30th Oct

CR IP TI ON BS SU

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

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Barrak arrested after warrant finally arrives Ex-MP denies opposition seeking ‘regime change’

Max 36º Min 25º High Tide 12:32 & 23:43 Low Tide 05:54 : 17:39

By B Izzak and A Saleh

Kuwait’s ‘AA’ rating under threat: Fitch PARIS: The ratings agency Fitch warned yesterday that a surge in public unrest in Kuwait could threaten the state’s solid sovereign rating. “Recent popular protests suggest a radicalisation of the political scene in Kuwait,” Fitch said in a statement, while noting that the oil-rich countr y ’s external balance “is the strongest of all Fitch-rated countries”. That meant the country’s “AA” sovereign rating, the second-highest rating by Fitch, would withstand additional instability, it said. “However, a serious escalation of public unrest could threaten the rating. Much will depend on how the authorities respond, and whether largescale violence is avoided,” it added.

Kuwait’s rating is underpinned by its strong sovereign and external balance sheet, Fitch said, citing estimated net foreign assets of $323 billion at the end of last year. That is equivalent to 191 percent of gross domestic product. Standard & Poor’s rates Kuwait’s sovereign credit at AA while Moody’s Investors Service has an equivalent Aa2 rating. Both have stable outlooks on the credit.

Last weekend, 100 protesters were hurt in weekend clashes with police in Kuwait as the Continued on Page 15

KUWAIT: Former opposition MP Musallam Al-Barrak (right) waves to supporters from a police van after he was arrested outside his residence in Andalous yesterday. Member of the annulled 2012 Assembly Obaid AlWasmi (center) insisted on riding with him in the van. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Members of the State Security yesterday arrested former MP and prominent opposition leader Musallam Al-Barrak after producing an arrest warrant issued by the public prosecution on accusations that he undermined the status of HH the Amir. Two hours after Barrak told hundreds of his supporters who gathered at his residence that he was ready to give himself up to face interrogations if authorities produced an original warrant arrest, two ranking state security officials arrived at his residence in Andalous. They gave Barrak, who has been a lawmaker since 1996, the warrant and after inspecting it with his lawyers, he declared that he was ready to go with the state security members.

Barrak is accused of undermining the status of the Amir after making remarks deemed offensive to the Amir at a public rally on Oct 15. Barrak had warned the Amir against changing the controversial electoral law. The former lawmaker was taken in a black van and member of the scrapped 2012 National Assembly Obaid Al-Wasmi insisted to ride with him in the van, which the policemen allowed.

Barrak turned himself in peacefully to the state security officials who were offered tea at the former lawmaker’s residence before they drove away with the man who is considered the main voice of the Kuwaiti opposition.

Ahead of the arrest, Barrak told hundreds of his supporters to join in large numbers the opposition’s next demonstration on Nov 4 and denied that the opposition was plotting against the Amir or the ruling family. “Such claims were promoted by the corrupt media and their cheap methodology.

Continued on Page 15

Sandy batters US East Coast Massive hurricane hits election endgame

KUWAIT: A pilgrim is welcomed by his relatives at Kuwait International Airport as hajjis started arriving back home yesterday. — Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh

Haj comes to a close MAKKAH: Muslim pilgrims completed their final haj rituals in the Saudi city of Makkah yesterday as the annual pilgrimage came to a close without any major incidents. The Saudi authorities congratulated the pilgrims, who officially numbered 3.1 million, on a “successful” haj season, despite a large number having entered holy sites without proper permits.

“Everything went very well,” Makkah governor Prince Khaled Al-Faisal told reporters on Sunday, adding that this year’s pilgrimage was “the most successful haj season ever”.

Last year, nearly three million

Muslim pilgrims went on the haj, one of the five pillars of Islam which must be performed at least once in a lifetime by all Muslims who are able to do so. Officials said about 120,000 police were deployed throughout the fiveday pilgrimage, along with an equal number of health and sanitation employees, in what is considered the largest annual human gathering on earth. According to Saudi Health Minister Abdullah Al-Rabia, the haj passed without the spread of any major illness or epidemic. In September, the UN health agency confirmed a Continued on Page 15

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey: Storm-driven waves crashed ashore and flooded seafront communities across the US East Coast yesterday as Hurricane Sandy barreled towards land amid catastrophic predictions. Officials warned that the threat to life and property was “unprecedented” and ordered hundreds of thousands of residents in cities and towns from New England to North Carolina to evacuate their homes and seek shelter. The storm, a deadly combination of a tropical hurricane rolling north from the Caribbean and fierce wintry winds approaching from Canada, was expected to leave tens of millions without power, and trigger coastal and river flooding.

Amtrak trains up and down the coast were cancelled until tomorrow and tens of thousands of travelers were marooned in airports, with flights grounded. “The most important message to the public I have right now, is ‘please listen to what your state and local officials are saying.’

When they tell you to evacuate, you need to evacuate,” President Barack Obama said. The New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and the futures markets in Chicago were closed yesterday, some of the world’s richest cities were effectively shut for business and the US election campaign was severely disrupted.

Continued on Page 15

Air raids, bombs wreck last day of Syria ‘truce’ DAMASCUS: Explosions shook Syria’s capital yesterday as warplanes launched their heaviest air raids yet and two car bombs struck, with the UN-Arab League peace envoy saying the conflict was going from bad to worse. The air raid blasts, heard coming from several outlying districts, rattled windows in the city centre and were among the most intense in Damascus since the beginning of Syria’s 19-month conflict, an AFP correspondent said. They were followed by two car bombings in and around the capital.

The first struck the predominantly Christian and Druze area of Jaramana, DAMASCUS: Syrian citizens and emergency personnel inspect the just outside Damascus, killing 11 damage caused by an explosion in the predominantly Christian and Continued on Page 15 Druze area of Jaramana in the capital yesterday. — AFP

NAGS HEAD, North Carolina: High winds blow sea foam onto Jeanetteís Pier on Sunday as wind and rain from Hurricane Sandy move into the area. (Inset) This satellite picture released by NASA shows the visible image of the massive hurricane yesterday. — AP/AFP

Iran: No plan to shut Hormuz MP: We have pics of Israel bases DUBAI: Iran has no plan to close the vital shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz, Defence Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi was cited as saying by state-run Press T V. Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to close the strait, through which around 40 percent of the world’s sea-borne oil exports pass, in response to tightening sanctions on the country’s crude exports over the past year. State -run Iranian media reported in July that parliamentarians had drafted a bill to try to stop oil tankers from sailing through the Strait of Hormuz in response to a European Union ban on Iranian crude imports that came into force

on July 1.

But Press TV reported yesterday that Tehran had no plan to close the waterway. “These two issues (closure of the Strait of Hormuz and sanctions) are not related and are totally independent of each other,” it quoted the minister as saying. “The existing sanctions are unjust, but they have pushed us forward and boosted our capabilities. We are strong enough to leave these sanctions power fully behind.”

Separately, an Iranian lawmaker yesterday said that Iran holds pictures of Israeli bases and other restricted areas obtained from a drone launched into Israeli air-

space. Earlier this month, Israel shot down a drone after it flew 55 km into the Jewish state. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the aircraft, saying its parts had been manufactured in Iran and assembled in Lebanon.

The drone transmitted pictures of Israel’s “sensitive bases” before it was shot down, said Esmail Kowsari, chair of parliament’s defence committee, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency. He was speaking to Iran’s Arabic-language Al-Alam, Mehr reported yesterday.

“These aircraft transmit their pictures online, and right now we Continued on Page 15

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

LOCAL

Kuwait bracing for crucial week ‘Disobedience will not grip nation’ KUWAIT: Kuwait has vowed not to allow the political crisis to take an ominous turn to civil disobedience or violence. “The government is fully ready to deal with any unexpected developments, especially following the calls for civil disobedience,” sources told local Arabic daily yesterday. “The decisions issued recently by the Civil Service Commission require compliance by all public sector employees in order to avoid punitive action. All employees are required to remain committed to their work and not to display any loyalty to any political movement during the working hours,” the sources said.

The government is ready to tackle any form of civil disobedience thanks to the well-trained staff who are ready to fill jobs, if need be, the sources said.

The government’s readiness pledge was announced as Kuwait

is bracing itself for a crucial week following the five-day Eid break.

Confusion gripped the nation last week when police and demonstrators clashed during a rally to protest a decision to amend the electoral law and reduce the number of candidates a voter can elect from four to one.

The government said that it wanted a fair representation of the people through the international “one voter, one vote” principle. Supporters said that the four vote possibility consolidated the “scratch my back, I scratch yours” principle that allowed larger groups and tribes to dominate the parliament and the political scene.

However, the opposition said that the amendment aimed to reinforce the power of the government and to reduce the influence of the opposition by bringing in more compliant parlia-

ments. The opposition, building on its success last year in using street pressure to force the resignation of the government and the dissolution of the controversial parliament elected in 2009, has called for public rallies to have the amendment reversed.

Last week’s clashes resulted in several injuries among the demonstrators and the police and in the abandonment of the rally.

Social networks said that a new rally would be held on November 4, but no party or group has endorsed the call.

According to Al Watan sources, the government is going ahead with its preparations for the parliamentary elections on Dec 1.

“The decree calling for the elections will be issued on Tuesday by the cabinet and the registration process will start on Wednesday and will last ten days.

There is no change to the Dec 1

Elections Day,” the sources said.

“The government will also announce the names of the ninemember National Commission for the Elections.”

As the government and the opposition move ahead with their plans, former lawmakers have engaged in a bitter war of words through statements and Twitter accounts, accusing one another of twisting facts and figures to their advantage.

A few people said that they would run for parliament, while others said that they would wait to see the new developments this week. The power of the tribes seemed to play a crucial role in the decision to boycott or take part in the elections and many parliament hopefuls said that they would announce their final stance after the tribe issues its final position towards the national polls.

Kuwait to host Future Health and Electronic Medical Record Forums KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti government is working on a plan to boost the nation’s health care system with 3,500 new beds, as well as new laboratory and surgical facilities. The private sector is instrumental in the development of nation’s health care sector.

Although the population is quite young on average, the development of the health care system will cater to the population growth rate and growing disease burdens, such as obesity.

According to the Kuwait Health Sector Report, the hospital expansion strategy focuses on the construction and extensions of eight public hospitals, as well as nine new towers for existing hospitals, increasing the number of beds, operating rooms and outpatient clinics among other specialized services. Cerner, a leading developer of information management systems geared towards health care, is a Gold Sponsor of the Future

Health and Electronic Medical Record Forums taking place from Nov 5 to 7 in Kuwait.

During the Electronic Medical Records Forum, Cerner will lead the roundtable discussion on how to identify the best EMR system and infrastructure needs as well as moderate a panel discussion on how to develop ¨the ideal EMR system.

The panel discussion will bring together the industry’s thought leaders including: Abdulgader Almoeen, Acting Manager, Pharmacy Informatics & Automation, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Saudi Arabia.

Ahmed Albarrak, MD, Chairman Medical Informatics, College of Medicine KSU, Saudi Arabia.

Salman Iqbal, Chief of Information & Technology, Dossary Hospital, Saudi Arabia.

Basim Khoja, Technology Director, Al

Mashfa Hospital, Saudi Arabia.

“The Kuwaiti health care market has a vast potential for the future,” said Greg White, vice president and managing director, Cerner Middle East and Africa. “With the planned growth of the health care system in Kuwait, we believe hospitals will need to spend more funds and resources on building powerful health IT systems such as electronic health records that will provide real-time access to patient information, reduce medical errors and enhance patient safety,” he added. The Future Health and Electronic Medical Records Forums aim to bring together leading health care providers in the Kuwaiti government, Health Authorities, Ministry of Health, hospitals and clinics to discuss national healthcare delivery models, implementation of a good EHR system and strategy, developing the right IT, etc. among other topics.

KUWAIT: Boys try to cross the sewage stream.

Sewage water leak causes problem in Abbassiya

By Sajeev K Peter KUWAIT: Problems caused by leaking drain and sewage water continue to haunt residents in Abbasiya. Roads on Block No 4, Street No 10 in Abbassiya present a dismal sight where drain water has covered a whole stretch of more than 75 meters of the road causing problems to pedestrians as well as residents in the locality.

“It has become worse after the Eid holidays due to increased water consumption,” said Faizal Mohammad, a resident from the area adding that this ‘unhygienic sewage water’ could pose health hazards to the pedestrians as well

as residents.

Many pedestrians resort to using wooden planks as ‘stepping stones’ to cross the sewage stream. Compounding the problem, scattered wooden pieces abandoned in the sewage water make walking and driving on the road nearly impossible. To make matters worse, heavy trucks are parked permanently on one side of the road.

Many residents have complained of drain water leaks in many parts of Abbassiya in the past.

“This road has been in this condition for many months now,” said another resident hoping that some solution would be found soon.

Very cold winter this year KUWAIT: Dr Saleh Al Ujairi, a well known astronomer, predicted that the winter season this year will be very cold. Temperature during this season, particularly in January, could plunge to less than 2 degrees below zero in the open areas and in the desert.

About rains that fell on Saturday

and whether these indicated the start of the winter season, he said that was not the case and forecast that the clouds will disappear on Sunday.

He said the winds will turn north westerly and there could be slight dust. He pointed that from Nov 16 onwards, the young and old should be wearing winter clothes.

KUWAIT: On the occasion of Eid Al Adha, deputy director of fire department Brig Khalid Al Mikrad made an inspection tour of a number of fire centers in the southern areas of the estate on first day of Eid. The tour included five centers, starting with Nowaiseeb and including Al Wafra, Al Zur, Mina Abdullah, and ended at the Al Mangaf center where he was met by local officers and staff. He congratulated them on the occasion of Eid Al Adha and pointed that fire department was getting full and consistent support from the supreme leadership to do its duty. He also said the leadership was always concerned about their needs and requirements. He also conveyed to everyone the greetings from the Minister of Information, Sheikh Mohammad Abdul Al Mubarak, and the general director of fire department, Lt General Yousuf Al Ansari. —Photos by Hanan Al Saadoun

Kuwait forms team to probe political slander KUWAIT: A “security team” belonging to Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior has reportedly been set up to examine recent speeches and statements online and elsewhere - by political activists suspected of insulting the country’s “political symbols”.

The Kuwaiti daily Al Watan reported that a special unit has been set up in the Ministry of Interior to scrutinise tweets and speeches by political activists who may have targeted symbols of the state, a reference to the ruling family.

The report indicated that

the move was triggered by controversial statements made on twitter by a female activist identified only as S. Dh. The authorities are reportedly in the process of substantiating statements made by her on different occasions to launch legal proceedings against her.

Kuwait has recently been rocked by an escalation in tensions between the ruling family and an opposition that has significantly stepped up its criticism of the ruling family by targeting the Emir himself, a long-held taboo in the country.

KUWAIT: The public relations and advertisement staff of the Commercial Bank of Kuwait visited the pediatric section of the Al-Razi Hospital to share the joy of Eid Al-Adha celebrations with children. The visit comes as part of the CBK’s annual humanitarian activities “to encourage the concept of voluntary work” and “present gifts to help put smiles on kids’ faces.” according to assistant manager Amani Al-Wara’a.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

LOCAL

Kuwaitis start building camps in the desert ‘Go back to old tradition’

News

in brief

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti desert is already spoiled and damaged, and the government was not rectifying the situation in any way.

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The word camping is connected to winter in Kuwait. The Kuwait Municipality, as the authority responsible for organizing the camps, decides the period during which people are allowed to set up their camps. This period starts from the beginning of November and lasts till March-end. Although it is not November yet, still people have already started building their camps in the desert.

This early camping along with the frequent movement of vehicles in the desert and nature where the camps are being built will affect the possibility of plants that grow during this period, particularly with the recent rains.

Khalid Al-Hajiri, Chairman of the Green Line Environment Group - Kuwait (GLEG), blamed the government and the

Environment Public Authority (EPA) for their failure in protecting the environment from this illegal camping. “This random and early camping will cause sand and desert disasters next summer. People do not realize how badly such camping affects the environment and the extent of the damage from sand storms in summer,” he told the Kuwait Times.

“I advise the people to go back to the old Kuwaiti tradition of camping ‘Kashta’.

It is not really camping but is more like a picnic for a few hours in the desert or natural places without spending the night there. In fact, I can describe the present way of camping as a permanent stay or building temporary cities in the desert and hardly as camping. And this results in many negative impacts on the people themselves. For instance, when they return home after a long weekend spent

at the camp, they bring with them some insects from the desert to their homes,” he added.

According to Al-Hajiri, the Kuwaiti desert is already spoiled and damaged, and the government was not rectifying the situation in any way. “There is little nature in our country, and we have ruined the desert. So we should at least preserve what remains from the desert. The GLEG is a voluntary group and thus we have no authority to impose any sanctions against the violators. And I blame the EPA which has the authority to change the way camping happens and preserve the environment,” he further said.

He also praised the expats for their way of camping. “Expats are the best who only follow safe camping. They visit the natural places, search for trees, and do BBQs, and they leave to return and sleep

at their own homes. The main goal of camping is to stay in tune with nature far from the city and modern life, but here people are bringing all equipments including electricity along with them to the desert,” explained Al-Hajiri.

A majority of camps are dangerous and are used for breaking the law. “I do not see any positive effect of the Kuwait way of camping. A large number of camps are for singles, and are used for immoral purposes, and sometimes even for committing crimes. By not taking serious action, the government is in a way participating in committing corruption. In my opinion, the present camping is a Kuwaiti non-organized luxury and irresponsible behavior of the community towards the environment. It is an environment, health, economic, and security disaster,” concluded Al-Hajiri.

Complaints against financing companies KUWAIT: While the state is working hard to prevent the new debtors from defaulting in their payments to banks and financing companies, and also help those who have defaulted, some financing companies are blatantly violating this policy. Sources close to the financing companies said their complaint units that were set up recently after instructions from the Kuwait Central Bank to receive customers’ complaints and forward them to the KCB on a monthly basis, have received a large number of complaints against financing companies themselves.

These complaints were related to abusing customers during debt collection and refusal to grant new finances or credit despite the fact that the customers met the specified conditions.

The most important and serious complaint was related to the late fines against customers who could not pay their loan in time and whose files were sent to the court.

Sources said the finance companies invented something that did not exist before 2008, that is, a fine for any delayed payment regarding a defunct loan.

This fine was equivalent to 10 percent of the total loan, whether one payment was delayed or some payments. The fine was particularly levied in cases where customers’ files were sent to court. Also, certain actions were taken against

such defaulters such as travel ban, arrest, confiscation of their properties such as cars etc.

Sources said the finance companies that are suffering from the fall out of the world financial crisis and the inability of many people to pay their installments, are now trying to compensate for some of their losses or increase their revenues through such fines. The profit graph of these companies is plunging south, but still the brunt should not be borne by the debtors, especially those already caught in some difficulty.

The sources said the companies impose fines on debtors on monthly basis and deduct around KD10 that is added to the total of each payment. They said this idea came about because the company will not be able to collec t the delay fines after the customer has made all the payments and cannot be taken to court. So, some of the companies invented this new tactic to collect fines along with the payments so as to commit the customer with it. The fine ends only with the last payment.

Sources said that many debtors came out with complaints to the complaint units at the companies and if their concerns are not addressed, they will be forced to resort to knock at the doors of Kuwait Central Bank and directly complain against these companies.

Foul play in stabbed teen’s death

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Investigations are on to determine the circumstances that led to the death of a teenager who arrived at a local medical facility with a fatal stab wound to the chest.

Police were called to the Saad Al-Abdullah polyclinic yesterday after medical staff pronounced dead an 18-yearold Kuwaiti girl who arrived with a stab wound in the chest.

The victim was dead by the time she was brought by her parents to the medical facility, according to the doctor’s diagnosis.

The girl’s parents told the officers that she fell on the stairs and got stabbed by a knife she was holding at the time. The body was referred to the forensic department for an autopsy, while crime scene investigators were dispatched to the site. A murder case investigation was opened at the Saad Al-Abdullah’s police station after evidence of foul play was found on the scene. The girl’s father was held for investigations.

MEW plans home collection service KUWAIT: The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) is expected to start the home collection service shortly which will enable consumers to call a collector at a time of their convenience and pay at their doorstep.

Initially, the service was available only for the handicapped and elderly persons, enabling them to pay their dues to the ministry.

It was later decided to extend it across the board to all consumers after a study commissioned by the ministry. The consumers will be able to call an assigned number and the collector will then collect the payment from wherever the consumer indicated. The latest move is part of a series of reforms initiated by the MEW during the past four months.

KUWAIT: One of the vehicles damaged by the gang.

Khalid Al Amir

Youth gang attacks Jahra fire station

By Hanan Al Saadoun KUWAIT: Five youths armed with sharp edged weapons attacked the northern Jahra fire station where they assaulted firemen and damaged vehicles, sources said. No reason could be known for such behavior.

Sources suggested that the youth seemed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, as their actions did not seem to have any rationale.

The public relations director of fire department Khalid Al Amir condemned the youth’s actions and said what happened was probably done by those who do not even realize how irresponsible their behavior was. He stressed that the administration has taken necessary legal steps against the youth involved.

Sexual assault A Sri Lankan maid in a complaint to the Faima police station accused a man in his early 20s of raping her in the deewaniya of his family. She told the police that she was at a grocery close to her sponsor’s house in Taima when a 21-year-old man, who is neighbor of her sponsor, approached her claiming her sponsor is visiting his mother and has asked him to fetch the maid back from the grocery.

She said as soon as she entered the neighbor’s house, she did not find her sponsor and at that point the man raped her in the deewaniya, disregarding her resistance, cries and shrieks. Police called the man and quizzed him about the case, but he denied the accusation. He will remain under detention till the maid was sent to the medical examiner and the reports were received to take a view on the accusation.

70,000 travel in Eid KUWAIT: Nearly 70,000 people flew from the Kuwait International Airport during Eid Al-Adha, a top official from the Directorate General for Civil Aviation announced in a recent statement. He said 36 additional flights apart from the 311 already scheduled ones took off during the holidays. DGCA Operations Manager Essam Al-Zamel said in statements to AlQabas on Sunday that Dubai, Turkey, Cairo, Bahrain and London were the most preferred destinations during the five -day long break. Government employees and students are set to return to their respective offices and classrooms today (Tuesday), amid concerns about ‘mass absence’ that could result due to a tendency to combine the holiday with the following weekend. In this regard, a Civil Service Commission insider told Al-Qabas that arrangements are being made to monitor attendance during the three days before the weekend, adding that “strict penalties” that include salary deductions will be applied against slackers. Meanwhile, Undersecretary Assistant for Public Education at the Ministry of Education Mohammad Al-Kandari said that absent students will receive zero mark in quizzes set to take place immediately after the holidays.

Stage set for Kuwait Marathon KUWAIT: The I’m Strong Project will be holding a press conference today at noon at the Missoni Hotel to discuss preparations for the Kuwait Marathon which is set to take place on November 4, 2012 featuring 400 runners. Speakers at the conference will include runner Yousuf Al-Qana’ei, the President of the I’m Strong Project and head of the marathon’s organizing committee, in addition to organizing committee member Najat Al-Sayegh. Jordan’s Salah Al-Aqra’a and Mohammad Asyouty are also expected to attend the conference. The Kuwait Marathon takes place near the northern border at the Mutla’a desert.

It features a 3 kilometer race, a 10 kilometer race, a 21 kilometer half marathon and 42 kilometer full marathon.

Lone death case KUWAIT: The head of pilgrims’ medical team, Dr Hamad Al Hamed, said that there was a lone death case of an Arab expat among all Kuwaiti hajis this season. Another patient was found in coma and rushed to the Al Nur Hospital where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. He fractured his leg at Muzdalifa. Now he has improved and will be released from the hospital today. He said the third case involved a woman who suffered some heart problem. She, too, is improving and will be released from the hospital soon. The rest of hajis are in good health. The work will continue at the Al Naseem clinic until all hajis return to Kuwait.

Arab ambassadors’ meeting MEXICO CITY: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Mexico Samih Jawhar Hayat headed here yesterday the regular meeting of the Council of Arab Ambassadors accredited to United Mexican States, during which most joint issues between Arab states and Mexico were discussed. During the meeting, the ambassadors also discussed ways to strengthen Arab-Mexican relations in all fields, especially since Mexico is on the verge of a new political stage following the win of Enrique Pena Nieto, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, in the country’s 2012 presidential elections. He is scheduled to take office on Dec 1.

In the same context, Ambassador Hayat hosted a lunch banquet on the sideline of the meeting and was attended by the Arab ambassadors, as well as number of senior Mexican political and economic figures, most notably Carlos Peralta, head of the Kuwaiti-Mexican Friendship Society, Emilio Lozoya Austin and Jorge Montano Martinez, the Mexican President-elect’s transition team specialized in foreign affairs, and Dr. Elsa Espinosa, general director of the office of protocol and network of diplomatic mission for the Institutional Revolutionary Party.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

LOCAL

kuwait digest

Politics in Disguise

Opposition on a wrong path

Sanctuary

By Alya Al-Hazeimi uperstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth.” - Voltaire I know what most of you are thinking about. You are thinking that I usually talk politics, philosophy, contemporary thoughts regarding humanity and its influence on people and our daily lives. However, throughout history a very special figure played and still plays an important vital role in all our lives and the world’s greatest personalities, men and women never forget that figure that shaped them and outlined their policies and ideologies.

Maybe you will disagree, but I will tell you in my humble opinion who that figure is: It is the mother. A mother is not just a biological being to a child; a mother can be everything to that child as he/she grows.

Mothers’ influence is far greater than only teaching ethics, morality and encouraging their children to do their best in their lives. Mothers can be a reason for establishing a new mindset; they can be the reason behind famous revolutions; they can also be the sound of evil and destruction if they want to be.

However, I think it would be nice if we stay on the positive side, and stay away from “bad” examples.

Alexander the Great, conquered almost three quarters of the world by the age of 26. Throughout all his conquests his mother Olympia was the reason for his success and expansion, although history mentions how much he suffered from her control. In the end, one way or another, he did something his way but through the vision of his mother. If it wasn’t for his obsessive mother, he wouldn’t have become Alexander the Great!

Another example is Queen Elizabeth the First (also known as the Virgin Queen), the daughter of Henry the eighth and Anne Boleyn. Although Anne was executed when Elizabeth was only two years old, her influence remained so alive throughout the reign of Elizabeth, and because of all the stories and legacy that Anne left behind which may be not so perfect or virtuous, Elizabeth made better decisions due to the fallouts of her mother. Therefore she was the reason behind Elizabeth justice and wisdom.

What I am trying to explain in here is that if you really want to understand or forecast somebody, or want to analyse some political figures, it is relatively important to look at their upbringing, especially their mothers regardless that some hate it.

As you all know, hate is also influence. How many great leaders spoke that because they hated the firmness of their mothers they became lean and vice a versa. Whatever a mother is no matter how she raises her children to become something, the children will grow in their own skin but with the foundation of their mothers. Trust me if I tell you that these differences between us and our mothers or similarities are the reason why some nations raise and others fall.

What do you think? How much influence does your mother have on your mindset?

By Mohammad Al-Sabti

“S

local@kuwaittimes.net

kuwait digest

Protect our democracy

T

kuwait digest

Bless your reform!

By Yaseen Al-Hasawi Answering this simple question, a pro-opposition verybody is quite certain that the demonstrations organized at more than one places in Kuwait on Oct young man told me that some opposition icons have mil21 in protest against HH the Amir’s observations lions and that they wanted to keep a lid on it. Other opporegarding amendment in the electoral system, were sition responses to this query were unclear and insufficient.

How come they seek reform and, at the same time, reject planned much before and were not spontaneous at all.

Logic suggests that the rallies were planned by those the financial statement bill?

In one of his articles, my with a certain expertise in planfriend Dr Saad Bin Tafla says, ning, provoking, mobilizing and They started by exposing the “Egypt has always been the revolutionizing young people’s source of all major influences on so-called corruption which they feelings. Such rallies in the the Gulf states. When Egypt beginning are usually a tool to believe is prevailing in our sociebecame pro-Nasser, we did the test the response of the youth, ty and then began convincing same. When it fought, we folwho are always in the forefront lowed in its steps and when it of any revolutionary activity. the youth that certain people adapted to peace, we did not This has earlier been proven were usurping public funds and fight. In other words, whatever in Egypt where the revolutionhappens in Egypt must affect us all that they wanted were ary youth had claimed that they in the Gulf.” Taking this logic into were the ones who called for reforms. Thus, they underlined consideration and since Egypt is experimental demonstrations that their claims were right. now ruled by the Muslim against the regime in a city far Brotherhood, the same must from the capital a whole year However, I believe that they happen in Kuwait. before Jan 25, 2011, and once have gone too far in exaggeratDr Saad reminds me of the they tasted success there, they youth enthusiasm back in the started planning the main event ing things, and that is why I 1960s when everybody was which led to the big revolution. think they have a larger agenda. pro-Nasser, including the late I believe the Kuwaiti opposiAmir, Sheikh Abdullah AL-Salim tion has consulted some experts involved in the recent Arab revolutions to draft a himself who was a big fan of Nasser and his slogans and ‘road map’ for them to follow in order to achieve their goals mottos. However, Sheikh Abdulah was disappointed with Nasser’s passive stance towards Abdul Karim Qassim’s and demands.

They started by exposing the so-called corruption claims and mobilization of the Iraqi troops to conquer which they believe is prevailing in our society and then Kuwait and that forced him to seek British protection, began convincing the youth that certain people were which left us, the youth at that time, deeply disappointed.

So, do work on achieving reforms through reason and usurping public funds and all that they wanted were reforms. Thus, they underlined that their claims were right. logic and may Almighty bless you all. Take things one step However, I believe that they have gone too far in exagger- at a time, because I doubt if such spasmodic revolutionary ating things, and that is why I think they have a larger actions would lead to any real reform. Our youth, the men agenda. Now, I have this serious question to ask those in of the future, must seek advice and consultation from wise the annulled opposition: “Why did you reject the financial men who are solely devoted and loyal to this nation and nothing else.— Annahar statement bill before your parliament was annulled?”

E

By Iqbal Al-Ahmad he Dec 1 elections can either prove to be the oars that help steer Kuwait through the choppy waters to the safety of the shores, or can turn out to be the nail driven into this boat’s body creating a hole and making it sink. It is up to us, the Kuwaitis, to determine whether we become the oars for our boat, or a nail that sends it plunging to the seafloor.

Young activists from various backgrounds and with reasonable qualifications and a sense of nationhood are encouraged to take part in the upcoming elections on their own, away from the illegal primaries or the suspicious coalitions. These elections will indeed be an opportunity for devoted young men and women, eager to contribute towards their country, and they will find us supporting them in order to steer our way to safer shores, and write a new chapter in Kuwait’s history.

A veteran political activist, who broke his silence recently after remaining a mute spectator for quite a while, defined democracy as a “trust handed down by the forefathers after years of struggle to the next generation; not to tamper with it, but to carry on with writing the history of this great country.”

The new generation must protect our democracy which is being used today as a weapon to attack the society. Democracy is bigger than the opposition, and is a lot bigger than just being used a ruse for their claims that it is their way of achieving their goals.

Do you know that there were 1,045 emergency decrees issued since the ushering in of democracy and parliamentary work in Kuwait? None of these decrees encountered objections till date, and, that too, by an opposition which threatened our unity, has lost track of our hopes, and is busy spreading the use of foul language in our society while maintaining a different public image to mislead the young citizens?

Can we leave the door open for those whose commitment towards the constitution is only as far as doing so serves their own interests, while ignoring the other articles that do not meet their needs? Everyone with any political awareness to understand the reality of the opposition should expose the truth before the public who are hearing nothing but the oppositionists’ voices till now.

We must not fear their loud voice, for they are like a classroom with rowdy students who spread chaos throughout the school and give the impression that all the students there are troublemakers.

The prime minister is advised to realize that the responsibility that lies on his shoulders is a lot heavier than it ever was before since he is required to carefully select his ministers and avoid any favoritism. We need a cabinet team that is serious in pushing forward the state projects that the public is eager to see. —Al-Qabas

T

he government failed to counter corruption and, instead, often sponsored it or was itself guilty of it. I chose to open my column with this blunt statement so that the following is not misunderstood as an attempt to defend the government or me trying to be a sycophant.

Since the opposition, which is supposed to be representing the people, has started taking a very dangerous route that leads the country to destruction, and since I believe that they have simply mislead themselves on to the wrong path while in reality they were looking for a route towards reform, I would like to ask some questions that I hope every citizen ponders upon in order to understand how the opposition’s current approach is not the true path towards reform.

HH the Amir exercised his constitutional right to release an emergency decree in order to amend the electoral law, obviously based on his assessment of the reasons that convinced him that this step was necessary. In the meantime, people who object this amendment have similar rights to reject it in the parliament, or challenge its constitutionality.

The opposition can contest the elections and hope to secure a majority of seats to help it reject the decree in the parliament. Should they lose, any candidate has the right to challenge the election results on the basis of an incorrect emergency decree. Boycotting the elections as the opposition has announced means that they cannot reject the decree, nor can they challenge it through any candidate who loses the elections. Which begs the question as to why is the opposition refusing to take legal route and is instead resorting to protests

in my view

Syrian rebels and media involvement

By Abdulrahman Al-Rashed group of Syrian fighters in Azaz area has been accused of holding hostage the Lebanese journalist, Fedaa Etani, who risked his life and agreed to accompany them as a journalist and photographer.

His arrest renewed the debate how long one should remain silent against the offenses journalists are facing in the coverage of the Syrian revolution.

Whatever be the justification of the kidnappers for this act, it is a crime against the media, especially when the group that claims to be the host decided to detain him. Those who cause harm to media people will lose their most important resources, that is the media itself: The catalyst for any revolution in the world.

Without the support of media, the revolution in Syria will lose everything that it has earned. Today, it is in a very difficult situation and badly needs all support and sympathy.

Personally, I am neither speaking in defense of the media that support revolution, nor I am backing those who are neutral, but I am speaking on behalf of the media in general, including those working for the benefit of the Syrian regime. They have the same rights and their protection and safety should be ensured regardless of their attitudes and reports. This is our duty toward them in spite of our deep differences. The protection of journalists during wartime is a duty no matter what their attitudes and affiliations are. It is an obligation on the media itself.

Without a bold media and courageous journalists, revolutions would not gain the sympathy of the world.

In this case it will not win the sympathy of the Syrian people as well. Without paying respect to the media, irrespective of its stances, the revolution would lose the support of even those who are on its side and at the end will lose all it has gained.

We blame, in particular, the different organizations of the Syrian revolution/opposition, not the Syrian regime itself because these organizations are the rightful owners of the cause. They are the ones gaining from the media.

Therefore, the detention of the BBC reporter or the kidnapping of the Ukrainian correspondent are things that worry us all in the profession.

Why are the fighters afraid of an Ukrainian corre-

A

spondent, even if she files reports for the benefit of the regime? We all have determined our positions after more than a year of controversy and fighting. Majority of the people in the world are against the Assad regime and nothing will change by what a correspondent says, or by shots taken by a Western photographer that may not please the rebels.

If the opposition fighters kidnapped a woman only because she said something they didn’t like on the TV screen she works for, then what is the difference between them and the Assad regime that imprisons and kills people because they speak against it.

Our profession is based on the recognition of the journalists’ right to attend, watch and get protection to do his job. And without that newspapers and TV stations wouldn’t be able to follow up events. Those journalists who go to war zones are not rebels, it’s not their personal or national cause. They are professionals different from others in terms of courage and they embark on adventures they are not obliged to. So, whatever their attitudes and reports, we expect Syrian rebels to be more noble and respectful in dealing with media reporters working for Assad regime and his gangs.

We, as media persons, cannot remain silent and watch the kidnapping of journalists or their killings irrespective of their political affiliations or the institutions and countries they belong to.

Syrian fighters have the right to deny access to those media persons they don’t trust. They can refrain from providing information to whichever media institution they choose. But it is not their right to detain journalists or kidnap them just because they work for the other side. By violating international rules and the norms that protect journalists, they are undermining those who support them and in fact are providing ammunition to the regime’s propaganda against them. Since the beginning, the Syrian regime sought to suppress the media thinking that if it could expand the gap between the media and the Syrian opposition it will gain a lot.

The reason is that it wants to commit crimes without being noticed and tries to discredit the Syrian people and make mockery of their enthusiasm, patience and willingness to sacrifice. It also wants the revolution to lose the tremendous amount of support it has gained.

The opposition can contest the elections and hope to secure a majority of seats to help it reject the decree in the parliament.

Should they lose, any candidate has the right to challenge the election results on the basis of an incorrect emergency decree. Boycotting the elections as the opposition has announced means that they cannot reject the decree, nor can they challenge it through any candidate who loses the elections. and public gatherings? If they are truly pushing for respect to the law and constitution, then why do they refuse to take the route that the constitution has opened for them? I believe that many citizens are under the impression that there is no legal way to reject the emergency decree, but this false notion is being spread only by the opposition.

A law professor who happens to be a supporter of the opposition said in a recent statement that the decree can be challenged now at the Administrative Court. While I do not agree with that, but assuming it is the right advice, then what stops the opposition from taking the legal route instead of going in for demonstrations, or at least, simultaneously even as it carries on with the protests?

What is the reason behind the opposition’s failure in taking legal action against those they accused of theft and corruption during the past few years? Dozens of grilling motions, hundreds of public addresses, countless documents waived in front of crowds of supporters and endless accusations of theft and corruption, and yet, not a single legal procedure undertaken? Top oppositionists often do not hesitate to take legal action against offenders claiming damage, then what stops them from making complaints against those who have stolen public funds?

I know that many probably think that legal procedures are futile, out of the belief that people with influence will not be convicted. First of all, this is not true and is only a claim being made by the opposition. And if we hypothetically assume that it was indeed true, then why has not the opposition legislated out the alleged error in the legal system during their tenure in the parliament?

If corrupt people with influence can escape the clutches of the law, should the opposition not have worked to legislate laws that brought them to justice?

If demonstrations are aimed at expressing public opinion, there are many other ways to do that including the media and social networks. If the demonstrations were aimed to show the number of people opposing the decree, that also can be done through petitions and letters sent to the government and HH the Amir. If the demonstrations were aimed at expressing rejection to the emergency decree, that can be achieved through legal procedures that are yet to be undertaken.

Think about the damage done by the collision, stubbornness and the failure to take legal action, in order to realize what a dangerous approach the opposition is taking. Those who claim to be fighting for respect of the constitution ought to follow constitutional means themselves. I know that many would not like what I am saying, but I am confident that whoever thinks carefully about these questions will realize that the opposition has replaced the true road to reform with the easy way out - chaos.—Al-Rai

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

local

No regard to organization that advocates gay marriage Former MP hits hard at Amnesty

By A. Saleh

KUWAIT: Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Dr Ibrahim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah met First Lieutenant Husain Sultan Al-Dousary from Ahmadi Security Department; who presented a copy of his Master’s degree thesis titled “Efficiency of economic crimes countering in light of international treaties”. The meeting took place recently at the governor’s office in the Ahmadi General Dewan building, and was attended by Ahmadi Security Department Director, Brig Gen Ma’touq Al-Aslawi.

Energy to eat up 20% of oil production by 2017 KUWAIT: Concerns over Kuwait’s ability to meet the rising demands for electricity and water continue amid speculations that power and water production is going to consume up to 20 percent of the Gulf state’s total oil production by 2017.

These predictions were revealed by a Ministry of Electricity and Water insider who indicated that nearly 300,000 barrels are used to run generators and de-salination units at Kuwait’s power plants every day. “ The state’s economy which depends primarily on oil income faces a threat in the future if the situation continues,” warned the source who spoke to Al-Rai on the condition of anonymity.

These risks led the Ministr y of Electricity and Water (MEW) to work with research groups on finding new strategies to produce electricity through renewable resources, accord-

ing to the source.

“Demand for electricity is expected to reach 24,000 megawatts per day within ten years,” the source said.

The daily demand level reaches 12 megawatts currently, while the demand is rising at the rate of an estimated eight percent every year.

The insider believed that the rapid increase in demand is attributed to urbanization and increase in the consumers “whose numbers jumped by 17.6 percent between 2005 and 2009.”

Meanwhile, the source demanded new legislations to enforce deterrent measures against water wastage in a countr y in which the per capita wastage hovers at 500 liters per day.

“The cost of producing purified water has reached nearly KD1050 million in 2010/2011, while water worth KD62 million was being wasted during the same fiscal year,” the source said.

KUWAIT: An Islamist politician criticized those citing a recent International Amnesty report regarding last week ’s demonstration in Kuwait, finding “shame in supporting arguments by statement of an organization that finds same-sex marriages to be a human right.”

“I t is not surprising for the Amnest y International to criticize Kuwait in total disregard to its laws and legislations, but it is strange to see some people in Kuwait use its statement to support their own arguments,” former MP Ali Al-Omair said in a recent statement. He said he believes that all internal arguments must be settles within and as per Kuwait’s own laws and constitution instead of resorting to “organizations that ignore values and make sin a human right.”

The Amnest y I nternational had urged Kuwait to respec t the “right of peaceful demonstration” in a report released after the events that happened Oct 21 when special task forces used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse thousands of protestors and arrested dozens, according to opposition activists.

“A report released by an organization that does not give any regard to religion or law must be met with similar disregard,” Al-Omair proclaimed.

Kuwait, a small Arabian Gulf state with a relatively advanced constitution compared to neighboring countries, and one that supports public equality and freedoms, has a penal code under which extramarital sexual relationships and homosexuality are punishable by law.

“It is sad when some people ignore the words of scholars, the values envisaged in the Sharia and the law and instead use statements of an organization that advocates same-sex marriage as a human right to support their arguments,” Al-Omair added.

Airlines settlement A settlement reached between the Kuwait Airways and its Iraqi counterpart regarding compensation owed to the former could be put on hold until other pending issues between the two countries are finalized, sources privy to the developments said.

The settlement calls for the Iraqi government to pay $300 million to Kuwait for destruction suffered by the state-run carrier during the 1990/91 Invasion, paving the way for sanctions imposed on the state-owned Iraqi Airways to be lifted.

An additional $200 million are to be invested in joint projects as per the agreement which is set to be made official during Kuwait’s Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber AlMubarak Al-Sabah’s upcoming visit to Baghdad before the end of the year.

However, the sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity indicated the settlement “will be put on hold” until an agreement is reached regarding border demarcations.

This is why the sources believe Kuwait was yet to inform the international courts about the deal in order to lift the embargo against the Iraqi aircraft imposed as per a court order won by the Kuwait Airways.

No ‘compromise talks’ Government insiders rejec ted “rumors about government’s desire to launch talks with the opposition in order to reach a political compromise” to end public protests.

The sources who spoke on the condition of anonymit y accused “people within the Majority Bloc” of spreading such rumors “to give the impression that the opposition is calling the shots.”

The opposition is against an emergency decree issued recently to reduce the number of candidates a citizen can vote for from four to one. “The decree is official, and each citizen

is entitled to a single vote in the next elections,” the sources said, and accused the opposition of “violating the constitution” by rejecting the decree released by the Amir as per his right under article 71 of the constitution. They also warned that oppositionists “will be punished by the law” if they break the laws that ban unauthorized gatherings.

In other news, the executive office of the National Democratic Alliance officially adopted a recommendation to boycott the upcoming elections set for December 1, explaining in a statement released yesterday that their decision “is a political position and sends a message of peaceful protest against the amendment to the voting mechanism.” The liberal group further urged citizens to abstain from running in the upcoming elections or voting, as par t of “using constitutional and legal means of peaceful protest.”

Meanwhile, the National Union of Kuwait Students received warnings from the Kuwait University management against hosting any activities in campus which call for boycotting parliamentary elections. According to sources with k nowledge of the issue, the recent updates come in response to rumors that the NUKS “received instructions from the Islamic Constitutional Movement to urge college students against voting.”

Errors in stock system Brokerage firms will be meeting soon to discuss the outline for a mechanism to deal with the management of the Kuwait Stock Market when it comes to the issue of proposed applications to be activated with the second stage of the Xtreme System.

“Companies are expected to ask for time in order to assess the proposed allocations as well as testing periods before formal execution to avoid errors,” said a source with knowledge of the case.

Top priority to health of students KUWAIT: The Ministr y of Education has agreed with the Ministry of Health to make field visits to the schools which have health clinics, sources in the health ministry revealed. The clinics have male and female nurses who were lately contracted by the Ministry of Education through two local companies.

The visits will be a periodic inspection exercise that will remain on all through the academic year to ensure that students in the schools run by the Ministry of Education can avail the required facility.

The field visits will help both the ministries in protecting the health of the students. Since the

nurses are in direct contact with the students, there was a requirement for supervision of their work in addition to special supervision for implementation of those contracts, be on the technical or administrative side.

The Ministry of Education has contracted with two companies to provide 800 nurses, male and

female, for all school clinics in the ministry-run schools.

The sources said the Ministry of Health will run surprise checks at the Ministry of Education schools to ensure that health requirements were being implemented, as well as safety and security rules were implemented in those schools.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

local

Woman in custody for KD25,000 fraud Investigation into man’s death

Kuwaiti divers remove sunken ship KUWAIT: The Kuwait Dive Team succeeded in lifting the debris of a wooden ship sunken north of the Shamlan Dock in Sharq, a local environmental organization announced yesterday.

The team, a member of the Environmental Voluntary Foundation, used a lever with a maximum of 200 tons leverage to lift the 20ton, 50-feet-long shipwreck that was first made to float with the help of air bags.

The team worked as part of a plan to lift the ship as soon as possible in order to “protect the marine species and environment from oil spills,” marine operations supervisor Waleed Al-Shatty said in a press statement.

The operation was carried out in cooperation with the Kuwait Ports Association, the Kuwait Fishermen Association, and the Removal of State Properties Violations and All Non-Permissible Aspects Committee.

KUWAIT: A woman was arrested in connection with a fraud case in which she and her accomplice tried to falsely burden a man with a KD25,000 indebtedness, and thus extract money from him.

The Salmiya police station officers filed a case after the Kuwaiti man reported that he was being framed by two people who had possession of his civil ID that he had reported missing earlier. The man explained that he received a phone call from someone asking him to meet at a location in the area in order to give him the ID. When he went there, the male suspect instead demanded that he pay KD25,000 as per an official indebtedness certificate issued on the basis of information available through his civil ID. On his way to report the case, the man received a phone call from a woman telling him that the certificate was already authenticated and that he has no other choice but to pay the amount. The police managed to identify the woman and later arrested her from her residence.

It was later revealed that the woman works in the Ministries Complex and was apparently misusing her position to run fraudulent activities. She will remain in custody pending investigations as police are trying to arrest the male suspect as well as identify other potential accomplices.

Murder investigation Investigations are on into a case of homicide case that was filed following the discovery of a body bearing stab wounds behind a building in Ahmadi recently. Police accompanied by crime scene investigators headed to a location behind the Ahmadi Educational Directorate’s building where the body of an Asian man was found. The prosecutor ordered an investigation into the murder based on the crime scene investigators’ report

which spoke of evidence of foul play. The body was taken for an autopsy to ascertain the cause and time of death.

Teen drowns A teenager drowned on the Fahaheel beach recently and investigations were on to determine the circumstances that led to the tragedy. The body of the 15-year-old bedoon (stateless) boy was pulled out of the water by coastguards who reached the scene following an emergency call made by three Kuwaiti women who had spotted the body floating on the sea. The body was taken to the forensic department for an autopsy as per a case filed at the area’s police station.

Child molester A child molester was arrested inside an amusement park in Al-Qasr during the Eid Al-Adha holiday. The suspect, a recently hired worker who was still under training, had reportedly lured a 12-yearold girl to a secluded place where he molested her before letting her go when he saw someone approaching. The victim’s mother came to know about the incident the next day and headed directly to report the case at Al-Na’eem police station. The Arab man was soon arrested and referred to the proper authorities for further action.

Rapists at large A young man pressed charges of kidnap and sexual assault against his friends who reportedly assaulted him inside a Salwa apartment recently.

The bedoon (stateless) victim told officers that the suspect forced him inside his car and drove to his apartment where he sodomized him before letting him go. A warrant to arrest the suspect was

2,600 Kuwaiti pilgrims went through health inspection MAKKAH: Around 2,600 Kuwaiti pilgrims went through health inspection during this current Hajj season, said a Kuwaiti official here yesterday.

Head of the medical delegation at the Kuwait Haj mission, Dr Hamad Al-Hamad, said that a number of minor illnesses were discovered amongst Kuwait pilgrims but there were no contagious cases, adding that those pilgrims were referred to hospi-

tals in Makkah to receive treatment.

The Kuwaiti official thanked the Saudi authorities for providing utmost care for Haj pilgrims from all around the globe.

Meanwhile, pilgrims are continuing the stones casting ritual at city of Mina for the third and last day before heading to Makkah to per form the last circulation around the Kaaba signaling the end of the Haj season. — KUNA

released.

Meanwhile, an Egyptian man fled after unsuccessfully trying to sexually assault his female compatriot inside her apartment in Salmiya. The private company secretary reportedly asked her friend to help her move some furniture that she planned to sell, but the suspect instead tried to rape her. The man fled when the woman cried for help. The neighbors later helped her in reporting the case at the area’s police station.

Policeman assaulted The Jahra police are trying to arrest a reckless driver who left a policeman with a broken nose before escaping. A traffic patrol officer had followed the Saudi man who was performing dangerous stunts with his vehicle in Al-Sulaibiya. The suspect eventually stopped in front of a house in the area, where he was approached by the officer who asked for his papers. Instead, the man punched the officer in the face and fled from the scene. The officer filed an official complaint after receiving medical attention, and a warrant was issued to arrest the man.

Travel scam Twenty-five expatriates filed complaints at the Farwaniya police station against a local travel agency they accused of being involved in a scam.

The police reached the square in front of the agency’s office where a group of people had gathered. The men told officers that each one of them had made a KD150 advance payment to the agency in order to travel for Haj, but later discovered that they were victims of a scam. Police helped the affected people to the police station to take legal action.

Kuwait calls on Seoul to boost health insurance GENEVA: The State of Kuwait has recommended that South Korea continue increasing health care insurance for its citizens within framework of human rights.

The Gulf state also urged the Asian state to pursue the Bumjumbura residential project to secure low-cost housing units for the South Koreans, by the fall of the year 2018.

Abdullah Jassem Al-Jarbawi, the first secretary of the Kuwaiti mission at the UN in Geneva, praised, in a statement at a session of the

Human Rights Council for reviewing the South Korean file, a plan for protection and boosting human rights according to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. He also hailed steps that were taken for expanding jurisdictions of the national committee for human rights.

Moreover, the Kuwaiti diplomat praised amendments, forwarded by the South Korean delegation to the council regarding mental health, employees’ elections and immigration laws. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Hundreds of visitors celebrated Eid Al-Adha at the Entertainment City where various activities and competitions were organized throughout the holiday, including a radio program featuring competitions for cash prizes awarded by the Ministry of Information. The entertaining program organized by the Touristic Enterprises Company was presented at the facility’s theater inside the ‘Future World’ zone.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

Arroyo enters no plea in plunder case, seeks bail

Fears of extremist Islam at Catholic synod Page 8

Page 8

GAZA: Palestinians inspect a crater following an Israeli attack in Al-Bureij center of the Gaza Strip yesterday. Gaza militants fired 11 rockets over the border overnight in response to two late-night Israeli air raids, ending several days of calm after a truce took effect. — AFP

Hamas seeks revenge, fires 18 rockets US mulls buying Israeli robotic boats JERUSALEM: Gaza militants yesterday fired 18 rockets at southern Israel, ending several days of calm, with the armed wing of the ruling Hamas movement saying it was revenge after an air raid killed one of their men. It was the second straight day in which militants had fired rockets at Israel in a confrontation which began early on Sunday, and effectively ended three days of calm after an Egyptian-brokered truce went into force at midnight on Wednesday.

“At least 18 rockets were fired at Israeli territory, without causing injuries or damage,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, saying the count was from midnight.

Yesterday’s barrage of rocket fire followed hot on the heels of two late-night Israeli air strikes which did not cause any injuries, Palestinian security sources said. Although the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades did not say how many rockets it had fired, it named at least five areas in southern Israel where it had targeted “military sites”-Sufa, Kissufim, Beeri, Yad Mordechai and Nahal Oz. And it posted a grainy video on their website which appeared to show militants launching nine rockets in the early morning.

“This shelling was in response to the continuous Zionist bombing and terrorizing of peaceful citizens, which most recently killed Suleiman Kamel Al-Qara, as well as in response to the repeated incursions and attacks carried out by the occupation,” the group said referring to one of its own militants. The firing was the latest show of force from Hamas militants who have traditionally respected a de facto truce on firing at Israel, but who have in recent weeks, claimed several rocket attacks.

The latest round of tit-for-tat violence began early on Sunday when Israeli troops crossed the border into southern Gaza, prompting Hamas militants to begin firing mortars at them, Palestinian security sources and witnesses said.

Israel then carried out an air strike which killed Qara and injured another Hamas militant. Throughout the day, militant groups then fired seven rockets at Israel, two of which struck the southern city of Beersheva, which is home to 194,000 people, causing schools to be cancelled for the day. Gaza’s Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for firing at Beersheva. Late on Sunday, Israel hit back with two strikes on northern and southern Gaza, causing damage but no injuries.

“In response to the incessant rocket fire at southern Israel, IAF aircraft targeted a rocket launching site and a terror activity site in the northern Gaza Strip as well as a terror activity site in the southern Gaza Strip,” the army said.

Palestinian witnesses and security sources confirmed the raids, saying one house was destroyed but no-one was injured.

