31st Oct

CR IP TI ON BS SU

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

Mega-cities in Asia badly exposed to superstorms

150 FILS NO: 15613 40 PAGES

Iran orchestra finale rings of hardline pressure

Egyptians at haj divided over Islam in politics

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www.kuwaittimes.net

THUL HIJJAH 15, 1433 AH

English referee Clattenburg faces racism probe

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Registration of candidates opens today amid boycott Barrak interrogated as supporters gather

Max 30º Min 17º High Tide 13:16 Low Tide 06:27 : 18:11

By B Izzak

Bahrain bans all protests DUBAI: Bahrain yesterday banned all protests and gatherings to ensure “security is maintained”, after a spate of clashes between Shiite-led demonstrators and security forces in the Sunni-ruled country. The Gulf state has been shaken by unrest since its forces in March last year crushed a month of popular protests led by members of its Shiite majority demanding greater rights and an end to what they said was discrimination against them by the Sunni royal family. The crackdown, which drew strong criticism from international rights groups, was followed by a three-month state of emergency declared by King Hamad during which protests were also banned.

In a statement carried by the official BNA news agency, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa said the latest ban was aimed at safeguarding “civil peace”. Sheikh Rashid stressed opposition protests led by the Shiite movement Al-Wefaq had been marred by “acts of sabotage” and that the demonstrators had threatened national security by calling “for the overthrow of the government”. “It was decided to stop all rallies and gatherings (to ensure)... security is maintained,” the ministry statement said. It warned that “any illegal rally or Continued on Page 15

KUWAIT: Supporters of arrested former opposition MP Musallam Al-Barrak hold up his images outside the National Assembly to demand Barrak’s release and to protest against the decision to amend the electoral law yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: An Amiri decree inviting voters to elect a new National Assembly on December 1 was yesterday published in the official gazette Al-Kuwait Al-Youm, paving the way for the registration of candidates as a big boycott looms. Under Kuwait law, registration of candidates for the Assembly polls must start a day following the publication and the interior ministry announced that it has made all the preparation necessary for the registration. The move came despite warnings by many opposition groups and former MPs that they will boycott the elections after the government amended the electoral constituency law.

Registration will continue for 10 days including public holidays from early morning until afternoon.

Withdrawal of candidates also opens today and continues until seven days before the election day. The main change to the registration of candidates is the increase of the registration fee from KD 50 to KD 500 in accordance with the new law. The fee is refunded only to candidates who obtain at least 10 percent of the votes.

Under the electoral constituency law, the country is divided into five constituencies each electing 10 MPs. Each voter was allowed to pick a maximum of four candidates which was reduced to only one candidate by the new amendment that triggered the opposition protests.

The upcoming elections are the second this year and the fifth since mid-2006 due to political instability that caused the dissolution of the Assembly on Continued on Page 15

Sandy leaves death, darkness, destruction Syria rebels kill general

35 killed • Nuke plants shut down

Jet hits capital DAMASCUS: A Syrian fighter jet hit targets inside Damascus for the first time yesterday, a watchdog said, as air strikes pounded rebel bastions around the country and an air force general was shot dead.

The warplane dropped four bombs on the east Damascus neighbourhood of Jobar, near the opposition-held suburb of Zamalka, where rebel fighters were locked in fierce clashes with the army, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Only helicopter gunships had previously been used to strafe areas inside the capital, said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. AFP correspondents reported that the bombing run was heard across the capital.

The strike, and more raids around the country, came as Syrian rebels claimed responsibility for the killing in Damascus of an air force general. State television said the general, Abdullah Mahmud AlKhalidi, was killed in the north Damascus district of Rukn al-Din, but gave no further details. The general was shot dead on Monday evening as he left a friend’s home, a security source in Damascus told AFP on condition of anonymity. In a statement posted on the Internet, the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) said it had killed Khalidi, who it said was in charge of training, along with an air force intelligence officer.

The government has intensified air strikes against rebel-held areas in recent days, with more Continued on Page 15

ALEPPO: A rebel fighter belonging to the Qatebee Sokor Al-Islam group fires at an army jet flying a bombing run on nearby rebel positions in the district of Jedida on Monday. — AP

(Anti-clockwise from above) North Carolina 12 is buckled from pounding surf leading into Mirlo Beach in Rodanthe yesterday; A parking lot full of yellow cabs is flooded in Hoboken, New Jersey; A 168-foot water tanker sits on the shore where it ran aground on Front Street in the Stapleton neighborhood of New Yorkís Staten Island; A construction crane dangles yesterday atop a $1.5 billion luxury high-rise in midtown Manhattan in New York after collapsing in high winds. — AP/AFP NEW YORK: The misery of superstorm Sandy’s devastation grew yesterday as millions along the US East Coast faced life without power or mass transit for days, and huge swaths of New York City remained eerily quiet. The US death toll climbed to 35, many of the victims killed by falling trees, and rescue work continued. The storm that made landfall in New Jersey on Monday evening with hurricane force cut power to more than 8.2 million across the East and put the presidential campaign on hold just one week before Election Day. Three nuclear plants - two in New York state and one in New Jersey were shut down in the aftermath of the storm, but operators stressed that neither posed any risk to the public.

New York was among the hardest hit, with its financial heart closed for a second day. The storm caused the worst damage in the 108-year history of the city’s subway system, and there was no indication of when the largest US transit system would be rolling again. But the full extent of the damage in New Jersey was being revealed as morning arrived. Emergency crews fanned out to rescue hundreds. A hoarse-voiced New Jersey Gov Chris Christie gave bleak news at a morning news conference: Seaside rail lines washed away. No safe place on the state’s barrier islands for him to land. Parts of the coast still under water. “It is beyond anything I thought

I’d ever see,” he said. “It is a devastating sight right now.”

The death toll from Sandy in the US included several killed by falling trees. Sandy also killed 69 people in the Caribbean before making its way up the Eastern Seaboard. Airlines canceled more than 12,000 flights.

New York City’s three major airports remained closed.

President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in New York and Long Island, making federal funding available to residents of the area. He suspended campaigning for a third day tomorrow. “This was a devastating storm, maybe the worst that we have ever experienced,” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

See Page 9 Trading at the New York Stock Exchange was canceled again yesterday after the storm sent a nearly 4-m surge of seawater, a record, coursing over its seawalls and highways and into low-lying streets. The water inundated tunnels, subway stations and the electrical system that powers Wall Street and sent hospital patients and tourists scrambling for safety. Skyscrapers swayed and creaked in winds that partially toppled a crane 74 storeys above Midtown. A large tanker ship ran aground on the city’s Staten Island. A fire raged in a city neighborhood yesterday morning near the Atlantic Ocean, with

80 to 100 homes destroyed but no deaths reported.

“This will be one for the record books,” said John Miksad, senior vice president for electric operations at Consolidated Edison, which had more than 670,000 customers without power in and around New York City.

In New Jersey, where the superstorm came ashore, a huge swell of water swept over the small town of Moonachie, and authorities struggled to rescue about 800 people, some of them living in a trailer park. Police and fire officials used boats to try to reach the stranded.

“I saw trees not just knocked down but ripped right out of the ground. I watched a tree crush a guy’s house like a wet sponge,” mobile home park resident Juan Allen said.

The massive storm reached well into the Midwest with heavy rain and snow. Chicago officials warned residents to stay away from the Lake Michigan shore as the city prepared for winds of up to 96 kph and waves exceeding 7 m well into today.

Curiosity turned to concern overnight as New York City residents watched whole neighborhoods disappear into darkness as power was cut. The World Trade Center site was a glowing ghost near the tip of Lower Manhattan. Residents reported seeing no lights but the strobes of emergency vehicles and the glimpses of Continued on Page 15

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

LOCAL

KUWAIT: Friends and relatives receive Kuwaiti pilgrims who return after performing Hajj yesterday. —Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

Thousands of Kuwaiti pilgrims return home Hajj agencies’ violations drop

By A Saleh KUWAIT: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs recorded “serious violations” against two Hajj agencies during this year’s pilgrimage, compared to nine recorded last year, according to sources privy to the developments. The ministry plans to soon start evaluating the convoys of the local agencies this year in order to assess the quality of services based on pilgrims’ feedback. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, indicated that the two agencies, whose violations include providing poor services, are set to face suspension or fines depending on the ministry’s evaluation.

The ministry will also be looking into 60 complaints made against other agencies during its next meeting, according to the sources.

Pilgrims started returning to Kuwait on Monday when nearly 10,000 arrived at the Kuwait International Airport via 29 flights, according to Operations Manager at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Essam Al-Zamel.

A total of 38 other flights were expected to arrive yesterday (Tuesday), according to the official’s statements quoted by various newspapers yesterday. Several pilgrims who spoke to reporters on Monday expressed their satisfaction about the services provided this year by Kuwaiti agencies as well as facilitations made by Saudi authorities.

Interim successor chosen Justice Minister Jamal Al-Shehab is set to replace the outgoing Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Al-Saleh on

an interim basis, amid reports that AlSaleh’s resignation is expected to be approved during the Cabinet’s next weekly meeting.

Al-Shehab is expected to begin by signing a number of decisions that were finalized before his predecessor’s resignation, including one to add eggs to the list of food items available to the citizens at subsidized prices, as well as withdrawing a number of industrial units.

Al-Saleh reportedly submitted his resignation in protest after an emergency decree was issued to amend the voting mechanism in Kuwait’s electoral law, in a “bold” step seen by many as a “loss” to the Cabinet given his “vision of reform”.

During his tenure of only a few months, Al-Saleh was active in scrapping companies which failed to provide accurate budget data for years, as well as adjusting the company law and hiring three commissioners at the Capital Market Authority to end a controversy which became complicated during the tenure of his predecessor Dr Amani Buresli.

Al-Saleh is also credited for “creative ideas” pitched during meetings for a government team assembled by HH the Amir and assigned to find solutions to achieve economic reforms, as well as maintaining prices of various commodities which rose globally during his time in office.

Several “political and economic parties” are reportedly trying to talk Al-Saleh out of his resignation in the meantime, especially since he is known for an approach that encourages competition and young people to start their own projects, such as his efforts to enforce the small projects’ law and competition protection law via emergency decrees.

Al-Hajraf personally following up on condition of Kuwaiti students in US KUWAIT: Minister of Finance, Acting Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf confirmed yesterday that he was personally and closely following up on conditions of Kuwaiti students in the United States. Dr Al-Hajraf said he was monitoring the conditions of the Kuwaiti students, particularly those in cities and towns located on the eastern coast of the US, where Sandy hurricane was raging.

The embassy and the cultural office in Washington have assured him about continuous follow-up on conditions of the students, taking all necessary precautions to ensure their safety, the

minister said. He also indicated that contacts have been held with officials of the diplomatic mission, the National Union of Kuwaiti Students (NUKS), the US branch, to inquire about the students’ needs in shadow of effects of the hurricane, now whipping much of the east coast.

Minister Al-Hajraf has stressed that the students must abide by guidelines of the local American authorities, take all necessary precautions, maintain contacts among themselves and inform the embassy or the office about any hardships resulting from the extraordinary situation.

US ambassador to the US Sheikh

Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah had said that the embassy, on Saturday, addressed an electronic message to the Kuwaiti students in the US, particularly those residing along the route of the hurricane, including instructions how to cope with the emergency situation.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s permanent representative to the UN Mansour AlOtaibi advised Kuwaiti nationals and students to keep away from the route of Hurricane Sandi, which is starting to hit the East Coast of the US. He said the Kuwaiti Consulate in New York is totally prepared to offer help to Kuwaiti nationals at anytime.

He also asked those Kuwaiti nationals who have flight reservations to keep in touch with Kuwait Airways or other carriers due to possible cancellations or flight timetable change.

But, he affirmed that the consulate has not yet received any complaint from any Kuwaiti national in New York.

Hurricane Sandi has gained strength and is passing through the East Coast of the United States targeting over 50 million Americans who brace for possibility of power outrage and flooding.

Significant flooding has been reported in coastal beach towns along the East Coast, mainly in Atlantic City, New Jersey and Ocean City, Maryland.

Divers to remove debris off Kubbar KUWAIT: The Kuwait Dive Team prepared a comprehensive plan to remove a 60-feet-long sunken yacht off the Kubbar Island’s shore, which involves intricate procedures aimed at preventing damage to surrounding coral reefs.

“The removal plan is set to take a few days in order to prevent damage to the island’s fungal life,” announced marine operations supervisor Waleed Al-Shatty, who added that the plan was drafted in cooperation with the Coastguards General Department and

the Sea Rescue Center of the Kuwait Fire Services Department.

Meanwhile, Al-Shatty noted that markers were located around the debris of a 90-feet-long wooden ship sunken off the Ohah island. The debris was scattered due to the

strong waves that resulted from strong winds. The supervisor advised the visitors to stay away from the northern and eastern sides of the island where the debris were found until the wreckage is removed “within the next few days.”

Kuwait condemns violence against Rohingya Muslims KUWAIT: Kuwait deplores in the strongest terms acts of violence, including killing, displacing, and terrorizing, the minority Rohingya Muslims in the western state of Rakhine in Myanmar, a highplaced source at the ministry of foreign affairs said here yesterday.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar have been killed, their homes burned, their villages pillaged, all of which acts are a flagrant violation of basic human rights and tantamount to crimes against humanity, noted the source.

Kuwait, in its commitment to resolutions promulgated by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, urges the government of Myanmar to bear its responsibilities by moving quickly to protect the lives of the minority Rohingya Muslims and to implement a course where all ethnic and sects of the Myanmar society are treated equally, in the recent spirit of adopting the tools of democracy and reform, said the source.

Moreover, the source behooved the international community to also bear its responsibility in that regard by seeking relief for the beleaguered Rohingyas, including sending relief aid supplies to them as speedily as possible. — KUNA

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

local

News

in brief

New independent authority KUWAIT: The ministerial sources revealed that the council of ministers will approve in its meeting on Nov 5 two necessity decrees to form an independent authority for small and medium projects and an amendment to the sports laws. The first project calls for the creation of an independent authority that will include all those in the administration responsible for the execution of the projects-related formalities.

Currently, it is distributed among a number of ministries and government organizations. Sources added that opening a small project or medium size will include government employees, who will retain their jobs for several years until their project proves successful, before asking them to choose between the government job and the project.

No change in school exams KUWAIT: The Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, Mohammad Al-Kandari, said that studies will continue as per the earlier declared plan in decision number one which specified the dates for examinations, vacations, and school days.

He said the timings for exams for the first period have not changed and there was no truth in any reports that these will be postponed due to the election expected to be held in the beginning of December.

He said everyone is waiting for the decree that calls for elections to decide the election centers in order to implement a plan for re-examination of students in those schools only. Adding that elections was not something new in Kuwait, he said the department was ready to deal with all exigencies and the authorities were equipped to deal with any eventuality that may arise. He called upon the students to abide by school timings and asked their parents to cooperate with the ministry in this respect.

Traffic campaign KUWAIT: The smart patrol, currently working on the express highways, intercepted a vehicle in Hawally area since it was wanted in a case of accident and had fled the scene of the accident. The vehicle was sent to the concerned party. The traffic department emphasized that its campaigns will continue to end traffic violations and bring the outlaws to book in order to protect the road users.

Four killed in accidents during Eid

KUWAIT: Salama Al-Aqra, Mohammed Al-Suweiti, Yousif Al-Qinai, Najjat Al-Sayegh, and Hussein Al-Eisa.

KUWAIT: Yousif Al-Qinai during the press conference. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

Stage ready for Kuwait long distance marathon New strategy to attract more people

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: For the first time in Kuwait, an international long distance marathon will be held in the Kuwaiti desert. The Kuwaiti Marathon will be held on Nov 3, 2012 at the North of Kuwait. KM will be on a desert running route around 200 meters away from the street. The runners will be stepping on hard sand 80 per cent of the time, but they will encounter minor hills and some areas of soft sands.

Besides the Full Marathon, which is 42.195km long, this event will also include other family activities such as the Half Marathon, 10km Run, 3km Fun Run, and other activities for kids. Various activities at the KM Base camp will be available to entertain the participants and spectators. Food and beverage facilities will be available.

Yousif Al-Qinai, Head of I’m Strong Project, the organizer of this event, said that they have changed the marketing strategy for the marathon by adding

other shorter marathons to attract more people to participate. “We aim to spread awareness in our community about a healthy lifestyle and the importance of sports. We also aim to fight obesity from which many people are suffering. The KM marathon is a sports carnival that is organized as per international standards,” he noted during a press conference held yesterday at the Missoni Hotel.

There are many obstacles facing the organizers in holding such an event. “We are facing problems and delays in issuance of a license to hold a marathon or any sports event. Also there is maintenance and reconstruction work going on at many roads and places in Kuwait, which is a hurdle in holding such events.

Furthermore, organizing such events costs a lot, and if the number of participants is not enough, we need many sponsors to cover the cost. In Lebanon, for instance, about 40,000 people run the marathon, and this covers the cost but here in Kuwait, we cannot invite

people from outside as getting a visa for them is difficult. So, we only depend on those who live here,” explained Al-Qinai.

Two professional runners from Jordan will be also par ticipating in this marathon. “I have participated in many marathons all over the world and this is my first time in Kuwait. I think that the idea of this marathon is great and it is a big event, especially since it is being held in the desert. The participation in the 42 km marathon is an achievement even if all the runners may not be able to reach the finish line. I wish good luck to all par ticipants,” Mohammed AlSuweiti said.

KM base camp will be located at the northern desert of Kuwait right at the start of Road 80. Runners will be provided a bus transportation service that will help them commute from Kuwait Towers to KM base camp and back. If you wish to drive to KM base camp yourself, make sure you are present at least an hour before the race begins. Booking the bus trip will be possible on the Race Number

Collection days. Participants can book extra tickets for two more individuals per runner. Other family members or friends can meet at KM base camp or simply follow the bus.

Checkpoints will be available every 5 kilometers for water and medical support when needed. The checkpoints will also be marked as milestones for the runners.

Water supply will be available at every checkpoint. Medical support team will be available in KM cars and check point tents upon need. KM cars will be supervising the runners in between every check point to ensure their safety.

People can register through the website www.kmarathon.com or at The Australian College of Kuwait ACK) from Thursday Nov 1, to Friday Nov 2, between 9am and 12pm. The first two winners in each category will receive financial prizes.

In addition, all runners who successfully cross the finish line will be given a certificate of completion. Medals will also be awarded to all runners who successfully cross the finish line.

KUWAIT: Four people were killed and more than 500 were hospitalized following accidents reported during the Eid Al-Adha holiday, according to a top official in the Kuwait Fire Services Directorate.

“Firefighters responded to 737 accidents involving fire, drowning and collisions during the holiday, which left four people dead and 505 hospitalized, including 137 injured in traffic accidents,” Public Relations and Media Director Lieutenant Colonel Khalil Al-Amir said.

A total of 32 fires were tackled during the holiday, including 10 house fires. Firefighters also responded to 37 rescue calls, including seven calls to save people trapped in wrecked vehicles, nine cases of people trapped in elevators, and two drowning reports.

Meanwhile, traffic campaigns carried out during the holiday throughout the company resulted in catching 11,634 traffic violations, with an average of 2.5 tickets issued per minute.

A total of 509 vehicles and 11 motorcycles were impounded during the campaigns, according to the Ministry of Interior’s official statistics.

Interior to facilitate media work during NA elections KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry announced yesterday that the its security media department, in cooperation with the elections’ affairs department of the general directorate of legal affairs, has set up a media center to facilitate works of journalists during the forthcoming National Assembly (NA) election.

The ministry has prepared a media plan to educate and guide candidates and voters in preparation for the upcoming elections, as candidacy registration is to start yesterday morning and until end of working hours on Friday, November 9th, Colonel Adel Al-Hashash, director of the public relations and moral guidance and acting director of security information at the Ministry of Interior said in a press statement.

Also, Al-Hashash indicated that the media center would be fully equipped with all communication and telecommunications such as computers, internet, phone lines and fax machines, as well as a direct line to the security media department. —KUNA

KUWAIT: The Police Officers’ club celebrated Eid by throwing a party for its members and their families. The celebration featured a variety of programs for young and adults while valuable gifts were distributed to winners of the cultural competition. Audience was delighted and the party was attended by a large number of the members and their families.

Cheetahs trade ‘a fast rising business’ in Kuwait KUWAIT: Bu Rashid sat down in his dewaniya with a look of concern on his face as everyone in attendance could tell he was anticipating some news. Soon afterwards, he let out a sigh of relief after receiving a phone call in which the person on the other side of the conversation broke to him the good news: “The package you ordered has entered Kuwait.”

It was no ordinary package that Bu Rashid had purchased from a Saudi merchant and smuggled into Kuwait.

“These were a number of cheetahs smuggled via the border,” he admitted as he felt the need to explain to the people in his dewaniya who were left wondering about the mysterious phone call.

An endangered species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) treaty, to which the Kuwaiti government is a signatory, cheetahs are becoming increasingly popular among wild ani-

mal trainers in the tiny desert nation located north east of the Arabian Gulf.

Once considered exclusive to Sheikhs (ruling family members) and wealthy businessmen, many Kuwaitis are entertaining the idea of raising cheetahs as these are relatively easier to be domesticated compared to other felines or wild animals. The trend is becoming even more popular with an increasing belief that Kuwait has an ‘open’ route for cheetahs.

Cheetahs are smuggled to Kuwait from Saudi Arabia where they arrive from Africa via Yemen. The Souk Jazan and Souk Al-Khouba at the SaudiYemeni border are considered the main markets where the animal is sold. After arriving in Yemen on boats, the cheetahs are transported through land to Saudi Arabia where they are placed in sackcloths before being smuggled into Kuwait.

Looking for a cheetah to buy is as easy as searching for a product online. Potential cheetah owners have

access to a variety of websites where merchants offer the animals for sale, complete with specifications and pictures, as well as prices that start from KD3,000. A majority of customers are young people often seen walking their animals at the Arabian Gulf Road or putting them in their convertible cars, according to most traders.

Abu Nawaf, an avid Cheetah trainer, believes that raising these animals is no different than raising falcons, horses or even sheep. “It can be both a hobby and a trade at the same time,” he said in a phone conversation with Al-Rai’s reporter after he refused to meet in person “to avoid legal prosecution.”

Abu Nawaf does not see any reason why it is illegal for anyone to raise a cheetah “when there are Sheikhs and many celebrities who own them but no one can hold them accountable.” In this regard, environmental activist Abdurrahman Al-Sarhan explains that the CITES treaty the gov-

ernment signed in 2003 imposes upon Kuwait an international obligation to protect the endangered species. The Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources, the governmental body responsible for implementing such treaties in Kuwait, remains incapable of curbing the rising cheetah trade in Kuwait. This is because most trainers keep their animals in private properties such as farms and livestock ranches, according to Oudah Al-Bathali who believes that the Kuwaiti government is not doing its job to ensure implementation of the CITES agreement. Omar Al-Ajmy, who keeps a number of cheetahs at his residence, said that he has been practicing this hobby for years, but insisted that he does not trade “or make any kind of profit” from it. He also expressed frustration with the fact that his phone “never stops ringing” as many people call him with offers to buy his cheetahs. — Al-Rai

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

LOCAL

kuwait digest

kuwait digest

Start dealing with people on merit

My way or the highway

By Thaar Al Rashidi

By Waleed Al-Jassim

he loyalists have accused the oppositionists of practicing the policy of purging the other, which is true to a certain extent. But on the other side, we should admit that a similar practice is prevalent in the other camp also. Each side is following the policy of purging the other altogether in the eyes of the public.

Entire effort of the opposition is aimed only against the loyalists while all efforts of the loyalists are aimed against the opposition. They are against anyone who differs with them, even if he were from Kuala Lumpur and not Kuwait.

The main problem here is that no one wants to hear what logic says, be it the loyalists or the opposi-

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Our political holy war is on since six years now. A truce was observed for sometime but the war resumes after every truce in a political battle under a different cover. Once it is the grilling motion, and next it is about a change in election constituencies.

Then it happens on the issue of raising even more demands and then due to some angry demonstrations.

F

kuwait digest

What is going on in Kuwait?

By Dr Shamlan Y Al-Essa

tion. Neither the government nor the authority wants to go by logic. Everyone has already taken a decision in his own wisdom and is going by the “my way or the highway” slogan which does not work in politics because such an approach leads to a showdown at the end of the day, and fighting is not in favor of anyone either on 4th November, or on 11th November.

Our political holy war is on since six years now. A truce was observed for sometime but the war resumes after every truce in a political battle under a different cover. Once it is the grilling motion, and next it is about a change in election constituencies. Then it happens on the issue of raising even more demands and then due to some angry demonstrations. Once again the public is instigated, and it goes on and on. Since one week, the balance of power has shifted. Some players were ousted and new players entered, while others were pushed aside. But fighting continues as it was. That is because the issue is not about the need to oust the players, and keep them on standby while bringing in new players even as others were asked to warm up and be ready to enter the political parade.

The issue has to be about changing the entire team and even “dissolve our political football union” and make the public participate in deciding its fate.

Note 1: If the political game continues under same circumstances, the result will be 100 - 0 in favour of destroying the country.

Note 2: I am still holding the flag of optimism, hoping that tomorrow is another day, better than today, and that the coming days will be much better than the politically dry years which dried up everything beautiful in the country. My faith and others’ faith remains eternally in His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad that he will sail us all on to safer shore as we know that he always does. — Al-Anbaa

kuwait digest

Our freedom of opinion

here is an increased interest in the fast-paced defection, if troubles escalate and the Muslim events in the Gulf region following the Arab Brotherhood’s and tribal threats to the state’s entity Spring revolutions, and events in Kuwait claimed continue, is possible. We pray to Allah that this does not considerable coverage by Arab and Gulf columnists. happen. It seems that Kuwaitis are going over board as Muhari Al-Zaidi, in his column in the Middle East news- a result of the luxury in which they have been living. paper on Oct 23 under the title “Fire in the middle of a This action will end such a state of luxury.”

Dr Mohammad Al-Rumaihi said in his column garden,” wrote, “Everyone wants to move the Arab revolutions kind of situation to the Gulf countries, and we “Finger biting continues”: “There is not a society, as far are seeing how some are trying very hard, be it in the as I know, that asks authorities to implement the law on UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia or now in Kuwait. Yes, everyone, then gets violated by some people due to Kuwait, which has a real parliament that is half-a-centu- their political and influential interests except in Kuwait.”

What our Arab and Gulf ry old, and has a free press, brothers said is true, because but all that was not enough we are living in times of a for those who wish to make We are living in times of a social regression in Kuwait Kuwait one of the Arab spring social regression in Kuwait and and that was reflected in the cases.” that was reflected in the demodemocratic performance. We Columnist Adel Al-Tareefi, are witnessing these days a writing in the Middle East cratic performance. We are witnew “painful labor” that we about the problems of the nessing these days a new hope will result in the birth of opposition in the Gulf, said, “painful labor” that we hope new principles that will end “In Kuwait, which has had an the chaos and indecisiveness outstanding parliamentary will result in the birth of new for the state, constitution and experience since the 60s, principles that will end the law. There is no room for leanthere are those who try to use chaos and indecisiveness for the ing towards tribes’ leaders, the street to impose their clergy men, heads of sects interpretation of the constitustate, constitution and law. and families’ wishes. We want tion, and that is a cause for civilized decisiveness to difworry because a state that has parliamentary elections and carries out political ferentiate between the civil and religious state. What is dialogue on the crises within the constitutional rules required is a serious revision of the lame march of and legislates in the interest of its citizens still faces democracy because Arab experience with democracy policemen in the street, or provocation against authori- has produced zealous parties as well as religious, tribal ties to storm government buildings, is a prescription for and sectarian powers. We hear today, for the first time, chaos and social division. The most notable evidence of that the government will implement the law on all the danger in what is going on is when some say one without hesitation. Is it realistic for a religious political thing supports this activist or bless a particular move- movement to lead the opposition in Kuwait with the government’s concurrence and blessings? This happens ment. This is a dangerous indicator.”

Abdelrahman Al-Rashid said in his column “Kuwait only in Kuwait.

Finally, what about the future? Political escalation by and half democracy crises”: “There is still in Kuwait, as in many other Arab countries, the factor of tribalism the opposition will continue in the hope of getting which is stronger than ideology, and ideology is even more citizens to boycott the December elections. stronger than patriotism. So, democratic competition There are no easy solutions for the government other becomes a struggle between tribes and sects against than adhering to the law and constitution. Already, there has been enough toying with the country’s desother sects which nullify the value of democracy.”

Dr Yahya Al-Jamal concluded his “Kuwait is boiling” tiny in the name of democracy once and in the name of column by writing: “The possibilities of constitutional religion another time. — Al-Watan

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By Abdullatif Al-Duaij do not support the national unity law, the bill to criminalize hate, or whatever it is called because national unity is a concept that does not and should not exist. People as individuals and groups are different, and everyone of us has the right to keep his privacy and way of life in harmony with others.

National unity means categorizing people under a single attribute, which goes against the basis of society and democratic system. A tribal man, for example, has the right to observe the traditions of his tribe within the framework of the law and public order. An Ajami (Persian) citizen also has the right to retain and practice the language, heritage and code of conduct as per his culture.

That is not supposed to infuriate or even attract the attention of anyone, let alone being seen as a reason to discriminate as is happening in our society. Such laws could provide a legal tool for certain groups to limit the freedom of others.

Cooperation and harmony are not taught to or enforced upon people. They are characteristics people attain as they grow up. Unfortunately, children here are taught at school the ‘Arabic’ and ‘Islamic’ superiority, or told that people with better knowledge and faith are generally more ‘superior’ than the rest.

An individual is taught from a young age to ‘accept’ such classification of people, and to follow a certain point of view. It goes so far as to consider wrong anyone who has a different opinion. It is not considered the right of individuals and social groups to have their own independent opinions.

Despite all this and the fact that I am also against punitive actions taken against any individual for expressing an opinion, I believe that the law should be applied against people who recently offended naturalized citizens.

It should also apply to everyone who discriminates on the basis of people’s origins. Such people should apologize and demonstrate through actions their true commitment to protect all sections of the society.

Applying the hate speech law against offenders of minorities would be a declaration of our honest commitment to achieve equality and justice among people. I am afraid that the law would only be applied to protect those who are already protected, and result in giving an edge to those who already have an unfair advantage. —Al-Qabas

I

ew days ago, an Egyptian professor of law, Dr Yahya Al-Jamal, who follows the constitutional and political developments in Kuwait closely, wrote a column in a Middle Eastern newspaper, wherein he made the deduction that what was taking place in Kuwait was the result of two things, namely, the tribal situation and the Muslim Brotherhood faction.

Anyone who examines Professor Yahya Al-Jamal’s delineation will agree with this deduction to a great extent.

The tribal mindset today is what is primarily fuelling the current political movement in the country while the Muslim Brotherhood Movement is silently reaping whatever gains it can make in the coming days as political developments progress. Since it is the only organized faction, it can prove to be the one that can move into a position of power when the political equations change.

As for the tribe, events in Kuwait today underline the failure of the modern Kuwaiti civil state in containing the construct of tribe and merging it with the state.

The tribe as a social unit continued to thrive even though its members became educated and received degrees. The state failed in blending and absorbing the tribe within the larger society, either out of ignorance and poor planning, or due to a deliberate intention to retain the tribes as scattered cantons that can be easily provoked and called upon when necessary.

