Imago Mortis-PG15 02:00 Get Rich Or Die Tryin’-18 04:00 Piranha-R 06:00 Battle: Los Angeles-PG15 08:00 Barricade-PG15 10:00 Green Lantern: Emerald Knights-PG15 12:00 Arachnophobia-PG15 14:00 Barricade-PG15 16:00 Reign Of Fire-PG15 18:00 Arachnophobia-PG15 20:00 The Kingdom-18 22:00 Meskada-PG15

01:00 Glorious 39-PG15 03:15 Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back-PG 05:00 The Borrowers-PG 07:00 Soldier Love Story-PG15 09:00 Glorious 39-PG15 11:15 Re-Kill-PG15 13:00 Spud-PG15 15:00 The Hole-PG15 16:45 Henry’s Crime-PG15 18:45 Another Year-PG15 21:00 Hemingway & Gellhorn-18 23:30 Take Me Home Tonight-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Weeds 02:00 Hung 02:30 Family Guy 03:00 Raising Hope 03:30 Last Man Standing 04:00 Samantha Who? 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Seinfeld 06:00 Seinfeld 06:30 Friends 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Samantha Who? 08:30 Raising Hope 09:00 Seinfeld 09:30 Seinfeld 10:00 Two And A Half Men 10:30 Community 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Friends 12:30 Samantha Who? 13:00 Seinfeld 13:30 Seinfeld 14:00 Last Man Standing 14:30 Community 15:00 Two And A Half Men 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Friends 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Raising Hope 18:30 Last Man Standing 19:00 Two And A Half Men 19:30 Parks And Recreation 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:00 Family Guy 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30

Crimes Against Nature How Big Can It Get Animal Intervention Shark Men World’s Wildest Encounters Rescue Ink World’s Weirdest Caught Barehanded Monster Fish Built For The Kill World’s Deadliest Night Stalkers Shark Men Built For The Kill Catching Giants World’s Deadliest Cliffhangers Cliffhangers Philly Undercover Crocodile King Built For The Kill Catching Giants World’s Deadliest Cliffhangers Cliffhangers

Crimes Against Nature How Big Can It Get Animal Intervention Shark Men World’s Wildest Encounters Rescue Ink World’s Weirdest Caught Barehanded Monster Fish Built For The Kill World’s Deadliest

The X Factor U.S. Glee Survivor: Philippines Perception Supernatural Good Morning America The Practice Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Criminal Minds The Practice The X Factor U.S. Glee Perception Live Good Morning America Criminal Minds The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street Bones C.S.I. C.S.I. Miami Breakout Kings Supernatural

Body Of Proof Survivor: Philippines Perception Downton Abbey The X Factor U.S. Perception Body Of Proof Emmerdale Coronation Street C.S.I. New York Glee The X Factor U.S. Survivor: Philippines Emmerdale Coronation Street

13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

The Ellen DeGeneres Show C.S.I. New York Body Of Proof Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show C.S.I. New York Bones C.S.I. C.S.I. Miami Breakout Kings Strike Back

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Alien Resurrection-18 Creature-PG15 The Warlords-PG15 Unknown-PG15 Unstoppable-PG15 The Warlords-PG15 The Rocketeer-PG15 Unstoppable-PG15 Biker Boyz-PG15 Gridlock’d-18 Meskada-PG15 RoboCop 3-PG15

00:00 The Legend Of Awesomest Maximus-18 02:00 Eurotrip-18 04:00 The American President-PG15 06:00 Held Up (1999)-PG15 08:00 Cheaper By The Dozen 2-PG 10:00 Hitch-PG15 12:00 Austin Powers In GoldmemberPG15 14:00 Fever Pitch-PG15 16:00 Hitch-PG15 18:00 Tommy Boy-PG15 20:00 No Strings Attached-18 22:00 The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou-PG15

01:00 03:00 05:00 PG15 06:45 09:00 10:45 13:00 14:45 16:30 18:30 21:00 23:00

The Roommate-PG15 Divorces!-PG15 Ike: Countdown To D-Day-

00:00 02:15 03:15 05:00 06:30 08:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Anonymous-18 The 16th Man-PG15 Justin Bieber: Never Say Never-PG Marley & Me: The Puppy Years-PG Once Brothers-PG15 The 16th Man-PG15 Teen Spirit-PG15 Water For Elephants-PG15 Battle For Terra-PG Unmatched-PG15 Teen Spirit-PG15 Monte Carlo-PG15 The Beaver-PG15 Paranormal Activity 3-18

A L’origine-PG15 West Is West-PG15 The Sting-PG Pina-PG15 West Is West-PG15 Le Divorce-PG15 Anna And The King-PG15 Elfie Hopkins-PG15 Kings And Queen-18

01:15 Emperor’s Secret-PG 02:45 Return To Halloweentown-PG 04:15 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG 06:00 Open Season 3-FAM 08:00 Toyz Goin’ Wild-PG 10:00 Horrid Henry-PG 11:45 Arthur And The Revenge Of Maltazard-PG 13:15 A Venetian Rascal Goes To America-FAM 14:45 Return To Halloweentown-PG 16:15 Tommy & Oscar-FAM 18:00 Horrid Henry-PG 20:00 The Wild Thornberrys Movie-PG 22:00 Tommy & Oscar-FAM 23:30 A Venetian Rascal Goes To America-FAM

HENRYʼS CRIME ON OSN CINEMA

00:00 MSNBC Martin Bashir 01:00 MSNBC Hardball With Chris Matthews 02:00 MSNBC Politicsnation 03:00 Live NBC Nightly News 03:30 ABC World News With Diane Sawyer 04:00 MSNBC The Ed Show

05:00 MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 06:00 MSNBC Politicsnation 07:00 Live NBC Nightly News 07:35 ABC Nightline 08:00 ABC World News With Diane Sawyer 08:30 Live NBC Nightly News 09:00 MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 10:00 MSNBC The Ed Show 11:00 MSNBC Morning Joe 14:00 MSNBC Caught On Camera 15:00 Live NBC Saturday Today Show 17:00 MSNBC Up With Chris Hayes Saturday 18:57 Live MSNBC Hardball With Chris Matthews 19:38 Live MSNBC The Ed Show 20:19 Live MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 21:00 Live ABC 20/20 22:00 MSNBC News

00:00 The Rite-18 02:00 The Prince And Me 4: The Elephant Adventure-PG15 04:00 Love The Beast-PG 06:00 Love And Mary-PG15 08:00 The Art Of Getting By-PG15 10:00 Senna-PG15 12:00 Glee: The Concert Movie-PG15 14:00 Little Secrets-PG 16:00 The Art Of Getting By-PG15 18:00 Thor-PG15 20:00 The Beaver-PG15 22:00 The Perfect Host-PG15

03:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 19:00 20:15 22:15 22:45

Live Test Cricket PGA European Tour Weekly ICC Cricket 360 Grand Slam of Darts Futbol Mundial PGA European Tour Weekly Trans World Sport ICC Cricket 360 Live Rugby Matchday Live Rugby Union International Live Rugby Matchday Live Rugby Union International Live Rugby Matchday Rugby Union International

01:00 03:00 04:00 06:00 07:00 10:30 11:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 19:00 20:00 22:00 22:30

WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line Rugby Union International Trans World Sport Premier League Snooker ICC Cricket 360 Live PGA European Tour Futbol Mundial ICC Cricket 360 Live Rugby Union International Trans World Sport Live Rugby Union International Futbol Mundial Live Premier League Snooker

00:30 01:30 02:00 03:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 09:30 10:30 11:00 12:00 13:00 13:30 14:00 16:00 17:00 17:30 18:00 20:00

Golfing World Futbol Mundial Show Jumping La Baule Pro 12 Modern Penthalon Golfing World Total Rugby Pro 12 MENA Golf Tour Highlights PGA European Tour Weekly Trans World Sport Show Jumping La Baule Top 14 Highlights Total Rugby Pro 12 Trans World Sport Futbol Mundial Total Rugby Live Rugby Union International PGA European Tour

00:00 01:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 22:00 23:00

UFC The Ultimate Fighter WWE SmackDown WWE Bottom Line UFC Unleashed UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Unleashed WWE Smackdown WWE Bottom Line WWE Vintage Collection V8 Supercars Highlights WWE SmackDown Cricket V8 Supercars Highlights WWE SmackDown

WHAT’S ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Embassy

Places of interest Sadu House Al Sadu House stands on Arabian Gulf Street near the National Museum, representing one of the last preserved pre-oil -era dwellings in Kuwait. Al Sadu House became a centre for Bedouin art and the sale of traditional goods In 1979. Visitors can observe Bedouin women weaving at their looms, handmaking carpets, camel bags and tent screens.

Opening hours are Saturday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 1:00 p.m and from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m daily except Friday. (Tel: +965 2243.2395) Admission is FREE. Science & Natural History Museum A wealth of education awaits the visitor to the Science and Natural History Museum on Abdulla Al Mubarak Street. Each gallery contains either a collection or an exhibit covering a wide range of themes. Collections on display Include fossils, stuffed animals, skeletons, and dried flowers. There are exhibits on health, petroleum, space travel, and electronics, among others.

Forming part of the National Museum complex, the wonderful, modern Planetarium In the museum complex has shows at around 18:00 daily: local children, convinced the room is spinning, clap In syncopated beats every time the accompanying music begins.

A museum planetarium shows: Mornings: 1st Show: 10:00 a.m; 2nd Show: 11:00 a. m; 3rd Show: 12:00 p.m Evenings: 1st Show: 5:00 p.m; 2nd Show: 5:45 p.m; 3rd Show : 6:00 p.m. Note: Friday & Saturday no morning shows. (Tel: +965 22451195; +965 22456534). Admission is FREE. The Dickson House The house of the first British political agent In Kuwait is still standing. The Dickson House, located across from the dhow harbour east of Sief Palace, was originally a Kuwaiti home built in 1870, but was given to Britain to use as residential headquarters.

The compound was expanded several times over the years, but stands as an excellent example of early Kuwaiti architectural styles. Opening hours are from Saturday to Thursday 8:30 a.m12:30 p.m and 4:30 a.m-8:30 p.m Friday 4:30 a.m - 8:30 p.m.

Admission is FREE. Al-Qurain Museum Located in the residential suburb of Qurain, This small museum is a memorial to a cell of young Kuwaiti patriots who tried to resist arrest in February 1991. Early In the morning, Iraqis bombarded the house for hours with machine guns, bombs and even-

tually a tank. Monday to Saturday 8.30 a.m - 12.30 p.m; 4.30a.m 8.30 p.m Friday morning off. Afternoon: 4.30 a.m-8.30 pm. Winter Visiting hours: 4-8.30 pm. 1st Day of Eid off. Tel: +965 25430343 Al Hashemi Marine Museum The World’s largest wooden dhow, owned and build by Hussein Marafie,Al Hashemi is a ‘Baghalah’ of monumental proportions. Baghalah is a large wooden cargo vessel which sailed the seas in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Constructed next to Radisson SAS Hotel, the doubledecked Al-Hashemi II is dry-docked next to pre-oil era Kuwaiti village and marine museum containing models of extinct and modern dhows The lower deck has the grand ballroom - one of the finest in Kuwait. Al-Hashemi II has earned the distinction of being listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The museum is opened Sat. Thu. from 9 am till 5 pm.

Admission is FREE. Oil Display Centre The Oil Display Centre at Kuwait is located 20 kilometers in the southern direction from main city of Kuwait. Oil display center In Kuwait is set In the Ahmadi area, which is the primary hub of Kuwait’s oil production where many oll-fields and oil wells are located. This center is a learning ground for all those who wonder how oil processing is done. It gives an opportunity to the tourists to know all about the history beginning from how oil was explored, drilled, produced and processed In Kuwait.