Army statistics say armed groups have fired more than 160 rockets at Israel since the start of October. The Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, which went into force at midnight on Wednesday, was aimed at ending 72 hours of bloodshed in which Israeli air strikes killed eight militants, and armed groups fired more than 100 rockets at Israel, severely wounding two Thai workers. That round of violence, which began on October 22, also began when militants opened fire on troops who had crossed the border into northern Gaza, prompting several deadly air strikes.

ISRAELI ROBOTIC BOATS In another development, the US reportedly mulls purchasing Rafael’s remote-controlled robotic boats from Israel ahead of a looming attack on Iran, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday. “Israeli unmanned robotic boats may be used by the US Military in a potential naval confrontation with Iran,” Yedioth Ahronoth said. Recent reports revealed that the Iranian military had recently purchased numerous small vessels manned by Revolutionary Guard officers. The vessels are meant to either block or attack any American aircraft carrier making its way to the Strait of Hormuz, the Israeli paper said.

Iran will use these vessels as suicide boats, in a manner similar to Japan’s use of kamikaze pilots during World War II, according to intelligence assessments. In light of the possible danger, the US Navy is reportedly considering purchasing the “Protector”, a remote-controlled boat developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The Israeli Navy has recently started using the robotic boats and has armed them

with anti-armor “Spike” missiles, according to foreign reports.

On Wednesday, the US Navy fired missiles from several unmanned surface vehicles (USV) in tests which took place off the coast of Maryland. All six test-fires were reportedly accurate. — Agencies

News

in brief

8-year-old kills cousin WELLINGTON: A five-year-old New Zealand boy was shot dead by his eight-year-old cousin in Samoa as they tussled over a rifle during a hunting trip, it was reported yesterday. The Samoa Observer said the boy was visiting Samoa for a religious festival when his uncle took him and his cousin on a pigeon shooting expedition in a remote coastal area of the South Pacific nation. It said the uncle left the loaded rifle under a tree while searching for a stick to carry coconuts and the boys fought over the weapon, resulting in the five year old being shot in the face. “My brother turned away for less than a minute then the next minute he heard a gunshot,” the dead boy’s father Pita Leausa told the newspaper. “The children were fighting over the gun when it happened.”

Fairfax New Zealand identified the dead boy as James May. TVNZ said the surviving boy would not be charged over the death but police were questioning the uncle and considering prosecution for unspecified offences.

Female teacher jailed SINGAPORE: A 32-year-old female Singaporean teacher was sentenced to a year in jail yesterday for having sex with a 15-year-old boy in her school, local media reported. The teacher, who was married with two children, started a relationship with the student last year after she started counseling him, the Straits Times daily reported on its website. Their names were withheld to protect the minor’s identity. The court was told that she wooed the boy with gifts including a copy of the bestselling book “Eat, Pray, Love”, which dealt with a divorced American woman’s adventures and was made into a film starring Julia Roberts in 2010. The two continued their relationship for more than a month, during which they had consensual sex at the teacher’s flat before the student’s parents found out about the affair and reported her to the school. In passing sentence, district judge Eugene Teo warned those who viewed schools “as acceptable venues for such illicit pursuits, and our students as acceptable partners in lust” will be punished, the Straits Times reported.

Qaeda claims Eid attacks BAGHDAD: Al-Qaeda’s front group in Iraq claimed responsibility yesterday for a series of shootings and bombings over the Eid al-Adha holiday that killed dozens of people nationwide. The Islamic State of Iraq said the attacks over the four-day Muslim holiday from Friday were in response to the purported arrest of Sunni Arab women by Iraqi security forces in an effort to locate their wanted male relatives. “The Islamic State alerted a part of its security forces in Baghdad and elsewhere to send a quick message to the apostate beasts and their government,” said an ISI statement. “They will pay dearly for what they have done, and they will not dream securely in the night or day, during Eid or not.”

Attacks over the Eid al-Adha holiday have so far claimed 44 lives and left more than 150 people wounded, with the worst of the violence striking on Saturday when 31 people were killed. Al-Qaeda’s front group is widely seen as weaker than during the peak of Iraq’s sectarian bloodshed from 2006 to 2008, but is still capable of carrying out mass-casualty attacks on a regular basis.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

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Fears of extremist Islam at Catholic synod VATICAN CITY: Fears of Islamic extremists, precarious relations with Muslims and secret conversions to Christianity sparked concerned debate at a global synod in the Vatican of Catholic bishops around the world. Dozens of bishops from the Middle East and Africa expressed concern during the three-week synod which ended Sunday over the threats extremist Islam poses to Christianity and spoke of the difficulties of preaching the Gospel in majority Muslim countries.

Others raised the delicate topic of converting Muslims to Christianity on the back of the Arab Spring revolu-

tions, saying there was a small but growing demand from Muslims to convert, though the risks to their safety were high. The debate intensified after the bishops were shown an alarmist YouTube video on the spread of Islam in the West by Cardinal Peter Turkson, head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, who had found it on the internet.

The anonymous video, entitled “Muslim demographics”, which says France would become majority Muslim within the next four decades, was heavily criticized by many participants who warned against fuelling inter-religious hostility. One German

bishop, however, insisted that the video raised important issues that the Church is refusing to see or address.

Catholic Copte bishop Kyrillos William said Egypt in particular was seeing a growing Islamisation of the state and “Christians are considered secondclass citizens” and are targets of hate campaigns in schools.

Many participants said Islam was “exploited” by extremists who twisted the religion’s values, while the majority of Muslims are tolerant of Christians. African bishops from Nigeria, Mali, and even the south of the continent-where Islam is a minority-said they were worried that peace-

ful coexistence with Muslims is being threatened by Salafists receiving funds from abroad. During a trip to Lebanon last month, Pope Benedict XVI called for mutual respect between Christians and Muslims across the region in a period of particular unrest as the political face of the Middle East changes radically.

The Arab Spring uprising has opened a window for conversions among dissatisfied young Muslims in particular, some of the bishops said.

While the issue of converting Muslims had been raised at previous synods it is the first time that bishops have been speaking publicly about it.

“Something’s happening that is linked to the Arab Spring. People are asking questions, no longer satisfied by the common message in the mosques,” said Paul Desfarges, who has lived in Algeria for 38 years and became a bishop in 2009. However, he acknowledged that the risks for those doing so are high: abandoning your faith to embrace Christianity is severely punished and those found guilty can face the death penalty in some countries.

Others, such as the Syrian Archbishop Joseph Absi, warned that many Muslims were confusing Christians with Westerners, blaming them for their ills.— AFP

Clinton in Algeria to press on Mali, Al-Qaeda Algeria pilot asks Clinton to lift 9/11 warrant

MANILA: Philippine former president Gloria Arroyo arrives on a wheelchair for her arraignment on corruption charges at the anti-graft court in Manila yesterday. — AFP

Arroyo enters no plea in plunder case, seeks bail MANILA: A Philippine court entered a not guilty plea for former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on a plunder charge yesterday, a case that will be a litmus test of the government’s ability to tackle entrenched corruption in the poor Southeast Asian nation. Arroyo, 65, who ruled the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, sat silently beside her family and lawyer during the arraignment hearing while charges that she had misused state lottery funds from 2008 to 2010 were read to the court.

She could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if she is sent to trial and found guilty. The court entered the not guilty plea on her behalf after she and her lawyer did not respond to the charge. Arroyo, wearing a pink shawl over a light pink dress and a neck brace, arrived in court in a wheelchair, smiling for photographers. She had two spinal operations two years ago.

“We do not recognize the cour t ’s jurisdic tion over this case,” R aul Lambino, a lawyer and spokesman for the former president said. Lambino, also a member of the lower house of Congress, said the case was “political persecution”. “She is sad over this case,” he said, adding that Arroyo has a petition before the Supreme Court questioning the validity of the case and the cour t ’s jurisdic tion to hear it.

Prosecutors accuse Arroyo and nine officials from the state lottery agency of misusing around 366 million pesos ($8.88 million) in sweepstakes funds, accusing them of transferring the mon-

ey to an intelligence fund for her use.

Arroyo also faces separate corruption charges for her alleged role in the misuse of public funds and kickbacks from a multi-million telecommunications deal with China’s ZTE Corp. The public broadband deal was aborted in 2007. She is also on trial for electoral fraud. She denies all the charges. The plunder case is central to President Benigno Aquino’s pledge to tackle endemic graft that threatens to dampen rising business confidence on the Philippines. Arroyo is currently under arrest at an army hospital. Her lawyer has also asked the court to grant her bail, as well as leave to visit the graves of her parents on Nov 1, when Filipinos traditionally pay respect to their ancestors.

Police whisked Arroyo back to the army hospital after the hearing. During the separate bail hearing, which she did not attend, her lawyer argued the evidence against the former president was weak. Aquino is enjoying high approval ratings after his government’s success in cracking down on corruption, including the impeachment of the Supreme Court chief justice. He says corruption pervades public life, keeping tax revenues low and hurting efforts to alleviate poverty. A number of procedural steps follow yesterday’s hearing, with a pre-trial hearing to start on Feb 14, 2013.

Dozens of Arroyo’s supporters gathered outside the courtroom, chanting, singing and holding placards and banners. They were watched closely by about 400 police.— Reuters

Turkey govt under pressure over Kurdish hunger strike ANKARA: The Turkish government is under increasing pressure over how to tackle a hunger strike by hundreds of Kurdish prisoners across the country as the protest nears its eighth week and their health deteriorates. Around 700 detainees at more than 50 prisons are surviving on salted or sweetened water and vitamins alone in a strike that has gained momentum since it began with several dozen detainees last month. Among the strikers are several leaders of the chief Kurdish party, the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).

They are accused of ties to the outlawed rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has for decades sought autonomy for the Kurds.

“The strikers’ situation is deteriorating with every day,” a Human Rights Association (IHD) official told AFP, saying the inmates had been mistreated but without providing details. He said the government needed to act to bring about an end to the protest, a call that was echoed in the press and by main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who implored the strikers to abandon their action while also addressing the government’s role. “I am asking the party in power to be more sensitive to these people’s requests,” he was quoted as saying in Friday’s English-language Hurriyet Daily News. Several dozen Kurdish detainees began the strike on September 12, the anniversary of a military coup in 1980, with a host of demands including the release of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and an end to Kurdish language restrictions.

With the pressure on, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin paid an unexpected visit Wednesday, on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, to an Ankara prison where strikers are being held and called on them to halt their action. “For the wellbeing of your body, your health, your families: give up this action,” he said. He said the conservative Islamist-rooted government was listening to the strikers and that it could allow Kurds appearing in court to have the right to defend themselves in their mother tongue, which is one of their demands. But he offered no concessions on another demand: the authorization of the use of Kurdish in all public places. This is a tough demand for the government to satisfy, even if there have been big steps forward in recent years in the area of Kurdish cultural rights as Turkey bids to join the European Union.

The strikers are also calling for the release of Ocalan, who has been serving out a life sentence in a remote island prison since 1999. On Friday, BDP leaders sought permission from officials to visit Ocalan.

The party’s co-chair Selahattin Demirtas said “a major step would be taken” toward putting an end to the hunger strike if they were able to ask Ocalan to intervene.

Demirtas said the hunger strikes would come to an end if his party is allowed to prepare the ground for negotiations with Ocalan. “There will be no solution unless a leader of a people is set free, and mothertongue education is allowed,” Demirtas was quoted as saying by the Hurriyet newspaper on Sunday.—AFP

ALGIERS: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was holding talks in Algeria yesterday to press for a possible military intervention in neighboring Mali, large swathes of which have been overrun by Islamists. The United States and France have launched a diplomatic offensive to secure Algeria’s vital backing for such action in Mali, where AlQaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is tightening its grip on the north. The UN Security Council this month called on West African nations to step up preparations for a military force to reconquer the territory held by AQIM and other jihadist groups.

“Algeria being the strongest Sahel state became a critical partner in dealing with AQIM,” a US State Department official said aboard Clinton’s plane, which touched down in Algiers yesterday morning. “In the context of what happened in North Mali when the government forces up there collapsed and the coup happened, Algeria’s importance has become ever more important and it will really be a central focus in the talks between the secretary and president,” said the official. “There is a strong recognition that Algeria has to be a central part of the solution,” added the diplomat.

Clinton, on her second visit to Algeria after a trip last year, was holding talks with Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci before a meeting and lunch with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Algeria shares a long border with Mali, where extremists and rebel groups took over large parts of the north after a coup in March. Both it and Mauritania have called for dialogue in a bid to reach a political solution, after initially ruling out sending troops. The common influence among the fundamentalist armed groups ruling northern Mali is AQIM, which originated in Algeria and is active in regional countries including Mauritania. The Security Council on October 12 approved a resolution urging West African states to speed up preparations for a force of up to 3,000 troops that would attempt to

ALGIERS: Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci walks alongside US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (right) as she arrives for meetings at the Mouradia Palace in Algiers yesterday. — AFP recapture northern Mali. It gave the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) until November 26 to clarify its plans.

Algeria, with its powerful army, was at first opposed to any military intervention in Mali, fearing a destabilization of its territor y inhabited by 50,000 Tuaregs. Since April, AQIM and Tuareg allies Ansar Dine and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) have imposed Islamist sharia law in parts of Mali that they have effectively partitioned.

And according to another State Department official travelling with Clinton, Algeria has been “warming to the idea” of intervention led by West African states. “One of the things that we’ll be talking about is... the role that Algeria could play if ECOWAS provides the boots on the ground... in coordination with the forces of Mali,” said the official.

But an Algerian Tuareg chief, MP Mahmud Guemama, spelt out why

he opposed military intervention, in an interview with Elkhabar newspaper published yesterday. “What the United States and France are asking will cause a lot of problems,” he said, warning that such action had “colonial objectives.” “We are more concerned about Algerian towns in the Sahara than northern Mali,” he said. “We know how military intention starts but never know the end. Libya was a good example.”

9/11 WARRANT Meanwhile, an Algerian pilot cleared in Britain of any role in the 9/11 attacks appealed to visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday to help lift a US arrest warrant that has grounded him for a decade. “I’ve written a book to tell my story. Your Justice Department has huge volumes of files that are of no use because they find me innocent,” Lotfi Raissi wrote in an open letter, published in Liberte

newspaper. “Even by winning all the cases against my accusers across the world, the United States remains deaf to the truth,” wrote the pilot, who lived near Heathrow airport in London at the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Raissi was arrested together with an Air France hostess and his brother 10 days after the attacks when Islamist extremists hijacked four planes, slamming two into the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon in Washington, and downing one in Pennsylvania. He was accused of having trained the 19 Islamist militants who carried out the attacks.

The two others were released while Raissi was interrogated for fourand-a-half months before being cleared in Britain, but the case has remained open in the United States. In the letter, he explains he has a wish “to be like you. To take a plane. To be free to travel around the world.”—Agencies

Communal tensions simmer in Aleppo ALEPPO: The Kurdish rebel sits fiddling with his Kalashnikov looking bored when a comrade suddenly breaks into screams of “Allahu akbar” as a series of explosions reverberate from the front line.

“Take it easy, take it easy, he can’t hear you,” says the Kurd, sitting next to a pile of broken glass on the street, his jeans rolled up to reveal knock-off black plimsolls with the word “PRADA” written on the label.

From where he stands checking the IDs of civilians crossing the front line of the Syrian war in Aleppo he can see the checkpoint of the Kurdish militia reviled by many of his comrades in the overwhelmingly Sunni Arab, Free Syrian Army (FSA). But although he and his comrades say they are brothers fighting together to bring down President Bashar al-Assad, at their post in the neighborhood of Bushtan al-Basha they disagree on what a new Syria would look like. “We need an Islamic government,” says 20-year-old Mutassim, before his Allahu

DAMASCUS: A wounded Syrian man is being treated at a hospital following a blast in the capital Damascus yesterday. — AFP

Akbar chants, his beard wispy and a crocheted white prayer cap rammed on top of his head.

But the Kurd, who does not want to give his name, says he joined the rebels to avoid national service in President Bashar al-Assad’s army, and not to be a “mujahid” like Mutassim. Asked whether he wants an Islamic government, he gives an emphatic “No”. “We need a government for everyone,” he added. After chatting a bit longer, his commander barks across the street for him to go back to his checkpoint. He doesn’t move. One day earlier, clashes broke out nearby between the FSA and Kurdish militiamen as Muslims celebrated Eid alAdha, in which one watchdog said 30 people were killed.

The fighting in Ashrafiyeh on Friday was the deadliest such incident between Kurds and the armed opposition of the 19-month uprising against Assad and came one day after the rebels moved into the mixed neighborhood. The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Syrian branch of the leftist and secular Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) that controls the area and which professes to be neutral, blamed both the regime and the FSA for the violence. There are deep tensions between the PYD, which has been seen as doing the regime’s bidding, and the rebels, seen by the Kurds as being influenced by an Islamist agenda. But the FSA, which is already overstretched and under armed, can ill afford to take on the Kurds, no matter how much their foot soldiers bray for revenge.

Yussef Aboud, a commander in the Tawhid Brigade of the FSA, said the problem had been resolved after the Kurds sent peace emissaries. “We don’t want this problem again because it will make things very, very difficult,” he said at his office well behind the frontline.

He calls the Kurds brothers, but warns that could change in a post-Assad Syria. “Maybe in the future unless the PKK corrects their mistakes, but if they stay the same, after we finish Assad and his army, we will (fight the PKK).” Peter Harling, analyst at the International Crisis Group, believes such remarks are largely rhetorical given the prospect of defeating Assad is still far off. Syria’s second city of Aleppo is a melting pot for the country’s ethnic, religious and sectarian communities that for

decades have lived largely in peace. The rebels say they represent all Syrians, but there is little sign of Christian, Shiite or Alawite fighters in Aleppo.

Neighbourhoods controlled by the main rebel faction, the FSA, are conservative Sunni areas where no woman is seen on the street without skirts to the ground and her head, if not her face, heavily veiled. Many have reportedly fled to areas controlled by the regime, where there is less risk of being bombed by warplanes or shelled by heavy mortars. Opposite the Bustan Al-Basha checkpoint, a heavily damaged Armenian Christian old people’s home has long since been evacuated and is now in the sights of regime snipers. In a deserted side street, the words “The God of Allah” have been spraypainted in Arabic on the ground floor of an apartment building that houses an Armenian dentist and an Armenian pediatrician.

In what was a mixed Christian-Sunni street, the only clothes hanging out to dry are that of the rebels, many of whom wear black bandanas inscribed with the words: “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger”. When asked what would change in a post-Assad Syria, fighters in Aleppo often say that they want an Islamic government and sharia law. Abu Mahar, who claims to control 200 fighters, said any communal resentment was the work of regime propagandists, but went on to accuse Christians of not being true Syrians. “Christians have no connection with the country,” he told AFP in a gym turned rebel base elsewhere in the city. “We all love Syria, but if anything happens in Syria, they’ll run away, because the West and the regime tell them that if the rebels take over, they’ll kill them.” Harling advises caution, saying that at least for now relations between the rebels and the Christians are holding up. “It could be much worse than it is. It’s not an allout confessional civil war. This is not Lebanon yet. It could be, but I think they’re very different societies,” he said by telephone. Back at the Bushtan AlBasha checkpoint, 20-year-old Kutayba insists there is no incompatibility between an Islamic government and Syria’s rich tapestry of minorities. “No I don’t think they (minorities) will be happy (with an Islamic government), but that’s what’ll happen.

We won’t hurt them.”—AFP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

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

US law enforcement top posts await decisions Attorney general, FBI director could become vacant WASHINGTON: The winner of the US presidential election will have an opportunity to remake law enforcement with his choices for two top jobs - attorney general and FBI director - which could become vacant within months of each other in 2013.

Attorney General Eric Holder has not publicly ruled out serving at least part of a second term if President Barack Obama wins re-election on Nov 6 and wants to keep him in place.

Obama was to have filled the FBI job in 2011 but postponed the appointment, persuading Congress to extend the term of Director Robert Mueller by two years, until September 2013.

Campaign advisers to Republican challenger Mitt Romney have drawn up lists of potential nominees for both jobs, as well as for other Justice Depar tment positions that require confirmation by the Senate, people familiar with the situation said.

Those discussed for attorney general in a Romney administration include former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, head of the Chertoff Group consulting firm; former Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip, since moved to the law firm Kirkland & Ellis; former White House Deputy Counsel David Leitch, general counsel at Ford Motor Co; and J. Michael Luttig, general counsel at Boeing Co. Former deputy attorneys general George Terwilliger, who is joining the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, and Larr y Thompson, general counsel at PepsiCo Inc, are also mentioned. Former Solicitor General Paul Clement of the Bancroft law firm, best known for arguing in March against Obama’s healthcare law, and former acting Attorney General Peter Keisler, now at the Sidley Austin law firm, are talked about for attorney general or for a judgeship. All served in the George W Bush administration except for

Luttig and Ter williger, who served under George H W Bush.

Romney’s campaign has listed Chertoff, Filip and Terwilliger as advisers.

Romney could turn to a governor, such as Virginia’s Bob McDonnell, or a senator, such as retiring Jon Kyl of Arizona, if he wants an attorney general with more political experience. “The governor is focused solely on his job as chief executive of the commonwealth,” said McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin. Other possible candidates for both jobs declined to comment or did not respond to requests. A Romney campaign spokeswoman had no comment on appointments.

WILL HOLDER GO? Obama’s decision for attorney general would be less pressing if he were to win a second term, because Holder could presumably stay on until a replacement is named.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is most often mentioned as a possible successor to Holder. Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara, also frequently mentioned as a future Obama attorney general, brushed off Washington in an interview this month with the Financial Times. He told the newspaper that the politicsobsessed U.S. capital is “not quite my cup of tea.”

Republicans have tried to push Holder from office because of Operation Fast and Furious, a botched operation that targeted gun smuggling along the United States-Mexico border.

An inspector general report in September cleared Holder of wrongdoing.

Only one attorney general, Janet Reno during Bill Clinton’s presidency, served close to two full terms in the modern era.

For director of the FBI, there is some overlap between the Obama and Romney camps.

Possible candidates for either administration include Patrick

Mexico’s Torreon battered by gangs feels lure of truce

OHIO: Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney campaigns at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Marion County Fairgrounds in Marion, Ohio. — AP Fitzgerald, a former US attorney in Chicago who recently joined the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and Kenneth Wainstein, a former assistant attorney general for national security now at the law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. Other possible Romney candidates for the FBI job include Filip and Terwilliger.

Obama’s choices two years ago were said to include former Deputy Attorney General Jim Comey, the general counsel at hedge fund Bridgewater Associates; John Pistole, head of the Transpor tation Security Administration; and Michael Mason, a former top FBI official now at Verizon Communications Inc. A White House spokesman had no comment on appointments.

Presidential candidates were once criticized as presumptuous for drawing up lists of possible cabinet members. But thinking has changed because of the need for continuity between administrations.

In 2010, Obama signed a law

that, for the first time, formally provides office space, security clearances and other resources to someone in Romney’s position. A transition from Obama to Romney would witness three distinct waves of new staffers coming into the administration: those who plan the takeover from November to Januar y, those who enter government offices on Inauguration Day Jan. 20, and those who begin later, after Senate confirmation.

BROAD PORTFOLIO The appointments will give the election’s winner two primary opportunities to enact his agenda. Democrats traditionally use the Justice Department to reinforce such areas as civil rights and consumer protection, while Republicans often emphasize drug enforcement and the vetting of nominees for federal courts. The department determines which side the government will take in court on subjects such as same-sex marriage, abortion and affirmative action to secure racial diversity.

The contrasting priorities are rarely mentioned during the US presidential campaign, despite the broad portfolio.

Democratic Vice President Joe Biden offered a rare indication of the stakes in July when he asked the NAACP, the largest US civil rights group, to “imagine what the Romney Justice Department will look like.”

The two sides are “fundamentally different,” he said.

Republicans have accused Obama’s Justice Department of improperly considering race in cases showing a “disparate impact” among racial groups, and of unfairly burdening business. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani told a business conference on Wednesday that the Justice Department was taking too long on corporate investigations, creating uncertainty. Only a “different view from the Justice Department” would improve matters, said Giuliani, a Republican who once served in the department’s No 3 position.— Reuters

TORREON: In a five-year struggle with Mexico’s most notorious drug cartel, the city of Torreon has suffered a 16-fold increase in murders, fired its police department and lost control of its main prison to the gang. The Zetas cartel arrived in Torreon in mid-2007, and this center of manufacturing, mining and farming once seen as a model for progress has become one of Mexico’s most dangerous cities.

Massacres at drug rehab clinics, bags of severed heads and gunfights at the soccer stadium have charted the decline of a city that a decade ago stood at the forefront of Mexico’s industrial advances after the nation joined the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Canada. Once enticing US firms like Caterpillar and John Deere and Japanese auto parts maker Takata to open plants, Torreon has not attracted any other big names since the Zetas swept in. “It’s a powder keg,” said a former mayor, Guillermo Anaya, who ran the city from 2003 to 2005 and is now a federal lawmaker.

Many people in the arid metropolis about 275 miles from the US border believe if Torreon cannot defeat the Zetas soon it may need to reach some kind of agreement with their arch rivals, the Sinaloa Cartel, and let them do the job. Widely seen as the most brutal Mexican drug gang, the Zetas have so terrorized Torreon and the surrounding state of Coahuila that some officials make a clear distinction between them and the Sinaloa Cartel, for years the dominant outfit in the city. “They (the Zetas) act without any kind of principles,” Torreon’s police chief, Adelaido Flores said. “The ones from Sinaloa don’t mess ... with the population.”

Local politicians tacitly admit that deals with cartels, often unspoken, helped keep the peace in the past, before a surge in violence prompted President Felipe Calderon to mount a military-led crackdown against organized crime six years ago. Calderon’s forces have captured or killed many top capos around Mexico, but the campaign triggered fresh turf wars and a sharp increase in bloodshed, spearheaded by a new generation of criminals like the Zetas. Over 60,000 people have been killed in Mexico in drug-related violence during Calderon’s presidency. In Torreon, the Zetas took control of the local police, and in March 2010 they invaded city hall to demand that Mayor Eduardo Olmos sack the army general he had hired to clean up the force. “You can’t say that the police was infiltrated by organized crime - the police was organized crime,” Olmos said. Subsequently, all but one of the 1,000-strong force were fired or deserted, and for a week Villa and his bodyguards were the only police.

At first, the city behaved “marvelously,” said Olmos. Then the shootings, armed robberies and kidnappings took off as the gangs turned Torreon into a killing factory.

According to local newspaper El Siglo de Torreon, there were 830 homicides in the first nine months of 2012 in the city’s metropolitan area, home to just over 1 million people. —Reuters

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

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

Sicilian vote, Berlusconi threat add to Italy uncertainty ROME: Sicilian local election results will provide clues to the political impact of Silvio Berlusconi’s threat to withdraw support from Prime Minister Mario Monti’s government before next year’s national election. Sicilians voted on Sunday for a new regional government but counting only began the next day.

An exit poll in regional capital Palermo conducted for local TRM television showed the anti-establishment 5 Star Movement leading with 26 percent.

Turnout was low, with more than half those eligible to vote staying away from a poll seen as a pointer toward the parliamentary election expected in April.

Initial results are expected later in the day, with the focus on the centre-right and the 5 Star Movement of comic Beppe Grillo, which has pledged to fight waste and corruption in local politics. A strong per formance for the 5 Star Movement, after its success in local polls in May, would reinforce its status as the main vehicle for disillusion with mainstream parties. However, Berlusconi’s threat on Saturday to unseat the Monti government has complicated the electoral outlook. The billionaire former

prime minister, convicted of tax fraud last week, attacked Monti’s austerity policies, announcing that his centreright party People of Freedom (PDL) may withdraw support from the technocrat government.

That threat, just days after Berlusconi had announced he would not run as leader of the centre-right in the election, has underscored Italy’s political confusion. The weakened PDL is itself split between Berlusconi loyalists, an uncertain faction of former allies from the old National Alliance party and a more moderate, pro-Monti wing. “The Monti government guarantees the credibility of Italy,” former Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, prominent in the moderate faction, told the Corriere della Sera daily yesterday. He said he hoped the PDL leadership would decide “with a broad consensus” to maintain its year-long backing for Monti’s unelected technocrat government in parliament.

Berlusconi was forced to step down almost exactly a year ago at the height of a financial crisis which threatened to push Italy’s huge public debt out of control. Markets had reacted nervously to

BBC inquiry kicks off as sex scandal grows LONDON: An inquiry into the BBC’s culture and practices got under way yesterday with the corporation reeling from allegations of child sex abuse perpetrated by Jimmy Savile, one of its biggest stars. The probe begins a year to the day since the death of Savile, the eccentric presenter now considered one of the most prolific sex offenders in British histor y, with some 300 alleged victims coming forward in recent weeks.

It also starts the day after 1970s glam rocker Gary Glitter, a convicted pedophile, was questioned on suspicion of sexual offences, the first arrest in the widening police probe into the activities of Savile and others around him. Janet Smith, a former Court of Appeal judge, is heading an independent review into the British Broadcasting Corporation’s culture and practices during the decades that Savile worked for the national institution. Her inquiry will also examine whether the BBC’s child protection and whistle-blowing policies are fit for purpose.

The remit also includes “the extent to which BBC personnel were or ought to have been aware of unlawful and/or inappropriate conduct by Jimmy Savile on BBC premises or on location for the BBC”. Smith led the inquiry into notorious serial killer Harold Shipman, which reported in 2005 and established that the family doctor who was convicted of 15 murders probably committed 250, if not more. She was to start gathering evidence from people who allege they were sexually abused on BBC premises and from those who say they raised concerns about Savile.

Savile died aged 84 at his parkside penthouse in his native Leeds, northern England. The claims against Savile have plunged the BBC into crisis and destroyed the reputation of a man who, with his garish tracksuits and ever-present cigar, was one of the most famous faces on British television from the 1960s through the 1980s. He claimed to have been the first club disc jockey and hosted the BBC’s flagship music program “Top of the Pops”. Savile was also knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and pope John Paul II for singlehandedly raising tens of millions of pounds (dollars, euros) for charity.

Ex-colleagues have said there were rumors about the bachelor throughout his lifetime, and seven alleged victims

GERNO: Former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi wipes his face during a press conference in Gerno, near Milan. — AP would exacerbate internal tensions which Alfano has struggled to contain.

The former justice minister, a Sicilian widely seen as a moderate, has been favorite to win a primary for the PDL leadership, but that could change if the Sicilian vote goes badly. The divisions at national level are reflected locally, where the main centre right candidate for gov-

ernor, Nello Musumeci, is challenged by a rebel former PDL boss, Gianfranco Micc i c h e. M u s u m e c i , b a c k e d by Alfano, had been leading a tight, fragm e n te d r a ce a h e a d o f R o s a r i o Crocetta, the openly gay, anti-mafia candidate of the centre-left. Micciche, now a bitter enemy of Alfano, may end up as kingmaker.— Reuters

Lithuania at risk of political stalemate PM candidate backs euro, better Russia ties

Former British rocker Gary Glitter made complaints to the police while he was alive-though none led to his arrest.

However, an ITV documentary earlier this month-which took its cue from a dropped investigation by the BBC current affairs program “Newsnight” that never made it to air, the subject of another independent probe-saw a handful of women make abuse allegations.

Dozens have come forward since, triggering a crisis at the BBC described as a “tsunami of filth” by former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten, who chairs the corporation’s BBC Trust governing body. Police are dealing with around 300 alleged victims and following more than 400 lines of inquiry. Glitter, 68, was the first person arrested under the operation. He was escorted from his plush central London home and spent the day being questioned by officers.

He was bailed to return in midDecember.

The king of the glam rock era with a string of stomping hits, Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, sold more than 20 million records and had a string of hits like “I’m The Leader Of The Gang (I Am)” and “Rock and Roll (Parts 1 and 2)”. He spent two months in jail in Britain after being caught with thousands of hardcore child pornography images on his computer in 1997. Glitter left the country and was convicted in Vietnam in March 2006 of “obscene acts” with two girls aged 11 and 12. He served nearly three years in jail before being deported.— AFP

Britain to spend extra $562 million on nuke submarines LONDON: Britain’s defense secretary yesterday said an extra 350 million pounds ($562 million) would be spent developing next generation nuclear submarines, brushing aside Scottish nationalist threats to force the country’s submarine base out of Scotland. Philip Hammond visited the site in Scotland where Britain’s submarine-based Trident nuclear deterrent is housed and challenged the Scottish National Party (SNP), which leads Scotland’s devolved government, to explain the impact of forcing the base to relocate elsewhere on Scotland’s economy.

The SNP has promised to remove the nuclear submarines from Scotland should it win a referendum on independence in 2014, though opinion polls currently show a majority of Scots would not vote to break away from England.

“We are confident the Scottish people will choose to remain part of the United Kingdom ... The Scottish government needs to explain how their policy would benefit Scotland’s economy and safeguard Scottish jobs,” Hammond said in a statement.

Trident’s renewal is a sensitive issue given its estimated cost of 20 billion pounds at a time of national austerity, and the Liberal Democrats, the Conservative party’s coalition partners, object. The 350 million pounds will go

the prospect of uncertainty in the euro zone’s third largest economy and yields on Italy’s 10-year BTP bonds, hovered just under five percent, 345 basis points over the yield of benchmark German Bunds. Earlier this month, helped by the European Central Bank’s pledge of strong action to combat the crisis, the spread had narrowed to as little as 313 points. PDL secretary Angelino Alfano, 41, had been expected to lead a postBerlusconi renewal of the party, but his credibility has been severely tested by his patron’s repeated interventions and the Sicilian vote will test his ability to lead.

Sicily, a byword for wasteful and corrupt administration, has an unemployment rate almost twice the national average and its economy has suffered badly in Italy’s nationwide recession. The election is expected to reflect the gloomy mood of Italian voters, wearied by repeated tax hikes and spending cuts and disgusted by a wave of political scandals. The PDL lags in national opinion polls behind the centre left Democratic Party (PD) and the 5 Star Movement. A poor showing in Sicily

towards designing the Successor submarines that will from 2028 replace the current Vanguard subs that carry Trident nuclear warheads. Britain’s BAE Systems will receive 315 million pounds and 38 million will go to Babcock. An earlier tranche of 350 million pounds for the design of Trident’s replacement was announced in May. Hammond said keeping Trident at the Faslane base in Scotland would safeguard 6,500 jobs and that plans to house other types of British submarines at the complex would create another 1,500 jobs.

The SNP condemned the move. “For the UK government to boast about spending hundreds of millions of pounds on weapons of mass destruction - while at the same time implementing brutal welfare cuts and slashing investment in the economy - is obscene,” said SNP lawmaker Bill Kidd. He accused Hammond of using “fantasy” jobs figures, and said an independent Scotland would use Faslane as its main naval base, safeguarding jobs. Hammond’s announcement appeared to pre-empt the findings of an ongoing Liberal Democrat review of potential alternatives. A final decision on whether to renew Trident, in which four nuclear-armed submarines provide a continuous at-sea deterrent, is not expected until 2016, a year after national elections.— Reuters

VILNIUS: Lithuania’s president vetoed plans yesterday by three opposition parties to form a government after a weekend election, saying claims of vote buying and tax fraud made one of them unfit to rule. Voters turned against Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius’ austerity-minded administration on Sunday, in a warning for other European governments pushing through tough budgets.

That put an alliance of the opposition Social Democratic Party, the Labor Party and the party of an impeached former president in prime position to succeed him. But President Dalia Grybauskaite, a former EU budget commissioner who is popular with the electorate, refused to accept the Labor Party, which faces allegations of buying votes during the two rounds of balloting. “A party which is suspected of gross violations in the election, which is suspected of false accounting and non-transparent activities cannot participate in the government’s formation,” Grybauskaite told a news conference. The three opposition parties had said they would ease the pain of Kubilius’ harsh budget cuts, which have forced many Lithuanians to emigrate in search of work. The parties would also remain fiscally responsible, an approach that economists view as inevitable given Lithuania’s high borrowing needs. But the decision by Grybauskaite, whose task it is to name a prime minister, throws their plans into doubt.

She said she would eventually probably name Social Democrat Party leader Algirdas Butkevicius as prime minister, but insisted Labor should not be in the coalition. “I will give support only to that political party which can form a majority without the Labor Party, which is sitting on bench of the accused,” referring to the ongoing trial. That could throw a lifeline to Kubilius, who has said he would not necessarily

be against forming a rainbow coalition with Butkevicius.

Butkevicius, a former finance minister whose par ty will be biggest in parliament, told reporters he could not say now whether the Labor Party would

of them. The party’s leader Viktor Uspaskich is also on trial for alleged tax fraud at his party from 2004-2006, which he denies. The party increased its seats in parliament to 29 from 10.

“We call our state a democratic

his popularity slide at home as wages fell, unemployment rose and tens of thousands of people left the small Baltic country in search of work. The opposition parties have said they would aim to increase the minimum wage,

VILNIUS: Social Democrat party leader Algirdas Butkevicius (left) looks at a page with a party member in his office in Vilnius.The centre-left Social Democrats, leftwing populist Labor party and rightwing populist Order and Justice movement won a combined 79 seats in the Baltic state’s 141member parliament. —AFP be in his government or not. If he wanted to avoid conflict with the president, he said he could form another coalition, or go into opposition. He earlier said he aimed to take Lithania to the euro-zone in 2015, IRREGULARITIES The president said police were investigating 27 election irregularities, of which 18 were alleged vote buying, with the Labour Party allegedly involved in most

state, ruled by law,” Uspaskich said on public television. “The principle of the presumption of innocence must be kept to. The will of the people must not be spat upon,” he added. Kubilius won praise abroad for slashing the budget deficit after a brutal economic crisis four years ago.

The economy has returned to growth, and rose a faster-thanexpected 4.4 percent in the third quarter.

But the outgoing premier saw

make the tax system fairer and boost investment. Economists say a new government will have little room to ease back on the austerity as Lithuania needs to retain the confidence of debt markets. The country needs to raise 7.6 billion litas ($2.85 billion) in 2013, about 6.5 percent of projected gross domestic product. Butkevicius has said he would stick to the outgoing government’s 2013 budget deficit target. — Reuters

Ukraine president’s party set for victory Nationalists, Klitschko party revitalize opposition KIEV: Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovich’s party is on course to secure a parliamentary majority after an election, but will face an opposition boosted by resurgent nationalists and a liberal party led by boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko. Exit polls and first results from Sunday’s vote showed Yanukovich’s Party of the Regions would, with help from long-time allies, win more than half the seats in the 450-member assembly after boosting public sector wages and welfare handouts to win over disillusioned voters in its traditional power bases. “It is clear the Par ty of the Regions has won,” Prime Minister Mykola Azarov told reporters. “These elections signal confidence in the president’s policies.”

Victory for the pro-business Regions party, which represents the interests of the wealthy industrialists bankrolling it, will underpin the leadership of the president, who comes up for re-election in the former Soviet republic in 2015. His rule since taking power in February 2010 has been marked by an accumulation of presidential powers and tension with the West over the imprisonment of his rival, opposition leader and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Balloting is in two parts, with half the seats allotted to individual candidates winning local district polls and half to parties according to their share of the vote nationally.

Partial results from the Central Election Commission showed the Regions winning 118 constituencies; that, with its projected national vote, would give the party 205 seats. With support from allies such as the communists and independents, the Regions appear certain to reach the 226 seats needed to form a majority.

The main, united opposition bloc, which includes Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna (Fatherland), was in second place on the party list vote and leading in 36 individual districts.

The Regions appeared to have fared well despite the government’s unpopularity and the authoritarian image of Yanukovich, which does not sell well across the country.

Its success was due in part to increased state handouts and promises to enhance the status of the Russian language - an important pledge for Russian-speaking voters in the president’s eastern power base, who fear being at a disadvantage to native speakers of Ukrainian. The introduction of constituency voting also favored Regions candidates, who could draw on state resources.

The biggest surprise came from the nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) party which, according to partial results, won about 7.8 percent in the party-list voting. This means it will have significant representation in parliament for the first time. The unexpectedly strong showing by

Svoboda - which is based in the Ukrainianspeaking west, pursues a strongly Ukrainian nationalist agenda and opposes attempts by the Regions to promote the use of Russian language - bolstered the ranks of an opposition which has been weakened by the jailing of Tymoshenko.

The other new opposition wild card in parliament will be held by UDAR. Led by boxer Klitschko, under an acronym meaning “punch”, the par ty was in four th place behind the Regions, communists and the opposition bloc that includes Batkivshchyna. Many voters made clear they were frustrated with the performance of the established political parties over the past few years. Corruption is a big concern in Ukraine and many of the 46 million Ukrainians face economic hardship. “We have seen some parties in power and others as well,” said Tetyana, 27, referring to Batkivshchyna and the Regions. “We have seen the results,” she added, after voting in Kiev. Even in the industrial and coalmining city of Donetsk, Yanukovich’s main stronghold in the east of the country, many voters said they were disillusioned by the government’s record. “I voted for the Regions Party but simply because it is the lesser of the evils. I can’t say I am a great fan of the Regions, but all the rest are worse,” said 58-year-old Viktor Grigoryev, a head of section in the construction sector.—Reuters

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

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

Hurricane threat puts New York on edge NEW YORK: The Statue of Liberty reopened after a year of renovation and quickly closed again, the Empire State Building shut its doors and New York airports halted operations Sunday as the Hurricane Sandy megastorm bore down. Nervous New Yorkers stripped supermarket shelves of water, bread and batteries. Tourists could not get their shopping fix though as Macy’s closed and just opposite in 34th Street Victoria’s Secret puts a promised “seduction bombshell” under wraps.

“Frankenstorm.” “Hell-oween.”

“Perfect Storm II.” Call it what you want, most of the 10 million people in the New York region found their lives turned upside down by Sandy even before the first gale force blast had hit.

The Statue of Liberty was meant to have a gala reopening after a $30 million refit, but Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and a group of army cadets were the only ones to get a tour. No one else will be able to climb the 393 steps to the torch until Wednesday, at the earliest.

The order to close the New York subway brought most other business

to a halt. Busloads of Scandinavian, Chinese and Japanese tourists were turned away from the Empire State Building. Broadway also canceled what limited Sunday shows were running. “I cannot climb to the observation deck and my wife cannot go shopping. But I suppose we will remember being in New York when a hurricane hit,” said Swedish visitor Per Ullqvist. Authorities predict Hurricane Sandy will start to be felt late Monday. New Yorkers prepared in their own special way. Doug Barotra managed to carry more than 50 cans of beer out of his local supermarket after waiting 45 minutes to get to the cashier. He is expecting the worst. “As long as the power doesn’t go, I think I’ll survive,” Barotra said as he struggled with his load on New York’s Third Avenue back to his Midtown apartment. “I live on the 18th floor, if it gets bad I’m just going to stay there for the next three days.” Long lines formed at supermarkets to get water, bread, fresh food, batteries and anything that could help ride out the storm heading for the northeast United States. At the Trader Joe stores in New York’s Upper West

Asian Americans could be kingmakers in US election FALLS CHURCH: From the stall where he sells newspapers and scarves in the colors of the former South Vietnam, Tony Nguyen has been watching the tight US presidential election play out before his eyes.

Representatives for President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney have been frequent visitors to the Vietnamese restaurants and beauty salons here in Washington’s Virginia suburbs, seeking what could be critical votes in a neck-and-neck race. “If the Vietnamese all vote for one candidate, it could make a very big difference in a close state like Virginia,” Nguyen said over a table of community newspapers with headlines about the November 6 election.

Often overlooked in past elections, Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States. They make up around five percent of the US population but their numbers could surpass winning candidates’ margins of victory in battleground states such as Virginia, Nevada, Florida and Colorado. If trends prevail, Asian Americans will likely boost Obama. He won two-thirds of Asian American votes in 2008, a swift rise from the 32 percent who voted for fellow Democrat Bill Clinton when he was first elected in 1992.

“This is a historic shift. The last time you’ve seen an immigrant group undergo such a major shift was among Jewish voters between the 1920s and 1940s” when they also rallied behind the Democrats, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, an associate professor at the University of California, Riverside. Ramakrishnan is co-author of the National Asian American Survey, a poll of 3,034 adults that found that the community tilted heavily toward the Democrats on several key election issueswomen’s rights, health care and immigration.

Support varied among ethnic groups.

Indian Americans were among the most

strongly Democratic, with 58 percent saying they identified or leaned toward the party against a mere seven percent who sided with the Republicans. Ramakrishnan said that many Asian Americans came of age politically during the Clinton administration, which they recall as a time of prosperity. Since then, the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and “the increasingly conservative tone on immigration by Republicans has alienated a lot of Asian Americans from the Republicans,” he said.

The survey also showed strong support for the Democrats from Americans of Chinese, Hmong, Japanese and Korean heritage. But Republicans enjoyed a slight edge among Filipino Americans, many of whom are devoutly Catholic. Republicans have traditionally polled well among Vietnamese Americans, whose older generation fondly remembers the party’s staunch anti-communism. But the survey said Obama has made strong inroads in the community, perhaps thanks to his health care reform aimed at increasing coverage to the uninsured.

National polls have found that Obama, the nation’s first African American president, also enjoys overwhelming support among blacks and Hispanics, helping compensate for Romney’s strong advantage among white voters. Representative Mike Honda, a Democrat of Japanese heritage whose California district has become the first in the US mainland with an Asian majority, has been traveling to key states to encourage Asian Americans to turn out.

“We’ve been trying to engage them by visiting their places of work, their malls and everywhere they go and also by hitting the language media,” Honda said.

In a key challenge, Honda said at least 45 percent of eligible Asian Americans are not registered to vote. He has been recruiting volunteers and lawyers as Asian Americans “tend to be easily intimidated” away from voting. — AFP

US Tea Party movement: Lying low, but still active WOODBRIDGE: The Tea Party has been relatively quiet during the presidential election but supporters of the right-wing movement which burst on to the political scene three years ago say it has not gone away. “They say that the Tea Party is dead because we’re not probably as active out there with rallies,” said Nancy Schiffman, 75, president of the Tea Party Patriots in Prince William County in the southern state of Virginia.

“Initially, when the Tea Party first started back in 2009, the rallies were the only way to express ourselves as a group,” Schiffman said.

“Now (people) know who we are,” she said, and the Tea Party movement has become a force to be reckoned with. The loose coalition of conservative groups is unified by several key principles: a desire for a radically reduced role for government, lower taxes, an end to deficit spending, and a scrupulous adherence to the US Constitution. Just two years after Democrat Barack Obama’s historic 2008 election, Tea Party candidates enjoyed a wave of success in a 2010 midterm election that handed control of the US House of Representatives to the Republican Party.

Schiffman said her Tea Party branch, which has around 700 members in Prince William County, has been lying low ahead of the November 6 contest for the White House between Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Instead, Schiffman and her husband Yale, 74, have been spending their time focusing on local elections, ballot initiatives within their state and education measures in the schools. Kevin McCarthy, 61, a Tea Party activist, said the continued influence of the movement can be measured by the impact it is having down-ticket-in races for governor, senator, the House or Representatives and other contests. “The Tea party focuses not only on big issues, but on local elections too,” McCarthy said.

The Tea Party movement has come to wield considerable clout in setting the Republican agenda in its brief existence but it was unable to prevent Romney-seen by many as not being conservative enough-from winning the presidential nomination. Other

Republican candidates for the nomination such as former pizza executive Herman Cain, US lawmaker Michele Bachmann, former House speaker Newt Gingrich and even Libertarian-leaning Republican lawmaker Ron Paul were seen by some in the Tea Party as being more in line with their principles.

“There was definitely not an initial consensus (on a candidate),” McCarthy said. As governor of traditionally Democratic Massachusetts, Romney was viewed as a centrist, embracing policies that included backing a woman’s right to have an abortion and a medical insurance reform overhaul that ended up providing the template for Obama’s health care reform. But since Romney’s nomination, the Tea Party, like other conservative groups, has rallied around the multi-millionaire businessman-spurred by their intense dislike of Obama and their ardent wish to see him defeated.

As the presidential election approaches, the Schiffmans have come together behind Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, the congressman from Wisconsin. “I think Romney did very well (in the debates),” Nancy Schiffman said. “He certainly impressed people and now the polls have changed, the dynamic has changed.” “Especially in the first debate, Romney did very well and Obama was terrible,” McCarthy said. “In the last few days, and I think it will continue, the undecided voters are really trending towards Romney.” “Strategically Romney linked the idea of a strong American foreign policy to a strong economy at home, that was very good,” he said. Alluding to high gas prices, McCarthy added that “everytime you go to pump gas it’s a political commercial for Romney.” And while McCarthy has thrown his support behind the former Massachusetts governor, he wistfully points to another former governor-Ronald Reagan-as the truly ideal Tea Party candidate. “He really understood how the presidency is supposed to run, how this country is supposed to run,” McCarthy said of Reagan, who served as governor of California before going on to serve two terms in the White House.— AFP

Side and on Union Square, the queues wound out of the supermarket entrances and staff let customers in a few at a time. Many supermarkets said they would stay closed until the storm passes.

New York city’s subways and bus lines shut down Sunday night and airlines also started bringing their operations to a halt with thousands of flights canceled. Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered a mandatory evacuation for about 375,000 people in seafront zones that could be hit by a record storm surge. Seventy-two schools and other buildings were opened up as emergency shelters. Many inhabitants said they were going to ignore the evacuation order, however. Richard Bogart filled sandbags and set up a wall across the driveway to his home in Coney Island. “I have heard the order, but when Irene hit last year the cellar was flooded and I have to be here in case something happens.”

Many of his neighbors followed the same tactic. Hurricane Sandy was on target to collide with a cold front bearing down from the north, creating

CAPE MAY: Rough surf of the Atlantic Ocean breaks over the dunes in Cape May, NJ yesterday as high tide and Hurricane Sandy arrived. — AP what meteorologists have named “Frankenstorm,” threatening floods, high winds and even heavy snow across many eastern states. The storm surge from Hurricane Irene last year was between four and five feet. This time experts are predicting a surge twice as high. New York authorities have ordered 1,100 National Guard

troops into the state, including 200 who will patrol Manhattan streets and 300 in threatened Long Island districts.

Bloomberg said people who ignored the evacuation order would not be arrested but condemned them as “selfish” individuals because they would have to be rescued if the worst predictions come true.—AFP

India Cabinet rejigged, but no place for Rahul Major reshuffle left one question dangling NEW DELHI: A major reshuffle of India’s Cabinet left one question dangling: Where is Rahul Gandhi?

The scion of India’s Nehru-Gandhi dynasty is not among the new ministers, meaning that if - as expected - he leads his Congress party into 2014 elections he will be running for prime minister without ever having held a government post of any kind. “I would have been happy to include Rahul in the Cabinet, but he has other preoccupations in the party,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Sunday in announcing his new Cabinet.

Singh, a technocrat, was chosen to fill the prime minister’s seat in 2004 by Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi’s mother. Singh was widely seen as a regent, keeping the seat warm until Rahul Gandhi the son, grandson and greatgrandson of Indian prime ministers - was ready to take his birthright. But Gandhi has displayed little public sign that he is undergoing any sort of apprenticeship that would prepare him for running the country.

His allies argued he was rebuilding the party at the grassroots level and has taken a lead in the Congress’ campaigns in state elections in Uttar Pradesh and in Bihar in recent years. The party performed poorly in both elections. Gandhi has also positioned himself as the defender of the common people, joining protesters at land rights demonstrations and even getting briefly arrested.

But in moments of crisis, he has rarely taken the lead, preferring to defer to Singh or his mother.

His forceful speech against corruption in Parliament last year during a major anti-graft protest against the government - was notable for its rarity.

Political analysts say that Gandhi’s refusal to take a Cabinet position, and be held accountable for the workings of a govern-

CHANDIGARH: In this file photo, Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi (center) waves during an event organized by the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of Congress party, in Chandigarh, India.— AP ment ministry, could prove to be Gandhi was expected to assume relative youth movement. Singh a handicap when the time comes a larger role in the party hierarchy said the shuffle was the last major to face the electorate. “Definitely, and an announcement on this Cabinet shake -up expected the expectations were that Rahul was expected in the coming before the next national election.

But even in promoting some Gandhi would move on from week. Calls to Gandhi’s office being a learner and take on more were not answered. It was possi- of the younger Congress lawmakresponsibility,” said Aarthi ble that he did not want to be too ers, the party leadership is cauRamachandran, who has written closely associated with the cur- tious that they know their place. a book on him. It would have rent government, which has been “It’s an unspoken rule in the Congress that nobody can, or will helped Gandhi’s own credibility if tainted by a raft of scandals.

The reshuffle Sunday - needed, be allowed to outshine Rahul he had taken a position in the government or a ministry where in part, to fill seats left vacant Gandhi among the younger lot,” he could have shown results, she after a coalition partner bolted - Ramachandran said. Other anasaid. “The party could have gone brought seven new ministers into lysts say working among the rural to the people during the election the Cabinet and saw the entry of poor, as Gandhi has been doing campaign and said, ‘This is what 15 junior ministers in a restructur- for the past few years, will give Rahul Gandhi has done for the ing that brought younger faces him far greater insight than holdpeople,’” she said. Congress lead- into the leadership. Former Law ing a ministerial job. “At this point, ers said Gandhi would concen- Minister Salman Khurshid, who the need to repair the Congress’ trate on reviving the party’s for- was named the new foreign min- image is a greater priority tunes ahead of the national elec- ister, is 20 years younger than his because of the various scams and tions instead of being responsible predecessor, and most of the oth- allegations leveled against the for a narrow Cabinet position. er ministers sworn in Sunday are party,” said Vinod Sharma, a politiDigvijay Singh, a Congress gener- in their 50s or early 60s. In Indian cal analyst with the Hindustan al secretary, indicated that politics, that is considered to be a Times newspaper.— AP

Obama black backers may hold the White House key NEW YORK: One thing that won’t keep President Barack Obama awake at night ahead of November 6 is whether America’s blacks still have his back. They adore him. But will they actually show up to vote on election day? For the president, that’s where electoral nightmares could begin. Polls show virtually all blacks in the United States favor Obama over Republican Mitt Romney-partly because he became the first black president in 2008, partly because they always heavily support

Democrats. A Pew poll from October put the numbers at 92 percent to three percent, basically unchanged from the 95 percent to four percent recorded in Obama’s historic 2008 victory. However, in a tourniquettight race, the real number to watch will be turnout. Although blacks make up only 12 percent of the population, their unusually high 65 percent turnout in 2008 helped push Obama over the top. A dip this time could help drag him down, just as it did during the 2010 midterm con-

FLORIDA: President Barack Obama reacts after realizing he dialed the wrong number while making calls from a local campaign field office during an unscheduled visit in Orlando, Florida. — AP

gressional elections when Republicans trounced Democrats. “ There’s no question that the black vote was a key part of what they call the coalition of the ascendant in 2008, or that the absence of black voters hurt Democrats in 2010,” David Scott, head of news at Black Entertainment Television said. “Any way you slice it, the black electorate is a big part of a potential reelection this year.” Scott said Obama supporters are feeling the jitters. He noted that 2008’s high turnout was led by black women but that in the almost euphoric excitement of Obama’s rise even the usually less active black male voters also made an extra effort.