It seems that there were those who thought that sections of populace existing as members of tribes in Kuwait will remain obedient and easily pliable, not realizing that the generational shift will ensure that those rising to the helm may not turn out to be like their predecessors.

The state changed things to the extent that the tribes who lived in tents moved into concrete houses, but regretfully kept the tribal nature intact by segregating the areas where they lived. Their residential areas became known as tribal communities in certain areas

kuwait digest

Security or human beings?

By Dr Ghanim Al-Najjar hich has top priority, national security or violation of the state sovereignty that calls for strict human rights? This is a question that never measures to retain the lost prestige and exhibit used to be asked before the international brute force. The conflict between both the concepts declaration of human rights in December, 1948. This is one between old and modern ideologies, and it declaration changed the question from its hypothet- has been present in every society throughout histoical state to an international commitment requiring ry. The old security-oriented concept does not value human beings, whereas the human right-oriented answers from all countries. one does not discard Prior to this declaration, national security; it rather national security had top priThe conflict between both the deals with it as part of a ority in any country while comprehensive perspechuman rights were absent concepts is one between old and tive. It is considered an from the minds of politicians. modern ideologies, and it has integral part of the conHuman rights have been at been present in every society cepts of justice, equality stake for 64 years and have and respect for human digbeen tested thousands of throughout history. The old nity. If fully achieved, this times by both major and security-oriented concept does concept of human rights minor countries. The answer not value human beings, wherewill consequently ensure was clear and simple for that the national security is many who believed that as the human right-oriented achieved smoothly, leaving national security should get one does not discard national the use of violence by top priority to achieve the security; it rather deals with it as security forces only for the age old concepts such as outlaws, something appre‘state domination, its legitipart of a comprehensive perciated by all. Who has the macy, its monopoly of power spective. priority - man or security? It and the sacredness of that is a question to which the power. The new concept of sovereignty was added in the 17th century after answer has been already decided by the followers of signing of the Peace of Westphalia Treaty and rein- the old ideology who favor the idea of state dominaforced after the principle of not interfering in tion. This concept is worn out and lacks creativity. It domestic issues was settled in the aftermath of is very contradictory. History is moving in the opposite direction and is headed towards achieving World War II. On the other hand, the human rights concept is a human dignity and values such as justice and equalimodern one that is still striving to hold and stand in ty as the basis of national security, which will prevail the face of authority. The authority however stresses in the international arena including our region, that violating any of these concepts would mean a which will be no exception.—Aljarida

W

The state changed things to the extent that the tribes who lived in tents moved into concrete houses, but regretfully kept the tribal nature intact by segregating the areas where they lived. Their residential areas became known as tribal communities in certain areas of the country, and with sub-areas becoming tribe-specific, all one needed to ask was ‘where do you live’ in order to find out ‘which tribe is one from’. of the country, and with sub-areas becoming tribe-specific, all one needed to ask was ‘where do you live’ in order to find out ‘which tribe is one from’.

Eventually, the younger tribe members grew up, availed themselves of education, and some of them became professors, doctors, engineers, inventors, writers, journalists and businessmen. The tribe members got into all kinds of work in the country but the modern civil state failed in blending them within the society, a point we made earlier.

Even a competent tribe member remained compelled to continue with his tribal loyalty in order to get his rights in the matter of promotion, education, work, medical care and other things. If they look for a minister, they enquire about his tribe first, and if a tribe member falls sick, he needs a representative from the tribe to mediate for his treatment abroad. The same goes for getting a job etc. The failure to merge the tribe seamlessly into the society was either deliberate, and if that indeed was so, then it was a naive behavior propelled by the hope that the tribe member will forever hold on to its ethnicity and it will be easy to call upon such loyalty when necessary, just as it was considered easy to let the tribe go when it was no longer needed.

May be the failure in merging the tribes into the larger society was a result of good intentions, as tribe members prefer to live as a community since they are accustomed to a certain kind of social contact.

However, the political science defines a state as “the crucible in which all components of the society melt,” while here, as the tribe did not merge and did not melt as it is supposed to, the formation of the Kuwaiti civil state remains incomplete, and this aberration remains a permanent threat to it.

As for the Muslim Brotherhood, the second element seen by Professor Yahya Al-Jamal as the reason for what is happening in Kuwait now, it too is the state’s own doing. This section sowed the seeds and the state nurtured those seeds, provided fertile soil and nursed them till one day we found that they owned everything from a needle to a rocket. Its members know, even while they are still pursuing their studies, as to where they will be employed as soon as they graduate. In juxtaposition, other Kuwaitis wait for their turn in a long queue that should not have been there in the first place in a rich country.

The state kowtowed to the Muslim Brotherhood to escape from the nationalists, their ideas and revolutionary inclinations. That is why it nurtured the Muslim Brotherhood and used it to create a balance in the society, a strategy which found acceptance among the conservative Kuwaiti citizenry which leans more towards religion and by nature repulses the leftist and socialist ideologies.

It is really regretful that the state that creates players always forgets to set any rules of the game for them, and, on top of that, the referees change all the time.

The games that were good for the past may be not good for the current times and they must be changed quickly. Today, before the state blames the tribe members whose mood has changed from pro-state to opposition, it must blame itself and stop dealing with the Kuwaitis as representatives of groups, cantons, and ethnicities, and should start dealing with all on merit, as that is what the law ordains. — Al-Watan

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

LOCAL

News

in brief

KUWAIT: Supporters of arrested Kuwaiti former opposition MP Musallam Al-Barrak gather outside the Palace of Justice in Kuwait City to demand Barrak’s release yesterday. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Kuwait tense following Barrak’s arrest KUWAIT: Kuwaiti authorities showed remarkable self-assurance in dealing with the events unfolding in the country, arresting a prominent opposition leader and announcing the start of the registration process for the parliamentary elections.

Musallam Barrak, a former lawmaker and union leader, was arrested on Monday evening, a week after he was summoned for questioning over a speech at Irada Square in which he openly challenged the authority of the ruling family.

Barrak, one of the opposition leaders strongly opposed to the amendment of the 2006 electoral law either by the constitutional court or by the Amir, stood by the view that any change to the legislation was the prerogative of a new parliament.

In his speech on Oct 15, he addressed His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah directly and made several remarks that were judged detrimental to the social and political balance of the country. His unprecedented remarks stoked controversy with several former lawmakers openly calling for legal action against him.

Three other former lawmakers were also arrested last week over lesser charges, but were later released after questioning.

Barrak refused to go to the police station until he received a written statement summoning him for questioning. He was eventually detained on Monday after he gave a press conference. His arrest came eight days after the police and demonstrators clashed during an evening rally organised by the opposition in protest against the amendment of the electoral law.

The amendment pushed by the Amir in the absence of a parliament effectively reduced the number of votes each voter can cast to one. The government said that the ‘one voter, one vote’ principle was the international standard and ensured a fairer representation of the people in the legislature. The opposition complained that the measure was aimed at curtailing its influence and pave the way for parliaments that were compliant with the government’s positions. The opposition vowed to resist the changes by whipping up street protests. Several people, from both sides,

were injured when clashes broke out during the opposition rally which saw police use teargas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds. A second rally is expected next week, but no details have been revealed yet. The government on Monday said that it was ready to deal with all events resulting from the charged political atmosphere in the country and that it would not allow disturbances marked by civil disobedience or violence. The arrest of Barrak drew sharp criticism from his supporters but there were no reports of violence or protests outside his home in Andalus town, 20 km from Kuwait City. No untoward incidents were reported from the capital either after the arrest. However, Barrak’s brother said that a demonstration would be held to press for his release after he had faced questioning for his remarks. Several former lawmakers posted tweets that paid rich tribute to Barrak for his dogged positions on corruption and social issues and called for his immediate release.

Some groups said that they stood by the former lawmaker and that they would boy-

cott the elections scheduled for Dec 1.

The media was deeply polarised over Barrak’s arrest and reactions from various quarters ranged between calls for his release and support for “the application of the law regardless of the name of the people”. But while the street sentiment remained divided over the arrest and the merit of the next elections, the government announced yesterday that the registration for the national elections would start today and conclude on November 9.

Prospective candidates must hold the Kuwaiti nationality and be at least 30 years of age as on December 1, the date set for the election.

Those contesting elections must also be to speak and write Arabic and must have a clean security record. Security and army personnel are not allowed to run unless they retire from service, the statement said.

The announcement indicated that the government was not planning to postpone or cancel the elections despite the numerous challenges it faces and that it is treating the arrest of Barrak as a normal event.

Former MPs plan to sue authorities for arrests Arbitrary procedures

By A Saleh KUWAIT: The defense team of the three former lawmakers arrested recently on charges of undermining the status of His Highness the Amir is considering legal action against the interior and justice ministries for “arbitrary procedures” allegedly initiated against their clients. “Our clients were subjected to improper treatment that included being handcuffed, having their heads shaved and detained alongside criminals,” attorney Khalid Al-Juwaisri said in a statement yesterday.

Oppositionist former MPs Falah AlSawagh, Badr Al-Dahoum and Khalid AlTahous were released on KD5000 bail each last week after they were interrogated regarding statements they had made during a public gathering a week before.

Al-Juwaisri hinted yesterday that the alleged mistreatment of his clients was intentional.

In other news, former MP Saleh Al-

Mulla called for a “peaceful gathering” in front of the Press Street in Shuwaikh this evening (Wednesday) in support of boycotting the upcoming elections. “ The decree to reduce the number of votes per voter is not constitutional after the electoral law was upheld by the Constitutional Court”, the liberal lawmaker said yesterday, in reference to last month’s ruling against the cabinet’s challenge to the law’s constitutionality.

A decree to invite citizens to elections set for December 1 was made official yesterday when it was published in the government’s official gazette Al-Kuwait AlYoum (Kuwait Today), signaling the beginning of the registration period for candidates which starts today and will last until November 9.

The opposition plans to boycott the election under the pretext that the decree which reduced the number of candidates a citizen can vote for from four to one was aimed at limiting their chances to reach

the parliament, or regain majority seats as was the case in last February’s elections.

The ‘2012 parliament’ was scrapped four months later by a Constitutional Court ruling which reinstated a parliament elected in 2009 and dominated by a pro-government majority. The upcoming elections were called after the ‘2009 parliament’ was dissolved again, with the decree to amend the electoral law released in between.

Oppositionist groups staged a massive gathering last week as part of a protest against the emergency decree, which saw special task forces use tear gas and stun grenades to disperse thousands of demonstrators in Kuwait City and arrest dozens according to opposition activists.

A second march is set for next Sunday, with speculations that a third one could be held the following week which marks the fiftieth anniversary of the official release of the Kuwaiti constitution.

Al-Rai daily reported in the meantime that the opposition remains split on chal-

lenging the emergency decree “due to apprehensions that a ruling in favor of the decree not only would solidify it, but would open the door for the government to legislate even more laws through emergency decrees,” according to sources close to the Majority Bloc. The same newspaper also published statements of Secretary General of the Islamic Constitutional Movement Nasser Al-Sane’a, confirming that the group widely considered as the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm in Kuwait plans to boycott the upcoming elections.

Separately, fourth constituency candidate Meshal Al-Ayar invited Jahra residents to a “consultative meeting” Sunday in order to “to discuss preparations for the elections and nominate the most qualified candidates.” Al-Ayar’s call is not expected to receive much response compared to previous years in which the four-votesper-voter system allowed coalitions to be formed among candidates.

Municipality team arrests 24 unauthorized butchers

By Hanan Al-Sadoun KUWAIT: The inspection campaigns carried out by an emergency team at the Hawally municipality resulted in the arrest of 24 butchers who were neither authorized nor were doing their job in conformity with the municipality regulations.

The chief of the emergency team in the Hawally municipality, Riyadh Al Rabie, told reporters that 24 citations were handed to the butchers and a large number of knives and other

tools used in butchering were confiscated. These tools were found to be rusted and in such a bad condition that they could not be suitable for slaughtering. He pointed that slaughtering outside the slaughter house is prohibited in order to ensure the safety of the public.

Further, Al Rabie said that the team has confiscated 1347 CDs from street vendorss and 170 placards that violated municipality bylaws were removed from the streets in the Hawally governorate areas. Seven citations were handed to ice

cream salesmen for putting up their wares at places other than those allocated to them by the municipality. He added that inspections included the hair cutting saloons and 18 citations were handed for working without a health certificate, in addition to four citations for foodstuff outlets existing in violation of regulations.

Public relations director Abdul Mohsen Aba Al Khail emphasized on the need for cooperation by the public and asked the people to call the municipality hot line at 139 to lodge any complaint.

MOH plans hotline KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health is planning to allocate a hotline to receive complaints from patients across all ministry sectors, hospitals, clinics, central administrations and other sections, sources revealed.

They said the hotline number 151 will be used to communicate between the ministry and the public.

Explaining the reason behind the move, they said that the ministry’s top brass was receiving several complaints about what was happening in hospitals and some clinics. The hotline will make it easier for the patients to bring their concerns to the notice of the ministry, enabling it to solve their problems as soon as possible.

Shamiya power cuts KUWAIT: The Salwa and Shamiya areas suffered power cuts for two hours on Monday because road contractors ended up severing the cable that feeds the two areas. Blocs 1-5-6 in Adan and 6-5 in Qusoor will be remain without power from Tuesday until Thursday for six hours every day between 6 am and 12 noon to carry out maintenance work on the secondary transformers in Mubarak Al-Kabeer area.

Condolence messages KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable of condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud expressing condolences on demise of Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Bin Saud Bin Jalwa. HH the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah addressed an identical cable to the Saudi Monarch. A similar cable was also sent by HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah to the King.

Kuwait inflation rises 1.9% KUWAIT: Inflation of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.9 percent y/y in September compared to the same month of the past year, according to figures released by the Kuwait Central Statistical Office yesterday.

The office said in its monthly bulletin (for September) the rate of inflation rose in Kuwait 0.2 percent in September compared to August, on monthly basis. Prices of basic food rose 3.8 percent in September in contrast to the same month of 2011. Prices of meat, chicken and fish increased 0.1 percent, those of tea and coffee 1.6 percent, prices of fruits and vegetable 0.1 percent, other foods 0.3 percent, sugar 1 percent. Increase was also posted for the prices of oils, 1.7 percent, that of cereals and bread dropped, 0.5 percent, and the prices of dairy products and eggs rose 0.9 percent.

Prices of clothes and footwear rose 2.7 percent, educational and health services, 1.7 percent y/y.

The prices of other commodities and services increased 1.8 percent, y/y, beverages and tobacco 5.4 percent, transports 1.4 percent, household commodities and services 1.8 percent.

Comparing inflation in September as compared to August on monthly basis, the figures showed rise of the prices of the food products, 0.3 percent, other goods dropped 0.2 percent and those of health and educational services rose 0. 4 percent. As to transports in September compared to the previous month, they rose 0.6 percent, while those of the beverages and tobacco also increased 0.2 percent. — KUNA

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

LOCAL

Two Kuwaitis in custody for possession of drugs Iranian currency rate sparks family fight KUWAIT: An SUV driver was arrested in Ferdous during a routine patrol operation for possessing heroin. The officers decided to search the Kuwaiti man after he became nervous when pulled over. He was placed under arrest after five envelopes containing heroin were found in his possession. He was sent to the Drug Control General Department to be held pending legal procedures.

Meanwhile, a 31-year-old Kuwaiti was arrested for possessing hashish during a similar operation in Jahra. Police found 250 grams of hashish in 10 rolls after they searched the man whose nervousness raised the suspicions of the patrol officers who had pulled him over. The man was taken to the proper authorities to face charges.

Two dead in crashes An army man was killed when his car met with an accident and was engulfed by a blaze recently at the King Fahad highway. The under officer was reportedly on his way home from the Araifjan’s

navy base when his car was struck from behind and caught fire after the gas tank exploded as a result of the impact. A DNA test was required to identify the 46-yearold Bedouin man, who is survived by his wife and seven children.

The driver of the other car was unharmed in the accident and taken into custody pending investigations.

Meanwhile, a male driver was killed and two others were seriously injured in a severe three-car collision reported at the King Fahad highway. Paramedics pronounced the man dead as a result of a fatal head injury and rushed the other two to the Farwaniya Hospital where they were admitted into the intensive care unit.

Investigations were on to determine the circumstances that led to the accident.

In another accident, a teenager was hospitalized with serious injuries following a motorcycle crash reported at the Arabian Gulf Road. The 16-year-old Kuwaiti man reportedly lost control over his bike while performing a dan-

gerous ‘wheelie’ maneuver, according to eyewitnesses. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Mubarak Hospital where he was diagnosed with multiple bone fractures and contusions.

Foul play Investigations are on to determine the circumstances that led to the death of a Kuwaiti man whose body was found recently inside his Salmiya apartment.

Police officers responded to an emergency call from the man’s friend who had found him dead.

Crime scene investigators found evidence of foul play, prompting a criminal investigation. The body was referred for an autopsy to determine the time and cause of death.

Drunk driver A drunk driver was arrested in Salwa where he stopped his car in the middle of a road and fell into a deep slumber. Police had headed to a location after getting several reports from people who thought

the man, who had stopped his car in the middle of the road, had died. The man was placed under arrest after police found that he was heavily intoxicated. He was taken to the area’s police station where he was charged with alcohol consumption, driving under influence and obstructing traffic.

Family fight An Iranian man got into a scuffle with his nephew in Salmiya over repayment of a debt that was lent in their home country’s troubled currency.

The man had borrowed 100 million Iranian tomans from his nephew a couple of months ago, and recently offered to pay the same amount back. A dispute was sparked when the young man demanded that he should get an amount equal to what he had paid before the currency’s rate dropped sharply. He left his uncle, who is in his sixties, with head wounds that required medical attention. The old man later filed a complaint with the local police. — Al-Rai, Al-Anbaa

Muslim Brotherhood role in GCC to be debated at summit KUWAIT: The threat of the Muslim Brotherhood will be discussed by the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders at their meeting in Bahrain in December, Kuwaiti media claimed.

The request to include the Gulf role of the Islamist organisation in the summit agenda was made by a GCC country, Kuwait Arabic newspaper Al Shahed reported yesterday.

“The country said that the summit should discuss the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Gulf countries and that the issue should be given priority because of its serious implications,” government sources told the Kuwaiti newspaper.

According to the daily, the GCC has been urged “to adopt unified decisions against the attitudes and behaviour of the Muslim Brotherhood and against its blatant interference in the domestic affairs of the member counties.” “ The Islamist organisation is accused of seeking to topple the political regimes in the GCC by inciting the street against the governments and seeking to extend the so-called Arab Spring to the Gulf

countries with the support of foreign countries set to benefit from the development,” the sources that the paper did not identify, said.

Security reports to be submitted to the summit indicate that several non-Gulf members of the Muslim Brotherhood have been involved in events that have hit GCC countries. The latest involvement was a rally held in Kuwait earlier this month, the sources said.

Kuwaiti news site Citytalks said that the discussion of the Muslim Brotherhood’s role in the GCC would not be mentioned in the final communique to be issued in Manama, the host capital of the next summit.

Earlier this month, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan denounced the Muslim Brotherhood as “an organisation which encroaches upon sovereignty and integrity of nations”.

“The Muslim Brotherhood’s thinking does not recognise borders or sovereignty of nations,” Sheikh Abdullah said. “So, it is not unusual that the international Brotherhood organisation works to make inroads upon sovereignty and laws of countries,” Sheikh

Abdullah said as he commented on the UAE’s talks with other countries to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood’s acts in the country.

Islamists detained in the UAE are said to have confessed to forming a secret organisation aimed at destabilising the country’s political system.

Reports in the UAE said that the organisation had been acting “in high-level coordination with the organisations of the Muslim Brotherhood in three other Gulf states.”

Sheikh Abdullah said no one rejected acts by people who respected laws and the sovereignty of countries. “The problem emerges when a chapter of an organisation believes that it has a status that allows it to encroach upon the laws and sovereignty of other countries,” Sheikh Abdullah said.

The GCC, established in 1981 in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Muslim Brotherhood, one of the largest and most influential Islamic and Arab groups, was founded in Egypt in 1928 as a religious, political, and social movement.

Sculptor Al-Shbab shares success story at Starbucks KUWAIT: Starbucks and its long-standing partner, The Diwan Book Club, hosted Kuwaiti sculptor Sami Mohammad AlShbab for an exciting Coffee Chat this week. At the Behbehani store, the famed artist shared his thoughts and his success story with members of the club, Starbucks customers and management team.

Throughout the evening, Al-Shbab captivated guests with a unique insight into the artistic realm. He spoke of how he discovered his passion for art at a very early age, his journey in the world of art and how patriotism has been a main source of inspiration for him.

Following years of dedication to art, AlShbab’s art have become a perfect depiction of strong emotions. His work goes beyond the familiar subjects and he handles it with extraordinary skill and craftsmanship that never fail to impress. He is an ambassador of Kuwaiti art.

Speaking at the event, Rana Shaheen, regional communications and CSR manager of Starbucks, MENA region, said: “We are extremely pleased for hosting this Coffee Chat event, which is the sixth. We would like to extend our gratitude to Sami Mohammad Al-Shbab for making it a huge success, and for enlightening the audience with his in-depth knowledge about art and creativity.”

She said the Coffee Chat series is meant to shed more light on Kuwaiti talent and distinguished individuals for members of the Diwan Book Club and

customers of Starbucks.

Coffee chats allow club members and customers to interact with accomplished Kuwaiti figures in a friendly atmosphere over a cup of coffee. The last Coffee Chat took place in April and featured daring

bikers Ali Jafar Al-Bairami and Muhanad Hisham Al-Sultan who spoke about their thrilling adventures.

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest quality Arabica coffee in the world. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world.

Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores.

Kuwait to host industrial conference KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Industries Union will hold the 3rd Industrial Conference dubbed (Education in the service of industry) on Nov 6 under the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and participation of a selection of industrial leaders and personalities on educational affairs. The Union said in a press statement that the main goal of the confer-

ence is to promote opportunities for economic growth by focusing on the role of the industrial sector in the resettlement of the national labor force and restore the leading role of the State of Kuwait in the region through the deployment of awareness among the youth and motivate them towards productivity to ensure development and fulfill the Amiri desire in this respect. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Thousands of people celebrated Eid Al-Adha at the Fountain Park, where several entertaining activities and competitions were held as per a program organized by the Touristic Enterprises Company specially for this occasion.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

Rebels ‘buying arms from Syrian regime’

Apocalyptic scenes as New York bears brunt of Sandy Page 9

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ALEPPO: A general view shows destruction in the Suleiman Al-Halabi neighborhood, now under full army control according to state media, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo yesterday. — AFP

‘War of extermination’ in Syria in the

news

Somali comedian shot dead MOGADISHU: Gunmen assassinated a well-known comedian and musician who poked fun at Al-Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police and colleagues said yesterday.

Warsame Shire Awale, a famous composer who had worked with Somalia’s national army band before joining Radio Kulmiye as a drama producer and comedian, was attacked by two gunmen late on Monday.

“Gunmen killed him... we are investigating the matter and the killers will be brought to justice,” police chief Ahmed Hassan Malin told reporters. “Two men armed with pistols shot and wounded him near his house in Waberi district, he died shortly after in hospital,” said Abdi Mohamed Haji, a colleague at Radio Kulmiye. The killing, the latest in a string of attacks on media workers in Somalia, follows the murder of fellow comic Abdi Jeylani Malaq Marshale in August, who also worked at Kulmiye. Press rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called 2012 the “deadliest year” on record for Somalia, surpassing 2009 when nine died. At least 17 reporters have been killed this year in the warravaged country.

Road accident kills 21 MULTAN: A passenger van crashed into a pick-up truck in central Pakistan yesterday, killing 21 people including women and children, police said. The accident occurred at a busy highway intersection near Bahawalpur town, south of the central city of Multan. “A van carrying 22 passengers on board collided head on with (a pick-up truck) with 15 people on board while negotiating a blind turn, killing 21 people,” local police official Irshad Haider Bukhari said. He said those killed in the crash included 11 women and two children. A senior doctor at Bahawal-Victoria Hospital, Muhammad Irshad Chaudhry, confirmed the casualties. Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records for fatal traffic accidents, blamed on poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.

1,400 Samsung phones stolen KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police have arrested 12 people over the theft of 1,400 Samsung Galaxy Note II smartphones a day after the device’s much-anticipated launch in the country, a police official said yesterday.

The smartphones, worth 3.23 million ringgit ($1.07 million), were stolen on October 20 from the cargo area of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where they had arrived in a shipment. Federal commercial crimes investigation chief Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said police had arrested 12 people in raids around the capital Kuala Lumpur, most of whom were believed to have planned the theft together. He said only about 70 of the phones had been recovered and police were trying to track down the rest. The New Straits Times reported that three of those facing charges were alleged buyers of stolen phones who paid less than the official retail price. Samsung, a world leader in smartphones, launched the new model in Malaysia on October 19.

Launches of such products are is usually hotly anticipated in tech-savvy Malaysia.

Saudi cleric warns against jihadists DOHA: Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani has accused the Syrian regime, with the complicity of the international community, of waging a “war of extermination” against its people. Sheikh Hamad in an interview with Al-Jazeera satellite channel late on Monday took issue with UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who earlier in the day had characterized the deadly conflict ravaging Syria as a “civil war.”

“What is happening in Syria is not a civil war but a war of extermination against the Syrian people,” Sheikh Hamad said.

This war, he charged, was being waged “with a license to kill, endorsed firstly by the Syrian government and secondly by the international community.” He was apparently referring to Russia and China, which have repeatedly vetoed UN Security Council resolutions threatening action against President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime. “We have confidence in Mr Brahimi... but we need him to develop a clear proposal for a solution that can be put before the Security Council paving the way for a transition period and a transfer of power,” said Sheikh Hamad.

Brahimi, who saw the truce he had brokered for the four-day Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday shattered in an explosion of violence soon after it took effect on Friday, said in Moscow the situation in Syria was “bad and getting worse.” “If it’s not a civil war, I don’t know what it is,” he said after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Brahimi, who is also due to visit China, is to go to the UN Security Council in November with new proposals to push for talks between Assad and the opposition.

Qatar is widely accused of arming rebels fighting Assad’s forces. It called, without success, in the UN General Assembly last month for an Arab intervention force in Syria and a no-fly zone to protect refugees.

JIHADISTS, TERRORISTS Meanwhile, a senior Saudi cleric has warned Muslim fighters against going to Syria to assist rebels, saying this could lend credence to the regime’s claim it is fighting against “terrorists”. “The arrival of youths from Libya, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt to fight against the regime in Syria will only complicate the crisis and repeat the Afghanistan problem,” Salman Al-Awdah wrote on his website. “Leave Syria to Syrians as they do not lack courage or numbers... they do not need more fighters

but funds and weapons,” he said, adding a small number of foreign fighters would not affect the course of the conflict.

It is difficult to estimate the number of foreign fighters in Syria, but President Bashar al-Assad’s regime claims they are in the thousands, amid reports of a rise in their numbers recently. Awdah said the presence of Arab fighters in Syria may force “Arab and European nations to halt their support for the Syrian people in their battle against the Assad regime which is claiming it is fighting terrorists who infiltrated Syria.” Awdah, a senior member of the International Union for Muslim Scholars, said he did not fear in-fighting among opposition groups in Syria, and called on them to unite. He warned that the longer the current crisis continues, the more it will spill over and affect the entire region.

‘NO POINT’ IN DIALOGUE Turkey is ruling out any dialogue with the Syrian regime, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday, a day after Moscow called for negotiations with Damascus as the only way to end the escalating conflict.

“There is no point in engaging in dialogue with a regime that continues to carry out such a massacre against its own people, even during (the Muslim festival of ) Eid alAdha,” Davutoglu said at a news conference. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on the West and regional players including Turkey to start negotiating with President Bashar al-Assad as well as the opposition to pave the way for a political solution in Syria, wracked by almost 20 months of conflict.

“Hardly anything will be accomplished without dialogue with the government, and that is the only problem that remains in the path towards a political process,” Lavrov said after a meeting with Lakhdar Brahimi, the international peace envoy for Syria. Davutoglu said that dialogue with Damascus would be a step that could “be legitimizing the existing regime as the violence continues”. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, one-time ally of President Bashar al-Assad, fell out with Damascus after its deadly crackdown on popular dissent that erupted in March last year.

Turkey has since then sheltered some 108,000 refugees fleeing the conflict, as well as the exiled Syrian opposition’s military and political leaderships. Ankara

ALEPPO: A rebel sniper keeps an eye on his enemy’s position as mortar explosions and gunshots are heard in the nearby battlefield in the Karm al-Jabel neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria. —AP had backed Brahimi’s call for a truce during the Muslim holiday that never took hold, with each side accusing the other of violating it. Davutoglu said the failed truce left Turkey “deeply upset.” More than 500 people were reported dead during the four-day Muslim Eid holiday despite the truce brokered by Brahimi, who said the civil war in Syria was going from bad to worse. Brahimi, who became Syria envoy after his predecessor Kofi Annan quit when his five-point peace plan fell through, will go to the UN Security Council in November with new proposals to push for talks between Assad and the opposition.— Agencies

‘Maids on sale’ ad angers Indonesia JAKARTA: An advertisement in Malaysia for cut-price Indonesian maids has gone viral online in Indonesia and sparked new outrage over an issue that has long divided the two countries. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has phoned his Malaysian counterpart to complain and web users have vented their anger over the flyers tacked to trees in Kuala Lumpur which read “Indonesian maids now on sale!!”

“Now your housework and cooking

come easy. You can rest and relax.

Deposit only 3,500 ringgit ($1,150)” reads the ad, which was posted online at the weekend by an Indonesian campaigner for migrant workers’ rights. “Let’s boycott travelling to Malaysia, they have become even more disrespectful,” said Arifin Sutrisno on Twitter. Labor ministr y spokeswoman Dita Indah Sari said: “Saying Indonesian workers are on sale is likening a human being to a commodity.

This is unacceptable.” Relations have

been strained by a series of cases of abuse of Indonesian women working as domestic helpers in Malaysia. Maids in recent years have been the victims of attacks with a hammer, scissors and a hot iron.

The abuse prompted Jakarta to impose a ban in June 2009 on new maids being sent to Malaysia. Indonesia announced last December the ban was being lifted after both countries agreed on a pay rise and measures to curb

abuse. However the furious reaction in Indonesia to the flyers and the government’s swift response showed that the issue remains deeply sensitive. As well as condemnation from Natalegawa, Indonesia’s ambassador in Malaysia met a foreign ministry official to ask who was responsible for the advert. Malaysian Labor Minister S Subramaniam condemned the flyers. “We are going all out to trace the group responsible for the leaflets,” he said. — AFP

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

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

Rebel-Kurd tensions boil over in northern Syria AAZAZ: Mohammed Hafar was killed at dawn, shot while reportedly trying to rescue his brother Faisal, mortally wounded, from the latest gunbattles between Sunni Arab rebels and Kurdish militia in Syria. It was the second clash in 48 hours and killed up to four Arabs near the Kurdish village of Yazi Bah, close to the Turkish border in northern Syria, according to Arab rebel fighters in their nearby bastion of Aazaz.