The Oil Display Center Is located 20 kilometers away from Kuwait City, in the southern direction. This small center throws an insight into Kuwait’s oil business and the work of the Kuwait Oil Company, which owns it. It is definitely worth a visit. Opening hours Sat - Wed 07:00 am -3:00 pm. It is open by appointment. Tel: +965 23982393; 23989111; 23981678. KOC can also arrange for groups to tour the oil fields themselves.

Kuwait Memorial Museum Before the Iraqi invasion, the museum housed a collection that has been acclaimed by International art historians as one of the most comprehensive collection of Islamic arts. Located near the National Assembly, comprising of four buildings and a planetarium. In 1997, the Muhallab II, the replacement for the magnificent trading dhow from the 1930 that graced the front yard of the museum before it was burned by the Iraqis, was constructed on site and now is open to visitors. Tel (2451195)

Announcements Feast of St Francis Xavier For the first time “the Church of St Therese of Child Jesus” Salmiya, Kuwait will venerate & honour Goa’s patron saint St Francis Xavier. The St Francis Xavier choir group invites you all for the grand feast mass (in Konkani) on 3rd December 2012 at 7.30 pm. All are invited for the blessed occcasion.

Suhaani Shaam ICS presents ‘Suhaani Shaam’ on 30th November with Raveena Tandon & Jaswinder. Be a part of our new dimensional event with an evening of romantic and popular ghazal along with Punjabi dhamaka in Kuwait at AIS at 7 pm sharp.

MMF media conference Malayali Media Forum (MMF), Kuwait will hold ‘MMF Media Conference 2012’ on Friday, November 30, 2012 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan auditorium, Abbassiya. Vidhu P Nair, Deputy Chief of Mission, Indian Embassy, will be the chief guest. Renowned Indian journalist J Gopikrishnan, the first man to unearth the massive 2G Spectrum scandal in India, will be the chief guest of the event. The conference will spotlight the emerging trends in media world with special focus on Indian media especially in the context of the growth of social media networks.

Varghese elected to Norka Welfare board

G

eneral Convener of Overseas Indian Cultural Congress, Kuwait, Varghese Puthukulangara has been appointed to the Director Board of Norka Welfare Board with effect from December 1, 2012.

Varghese, a prominent personality in the Keralite socio-cultural sectors of Kuwait, is currently serving as president

of Gulf Indian Cultural Congress, CM Stephen Cultural Center, Friends of Kerala. He was the founder president of Kattanam Association of Kuwait.

Earlier, he served as NORKA Member and with Kerala Students Union as taluk president, district general secretary, member of state committee and general secretary of district Youth Congress.

Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian ConsulateGeneral in Dubai.

Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information.

Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF ARGENTINE

The Embassy of Argentina requests all Argentinean citizens in Kuwait to proceed to our official email ekuwa@mrecic.gov.ar in order to register or update contact information.

The embassy encourages all citizens to do so, including the ones who have already registered in person at the embassy. The registration process helps the Argentinean Government to contact and assist Argentineans living abroad in case of any emergency. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF BRITAIN Consular section at the British Embassy will be starting an online appointment booking system for our consular customers from Sunday, 01 July 2012. All information including how to make an appointment is now available on the embassy website. In addition, there is also a “Consular Appointment System” option under Quick links on the right hand side on the homepage, which should take you to the “Consular online booking appointment system” main page.

Please be aware that from 01 July 2012, we will no longer accept walk-in customers for legalisation, notarial services and certificates (birth, death and marriages). If you have problems accessing the system or need to make an appointment for nonnotarial consular issues or have a consular emergency, please call 2259 4355/7/8 or email us on consularenquirieskuwait@fco.gov.uk. If you require consular assistance out of office hours (working hours: 0730-l430 hrs), please contact the Embassy on 2259 4320. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St, Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed from 12:30 to 01:00 pm for lunch break.

Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday. The Canadian Embassy will be closed on Sunday and Monday 19 and 20 August 2012 on the occasion of Aid Al Fitr. The Embassy will resume its duties on Tuesday 21 August 2012. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait.

Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.UAE.gc.ca.

WHAT’S ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Management Team (from left) Vice President for Administrative & Student Affairs, Dr. Carol Ross; Assistant to the President for Admissions and Public Affairs, Amal Al-Binali; Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Nizar Hamzeh; AUK President Dr. Winfred Thompson; Dean of College of Business and Economics Dr. Doug Munro; Director of Campus Services, Abolghasem Alavinejad; and Senior Academic Retention Advisor, Hala Al-Abdulrazzaq.

AUK students voting

The new SGA at AUK formulates its action plan

Secretary Fouz Al Khonaini explaining SGA’s plans

VP Fajer Al-Sabah and Community Liaison Officer Fadwa AlAjeel

AUK student voting

A

AUK student body for the academic year 2012-2013. Voter turnout this year was the highest in AUK history, reaching 35.5% of the students participating in this year’s election At AUK, the SGA is the voice of the students. Composed of elected representatives from the student population, SGA is responsible for representing the opinions, concerns and recommended resolutions of the student body to other constituencies of the AUK community. In addition, to serving as the student voice, SGA works with other student organizations to sponsor events that promote the academic and social lives of students at AUK. Students can get involved with SGA by running for an

elected position in SGA, participation in a General Assembly, SGA committees or as an SGA volunteer. Participation and representation in student government is open to all registered students of the University.

The new SGA members 2012-2013 Mohammad Al Abdulrazzaq - President Fajer Al Sabah - Vice President Mohammad Al Mousawi - Treasurer Fouz Al Khonaini - Secretary Fadwa Al Ajeel - Community Liaison Officer EshrakaSumrain - Communications Officer

fter a few initial meetings, the new Student Government Association (SGA) at AUK is ready and fuelled with the motivation and enthusiasm needed to adequately represent the AUK student body. The members have begun formulating an action plan for the year with three main goals in mind; to find solutions to student issues and advocate student needs, to promote active student involvement in activities and events to foster a sense of community on campus, and to ensure that SGA and the AUK administration cooperate on every level in an effort to implement positive changes to AUK. The new SGA has been elected last October to represent the

ICSK students interact with Infosys chief Narayana Murthy

T

he students of the Indian Community School had the rare opportunity of interacting with chief mentor and creator of Infosys, Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy, on November 16, 2012. Narayan Murthy, Chairman Emeritus of Infosys, the IT giant, was visiting Kuwait and was interviewed by ICSK students on a wide range of questions ranging from careers in IT to his wife, Sudha Murthy’s writings. The students were thrilled to share a few minutes with Murthy who also highlighted the achievements of his career.

When posed a question about the scope of Infosys for today’s generation, he answered that the multinational business provider recruited people from around the world.

Another student grabbed the opportunity and inquired if it was advisable for students who are interested in the computer field to study abroad or to study in India. He replied that if it could be affordable it would be better to study abroad but come back to serve India.

When asked about the award he cherished

the most, he replied by saying that an award is a manifestation of people’s affection and therefore he treasured all of them. When asked

about his inspiration, he shared that many people had inspired him along the way- bosses, employees- and that all these people stood to

be inspirations for him in many ways. A question was put across to him asking him what he would have become if he were not the chairman of Infosys. He promptly responded that he would have loved to be a professor, as he came from a family of professors. He informed the children that his wife, father, brother, sister-inlaw and brother-in-law were all professors. The final question put forth to him was his feelings about his wife, Sudha Murthy’s writings. He smiled joyfully and answered that he appreciated her work and loved it. Her stories, he continued, were short, easy to understand and always had a message for everyone, young and old.

ICSK children got an opportunity to come face to face with a common Indian, who despite his short failures, achieved extra-ordinary success through his determination, skills and entrepreneurship. At the end of the day, children were impressed with not just his success story but also his humility.

HEALTH SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

ADHD medicines help curb criminal behavior STOCKHOLM: Older teens and adults with attention deficit disorder are much less likely to commit a crime while on ADHD medication, a provocative study from Sweden found. It also showed in dramatic fashion how much more prone people with ADHD are to break the law - four to seven times more likely than others.

The findings suggest that Ritalin, Adderall and other drugs that curb hyperactivity and boost attention remain important beyond the school-age years and that wider use of these medications in older patients might help curb crime. “There definitely is a perception that it’s a disease of childhood and you outgrow your need for medicines,” said Dr. William Cooper, a pediatrics and preventive medicine professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. “We’re beginning to understand that ADHD is a condition for many people that really lasts throughout their life.”

He has researched ADHD but had no role in the new study, which was led by Paul Lichtenstein of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. The findings were published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

About 5 percent of children in the US and other

Western countries have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which can cause impulsive behavior and difficulty paying attention. Many youngsters are given medication to help them sit still and focus in school. Some people have symptoms into adulthood.

“It’s well known that individuals with ADHD have much higher rates of criminality and drug abuse than people without ADHD,” but the effect of treatment on this is not well known, Lichtenstein said. Using Swedish national registers, researchers studied about 16,000 men and 10,000 women ages 15 and older who had been diagnosed with ADHD. The country has national health care, so information was available on all drugs prescribed.

Court and prison records were used to track convictions from 2006 through 2009 and see whether patients were taking ADHD drugs when their crimes were committed. A patient was considered to have gone off medication after six months or more with no new prescription.

For comparison purposes, researchers matched each ADHD patient with 10 similar people without the disorder from the general population.

They found about 37 percent of men with ADHD were convicted of at least one crime during that four-year period, compared with just 9 percent of men without ADHD. For women, the crime rates were 15 percent with ADHD and 2 percent without it.

Use of ADHD medicines reduced the likelihood of committing a crime by 32 percent in men and 41 percent in women. The crimes were mostly burglaries or thefts. About 4,000 of more than 23,000 crimes committed were violent. ADHD medication use reduced all types of crime, Lichtenstein said. Cooper called the results striking. “I was surprised by the magnitude of the effect of the medications and the fact that it was so consistent across all the analyses they did,” such as the type of drug being used and the types of crimes committed, he said.

The Swedish Research Council, the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Wellcome Trust and other agencies paid for the research.

ADHD medicines may help people organize their lives better and reduce impulsive behavior. —AP

‘Mammograms lead to unneeded treatment’ Finding of new US study

KABUL: A teacher speaking to students wanting to become midwives at a class in Faizabad. Care may still be basic by Western standards, but new midwives mean that in 10 years Afghanistan has seen a staggering improvement in maternal health. Experts warn these gains are precarious and fear progress could be threatened after NATO combat troops withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, when some predict the country will descend into renewed civil strife. — AFP

Maternal health gains under threat in Afghanistan BAHARAK, Afghanistan: Ten years ago there was not a single midwife in the Afghan town of Baharak. Today there are four and the number of women dying in childbirth has fallen dramatically.

Care may still be basic by Western standards, but new midwives like Nasira Karimi mean that in 10 years Afghanistan has seen a staggering improvement in maternal health. Experts warn these gains are precarious and fear progress could be threatened after NATO combat troops withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, when some predict the country will descend into renewed civil strife. Karimi, 24, says stories about the horrors of childbirth convinced her to apply for a coveted place on a two-year course training midwifes to go back into their communities.

“I heard so many stories about women who died in these circumstances when I was young... There is even a word in Dari, ‘Sarefarzan’, which means dead in childbirth,” she told AFP in Baharak, north of Kabul in the Hindu Kush mountains.

In 2000, one in 12 women died as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. In 2010, it was one in 32, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which ranks only 20 other countries, including 18 in Africa, as having a worse rate. The situation in Badakhshan, Karimi’s home

province, was particularly dire.

According to UNICEF, 6,500 out of 100,000 women died as a result of pregnancy, childbirth or post-delivery complications in Badakhshan in 2002, compared to a national average of 1,600.

AFP could not obtain any recent statistics from the province, but Karimi says the situation has improved significantly.

“Today women from Baharak rarely die from pregnancy,” she said.

National child mortality figures are also down. In 2009, one out of five children did not reach their fifth birthday, according to UNICEF, but today it is one in 10, according to the Afghan health ministry. Tragedies still occur as a result of ignorance or transport problems in a region where villages can be cut off by snow for up to six months a year.