“No one’s taking for granted that those surge votes are coming back,” Scott said. “While there’s no question he’s got overwhelming approval in the black community, that doesn’t necessarily mean turnout. He’ll get 96 percent. The question is: 96 percent of what?” The answer may make all the difference in battleground states with large black communities, especially Florida, Ohio and Virginia, said Philip Wallach at the Brookings Institution. “Whether Obama gets good turnout of the sort he got in 2008 could really be the difference in the election in those states,” Wallach said. One reason black turnout may

dip would be familiar to many in the United States. “Some people are having a change of heart, because they were expecting a little more from him in a shorter period of time,” New York mother of two Sharoya Curry said, pushing a pram down a busy Manhattan street. “Some people feel he let them down.” If millions of Americans are feeling the stress of the country’s economic slump, blacks feel it even more keenly: unemployment in their community is above 14 percent, compared to eight percent overall. “It’s mainly to do with the economy, because a lot of people are still out of work,” said Curry, 29, although she stressed she was personally ready to give Obama more time. Obama has caused friction in sections of the black electorate with his support for same-sex marriage, and, conversely, what some see as his insufficiently tough line against Wall Street and big business.

Hermene Hartman, editor of Chicago news outlet N’DIGO, which focuses on African Americans, said Obama has simply been brought down to earth-just like any president after a first term, but especially so given the high expectations. “In 2008, you had the romance, you had this historical significance, and you had hope and change.—AFP

12

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

international

China watches US democracy avidly, but without envy BEIJING: The world’s two biggest economies choose their next leaders early next month, an accident of timing that lays bare the vivid contrast between China’s opaque communist state and America’s riotous democracy. The rhythm of the presidential election in the United States has been set by three televised debates watched by tens of millions of voters, with campaigning carried out online as well as at boisterous rallies that draw thousands. On the other side of the Pacific the power games are under way behind closed doors, as Communist Party leaders jostle for positions ahead of the regime’s once-in-a-decade leadership change starting on November 8 at a special congress. The victor of the November 6 contest between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney is too close to call, but it is almost certain the new Chinese president will be Xi Jinping, currently vice president in the one-party state.

Speaking to AFP at a university campus in Beijing, Chinese stu-

dents from diverse backgrounds said they were following closely the change in Washington, which was more lively and entertaining than the transition at home. State television relays events on the US campaign trail, while websites such as ifeng provided live streaming of the debates and social media networks buzz with discussion of the process and perceived China-bashing by the candidates.

But many of the students’ comments made clear they had no desire to import Western-style democracy to China immediately.

“Copying in a mechanical way American democracy would cause a lot of problems in China, even if we need to go that way in order to make progress here,” said 24-yearold Zheng Kailun, a philosophy student. Others admired how the US candidates faced off in the televised debates and even poked fun at each other at a gala dinner last week in New York. “Obama is a great performer in front of the public, he’s got a magnetic personality,” said Tu Zongchi, a student of international relations.

But he also said he thought the American electoral system was “not applicable for China at the moment”. One issue with particular

personal wealth and investments in China. The Republican released some of his tax returns-something unimaginable in China where lead-

BEIJING: An elderly Chinese man feeds the stray dogs as he takes his breakfast along a Hutong alley in Beijing. —AP resonance in both countries is the personal finances of the candidates for high office. Obama has sought to highlight Romney’s enormous

ers’ lives are meant to stay private.

Last week, a New York Times investigation into investments said to total $2.7 billion by Chinese Premier Wen

Jiabao’s family was quickly blacked out by official censors.

Zhang Shuo, a student of mechanical engineering who says he is avidly following the US election, said China’s system “largely meets our national needs”. Perhaps in 30 to 50 years we will also reach the same level of democracy (as the US). It’s an evolution,” he said.

The students’ views that political reform will evolve slowly chime with most analysts’ and are in sharp relief to the clamor for democracy that filled the air of Beijing in mid1989. Then, hundreds if not thousands of students were gunned down around Tiananmen Square after weeks of protests. Now, a new generation has come of age seeing the fruits of rapid economic growth.

China’s leadership craves stability above all as a means to continue the rise, which has made the country a global diplomatic force and helped finance a military upgrade enabling Beijing to project its power. The growing might of the Middle Kingdom is a source of friction in the Pacific, where China’s

ambitions clash with Washington’s desire to retain its role as the region’s pre-eminent force. On several occasions China has stressed its desire for stable US ties, and warned that it must not be made a scapegoat for America’s economic problems, as both candidates assail the country on the campaign trail.

A victory for Romney could have an immediate impact on relations with the Republican candidate vowing to label China a currency manipulator on his first day in the White House. The move, avoided by the administrations of both Obama and former president George W Bush, would enable the United States to impose harsh retaliatory penalties on Chinese goods and has led some analysts to warn of a trade war. Chinese media have urged readers to take such declarations with a pinch of salt.

“Willing or not, Democratic or Republican, the next US president shall have to tone down his gettough-on-China rhetoric made along the campaign trail,” state news agency Xinhua said last week. —AFP

Japan’s PM signals election can wait, defies opposition Noda vows to tackle unfinished business TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda made clear yesterday he was in no rush to go to the polls, speaking of the risk of a “political vacuum” in a speech likely to anger an opposition that has urged him to keep a promise to call an election soon. The ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) swept to power in 2009 and holds a slim majority in the powerful lower house of parliament, but the opposition’s domination of

house. “We shouldn’t create at will a political vacuum that would cause policies to stall.” Speaking on the eve of a review of monetary policy by the Bank of Japan, Noda also vowed to work with the central bank more closely to support the economy, using terms employed in the past to pressure the central bank into easing policy.

Noda’s cabinet approved a $5.3 billion fiscal stimulus plan last

But he has been coy on exactly when he will call the election for the lower house, which must be held by August next year.

Analysts believe he is unlikely to do so in the near future given his party’s poor ratings in opinion polls. “Noda wants to delay the day of reckoning as long as possible,” said political commentator Harumi Arima. “Who would call an election now knowing that over 100 parliament seats would be

TOKYO: Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda arrives at the lower house to deliver his policy speech during the Extraordinary Diet session at the National Diet Building in Tokyo yesterday. —AFP the upper house has it allowed it to block crucial budget deficit funding legislation.

The opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is using the issue to press Noda into calling an early election, at a time when opinion polls show Noda is likely to lose any vote. But the prime minister showed no sign of being cowed when he delivered a policy speech at the opening of an extra parliament session called primarily to pass a bill needed to fund a 38.3 trillion yen ($474 billion) deficit. “In order to fulfill my responsibility for tomorrow, I cannot abandon jobs halfway to their completion,” Noda told the lower

week that economists said was too small to have much impact, and piled more pressure on the BOJ, which is expected to boost monetary stimulus steps at today’s meeting. Unless Noda wins opposition backing for the funding bill Japan’s government could run out of money by the end of November, but there were scant signs that the opposition was ready to cooperate. Noda had promised in August to call an election “soon” in order to secure opposition votes for another key piece of legislation - his signature sales tax increase plan designed to shore up state finances saddled by swelling social security costs.

lost, putting the party on the brink of collapse?” Noda will wait until next summer to hold general elections together with upper house polls due in July, Arima added.

BRINKMANSHIP In a sign of the opposition’s deepening frustration, the upper house, which it controls, has refused to hold a session on Noda’s speech following a nonbinding censure motion against him passed by the chamber in the last parliament session. The current session is due to last until Nov 30, and if the deficit funding bill is not passed by then the gov-

ernment could be pushed over a “fiscal cliff”, and forced into draconian spending cuts and push the economy back into recession.

That prospect has drawn close scrutiny from ratings agencies Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s. The brinkmanship over the bond bill would backfire on the opposition rather than Noda, Arima said, as the prime minister could benefit from public criticism of his rivals’ spoiling tactics and eventually pass the bill with some tweaks, without needing to call a general election.

“No government can manage the current public finances without the bill,” Noda said, appealing for opposition support. “If the situation is left as it is, administrative services could stall, which would seriously affect people’s livelihoods and thwart efforts to revive the economy.”

In the speech, largely summarizing government policy, Noda vowed to tackle deflation and the yen’s excessive strength, which is hurting the export-reliant country. He also reiterated his resolve to protect Japanese territory and waters, an apparent reference to recent rows with China and South Korea over separate groups of disputed islets. “Achieving relationships of trust with surrounding countries such as China, South Korea and Russia, with a comprehensive view, strengthens the foundations on which Japan and the whole region enjoy peace and prosperity,” Noda said. “It is one of the grave responsibilities a country has to fulfill.”

Noda said he would promote free trade deals such as the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership and others including one involving Japan, China and South Korea, with the aim of realizing a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, while protecting national interests. He also reiterated the government’s vague promise to try to ditch nuclear power in the 2030s while promoting green energy, following the radiation crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant triggered by last year’s massive earthquake and tsunami. —Reuters

Thai cabinet reshuffle sees return of Thaksin loyalists BANGKOK: A cabinet reshuffle in Thailand has brought loyal allies of self-exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra into the government led by his sister, consolidating his grip on power as he bides his time before making a serious effort to come home.

Thaksin, ousted by the army in 2006, lives abroad to avoid a prison sentence for abuse of power but is widely thought to be running Southeast Asia’s secondlargest economy from bases in Dubai and elsewhere through Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

A former telecoms tycoon who first became Prime Minister in 2001, Thaksin enjoys huge support among the rural masses but has powerful enemies among the conservative elite, the military and royalist activists, all of whom, he says, undermined his governments or those of his allies. Thaksin has set no date for his return which would be deeply divisive. Many analysts believe it could upset a fragile peace that has been in place since the army crushed protests by his supporters in mid-2010 and about 90 people were killed.

For now, Thaksin is moving his loyalists into posi-

tion while Yingluck rides high in opinion polls and does not do anything to antagonize Thaksin’s powerful enemies, in particular those in the army. “We are seeing a Thaksin renaissance, with his top people being installed,” said Kan Yuenyong, director of Siam Intelligence Unit, a private think tank in Bangkok. The 23 new cabinet names endorsed on Sunday by King Bhumibol Adulyadej include six members of Thaksin’s disbanded Thai Rak Thai party who re-entered politics after a five-year political ban against them for electoral fraud ended in May. Other posts in the civil service and police have gone to Thaksin loyalists including Paradorn Pattanathabutr, who was made secretary-general of the country’s National Security Council and this month said Thaksin was “like a brother”. For the time being, Thaksin has not tried to interfere too much with the army and powerful judiciary and risk stirring up a storm. Also, plans to amend the constitution to facilitate his return that threatened to galvanise the opposition earlier this year have been put on the back burner.

“Time is on Thaksin’s side, and after a year the Shinawatras have decided to go slow because it’s better to be in the government than out of government,” Kan said. But in a reminder of instability and a taste of what could be in store, an anti-government rally on Sunday drew up to 10,000 people led by Boonlert Kaewprasit, a retired military officer, taking aim at what he see as nepotism in Yingluck’s administration. But for now, Thailand’s highly political army has shown no signs of moving against Yingluck.

AVOIDING A BACKLASH The new cabinet line-up leaves Finance Minister Kittirat Na Ranong, a non-party financial market technocrat, in place despite an outcry over his admission in August that he told “white lies” about export prospects.

The reshuffle - Yingluck’s third since she came to power 15 months ago - comes ahead of a censure debate next month that the opposition says will target her handling of floods in 2011 and a widely criticized rice intervention scheme. —Reuters

ZHEJIANG: Chinese police officers monitor residents gathered outside the city government office in Ningbo city in eastern China’s Zhejiang province yesterday. —AP

China government scared of ‘middle-class rebellion’ NINGBO: A victory by protesters against the expansion of a chemical plant proves the new rule in China: The authoritarian government is scared of ‘middle-class rebellion’ and will give in if the demonstrators’ aims are limited and not openly political. It’s far from a revolution. China’s nascent middle class, the product of the past decade’s economic boom, is looking for better government, not a different one.

They’re especially concerned about issues like health, education and property values and often resist the growth-at-all-costs model Beijing has pushed.

The past week’s chemical-plant protests reached an unruly crescendo over the weekend, when thousands of people marched through prosperous Ningbo city, clashing with police at times. The city government gave in Sunday and agreed to halt the plant’s expansion. Even so, the protesters did not back down, staying outside city government offices hours after the concession. About 200 protesters, many of them retirees, returned Monday to make sure the government keeps its word on the oil and ethylene refinery run by a subsidiary of Sinopec, the stateowned petrochemical giant.

“In yesterday’s protest, the ordinary people let their voices be heard,” a 40-yearold businessman who would give only his surname, Bao, said on the protest line Monday. Government officials, he said, “should say they are completely canceling the project. They should state clearly that they will stop doing these projects in Ningbo and the rest of China.” The protest in Ningbo - a centuries-old trading center of tree-lined streets and canals south of Shanghai now surrounded by industrial development zones - was well-timed.

It came a few weeks before a transfer of power in the ruling Communist Party, and Beijing wants calm nationwide so as not to detract from the leadership transition.

Given that pressure and the fact that many Ningbo officials also have middle-class concerns about air pollution and other quality-of-life issues, the local government found it easier to back off, Peking University sociologist Liu Neng said. “The government would need lots of courage to insist on keeping this project. The cost would be too high if the protest escalated to another level,” Liu said. “Since the 18th party congress is around the corner, it is very important to maintain stability.”

The protests underscore the challenge the incoming leaders face in governing an increasingly wealthy - and wired - population who are growing more assertive about issues they care about. Democratic movements in places like South Korea and Taiwan started with the middle class, and in Taiwan’s case environmental issues featured prominently. It’s not the first time the government blinked in the face of middle-class protesters. In the past five

years, officials in the northeastern port of Dalian and the southeastern port of Xiamen have relented on plans to operate or build petrochemical plants after large protests. In Xiamen’s case, worries about declining property values figured as much as health issues.

In 2009, when Beijing ordered computer owners nationwide to install software that supposedly blocked pornography but that people feared was a back door to snooping, a national outcry forced it to back down. Dalian, Xiamen and Ningbo are among the better-off cities in China.

The treatment protesters there received has been gentler than the beatings and large-scale arrests often given to rowdy rural and working-class protesters. Those tend to be larger and more violent, and are seen as more of a direct challenge to the party, which supposedly represents the proletariat.

The recent protests across China against Japan’s move to nationalize some islands in the East China Sea were rare cases in which the government tacitly allowed broader demonstrations. Even among middle-class protesters, officials are not caving in to all demands. In Ningbo’s case, the government did not heed protesters’ demands for the mayor, Liu Qi, to step down, or for police to release at least seven protesters who refused to heed police orders to leave the area around the government offices.

In the compromises of recent years, the outlines of an unspoken protest compact have emerged: Keep the demonstrations peaceful and focus largely on local issues, and the backlash will be minimal. The crowds in the Ningbo protests carried smartphones and had mobile Internet connections. Though they often displayed a large dose of skepticism about the party’s official rhetoric, they also urged fellow protesters to stay calm and not fight back against police. The government calibrated its response carefully.

After police tried to thwart the Ningbo protesters on Friday night and scuffles ensued, the government backed off. But the clashes angered the public and seemed to galvanize more participants.

Police let the protesters gather and shout for hours, positioning hundreds of riot and military police in the city government compound but at first only sporadically deploying them. They let protesters march through the city’s busy downtown without incident. By appealing for peaceful protests, the Ningbo demonstrations attracted thousands of participants, said the writer and prominent social commentator Murong Xuecun, the pen name of author Hao Qun. “That’s a safer way to protest,” he said. “If China wants to move toward democracy using a gentle approach it will depend on the middle class.” —AP

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

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

Can true solitude be found in a wired world?

CHICAGO: When was the last time you were alone, and unwired? Really, truly by yourself. Just you and your thoughts - no cellphone, no tablet, no laptop. Many of us crave that kind of solitude, though in an increasingly wired world, it’s a rare commodity. We check texts and emails, and update our online status, at any hour - when we’re lying in bed or sitting at stop lights or on trains. Sometimes, we even do so when we’re on the toilet. We feel obligated, yes. But we’re also fascinated with this connectedness, constantly tinkering and checking in - an obsession that’s starting to get pushback from a small but growing legion of tech users who are feeling the need to unplug and get away.

“What might have felt like an obligation at first has become an addiction. It’s almost as if we don’t know how to be alone, or we are afraid of what we’ll find when we are alone with ourselves,” says Camille Preston, a tech and communication consultant based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “It’s easier to keep doing, than it is to be in stillness.” One could argue that, in this economy, it’s wise to be constantly wired - to stay on top of things, to please the boss. Preston knows people who get up in the middle of the night to see if their boss has sent them an email. But she and others also see more hints of limit-setting going on, this movement of solitude-seekers with roots in the technology industry, ironically enough.

“When I think about truly disconnecting, I look to my

truly techy friends,” says Cathy Davidson, a Duke University professor who co-directs the school’s PhD Lab in Digital Knowledge. Those friends, she says, take long, unwired vacations and set “away messages” telling people to write back after they return. “And they stick to it,” Davidson says, wishing she could do the same. “They’ve come up with a socially acceptable convention for their own absence from the world of technology and everybody recognizes it.”

One organization called Reboot has started the Sabbath Manifesto, a call to unplug one day a week to find solitude - or to simply take a day of rest with family and friends. Bigger corporations, some outside the tech industry, are starting to catch on to this type of limit-setting. To encourage work-life balance, Volkswagen shuts off mobile email in Germany 30 minutes after employees’ shifts end and turns it back on 30 minutes before their next shift starts. Google, Nike and the Huffington Post, among others, provide space for employees to take naps, or to meditate. The idea is that employees who take time to themselves to reenergize will be more productive.

John Cacioppo, a University of Chicago psychologist, thinks there might just be something to that. He has spent much of his career tackling the topic of loneliness and isolation, which researchers have proven can affect humans adversely, all the way down to gene expression. “Feeling ignored sparks feelings of loneliness,” says Cacioppo, director of the University of Chicago’s Center for Cognitive and

Social Neuroscience. But getting away, he says - “that’s the opposite of being lonely.” It’s time that you take by choice, Cacioppo says. So while the cognitive effects are still being studied, he says it’s very likely that that type of solitude is good for the brain.

Leah Jones, a 35-year-old Chicagoan, has cut back, turning her cellphone to “silent” mode from 11:30 pm to 6 am and putting it away when she goes out. “I’m a better friend when I don’t have my phone in my hand,” says Jones, who is 35 and vice president of social and emerging media at Olson public relations. For her, solitude might simply be sitting home and watching a few episodes of TV. “I might tweet while I watch it, but it’s a perfectly acceptable way to spend an afternoon,” she says.

Is that really solitude, though? Davidson, at Duke, thinks it is. “For some people it’s dancing and blasting rock music,” she says. “We tend to think of it as solitude, which is sort of a lofty term, when in fact for many people, it’s also about being joyful. “The real issue is fun vs. work.” And often, she says, her students are better at it than she is. “They seem very fine to go off on a bike ride and leave a cellphone,” she says.

Renee Houston, an associate professor of communication studies at Puget Sound University in Washington state, also finds herself envying a colleague who regularly unplugs. “He will drive two hours to go to the coast just to step away, just have time to think,” she says. She’s not there

yet but is finding small ways to set limits. Her family has a rule, for instance - put cellphones away during dinner unless there’s a crisis. She, too, has noticed more afterhours tech limits in the business world. But it can be as difficult to set those limits with close colleagues or friends who’ve come to expect instant responses, and get miffed if they don’t get one.

“The friend is saying, ‘But wait! It’s me!’” says Cacioppo from the University of Chicago. “But you have to wonder what kind of friend are they?” The key, he and others say, is to develop a reputation for being responsive, but not hyper-responsive. He sets those limits himself - has given up Facebook and generally answers emails or texts from colleagues or students within half a day, if it’s nothing too urgent. If you make yourself available all the time, people come to expect it even more, he says. “And the more responsive you are, the more trivial things you get queried about.”

Davidson, from Duke, says it also helps when there is a “built-in alibi” - the message from a work or social circle where unplugging is accepted, and even welcomed. But Jones in Chicago says you also have to let yourself off the hook and resist the urge to constantly check in to see what friends are doing. Social networking “makes it seem like everybody’s doing something awesome,” she says. “But you can’t always worry about what other people are doing.

“You have to give yourself permission to miss out.” — AP

14

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

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Indonesia bomb plot highlights rise of intolerance

By Sam Reeves he discovery of a bomb plot against the US embassy in Indonesia indicates that the government’s reluctance to tackle a rising tide of intolerance is emboldening Islamist groups, analysts said yesterday. Indonesia has been applauded for a terrorism crackdown launched a decade ago after bombings in Bali killed 202 people. There have been no successful attacks against Western targets since suicide blasts against Jakarta hotels in 2009. However, anti-terror police at the weekend arrested 11 members of an Islamic group allegedly targeting the US embassy, a consulate in East Java, and a Jakarta building that houses the offices of US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan. Police found explosives and a bomb-making manual when they arrested the men whom they said were from a group called HASMI - the Sunni Movement for Indonesian Society - in locations across the main island of Java. The group had been in part driven to plan the attacks by anger at a US-made anti-Islam film which last month sparked protests across the Muslim world, police said yesterday. It was the first time that HASMI, which had previously taken part in anti-Christian protests but is not a banned group, had been linked to any violent plots.

“What we are seeing is non-violent groups taking the next step into violence,” Todd Elliott, a Jakarta-based security analyst at Concord Consulting, told AFP. The apparent transformation is a sign that hardliners have been encouraged by the authorities’ failure to crack down on groups who have targeted minorities, said Noor Huda Ismail from the Institute for International Peace Building. “There has been an escalation in the transformation of intolerance into terrorism,” he told AFP. Indonesia’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion but rights groups say violence against minorities has been escalating since 2008. In August a mob of Sunni Muslims, Indonesia’s majority sect, hacked to death two men from the Shiite minority in the East Java town of Sampang and torched dozens of homes. And in one of the most high-profile cases of violence against minorities in recent years, a 1,500-strong mob carried out a frenzied attack on members of the Ahmadiyah sect in western Java in February last year, killing three of them. Rights groups reacted with outrage after 12 leaders of the attack were given light sentences - a teenager who smashed a victim’s skull with a stone was sentenced to just three months in jail.

Human Rights Watch noted last month that in the few cases where violence has resulted in prosecutions, the authorities had often failed to charge all those involved, and punishments had been remarkably light.

Elliott said the weak response “offers no deterrent effect and some groups will see this as tacit approval to engage in violence”. He said that in a country where 90 percent of the 240-million population is Muslim, the government did not want to appear anti-Islamic and among local Muslim leaders there was a particular unwillingness to crack down. “There are also allegations that some of the leaders of hardline groups are connected to influential figures in the government,” he said.

The government last month said it was intensifying efforts to tackle extremism and unveiled a “deradicalisation blueprint”. However, the plan was short on detail and analysts slammed it as empty rhetoric. The head of Indonesia’s anti-terror agency, Ansyaad Mbai, conceded that the failure to take a hard line on religious intolerance could encourage violence. “The intolerant group will become bigger because they feel that they can get away with what they did,” he told AFP. “We are far from achieving a successful de-radicalisation at this stage.”

Mbai said it was likely that HASMI’s leader, Abu Hanifah, who was arrested in Solo in Central Java, had ties to Al-Qaeda-linked group Jemaah Islamiyah, blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings but now weak after the government crackdown. He said the group probably had members whose relatives had been involved in extremist outfits in the 1970s and ‘80s that were dismantled by a government crackdown on Islamic militancy.

“This group has a desire for revenge, because they are the offspring, sons-in-law, or the sons of the group the government had fought in the 1970s and 1980s,” Mbai said. “I believe that the background of HASMI members will be found in Jemaah Islamiyah and JAT,” another radical group Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid, which was declared a terrorist organisation by the United States in February. —AFP

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Presidential race all about Ohio - or is it?

By John Whitesides ith one week left in the tight battle for the White House, it’s all about the vital swing state of Ohio.

Unless it’s about Colorado - or Iowa, or tiny New Hampshire. Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney both have clear paths to the 270 electoral votes needed for victory - and they don’t all go through Ohio, the state that both sides have long viewed as key to capturing the White House. Obama still has a slight electoral map advantage fueled by his slim lead in Ohio, but Romney has steadily closed the gap or moved slightly ahead in some other battleground states. Eight states remain relative toss-ups.

Both candidates can construct multiple winning scenarios, with or without Ohio. And it’s now possible that the tipping point could emerge from another battleground, such as Colorado, where Obama and Romney are deadlocked in the polls. “At this point, there are probably more electoral map scenarios than there are undecided voters,” said Lee Miringoff, a pollster at Marist College, which is conducting surveys in key swing states. “In a 50-50 race ... everything and everywhere is going to matter,” he said.

National polls show the race is a virtual dead heat, but Obama still has a lead of at least 4 percentage points in states that account for 237 electoral votes, according to averages compiled by RealClearPolitics. Romney has a lead of at least that size in states that represent 201 electoral votes. That gives Obama slightly more leeway in the fight for the remaining 95 electoral votes available in the eight toss-up states, all won by Obama in the 2008 election - Colorado (9 electoral votes),

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Florida (29), Iowa (6), Nevada (6), New Hampshire (4), Ohio (18), Virginia (13) and Wisconsin (10).

Obama is clinging to slight poll leads - which typically are less than the polls’ margins of error - in five of those states with a combined 44 electoral votes: Ohio, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and Wisconsin. That would be enough to put him over the top. Even if he loses Ohio, Obama could still get to 270 electoral votes - and clinch the election - by winning Colorado instead. Obama won Colorado by 9 percentage points in 2008, aided by support from young and suburban voters and the growing Hispanic vote, but he is virtually tied with Romney there now. Romney’s path is tougher without Ohio, but still possible. The former Massachusetts governor has a slight lead over Obama in Florida and has pulled even with the president in Virginia. If Romney sweeps those two states and adds Colorado, he would still need to win Iowa, New Hampshire and Wisconsin to capture the White House.

Of the eight toss-up states, Nevada appears the least competitive, with analysts and some strategists in both parties saying it is moving toward Obama. An NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll on Thursday gave Obama a 3-point edge in Nevada, and the last six public polls have shown Obama ahead. Romney appears to have an advantage in Florida, where six of the last seven public polls have shown him with a small lead. RealClearPolitics puts Romney’s average lead at 1.8 percentage points, within most polls’ margin of error but symbolic of a trend toward the Republican, analysts say. “Once an incumbent loses a grip on the race, it’s very hard to get it back,” said Florida-based pollster Brad Coker of Mason-Dixon.

“Florida is gone for Obama, from what I’m seeing on the ground here. The map seems to be expanding for Romney

and shrinking for Obama.”

The multiple electoral scenarios have sparked speculation about alternative outcomes such as a 269-269 tie in electoral votes, which would leave the presidency to a vote by the Republican-led House of Representatives. Another possibility: one candidate wins the nationwide popular vote, while the other wins the electoral vote - and walks away with the presidency. The most heavily contested prize remains Ohio, and both campaigns are concentrating their time and resources there. Obama has an average lead in polls there of 1.9 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics. Six of the last nine public polls showed Obama with a slight edge. The other three showed a tie, including a poll released on Sunday by the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper and the Ohio News Organization.

“The electoral map tilts slightly to Obama, but only because Ohio is so important and that’s one state where he has kept a very small lead,” said Thomas Riehle, a pollster at the market research firm YouGov, which also is surveying swing states. “The polling is so much closer than it was in 2000 or any other close election year, so everything is hard to predict,” he said.

Romney’s poll gains since his strong performance in the first debate on Oct 3 have been powered by growing voter confidence in his ability to handle the economy, an increase in his favorability ratings and gains among women and independents. But Romney’s early and mid-October momentum seems to have slowed or stopped since Obama’s strong performances in the final two debates. National tracking polls have ebbed and flowed in a narrow range during the past week, with Romney keeping a slight lead in most. — Reuters

Democracy challenge awaits new China leaders

By John Ruwitch and James Pomfret ua Youjuan is an unlikely Chinese official. Free-spirited but driven, she left her village at age 17, got a degree in marketing, and opened a string of businesses in nearby cities in eastern China before settling in the coastal boomtown of Ningbo, 160 km from home. She never looked back - until she got a phone call two years ago that set off a chain of events that would turn her into an anti-corruption campaigner, then the elected head of her village and, finally, into a disillusioned witness to the ruling Communist Party’s attempts at limited grassroots democracy. Her story, as she tells it, ends with a party unwilling to yield power and with her campaign losing momentum - a tale that reveals one of the most challenging riddles facing China’s incoming new leadership team: how can the party shore up its waning legitimacy without loosening its grip on power?

So far, an answer has been elusive. Critics say political reform stalled as the current leadership focused on delivering economic growth. Rumours have circulated ahead of the once-in-a-decade transition that leaderto-be Xi Jinping and his colleagues may be willing to push through much needed reforms - but it is far from clear. Large-scale protests have increased in China, reflecting anger over corruption and the lack of government accountability and transparency - the kind of unrest that experiments in grassroots democracy, like the one Hua Youjuan participated in, were meant to help short-circuit.

Instead, Hua said democracy in her home village of Huangshan, in eastern Zhejiang province, was never allowed to fully succeed, thwarted by senior party officials who she accused of resisting her campaign to root out corruption. “If real reform comes, then I don’t mind staying where I came from, but if things continue like this I just don’t see hope,” she told Reuters. Hua’s frustrations are shared in other villages that have been to the ballot box, including China’s most famous testing ground for greater democracy, the southern fishing village of Wukan where a violent standoff over government land seizures led last year to the sacking of local leaders and elections.

On the first anniversary of the Wukan uprising in September, more than 100 villagers rallied outside Wukan’s party offices to protest against what they saw as slow progress by their newly elected village com-

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mittee to return seized land. Some critics say the committee was outmaneuvered by higher party officials. China has experimented with limited democracy since the 1980s, holding nationwide village chief elections and giving people a voice in low-level government budgeting in some locales.

But China experts say most of these efforts have fizzled because of opposition from within the Communist Party, and that mass protests are still frequent. Some experts such as Sun Liping of Tsinghua University estimate there could have been 180,000 mass protests and riots in China in 2010. “Most people I know and meet know change is going to happen, but I don’t think anybody knows what kind of change and I don’t think anybody really knows how to initiate change,” said Tony Saich, a professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. “You can only push a ball down the road so long before it runs out of control.”

In Oct 2010, the ball ran out of control in Huangshan village, a suburban warren of houses and small factories on the south side of the city of Hangzhou. Convinced their local party boss was getting rich through corrupt means, residents launched a sit-in to block a construction project he was involved in. Hua, living in Ningbo, did not even know it was happening, but her father joined the movement, collecting donations from the village’s 6,000 residents to keep the protest going. A friend of Hua’s with close ties to the local government called her and asked her to return to Huangshan to plead with her dad to quit. She did so in early November, but her father refused and the movement gained momentum. “He said, ‘Telling me to stop is worse than telling me to go and die at this point’,” she recounted.

Police increased the pressure, summoning Hua and warning that her father could get into trouble if he did not stop. That turned out to be the wrong tack with the 36-year-old who has a soft smile but a hard head. She demanded to know what law his actions violated, and then left uncowed. She then became part of the villagers’ movement, suggesting they step up their protest by trying to impeach the party chief from his role as head of the village economic cooperative. They began collecting signatures.

On Nov 10 officials from the district that oversees Huangshan village came to negotiate, but the villagers blocked their exit for several hours. Police were called to get them

out, Hua said. The next day, villagers, officials and police scuffled over the village financial books, which were to be collected by investigators for a probe into the party chief. Hua was summoned by police for questioning.

Thousands of villagers gathered outside the police station to demand her release, Hua said. She was finally freed around midday the next day and given a hero’s welcome replete with flowers. “From that day the villagers started to know who I was,” she said. By the end of November, the tension seemed to have peaked. The party chief stepped down and was subsequently put under house arrest, according to Hua. With the new year came hope as the wheels of village democracy began to turn.

First, the party selected leaders for the village party branch, a body that technically parallels the village committee but in reality holds more power, through a new and relatively open mechanism. Villagers were allowed to nominate candidates, and the party would then pick a leader from among the top five.

The process, called “open nomination, direct election”, was part of the party’s latest nationwide attempt to infuse public affairs with a degree of accountability.

Party leaders have directly dismissed the possibility of China adopting “Western-style”, multi-party democracy, but the concept of “intra-party democracy” - more openness and competition behind the red wall of the 80 million-strong party - has gained traction and there appears to be consensus behind it. Li Yuanchao, who is expected to join China’s top leaders in the Politburo Standing Committee at the 18th Party Congress in November, championed “open nomination, direct election” when he ran Jiangsu province from 2002-2007.

China watchers say the concept of intraparty democracy is likely to get a boost at next month’s congress - where China’s new leadership team will be unveiled - but critics say this misses the point. While village elections are enshrined legally in China, fair votes free of behind-the-scenes meddling are relatively rare. In Huangshan, Hua was elected village chief in April 2011 despite eligibility rules she said were an attempt to prevent rebellious villagers from standing. The old party and village bosses were out, but Hua soon found she could not work with the new party chief, who outranked her in China’s hierarchy of officials, and who she said was favoured by party officials at higher levels.

In July, the villagers started to organise again to petition the Hangzhou government and party officials called Hua to step in.

Instead, she turned off her phone and ignored them. The response was swift.

Thirteen people were arrested, 10 of whom, including Hua’s father and brother, were brought up on criminal charges for previous actions, she said. Multiple phone calls to the party office of Wenyan township, one level above Huangshan, to seek comment for this article went unanswered. The Xiaoshan district party office, above Wenyan, had no immediate comment on the situation in Huangshan when contacted by phone.

A day after Lunar New Year this year, Hua went to the village of Wukan in southern Guangdong province where an uprising against illegal land sales had resulted in concessions being granted by the province’s high-flying leader, Wang Yang. She said she went on a whim, feeling lonely with her brother and father still in detention with no court date yet set, and hoped to learn something from the Wukan experience. For Hua and others, Wukan symbolised the possibility of rural activism in China and opened a path toward more democratic, equitable and transparent village governance.

In Wukan, decades of strong-arm rule by its former village party secretary, Xue Chang, had resulted in widespread abuses of power.

Villagers felt powerless, unable to choose their own village chief or village committee representatives. In September last year, these tensions boiled over into a protest movement which led to village elections in March.

Villagers flocked to vote. The poll also drew plaudits for using secret ballot boxes and open nominations and it resulted in the new village committee being largely comprised of former protest leaders. But even in Wukan the new officials have had a tough time achieving their goals - partly, some say, for the same reason Hua is frustrated: higher-ranking party officials are opposed. Zhuang Liehong, a core village committee member and advocate of improved grassroots democracy and governance, quit recently in frustration at the limited progress in negotiating the return of seized land from uncooperative higher authorities. “If after the 18th party congress there isn’t further progress in getting back our land, more will quit,” said Zhang Jiancheng, another democratically elected member of the new Wukan village administration. — Reuters

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

NEWS

An Indian boatman feeds birds on the Yamuna River in New Delhi yesterday. — AP

Iran: No plan to shut Hormuz Continued from Page 1 possess pictures of restricted areas,” Kowsari was quoted as saying. In Tel Aviv, a senior Israeli military officer, asked whether the drone had been equipped with a camera capable of transmiting photos, said: “To the best of our knowledge, no.” The military recovered wreckage of the aircraft after it was shot down over a forest near the occupied West Bank.

Kowsari, who heads the parliament’s defense committee, said Hezbollah is “definitely” equipped with more sophisticated drones, but gave no further details. Hezbollah “won’t announce it as long as it doesn’t see the need to do so ... That’s why we say we will respond to Israel inside (its)

territory, should it take any action against us,” said Kowsari, a former commander of the powerful Revolutionary Guard.

Israeli air space is closely monitored by the military and, except for commercial air corridors, is restricted, with special attention paid to numerous military and security installations. Iran’s military regularly announces defence and engineering developments, though some analysts are sceptical of the reliability of such reports. On Sunday, Defence Minister Vahidi said the downed drone did not represent Iran’s latest knowhow in drone technology, according to Mehr. In April, Iran announced it had started to build a copy of a US surveillance drone, the RQ-170 Sentinel, captured last year after it came down near the Afghan border. — Agencies

Haj comes to a close Continued from Page 1 mystery illness from the same virus family as the deadly SARS had caused the death of a Saudi national, though Saudi health authorities at the time downplayed the chances of an outbreak of the illness at the haj. The last remaining haj pilgrims performed the stone-throwing rituals yesterday in the Mina valley where they hurled rocks at three pillars representing Satan. They then headed to Makkah to perform the

Sandy batters US East Coast Continued from Page 1

Air raids, bombs wreck last day of Syria...

Continued from Page 1 people, according to state news agency SANA. The second hit several hours later in the southern Al-Hajar Al-Aswad district, which has seen heavy fighting, causing an unknown number of casualties, state television reported. The violence came as world powers looked to pick up the pieces of a failed effort for an Eid ceasefire, with international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in Moscow and due in China this week as he prepares to present new ideas to the UN Security Council.

“I have said and it bears repeating again and again that the Syrian crisis is very, very dangerous, the situation is bad and getting worse,” Brahimi, who will travel to China today, said after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Yesterday, the final day of the four-day Eid al-Adha holiday, the Syrian military launched more than 60 air strikes around the country, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. “These are the heaviest air strikes since warplanes were first deployed over the summer,” the watchdog’s director, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP. “The regime is looking to make real gains. There are battles in all of these areas being hit,” he said.

Warplanes struck targets around Damascus, the Observatory said, with attacks focused on rebel positions in a northeastern belt where President Bashar AlAssad’s regime has been battling to take opposition strongholds. Dozens of soldiers were wounded and 11 killed in fighting in the area, it said. The Observatory reported other air raids on villages and towns across the northwestern province of Idlib, where regime forces and rebels have been locked in fierce fighting over the Wadi

Deif military base.

The truce proposed by Brahimi for Eid, which started on Friday, fell apart amid clashes, shelling and car bombings only hours after it had been due to take effect. More than 400 people have died since the start of Eid, according to the Observatory, including at least 80 yesterday. The Britain-based group relies on a countrywide network of activists, lawyers and medics in civilian and military hospitals, and says its tolls take into account civilian, military and rebel casualties.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday he was “deeply disappointed” by the collapse of the truce and urged all sides “to live up to their obligations and promote a ceasefire”. UN diplomats say Brahimi was realistic about the ceasefire’s chances and is now looking ahead to new efforts to tackle the crisis. Diplomats told AFP that he will go back to the Security Council with fresh proposals in November after the visits to Russia and China - which have repeatedly vetoed resolutions threatening action against Assad’s regime.

In a statement yesterday, Syria’s foreign ministry partly blamed the Security Council for the ceasefire’s failure, saying it should have condemned a car bomb in Damascus Friday that killed at least eight people and wounded more than 30. “The Council’s inability to condemn this attack encouraged the terrorists to continue their crimes,” it said. The Syrian uprising, which began in March 2011 as a peaceful movement, has steadily militarised after being met with brutal state repression and has left more than 35,000 people dead, according to rights groups. Most rebels, like the population, are Sunni Muslims in a country dominated by a minority regime of Alawites, an offshoot of Shiism. — AFP

Barrak arrested after warrant finally...

Continued from Page 1 We, and the whole world, wonder how can such claims be true, even by 1 percent, since the Amir has left on a special vacation?”, he asked.

Barrak had warned that security forces cannot arrest any individual without having a legal arrest warrant. “A police patrol came to my house on Thursday accompanied by press photographers but they did not have a formal warrant, so I refused the verbal arrest orders”, he said, adding that like many others, he too has heard about orders to arrest him. He said many police patrols have been showing up outside his house and whenever he asked to see official warrants, they simply left.

“Yes, I took part in the ‘A Nation’s Dignity’ march on October 21 near Kuwait Towers and the majority MPs met at my diwaniya. I also received the arrested MPs after they

were released,” Barrak boasted. “Why haven’t I been arrested so far, if such orders have been issued? Security forces were wonderful in handling the incident and, after all, they are only following orders. But all I want them to do is to show me an official arrest warrant as stipulated by law”, he had demanded.

The public prosecution is expected to start interrogating Barrak today and will either release him on bail or detain him pending further interrogations. Last week, authorities arrested three former MPs - Falah Al-Sawwagh, Khaled Al-Tahous and Bader Al-Dahoum - and released them on KD 5,000 bail each after five days in jail. They were also charged with undermining the status of the Amir.

In a related development, the government is expected to issue today the Amiri decree inviting voters to elect a new Assembly which paves the way to start registration of candidates amid expectations of a wide boycott.

farewell circumambulation of the Kaaba, the cubeshaped structure at the Grand Mosque towards which Muslims worldwide pray, before leaving the kingdom.

Though marred in the past by deadly incidents including floods, stampedes and fires, the haj has become nearly incident-free in recent years because of multibillion dollar projects. This year alone, the kingdom spent more than 1.1 billion riyals ($293.3 million) on development projects in the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah, all outside Makkah. — AFP

The category one hurricane, which has already killed at least 66 people in the Caribbean, was expected to make landfall near the evacuated gambling haven of Atlantic City, New Jersey early yesterday evening.

Streets leading up to the city’s famed oceanfront boardwalk were flooded, and mostly deserted as the city braced for high tide. In nearby Ocean City, a section of promenade was smashed and fell into the storm surge. Forecasters, however, have warned that the storm’s effects could extend all the way from North Carolina to New England. Parts of New York and Boston were subject to evacuation orders, and Washington was rain-swept and deserted. “The center of Sandy is expected to make landfall along or just south of the southern New Jersey coast by early evening,” the National Hurricane Center said.

With just eight days until polling day, Obama canceled an appearance in the swing state of Florida, returning to the White House to steer the relief effort while citizens and watched the weather on live webcams. “This is going to be a big and powerful storm,” Obama warned after meeting disaster and emergency officials at the White House. Obama also struck a patriotic note, striving for national unity despite sharp political divides cleaving the United States. “The great thing about America is, when we go through tough times like this, we all pull together,” Obama said, trying to project competence and authority, as he grabbed headlines with a sober televised statement at the White House.

“The election will take care of itself next week,” Obama said. “Right now, our number one priority is to make sure that we are saving lives ... and that we respond as quickly as possible to get the economy back on track.” Both the Democrat incumbent and his Republican rival Mitt Romney were keen to stay on top of public sentiment regarding the storm, given the memory of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Romney also cancelled some appearances. Former president George W Bush was widely seen as having bungled the handling of Katrina, which devastated New Orleans. The failure of authorities in the ensuing emergency response tainted the rest of his presidency.

Coming so close to the neck-and-neck election on Nov 6, the potentially historic storm threw closely planned campaign strategies into disarray, could dampen early voting, and may drown out the candidates’ closing arguments. High-level campaign operatives deplore events they cannot control, hence the fabled history of the “October Surprise” - the sudden happening, at home or abroad, with the potential to reshape the late stages of an election.

Although Sandy lacks the sheer force of Katrina, it has a broader front and will combine with cold weather bearing down from Canada to wreak havoc in a climatic confluence of events dubbed a “Perfect Storm”.

Obama has already signed emergency declarations to free up federal disaster funds for New York state, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

“There will undoubtedly be some deaths,” Maryland governor Martin O’Malley told reporters, citing the intensity of the storm and likely floods caused by the tidal surge and high waves.

Forecasters warned that New York Harbor and the Long Island Sound could see seawater surges of more than three meters above normal levels, coinciding with high tides due to the full moon. But many residents at Rockaway Beach, in the New York borough of Queens, refused to bow to official demands that they stay home. Some walked their dogs and others took photos of waves sending water across the beach boardwalk.

Around 1,900 members of the National Guard have been activated and around 60,000 more are on standby, the Pentagon said, with 140 helicopters being made available in anticipation of rescue and relief efforts. The storm caused disaster at sea when the 16-person crew of a replica of the HMS Bounty, the three-mast vessel on which a famous mutiny took place in 1789, was forced to abandon ship after it started to take on water.

The sailors donned cold-water survival suits and life jackets before launching in two 25-man lifeboats with canopies after getting caught up in stormy waters 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, North Carolina. Fourteen crew members were hoisted to safety but two were still missing, the coast guard said. — Agencies

Kuwait’s ‘AA’ rating under threat: Fitch Continued from Page 1 demonstrators defended the “universal right” to freedom of assembly. Riot police used rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades and beat hundreds of demonstrators to break up the protest, which the opposition described as the largest demonstration in the state’s history. The opposition said yesterday that it would push ahead with protests until the government meets its demands for reform.

The political crisis was sparked by a decision by HH the Amir to amend the electoral constituency law ahead of

December elections. The opposition says the amendments are aimed at electing a rubber-stamp parliament.

Fitch estimated that “longstanding political grievances are unlikely to be resolved by the December elections, which opposition MPs and supporters are threatening to boycott.” It noted that a political stalemate could damage the Kuwaiti economy, with potential disruptions to the extensive public sector threatening execution of government projects and a 2010-2014 Development Plan. If, however, Kuwait “manages to resolve the current stalemate it would confirm one of its ratings strengths compared with its regional peers,” Fitch concluded. — Agencies

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

sp orts Pietersen back for England

Asif criticises ICC over ban

Azarenka gets top ranking

MUMBAI: Kevin Pietersen’s England exile following a controversial text-message row will end on Tuesday when he plays against India A in a three-day match.

The flamboyant middle-order batsman was dropped for the third and final test against South Africa at Lord’s in August after he admitted sending provocative texts to the opposition. “Kevin will play tomorrow and bat at number four,” England coach Andy Flower told reporters in Mumbai yesterday. Pietersen had been left out of the touring party but earlier this month he was added to the squad following meetings with Flower, captain Alastair Cook and other senior players and members of the management team. His return will boost England, who lost their world number one test status to South Africa in August, in their quest to win a test series in India for the first time since 1985. “I spoke to KP this morning and he is desperate to get going and we are desperate to have him back,” said Cook who took over as captain when Andrew Strauss retired after the South Africa series. “He is here to score runs and pass on the experience of Indian conditions to the younger players in the side.”

England, who arrived in India on Monday after a three-day training camp in Dubai, play three warmup matches before the four-test series starts in Ahmedabad on Nov. 15. India A have not included a frontline spinner, denying England practice against the slow bowlers who are likely to have a big say in deciding the test series. —Reuters

KARACHI: Pakistan’s banned pace bowler Mohammad Asif has criticised the International Cricket Council (ICC) over his spot-fix suspension and has pleaded his innocence ahead of an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Asif told reporters yesterday that a CAS hearing against his minimum five-year ban will be heard in February and one of the main tenets of his defence will be the fact the ICC imposed the suspension before his case went to a criminal court.

He was found guilty in a London court and sentenced to prison, where he served half a one-year term before being released in May. “The ICC was not fair to me. They imposed a ban on me even before my case went to trial,” Asif said. “I will fight on to clear my name as the charges against me are wrong.” The 29-year old, who played 23 tests and 38 oneday internationals, was caught up in a spot-fixing scandal in 2010 while touring England with the Pakistan team.

An independent tribunal set up by the ICC banned him and two other players, Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir for a minimum of five years in Feb. 2011 before the trio were found guilty in court and jailed in November last year. The independent tribunal rejected requests by the three to wait for the outcome of the criminal case. “I am also planning on writing a book in which I will reveal a lot of things,” added Asif, who preferred to stay in the United Kingdom after his release but is back in Pakistan for the funeral of a mentor and coach. Butt and Amir have also returned home after completing their jail sentences. —Reuters

PARIS: Victoria Azarenka of Belarus yesterday secured the end of year WTA top ranking, finishing the season 550 points ahead of Russian Maria Sharapova.

US star Serena Williams, who beat Sharapova in Sunday’s Masters final, eneded the season in third spot, capping a remarkable comeback year after a lengthy time on the sidelines due to a potentially life-threatening blood clot on the lungs.

The only movement of note in the top 20 was a fall from sixth to eighth spot for Czech Petra Kvitova, who saw her Masters challenge wrecked owing to bronchitis.

Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, though, could still edge into the top 10 from her current 11th spot as she is competing in Sofia from today, meaning she could move above Marion Bartoli of France, who is not competing in the event. —Reuters

Giants win World Series

NEW DELHI: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany stands on his car as he celebrates his win at the Indian Formula One Grand Prix in this file photo. —

Horner: Vettel in need of three perfect weekends NEW DELHI: The Formula One season that began with seven different winners in the first seven races is in danger of ending with one man, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, chalking up seven wins in succession. The 25-year-old German has already won four in a row, the first time the double champion has done that in a single season, and is fancied to follow up Sunday’s Indian success with another in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner kept his focus on the figure three - the three races remaining - rather than allowing anyone to get carried away with talk of seven, however.

“Talk is cheap at the end of the day and I think it’s down to what you do on the track,” he said when asked about comments by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso who said he was sure he could still win the title. Reigning champion Vettel leads Alonso, who finished second in India on Sunday, by 13 points after arriving in India six points clear.

“We can all prophesy but ... our focus is now on Abu Dhabi, to extract the most out of the car, the drivers, the strategy, the reliability that we can. It’s going to be a question of having three perfect weekends,” said Horner.

The principal, whose team could clinch the constructors’ title for the third year in a row on Sunday, was well aware that one retirement could swing the pendulum in completely the opposite direction in the drivers’ standings.

The start of the season was characterised by unpredictable racing, with teams coming to terms with the changed Pirelli tyres and regulation changes.

Spaniard Alonso made the first breakaway, leading the standings from Valencia in June until being reeled in by Vettel at this month’s South Korean race.

Vettel was two points behind Lewis Hamilton, then Alonso’s closest rival, ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix in September.

Now the German is 75 points clear of the Briton having led every lap since Singapore. “There hasn’t been any silver bullet, it’s been a pure case of working hard to understand these tyres and the regulation changes and the team’s done a super job in achieving that,” said Horner by way of explanation. Playing mind games perhaps, Alonso said at the weekend that he felt he was challenging Red Bull designer Adrian Newey for the title as much as Vettel.

Newey, who has won titles with three different teams, is credited with introducing significant developments in Singapore that have changed the championship landscape.

Some of Red Bull’s rivals, notably McLaren, have also been inconsistent.

“If you’re at the front you can look after your tyres, you can look after everything, and I don’t suppose he (Vettel) felt too threatened by the car immediately behind him,” said McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh after Sunday’s race.

“But we made it all too easy for him.

We needed to get up there and give him a harder time at the start and we weren’t able to make that stick.”

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali said Red Bull clearly had a better car but that did mean the championship was a lost cause. “We need to work hard. Full stop. By saying they are stronger doesn’t mean we change our approach,” he said.

“I’ve said to my guys that in the 1982 (soccer) World Cup, Italy were not the strongest, but they won the tournament. The luxury we have is that in Fernando we have the number one driver and we will fight up until the end.” —

DETROIT: Almost knocked out in the playoffs and finally pressed by the Detroit Tigers in Game 4, Pablo Sandoval and the San Francisco Giants completed a World Series sweep to clinch their second title in three seasons Sunday.

Marco Scutaro delivered a goahead single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Giants to a 4-3 win.

“Detroit probably didn’t know what it was in for,” Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. “Our guys had a date with destiny.”

On a night of biting cold, stiff breezes and some rain, the Giants combined the most important elements of championship baseball. After three straight wins that looked relatively easy, they sealed this victory when Sergio Romo got Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to look at strike three for the final out.

“Tonight was a battle,” Giants star Buster Posey said. “And I think tonight was a fitting way for us to end it because those guys played hard. They didn’t stop, and it’s an unbelievable feeling.”

Posey, the only player who was in the starting lineup when San Francisco beat Texas in the 2010 clincher, and the underdog Giants celebrated in the center of the diamond at Comerica Park.

They built toward this party all month, winning six elimination games this postseason. In the clubhouse, they hoisted the trophy, passed it around and shouted the name of each player who held it. “World Series champions,” Giants outfielder Hunter Pence hollered.

Benched during the 2010 Series, Sandoval, nicknamed Kung Fu Panda, went 8 for 16, including a three-homer performance in Game 1.

“You learn,” Sandoval said. “You learn from everything that happened in your career. ... We’re working hard to enjoy this moment right now.”

Cabrera delivered the first big hit for Detroit, interrupting San Francisco’s run of dominant pitching with a tworun homer that blew over the rightfield wall in the third.

Posey put the Giants ahead 3-2 with a two-run homer in the sixth and Delmon Young hit a tying home run in the bottom half. It then became a matchup of bullpens, and the Giants prevailed.