Angry, upset men and fighters dressed in fatigues totting Kalashnikovs gathered outside his house to pay their respects. Few wanted to talk to a Western reporter. The sense of loss and anger was palpable. They carried Hafar’s body through the rubbish-strewn streets to the graveyard, firing into the air and shouting “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest) in a cortege of mourners on foot and wounded Arab rebels limping on crutches. One of them was Fahad, 20, nursing a shattered arm in a sling and a heavily bandaged right foot injured, he says, in fighting against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in the northern city of Aleppo.

“The enemy is now the PKK (Kurdish militia) because they’re Assad’s dogs,” he mutters, slumped in a plastic chair outside Hafar’s home, waiting for the funeral procession to begin. “When they kill us, we’ll kill them.” Fellow fighter Abu Sabri agrees. “We will pun-

ish them. I can’t say now, but in the coming days, you’ll see.” But on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a Kurd tortured by rebels died after being captured near the northern village of Hayan.

Tensions run deep between the PYD-the Syrian branch of the leftist and secular Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which the rebels accuse of being lackeys of the regime-and the rebels, who often say they want an Islamic government.

Analysts say clashes in the north, where the country ’s 15 percent Kurdish population is heavily concentrated, stem not just from distrust, but from a struggle for power and control with Syria’s future deeply uncertain.

Some rebels say they are anxious to keep a ceasefire and nervous about opening a second front in a war they are struggling to win without international support. But there are reports of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the main rebel group, sending reinforcements to Al-Kastal, the checkpoint where Hafar was killed.

THE HENCHMEN Any escalation would be all the more worrying after 30 people were reported killed in Aleppo on Friday in the deadliest FSA-PYD clashes of the uprising. Abu Shaaban, 50, who has had a shop selling car seats since

before Hafar was born, says he is devastated that the young boy he watched grow up has been killed. “He was like a son to me,” he says. “We’re sad for them (the family) because they (Hafar and his fellow fighters) were so young. God bless them.”

Like the others, he says he has no problem with the Kurds. “The Kurdish people used to be with us all day here,” he says. But asked what had changed, he says he doesn’t know and doesn’t want to talk about it. Since the war began, life has changed for Kurds in northern Syria. In the town of Afrin, an AFP reporter saw in August how they were able to experience their first hint of self-administration. According to Kurds, they banned the rebels from entering their region armed, and cut a deal that saw Assad’s troops withdraw, although a security facility, complete with a portrait of the president remained in Afrin.

But for diehard FSA supporters, the PYD are nothing more than henchmen from the regime-armed and paid by the regime to keep the rebels at bay.

Arab guides travelling with AFP say it is no longer safe for them to visit the Kurdish villages. Peter Harling, analyst at the International Crisis Group, says the PYD has successfully exploited the uprising, creating friction with the armed opposition particularly in the all-important Turkey border area.

ISTANBUL: Kurdish protesters stand in front of a barricade set on fire during clashes between Kurdish demonstrators and riot policemen yesterday in Istanbul. Kurdish people gathered to support hunger strikes of Kurdish prisoners. — AFP “There is a lot of competition between these opposition armed groups over the weapons transit route. That fact that many of the border points are in fact controlled by the Kurds, has created some tension with the Kurds too,” he says.

Harling believes the PYD wants to stay out of the conflict as far as possible, essentially neutral, but determined to profit whatever the outcome.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman says armed groups have adopted practices of the regime and voiced fears that communal tensions may grow in the north. “In areas where rebels have forced the regime out, there is a security vacuum. Some of the fighters don’t want democracy at all, they’re just warlords who are taking advantage of the chaos,” says Abdel Rahman. — AFP

Ramos-Horta warns of ‘Somalization’ of Syria Vicious civil war involving too many interests

ALEPPO: Pro-government forces run across the street in the Suleiman Al-Halabi neighborhood, now under full army control according to state media during clashes with Syrian opposition fighters yesterday. — AFP

Rebels ‘buying arms from Syrian regime’ ALEPPO: The Syrian regime may be their sworn enemy, but rebels fighting to bring down President Bashar Al-Assad say they pay hard cash to government agents for guns and bullets. For Syria’s plethora of armed opposition groups, obtaining weapons is a constant struggle. Furious with the West for failing to provide heavy weaponry, they say they have little choice but to turn to alternative sources. In a country where national service is compulsory, and a conflict where brothers fight on opposing sides and rebels defect from the armed forces, they say it is not difficult to find a “middleman” or an “old friend” to help.

“We buy from Assad spies and on the market,” said Major Abu Mahar, puffing on a French cigarette over coffee at a gym requisitioned by his network of fighters as a base in the northern city of Aleppo. He claims to lead 200 men who conduct “special missions” against Assad’s forces. But like other units, they are poorly armed with machineguns, rocket-propelled grenades, sniper rifles and home-made rockets and bombs.

Seven Kalashnikovs hang upside down from hooks and a bucket of bullets sits in the corner of Abu Mahar’s office, which overlooks the mirror-lined workout room where bodybuilders used to flex their pecs.

Quietly spoken and hunched over in a leather jacket, he defected this summer from the air force. And like other rebels, he still has associates in various branches of the government military and security. Abu Mahar says a bullet costs 110 Syrian pounds ($1.60) to buy from the regime, compared with $2 on the market, declining to specify where that market might be.

He claims that most of his group’s ammunition supplies come from the shabiha, the term used to refer to statesponsored militia hired by the government. “We buy them from double agents, they need the money. The shabiha’s God is money. They don’t care about anything else. If you give them money they’ll even sell you their own mother,” he said. “They have open access to army, police and intelligence bullet stores. They’re saving

up for when the regime falls,” he smiled into his salt-and-pepper beard. But Abu Mahar is evasive about where and how often the exchanges take place. He says his network uses a “pointman” or an “old friend,” and they do not meet face to face.

Rebels seem unperturbed about bankrolling their enemy, particularly when the West has declined to provide heavy weaponr y and there is no prospect of a NATO-enforced no-fly zone that was so vital in toppling Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi. “They’ve already taken our money for the last 40 years, our gold, our minds, what difference does it make?” shrugged one member of the main rebel group, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), in northern Syria near the Turkish border. For Yussef Abud, a commander in the FSA’s Tawhid Brigade, it’s a matter of survival although he claims to have bought regime bullets only “once or twice.”

“What can I do? Sometimes I don’t have enough weapons or bullets. I don’t like it, but without these bullets and weapons, many FSA will be killed,” he said. Rebels also take guns from soldiers they kill on the battlefield, while others who defect from the regime often manage to smuggle their weapons out with them. Sitting guard in an old sports complex on the Aleppo front line, Mohammed Abu Issam Al-Halabi, 49, claims to have bought his Kalashnikov “from bad guys in the regime” for $1,000 when he decided to become a “mujahid” eight months ago.

“You can’t buy these on the market and I need a weapon. What can I do?” The former factory boss, with a bushy beard and black Islamic bandana round his head said that before the uprising the gun would have cost only $200-$300.

Across the road, Lieutenant Ahmed Saadeen, 24, agrees that buying armaments from the regime is right. Like many rebels, he angrily criticizes the apparent refusal of the West and the Gulf to provide Syria’s rebels with anti-tank and antiaircraft weapons. “Where else can we buy them?” he snapped, before sprinting away to dodge sniper fire. — AFP

WASHINGTON: Nobel Peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has warned that Syria risked becoming a new Somalia as he voiced pessimism at any quick solution to the bloodshed that has left tens of thousands dead. The man who helped bring independence to East Timor saw a dangerous mix in Syria, saying the rebels lacked democratic credentials and President Bashar Al-Assad was determined to fight for the survival of himself and his community.

“It is becoming a vicious civil war involving many-too many-outside interests, governments and non-state interests,” Ramos-Horta said on a visit to the United States. “We are going to see a prolonged civil war, almost a Somalization of Syria, but in a much more dangerous region of the world. Unfortunately I cannot see a better scenario,” he said. Somalia has been bereft of a central government and torn by fighting for two decades. Ramos-Horta said another parallel to Syria was the Iran-Iraq War, with the 1980-88 war leaving more than one million dead and ending “only when both sides were exhausted.”

Ramos-Horta, who has been active on international peace initiatives, said the United States and European nations were right to

treat Syria’s opposition cautiously. But he said it was “too simplistic” to pin blame on Russia and China, which have blocked Western-led UN bids to pressure Assad. Assad has ample firepower and there is “no incentive for the regime to back down” after witnessing the killing of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi and the prosecution of Egypt’s deposed president Hosni Mubarak, he said.

Ramos-Horta said that the only chance for change in Syria would come from the military, calling it instrumental in pushing out strongmen such as Mubarak and Suharto in Indonesia as well as allowing recent reforms in Myanmar. “I was hoping that in Syria, countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the others, instead of adding fuel to the fire, were to make a greater effort to entice the military to do the honorable thing-and that is to tell Assad time to go,” Ramos-Horta said. The Sunni monarchies of Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been widely reported to be providing weapons to Syria’s rebels at the forefront of an initially peaceful push to end the four-decade rule of the Assad family, which hails from the heterodox Alawite community.

President Barack Obama’s administration

Activists struggle to be heard amid roar of Syrian violence BEIRUT: Amid the roar of gunfire and explosions echoing through Syria’s streets, the non-violent activists who launched the revolt against President Bashar Al-Assad are struggling to make their voices heard. But although the revolt they set off has morphed into a bloody insurgency, many believe there is still room for peaceful activism in strife-torn Syria.

“We started this revolution to rid the system of violence, not merely to oust Assad,” said Mohammed Qoraytem, a 33-year-old Syrian activist in Daraya, a town southwest of Damascus. “Ours is an uprising of principles,” he told AFP via the Internet.

Considered a heartland of non-violent activism, Daraya was the site of the worst massacre in Syria’s 19-month conflict, with more than 500 people killed there in late August, according to monitors. But two months after the massacre, activists there said they are continuing to work in the non-violent spirit of the Arab Spring that overthrew regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and inspired Syria’s revolutionaries. “Be the revolution,” reads one sign posted on the streets of Daraya, according to photographs sent to AFP. “Freedom, justice, dignity,” reads another.

Qoraytem blamed Assad for forcing rebels to take up arms and said that although he understands why many people have taken the path of violence, he continues to believe in peaceful resistance. “I lost some of my relatives in the massacre, but revenge will not help me bring them back,” he said. Despite the violence that has engulfed the country, activists say thousands of Syrians continue to brave the streets each Friday to protest, from small towns in the countryside to the urban battlegrounds of major cities. “We don’t just organize protests,” said Qoraytem. “We also work with children who have suffered violence, provide support to detainees’ families and publish revolutionary newspapers.”

And some believe peaceful activism still poses more of a threat to the regime than the insurgency, because it has the potential to change society as a whole and not just the government. “In a militarized revolt you trade weapons for weapons, but with a peaceful uprising you have a much better chance of bringing democracy... and that’s when people will rally to your side,” said Shadi Abu Karam, a 26-yearold activist from Damascus who left Syria under pressure from the regime. Abu Karam is also a staunch critic of the rebel Free Syrian Army’s human rights abuses. “When you are shooting, you have no time to think about what kind of democracy you want. — AFP

has urged Assad to step down but said that it is only offering non-lethal assistance to the rebels, despite calls by some members of the rival Republican Party to arm the opposition.

Ramos-Horta voiced concern over revenge attacks on Alawites, saying that centrists in the opposition “will be cast aside, eaten up, swallowed by the revolution, even considered to be traitors for trying to pursue a prudent and moderate path.” “Unfortunately, not everybody thinks like the Indonesians or like us... that we have the ability of letting bygones be bygones,” he said.

Ramos-Horta, an exiled voice for East Timor during two decades of often brutal Indonesian occupation, advocated clemency for Indonesians accused of atrocities as well as renegade troops who tried to assassinate him in 2008. Ramos-Horta shared the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize with East Timorese Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo. Ramos-Horta was elected president of the young nation but earlier this year stepped down peacefully after losing a re-election bid. He spoke to AFP by telephone from New York, where he was scheduled to deliver a speech at the Asia Society that was canceled due to mega-storm Sandy. — AFP

Iran naval visit reflects strong ties: Khartoum KHARTOUM: The visit of two Iranian naval ships to Sudan reflects strong ties between the countries, Sudan’s military said yesterday after Khartoum denied Iranian involvement in weapons manufacturing. Sudan’s links to Iran have come under scrutiny after Khartoum accused Israel of sending four radar-evading aircraft to strike the Yarmouk military factory in the heart of the capital at midnight on October 23. The factory compound exploded and burst into flames, and speculation followed that Iranian weapons were stored or manufactured there.

Sudan’s foreign ministry on Monday denied that Iran had any involvement in the Yarmouk factory. It accused Israel of “spreading fabricated information”. On a visit to Tehran last August, President Omar al-Bashir described the relationship between Sudan and Iran as “deeply rooted”. “Two Iranian navy ships are visiting Port Sudan” until Wednesday, army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad told the official SUNA news agency.

“The visit of the two ships will support strong political, security and diplomatic relations between the two states.” Saad said the port call is a chance for Sudanese naval personnel “to see advanced weapons and advanced ships,” which will also be open to the public. However, a

witness said the Iranian vessels were not visible at the Port Sudan shipping terminal and permission was required to gain access to them.

The Pakistani, Egyptian and Indian navies earlier visited Sudan, military spokesman Saad said. Iran’s Press TV reported that the vessels, the helicopter carrier Kharg and destroyer Admiral Naqdi, arrived at Sudan’s Red Sea port on Monday. The ships were sent to the Djibouti area in September “to convey Iran’s message of peace to the regional countries and maintain the security of shipping corridors against maritime terrorism,” Press TV said.

Israel refused all comment on Khartoum’s allegations about the factory blast. But a top Israeli defense official, Amos Gilad, said last week that Sudan “serves as a route for the transfer, via Egyptian territory, of Iranian weapons to Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.” On Saturday, a US-based non-profit monitoring group said craters at the scene of the explosion were consistent with the kind of damage created by the impact of air-delivered munitions. The Satellite Sentinel Project started by Hollywood star George Clooney said satellite imagery showed six large craters, each approximately 16 meters across, at the Yarmouk plant. —Agencies

KHARTOUM: This combo picture shows the Yarmouk military manufacturing facility in Khartoum on October 12, 2012 (Left) and on October 26, 2012, two days after blasts at the factory, which the Sudanese government blamed on an Israeli airstrike. —AFP

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

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

NEW YORK: Boats lie piled up as people work to secure a fuel dock in the wake of superstorm Sandy yesterday in West Babylon, NY. (Right) A police car drives by a downed tree in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn after Hurricane Sandy caused extensive damage in the area yesterday.— AP, AFP photos

Apocalyptic scenes as NY bears brunt of Sandy New York plunged into fearful darkness NEW YORK: Hurricane Sandy turned New York into a disaster zone on Monday as a record storm surge sent seawater pouring into Manhattan, sweeping cars down streets as the city was plunged into darkness. The Empire State Building remained an eerie beacon of light as 250,000 Manhattan homes were deprived of power, while emergency officials confirmed at least one 30-year-old man had died, killed by a falling tree in Queens.

The East River and the Hudson River flooded subway and car tunnels and several feet of seawater swamped into Battery Park at the foot of Lower Manhattan, with waters rising and the rain showing no sign of abating. “Lower Manhattan is being covered by seawater. I am not exaggerating. Sea water is rushing into the Battery Tunnel,” said Howard Glaser, director of operations for the New York state government.

The Battery Tunnel is a road tunnel linking the south end of Manhattan, New York’s financial center, to Long Island under the East River.

The fury of “Frankenstorm” plunged New York into fearful darkness, leaving the Wall Street financial district and lower Manhattan with no power nor any firm idea when the lights would be turned on. The streets, many waist deep in floodwater, were eerily quiet under the downpour, with the only sounds distant sirens and the only light cast by candles in apartment windows

and the blue and red flashes of police cars.

“It’s kind of scary. There is no light in the street, no people in the street,” said Ilona, a 22year-old student from Russia, as she looked out over the murky water. From time to time an acrid smell of burning drifted by, as short circuits in the electrical grid sparked distant fires. Even the traffic lights were out. Special generator trucks were ordered in, and authorities reopened the George Washington bridge so some could be driven in from neighboring New Jersey. But when would the people be able to move again?

Seven subway lines and six bus stations were submerged in seawater, in what network bosses said was the worst disaster in city transport history.

“We have been sent to provide power for buildings and answer the 911 emergency calls,” the driver of one generator truck said. Desperate owners sought to check on businesses, apartments and cars. Olatz Schnabel, the former companion of the artist Julian Schnabel, rushed with her two sons to check whether her decoration shop had been flooded. “The water did not get that far. We managed to get everything out of the cellar,” she said. But there was devastation, as floodwater poured into the city from the East River, inundating road tunnels and subway stations and threatening several days of transport chaos.

On the West Side Highway, the Goldman Sachs bank was one of the few buildings still lit up, the streets and sidewalks below flooded with water. At the 148th Street station in Harlem, a thick layer of garbage floated on the filthy water that covered the platforms. Workers stared forlornly at the devastation, hardly knowing where to start the cleanup. “It’s disgusting, and it always seems to happen here,” said Ryan Gambill as he waited at the entrance. Without power, news was scarce, and the final death toll was impossible to guess. One New Yorker was confirmed dead, crushed by a falling tree in the borough of Queens, but many more may have been trapped, or worse.

Rescue operations were launched on Staten Island, at Rockaway Beach and Coney Island, seafront districts where many residents had ignored pleas to move to safety, and where some houses were said to be flooded almost to their roofs. Waves from the storm tore up the wooden beach boardwalk at Coney Island and nearby Brighton Beach, weekend resorts for New York’s working class.

Cars floated in the water at Long Beach.

Police appealed for boats to conduct rescue missions in Staten Island and at Coney Island in Brooklyn. “I am seriously concerned for people’s lives,” said Vincent Ignizio, a New York City councilman from Staten Island.—Agencies

Megastorm can’t stop the party at US gambling city Superstorm fails to crash the party ATLANTIC CITY: Hurricane Sandy plowed into Atlantic City, knocking down trees and smashing windows, but the superstorm failed to crash the par t y at the seaside casino town’s only open bar. Forecasters predicted for days that the gambling resort on the New Jersey shore would be Sandy’s doormat, and the state’s governor, Chris Christie, said anyone disobeying his mandatory evacuation order was “stupid.”

Nearly all the seaside resor t ’s 40,000 residents heeded his call, evacuating before the hurricane made landfall and swelled into a megastorm, bringing devastation to New York City and much of the eastern seaboard. By Monday the setting for the hit gangster T V series “Boardwalk Empire” was a ghost town. Traffic lights changed at crossroads devoid of cars and shallow rivers of floodwater poured down ever growing numbers of deserted streets. Visibility was reduced to about one block.

Downed branches and bits of garbage-even an office chair and t wo mattresses-piled up. As the winds howled, the debris grew more varied: glass from a blown-out window, a toppled fence, dozens of trees, shop awnings. But those who refused to go made sure not to let the horizontal rain and pounding waves brought by Sandy dampen their spirits. At Ducktown Tavern and Liquors, the only bar open in

town, about 30 people, many of them police officers, camped out around two long bars with beers and large plates of chicken wings, hamburgers and other comfort food.

In a city built for partying and hedonism, where a wall of multistorey casinos lines the beach and a multi-million dollar advertising campaign urges you to “Do AC,” this modest bar was the last place you could get a drink.

“Ducktown’s a legend,” declared patron Ben Markum, 35. “It’s like ‘Cheers,’ or something,” he added, referring to the eponymous bar in the long-running US television series. M arkum was defying the evacuation order because he has a par ty to organize for Halloween.

“We’re serious in this town when it comes to partying,” he said.

There was a brief, weird calm when Sandy’s eye passed over the town. Several of the young men from Ducktown took the opportunity to head down to the beach. There, the rising tide, spiked with storm surge and relentless, rolling waves, tore to the top of the sand and swirled around the legs of picturesque beach bar cabins. “That beach bar was fun.

Friday and Saturday nights, it was a fun place,” Justin Altomare, 31, said regretfully. As he spoke, a white hut shaped like a wooden barn began to move out to sea on a receding wave.

But in Ducktown, where the jukebox

never stopped and the beer always flowed, there was only good cheer.

Owner John Exadaktilos, 36, said Ducktown had a semi-official role in the town’s response to the emergency situation. “We have the support of the municipality to stay open to help feed the police, fire, whatever,” he said. Over at the monster casinos along the boardwalk, a different sor t of par ty spirit lingered. The establishments had been boarded up and sandbagged, but inside, where fake Roman statues or Western frontier scenes decorated the lobbies, ranks of twinkling slot machines remained on. Even more incongruously, loudspeakers playing cheerful music and recorded enticements to punters continued to blare out over the desolate, wind-scoured sidewalks. “Are you look ing to unwind?” asked one commercial aired outside Caesar’s casino, the words instantly blown away on the hurricane. “Why settle for just another happy hour when you can have an even happier hour?” urged another message over the loudspeakers. “Reward yourself.” One police sergeant at Ducktown apparently took that advice to heart. Once the eye of Sandy had passed, the storm ratcheted up again. But the officer said he thought the worst was over. And Atlantic City had survived. “Now you can go and have a cold one,” he said. He headed to the bar.—AFP

ANNAPOLIS: The Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial sits in flood waters in downtown Annapolis, Md yesterday after the superstorm and the remnants of Hurricane Sandy passed through Annapolis.

MARYLAND: A downed power line, knocked over by a falling tree, is seen in the wake of Hurricane Sandy in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Damage caused by a fire at Breezy Point is shown in the New York City borough of Queen.

UN nuclear plant on red alert after deadly Sandy NEW YORK: Exelon Corp declared an “alert” at its New Jersey Oyster Creek nuclear power plant due to a record storm surge, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said, warning that a further water rise could force the country’s oldest working plant to use emergency water supplies to cool spent uranium fuel rods. The alert-the second lowest of four NRC action levelscame after water levels at the plant rose by more than 6.5 feet, potentially affecting the pumps that circulate water through the plant, an NRC spokesman said late on Monday.

Those pumps are not essential since the 43-year-old plant was shut for planned refueling since Oct 22.

However, a further rise to 7 feet could submerge the service water pump motor that is used to cool the water in the spent fuel pool. Exelon said in a statement that there was no danger to equipment and no threat to public health or safety. The incident at Oyster Creek, which is about 60 miles east of Philadelphia on the New Jersey Coast, came as Sandy made landfall as the largest Atlantic storm ever, bringing up to 90 mile per hour winds and 13foot storm surges in the biggest test of the industry’s emergency preparedness since the Fukushima disaster in Japan a year and a half ago.

Although such alerts are considered serious events in the industry-

with only about a dozen such instances in the past four years, according to NRC press releases-flood waters should be receding at the plant following high tide, reducing the risk of emergency action. Sandy had been expected to force the closure of at least two other nuclear plants in New Jersey, although the NRC said none of the country’s other nuclear reactors had been shut by the storm.

The NRC spokesman said the company could use water from a fire suppression system to cool the pool if necessary. The used uranium rods in the pool could cause the water to boil within 25 hours without additional coolant; in an extreme scenario the rods could overheat, risking the eventual release of radiation. Exelon spokesman David Tillman said the plant has “multiple and redundant” sources of cooling for the spent fuel pool. He said he did not know whether the service water system was operational at the moment.

MONITORING POWER PLANTS Constellation Energy Nuclear Group’s 630-MW Nine Mile Point 1 nuclear power reactor in upstate New York did shut down due to a problem putting power onto the grid, although it was not clear whether the trouble was related to the storm, the NRC spokesman said. The relatively small

636-megawatt Oyster Creek plant also experienced a “power disruption” at its switch yard, causing two backup diesel generators to kick in and maintain a stable source of power, Exelon said.

Tillman said another Exelon reactor at the Limerick facility in Pennsylvania was reduced to 91 percent power after Sandy caused a problem with the condenser. An alert-level incident means there is a “potential substantial degradation in the level of safety” at a reactor. “Given the breadth and intensity of this historic storm, the NRC is keeping a close watch on all of the nuclear power plants that could be impacted,” NRC Chairman Allison Macfarlane said.

The concerns over the status of the spent fuel pool at Oyster Creek was reminiscent of the fears that followed the Fukushima disaster last year, when helicopters and fire hoses were enlisted to ensure the pools remained filled with fresh, cool water. The nuclear industry has said that the spent fuel rods at Fukushima were never exposed to the air. Nuclear plants must store the spent uranium fuel rods for at least five years in order to cool them sufficiently before they can be moved to dry cask storage containers. The plant uses pumps to take in external water that circulates through a heat exchanger used to cool the internal water that surrounds the rods, keeping them from overheating.— Reuters

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international

Ukraine faces global backlash over disputed poll Jailed ex-PM launches hunger strike in protest KIEV: Ukraine faced a global backlash yesterday over elections won by the ruling party that the West called a step backwards for democracy and saw jailed ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko launch a protest hunger strike. The United States joined Western observers of Sunday’s ballot in calling the vote a “step backwards” for the ex-Soviet nation and further isolating the increasingly controversial President Viktor Yanukovych.

Yanukovych’s Regions Party was set to win the polls against Tymoshenko’s opposition bloc and the UDAR (Punch) group of boxer Vitali Klitschko, with some predicting it would have a thin overall majority in the new parliament. Results based on 87 percent of the precincts reporting showed the Regions Party collecting 31.8 percent of the ballot and Tymoshenko’s alliance registering 24.2 percent.

The Communist Party and UDAR each had about 14 percent of the vote while the nationalist Svoboda (Freedom) group, loose-

ly allied with Tymoshenko, rounded off the five parties set to make it into the chamber with 9.6 percent. But the opposition pointed to an independent exit poll conducted by the country’s most experienced and respected survey organization showing Tymoshenko’s bloc only trailing the Regions Party by about four percentage points. “These elections were falsified from start to finish,” Tymoshenko said in a statement read by her lawyer Sergiy Vlasenko on Monday.

The fiery 2004 Orange Revolution leader and former premier-sentenced to seven years on abuse of power charges she views as the president’s personal vendetta-said she would go on hunger strike “until the true results are established”. The final composition of the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada will be determined half by the proportional vote and half by first-past-thepost results in single mandate constituencies where the Regions Party has polled espe-

cially well. “We expect these results to hold,” Prime Minister Mykola Azarov told reporters.

victory.”‘Reversal of progress’Observers from the Organization for Security and

KHARKIV: OSCE election observation mission special coordinator Walburga Habsburg Douglas, (center) walks near the hospital where former Ukrainian Prime Minister and main opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko undergoes medical treatment in Kharkiv yesterday. —AP “This means that the Regions Party has scored a resounding

Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) piled pressure on Yanukovych by

calling the elections a reversal of Ukraine’s democratic progress.

“Considering the abuse of power, and the excessive role of money in this election, democratic progress appears to have reversed in Ukraine,” said OSCE special coordinator Walburga Habsburg Douglas. Douglas also pointed out that Western officials had to go to various jails to hear leading opposition voices because both Tymoshenko and allies such as ex-interior minister Yuriy Lutsenko had all been convicted of abuse of power.

Yanukovych rejects the charges and claims to be only fighting corruption in the upper echelons of the elite. He has also voiced an interest in joining the European Union and toned down some of his early pro-Russian rhetoric. Both Washington and Brussels came down heavily on Ukraine after the elections in statements that drew only a cautious response from the Ukrainian foreign ministry. Acting US State Department spokesman Mark

Toner backed the OSCE’s description of the poll as “a step backwards” for democracy.”While election day was peaceful overall and observed by a large number of domestic and international observers, we are troubled by allegations of fraud and falsification in the voting process and tabulation,” Toner said.

The European Union also put Ukraine on notice that it would be watching it carefully after a vote foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and EU commissioner for enlargement Stefan Fule described as a “mixed picture with several shortcomings”. The Ukrainian foreign ministry issued a statement Monday promising to “carefully analyze” the observers’ criticisms and “improve the election legislation and practice”. The European Union may now be under pressure to delay holding a summit with Ukraine that had already been pushed back until after the election and is tentatively set to take place by the start of next year. —AFP

Two NATO troops shot dead in insider attack Latest in a series of insider attacks in Afghanistan

NEW DELHI: Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Salman Khurshid (right) walks with former Bangladesh President, leader of the Opposition and President of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party,(BNP), Begum Khaleda Zia prior to a meeting in New Delhi yesterday. Zia is in India for a six-day visit. —AFP

Afghanistan presidential election due April 5, 2014 KABUL: Presidential elections seen as crucial to Afghanistan’s stability after the withdrawal of NATO troops at the end of 2014 will be held on April 5 that year, a poll official said yesterday. President Hamid Karzai, who is serving his second term in the war-torn nation, is constitutionally barred from running in the election and has been under pressure from opposition groups to announce the date.

Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission said in a statement that the date for the vote had been set and would be officially announced at a press conference today. But a senior official in the commission told AFP on condition of anonymity that the scheduled date was “Hamal 16, 1393”, referring to the Afghan solar calendar. The date coincides with April 5, 2014.

European Union ambassador Vygaudas Usackas hailed the announcement as “a positive demonstration that the Afghan authorities are taking their political commitments at the Tokyo conference very seriously”. Donor nations at the conference in July pledged $16 billion for Afghanistan to prevent the country from sliding back into turmoil when foreign combat troops depart, with several pre-conditions including presidential elections in 2014. “The elections must be inclusive, transparent and with a legitimate outcome,” Usackas added.

Karzai’s re-election in 2009 was marred by widespread allegations of fraud, and the credibility of the next vote is seen as key to avoiding an escalation in violence after the NATO withdrawal.

The International Crisis Group (ICG) think-tank warned this month that the Kabul government could fall apart after NATO troops pull out, particularly if the presidential elections are plagued by fraud. Karzai has been the only elected head of state in Afghanistan since a 2001 US-led invasion brought down the hard-

line Islamist Taliban regime, and there are concerns that he might try to manipulate the polls to ensure the election of an ally, possibly one of his brothers.

“Karzai seems more interested in perpetuating his own power by any means rather than ensuring credibility of the political system and long-term stability in the country,” said Candace Rondeaux, the ICG’s senior Afghanistan analyst. “The danger is president Karzai’s top priority is maintaining control, either directly or via a trusted proxy,” Rondeaux said. The Afghan government announced last week that it would not accept foreigners on a key election watchdog for the presidential elections, a move that may undermine the credibility of the poll.

Karzai said the presence of foreigners on the Electoral Complaints Commission went against the “sovereignty of Afghanistan”, suggesting that the two foreigners on the five-member body will be removed. The president is elected as an individual rather than as an official representative of a party, and at this stage there are no clear front-runners to take over from Karzai. In the 2009 election, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah won 30 percent of the vote before withdrawing from a second-round showdown because of the allegations of massive fraud by Karzai’s supporters.