“Two months ago, a woman died after delivering. She had a haemorrhage. We told her brother and her husband that she had to go to hospital in Faizabad. But they refused. We couldn’t do anything for her, so she died,” one of Karimi’s fellow midwives said. Even if the family had agreed, the woman would still have faced a bone-crunching two-and-a-half hour journey over potholed roads spanning the 45 kilometres (30 miles) to the provincial capital.—AFP

NEW YORK: Mammograms have done surprisingly little to catch deadly breast cancers before they spread, a big US study finds. At the same time, more than a million women have been treated for cancers that never would have threatened their lives, researchers estimate. Up to one-third of breast cancers, or 50,000 to 70,000 cases a year, don’t need treatment, the study suggests.

It’s the most detailed look yet at overtreatment of breast cancer, and it adds fresh evidence that screening is not as helpful as many women believe.

Mammograms are still worthwhile, because they do catch some deadly cancers and save lives, doctors stress.

And some of them disagree with conclusions the new study reached.

But it spotlights a reality that is tough for many Americans to accept: Some abnormalities that doctors call “cancer” are not a health threat or truly malignant. There is no good way to tell which ones are, so many women wind up getting treatments like surgery and chemotherapy that they don’t really need. Men have heard a similar message about PSA tests to screen for slowgrowing prostate cancer, but it’s relatively new to the debate over breast cancer screening.

“We’re coming to learn that some cancers - many cancers, depending on the organ - weren’t destined to cause death,” said Dr. Barnett Kramer, a National Cancer Institute screening

expert. However, “once a woman is diagnosed, it’s hard to say treatment is not necessary.” He had no role in the study, which was led by Dr. H. Gilbert Welch of Dartmouth Medical School and Dr. Archie Bleyer of St. Charles Health System and Oregon Health & Science University. Results are in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine. Breast cancer is the leading type of cancer and cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. Nearly 1.4 million new cases are diagnosed each year. Other countries screen less aggressively than the U.S. does. In Britain, for example, mammograms are usually offered only every three years and a recent review there found similar signs of overtreatment. The dogma has been that screening finds cancer early, when it’s most curable. But screening is only worthwhile if it finds cancers destined to cause death, and if treating them early improves survival versus treating when or if they cause symptoms.

Mammograms also are an imperfect screening tool - they often give false alarms, spurring biopsies and other tests that ultimately show no cancer was present. The new study looks at a different risk: Overdiagnosis, or finding cancer that is present but does not need treatment. Researchers used federal surveys on mammography and cancer registry statistics from 1976 through 2008 to track how many cancers were found early, while still confined to the breast,

versus later, when they had spread to lymph nodes or more widely.

The scientists assumed that the actual amount of disease - how many true cases exist - did not change or grew only a little during those three decades.

Yet they found a big difference in the number and stage of cases discovered over time, as mammograms came into wide use. Mammograms more than doubled the number of early-stage cancers detected - from 112 to 234 cases per 100,000 women. But late-stage cancers dropped just 8 percent, from 102 to 94 cases per 100,000 women.

The imbalance suggests a lot of overdiagnosis from mammograms, which now account for 60 percent of cases that are found, Bleyer said. If screening were working, there should be one less patient diagnosed with latestage cancer for every additional patient whose cancer was found at an earlier stage, he explained.

“Instead, we’re diagnosing a lot of something else - not cancer” in that early stage, Bleyer said. “And the worst cancer is still going on, just like it always was.” Researchers also looked at death rates for breast cancer, which declined 28 percent during that time in women 40 and older - the group targeted for screening. Mortality dropped even more - 41 percent - in women under 40, who presumably were not getting mammograms. “We are left to conclude, as others have, that the good news in breast cancer - decreasing mortality - must largely be the result of improved treatment, not screening,” the authors write. The study was paid for by the study authors’ universities.

“This study is important because what it really highlights is that the biology of the cancer is what we need to understand” in order to know which ones to treat and how, said Dr. Julia A. Smith, director of breast cancer screening at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. Doctors already are debating whether DCIS, a type of early tumor confined to a milk duct, should even be called cancer, she said.—AP

CLASSIFIEDS Al-Madena

22418714

Al-Shohada’a

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Hospitals Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Clinics Rabiya

24732263

Rawdha

22517733

Adailiya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Khaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Qadisiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

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112 Prayer timings

I, Rolina Furtado Passport No. J5391581 have changed my name to Roulina Baigustavina Rubiana Santana Godinho.

(C 4230) 22-11-2012

Fajr:

04:56

Duhr:

11:35

Asr:

14:30

FRANCISCA JOANA GRACIAS of holder Passport No. E6395478 hereby change surname to FRANCISCA JOANA

Maghrib:

16:51

Isha:

18:1

information SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines JAI KLM THY JZR QTR SAI ETH GFA UAE ETD OMA FDB MSR QTR DHX THY JZR JZR KAC JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE KAC GFA KAC ABY QTR FDB ETD GFA BAB JZR MSC IRM UAE MSR GFA FDB KNE KAC SVA QTR KAC JZR IZG QTR IRC JZR JZR KAC UAE JZR ETD RJA SYR GFA SVA KAC JZR QTR ABY UAL KAC KAC KNE JZR

Arrival Flights on Saturday 24/11/2012 Flt Route 574 MUMBAI 413 AMSTERDAM 772 ISTANBUL 539 CAIRO 148 DOHA 441 LAHORE 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 643 MUSCAT 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 170 BAHRAIN 770 ISTANBUL 503 LUXOR 555 ALEXANDRIA 416 JAKARTA 529 ASSIUT 157 LONDON 412 MANILA 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 382 DELHI 302 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 855 DUBAI 344 CHENNAI 223 BAHRAIN 284 DHAKA 121 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 436 BAHRAIN 165 DUBAI 401 ALEXANDRIA 1190 MASHAD 871 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 57 DUBAI 472 JEDDAH 672 DUBAI 500 JEDDAH 140 DOHA 788 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 4161 MASHAD 134 DOHA 6692 MASHAD 325 NAJAF 535 CAIRO 118 NEW YORK 857 DUBAI 357 MASHAD 303 ABU DHABI 640 AMMAN 341 DAMASCUS 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 502 BEIRUT 777 JEDDAH 144 DOHA 127 SHARJAH 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 538 SOHAG 542 CAIRO 470 JEDDAH 177 DUBAI

Time 0:30 0:30 0:35 0:50 1:00 1:30 1:45 1:50 2:35 2:45 2:50 3:05 3:10 3:45 5:15 5:30 5:55 6:00 6:25 6:35 6:40 6:45 7:40 7:45 7:45 7:55 8:05 8:40 8:40 8:45 8:45 9:05 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:55 10:05 11:20 12:00 12:50 12:50 13:05 13:35 13:50 14:10 14:15 14:30 14:35 14:55 15:05 15:20 15:30 15:50 16:25 16:25 16:35 16:40 16:45 16:50 16:55 17:00 17:15 17:20 17:40 17:45 17:50 17:55 17:55 18:00 18:05 18:10 18:15

BAB FDB MSC KAC KAC KAC KAC IRA KAC OMA KAC FDB JAI AXB MSR JZR ABY KNE QTR ALK KNE MEA QTR GFA ETD UAE JZR JAI FDB KLM KAC AIC JZR GFA JZR KAC UAL DHX BBC DLH

438 63 405 176 618 104 674 607 774 647 562 61 572 389 618 189 129 462 146 229 474 402 136 221 307 859 135 576 59 415 786 975 239 217 185 614 981 370 43 636

BAHRAIN DUBAI SOHAG GENEVA DOHA LONDON DUBAI MASHAD RIYADH MUSCAT AMMAN DUBAI MUMBAI MANGALORE ALEXANDRIA DUBAI SHARJAH MEDINAH DOHA COLOMBO JEDDAH BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN COCHIN DUBAI AMSTERDAM JEDDAH CHENNAI AMMAN BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DHAKA FRANKFURT

Airlines AIC UAL DLH JAI KLM SAI ETH THY FDB UAE OMA ETD MSR QTR QTR JZR GFA THY FDB BAW JZR JZR KAC KAC GFA KAC ABY KAC UAE FDB ETD

Departure Flights on Saturday 24/11/2012 Flt Route 976 GOA 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 637 FRANKFURT 573 MUMBAI 413 AMSTERDAM 442 LAHORE 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL-ATATURK 54 DUBAI 156 LONDON 256 BEIRUT 534 CAIRO 101 LONDON 787 JEDDAH 224 BAHRAIN 671 DUBAI 122 SHARJAH 537 SOHAG 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI

18:40 18:45 19:00 19:15 19:20 19:35 19:35 19:50 19:50 19:55 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:30 20:35 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:00 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 21:40 21:50 21:55 22:00 22:05 22:25 22:30 22:45 22:50 23:05 23:15 23:25 23:40 23:45 23:55 Time 0:05 1:10 1:20 1:30 1:45 2:30 2:45 2:55 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:00 4:10 4:50 6:05 6:55 7:00 7:35 8:25 8:45 9:05 9:15 9:20 9:25 9:30 9:40 9:45 9:50 9:55 10:00 10:05

QTR GFA JZR BAB KAC KAC KAC JZR JZR MSC JZR MSR IRM UAE GFA FDB KAC KAC KNE KAC SVA JZR QTR IZG KAC IRC KAC JZR ETD JZR QTR UAE RJA SYR GFA JZR SVA ABY JZR QTR JZR UAL KNE FDB BAB MSC KAC KAC FDB IRA OMA KAC JAI ABY KNE MSR KAC KAC KNE DHX ALK MEA ETD QTR GFA KAC FDB KAC JZR UAE JAI KAC KLM QTR GFA KAC

133 214 356 437 541 501 165 776 324 406 176 611 1191 872 220 58 561 673 473 617 505 188 141 4162 773 6693 785 238 304 538 135 858 641 342 216 184 511 128 266 145 134 982 461 64 439 402 613 283 62 604 648 331 571 120 471 607 351 543 475 171 230 403 308 137 222 301 60 381 554 860 575 205 415 147 218 411

DOHA BAHRAIN MASHHAD BAHRAIN CAIRO BEIRUT ROME JEDDAH AL NAJAF SOHAG DUBAI CAIRO MASHHAD DUBAI BAHRAIN DUBAI AMMAN DUBAI JEDDAH DOHA JEDDAH DUBAI DOHA MASHHAD RIYADH MASHHAD JEDDAH AMMAN ABU DHABI CAIRO DOHA DUBAI AMMAN DAMASCUS BAHRAIN DUBAI RIYADH SHARJAH BEIRUT DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN MADINAH DUBAI BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN DHAKA DUBAI ISFAHAN MUSCAT TRIVANDRUM MUMBAI SHARJAH JEDDAH LUXOR KOCHI CAIRO JEDDAH BAHRAIN COLOMBO BEIRUT ABU DHABI DOHA BAHRAIN MUMBAI DUBAI DELHI ALEXANDRIA DUBAI KOCHI ISLAMABAD DAMMAM DOHA BAHRAIN BANGKOK

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

10:10 10:40 10:45 10:50 11:30 11:45 11:50 12:15 13:00 13:00 13:50 14:05 14:15 14:15 14:20 14:30 14:30 15:05 15:10 15:45 16:00 16:05 16:15 16:20 16:25 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:35 17:40 17:45 17:50 17:55 18:00 18:15 18:30 18:35 18:40 18:45 18:50 19:05 19:10 19:10 19:25 19:30 20:00 20:15 20:30 20:40 20:50 20:55 20:55 21:10 21:15 21:25 21:25 21:30 21:40 21:50 21:50 21:55 22:20 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:40 22:45 22:50 22:55 23:00 23:05 23:10 23:50 23:55

SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Ireland face Argentina ‘Cup Final’ DUBLIN: Ireland are banking on the players that narrowly lost to South Africa to do the business against Argentina in Dublin today, in a Test match the hosts are labeling a ‘Cup Final’. Irish coach Declan Kidney has made just one change to the side beaten 16-12 by the Springboks a fortnight ago at Lansdowne Road, with Ulster wing Craig Gilroy rewarded with a starting place after his hat-trick against Fiji in last Saturday’s non-cap international in Limerick. Gilroy’s provincial team mate Andrew Trimble is the man to miss out, but the rest of the first choice XV remain for a game that will secure the victors a place in the top eight of the International Rugby Board rankings, which are being used to determine the seedings for the 2015 World Cup draw in December.