Ryan Theriot led off the 10th with a single against Phil Coke, moved up on Brandon Crawford’s sacrifice and scored on a shallow single by Scutaro, the MVP of the NL championship series. Center fielder Austin Jackson made a throw home, to no avail.

“That’s what makes it so much special, the way we did it,” Scutaro said.

“We’re always against the wall and my team, it just came through first series, second series and now we sweep the Tigers.”

Romo struck out the side in the bottom of the 10th for his third save of the Series. The Giants finished the month with seven straight wins and their seventh Series championship. They handed the Tigers their seventh straight World Series loss dating to 2006.

“Obviously, there was no doubt about it. They swept us,” Tigers manag-

DETROIT: San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy holds the Commissioner’s Trophy after Game 4 of baseball’s World Series against the Detroit Tigers. —AP

DETROIT: San Francisco Giants’ Pablo Sandoval shows off his MVP trophy during a television interview after Game 4 of baseball’s World Series against the Detroit Tigers. —AP er Jim Leyland said. “So there was certainly no bad breaks, no fluke.

“Simple, they did better than we did,” he said. “It was freaky. I would have never guessed we would have swept the Yankees and I would have never guessed the Giants would have swept us.”

The Giants combined for a 1.42 ERA, outscored the Tigers 16-6 and held them to a .159 batting average. “I think we never found our confidence at home plate,” Cabrera said. “It was not the same game we played. We could not find our game in the World Series.”

Bristled slumping Tigers slugger Prince Fielder: “This is not about me.

This is about the team.” A National League team won the title for the third

straight season, a run that hadn’t occurred in 30 years. Some find the streak surprising, considering the American League’s recent dominance in interleague play. Yet as every fan knows, the club that pitches best in the postseason usually prevails.

Until the end, the Tigers thought one big hit could shift the momentum.

It was an all-too-familiar October lament - Texas felt the same way when the Giants throttled it in 2010, and the Tigers knew the feeling when St. Louis wiped them out in 2006.

“For one, we didn’t allow doubt to ever creep in,” Pence said. “You know, the thing that made this team so special is just playing as a team, caring for each other. We had our backs against

the wall and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It’s not supposed to be.”

The Giants started with their pregame ritual. They clustered around Pence in the dugout, quickly turning into a bobbing, whooping, pulsing pack, showering themselves with sunflower seeds. A big league good-luck charm, Little League style.

“That was one of our mottos, and we went out there to enjoy every minute of it and it was hard earned.

Just an incredible, incredible group of guys that fought for each other,” Pence said. Once again, San Francisco took an early lead. Pence hit a one-hop drive over the center-field fence for a double and Brandon Belt tripled on the next pitch for a 1-0 lead in the second.

The next inning, Cabrera gave the Tigers a reason to think this might be their night. With two outs and a runner on first, Cabrera lofted an oppositefield home run to right to give Detroit its first lead of the Series, ending its 20inning scoreless streak.

In the fourth, Max Scherzer and catcher Gerald Laird teamed on a strike ‘em out-throw ‘em out double play.

Trailing for the first time since Game 4 of the NL championship series, Posey and the Giants put a dent in Detroit’s optimism. Scutaro led off the sixth with a single and clapped all the way around the bases when Posey sent a shot that sailed just inside the left-field foul pole for a 3-2 lead.

Detroit wasn’t about to go quietly, however. Young, the ALCS MVP against the Yankees, made it 3-all with another opposite-field homer to right, this one a no-doubt drive.

Fielder finished 1 for 14 (.071) against the Giants without an RBI. Minus key hits, the Tigers remained without a title since 1984. All 24 teams to take a 3-0 lead in the World Series have won it all. In fact, none of those matchups even reached a Game 6. This was the first sweep for an NL team since Cincinnati in 1990. —AP

World Series MVP winners List of Most Valuable Player winners from Major League Baseball’s World Series.

2012 - Pablo Sandoval (San Francisco Giants) 2011 - David Freese (St. Louis Cardinals) 2010 - Edgar Renteria (San Francisco Giants) 2009 - Hideki Matsui (New York Yankees) 2008 - Cole Hamels (Philadelphia Phillies) 2007 - Mike Lowell (Boston Red Sox) 2006 - David Eckstein (St. Louis Cardinals) 2005 - Jermaine Dye (Chicago White Sox) 2004 - Manny Ramirez (Boston Red Sox) 2003 - Josh Beckett (Florida Marlins) 2002 - Troy Glaus (Anaheim Angels) 2001 - Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling (Arizona Diamondbacks) 2000 - Derek Jeter (New York Yankees) 1999 - Mariano Rivera (New York Yankees) 1998 - Scott Brosius (New York Yankees) 1997 - Livan Hernandez (Florida Marlins) 1996 - John Wetteland (New York Yankees) 1995 - Tom Glavine (Atlanta Braves)

1994 - World Series not held due to players strike 1993 - Paul Molitor (Toronto Blue Jays) 1992 - Pat Borders (Toronto Blue Jays) 1991 - Jack Morris (Minnesota Twins) 1990 - Jose Rijo (Cincinnati Reds) 1989 - Dave Stewart (Oakland Athletics) 1988 - Orel Hershiser (Los Angeles Dodgers) 1987 - Frank Viola (Minnesota Twins) 1986 - Ray Knight (New York Mets) 1985 - Bret Saberhagen (Kansas City Royals) 1984 - Alan Trammell (Detroit Tigers) 1983 - Rick Dempsey (Baltimore Orioles) 1982 - Darrell Porter (St. Louis Cardinals) 1981 - Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero, Steve Yeager (Los Angeles Dodgers) 1980 - Mike Schmidt (Philadelphia Phillies) 1979 - Willie Stargell (Pittsburgh Pirates) 1978 - Bucky Dent (New York Yankees) 1977 - Reggie Jackson (New York Yankees) 1976 - Johnny Bench (Cincinnati Reds) 1975 - Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds)

1974 - Rollie Fingers (Oakland Athletics) 1973 - Reggie Jackson (Oakland Athletics) 1972 - Gene Tenace (Oakland Athletics) 1971 - Roberto Clemente (Pittsburgh Pirates) 1970 - Brooks Robinson (Baltimore Orioles) 1969 - Donn Clendenon (New York Mets) 1968 - Mickey Lolich (Detroit Tigers) 1967 - Bob Gibson (St. Louis Cardinals) 1966 - Frank Robinson (Baltimore Orioles) 1965 - Sandy Koufax (Los Angeles Dodgers) 1964 - Bob Gibson (St. Louis Cardinals) 1963 - Sandy Koufax (Los Angeles Dodgers) 1962 - Ralph Terry (New York Yankees) 1961 - Whitey Ford (New York Yankees) 1960 - Bobby Richardson (New York Yankees) 1959 - Larry Sherry (Los Angeles Dodgers) 1958 - Bob Turley (New York Yankees) 1957 - Lew Burdette (Milwaukee Braves) 1956 - Don Larsen (New York Yankees) 1955 - Johnny Podres (Brooklyn Dodgers)

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

sp orts

LeBron’s Heat, Kobe’s Lakers favored as season opens WASHINGTON: LeBron James had yet to claim an NBA championship when he arrived in Miami two years ago, boldly predicting multiple title runs with Heat teammates Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

Now, as the NBA prepares to open its 67th season on Tuesday, “King” James is coming off a crowning achievement, having won his first NBA title with the Heat last June and then guiding the US Olympic team to London gold in August.

Now the Heat look to repeat and James, whose spectacular high-leaping skills have made him the NBA’s most dynamic playmaker since Michael Jordan won six titles with Chicago in the 1990s, vows to back up his boasts and prove he is no one-hit wonder.

“I’ve accomplished a lot of goals but I’m still not satisfied with what I’ve done so far,” James said. “We can be better than we were this past season. We have the potential to be a lot better. That is scary.”

The Heat have added 37-year-old guard Ray Allen, the all-time NBA leader in 3-point shots who must face his former Boston teammates when they visit for Tuesday’s opener, and veteran forward Rashard Lewis to a championship roster.

“You can feel the excitement,” Wade said. “You can see the difference.” James matched Jordan as the only players in history to win an NBA title, Olympic gold and be named the NBA regular-season and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the same year.

“I don’t think about what the other greats have accomplished,” James said. “I have to make my own name.” Meanwhile across the continent, Kobe Bryant will try to match Jordan’s career title total with a revamped Los Angeles Lakers’ lineup that includes new big man Dwight Howard and star guard Steve Nash, both seeking their first NBA crowns.

“Dwight’s defensive presence is probably the greatest I’ve seen in the history

of the sport,” Bryant said. “Steve’s a great playmaker. Steve’s IQ and ability to quarterback, it’s not something I can naturally do. “All the pieces fit. We all do different things. We just have to keep doing the things we have been doing our entire careers.”

Bryant, 34, has played 1,161 regularseason games and 42,377 minutes and has two years worth $58.3 million remaining on what could be his final NBA deal. Having Howard and Nash as teammates figures to give him better shooting chances and, the Lakers hope, another title opportunity.

“Those guys are such fantastic players, it would be tough to sit there and just double-team me all game long,” Bryant said. “It’s just not going to happen.”

The Lakers and Heat must still contend with the Oklahoma City Thunder, powered by three-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and star guard Russell Westbrook, although they’ll be

without last season’s NBA Sixth Man of the Year James Harden.

Harden was traded on the eve of the season to Houston, where he’ll join a team hoping Taiwanese-American star Jeremy Lin can continue to work the magic he showed last year with the Knicks. Durant and Westbrook played for the US Olympic gold medal squad, which beat teammate Serge Ibaka’s Spanish squad in the London final.

While the Thunder’s young stars are the NBA’s wave of the future, San Antonio remains in the title hunt with veterans Tim Duncan, France’s Tony Parker and Argentina’s Manu Ginobili while the Los Angeles Clippers are on the rise with All-Stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul and veterans Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom.

The Celtics remain a power in the East with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and guard Rajon Rondo while the Chicago Bulls could still threaten despite Derrick Rose still sidelined by a left knee injury

suffered in last season’s playoff opener.

New York boasts Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler but the Knicks will have some new crosstown competition in the Brooklyn Nets, who move from New Jersey into a new $1 billion arena and have some firepower of their own in Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.

The upcoming campaign will be the final full season for NBA commissioner David Stern, who last Thursday announced he will leave the job on February 1, 2014, 30 years to the day after taking over the league in 1984.

During his last campaign, Stern wants to see a reduction in amateur dramatics on the court, with the league announcing a crackdown on “floppers” who intentionally fall to trick referees into calling fouls. A first violation brings a warning but a second brings a $5,000 fine and the fines grow up to $30,000 for a fifth violation with possible suspensions after that.—AFP

Johnson wins at Martinsville

FREMONT: In this photo taken Oct. 16, 2012, Austin Benavidez, who is blind, practices his tennis serve using an oversized ball filled with ball bearings at the California School for the Blind in Fremont. —AP

Blind tennis players keep their ears on the ball FREMONT: Learning how to play tennis is hard enough. Now try it when you can’t see. That’s what students are doing at the California School for the Blind. They’re learning a form of tennis adapted for the visually impaired - and expanding the boundaries of what the blind can do.

The state-supported campus in Fremont is one of three American schools for the blind that recently began teaching adapted tennis, which was invented in Japan in the 1980s. A nonprofit group called Tennis Serves is working to promote the sport throughout the U.S. “I didn’t know someone with no vision could play tennis until I came to this school,” said a 16-year-old student from Modesto named Jonathan. The school declined to provide his last name, citing a state law that protects the privacy of students with disabilities.

Blind tennis features a smaller court, lower net and junior tennis rackets with bigger heads and shorter handles. String is taped to the floor so players can feel the boundaries with their feet.

Players use a foam ball filled with metal beads that rattle on impact, allowing them to locate the ball when it hits the ground or racket. Once served, they have to return the ball before it bounces three times. “The most difficult thing to teach is timing their stroke,” said Sejal Vallabh, the 17-year-old founder of Tennis Serves. “Being able to listen to the ball, locate it using their sense of hearing and swing at the precise moment the ball goes by is really difficult to teach.”

While experienced players can keep the ball in bounds and stage extended rallies, just hitting the ball over the net can be a challenge for beginners. During a recent visit to the California School for the Blind, students mostly swatted balls into the ground, the net and toward the ceiling and walls. Few balls were returned, but teachers say some are developing that capability.

Blind tennis was created in 1984 by Miyoshi Takei, a blind Japanese high school student who designed the adapted ball and helped the sport gain popularity in Japan and other Asian countries. He dominated blind tennis competitions until he

was killed in a train accident last year at age 42.

Vallahb, an avid tennis player who is now a high school senior in Newton, Mass., first encountered blind tennis two years while doing a summer internship in Japan, where her grandmother lives.

“After I saw it there, I knew that I wanted to recreate the sport that I had seen back in the U.S.,” she said, so she started Tennis Serves.

Vallabh first began teaching at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Mass. with help from her high school tennis teammates. She then helped start similar programs at Lighthouse International in New York City and the California School for the Blind.

Vallabh is working with engineering students at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif. to design a ball that continuously beeps to make it easier for blind players to track it.

At the California School for the Blind, staff members said they were skeptical when Vallabh first approached them about teaching the adapted sport.

“We were thinking, ‘How are we going to teach tennis?” said Mary Alice Ross, who teaches adapted physical education. “My colleague said, ‘Tennis is like teaching football. It’s not something we really do.’” The California School for the Blind, which has about 90 students ages 5 to 22, offers many adapted sports activities and sports, including bowling, boating, swimming, hiking, ice-skating and goal-ball. Tennis is one of the most difficult sports for the visually impaired, but it brings unique rewards, teachers say.

“When it comes to being able to play a sport which is commonly only played by people with good vision, it’s a big selfesteem boost.” said John Healy, a dorm counselor who teaches adapted tennis.

A 12-year-old student named Sebastian said he was surprised when he first heard about the adapted sport. “Tennis? How could blind people play tennis?” he said.

“But then I was like, blind people can do anything they want. If you set your mind to it, then you can do it.”—AP

ARCADIA: Kitten’s Point leaves the track after training in preparation for the 2012 Breeder’s Cup at Santa Anita Park.—AFP

MARTINSVILLE: Jimmie Johnson dominated, as expected, at Martinsville Speedway, and Brad Keselowski didn’t flinch.

This championship duel might go down to the wire after all.

Johnson, a five-time series champion, raced to his seventh career victory on NASCAR’s trickiest oval Sunday, and the triumph helped him erase a seven-point deficit and supplant Keselowski as the points leader with three events remaining.

Even so, Johnson knows the title chase is far from over, that there’s plenty of racing yet to do. “I’m ecstatic about the win today and ecstatic about the points lead, but this is no cake-walk,” Johnson said after the 59th victory of his career and fourth this season. “These guys are bringing their best each and every week. ...

The next two races will tell the tale.

Anything can happen. We could both wad it up next week and Clint Bowyer is your champion.”

Johnson moved two points ahead of Keselowski, who finished sixth for his highest career showing at the track, and came away knowing that he’d more than held his ground on a track where he’s still learning and Johnson is as good as anyone.

“He’s our competition and we’ve got to beat him,” Keselowski said. “We know that, but at some point you’ve got to do your own thing and just rely on what gets you to where you’re at, and what’s got us to where we’re at is just solid finishes when we don’t have a shot to win the race. And we didn’t have a shot to win today and we got a solid finish, so I feel confident about that.”

The series next moves to Texas and Phoenix before finishing up at Homestead-Miami.

“I know this championship’s going to come down to Homestead,” Keselowski said. “You’ve just got to be in position to where you’ve got a shot at it and we’re doing the things it’s going to take.”

Both drivers needed only to look at Denny Hamlin’s day to be reminded that things can go south fast.

Hamlin seemed poised to get in the thick of it, and then had an electrical problem that sent him to a 33rd place finish and out of contention.

“When these things happen, you’ve just got to suck it up and move on,” Hamlin said. “There’s nothing I can do about it. One of these days it’s going to be our time. It’s just not right now.” Keselowski’s day was nowhere near as adventurous as Hamlin’s, but effective all the same.

He started 32nd, methodically worked his way forward, and was never really a factor until he took a late gamble to grab the lead - and a crucial bonus point. He was leading the race briefly when a caution flag flew and he and Dale Earnhardt Jr. opted to stay out, then watched with

MARTINSVILLE: Drivers take Turn 2 on lap one to begin the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Martinsville Speedway.—AP

surprise as the other 16 lead-lap cars all headed to pit road for fresh tires.

“It’s at the end of the race and half the field had just pitted 20 or 30 laps ago,” Keselowski said. “If I was running 15th, I would have stayed out. I would have put ‘em in my shoes and said, ‘By golly, I would have stayed out.’ None of those guys did and I don’t know why. Well Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. did. He had some sense. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

When the race went back to green with 19 laps to go, Keselowski was a sitting duck whose best bet was to hang on for as long as he could and then avoid any Martinsville mayhem that cropped up in a furious dash to the finish.

Johnson, who led eight times for 193 laps, passed him on lap 487 on his way to making the race a bonus points bonanza. He got one for leading a lap, one for leading the most laps and three for the victory, wiping out a seven-point deficit.

Kyle Busch was second, followed

by Kasey Kahne, Aric Almirola, Bowyer, Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Brian Vickers. On the final restart, Busch said he was trying to avoid spinning Johnson heading into turn one, but nudged him. Johnson slowed, and Busch too, and “when I went back to the gas, I spun my tires and got loose, and he squirted away from me.”

Bowyer also had a great car, leading 154 laps, and Gordon led 92. Until the problems arose, Hamlin had put on a clinic about how to pass cars on the 0.526-mile oval.

After his first pit stop, Hamlin was penalized for entering pit road too fast, a penalty that moved him to the back of the lead lap, which was 31st.

Immediately, he started quickly working his way forward.

After 200 laps, he was contending and actually left pit road with the lead, but again, he was penalized for speeding entering pit road, again dropping him to the back of the lead lap, this time 28th.

He again worked his way into the top five until his problems dropped him 34 laps behind. Hamlin dropped 49 points off the pace. Bowyer is third, 26 back, and Kahne is 29 back.—AP

McIlroy edges Woods to claim China exhibition win ZHENGZHOU: Rory McIlroy staked an early lead before holding on to win by a stroke in his “Duel at Jinsha Lake” 18-hole exhibition event against Tiger Woods yesterday.

“It was a pretty exciting day and the match was pretty close all day,” Northern Ireland’s McIlroy told reporters just 24 hours after finishing second in the European Tour BMW Masters event in Shanghai. The world number one moved into a lead he would never relinquish against his American opponent when he birdied two of his opening three holes and Woods dropped a shot on the third, before going on to sign for a bogey-free five-under 67.

On a cool and misty day in front of an enthusiastic gallery, double major winner McIlroy made the turn two shots clear of Woods at three -under par in the medal match-play encounter.

Woods, who was playing in China for a first time in two years, clawed a shot back when he chipped in from off the green at the par-three 12th but slipped two behind again with a bogey on the next.

The world number two birdied the 14th to reapply the pressure back on McIlroy and after both players picked up shots on the 15th, they each parred the final three holes with Woods almost forcing a playoff when he almost chipped in on the last.

“I got off to a good start and had a little bit of advantage for the first few holes but then Tiger birdied a few on the back nine. All I was trying to do was to keep myself ahead and I managed to do that,” McIlroy added.

Woods arrived in Zhengzhou having finished fourth in the CIMB Classic in Malaysia on Sunday and was looking for a repeat win over McIlroy after handing the Briton a seven-shot roundrobin defeat in the recent World Golf Final in Turkey.

However, both players struggled with the

speed of the Jinsha Lake greens while staff fought a constant battle with fans, who often broke through security lines.

Despite his defeat, Woods hinted he would welcome further opportunities to go head-tohead against McIlroy in similar end-of-season exhibition matches.

“This certainly was not my usual way I spend Mondays but to have this many people come out and watch us play golf... was something spe-

cial,” Woods said.

“These events don’t happen that often and it was just great to see everyone so excited to see us come here and excited to watch us play,” the 14-time major champion added.

“So as far as doing something like this down the road, it would be fun. “We’re ranked one and two in the world respectively and to have matches like this to promote the game of golf is what it’s all about.”—Reuters

ZHENGZHOU: World number one Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (center) and Tiger Woods of the US are surrounded by fans during their “Duel at Jinsha Lake” one day golf challenge won by McIlroy in Zhengzhou, Henan Province.—AFP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

sp orts

India hungry for England revenge Jean Todt

Sheikh Ali Al-Fawaz

Bid to boost motor sports in Kuwait KUWAIT: Secretar y General of the Quarter Mile Race Club and Motorcycling Sheikh Ali Al-Fawaz Al-Sabah said the awaited visit of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) President Jean Todt on Nov 1 will contribute to enhancing interest of the sport in Kuwait, and gain more support.

Sheikh Ali Al-Fawaz told Kuna that he will meet with sports officials to discuss means of developing the motor sports in Kuwait and its future in the Middle East region “especially that motor sports in Kuwait is witnessing notable development lately.”

He said the FIA’s interest in this sport in Kuwait comes after the success of Kuwait Automobile Club (KT) and the Quarter Mile Club’s success in organizing Kuwait’s International Rally which was lauded by all participants, and contributed to making a new leap forward in Middle East rallies.

He said “all efforts by officials of the

two clubs aims at improving motor sports of all forms in Kuwait and get it to the required level which satisfy all lovers of this sport in Kuwait.”

Sheikh Ali Al-Fawaz praised the efforts being made by the CEO of KT Essa Hamza and his constructive role in supporting motor sports in Kuwait, and hoped cooperation between KT and FIA achieve their aim. The visiting Jean Todt has a long history in Motor Sports as he started as an assistant navigator in 1960, then became manager of cars sports activities at Peugeot and formed the Peugeot Talbot sport team from 1982 to 1990.

Todt moved to Ferrari and occupied several posts before becoming special advisor to the company president in 2008, then became president of FIA in 2009. He received several m e d a l s a n d h o n o r a r y t i t l e s f ro m France, Italy, Ukraine, Malaysia and San Marino. —KUNA

NEW DELHI: England jet into Mumbai under new captain Alastair Cook, striving to win their first Test series in India in 27 years against a home team desperate to make amends for last year’s 4-0 drubbing.

The four-Test series, starting in Ahmedabad on November 15, will be further spiced up by Kevin Pietersen’s return to the England fold after his exile and hints that Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar is on the brink of retirement.

The series gives the home side an opportunity to make amends for the humiliating 4-0 whitewash in England last year that saw them dethroned as the number one Test side-and their replacement by England.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team then suffered another 4-0 defeat in Australia, capping a miserable six-month period that took the shine off India’s 50-over World Cup triumph in 2011.

But with the series against England followed by four Tests against Australia in February-March, India, ranked fifth in the world, will look to take advantage of familiar conditions to haul themselves back up the rankings.

Dhoni has urged groundsmen to prepare wickets that suit spin bowling and selectors refused to pick a spinner for England’s three-day opener in Mumbai from Tuesday, denying the tourists early exposure to the turning ball.

“When we go to England, we get wickets that help the seamers and in Australia you get tracks with bounce,” said Dhoni. “In the sub-

MUMBAI: England cricket captain Alastair Cook (right) speaks as team director Andy flower looks on during a press conference in Mumbai. The England cricket team is in India to play a four Test match series which starts on Nov 15. — AFP

continent, spin is what matters and we should stick to that.”

England, who last won a Test series in India under David Gower in 1985 and lost their number one status to South Africa in August, will receive a boost from the return of the dangerous Pietersen.

Kiwis keen to improve Pallekele T20 record PALLEKELE: New Zealand will be determined to erase bitter memories of the Pallekele ground when they clash with Sri Lanka in a one-off Twenty20 international today.

The Black Caps’ campaign in the recent World T20 ended at the same venue when they lost all their three Super Eights matches, including two in the tie-break ‘super over’.

Ross Taylor’s team tied their games against eventual winners the West Indies and runners-up Sri Lanka before suffering defeats in the one-over eliminator. New Zealand, who will also play five one-day internationals and two Tests on their month-long tour, return to the Pallekele stadium without key players Daniel Vettori and Martin Guptill.

Experienced left-arm spinner Vettori is missing the tour due to an injury while opener Guptill has been rested for the limitedovers contests and will figure only in the Tests.

But New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram said the tourists had the resources to do well.

“If we play well we are confident that we can win,” he said ahead of the match.

“We do appreciate that Sri Lanka is a very good side in their home conditions and more than a match for us at times, but we have enough talent. We’ve got to make sure the talent comes out at the right time.”

Sri Lanka also made a few changes as allrounder Angelo Mathews was named the new T20 captain in place of Mahela Jayawardene, who stepped down after his

team’s defeat against the West Indies in the World Twenty20 final in Colombo earlier this month.

Jayawardene has been rested for the T20 game along with paceman Lasith Malinga, but will return to lead the side in the onedayers.

“The selectors wanted to give these two cricketers a rest. Their absence from the team is a big loss but with the squad I have been given, I am confident we can win,” said Mathews.

Unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis, the most successful bowler of the World Twenty20 with 15 wickets in six matches, will also miss Tuesday’s match and the first three one-dayers due to an injury.

The tour is former paceman Shane Bond’s first as New Zealand bowling coach. Sri Lanka and New Zealand have so far played 10 T20 internationals, with each side winning five.

New Zealand (from): Ross Taylor (capt), Trent Boult, Andrew Ellis, James Franklin, Ronnie Hira, Rob Nicol, Tom Latham, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Bradley-John Watling, Kane Williamson.

Sri Lanka (from): Angelo Mathews (capt), Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilshan Munaweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Shaminda Eranga, Akila Dananjaya, Sachithra Senanayake, Upul Tharanga. — AFP

America beat Pumas to advance BUENOS AIRES: Boca Juniors’ midfielder Walter Erviti (left) celebrates with his teammate forward Santiago Silva (back) after scoring his team’s second goal against River Plate during their Argentine First Division football match. — AFP

Boca score late to hold River Plate BUENOS AIRES: Walter Erviti scored close to fulltime Sunday to rescue a 2-2 draw for Boca Juniors against River Plate in the Superclasico, the seasonal showdown between Argentina’s two most famous clubs. Erviti chipped the ball in from close range when River goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero misjudged another shot, giving the player an opening in added time.

Leonardo Ponzio scored after only 90 seconds and Rodrgio Mora added another in 70th minute as River Plate took a 20 lead. Santiago Silva scored for Boca with a 76th-minute penalty in front of a sellout crowd at River’s Monumental stadium.

Boca is now seven points behind leader Newell’s Old Boys. River Plate is 10 off the pace. “Thankfully, we were able to get an important point,” said Erviti, whose goal deflated the morale of 50,000 River fans. There seemed to be no major incidents of violence after the match, although several Boca fans as they left the stadium were struck by objects apparently thrown by River fans.

The draw may do little to help Boca coach Julio Falcioni and River counterp ar t M at i a s A lm e yda. Fal cio ni is unpopular among many Boca fans, and River is always in danger of relegation after spending last season in the second division.

In late matches on Sunday, Belgrano defeated Union 1-0, and Lanus downed Argentinos Juniors 1-0. On Monday, it’s: Godoy Cruz vs. Colon and Tigre vs.

Independiente.

In results on Saturday, it was: San Lorenzo 2, Quilmes 2; San Martin 1, Atletico Rafaela 2; Estudiantes 0, All Boys 1; Newell’s 2, Arsenal 1; Velez 1, Racing 0.

Ponzio scored from a 30-meter (yard) free kick that beat goalkeeper Agustin Orion. The free kick fooled Orion, who was late moving to his right and watched the ball bounce once and go into his net just inside the post.

River Plate was more threatening for the first 20 minutes with David Trezeguet, playing in his first Superclasico, coming close in the 12th minute with a volley from a corner.

River was quicker recovering loose balls and played with more intensity in the first half, limiting Boca to few chances and little sustained possession.

Boca came out more aggressively in the second half, winning the ball in midfield and pressuring River.

Against the run of play, River made it 2-0 when Rodrigo Mora took a perfectly weighted pass and stepped around Orion to fire the ball in from a sharp angle. “We leave with a bitter taste,” River player Carlos Sanchez said. “ We did everything to leave with a victory.” — AP

MEXICO CITY: America defeated Pumas 1-0 in the Mexico City derby on Sunday to qualify for the playoffs with two rounds remaining in the Mexican Apertura football championship.

Tijuana, Toluca and Leon are also guaranteed a place in the postseason after the weekend results. Tijuana drew 1-1 with Morelia, Toluca lost 3-0 to Cruz Azul, while Leon defeated Jaguares 4-1.

In other weekend matches, Monterrey won 3-2 against Santos Laguna, Chivas overcame Atlas 2-0, Pachuca defeated Tigres 1-0, Atlante drew 1-1 against Puebla and San Luis and Queretaro drew 0-0. Daniel Montenegro fired in the winner from 25 meters (yards) for America in the 26th minute.

Miguel Sabah scored from the penalty spot for Morelia against Tijuana, canceling out Colombian Duvier Riascos’ 9th minute opener. The point was enough to move Tijuana into first position in the league table with Toluca losing.

Cruz Azul opened the scoring against Toluca through Gerado Flores, with Mexico international Javier Aquino adding the second in the 35th and Argentine Mariano Pavone sealing the victory in the 74th. Second half goals from Hernan Burbano and Carlos Pena extended Leon’s lead against Jaguares. Matias Britos got the first in the 5th and Luis Montes got the second in the 29th, two minutes after Luis Gabriel Rey had equalized for Jaguares with a penalty. Both teams had players sent off in the first half, with Jose Vazquez shown a red card in the 13th minute for Leon and Jaguares’ Miguel Martinez leaving the field in the 20th.

An 85th minute goal from US international Herculez Gomez set up an intense finish to the game against Monterrey, but Santos Laguna couldn’t rescue a point. Chile’s Humberto Suazo gave Monterrey the lead in the 12th, before Oribe Peralta equalized in the 41st.

Cesar Delgado put Monterrey back into the lead 10 minutes after halftime, with Aldo de Nigris extending it three minutes later.

Rafael Marquez Lugo headed in Chivas’ first goal in the 11th, with Marco Fabian scoring the second with a shot from 30 meters (yards) four minutes before halftime against Atlas in the Guadalajara derby.

Pachuca stayed in playoff contention with a victory thanks to goal in the 51st from Raul Meraz. Jose Fonseca got an injury time winner for Atlante against Puebla.

Chilean international Esteban Paredes scored his ninth goal of the season in the 3rd, before Puebla equalized through Paraguay’s Herminio Miranda in the 65th. Queretaro is yet to win a game this season, while San Luis is out of the playoff race. — AP

Pietersen, who has hit more than 7,000 Test runs at a shade under 50, smashed a brilliant 144 in England’s last Test on Indian soil in 2008 and knows the conditions well as a player for Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League.

And the 32-year-old will be keen to impress after he was dropped in August for sending text messages to touring South Africa players that contained criticism of then skipper Andrew Strauss.

Numerous meetings with England team bosses and players eventually saw him added at the last minute to the Indian tour party and Cook said Pietersen was “contrite” over his actions and would be welcomed back into the squad.

India, who began their busy home season by winning both Tests against lowly New Zealand in August and September before being ousted in the second round of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, are facing a future without Tendulkar.

The plans of the 39-year-old superstar are in the spotlight after the admitted earlier this month that the clock was ticking on his runfilled 23-year career. “I don’t think I have plenty of cricket left in me,” said Tendulkar, the highest run-scorer in Test and one-day cricket history-and the only batsman to notch 100 international centuries.

Tendulkar, who has scored a record 51 Test centuries, has now gone 25 innings without a hundred in the five-day format since making 146 against South Africa in Cape Town in January 2011. He was bowled in all three innings against New Zealand with a top score of just 27, raising fears that age may finally be catching up with him.

England have the rare luxury of two threeday games and one four-day match to acclimatise to Indian conditions before the series starts in Ahmedabad.

Further Tests are scheduled for Mumbai, Kolkata and Nagpur. The tourists, who also play two Twenty20 matches following the Tests, will go home for Christmas before returning in the New Year for a five-match one-day series. — AFP

Force India’s Mallya keeps Sutil in mind NEW DELHI: Adrian Sutil could be in the frame for a return to Force India and Formula One if fellow-German Nico Hulkenberg moves to Sauber next season, according to team co-owner Vijay Mallya.

The liquor baron told Reuters in an Indian Grand Prix interview that the driver line-up, and how best to invest the latest tranche of funds paid to the team by the Sahara Group, will be discussed at a board meeting this week.

Britain’s Paul Di Resta looks certain to stay with the team in 2013, after speculation about a move to McLaren or Mercedes came to nothing, but the other seat appears uncertain. “I offered an extension to both drivers. I hear from the media that Nico has signed with Sauber. Well, if he has then good luck to him,” said Mallya.

“I have not been officially notified by Nico of anything,” added the principal. “He hasn’t sat down with me and told me that. I would expect that he would if he was on his way...I have an excellent relationship with him, he’s a wonderful guy. He’s done well for us.”

Asked whether he could replace the highly-rated Hulkenberg with someone of a similar stature, Mallya smiled. “Yes absolutely, why not? Never forget I always have the potential of considering Sutil again. Sutil is always quick. So there are many options.

“I would certainly consider him,” he added. Sutil would be a familiar face having spent his entire Formula One career with the team from 2007, when it was still called Spyker, to the end of last year.

The German’s 2011 season was clouded by controversy after he was involved in a Shanghai nightclub brawl, for which he was handed an 18-month suspended sentence and fined 200,000 euros ($258,600) for grievous bodily harm by a German court. Mallya said he would love

Hulkenberg to stay but if he did move on, there would be no acrimony between them. By example, he pointed to Sutil’s presence in the motorhome at several races this year.

“Even though I didn’t re-sign him for 2012, he’s still welcome,” he said. “That’s the kind of culture I’d like to have in this team.

Very friendly, very informal. So Nico will always be part of us. I won’t stand in his way.”

Force India are currently seventh in the constructors’ championship, after finishing sixth overall last season, with Sauber 23 points ahead.

Sauber have been less consistent finishers but have reaped the benefits of four podium placings while Force India’s best of the season remains Hulkenberg’s fourth in Belgium and Di Resta’s fourth in Singapore.

Force India’s best ever result was second place with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella in Belgium in 2009. “That (the 2009 race) was one moment of glory which all of us cherish. But what I wanted to see was not these flashes in the pan, but a consistent progression and I think we’ve demonstrated that,” said Mallya. “I’m still chasing Sauber for the rest of the season. Nothing is impossible.”

Mallya said he was happy with the progress of the British-based team he took over in 2007 but now was the time to plan “the second phase of our development”.

“It’s very clear to us that we need some serious investment decisions,” he added.

“We have the capital, part of the $100 million deal I did with Sahara for the infusion of funds into the company for improvement basically.

“Now we’ve got to take a decision on how we are going to spend it because if I now want to start challenging Lotus and Mercedes and go up into the top five, we need some better tools and better equipment.” —Reuters

19

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

SPORTS

Premier League on trial over racism’s return LONDON: Racism, a problem that English football thought it had solved, has returned to haunt the country that gave birth to the game, with the Premier League’s global popularity on the line after a succession of scandals.

With Luis Suarez and John Terry having already earned bans for racist abuse, the issue lurched into new territory on Sunday when top flight referee Mark Clattenburg was accused of racially abusing Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi. It came after a match between Chelsea and Manchester United that had been a memorable encounter, full of incident and intrigue, but when the accusations against Clattenburg emerged a few hours later, the mood soured.

The seriousness of the claims was not lost on commentators yesterday.

“If a match official has used racial insults or language to a player, then he’s for the high jump,” former Premier League referee Jeff Winter told BBC radio. “It’d probably be the end of his career, if proven.”

The allegations are being seen as all the more shocking because English football was supposed to have banished the monkey chants and bananathrowing of the 1970s and 1980s during the period of aggressive gentrification heralded by the launch of the Premier League in 1992, as ticket prices and television exposure soared.

England came to be seen as a safe haven for black footballers and by 2002, Arsenal were fielding teams containing as many as nine black or mixed race players.

When English teams have found themselves the target of racial abuse,

it has been portrayed in the national media as a problem that now belongs to other parts of the world.

After footage emerged of England’s Danny Rose being taunted with monkey noises by fans during an under-21 match in Serbia earlier this month, the shock reflected the fact that such scenes have not been witnessed in England for decades.

When Uruguayan striker Suarez was accused of racially abusing United’s Patrice Evra last season, meanwhile, it was held that he was simply unprepared for the sensitivities of life in a multi-cultural society.

The Suarez case, though, proved to be the tip of the iceberg The Liverpool striker was banned for eight matches but it was followed by the Terry-Anton Ferdinand affair, several accusations of racial abuse by fans towards players

on social media, and now the claim that Clattenburg used a racist insult against Nigerian midfielder Mikel at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

But if racism now seems to be back on the agenda in English football, John Barnes-a target of the bananathrowers of the 1980s-says that it never went away.

“It’s very easy to call it social injustice when it affects us-with Danny Rose, with Anton, with Luis Suarez-but what about the social injustices that go on for black people every day?” the former Liverpool winger asked talkSPORT radio last week.

“There’s no way we can get rid of racism in football if it exists in society.”

The Premier League is a worldwide marketing phenomenon, but the sponsors and fans may find it hard to remain loyal if the flagship of the

English game comes to be seen as a place where discrimination is allowed to fester.

Leading black players have already made their feelings known, with Reading striker Jason Roberts leading a boycott of the “Kick It Out” T-shirt campaign that prompted the Professional Footballers’ Association to issue an anti-racism action plan.

That Chelsea-a club scarred by racism allegations after their captain, Terry, was banned for abusing Anton Ferdinand-should make such claims against Clattenburg suggests they have full confidence in their case.

After receiving criticism over its handling of the Suarez and Terry affairs, the Football Association has no choice but to investigate Chelsea’s complaint with the utmost speed and transparency.—AFP

FA launches probe into Clattenburg allegations

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi from Argentina poses with his Golden Boot award in recognition for scoring the most goals in Europe’s domestic leagues last season. —AP

Messi receives Golden Boot as Europe’s top scorer BARCELONA: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was presented with his second Golden Boot award on Monday in recognition for scoring the most goals in Europe’s domestic leagues last season.

The 25-year-old Messi scored a Spanishleague record 50 goals for Barcelona, edging out fellow Spanish league star Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid by four goals.

Messi dedicated the award to his teammates, with Xavi Hernandez and Carles Puyol present for the ceremony in Barcelona.

“It is a prize for scoring goals, but without my teammates I couldn’t have scored them,” Messi said. “I share this award with them as I always do.

“I don’t fight for individual awards, I fight for titles. My goals are reclaiming the league crown, winning the Copa del Rey and the winning the Champions League again. Those are my goals, team goals.”

The Argentina international won his first Golden Boot in 2010 for his 34 goals that helped Barcelona win the league title.

Messi is among the favorites to win the 2012 Ballon d’Or for the world’s best player.

“We won’t see another player like him, and if we do, it won’t be for a very long time,” said Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova. “It’s not just for the goals he scores, but for how he sees and understands the game, that is what makes him so great. On Saturday, he ran 50 meters to defend a corner in the 89th minute with a 5-0 lead. Not many players would have done that.”

Luis Suarez Miramontes, the former Spain international and 1960 Ballon d’Or winner, presented the award. Messi, nicknamed “The Flea” for his uncanny ability to dribble through defenders, has shattered a number of records over the past year.

He scored an unprecedented 73 goals in all competitions for Barcelona last season, breaking the previous European club record of 67 goals set by Bayern Munich’s Gerd Mueller in 1972-73 and the prior world club mark of 70 established by Archie Stark of Bethlehem Steel in the American Soccer League in 1924-25.

In March, Messi passed Cesar Rodriguez’s 57-year-old milestone of 232 goals to become Barcelona all-time leading scorer. He also scored a European Cuprecord-tying 14 goals in the Champions League, where he netted a record five goals in one game.

Messi has scored 17 goals in all competitions to start this season, and has his sights set on yet another milestone he is sure to reach very soon. He is just two goals away from equaling Brazil great Pele’s feat of 75 goals for club and country in one calendar year, set in 1958.

“Obviously, it’s an honor to be close to the numbers of a person who is so important to football,” Messi said. “But, again, they are only statistics. “My goal is to win as many titles as I can before the end of my career. I have always been like that. Then I can look back at what I have won and take stock of my career.”—AP

LONDON: The Football Association yesterday launched an investigation into claims referee Mark Clattenburg used “inappropriate language” towards two Chelsea players during their match with Manchester United on Sunday.

British newspaper reports claimed the language allegedly used by Clattenburg included a racial insult directed towards Chelsea’s Nigerian midfielder John Mikel Obi. The other player involved is reported to be Spanish midfielder Juan Mata. Chelsea made an official complaint to the Premier League match delegate, whose report was due to be transferred to the FA yesterday. “The FA has begun an investigation relating to allegations made following Sunday’s fixture at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Manchester United,” read a statement from the FA. “The FA will make no further comment at this time.”

Clattenburg aggrieved Chelsea by sending off two of their players and allowing an offside United goal to stand in the European champions’ 3-2 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

The 37-year-old referee pledged to co-operate fully with the football authorities after the allegations became public on Sunday evening.

Clattenburg is likely to be interviewed by FA compliance officers, who are expected to speak to Mikel and Mata as well as other potential witnesses.

The evidence supplied by Clattenburg’s fellow match offi-

cials is likely to be a central component of the investigation, as the four-man team would have been communicating via microphones and earpieces throughout the game.

Mikel’s agent, Chelsea, and United all refused to comment on the incident yesterday, while Mata made no reference to it in an article on his personal blog.

The Professional Game Match Officials body, which manages officials in the Premier League, confirmed late yesterday that Clattenburg will not officiate a match this weekend.

“With any football match, the focus should not be on the officials but on the players and the game itself,” said the organisation.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police have announced an investigation into an incident in which a steward was injured towards the end of Sunday’s game.

Chelsea have already launched their own inquiry, after reports that the steward fell as home fans threw objects onto the pitch in the aftermath of Javier Hernandez’s winning goal for United.

The steward reportedly injured his knee in the incident and needed approximately 10 minutes’ treatment by paramedics before being taken to hospital.

A police spokeswoman said: “We are aware of an incident during yesterday’s match at Stamford Bridge in which a steward was injured. “An investigation has been launched into the incident and our inquiries continue.”—AFP

LONDON: In this Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012 photo, Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel (left) in action, with referee Mark Clattenburg in the foreground, during the English Premier League soccer match against Manchester United. —AP

Atletico beat Osasuna to keep pace with Barca BARCELONA: Radamel Falcao scored again as Atletico Madrid beat last-place Osasuna 31 on Sunday for an eighth straight victory to keep pace with Barcelona at the top of the Spanish league.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, bounced back from its Champions League loss at Borussia Dortmund by strolling to a 5-0 win at Mallorca, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain each collecting two goals to help their team stay within eight points of the coleaders in fourth place.

Atletico has won 11 straight matches in all competitions - including in the Europa League - and extended its club-record unbeaten run to 22 games dating back to April.

Falcao scored his 10th league goal and 13th overall of the season to seal the victory at Vicente Calderon stadium. Only Barcelona’s Lionel Messi with 13 goals and

Ronaldo with 11 have scored more in league play than the Colombia striker.

“This match confirms the strength of this team,” said coach Diego Simeone, who in less than a year in charge has completely turned Atletico around. “The team knows how to play. We mustn’t waver from this path.”

Atletico started well with only Osasuna goalkeeper Andres Fernandez frustrating its attack.

But Fernandez was helpless to stop Miranda’s header when the Atletico defender met Emre Belozoglu’s free kick and glanced it just inside the far upright in the 31st.

Raul Garcia, who played on loan for Osasuna last season, doubled Atletico’s lead four minutes later by finding the net following a poor clearance of left back Filipe Luis’ dangerous cross.

Down 2-0, Osasuna finally showed some fight. Moments after Kike Sola came close

Referees, linesman under fire in Italy MILAN: Italian referees and linesmen will be under more scrutiny than ever during this week’s fixtures after a series of mishaps at the weekend.

Serie A is the only major European league to use two extra linesmen but the system, heavily favored by UEFA president Michel Platini, was unable to prevent controversies which left Catania, Lazio and AS Roma all fuming and leaders Juventus on the defensive.

Catania president Antonio Pulvirenti was still angry after replays showed his team had a first-half goal wrongly disallowed at home to Juventus, who went on to win 1-0 with an Arturo Vidal goal after halftime. He suggested that Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, who on Friday said that Italian football was in need of reform, should hand Catania the three points as an example of fair play and transparency. “If Agnelli wants to reform football, he can start in the simplest of ways, by suggesting that his team forfeit the match 0-3,” Pulvirenti, who on Sunday said the referee had been harassed by the Juventus bench,

said in a radio interview.

Juventus sporting director Giuseppe Marotta agreed that Catania’s goal should have been allowed, but denied his club pressured referees.

“Juventus is a serious club and even if that goal had stood, nobody can say the game would have finished in that way,” he said in a radio interview.

“I deny that it was our players who tempted the referee to reconsider. The linesman’s flag was raised at the time of the goal to indicate an offside.

“I can only share the judgement about the mistake. They happen, just as they happened in other games yesterday, in the previous round of matches and last season, where Juventus were on the receiving end.

“But if we suggest that Juventus had influenced the referee, then I deny that completely.” Juventus were demoted in 2006 for corruption involving referees.

Roma, beaten 3-2 at home by Udinese, were also upset about the penalty from which Antonio Di Natale scored the winning goal. —Reuters

SPAIN: Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring against Mallorca during the Spanish league football match.—AFP

with a header, the striker laid the ball off for Roland Lamah to curl a superb left-footed shot around diving goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the 43rd minute.

Atletico pressed for a decisive goal after the restart, and Falcao delivered in the 73rd with sharp flick of his left foot to redirect Juanfran Torres’ cross beyond Fernandez.

Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was missing midfielder Sami Khedira and defenders Alvaro Arbeloa, Marcelo and Fabio Coentrao to injury.

But any worries for Madrid’s backline were ill-founded. The defending champions’ area was rarely encroached upon and their attack soon put the result beyond doubt.

“The result is a little deceptive,” said Madrid defender Sergio Ramos. “It was a good game for our forwards, but the entire team deserves credit for the win. “We have to continue winning points because we let some slip at the start of the season.”

Higuain grabbed Madrid’s opener eight minutes in when he took full advantage of Anderson Conceicao’s horrible control of a harmless pass that left the Argentina striker in position to freely fire home. Madrid’s pressure produced the second goal in the 22nd.

Angel di Maria forced Andreu Fontas into losing the ball, and Higuain tapped on Di Maria’s pass to Ronaldo, who slotted the ball just inside the far post.

Madrid cruised through a sleepy second half until Higuain and Ronaldo each struck again. The Portugal forward set up Higuain in the 70th and three minutes later raced behind Mallorca’s flat-footed defense to latch onto Luka Modric’s pass and score his 18th goal in all competitions.

Substitute Jose Callejon added another goal in injury time as Madrid matched Barcelona’s 5-0 win at Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Obafemi Martins scored twice to help Levante to a 3-1 home win over Granada, lifting it level on points with fifthplace Real Betis.

Real Zaragoza beat Sevilla 2-1 to rise to the middle of the standings, while Getafe won 2-1 at struggling Athletic Bilbao.—AP

Blind tennis players keep their ears on the ball

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

India hungry for England revenge

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Premier League on trial over racism’s return

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LONDON: St. Louis Rams tight end Lance Kendricks (right) in action with New England Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty, during the first half of a NFL football game at Wembley Stadium.—AP

Falcons down Eagles to stay unbeaten PHILADELPHIA: Matt Ryan threw touchdown passes on Atlanta’s first three possessions against Philadelphia and new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, and the Falcons remained the NFL’s only unbeaten team with a 30-17 victory over the Eagles on Sunday.

The Falcons improved to 7-0 for the first time in franchise history while the Eagles (3-4) lost after a bye for the first time in 14 games under coach Andy Reid since 1999.

Ryan finished 22 of 29 for 262 yards and three TDs for his first win against his hometown team in three tries.

Michael Vick didn’t turn the ball over for once, but he played so-so and failed to beat his former team in his second start against the Falcons since returning to the NFL in 2009. The Falcons scored on their first six possessions before punting for the first time with 5:35 left.

Giants 29, Cowboys 24 In Arlington, Lawrence Tynes kicked two of his five field goals in the fourth quarter and Eli Manning and New York remained undefeated at Cowboys Stadium with a win after blowing a 23point lead.

The Giants overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to win for the 20th time in Manning’s career. None were quite like this one. New York (6-2) led 23-0 just 2 minutes into the second quarter when defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown. That was the third interception thrown by Tony Romo, among six turnovers by Dallas (3-4).

The NFC East-leading Giants didn’t score again until Tynes kicked a 43-yard field goal with 10:20 left for a 26-24 lead. He added a 37yarder after Stevie Brown recovered a fumble. Dallas celebrated what seemed to be a 37-yard touchdown catch by Dez Bryant with 10 seconds lef t. But the play was reviewed, showing that Bryant’s hand touched out of bounds first.

Broncos 34, Saints 14 In Denver, Peyton Manning shook off a bleeding right thumb after banging it on an opponent’s helmet to throw for 305 yards and three scores and lead Denver past New Orleans.

It was Manning’s fifth straight 300yard game, setting a franchise record for Denver (4-3) and matching his personal best. The Broncos won two in a row for the first time this season. They gained 530 yards against the Saints (25), who came in with the NFL’s worst defense. Denver held Drew Brees and the league’s top-ranked passing offense to 213 yards passing in Joe Vitt’s debut as interim coach after serving a six-game suspension for the team’s bounty scandal.

Lions 28, Seahawks 24 In Detroit, Matthew Stafford threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Titus Young with 20 seconds left. Zach Miller made a spectacular, 16-yard catch on a toss from Russell Wilson with 5:27 left to put the Seahawks ahead. Seattle (4-4) couldn’t stop the Lions (3-4) on their last possession.

Stafford led a 16-play drive that started at Detroit 20 with 5:27 remaining.

The possession began with a 15-yard pass to Calvin Johnson and was kept alive with third-down conversion passes to Johnson in Lions territory and to Joique Bell to set up the winning score from just outside the goal line.

Steelers 27, Redskins 12 In Pittsburgh, the Steelers turned Robert Griffin III into just another rookie quarterback, swarming Washington’s precocious star in a dominant win. Griffin completed just 16 of 34 passes for 177 yards and a score while managing 8 yards rushing.

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had no such issues, throwing for 222 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers (4-3) won consecutive games for the first time this season. Jonathan Dwyer added 107 yards rushing in his second NFL start. Pittsburgh jumped on Washington (3-5) early, scoring on its first four possessions and never letting Griffin get loose. Heath Miller caught four passes for 46 yards and his sixth touchdown of the season for the Steelers.

Browns 7, Chargers 6 In Cleveland, rookie Trent Richardson rushed for 122 yards and scored a touchdown in the Browns’ soggy, wind-whipped win. Richardson, pulled last week at Indianapolis when he was ineffective because of a rib injury, carried 24 times as the Browns

(2-6) won their second straight game at home - and first for new owner Jimmy Haslam. Richardson scored on a 26-yard run in the first quarter and the Browns were able to hang on despite not generating much offense in blustery, rainy conditions. The Chargers (34) dropped their third straight. San Diego had a final chance, but quarterback Philip Rivers’ pass was batted away by Browns cornerback Buster Skrine with 1:24 left. Rivers finished 18 of 34 for 154 yards Patriots 45, Rams 7 In London, Tom Brady led touchdown drives on the first five possessions and New England cruised at Wembley Stadium.

The Rams looked ready to put up a fight when Sam Bradford hit Chris Givens with a 50-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive. But Brady cut through the St. Louis defense at will to give New England a 28-7 lead by halftime, then hit Brandon Lloyd for a 9yard score to start the third quarter.

New England surpassed 350 yards of total offense for the 17th straight game, breaking an NFL record set by the Rams in 1999-2000.

NFL results/standings Green Bay 24, Jacksonville 15; Miami 30, NY Jets 9; Cleveland 7, San Diego 6; Indianapolis 19, Tennessee 13 (OT); New England 45, St. Louis 7; Atlanta 30, Philadelphia 17; Chicago 23, Carolina 22; Detroit 28, Seattle 24; Pittsburgh 27, Washington 12; Oakland 26, Kansas City 16; NY Giants 29, Dallas 24; Denver 34, New Orleans 14.

National Football Conference American Football Conference AFC East NFC East W L T OTL PF PA PCT NY Giants 6 2 0 0 234 161 .750 New England 5 3 0 0 262 170 .625 Philadelphia 3 4 0 1 120 155 .429 Miami 4 3 0 2 150 126 .571 Dallas 3 4 0 0 137 162 .429 Buffalo 3 4 0 0 171 227 .429 Washington 3 5 0 0 213 227 .375 NY Jets 3 5 0 1 168 200 .375 NFC North AFC North Chicago 6 1 0 0 185 100 .857 Baltimore 5 2 0 0 174 161 .714 Green Bay 5 3 0 0 208 170 .625 Pittsburgh 4 3 0 0 167 144 .571 Minnesota 5 3 0 0 184 167 .625 Cincinnati 3 4 0 0 166 187 .429 Detroit 3 4 0 1 161 174 .429 Cleveland 2 6 0 0 154 186 .250 NFC South AFC South Atlanta 7 0 0 0 201 130 1.000 Houston 6 1 0 0 216 128 .857 Tampa Bay 3 4 0 0 184 153 .429 Indianapolis 4 3 0 0 136 171 .571 New Orleans 2 5 0 1 190 216 .286 Tennessee 3 5 0 1 162 257 .375 Carolina 1 6 0 0 128 167 .143 Jacksonville 1 6 0 2 103 188 .143 NFC West AFC West San Francisco 5 2 0 0 165 100 .714 Denver 4 3 0 0 204 152 .571 Arizona 4 3 0 1 124 118 .571 San Diego 3 4 0 0 154 144 .429 Seattle 4 4 0 0 140 134 .500 Oakland 3 4 0 0 139 187 .429 Kansas City 1 6 0 0 120 209 .143 St. Louis 3 5 0 0 137 186 .375

Colts 19, Titans 13 In Nashville, Andrew Luck threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Vick Ballard at 4:49 of overtime. The Colts (4-3) have beaten Tennessee in seven of eight overall and seven of the past 10 in Nashville.