Abdullah said in an interview earlier this year that he had not yet decided whether to run again, but added that “more than half my heart says I might be a candidate”. Leading women’s rights champion, author and lawmaker Fawzia Koofi has said she will run if there is a prospect of free and fair elections. She has dismissed forecasts that she would be trounced in such a male-dominated country, saying there is a strong desire for change among young people, women, the educated elite and even in rural villages. —AFP

KABUL: Two soldiers in the NATOled coalition fighting insurgents in Afghanistan were shot dead yesterday by a man in an Afghan police uniform, the alliance’s International Security Assistance Force said. It is the latest in a series of insider attacks that have seriously undermined trust between NATO forces and their Afghan allies in the fight against hardline Islamist Taleban insurgents. “An individual wearing Afghan National Police uniform turned his weapon against ISAF forces in southern Afghanistan, killing two soldiers,” a spokesman said. The Taleban claimed that the shooter was one of their fighters who had infiltrated the police and that the soldiers killed were British.

“One of our mujahideen, Atiqulla, who had infiltrated the police forces carried out the attack in Greshk district (Helmand province) today,” Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi said. “He has killed two British soldiers.” Helmand governor Mohammad Naim Balooch confirmed the shooting had taken place in Greshk district and that two foreign soldiers were killed. It is the second deadly incident in a week for NATO in Greshk, which is also known as Nahr-e Saraj, after a British Royal Marine and army medic were killed while on patrol last Wednesday. The Afghan conflict has seen a surge in insider attacks this year, with more than 50 ISAF troops killed by their colleagues in the Afghan army and police.

NATO says about 25 percent of the attacks are caused by Taliban infiltrators but the rest stem from personal animosities and cultural differences between Western troops and their Afghan allies. In

the most recent attack previously, two American soldiers were killed by a man in an Afghan police uniform in the central province of Uruzgan last Thursday. The unprecedented number of socalled “green-on-blue” killings

war, in Afghanistan “the signature attack that we’re beginning to see is going to be the insider attack”.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels earlier this month that countering the

if NATO colleagues exit the shower naked, swear or ask to see pictures of their wives. The 28-page brochure tells Afghan soldiers these things are normal behavior and no reason to open fire. The insider attacks have added to

NANGARHAR: An Afghan man transports his possessions on a cart in Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province yesterday. Over a third of Afghans are living in abject poverty, as those in power are more concerned about addressing their vested interests rather than the basic needs of the population, a UN report said. —AFP comes at a critical moment in the 11-year war, as NATO troops prepare to withdraw by the end of 2014 and hand responsibility for security to Afghan forces.

NATO top brass have admitted the seriousness of the phenomenon, with ISAF commander General John Allen saying that just as homemade bombs were the signature weapon of the Iraq

attacks was vital to success in Afghanistan. Efforts to tackle the issue include orders that NATO soldiers working with Afghan forces should be armed and ready to fire at all times, even within their tightly protected bases, and the issuing of cultural guidelines.

The guidelines, drawn up by the Afghan defense ministry, urge their soldiers not to take offence

Court rules against Polish rocker who tore up Bible WARSAW: Poland’s Supreme Court opened the way on Monday for a blasphemy verdict against a rock musician who tore up a Bible on stage, a case that has pitted deep Catholic traditions against a new desire for free expression.

Adam Darski, front man with a heavy metal group named Behemoth, ripped up a copy of the Christian holy book during a concert in 2007, called it deceitful and described the Roman Catholic Church as “a criminal sect”.

His supporters say it was an act of artistic expression, but conservatives say he offended the sensibilities of Catholics in Poland, the homeland of the late Pope John Paul II and one of the religion’s most devout heartlands in Europe. The Supreme Court was asked to rule on legal arguments thrown up by the musician’s trial in a lower court on charges of offending religious feelings. It said a crime was committed even if the accused, who uses the stage name Nergal, did not act with the “direct intention” of offending those feelings, a court spokeswoman said.

That interpretation closed off an argument used by lawyers for Darski, who said he had not committed a crime because he did not intend to offend anyone. The lower court will now decide if he is guilty. The maximum sentence is two years in jail, under Poland’s criminal code.

However, it is extremely rare for anyone convicted of this kind of crime in Poland to serve prison time. “(The decision) is negative and

restricts the freedom of speech. The court decided that this is allowed in a democratic system,” Jacek Potulski, a lawyer for Darski said. He said he was not giving up. “We are still arguing that we were dealing with art, which allows more critical and radical statements,” the lawyer said.

Ryszard Nowak, a conservative former member of parliament who has for years been lobbying for the musician’s conviction, said he had been vindicated. “The Supreme Court said clearly that there are limits for artists which cannot be crossed,” Nowak told Polish television.

The Catholic Church and its teachings have been at the heart of Polish life for generations, but changes in society are challenging the dominance of the faith. Opinion polls show that while 93 percent of Poles identify themselves as Catholics, the proportion who attend church or pray regularly is in decline, especially among young people. Large parts of Polish society have also started to drift away from some of the church’s teachings, especially its ban on contraception and its opposition to homosexual partnerships. “When it comes to bishops’ opinions on controversial social issues, I listen to them, but I don’t treat them as an absolute authority,” said Aleksandra Pulchny, a 22-year-old law student from Rybnik, in southern Poland. In one indication of the changes in society, the blasphemy trial does not appear to have harmed Darski’s show business standing. —Reuters

growing opposition to the war in many Western countries providing troops to the US-led NATO opposition, with opinion polls showing a majority want their soldiers out as soon as possible.

NATO has said, however, that the attacks will not force it to bring forward its scheduled withdrawal of all combat troops by the end of 2014. —AFP

Tropical storm barrels towards India’s south NEW DELHI: Authorities ordered hundreds of schools to close yesterday and fishermen to remain on land as a tropical storm barreled towards India’s southern coastal state of Tamil Nadu yesterday. The storm was centered in the Bay of Bengal, 200 kilometers east of the city of Chennai, with winds of about 55 kilometers per hour, the India Meteorological Department said. Forecasters warned that the “cyclonic storm” would make landfall today. “We have declared a holiday in all the schools, colleges, government offices in five districts of Tamil Nadu. Fishermen have been warned not to go out into the sea,” Jayraman, a government administrator who goes by one name said. He said the storm was predicted to intensify before hitting the coast near Chennai with wind speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. The weather department in its latest warning said a “storm surge” was likely to inundate five coastal districts, having an estimated population of 600,000. Authorities warned that was a possibility of extensive damage to power and communication lines.

They were preparing helicopters and boats to be ready for any emergency. Ravi Babu, a senior disaster management official in the state, said that besides existing cyclone shelters, schools and community halls had been identified to serve as potential relief camps for evacuees.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka lifted an evacuation order as a cyclone heading towards the island changed course yesterday and headed towards neighboring India, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. Thousands of people living within 500 meters from the coast were asked to move inland, but instead of making landfall the cyclone changed direction towards the south Indian coast of Tamil Nadu, said the DMC. “Although we did not suffer the full impact, there was a storm surge and in some places the waves were three meters higher than normal,” DMC director Sarath Lal Kumara said. —Agencies

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New boat people exodus looms from restive Myanmar SITTWE: Left widowed and homeless in a countr y where she is unwanted, Rahima longs only to flee strife-torn Myanmar on a perilous journey made by thousands of other Muslim Rohingya before her. Hundreds of thousands of the stateless people-considered by the UN to be one of the most persecuted minorities on the planet-have left aboard rickety boats in past decades, and there are signs of another exodus looming. “We are like dead people. I want to go to another country. I cannot keep suffering like this,” said Rahima, 55, whose husband and 25-year-old son were killed in Buddhist-Muslim clashes in western Rakhine state in June.

“I don’t have enough food. How long can I keep living here?” she said in a recent interview, since which a fresh wave of violence has left dozens more dead and displaced about 30,000 people. In the past Bangladesh was the destination of choice, but the neighboring country has now closed its doors, turning away boatloads of Rohingya who attempted to flee the violence in June.

Many have since hung their hopes on Muslim-majority Malaysia. But for now, Rahima’s home is one of the mudstrewn camps where tens of thousands of Rohingya have sought shelter since the conflict exploded in the flashpoint western region of the country formerly

known as Burma. They live in woeful conditions on the outskirts of the state capital Sittwe, crammed into tents, bamboo huts or simply living under tarpaulin sheets. “ There is hardship in the camps, and not enough food,” said Mohammed Ismail, 32, his eyes welling up with tears. “After the rainy season, we want to leave.” He is not alone: with many others in the camps voicing a similar desire to flee, the United Nations and rights groups are bracing for a huge spike in “boat people” fleeing the country in the coming months. “We are likely to see a dramatic increase in the number of Rohingya taking to the sea this year,” said Matthew Smith, a researcher with New York-based Human Rights Watch. “It’s an incredibly risky endeavor for Rohingya refugees to take. It indicates the level of desperation that this population has experienced both in Burma and Bangladesh,” he said. Despite their decades-long presence, Myanmar views the roughly 800,000 Rohingya who are confined to Rakhine state as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and denies them citizenship. Decades of travel restrictions, forced labour, land grabs and limited access to health and education services have already led many Rohingya to seek out a new life overseas.

Two massive waves of refugees, of

approximately 250,000 people each, flooded across the border into Bangladesh in 1978 and 1991-92, but large scale repatriations ensued. Now home to an estimated 300,000 Rohingya, Bangladesh refuses to accept more. In desperation, the minority group has increasingly set its sights on getting to Malaysia, where there are now more than 20,000 officially registered Rohingya. Between late 2011 and May this year, an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 Rohingya left Rakhine or Bangladesh by boat for Malaysia via Thailand, according to Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, a Rohingya advocacy group.

It is a journey fraught with risk: in the past human rights activists have accused the Thai navy of pushing desperate Rohingya asylum-seekers back out to sea and casting them adrift. Even so, boat departures by the Rohingya are at their highest level since the organization began tracking the journeys five years ago, Lewa said. This season the migrations, which can cost up to $2,000 per person, have started even before the end of the rainy season with “several hundred” Rohingya arriving in Malaysia since the June unrest, Lewa said. One of them is Nur Islam, 23, who left Sittwe a few weeks ago. “I was on the boat for 15 days without any food,” he recalled. “I

SITTWE: Muslim Rohingya men walk past fishing boats near the temporary relief camp at the Bawdupha Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp. —AFP thought I might die there.”

Five of his fellow passengers did not survive the journey and their bodies were thrown overboard, he said in Kuala Lumpur. But for the young Muslim, staying in the country where he grew up was not an option. “Because of the danger I just left,” he said. “I will never go back.

There is nothing there. Everything has

been burned down.” The arrivals may not be welcomed with open arms by Muslim countries, despite the vocal concerns about their plight raised by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the top Muslim world body. “I don’t expect Malaysia or OIC countries to welcome the Rohingya,” said Sarnata Reynolds from Refugees International.—AFP

After rare trip, US envoy presses Beijing on Tibet A spate of self-immolation protests

PYONGYANG: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center), accompanied by his wife Ri Sol Ju (center-left, beige coat), react to the audience as the Moranbong Band performs to mark the 60th anniversary of Kim Il Sung Military University in Pyongyang. — AFP

N Korea leader’s wife re-appears SEOUL: The wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has re-appeared after dropping out of the public eye for 50 days amid fevered rumors that she was either pregnant or had fallen out of favor. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Ri Sol-Ju joined her husband at a musical performance and a football match in Pyongyang on Monday.

“Marshall Kim Jong-Un, the supreme leader of the party and the people, came to the spectators’ seats, accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-Ju. At that moment, thunderous applause broke out,” KCNA said.

Kim took over the reins of power in North Korea following the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il last December. The fact that he even had a wife was only revealed in July when pictures emerged of a stylish young woman accompanying the new young leader at official events.

A terse statement from Pyongyang’s state television that month confirmed her identity and the fact that the couple were married. Then in early September, she dropped from public view just as suddenly as she had appeared. Her absence triggered speculation that she

might be pregnant, while some suggested she was doing penance for failing to wear the lapel pin-bearing the image of one or both of the country’s late leadersthat all adult North Koreans are required to wear. A photo of the couple at Monday’s musical performance showed Ri, wearing a long coat, applauding as Kim saluted the cheering crowd.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency stoked the pregnancy rumors by observing that her mid-section appeared swollen. It was not clear if she was wearing a badge under the coat. The announcement of Kim Jong-Un’s marriage and Ri’s media profile mark a departure for North Korea whose intensely secretive regime has previously kept the private lives of its rulers under wraps.

According to intelligence reports cited by the South Korean media, the couple were married in 2009 and already have one child. Ri was described as coming from an ordinary family, with her father an academic and her mother a doctor. She visited South Korea in 2005 as a cheerleader for her country’s squad in the Asian Athletics Championships.— AFP

Being Pentagon chief had downsides: Gates WASHINGTON: Former US defense secretary Robert Gates joked Monday about the downsides of his old job, including enduring interminable NATO meetings and price gouging over a Central Asian air base. At a Pentagon ceremony for the unveiling of his official portrait, the ex-CIA director displayed his customary wry humor, saying he was glad to be done with long-winded NATO sessions, long-haul flights across the Pacific and talks about a certain airfield in Kyrgyzstan.

As he writes a memoir of his tenure as defense secretary, Gates said he had “been reflecting on some of the things and some of the people that I miss... and frankly many more that I don’t.” “I confess that back at CIA, I might have been less motivated to win the Cold War if I had known the result would be NATO conferences in which 28 defense ministers would be present, all entitled to speak,” he said. And he recounted numerous meetings with his counterparts around the world, citing “the less edifying experience of being shaken down by the defense minister of Kyrgyzstan for rent at Manas air base.”

Heavily reliant on Manas as a hub for moving troops and equipment in and out of Afghanistan, the United States has had to agree to high rental fees to maintain access to the strategic base. Gates, 69, also

found hours-long hearings before US congressional committees trying, saying: “The less said about the latter, the better.”

Although the Pentagon was mostly empty Monday due to Hurricane Sandy, which prompted the closure of federal government offices, top brass and civilian leaders braved rain and wind from the storm to pay tribute to Gates, who served in the post from December 2006 to June 2011.

The current defense secretary, Leon Panetta, praised Gates for taking on the Pentagon’s entrenched bureaucracy to get heavily-armored vehicles to troops in the field and for improving medical evacuations for forces wounded in Afghanistan.

The painting unveiled Monday-by Everett Raymond Kinstler, who has produced portraits of former American presidentsdepicts Gates in a black pin-stripe suit, sitting next to a model of the MRAP, the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle that he made an urgent priority.

Gates took over as defense secretary in 2006, after the polarizing tenure of Donald Rumsfeld, who became a lightning rod for critics of the Iraq war. “From the beginning, his calm demeanor, his no-nonsense straight talk delivered in that Kansas twang, helped reassure a country... that was badly shaken by the growing toll of the Iraq war,” Panetta said of his predecessor. —AFP

WASHINGTON: The US ambassador to China has urged Beijing to re-examine policies toward Tibetans as he acknowledged that he had quietly visited monasteries during a spate of self-immolation protests. Ambassador Gary Locke, speaking from Beijing to an online forum in the United States, said he stopped at monasteries last month in the flashpoint Aba prefecture to “get an appreciation of Tibetan culture and the way of life”.

Aba, an ethnically Tibetan area of Sichuan province, has been a hotbed of protests against Beijing’s rule. Some 60 ethnic Tibetans, many of them monks and nuns, have set themselves alight since February 2009 in Sichuan and Tibet. “We implore the Chinese to really meet with the representatives of the Tibetan people to address and reexamine some of the policies that have led to some of the restrictions and the violence and the self-immolations,” Locke said. “We have very serious concerns about the violence, of the self-immolations, that have occurred over the last several years,” he said, calling the incidents “very deplorable”.

“Nobody wants that type of action, or of people having to resort to that type of action.

Too many deaths,” he said. Locke called for

China to show respect for Tibetans’ religion, culture and language. The United States has repeatedly urged China to address Tibetan grievances but it is very rare for foreign officials or media to visit Tibetan areas on unsupervised trips. In previous statements Washington has urged China’s leaders to resume dialogue with Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who fled into exile in India in 1959 and enjoys strong public support in the United States.

China’s foreign ministry Tuesday rejected what it called foreign interference and repeated its claim that the “Dalai group” is responsible for “instigating and masterminding” selfimmolations. “At the same time I want to point out that Tibetan affairs are China’s internal affairs,” said spokesman Hong Lei. “We oppose any country or any person interfering in China’s internal affairs in any form.” The details of Locke’s visit emerged as President Barack Obama’s administration looks for new ways to promote human rights in China, which regularly lashes out at US condemnation of its record. Obama has faced electionyear criticism from Republican rivals, who have urged him to be more outspoken on Beijing’s human rights record and its trade

and currency practices. But US officials cite as a success the quiet diplomacy in May that led China to allow dissident Chen Guangcheng to move to New York. Locke, who was responding to a question as part of a “China Town Hall” with citizens in 60 cities across the United States, said he visited Aba prefecture after a trip to the major cities in Sichuan, where he promoted US businesses. Seven self-immolation protests were reported last week alone among Tibetans, many of whom accuse China of suppressing their culture. Few of the Tibetans who have set themselves alight are believed to have survived.

The State Department’s annual human rights reports say that China has denied the political and religious rights of Tibetans. China rejects the charges and says it has brought investment and modernization to Tibet.

Locke, the first Chinese-American to serve as US ambassador in Beijing, has often fascinated the Chinese public through his humble demeanor. When he headed to Beijing, a picture went viral that showed the former governor at Seattle’s airport paying for his own coffee at Starbucks. Locke said he found the Chinese to be “so welcoming and engaging” toward him since he took his position.—AFP

Could Maine be a slice of Romney pie?

Maine plays by own rules in election MAINE: Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney are scouting an unlikely path to the White House through the vast forests and blueberry barrens of northern Maine. President Barack Obama is expected to win the Pine Tree State easily in the Nov 6 election. Regardless, Romney allies are buying TV time with the hope of carrying the state’s thinly populated interior and scraping out one electoral college vote in Maine that could edge their man closer to the 270 needed to win the White House.

With polls showing a dead heat nationally, Republicans in the state are focusing their phone calls and door-knocking efforts on the rural north of Maine-one of two states that play by a different set of rules in presidential elections. Most states give all of their electoral votes to the winner, but Maine and Nebraska award one electoral vote to the winners of each of their congressional districts, two in Maine and three in Nebraska. The candidate who takes the statewide votevery likely to be Obama in Mainereceives an additional two electoral votes, meaning there are a total of four up for grabs in Maine.

Although winning just one electoral vote in northern Maine is still a longshot, Maine Republicans are optimistic about Romney’s chances.

They point to a private poll that found Romney leading Obama by 5 percentage points in the northern part of the state earlier this month, even though he trailed Obama in the state as a whole. Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, said it was possible, if not likely, that Romney could win half the state. “There’s not a lot going on the ground that would lead you to believe he could do this,” Brewer said. “But who knows? Polling is pretty sparse up here.” Republicans certainly think it’s possible. “I think it’s very likely that he’ll win,” said David Sorensen, a spokesman for the state Republican party. The odds seem stacked against Romney, though. Maine has

IN FLIGHT: Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney (left) talks with senior campaign advisor Stuart Stevens aboard his campaign plane en route to Moline, Illinois. — AFP never split its electoral votes and it hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988. A series of polls in September showed Obama leading Romney by doubledigit margins statewide. A bruising, months-long battle within the state party between Romney supporters and backers of libertarian-leaning candidate Ron Paul has also prompted many Republican activists to stay on the sidelines this fall. “I think Romney will do well, but if they had welcomed the Ron Paul people instead of alienating them like they did it would probably be a sure thing,” said Republican activist Chris Dixon, a Paul supporter. While aides highlight efforts to expand the race into states once thought safe for Obama, like Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Maine hasn’t really been on the Romney campaign’s radar so far. Romney himself owns a home in neighboring New Hampshire, and his campaign is based in

Boston, an hour’s drive from the Maine border. But he hasn’t visited the state since last winter.

The election highlights the gulf between what residents call the “Two Maines”-the relatively affluent southern coast and the rest of the state, where opportunities have dwindled amid cutbacks in logging, potato farming and fish canning.

Regional disparities like this normally do not matter in the context of presidential politics because most states award their electoral votes on an all-or-nothing basis. Obama picked up an additional electoral vote this way in 2008 when he won one congressional district in Nebraska. Nebraska is not expected to split its votes this year, but Romney’s allies seem to like the odds in Maine. Restore Our Future, an outside group supporting the former Massachusetts governor, spent $300,000 on television advertising in the northern half of the state last week, and plans to spend

$490,000 across the state in the final week before the election. The ads running in the Portland television market reach voters in New Hampshire, but those running in Bangor and Presque Isle are aimed squarely at voters in Maine’s second congressional district, which encompasses the state’s less affluent half. Maine Republicans say they are focusing their get-out-thevote efforts on the second district, and they hope the burst of energy can help them unseat Michael Michaud, the Democrat who represents the region in Congress.

Democrats scoff at this, pointing to their own private polling that shows Obama and Michaud leading handily. The Romney campaign would have a more visible presence in the state if they thought they had a chance, they say. “We don’t see any evidence that this Romney ‘head fake’ has any basis in reality,” said Ben Grant, the state Democratic Party chairman.—Reuters

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

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

In heart of France, Islamic school trains imams SAINT-LEGER-DE-FOUGERET: Deep in the wooded hills of Burgundy in central France, an unusual institute is training unusual students: aspiring French imams who hope to minister to the country’s large Muslim population. Early in the morning, some 200 students from across the country stream into the European Institute of Human Sciences de Saint-Legerde-Fougeret, where they learn to chant the Koran and study Islamic theology and Arabic literature.

After seven intensive years of study, only 10 or so graduates each year to lead prayers or preach at mosques. There is no doubting the need for new imams. Estimates of France’s Muslim population vary widely, from between 3.5 million and 6.0 million, though there is little hard evidence as to how many are practicing. In any event, France’s Muslim community is the largest in Western Europe.

Relations between the authorities and Muslims, many of them second- or third-generation immigrants, chiefly from North Africa, have often been tense. Some younger Muslims have been tempted by

extremist jihadist views and France has implemented a contentious ban on women wearing full veils. Over the past nine years, various governments have encouraged the professional training of local religious leaders. Interior Minister Manuel Valls recently backed the practice, even if the job of imam is badly paid, if at all, and enjoys no official recognition.

The initiative goes back 20 years when the Union of Islamic Organizations in France, which has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, converted a former children’s holiday centre into the institute. Its stated aim is to train imams equipped “with a solid knowledge of Islam and the socio-cultural realities of Europe.” The idea was to provide an alternative to the recruitment of foreign imams, who often spoke no French and had little or no knowledge of French lifestyles. “ The training of imams who are products of French society is vital: Today 70 percent of the faithful don’t speak Arabic,” said the institute’s director Zuhair Mahmood. Initially financed by the Gulf

Punk Riot inmates’ lives in danger in Soviet-style jail MOSCOW: Two women from punk band sentenced to jail for an anti-Putin protest in a Moscow cathedral face harsh, Sovietstyle prison camps where their lives may be in danger due to a lack of medicine and no hot water amid sub-zero winter temperatures, according to a recently released band member. Pussy Riot’s protest has attracted global attention because of the two-year jail sentences meted out to its members for what prosecutors called “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred”.

Opposition figures say the punishments formed part of a wave of repression against opponents of President Vladimir Putin, now in his 13th year ruling Russia. Putin said last Thursday that the women “deserved what they got” because their punk prayer in Moscow ’s main cathedral last February, during which the balaclava-clad women appealed to the Virgin Mary to get rid of the president, amounted to “group sex” and threatened the moral foundations of Russia.

Yekaterina Samutsevich, the third member of Pussy Riot who was released from jail earlier this month after her sentence was suspended on appeal, spoke to Reuters in an interview about the prison camp in Mordovia, about 300 miles southeast of Moscow where her colleague Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has been sent to serve her sentence. She said its conditions recalled the Soviet era. “There is no hot water in Mordovia and there are only special prison clothes given out which are very cold for the weather,” said Samutsevich.

“There is no medicine. In Soviet times they thought that if people fell ill, that was their own problem ... if someone gets sick and nobody helps them, they can die - unfortunately there have been such cases and they happen periodically.” The other jailed group member, Maria Alyokhina, is bound for a prison camp in the Urals city of Perm, a location used to jail political prisoners in the Soviet era. She has not yet arrived.

Samutsevich, a small, intense 30-yearold who has worked as a computer programmer, gave the interview in a small McDonald’s in a town just outside Moscow because of concerns about her security. The first part of the interview was filmed and took place outside in a howling cold wind because the restaurant would not allow T V cameras inside.

Samutsevich predicted that Putin’s government would in the end fall victim to mass unrest and said the clampdown on dissent now under way in Russia showed just how scared the Kremlin was.

“The system itself is crumbling,” she said.

“It’s becoming more repressive ... those in power have very strong fears and their behavior is more and more wild. We could end with a total collapse like the Soviet Union.” Putin is now starting a fresh six-year term, having won a presidential election in March with 63.6 percent of the vote.

Opponents said the Kremlin’s dominance over mass media, obstacles placed in the way of the opposition, ballot-stuffing and the extensive use of government resources to garner support for Putin meant the vote was not free or fair. — Reuters

States, the school depends heavily on fees of about 3,400 euros ($4,400) a year-board and lodging included. “Since I was small I have dreamed of becoming an imam,” said 18-year-old Wahib, who did not want to give his last name, “but seven years is long and there are no grants.”

Apart from the rural setting, the atmosphere in the run-down prefabricated corridors of the institute is like that of any other college. At break time men, often bearded, and women, all of them wearing head scarves, wait for coffee. The women can follow the 20 hours of weekly courses but cannot become imams. Said, who also did not want to give his last name, was born in Morocco and now living in Nice in southern France. He took correspondence courses for two years and has now left his family to “deepen my knowledge of Islam” and “if I succeed, become an imam.”

“It’s my vocation,” he says. “I would love to pass on my knowledge to others and above all fight against extremism.” There are about 10 people in his class.

They listen to the interpretations of a Quran sura, or chapter, as part of a third year theology course, which also includes an introduction to French law.

They then recite a passage from the Quran. “Being an imam, it isn’t something that happens,” the 33-yearold Said said. “It’s a real responsibility, We have to be safeguards. He lamented the fact that “moderate imams are ignored by people in the middle of an identity crisis.”

“Radicalism is always the result of ignorance,” Said’s theology teacher Larbi Belbachir added. “You cannot pass on a message without knowing French.

Islam can adapt and does not forbid you to respect the law.” Traditionally, congregations of the faithful choose their imams, who carry out their duties as volunteers or are paid by gifts. Those presiding in large mosques can earn 1,500 euros ($1,950) a month. They are classified as educators or teachers but never as imams. “When this profession is recognized and paid as such,” Said suggested, “perhaps there will be more vocations.” — AFP

Clinton, Ashton push Balkans on reforms Bosnia paralyzed by infighting; Serbia, Kosovo at odds SARAJEVO: The United States and the European Union combined yesterday to push Balkan states to resolve festering political and economic disputes obstructing more integration with the rest of Europe. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton began a threenation Balkan trip in Bosnia, where a power struggle between ethnic Serb, Muslim and Croat parties has stymied progress since their 1992-95 war.

Clinton’s Balkans trip, probably her last before stepping down early next year, represents her final effort to settle some of the legacies of the bloody break-up of federal Yugoslavia in the 1990s, when her husband Bill Clinton was president.

“We’re disappointed that the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina have not put the interests of the country first,” a senior US official told reporters travelling with Clinton. In similar vein, Clinton and Ashton will urge Serbia and majority-Albanian Kosovo, which broke away from Belgrade in 2008, to improve their ties further, US officials said. Bosnia has been governed along ethnic lines since the war, which killed an estimated 100,000 people and split the country into two autonomous regions joined by a weak central gov-

ernment, under the US-brokered 1995 Dayton Peace Accords.

Intense political infighting has slowed reforms, leaving Bosnia lagging its neighbors on the road to EU membership. Clinton and Ashton were likely to remind Bosnian leaders that they must stick with the Dayton agreement. “Party leaders can obviously work out, within that framework, the relationships they want, but there should be no questioning of the basic fundamentals of the Dayton peace arrangement,” the US official said. Leaders of Bosnia’s Serb Republic do not hide their contempt for the joint state and say it is doomed to disintegrate.

Clinton and Ashton were due later in the day in Belgrade, where they will encourage nationalist Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Socialist Prime Minister Ivica Dacic to make good on promises to improve ties with Kosovo, the US official said.

Serbia, a pariah under the late Slobodan Milosevic in the 1990s, has made some progress on reforms since his ouster in 2000, arresting war crimes suspects and overhauling the economy. But tensions with Kosovo, which seceded with the help of a NATO air war in 1999, are holding

Belgrade back and the EU says accession talks cannot start until they are resolved.

Nikolic and Dacic, whose coalition took power this year, say they are ready for more normal ties with Kosovo, but that Serbia will never recognize Kosovo as independent.

“Obviously there’s much work that remains to be done and significant dif-

ferences remain,” the US official said.

Clinton and Ashton plan to hold meetings in Kosovo on Wednesday, before Clinton goes to Albania and Croatia, both members of NATO. The West hopes Croatia’s scheduled accession to the EU in 2013, following fellow exYugoslav Slovenia in 2004, will encourage its neighbors to redouble their efforts.— Reuters

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (centre left), High Representative for EU Foreign Policy Catherine Ashton (centre), Chairman of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Tri-Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic (right) and unidentified personnel walk down the stairs, after a press conference, in Sarajevo, Bosnia yesterday. — AP

14

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

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Municipal poll results bolster PT razil’s ruling Workers Party (PT ) emerged stronger from Sunday’s nationwide municipal polls, leaving it well positioned for the 2014 presidential elections, analysts say. The leftist PT of President Dilma Rousseff and her popular predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won a total of 635 mayoral races, including in Sao Paulo, the country’s economic capital, although it lost in key nor theastern state capitals such as Recife, Fortaleza and Salvador. In Sao Paulo, Brazil’s most populous and wealthiest city, Fernando Haddad, a 49-year-old Lula protege, defeated veteran opposition candidate Jose Serra in a runoff vote 55.6 percent to 44.4 percent.

The 70-year-old Serra, a former mayor and state governor, had lost to Rousseff in the 2010 presidential election. Haddad’s decisive victory with direct support from Lula and Rousseff, coupled with the PT’s overall good performance nationwide, puts the ruling party in a strong position ahead of the 2014 presidential election, according to many analysts. “The PT needed to prevail in Sao Paulo in order to win the 2014 presidential contest and it has done so,” said Andre Cesar, a political analyst at the Prospectiva consulting firm.

The hugely popular Lula, who ruled this booming country from 2003 to 2010, showed that his clout remains intact despite his two-year absence from the political stage due to larynx cancer and a political corruption scandal that ensnared his party and several of his key aides. “Lula is the big winner of this election and he will be even more influential in 2014,” Cesar noted. In his victory speech, Haddad conceded as much, expressing gratitude to his mentor who had named him education minister and later imposed him as the PT’s mayoral candidate in Sao Paulo. “I want to thank president Lula from the bottom of my heart.

Without him I could not have won this election,” he said.

Many analysts had expected Haddad and the PT in general to suffer from the fallout of the congressional vote-buying scandal. Twenty-five of 37 former ministers, lawmakers, businessmen and bankers facing prosecution before the Supreme Court have been charged with corruption over a 2002 to 2005 vote-buying scheme in Congress during Lula’s first term. They include Lula’s former chief of staff Jose Dirceu. While Lula was cleared, the scandal nearly cost the 66-year-old his reelection in 2006.