Failure to win will put Ireland coach Kidney under immense pressure. Ireland are on a run of five Test defeats in a row, and 2012 has seen the country experience its worst sequence of results in the professional era. Dropping into the third tier of seeds for next month’s World Cup draw would leave Ireland with the possibility of being selected in a pool containing two

major nations. Kidney will point to the fact he’s been without the highly-influential Brian O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell, Rory Best, Stephen Ferris, Sean O’Brien and Rob Kearney this month due to injury, but the lack of consistency since winning the 2009 Six Nations Grand Slam has been startling.

A revamped Argentina offer little comfort despite the fact Ireland have won the last two meetings between the countries.

Much of the talk this week has been about how the South Americans have changed their game, with less emphasis on their undoubted strength up front, and a new eagerness to display their abilities behind the outside-half. Argentina competed in the Rugby Championship for the first time this year and Ireland’s Keith Earls observed a difference in their approach.

“They have played seven or even eight games so they are well into it and they are a great squad,” he said.

“Obviously they have done a lot of work and Graham Henry (New Zealand’s World Cup-winning coach) was in with them for a while during the Rugby Championship and they are just not a one to ten team now. “They

have a great backline and they are strong lads as well.”

Argentina coach Santiago Phelan has made four changes to his team from the one that lost to France in Lille last week, with full-back Juan Martin Hernandez proving his fitness sufficiently to take the No 15 shirt.

Maximiliano Bustos has been handed a debut in the front row, while Santiago Fernandez and Gonzalo Camacho complete the changes in the back line.

Beaten 19-3 and 29-9 in their last two visits to Dublin, Argentina are hoping to put up more of a fight this time around. “In 2010, maybe we were tired at this stage,” Camacho said of the Pumas, who started this tour with a bang by beating Six Nations Grand Slam champions Wales in Cardiff. “Now we have more confidence and a team that is growing, we have a new team with new people coming up.” Meanwhile lock Manuel Carizza added: “It’s unusual for us to be together five months in a year. We are enjoying it and learning a lot.

We learned a lot from the Rugby Championship. “It always felt like a club team because we are very close and have a great group. But now we have a lot of time together.”— AFP

England ready for huge S Africa ruck LONDON: England coach Stuart Lancaster has told his side they must win the “breakdown battle” if they are to overcome South Africa at Twickenham today. The hosts were well-beaten on that front during last weekend’s 20-14 loss to Australia, with Wallaby openside flanker Michael Hooper dominating the breakdown and Australia on top in the scrum. England have yet to beat one of the major southern hemisphere powers under Lancaster, losing the first two and drawing the third of three Tests in South Africa in June before the defeat by the Wallabies.

Victory over the Springboks would be a huge boost to England’s morale ahead of the December 1 visit of world champions New Zealand to Twickenham. England, the 2015 World Cup hosts, are currently fifth in the International Rugby Board rankings and a failure to win today could scupper their hopes of a top four seeding at next month’s draw for the global showpiece. For all the doubts that remain about England’s lack of creativity behind the scrum, they must impose themselves up front against the often ferociously physical Springboks if they are to give their backs the minimum requirement for attacking play of quick ball.

To that end, Lancaster has decided to give Wasps lock Joe Launchbury a first Test start in what he hopes will be a beefed-up pack also featuring the recalled Ben Morgan, Tom Wood and Alex Corbisiero. Lancaster is looking to Launchbury to replicate the role of South Africa’s 21-year-old lock Eben Etzebeth, singled out as a key man by Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer this week. “I remember watching Etzebeth at the Under-20 World Cup. He has been destined to be a Springbok for a long time. Joe’s journey has been different but he is ready for this challenge,” Lancaster said.

“You see what he’s delivered off the bench against Fiji and Australia, his ability to deal with the international rugby, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be an England player for a long time.

“Hopefully we should be sat here in seven or eight years time and I’ll be saying ‘Joe Launchbury’s still the best’. “But we don’t need just one enforcer against the Springboks today, we need eight. “We need all our pack to make sure that we are on top of their game to win the breakdown battle, the physical battle, the set piece battle which will be a necessity to win the game.”

And in that respect Lancaster is also looking to a big performance from ball-carrying No 8 Morgan, in for the dropped Thomas Waldrom, after doubts over his defense saw him lose his place on tour in South Africa. “If you don’t match South Africa physically you aren’t going to win. You have to win the gainline battle,” Lancaster said. “Ben is a bigger, more physical, more robust number eight in terms of ball carrying (than Waldrom). “We asked Ben to work on areas defensively to make sure he had an impact in defense. He has worked hard on that and he is chomping at the bit.”

South Africa though believe they have a back-row diamond in Francois Louw, the flanker who plays his club rugby for English Premiership side Bath. Louw was man-of-the-match in last week’s 21-10 win over Scotland, having previously impressed during the England series. “Louw has been awesome,” said Meyer, who knows English rugby well from his time in charge of Leicester. “He is the type of openside I like-superb on the ground, he is also a great ball carrier and he also has stopping power in defense. “He is the whole package and he has been awesome for us.”— AFP

MARCOUSSIS: France’s rugby union national team’s wing Vincent Clerc (center) vies with hooker Dimitri Szarzewski (right) and loose head prop Thomas Domingo practice during a training session yesterday. — AFP

France wary of Samoa threat PARIS: France will be out to complete a clean sweep of wins in their autumn internationals for the first time since 2005 when they take on Samoa at the Stade de France today. Philippe SaintAndre’s men have trounced Australia 33-6 and Argentina 39-22 in two hugely impressive performances that have underlined their position as the top-ranking northern hemisphere team ahead of England. That has been achieved with a solid core of 23 players that bodes well for the coach’s stated ambitions of quickly laying down the foundations of a strong squad for the 2015 World Cup in England.

For the challenge presented by the Samoans, Saint-Andre has made just three changes, bringing in a trio of hugely experienced players who were on the bench that started out against the Pumas. Two of those come in the front row with Thomas Domingo taking over at loosehead prop from Yannick Forestier and Benjamin Kayser in at hooker for Dimitri Szarzewski. Back in at scrum-half for his 45th cap comes Morgan Parra, with Maxime Machenaud dropping down to the bench. Toulon playmaker Frederic Michalak is retained at fly-half after outstanding performances against Australia and Argentina.

“We decided to show confidence in this team and what the players wanted to show they could do in a match I consider to be the most important and hazardous of the series,” Saint-Andre said. “No-one is being left out, for in our first two games all 23 players played their part. “We were the outsiders against Australia, it was 50-50 against Argentina and now we are in the role of favorites,” he said. “We will see if we are capabale of

assuming that mantle and once again winning. We are trying to instill a culture of quality and consistency at the topmost level.

That is the challenge that awaits us today.” Samoa go into the France game on the back of an upset 26-19 win over Six Nations champions Wales in Cardiff, a victory that saw them move ahead of Scotland into ninth place in the world rankings.

They have never beaten France, losing 39-22 in Apia in 1999 and 43-5 in Paris in 2009, but former skipper and current technical advisor Pat Lam believes that another upset from the South Pacific Islanders is possible. “If we win this match, we could be eighth, seventh or even sixth (in the IRB world rankings). For a little country like us, that would be a great achievement.

“Nowadays, our players play for some of the best clubs in the world. It’s not easy to gather them all together at the same time, but when we do get them they are in very good form.” The Samoans have been hit by a string of injuries, the price they paid for a highly physical game against the Welsh and that has put a big dent in their hopes.

Centre Paul Williams is out with a fractured cheek bone and is replaced by Johnny Leota who wins his fourth cap while fullback Faatoina Autagavaia misses out with a broken bone in his left hand, his place going to 20-year-old Robert Lilomaiava, who gets a second cap. In the pack, Joe Tekori takes over from Dan Leo, who has a knee injury, while Ti’i Paulo is preferred at hooker for Ole Avei. Saint-Andre though insists that the Samoans will be no pushovers, describing them as “a team who are making giant strides forward”.—AFP

SPORTS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Kiwis look for better show against spin COLOMBO: New Zealand will be keen to put in an improved batting performance against Sri Lankan spin in the second and final Test in Colombo from tomorrow to halt their losing streak. The 10-wicket defeat in the opening match in Galle on Monday was the fifth consecutive Test loss for the Black Caps, following two defeats each in the West Indies and India.

New Zealand’s worst run came between January 1954 and October 1955 when they lost six Tests in a row.

Captain Ross Taylor said his team needed to solve their batting problems against spin, especially against left-arm spinner Rangana Herath who grabbed 11 wickets on a slow turning track in Galle. “We need to

come up with a plan on how we are going to combat Herath,” said Taylor. “We got to come up with a way of negating his wicket-taking ability. “We need to pick ourselves up and give ourselves a big chance in the second match.” Herath, who is again expected to play a key role, has been troubling touring sides this year with his subtle variations. He has already taken 45 wickets in six home Tests, with two hauls of 10 or more wickets in a match.

New Zealand managed just 221 in their first innings and 118 in the second before losing the opening Test inside three days, with Brendon McCullum and Daniel Flynn alone making half-centuries in the match. The

tourists will be encouraged with the performance of their fast bowlers, especially Tim Southee who bagged four quick wickets in the first innings to restrict Sri Lanka’s lead to just 26. But the batsmen failed to build on their pacemen’s efforts in the second innings, setting a modest 93-run target for the hosts.

Sri Lanka were under pressure at 50-5 in their first innings before skipper Mahela Jayawardene (91) and vice-captain Angelo Mathews (79) propped up the innings with a 156-run stand for the sixth wicket. “This is what winning Test matches is all about, winning tough moments and getting ourselves into a winning position under pressure,” said Jayawardene. —AFP

Smith stands firm to defy Australia Morkel takes five wickets, Clarke out for 230 ADELAIDE: Graeme Smith struck a defiant century in response to Australia’s massive first innings total, but the hosts grabbed a pair of wickets after tea to restrict South Africa to 217 for two at the close of the second day of the second test. With Australia’s bowlers toiling fruitlessly on a flat deck at Adelaide Oval during the heat of the day, the South Africa skipper nudged his team steadily forward to give them hope of getting close to the home side’s imposing score of 550. “He’s a fantastic leader and we’ve seen it again today,” paceman Morne Morkel told reporters after Smith strode off the ground unbeaten on 111, with Jacques Rudolph on 25. “We needed a guy up front to be solid and he’s still there. “We always know that day three is the moving day and an important day for us as a unit, so coming here tomorrow there’s going to be 11 very hungry South Africans taking the field.” Smith’s 26th century capped a remarkable turnaround for South Africa after they were torched for 482 runs on day one by home captain Michael Clarke and the Australian batsmen.

Morkel led a much improved performance by South Africa’s bowlers, capturing the prized wicket of Clarke for 230 among three in the morning to finish with a five-wicket haul. The hosts were dismissed shortly before lunch, with their last five wickets managing to add just 68 runs.

Smith’s heroics were marred slightly by the cheap losses of opener Alviro Petersen and Hashim Amla late in the day. Resuming on 117-0 after tea, Petersen added 21 more runs with Smith but their promising partnership was ended by a poor run for a single and a sprightly 37-year-old in Mike Hussey. After driving spinner Nathan Lyon to mid-on, Petersen swerved to avoid Smith down the pitch and was a few centimetres short of safety when Hussey swooped and threw down the stumps with a direct hit.