The Colts did it with Luck leading a pair of 80-yard touchdown drives. The top pick overall in April’s draft set up Delone Carter’s 1-yard TD run that tied it up at 13 with 3:24 left in the fourth quarter. In overtime, Ballard capped the drive, taking a screen pass and going up the left side where he jumped toward the goal line for the TD. The Titans fell to 3-5.

Bears 23, Panthers 22 In Chicago, Robbie Gould kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired to rally the Bears. The Bears trailed 19-7 in the fourth quarter when the game turned in a big way.

Chicago (6-1) took over on the Carolina 38 after Brad Nortman shanked a 6-yard punt, and Jay Cutler connected with Kellen Davis on a 12yard scoring pass with just under seven minutes left.

Then, on Carolina’s next play, Steve Smith slipped on a pass pattern and Tim Jennings returned his second interception of the game 25 yards for the go-ahead score.

Cam Newton drove the Panthers to the Chicago 27, and Justin Medlock’s 45-yard field goal hit the right upright and went through to put Carolina (1-6) ahead 22-20 with 2:27 remaining.

Medlock had five field goals.

On the winning drive, Cutler moved the Bears 55 yards to the 23 to set up Gould’s kick. The Panthers lost their fifth straight game.

Packers 24, Jaguars 15 At Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers went back to an old favorite, connecting with Donald Driver on a 4-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Rodgers threw two touchdowns, passing Bart Starr for second place on Green Bay’s all-time list, and Dezman Moses gave the Packers their first touchdown on a blocked punt in almost 22 years. But Green Bay (5-3) had a surprisingly tough time with the NFL’s worst team, which lost its fourth straight. Playing without top receivers

Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson, Green Bay’s offense struggled to find its groove all afternoon. Jacksonville (1-6), meanwhile, looked unfazed by the absence of Maurice Jones-Drew.

Backup Rashad Jennings finished with 115 yards of offense, and Cecil Shorts had a career-best 116 yards on eight catches.

Dolphins 30, Jets 9 In East Rutherford, Matt Moore stepped in for an injured Ryan Tannehill and Miami rolled to its third straight victory.

Moore threw a touchdown pass to Anthony Fasano, Olivier Vernon recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown and blocked a field goal, and the Dolphins smothered Mark Sanchez and the Jets’ offense Sunday. After a week of trash talking between both sides, the argument was won on the field by the Dolphins (4-3) - and it was no contest. They were helped by some hideous play by the Jets (3-5), who have lost two straight.

Tannehill injured his left knee and quadriceps muscle on a sack on third down by Calvin Pace on the Dolphins’ second possession of the game.

Moore finished 11 of 19 for 131 yards.

Sanchez was 28 of 54 for 283 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Raiders 26, Chiefs 16 In Kansas City, Carson Palmer threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns, and Oakland stuffed struggling Kansas City for its sixth straight win at Arrowhead Stadium.

Sebastian Janikowski was perfect on four field-goal attempts, and the Raiders (3-4) nearly became the third straight team to keep the Kansas City offense out of the end zone. The Chiefs (1-6) scored their only touchdown with 2:27 left in the game.

Darren McFadden ran for 114 yards, and Denarius Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey had touchdown catches for Oakland, which has won two straight after losing four of its first five.

Matt Cassel threw for 218 yards in place of Brady Quinn, who left in the first half with what the team called a “head injury.” Quinn had started his second straight game. The Chiefs have lost four straight and still have not led in regulation this season.—AP

Business

Gold holds near $1,710 on global growth fears Page 22 US consumer spending rose 0.8% in September

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

Page 23 India unveils fiscal consolidation plan

Honda slashes forecast on China territorial spat Page 26

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PARIS: (Left to right): Chairman of the International Labor Organization Guy Ryder, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Christine Lagarde, OECD General Secretary Angel Gurria, France’s President Francois Hollande, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim and World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy take part in a family picture following a meeting at the OECD headquarters in Paris yesterday. — AFP

Gulf states should cut spending growth: IMF GCC budgets could fall into deficit around 2017 DUBAI: Most Arab oil exporting countries in the Gulf should plan to reduce growth in government spending to make their budgets more sustainable, as their combined surplus could turn into a deficit around 2017, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday.

“While expansionary fiscal policies helped the region weather the global financial crisis, given the healthy economic expansion currently underway, the need for continued fiscal stimulus is diminishing,” the IMF said in a report. “Most GCC countries should therefore plan to reduce the growth rate in government expenditure in the period ahead.”

In 2011, total state spending in the six Gulf Cooperation Council economies-Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain-jumped by some 20 percent in dollar terms, the IMF said. Governments were responding to unrest in the Middle East by boosting social spending.

The GCC’s combined fiscal surplus reached 13 percent of gross domestic product last year, the IMF estimated, and it is projected to remain at roughly that level this year.

But the leap in spending lifted the oil price levels needed to balance budgets to record highs, making the countries more vulnerable to a downturn. Oil export receipts account for over 80 percent of government revenue in the region.

“Along with continued increases in government spending, fiscal and external surpluses are, with unchanged policies, pro-

jected to decline in 2013 and beyond, with the combined fiscal surplus turning to deficit around 2017,” the IMF said.

It noted that the outlook for oil prices was extremely uncertain. “A rapid deterioration in the global economy could bring about developments similar to what the region experienced in 2009, including a sharp fall in oil prices and disruptions to capital flows,” the IMF said. In a downside scenario, the IMF assumed a $30 oil price drop that started in 2013 and lasted through the medium term. “The GCC in aggregate would under the downside scenario go into deficit by 2014, and all GCC economies would run fiscal deficits by 2017,” it said.

Bahrain and Oman would stand out with budget deficits of 16 percent of GDP, but Saudi Arabia would also reach a doubledigit deficit, the report estimated.

Most Gulf countries have used oil windfalls to build up their external assets, which would let them keep spending even if their budget balances turned negative. “Although most GCC countries have sufficient savings to cushion even a sizeable shock, a prolonged drop in oil prices could test available buffers,” the IMF said. Under its baseline scenario, the GCC’s combined, public external assets are projected to exceed $3 trillion by 2017; in the downside scenario, they would be $2.2 trillion but still above a projected $1.9 trillion at end-2012, the IMF said. In 2011 those assets, which include sovereign wealth fund holdings and central bank reserves, were estimat-

ed at about $1.6 trillion or over 110 percent of GDP, the report showed. The IMF also said further deleveraging and retrenchment by European banks, which have been hit by the sovereign debt crisis in their region, could lead to liquidity pressures in the GCC. “A sharper scaling back of European banks from the GCC is likely to affect long maturity syndicated loans since they require more expensive long-term funding sources,” it said.

European bank claims on the GCC fell by about 2 percent from a year earlier in the first quarter of 2012. But the UAE and Qatar saw drops of 23 and 19 percent respectively in lending by euro area banks, the IMF said. European bank claims on the GCC amounted to $220 billion in the first quarter of this year, out of $328 billion for all foreign banks, with British banks having a large presence in the UAE and Qatar while the French dominated Saudi Arabia.

Financing from euro area banks is small across the GCC at under 10 percent of GDP, except for Bahrain, the IMF said.

Exposure to banks from Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain is under 2 percent of GDP in all GCC countries, it added.

Funds provided to global banks by the GCC amounted to $462 billion in January-March, the IMF also said, adding that the GCC’s banking systems were now in a stronger position than before to withstand external financial pressures. — Reuters

UBS shares jump on 10,000 job cuts news ZURICH/LONDON: Shares in UBS soared yesterday after media reports the Swiss bank would announce up to 10,000 job cuts as it takes the knife to its investment banking operations, particularly its fixed income business. UBS Chief Executive Sergio Ermotti is expected to announce the radical restructuring along with thirdquarter earnings today, but news of the plans started leaking late on Friday. “The changes being discussed in the media, if true, would represent a transformational change for UBS,” said analysts at Espirito Santo Investment Bank in a note to clients.

“It is not just an additional cost-cutting exercise at the margin, but a strategy that would enable the bank to return much more capital to shareholders and/or significantly increase the capital ratios.” UBS shares were up 6.3 percent at 13.00 francs at 1304 GMT, having earlier touched 13.06, their highest since March. The overall European banking index was down 0.7 percent. The expected cuts will add to the tens of thousands of jobs the financial sector has shed globally since the financial crisis of 2008. UBS’s local rival Credit Suisse said last week it was also making more cost cuts. “If UBS does take radical action, we would expect this to kick off further industry restructuring,” Citi analysts said.

JP Morgan analyst Kian Abouhossein, who has long advocated radical cuts to the UBS investment bank, said Ermotti and Chairman Axel Weber, who joined UBS in May, had probably accelerated restructuring due to poor quarterly results. “If the press reports are correct, UBS is taking the right actions to improve shareholder returns,” he said. “The IB is going back to its historic core franchise under Warburg.” UBS bought SG Warburg, a British merchant bank, in 1995. Analysts polled by Reuters before news of the restructuring emerged forecast UBS would report net profit more than halved in the quarter to 457 million francs ($489 million), though the core wealth management business is seen attracting a healthy 6.6 billion francs in net new assets. —Reuters

MUNICH: A man walks in front of a flight information board highlighting cancelled flights to the US at the airport in Munich yesterday. International air travel from Europe and Asia was hit by flight cancellations as much of the United States’ eastern region battened down for the threatened impact of Hurricane Sandy. — AFP

US airlines cancel flights, hotels book up for Sandy NEW YORK: Hurricane Sandy will likely cause financial headaches for US airlines that canceled more than 7,000 flights to and from the Northeast corridor yesterday.

Hotels in the region were busy handling cancellations for guests who could not get to destinations in the Northeast, extending stays for guests who could not leave town, and booking rooms for people who left their homes.

Airlines started cancelling flights in the US Northeast region Sunday evening as cities from Washington DC to Boston braced for floods and high winds from the hurricane, which was expected to make landfall in the next few days.

According to Flightaware.com, more than 7,100 flights had been canceled by 9 pm on Sunday due to Sandy. Airlines

waived fees for people who have to change travel plans because of the grounded flights.

In New York City, the timing of flight cancellations like US Airways, was determined by the city’s decision to start shutting down its mass transit systems at 7 pm as passengers would have no way to get to and from the airport. US Airways said it would likely have to cancel close to 2,000 flights because of the storm, starting at 7 pm Sunday. The airline said it expects to resume flights today, but noted that flooding and the storm’s duration could cause additional delays. The airline also said it would move planes from the hurricane zone to try to avoid damage. Repositioning those planes after the weather clears could cause additional delays.—Reuters

Hollande starts crisis talks PARIS: France’s President Francois Hollande, caught in a storm over ways to heal the battered economy, rejected yesterday a demand by business leaders for a two-year shock plan to boost competitiveness.

The Socialist leader, who also held talks in Paris with the heads of leading global economic institutions, including the World Bank, pledged a five-year action plan to revive the French industry.

Vowing decisions “that will be taken in November in all the spheres of competitiveness,” Hollande spoke of a “pact” in which all players had to do their bit.

“All the indicators show that we are not in the best of situations,” Hollande said after meeting World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim, the International Monetary Fund’s Christine Lagarde, World Trade Organization (WTO) head Pascal Lamy, International Labor Organization Secretary General Guy Ryder and the OECD’s Angel Gurria in Paris.

“France is now facing triple challenges,” he said, referring to steep debt, poor growth and high manufacturing costs. He also called for more market regulation, saying what the world needed now were “mechanisms, regulation and action.”

The WTO’s Lamy, who is also French, said there was a “link between growth, competitiveness and jobs,” adding: “This is the main problem for France ...and for Europe now. The heads of 98 of the biggest French groups on Sunday pleaded the case for a 30-billioneuro cut in welfare charges paid by French employers over two years, and massive cuts in public spending.

“With a record public spending of 56 percent of gross domestic product, we have reached the limit of what is tolerable,” said the Afep, which represents more than 90 of France’s top companies, in an open letter to the president. Their onslaught against increases in taxes and charges comes in the midst of growing national controversy of ways to make lagging French industry, with factory closures announced almost every week, competitive in international trade.

But two leading ministers immediately rejected such radical action. Hollande, on the ropes in opinion polls and under attack for perceived muddle in the government, is grappling with pre-election pledges to create jobs and spur growth while applying austerity to plug a 37-billion-euro ($47 billion) hole in public finances. “For companies, the working costs must be reduced by at least 30 billion euros over two years by cutting the employers’ portion of welfare charges,” said the Afep letter published in the Journal du Dimanche weekly. The business leaders also called on the French government to slash public spending by 60 billion euros-or 3.0 percent of gross domestic product-over five years.

The pressures closing in on Hollande include sweeping job cuts. Auto group PSA Peugeot Citroen alone has announced the loss of 8,000 jobs and the closure of an emblematic plant near Paris. It has just been rescued with a government guarantee of 7.0 billion euros ($9.0 billion) for its banking and credit arm.

Hollande also said he would hold annual talks with the heads of the world’s main economic institutions, who go on to Berlin today meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The meeting comes amid tortuous efforts to battle the contagion threatening the euro currency zone and different approaches advocated by the heads of the bloc’s two main economies-Merkel and Hollande. Merkel believes sustainable growth requires debt reduction through austerity measures while Hollande advocates more public spending to kick start the economy. — AFP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

BUSINESS

Gold holds near $1,710 on global growth fears Hedge funds drop bullish bets

MADRID: Italian Premier Mario Monti (left), speaks during a joint news conference with Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy after a meeting at the Moncloa Palace, in Madrid yesterday. —AP

Indian microlender SKS narrows loss MUMBAI: India’s only listed microlender, SKS Microfinance, said yesterday its losses in the fiscal second quarter fell 32 percent due to a drop in bad debt provisions after it reduced its exposure in its home state.

SKS, based in the southern city of Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, posted a net loss of 2.62 billion rupees ($49 million) for the three months to September, from a loss of 3.85 billion rupees for the same period a year earlier.

It was the seventh consecutive quarterly loss for the firm. Revenue slid 43 percent to 634.9 million rupees from a year earlier. Provisions and write-offs fell 34 percent to 2.34 billion rupees. SKS has been under a cloud since 2010 after the state of Andhra Pradesh-the hub of the microfinance industry-accused microlenders of exploiting poor borrowers with exorbitant lending rates and abusive debt collection practices.

SKS, which has 4.83 million clients in 18 states, has seen its business in Andhra Pradesh erode sharply since the state

government decided to crack down on the activities of microlenders to curb the alleged wrongdoings.

The firm said this quarter it reduced its Andhra Pradesh portfolio to nil from a high of $283 million worth, when the crisis started in 2010. It has since shifted its focus to states such as West Bengal, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa to boost revenue. “We will look beyond the Andhra Pradesh microfinance crisis,” the firm said in a statement.

“With an optimized cost structure, recapitalization and increasing debt fund flow, we are progressing on the path to profitability with the renewed trust of all stakeholders,” SKS’s chief financial officer Dilli Raj said in the release. The government this year introduced a draft bill, which if passed-would override all state laws-and make India’s central bank the industry regulator.

Microlenders offer loans as low as $20 to small business people and farmers, to help them start or expand small businesses. — AFP

LONDON: Gold prices held near $1,710 an ounce yesterday as concerns over the global growth outlook supported demand for the metal as a store of value, but losses in the broader financial markets kept a lid on gains.

Resilience above $1,700 an ounce, a level gold repeatedly tested last week, has reassured buyers who had feared a deeper correction after it fell to a more than six-week low at $1,698.39 on Oct. 24, analysts said. But the metal struggled for traction yesterday as global stock and commodity prices fell, with a recent run of downbeat corporate earnings casting a shadow over the growth outlook and investors bracing for the impact of a giant US hurricane.

US stock markets were closed yesterday and possibly today, the operator of the New York Stock Exchange said, as the East Coast braces for Hurricane Sandy. That could thin gold trade.

Spot gold was down 0.08 percent at $1,709.44 an ounce at 1250 GMT, while US gold futures for December delivery were down $1.80 an ounce at $1,710.10.

“Gold is holding up well due to a higher risk perception, because gold is often perceived as a safe haven,” said Eugen Weinberg, global head of commodities research at Germany’s Commerzbank in Frankfurt, noting key support at $1,700.

“People are more negative on the economy and so are looking for somewhere to park funds.” Spot gold is heading for its biggest monthly loss since May this month, having hit an 11-month peak above $1,795 an ounce on Oct. 5 after the Federal Reserve unveiled its latest stimulus program of purchasing mortgagebacked debt.

Analysts and traders said they expected gold to trade in a narrow range due to uncertainty ahead of non-farm payrolls data later in the week. The Fed has explicitly tied the extent of its new easing program to the jobs market.

Hedge funds and money managers cut their bullish bets in gold and silver futures in the week to Oct 23 amid fresh concerns over the future of the US Federal Reserve’s monetary stimulus. Further out, investors are also awaiting the US elections and the so-called “fiscal cliff”, a series of automatic spending cuts and tax increases that will kick in if Congress fails to reach a deficit-reduction deal by the end of the year.

“We are unlikely to see any significant moves in gold until we are closer to knowing what will happen with the US fiscal cliff,” said Nic Brown, head of commodities research at Natixis.

On the physical side of the markets, gold importers in India, the world’s biggest buyer, are

EU regulators want Glencore concessions on Xstrata deal BRUSSELS: EU antitrust regulators have told trader Glencore to offer concessions in its zinc operations to ease concerns about its planned $33 billion buy of miner Xstrata, a person familiar with the matter said yesterday.

The European Commission, which handles competition regulation in the 27-member European Union, is currently examining the deal and has set a Nov. 8 deadline for its decision. The EU competition watchdog told Glencore about its concerns on Friday and has given the world’s largest diversified commodities trader until Tuesday to come up with concessions, the source said.

Neither Glencore nor Xstrata had any comment. The European

Commission was not immediately available for comment.

Analysts say the combined company could have 50 percent of the European market for zinc, making that a logical area of concern for regulators. Zinc is used in metal alloys, especially in applications where it can prevent corrosion. Industry analysts said the most likely concession could be the disposal of Xstrata’s San Juan de Nieva refinery in Spain, the largest zinc production unit in the world.

Another option would be for Glencore to review its offtake deal with world No. 1 zinc producer Nyrstar. The deal with the Belgian company was extended last year and is due to expire in 2018. — Reuters

Politics may stall Egypt’s economic reforms CAIRO: Politics look set to delay tough economic reform in Egypt. The government appointed by President Mohamed Morsi could win a quick boost of investor confidence by agreeing on a $4.8 billion loan next month from the International Monetary Fund. That, despite all the delays, might still be the easy part.

Interest payments, salaries and subsidies account for roughly three-quarters of total government spending. An IMF loan would help to keep the government afloat and come with an attractive interest rate. But it won’t do much to address the fiscal deficit, which the IMF expects to hit 10 percent of GDP this year.

Wage cuts for government employees are considered politically untouchable, but the government acknowledges that something must be done about wasteful subsidies, particularly the three-quarters of last year’s total bill accounted for by selling energy at below-market prices.

If energy subsidies were totally eliminated, the fiscal account would be almost in balance. The African Development Bank, however, suggests an adequate social net for the poorest typically requires the maintenance of one-third or half of the current subsidy, based on the reform experiences of other countries.

The Petroleum Minister has suggested some subsidy limits, and discussions of deeper reform are underway.

However, the government is likely to face parliamentary elections soon, probably in March. Morsi’s Freedom and Justice Party, supported by the Muslim Brotherhood, won less than half of the ballot for the lower house in the last election. To protect its vote, the party has a big incentive to delay unpopular decisions, however necessary for long-term growth.

Delay might also help soften public opposition, reducing the chances of social disruption. Nigeria and Jordan suffered a sharp public backlash when they

recently tried to cut back subsidies without much warning. Iran’s major subsidy reforms were more easily accepted, thanks in part to a long media campaign.

Morsi’s relatively inexperienced government must manage day-to-day affairs and negotiate the fault lines of the old regime. Investors want clarity but the economic plan is still being finalized. It was never going to be easy to reform and repair Egypt’s finances. It is clear now that it won’t be quick either.

Egypt will reduce its energy bill by setting a limit on the amount of subsidized fuel and cooking gas each family can purchase, Petroleum Minister Osama Kamal said in an interview with a local newspaper published on Oct 14.

He did not give a date for when the subsidy reform would begin or the definition of what would constitute one family. Another minister said last week that coupons for subsidized butane would be issued toward the year end. Kamal added that the government is expected to miss its planned targets for cutting subsidies in the budget for the 2012/2013 fiscal year. — Reuters

retreating after picking up bargains last week as prices recovered from a more than two-month low due to the falling rupee.

The weakening rupee was seen as dampening Indian gold physical demand in the run-up to the festival season, which will peak with Diwali and Dhanteras next month.

The rupee, which fell past the keenly watched 54 rupees per dollar mark yesterday, plays an important role in determining the landed cost of dollar-quoted gold.

From a technical perspective, analysts who study past price patterns for clues on the next direction of trade flag up support at $1,703 an ounce. Platinum prices eased, weighed by weekend news that workers had reached a deal with Anglo American Platinum to reinstate 12,000 miners sacked for an illegal strike, and due to long liquidation.

“The market was caught a bit long and we are now seeing more liquidation going through,” Afshin Nabavi, heads of trading at MKS Finance, said. “I would attribute the drop to the South African news and the market being too long,” he added, referring to the Amplats deal.

Spot platinum was down 0.3 percent at $1,533.75 an ounce, silver was down 0.6 percent at $31.80 an ounce, and palladium was down 1.67 percent to $588.97 an ounce. — Reuters

Egypt cuts size of T-bill auction ahead of IMF visit CAIRO: Egypt reduced the size of a treasury bill auction yesterday in a what may be a sign a recent spurt in appetite by banks for Cairo’s securities is coming to an end. Yields on some maturities have fallen by 2 percentage points since August, when the government formally asked the International Monetary Fund for a $4.8 billion loan. An IMF team arrives in Cairo today for two weeks of talks.

An IMF loan is seen as vital to help Egypt cover its budget deficit and boost investor confidence in the government’s economic program. Increased domestic borrowing by the government since Egypt’s uprising in early 2011 had stretched the lending ability of domestic banks to its limit, pushing yields to record highs. Many banks and investors, believing that an IMF loan would push down government borrowing costs, rushed to lock themselves into high-yield instruments over the last two months.

The average yield on 91-day T-bills edged up to 12.414 percent yesterday from 12.361 percent at last week’s auction. The finance ministry sold only 750 million Egyptian pounds ($122.9 million) of the bills compared to the 1 billion pounds it had asked for. “It is a clear signal that the finance ministry is trying to cap the market yields somewhere. Whether that will be a sustainable or not is a matter of successful IMF negotiations,” said Khalil El Bawab, a fixed income specialist at EFG Hermes.

The average yield on reopened 266-day T-bills decreased to 13.090 percent from 13.451 percent at an auction two weeks ago, with the ministry selling only 2.18 billion pounds of the bills instead of the 3.5 billion it sought.The yield on reopened five-year bonds sold at an auction yesterday ranged between 13.84 percent and 14.0 percent , compared with an average yield of 14.83 percent at the last auction two weeks ago. The central bank bought 750 million Egyptian pounds worth of the bonds, which mature on Aug. 14, 2017. This was the same amount it had sought.

Optimism over an IMF deal, pledges of foreign financing and signs the economy was improving caused yields to drop in late September, said another fixed income analyst. The slide was extended in mid-October by increased liquidity in the market. “I expect to see the most recent drops in yields reverse over the coming weeks, unless we see some positive news regarding negotiations with the IMF,” the analyst said. — Reuters

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Egyptian pounds US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

.2740000 .4470000 .3640000 .3000000 .2800000 .2870000 .0040000 .0020000 .0760950 .7413670 .3870000 .0720000 .7267780 .0430000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2803000 .4488300 .3660300 .3022430 .2824040 .0490710 .0424690 .2893400 .0361670 .2294810 .0035090 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0763450 .7437970 .0000000 .0747670 .7283360 .0000000

.2840000 .4600000 .3720000 .3070000 .2910000 .2980000 .0058500 .0035000 .0768590 .7488180 .4050000 .0780000 .7340830 .0510000 .2824000 .4521930 .3687720 .3045070 .2845200 .0494390 .0427880 .2915070 .0364380 .2312010 .0035350 .0053000 .0021820 .0029680 .0034890 .0769170 .7493700 .3994340 .0753270 .7337920 .0068870

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 281.800 2.957

Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Yemeni Riyal Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

5.256 2.175 3.445 6.850 76.830 75.300 749.200 46.180 454.800 2.990 1.550 371.700 289.900 3.345

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 281.350 368.400 457.300 285.250 3.590 5.220 46.128 2.164 3.462 6.823 2.942 749.350 76.500 75.100

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen

SELL DRAFT 294.88 288.71 306.04 367.63 281.40 452.97 3.60

3.600 5.500 2.320 3.750 3.150 77.350 748.500 48.500 398.500 735.000 78.000 75.750

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

3.464 5.249 2.170 3.312 2.954 76.68 749.27 46.13 400.90 732.37 77.71 75.25

SELL CASH 294.500 286.500 308.000 371.000 282.500 455.000 3.690

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Selling Rate 281.450 284.220 451.725 368.625 305.095 745.130 76.605 77.255 75.015 396.745 46.099 2.164 5.260 2.945 3.440 6.809 690.395 4.515 9.275 4.365 3.430 92.080

Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

Bahrain Exchange Company

287.900 553.500 45.900 50.300 167.800 48.430 370.000 37.060 5.480 0.032 0.161 0.248 3.630 399.410 0.191 95.050 45.400 4.330 232.900 1.826 50.500 732.110 3.070 7.010 77.960 75.250 232.070 36.390 2.685 453.100 43.600 306.600 4.100 9.530 198.263 76.850 282.200 1.350 GOLD

10 Tola 1,817.050 COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka

SELL CASH 294.400 749.550 3.670

SELL DRAFT 292.900 749.550 3.470

Sterling Pound US Dollar

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 451.100 281.800

288.400

232.100 46.135 368.500 36.910 5.250 0.032

399.380 0.190 95.050 3.330 231.400

731.930 2.962 6.815 77.530 75.250 232.070 36.390 2.166 451.100 305.100 4.100 9.360 76.750 281.800

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

BUSINESS

Japan PM says govt ‘will stall’ without bond bill TOKYO: Large parts of Japanese public life will grind to a halt unless lawmakers manage to break a political deadlock and pass a new financing bill, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda warned yesterday.

In an appeal for cross-party consensus Noda said at the star t of an extraordinary session of parliament that the day-to-day running of government will seize up without agreement on the bill allowing Tokyo to issue new bonds to cover its spending.

“If the current situation continues, bread-and-butter administrative services will stall to the extent that it will have a great impact on people’s lives, which in turn could be an obstacle to economic recovery,” he told parliament.

“No government will be able to finance its workings without a special

political leverage.” Japan relies heavily on borrowing to finance its regular spending, creating an ever-worsening public debt problem. The International Monetary Fund says it will owe the equivalent of 245 percent of its approximately $5 trillion gross domestic product next year, the highest among industrialized nations.

Tokyo has a budget deficit of 10 percent and the government began warning in September that it was facing a severe cash crunch because of the political deadlock. Then-Finance Minister Jun Azumi said public reserves would “mostly dry up at the end of November”.

Tokyo has not been forced to halt budgetary spending due to a funding shortage since the end of World War II, according to the finance ministry. The affected spending includes tax grants

public-bond bill,” he said.

“Already we see limits on carrying out budgeted local government policies.” A bill to expand the amount of money that Japan can borrow has fallen foul of politicking, with the opposition refusing to co-operate until they have extracted a definite promise from Noda on when he will call elections.

“Will we return to a futile factional confrontation which prioritizes the fight over political power, or will we take the action that needs to be taken and have a debate focused on policies?” said Noda. “ We have to seek legislation as soon as possible, while having candid discussions among ruling and opposition blocs to seek a solution. “Let’s stop the bad habit of taking the annual bond bill hostage and using it for

to municipalities, aid for universities and support for government-linked companies, the ministr y said in September.

Payments to ser vice debts and funding of social security, defense, policing, maritime security, and disaster handling would continue. The opposition-controlled upper house in August censured Noda as part of its campaign to bounce him into elections.

The non-binding motion was a symbolic wrist slap signalling their refusal to work with his cabinet, and has tied up passage of any new law.

Noda is under pressure after spending a lot of his political capital over the summer as he forced through a bill on doubling sales tax-in part to begin closing Japan’s yawning debt hole.

Despite the fact that most independ-

ent commentators, academics and international bodies agreed it was a sensible thing to do, the opposition had to be cajoled into supporting it.

The prime minister swapped a vague promise of an election “sometime soon” in exchange for their votes, but his unwillingness to flesh out that promise has irritated his opponents.

Opinion polls suggest his ill-disciplined Democratic Party of Japan will fare badly at the ballot box, with voters disillusioned by their three years in power. However, the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party has largely failed to capitalise on Noda’s sinking approval ratings and many observers predict a popular vote will prove inconclusive.

The current extraordinary session of parliament is due to run until November 30.— AFP

US consumer spending rose 0.8% in September A sign of confidence in economy

MANILA: Filipino shoppers are seen at the Divisoria Market in Manila yesterday.

Moody’s Investors Service raised the Philippines’ sovereign credit rating to one notch below investment grade, citing the country’s strong economic prospects and stable financial system. — AFP

Moody’s raises Philippine credit rating MANILA: Moody’s Investors Service yesterday raised the Philippines’ sovereign credit rating to one notch below investment grade, citing the country’s strong economic prospects and stable financial system. The international ratings service also said a recent breakthrough in peace talks, aimed at ending a decades-long separatist rebellion in the south of the country, had improved the country’s long-term economic potential.

Moody’s raised the Philippines to Ba1 from Ba2, while maintaining the ratings outlook at “stable”.

“Despite the headwinds from softening external demand, the Philippines has demonstrated considerable economic strength and fiscal resilience,” Moody’s said in a statement. “ The country is poised to record a combination of faster growth, lower inflation, exchange rate appreciation and an increase in foreign exchange reserves, while maintaining trend debt consolidation.”

Over the longer term, Moody’s said the peace pact between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed on October 15 could eventually spur economic growth in the resource-rich conflict zone. The MILF has been struggling since the 1970s for an independent homeland on Mindanao

island in the southern Philippines. The accord signed this month aims for a final peace deal by 2016, with the MILF controlling an autonomous region.

The upgrade comes after Standard & Poor’s raised the Philippines’ long-term foreign currency credit rating to within one rung of investment grade in July, citing the government’s improving finances.

Moody’s upgraded the Philippines’ credit rating to Ba2 in June last year.

Central bank governor Amando Tetangco said he was “delighted” by the upgrade. “ With the government’s concerted efforts and with the support of the private sector, the Philippines should achieve an investment grade credit rating sooner rather than later,” he said in a statement.

The Philippine economy grew by 6.1 percent in the first half of this year and the government is hopeful of maintaining that expansion pace throughout 2012. Inflation averaged 3.2 percent in the first nine months of the year, allowing the central bank to cut interest rates four times.

The benchmark overnight borrowing rate now stands at 3.50 percent, with the overnight lending rate at 5.50 percent. — AP

Heathrow warns weak summer traffic to hit earnings LONDON: Heathrow Ltd, the British airport operator formerly known as BAA, warned full-year earnings would fall short of its target, after fewer passengers travelled through Europe’s busiest airport this summer.

“Traffic over the summer months was lower than expected, particularly in July and August when passenger traffic was down about 400,000 on the same period in 2011,” chief financial officer JosÈ Leo said on Monday, referring to London’s Heathrow airport.

In June, the group predicted it would report adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of around 1.27 billion pounds ($2 billion) for 2012.

Heathrow said its EBITDA rose 9.6 percent to 922.9 million pounds in the nine months to the end of September on revenue 8.2 percent higher at 1.84 billion pounds, helped by an increase in tariffs it charges airlines. The company, owned by Spanish infrastructure group Ferrovial , said Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, handled 53 million passengers in the first nine months of 2012, up 0.6 percent on last year.

However, traffic at London Stansted, which is predominantly a low-cost leisure and holiday airport and more exposed to domestic economic conditions, fell 4.6 percent to 13.5 million in the same period.

The operator said the sale of Stansted, which handled 18 million passengers last

year, was now underway after Britain’s competition regulator forced it to sell the airport to loosen the group’s grip on the UK. “The sale of Stansted will take a matter of months,” said Leo, who added that it would “probably be next year” before a deal was completed.

Single runway Stansted is based 50 kilometres northeast of central London and is the fourth-busiest airport in the UK. Manchester Airports Group, Macquarie, J P Morgan Asset Management and Morgan Stanley Infrastructure are expected to bid for Stansted, according to sources.

Plans for extra runways at Stansted and Heathrow were dropped by BAA after the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition came to power in 2010 and the future of the airports is unclear.

Leo dismissed the idea of connecting Heathrow and Stansted with the Crossrail line that will run between east and west London to create a ‘dual hub’ as a way to solve the air capacity crunch in London and the south east of England.

Hub airports are used as a transfer point where passengers can easily change planes to travel on to another destination. “Airlines won’t operate a dual hub easily because the transfer time will be too long, killing the competitive advantage a hub airport has,” he said.

Heathrow Ltd also owns Southampton airport in southern England and Glasgow and Aberdeen airports in Scotland. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: Americans increased their spending in September at twice the rate that their income grew, a sign of confidence in the economy. Still, consumers made up the difference by saving less for a third straight month, a troubling trend.

The Commerce Department said yesterday that consumer spending increased 0.8 percent in September from August. That followed a 0.5 percent gain in August and was the best showing since February. Personal income rose 0.4 percent, an improvement from a slight 0.1 percent gain in August and the best gain since March. However, after adjusting for inflation and taxes, income was flat in September. That followed a 0.3 percent decline in August.

Consumer spending is important because it drives nearly 70 percent of economic activity.

A pickup in consumer spending helped lift economic growth in the July-September quarter to a 2 percent annual rate. While that is faster than the 1.3 percent rate in the April-June period, it’s still too weak to create enough jobs to rapidly lower the unemployment rate. Paul Dales, senior US economist at Capital Economics, said weak income growth would likely hold back spending in the coming months.

Consumers can only cut their savings by so much, he cautioned.

And if Congress fails to reach a budget deal by the end of the year, taxes will rise in January.

That could also dampen consumer spending.

“Faced with the prospect of major tax hikes in the New Year,

SALEM: A clerk straightens out her display at a shoe store in Salem, NH. Americans increased their spending in September at twice the rate that their income grew, a sign of confidence in the economy. —AP (consumers) will soon become more cautious,” Dales said. The spending gain in September reflected in part rising consumer confidence.

The University of Michigan reported Friday that its final consumer sentiment index for October had hit a five year high.

Falling gas prices and a slightly better job market were credited with lifting consumers’ outlook.

Still, households trimmed their savings to finance the increase in purchases, yesterday ’s report showed. The savings rate dropped to 3.3 percent of aftertax incomes in September, down from 3.7 percent in August and

4.1 percent in July. Americans also paid more for gas in September. That drove an inflation gauge tied to consumer spending up 0.4 percent last month. But excluding food and energy, prices rose just 0.1 percent. And gas prices have dropped since then, which could encourage more spending elsewhere.

With eight days until the election, the economy is being kept afloat by a revitalized consumer and the early stages of a housing recovery. The nation continues to struggle because businesses are reluctant to invest, and slower global growth has cut demand

for American exports.

Republican nominee Mitt Romney is telling voters that President Barack Obama’s policies have kept the economy from accelerating. Obama says his policies helped to stabilize the economy after the worst downturn since the Great Depression. He says the economy is slowly recovering under his administration and that Romney is advocating policies that would undo that progress.

The unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent last month, the first time it has been below 8 percent since January 2009, the month Obama took office. —AP

Behavioral economics taps power of persuasion

C

an peer pressure make delinquent taxpayers pony up what they owe the government?

Behavioral economists say it can, and some tax agencies in both the United States and Britain are taking their advice to heart-and finding that they are reaping rewards. Behavioral economics has already upended investing and finance with new theories on why and how people make decisions about their money.

From the simple re-wording of late notices to changing the structure of back-tax payment plans, tax collectors are getting results by tapping into basic human tendencies. Whether it is the desire to do what peers do or to stick with a voluntary commitment, persistent patterns of human conduct revealed by behavioral economics are gradually being targeted to boost tax revenues at very low cost.

“People forget the basis of our system is voluntary compliance,” said Ted London, a Californiabased specialist in taxation with information technology consultancy CGI Group Inc. “The vast majority of people want to do the right thing. If government can make it easier to understand what that is, it can have a big impact,” he said.

Behavioral economists study how social and emotional factors influence economic decisions, using psychology and other disciplines to shed light on how and why we behave as we do when it comes to finance and money.

These researchers’ insights have undermined orthodox eco-

nomic theories that assume consumers and investors make decisions based solely on material self-interest. Tax administrators traditionally have focused on penalties to compel compliance.

That remains important, but audits and legal enforcement action are expensive. Behavioral strategies can help do the job at far lower cost, experts said.

Psychologist Robert Cialdini, a professor at Arizona State University and an expert in persuasion, pioneered the social insight that if people know what their peers are doing, they are more likely to do the same.

Applying that insight, the British tax agency, Her Majesty ’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), has tested different form letters on delinquent taxpayers.

In one letter, this sentence “Nine out of 10 people in the UK pay their tax on time” - increased positive response by 1.5 percent.

Adding another sentence - “You are one of the few who have not paid us yet” - raised the success rate 3.9 percent. HMRC also found compliance rose 6.8 percent when taxpayers were told they were one of few delinquents in their hometowns.

The HMRC’s work is led by its Behavioral Insights Team, which is advised by University of Chicago professor Richard Thaler, a founder of the field of behavioral finance.

Other tax administrators have caught on to these ideas on their own, without a behavioral economist to guide them. A push for “plain English” in tax forms over the past decade has led the Washington State Department of

Revenue toward behavioral ideas of salience, the idea that people focus only on what they understand.

After re-writing the department’s form letter sent to firms believed to owe tax on the use of goods or services, positive responses from taxpayers increased 43 percent.

Washington State’s first-ever tax amnesty program was also written by experts in plain language. It recently generated $321 million in new tax revenue for the state. The results have made the department receptive to the idea of more targeted messages like HMRC’s, said Janet Shimabukuro, assistant director of Washington’s Taxpayer Services Division.

Structuring late payments is another area where understanding behavior can have an impact.

After employers began structuring 401(k) plans in a way that required employees to opt out, rather than opt in, participation in the plans jumped. Behavioral scientists call this default, or the idea that people are less likely to stop doing something than they are to fail to start doing it in the first place.

California saw a similar result some years ago when the state started requiring tax payment plans be structured as electronic bank account withdrawals.

Though taxpayers could cancel, they tended not to. Missed payments are now only 5 percent, according to the California Franchise Tax Board.

That is on 200,000 installment agreements. Last year, the state received over $363 million in installment payments. — Reuters

DUBLIN: German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble speaks to journalists during a press conference with his Irish counterpart Michael Noonan in Dublin yesterday. Schaeuble reiterated that euro-zone partner Ireland would be treated as a “special case” over the treatment of its banking debt by the EU’s new financial firewall. — AFP

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

business

India tries handing out cash to poor Welfare system undergoes radical change in poverty-hit villages BUDHI BAWAL, India: Uddal Singh, a retired army sergeant, is part of an experiment trying out radical changes to the Indian welfare system that the government plans to adopt nation-wide. And he’s furious.

He along with the 250,000 residents of Kotkasim, a bloc of Alwar district in western Rajasthan state, were chosen to be part of a pilot scheme to end the sale of subsidized kerosene, a fuel used by the poor for lighting and cooking.

Instead of buying it at a heavily discounted rate at the local government shop, those with ration cards were each in theory paid cash by the government and required to purchase the liquid at the market price. “Since one year, no money has come into my account, not one paisa (cent),” the mustachioed 58-year-old said bitterly in the village of Budhi Bawal, a dusty one-street settlement of a few thousand people, mostly farmers.

Instead of lighting his kerosene lamps, he says he now makes do with candles at night. Officials “come here to the shop, see the record of our ration card numbers and say the money will come,” he explained outside the grubby Fair Price Shop run by the local government dealer.

The Kotkasim trial has been disruptive, tricky to implement, and-depending on who you listen to-either a roaring success in cutting wasteful state spending, or a disaster that has caused hardship.

The conclusions are important. In New Delhi, where the trial is viewed as a model for the future, the government is fasttracking plans to distribute as much of India’s $61-billion welfare budget in cash as possible. India is home to hundreds of millions of some of the poorest people on

the planet who depend on government hand-outs for survival. “As long as the money arrives in people’s accounts, the scheme is not a bad idea at all,” village leader Rakesh Kumar told AFP in an interview. But he estimates 70 percent of people in his area have had problems receiving the cash. “We have had to deal with the fall-out of the government’s experiments.”

The cash modelThe attraction of paying cash to the poor and leaving them to spend it has been enhanced by two foreign programmes which are broadly seen as successful: Mexico’s Progresa or Oportunidades, and Brazil’s Bolsa Familia.

Under the cash model, governments can keep track of the money they spend better, cut out middlemen, and even make the money conditional on beneficial things such as sending children to school.

They also bring the poor into the banking system, obliging them to open accounts to receive welfare payments.

Nandan Nilekani, who runs the government’s scheme handing out new biometric IDs known as Aadhar, says the system has already reduced fraud.

“When Aadhar is used, in some of pilots, there has been a 20-30 percent reduction in beneficiaries by reducing duplicants,” he says, pointing to trials in the states of Tripura, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh. Nation-wide 200 million people already have a new unique Aadhar ID and Nilekani’s scheme aims to cover half the population, or 600 million people, in the next 18 months.

“On the basis of Aadhaar, we can ensure that the benefit of schemes reach genuine beneficiaries and that there is no mediator,” Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh said last weekend. India subsidises everything from fertilizer and food to kerosene so cutting waste is crucial to the government’s drive to rein in its budget deficit. But a welfare shake-up is politically risky and fraught with danger in a country where an estimated 42 percent of children under five are malnourished. The Public Distribution System is the biggest such scheme in the world, providing subsidized kerosene, wheat and rice to up to a quarter of all households from cob-webbed shops of the sort seen in Budhi Bawal. It is also staggeringly inefficient. An estimated 58 percent of grains purchased by the government fail to meet their intended targets, data from the national Planning Commission showed in 2005.

Kotkasim trial The results in Kotkasim are described by the top local administrator, District Collector Ashutosh Pednekar, as “remarkable”.

Figures from his office show kerosene consumption has fallen 82 percent since the cash scheme began, a saving for the government of 1.5 million rupees ($30,000) per month. Before, crooked dealers would siphon off subsidised kerosene at 15 rupees a litre and sell it on the black market for around 30 rupees, where it was purchased as a cheap replacement for diesel to run tractors or generators.

Those entitled to discounted fuel also had an incentive to draw their full allotment-up to three litres per month-and then sell it on at a profit.

“The diversion of kerosene for purposes other than cooking and lighting has been stopped,” Pednekar told AFP. “The moment you start selling kerosene at a market

price, the business collapses for those with a business in ‘leakages’,” added the 34-yearold. Under the next phase of his plan, the sale of subsidised cooking gas cylinders will be phased out in Kotkasim.

In five months time, the whole of Pednekar’s district of Alwar, home to 3.7 million people, will move over to the cash transfer system for kerosene. While he conceded people were “not going gaga” over the cash system, “by now, there would have been a hue and cry” if they had not received the money. In the dusty villages of the trial area, AFP spoke to households who said the cash had indeed arrived promptly. But there was also anger and confusion. Some complained of surly bank

officials who refused to help them; others said repeated complaints had come to naught; many said they had either stopped buying kerosene altogether or were now paying the higher price from their own pockets.

John Blomquist, an economist from the World Bank in New Delhi and expert on welfare programs, says cash transfers can be an effective strategy to cut fuel and power subsidies. “As countries get more developed, you tend to see fewer in-kind benefits” such as subsidized fuel, he told AFP. “You can design a great cash transfer system, but it’s really about do you have the mechanism in place to implement well? Can you monitor well?” —AFP

MUMBAI: An Indian shopkeeper holds a 500 rupee note as he inspects it for authenticity at a roadside food stall in Mumbai. — AFP

Poll: Crucial pre-election US payroll report looks weak

BUCHAREST: Employees work on the assembly line of Ford B-Max at Ford factory in Craiova city (240km west from Bucharest), yesterday. Belgium was in shock last Wednesday after US auto giant Ford announced plans to close its Genk plant, threatening 4,300 jobs as slumping demand across Europe leaves companies with too much capacity. — AFP

Ford says will make Romanian plant ‘long-term success’ CRAIOVA, Romania: US auto giant Ford reaffirmed yesterday a long-term commitment to develop its site in Craiova, southern Romania, days after announcing the closure of three plants in Britain and Belgium.

“We are determined to make Craiova a long-term success,” Wolfgang Schneider, Ford Europe vice-president and member of the board, told AFP during a visit to the site

by Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta.

“Our strategy was to put the most sophisticated vehicle and the most sophisticated engine into Romania and the strategy has worked out.”

Schneider said Ford had invested almost 800 million euros ($1.0 billion) since it bought the site, a former South-Korean Daweoo plant, in 2008 Employing 4,000 people, Craiova “is the most integrated plant we have in Europe, it does every step of the automotive production process,” he stressed.

“It’s like day and night compared to what it was like when we arrived.”

The factory, which manufactures Ford’s BMax model, currently produces 500 vehicles a day, a pace the automaker intends to raise in the coming months. But output depends on the market, “which is a little depressed at the moment,” Schneider acknowledged, declining to give specific figures about next year’s planned production.

A week after Ford sent a shockwave around Europe by announcing it would close down a key plant in Belgium and two more in Britain, Schneider said it was too early to talk about relocating production from the three sites to Romania. “We are in the middle of consultation process with the unions and the works councils, the outcome is still open,” he said.

The three plant closures, combined with previous plans to axe 500 jobs across Europe, bring the total number of positions being shed by Ford on the continent to 6,200, equivalent to 13 percent of its European workforce. — AFP

Greek bank shares plunge on recapitalization move ATHENS: Shares in Greek banks plunged, dragging down the entire Greek stock market yesterday on new tensions over recapitalization of Greek banks and delays to quarterly results. The Greek banking sub index plummeted 13.59 percent over unresolved recapitalization, tied to last-minute efforts to complete conditions for new debt funding to avert bankruptcy for Greece.

And the main market index was showing a fall of 5.88 percent in afternoon trading after the finance ministry said that Greek banks would not be able to swap their holdings of national debt. The ministry also said that results for the banks for the second quarter of this year would be delayed by a month until November 30 because of delays in recapitalization. The ministry made its announcement shortly after a meeting between Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras and the Greek banking federation on Monday to discuss the urgent plight of the banks.

The ministry said that at the meeting, the possibility that Greek banks could swap their greatly devalued Greek bonds for bonds issued by the new European Stability Mechanism “was ruled out”.

Stock market dealers said that this caused banks share to plunge, dragging down the entire Athens stock index.

Greece hopes to help recapitalize its banks, hard hit by the national debt, deep

recession and flight of capital, with money from the next instalment of rescue funds from the IMF and EU, which still hangs on completion of new reforms.

The critical matter of recapitalizing the Greek banks, being kept going with various forms of funding on especially easy terms from the European Central Bank, is far behind schedule. Recapitalization hangs on completion of the latest audit and agreement on extra budget action and reforms between Greece and the International Monetary Fund, European Union and ECB. Without payment of the next instalment, Greece faces bankruptcy next month.

The banks took a body blow when Greek debt was restructured under the latest rescue arrangements which forced private holders of Greek debt to take a big loss on the money owed. Stournaras and Georges Zanias, head of the Union of Greek Banks, met to work out details of how to help institutions hit by the write down of more than 100 billion euros ($130 billion) in privately held government debt in March.

The European Union’s temporary rescue fund has earmarked around 50 billion euros for the task, and much of an EU-IMF lifeline worth another 31.5 billion is also expected to help banks restore solid balance sheets so they can provide more support to the wider Greek economy. — AFP

NEW YORK: The last employment report before the US presidential election is likely to have something for everyone - for those bullish and bearish on the economy and for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Non-farm payrolls in October are forecast to have risen 124,000, barely more than September’s 114,000 gain, according to 78 economists polled by Reuters. The unemployment rate probably edged back up to 7.9 percent after falling to 7.8 percent from 8.1 percent last month. The figures are due on Friday. On the face of it, that would reinforce the charge levelled by Romney, a Republican, that the policies of his Democratic opponent are to blame for the slowest post-recession recovery since the war. The proportion of America’s working-age population that is employed has fallen to 58.7 percent from 60.6 percent when the Democrat took office in January 2009. But Obama can counter that nearly 800,000 more Americans are in work today than when he became president and that five million jobs have been created since the December 2009 trough, according to the Bureau for Labor Statistics.

In many respects, the job statistics are likely to paint the same blurred picture as Friday’s report showing the economy expanded at a 2.0 percent rate in the third quarter: things are improving, but at a frustratingly slow pace.

“For this reason the labor market is currently neither weak enough to do serious damage to Obama’s re-election chances nor strong enough to

give him a boost,” said Bernd Weidensteiner, an economist with Commerzbank in Frankfurt.

Opinion polls show the Nov. 6 election is too close to call. Douglas Roberts, an economist with Standard Life Investments in Edinburgh, said a weaker-than-expected jobs report would not make him too concerned about the US economy.

Housing in particular was rebounding smartly, albeit from a low base. But any softness would underline the urgency of eliminating policy uncertainty that is causing businessmen to sit on their hands, not least the prospect of tax increases and spending cuts that will kick in next year in the absence of a long-term agreement to cut America’s budget deficit. “Investment and recruitment are being held back until companies have a much better idea of the economic environment they’re going to be looking at after the election and the ‘fiscal cliff’ negotiations are through,” Roberts said.

“So I don’t think the payroll numbers will tell you an awful lot.”

The other data highlight of the week is the monthly survey by the Institute for Supply Management, which is closely watched in Asia as a pointer to export and production trends.

Economists polled by Reuters expect the ISM index to be unchanged at 51.5. David Lubin at Citigroup said there was a “decent relationship” between the ISM survey and the export orders component of China’s official purchasing managers’ index, which is expected to creep higher.

Both reports are due on Thursday.

Signs of stabilization in recent Chinese data, including credit growth and rising imports, were a cause for qualified optimism about the prospects in some other Asian economies, Lubin said in a report. “But there is no systematic evidence that the revival in Chinese import demand is generating positive spillovers in a large number of countries,” he added. That is definitely the case in Japan, whose firms have scaled back sales, output and investment in China after the recent flare-up of a territorial dispute over islets in the East China sea led to violent protests across China and a partial boycott of Japanese goods. With the economy also on the ropes because of the strong yen, the Bank of Japan is widely expected to deliver more monetary stimulus when it meets today to prevent the world’s third-largest economy from relapsing into recession already has a firm grip on swathes of the euro zone, hit by a debt and banking crisis that is being exacerbated by austerity measures to reduce yawning budget deficits.

Data tomorrow will probably show that the unemployment rate for the 17 countries using the single currency rose to a record high of 11.5 percent in September from 11.4 percent in August.

In Spain, which on Friday reported a jobless rate of 25 percent, the economy is likely to have shrunk by 0.4 percent in the third quarter, just as it did in the second quarter. Madrid releases the report today. — Reuters

Shares fall as growth fears mount LONDON: World shares and commodities fell yesterday as a recent run of downbeat corporate reports cast a shadow over the economic growth outlook and markets awaited the impact of a huge US hurricane. All US stock markets were shut in the first weather-related closure for 27 years, and they may close again today as forecasters say the storm could be the largest to hit the mainland in American history. US stock index futures, which traded as usual, were down around 0.3 to 0.6 percent in line with falls seen across major European markets as renewed uncertainty over Spain and Greece put the euro and peripheral bond markets under pressure. The broader MSCI world equity index lost 0.25 percent to

327.85 points - on track for its worst monthly performance since May as doubts grow over the effect of the latest round of central bank efforts to boost activity.

Positive surprises, including third quarter US and British growth data and signs of stabilization in China, have failed to persuade investors that the world economy can achieve lasting growth as major global companies have forecast weak revenues.

“Risk aversion is rising in all markets, and investors are increasingly focusing on slow global economic growth,” said Eugen Weinberg, head of commodities research at Germany ’s Commerzbank in Frankfurt. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 index of top European shares fell

PARIS: World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy attends a press conference at the OECD headquarters in Paris following a general meeting, yesterday.—AFP

0.4 percent to 1,092.75 points and the euro-zone’s blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index was down 0.8 percent to 2,475.29 points.

In Europe, the common currency slipped against the dollar on rising uncertainty over whether Greece would agree to a deal on austerity and with no sign of when Spain might request aid.

Spain’s problems appear to be worsening after retail sales in September were reported to be falling at their fastest pace in at least six years following a rise in sales tax. In Greece, international lenders are refusing to make any further concessions to the government over new labor laws, stalling a deal to release desperately needed funds from the nation’s bailout deal. “Greece has come back to the radar and along with Spain, it poses a slight negative for the euro,” said Jeremy Stretch, head of currency strategy at CIBC World Markets.