But the high-profile trial “did not have a major impact despite all the media hype. The people of Sao Paulo said no to business as usual,” said political analyst Evaraldo Moraes. “The Mensalao (trial) had no impact because voters in municipal elections focus on local issues (health, transport, flooding) and corruption comes last,” said another expert, David Fleischer. The poll results reflected the traditional balance of power between the three major parties in this vibrant democracy of 194 million people.

The centrist PMDB, a member of the ruling coalition, remains the country’s leading party, particularly in small towns, but it lost significant ground, winning only 1,024 races against 1,207 in 2008. The opposition Brazilian Social Democratic Party remains in second place nationally, winning 702 races, down from 788 four years ago. The PT is still in third place, capturing 635 city halls, up 14 percent from 558 in 2008. The ruling party also won the largest number of cities of more than 200,000 people but only four state capitals, compared with six in 2008 and nine in 2004. But the 10-member ruling coalition prevailed in 17 of the country’s 26 state capitals, including Rio.— AFP

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Euro zone ponders best path to ‘GEMU’ n the rich lexicon of Brussels acronyms, a new treasure has entered the vocabulary since June: GEMU. It stands for Genuine Economic and Monetary Union, a term used in the conclusions of the last two European Union summits in a tacit acknowledgement that the single currency created by the 1992 Maastricht Treaty was flawed and woefully incomplete. It also signals that Europe’s leaders are starting to shift their focus from fingers-in-the-dike crisis management to save the euro to a longer-term process of building a more robust, storm-resistant architecture for the currency area.

The aim is to bolt onto the existing governance structures more binding fiscal discipline, common banking supervision and resolution, more effective economic policy coordination and greater democratic oversight of euro zone policymaking. The battle over the nature of a revamped GEMU will be a long and incremental affair. “We are not looking at a ‘big bang’ moment for the euro zone, a sudden mutation that would transform it into a completely different beast,” European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, who is leading the reform exercise, said last week.

At least three competing visions of the future are in play and the central battleground is the trade-off between more financial burden-sharing and more pooling of sovereignty. For the sake of simplicity, let’s call the alternatives NOMU, OLDMU and NEWMU, although in typical EU style, the outcome is likely to be a muddled combination of all the options.

described as NOMU - no mutualisation. It is shared by the Dutch and Finns, fellow AAA-rated north European creditor countries. Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen sees it as a moral issue. “In Finland, people ask ‘is it right that we have to pay the bill come from other countries’ politicians’ mistakes’. It’s easy to understand that it isn’t fair.” Merkel has not ruled out the possibility of common eurobonds in the distant future at the end of a long process of fiscal and economic integration. Many EU officials believe she will be more open to burden-sharing solutions after next September’s German general election.

But for now she wants far stricter discipline up front, symbolised by Germany’s proposal for a euro zone “Sparkommissar” - a super-commissioner with the power to veto national budgets. Bundesbank board member Andreas Dombret couched the German stance in quasireligious terms, telling an audience in Dublin that a euro zone banking union must not “cover past sins”, for example by taking on some of the Irish government’s bank debt.

“Anything else would amount to a fiscal transfer.”

However, many analysts believe Merkel will have to take some bigger step towards fiscal transfers or debt mutualisation to win French acceptance of more intrusive EU supervision of national budgets and economic reforms.

“NOMU won’t fly with France,” said Jean Pisani-Ferry, head of the Bruegel economic think-tank in Brussels. “I don’t think the Germans will manage to impose a right of veto on budgets without a trade-off for euro bonds. “This may be what Angela Merkel wants, but it’s not what she will get.”

NOMU German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Europe’s most powerful leader, wants more central control over national budgets and economic reforms, with a small new euro zone “solidarity fund” to reward compliance and cushion the impact of painful changes. Merkel has doggedly opposed any sharing of the debts and liabilities of euro zone governments or their banks, whether by a debt redemption fund, common euro zone bond issuance, a common bank deposit guarantee or retroactive direct recapitalisation of bailed-out banks by the euro zone’s rescue fund.

Her public position on the euro’s future can best be

OLDMU Not all Germans take such a black-and-white view. The Berlin government’s council of economic advisers has proposed creating a temporary redemption fund that would issue common euro zone bonds to help countries pay off their excessive debt stock beyond the EU treaty limit of 60 percent. This could be dubbed OLDMU - mutualising legacy debts and liabilities. It would help heavily indebted countries such as Greece, Italy and Ireland, but also potentially France and Germany, to get back to a sustainable debt level over 15 to 20 years, while each country would remain liable for its own new borrowing.

French President Francois Hollande embraced this ver-

By Paul Taylor

I

sion of common euro zone bonds, which some experts see as compatible with recent German constitutional court rulings because it does not create permanent transfers. One EU official joked that this was a Catholic approach - granting sinners absolution - which would not work in mostly Protestant northern Europe. Another form of OLDMU would involve allowing the euro zone’s permanent rescue fund, the European Stability Mechanism, to inject capital directly into banks that have been rescued by bailed-out governments in Ireland and Spain.

That would permit Dublin and Madrid to remove the bank debt from their state balance sheets, making it easier for Ireland to return to capital markets next year, and for Spain to retain market access without requiring a sovereign bailout. However, Merkel has so far ruled out either a debt redemption fund or retroactive direct recapitalisation of banks.

NEWMU An alternative approach favoured by many economists and the more federalist politicians would be to focus on pooling new borrowing by creating a common euro zone debt agency that would issue bonds on behalf of member states up to a permitted quota. Governments would either be banned from issuing debt above that limit, or would have to do so on a national guarantee, ensuring they would face market discipline. This NEWMU option - mutualising new liabilities but not legacy debts - is favoured by the executive European Commission but has been explicitly ruled out by the German constitutional court and would hence require Berlin to change its Basic Law. It would also create a permanent handicap race, where some countries had lead in their running shorts due to the burden of old liabilities for sovereign and bank debt.

Cleaning up Spanish banks hit by a burst real-estate bubble is set to cost some 4 percent of gross domestic product - not a huge addition to the national debt unless liabilities spiral. But Ireland’s taxpayers have taken on liabilities equivalent to 40 percent of GDP, a massive burden that will weigh on the economy for a generation unless EU authorities provide some relief. The EU official, who requested anonymity because he is not authorised to speak in public, calls NEWMU a very Protestant road to salvation. Every country starts with its original sins. — Reuters

Asia mega-cities badly exposed to superstorms

By Richard Ingham and Mariette le Roux he hammer blow dealt to New York by superstorm Sandy should raise the alarm for coastal mega-cities in Asia which are more exposed but less equipped to deal with such threats, experts said yesterday. New York was able to draw on toplevel civil engineering, good governance and the world’s richest economy as it faced a once-in-a-century event. But that is not the case for many cities that have risen, often anarchically, on a coastal arc from China to the Arabian Sea, luring millions in search of a better life. “These cities are undergoing very rapid expansion and they are not only exposed to sea-level rise, they are also exposed to tropical cyclones,” said Bob Ward, director of policy at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment in London. “It is clear there isn’t any urban planning going on, and they have a lot of poor people living in very low-quality housing who are going to be especially vulnerable and exposed.”

A 2007 OECD study identified 20 port cities which, in terms of population, would be most exposed to coastal flooding by 2070. Fifteen were Asian, with the first eight places headed by Kolkata followed by Mumbai, Dhaka, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Bangkok and Yangon. The other Asian cities were Haiphong (10th), Tianjin (12th), Khulna in Bangladesh (13th), Ningbo in China (14th), Chittagong (18th), Tokyo (19th) and Jakarta (20th). The remaining five were Miami (9th), Alexandria in Egypt (11th), Lagos (15th), Abidjan in

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Ivory Coast (16th) and New York, which rated a distant 17th.

“The cities with the highest protection are European countries, places like Holland have got really high (flood) defence standards, whereas some of the American cities, their defences are not that high,” said Susan Hanson, an expert in coastal engineering at Britain’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research who co-wrote the report. Several factors combine to make the new mega-cities so vulnerable,

she said. One is a rise in mean sea levels, which according to the study’s model will be around 50 cm by 2070 as warmer temperatures cause oceans to expand.

Then there is the thrust, or windwhipped storm surge, from cyclones, which also dump vast amounts of rain. Some scientists say these storms could become more vicious and frequent with time, but others disagree. Tom Mitchell, head of climate change at Britain’s Overseas Development Institute, said: “There is some

Vehicles are submerged on 14th Street near the Consolidated Edison power plant on Monday in New York. — AP

evidence to suggest that with climate change we might see stronger wind speeds but that the overall number of tropical cyclones will show no change or maybe even go down a little bit.”

The impacts of superstorms are hugely amplified when cities strip away their natural defences and people are allowed to settle in places of risk. In a report last March on extreme weather, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted that a 50-cm rise in sea level would make much of Mumbai uninhabitable. According to the OECD report, 1.9 million people in Mumbai were exposed to coastal flooding in 2005, a figure likely to rise to 14 million in 2070.

Awareness of the risks and good governance are key to diminishing the threat, said Ashvin Dayal, head of the Rockefeller Foundation in Asia, which supports a project to strengthen the region’s climate defences. Cities can respect flood plains and rebuild mangroves that are a natural shield against storm surge. They can improve planning to prevent dangerous sprawl and use better modelling to see how land is used. And they can promote simple but effective techniques such as cementing the floors of a house, which means water can drain out after a flood with no damage to the building’s structure.

“We have to move from a situation of looking for fail-safe solutions to a situation where you can also have safe failure,” said Dayal. “Things like this (Superstorm Sandy) do jolt people and do make people sit up and take notice. We must just make sure they don’t have short memories.” — AFP

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

NEWS

An Egyptian married couple kiss on the Trocadero esplanade in front of the Eiffel tower on Monday in Paris. — AFP

Egyptian hajjis divided over Islam in politics MAKKAH: Now that she has finished the haj and is returning home to Egypt, Magda Bagnied says her family will no doubt try to convince her to put on the headscarf to demonstrate her religiosity after a pilgrimage meant to cleanse her of sin and bring her closer to God. She fully expects that from her parents. But she doesn’t want that kind of pressure from her government or leaders. “Leave religion to the people,” said Bagnied, a media professor at Ahram Canadian University, in Cairo’s suburbs.

The annual pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest sites offers Muslims a chance to reaffirm their faith and root themselves more firmly in their beliefs. It comes at a time when several Arab nations are facing a similar issue on a political level after uprisings that toppled longtime leaders and brought Islamists to greater power: The question of how much a government should be rooted in Islam. Egypt in particular is struggling with that question. Elections since the fall last year of Hosni Mubarak elevated Mohamed Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, to president. The Brotherhood was vaulted to become the country’s strongest political force, along with even more conservative Islamists known as Salafis, who follow a strict Saudi-style interpretation of Islam.

As pilgrims were making their way around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure in Makkah that Muslims pray toward five times a day, and performing an elaborate set of rituals in Saudi Arabia over the past week, Egypt was in a bitter struggle over the writing of the new constitution.

Salafis are pressing for the document to explicitly root Egypt’s laws in sharia. That has raised liberals’ fears that it will bring stricter implementation of Islamic law and empower Muslim clerics in a political role, limiting women’s rights and freedoms of worship and expression.

The assembly writing the constitution is dominated by the Brotherhood and Salafis.

The Egyptians who performed the pilgrimage this year may be united in the importance they give to their faith in their lives. But it doesn’t mean they all agree on the mix of religion and politics. More than 90,000 Egyptians were on the pilgrimage, which largely wrapped up on Monday.

They hailed from all segments of Egyptian society, the rich and the poor, and from all corners of the Arab world’s most populous nation. Wearing the seamless terrycloth garments worn by male pilgrims to symbolize equality and unity during haj, Sayid Zeid said Egypt’s constitution should represent all Egyptians - and, he added, it must be based on the Quran. How can it be both, given the large Christian minority and the sector of liberal Muslims?

“Sharia will be applied by God ... It should be applied as it came down from God,” said Zeid, who is a reporter with Egypt’s state TV, though he was performing the haj, not covering it.

For some, it seemed only natural that Islamic law would benefit a Muslim-majority nation, putting aside questions of who would interpret it or implement it.

Making his way to midday prayers at Makkah’s Grand Mosque, which houses the Kaaba, Abdel-Muntalib El-Fikky said there is no reason to fear sharia or the Islamists. “Why are we all here? We are all here for God,” he said of the pilgrims. “Our constitution, God willing, will be good. It will move us forward.”

Anwar Saad, a 32 year-old teacher from Egypt’s Beheira province, stood on Jabal al-Rahma in Mount Arafat, in the desert outside Makkah during a rite of prayer on Thursday that is the pinnacle moment of haj. “The Brotherhood have moderate views. They are not conservative like the Salafis. We hope they will apply a moderate form of sharia for Egypt,” he said. “We want God to help Morsi succeed ...

There were 30 years of corruption and this will not be fixed in 100 days. Be patient with the president.” — AP

Sandy leaves death, darkness, destruction Continued from Page 1 flashlights in nearby apartments.

Lobbies were flooded, cars floated and people started to worry about food.

As Hurricane Sandy closed in on the Northeast, it converged with a cold-weather system that turned it into a monstrous hybrid of rain and high winds - even bringing snow in West Virginia and other mountainous areas inland. Just before it made landfall, forecasters stripped Sandy of hurricane status, but the distinction was purely technical, based on its shape and internal temperature. It still packed hurricane-force winds.

While the hurricane’s 144 kph winds registered as only a Category 1 on a scale of five, it packed “astoundingly low” barometric pressure, giving it terrific energy to push water inland, said Kerry Emanuel, a professor of meteorology at MIT. “We are looking at the highest storm surges ever recorded” in the Northeast, said Jeff Masters, meteor-

ology director for Weather Underground, a private forecasting service.

Tunnels and bridges to Manhattan were shut down, and some flooded. “We have no idea how long it’s going to take” to restore the transit system, MTA spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said yesterday. New York University’s Tisch Hospital was forced to evacuate 200 patients after its backup generator failed. NYU Medical Dean Robert Grossman said patients - among them 20 babies from the neonatal intensive care unit who were on battery-powered respirators - had to be carried down staircases and to dozens of ambulances waiting to take them to other hospitals. A construction crane atop a $1.5 billion luxury high-rise overlooking Central Park collapsed in high winds and dangled precariously.

Thousands of people were ordered to leave several nearby buildings as a precaution.

Reggie Thomas emerged yesterday morning from his job as a main-

tenance supervisor at a prison near the overflowing Hudson River, a toothbrush in his front pocket, to find his 2011 Honda with its windows down and a foot of water inside. “It’s totaled,” Thomas said, with a shrug. “You would have needed a boat last night.” A security guard at 7 World Trade Center, Gregory Baldwin, was catching some rest in his car after laboring overnight against floodwater that engulfed a nearby office building.

“The water went inside up to here,” he said, pointing to his chest. “The water came shooting down from Battery Park with the gusting wind.”

In Lower Manhattan, firefighters used inflatable orange boats to rescue utility workers stranded for three hours by rising floodwaters inside a power substation. One of the Con Ed workers pulled from the floodwater, Angelo Amato, said he was part of a crew who had offered to work through the storm. “This is what happens when you volunteer,” he said. — Agencies

Registration of candidates opens today...

Continued from Page 1 six occasions. Liberal political groups yesterday called for a gathering today evening opposite Al-Taleea magazine on press street in Shuwaikh. Other opposition groups are planning a massive demonstration on Nov 4.

In another development, supporters of former opposition leader and MP Musallam Al-Barrak, who was arrested late Monday, were on the verge of clashing with elite special forces yesterday. Around 500 supporters including former MPs gathered outside the Palace of Justice in Kuwait City in solidarity with Barrak who was brought from the state security department to the Palace of Justice for interrogation by the public prosecution.

As the main yard of the Palace of Justice was completely closed by police, protesters chose another nearby square and gathered. Two hours later, dozens of riot police backed by armoured vehicles arrived at the scene and demanded that the protesters vacate the place for the Irada Square opposite the Assembly building. Some of the protesters complied while others refused, which promoted riot police to move closer to the crowd, which eventually marched in a procession toward Irada Square. Member of the scrapped 2012 Assembly Khaled Shukhair said the move came to avert clashes with the riot police. Interrogations with Barrak began at 4 pm and continued until late yesteday over accusations of undermining the status of the Amir and of publicly criticizing him.

Hardliners silence Tehran orchestra DUBAI: It was a VIP audience for what was likely the last performance of the venerable Tehran Symphony Orchestra.

Watching from the front row in late August was Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in what was seen as an endorsement from the ruling theocracy, which once tried to stamp out all music as a violation of Islamic values. Just two months later, the musicians are out of work, funding has run dry and a nearly 80-year-old institution that survived wars, coups and the 1979 Islamic Revolution was declared yesterday in an apparently irreversible “coma” by media.

The apparent tipping point was financial. It could be counted as collateral damage from Western sanctions that have left Iran’s economy so stressed that authorities are considering banning exports of staples such as rice and wheat in order to boost emergency stockpiles. “We are currently facing a financial drought,” parliament speaker Ali Larijani told a group of officials Monday. “We will have a more difficult year ahead.”

The full story of the orchestra’s demise likely runs deeper. In a time of escalating showdowns with the West over Iran’s suspect nuclear program, the opposition of Iran’s clerical leadership toward anything deemed as too Western is gaining strength. “Musicians have had no support in recent years,” said Saba Radman, a music journalist and critic. “They feel very disillusioned.”

The Tehran orchestra - by far the oldest and biggest of several concert hall-style ensembles in Iran - was often an easy target of hardliners because of its roots during the era of the Western-backed monarchy toppled by the Islamic Revolution. During its heyday in the 1960s and 70s, it hosted performances by world famous musicians such as violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin. The orchestra fell further from favor during a European tour after the riots triggered by

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election in 2009. Opposition supporters in Europe used the concerts as forums to denounce Iran’s ruling system and flash the green wrist bands and scarves that symbolized the protest movement.

Meanwhile, Islamic conservatives - including forces within the powerful Revolutionary Guard - have reclaimed influence since the widespread crackdowns on reformists and can even exert muscle over Supreme Leader Khamenei. Cultural groups outside direct state control, such as the Tehran orchestra, have often come under suspicion as potential liberal-leaning havens. In January, authorities closed down the House of Cinema, an independent film group that operated for 20 years. “Many concerts have been canceled by local authorities over the past years, but the Culture Ministry raised no objections,” said Radman.

Hamid Shahabadi, the deputy culture minister in charge of artistic affairs, acknowledged some delays in payments for musicians while insisting that the orchestra has not been disbanded, but he indicated that its musicians need to look for work elsewhere. He suggested some could be absorbed into a planned state-run institution that would oversee all remaining orchestras. Those concentrate heavily on traditional Persian music.

Iran’s Islamic authorities tried to ban all music in the early years of the Islamic Revolution, claiming it violated strict Muslim tenets. The clerics eventually relented, but, as recently as 2005, Ahmadinejad tried unsuccessfully to outlaw Western music on state-run television and radio. At the same time, the Tehran Orchestra performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 - drawing criticism from some conservatives because the piece was associated with liberals and secular groups during the early years of the Islamic Revolution. — AP

Syria rebels kill general Continued from Page 1 than 60 raids on Monday, the most in a single day so far, the Observatory said. Yesterday, air strikes hit rebel bastions around Damascus including the town of Douma, where the Observatory said large numbers of people were killed or wounded. The northwestern town of Maaret al-Numan, seized by rebels earlier this month, was also hit, with seven civilians killed, including four children, it said. The army has been battling rebels for weeks for control of the town, which is on a key supply route between Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo.

Yesterday also saw clashes between rebels and troops backed by Palestinian fighters at the Yarmouk refugee camp, home to 148,500 Palestinians on the edge of the capital. Anwar Raja, spokesman for the pro-Damascus Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, said its forces clashed for about an hour with rebels trying to infiltrate the camp but that there were no casualties. There are more than 510,000 Palestinian refugees living in Syria, and their leadership is largely supportive of President Bashar AlAssad’s regime. At least 36 people, including 22 civilians, were killed in fighting yesterday, the Observatory said.

With international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi due in

China in a bid to revive peace efforts, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani, a vocal supporter of arming the rebels, said the international community’s failure to halt the fighting was making it complicit in the violence. “What is happening in Syria is not a civil war but a war of extermination against the Syrian people,” he told Al-Jazeera television. The war, he charged, was being waged “with a licence to kill, endorsed firstly by the Syrian government and secondly by the international community”.

On the first day after the Eid al-Adha holiday, which saw a ceasefire bid collapse in the face of renewed clashes, car bombings and air strikes, the Observatory said more than 500 people had died in fighting over its four days. Brahimi was to travel to China from Russia.

Both are historic Damascus allies and have repeatedly blocked tough UN Security Council action against Assad’s government. Diplomats say the UN-Arab League envoy is to present the council with new proposals in November following the two visits.

The uprising, which began in March 2011 as a peaceful protest movement, has escalated into an armed insurgency. More than than 35,000 people have died according to the Observatory, at least 20,000 according to the UN. Most of the rebels are members of Syria’s Sunni Muslim majority. Assad’s government is dominated by his Alawite minority. — AFP

Bahrain bans all protests Continued from Page 1 gathering would be tackled through legal actions against those calling for it and participants.”

The Bahraini authorities had rejected an Al-Wefaq request for a rally on Sunday evening at Akar, a village near the capital Manama where a bomb fatally wounded a policeman on Oct 18. The opposition movement then organised a demonstration, in agreement with the authorities, and when people took to the streets they chanted “Down with Hamad”, in reference to the Bahraini king. And Sheikh Rashid said violations had been cited at protests organised by groups led by Al-Wefaq “which are considered as a continuation of outlawed actions committed in February and March last year”. But an Al-Wefaq offi-

cial, Hadi Al-Musawi, struck a defiant tone, calling the Interior Ministry order “against international human rights”.

Last week, police clashed with protesters at villages outside Manama, using buckshot to disperse them after being attacked with Molotov cocktails and iron rods. The International Federation for Human Rights says 80 people have died since the start of the Arab Spring-inspired uprising on Feb 14, 2011. The government says more than 1,500 policemen have also been wounded in Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet and strategically situated across the Gulf from Shiite Iran.

Despite the Saudi-backed crackdown in March last year, sporadic protests continue to this day in the Gulf archipelago’s mainly Shiite neighbourhoods, often spiralling into violent clashes with police. — Agencies

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

sp orts Finn scare for England MUMBAI: England fast bowler Steven Finn limped off the field with a thigh injury after bowling the first over of his second spell on the opening day of the first tour match against India A yesterday.

Finn is expected to have a scan to determine the cause of the problem in his right leg, an England spokesperson said. India A, led by half-centuries from Manoj Tiwary (93), Abhinav Mukund (73) and Yuvraj Singh (59), reached 369 for nine at the end of the day after opting to bat in the first of three warmup matches before the four-test series starts in Ahmedabad on Nov. 15.

Pace bowler Tim Bresnan and off-spinner Graeme Swann picked up three wickets each for the visitors. Tiwary and all-rounder Irfan Pathan (46) added 110 runs for the seventh wicket to help their team recover after England reduced the home side to 190 for six. “There is a competition going on for the number six slot but it is up to the selectors now to decide,” Tiwary, who has played eight 50 overs matches for India, told reporters.—Reuters

Day-night tests inevitable SYDNEY: Day-night Test cricket, possibly played with a pink, orange or yellow ball, is an inevitability now the way has been cleared for such matches, Cricket Australia (CA) chief James Sutherland said yesterday. The International Cricket Council (ICC) decreed on Monday that countries could agree to play day-night tests and Sutherland said CA would put them on the agenda when negotiating all future tours to Australia.

“Test cricket is by definition played on at least three week days, times when most people are at work or school, and this limits the ability of fans to attend or watch on TV,” he said in a news release.

“We limit ourselves by staging cricket’s premium format at times

when fans often cannot watch. “We know that the audience for the Perth test, which is on TV in the evening on the east coast, is up significantly because fans in the East can tune in after work.”

Although he believes 50-over and Twenty20 cricket have proved that batting is possible under floodlights, Sutherland conceded finding a ball with the visibility for night play and the durability required for tests was a stumbling block.

“Finding a test ball that is as easily visible in the day as it is at night is still a technical work in progress that the ICC is now leading and it has not yet been possible to predict when such a ball might be available,” he added.—Reuters

Falcao: Future out of my hands MADRID: Radamel Falcao’s future at Atletico Madrid depends on factors outside his control, the in-form Colombia striker said in a Spanish television interview yesterday. The 26-year-old is one of the hottest properties in European football and has made a prolific start to the season scoring in 11 consecutive matches for club and country helping unbeaten Atletico to join Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

“I don’t even know what I’m doing tomorrow.” Falcao, who is nicknamed ‘el tigre’ (the tiger), said when asked what he was going to do at the end of the season. “I am happy here and enjoying things at present. I am not thinking about leaving, only in playing this season and I hope everything goes well.”

Falcao, who was named on the shortlist for the FIFA World Player of the Year award on Monday, has put himself on the radar of many of Europe’s top clubs after scoring a brace when Atletico won the Europa League final in May. He also netted a hat-trick in their victory over Chelsea in the European Super Cup back in August.—Reuters

San Francisco ready for Giants’ parade SAN FRANCISCO: For the second time in three years, San Francisco is gearing up for a ticker-tape parade to celebrate a World Series victory for the Giants.

Plans for the Wednesday bash were being made as the city cleaned up after a rowdy celebration Sunday night turned violent in some neighborhoods and police arrested three dozen people.

“I’m not going to let the spirit of this city be destroyed by 36 people,” Mayor Ed Lee said. “We’re going to move forward with a great parade, a wonderful celebration.”

The parade will take a slightly different route from the one that followed the Giants’ 2010 championship. Instead of the financial district, it will start at the foot of Market Street.

The new route is safer and affords better views than the previous route, which followed a path taken in 1958 to introduce the Giants to San Francisco after their move from New York, Mayor’s Office spokesman Francis Tsang said. “A lot has changed since then,” he added.

Regardless of the route, hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to turn out and rival the crowd that celebrated in 2010, when players, coaches and other luminaries rode in open-air buses designed to look like cable cars and vintage convertible cars.

Tens of thousands of people crowded into a park across the street from City Hall at the end of that parade to hear players, coaches and executives thank fans for their support. This year, the parade occurs on Halloween, a historically notorious night for San Francisco, with landmarks such as Coit Tower and City Hall bathed in orange and black light.

In previous years, hundreds of thousands of revelers descended on the Castro neighborhood, and authorities struggled to control the crowds. After a shooting in 2006

SAN FRANCISCO: Giants’ fans celebrate outside San Francisco’s City Hall while watching a broadcast of the Giants facing the Detroit Tigers in Game 4 of baseball’s World Series in this file photo. — AP wounded nine people, officials canceled the party and the night is now marked by a heavy police presence.

As some city workers were busy Monday erecting VIP stands in front of City Hall, others were sweeping up broken glass and charred debris left behind in the Mission District and other neighborhoods where the revelry turned violent after midnight.

The Police Department arrested 36 people, the majority in the Mission. Two were taken into custody on gun charges.

However, Sgt. Michael Andraychak said the vast majority of celebrations throughout the city, from the gay mecca of the Castro to touristy North Beach, were rowdy but peaceful. Fans doused each other with beer and champagne and danced in the streets, blocking motorists who happily honked their horns in celebration while stuck in gridlock.

“There were celebrations all over the city, and they were all peaceful and upbeat,” Andraychak said. “Unfortunately, as the

SAN FRANCISCO: A Giants fan jumps over a bonfire in this file photo in San Francisco’s Mission district after the Giants swept the Detroit Tigers to win baseball’s World Series.—AP night progressed, this other element emerged and was intent on doing violence.”

Bonfires of trash were lit in several intersections, and a $700,000 public transit bus was torched. Windows were broken out of several businesses and vehicles, including a news van.

Firefighters needed a police escort to douse a bonfire near the Giants’ ball park.

They also fought fires fueled by couches, news racks and other debris. Police said a damage report was not yet available. Police

What’s the plan in IndyCar? Does anybody know?

NEW YORK: Surely there must be some misunderstanding, and the board of directors charged with overseeing IndyCar really does have a long-term strategy for the series.

The sacking of CEO Randy Bernard has played out like an episode of Keystone Cops, threatening to push IndyCar into a full-blown crisis.

One problem? IndyCar doesn’t seem to think it has a crisis, even though powerful team owner Roger Penske accused the board of directors of showing “poor judgment” following Sunday night’s firing of Bernard. “There is no future plan,” Penske said. “They need to realize this will hurt teams with major sponsors. We need continuity.”

Instead, the series has a grossly mishandled situation by the Hulman & Co. and IMS boards, which let Bernard twist all season amid rumors team owners wanted him fired. The board did nothing to quiet the talk during a paranoid final month, and it reached absurdity late last week with a report Bernard had indeed been fired.

But it was denied by both Bernard and the speedway on Friday, only for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway board to meet Sunday night and decide in an emergency executive session that Bernard should step down. Why? No reason has been given. What did Bernard do wrong? No examples were cited. What will IndyCar do next? Jeff Belskus, the interim CEO, plans to conduct a search for Bernard’s replacement and said he hasn’t set an established timeline to hire a CEO. Bernard was no messiah and he was polarizing in the paddock, so it’s not as if he can’t be replaced. But he was popular with fans and made improvements to the series in his three years on the job. But his departure has been messy and that has created uncertainty for teams searching for sponsors, who must be wondering if the series is a viable investment.

It also has enraged fans who are threatening to turn away for good. “Done with IndyCar,” said Geoff Gray, who attended the Indianapolis 500 first with his father and grandfather and has had his own tickets for 10 years. But he said “inside politics once again got in the way of the shortsighted board of directors.”

“The sponsors see nervous fans, and there is no longer an apparent path or objective,” said the Florida resident. “The fans have also been nervous because they liked the direction that Randy was taking IndyCar.”

A saddened Christine Cesare Montez of California also reached her breaking point. “After 40 years of watching it and 36 years attending the races, my 500 flag will fly no more,” she said. “I will never buy another ticket and the 36 years of collecting merchandise is over.” IndyCar has done little to calm the storm brewing since the season ended Sept. 15.

Bernard rolled out his 19-race schedule on Oct. 1, but it was immediately overshadowed by a report that series founder Tony George was trying to reacquire IndyCar, which is a part of his family’s Hulman & Co. portfolio.

Belskus, the president of IMS and president and CEO of Hulman & Co., has repeatedly addressed the situation only by saying that IndyCar is not for sale. But it did nothing to ease the panic in fans who feared George regaining control of the series many blamed him for ruining during his 14-year reign.

member of the board in the group that would take over the management of IndyCar. The proposal by ICS Acquisition didn’t include a single car owner, just a management team that included: Zak Brown, founder and CEO motorsports marketing agency Just Marketing International, Mike O’Driscoll, chairman of Jaguar Heritage and a non-executive director of the Williams F1 team, Terry Angstadt, former president of IndyCar’s commercial division and Claire Roberts, the CEO of ArbiterSports, an NCAA-owned sports technology company.

George’s plan called for Brown to be the CEO and commissioner of IndyCar and O’Driscoll to be the president and chief operating officer. O’Driscoll would have also run the day-to-day operations of the series.