RESOLUTE CENTURY Australia were convinced they had their second wicket four overs later when Smith was given out caught behind on 78, but the decision was over-ruled after video review, leaving paceman James Pattinson biting his lip in frustration. The reprieve was Smith’s second after he survived a stumping chance on 46 when wicketkeeper Matthew Wade fumbled a Lyon delivery behind the stumps with the Proteas skipper well out of his ground.

Wade later made amends when Amla charged out of his crease against part-time leg-spinner David Warner, only to be beaten for flight and have the bails whipped off. Smith marched resolutely forward and sliced Lyon to the fence to complete a morale-boosting and no-nonsense century, containing few of the fireworks displayed

by Australia captain Michael Clarke and David Warner on day one. Amla’s dismissal for 11 brought in Rudolph, taking Jacques Kallis’s fourth spot in the order to relieve the burly all-rounder, who suffered a hamstring strain when bowling on the opening day. Rudolph survived the last over from Lyon, and he and Smith strode off with South Africa still 333 runs in arrears. Deriving little joy from the pitch, Clarke gave his pacemen light workloads and tried every trick in the book, with a total of eight specialists and

part-timers rolling their arm over in a bid to capture an elusive wicket. “That’s how Michael Clarke likes to captain,” Hussey told reporters. “He goes with his gut a lot of the time and sometimes he throws in things from left field and it showed with Davey Warner’s wicket that it can help pick up a wicket.”

Australia face another trying day in the field with the temperature forecast to rise to a baking 35 degrees Celsius for day three today. “With the hot day in store tomorrow we might see a bit more turn come out of the pitch and maybe some more variable up-and-down bounce as well,” Hussey added. “Tomorrow is a pretty big day I reckon in the test match. If we can bowl really well and restrict South Africa, then we’re in a great position to push forward and try to win this test match.”— Reuters

SCOREBOARD ADELAIDE: Scoreboard at the close of the second day of the second test between Australia and South Africa at Adelaide Oval yesterday: Australia won the toss and chose to bat Australia first innings (482-5 overnight) D. Warner c Smith b Morkel 119 E. Cowan c & b Kallis 10 R. Quiney c Smith b Morkel 0 R. Ponting b Kallis 4 M. Clarke b Morkel 230 M. Hussey b Steyn 103 M. Wade c De Villiers b Morkel 6 P. Siddle c Smith b Kleinveldt 6 J. Pattinson c Smith b Steyn 42 B. Hilfenhaus c Kleinveldt b Morkel 0 N. Lyon not out 7 Extras (lb-11, w-1 nb-11) 23 Total (all out, 107.2 overs) 550 Fall of wickets: 1-43 2-44 3-55 4-210 5-482 6-494 7-501 8503 9-504 10-550 Bowling: Steyn 23.4-4-79-2, Morkel 30-5-146-5, Kallis 3.3-1-19-2, Kleinveldt 20.1-4-81-1 (nb-6, w-1), Tahir 23-0180-0 (nb-5), Du Plessis 7-0-34-0 South Africa first innings G. Smith not out 111 A. Petersen run out (Hussey) 54 H. Amla st Wade b Warner 11 J. Rudolph not out 25 Extras (b-7, lb-2, w-3, nb-4) 16 Total (two wickets, 67 overs) 217 Fall of wickets: 1-138 2-169 Still to bat: J. Kallis, AB de Villiers, F. du Plessis, M. Morkel, R. Kleinveldt, I. Tahir, D. Steyn Bowling: B. Hilfenhaus 12-4-36-0, J. Pattinson 8-0-40-0 (nb-4, w-1) N. Lyon 24-2-53-0, P. Siddle 12-3-34-0, M. Clarke 3-0-10-0, M. Hussey 1-0-7-0 (w-2), D. Warner 5-0-27-1, R. Quiney 21-1-0.

ADELAIDE: South Africa’s Graeme Smith drives the ball off the bowling from Australia on the second day of their cricket test match in Adelaide yesterday. — AP

Figure skating: Hanyu breaks world record RIFU: Hometown boy Yuzuru Hanyu broke his own short-program world record to lead the figure skating Grand Prix in Japan at an arena that doubled as a mortuary after the 2011 quake-tsunami disaster. The 17-year-old landed a clean quadruple jump followed by a triple axel and a triple-triple combination to collect 95.32 points in the short program at the NHK Trophy event, the sixth and last leg of the ISU Grand Prix series. He trumped his previous record of 95.07, scored at the season-opening Skate America event in which he had to settle for second overall behind compatriot Takahiko Kozuka after falling in the free program.

Skating to the music of Parisian Walkaways by Gary Moore, the 2010

world junior champion also hit a maximum level-four in three kinds of spins as a full-house crowd of 7,000 roard him on.

Veteran compatriot Daisuke Takahashi, the 2010 world champion, trailed Hanyu in second spot on 87.47. Spaniard Javier Fernandez, who trains with Hanyu under Canadian coach Brian Orser in Toronto, was in third spot on 86.23. “I felt good with all the jumps,” Hanyu said. “I feel much more satisfied than at my last Grand Prix because I could prove that it was not a fluke when I scored so much for the first time. “I have trained harder still since Skate America where I made no mistakes (in the short program). I had confidence and I skated cautiously where I needed to.”—AFP

SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Samuels, Chanderpaul set up big lead for West Indies KHULNA: Marlon Samuels rode his luck to score a maiden double century as West Indies seized control of the second test against Bangladesh in Khulna yesterday. Shivnarine Chanderpaul was unbeaten on 109 as the visitors reached 564 for four wickets at the close of the third day, a lead of 177 runs. Samuels, who resumed on 109, was the last man out in the final session and added 326 runs for the third wicket with Darren Bravo (127).

The stand between Samuels and Bravo was the highest for West Indies for any wicket against Bangladesh, surpassing Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin’s unbroken 296 in the previous test in Dhaka. Bravo, who was unbeaten on 85 overnight, also completed his century, his fourth in tests, before off-spinner Sohag Gazi trapped him lbw.

Samuels made Bangladesh pay heavily after Naeem Islam dropped the right-handed batsman on 117 off Abul Hasan at slip.

DUBAI: Sergio Garcia, competing this week for the first time since Europe’s Ryder Cup win in September, equalled the course record with a swashbuckling eight-under 64 in the DP World Tour Championship second round yesterday. The 32-year-old Spaniard, who had laser eye surgery last month to correct astigmatism, collected only four pars all day in a rollercoaster round at the Greg Normandesigned Earth course.

Garcia produced a flawless front nine containing five birdies and four pars. He then played the inward half without a regulation figure, notching two eagles, four birdies, two bogeys and a triple bogey at the par-four 16th to finish with a seven-under aggregate of 137.

“I wish I could explain that,” laughed Garcia.

“Everything was going well until the 12th...and all of a sudden I kind of lost it a little bit.

“I missed a couple of short putts for par and then made a bomb on 14 for eagle before making a good birdie at the next hole,” he told reporters on a sun-baked day at the European Tour’s season-ending event. “On 16 I probably hit the worst shot I hit all day. I just didn’t commit to the shot I wanted to hit,” he said referring to an eight-iron approach he dunked into water. Garcia bounced back immediately with a birdie two at the 17th before “getting lucky” with his drive at the 18th where he grabbed his second eagle of the round. “I hit the drive five yards left of where I wanted but got a very good bounce off the rocks and hit a very nice five-wood to 20 feet and holed a great putt from just off the green.”

SCOREBOARD KHULNA, Bangladesh: Scoreboard at the close of the third day of the second test between Bangladesh and West Indies at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium yesterday.

Bangladesh first innings 387 (Abul Hasan 113, Mahmudullah 76, Nasir Hossain 52; Fidel Edwards 6-90) West Indies first innings (overnight 241-2) C.Gayle c Rahim b Gazi 25 K.Powell c Shakib b Rubel 13 D.Bravo lbw b Gazi 127 M.Samuels c sub b Rubel 260 S.Chanderpaul not out 109 D.Ramdin not out 4 Extras (b-10 lb-6 w-2 nb-8) 26 Total (four wickets, 172 overs) 564 Fall of wickets: 1-37 2-43 3-369 4-546 To bat: D.Sammy, V.Permaul, S.Narine, T.Best, F.Edwards.

Bowling: Sohag Gazi 49-4-143-2, Abul Hasan 24-0-113-0 (1w, 4 nb), Rubel Hossain 28-8-75-2 (3nb), Naeem Islam 111-35-0 (1nb), Shakib Al Hasan 38-8-111-0 (1w), Mahmudullah 10-0-42-0, Nasir Hossain 12-1-29-0.

Left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan beat Samuels on 167 for the ball to hit the stumps but to Bangladesh’s dismay the bails remained unmoved.

Paceman Rubel Hossain had a strong lbw appeal turned down against Samuels, on 191, on the first ball after the tea break and was again unlucky when Samuels edged him in his next over between the first slip fielder Shahriar Nafees and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim for a boundary.

Samuels, who hit 31 fours and three sixes, flicked Rubel away for a single to complete his double century and looked well set for a triple before a tired-looking shot off the same bowler ended his knock with substitute fielder Elias Sunny completing the catch at point.

“It is most definitely disappointing,” Samuels told reporters. “Nevertheless, a double-century is a big milestone. I have to work with it and enjoy to the fullest. “The way Bangladesh are playing on this pitch, they are continuing to put everyone in the boundary. They wanted me to go over the top consistently. “There’s a lot of singles to take, I don’t mind until the mid-on and mid-off come up and I take the chance going over the top.” Wicketkeeper Ramdin (four not out) was at the crease for West Indies with Chanderpaul, who compiled his second century in the series having notched up a career best unbeaten 203 in the first test. West Indies won the first test int he two-match series by 77 runs. —Reuters

Garcia surges to course record-tying 64 in Dubai

KHULNA: West Indies cricketer Marlon Samuels (right) plays a shot as Bangladesh fielder Shahriar Nafees leaps to avoid the ball during the third day of the second cricket Test match between Bangladesh and The West Indies at The Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna yesterday. — AFP

Gulf Bank to Sponsor K’S PATH Annual Charity Golf Tournament KUWAIT: Gulf Bank yesterday announced its sponsorship of the Third Annual Charity Golf Tournament organized by the Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals and their Habitat (K’S PATH), which will be held today, at the Sahara Golf Club Kuwait. K’S PATH is a dynamic and committed animal welfare organization which is concerned with all aspects of animal safety in Kuwait. This year more than 100 participants, including Sahara Golf Club

members and non member golfers, spectators, and patrons of K’S PATH will be participating in the tournament.

This sponsorship is part of Gulf Bank’s aim to support its staff, who have put together a strong team, while simultaneously aiding a charitable foundation’s commendable work. Gulf Bank is firmly committed to supporting community related causes and charitable events to help create a better community as a whole.

PREVIOUS RECORD Garcia’s 64 matched the previous record held by British pair Lee Westwood and Ross Fisher, Germany’s Martin Kaymer, Peter Hanson of Sweden and defending champion Alvaro Quiros of Spain. “I’m coming back from a long break so I’m trying to get some good vibrations going,” said former world number two Garcia. “I was trying to be as calm as possible because obviously I wasn’t happy about my shot on 16. This is a course that if you drive the ball well, and I did today, you can make some birdies and eagles. “I have had a couple of rounds before where I’ve hit a double-bogey mixed in with an eagle here or there but not like it happened on the back nine today.” Garcia, now down at 22nd in the world rankings, said he was still a long way from his best. “I feel the rust from these last seven weeks without competing and I need to sharpen up,” he added. “But it feels good to shoot a good round.”