The euro was down 0.25 percent at $1.2902, close to Friday’s twoweek low of $1.2882, with volumes expected to taper off as traders in New York stay at home.

Italian political risks were also rising again after former premier Silvio Berlusconi threatened to bring down the government of Mario Monti.

“Berlusconi’s rant perhaps highlights the less than stable nature of Italian politics and reinjects some degree of political risk into (Italian government bonds),” said Richard McGuire, rate strategist at Rabobank.

Italian 10-year government debt yields were up 9 basis points at 5.0 percent, with the bonds underperforming even their Spanish counterparts, where yields were 4.5 basis points higher at 5.66 percent.

German government bonds also hit two-week highs, sending 10-year yields down 5 basis points to 1.48 percent, as the weakness on equity markets added to the demand for less risky assets.

“We’ve got very reduced liquidity, with the US deemed to be shut for the rest of the day so people are biding their time,” one fixed income trader noted.

The dollar steadied at 79.65 yen, off a four-month high of 80.38 touched on Friday, before a Bank of Japan monetary policy decision today. Markets expect the BOJ to take further easing measures. If the BOJ does ease, it will be the first time the central bank has acted for two consecutive months since 2003.

In oil markets, all eyes were on Hurricane Sandy, which has forced the closure of several big refineries along the east coast of the United States. “With refineries cutting runs, we’re likely to see a build-up in crude stocks which could be driving bearish prices at the moment,” said Michael Creed, an economist at National Australia Bank in Melbourne.

Brent crude oil initially fell $1.04 to $108.51 a barrel on the possible impact of the hurricane, before recovering to be slightly firmer at around $109.93. US crude was down 35 cents at $85.93. Oil analysts say Sandy is likely to depress US oil consumption as commuting and road transport fall and flights to and from East Coast airports are cancelled. Commodities were also under pressure from speculation that rising evidence of weak corporate earnings around the world mean demand would slow. London copper fell 1.5 percent to $7,705 a ton.—Reuters

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

BUSINESS

Asian mostly lower on corporate concerns HONG KONG: Asian markets were mostly lower yesterday as better-than-expected US growth data failed to offset concerns over corporate earnings. Trading was also nervous at the start of a crucial week that will see a Bank of Japan policy meeting, the release of US jobs data and a series of talks in Europe on Greece’s debt.

Tokyo ended flat, dipping 3.72 points to 8,929.34.

Sydney closed 0.10 percent, or 4.5 points, higher at 4,476.9 and Seoul was almost unchanged, nudging up 0.09 points to 1,891.52. Hong Kong closed down 0.16 percent, or 34.52 points, at 21,511.05 with developers dragged down by government plans to curb the red-hot property market.

Shanghai ended 0.35 percent lower, giving up 7.27 points to 2,058.94. The US Department of Commerce said Friday the world’s number one economy grew at a 2.0 percent annual rate in JulySeptember-compared to the second quarter’s 1.3 percent expansion and the 1.9 percent forecast by most economists.

A 13 percent jump in defense spending, which

tends to be volatile, and better consumer spending and housing investment propelled the growth.

However, the data did highlight flat business investment and shrinking exports. Wall Street was almost unmoved as investors took stock of another set of disappointing earnings from the likes of Apple and Merck. The Dow ended up 0.03 percent, the S&P 500 lost 0.07 percent and the Nasdaq gained 0.06 percent.

The New York Stock Exchange announced it would close its trading floor and conduct only electronic transactions, as Hurricane Sandy closed in on the US eastern seaboard.

“In consultation with other exchanges and market participants, NYSE Euronext will close its markets on Monday... and pending confirmation on Tuesday,” the market operator said in a statement. Joe Bracken, head of macro strategies at BT Investment Management in Sydney, suggested the impending hurricane could contribute to quiet trading in Asia.

“You’ve got the US essentially closed, so there will be less of that US liquidity that drives a lot of internation-

al markets,” he told Dow Jones Newswires.

Eyes are now on a two-day meeting of the Bank of Japan which ends today, with most investors hoping it will unveil an extension of its monetary easing policy. Despite expectations of fresh cash being pumped into the market, the yen rose slightly in afternoon Asian trade. The dollar was trading at 79.61 yen against 79.62 yen late Friday in New York, while the euro bought 102.70 yen compared with 103.00 yen.

The European unit was at $1.2900 from $1.2942.

Also on the horizon are the release of manufacturing figures out of China and other Asian nations, while the US will Friday unveil its non-farm payrolls data, the last before the presidential election.

And euro-zone ministers will hold a series of meetings on Greece to decide whether it has done enough to fix its debt problem to receive the latest tranche of crucial aid money. The ministers are also looking at a Greek request for the terms of its bailout to be extended by two years to 2016.

Oil was lower. New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, shed 68 cents

to $85.60 a barrel in the afternoon and Brent North Sea crude for December delivery fell 85 cents to $108.70.

Gold was at $1,711.90 at 0600 GMT compared with $1,703.18 late Friday.

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In other markets Taipei slipped 0.59 percent, or 42.39 points, to 7,091.67. Leading smartphone maker HTC was 7.0 percent limit-down at Tw$219.5 while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co was 0.92 percent higher at Tw$88.1.

Manila closed 0.14 percent lower, losing 7.74 points to 5,397.42. Ayala Land rose 0.64 percent to 23.65 pesos but Puregold Price Club was unchanged at 30.05 pesos. Coal Asia Holdings, which soared 50 percent on its debut last week, slumped 14.67 percent to 1.28 pesos.

Wellington fell 0.82 percent, or 32.48 points, to 3,951.30. Telecom was off 3.45 percent at NZ$2.38 and Fletcher Building shed 0.7 percent to NZ$7.07. — AFP

India unveils fiscal consolidation plan Govt bid to tackle faltering growth

LONDON: Books from the Penguin publishing company are displayed in a book store in Central London yesterday. Penguin and Random House are to merge to create a leading publisher of English-language books as the pair seeks to cut costs in the face of fast-rising ebook publishing, their parent groups announced. — AFP

US money funds dip toes back into Europe: Fitch FRANKFURT: The big US money market funds are loaning more to banks in the 17country euro-zone as fears ease over the continent’s debt crisis and shaky financial system. Fitch, the credit ratings agency, said yesterday that the 10 largest US funds increased their exposure for the third straight month in September. The funds now have 10.6 percent of their holdings in credit to European banks, up 16 percent from August. The agency said that is because actions by central banks have reduced turmoil and volatility in the financial system. The European Central Bank has said it is willing to buy the bonds of indebted governments on financial markets, lowering their borrowing costs and the chance they might default. The US Federal Reserve is also buying financial assets to increase the supply of money in the US economy and support growth.

Money funds take cash from investors and put it to work in credit markets - by lending to banks for short periods of time, for example. The money funds had pulled back from lending to European banks because of fears they might run into trouble

and not repay the money. But now fund managers are making modest increases in the amounts of bank commercial paper and CDs that they hold. European banks are troubled because many are still working off big losses on government bonds that have fallen in value and on loans made during soured real estate booms in countries like Spain and Ireland.

Despite the recent increase, money funds’ exposure to Europe remains just 70 percent what it was before the crisis, and won’t soon return to earlier levels, Fitch analysts said. That’s because of lingering investor caution toward the euro-zone. It’s also because banks are relying less on the more volatile forms of getting credit.

Borrowing from money funds can be volatile for a bank because borrowing rates can fluctuate. As a result, some banks are focusing on safer ways of financing, such as attracting more customer deposits.

The Fitch Ratings study measured the lending of the top 10 prime money funds by size, with $646 billion under investment, or about 45 percent of the $1.4 trillion in total US money fund assets. — AP

French businesses plead for big cuts in labor costs, spending PARIS: French President Francois Hollande was under new pressure yesterday to ramp up the competitive position of lagging French industry after top business leaders demanded a 30-billion-euro cut in welfare charges paid by employers and big cuts in state spending. Hollande, who is grappling with pre-election pledges to create jobs and spur growth while being forced to embrace austerity to plug a 37-billion-euro ($47 billion) hole in public finances, was set to discuss the issue with the heads of the World Bank, IMF and other top financial institutions in Paris.

The heads of 98 leading French companies said in an open letter to the president: “With a record public spending of 56 percent of gross domestic product, we have reached the limit of what is tolerable.” They said in the letter in the Journal de Dimanche weekly newspaper: “For companies, the working costs must be reduced by at least 30 billion euros over two years by cutting the employers’ portion of welfare charges.”

They also called on the Socialist government to slash public spending by 60 billion euros-or 3.0 percent of gross domestic product-over five years.

“Our (profit) margins are at record lows,” they said, also evoking the record unemployment level which has breached the three-million mark to a rate of more than 10.0 percent.

But Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici on Monday rejected the demand by the Afep, which repre-

sents more than 90 of France’s top companies, saying he did not “think” that this could be done.

Moscovici said this was because the Afep’s suggestion that the cut in employers’ welfare charges could be offset by reduced public spending and an increase in value-added tax would cut into “the purchasing power of the French”, who were “clients” of these firms. He underscored the need to “make a historic effort to reduce our deficit.” The renewed pressure comes ahead of a government-sponsored report on the issue, which is due this week.

The author of the report Louis Gallois, a former head of European aerospace group EADS, had stirred up a hornet’s nest and sparked union outrage by saying that France needed a competitiveness “shock” and evoked the scrapping of payroll levies paid by employers by as much as 50 billion euros.

His idea was to shift a part of the tax burden on to workers by increasing the so-called CSG levy which helps fund the social security system.

Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, in a bid to soothe concerns voiced by leading unions, said the program could “be spread over two or three years” and stressed it would not be a “shock” but more of a “holistic plan.”

Laurence Parisot the head of France’s MEDEF employer’s union has also called for a “competitivity shock” that could be spread over a few years although other analysts believe a onetime-only reform is necessary. — AFP

NEW DELHI: India yesterday unveiled plans to slash its fiscal deficit to three percent of GDP by 2017, as Asia’s third largest economy tackles faltering growth, but stressed that populist subsidies would remain.

After years of policy paralysis that eroded investor confidence and slowed growth to a near three-year low, the government last month launched a bid to boost the economy with a slew of reforms in retail, aviation and broadcasting. “As fiscal consolidation takes place and investors’ confidence increases, it is expected that the economy will return to the path of high investment, higher growth, lower inflation,” said Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.“We think we have a doable fiscal consolidation plan,” he told a news conference in New Delhi, hinting at tough costcutting measures to shore up government finances.

Chidambaram said the government is targeting a fiscal deficit of three percent of GDP by 2017, down from 5.8 percent of GDP last year. But he added that the government’s flagship antipoverty programs would remain. Analysts have warned the government must slash large subsidies to curb its ballooning fiscal deficit.

“The poor must be protected and others must bear their fair share of the burden,” Chidambaram said. “The burden of fiscal correction must be shared, fairly and equitably by different classes of stakeholders,” he added. The Indian economy

MUMBAI: Indians walk past a poster of the ‘rupee’ symbol in Mumbai. India unveiled plans to slash its fiscal deficit to three percent of GDP by 2017, as Asia’s third largest economy tackles faltering growth, but stressed that populist subsidies would remain. — AFP expanded at near double-digit rates between 2005 and 2011, but the International Monetary Fund forecasts just 4.9 percent growth for the current fiscal year. Standard & Poor’s (S&P) warned

Burger King says Q3 net income drops 83% MIAMI: Burger King said yesterday its third-quarter net income fell 83 percent as revenue was hurt by the stronger dollar, but adjusted results topped expectations.

The No 2 worldwide fast-food chain reported results from its first quarter since returning to being a public company.

“We completed our first full quarter as a public company with continued positive momentum despite the challenging global economic environment,” said CEO Bernardo Hees.

For the three months ended Sept. 30, net income fell to $6.6 million, or 2 cents per share. That compares with $38.8 million, or 11 cents per share, last year. Net income excluding one-items totaled 17 cents per share. Analysts expected 15 cents per share, according to FactSet. Revenue fell 26 percent to $451.1 million. Analysts expected revenue of $439.7 million. Much of the revenue hit came from the company selling company-owned

stores to franchisees. Burger King has struck deals to expand in China and Russia through partnerships with franchisees.

During the quarter it refranchised 221 restaurants, including 182 in the US and 39 abroad.

Revenue from company-owned stores fell 42 percent to $244.6 million from $422.8 million. Franchise and property revenue rose 12 percent to $206.5 million from $184.9 million.

In the US and Canada, revenue in restaurants open at least a year rose 1.6 percent.

The measure is key because it excludes stores that open or close during the year.

After losing market share to rivals, the US-based company was purchased in 2010 by private equity firm 3G Capital. Since then, 3G has been working to trim expenses and revive the struggling chain. Burger King returned to the public markets soon after, debuting on the New York Stock Exchange in June. — AP

this month there was “at least a one-in-three likelihood” of a downgrade of India’s sovereign credit rating within the next 24 months from investment grade to junk. — AFP

German wages rise most in almost four years BERLIN: German wages had their sharpest rise in almost four years in July in stark contrast to the pay cuts and job losses seen in most of the euro-zone.

The Federal Statistics Office said yesterday that German wages rose by 3.2 percent year-on-year in July, the highest increase since a 3.4 percent expansion in October 2008.

Wage increases this year have outpaced inflation, which runs around 2 percent, and are fuelling expectations that German consumers may spend more, in turn boosting demand for imports from European partners. Even though Germans are traditionally more likely to save than spend, consumer activity has been a pillar of the economy, helping it to expand by 0.5 percent in the first three months of the year. Separately, a government source said yesterday that Germany’s income from tax receipts should be 7-8 billion euros higher this year than previously forecast.

Consumer sentiment rose to its highest level in more than five years going into November, suggesting domestic demand will carry the economy through the expected slowdown in the second half of this year. Years of wage restraint helped the German economy shake off the financial crisis and euro zone debt crisis more easily than peers, and an office monitoring wage developments in Germany said the current rise should not remain a one-off.

“The additional purchasing power this year cannot remain a flash in the pan or private consumption will suffer,” said Rainer Bispinck, head of the wage archives at the Hans Boeckler Foundation.

Bispinck expects wages to increase by 2.7 percent in 2012 as a whole after rising by 1.5 percent last year. The wage archives office calculated that between 2001 and 2009, German real wages shrank by 6.3 percent, making it the only country in Europe without growth.After record levels of unemployment, which peaked in 2005, labor market reforms boosted competitiveness and helped cut joblessness to its lowest since reunification.

The same has not been true of the wider eurozone, where rising wages consistently outpaced German pay rises, fuelling the economic divergence that is a sub-plot of Europe’s debt crisis.

The wage increases measured in the quarterly sample taken in July were due mainly to higher wage rounds agreed in the chemicals and metals industries, the office said.

In May, Germany’s largest industrial union IG Metall clinched a deal that secured its 3.6 million workers their biggest pay rise in 20 years with a 4.3 percent pay increase. Two months earlier, public sector workers won a 6.3 percent raise over two years.

The rise in July outpaced inflation, which is seen in October at 2 percent, and gathered momentum from previous quarters. They grew by 2.2 percent in April and 2.0 percent in January.— Reuters

26

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

BUSINESS

Honda slashes forecast on China territorial spat Shares slump; sales drop on strong yen TOKYO: Honda Motor shares tumbled yesterday after the Japanese automaker warned that its full-year results would be much weaker than forecast, as a trade dispute between Tokyo and Beijing dents sales.

Investors dumped the shares, which fell 4.65 percent to 2,399 yen

error”. Blaming a strong yen and weakening sales, Japan’s thirdbiggest automaker said it now expects to earn 375 billion yen ($4.7 billion) in its fiscal year to March 2013, down from an earlier 470 billion yen forecast.

Sales were tipped to fall to 9.8

Japan-brand cars in China, the world’s biggest car market, was expected to weigh on demand until February, they said.

The two Asian giants remain locked in a festering row over the archipelago controlled by Japan but claimed by China, sparking

TOKYO: Customers look at a vehicle from Japanese auto maker Honda Motor at the company’s showroom in Tokyo yesterday. Honda said the first-half net profit more than doubled to $2.7 billion, but the maker of the Accord and Civic warned its full-year results would be much weaker than forecast. — AFP by the close in Tokyo, on news that the maker of the Accord and Civic would report an annual profit that was 20 percent lower than previously expected-even as its first-half profit more than doubled to $2.7 billion.

Honda’s stock was down 6.0 percent in earlier trade after it mistakenly released earnings three hours ahead of schedule due to a “human

trillion yen, from 10.3 trillion yen. A Honda statement did not offer details about the Japan-China spat, but company officials told a press conference in Tokyo later Monday that the firm was cutting its full-year sales forecast in China to 620,000 vehicles, down from 750,000 units.

The diplomatic dispute over an East China Sea island chain, which has slammed the brakes on sales of

double-digit sales declines in September for Japan’s biggest automakers.

Japanese factories and businesses across China closed or scaled back operations in September over fears they or their workers could be targeted by mobs protesting against Tokyo’s nationalization of the islands.

“Honda’s sales apparently felt the

impact from a weaker China market, as well as the stronger yen, and (this) raises the possibility that it will revise down its full-year forecast yet again,” said Hideyuki Ishiguro, strategist at Okasan Securities.

“Of course Honda’s problems are not unique-the magnitude of the China component in its earnings may be most felt in Nissan Motor’s earnings, since it has the heaviest proportional exposure to China.”

Shares in Nissan, which has yet to report its latest quarterly results, were off 2.18 percent to 670 yen while Toyota shares fell 1.62 percent to 3,030 yen by the close.

Honda’s profit and sales downgrade stood in marked contrast to its latest half-year results. These saw net profit soar to 213.96 billion yen, up from 92.23 billion yen in the same period a year earlier.

Sales in the period were 4.71 trillion yen, up from 3.60 trillion yen, largely tied to a rebound from last year’s quake-tsunami disaster.

Japanese automakers saw extensive damage to their supply chains as a result of the twin disasters in Japan as well as record flooding in Thailand.

A high yen also ate into exporters’ sales and profits. The country’s automakers have come under pressure from the value of the currency, which last year hit record highs against the dollar and remains strong. This makes exports relatively more expensive overseas and cuts the value of repatriated earnings.

While the number of vehicles that Honda sold rose strongly in the first half-including a 73 percent jump in the key North American market-the company said revenue in Europe, the Middle East and South America all weakened “mainly due to unfavorable foreign currency translation effects”. —AFP

NEW YORK: A man passes the front of the New York Stock Exchange. All major US indexes were shut down yesterday before Hurricane Sandy makes landfall. —AP

‘Life would go on’ without IMF deal, says Hungary BUDAPEST: Hungary appeared to cast doubt yesterday on prospects for an International Monetary Fund/European Union funding pact, with Budapest’s negotiator saying “life would go on” even without a deal. Mihaly Varga, Hungary’s minister in charge of the negotiations, also played down what an IMF/EU deal would do to attract investors.

The remarks came after the IMF’s local representative said the latest fiscal measures taken by the government to reduce the budget deficit ran counter to its recommendations.

“Obviously, life would go on that way too,” Varga told public radio in an interview when asked whether it would be a disaster if Hungary failed to secure an agreement with the IMF and the European Union after months of stopstart talks. “I would still find it good if we could agree because there would be a minimal, several tenths of a percent, impact of such a deal that could help foreign investors buying government papers feel safer,” he said.

The volatile forint added to its morning losses after Varga’s remarks, falling to

Pearson confirms Random Penguin merger LONDON: Pearson said it would merge Penguin Books with Bertelsmann’s Random House to create the world’s leading consumer publisher, a day after Rupert Murdoch’s Sunday Times said his News Corp group could bid for Penguin.

The education and media publisher Pearson said the newly created joint venture, which will bring together writers Ken Follet, Terry Pratchett, EL James and 2012 Nobel prize winner Mo Yan, would be named Penguin Random House.

Bertelsmann will own 53 percent of the venture and nominate five directors to the board, while Pearson would own the rest and nominate four. Both must retain their share in the venture for at least three years.

Analysts said yesterday they would have preferred a bid from a group such as News Corp, which would have brought cash into the company and enabled Pearson to quit a market that has been hit by the rapid growth of the ebook and fierce pricing pressures from supermarkets.

Pearson, however, focused on the benefits of scale and the savings available to the combined group.

“Together, the two publishers will be able to share a large part of their costs, to invest more for their author and reader constituencies and to be more adventurous in trying new models in this exciting, fastmoving world of digital books and digital readers,” Pearson Chief Executive Marjorie Scardino said.

Analysts said the deal would also

allow Pearson to retain a link between its education division and the world-renowned Penguin brand.

“We can see why Pearson has chosen this option, but there may be some disappointment there is no outright sale, and especially with the lock-in of the stake,” Liberum said.

Shares in Pearson were down 0.8

years, prompting analysts to question whether the group would sell off its last remaining media assets and focus wholly on its dominant education arm.

Most analysts, however, had focused on whether Pearson would sell FT Group, which prints the Financial Times newspaper.

Later in the month Pearson said

Group, is also in the middle of an overhaul to catch up with rapidly changing markets.

Random House has had spectacular publishing success with the record-breaking “Fifty Shades” trilogy by EL James, with its English-language imprints selling more than 30 million copies between March and June, with sales evenly divided

LONDON: A picture shows the offices of publishers Random House in Central London yesterday. Penguin and Random House are to merge to create a leading publisher of English-language books as the pair seeks to cut costs in the face of fast-rising ebook publishing, their parent groups announced. —AFP percent at 1,211 pence at 1000 GMT, while the broader London market was down 0.6 percent.

October has been a busy month for Pearson. On the third day of the month Scardino said she would step down at the end of the year after 16

it had bought educational services company EmbanetCompass for $650 million in cash to bolster its position in the online market.

Bertelsmann, Europe’s biggest media group and owner of European TV broadcaster RTL

between the trade paperback and e-book editions.

While Random House is strong in Britain and the United States, Penguin is the world’s most famous publishing brand, with a strong presence in fast-growing develop-

ing markets.

Both groups have had to invest in the launch of ebooks. Random House says it has expanded its ebook programs to nearly 42,000 titles and substantially increased its digital-publishing offerings.

Penguin ebook revenues rose 33 percent in the first half, contributing almost 20 percent of its revenues.

Analysts say regulatory hurdles could be an issue for the tie-up, but with a joint market share of around 25 percent in the United States and Britain, they expect it will go through.

In 2011, Random House reported revenues of 1.5 billion pounds ($2.4 billion) and operating profit of 161 million pounds. Penguin reported revenues of 1 billion pounds and operating profit of 111 million pounds, with total assets of 1 billion pounds.

Penguin chairman and chief executive John Makinson will be chairman of Penguin Random House. Random House CEO Markus Dohle will take the same role at the new venture.

Showing the challenges facing Pearson, the British-based group also published a trading update, showing sales up 5 percent in the first nine months but operating profit down 5 percent, reflecting the sale of assets, acquisition costs and weakness in the British professional training market.

It reiterated its outlook of growth in sales and profits at constant exchange rates for the full year. —Reuters

Insurer Direct Line to cut 70 management jobs LONDON: Direct Line Group, the British motor and home insurer spun out of Royal Bank of Scotland, is to shed 70 senior roles under a previously-announced plan to take out 100 million pounds ($160.98 million) in costs, it said yesterday. The latest cuts are in addition to about 900 job losses Direct Line announced last month, a spokesman said. The company is trimming its workforce of about 15,000 in an effort to boost profits as it prepares for life as a standalone company. Direct Line’s chief operating officer, Jonathan Davidson, and Sheree Howard, the executive in charge of adapting the company to Europe’s Solvency II capital rules, are leaving as part of the shake-up.

“We are creating a simpler more efficient business which costs less to run,” Chief Executive Paul Geddes said. “I don’t make these changes lightly and we will do all we can to support those affected.” RBS sold a stake in Direct Line, Britain’s biggest motor insurer, to stock market investors earlier this month, the first stage of a disposal aimed at winning regulatory approval for state aid the bank received in the 2008 crisis. —Reuters

three-week lows of 284.80 per euro.

Central Europe’s most indebted nation requested IMF/EU help to stabilize its economy and rein in borrowing costs nearly a year ago, when its debt rating was slashed to “junk” due to a weak growth outlook and unpredictable economic policies. Varga said there were differences in views between the two sides that made an agreement difficult.

“We are working to try and bring our views closer, and have the IMF accept or make them understand why the Hungarian government makes certain decisions,” Varga said.

Earlier this month Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government announced 764 billion Hungarian forints ($3.50 billion) worth of deficit cuts for next year, mainly geared towards tax increases, to keep the budget deficit below the EU’s 3 percent of output level. But some of the measures applied, such as reneging on a pledge to halve Europe’s highest bank tax or doubling a planned new tax on financial transactions, went against the proposals of the IMF and the EU after a first leg of talks in July. —Reuters

Nomura swings to Q2 profit TOKYO: Japan’s top brokerage Nomura Holdings said yesterday that it swung to a profit in its fiscal second quarter, reversing a year-earlier loss thanks to solid gains in its trading business.

However, the figure fell well short of expectations as Nomura, which is trying to move on from an embarrassing insider trading scandal, retools its operations in a bid to cut $1.0 billion in costs.

For the July to September quarter, the company posted a net profit of 2.81 billion yen ($35.2 million), reversing a yearago loss of 46.1 billion yen well off a consensus forecast for a 32.27 billion net profit based on a survey by FactSet Research Systems.

Revenue was 461.23 billion yen, up 22 percent from a year ago, Nomura said. The company said its improved results came despite the fact that “the market environment was severe... with concerns over a slowdown in the Chinese economy as well as the European crisis”.

Income from trading-which was pounded by the market turmoil set off by the European debt crisis last year-reached 88.93 billion yen from 25.98 billion yen a earlier, Nomura said.

Nomura’s results were the first since it announced a major shakeup in top management three months ago, with chief executive Kenichi Watanabe resigning in the wake of an internal report that said sales staff improperly tipped off clients about share sales. Information often flowed freely between sales and Nomura’s investment banking and research side, which is usually barred, the report said.

Since the insider trading scandal, Nomura has been dumped from several bond and share sales including oncebankrupt Japan Airlines’ offering last month and the government’s planned sale of its stake in Japan Tobacco. For the six months to September, Nomura said it swung back in the black with a net profit of 4.7 billion yen, from a loss of 28.3 billion yen a year earlier. Revenue rose 11.9 percent to 900.82 billion yen. Last month, Nomura it would slash $1.0 billion in costs to repair its balance sheet, including a re-focus on the Asian market.

The move marked the final nail in the coffin of the firm’s illfated plan to itself transform into a global investment banking giant after buying parts of defunct Wall Street titan Lehman Brothers during the 2008 financial crisis. —AFP

3 KD 5,000 winners of NBK’s Jawhara draws in October

AHMEDABAD: Royal Enfield motorcycles Senior Vice President Shaji Koshi poses with the new Thunderbird 500 during its launch in Ahmedabad yesterday. Though foreign luxury bike brands such as Harley-Davidson, Triumph and BMW are increasingly investing in India, Royal Enfield expects this to raise awareness about leisure biking rather than reduce its own sales. —AFP

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) announces the three lucky winners in Al-Jawhara weekly draws during month. Fareedah Abdulrahman Al-Othman, Hanaa Jassem AbdulAziz Al-Omani and Yousef Ibrahim Abdulla Almutawa each won KD 5,000. The winners expressed their gratitude and thanked NBK for its great services and promotions.

NBK recently re-launched AlJawhara account, by offering customers more chances to win bigger prizes, KD 5,000 weekly, KD 125,000 monthly and a grand prize of KD 250,000 quarterly draw.

Al-Jawhara is one of Kuwait’s leading cash prize accounts offering numerous benefits to its customers.

Not only is it an interest-free account with regular deposit and withdrawal privileges, it also entitles account holders to enter the weekly, monthly and quarterly Al-Jawhara draws. Each KD 50 in an Al Jawhara account entitles the customer to one chance in any of the draws. All prizes are automatically credited to the winners’ accounts the day after the draw.

The more money held in AlJawhara account, the greater the chances of winning. Al-Jawhara account is available to both Kuwaitis and expats and can be opened at any one of NBK’s branches around Kuwait. For further information visit www.nbk.com , or call Hala Watani at 1801801.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30 , 2012

TECHNOLOGY

Smartphones drive complaints spike in Australia SYDNEY: Complaints about mobile phones to Australia’s telecoms watchdog jumped nine percent in a year, accounting for two-thirds of all gripes received due to growing smartphone use, a study said yesterday. Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Simon Cohen said there were 122,834 mobile phone complaints in the year to June 30 — an increase of nine percent on the previous yeardespite overall grievances dropping two percent.

Two out of three complaints related to mobile

phones, reflecting what Cohen said was the “rising use of smartphones”. Some 89 percent of Australians were estimated to own a mobile phone in 2011 rising to 97-98 percent in the 18-44 age bracket-with the market dominated by Internetenabled handsets made popular by Apple and Samsung.

Only Japan and South Korea are believed to have a greater level of 3G handset penetration, according to the government’s Australian Communications

and Media Authority. Sketchy coverage, over-charging and other bill disputes were the most common issues, with complaints about Internet usage charges rocketing 150 percent.

Cohen said the number of complaints over credit blacklisting due to unresolved telecoms debts had also increased, which he described as concerning. “Credit listings can have very significant impacts on people, affecting applications for credit, including for housing and personal loans,” the

ombudsman said. He also called for an improved system of notifying consumers when they are approaching a data or call limit, which will be required under a new telecoms consumer protection code to come into effect from 2013.

“Complaints about unexpectedly high bills and unnecessary financial over-commitment point to the urgent need for strong spend management rules, including those that are included in the new code,” Cohen said. — AFP

Facebook used to kidnap, traffic Indonesian girls ‘Internet doesn’t differentiate between poor and rich’

MADISON: This handout photograph released by the University of WisconsinMadison on September 29, 2012, shows Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard sitting in a soundproof room and preparing for an electroencephalography (EEG) test at the EEG facility in the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison on June 5, 2008. As he grins serenely and his burgundy robes billow in the fresh Himalayan wind, it is not difficult to see why scientists declared Matthieu Ricard the happiest man they had ever tested. — AFP

Kaspersky Lab updates anti-virus solution DUBAI: Kaspersky Lab announces the release of the updated version of Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Microsoft ISA Server and Microsoft TMG Gateway. The new version of this corporate solution adds support for Enterprise editions of Microsoft ISA Server and Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway, further broadening the scope of compatible systems that can now be protected with Kaspersky Lab’s leading anti-malware technology.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 8.5 for Microsoft ISA Server/TMG Gateway scans web and mail traffic passing through the firewalls offered

by Microsoft’s solutions. It detects, disinfects or blocks malicious objects, therefore protecting the company’s perimeter. Together with Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway, it is also possible to scan protected HTTPS data flows. The solution is fully scalable, making it possible to distribute the workload among several CPUs and/or servers, and is also compatible with virtual network infrastructure running on the VMware platform.

Key improvements in the new version include a new antivirus engine with faster scanning speed, support for all possible deployment scenarios for Microsoft’s products, a centralized statistics database, and

backup storage for disinfected or removed objects. The new interface also simplifies the management of all the application’s settings. The updated solution introduces support for the Enterprise version of Microsoft’s products, namely Microsoft ISA Server 2006 Enterprise Edition and Microsoft Forefront TMG Gateway 2010 Enterprise Edition.

“The new version of our antivirus solution for Microsoft’s products secures a company’s perimeter with a top-of-the-line antivirus engine, effectively eliminating all threats found in web and email traffic. Added support for Enterprise editions of Microsoft ISA Server and Forefront TMG broadens the range of security infrastructure deployments, which now can be protected by Kaspersky Lab’s technology and expertise,” commented PetrMerkulov, Chief Product Officer, Kaspersky Lab. Kaspersky Anti-Virus 8.5 for Microsoft ISA Server and Microsoft Forefront TMG Gateway is available for current and future Kaspersky Lab clients as part of the Kaspersky Open Space Security corporate product range.

More information about the solution can be found at Kaspersky Lab’s official website: http://www.kaspersky.com/anti-virusmicrosoft-isa-server-forefront-tmg

No much demand for Microsoft’s Windows 8 SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft bills Windows 8 as a “re-imagining” of the personal computer market’s dominant operating system, but the company still has a lot of work to do before the makeover captures the imagination of most consumers, based on the results of a recent poll

by The Associated Press and GfK. The phone survey of nearly 1,200 adults in the US found 52 percent hadn’t even heard of Windows 8 leading up to Friday’s release of the redesigned software. Among the people who knew something about the new operating system, 61 percent had little or no interest in buying a new laptop or desktop computer running on Windows 8, according to the poll. And only about a third of the people who’ve heard about the new system believe it will be an improvement (35 percent).

Chris Dionne of Waterbury, Connecticut, falls into that camp. The 43-year-old engineer had already seen Windows 8 and it didn’t persuade him to abandon or upgrade his HewlettPackard laptop running on Windows 7, the previous version of the operating system released in 2009. “I am not real thrilled they are changing things around,” Dionne said. “Windows 7 does everything I want it to. Where is the return on my investment to learn a new OS?” Microsoft usually releases a new version of Windows every two or three years, but it’s different this time around. Windows 8 is the most radical redesign of the operating system since 1995 and some analysts consider the software to be Microsoft’s most important product since co-founder Bill Gates won the contract to build an operating system for IBM Corp.’s first personal computer in 1981. Microsoft is hoping the way Windows 8 looks and operates will appeal to the growing number of people embracing the convenience of smartphones and tablets.

The consumer ambivalence, however, was even more pronounced when it came to Microsoft’s new tablet computer, Surface, which was built to show off Windows 8’s versatility. Sixty-nine percent of the poll’s respondents expressed little or no interest in buying a Surface, which Microsoft is hoping will siphon sales from Apple Inc.’s pioneering iPad and other popular tablets such as Amazon.com Inc.’s

Kindle Fire and Google Inc.’s Nexus 7.

The results indicate Microsoft still has work to do to create a bigger buzz about Windows 8 and help consumers understand the new operating system’s benefits, even though the company provided several previews of the software at various stages in the final 13 month leading to its release.

But the information apparently resonated mostly with industry analysts, reporters, technology blogs and gadget geeks. Microsoft is in the early stages of an estimated $1 billion marketing campaign that will include a siege of television commercials to promote Windows 8 to a wider audience.

That still might not be enough to sway longtime Windows users such as Mary Sweeten. She is 75, and not eager to learn the nuances of a new operating system. She, too, is comfortable with her current desktop computer running on Windows 7.

“I am not technologically savvy like all these young kids,” said Sweeten, who lives in Camdenton, Missouri. “I like something I am used to and can get around on without too much trouble. Sometimes when you get these new (systems), you wish you could go back to the old one.”

Windows 8 represents Microsoft’s attempt to adapt to a technological shift that is empowering more people to use smartphones and tablets to surf the Web and handle other simple computing tasks. The revamped system can be controlled by touching a device’s display screen and greets users with a mosaic of tiles featuring an array of dynamic applications instead of the old start menu and desktop tiles.

In an effort to protect its still-lucrative PC franchise, Microsoft designed Windows 8 so it can still be switched into a desktop mode that relies on a keyboard and mouse for commands.

Microsoft felt it had to gamble on a radical redesign to fend off the competitive threats posed by Apple, which has emerged as the world’s most valuable company on the strength of its iPhone and iPad. Google Inc. is a threat, too. It has used its 4-year-old Android operating system to become an influential force in the mobile computing movement.—AP

DEPOK: When a 14-year-old girl received a Facebook friend request from an older man she didn’t know, she accepted it out of curiosity. It’s a click she will forever regret, leading to a brutal story that has repeated itself as sexual predators find new ways to exploit Indonesia’s growing obsession with social media.

The junior high student was quickly smitten by the man’s smooth online flattery. They exchanged phone numbers, and his attention increased with rapid-fire texts. He convinced her to meet in a mall, and she found him just as charming in person.

They agreed to meet again. After telling her mom she was going to visit a sick girlfriend on her way to church choir practice, she climbed into the man’s minivan near her home in Depok, on the outskirts of Jakarta.

The man, a 24-year-old who called himself Yogi, drove her an hour to the town of Bogor, West Java, she told The Associated Press in an interview. There, he locked her in a small room inside a house with at least five other girls aged 14 to 17. She was drugged and raped repeatedly - losing her virginity in the first attack.

After one week of torture, her captor told her she was being sold and shipped to the faraway island of Batam, known for its seedy brothels and child sex tourism that caters to men coming by boat from nearby Singapore.

She sobbed hysterically and begged to go home. She was beaten and told to shut up or die.

So far this year, 27 of the 129 children reported missing to Indonesia’s National Commission for Child Protection are believed to have been abducted after meeting their captors on Facebook, said the group’s chairman, Arist Merdeka Sirait. One of the 27 has been found dead.

In the month since the Depok girl was found near a bus terminal Sept. 30, there have been at least seven reports of young girls in Indonesia being abducted by people they met on Facebook. Although no solid data exists, police and aid groups that work on trafficking issues say it seems to be a particularly big problem in the Southeast Asian archipelago.

“Maybe Indonesia is kind of a unique country so far. Once the reports start coming in, you will know that maybe it’s not one of the countries, maybe it’s one of a hundred countries,” said Anjan Bose, a program officer who works on child online protection issues at ECPAT International, a nonprofit global network that helps children in 70 countries. “The Internet is such a global medium. It doesn’t differentiate between poor and rich. It doesn’t differentiate between the economy of the country or the culture.”

Websites that track social media say Indonesia has nearly 50 million people signed up for Facebook, making it one of the world’s top users after the U.S. The capital, Jakarta, was recently named the most active Twitter city by Parisbased social media monitoring company Semiocast. In addition, networking groups such as BlackBerry and Yahoo Messenger are wildly popular on mobile phones.

Many young Indonesians, and their parents, are unaware of the dangers of allowing strangers to see their personal information online.

Teenagers frequently post photos and personal details such as their home address, phone number, school and hangouts without using any privacy settings - allowing anyone trolling the net to find them and learn everything about them.

“We are racing against time, and the technology frenzy over Facebook is a trend among teenagers here,” Sirait said. “Police should move faster, or many more girls will become victims.”

The 27 Facebook-related abductions reported to the commission this year in Indonesia have already exceed 18 similar cases it received in all of 2011. Overall, the National Task Force Against Human Trafficking said 435 children were trafficked last year, mostly for sexual exploitation.

Many who fight child sex crimes in Indonesia believe the real numbers are much higher.

Missing children are often not reported to authorities. Stigma and shame surround sexual abuse in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, and there’s a widespread belief that police will do nothing to help.

An ECPAT International report estimates that each year, 40,000 to 70,000 children are involved in trafficking, pornography or prostitution in Indonesia, a nation of 240 million where many families remain impoverished.

The US State Department has also warned that more Indonesian girls are being recruited using social media networks. In a report last year, it said traffickers have “resorted to outright kidnapping of girls and young women for sex trafficking within the country and abroad.”

Online child sexual abuse and exploitation are common in much of Asia. In the Philippines, kids are being forced to strip or perform sex acts on live webcams - often by their parents, who are using them as a source of income. Western men typically pay to use the sites.

“In the Philippines, this is the tip of the iceberg. It’s not only Facebook and social media, but it’s also through text messages ... especially young, vulnerable people are being targeted,” said Leonarda Kling, regional representative for Terre des Hommes Netherlands, a nonprofit working on trafficking issues. “It’s all about promises. Better jobs or maybe even a nice telephone or whatever. Young people now, you see all the glamour and glitter around you and they want to have the latest BlackBerry, the latest fashion, and it’s also a way to get these things.”

Facebook says its investigators regularly review content on the site and work with authorities, including Interpol, to combat illegal activity.

It also has employees around the world tasked with cracking down on people who attempt to use the site for human trafficking. “We take human trafficking very seriously and, while this behavior is not common on Facebook, a number

to school. Officials at the school reportedly claimed she had tarnished its image. She has since been reinstated, but she no longer wishes to attend due to the stigma she faces.

Education Minister Mohammad Nuh also came under fire after making remarks that not all girls who report such crimes are victims: “They do it for fun, and then the girl alleges that it’s rape,” he said. His response to the criticism was that it’s difficult to prove whether sexual assault allegations are “real rapes.”

The publicity surrounding the story encouraged the parents of five other missing girls to come forward this month, saying their daughters also were victimized by people they met on Facebook. Two more girls were freed from their captors in October and are now seeking counseling.

A man who posed as a photographer on Facebook was recently arrested and accused of

JAKARTA: In this Friday, Oct 19, 2012 photo, Indonesian youths browse at an internet cafe in Jakarta, Indonesia. There are growing numbers of incidents involving internet social media networks being used as a mean for children trafficking in Indonesia, at least eight reported this month alone of young girls being abducted and enslaved by men who approached them randomly on Facebook, raising concerns that the overall number of trafficked children remains grossly underestimated in the sprawling archipelago of 240 million. — AP of measures are in place to counter this activity,” spokesman Andrew Noyes said in an email.

He declined to give any details on Facebook’s involvement in trafficking cases reported in Indonesia or elsewhere. The Depok girl, wearing a mask to hide her face as she was interviewed, said she is still shocked that the man she knew for nearly a month turned on her.

“He wanted to buy new clothes for me, and help with school payments. He was different ... that’s all,” she said. “I have a lot of contacts through Facebook, and I’ve also exchanged phone numbers. But everything has always gone fine. We were just friends.”

She said that after being kidnapped, she was given sleeping pills and was “mostly unconscious” for her ordeal. She said she could not escape because a man and another girl stood guard over her.

The girl said the man did not have the money for a plane ticket to Batam, and also became aware that her parents and others were relentlessly searching for her. He ended up dumping her at a bus station, where she found help.

“I am angry and cannot accept what he did to me. ... I was raped and beaten!” said the lanky girl with shoulder-length black hair. The AP generally does not publish the names of sexual abuse victims.

The girl’s case made headlines this month when she was expelled after she tried to return

kidnapping and raping three teenage girls.

Authorities say he lured them into meeting him with him by promising to make them models, and then locked them in a house. Police found dozens of photos of naked girls on his camera and laptop.

Another case involved a 15-year-old girl from Bogor. She was recently rescued by police after being kidnapped by someone she met on Facebook and held at a restaurant, waiting for someone to move her to another town where she would be forced into prostitution.

In some incidents, the victims themselves ended up recruiting other young girls after being promised money or luxuries such as mobile phones or new clothes. Police are trying to get a step ahead of the criminals. Detective Lt. Ruth Yeni Qomariah from the Children and Women’s Protection unit in Surabaya said she posed as a teenager online and busted three men who used Facebook to kidnap and rape underage girls.

She’s searching for a fourth suspect.

“It has been getting worse as trafficking rings become more sophisticated and underage children are more easily targeted,” she said. The man who abducted the Depok girl has not been found, and it’s unclear what happened to the five other girls held at the house where she was raped. “I saw they were offered by my kidnapper to many guys,” she said. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t want to remember it.” — AP

iPhone’s ‘Siri’ directs Chinese to brothels BEIJING: Concerns that the Chinese version of the Apple iPhone’s new voice-activated assistant “Siri” directs users to brothels has been raised by netizens and lawyers, state media said yesterday.

Users of the recently released Mandarin version of Siri were given several options for finding prostitutes upon request, but could not verify if the listings were accurate, the state-run China Daily said.

It cited a lawyer as saying the information supplied by Siri had “affected the public order and had a negative influence”.

Prostitution is banned in China, which retains a largely conservative attitude to sex.

Nearly nine million users of Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, commented on the function, making it one of the hottest topics early yesterday.

One suspected Apple of providing the service intentionally, while another noted how efficient it was at finding brothels, rather than restaurants that serve typically Chinese dishes.

“When I ask Siri about beef noodle soup or hotpot, she has no idea,” the netizen said.

Another message said Siri’s detailed knowledge of brothels puts Chinese law enforcement to shame. “A mobile phone can know all this while the police do not?”

The service appeared to have been blocked by yesterday, as Siri replied to variously worded attempts to find prostitutes with non-answers like: “There seems to have been a mistake” and “I didn’t find anybody by that name”.

China is the second-biggest market for Apple after the United States. An Apple spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment. — AFP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Trans fats raise cholesterol, not blood sugar NEW YORK: Although much-criticized trans fats raise levels of “bad” cholesterol, they don’t appear to have a lasting impact on blood sugar levels, according to a US study.

Researchers, writing in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that both blood sugar and insulin, the hormone that keeps blood sugar levels in check, were similar regardless of how much trans fat people ate.

The link between trans fats and high cholesterol levels is widely accepted, but there has been a lack of clarity on the effect on blood sugar control, which is involved in diabetes.

“Although evidence from cohort studies has suggested that trans fatty acid (TFA) consumption may be associated with insulin resistance and diabetes, randomized placebo-controlled trials have yielded conflicting results,” wrote lead researcher Christos Mantzoros of Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Trans fats, technically known as trans fatty acids, are found in animal products and chemically processed vegetable oils. In response to studies linking high consumption of the substances to an increased risk of heart disease, the US Food and Drug Administration has required food makes to disclose trans fats on nutri-

tion labels.

Some cities and states have banned them in restaurants or schools.

Montzoros and his colleagues pooled the results from seven experiments, including 208 people. In five of the studies, the participants’ blood sugar, insulin and cholesterol levels were monitored for several weeks under a diet of high trans fat consumption, and again for a few weeks when the trans fats were substituted for other fats, such as palm or soybean oil.

Two of the studies compared people who ate a diet that included trans fats to others who ate a diet without trans fats. There were no changes in

blood sugar or insulin levels during the times when people ate trans fats, compared to when they ate the other fats,” Mantzoros’s group reported.

However, the researchers found that during the trans fat-eating weeks, “good” HDL cholesterol went down and “bad” LDL cholesterol went up.

“They saw what you would expect to see” regarding cholesterol, which shows that the studies were well done, said Mark Pereira, an expert in public health and nutrition at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Pereira, who was not involved in the study, said it isn’t definitive proof that trans fats can’t influence blood

sugar levels. Although several weeks is enough time to see an effect on cholesterol, he said, a potential impact on metabolism might not show up until later.

“If you’re going to control weight and switch around fats in the diet, it might take a lot longer, because these fatty acids are being gradually incorporated over time into tissues in the body,” he added.

But even if trans fats do have an impact on blood sugar control, Pereira said, it’s becoming a moot point as the amount of trans fats people eat in the United States has diminished considerably. — Reuters

Is organic food better?

The jury is still out

MU CANG CHAI: This picture taken on October 23, 2012 shows ethnic Hmong hill tribe children carrying their lunch boxes as they walk home after a school day at a village in the mountainous district of Mu Cang Chai, in the northwestern Vietnamese province of Yen Bai. Children from poor rural and remote regions often suffer from malnutrition due to economic difficulties. A UN report in May, 2011 said that Vietnam’s minorities were far more likely to live in poverty than the rest of the population. — AFP

FDA needs authority over pharmacies WASHINGTON: The US Food and Drug Administration’s power to regulate compounded drugs similar to those linked to a deadly meningitis outbreak is legally nonbinding and lacks the authority of stringent standards imposed on drug manufacturers, according to a congressional report released late on Sunday.

The report, compiled by the staff of US Representative Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, drew an immediate response from FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, who said the agency is committed to working with Congress and others to garner “the authority we need to help prevent tragedies like this from happening again.”

“Over the years, there has been substantial debate within Congress about the appropriate amount of FDA oversight and regulation of compounding pharmacies. But unfortunately, there has been a lack of consensus and many challenges from industry,” Hamburg said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

“As pointed out in the report from Congressman Markey, FDA’s authority over compounding pharmacies is more limited by statute than with drug manufacturers,” she added.

The Markey report and Hamburg’s comments surfaced as Congress has begun preliminary discussions that could give the FDA new powers to oversee compounding pharmacies like the New England Compounding Center, which is at the heart of a fungal meningitis outbreak that has sickened 337 people, including 25 who have died, in 18 states.

But the public health crisis has also stirred debate about how much authority the FDA actually needs. Last week, the advocacy group Public Citizen called on the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate the agency on grounds that it failed to exercise its existing authority to prevent the meningitis outbreak. The FDA issued a warning letter to NECC in 2006 describing potential health risks including microbial contamination. But there has been little evidence of a follow-up. Congressional investigators also say there is evidence that the FDA and state regulators knew of potential problems at NECC in 2002.

Hamburg has had little to say publicly about the regulatory issue. “FDA’s primary focus right now is containing the immediate crisis, protecting patients and their families from any further harm and completing our investigation,” she said.

Compounding is a traditional pharmacy practice in which a pharmacist alters, mixes or recombines ingredients to make a drug that meets the special needs of a patient with a physician’s prescription. But in recent decades, officials say some compounding operations have grown to resemble full-scale manufac-

turing without meeting FDA standards.

The congressman’s report, based partly on documents gathered by investigators in the House of Representatives, says state governments that are now the chief regulators of pharmacy compounding cannot perform the kind of safety oversight necessary to prevent more drug-related outbreaks from occurring.

The FDA has issued dozens of warning letters against compounding pharmacies since 2001. But the report said the agency has based its enforcement actions on relatively weak, nonbinding guidance documents since a 1997 law granting it oversight of “new drugs” was struck down in US courts more than a decade ago in cases brought by compounders.

“Guidance documents do not establish legally enforceable rights or responsibilities and do not legally bind the public or the FDA,” said a Congressional Research Services report cited by Markey’s staff.

That gives the agency far less power over compounding operations than it has over conventional drug manufacturers, which must submit to stringent safety and efficacy standards.

“Absent clear new authority, FDA’s efforts will ultimately be constrained by gaps in regulatory authority and thwarted by an industry that has historically resisted a federal role for the oversight of its activities,” said Markey.

An aide to Markey, who is on the House Energy and Commerce Committee which is conducting one of two congressional investigations into the outbreak, said the report was compiled from staff research. The aide acknowledged that some of the documents also form part of the House panel’s probe.

Markey has said he will propose legislation to enhance FDA oversight when Congress returns after the Nov. 6 election. The committee is expected to hold hearings by the end of the year. The report cites FDA documents as saying that compounded drugs may have been responsible for at least 23 deaths and 86 other cases of disease or injury before the current outbreak, related to injectable steroid treatments for back and joint pain first drew public attention last month.

FDA records described by the report also show that 10 of 29 compounded products tested by the FDA in 2003 failed at least one of the regulatory agency’s safety or efficacy tests. Three years later, in 2006, one-third of 36 compounded drug samples failed FDA analytical testing. “The risks of allowing the safety of compounding pharmacies to go largely unregulated have been recognized for years, and the devastating tragedies of this outbreak will be felt well beyond it,” Markey said. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: The debate over whether organic food is better for our health and worth its higher price keeps raging on in the United States as the conclusion of four decades of studies seems far from clear. The controversy was back in the news last month when a large-scale study by researchers from Stanford University found organic foods no more nutritious than conventional products, though they did have fewer traces of pesticides. Researchers, who reviewed 237 different studies, did not find organic meats were healthier either. “When we began this project, we thought that there would likely be some findings that would support the superiority of organic over conventional food,” said Dr Dena Bravata of Stanford University, lead author of the study. “We were definitely surprised it’s not the case.”

Researchers said they found conventional fruits and vegetables had more pesticide residues than their organic equivalents but that the trace pesticide levels were almost always within the range authorities allow. In 2011, researchers at Britain’s Newcastle University reached different conclusions when they did a meta-analysis of combined data from the same 237 studies, which were done over the course of four decades. Their research, which did not generate much attention, found non-genetically modified and pesticide-free fruits and vegetables had better nutritional value: among the

standout findings, that they contain more vitamin C than conventional fruits and vegetables.

And so the lack of decisive conclusions to be drawn led to an interesting development.

The American Academy of Pediatrics on October 22 announced that no scientific study had been proven organic foods to be healthier.

It recommended in a report that children eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables-whether they are organic or not.”In the long term, there is currently no direct evidence that consuming an organic diet leads to improved health or lower risk of disease,” it said. It was a potentially important idea, as many parents would like their children and especially babies to eat organic fruits and vegetables, but their high cost can be prohibitive for most. The market in organic foods is already worth $31 billion a year-and surging by 10% every year.

“We do not want families to choose to consume smaller amounts of more expensive organic foods and thus reduce their overall intake of healthy foods like produce,” Janet Silverstein of the American Academy of Pediatrics said last week.” What’s most important is that children eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products, whether those are conventional or organic foods,” she said. “This type of diet has proven health benefits.”

The report nonetheless found the studies

indicated lower presence of trace pesticides in organic foods, while organic beef had fewer antibiotic resistant bacteria. David Haytowitz, a nutritionist at the US Depar tment of Agriculture, stressed that comparing organic and conventional products was complicated.”It is very difficult to make a comparison because there are so many variables affecting the nutrient content of a crop: the growing location, the controlled practices etc,” he stressed. So “unless you do a peer study where you plant a particular crop organic and conventional side by side and be sure there is no cross contamination,” the comparison really is not a simple one. David Schardt, chief nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, however said that could be beside the point. In his view, Americans choose organic foods for a range of reasons. “Most people who start eating organic food do so to avoid pesticide or other contaminants in the food,” Schardt told AFP. That makes sense to Christine Bushway, head of the Organic Trade Association. “Even though the pesticide and contaminants in conventional food remain technically at safe levels it still make sense for those families with kids or with expecting mothers to avoid them and choose organic,” he stressed. “The (Stanford report) says organic food has 30% less pesticide and that is what the consumers is concerned about,” she said.— AFP

French judge orders release of jailed implant firm boss MARSEILLE: A French judge yesterday ordered the release of the founder of breast implant company PIP, which sparked a global health scare over potentially faulty products, after eight months in preventive detention.

Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) boss Jean-Claude Mas, 73, was ordered released but will be “placed under judicial supervision,” his lawyer Yves Haddad said, adding that he would be freed later Monday.

Mas-who is due to go on trial in April-will have his movements restricted and is barred from meeting Claude Couty, his former right-hand man at the company. He will also have to make weekly visits to the police station in the small southern coastal town of Six-Fours-les-Plages, where he has a home.

Mas was jailed at Marseille’s Baumette prison for four months in March, after refusing to pay bail. He was charged in January with causing grievous bodily harm after the scandal erupted. Mas was due to be released in July but his detention was extended by another four months, basically over fears that he could skip the country. The period of provisional detention was to run out on November 4.

Philippe Courtois, who represents more than 2,300 women who received PIP implants, said the risk of Mas fleeing the country “still exists” but added: “I am however confident of the French judicial system.” PIP shut down in 2010 after it was revealed to have been using substandard industrial-grade silicone gel.

Between 400,000 and 500,000 women in 65 countriesincluding 30,000 in France alone-are believed to have implants from PIP, once the world’s third-largest silicone implant producer.

Mas, a former travelling salesman who got his start in the medical business by selling pharmaceuticals, founded PIP in 1991 to take advantage of the booming market for cosmetic implants. He reportedly told investigators that he used fake business data to fool health inspectors.

Industrial-grade gel was used in 75 percent of PIP breast implants, saving the company about one million euros ($1.3 million) a year, according to a former company executive.

Mas and four other former PIP officials are due to go on trial from April 17 to May 14 next year in a keenly awaited trial that will involve about 180 lawyers and some 4,600 plaintiffs.

French officials have said that cancers, including cases of breast cancer, has been detected in 20 French women with the implants, but have insisted there is no proven link.

British health authorities said in a final report in June that the silicone gel filler used inside the implants were not toxic and did not increase the risk of breast cancer.

But the experts warned that the implants, which used industrial-grade silicone gel intended for use in mattresses, are twice as likely to rupture as other brands.

The report said PIP implants have a 15 percent to 30 percent chance of rupturing after ten years, compared to 10 percent to 14 percent for other brands. — AFP

SINGAPORE: ‘Kai Kai’, a male panda from China, walks around its enclosure during a media preview at the River Safari yesterday. —AFP

BANGKOK: A Thai water buffalo rider loses his balance as he competes at an annual water buffalo race in Chonburi Province south of Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. The annual race is a celebration among rice farmers before harvesting rice. — AP

Two-thirds of Australians are overweight: Study SYDNEY: Two-thirds of Australia’s adult population are overweight or obese, a key study found yesterday, with rates continuing to climb despite a drop in smoking and drinking.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said people were continuing to pile on the kilos despite other findings indicating a switch to healthier habits.

The study found 63.4 percent of the population are now classified as overweight or obese-an increase of more than two percentage points from four years ago.

“The proportion of overweight adult Australians has increased by more than two percentage points, meaning that nearly two-thirds of the population are now classified as overweight or obese,” said ABS statistician Paul Jelfs.

The figure compares to 56.3 percent in 1995 and 61.2 percent in 2007-08. Jelfs said the 2011-12 Australian Health Survey of 33,500 people found that 70.3 percent of men and 56.2 percent of women were losing what he called the “battle of the bulge”, with one-quarter of children also classed as overweight.

The survey, described by ABS as the “largest check-up on the nation’s health ever undertaken”, calculated whether or not people were too heavy using the Body Mass Index system. The formula for calculating a person’s BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. The resulting number then tells researchers

whether the individual is overweight for their height.

Australia is ranked fifth among advanced nations in terms of obesity after the United States, Mexico, New Zealand and Chile, according to the OECD. Despite the worrying trend for increasing obesity, Jelfs said the survey did throw up some heartening findings.

The number of daily smokers fell almost three percentage points in the past four years, to 16.3 percent, or 2.8 million smokers, out of a population of nearly 23 million.

The rate was 18.9 percent in the 2007-08 survey and 22.4 percent back in 2001.

Australia won a High Court battle with major cigarette firms this year to become the first country in the world to mandate plain packaging for tobacco products in a bid to curb smoking and related health costs.

It is also trying to reduce binge-drinking through a combination of shock advertising campaigns and taxation, with a government report due to be released in coming weeks on the potential introduction of a floor price on alcohol. Jelfs said the number of adults consuming more than two standard drinks a day had dropped 1.4 percentage points in four years, but was still a relatively high 19.5 percent. Australian guidelines recommend having no more than two standard drinks a day to reduce the longtime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury. — AFP

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

Flavonoids may help protect against cancer Plant compounds tied to less stomach cancer in women

PERTH: This Australian National University (ANU) handout photo released yesterday shows a six-centimetre (two-inch) long “Ctenotus ora” or the coastal plains skink, sitting on rock. Scientists announced yesterday the discovery of the new species of lizard “Ctenotus ora”, fighting to survive among the sand dunes outside Perth in Western Australia. — AFP

New species of lizard found in Australia SYDNEY: Scientists announced yesterday the discovery of a new species of lizard fighting to survive among the sand dunes outside Perth in Western Australia.

They fear it is only a matter of time before the six-centimetre (two-inch) long Ctenotus ora, or the coastal plains skink, will be extinct with urban sprawl rapidly closing in. The discovery, detailed in the journal Zootaxa, took place during research south of the city to determine the levels of biological diversity in southwestern Australia. “ The discovery of a new species is a momentous occasion in science,” said Geoffrey Kay, an ecologist from the Australian National University who found the lizard with colleague Scott Keogh.

“To find something as yet undetected, so close to one of the country’s largest cities, demonstrates how much we’ve still got to discover.”

But he warned of the real threat to the reptile. “Although it’s a fantastic discovery, it’s poor cause for celebration. Our new lizard is under serious risk of being erased just as sud-

denly as it appeared to us,” he said. “Only a few of these lizards have ever been found in the wild, so while we know numbers are low, we are not sure of the exact size of the remaining population.”

The small stretch of sand the brown and white skink calls home is steadily being concreted.

“Developments along the coastline near Perth need to consider this new lizard and potentially a large number of other species yet to be discovered in this diverse part of the world,” added Kay. Southwestern Australia is recognised as one of the top 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world, alongside places such as Madagascar, the tropical jungles of West Africa, and Brazil’s Cerrado. “We’ve known for a long time that the southwest has an outstanding diversity of plants, as exhibited by its stunning wildflowers,” said Kay. “But only now with this research are we seeing that the level of diversity in animals, in particular reptiles, is far deeper and more extreme than we previously imagined.” — AFP

NEW YORK: Getting a moderate amount of plant substances called flavonoids through food may be linked to a lower stomach cancer risk in women but not in men, according to a European study. The researchers, writing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that women with the highest intake of flavonoids were half as likely to develop the disease as women who had the smallest intake.

“A flavonoid-rich diet is based on plant-based foods (such as) fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, nuts, legumes, and their derived products (tea, chocolate, wine),” lead author Raul Zamora-Ros told Reuters Health by email.

“This kind of diet combined with less consumption of red and processed meat can be a good way to reduce the risk of developing stomach cancer,” added Zamora-Ros, a researcher at the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Spain.

The findings don’t prove that flavonoids alone can ward off the disease, because other factors

such as a healthier lifestyle may play a role. The researchers not that past research has hinted that flavonoids may help protect against cancer, but few studies have focused on stomach cancer - the fourth most common, and the second most deadly, according to Zamora-Ros. For the study, the researchers turned to ongoing research following almost 500,000 men and women in 10 European countries. All of the participants were between 35 and 70 years old, and had been part of the study for about 11 years.

During that time, there were 683 cases of stomach cancer, of which 288 occurred in women. The researchers analyzed the participants’ food diaries to see how many flavonoids they are on average, then they checked to see whether or not that amount was linked to the participant’s cancer risk.

Green tea contains a large amount of flavonoids, with more than 12,511 milligrams (mg) per 100 grams (g) of leaves. Pinto beans also contain a lot, with about 769 mg per 100 g of beans.

Women who got more than 580 mg of flavonoids per day had a 51-percent-lower risk of developing stomach cancer than women who consumed no more than 200 mg a day. “If you look at absolute numbers, this risk reduction probably wouldn’t be as significant as if we were talking about colon cancer,” said Richard peek, director of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, who was not involved in the study.

Zamora-Ros said a person’s exact risk depends on several factors, including whether they smoke and drink, how much red and processed meat they eat, and whether they are obese. He added that the absence of a link between flavonoids and stomach cancer in men was a surprise, and might be due to differences in how much they smoke or drink, or to hormonal differences.

Overall, he added, the study adds more evidence that “healthy lifestyles reduce the risk of chronic diseases.” — Reuters

New test to improve HIV diagnosis in poor countries LONDON: Scientists have come up with a test for the virus that causes AIDS that is ten times more sensitive and a fraction of the cost of existing methods, offering the promise of better diagnosis and treatment in the developing world. The test uses nanotechnology to give a result that can be seen with the naked eye by turning a sample red or blue, according to research from scientists at Imperial College in London published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. “Our approach affords for improved sensitivity, does not require sophisticated instrumentation and it is ten times cheaper,” Molly Stevens, who led the research, told Reuters.

Simple and quick HIV tests that analyze saliva already exist but they can only pick up the virus when it reaches relatively high concentrations in the body. “We would be able to detect infection even in those cases where previous methods,

such as the saliva test, were rendering a ‘false negative’ because the viral load was too low to be detected,” she said. The test could also be reconfigured to detect other diseases, such as sepsis, Leishmaniasis, Tuberculosis and malaria, Stevens said.

Testing is not only crucial in picking up the HIV virus early but also for monitoring the effectiveness of treatments. “Unfortunately, the existing gold standard detection methods can be too expensive to be implemented in parts of the world where resources are scarce,” Stevens said.

According to 2010 data from the World Health Organisation, about 23 million people living with HIV are in Sub-Saharan Africa out of a worldwide total of 34 million.

The virus is also spreading faster and killing more people in this part of the world. SubSaharan Arica accounted for 1.9 million new cases

out of a global total of 2.7 million in the same year, and 1.2 million out of the 1.8 million deaths.

The new sensor works by testing serum, a clear watery fluid derived from blood samples, in a disposable container for the presence of an HIV biomarker called p24. If p24 is present, even in minute concentrations, it causes the tiny gold nanoparticles to clump together in an irregular pattern that turns the solution blue. A negative result separates them into ball shapes that generate a red color. The researchers also used the test to pick up the biomarker for prostate cancer called Prostate Specific Antigen, which was the target of previous work that Stevens did with collaborators at University of Vigo in Spain. That sensor used tiny gold stars laden with antibodies that latched onto the marker in a sample and produced a silver coating that could be detected with microscopes.— Reuters

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

WHAT’S ON

Kuwait National Guard at AUK SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! This summer, let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

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Indian Embassy Announcements

he Office of Public Affairs at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) hosted an informative lecture about the Kuwait National Guard (KNG) on October, 24 titled “Contemporary Concepts of Human Resources and their Applications in the Military Sector”. The lecture was presented by Colonel Faisal Abdullah Al-Jurrayed, Director of Human Resources at KNG, where he addressed the history of KNG, examples of their missions, and the development of their HR practices.

The lecture started with an introductory video over-viewing KNG as a government mili-

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tary organization and its role among other public security bodies in Kuwait. Colonel AlJurrayed pointed out that “the

National Guard plays a back-up role supporting the police and the armed forces whenever there is a necessity”. This

Colonel Al-Jurrayed explaining the missions of KNG.

includes safeguarding vital establishments that require security standards beyond what the Ministry of Interior can provide.

Another aspect of their work, according to Colonel AlJurrayed, deals with training the KNG officers on the vital professions in Kuwait, especially in the sectors dominated by foreign labor. This is done regularly to compensate for any labor deficit in emergency situations. In addition, Colonel AlJurrayed pointed out some of the areas they focus on as an HR department to raise the level of competency of their officers. These include, training

workshops, exhibitions, conferences and scientific research activities.

Most of the questions AUK students directed to Colonel Al-Jurrayed at the end of his presentation were centered on the employment criteria at KNG. According to Colonel AlJurrayed, joining KNG is done on a voluntary basis. Ranks of the officers are determined based on their degrees and academic qualifications, with priority given to IT, engineering, medicine, and management graduates.

Indian Embassy passport and visa Passports and visa applications can be deposited at the two outsourced centers of M/S BLS Ltd at Sharq and Fahaheel. Details are available at www.bls-international.com and www.indembkwt.org.

Consular Open House Consular Wing is providing daily service of Open House to Indian citizens on all workings days from 1000 hrs to 1100 hrs and from 1430 hrs to 1530 hrs by the Consular Officer in the Meeting Room of the Consular Hall at the Embassy. For any unaddressed issues, Second Secretary (Consular) can be contacted. Furthermore, the head of the Consular Wing is also available to redress grievances.

Indian workers helpline/helpdesk Indian workers helpline is accessible by toll free telephone number 25674163 from all over Kuwait.

It provides information and advice to Indian workers as regards their grievances, immigration and other matters. The help desk at the Embassy (Open from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 4:30PM, Sunday to Thursday) provides guidance to Indian nationals on routine immigration, employment, legal and other issues. It also provides workers assistance in filling up labour complaint forms. For any unaddressed issues, the concerned attachÈ in the Labour section and the head of the Labour Wing can be contacted.

Legal Advice Clinic Free legal advice is provided on matters pertaining to labour disputes, terms of contracts with employers, death/accident compensation, withholding of dues by employers, etc. by lawyers on our panel, to Indian nationals on all working days between 1500hrs to 1600hrs.

Ambassador’s Open House The Open House for Indian citizens by the Ambassador is being held on all Wednesdays at the Embassy for redressal of grievances. In case Wednesday is an Embassy holiday, the meeting will be held on the next working day.

Jalalabad Association meets Bangladesh National Assembly head alalabad Social Welfare Association (Jalalabad Association) Kuwait chapter met the visiting chief whip of the national assembly of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh who stopped over in Kuwait on his way to Bangladesh from Europe.

Delegate of Jalalabad Association headed by the President Alhaj A. Mumin Chowdhury made a complementary meeting with chief whip Md Abdus Shahid and his wife at Safir International Hotel, Kuwait. The guest expressed his deep feelings about such kind of compliments. Md Abdus Shahid who is very much concerned about the present political environment in Bangladesh and a veteran parliamentarian talked about the national development in different sector during almost four year completion of the present government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Chief advisor of Jalalabad Association Abdul Khaleque Chowdhury member of the advisory council Abdul hay Mamun, general secretary Mainul Al-Islam, Vice President M Faysal Ahmod, Alim uddin, Bahar uddin Bablu, Sheikh Liton, Shihab Ahmod, M Salam, Akhlakuzzaman Munna, Mainul Islam, Shahab uddin Shahln and Salauddin were the accompanying members of delegation.

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LOA holds open day for students he eve of October 18, 2012 was blessed with the fabulous Open Day program at Learners Own Academy (LOA), conducted by Classes 4 and 5.

The well arranged and decorated auditorium was filled by the enthusiastic parents and well wishers of the institution by around 6 pm. Towards the commencement of the program, it was really awesome to see the highly talented and confident anchors on the stage in their elegant costume.

The event came to its beginning with the recital of Holy Quran and prayer in English which invited the blessings of the Almighty throughout the program, this was followed by National Anthems of Kuwait and India as a tribute to both the nations.

The melodious welcome song was performed by the well trained students and proved to be impressive to the august gathering. The unique orchestra team did a wonderful job with their ‘Titanic Music’. This was followed by the enchanting welcome dance performed by the highly talented dancers provided an enriched visual treat to the special gathering.

The guest of honor of the day Anju Dheman, Principal of Fahaheel Al-Watania Indian

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Private School commonly known as Delhi Public School added elegance to the function by inaugurating the same by lighting the lamp of knowledge. The principal of Indian Learners Own academy Asha Sharma introduced and welcomed the distinguished guest which was followed by the

moment of great pride and inspiration when she said that this institution was successful enough in producing many international toppers for various international examinations.

Another great achievement of LOA is in the field of sports, as the first and second position has

scholars, the pride of the institution were invited to the stage and congratulated on their achievements by the beloved chief guest. This was followed by the release of the second Annual Journal of the LOA ‘The Learners Quest’. The distinguished Chief Guest of the day Anju Dheman

presentation of the annual report in which she highlighted the tremendous achievements of the school in short span of time which proved the saying that “Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.”

In her admirable speech, she mentioned that the selection of the students to the institution is done strictly on the basis of admission tests to ensure quality training and education. It was a

been bagged by the tennis team of the school in the Inter School games and sports for Kuwait cluster. To add to the pride and happiness of the institution, the principal in her speech mentioned that the students of senior classes will appear for the board examination this year and the school is well prepared for the same.

As it was time for the prize distribution, the multi talented

was called upon the stage to enrich the audience by her valuable speech. She expressed her impression in LOA’s great achievements and appreciated all the participants in exhibiting their excellence within short period of practice and preparation.

The class wise programmes started with the patriotic Tableau by the students of IV A, they were dressed up tri-colour to exhibit their creative ideas. A wonderful

musical skit in English was presented by students of class IV B on the theme ‘Motherhood’. This was followed by the Tamil folk dance by class IV C, which highlighted the culture and tradition of the state of Tamil Nadu.

The French dance a unique item of the show had a touch of Western Culture. The next cultural item was the Arabic dance, the soul of the Arabian lands added extra vigor to the event. The mind blowing ‘Bhangra’ a typical dance of the state of Punjab was presented by the young artists of class V A entertained the crowd with their rhythmic movements.

The next item, the Dhandia of Gujarat proved to be a visual delight to the audience and was accepted with a huge applause.

Another attractive and colourful item of the state, the Gujarati folk dance by class V C impressed the thrilled audience by their beautiful presentation and colourful costume. The visual treat of the day came to an end with the hearty vote of thanks by Leo of class V B. The entertained crowd left the auditorium with everlasting memory of the fiesta in their minds.

Patriotic songs competitions ndo-Kuwait Friendship Society, Kuwait (www.indokuwaitfriendshipsociety.com) is planning to conduct competitions in Indian and Kuwaiti Patriotic songs. This is the first time in Kuwait, an Indian Association is organizing contests in “Patriotic Songs” for both Indian and Kuwaiti School students. The first 3 places will be declared separately by Judges who are experts in Indian and Kuwaiti Patriotic songs. Several prizes and awards will be handed over for the winning schools. Pradeep Rajkumar and A K S Abdul Nazar said that IKFS wants let our children learn what they mean as a “Patriotic” to their home country. 4 pages of spot Essay competition related to “Patriotism” also will be held in the same day as a spot registration. 1 girl and 1 boy student from each school can participate in the essay contest. Dr Mohamed Tareq, Chairman of the First Indian Model School in Kuwait “ Salmiya Indian Model School (SIMS) already confirmed as a Co-Sponsor of the Program.

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Visiting Indian minister meets Principals of Indian schools Ahamed, Minister of State for External Affairs and for Human Resource Development, who was in Kuwait for the 1st Asian Cooperation Dialogue Summit, met the Principals of Indian schools in Kuwait on 15th

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October 2012 in the Embassy of India.

The principals utilized the opportunity to brief E. Ahamed about the functioning of their schools and discussed issues of concern to them.

Mrs Anju Dheman, Principal,

Fahaheel Al-Watanieh Indian Private School, on behalf of all CBSE schools, raised the problems faced by foreign students because of change in the format of class X certificate by CBSE. E. Ahamed immediately took up the matter with the Chairman of

Farewell to Vankeepuram

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

ankeepuram Sriman Sathyanarayanan is leaving Kuwait for good. A befitting farewell was arrange by Tiruvenkatam group on the occasion of Sri Manavaala Maamunigal Thirunakshathram held in Sri P T Narayanan’s house on October 20.

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CBSE who assured the issues would be addressed promptly.

E. Ahamed suggested that Principals and teachers of Indian schools in Kuwait should visit India to meet with their counterparts in India to exchange ideas and share best

practices and students from Indian schools in Kuwait should visit India on student exchange programmes. The Principals thanked E. Ahamed for his useful advice and assured that they would act on these.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

WHAT’S ON

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department.

All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office).

In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

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EMBASSY OF CANADA The Canadian Embassy in Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visa and immigration matters including enquiries is conducted by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE Individuals who are interested in working, studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St, Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 7:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed for lunch from 12:30 to 13:00. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday.

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INJAZ conducts EMC at KNES ear 9 and 10 students of Kuwait National English School (KNES) took part in the Entrepreneurial Master Class [EMC] organized by INJAZ. The event was held in the school theatre on October 9. INJAZ, Kuwait set up the program with the objective to teach students the skills and attitude necessary to be self-employed.

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The students were introduced to entrepreneurship by the facilitator of the event Mohammed Khalil and assisted by a team of INJAZ volunteers as well as volunteers from Al-Ghanim. The students presented the company they had set up and were judged by a panel of eminent personalities that included Jean Clary from Al Ghanim, Rana Al

Nibari, CEO INJAZ, Kuwait and Alastair Hannay Principal of KNES. The students had a great opportunity to learn the basics of business start-ups and setting up business plans and they were very creative. The judges were impressed by the business ideas that were initiated by the students. Students were divided into five groups and at the

end of the competition the winners were chosen by the judges. KNES Director Madame Chantal Al Gharabally gave away the trophies to the winners while congratulating them for displaying good business acumen.

Starbucks staff participating with ESF students.

Starbucks holds art event at ESF he English School Fahaheel (ESF) has a long tradition of working with the community and arranging events that focus around these beliefs. Al Shaya Starbucks in keeping with their tradition of working with the community very kindly offered to

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hold an art related event at ESF recently.

The event involved art students painting important murials on the walls of the new covered play areas at ESF. They were accompanied by Starbucks staff and ESF IGCSE art students. Students thoroughly enjoyed

the event and saw it as an opportunity to further their art skills. At the end of the day Starbucks staff offered delicious snacks and a cold beverage to all participants.

EMBASSY OF CYPRUS In its capacity as EU Local Presidency in the State of Kuwait, the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of the Member States of the EU and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, would like to announce that as from 2nd October 2012 all Schengen States’ Consulates in Kuwait will use the Visa Information System (VIS). The VIS is a central database for the exchange of data on short-stay (up to three months) visas between Schengen States. The main objectives of the VIS are to facilitate visa application procedures and checks at external border as well as to enhance security. The VIS will contain all the Schengen visa applications lodged by an applicant over five years and the decisions taken by any Schengen State’s consulate. This will allow applicants to establish more easily the lawful use of previous visas and their bona fide status. For the purpose of the VIS, applicants will be required to provide their biometric data (fingerprints and digital photos) when applying for a Schengen visa. It is a simple and discreet procedure that only takes a few minutes. Biometric data, along with the data provided in the Schengen visa application form, will be recorded in the VIS central database. Therefore, as from 2nd October 2012, first-time applicants will have to appear in person when lodging the application, in order to provide their fingerprints. For subsequent applications within 5 years the fingerprints can be copied from the previous application file in the VIS. The Cypriot Presidency would like to assure the people of Kuwait and all its permanent citizens that the Member States and associated States participating in the Schengen cooperation, have taken all necessary technical measures to facilitate the rapid examination and the efficient processing of visa applications and to ensure a quick and discreet procedure for the implementation of the new VIS. ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on the following days during the month of November 2012: Nov 13, 2012 - Tuesday - Deepawali Nov 25, 2012 - Sunday - Muharram ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF PERU The Embassy of Peru is located in Sharq, Ahmed Al Jaber Street, Al Arabiya Tower, 6th Floor. Working days / hours: SundayThursday /9 am - 4 pm. Residents in Kuwait interested in getting a visa to travel to Peru and companies attracted to invest in Peru are invited to visit the permanent exposition room located in the Embassy. For more information, please contact: (+965) 22267250/1.

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EMBASSY OF UKRAINE

IES students top again at ASSET exams ndian Education School Bhavans Kuwait celebrated its three years of ASSET last Wednesday, Oct 10. Bhavans participated in ASSET for the first time in 2010 and since then had been the one of the most active participant of the ASSET exam and one of the best schools internationally who has performed excellently every year in each session. They have an international topper every winter. This year Duvvuri R Pratyusha stood in the international toppers of ASSET for the second time. She was awarded a book and medal. Pratyusha said that it is not about getting medals and awards in ASSET but ASSET is such a plat-

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form where we can learn our weakness and strengths which help us to exceed in our study and well in our exams.

Principal T Premkumar also said that the school shares some very good memories with ASSET and it has helped them in pinpointing the learning gaps among students and has also helped their students to focus on weaker areas and to mark their strength. He also said ASSET is not a recognization for them but it is year by process which helps in improving education among children. Educational Initiatives makers of ASSET honored the principal with mementos. They also honored the

ASSET coordinator, Sheeba Balraj with certificates and rewards. For all her hard work and for motivating ASSET among students.

Educational advisor said there are some very sweet memories associated with Bhavans and the feedback from the school has helped her in improving ASSET to a greater extent.

Assessment of Scholastic Skills through Educational Testing (ASSET), is a skilled based diagnostic test which pinpoints the student’s strength and weaknesses. ASSET has been conducted by Educational Initiatives (EI), an Ahmedabad - based research organization, founded by a group

of IIM whose mission is to develop and offer products and services based on research in assessment, offerings that will clearly pinpoint what students are learning, give insights into the learning process and provide concrete ways to improve learning. EI’s vision is a world where children everywhere are learning with understanding. Over 2,500 leading schools and above 350,000 students across the world are participating regularly in ASSET. ASSET is ranked number one in India and the seventh in the world.

The Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait would like to remind that the external polling station No 90046 was created in the Embassy’s premises at the following address: Hawalli, Jabriya, bl.10, str. 6, build. 5. The working hours of the polling station: Sunday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Monday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Tuesday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Wednesday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Thursday from 13.00 to 17.00 pm; Friday from 10.00 to 13.00 pm; Saturday from 10.00 to 13.00 pm On October 28, 2012 the working hours of the polling station from 8.00 am to 20.00 pm. Please be advised to refer to the Embassy to check your data in the Electoral Register as well as to pick up your personal invitation from the polling station if you did not receive this document by post.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

TV PROGRAMS

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

Animal Cops Phoenix Your Worst Animal Nightmares I’m Alive Cats 101 Bad Dog Wildest Africa Predator’s Prey Escape To Chimp Eden Safari Vet School Safari Vet School Wildlife SOS Talk To The Animals Baby Planet Cats 101 Must Love Cats Wildest Africa World Wild Vet Wild Africa Rescue Wild Africa Rescue Wildlife SOS Shamwari: A Wild Life Animal Cops Houston Wildest Africa Escape To Chimp Eden Talk To The Animals Bad Dog Growing Up...

Cats 101 Wildlife SOS Shamwari: A Wild Life Predator’s Prey Escape To Chimp Eden Wildest Africa Sharkman Safari Vet School

23:50 Animal Cops Houston 00:00 Extreme Makeover: Edition 00:45 Gok’s Fashion Fix 01:30 Antiques Roadshow 02:25 Gok’s Fashion Fix 03:15 Gok’s Fashion Fix 04:10 Living In The Sun 05:00 MasterChef 05:25 Saturday Kitchen 05:55 Living In The Sun 06:50 MasterChef 07:40 Saturday Kitchen 08:10 MasterChef Australia 09:00 MasterChef Australia 09:25 Gok’s Fashion Fix 10:15 Gok’s Fashion Fix 11:05 Bargain Hunt 11:55 Antiques Roadshow 12:45 Extreme Makeover: Edition 13:30 Gok’s Fashion Fix 14:20 Holmes On Homes 15:05 Holmes On Homes 15:50 Bargain Hunt 16:35 Antiques Roadshow 17:30 Extreme Makeover: Edition 18:10 Gok’s Fashion Fix 19:00 French Food At Home 19:25 French Food At Home 19:50 Rhodes Across China 20:40 A Taste Of Greenland 21:35 Extreme Makeover: Edition 22:20 Antiques Roadshow 23:15 Bargain Hunt

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

Around The World In 80 Ways Deadliest Catch An Idiot Abroad Mythbusters Border Security Dirty Money Auction Kings How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Extreme Fishing Street Customs Mythbusters Ultimate Survival Border Security Dirty Money How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Around The World In 80 Ways Deadliest Catch River Monsters: Killer Catfish Border Security Dirty Money Auction Kings Ultimate Survival Street Customs Extreme Fishing Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How It’s Made Border Security Dirty Money Auction Kings You Have Been Warned Body Invaders Rattlesnake Republic

23:20 Surviving Disaster 00:40 Prank Science 01:05 Prank Science 01:35 Building The Biggest 02:25 Things That Move 02:50 Things That Move 03:15 Meteorite Men 04:05 The Gadget Show 04:35 Prank Science 05:00 Prank Science 05:25 Race To Mars 06:15 Punkin Chunkin 2010 07:05 Building The Biggest 08:00 Things That Move 08:25 Things That Move 08:50 Meteorite Men 09:40 Head Rush 09:43 Tech Toys 360 10:12 Patent Bending 10:40 Race To Mars 11:30 The Gadget Show 11:55 The Gadget Show 12:20 Building The Biggest 13:10 Punkin Chunkin 2010 14:00 Things That Move 14:25 Things That Move 14:50 Meteorite Men 15:45 Race To Mars 16:35 The Gadget Show 17:00 Head Rush 17:03 Tech Toys 360 17:32 Patent Bending 18:00 Building The Biggest 18:50 Cosmic Collisions 19:40 Punkin Chunkin 2010 20:30 Build It Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg 21:20 Moon Machines

22:10 The Gadget Show 22:35 The Gadget Show 23:00 Build It Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg 23:50 Moon Machines 20:20 Bang Goes The Theory 00:20 00:35 00:50 01:15 01:40 01:55 02:10 02:30 02:55 Pooh 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:20 04:40 05:05 Pooh 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:15 06:30 06:50 07:00 07:15 07:30 07:45 08:00 08:15 08:45 09:10 09:20 09:35 09:50 10:05 10:15 Pooh 10:20 10:35 10:45 10:55 11:20 Pooh 11:45 12:10 12:35 13:00 Pooh 13:10 13:25 13:40 14:05 14:15 14:30 14:55 15:20 Pooh 15:45 16:00 16:15 16:25 16:55 17:20 17:30 17:45 18:10 18:40 18:55 19:10 19:20 19:35 20:00 20:05 20:25 20:40 Pooh 21:05 21:20 21:30 Pooh 21:35 21:40 21:45 22:00 22:25 22:40 22:55 Pooh 23:20 23:30 23:45 23:55

Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Lazytown Little Einsteins Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Special Agent Oso Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Lazytown Little Einsteins Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Special Agent Oso Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Lazytown Little Einsteins Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse The Hive Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jake & The Neverland Pirates Handy Manny The Hive Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Mouk Mouk The Hive Mickey Mouse Clubhouse New Adventures Of Winnie The Art Attack Imagination Movers Lazytown Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Handy Manny Jungle Junction Imagination Movers The Hive Special Agent Oso Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse New Adventures Of Winnie The Jake & The Neverland Pirates Mouk The Hive Imagination Movers Lazytown Jungle Junction Mouk Art Attack Lazytown Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Hive Mouk Imagination Movers A Poem Is...

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jungle Junction New Adventures Of Winnie The Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Hive Mini Adventures Of Winnie The A Poem Is...

A Poem Is...

Mouk Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Special Agent Oso New Adventures Of Winnie The Timmy Time Jungle Junction Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

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

00:15 00:40 01:05 01:30 01:55 02:20 02:45 03:10 03:35 04:00 04:25 04:50 05:15

Enfusion Aiya TV Aiya TV Pro Bull Riders 2011 World Combat League TNA: Greatest Matches Dragrace High Dragrace High Enfusion Pro Bull Riders 2011 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2009 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2009 Tread BMX Tread BMX Best Of The Streets Best Of The Streets Winter Dew Tour 10/11 Fantasy Factory Fantasy Factory Pro Bull Riders 2011 Mantracker I’ll Do Anything World Combat League Fantasy Factory Fantasy Factory Tread BMX Tread BMX Best Of The Streets Best Of The Streets Mantracker Pro Bull Riders 2011 I’ll Do Anything World Combat League Dragrace High Dragrace High TNA: Greatest Matches

Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam Guy’s Big Bite Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco World Cafe Asia World Cafe Asia Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Guy’s Big Bite

05:40 Outrageous Food 06:05 Unique Sweets 06:30 Food Network Challenge Special 07:10 Barefoot Contessa 07:35 Barefoot Contessa 08:00 Halloween Wars 08:50 Barefoot Contessa 09:15 Barefoot Contessa 09:40 Unique Sweets 10:05 Charly’s Cake Angels 10:30 Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco 10:55 Cooking For Real 11:20 Cooking For Real 11:45 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 12:10 Unwrapped 12:35 United Tastes Of America 13:00 Food Network Challenge 13:50 Guy’s Big Bite 14:15 Cooking For Real 14:40 Barefoot Contessa 15:05 Barefoot Contessa 15:30 Unique Sweets 15:55 Charly’s Cake Angels 16:20 Jenny Morris Cooks Morocco 16:45 Food(Ography) 17:35 Barefoot Contessa 18:00 Barefoot Contessa 18:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 19:15 Guy’s Big Bite 19:40 Staten Island Cakes 20:30 Food Network Challenge 21:20 Halloween Wars 22:10 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 22:35 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:00 Guy’s Big Bite 23:25 Guy’s Big Bite 23:50 Grill It! With Bobby Flay

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

Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab A Haunting Deadly Women Scorned: Crimes Of Passion Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab A Haunting Disappeared Mystery ER Street Patrol Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Murder Shift Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Murder Shift Disappeared Forensic Detectives Street Patrol On The Case With Paula Zahn Stalked: Someone’s Watching Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill Fatal Encounters Killer Kids

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

One Man & His Campervan Roam Travel Madness Dive Detectives Hugh’s Three Hungry Boys Perilous Journeys Extreme Tourist Afghanistan Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Food Lover’s Guide To The Food School One Man & His Campervan One Man & His Campervan Roam Travel Madness Dive Detectives Hugh’s Three Hungry Boys Perilous Journeys Extreme Tourist Afghanistan Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Food School David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway One Man & His Campervan One Man & His Campervan Roam Travel Madness Dive Detectives Hugh’s Three Hungry Boys Banged Up Abroad Extreme Tourist Afghanistan One Man & His Campervan One Man & His Campervan Food School David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Food School Food School David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 3

23:00 Naked Science 00:00 Ultimate Predators GPU 01:00 Fish Warrior 01:55 Nordic Wild 02:50 Animal Underworld 03:45 Big Baboon House 04:40 The Living Edens 05:35 The Megafalls Of Iguacu 06:30 Nordic Wild 07:25 Animal Underworld 08:20 Big Baboon House 09:15 Zoo Confidential 10:10 Dangerous Encounters 11:05 Rescue Ink 12:00 Monster Fish 13:00 Africa’s Lost Eden 14:00 Animal Underworld 15:00 Big Baboon House 16:00 Zoo Confidential 17:00 Dangerous Encounters 18:00 Rescue Ink 19:00 Nordic Wild 20:00 Animal Underworld 21:00 Big Baboon House 22:00 Zoo Confidential 23:00 Dangerous Encounters22:00 Zoo Confidential 23:00 Dangerous Encounters 00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:15

The Running Man-18 Seventh Moon-18 The Clinic-18 Hidalgo-PG15 Rocky v-PG15

10:00 PG15 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 20:00 22:00

True Justice: Brotherhood-

KUWAIT

Twins Mission-PG15 Rocky v-PG15 Shanghai Noon-PG15 Twins Mission-PG15 Rollerball-18 Reign Of Fire-PG15 Fighting-PG15 Homecoming-18

00:00 Melissa & Joey 03:00 Happy Endings 03:30 Hot In Cleveland 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:30 Happy Endings 10:00 New Girl 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 14:00 Hot In Cleveland 14:30 New Girl 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Fall on 00:00 01:00 02:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Fairly Legal Boardwalk Empire The Newsroom House Revenge Fairly Legal Emmerdale Coronation Street Royal Pains The Ellen DeGeneres Show Revenge House Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Royal Pains Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Royal Pains Grey’s Anatomy Private Practice Homeland Breaking Bad Grimm23:00 Grimm

01:00 02:45 05:15 07:00 PG15 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00 23:00

Bats-18 Carlito’s Way-18 Hackers-PG15 True Justice: Urban WarfareEnter The Phoenix-PG15 Hackers-PG15 Anaconda-PG15 Enter The Phoenix-PG15 Fighting-PG15 Get Rich Or Die Tryin’-18 Reign Of Fire-PG15 The Thaw-PG15 The Morgue-18

00:00 Due Date-PG15 02:00 Old School-18 04:00 The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy-PG 06:00 Little Fockers-PG15 08:00 The Open Road-PG15 10:00 Held Up (1999)-PG15 12:00 The Lightkeepers-PG15 14:00 Prom-PG15 16:00 Held Up (1999)-PG15 18:00 Pieces Of April-PG15 20:00 In Her Shoes-PG15 22:15 Whatever Works-PG15 22:00 Frenemy-18 01:00 The Roommate-PG15 03:00 The Prince And Me 4: The Elephant Adventure-PG15 05:00 Boy-PG15 07:00 The 19th Wife-PG15 09:00 Unanswered Prayers-PG15 10:45 Up Close And Personal-PG 13:00 Alabama Moon-PG15 15:00 Unanswered Prayers-PG15 17:00 The Chamber-PG15 19:00 Elizabethtown-PG15 21:00 Shanghai-PG15 23:00 Posse-18 Square Grouper-18 01:00 The Romantics-PG15 03:00 Ways To Live Forever-PG15 04:45 Lorenzo’s Oil-PG15 07:00 Rio-FAM 09:00 Treasure Buddies-PG 11:00 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Pt.1-PG15 13:30 Justice For Natalee HollowayPG15 15:30 Kings Ransom-PG15 16:30 Treasure Buddies-PG 18:30 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Pt.2-PG15 21:00 Bridesmaids-18 23:15 The American-18

00:00 Free Birds-FAM 02:00 D’fenders-PG 04:00 Blue Elephant 2-FAM 06:00 Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2-PG 08:00 The Nimbols: Part I-FAM 10:00 The Great Bear-PG 12:00 Blue Elephant 2-FAM 14:00 Toyz Goin’Wild-PG 16:00 Return To Halloweentown-PG 18:00 The Great Bear-PG 20:00 Scooby-Doo! Legend Of The Phantosaur-PG15 22:00 Return To Halloweentown-PG 22:15 Resident Evil 4: Afterlife-18 01:00 HSBC World Series 04:00 Currie Cup 06:00 Trans World Sport 07:00 Darts Grand Prix 09:00 Currie Cup 11:00 Trans World Sport 12:00 ICC Cricket 360 12:30 Challenge Series Golf Highlights 13:00 Top 14 15:00 ITM Cup 17:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 18:00 HSBC World Series 21:00 Futbol Mundial 21:30 Currie Cup 23:30 Trans World Sport

KNCC PROGRAM FROM THURSDAY TO WEDNESDAY (25/10/2012 TO 31/10/2012) SHARQIA-1 CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM

SHARQIA-2 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:15 AM

SHARQIA-3 MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

MUHALAB-1 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D NO TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM

MUHALAB-2 THE SWEENEY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

MUHALAB-3 SAMMY 2 (DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) MISS MOMMY (DIG) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-1 LOOPER (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-2 SAMMY 2 (DIG-3D) SAMMY 2 (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:45 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

FANAR-3 FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) RUSH (DIG)(Hindi) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) CHAKRAVYUH (DIG)(Hindi) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:30 PM 4:15 PM 7:00 PM 9:45 PM 12:45 AM

FANAR-4 TAKEN2 :2D MISS MOMMY (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

FANAR-5 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 NO TUE+WED

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

MARINA-1 CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D NO TUE+WED

NO TUE+WED

NO TUE+WED AVENUES-3 MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-4 MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-5 THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 1:00 AM

AVENUES-6 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) 1:00 PM HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) 3:15 PM HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) 5:30 PM HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) 7:45 PM NO SUN (28.10.2012) Special Show “HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D)” for KNPC 7:45 PM SUN (28.10.2012) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) 10:00 PM HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) 12:15 AM NO TUE+WED

360 º- 8 CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:45 PM 6:15 PM 8:45 PM 11:15 PM

360 ∞- 9(VIP-1) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:45 PM 6:15 PM 8:45 PM 11:15 PM

360 º-10(VIP-2) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

360 º- 11 MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

AVENUES-7 LOOPER (DIG) CHAKRAVYUH (DIG)(Hindi) AJAB GAZABB LOVE(DIG) (Hindi) CHAKRAVYUH (DIG)(Hindi) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:45 PM 6:45 PM 9:30 PM 12:30 AM

360 º- 12 MISS MOMMY (DIG) 1:45 PM MISS MOMMY (DIG) 4:00 PM MISS MOMMY (DIG) 6:15 PM NO SAT (27.10.2012) Special Show “HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (DIG-3D)” for KNPC 6:45 PM SAT (27.10.2012) MISS MOMMY (DIG) 8:30 PM MISS MOMMY (DIG) 10:45 PM MISS MOMMY (DIG) 1:00 AM NO TUE+WED

AVENUES-8 TAKEN2 :2D PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

360 º- 13 FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:30 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

AVENUES-9 SAMMY 2 (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) SAMMY 2 (DIG-3D) SAMMY 2 (DIG-3D) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 1:00 AM

360 º- 14 TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D RUSH (DIG)(Hindi) TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D NO TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:00 PM 5:15 PM 7:30 PM 10:00 PM 12:15 AM

AVENUES-10 THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:15 PM 5:45 PM 8:15 PM 10:45 PM 1:15 AM

360 º- 15 AJAB GAZABB LOVE(DIG) (Hindi) CHAKRAVYUH (DIG)(Hindi) AJAB GAZABB LOVE(DIG) (Hindi) CHAKRAVYUH (DIG)(Hindi) CHAKRAVYUH (DIG)(Hindi) NO TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:15 PM 6:15 PM 8:45 PM 11:45 PM

AL-KOUT.1 SAMMY 2 (DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 7:45 PM 10:00 PM 12:05 AM

AL-KOUT.2 MISS MOMMY (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:00 PM 6:15 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AL-KOUT.3 THE SWEENEY (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

AVENUES-11 MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:45 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:30 PM 11:45 PM

360 º- 1 THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 12:05 AM

360 º- 2 LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:30 PM 4:00 PM 6:30 PM 9:00 PM 11:30 PM

12:30 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:05 AM

360 º- 3 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) TAKEN2 :2D NO TUE+WED

2:00 PM 4:15 PM 6:30 PM 8:45 PM 11:00 PM 1:15 AM

AL-KOUT.4 TAKEN2 :2D FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

MARINA-2 MISS MOMMY (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 5:45 PM 8:15 PM 10:15 PM 12:45 AM

360 º- 4 SAMMY 2 (DIG-3D) SAMMY 2 (DIG-3D) SAMMY 2 (DIG-3D) TAKEN2 :2D HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET NO TUE+WED

1:00 PM 3:15 PM 5:30 PM 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 12:30 AM

12:45 PM 2:45 PM 4:45 PM 6:45 PM 8:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:45 AM

MARINA-3 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) MISS MOMMY (DIG) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (DIG-3D) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

BAIRAQ-1 SAMMY 2 (DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) SAMMY 2 (DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA(DIG-3D) TAKEN2 :2D TAKEN2 :2D NO TUE+WED

12:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM 12:30 AM

360 º- 5 THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) NO TUE THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE ILLUSIONAUTS (DIG-3D) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) THE RAID: REDEMPTION(DIG) NO TUE+WED

BAIRAQ-2 MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

AVENUES-1 FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

12:45 PM 3:30 PM 6:15 PM 9:00 PM 12:00 AM

360 º- 6 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 (DIG)

2:30 PM 4:45 PM 7:00 PM 9:15 PM 11:30 PM

1:15 PM 3:30 PM 5:45 PM 8:00 PM 10:15 PM 12:30 AM

360 º- 7 FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG)

BAIRAQ-3 CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) THE SWEENEY (DIG) NO TUE+WED

1:45 PM 4:30 PM 7:15 PM 10:00 PM 12:45 AM

PLAZA MISS MOMMY (DIG) MISS MOMMY (DIG) FOR GREATER GLORY (DIG)

AVENUES-2 CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG)

2:15 PM 4:45 PM 7:15 PM 9:45 PM 12:15 AM

1:30 PM 3:45 PM 6:00 PM 8:15 PM 10:30 PM 12:45 AM

4:00 PM 6:00 PM 8:00 PM

Classifieds TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines SVA KAC KAC KLM JAI THY SVA JZR JZR QTR FDB SVA KAC SVA ETH GFA PIA SVA KAC JZR UAE ETD OMA MEA FDB MSR RJA RBG QTR SVA SVA DHX THY JZR JZR SVA KAC BAW KAC SVA KAC FDB KAC SVA KAC UAE GFA KAC KNE ABY SVA QTR FDB ETD IRA IRA GFA KNE KAC FDB SVA KAC JZR SVA MEA JZR KAC JZR UAE SYR MSR KAC KAC GFA SVA KAC FDB KAC KNE SVA KAC QTR SVA JZR QTR KNE IRC SVA JZR JZR KNE UAE JZR ETD RJA UAL KAC GFA SVA KAC JZR QTR ABY KAC JZR KAC FDB JZR FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC OMA FDB JAI AXB MSR KAC IRA ABY QTR ALK MEA QTR GFA ETD UAE QTR JZR FDB DHX KNE KLM KAC UAL AIC JZR GFA PIA JZR KAC BBC DLH

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 30/10/2012 Flt Route 5134 JEDDAH 2928 JEDDAH 2926 JEDDAH 411 AMSTERDAM 574 MUMBAI 772 ISTANBUL 5142 JEDDAH 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 148 DOHA 8057 DUBAI 5138 JEDDAH 2930 JEDDAH 5146 JEDDAH 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 239 SIALKOT 5104 JEDDAH 2932 JEDDAH 1777 JEDDAH 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 643 MUSCAT 406 BEIRUT 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 642 AMMAN 3553 ALEXANDRIA 138 DOHA 5110 JEDDAH 5122 JEDDAH 170 BAHRAIN 770 ISTANBUL 503 LUXOR 555 ALEXANDRIA 5212 JEDDAH 416 JAKARTA 157 LONDON 412 MANILA 5214 JEDDAH 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 5218 JEDDAH 332 TRIVANDRUM 855 DUBAI 223 BAHRAIN 284 DHAKA 2906 JEDDAH 121 SHARJAH 5222 JEDDAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 617 AHWAZ 605 ISFAHAN 213 BAHRAIN 2912 JEDDAH 2934 JEDDAH 69 DUBAI 5230 JEDDAH 2936 JEDDAH 165 DUBAI 4204 JEDDAH 404 BEIRUT 357 MASHAD 2938 JEDDAH 327 NAJAF 871 DUBAI 341 DAMASCUS 610 CAIRO 2940 JEDDAH 1672 DUBAI 219 BAHRAIN 5208 JEDDAH 514 TEHRAN 57 DUBAI 2942 JEDDAH 472 JEDDAH 500 JEDDAH 546 ALEXANDRIA 140 DOHA 5210 JEDDAH 561 SOHAG 134 DOHA 2908 JEDDAH 6587 MASHAD 5220 JEDDAH 1775 JEDDAH 325 NAJAF 2914 JEDDAH 857 DUBAI 513 SHARM EL SHEIKH 303 ABU DHABI 640 AMMAN 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 2944 JEDDAH 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 2946 JEDDAH 777 JEDDAH 144 DOHA 127 SHARJAH 542 CAIRO 177 DUBAI 786 JEDDAH 63 DUBAI 787 RIYADH 8053 DUBAI 2948 JEDDAH 742 DAMMAM 104 LONDON 674 DUBAI 774 RIYADH 647 MUSCAT 61 DUBAI 572 MUMBAI 393 KOZHIKODE 618 ALEXANDRIA 2950 JEDDAH 619 LAR 129 SHARJAH 146 DOHA 229 COLOMBO 402 BEIRUT 136 DOHA 221 BAHRAIN 307 ABU DHABI 859 DUBAI 6130 DOHA 135 BAHRAIN 59 DUBAI 372 BAHRAIN 2910 JEDDAH 415 AMSTERDAM 2952 JEDDAH 981 BAHRAIN 981 CHENNAI 239 AMMAN 217 BAHRAIN 205 LAHORE 185 DUBAI 2702 MEDINAH 43 DHAKA 636 FRANKFURT

Time 0:10 0:10 0:30 0:30 0:30 0:35 0:40 0:45 0:50 1:00 1:05 1:10 1:30 1:40 1:45 1:50 1:55 2:05 2:30 2:35 2:35 2:45 2:50 3:05 3:05 3:10 3:15 3:25 3:45 4:10 5:10 5:15 5:30 5:55 6:00 6:10 6:25 6:40 6:45 7:10 7:40 7:45 7:55 8:10 8:15 8:40 8:45 8:45 9:05 9:05 9:10 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:25 9:45 9:55 10:05 10:20 10:45 11:10 11:10 11:20 11:40 11:55 12:10 12:20 12:45 12:50 12:55 13:05 13:10 13:35 13:35 13:40 13:45 13:50 14:10 14:10 14:30 14:30 14:35 14:40 14:50 15:30 15:35 15:55 16:10 16:25 16:25 16:35 16:40 16:45 16:50 16:55 17:10 17:10 17:15 17:20 17:20 17:45 17:50 17:55 18:05 18:15 18:30 18:45 19:05 19:05 19:20 19:30 19:35 19:35 19:50 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:30 20:35 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 21:40 21:50 21:50 22:00 22:00 22:05 22:05 22:25 22:25 22:30 22:45 22:50 23:00 23:05 23:15 23:45 23:55

Airlines AIC SVA UAL AXB FDB IRA BBC SVA DLH JAI SVA FDB KLM SVA SVA ETH THY SVA PIA FDB UAE OMA ETD RBG MEA MSR KAC QTR SVA KAC QTR SVA JZR KAC JZR GFA RJA SVA KAC THY KAC SVA JZR FDB KAC BAW SVA KAC JZR KAC GFA ABY KAC JZR KNE UAE FDB ETD QTR SVA IRA JZR GFA IRA KNE FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC SVA JZR SVA MEA KAC KAC JZR JZR SYR MSR KAC UAE GFA FDB SVA KAC KNE SVA SVA JZR QTR KAC KAC KNE KAC IRC SVA JZR KNE ETD JZR QTR UAE RJA KAC GFA UAL JZR SVA ABY JZR QTR JZR KAC FDB KAC FDB JZR KAC FDB KAC OMA JAI KAC KAC AXB ABY MSR IRA DHX ALK ETD MEA QTR GFA KAC FDB JZR UAE KNE KAC DHX KLM QTR QTR GFA JZR KAC

Depature Flights on Tuesday 30/10/2012 Flt Route 976 GOA 4130 JEDDAH 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 390 MANGALORE 8068 DUBAI 3406 TEHRAN 44 DHAKA 4134 JEDDAH 637 FRANKFURT 573 MUMBAI 4142 JEDDAH 8058 DUBAI 411 AMSTERDAM 4138 JEDDAH 4146 JEDDAH 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL 4104 JEDDAH 240 SIALKOT 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 644 MUSCAT 306 ABU DHABI 3554 ALEXANDRIA 407 BEIRUT 613 CAIRO 2933 JEDDAH 139 DOHA 4110 JEDDAH 2935 JEDDAH 149 DOHA 4122 JEDDAH 356 MASHHAD 2937 JEDDAH 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 643 AMMAN 4212 JEDDAH 2939 JEDDAH 771 ISTANBUL 545 ALEXANDRIA 4214 JEDDAH 560 SOHAG 54 DUBAI 2941 JEDDAH 156 LONDON 4218 JEDDAH 1671 DUBAI 326 AL NAJAF 513 IMAM KHOMEINI 224 BAHRAIN 122 SHARJAH 101 LONDON 1774 JEDDAH 2907 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 133 DOHA 4222 JEDDAH 616 AHWAZ 512 SHARM EL SHEIKH 214 BAHRAIN 604 ISFAHAN 2913 JEDDAH 70 DUBAI 2943 JEDDAH 541 CAIRO 165 ROME 2945 JEDDAH 4230 JEDDAH 776 JEDDAH 4204 JEDDAH 405 BEIRUT 2947 JEDDAH 785 JEDDAH 324 AL NAJAF 176 DUBAI 342 DAMASCUS 611 CAIRO 2949 JEDDAH 872 DUBAI 220 BAHRAIN 58 DUBAI 4208 MADINAH 673 DUBAI 473 JEDDAH 4210 JEDDAH 501 JEDDAH 786 RIYADH 141 DOHA 2951 JEDDAH 773 RIYADH 2909 JEDDAH 741 DAMMAM 6588 MASHHAD 4220 JEDDAH 238 AMMAN 2915 JEDDAH 304 ABU DHABI 538 CAIRO 135 DOHA 858 DUBAI 641 AMMAN 2701 MADINAH 216 BAHRAIN 982 BAHRAIN 184 DUBAI 511 RIYADH 128 SHARJAH 266 BEIRUT 145 DOHA 134 BAHRAIN 2955 JEDDAH 64 DUBAI 2703 MADINAH 8054 DUBAI 1778 JEDDAH 283 DHAKA 62 DUBAI 2705 MADINAH 648 MUSCAT 571 MUMBAI 351 KOCHI 343 CHENNAI 394 KOZHIKODE 120 SHARJAH 607 LUXOR 618 LAR 171 BAHRAIN 230 COLOMBO 308 ABU DHABI 403 BEIRUT 137 DOHA 222 BAHRAIN 301 MUMBAI 60 DUBAI 554 ALEXANDRIA 860 DUBAI 2911 JEDDAH 205 ISLAMABAD 373 BAHRAIN 415 DAMMAM 147 DOHA 6131 DOHA 218 BAHRAIN 528 ASSIUT 411 BANGKOK

Time 0:05 0:10 0:10 0:15 0:15 0:30 1:00 1:10 1:20 1:30 1:40 1:45 1:45 2:10 2:40 2:45 2:55 3:05 3:10 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:00 4:05 4:05 4:10 4:30 4:50 5:10 5:30 6:05 6:10 6:10 6:30 6:55 7:00 7:05 7:10 7:30 7:35 7:45 8:10 8:15 8:25 8:30 8:45 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:25 9:30 9:45 9:50 9:55 9:55 9:55 10:00 10:05 10:10 10:10 10:25 10:30 10:40 10:45 10:55 11:25 11:30 11:30 11:50 12:00 12:10 12:15 12:40 12:55 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:50 13:55 14:05 14:15 14:15 14:20 14:30 14:40 15:05 15:10 15:40 15:45 15:50 16:15 16:15 16:25 16:25 16:30 16:55 17:10 17:15 17:25 17:35 17:40 17:45 17:50 17:55 18:00 18:15 18:25 18:30 18:35 18:40 18:45 18:50 19:05 19:15 19:25 19:45 19:45 19:55 20:30 20:40 20:45 20:55 21:10 21:10 21:15 21:15 21:15 21:25 21:30 21:50 21:55 22:20 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 22:50 22:55 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:10 23:20 23:50 23:50 23:55

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

ACCOMMODATION

FOR SALE

One room available in a furnished 2-bedroom flat in Salmiya for a working class lady near the bus stop Call 99702658 30-10-2012

Prado 2005, silver, 4 cylinders, full option, including double gear and censor, one owner only. Price KD 4,750. Tel: 97479763.