The offer would have taken the series away from George’s mother and three sis-

Randy Bernard

It was always assumed that George had collected support from several team owners who all wanted Bernard out as CEO. So it was assumed they had pooled their money in a bid to buy the series and put George back in control.

Turns out, George had no intention of regaining control at all. He just didn’t want the board to have any more power over IndyCar. The Associated Press on Monday obtained a copy of George’s five-page proposal, which had him listed only as

ters, and made IndyCar operate separately from Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It included a stipulation that a sanctioning agreement would be reached on the Indianapolis 500.

George’s offer, which was for $5 million cash and proof of $25 million in reserves for stabilization of the league, expired Oct. 15. He resigned from the board Oct. 19, citing a conflict of interest in holding a seat while pursuing the series.

“I realize that my recent efforts to

explore the possibility of acquiring IndyCar represent the appearance of a conflict, and it is in everyone’s best interest that I resign,” George said in a statement that day. “It goes without saying that I want to do what is best for this organization.” Vilified two weeks ago, it now appears that George indeed did want only what was best for the series.

Penske is now blasting the board for a pattern of bad decisions, and George apparently felt the same way. Bernard wouldn’t have made the cut under George’s new group, but George was at least trying to take the board out of the picture and take a step toward fixing what is clearly a broken model in IndyCar management.

There were no public reassurances from IndyCar on Monday that everything will be fine, the series can do better without Bernard and that a strategy is in place for growth and stability.

That’s a problem, said Ramsey Poston, a crisis communications expert and president of Tuckahoe Strategies who managed NASCAR communications for nearly 10 years.

“Without a leader, a vision or an apparent transition plan, IndyCar is in crisis,” Poston said. “There is no offseason in sports and every day that goes by without a leader or a well-defined plan is damaging to the 2013 season and beyond. At this point, every major stakeholder, including the fans, team owners, sponsors and broadcasters are watching closely and wondering what is happening.

“IndyCar needs to demonstrate sooner than later that it has a plan that will positively move the series forward.”

But team owner Chip Ganassi said this current storm has been blown out of proportion by the media and is much ado about nothing.

“Every year you’ve got the same old people asking the same old questions and the fact of the matter is IndyCar racing goes up and down with the rest of the economy. For five people in the press to be wound up about it, it is not really having the finger on the pulse of what’s going on,” he said Monday. “Everything is fine. We have the same old problems today that we did before Randy got there.

A lousy TV package, the same old gravitational problems any sport has today. “It’s the offseason and there’s nothing else to talk about So everybody just take a deep breath.”—AP

said most of the violence and damage occurred several hours after the last pitch and miles from Civic Center, where an estimated 10,000 peaceful fans watched the game on a giant Jumbotron television hastily erected by the city.

Mayor Lee said fans who watched the Giants endure six elimination games in the first two rounds of the playoffs before winning the World Series in four games “have a right to release that energy in a positive way.”—AP

Sports sidesteps superstorm Sandy NEW YORK: The fury of superstorm Sandy barely laid a glove on sports around the country. While the storm flooded shore towns in the Northeast, washed away a section of the Atlantic City Boardwalk and shut down transit and school systems, sports emerged practically untouched on a quiet Monday.

Perhaps the biggest dislocation came in the NFL. The league moved its trade deadline back two days to Thursday because of potential complications from the storm. All 32 teams were notified that the league’s offices would be closed through Tuesday. The deadline now is 4 p.m. EDT Thursday, when waivers for vested veterans also begin.

Just as a combination of meteorological forces made for a particularly harsh storm, sports was spared Monday by a confluence of elements.

The World Series ended a day earlier. The Monday night football game is in Arizona. Hockey is shut down by labor problems. The NBA does not begin until Tuesday night. College basketball has not yet begun.

So the disruptions were minuscule: The Philadelphia Eagles closed their complex, and the New York Knicks canceled practice. The Washington Wizards adjusted travel plans, taking a 7 a.m. flight to Cleveland for Tuesday night’s opener against the Cavaliers.

Some Major League Baseball staff left the World Series in Detroit on Sunday to get back to New York before the storm shuttered transportation. Trotting at Yonkers Raceway in New York and thoroughbred racing at Suffolk Downs in Boston already had been called off.

New York City Marathon organizers said they expect Sandy to have little effect on Sunday’s race.

“We’re extraordinarily lucky the marathon is not today,” New York Road Runners President Mary Wittenberg said during a conference call as wind and rain started to batter the city.

Instead, she said, “we have time on our side” enough to prepare the course and for runners to travel to the city after the storm passes through. The NCAA offered its support, saying it is working with schools in the hurricane’s path.

“During natural disasters, the NCAA routinely gives flexibility to institutions and conferences to help them quickly provide necessary assistance and resources that may include meals or other benefits, relocating teams and rescheduling games,” the governing body said in a statement. “We stand ready to do so today and as the storm continues ashore.”

At the Breeders’ Cup in California, 17 horses arrived Monday morning following a flight that left Newburgh, N.Y., at 1 a.m., eight hours earlier than initially scheduled. The airport also was a change, replacing Islip on Long Island that was more directly in the path of the storm. The contingent included the powerful quartet of Flat Out, Ron the Greek, To Honor and Serve and Royal Delta for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Royal Delta is the defending champion in the Ladies’ Classic, while the other three are entered in the $5 million Classic. The flight included horses for Chad Brown, Shug McGaughey, Mike Hushion, Michael Trombetta and Diane Alvarado. —AP

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

sp orts

Final 3 set at WSOP, to play for $8.53M crown

ARCADIA: Tail of a Champion trains in preparation for the 2012 Breeder’s Cup at Santa Anita Park. —AFP

Game On Dude early favorite in Classic SANTA ANITA PARK: Game on Dude was installed as the early 9-5 favorite and will break from the fifth post for the $5 Million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park on Saturday.

The Bob Baffert-trained gelding was leading the race a year ago but was caught by a high-flying Drosselmeyer in the final strides at Churchill Downs and finished second.

In other Breeders’ Cup positions issued via statements, Royal Delta will try to defend her title in the $2 million Ladies’ Classic by breaking from the six hole as the morning line 9-5 favorite.

In the $3 million Turf, Point of Entry will break from the inside one spot as the 3-1 choice, with Aidan O’Brien-trained St Nicholas Abbey, who won the race in 2011, the second choice at 7-2 from the third post. The Breeders’ Cup, a 15-race event worth a total of more than $25 million, will be run Friday and Saturday and hosted by Santa Anita for the sixth time. There are six races on Friday and nine on Saturday.

Unbeaten in four career starts, Todd Pletcher-trained Shanghai Bobby is the top choice in the Juvenile at 2-1, the Harlan’s

Holiday colt having won at distances ranging from four and a half furlongs to a mile in the Champagne Stakes.

Rosie Napravnik will be in the saddle for the $2 million race and will open from the four hole in the nine-horse field. Unlike in most years where there is a consensus favorite for the Classic, this year’s race looks to be a wide-open affair with nine Grade I winners in the 12-horse field.

A son of Awesome Again, Game On Dude, a perfect five-for-five at Santa Anita, headlines a strong field of 10 Breeders’ Cup horses trained by the Hall of Famer Baffert.

Rafael Bejarano rode Game On Dude for the first time in easily winning the 1 1/8 miles Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita in late September and will be in the silks on Saturday. He replaces Chantal Sutherland, who rode the colt in the 2011 Classic. Twotime Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Flat Out, trained by Bill Mott, will break from the second post and is the co-second choice at 5-1 along with Whitney Stakes champion Fort Larned, who will start two spots over from Flat Out at number four. Santa Anita Handicap winner Ron the Greek was made the 6-1 third choice.—Reuters

Botha bout in doubt — Williams SYDNEY: Boxing All Black Sonny Bill Williams said yesterday that his heavyweight clash with South African Francois Botha could be in doubt after picking up an injury playing rugby in Japan.

The 27-year-old could need surgery after hurting his pectoral muscle followed by two to three months out, Australian media reported yesterday.

Williams injured his shoulder and chest while playing for Japanese Top League club Panasonic Wild Knights at the weekend and was rushed to hospital

Sonny Bill Williams for an MRI scan.

New Zealand’s heavyweight boxing champion initially said on his Twitter page “results nothing serious, small tear so hopefully still be able to (box).”

Arriving in Sydney yesterday, however, Williams said the muscle needed more tests, the results of which could force the Nov. 24 fight with Botha in Brisbane to be called off.

“At the moment it is a little bit in doubt,” he told reporters at Sydney airport before beginning his preparations to face the 44-year-old Botha.

“I just came back here straight away,” Williams added. “I’ve got to get some scans and see how the pec is, see the extent of the injury.”

Nine News reported that the hulking centre had undergone tests and faced surgery after being spotted at the headquarters of National Rugby League (NRL) side the Sydney Roosters.

Williams, who began his career in rugby league, had been expected to quit union to join the Roosters. He the world champion All Blacks and Waikato Chiefs for a lucrative 12-match deal in Japan worth an estimated $100,000 a game.

Williams smashed his shoulder into the tur f after a flying tackle in Panasonic’s 23-20 win over Kintetsu Liners on Saturday and left the ground with his arm in a sling.

The injury could bring a premature end to his Japanese season, with Panasonic having seen little return halfway through their investment.

Interim NRL chief executive Shane Mattiske has warned Williams that his return would only be sanctioned once the necessary documentation had been signed.

Williams said in June that he would honour a handshake agreement with Roosters supremo Nick Politis but to date, no contract has been put forward to the NRL. If serious, the player’s injury further complicates the situation for one of New Zealand’s biggest sporting names. “The Roosters understand that if they are to bring Sonny Bill to the game, they need to approach us about that,” Mattiske said.

“They need to get to a point where they’ve got a contract they can bring to us for registration. At this stage we’re waiting for that to happen.”—Reuters

Ryder Cup winners to play Volvo Golf Champions JOHANNESBURG: Ryder Cup-winning captain Jose Maria Olazabal and Europe team members Nicolas Colsaerts, Paul Lawrie, Francesco Molinari and Peter Hanson will all play at the Volvo Golf Champions in South Africa in January.

Olazabal and 2010 Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie have qualified for the event by winning 10 or more career tournaments on the European Tour.

Organizers also said yesterday that the Volvo Golf Champions, which will be held in South Africa for the second straight year, will have total prize money of euro2 million ($2.6 million) in 2013.

Thomas Bjorn and 2011 Volvo Golf Champions winner Paul Casey will add to a strong European contingent at the Durban Country Club from Jan. 10-13.

Hanson, the Swede who won the BMW Masters in Shanghai last weekend, also was one of the early entrants.

“The Volvo Golf Champions should make for a terrific start to 2013 and

already, with this list of European Tour champions, the field is shaping up well,” European Tour chief executive George O’Grady said. The inaugural Volvo Golf Champions was held in Bahrain in 2011, but was moved to South Africa this year because of security concerns in the Gulf state following anti-government demonstrations. Branden Grace of South Africa, who has won four times on the European Tour this season, is the defending champion.

He will be joined by home contenders Louis Oosthuizen, the former British Open champion, and two-time major winner Retief Goosen.

The Volvo Golf Champions falls in the middle of a busy period for South African golf. The country hosts seven European Tour events between November and February and also has the big-money Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City on the first weekend of December.—AP

LAS VEGAS: Two poker professionals and a college student have topped nearly 6,600 competitors at the World Series of Poker and are one card session away from poker’s richest prize an $8.53 million crown. Arizona State senior Jake Balsiger eliminated Russell Thomas in fourth place early yesterday in Las Vegas with an ace-king, treading past five meaningless community cards to bump his guaranteed payday up nearly $1 million and setting up the Tuesday night showdown.

His opponents in the no-limit Texas Hold ‘em tournament: 24year-old poker pros Greg Merson of Laurel, Md., and Jesse Sylvia of Las Vegas.

“I can’t wait to get back up here and play. I wish we could play it out right now,” said Sylvia, who started the session of more than 7 hours with the chip lead but was overtaken by Merson.

“We have a long battle tomorrow,” he said.

Thomas won $2.85 million for four th place, then said after being eliminated that he planned to quit his job as an insurance actuary for Aetna to follow his dream of playing cards.

“Made my company a little mad because I quit my job in a newspaper article, and now I’m doing it in a press conference,” he said.

Balsiger, Merson and Sylvia have their sights set on higher scores - guaranteed at least $3.8 million each as the top three finishers.

Merson vaulted to a dominant chip lead thanks to an opponent’s startling error, then finished the session with 88.4 million in chips, compared with 62.8 million for Sylvia and 46.9 million for Balsiger.

Merson eliminated Hungarian poker professional Andras Koroknai in sixth place, calling Koroknai’s all-in bet with an aceking and finding Koroknai with king-queen - a marginal hand for the situation.

Koroknai won $1.64 million for sixth place, while Merson won 84 million in chips, nearly double that of his closest competitor.

The surprising error came more than six hours into a game with plenty of mental maneuver-

ing as players jockeyed to make the right million-dollar decisions.

Merson said he expected it to happen, and told Sylvia during one of the breaks that he expected Koroknai to bluff away all his chips. “When short-handed play starts, I think that’s my game because a lot of players either play too tight, or they overadjust,” he said.

Poker professional Rober t Salaburu was ousted in eighth after a river queen gave Sylvia a higher pair. Minutes later, Michael Esposito went out in seventh, his ace-jack failing to pull ahead of Merson’s ace -king.

Jeremy Ausmus, 33, of Las Vegas, placed fifth.

“I never had cards the whole day,” Esposito said. “At the end of the day, I’m going home a rich person.” Steve Gee, a 57-year-old poker professional from Sacramento, Calif., was eliminated in ninth place less than two hours into play after testing Thomas with a tough wager for the last of his 11.4 million in chips. Thomas called and showed a pair of queens, better than Gee’s pocket eights.

Gee’s ouster meant he made no additional money after a break of more than three months. All nine finalists were paid nearly $755,000, the ninthplace prize, after making the final table in July.

“If I knew he had pocket queens, I would have checked,” Gee said after being eliminated.

“I’m disappointed. I told myself I wasn’t going to play scared.”

The six professionals and three amateurs that started the final table tested each other from the start, re-raising chips back and forth in moves that would ultimately result in everyone besides the winner, perhaps gambling their stacks against one another.

On the first hand of play, Gee bluffed Thomas on a pot worth several million chips, though Thomas held just nine high and wouldn’t have been able to consider playing the hand to the end. Esposito, 44, a commodities broker from Seaford, N.Y., was uncertain about the status of his waterfront home as Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast.

His son, James Esposito, said

neighbors told him the streets are flooded, but the family was focused on the card game in the Nevada desert.

“Odds are likely that it’s flooded,” he said. “I know I saw a picture of the house three doors down - the streets are totally flooded.”

The chip leader heading into the final table was Sylvia, who began the final stretch with 43.9 million in chips, just over 22 percent of the chips in play.

Chips have no real monetary value in tournament poker. Each player at the final table must lose all his chips to lose the tournament, and win all the chips at the table to be crowned champion.

The tournament began in July with 6,598 players and was chopped down to nine through seven sessions spread over 11 days. Play stopped after nearly 67 hours logged at the tables for each player, with minimum bets going up every two hours.

The finalists played Monday night until only three players remained, leaving the top three to settle the title Tuesday night.—AP

LAS VEGAS: Jesse Sylvia (bottom center) reacts after raising all in and winning a hand during the World Series of Poker Final Table event. —AP

Let the flop policing begin NEW YORK: It’s not just the flopping that the NBA is trying to squash. It’s Reggie Evans looking like he was zapped by about 10,000 volts of electricity when Memphis guard Tony Allen’s arm hit him while Evans - yes, Evans was setting a screen.

It’s Dwyane Wade trying to trick the referees by flinging his leg out on a jumpshot and falling to the ground when it makes contact with Celtics guard Mikael Pietrus.

It’s Danilo Gallinari “flailing” and holding his face in a soccerstyle, “gross over-embellishment” - the league’s own words - after running into a screen by the Lakers’ Pau Gasol.

Those were some of the examples the NBA used in a video sent to players and teams describing what exactly will be subject to fines this season in the first year of a new program aimed at curbing the kind of deceptive, and sometimes downright laughable, acting jobs that made Ray Allen’s performance in “He Got Game” appear Oscar-worthy.

And the video didn’t even include the hilarious attempted double dupe from Oklahoma City ’s James Harden and San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili on the same play in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals last season. Floppers beware. The league is coming for you, and your money, this season.

The NBA season begins on Tuesday with three games Washington at Cleveland, Boston at Miami and Dallas at the Los Angeles Lakers - and for the first time, the players will face the possibility of stiff punishment for trying to trick the referees into a foul that wasn’t warranted.

Commissioner David Stern issued an edict that he hopes will make flopping go the way of the fourcorner offense and the short shorts.

The tactic has been prevalent for years - Pacers sharpshooter Reggie Miller and Kings center Vlade Divac were among the more creative floppers of the pre-

vious generation - as players looked for any edge they could get to swing the outcome in their favor. At full speed and with bodies ever ywhere, determining which players were flopping and which were making good basketball plays in the blink of an eye proved to be incredibly difficult for referees. The league is trying to give them some help.

Officials will monitor games and review plays that could have included an egregious flop after the game is over. Everyone gets one warning, but after that, the bills start piling up. The second offense will cost a player $5,000, a third will go to $10,000. Four flops and it’s $15,000 and a fifth will be a whopping $30,000.

“I hope that they give the offensive floppers the same amount of time and dedication that they ’re going to to the defensive floppers,” said Heat forward Shane Battier, who has been

accused of flopping ever since his days at Duke at the turn of the century. “Because flopping’s a problem. Flopping is a silent killer. It really is a silent killer. It’ll be interesting to see how they administer that.”

Some think it’s been a long time coming. Miller pioneered the move that Wade used in that video, kicking his leg out as he released his jumper to draw contact and try to force a call from an official. Paul Pierce has attempted over 8,500 free throws in his career thanks in part to coercing officials into blowing a whistle as he drives to the basket. And Divac nearly led the Kings to an upset of the Lakers while hitting the deck every time Shaquille O’Neal even brushed against him in the paint.

“Back in the ‘80s, they didn’t flop,” said the Lakers’ Metta World Peace. “Flopping is very stupid.

It’s not even basketball. I don’t

Reggie Evans

know who taught people to flop.

It’s ridiculous. Just make the right call. But it’s not my league. I think it looks bad on T V, too. When you’re in the playoffs and somebody flops, and there’s all this money on the line, it’s terrible.”

While many players, coaches and fans have come out as vocal proponents of the new measures, it’s still unclear how the process will work.

Which flops will be deemed worthy of punishment and which will be allowed to slide? Which types of flops will draw the most attention? Trying to draw charges on defense? Embellishing in hopes of getting to the free throw line on offense? Everyone is about to start finding out.

“My fear is that they’re going to find some fresh Harvard Business School intern in the league office to be the flop reviewer - flop czar, the flop czar!

- fresh out of the HBS and his or her highest level of basketball probably will be intramural,” Battier said.

“And they ’re making some potentially lucrative financial decisions. So I don’t know. I don’t know how they ’re going to administer it.” The system will likely evolve as the season goes on, and players will adjust. But it will take some time.

“It’ll mess up a lot of people’s games,” Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins said. “Maybe some of these All-Stars won’t be All-Stars after that.” It certainly is a label that applies to some of the game’s biggest stars, including a few on the Heat as they marched to the championship last season.

“I don’t know how they’re going to gauge what’s a flop and what’s not a flop,” LeBron James said.

“Sometimes it’s obvious, but it doesn’t change my approach, honestly. I think it’ll be good in the paint, though. When you’re posting guys up and guys know they’re smaller than you, they just take one bump and they already know before you even touch them the next time that they’re going to automatically fall.”—AP

18

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

sp orts

Chelsea, United braced for swift reunion after fiery clash

Referee Mark Clattenburg

Referee faces racism probe LONDON: Referee Mark Clattenburg is facing allegations he used racist language towards a Chelsea footballer, the English players’ union boss confirmed yesterday as police and the Football Association continued their investigations.

The issue is threatening to plunge English soccer back into another racism crisis, just as Chelsea captain John Terry is serving a four-match ban for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand last year.

Chelsea have made a formal complaint that Clattenburg used “inappropriate language” towards two of their players in Sunday’s 3-2 home league defeat

by Manchester United but have not named names or gone into detail.

Professional Footballers’ Association boss Gordon Taylor said Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel and Spanish winger Juan Mata were the players involved, confirming widespread media reports.

“One of the comments was of a racial type of language definitely,” he added to Sky Sports News. “It is of a racist nature.”

While Clattenburg has made no public comment on the case, Sky reported he has strongly denied using any inappropriate language and is “mortified” by the allegations.

AS newspaper in Spain reported, from unnamed sources, that the referee called Mata “an idiot Spaniard” while British media have instead said he is alleged to have used an offensive swear word coupled with the player’s nationality.

Clattenburg will not be officiating at any Premier League matches this weekend after the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMO), which manages

top English referees, said on Monday he was being stood down given the “intense level of scrutiny”.

A separate PGMO statement said the issue was “being treated with the utmost seriousness” and Clattenburg will cooperate fully and “welcomes the opportunity for the facts to be established”.

Former Premier League referee Jeff Winter said Clattenburg would probably never be able to referee another match if the allegations of racist abuse are true.

“If a match official has used racist language, he won’t be getting a four or eight-match ban, it’ll probably be the end of his career - but that is indeed if he did say anything,” Winter told British media.

Liverpool’s Luis Suarez had an eightmatch ban last term for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it has now received a complaint about the referee and that it will be working alongside Chelsea to determine what action, if any, will be taken.

The FA said on Monday it had begun investigations into the alleged incidents that occurred during United’s win at Stamford Bridge where Clattenburg sent off home players Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres.

United, who were dragged back to 2-2 from 2-0, won the game with an offside goal by Javier Hernandez which was not spotted by the linesman and Clattenburg allowed the goal to stand.

Sunday’s defeat was Chelsea’s first in the Premier League this season but they remained top of the table on 22 points from their opening nine games - one point clear of United and champions Manchester City.—AFP

Marseille defender Rod Fanni

French classique top of League Cup PARIS: Bitter French rivals Paris SaintGermain and Marseille are set to do battle for the second time in less than a month today when the pair meet at the Parc des Princes for a spot in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue.

The two title challengers played out a pulsating 2-2 draw at Stade Velodrome during the first weekend of October and the stage is set for another heated ‘classique’ encounter, with Marseille defender Rod Fanni underlining the magnitude of the occasion.

“There will never be a friendly match between Marseille and PSG,” said Fanni.

“There is something extra, it’s different (from other fixtures). We know all the hype they make about matches between Paris and Marseille. In people’s minds we represent them. When things go well, they tease their enemies. We know for them, it’s important,” Fanni told OM.net.

Three-time defending League Cup champions Marseille dropped to third in the table after strong winds forced the postponement of their match at home to Lyon, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic continued his seamless transition to life in Ligue 1 as his goal moved PSG three points clear at the summit. Carlo

Ancelotti has a strong squad to choose from with Nene (fractured cheekbone) and Thiago Motta (back) the only absentees, while Marseille counterpart Elie Baup will be without the services of leading scorer Andre-Pierre Gignac as well as defensive stalwart Souleymane Diawara, who suffered a minor setback on his return from a long injury lay-off last weekend.

Toulouse-who climbed to second in the table following Saturday’s 3-1 win against Brest-travel to Lille, fresh off a welcome victory over northern neighbours Valenciennes, on Tuesday, while struggling Sochaux host Saint-Etienne.

Ligue 2 table-toppers Monaco welcome Troyes to the Mediterranean principality with Claudio Ranieri’s men looking to banish the memories of Saturday’s home defeat to promotion-chasing rivals Nantes.

Rennes, who recalled Yann M’Vila and Chris Mavinga to the first-team squad on Monday following an eight-day suspension for their behaviour with the France under-21 side, are also in action against second-tier Arles-Avignon. Montpellier entertain Bordeaux, last year’s runners-up Lyon go to Nice and Bastia are at home to Auxerre today. —AFP

LONDON: Alex Ferguson has wished referee Lee Mason “good luck” in today’s League Cup tie between Manchester United and Chelsea, just three days after their fiery Stamford Bridge clash ended in controversy.

The fall-out from United’s thrilling victory on Sunday is set to continue beyond today’s game, when the Premier League’s top two will meet for the second time in a week.

Roberto Di Matteo’s side have accused referee Mark Clattenburg of using “inappropriate language” towards their players during Chelsea’s 3-2 defeat, prompting the Football Association to launch an investigation. The Metropolitan Police are also looking at how a steward was injured as United celebrated Javier Hernandez’s controversial 75th-minute winner.

“Good luck to the referee,” said Ferguson when asked if he had a message for Mason. All eyes will be on the man with the whistle after Clattenburg dismissed Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres on Sunday before allowing Hernandez’s goal to stand despite the United striker appearing to be offside.

It is expected to be another hot-blooded clash, although both teams will make changes to their

starting line-ups. United winger Nani insists he is in “perfect condition” as he prepares to make a rare start this season, amid speculation surrounding his long-term future at Old Trafford.

The Portugal winger, 25, was once again an unused substitute in the win over Chelsea but should be part of a much-changed side returning to London for this fourth-round tie.

Nani cast doubt over his future last week following the club’s Champions League victory over

Ulsan wary of Asian heartbreak SEOUL: Ulsan Hyundai will take nothing for granted in today’s AFC Champions League semi-final return leg, despite a handy lead over Bunyodkor, after a bitter exit the last time they were in this position. After last week’s 3-1 win in Tashkent, the South Korean side are favourites to reach their first Asian club final and set up a showdown with one of two teams from Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah-two-time winners Al Ittihad, or Al Ahli.

While Ulsan haven’t won in six K-League games, they are on a seven-match hot streak in Asian competition and in line to become the fourth Korean club in four years to reach the Champions League final. Last week they came back from a goal down against Uzbek champions Bunyodkor at Jar Stadium, thanks to goals by Brazilian forward Rafinha and South Korean internationals Kim Shin-Wook and Lee Keun-Ho. But Kim Ho-Gon’s team are unlikely to take things easy in front of their home fans after their heartbreak of 2006, when they beat Jeonbuk Motors 3-2 away but were trounced 4-1 at home by their K-League rivals in the second leg.

The current team is very different from the squad of 2006 with defensive midfielder Kim Young-Sam the only survivor of that campaign.

While the 2006 team was largely inspired by the mercurial Lee Chun-Soo, the current side have numerous threats with the pace of wingers Lee Keun-Ho and Kim SeungYoung, the fine-finishing Rafinha and giant forward Kim Shin-Wook.

Rafinha has been a revelation since joining Ulsan in the summer from Japanese side Gamba Osaka, scoring four in their last three Champions League games including two in the 4-0 quarter-final win over Saudi giants Al Hilal.

Meanwhile, Bunyodkor face the unhappy prospect of going out in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the second time in five years unless they can turn around the deficit in Ulsan. The Uzbeks have done well in the Korean peninsula this year, beating Pohang Steelers 2-0 in the group stage and eliminating Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 1-0 in the round of 16 — and coach Mirdjalal Kasimov has not thrown in the towel yet.

“We now don’t have any more chances, we will do our best in the second leg to recover,” said the Uzbek legend.

“It will be a tough game in Korea but we must remember this is our chance to reach the final and we must have no regrets. We must do our best.”

The winners of the tie will host the final on November 10, with Al Ittihad most likely to join them after beating Al Ahli 1-0 in last week’s first leg at their shared Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium.

Al Ittihad have lost only once in 25 competitive matches since Spaniard Raul Caneda arrived as coach in March, and are bidding for a record fourth final after winning in 2004 and 2005 and losing 2-1 to Pohang in 2009.

By contrast, their less fashionable neighbors Al Ahli are in their first Champions League semi-final. But coach Karel Jarolim is hoping they can forget the weight of history and be clinical when it counts.

“The result is for one leg only and hopefully, we will play better in our next game and get the win in front of our fans,” said the Czech, after the first leg loss. “But we must be better in front of goal.” —AFP

Braga when he responded to questions about his future by saying: “God only knows what awaits me.”

He will nonetheless hope to start against Chelsea, having seen both Antonio Valencia and the fitagain Ashley Young selected ahead of him on Sunday.

“I am in perfect condition,” said Nani. “I am physically good and feeling confident. I am the same Nani as always.” United manager Ferguson admitted he would “change some players” ahead of

Sir Alex Ferguson

the return to Chelsea. Hernandez, Ryan Giggs, Anderson, Paul Scholes and Danny Welbeck could feature, while centre-back Scott Wootton, Belgian defender Marnick Vermijl, Michael Keane and Nick Powell are also in contention.

Chelsea will also make changes, although some of Di Matteo’s adjustments will be forced as Ivanovic, Torres and John Terry are banned and Frank Lampard is recovering from a calf injury.

Di Matteo said: “I have to see how the players are and then we have to think about what kind of team I can put out today.

“We have the suspensions and also I need to see what kind of injuries we have. But this is a team that has a lot of qualities. “Even though we might find ourselves in situations like this, we know that we can come out of it once we get everybody back.

“We know we can play good football and create chances and take them, and that’s what we have to do.” In today’s other League Cup fixture, Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers comes up against his former employers Swansea City for the first time as Michael Laudrup’s side visit Anfield. —AFP

Kaka keeps Brazil place RIO DE JANEIRO: Kaka has kept his place in the Brazil squad after his impressive return last month but Shakhtar Donetsk players were again overlooked by coach Mano Menezes.

Menezes, naming his squad for next month’s friendly against Colombia in the United States, also declined to give Ronaldinho another chance despite some good recent per formances for Atletico Mineiro in the Brazilian championship.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said the match, at the Metlife stadium in New Jersey on Nov. 14, would be Brazil’s 1,000th although it was not clear if this included fixtures against club and representative teams.

Kaka scored in both the 6-0 win over Iraq and the 4-0 win against Japan last month as he made his international comeback after an absence of more than two years, forming an impressive partnership with Oscar in midfield.

“The combination of Oscar and Kaka gave us more tactical variations,” Menezes told reporters after announcing his squad.

“We were very complete. You can’t just think about the attacking side and the team was good in winning back the ball and this requires the participation of everyone,

including Oscar and Kaka.”

Ukrainian champions Shakhtar won their first 12 league games of the season and raised eyebrows as they drew with Juventus and beat Chelsea in the Champions League, inspired by Brazilian quartet Willian, Fernandinho, Alex Teixeira and Luiz Adriano.

However, none of them are well known in their homeland and their combined international experience has been limited to two appearances last year by Willian and five for Fernandinho.

Brazilian coaches have rarely picked players based with Eastern European clubs, even when they have experience in European competitions.

Zenit forward Hulk and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk midfielder Giuliano were the only two players from the region in Menezes’ squad yesterday. On the other hand, the squad included nine Brazilian-based players.

Ronaldinho last played for Brazil in the 2-1 win over Bosnia in February and Menezes implied that the former Barcelona and AC Milan forward had already had his chance.

“When you are in charge of a complicated process such as this one with so many players to observe, you can’t afford to go around in circles and end up at the same place where you started,” said Menezes. —Reuters

Kaka

19

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

SPORTS

French coaches reflect on changing times PARIS: France’s national football and rugby coaches Didier Deschamps and Philippe Saint-Andre have painted a constrasting picture of their players, attributing changing attitudes to the money now awash in both sports.