Overnight leader Luke Donald, who carded a 65 on the opening day, was a late starter yesterday. “I’m expecting the leaders to finish somewhere around 11 or 12-under-par at least so I’ll have to wait and see how far away I am,” said Garcia. The Spaniard said he had only noticed a slight improvement in his vision since the operation. “Not immense but a little bit,” he explained. “The main reason I had surgery was that I was feeling very uncomfortable with contact lenses. “It was either do nothing or get the LASIK surgery and kind of get rid of it. I’m still getting used to it.” — Reuters

SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

SPL Preview

Celtic look to bury Euro setback GLASGOW: Kelvin Wilson is confident Celtic can get back to winning ways against Inverness Caledonian Thistle as they prepare to clash with Terry Butcher’s side in the Scottish Premier League. The Hoops resume domestic duties at Celtic Park today after the 2-1 Champions League defeat to Benfica in Lisbon on Tuesday. Butcher’s side suffered a surprise 5-1 setback at home to Motherwell in their previous league outing.

The defeat ended a 10-match unbeaten run for Inverness and Celtic defender Wilson is wary of a fighting response from the Highlanders. “Inverness are a team that have upset Celtic a few times over the years, and they also had a bad result last weekend as well and will be wanting to change that,” the former

Nottingham Forest player said.

“But we will go into the game with confidence like we do every game. The main thing is to win the match but hopefully we can also put a good performance on in front of our own fans as well.” Celtic go into the match a point clear of Hibernian at the top of the Scottish Premier League following their 2-0 win over Aberdeen last weekend. The triumph at Pittodrie ended a run of three games without a win for Neil Lennon’s side and Wilson hopes the result can help the Hoops go on a winning run in the league.

“Obviously we hadn’t won in three games in the league and had dropped some points so it was vital we returned to winnings ways,” Wilson said. “We had to win the game and there was a lot of pres-

sure on us, so hopefully now we can go on and build on it now and embark on a run in the league.

“Undoubtedly there was pressure on us with the way results had gone recently, with losing to Kilmarnock and drawing the two games. It was an early kick-off as well, so all the other teams were watching to see how we got on.”

Celtic will be without a host of players for the match with Emilio Izaguirre, James Forrest and captain Scott Brown all ruled out through injury. But with Gary Hooper, Miku, Lassad and Thomas Rogne back in contention, Lennon says he may give some other first team regulars a rest after a punishing schedule recently. “We will have to rotate some players,” Lennon admitted. “You can see that some of our

SPANISH Preview

Magical Messi nears Mueller goals record MADRID: Superstar Lionel Messi, having taken his 2012 goals tally to 80 in midweek, can close in on German great Gerd Mueller’s all-time record of 85 in a calendar year tomorrow. The Argentinean had already surpassed Pele’s total of 75 goals in 1958 and a double at Spartak Moscow on Tuesday, when Barcelona secured their spot in the Champions League last 16, further boosted his hopes.

With his La Liga-leading side travelling to Levante tomorrow, Messi now has eight matches left before the Christmas break in which to break Mueller’s record of 85 goals in 1972. “Everyone says I’m very competitive, I do plan my objectives year by year to keep improving and to win again all we have won before,” Messi said. “I just like to train, play and win. I’ve been like that since I was young, but without my colleagues I would not achieve anything, they deserve all the credit.”

Levante will be a difficult place to go for Barca as Real Madrid can vouch after scraping a late 2-1 win there two weekends ago. A 2-0 win at Deportivo La Coruna last weekend saw Levante move into a Champions League position in fourth, and in Obafemi Martins they have pace that Barca will be wary of. The Nigerian ex-Newcastle and Inter Milan striker has hit five goals in eight league games this season since his summer move from Rubin Kazan.

Second-placed Atletico Madrid entertain Sevilla just before Barca play, knowing that a win will pile pressure on Messi and his team mates. There are three points between the two sides who have both made recordbreaking starts to the season.

Barca have dropped only two points to date in the 2-2 draw with Real Madrid, while Atletico have let just five slip.Atletico have won every home game but Sevilla arrive in the capital full of confidence after the 5-1 thrashing handed to their local rivals Betis last Sunday. Sevilla midfielder Javi Hervas is clear his side must forget that triumph. “We have to go out like that in all games and if we do it at Atletico we can break their record. They have lots of good players, not just Falcao, and they play at a great pace, but we’ll go there to win,” he said. Meanwhile, chasing hard in third position, eight points behind Barca, are Real Madrid who go to Real Betis today on the back of five straight league wins and Champions League qualification achieved with Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Manchester City. Betis will be keen to give a good per-

MOSCOW: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (left) battles for the ball with Spartak Moscow’s Jose Manuel Jurado during their Group G Champions League soccer match at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on Tuesday, Nov 20, 2012. — AP formance after their derby disaster, while Madrid slowly recover from an early season injury crisis. Betis defender Chechu Dorado feels positive despite the Sevilla loss.

“Our league position speaks for itself, any Betis fan would be happy to be in sixth with 19 points at this stage, we’re not happy with the result last week, nobody likes to lose like that to their biggest rival, but we’re looking ahead and what should be a great match,” he said. — AFP

regulars are feeling the demands that have been made of them and since we have a few players coming back into contention, we’ll sit down and think how to use everyone to best advantage.”

Elsewhere today, it’s a case of second versus third as Hibernian host Aberdeen at Easter Road with both sides looking to get back to winning ways after defeats last weekend. There is a basement battle at St Mirren Park where bottom of the league Dundee travel to take on second bottom St Mirren.

Dundee have won two of their past three matches to move to within a point of Danny Lennon’s side and safety.

Motherwell will look to build on their thrashing of Inverness last week as they host Hearts at Fir Park. — AFP

ITALIAN

Preview

Juventus out to bring AC Milan back down to earth MILAN: AC Milan’s joy at qualifying for the Champions League could be tempered by a desperate need for points in Italy’s Serie A, and the formidable challenge of on-form visitors Juventus tomorrow. Seven-time winners Milan beat Serie A champions Juventus into the last 16 of Europe’s premier club competition with victory over Anderlecht on Wednesday. But the Rossoneri’s feat in Brussels will do little to hide the fact their domestic form, compared to the Turin giants, leaves a lot to be desired.

After 13 games, Milan sit in the bottom half of the table with a 17-point deficit on Juventus (32), who have a four-point lead on Inter Milan with Napoli and Fiorentina a point further adrift in third and fourth.

Indeed, if not for the goalscoring talents of forward Stephan El Shaarawy, who has a league-leading tally of 10 goals-half of Milan’s total-the red and black would be in even worse shape.

“Is El Shaarawy the Milan team? He’s the one making the difference for them so, yes, I’d say he is,” Juventus forward Sebastian Giovinco told juventus.com. Juve, on the other hand, could not be more comfortable. Since suffering their first defeat in 50 games nearly three weeks ago, they have accounted for Pescara (6-1), dominated Lazio in a scoreless draw and left Chelsea’s Champions League hopes hanging by a thread after a 3-0 rout on Wednesday. In the corresponding fixture with Milan last year Juventus prevailed 2-1 at the San Siro, with Milan holding the Old Lady to a 1-1 draw in Turin in February.

Milan defender Mattia De Sciglio said: “Tomorrow’s match against Juventus will be tough, especially with what happened last year. They’re one of the best teams in Italy.” Since their 3-1 reverse at home against Inter Milan, Juventus have been virtually unbeatable.

But what is billed as one of the biggest derbies in Italian football will be hard to predict. In their 77 previous Serie A matches at the San Siro Milan have won 26 times with Juve winning 18 and 33 matches ending in draws. Coach Antonio Conte, whose lengthy touchline ban ends next month, is taking nothing for granted.

“We have an important game against a Milan side that isn’t currently challenging at the top, but they still have a squad brimming with quality,” he said. “We’re top of the league, but we still haven’t achieved anything and still have qualification to secure in the Champions League.” — AFP

SPORTS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Benitez upbeat ahead of Chelsea baptism of fire LONDON: Rafael Benitez began his reign as Chelsea interim manager insisting working with Roman Abramovich will be “easier” than the US ownership duo of George Gillett and Tom Hicks he knew at Liverpool. Benitez arrived at Chelsea on Thursday and so became the club’s ninth manager in just over eight years under the ownership of Russian billionaire Abramovich. Former Liverpool coach Benitez, 52, is only under contract until the end of the current season after replacing Roberto di Matteo, sacked on Wednesday after European champions Chelsea lost 3-0 at Juventus in the Champions League.

Chelsea’s rapid turnover of managers under Abramovich has long been a topic of discussion in English football. But Benitez, who on Thursday had still to meet the Blues owner, said the experience could not be worse than the difficult relationship with Gillett and Hicks that led to the Spaniard’s departure from Liverpool two years ago. “If you have two bosses who aren’t talking to each other, it’s difficult,” said Benitez. “You want a striker and one of them says: ‘I don’t know...’ “This will be easier.”

Benitez will have a tough baptism of fire tomorrow when Manchester City, fresh from a draw with Real Madrid that scuppered their hopes of reaching the Champions League last 16 for the second season in a row, arrive in west London with a fourpoint lead over the hosts. “Chelsea tried to win the Champions League for 10 years,” said City manager Roberto Mancini. “The Champions League is strange, different, and we have to be patient for this.” Manchester United can overtake cross-town

rivals City, if only for a day, at the summit when they face a bottom of the table QPR still looking for a first league win this season under Old Trafford old boy Mark Hughes on Saturday.

The match will be United’s first since Friday’s scheduled unveiling of a statue of manager Alex Ferguson who, in contrast to the managerial maelstrom elsewhere, has presided over the club for 26 years. “He’s a great example for all managers and it’s great to work with him,” said Nemanja Vidic, the United captain, of his 71-year-old Scottish boss. “You learn something new from him every day. I have learnt a lot from him, not just as a footballer but in life (in general).” West Bromwich Albion, the surprise package among the top four, will look to continue their impressive start under former Chelsea assistant manager Steve Clarke when they travel to Sunderland.

Arsenal and Everton will try to press their top four claims against Aston Villa and Norwich respectively with Gunners manager Arsene Wenger buoyed by the fact the top teams all seem to be dropping points. “With what is going on in the league, it looks like the team that can show consistency has a chance and if we are able to show consistency now we have a chance to come back to the top teams,” said Wenger. Tomorrow sees Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers taking his team to former club Swansea, with both sides in mid-table. Meanwhile strugglers Southampton will look to build on last week’s win over QPR at home to Newcastle as London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham meet at White Hart Lane.— AFP

Wenger seeks Arsenal aid from rivals slip-ups

Mark Hughes

QPR sack manager Hughes after winless start LONDON: Queens Park Rangers sacked manager Mark Hughes yesterday with the team bottom of the Premier League table without a win in 12 matches this season. Harry Redknapp is the huge favorite with bookmakers to take over. The west London club said in a statement on their website (www.qpr.co.uk) that Hughes had left the club with immediate effect after drawing four and losing eight times so far. “This decision has been taken after careful consideration by the Board of Directors, following numerous meetings over the last few days,” the statement said. “Mark has shown integrity and professionalism throughout his time here, but ultimately the circumstances we find ourselves in have left the Board of Directors with very little choice but to make a change.”

Speculation has mounted in recent weeks that Hughes would be shown the exit door after a woeful start to the season that sees QPR as the only club without a win in all four professional divisions in England. They narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League on the final day of last season. Club owner Tony Fernandez had publicly backed Hughes, although there was a change in tone after today’s home defeat to fellow strugglers Southampton which left them four points adrift at the bottom of the table.

“I feel gutted,” Fernandes wrote on Twitter. “I have put my heart and soul into this with my other shareholders. And done all we can to give support to players and all management. I can only apologize to the QPR fans. We keep fighting. “Let me tell you fans come first. Everyone including me let the fans down. Many of us need a hard look at themselves.”—Reuters

LONDON: Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal can take advantage of inconsistency among the Premier League title contenders and return to the top four of the table. Wenger’s side have recovered from their own blip to record back-to-back wins ahead of this today’s trip to Aston Villa, whereas Chelsea and Manchester United were defeated in domestic action last weekend. Reigning champions and league leaders Manchester City also dropped points at West Ham recently and have been knocked out of the Champions League, offering Wenger hope of mounting a challenge at the top end of the league.