Single bedroom flat for family near Salmiya garden.

Rent KD 200 includes water electricity and internet.

Furniture/ appliances available as additional. Contact: 94427060.

(C 4190)

Refrigerator (LG) KD 70, automatic washing machine (2 kg) KD 40, safe KD 65, Good condition, almost new, in Farwaniya Blk 1, St 22. Contact: 66396770. (C 4192) 25-10-2012

Sharing accommodation for Filipino Farwaniya blk 1, st 122, in front of Gulf Mart, non-smoking, decent person only, call 66390770.

(C 4191) 25-10-2012 An apartment for rent in Farwaniya, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, including a master room, good location, rent KD 205 per month available starting from 1/11/2012.

Contact: 99977472.

Single bedroom flat available for family in Salmiya with furniture, appliances plus a Mercedes B200 car, 2008. Contact: 94427060/ 66982274. (C 4188) 24-10-2012 Room with attached bath available in a C-AC flat in Abbassiya near High Way Center, couple or ladies are preferred.

Contact: 66552905. (C 4185)

Mercedes 280s 1994 dark blue registered valid to July 2013, KD 1,000 please call 99633674 after 5 pm.

(C 4186) Mazda (3) white color, 2012, excellent condition, km 12000, KD 2850. Tel: 50699345. (C 4187) 22-10-2012 A Nissan Maxima in very good condition with one year registration validity.

Tel: 90908406.

20-10-2012

No:

TUITION

SITUATION WANTED

Maths teacher over 20 years experience. Tuition: KS2/3, IGCSE, AS/A2, CIC2C3C4, S1S2, M1M2, familiar with all boards.

Contact: 66710630.

(C 4183)

Young Indian, 3 years experienced CCNA & MCITP professional 18 no. visa, looking for suitable job in IT field. Contact: 55341119.

(C 4189) 24-10-2012

112 Prayer timings Fajr: Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

04:39 11:32 14:40 17:04 18:21

15612

LOST Policy No. 6330001223 issued by the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan Gulf zone on the Life of Mr. Mohammad Sultan Kaler Mushtaq Ahmed is reported to have been lost. Anyone finding the same or claiming any interest in it should communicate with the Manager (PHS) State Life P.O. Box No. 11278, Dubai, UAE within one month from this date.

18-10-2012

GOVERNMENT WEB SITES Kuwait Parliament www.majlesalommah.net

The Public Institution for Social Security www.pifss.gov.kw

Ministry of Interior www.moi.gov.kw

Public Authority of Industry www.pai.gov.kw

Public Authority for Civil Information www.paci.gov.kw

Prisoners of War Committee www.pows.org.kw

Kuwait News Agency www.kuna.net.kw

Ministry of Foreign Affairs www.mofa.gov.kw

Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affair www.islam.gov.kw

Kuwait Municipality www.municipality.gov.kw

Ministry of Energy (Oil) www.moo.gov.kw

Kuwait Electronic Government www.e.gov.kw

Ministry of Energy (Electricity and Water) www.energy.govt.kw

Ministry of Finance www.mof.gov.kw

Public Authority for Housing Welfare www.housing.gov.kw

Ministry of Commerce and Industry www.moci.gov.kw

Ministry of Justice www.moj.gov.kw

Ministry of Education www.moe.edu.kw

Ministry of Communications www.moc.kw

Ministry of Information www.moinfo.gov.kw

Supreme Council for Planning and Development www.scpd.gov.kw

Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation www.awqaf.org

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Kaizen center

25716707

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Hawally

ST TAT TE OF K KUW WA AIT

Te el.: 161

DIRECTORA AT TE GENERAL GENE OF CIVIL AVIA V AT TION METEOROLOGICAL DEP PA ARTMENT DA AY Y: Monday

Ext.: 262 2627 - 2630

WWW.MET.GOV V..KW

29/10/2012

BY Y DA AY:

Mostly sunny with light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of 20 - 38 km/h

BY Y NIGHT:

Fair with light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of 12 - 35 km/h

No Current Warnings arnin a

WA ARNING

30 °C

23 °C

22451082

KUW WAIT A AIRPOR RT

31 °C

22 °C

Al-Mirqab

22456536

NUW WAISEEB A

33 °C

25 °C

Sharq

22465401

WA AFRA

32 °C

21 °C

Salmiya

25746401

SALMI

30 °C

17 °C

ABDAL LY

33 °C

17 °C

Jabriya

25316254

JAL ALIY YAH A

31 °C

18 °C

Maidan Hawally

25623444

FAILAKA A

30 °C

23 °C

Bayan

25388462

AHMADI POR RT

30 °C

25 °C

Mishref

25381200

UMM AL-MARADEM

31 °C

27 °C

W.Hawally

22630786

WA ARBA A - BUBY YA AN

29 °C

19 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

ST TATION T

SFC. CHART

29/10/2012 0000 UTC

4 DA AYS Y FORECAST Temperatures DA AY

DA ATE T

WEA AT THER

MAX.

MIN.

Wind Direction

Wind Speed

Tuesday

30/10

sunny

29 °C

20 °C

NW

10 - 32 km/h

sunny

29 °C

19 °C

NW

10 - 30 km/h

sunny + scattered clouds

30 °C

18 °C

NW

08 - 30 km/h

31 °C

18 °C

NW-VRB

08 - 28 km/h

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

Weednesday

31/10

South Jahra

24775066

Thursday

01/11

North Jahra

24775992

Friday

02/11

sunny + scattered clouds

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

PRA RA AY YER TIMES

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WAIT A AIRPORT

Fajr

04:39

MAX. Temp.

32 °C

Sunrise

05:59

MIN. Temp.

23 °C 85 %

Firdous

24892674

Zuhr

11:32

MAX. RH

Al-Omariya

24719048

Asr

14:41

MIN. RH

35 %

Sunset

17:05

MAX. Wind

N 32 km/h

Isha

18:23

TOT TAL AL RAIINF FA ALL L IN 24 HR.

23900322

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

.33 mm

29/10/12 02:48 UTC

V1.00

T1.06

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Dr. Salem soso General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Mousa Khadada Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Expected Weeather for the Next 24 Hours

KUW WAIT A CITY

Fintas

Al-Shohada’a

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

07:00

Issue Time

MIN. REC.

24710044

22418714

Fax: 24348714

MAX. EXP P.

N.Kheitan

Al-Madena

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

36

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Kardashian

makes a splash at NYC bash

im Kardashian isn’t worried about the behemoth storm expected to pummel the eastern US with rain and wind this week. Dressed as a blond mermaid for her Halloween party Saturday night in New York, the star joked that her boyfriend, Kanye West - wearing a nautical-looking outfit - could “sail” her to safety if need be. West didn’t talk to press covering the event but smiled and took photos of Kardashian on his phone. It’s the second year Kardashian has hosted the Midori Green Halloween party. She has an endorsement deal with the liquor company. The reality star said it took two months to plan her costume, inspired by the 1984 film “Splash,” and two hours to get ready.

K

JB Gill Timberlake and Biel married in Italy

is ‘really into’ farming LS star JB Gill is “really into” farming. The ‘Makes Me Wanna’ singer bought a state of the art John Deere tractor earlier this year and is pleased with the progress he has made transforming his Kent home, in South East England, into a working farm. He told the Daily Star newspaper: “I do all the mucking out and I have some chickens. I want to try and get into it. Bandmate Aston Merrygold added: “He will be supplying to Tesco and Sainsbury’s soon. He’s really into it.” The 25-year-old boy band heartthrob is taking his new role as a farmer very seriously and hopes to make some money from his new obsession. JB - real name Jonathan - said last March: “[The tractor is] amazing, one of my favorite ever buys. “The farm is a business investment as well as a hobby. I love the outdoors, it gets me away from the city and the mayhem that comes from being in a band. “I want pigs, cows, chickens, sheep-the lot. I’m going to be a proper farmer.”

J

ustin Timberlake and Jessica Biel decided to get married in Italy because they wanted food to play a big role in their nuptials. The couple tied the knot at Borgo Egnazia resort in Puglia, Southern Italy, earlier this month and they decided to do it in Europe rather than their native United States because they wanted the wedding breakfast to be one of the most important parts of the day. Jessica said: “Well, we love to eat.” Justin added to Britain’s HELLO! magazine: “We love wine and we love food. I think this place is really special for us and the time that we’ve shared thus far. Probably more so what Jess said - we just really love to eat and the Italians do it better than anybody.” Jessica - who is legally changing her surname to Timberlake - also said they wanted their guests to have a fantastic time and feel as if they were on vacation. She added: “We just felt like we wanted to have great food, great wine and a great time with friends and family but also give them time to see the place by themselves, take a bike ride into the village or go swimming in the sea. We didn’t require too much of anyone except maybe one get-together a day. It was a culmination of elegance and a rustic local feel; very congruent with the environment with what was available here food-wise and decoration-wise. It was all very simple in a sense.”

J

Cole

is ready to marry again

hery Cole is ready to marry again. The Girls Aloud star - who is currently dating backing dancer Tre Holloway - insists she would be prepared to walk down the aisle again in the future, despite her painful memories of her break-up from exhusband Ashley Cole in February 2010. Cheryl also still wants to have a “big family” but she isn’t sure if she’ll achieve her dream of having “four or five” kids. In an interview with the new issue of Glamour magazine, she said: “Could I see myself getting married again? Never say never. “I always said I’d like to have a big family, because I’m from one, so I’d like four or five children. “But I don’t know realistically if that’s going to happen.

You can’t assume things. I never thought I’d get a divorce.” The 29-year-old singer admits one of the hardest things about her split from Chelsea soccer player Ashley, 31, was the end of her dream to become a mother. She said: “It’s the broken plans you have made that are the hardest to get over. Ashley and I would talk all the time about starting a family - well I would anyway. There’s this perception that Ashley is arrogant, but he’s really not. We talk occasionally and I would say we are friends.” Although they have an amicable relationship now, Cheryl revealed she was so heartbroken when her marriage ended she couldn’t even eat. The brunette beauty’s weight plummeted after she dumped Ashley for cheating on her with several women, and she admits the pain felt like she was grieving over a death. She explained: “I first got very thin after Ashley. I felt like my stomach was doing back-flips - like my emotions had taken over and made me full. “I first experienced that when my granddad died and I couldn’t understand what was going on. I said to my grandmother, ‘The pasta just won’t go into my mouth.’ “I liked it (the weight loss), but I was heartbroken. It’s not like I look back and think, ‘I was so fit and healthy.’ “ Cheryl hates how famous females are constantly scrutinized over their weight and insists the relentless dissection is nothing but “bullying”. She said: “I hate how conflicting it is. To have people saying, ‘Oh she’s so thin, she looks amazing,’ then, ‘Oh, she’s disgusting.’ “You can’t call someone who is a size six fat. An average woman is a size ten to 12, so if you’re calling me fat because I’m a six - and I have never, ever been bigger than an eight - you’re causing women some serious issues. When you’re on the receiving end of it it’s nothing short of bullying in the workplace.”

C

Goulding split from Skrillex llie Goulding has split from her boyfriend Skrillex. The 25-year-old singer and the dubstep producer - real name Sonny Moore - have ended their seven-month relationship after failing to make the long-distance romance work. British musician Ellie has been busy promoting her second album ‘Halcyon’, while Skrillex is based in the US and they weren’t finding enough time for one another. A source told The Sun newspaper: “It’s really sad, they were really good for each other. They just couldn’t make it work. They both have successful careers and live in different countries.” The pair started dating after Skrillex emailed Ellie to tell her he was a fan of her music. Ellie split from her last boyfriend, DJ Greg James, in December and she recently revealed her “dark” LP ‘Halcyon’ is inspired by the end of their 18-month relationship. The ‘Starry Eyed’ hit-maker was deeply “in love” with Greg and was convinced they would be together forever but they also spit because they didn’t see each other enough due to work pressures. She previously said: “I was naive to think my relationship with Greg James wouldn’t be in the spotlight. I fell in love with him because he’s very positive and intelligent and a really good person. I thought it would be fine, that it would last forever. That I had fallen in love with someone so purely and simply was amazing to me. It was very sad that it didn’t work out and was down to factors such as not being able to see each other much.”

E

Adele has a baby

Tyler

wore a fake beard to Disney World

A Madonna

gift from Rihanna

bought Leon an apartment for her birthday

dele has been sent a baby gift from Rihanna. The ‘Skyfall’ singer gave birth to a son earlier this month and since his arrival her generous famous friends have bombarded her and her partner Simon Konecki with presents. Rihanna mailed two babygros to the new mum, which were emblazoned with the comedy slogans, “My mum is a rock star”, and, “Just done nine months inside”. But the R&B superstar didn’t just treat Adele’s little boy, she also sent the musician a set of sexy lingerie with a note which read “You gotta stay sexy, yummy mummy. Enjoy yourself.

Congrats!!!” A source told The Sun newspaper: “Rihanna loves Adele and she was one of the first people to congratulate her when she found out that she was pregnant. She thought seriously hard about what to get her as she wanted to make sure no one else would get the same thing. “Adele laughed out loud when she saw the words on the babygros - she loves that sort of thing.

She can’t wait to show all of her friends.” Other celebrities to send gifts include Jessie J and actor Sid Owen, who also sent a huge bouquet of flowers to Adele. It was recently reporter that Adele and Simon want close pal Sid - who shot to fame on British soap ‘EastEnders’ - to be their son’s godfather and are keen for him to be closely involved in the tot’s life. —Bang Showbiz

adonna has bought her daughter an apartment in New York for her 16 birthday. Lourdes Leon celebrated the landmark coming of age birthday on October 14 - while her pop superstar mother was in the middle of her ‘MDNA’ tour - and Madonna decided the property would be the perfect gift for her daughter to show her how much she trusts her. A source told the Daily Star newspaper: “Lourdes was thrilled. She wants it done up to her taste and then it’ll be decided who shares with her and when she moves in.” The apartment is located is a few blocks from her family home on the Upper East side of Manhattan and also near the Kabbalah Centre - which Madonna and Lourdes are regular visitors to. The fee the ‘Girl Gone Bad’ singer paid for the property is undisclosed but it is “in a secure block with a lot of security and access to a swimming pool and gym”.

The expensive gift comes shortly after it was reported the pair’s relationship had become strained in recent months, with Lourdes rebelling against Madonna, 54, and threatening to move in with her father Carlos Leon. Earlier this month, Madonna talked about her relationship with her children Lourdes, Rocco, 12, her son with ex-husband Guy Ritchie, and adopted kids Mercy James, six, and David Banda, seven - and her passion for her career, and hinted her eldest daughter wouldn’t be living at home for much longer. She said: “My children are my first priority and because they are older I can’t take them with me on the road everywhere. “I really feel I would be an irresponsible parent if I didn’t stop my tour and spent time with them. My daughter is going to be leaving home soon.”

A

erosmith front-man Steven Tyler used to wear a fake beard to Disney World so his fans wouldn’t recognize him. The ‘Lover Alot’ singer’s 23-year-old daughter Chelsea - who Steven had with his second wife, clothing designer Teresa Barrick - has revealed her rock star dad would always disguise himself when he took her the world famous theme park. Chelsea - who has a 21-year-old brother Taj - admits she never understood what he was doing as a child, but now realizes it was her father’s only way of avoiding Aerosmith fans. She told Ocean Drive magazine: “I didn’t quite understand why we’d go to Disney World and my dad had to wear a fake beard and a big hat, and keep his head down. I was trying to go on rides.” The stunning model admits she found it hard to come to terms with the celebrity status of her rock star dad - who was previously a judge on ‘American Idol’ - when she was in her teens but she is now comfortable with the attention having such a famous father brings. Chelsea explained: “I didn’t want the extra attention. But now I don’t care. I totally embrace it.” Twice married Steven has two other children, Liv, 35, from a relationship with model Bebe Buell, and Mia, 34, from his marriage to Cyrinda Foxe. He has been engaged to Erin Brady since December 2011.

M

37

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

LIFESTYLE F e a t u r e s

Rolling Stones memorabilia auctioned after divorce n assortment of Rolling Stones memorabilia and artwork provided by Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and his ex-wife was sold in a two-day auction, according to Julien’s Auctions. The collection featured memorabilia spanning four decades from the guitarist’s work with the band, and included several worn leather and velvet jackets, real and cardboard guitars, tour ephemera and a signed lithograph of Eric Clapton. Among the items were a white leather coat worn by Wood that sold for $8,960, and a lithograph of Eric Clapton drawn by Wood that features his signature as well as Clapton’s that fetched $5,120.

Despite being made of cardboard, a guitar cutout gifted to Wood by Keith Richards sold for

A

‘Argo’ finally

tops box office with $12.4m t took three weeks, but “Argo” finally found its way to the top of the box office. The Warner Bros thriller from director and star Ben Affleck, inspired by the real-life rescue of six US embassy workers during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, made nearly $12.4 million this weekend, according to Sunday studio estimates. “Argo” had been in second place the past two weeks and has now made about $60.8 million total. Debuting at No. 3 was the sprawling, star-studded “Cloud Atlas,” which made a disappointing $9.4 million. The nearly three-hour drama, also from Warner Bros, was co-directed by siblings Lana and Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer and features an ensemble cast including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Hugh Grant playing multiple roles over six story lines.

Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros, said the studio thought there might be a good chance of “Argo” coming out on top this weekend. “We’re thrilled. An accomplishment like that is well deserved, they don’t happen very often.

You would probably have to do a lot of searching to find a movie that opened in wide release to have two No. 2 weekends in a row and hit No. 1 in the third week,” Fellman said. “It’s a tribute to the film.

Word-of-mouth has taken over the campaign. We have a long way to go, we have a lot of year-end accolades which will approach, and we’ll see what happens in terms of the Academy.”

On the flip side, Fellman acknowledged that “Cloud Atlas” underperformed compared to hopes that it would end up in the $11-12 million range domestically. The movie had an estimated budget of $100 million. But he pointed out that it had a higher per-screen average than any other film opening in the top 10 with $4,681. “We did very well on the East and West coasts in a number of major cities,” he said. “We’re challenged in the Midwest and the South.” It was a soft weekend all around, though, with several newcomers opening poorly, Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian pointed out. The horror sequel “Silent Hill: Revelation 3-D” from Open Road Films debuted at No. 5 with $8 million and the Paramount Halloween comedy “Fun Size” arrived in 10th place with just over $4 million. “Chasing Mavericks,” an inspirational surfing drama from Fox 2000, didn’t even open in the top 12 - it came in at No. 13 with $2.2 million.

The World Series might have been a factor in keeping folks away from the theaters; also, potential moviegoers along the East Coast in the path of Hurricane Sandy might have stayed home this weekend. “The whole marketplace felt more like September than October. Back in September, we had four down weekends in a row. There was no momentum in the marketplace,” Dergarabedian said. “When a holdover is No. 1, it reflects a lack of strength in the marketplace. Every week should have a new movie topping the chart.” As for the philosophical, centuries-spanning “Cloud Atlas,” he said: “To have a) a big budget, b) Tom Hanks and c) it’s a big, epic film, it doesn’t necessarily follow that it’s going to be a big box office hit. I admire that they went for it.”

But there’s hope on the horizon with the animated comedy “Wreck-It Ralph” coming next weekend, the latest James Bond film, “Skyfall,” opening Nov 9 and the final installment in the “Twilight” saga due out Nov 16. “Skyfall” opened this weekend overseas with a whopping $77.7 million in 25 countries. “This is just one of those box office weekends we’d rather forget,” Dergarabedian said. “Unless you’re ‘Argo.’”

Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included.

1. “Argo,” $12.4 million. ($5 million international.)

2. “Hotel Transylvania,” $9.5 million. ($18.1 million international.)

3. “Cloud Atlas,” $9.4 million.

4. “Paranormal Activity 4,” $8.7 million. ($14.1 million international.)

5. (tie) “Silent Hill: Revelation 3-D,” $8 million.

6. “Taken 2,” $8 million. ($10.1 million.)

7. “Here Comes the Boom,” $5.5 million.

8. “Sinister,” $5.07 million.

9. Alex Cross,” $5.05 million.

10. “Fun Size,” $4.1 million.

Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the US and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak: 1. “Skyfall,” $77.7 million.

2. “Hotel Transylvania,” $18.1 million.

3. “Paranormal Activity 4,” $14.1 million.

4. “The Bourne Legacy,” $11.5 million.

5. “Taken 2,” $10.1 million.

6. “The Impossible,” $8.7 million.

7. “Madagascar 3,” $8.4 million.

8. “Asterix et Obelix: Au Service de Sa Majeste,” $5.3 million.

9. (tie) “Argo,” $5 million.

10. “Ted,” $5 million. —AP

I

$6,875. The real thing commanded almost nine times that price, with a 1955 Fender Stratocaster guitar often played on stage by Wood bringing in $60,800. Bidding took place live online as well as in person and by phone at Julien’s Beverly Hills gallery on Friday and Saturday. The auction comes ahead of the release next February of the memoirs of Wood’s ex-wife Jo, which promise to reveal her tales of life as the wife of a Rolling Stone.

Ronnie and Jo Wood were married for 23 years before separating in 2008 when Ronnie left her for a young cocktail waitress named Ekaterina Ivanova. The couple’s divorce was finalized in 2011. After the auction was announced in September, the former couple issued opposing statements feuding about the ownership of the auction

items, but seemed to have worked out their disagreements. Julien described the items for sale as jointly owned and said that they were part of the couple’s divorce settlement. Part of the proceeds from the auction will go to MusiCares, the Grammy Awards charity that offers help to people in the music industry with finance and addiction.

Wood has recently been focused on his visual art career, but is best known as a musician with the Rolling Stones and The Faces. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. In addition to her upcoming memoirs, Jo Wood - a former model - has also founded a skincare line. —Reuters

You betcha: Fargo awaits TV version of hit movie A A

Getting morally ambiguous ‘Flight’ off the ground was no easy feat

sk folks in Fargo what they first thought about the 1996 movie that made their city famous, and some will tell you they were not fans. Some residents initially didn’t appreciate the Coen brothers’ dark humor or were offended by the extreme violence and depiction of Scandinavian culture. Not to mention those heavy accents on “you betcha” and “ya sure.” But the fame and cash it brought Fargo eventually brought the city around. Now, 16 years later, Fargo awaits the debut of a new cable television show by the same name, and many residents here are less apprehensive about how their hometown will be portrayed this time around.

Just ask Kristin Rudrud.

“Anything the Coen brothers are going to be involved in is going to be brilliant,” said Rudrud, 57, who played a supporting role in the movie and has a hankering to promote everything about her hometown. “And they love Fargo. They love this area. So it will be done in a very fun and loving way.” The Oscar-winning “Fargo” starred Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson, a pregnant police chief who investigates a series of murders, and William H Macy as a car salesman who hires two criminals, played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, to kidnap his wife. In one of the final scenes, Stormare feeds Buscemi’s body into a wood chipper.

Though the movie’s story is mostly based in Minnesota, it made Fargo a household name for many across the country - to the early dismay of some city folk who watched the premiere at the Fargo Theater in 1996.The theater was quiet inside and some moviegoers were offended, said Margie Bailly, who was executive director of the Fargo Theater at the time. Some residents even walked out. “Those of us who were laughing were a little lonely,” she said.

But locals later warmed up as the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and Fargo started

to see the benefits from all the publicity. The theater hosted a free Oscar party with a polka band and Jell-O treats that Entertainment Weekly billed as one of the top soirees of the evening. That event was publicized in several countries, and Fargo cashed in.

Donations flowed for the theater’s restoration, which dovetailed with plans to revitalize the city’s downtown. Sixteen years later, travelers looking to see the real Fargo still swing through, with many flocking to take a picture next to the iconic wood

chipper, autographed on the chute by the Coen brothers and displayed at the city’s main tourism center. Tourism staff hand out ear-flap hats to tourists and take pictures of them stuffing the leg of a mannequin into the Yard Shark.

“A good majority of people come in here just looking for the wood chipper,” said Jayne Rieth, who works at the tourism center. She didn’t like the movie on the big screen, but watched it at home recently so she could be better informed at work. And the tourism center and shops around town sell plenty of wood chipper Tshirts, shot glasses, koozies, mugs and - of course - ice scrapers. City boosters

hope the TV show produced by Joel and Ethan Coen, the Minnesota-born brothers behind the popular film, will add to the notoriety. No timeline has been announced by the FX Network, and John Solberg, FX’s senior vice president of public relations, did not return messages left by The Associated Press.

“I don’t know how it can be a bad thing for us,” said Charley Johnson, president and CEO of the city’s convention and visitor’s bureau. “People still talk about the movie all the time.”

Larry Gauper, of Fargo, a retired health insurance executive, also thinks most people are looking forward to the TV show. “There are some people who don’t like us sort of being mocked or being made fun of, but I think most people really appreciate the attention Fargo gets,” Gauper said.

But “Fargo” movie fan Marnie Piehl wonders if the city has changed too much - thanks to population growth and a revitalized downtown with high-end restaurants and bars serving craft beer and organic vegetables that it no longer makes sense to situate the TV show here. McDormand’s character would have left Fargo years ago, Piehl said.

“That may sound funny to someone from New York, but it just doesn’t fit for me anymore,” she said. “The North Dakota story is not the Marge Gunderson story anymore.” Though details about the plot and characters in the FX show are scant, that hasn’t stopped Fargo residents from speculating about it. Mayor Dennis Walaker said his favorite character is the sheriff, and hopes McDormand gets a prominent role. And although Rudrud’s character, Macy’s wife, was killed off in the movie, she joked that there might be room for her in the adaptation. “Well, I haven’t been chopped up,” she said. “There’s always a possibility.” —AP

US singer Jennifer Lopez performs on stage during her ‘Dance Again World Tour’ concert at O2 World in Hamburg, on October 28, 2012. —AFP

s an experienced pilot who has logged about 1,600 hours in the cockpit, director Robert Zemeckis understands stalls, turbulence and dead stick landings. But when it came to making “Flight,” his new movie about an alcoholic commercial airline pilot, the “Forrest Gump” filmmaker had to contend with a different set of aerodynamics: Hollywood’s reluctance to clear difficult dramas for takeoff. More than a decade in the making, “Flight” marks Zemeckis’ first live-action film since 2000’s “Cast Away” and an atypical wager for Paramount Pictures, which financed the film’s $31million budget. The production nearly fell apart on the eve of filming over contract terms, and screenwriter John Gatins, who first came up with “Flight’s” rough outline in 1999, worried over the intervening years that the movie never would get made.

“In today’s Hollywood, you can’t make a movie that is about ideas and complex characters for a lot of money,” Zemeckis said. “The development system destroys the possibility Denzel Washington stars in of ambiguity. It’s just ‘Flight.’ —MCT the way things have evolved. And it’s very disappointing.” The Nov 2 release casts Washington as Whip Whitaker, an alcoholic and cocaine-addled pilot at the controls in an aviation disaster. The story hangs on this issue: Did Whip’s intoxication contribute to or even cause the crash, or did his audacious flying, in which he inverts the jetliner to lessen the crash impact, save countless lives?

To get the answer, Whip must remain sober long enough to explain to investigators and lawyers (the ensemble cast includes Don Cheadle, Bruce Greenwood and Melissa Leo) what really happened when his plane fell from the sky. Put another way, one of the most heroic things Whip can really do is admit to his own failings.

It’s an unusual topic for a studio movie-a distant echo of the longabandoned, morally ambiguous dramas from the 1970s-and a particular outlier for a company like Paramount, which has dramatically scaled back its film output in recent years, favoring instead a handful of sequels in the “Star Trek,”“G.I. Joe,”“Mission: Impossible” and “Transformers” franchises.

Yet once Paramount was satisfied with “Flight’s” screenplay and budget, which saw Washington and Zemeckis forgo their usual multimillion-dollar fees, the studio left the filmmakers alone. Its faith might soon be rewarded. Early audience tracking surveys suggest strong interest in the film, and Washington has a long and fruitful history playing similarly flawed protagonists, a record that includes his Oscar-winning “Training Day,”“American Gangster” and “Safe House.”

“You want to have the big franchises and blockbusters that can really rule the day,” said Brad Grey, chairman and chief executive of Paramount Pictures, who personally interceded to help close the “Flight” deal. “And you want to make pictures that you care about.

There should always be room for movies like this.” If only it were that easy. For the last decade or so, Zemeckis has been making motioncapture movies, in which a live actor’s movements are recorded by an array of cameras. Animators then create a computerized character based on those movements. The live-action and animation mash-up was used by James Cameron in “Avatar” and by Zemeckis in 2004’s “The Polar Express,” 2007’s “Beowulf” and 2009’s “A Christmas Carol.”

Though such “mo-cap” movies, as they are known, are generally popular at the box office-”Polar Express” and “Christmas Carol” each grossed more than $300 million worldwide-the movies can cost $200 million or more and take years to make. What’s more, some critics dismiss the movies for emphasizing technical wizardry over human emotion. The wheels were starting to come off the genre, at least in Zemeckis’ orbit. His mo-cap production for Disney of “Mars Needs Moms” (directed by Simon Wells) bombed in 2011, and Disney at the same time pulled the plug on Zemeckis’ planned mo-cap remake of the Beatles’“Yellow Submarine.” Then the 61-year-old Zemeckis read Gatins’ screenplay. “I wasn’t doing anything at the time,” the director said, “and I never have any predisposed things I want to do in terms of genre. I don’t put out the word that I want to do a musical or something.”

By page 10 of the “Flight” script, Zemeckis was hooked. “What intrigued me the most was how everything and every character was complex-no guys wearing white hats, no guys wearing black hats,” the director said. Washington, who had read the script a year earlier and agreed to star before there was even a director or a studio green light, shared Zemeckis’ enthusiasm.

“I hadn’t done anything like it,” Washington said. “And the fact that (Gatins) made it about a pilot was absolutely the most dramatic thing he could do. If Whip had worked at the post office, it sure wouldn’t have been as interesting.”

The 44-year-old Gatins first hatched the film’s basic idea 13 years ago, when he was flying from Frankfurt, Germany, to New York City.

Gatins was seated next to an off-duty pilot, and the screenwriter couldn’t figure out initially why he was so unnerved by his seatmate’s occupation. And then it hit him: The pilot was an ordinary man. “I want pilots to be somebody who would take a bullet to get me to JFK,” Gatins said. “And here was this guy with the potential to reveal that he wasn’t a god.” —MCT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

lifestyle T R A V E L

Built in 1863, Nueva Plaza de Mercado Isabel II is freshly renovated market with vendors selling everything from fresh produce and meat to clothing and musical instruments.

began Ponce’s long, slow slump.

But during the 1990s, a multi-million-dollar revitalizahere was a time, not that long ago, when visitors to tion project was undertaken and the results today are Puerto Rico’s second-largest city were cautioned dramatic. Historic homes have been restored and freshly not to stray from the central plaza after dark. Many painted in pastel shades of yellow, blue and green. Plazas of Ponce’s ornate 19th-century buildings were vacant have been spruced up and new parks built. Downtown is and falling to pieces, and the poorly lit streets were made thick with pedestrians patronizing new shops and restaueven shadier by some of the characters who roamed rants. A trolley transports tourists to points of interest them looking for handouts-or worse. What a difference a around town.

The heart of Ponce is Plaza de las Delicias, a large, few years make. Ponce has undergone a dramatic recovery that has restored its status as La Perla del Sur (The shady square containing the French neo-classical Pearl of the South) and made it a destination that rivals Catedral de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe and the striking black-and-red striped pavilion, Parque de Bombas, San Juan in culture and history.

Throughout the 19th century, Ponce was a thriving originally an exhibit hall for the town’s much-ballyhooed port town, attracting European and Latin American plan- 1882 Exposition-Fair and now a museum devoted to the tation owners, rum makers and merchants. Their wealth city’s firefighters.

On one corner of Plaza de las Delicias, a colonial structure built in 1882 has been transformed into a full-service hotel by Ramada International. On another corner is the entrance to Paseo Atocha, a pedestrian street mall chockablock with shops selling clothing, house wares and electronics. The sidewalk is lined with street vendors beneath brightly colored umbrellas selling fresh flowers, lottery tickets and sundry tchotchkes.

At the end of Paseo Atocha, just a few blocks from the plaza, is Nueva Plaza de Mercado Isabel II, a recently restored indoor marketplace built in 1863. Here, vendors sell fresh produce, meats and seafood. There are also several very good food stalls serving fresh fruit frappes, empanadas (fried meat or cheese turnovers) and heaping plates of savory rice and beans.

In the evenings, the plaza thrums with activity. On any given night, you might find a band playing salsa music, a street preacher saving souls or artists selling their wares.

A testament to Ponce’s rich history and deep cultural roots are the city’s many museums, devoted to music, history and art. But the 800-pound gorilla in town is Museo de Arte de Ponce. Recently renovated and expanded to the tune of $30 million, the institution boasts an astonishing collection of 3,000-plus pieces of European and North American artwork spanning from the 14th century to the present. The museum specializes in Italian baroque, British pre-Raphaelite and Puerto Rican artworks. In the heady days of Ponce’s prime, as Cocoa beans dry in the sun at Hacienda Buena Vista, a former coffee many as 50 plantations operated in the area. A reminder plantation established in 1833 located in the mountains north of of its 19th-century agrarian roots can be found 15 miles north in the foothills of the Cordillera Central.

Ponce.

Tucked into the lush tropical forest is Hacienda Buena helped create a colonial cityscape of shady plazas and Vista, a restored coffee plantation established in 1833. stunning architectural confections, combining rococo, The buildings and machinery were abandoned for neoclassical and Spanish revival styles. All that changed decades until 1984, when the Conservation Trust of after the US gained control of Puerto Rico in 1898 and Puerto Rico took it over and restored them to their 19th centralized shipping operations in San Juan. A downturn century glory. Today, the Trust gives guided tours of the in the local sugar and coffee industries followed. Thus property and grounds.

By Suzanne Van Atten

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By Ellen Creager

M

asterpiece. Art. Perfection. Many fancy words and rapturous phrases have described Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous house. It’s all true. But what is also true is that I kept thinking, wow, this house is not childproof. A 2-year-old could tumble out that low, unlocked window and fall to his death! A toddler would drown in that unfenced plunge pool! The railings aren’t high enough. The floor is too hard. And that giant open fireplace, what a safety issue. And where is the kitchen, anyway? Obviously, I’m not the arbiter of architectural masterworks, only a hapless visitor with the pedestrian vision of a suburban housewife.

I do have to say that whoever designed the tour of Fallingwater must have been a man. You see the dining room, but not the kitchen, which is hidden away through a side door

The recently restored Casa Wiechers Villaraonga, a neo-classical home built in 1912.

In many ways, Ponce is the antithesis of San Juan, the island’s more popular destination. San Juan is a cosmopolitan city with flashy nightclubs, pricey restaurants and a fast-paced, “Americanized” vibe. Ponce’s charms unfold more slowly, recalling another era when elegance and civility were prized traits, and strolling along the promenade of the central plaza was the perfect way to end the day.

Catedral de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe in Plaza de las Delicias.

If you go

Built as a pavilion for the 1882 Exposition-Fair, Parque de Bombas in Ponce’s Plaza de Las Delicias is now a museum devoted to the city’s firefighters. — MCT

Where to stay: Hotel Belgica. In continuous operation since 1872, this small, charming hotel was recently renovated and offers clean, simple accommodations with satellite TV and air conditioning. Located one block from Plaza de Las Delicias. Ask for a room with a balcony if you don’t mind a little street noise. $77-$99, 122 Calle Villa, 787-844-3255, www.hotelbelgica.com.

Ramada Ponce Hotel. Ramada has recently renovated an 1882 building overlooking Plaza de Las Delicias, giving the city a much-needed upscale hotel option with a bold, modern art aesthetic. Rooms come with plenty of amenities, including flat-screen TVs and wireless Internet. Lola is a popular restaurant and bar located on the first floor. $135-$140. Calle Reina at Calle Union, 787-813-5033, www.ramadaponce.com.

Where to eat: Pito’s Seafood Cafe and Restaurant. Watch pelicans dive for their dinner while dining on every type of seafood imaginable from the terrace dining room of this oceanside restaurant. Specialties include whole fried snapper and mofongo (a garlicky mash of green plantain) stuffed with shrimp or steak.

Entrees $16- $35. Open daily. PR 2, Sector Las

Cucharas. 787-841-4977, www.pitosseafoodpr.com.

La Guardarraya. Located 20 minutes west of Ponce, this destination restaurant not only serves some of the finest authentic Puerto Rican cuisine on the island, but it is the originator of the Chuleta Can Can, a traditional pork dish designed for hungry meat lovers. $7-$15.

Wednesday-Sunday. PR 127, km 6.0, Guayanilla.

787-856-4222, www.laguardarraya.com.

What to see: Hacienda Buena Vista. The 19th-century coffee plantation has been restored by the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, which gives tours in Spanish and English. $5-$8. Wednesday-Sunday. PR 123, km 16.8.

787-722-5882, ext. 240; 787-284-7020. www.fideicomiso.org. Reservations required.

Museo de Arte de Ponce. The recently expanded museum features more than 3,000 works of art by European masters, American moderns and Puerto Rican artists from the 14th century to the present. $3-$6, 10 am to 6 pm. Wednesday-Monday. 2325 Ave. Las Americas. 787-848-0505 or 787-840-1510. www.museoarteponce.org Travel Info For more information, log on to www.seepuertorico.com.—MCT

with its AGA stove and boring utilitarian uses. It’s not part of the regular tour, but in this day and age when chefs are celebrities and people swoon over cooktops, it should be.

I also noticed the incredible shortage of closet space.

Where did they put the coats? The bathrooms are tiny. The single beds look as wide as a monk’s. And can you imagine people lounging on those little tweed floor pillows?

But ah, picky, picky. As I said, these are small quibbles.

Fallingwater does have a few redeeming features. Such as, it’s built over a waterfall. It seems to hover in mid-air, over the water, cantilevered into the rock. Every stone is individually beautiful, every handmade desk a wonder, and a marvelous curving concrete canopy connecting the house to the guest suite is held up on only one side, as if by magic, with magic decorations that appear from one angle and disappear from another. I have heard that some people weep when they see

The Summit Inn, built in 1907, is 11 miles from Fallingwater but from a different era.

The Great Allegheny Passage, a 121-mile bicycle trail, passes through Ohiopyle State Park, just three miles from Fallingwater.

The house with its cantilevered terraces was built in 1936-39 by architect Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh.

Fallingwater. I didn’t see anyone do that, but one man did wander away from our tour group to look out the window and got a reprimand. Maybe he cried, I don’t know.

About 5 million visitors have trooped through Fallingwater since it was bequeathed to the public in 1963, in a generous gesture by the Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh. Department store magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr. and his wife, Liliane, hired Wright to build Fallingwater in 1936 on their wooded vacation property in the Laurel Highlands, where the family escaped the smoky city.

Wright, who at 69 found his career in the doldrums, took up the challenge. He designed the iconic house over a waterfall and stream. Luckily for him, the Kaufmanns were huge Wright fans and had an eye for design on their own. The house cost $155,000 — $120,000 over budget-and was famous even before it was finished.

Now owned and maintained by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the house appears exactly as it was-the Picasso, Hiroshige and Rivera prints and paintings on the walls, original furniture on the floor (including that Wright favorite, severe long built-in bench seating), Tiffany lamps, even the original record player. Not mentioned in the tour is the fact that the bones of Fallingwater have been knitted together more times than a prize fighter’s-and in 2002, major work was done with steel cables to prevent the cantilevered terraces from tumbling into the river.

Visitors on the regular tour cannot take photos inside.

There is no touching or even standing near artwork or a rare butterfly chair. Small groups are escorted by tour guides and drift through the house like party guests looking for the host.

There are stories of ghosts here. I don’t believe them. This is a house of warmth. It is human scale, spun with lines, circles and grace. Wright’s stern steel-framed windows and flagstone floors, the odd and quirky stairs leading up and down, the narrow halls, sunny splashes, hidden terraces that jut into the forest, brown cabinets, red bedspreads, yellow mums-all are vivid and alive.

Today, Fallingwater is like polished old leather or a burnished autumn leaf. It was lived in. Books line the walls, especially in their son Edgar J Kaufmann Jr’s suite. One can picture him here, waking up in that little tiny bed, standing up and looking out the horizontal casement windows at the fall splendor around him, feeling part of the scenery, listening to the water fall. — MCT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

lifestyle F a s h i o n

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ancy a set of crocodile-hide luggage? Or luxe-look croc-skin shoes, or a croc filet? A farm in Honduras is betting on striking it rich by tending the endangered beasts until it is legal to sell them. Cocodrilos Continentales opened in 1989 focused on, according to the company, raising American crocodiles “for commercial purposes” and-until it is no longer endangered-to help “preserve the species.”

The American crocodile, known also by its scientific name Crocodylus acutus, lives in swamps and rivers in southern Florida, the Caribbean region and Venezuela, Central America and Mexico’s Pacific coast down to northern Peru. Unlike the American Alligator, a species common in the southern United States, the Crocodylus acutus has been pushed to the verge of extinction by commercial farming and hunting across most of the region. It is considered an endangered species and its commercial export is banned.

But as their numbers rise, at some point the crocs may cease to be protected. And people here think the day may be coming soon. Cocodrilos Continentales is waiting for the day the creature is no longer endan-

gered. When that happens, it has 10,000 crocodiles to place on the market to meet an anticipated demand for crocodile hide and meat. The main attraction at this croc farm is Jose, a 4.5 meter-long (15 foot) beast believed to be 115 years old. Jose was captured in 1991 in the Motagua River, a river that begins in the highlands of Guatemala and flows east into the Caribbean.

Its final few kilometers form the border between the two countries.

Today Jose lives safe from hunters, enjoying his ration of tilapia fish and retired from his duties as a stud. He calmly swims in a small lake covered with green scum, a peaceful existence that belies the animal’s ferocity. American crocodiles eat fish, birds and mammals that venture too close. They also can attack humans.

A crocodile factory Cocodrilos Continentales, founded by the Rosenthals, one of the wealthiest families in Honduras, is located some 220 kilometers (135 miles) north of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa. It costs $1 million a year

to operate the 30 hectare (75 acre) farm, manager Antonio Mejia told AFP. The money goes for salaries for its 17 employees, and food and care for the crocs. The farm has 141 artificial lakes, mostly covered ponds the size of a mid-sized backyard swimming pool populated by a male croc and four females. In these lakes the females “lay up to 60 eggs once a year. Each male fertilizes four females,” said Mejia. If the male fails in his duties, the animal is sent into retirement.

Young crocs are then raised in special pools, and later moved to fattening ponds where they spend two years gorging on fish and meat. The farm’s current crocodile population may seem large, but US and Canadian experts “said that we should have at least 18,000 crocodiles to start exporting,” Mejia told AFP. Honduran authorities say the ban on American crocodile exports could end as early as March at an upcoming meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Bangkok.

“We have received a notification from CITES, in Geneva, that the acutus crocodile will be (reclassified) at the next meeting,” the head of the Fisheries and

Aquaculture Directorate, Elizabeth Gutierrez, told AFP. The species-if declared no longer in danger of extinction-will remain protected, but after a scientific study to confirm the population has bounced back, commercial exports of farm-raised crocodiles could get the green light, Gutierrez said. For now, Jose can keep enjoying his retirement, and tourists are welcome to visit the farm to snap pictures of the fearsome reptiles.—AFP

TANYA Couture Wang Yannan Collection

Models present creations by TomDong during China Fashion Week in Beijing on October 28, 2012. China Fashion Week runs from October 24 until November 3.

— AFP photos

Chinese fashion house FAMORY Wedding Collection

‘Argo’ finally tops box office with $12.4m

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

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French design stars Bouroullec

brothers exhibit in US

rench design stars Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec strive to bring simplicity, elegance and function to a world cluttered with ugly and unnecessary objects. Americans who may only have seen their work in magazines will be able to experience their experiments with materials and moods at their first major US show in nearly a decade. Bivouac, a retrospective of the past 15 years of their collaborations, opened Saturday at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and will run until January 20. “For me, the most important question of design is to create an atmosphere,” Ronan Bouroullec said as he sat on the lip of Textile Field, a remarkable piece which invites play and relaxation with its yards of blue, grey, green and white stripes.

“So I hope the atmosphere produced here has the sensuality and softness that is at the root of our different studies... objects that are sometimes extremely functional and sometimes magical.” The exhibit was first mounted at the new Pompidou center in Metz, France but is a completely different show. Instead of encountering the entire oeuvre in a single room, Chicago visitors can explore the evolution of their work in large and small galleries. Large scale pieces, which the brothers have dubbed microarchitecture, partition the galleries even further, separating work spaces from dining tables and creating alcoves in which to explore smaller pieces like vases and floating shelves.

The collection shows how good design does more than just “tantalize the eye,” and why the Bouroullec brothers are seen as a “barometer of where the design field is going,” curator Michael Darling said. “They’re not

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Pakistani children take a ride on a park fairground on the third day of the Eid Al-Adha holiday in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, yesterday. The Muslim holiday commemorates the sacrifice by the Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH), known to Christians and Jews as Abraham. It is a festive holiday where it is traditional for men, women and children to dress in new clothing and spend time with their families. —AP

trying to trick us with crazy shapes and colors just for the sake of wowing us,” Darling told AFP. “They’re really trying to bring something new to the table in terms of how we sit and work and read and eat... there’s something that might inspire us to think more artistically about our everyday life when you see this show.”

Sketches used to develop their work line the walls of one gallery and give visitors a look into what Erwan Bouroullec described as a lengthy and sometimes torturous design process.

“The way we design is still somewhat an enigma to me. Because, the real challenge when designing something is that you have to have good functionality, you have to have found the right production techniques but it’s also something a bit magical,” he said.

“When something is beautiful and also right, what it contains is often a very particular balance.” The brothers do not have a particular method; rather they explore materials and techniques ranging from the artisanal to the industrial.

Their constraints are to find the most rational approach to production and often look for “hyper concentration” so the object is not made with thousands of details or materials, Erwan Bouroullec explained. “The functionality, the technique, that’s the minimum,” he said as he sat in a supple couch designed to be “the most comfortable possible.” “The most difficult question of design, what we strive foremost to achieve, is to create the culture that surrounds us... how do we shape the visual environment.” For the Bouroullec brothers, the process can be a bit like trimming a tree looking at what they can take away while maintaining the form and function. —AFP

European fashion buyers look to Nigeria model struts the runway wearing a flowing newspaper print gown in this African megacity where international high-end fashion buyers are looking beyond the country’s bleak headlines to uncover the next new thing. There have been steady efforts to turn Lagos, a city with a fearsome reputation, into a fashion destination. They reached new heights at the MTN Lagos Fashion & Design Week that ran from Oct 24 to 27 and drew European high-fashion brands such as the United Kingdom’s Selfridges & Co and Munich-based MyTheresa.com to Nigeria for the first time. Ituen Basi’s newspaper inspired Spring/Summer 2013 collection was among 39 collections spotlighted at the city’s latest major fashion week. The Nigerian’s collection evoked fun and glamour through its use of print and color characteristics which have come to define the vibrant local fashion scene.

ANITA QUANSAH LONDON Anita Quansah London is a prolific one-woman operation based in a London workshop. The GhanaianNigerian designer describes her work as a “labor of love.” She sells to a global market including Asians and Europeans. She says she is now in talks to build a diffusion line to meet up with the growing demand of her work that has caught the eye of such designers as Christian Delacroix. Her Spring/Summer 2013 collection is dramatic for “ladies who want to make a statement when they walk in to a room.” Her show-stopping bib necklaces are embellished with intricate bead work. The beads include imitation coral beads used for traditional outfits in southern Nigeria.

Some bibs are lined with chicken feathers which also evoke traditional heirlooms. Her dresses were understated and mostly in solid black, ceding the limelight to the jewelry that included suggestive chain designs inspired by bondage. Quansah said she wanted to show “women that weren’t afraid to be sexy.”

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Lanre Da Silver Ajayi

Models display outfits by designer Agu, in Lagos, Nigeria.

Some international high-end fashion buyers are looking beyond Nigeria’s bleak headlines to uncover the next big new thing, fun and glamour through its use of print and color, characteristics which have come to define the vibrant local fashion scene. —AP photos With local brands seeking wider platforms and international retailers hungry for novelty, designers and buyers see opportunities for collaboration. “There’s something about the fresh, the unknown, the possibility of seeing a new brand springing forth into the limelight. ... These are becoming interesting to people outside Nigeria,” said Omoyemi Akerele, the fashion week’s founder and creative director. An encouraging response to African-inspired designs by top Western labels gives buyers confidence that designs straight from the continent will also sell.

“Over the past few seasons, there’s been a strong trend for print,” said Bruno Barba, the brand public relations manager at Selfridges. “If you look at the collection of Burberry inspired by Africa last year; there was also Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith. ... They’ve made that inspiration quite mainstream now. So, for us, it was interesting to take that trend and take it from its roots in Africa.”

Online retailer MyTheresa.com, which ships top designers’ clothes including Miu Miu, Givenchy, Lanvin and Isabel Meron to clients in 120 different countries, is also looking for products in Nigeria that will sell well.

The company hopes that will set it apart from the competition in a fastpaced industry.

“For me, Nigeria represents a fun

individualism,” the company’s buying director Justin O’Shea said. He also said that MyTheresa.com was looking to work closely with designers and adapt products for their clientele if needed. Previously, several Nigerian designers have helped put the West African nation on the global fashion map. Deola Sagoe has gained recognition from US Vogue editor Andre Leon Talley and Oprah Winfrey. London-based Duro Olowu is considered one of Michelle Obama’s favorite designers. Maki Oh has dressed American singer Solange Knowles and Hollywood actress Leelee Sobieski from her Lagos workshop. Jewel By Lisa, who has also dressed celebrities, designed limited edition BlackBerry mobile phone skins and jeweled cases for Canadian manufacturer Research In Motion Ltd. While looking to Nigeria could bring much-needed novelty to clothes targeted to Western audiences, it could also endear a Nigerian clientele. Though the majority of the nation lives on less than $2 a day, the nation’s wealthy elite - including upstart business owners, oil industry executives and corrupt politicians - have a growing appetite for top-shelf brands.

Luxury goods stores are increasingly opening in a country where seemingly gratuitous displays of wealth are

the norm. “Nigerians are part of our Top 10 highest-spending foreign customers,” Barba said. “It felt right for us to try and find a response that would appeal to them, excite them and be over and above what they already buy, almost as recognition that they’re an important part of our consumer base.”

Lisa Folawiyo Fashion week after fashion week, Lisa Folawiyo, the creative director of Jewel By Lisa, is a consistent Nigerian designer. She recently started retailing at the New York-based online luxury store Moda Operandi and continues to draw attention from international buyers and labels looking for a modern interpretation of African style. Her Spring/Summer 2013 collection is named “Fula” after the Fulani women it draws inspiration from. The Fulani are a nomadic people spread across several African countries, including Nigeria. Their women typically have fine traits and slender frames, not unlike the models that took to the catwalk with soundtrack that crossed the highpitched melody of the African guitar and the heavy bass of house music.

The Jewel by Lisa collection turned traditional loop earrings into a motif that repeated itself throughout her satin fabrics across stunning color combinations.

LANRE DASILVA AJAYI Designer Lanre DaSilva Ajayi is well-known in Nigeria’s fashion scene for her love of 40s elegance.

International buyers such as Selfridges & Co. expressed interest in her designs for retail at their UK stores. Her ultra-feminine collection used a color palette ranging from cool nude and turquoise to warm orange and gold. She showed flowing silhouettes and easy-to-wear maxi dresses, using chiffon, raw silk lace and the lace used in traditional Nigerian outfits to carve European shapes. Her clothes are for the woman on the move, bold and sophisticated.

Marayah Oh

JOSH SAMUELS The MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2013 was also the culmination of a months-long competition for new talent. The competition winner was menswear designer Josh Samuel, an architect turned designer that offered a geometric collection. “I like things organized and appropriate,” said Samuel who won the equivalent of $25,000 and the opportunity to be stocked in some Nigerian boutiques His collection called “Casanova” included finely tailored clothes with classic checkered and houndstooth patterns and matching string ties. —AP

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