The French football squad, in particular, has been hit by ill-discipline, notably during the European championships in June, which led to a number of players, including Manchester City’s Samir Nasri, suspended for bad behaviour.

That-and recent outrage that five under-21 internationals broke a curfew to party in Paris in between two key qualifying matches-comes after the senior squad staged a high-profile strike during the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

Deschamps, who captained France to the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 titles, said not all the players who got an international call-up realised what an honour it was. “Some feel it more than others,” the 41-year-old told AFP in a joint interview

with Saint-Andre. “But as the main interest of the players is in any case based on the economic aspects, the France national team brings them practically nothing in that sense.

“Of course it brings them some fame but they already have that because they are generally at big clubs. After that you either have it (pride) or you don’t. You can’t change either characters or personalities.” Saint-Andre, who captained the rugby side from 1990 to 1997, in contrast said that French players were still largely proud of representing their country, despite the greater financial rewards available in the modern game.

“The Top 14 (the French club championship) is important but if the guy wants to raise his profile, it is only by playing for France he will achieve that,” said the 45year-old. “The only time that you can compete with football in terms of TV is the Six Nations or the World Cup final, where 18 million viewers are getting up early on a

Sunday morning to watch the French national side. “That (the final) is head and shoulders above everything else in the sport.

“But regardless of the importance of the match I always have the same message for the guys. I tell them, ‘You must arrive with an enormous grin on your face because you are extremely privileged’.”

Former Marseille and Monaco manager Deschamps, who replaced Laurent Blanc after Euro 2012, has sought to impose a new code of ethical conduct for players, which he says will stay in place “come what may”.

He attributed different attitudes towards meal times and a reliance on mobile phones to changing times socially, dubbing the current crop of players the “why generation”.

The former Chelsea star said he was staggered at France under-21s Yann Mvila and Chris Mavinga, who with three other team-mates sneaked out to party in Paris

the day after a crunch Euro 2013 play off with Norway and three days before the return leg.

He said he found it “unbelievable” for the five to drive four hours from the team base in the northern city of Le Havre to the capital and back but the players did not realise the risks involved.

“It is the why generation: ‘Why? Why?’ ‘Why is training at 1500 and not at 14h30?

And why?’ But why is it always why? Just get on and do it!” he added.

Saint-Andre, who said the days when rugby players could don a dinner jacket and go off to the bars of central Paris after a Test match were gone, considered that the nature of rugby had saved the game from suffering a similar fate to football. But he warned: “We are beginning to have the problems that football has experienced for a long time. When money becomes attractive the reference for the player is not the coach or his parents but his agent,” he added. “What saves us is that we are a

sport where we are nothing without the 14 other players. We need champion players but the star is the team. In football even if you are getting outplayed, if you have a genius, you can get out of trouble. “With us if you have an exceptional player but you are being exposed all over the pitch and then every time he gets the ball he has four players in his face he can do nothing.”

Saint-Andre said French football’s problem was that their stars mostly played abroad while in rugby there were so many foreign players that not enough homegrown talent got a chance to play. But he praised the increasing professionalism as good for the game.

“Before matches ended, ice cubes used to be put into a jerrycan and the guys drank from it at the back of the coach,” he said. “Now, in the bus, they have the ice on their thigh, on their shoulder so they can recover quicker. Because their place of work or moneymaking tool is their body.”—AFP

Sociedad holds Valladolid VALLADOLID: Real Sociedad forward Antoine Griezmann and Valladolid midfielder Patrick Ebert led their teams to an entertaining 2-2 draw on Monday in the Spanish league.

Sociedad went ahead against the run of play at Valladolid’s Jose Zorrilla stadium when Griezmann volleyed his first goal from a loose ball in the 36th minute.

Ebert deservedly equalized for the hosts two minutes before halftime. After coming close with a pair of on-target attempts, Ebert slipped a low right-footed strike from outside the area just inside the upright. Sociedad improved after the restart, and Griezmann blasted in a long-range shot to reestablish his team’s lead in the 57th.

But Ebert helped pull Valladolid back again in the 75th with a lobbed pass for Oscar Gonzalez to head home his fifth

goal of the season and split the points.

Valladolid goalkeeper Daniel Hernandez had to scramble back to tap Jose Angel’s attempt from his own half over the bar to ensure the draw in added time.

Sociedad earned its first point away from San Sebastian in five outings.

“We needed to break our losing streak,” said Sociedad coach Philippe Montanier. “We played a great game, we had various chances. For us the draw is good, but we leave a little disappointed after having come so close right at the end.”

The Basque side is in 14th place, three points from the relegation zone after a shaky start to the season. Promoted Valladolid has only one victory in its past seven games. It is one point ahead of Sociedad in 10th place after nine rounds.—AP

Juventus look to avoid refereeing controversy

PALLEKELE: Sri Lankan cricketer Tillakaratne Dilshan (right) and Dilshan Munaweera (left) leaves the pitch as rain stopped play during the one-off Twenty20 international cricket match against and New Zealand. —AFP

Rain mars Sri Lanka-NZ T20 PALLEKELE: The one-off Twenty20 international between Sri Lanka and New Zealand was abandoned due to rain in Pallekele yesterday.

The hosts, chasing a rain-revised target of 72 runs off 14 overs, were six for no loss after two overs when play was called off. Dilshan Munaweera was unbeaten on four and Tillakaratne Dilshan on two not out. New Zealand earlier struggled to reach 74-7 after being put in to bat, with Tim Southee top-scoring with an unbeaten 21, including four boundaries in an over off seamer Shaminda Eranga.

Andrew Ellis (16) and Jacob Oram (10 not out) were the other batsmen to reach double-figures. Seamers Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera each grabbed two early wickets in helpful conditions after a delayed start due to

rain, reducing the tourists to 24-5 in the opening nine overs. Eranga was the other wicket-taker.

The Sri Lankan pacemen were backed by 19-year-old off-spinner Akila Dananjaya, who finished with 2-9 off two overs.

New Zealand made a poor start as they lost opener Tom Latham and hardhitting Brendon McCullum in Kulasekara’s first two overs.

Eranga put more pressure on New Zealand when he trapped opener Rob Nicol leg-before with his third delivery before Perera had James Franklin caught behind. Perera struck again in his next over, having skipper Ross Taylor caught by wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara. The teams will now play five one-day internationals, starting in Pallekele tomorrow.—AFP

SCOREBOARD PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka: Complete scoreboard of the rain-hit one-off Twenty20 international between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Pallekele yesterday: New Zealand: R. Nicol lbw b Eranga 1 T. Latham b Kulasekara 4 B. McCullum c Perera b Kulasekara 1 R. Taylor c Sangakkara b Perera 4 J. Franklin c Sangakkara b Perera 2 BJ Watling c Chandimal b Dananjaya 8 A. Ellis c Thirimanne b Dananjaya 16 J. Oram not out 10 T. Southee not out 21 Extras (lb3, w4) 7 Total (for seven wickets; 14 overs) 74 Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Latham), 2-10

(McCullum), 3-15 (Nicol), 4-18 (Franklin), 5-24 (Taylor), 6-28 (Watling), 7-51 (Ellis).

Bowling: Mathews 3-1-4-0, Kulasekara 30-13-2 (w2), Eranga 3-0-23-1 (w1), Perera 3-0-22-2 (w1), Dananjaya 2-0-9-2.

BCCI says Pakistan cleared to tour India NEW DELHI: India’s cricket board said yesterday it has secured government clearance to host Pakistan for a short tour later this year.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has invited Pakistan to play three one-dayers and two Twenty20 matches in December-January, the first bilateral contests between the arch-rivals in five years. “We have discussed all security aspects (and) the tour is on,” board spokesman Rajiv Shukla told reporters after a meeting between its officials and Indian Home Secretary RK. Singh in New Delhi. A report by the Press Trust of India said the venues for the ODI games would most likely be Chennai, Kolkata and New Delhi while the Twenty20 matches would take place in Bangalore and Ahmedabad. The rivals have not played a

ITALY: Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, of Chile, celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match against Catania in this file photo. —AP

Matches on TV Sri Lanka: D. Munaweera not out 4 T. Dilshan not out 2 Total (for no loss; 2 overs) 6 Bowling: Mills 1-0-3-0, Oram 1-0-3-0.

Result: Match abandoned due to rain

series since Pakistan’s tour of India in 2007, after cricket ties were snapped following the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai by militants from Pakistan.

Cricket ties have been the subject of discussions between the governments of both nuclear-armed countries. They have been holding regular meetings in a bid to improve relations and eventually thrash out a peace agreement.

The countries-where cricket is hugely popular-have fought three wars since independence in 1947. The Indian and Pakistani cricket teams have only met in international tournaments since 2007.

They clashed in the ODI World Cup semi-final in the northern Indian town of Mohali last year, a match that was attended by both countries’ prime ministers.—AFP

Antoine Griezmann

(Local Timings)

English League Cup Norwich City v Tottenham Aljazeera Sport +10 Chelsea v Man United Aljazeera Sport +5 Aljazeera Sport +3 Aljazeera Sport 2 HD

22:45

Messi: ‘I’m no ball hog’ 22:00 0:00

Italian League Atlanta v Napoli Aljazeera Sport +6 Internazionale v Sampdoria Aljazeera Sport +8 Juventus v Bologna Aljazeera Sport +1

amazed that we constantly fail to bring in technology.”

On paper, Bologna have little chance of causing an upset at Juventus stadium.

Juve’s closest challengers, Napoli, were a pale shadow of themselves during a 2-0 defeat there last week and Bologna are coming off a 3-1 home drubbing to Inter.

Inter’s seventh win of the campaign Sunday was made in Argentina, with goals coming from Rodrigo Palacio, Diego Milito and Esteban Cambiasso, all of whom should be fit for the visit of Sampdoria to the San Siro.

Expectations of an Inter victory are so high that the focus has already turned to the Juve v Inter clash - a huge northern derby - this weekend.

Now third, only four points behind Juve and one behind Napoli, Inter club president Massimo Moratti admitted they, and others, could have closed the gap further had it not been for the Catania refereeing blunder.

“Everyone has thought about that, Napoli must have thought the same,” Moratti told inter.it. “But although yesterday (Sunday) seems dramatic at the moment, it will all blow over in a few days’ time.

“What matters most is that things have happened due to error and not for other reasons. And since this was definitely a case of error, the season will balance itself out.” Embattled Milan, sitting 11th and 15 points behind Juve, face a tricky encounter away to Palermo on Tuesday. According to Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri the Sicilians “can cause all sorts of problems”.

Elsewhere Wednesday Lazio, who slipped to fourth just behind Inter on Sunday, host a Torino side which has only two wins in nine games while Parma’a recent resurgence means they could be a test for visiting Roma.—AFP

22:45

Spanish Copa DEL REY Jaen v Atletico de Madrid Aljazeera Sport +7 Alcoyano v Real Madrid Aljazeera Sport +2

MILAN: Champions Juventus will aim to make it 49 matches unbeaten when they host Bologna today, while followers of Serie A will hope there is no repeat of the refereeing controversies which marred some weekend matches.

Juventus were beneficiaries of at least one wrong refereeing decision Sunday, defeating Catania 1-0 to maintain a threepoint lead over Napoli despite their hosts having a valid goal disallowed for an inexistent offside.

Catania have not been the only team complaining of inconsistency, but since then the focus has been on Juve-a team considered almost untouchable by some rivals.

Juventus director general Beppe Marotta on Monday was forced to “categorically reject” all notions of a conspiracy revolving round the Old Lady of Turin.

However it is only now that Italy’s most titled Serie A club is finding redemption, several years after a ‘calciopoli’ match-fixing scandal saw Juventus stripped of two league titles (2005 and 2006).

Catania president Antonino Pulvirenti, who was ordered off the bench on Sunday, later complained that protests from the Juve bench had forced the match referee to change his mind and disallow the goal.

Claims that the linesman in charge was a fan of Juve have since been made, and denied, however the events have raised questions over the professionalism of officials in one of the world’s top leagues.

Roma dropped two points at home after Udinese were awarded a contentious late penalty while Lazio, beaten 2-0 at Fiorentina, also had what seemed like a perfectly valid goal ruled out.

It prompted outspoken Palermo president Maurizio Zamperini to tell Radio Radio: “The penalty against Roma in the final moments is just unbelievable. I’m

22:45 22:45 22:45

French League Nice v Lyonnais 19:00 Aljazeera Sport +4 Paris Saint-Germain v Olympique 22:55 Aljazeera Sport +4

MADRID: Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi says he is not a ball hog in an interview published yesterday, a day after he picked up a Golden Boot award for scoring 50 goals last season.

“I have never considered myself a ball hog, even if others thought so,” the 25year Argentine football wonder said in an interview with Spain’s top selling sports daily Marca.

“But I have also taken those opinions into account to try to improve,” said Messi, who also heads a 23-strong shortlist for a FIFA/France Football Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best footballer of the year.

The Argentine, who has already won the Ballon d’Or three times, is the secondbest passer of the ball in the Liga so far this season, with four passes ending in goals, behind only team-mate Cesc Fabregas who made six.

Messi also is the top scorer this season with 13 goals in the Liga, smashing through the 300 goals mark for his career in just 419 matches.

“My playing style has always been the same. I have never looked for it, but it has been like that since I was small,” Messi said. “One thing for sure is that I learned a lot in youth football. Here we work in a different way with the ball and the tactical system. I came from Argentina where we did not do anything like that, everything was about running and not much else.” Messi hailed the recent success of Argentina, who now lead their group in the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with only one defeat, a 1-0 loss to Venezuela.

“What has changed is the results.

Winning gives you a lot of confidence and you work differently.” “Winning the World Cup is the greatest. And if it’s in Brazil, even better,” he added.

Messi, who will soon be the father of a son, Thiago, had a few words for his offspring’s future: “He should be whatever he wants to be. “When he grows up he will get to know what he wants and what he chooses will be fine for me, for his mother and for everyone.”—AFP

Rain mars Sri Lanka-NZ T20

Chelsea, United braced for swift reunion after fiery clash

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BCCI says Pakistan cleared to tour India

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FRANCE: Viktor Troicki of Serbia returns the ball to France’s Julien Benneteau during their match at the Paris Tennis Masters tournament.—AP

Benneteau downs Troicki at Paris Masters PARIS: Julien Benneteau was among three French winners in the opening round of the Paris Masters on Monday, downing Victor Troicki of Serbia 6-4, 75 to set up a match against countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Benneteau broke twice in each set despite Troicki serving 14 aces.

The other local winners were Gilles Simon and Benoit Paire. Simon beat 2006 Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 7-5, 6-1, and Paire defeated Pablo Andujar of Spain 6-3, 6-4.

Tsonga, seeded sixth and the 2008 champion, is among the favorites for the event. The tournament is already without defending champion Roger Federer, who pulled out Sunday to rest before the season-ending event.

US Open winner Andy Murray, who recently lost the Shanghai Masters final to Djokovic, will play today and is feeling fit. “I had a full week of rest after Shanghai, which I needed,” Murray said. “I’ve had a pretty decent preparation for the tournament,

which is good. “It doesn’t make sense to come and save energy. Having a full week of rest at this stage of the season is something that in the past I hadn’t really had, so I feel so much fresher coming into Paris than I had done the last few years. I’ll try to play my best this week and then see what happens in London. I feel better at this stage of the year compared with last year.” In other first-round action, Andrea Seppi twice came back from the brink of defeat to beat Martin Klizan of Slovakia 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (5); Carlos Berlocq of Argentina beat Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 7-6 (2), 6-2.

Meanwhile, Djokovic yesterday added his voice to calls for a re-think of the late-season ATP calendar, admitting that he is having to work hard to hold up physically through this week’s Paris Masters to the year-ender in London.

The Serb, who will finish the season as world number one for the second year running, said he is trying to conserve his strength for the final compet-

itive sprint-even in a season shortened by a fortnight. “It is a big challenge,” he told a news conference in the French capital. “Obviously I’m sure all the participants in London will agree that this (ending the pre-London preparation week) is definitely not something that goes in the favour of us preparing for the most important event in the end of the year.” The last two spots in the World Tour Finals will be decided during play this week. Djokovic himself has not played since beating Britain’s Andy Murray for the title in Shanghai this month, then resting for two weeks.

While Djokovic and Murray are competing in Paris, current world number one Roger Federer is not, with the Swiss taking a break before the start of the eight-man World Tour Finals on Monday.

Djokovic, whose own health (possible stomach virus) and that of his father, who is reportedly ill in a Belgrade hospital, have been the subject of speculation in recent days, said nothing on either matter.

Instead, he indicated that he feels wiped out after a long season during which he and his team have tried to conserve strength for the run-in.

“This is the schedule. It is the way it is. We have to adjust, we have to accept it,” he said.

“Unfortunately, there is no other options at this moment. “But we will discuss this matter after we finish this season. Maybe we can try to find some other way.

“This season is shorter by two weeks. Now we have a two weeks longer off-season. Maybe that was the sacrifice we had to make.

“There are still some options on the table about this (pre-London) week. Maybe we can move it around so we can make it more adjustable for the top players.”

Djokovic added: “Physically I feel good now, but I’m not the freshest guy on the Tour because I have had a long year. But I want to try to hold on these two weeks and perform my best, and then go to

Bryant and Lakers chase milestone titles

49ers crush Cardinals ARIZONA: The San Francisco 49ers flexed their muscles with a dominant 24-3 road win over the slumping Arizona Cardinals on Monday night to stretch their lead at the top of the NFC West to two games. In a matchup of two stout defenses, it was the 49ers (6-2) who lived up to their reputation by holding Arizona (4-4) to just seven yards rushing and handing them a fourth straight defeat.

San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith rebounded from his four interceptions in the previous two games to toss three scores without a turnover. He also completed 18 of his 19 pass attempts to keep the visiting team marching forward.

“He was on fire,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters, of his signal-caller. “We were running the ball extremely hard and physical.

(Receivers) Michael Crabtree and Randy (Moss) had some great runs after the catch.”

Crabtree caught a pair of touchdowns in the first half as the 49ers ran out to a 17-0 lead before Moss broke the game open with a 47-yard reception for a score in the third quarter.

Arizona quarterback John Skelton was sacked four times and the team’s running game simply failed to get going on another forgettable day for the Cardinals.

“It was a big test for us tonight

and everyone saw how it went,” said Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt. “It was disappointing to say the least. We have things to fix and we have the guys to do it.

We’re going to go back to work.”

Arizona were one of the surprise stories of the season after starting 4-0 but their Cinderella story quickly took a dark turn.

Skelton was injured in the season opener and his replacement Kevin Kolb went down two weeks ago. The Cardinals have found little offense this campaign and Monday was no different.

Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald suffered a head injury in the first half and returned to the game only after taking a concussion test. He finished with five catches for 53 yards as Skelton threw for 290 and one interception.

The 49ers set up their big passing day with 112 hard-fought yards on the ground. It was Moss, however, who provided the highlight of the night when he caught a short pass, sidestepped two defenders and raced down the sideline for a score. It was the 156th touchdown of the 35-yearold’s NFL career, putting him level with Terrell Owens in fourth place on the all-time list. “He’s still got it,” Smith said. “He shows flashes here and there, it was great to see tonight.”—Reuters

holidays.” On court, France’s men continued to impress in front of the home public, with two more advancing into the second round.

Wild card Paul-Henri Mathieu, who missed 2011 with a knee injury, came through in dramatic style over Spanish qualifier Robert Bautista-Agut 6-4, 7-5.

The number 64, who played a Basel semi-final at the weekend, was broken while serving for the match in a game which lasted an incredible 27 minutes and featured 15 deuces and 12 break points.

Bautista-Agut finally won it for five-all only to lose serve again as Mathieu squeezed through into a match with third-seed Murray. Compatriot Jeremy Chardy set up a match with Canadian Milos Raonic as he defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-0, 6-3 while Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov beat Austrian Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (7/2), 6-2.

Polish qualifier Jerzy Janowicz reached the first of the third-round spots as he upset Croatian 13th seed Marin Cilic by the same scoreline.—Agencies

GLENDALE: San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith (99) celebrates his sack of Arizona Cardinals quarterback John Skelton with Parys Haralson during the second half of an NFL football game.—AP

LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Lakers and superstar Kobe Bryant are chasing twin milestone titles as the 67th NBA season opens late yesterday, counting on two key additions to help them regain Western Conference supremacy.

With one more title, the Lakers can match the Boston Celtics’ record of 17 NBA crowns, while Bryant could match Michael Jordan’s six career championships.

At 34, Bryant has been to the NBA finals seven times. With more than a thousand regularseason games under his belt-and with the Lakers still feeling the sting of their five-game second-round playoff ouster by the young Oklahoma City Thunder last season-the club have spared no expense in bringing in big man Dwight Howard and veteran point guard Steve Nash.

The Lakers will pay their players $100 million this season, plus tens of millions more in luxury tax for the privilege.

“It’s a big investment made in the team,” said Spain’s Pau Gasol. “Everybody has a lot of expectations about the team. We ourselves have a great desire of accomplishing all those expectations.” However, the build-up to late yesterday’s season-opener at home to Dallas has been anything but smooth.

The Lakers went 0-8 in the pre-season, and Bryant is questionable for late yesterday’s game with a strained right foot suffered in one of those defeats.

Whether the infusion of more star talent pays off with a title depends on how well those talents mesh and whether they all stay healthy.

Howard is one of the top defenders in the

league, but he arrived from Orlando still seeking full fitness in the wake of back surgery that forced him out of the London Olympics. Nash, a a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, has never won an NBA title, and in fact never played in the finals.

The 38-year-old Canadian, who has spent much of his league career trying in vain to get the Phoenix Suns past the Lakers, says he’s looking forward to life on the other side.

“It is one of the marquee franchises in our league and has a great franchise history,” Nash said of the club. “Those are characteristics you can’t say about every club. That’s something that I feel proud to be part of and excited to hopefully continue the legacy.”

Bryant insists that chemistry won’t be an issue. “All the pieces fit,” he said. “We all do different things. We all fit together naturally. We just have to keep doing the things we have been doing our entire careers.”

The superstar starters rarely played together in the pre-season, and coach Mike Brown acknowledged that the team would have a few things to work out early in the regular season.

The wealth of talent assembled, however, meant the Lakers could put up wins even before they hit their peak, Brown said.

By the time the second half of the season and the playoffs roll around, everything should be in place for a serious title challenge.

“I think it’s going to take time, but in the same breath, while it’s taking time I think we’re going to be competitive,” Brown said.

“And when it counts, I think we’re going to have a really good chance at it. I’m excited about it.”—AFP

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India keeps benchmark interest rate on hold Page 25

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Spain recession drags on with no aid in view

Gulf Bank posts strong operating earnings growth Page 26

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MADRID: Passengers walk away from the closed desk of American Airlines, at Madrid Barajas T4 international airport, in Madrid, yesterday. Spain’s National Airport Authority said a total of 19 flights between Madrid and Barcelona and the US east coast were canceled yesterday, adding to the 13 canceled on Monday. — AP

UBS unveils plan to slash 10,000 jobs Job losses in Switzerland, US, Britain ZURICH: Swiss bank UBS unveiled plans yesterday to fire 10,000 staff and wind down its fixed income business, returning to its private banking roots as it adapts to tough capital rules that make it harder to turn a profit from trading.

Zurich-based UBS will focus on wealth management and a smaller investment bank, ditching much of the trading business that ran up $50 billion in losses in the financial crisis.

Some UBS staffers took to social media to air their frustration after dozens of traders were stopped from entering the bank’s London offices yesterday.

Some staff turned up to work to find their employee cards no longer worked at the turnstile and were then escorted to human resources, according to various sources within the bank.

Once at human resources, they received their personal items in a bag with a letter saying they would have two weeks paid leave, after which they were to return to pick up their redundancy package, the sources said.

Chafing at their brusque treatment by the Swiss bank, several tweeters revived “U’ve Been Sacked,” an invented acronym for UBS which circulated in 1998 after the bank fired hundreds of staff following the merger of the two big Swiss banks which formed today’s UBS. Chief Executive Sergio Ermotti, a former

Merrill Lynch and UniCredit banker, is leading the three-year overhaul aimed at saving 3.4 billion Swiss francs ($3.6 billion), on top of cuts of 2 billion francs.

Former investment bank co-head Carsten Kengeter will lead the isolation and winding down of its fixed-income activities that are no longer profitable as a result of strict capital rules on riskier business introduced after the financial crisis.

The remaining investment bank - handling equities, foreign exchange trading, corporate advice, and precious metals trading - will be run by Andrea Orcel, a recent Ermotti hire from Bank of America who co-ran the unit with Kengeter until Tuesday.

“This decision has been hard but it is necessary to create a UBS that is fit for the future,” Ermotti said. “The business model we are creating will be unique in the banking industry.”

The measures translate to a 15 percent staff cut, taking UBS’s overall staff to 54,000, from 63,745 now, already down from a 2007 peak of 83,500 as banks have shed tens of thousands of jobs globally since the financial crisis of 2008.

Of the job cuts, 2,000 will be front-office investment banking staff, the revenue generators. Cuts among support staff will bring the layoffs to above 5,000 in the securities unit alone, Ermotti said in Zurich.

About 2,500 positions will go in

Switzerland, slightly more than that in the United States, and the rest in Britain, Ermotti said. A smaller investment bank will leave UBS focused on its private bank, which looks after the affairs of the wealthy. With 1.6 trillion francs in assets, it is the second-largest operation of its kind in the world after Bank of America.

UBS shares, which soared 7.3 percent on Monday in anticipation of the announcement, were up another 4.3 percent at 13.69 francs by 1256 GMT in exceptionally heavy trading, their highest since July 2011, compared with a 0.7 percent rise for the European bank sector index.

“This is a transformational change for UBS, which investors wanted to happen for a long time,” said Kepler Capital Markets analyst Dirk Becker. “After the completion of this downsizing UBS is an attractive investment case, but we still believe the execution risk must not be underestimated.”

UBS, which took a government bailout in 2008 after more than $50 billion in mortgage losses, is effectively admitting the failure of an attempt to crack the fixed-income big league launched a decade ago by former chairman Marcel Ospel.

The bank suffered a $2.3 billion hit last year blamed on trader Kweku Adoboli, now on trial on charges of fraud and false accounting. Deutsche Bank said yesterday it hopes to

• Q3 net loss 2.172bn francs Dana Gas drops; Gulf markets flat MIDEAST STOCK MARKET

UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti speaks at a news conference . —AP benefit from the UBS cuts as its investment bank delivered record third-quarter sales and trading revenue. Credit Suisse said last week it was also cutting more costs to boost its profits and capital but did not announce the same kind of radical restructuring as UBS. UBS swung to a third-quarter net loss of 2.172 billion francs, hit by the restructuring charges and 863 million francs written off the value of its own debt. Analysts in a Reuters poll had forecast a net profit of 457 million francs.—Reuters

UAE’s Dana Gas won’t repay bond on maturity DUBAI: Dana Gas is set to become the first United Arab Emirates (UAE) company to fail to pay an Islamic bond on maturity, three sources familiar with the matter said yesterday, sending its stock and bond prices sharply lower.

The UAE’s largest listed natural gas firm, hit by payment delays from Egypt and Iraq’s Kurdistan region, will not repay a $920 million convertible Islamic bond, or sukuk, when it matures on Wednesday, the sources said.

However, Sharjah-based Dana has won more time to hammer out a deal with bondholders, they added.

Dana Gas declined to comment. Although indebted firms in the Gulf Arab state have extended maturities on billions of dollars in bank loans since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008-09, no sukuk have been restructured or unpaid on maturity. Saudi and

Kuwaiti companies have defaulted on Islamic bonds in the past, leading to complex debt negotiations which have dragged on for years. Kuwait’s Investment Dar, which coowns luxury carmaker Aston Martin, defaulted on a $100 million Islamic debt issue in 2009.

Dana has a $1 billion sukuk maturing on Oct. 31. It repurchased about $80 million of the sukuk in 2008, leaving $920 million outstanding. The five-year sukuk, which was issued with a 7.5 percent coupon, has gained international interest as a majority of the debt is said to be owned by large investment firms including BlackRock Inc and Ashmore Group.

A source said that London-based Spinnaker Capital was among large holders.

An executive at Spinnaker in London said it does not own Dana Gas bonds currently and has not held them before. BlackRock owns

about 30 percent of the outstanding sukuk, according to two separate market sources.

There is “absolutely no chance” of a white knight swooping in to repay the bond by the due date, a source close to the talks said. In 2009, the Abu Dhabi government stepped in at the eleventh hour to help Dubai repay developer Nakheel’s $4.1 billion Islamic bond.

The sources said Dana, in which Crescent Petroleum owns a 20-percent stake, reached a standstill agreement with creditors in early October giving it six months to repay the bond. Some creditors are preparing for a potential “post-default scenario”, one source familiar with the discussions said, in which no deal would be reached at all.

Shares in Dana fell 8.5 percent to 0.43 dirhams on the Abu Dhabi bourse after the Reuters report before closing down 4.26 percent. The shares have been battered by con-

cerns over how Dana will find funds to repay the bond and limited communication from the company on the matter. The sukuk has a conversion price of 1.926 dirhams.

The sukuk, which is lightly traded, was quoted at a bid price of 68 cents on the dollar on Tuesday, down from 78 cents on the dollar on Monday, according to prices quoted by Nomura.

Dana is to issue a statement today or early tomorrow detailing its plans to restructure the bond, said two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the matter is not public.

There was a “high probability” the Dana sukuk will be restructured, London-based investment firm Exotix said in a report earlier this year, adding its restructuring valuation on the privately-owned firm was 61.5 percent of par value. —Reuters

DUBAI: Shares in Abu Dhabi-listed Dana Gas tumbled yesterday to their lowest finish since Oct. 4 after sources familiar with the matter said the firm would not repay its sukuk on maturity. But Gulf stock markets finished nearflat in quiet trade, amid a post-holiday lull in activity.

Shares in Dana dropped 4.3 percent to 0.43 dirhams, having dipped 8.5 percent intra-day. Dana has reached a standstill agreement with bondholders on its $920 million convertible sukuk maturing Oct. 31, which is effective for up to six months, the sources told Reuters. Dana declined to comment. “This is going to shake the faith of investors (in sukuk) big time,” said a Dubai-based trader, who asked not to be identified. If the payment is not made on Wednesday, Dana will become the first UAE company not to repay a sukuk on maturity.

The price of Dana’s sukuk plunged about 10 points to 68.0 bid. However, the sources said the standstill would give Dana more time to hammer out a deal with bondholders, and its case is not seen as a negative signal for Dubai credits or markets in general. The privately owned company is not viewed as a strategic entity for the United Arab Emirates. Heavyweight stocks supported Abu Dhabi’s index, which ticked up 0.03 percent to close at a fresh 14month high. Telecom operator Etisalat and First Gulf Bank gained 0.4 and 1.0 percent respectively. Many investors are bullish on the market, with valuations still considered attractive. “There is some rotation of funds out of Dubai to Abu Dhabi where people are still waiting on results from the real estate firms,” said an Abu Dhabi-based trader.