“With what is going on in the league, it looks like the team that can show consistency has a chance and if we are able to show consistency now we have a chance to come back to the top teams,” said Wenger. “I am highly encouraged by the results last weekend because if you have a team who doesn’t drop points no matter what you do, you will never come back once the difference is there,” added the Frenchman, whose side head into the weekend four points outside the Champions League places. “We had a difficult period, I hope now we can show the consistency that is needed to come back.”

Wenger has been pleased with his new signings over the last week and Jack Wilshere’s return from injury. Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski have played key roles in the wins over Tottenham and Montpellier, while Wilshere was on the scoresheet against the French side as Arsenal secured a place in the last 16 of the Champions League. “That shows there are good vibes in the dressing room, that they feel accepted, that they feel part of it and that they are capable to adapt to our style of play quite quickly,” Wenger said.

Theo Walcott has been ruled out of the trip to Villa Park but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should overcome a hip problem. Abou Diaby will be out for another three or four weeks with his thigh injury, Wenger confirmed. Kieran Gibbs returns but Andre Santos is out with an abdominal strain. Wenger feels his side will have enough to earn victory against Villa. “I’ve just watched their (Villa’s) game against Manchester United. They’re a dynamic side,” he said. “I think it will be down to our performance because we know we played QPR who had not won, and we won in the last minute.”

Villa midfielder Barry Bannan has claimed he has never been happier in his career at Villa Park and believes that is all down to his manager Paul Lambert. The Birmingham side find themselves in the relegation zone but Bannan is enjoying working with Lambert, a fellow Scot, who arrived at the club from Norwich City in pre-season.—AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

English Premier League Sunderland v West Bromwich Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5

15:45

Everton v Norwich City Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5

18:00

Man United v QPR Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5

18:00

Stoke City v Fulham Abu Dhabi Sports HD 4

18:00

Wigan Athletic v Reading Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5

18:00

Aston Villa v Arsenal Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5

20:30

Spanish League Rayo Vallecano v Real Mallorca Aljazeera Sport +2

18:00

Real Valladolid v Granada Aljazeera Sport +5

20:00

Malaga v Valencia Aljazeera Sport +2

22:00

Real Betis v Real Madrid Aljazeera Sport +2

Palermo v Catania Aljazeera Sport +1

Italian League

German League SpVgg v FC Nuremberg Dubai Sports

0:00

22:45

17:30

Schalke v Eintracht Frankfurt Dubai Sports 7

17:30

FSV Mainz v Borussia Dortmund Dubai Sports 3

17:30

Bayern Munich v Hannover Dubai Sports 2

17:30

French League Paris Saint-Germain v ES Troyes Aljazeera Sport +4

19:00

Stade Rennais v Thonon Gaillard Aljazeera Sport +9

22:00

Bastia v Lorient Aljazeera Sport +8

22:00

FC Sochaux v Nice Aljazeera Sport +5

22:00

AS Nancy Lorraine v AC Ajaccio Aljazeera Sport +10

22:00

Stade Reims v Brest Aljazeera Sport +7

22:00

SPORTS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Soccer attack stokes fears of neo-fascist violence ROME: A brutal attack on fans of English football club Tottenham Hotspur in Rome has stoked fears in Italy of rising right-wing and anti-Semitic violence. Italy’s capital has been rattled by increasing militancy by the extreme right since October, with weekly demonstrations by the neo-fascist youth group Blocco Studentesco often ending in clashes with police. Local media initially blamed Thursday’s attack on hard-core fans or ‘ultras’ supporting Lazio, who Tottenham had travelled to the capital to play in the Europa League.

But two supporters of AS Roma, Lazio’s bitter city rivals, were among the 15 detained for alleged involvement in the mass attack on a downtown bar, suggesting a possibly different motivation.

Tottenham have a large contingent of Jewish fans and witnesses told Italian media that masked men armed with knives and baseball bats shouted “Jews, Jews” as they laid siege to a pub where the Tottenham

supporters were drinking in a district popular with tourists in an old quarter of Rome. Ten people were injured in the attack, which left 25-year-old English fan Ashley Mills in a serious condition. He underwent surgery for a severed artery in his leg yesterday and was being monitored by doctors, the Rome hospital where he is being treated said.

Lazio issued a statement on Thursday saying any suggestion that the assailants were Lazio supporters was “totally groundless”. Israeli ambassador to Italy Naor Gilon told reporters the attack on Spurs supporters, stemmed from “a new trend of anti-Semitism in Europe”. The World Jewish Congress called yesterday for Lazio to be suspended from European soccer if they failed to take action against hard core antiSemitic supporters. Media reports said Lazio fans chanted “Juden Tottenham, Juden Tottenham” at the match on Thursday. — Reuters

Eto’o’s Anzhi cruise to Europa knockout stage Holders Atletico qualify, runners-up Bilbao out BERNE: Cameroon forward Samuel Eto’o scored to help ambitious Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala beat Udinese 2-0 and reach the Europa League knockout stages on Thursday, eliminating the Italians in the process. Titleholders Atletico Madrid qualified with a 1-0 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv but last season’s runners up Athletic Bilbao, whose game in Israel against Hapoel Kiryat Shmona was postponed for security reasons, were knocked out without playing.

Sparta Prague, Levante, Genk, Lazio, Borussia Moenchengladbach, Fenerbahce, Viktoria Plzen, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Girondins Bordeaux, Newcastle United and Napoli also went through.

Lazio’s goalless draw at home to Tottenham was played against a backdrop of violence after 10 supporters of the English side were injured in an attack on a Rome pub by dozens of masked men in the early hours of Thursday. Police said that among 15 Italians detained were two fans of AS Roma, Lazio’s bitter rivals, who were charged with violence and grievous bodily harm. Lazio were fined 40,000 euros ($52,400) by UEFA last month for racist chanting by their fans at the first game in London which also ended goalless. Former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne, who played for both clubs, was a guest of honor at the Group J match.

Lazio president Claudio Lotito paraded Gascoigne around the pitch and fans held a huge banner with his photograph. Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris, struggling to impose himself as number one with Brad Friedel playing more regularly, had an excellent game as the Londoners stayed in contention to go through in the final round of

MOSCOW: Udinese Calcio’s defender Maurizio Domizzi (left) vies with Anzhi Makhachkala’s defenders (right to left) Joao Carlos, Rasim Tagirbekov and Christopher Samba in Moscow, during their group A football match of UEFA Europa League. — AFP group games. “It was not easy, we struggled against a good Lazio team. They controlled the game, they were well-organized and we had trouble to find space, so it is a good point for us,” he told French TV. “I may have had much more work than usual in the Europa League, it is good for me and it is good for the team to grab a point.”

Christopher Samba and Eto’o scored in a three-minute spell in the second half to steer Guus Hiddink’s Anzhi team into the last 32. Samba headed in from a corner and former Barcelona and Inter Milan forward Eto’o raced clear of the Udinese defense before slotting the ball past Zeljko Brkic, ending an unhappy European cam-

paign for the Serie A side who missed out on the Champions League after losing on penalties to Braga. The Group A match was played in Moscow after UEFA refused to let Anzhi stage matches in the violence-plagued Dagestan region for security reasons.

In the group’s other game, Liverpool twice led but were held to a 2-2 draw by Young Boys after Montenegro’s Elsad Zverotic struck for the Swiss visitors with a 25metre rocket in the 88th minute.

Sparta Prague’s 1-1 draw at home to Lyon in Group I sent them through alongside the alreadyqualified Ligue 1 outfit, but the result meant elimination for Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic. — Reuters

Europa League standing PARIS: Europa League standings after Thursday’s early games (played, won, drawn, lost, for, against, points) 5 5 5 5

3 2 2 1

Group A 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 3

6 10 11 7

2 9 12 11

10 - qualified 7 7 4

Atletico Madrid 5 Viktoria Plzen 5 Academica Coimbra5 Hapoel Tel-Aviv 5

4 3 1 0

Group B 0 1 1 1 2 2 1 4

7 10 6 2

3 4 7 11

12 - qualified 10 - qualified 5 1

Fenerbahce M’gladbach Marseille AEL Limassol

5 5 5 5

4 2 1 0

Group C 1 0 2 1 2 2 1 4

10 8 9 1

4 6 8 10

13 - qualified 8 - qualified 5 1

Bordeaux Newcastle Club Brugge Maritimo

5 5 5 5

3 2 1 0

Group D 1 1 3 0 1 3 3 2

8 7 5 2

5 3 9 5

10 - qualified 9 - qualified 4 3

Steaua Bucharest VfB Stuttgart FC Copenhagen Molde

5 5 5 5

3 2 2 1

Group E 1 1 2 1 1 2 0 4

8 9 4 5

8 5 5 8

10 8 7 3

Dnipropetrovsk Napoli PSV Eindhoven AIK

5 5 5 5

4 3 1 1

Group F 0 1 0 2 1 3 1 3

12 11 5 5

8 9 6 10

12 - qualified 9 - qualified 4 4

RC Genk Basel Videoton Sporting Lisbon

5 5 5 5

3 2 2 0

Group G 2 0 2 1 0 3 2 3

9 7 5 2

4 4 6 9

11 - qualified 8 6 2

Rubin Kazan Inter Milan Neftchi Partizan Belgrade

5 5 5 5

4 3 0 0

Group H 1 0 1 1 2 3 2 3

9 9 2 2

2 7 6 7

13 - qualified 10 - qualified 2 2

Lyon Sparta Prague Hapoel Ironi Athletic Bilbao

5 5 4 4

4 2 0 0

Group I 1 0 2 1 2 2 1 3

12 9 6 5

8 6 9 9

13 - qualified 8 2 1

Lazio Tottenham Panathinaikos Maribor

5 5 5 5

2 1 1 1

Group J 3 0 4 0 2 2 1 3

5 5 3 5

1 3 8 6

9 - qualified 7 5 4

Metalist Kharkov Bayer Leverkusen Rosenborg Rapid Vienna

5 5 5 5

4 3 2 0

Group K 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 5

9 8 7 3

2 2 9 14

13 - qualified 10 - qualified 6 0

Hanover Levante FC Twente Helsingborgs

5 5 5 5

3 3 0 0

Group L 2 0 1 1 4 1 1 4

9 8 4 6

6 3 7 11

11 - qualified 10 - qualified 4 1

Anji Makhachkala Liverpool Young Boys Udinese

SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

French League Preview

PSG focus on Ligue 1 ‘crisis’ PARIS: Paris Saint Germain turn their focus back to the more mundane matters of a faltering Ligue 1 campaign today, just days after securing their ticket to the glamorous Champions League knock-out rounds. An Ezequiel Lavezzi double clinched the Parisians a place in the last 16 with a 2-0 win over Dynamo Kiev in the Ukrainian capital, just days after a home loss to nine-man Rennes saw the big-spenders fall off top spot in Ligue 1.

This week Carlo Ancelotti’s side are counting on a more straightforward task as they look to keep in touch with leaders Lyon and second-placed Bordeaux at home against promoted Troyes, second-from-bottom with just one win from 13 games. Ancelotti’s side

are two points behind Lyon and a point adrift of Bordeaux, but the Italian was encouraged by what he saw in Kiev. “We showed a great attitude in Kiev, we must now show the same spirit against Troyes,” said Ancelotti.

Without a win in their last three league matches his demoralized squad have also been given a boost by their success in the elite European competition with a match to go against Portuguese giants FC Porto.

“We’re satisfied with this win,” said midfielder Blaise Matuidi. “It’s been 17 years since Paris have played in the Champions League knockout round.” Ligue 1 competition is fierce with just five points separating the top eight as Saint-Etienne and Valenciennes go head to head in Friday’s early game in a match where

a win would put either side on top.

Both sides have 22 points from 13 games and the winner will take not only three points but provisional lead ahead of Lyon on goal difference. “It’s an additional challenge,” said Saint-Etienne coach Daniel Sanchez. Lyon, who pulled ahead after a 3-0 win over promoted Reims last weekend, travel to midtable Toulouse tomorrow, as stumbling champions Montpellier, sitting just 14th, face a difficult task as they look to put their Champions League loss to Arsenal behind them at home to high-flying Bordeaux.

Meanwhile, fourth-placed Marseille, 1-0 losers to Bordeaux last weekend, can finally count English midfielder Joey Barton among their ranks after seeing out his suspension,

No 5 Duke thump Minnesota 89-71 PARADISE ISLAND: It sounds as if Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is putting together a screenplay: “The Maturation of Mason Plumlee.” So far the reviews have been great.

Plumlee scored 20 points and grabbed a career high-matching 17 rebounds to lead No 5 Duke to an 89-71 victory over Minnesota on Thursday in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis. The 6-foot-10 senior had four solid games this season before putting on an impressive performance against a team known for being physical and playing defense. “Maturity is what you need to be this good,” Krzyzewski said. “Most kids don’t figure that out. He has. And it wasn’t a case of him being immature before, he has just matured.”

Seth Curry scored 25 points for Duke (4-0), which will face the winner of the first-round game between No 19 Memphis and VCU in semifinals. Plumlee was coming off a career-high 28 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the field, 10 of 11 from the free throw line and had nine rebounds in the Blue Devils’ previous game, an 88-67 win over Florida Gulf Coast. He was 8 of 10 from the free throw after coming in 17 of 22 (77.3 percent). That is very impressive for a guy who shot 52.8 percent from the line last season and 54.3 percent and 44.1 percent the two seasons before. “I’m in a role that I love and feel like I am in control and confident in myself and my team,” Plumlee said. “I think guys like Quinn (Cook) stepping up playing great and Ryan (Kelly) is playing better too. I think everything is heading in the right direction.”

Sophomore point guard Quinn Cook had a career-high 17 points for the Blue Devils who extended their regular-season tournament winning streak to 21 games, a run that stretches to the championship game of the 2006 CBE Classic. “My job is to communicate with everybody and be a leader,” Cook said.

“My teammates have confidence in me and know I can do what I have to when things break down.” Ryan Kelly had 14 points for Duke and freshman Rasheed Sulaimon, the fifth starter, added 11. The only points scored by a non-starter were the two from Amile Jefferson. Only four reserves played for Duke.

“We’re not going to score that much from our bench, that’s not what those guys have to do when they get in the game,” Krzyzewski said. “It doesn’t always have to be a certain way.

These guys come in to make the hustle plays, rebound, defend. Do what we need to be done.” Rodney Williams had 16 points for the Golden Gophers (4-1), who just couldn’t cut into the Blue Devils’ lead in the second half. “I think we had a couple of lapses on defense,” Williams said. “Duke hit some big shots in the second half when we were playing good defense.”

Duke’s lead ranged from 10 to 13 points throughout most of the second half. Minnesota, a team known for its toughness and defense, met its match in the Blue Devils, who were just as physical as the Gophers, and were more so through the last 5 minutes when Duke pulled away. “K’s teams are always hard to play and that means they are hard to beat,” Minnesota

PARADISE ISLAND: Minnesota guard Julian Welch (left) and Duke guard Tyler Thornton (3) fight for the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Paradise Island, Bahamas. — AP coach Tubby Smith said. “Plumlee is really good.” Curry was 8 of 11 from the field and Duke finished 30 of 55 (54.5 percent).

Curry made all three of his 3-point attempts and the Blue Devils were 8 of 10 from beyond the arc. Minnesota had held its first three opponents to 28.6 shooting from the field and 19.1 percent on 3s while giving up 48.0 points per game.

Obviously Duke was a little bit better than the Gophers’ first three opponents.

“We felt we could try and get physical with our three big guys but he’s just a real talented player,” Smith said. “Game plans are meant to work but it didn’t today.” This was Duke’s 150th consecutive game ranked in the Top Ten and the Blue Devils are 150-30 in those games. — AP

when they host Lille, four spots below them.

Barton, on a year loan from Queens Park Rangers, had to sit out nine Ligue 1 or League Cup matches in France of a 12-match ban after being found guilty of two charges of violent conduct while playing for QPR. The Lille match will be an important clash for Marseille, who after a stunning start to the season with an historic six straight victories, have taken just five points from a possible 18 for their last six matches. Elsewhere Rennes look to build on last weekend’s heroics in Parc des Princes back home in Brittany against third-from-bottom Evian, Nice travel to Sochaux as tailenders Nancy host strugglers Ajaccio whose fellow Corsicans Bastia host Lorient. — AFP

Northern Iowa fall short against No 2 Louisville PARADISE ISLAND: The crowd at the Imperial Arena was ready for the big upset. No 2 Louisville was trying to hang on against Northern Iowa. The last time the Panthers were going after a highly ranked team they got it, beating top-ranked Kansas 69-67 when Ali Farokhmanesh was the name on everybody’s lips for quite a few days in March 2010. There was no wild celebrating this time, the Panthers just didn’t have enough and they lost 51-46 to the Cardinals on Thursday night in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Louisville led by 18 points with just under 12 minutes to play. Somehow the Panthers kept chipping away and they were within one point with 2:06 to play. “I kept telling the guys to stay with it - one possession at a time,” said Marc Sonnen, who finished with 11 points. “Stay with how we play and keep getting stops - that was our focus. It didn’t go our way, but we fought back hard and kept sticking with it.” Russ Smith scored 16 points, including the deciding three-point play with 5.1 seconds left.

The Cardinals had a bad first half, looked as if they straightened things out but then stumbled to the finish. “I think they scouted us perfectly. I think they did a really good job taking away all our pick and rolls, packing it in,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. “But we also played excellent defense and made big plays. We knew this was going to be a war and was going to go down to the buzzer. “We played hard, but they made us look bad,” he said. Louisville (4-0) will face No 13 Missouri in Friday night’s semifinals. The Tigers beat Stanford 78-70.

The Cardinals somehow held a 26-20 halftime lead despite shooting 27.0 percent from the field (10 of 37) and committing 10 turnovers. They held Northern Iowa (3-1) to one field goal over the opening 10:47 of the second half and that cut Louisville’s lead to 40-24. The Panthers were 1 of 13 from the field and committed eight turnovers in that span. “At 40-22, all the momentum was on Louisville’s side,” Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said. “You keep thinking about making the right plays and doing a couple things.

At the same time, you think you have let a couple of opportunities go on layups and ball-handling plays we didn’t make.

But that is where the guys get a lot of credit for continuing to get back and transition and continue to defend and block out, sharing the offense.” It was far from an easy ride to the finish as the Cardinals went 5:12 without scoring and suddenly the Panthers were chipping away. Jake Koch made two free throws with 2:06 to cut Louisville’s lead to 45-44. Gorgui Dieng scored for the Cardinals and after a missed 3 by Northern Iowa, Luke Hancock made one of two free throws for Louisville with 54 seconds left.

Koch made two free throws with 42 seconds left to make it 48-46. Peyton Siva drove the lane and missed a short shot for Louisville but the ball was tied up and the arrow favored the Cardinals with 6.3 seconds left. On the inbounds pass Wayne Blackshear found Smith who laid it in and was fouled with 5.1 seconds left for the final margin. Sonnen had 11 points for Northern Iowa and Koch finished with 10. “We knew coming in how good they are,” Sonnen said. “They are No 2.” Nate Buss was the man who made the difference for the Panthers scoring eight points in the final 13 minutes - his only playing time of the game. The 6-foot-9 sophomore didn’t score as a freshman and had a total of 24 points coming in. — AP

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Sports

Eto’o’s Anzhi cruise to Europa knockout stage

46

DETROIT: Houston Texans running back Justin Forsett (28) is hit

by Detroit Lions free safety Louis Delmas (26) during the third quarter of an NFL football game at Ford Field in Detroit.

(Inset) Detroit Lions tight end Tony Scheffler (85) jumps over Houston Texans defensive back Brice McCain (21) during overtime of an NFL football game at Ford Field in Detroit. — AP

High-scoring Patriots embarrass Jets Texans top Lions 34-31 in OT EAST RUTHERFORD: Tom Brady and the New England Patriots put this game - and the New York Jets’ ugly season - away early. At least it was competitive for a quarter. By halftime, it was a big-time laugher. Brady threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score as the Patriots thoroughly embarrassed the Jets with a 35-point second quarter in a 49-19 victory Thursday night. After a scoreless opening quarter, the Patriots (8-3) went on a touchdown spree despite holding the ball for only 2:14 as they took advantage of several mistakes by Rex Ryan’s hapless Jets (4-7). Their 35 secondquarter points tied for the fourth-most in a quarter in NFL history.

Fans were chanting for Tim Tebow to play before the second quarter of this Thanksgiving showdown was over, and booing as the team left the MetLife Stadium field at halftime. New England, which beat Indianapolis 59-24 on Sunday, scored four touchdowns in just over 6 minutes - including three in a jaw-dropping 52second span - helping Bill Belichick become the eighth coach in NFL history with 200 career victories, including the playoffs.

Brady finished 18 of 28 for 323 yards before leaving with 2 minutes left in the game. He reached 3,000 yards passing for the 10th time, becoming one of six players to accomplish the feat. He also passed Dan Fouts for 10th place on the career passing list. New York’s Mark Sanchez was 26 of 36 for 301 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Tebow didn’t play at all - nursing sore ribs that made him questionable for the game - and stood on the sideline with a cap on throughout despite the occasional chants for him to get some snaps.

TEXANS 34, LIONS 31, OT Shayne Graham’s 32-yard field goal in overtime gave Houston the win at Detroit after Lions coach Jim Schwartz broke an NFL rule on a scoring play. Detroit kicker Jason Hanson had a chance to get Schwartz off the hook, but his 47yard field goal attempt on the fifth possession of the extra period hit the right upright. Schwartz threw a challenge flag when Houston’s Justin Forsett scored on an 81-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Replays showed Forsett was

down near midfield, but Schwartz negated the automatic review by challenging the play and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. The long run got Houston within three.

Arian Foster ran for 102 yards and two scores for the Texans, including a 1-yard run with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter that tied it at 31. AFC South-leading Houston (10-1) took its first lead when Graham made up for missing a field goal earlier in a turnover-filled OT. The Texans have won five straight, including the last two in OT. Detroit (4-7) has lost three straight to make it extremely difficult to reach its goal of earning a spot in consecutive postseasons for the first time since the mid-1990s.

REDSKINS 38, COWBOYS 31 Robert Griffin III threw for 311 yards and four touchdowns, leading Washington to the road win.

The Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor made the Cowboys look like an overmatched college team during the decisive second quarter of Griffin’s first pro game in the state. He got some help from his receivers, including a leaping grab

and long run from Pierre Garcon and some nifty footwork in the end zone by Santana Moss. Tony Romo lost for the first time in six starts on Thanksgiving, despite a career-high 441 yards and three second-half touchdowns, including the longest of his career - an 85-yarder to Dez Bryant.

Romo ran in a 2-point conversion after a TD throw to Felix Jones and threw another scoring pass to Bryant to help Dallas close to 35-28 with 8:24 remaining.

But Griffin answered - twice, actually. After Romo’s long touchdown to Bryant, Griffin threw his fourth scoring pass, a 29-yarder to Niles Paul.

The rookie became the first Redskins quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in consecutive games. After the Cowboys (5-6) pulled within a touchdown, Griffin drove them into scoring position again, calmly completing three passes for first downs and running 51/2 minutes off the clock before Kai Forbath made it 38-28 on a 48-yard field goal. It was Romo’s third loss in three career 400-yard games. It also was the Cowboys’ first loss to the Redskins (5-6) in seven games on Thanksgiving. — AP