“Valuations in Abu Dhabi are still lower than those of Dubai.” Dubai’s index ended 0.02 percent higher. Total trading volume, at 32 million shares, was the lowest daily count since Sept. 5. Elsewhere, Qatar’s benchmark edged up 0.06 percent as it resumed trade after a long Eid AlAdha holiday. Qatar Navigation (Milaha) rose 3.9 percent; last Thursday it posted an operating profit of 452 million riyals for the first nine months of the year, up 19 percent year-on-year. In Kuwait the bourse, also in its first trading session since the holidays, closed flat as political unrest kept buyers on the sidelines. The index tumbled last week to a two-month low after tens of thousands of people demonstrated against changes to the electoral law.

Kuwaiti authorities arrested an opposition leader late on Monday after he made comments viewed as critical of the country’s ruler, a local political activist said.

Credit rating agency Fitch said a serious escalation of public unrest could threaten Kuwait’s ‘AA’ sovereign rating.

“Much will depend on how the authorities respond, and whether large-scale violence is avoided,” it said.-—Reuters

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BUSINESS

UAE 2013 budget expenditure at $12.1bn, above 2012 plan Budget sees no deficit despite social spending DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates prime minister yesterday announced approval of a 2013 federal budget that is heavy on social spending but without the deficits of the last two years.

The UAE, which has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, has avoided social unrest rocking the Middle East since early 2011 partly thanks to its cradle-to-grave welfare system. “(I) chaired a cabinet meeting where we approved the federal budget for 2013 with total spending: 44.6 billion dirhams ($12.1 billion) and no deficit,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who is also Dubai’s ruler, wrote on his official Twitter account.

“The budget is part of a three-year government financial plan with total spending of 133 billion dirhams in order to implement our strategic plans,” he also said in English comments that followed original ones in Arabic.

The state news agency WAM later said the 133 billion dirham plan was over the period of 2011-2013.

The UAE federal budget accounts for only around 11 percent of overall fiscal spending in the UAE, with mainly oil-rich Abu Dhabi and six other individual emirates making up the rest.

Sheikh Mohammed also said that social spending will have the largest share of 51 percent of the budget, while education will account for 22 percent and water and electricity for 12 percent.

“Priorities for the 2013 budget will be: health, education & social benefits for citizens as well as the improvement of government services,” he wrote. The new budget is larger than the 2012 plan, in which the government of the world’s No. 3 oil exporter pencilled in spending of 41.8 billion dirhams and a small shortfall of 400 million.

A finance ministry official said earlier this month that the federal budget gap is expected to be around 2 billion dirhams in 2012 after it swelled to 2.8 billion in the first half and he reiterated that it would be covered from reserves.

In 2011, the OPEC member’s federal budget slipped into a deficit of 2.9 billion dirhams, according to a June report by the International Monetary Fund based on government data. That was its first gap in seven years.

On an aggregate basis, the UAE and all its emirates together are expected to run a comfortable budget surplus of 6.4 percent of gross domestic product this year, according to a Reuters poll of analysts. The country booked a consolidated budget surplus of 36.2 billion dirhams in 2011, or 2.9 percent of 2011 GDP, the finance ministry said earlier in October. — Reuters

Key IMF loan talks begin in Cairo CAIRO: Crucial negotiations between the International Monetary Fund and Egypt on a $4.8 billion loan program began yesterday and a top IMF official said an agreement must address the nation’s gaping budget deficit without constraining economic growth.

The goal, according to IMF director for the Middle East and North Africa Masood Ahmed, is to phase out wasteful subsidies, especially in the energy sector, and to use the resources for more spending on health, education and infrastructure development as the country emerges from decades of authoritarian rule.

The IMF talks in Cairo will aim to reach an agreement before the end of the year. The deal is likely to unleash further financing from other international lenders like the African Development Bank, the World Bank. Financing by regional donors such as Qatar and regional donors.

The Obama administration has also said it will offer Egypt $1 billion in debt relief as well as financing and loan guarantees for American companies and banks to invest in Egypt. Egypt’s economic problems are enormous. A budget deficit has mushroomed to 11 percent of gross domestic product, there is massive youth unemployment and currency reserves are low.

The government has spent the last several months developing an economic program and ensuring political and social support for it at the IMF’s insistence. Ahmed said in an interview with Reuters the IMF mission will assess the specifics of the plan in coming

weeks. “ The program has to address the challenges that Egypt now faces,” said Ahmed. “These challenges are quite formidable and they are both short-term challenges in terms of strengthening fiscal and external resilience, but also the challenge of laying the foundation for a revival of economic activity over the medium term that is going to provide jobs.

“Beyond the short term problem, the Egyptian economy has to be guided by a vision of inclusive and job creating growth, with more transparency and a level playing field. The future cannot be a return to the past.” Ahmed emphasized that it was important to prevent the budget deficit from widening further through a gradual reduction in energy subsidies, 60 percent of which benefit the wealthy that have more money to spend on energy products.

One proposal is to target the subsidies at Egypt’s poorest households through direct cash transfers or vouchers. Cutting subsidies is a political hot button issue and Ahmed said it was important that the government be open and clear about its intentions. The government, which took office in July, has vowed to push through reform of the subsidies, which consume as much as a quarter of the state budget, but still has to explain how or when it will happen. “Our experience with subsidy reform in many countries is that such reforms are best done when they are well prepared and phased in rather than implemented overnight,” Ahmed said. “I don’t think it will be sensible to try to implement hasty changes in a

way that aren’t fully thought through or risk backlash.

The IMF has estimated that with necessary measures the government will be able to reduce the budget deficit to 10 percent of GDP in the financial year ending June 2013. It also believes that further substantial cuts in the budget deficit will be needed in 2013-2014 to put the budget on a sustainable path.

Implementing the measures will reassure investors and boost confidence, Ahmed said.

“You have to take measures that are seen as being substantial and credible and have an impact on the outcome, even in the first year,” Ahmed said. “At the same time I believe you also have to signal the direction of subsequent actions that will be taken. “You also don’t want to over-reach because if you cut back spending too quickly then you also have an impact on growth- in a way you’re cutting back stimulus - so it’s a fine balance.”

Ahmed said the an IMF program will also help lower interest rates that local banks charge, which have been pushed up by increased demand by the government for financing and growing uncertainty. Egyptian government has been borrowing around $2 billion a month from local banks, crowding out financing available for the private sector.

Analysts have suggested that one way of boosting economic activity and exports is for the government to reduce the value of its currency. Some analysts have estimated the Egyptian pound to be overvalued somewhere in the vicinity of 40 percent.

The debate is a political hot potato and Egypt’s president Mohamed Morsi has rejected any notion of a currency devaluation.

“I don’t want to get into specific valuations, but the important point is that over the medium term Egypt needs to build resilience and become competitive,” Ahmed said when asked whether Egypt will need to devalue its currency.

Popular protests in 2011 chased away both tourists and foreign investors, two of Egypt’s main sources of foreign exchange, putting pressure on the currency and helping to widen an already gaping budget deficit. A weaker pound would encourage exports and stop a drain on foreign reserves. — Reuters

ATHENS: A woman passes an array of displays at the Stock Exchange in Athens yesterday. Shares recovered slightly from heavy losses Monday, amid continued uncertainty over a new austerity package due to divisions in the country’s coalition government. — AP

DP World’s terminal volumes drop slightly DUBAI: Dubai port operator DP World, which recently disposed of stakes in some non-core assets, reported a slight decline in its consolidated terminal volumes for the third quarter.

The world’s third-largest port operator said yesterday that terminals in which it owns majority stakes recorded a 0.7 percent year-on-year fall to 6.94 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) in the third quarter. This was because the Asia-Pacific and Indian subcontinent region and the Europe, Middle East and Africa region reported lower volumes.

DP World, one of the more profitable assets of conglomerate Dubai World, also posted a 1.0 percent drop to 14.2 million TEU in gross volumes, which include all terminals in which it owns a stake.

The drop reflected the recent divestment of three joint venture terminals and a decline in volumes in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, the firm said in a statement. Excluding the effect of the divestments, gross container volumes rose

0.5 percent in the third quarter. The company had reported flat profits for the first half of this year as growth in its Gulf operations offset tough global trading conditions. DP World, which operates more than 60 terminals across six continents, has in the last several months sold stakes in Russian container terminal Vostochnaya Stevedoring Co, British-based Tilbury Container Services and operations in Belgium. It has also quit its venture in Yemen.

“These recent divestments allow us to recycle cash into projects already within our pipeline, such as Jebel Ali (United Arab Emirates) and London Gateway (United Kingdom) and, over time, to invest in new opportunities in line with our strategy, while maintaining balance sheet strength and flexibility,” chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said in the statement.

Shares of DP World have climbed 20 percent this year on Nasdaq Dubai. The company is also listed on the London Stock exchange. — Reuters

Burgan Bank announces winners of Yawmi account KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yesterday the names of the four lucky winners of its Yawmi account draw, each taking home a prize of KD 5,000.

Winner’s names will also be announced through Marina FM on a daily basis during their prime shows.

The lucky winners for the five daily draws took home a cash-prize of KD 5000 each, and they are: 1. Khalifa Ibrahim Abdulalwahab Alfares 2. Yaqoub Yousef Taha Alyousef 3. Amal Hmoud Mutar Alfadli 4. Rakan Yousif Alaqeli The newly re-launched Yawmi Account is better, easier and faster than any day before. With its new and

enhanced features, the Yawmi Account has become more convenient, easier, and faster for customers to benefit from. Now, customers will be eligible to enter the draw after 48 hours only from opening the account. Customers are also required to deposit KD 100 or equivalent only to enter the daily draw, and the coupon value to enter the draw stands at KD 10.

The newly designed Yawmi account has been launched to provide a highly innovative offering along with a higher frequency and incentive of winning for everyone. Today, the Yawmi account is a well understood product, where its popularity can be seen from the number of increasing account holders.

Burgan Bank encourages everyone to open a Yawmi account and/or increase their deposit to maximize their chances to becoming a daily winner.

The more customers deposit, the higher the chances they receive of winning the draw.

Opening a Yawmi account is simple, customers are urged to visit their nearest Burgan Bank branch and receive all the details, or simply call the bank’s Call Center at 1804080 where customer service representatives will be delighted to assist with any questions on the Yawmi account or any of the bank’s products and services, or log on to Burgan Bank’s www.burgan.com for further information.

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

.2740000 .4480000 .3600000 .2980000 .2780000 .2880000 .0040000 .0020000 .0762300 .7426870 .3870000 .0720000 .7280720 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2808000 GB Pound/KD .4502350 Euro .36622880 Swiss francs .2998240 Canadian dollars .2804630 Danish Kroner .0485640 Swedish Kroner .0419890 Australian dlr .2904030 Hong Kong dlr .0362310 Singapore dlr .2297680 Japanese yen .0035140 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0764810 Bahraini dinars .7451240 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0749000 Omani riyals .7296350 Philippine Peso .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Malaysian Ringgit

3.556 5.218 2.941 2.165 3.277 231.880 3.641 3.448 6.847 9.195 92.515

.2845000 .4610000 .3720000 .3080000 .2900000 .2980000 .0067500 .0035000 .0769960 .7501510 .4060000 .0780000 .7353900 .0510000 .2829000 .4536020 .3649980 .3020660 .2825610 .0489270 .0423030 .2925750 .0365020 .2314870 .0035400 .0052810 .0021860 .0029640 .0034970 .0770530 .7506970 .4001410 .0754600 .7350920 .0069040

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

GCC COUNTRIES 72.283 77.570 733.270 749.830 76.873

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 48.700 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.118 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.317 Tunisian Dinar 180.090 Jordanian Dinar 398.220 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.894 Syrian Lier 4.860 Morocco Dirham 33.396 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 282.200 Euro 367.420 Sterling Pound 455.190 Canadian dollar 283.050 Turkish lire 156.540 Swiss Franc 303.110 US Dollar Buying 281.000 GOLD 332.000 168.000 86.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka 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

SELL CASH

295.100 750.090 3.680 285.300 553.900 46.000 50.000 167.800 48.460 368.400 37.080 5.490 0.032 0.161 0.248 3.630 399.700 0.191 95.240 45.400 4.340 235.200 1.827

50.100 732.630 3.080 7.020 78.020 75.310 232.240 36.420 2.686 456.400 43.200 304.900 4.200 9.530 198.283 76.900 282.400 1.360

10 Tola

GOLD 1,818.340

Sterling Pound US Dollar

732.450 2.958 6.836 77.590 75.310 232.240 36.420 2.167 454.400 303.400 4.200 9.380 76.800 282.000

COUNTRY

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 454.400 282.000

SELL DRAFT

293.600 750.090 3.450 283.800

232.200 46.186 366.900 36.930 5.215 0.031

SELL DRAFT

Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

296.86 286.12 306.55 367.98 281.60 455.99 3.62 3.466 5.225 2.168 3.268 2.948 76.74 749.81 46.17 401.19 732.89 77.76 75.30

SELL CASH

297.000 285.000 306.000 370.000 282.350 458.000 3.690 3.600 5.550 2.320 3.750 3.150 77.350 749.600 48.200 399.000 740.000 78.850 75.750

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd 399.660 0.190 95.240 3.290 233.700

Rate for Transfer

Selling Rate

US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro

281.750 283.665 454.175 365.220

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

301.710 745.925 76.685 77.335 75.095 397.165 46.148 2.166 5.237 2.939 3.443 6.827 691.132 4.530 9.245 4.370 3.380 92.045

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY

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

Currency

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees 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

282.000 2.955 5.265 2.175 3.450 6.860 76.880 75.355 749.700 46.180 457.500 2.990 1.550 371.700 289.900 3.345

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

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

281.550 367.600 454.900 283.650 3.560 5.214 46.120 2.166 3.450 6.825 2.942 749.950 76.700 75.200

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

business

German joblessness rises as euro-zone crisis bites BERLIN: German joblessness rose for a seventh month in a row in October, highlighting the vulnerability of Europe’s biggest economy to the eurozone crisis. Economists expect the trend to reverse, however, as growth revives in the new year. The number of Germans out of a job rose to 2.937 million in October, up 20,000 from the previous month. The consensus forecast in a Reuters poll of 31 economists was for unemployment to rise by 10,000.

Joblessness, however, remains near its lowest level since German reunification more than two decades ago. Labor Office data released yesterday showed the unemployment rate steady at 6.9 percent, unchanged from a revised figure for September.

This stands in marked contrast to the chronic joblessness suffered by weaker members of the euro zone such as Spain, where one in every two young people is unemployed. “The weaker economic situation is having a noticeable impact on the (German) labor market. However, the jobs market overall is proving robust and is in good shape,” said Frank-Juergen Weise, head of the Labor Office.

The global slowdown and the euro zone’s three-year debt crisis are weighing on companies’ readiness to invest and recent surveys have shown business confidence in Europe’s powerhouse economy sagging badly, though few economists expect a recession.

“Today’s numbers provide further evidence that the labor market is gradually losing steam, indicating the cushioning impact on the economy should peter out in the coming months,” said Carsten Brzeski of ING Bank.

“However, the lack of qualified employees and still strong labor demand in domestic sectors should make the current slowdown a very gentle one.”

Germany ’s economy powered through the first two years of the eurozone sovereign debt crisis, racking up growth of 3 percent in 2011, but has slowed steadily this year to 0.5 percent in the first quarter and 0.3 percent in the second.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centreright coalition, which faces an election next year, expects the German economy to grow by only 0.8 percent overall this year and by 1 percent in 2013.

Economists noted that more companies, especially in the car industry, had reintroduced short-time working and this would have a negative impact on joblessness in the engineering sector.

Engineering association VDMA said German engineering orders rose 11 percent in real terms in September from a year before but it attributed the strong figure to one-off big ticket items from abroad and said domestic orders fell 1 percent in the less volatile three-month comparison.

In other signs of weakness, sports apparel maker Puma said recently it was looking at more cost-cutting measures after third-quarter results came in below expectations, hit by the slowdown in Europe. German industrial conglomerate Siemens aims to slash production costs and could cut jobs as business this year proves tougher than expected..

However, economists said the recent calming of investor sentiment over the euro-zone crisis should start to have a positive impact on Germany’s economic performance. Euro-zone economic sentiment fell less than expected in October, data from Brussels showed

yesterday.

“In the coming months, labor market data will probably be rather weak.

Things can only improve once the relative calm currently experienced by financial markets is transferred to the

real economy,” said Christian Schulz of Berenberg Bank. “That will probably be at the start of next year, when the economy is growing again. That will then have a delayed effect on the labor market,” he added.—Reuters

BERLIN: A man looking at ads for job vacancies, at the employment centre “Agentur fuer Arbeit” in Berlin. —AFP

Spain recession drags on with no aid in view Price pressure piles on govt

FRANKFURT: The logo of Germany’s Deutsche Bank at the bank’s headquarters in Frankfurt am Main. Deutsche Bank, notched up a better-than-expected performance in the third quarter boosted by improved market conditions. — AFP

Deutsche Bank performs better than expected FRANKFURT: Deutsche Bank, Germany’s biggest bank, notched up yesterday a better-than-expected performance in the third quarter boosted by improved market conditions. Deutsche Bank said in a statement its net profit after minority interests rose by 3.0 percent to 747 million euros ($970 million) in the period from July to September.

That was better than expected, as analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had been pencilling in third-quarter net profit of 704 million euros. Underlying earnings, as measured by pre-tax profit, were up even more, gaining 20 percent to 1.1 billion euros. Investors were cheered by the numbers and Deutsche Bank shares were the biggest gainers on the Frankfurt stock exchange, adding 3.72 percent while the overall market was up only 0.95 percent.

Net revenues grew by 18 percent to 8.7 billion euros, with revenues in corporate banking and securities soaring 65 percent.

“We delivered a strong operating result in the third quarter, boasted co-chief executives Juergen Fitschen and Anshu Jain, attributing the performance to “improved market conditions and increased market activity.”

“We acclerated our de-risking and capital formation initiatives and, based on our increased Core Tier 1 capital ratio of 10.7 percent, we are on track to achieve our Basel 3 capital ambitions,” they said.

Looking ahead, however, the bank appeared cautious. “In the near term, the macro environment remains uncertain, and we will maintain a cautious and riskfocused approach,” the two CEOs said.

Equinet analyst Philip Haessler described the third-quarter numbers as “very good”, while Christian Muschick at Silvia Quandt noted that “most of the positive surprises came from the investment banking activities which are volatile.”—AFP

France urges euro-zone to start pooling debt BERLIN: French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici urged the euro-zone yesterday to take a first step to mutualize its shortterm debt, stopping short of jointly-issued “Eurobonds” which he recognized German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government flatly rejects. “We are not talking any more about Eurobonds. I know it is a red line here in Germany, for some, the present government among them,” Moscovici said at a conference alongside his German counterpart, Wolfgang Schaeuble.

“What I mean is that we need to address together the debt issue, and this must be backed by all 17 members of the euro zone, in order to pool some short-term sovereign funding instruments to build a first step towards some kind of mutualization of the debt,” said Moscovici, speaking in English.

Merkel has categorically ruled out the creation of Eurobonds as long as she is in power, arguing that they remove the incentive for member states to get their own budgets in order. She is expected to seek a third term in power next September.

Moscovici appeared to be endorsing a proposal dating from late 2011 for shortterm common debt instruments for the currency zone known as “Eurobills”.

The proposal by two economists - one of whom, Thomas Philippon, is now an adviser on Moscovici’s staff - involves setting up a new euro-zone debt management office. The right to issue jointly underwritten bills, with less than one year’s maturity, would depend on meeting EU deficit targets and economic policy goals.

EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn gave the proposal some traction in a paper a year ago, depicting Eurobills as a stepping stone toward fully fledged “stability bonds”. But formal discussion among ministers has met German opposition. Merkel included Eurobills on a list of ideas that she described as “economically wrong and

counterproductive” just before an EU summit in June. The French and German ministers both backed the idea of a special budget for the 17 members of the euro zone, alongside the budget for the 27nation European Union. Moscovici said it would act as “an automatic stabiliser on matters that are key to the success of our monetary union”.

“Such a budget would not replicate, in my view, the existing EU 27 budget,” said Moscovici. Schaeuble’s proposal for giving radically-expanded powers to veto member states’ budgets to Europe’s commissioner for monetary affairs won backing this weekend from European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi in a German media interview. The German minister said giving Rehn the same legal powers as Competition Comissioner Joaquin Almunia, who can veto mergers that inhibit competition on his own authority, “would give much more credibility to the actual implementation of European law”.

Moscovici and Schaeuble both urged the European Parliament - whose president, Germany’s Martin Shulz, spoke on the same panel in Berlin - to enable its members from euro zone states to act separately on issues affecting the single currency.

This would get around the problem that each major decision by the euro zone requires approval by 17 member states’ national parliaments, slowing policymaking, said Schaeuble. The German and French ministers were due to hold a short private meeting at 11 a.m. (1000 GMT) ahead of a phone call on Wednesday among euro-zone ministerial experts about the results of “troika” mission to Greece to check on its reform progress. Speaking to reporters before the conference, Moscovici declined to go into details about what he and Schaeuble would discuss on Greece, but said: “We are at the moment in the conclusive phase of the negotiations.” —Reuters

MADRID: Spain fell deeper into recession in the third quarter and prices rose sharply in October, piling pressure on the government to revive a paralyzed economy as it stalls over requesting aid.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is in no hurry to apply for a politically humiliating financial rescue that would kickstart an ECB bond-buying program and ease financing costs. But the worsening economy, along with spreading civil unrest, may force his hand. Numbers published on Tuesday added to evidence that the country is trapped in a ‘stagflationary’ spiral of shrinking growth, high inflation and high unemployment. Gross domestic product shrank for the fifth straight quarter between July and September, dropping 0.3 percent, while consumer prices rose by 3.5 percent year-on-year in October, the two sets of National Statistics Institute data showed.

Elected just under a year ago on an austerity ticket, Rajoy has signed off on a belt-tightening programme worth over 60 billion euros through to the end 2014 to cut the public deficit. But the spending cuts have dented investment while tax rises have hit consumers’ pockets and driven prices higher.

The cutbacks have also led to increasingly frequent protests focused on Madrid and fuelled already strong separatist sentiments, notably in the powerful northeastern province of Catalonia.

The euro-zone’s fourth largest economy is at the centre of the bloc’s debt crisis due to concerns the government cannot control its finances. Many investors view the 2013 budget, which aims to cut the deficit to 4.5 percent of GDP from over 9 percent last year, as based on overly optimistic economic forecasts.

Third quarter GDP shrank more slowly than the 0.4 percent rate that was expected, making end-ofyear growth targets easier to hit. But any suggestion that that marked an upturn was “a mirage,” said Estefania Ponte, an economist at Madridbased broker Cortal Consors.

“It does not mean the economy is doing better, but only shows the families have brought forward purchases ahead of the VAT hike.”

Madrid enforced an across-the-board hike in sales tax on Sept. 1 as part of the austerity program. That contributed to the sharpest monthly fall on record in retail sales in September. Spain’s refinancing costs on international debt markets

soared to euro-era highs in July but have since eased after the European Central Bank announced its sovereign bond-buying program for countries that ask for help. The premium investors demand to hold Spanish ten-year debt over equivalent German paper initially fell yesterday’s growth data before rising back to around 419 basis points, in line with Monday’s close. With debt premiums now at more manageable levels, Rajoy seems reluctant to apply for an aid program that might bring with it deeper austerity measures that would further hobble the recovery and fuel protests.

On Monday Rajoy met with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, and in a news conference afterward maintained his ambivalence over an aid application. But he omitted previous demands to know more details of the bond-buying plan before making up his mind.

On an annual basis, the economy shrank 1.6

percent, in the third quarter suggesting Spain was in line to meet its end-of-year GDP target. But that did little to allay concerns that the government will fail to meet its deficit target. “If they can’t hit deficit goals when meeting growth targets, what’s the shortfall going to look like next year? This calls for more realistic, looser fiscal targets,” economist at Deutsche Bank Gilles Moec said.

“Naturally, this type of manoeuvre would be easier to implement under the (European aid mechanism) ESM/ECB umbrella.”

Parliament will invite ECB chief Mario Draghi to a meeting with lawmakers to discuss the bank’s bond-buying program, a spokeswoman at the lower house said yesterday.

EU-harmonized consumer prices rose by 3.5 percent year-on-year in October, topping a Reuters forecast of 3.4 percent. The figure was unchanged from September. — Reuters

BARCELONA: A man looks at the prices of food in a shop in Barcelona yesterday. Spain’s National Statistics Institute says that the country’s economy contracted 0.3 percent in the third quarter from the previous three-month period. — AP

British retail sales jump boosts recovery hopes LONDON: British retail sales picked up more than forecast in October, a survey showed yesterday, boosting recovery hopes after last week’s growth data showed the country had leapt from recession.

The survey among retailers also added to views that the Bank of England will not increase stimulus next week, in particular as the BOE’s scheme providing cheap funds to banks drew in most of Britain’s lenders, clearing the way for easier credit.

The Confederation of British Industry’s distributive trades survey showed that the sales balance jumped to +30 from +6 in September, far above analysts’ forecasts for +7.

Sterling hit a session high against the dollar and gilt futures extended losses after the data, as markets further pared back the chances of another round of quantitative easing purchases of government bonds. “Given the key role of consumer spending, the survey provides a significant boost to hopes that the economy can keep growing in the fourth quarter following the better-thanexpected third quarter GDP rebound,” said IHS Global Insight economist Howard Archer.

“However, it remains to be seen if consumers will sustain their recent improved spending, given that they still face significant headwinds and consumer price inflation could well move back up in the near term,” he added. A monthly survey by the European Union showed that British consumer confidence fell to the lowest level since May. Eonomists at RBS however became the latest in a string of BoE watchers to change their forecast for the central bank’s decision at Nov 8.

“There appears to be a waning enthusiasm among BoE policymakers for further QE gilt purchases, and recent data alleviate some of the nearterm pressure,” RBS economist Ross Walker said in a note.

The BOE has bought a total of 375 billion pounds’ ($600 billion) worth of gilts, but central bankers are hoping that falling inflation and rising employment will allow Britons to increase spend-

ing and support the fragile economic recovery.

The retail survey added to upbeat GDP figures last week, which showed that Britain shot out of recession in the third quarter with quarterly growth of 1 percent. “It is great news that last month’s sales growth has continued into October at a much faster pace than expected and that this momentum is expected to continue next month, too,” said Anna Leach, CBI head of economic analysis. But any recovery in Britain’s economy, which has not made up the output lost during the 20082009 slump, is widely expected to be slow as the

euro-zone debt crisis, the government’s plan to reduce the budget deficit and tight bank credit weigh. The Bank of England is pinning great hopes on a new scheme, which provides banks with cheap funding if they keep up or extend lending to businesses and households.

BOE data published yesterday showed that by the end of October 30 banks had signed up. These banks had 1.326 trillion pounds’ worth of lending on their books at the end of June, which provides the basis for determining any increase in lending under the scheme.—Reuters

US home prices rise in August at faster pace WASHINGTON: Home prices rose in August in nearly all US cities, and many of the markets hit hardest during the crisis are starting to show sustained gains. The increases are the latest evidence of a steady housing recovery.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case Shiller index reported yesterday that national home prices increased 2 percent in August compared with the same month a year ago. That’s the third straight increase and a faster pace than in July.

The report also said that prices rose in August from July in 19 of the 20 cities tracked by the index. Prices had risen in all 20 cities in the previous three months. Cities that had suffered some of the worst price declines during the housing crisis are starting to come back.

Prices in Las Vegas rose 0.9 percent, the first year-over-year gain since January 2007. Prices in Phoenix are 18.8 percent higher in August than a year ago. Home values in Tampa and Miami have also posted solid increases over the

period.

Seattle was the only city to report a monthly decline. Still, prices there fell just 0.1 percent in August from July and are 3.4 percent higher than a year ago. “The sustained good news in home prices over the past five months makes us optimistic for continued in the housing market,” said David Blitzer, chairman of the Case-Shiller index.

The steady increase in prices, along with the lowest mortgage rates in decades, has helped many home markets slowly rebound nearly six years after the housing bubble burst.

Rising home prices encourage more people to put their homes on the market. They may also entice would-be buyers to purchase homes before prices rise further.

The S&P/Case-Shiller index covers roughly half of US homes. It measures prices compared with those in January 2000 and creates a threemonth moving average.— AP

24

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

business

Tensions with China pull Japanese exports lower KCIC WEEKLY ASIA REPORT

By Dana Al-Fakir he conflict with China hit exports harder-thanexpected in September. Exports contracted further from -5.8% in August, to -10.3% year-onyear in September, versus the forecasted -9.9%. In addition to the sluggish global demand, Japan’s exports are also being hammered by the on-going territorial dispute with China, over the islands in the East China Sea. More and more Chinese consumers are boycotting Japanese products as tensions between the two nations continue to brew. The export products that were most affected were cars, machinery and electronics. Japanese auto makers were forced to shut down some of their plants and showrooms in China, after they were vandalized by Chinese protestors. Imports grew from -5.4% to 4.1%, versus the expected 3.5%. This was mostly due to the rise in the demand for energy, to fill in the energy consumption gaps, following the shutdown of the nation’s 54 nuclear reactors last year. Before they were shutdown, the nuclear reactors provided about 30% of the country’s energy.

The trade balance is the difference in value between a country’s total exports and imports. When a country is in a trade deficit, then it is a net importer: its imports are outweighing its exports in value. Over ten years up to 2010, half of Japan’s real GDP growth was accounted for by net exports. The trade balance itself is a component of the current account balance.

The current account balance records the purchase and sale of goods and services and is comprised of the trade balance, net income from abroad (repatriated profits, dividends, interest payments) and net current transfers (remittances, pensions, grants, interna-

T

tional aid).

Japan has been running a current account surplus for decades. However, if the trade deficit persists, then the fate of the current account surplus will depend on foreign income from abroad. Japan’s trade balance is also relevant as a leading indicator of the global economy. Case in point, Goldman Sachs highlighted a 90% correlation between its Global Leading Indicator (GLI) and Japan’s trade balance, with a three month lead. In other words, a deteriorating trade balance in Japan could be indicative of a further decline in global momentum in the medium term.

Japan’s trade balance is expected to be in deficit until the end of 2012: as long as the nuclear reactors remain shut and there is no alternative source of energy in the short-run, energy imports are forecasted to rise further. This could lead to a sustained rise in oil exports from the GCC, as Japan tries to keep up with energy demand, creating a deeper deficit. Exports may continue to remain low on weak global trade and falling trade with China.

Additionally, there is a structural process of relocation of manufacturing activities to countries like Thailand. A stronger yen may also hinder the nation’s export performance, unless the effects of the expansion of the asset-purchase program outweigh the inflow of money. Investors in Japan are more optimistic that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will endorse further monetary easing soon. This was especially evident when the Nikkei average logged its best weekly gain in almost a year on the 19th of October, a figure of +5.49%. So far the BOJ has taken a proactive stance towards its dwindling demand levels both at home and from abroad. On the 19th of September, the BOJ announced a surprise and aggressive expansion of its

monetary-easing program. The move came a week after the Federal Reserve rolled out another round of quantitative easing and after the European Central Bank (ECB) put an open-ended sovereign debt buying program in place earlier in the month. The BOJ increased the size of its asset purchase program from 70 trillion yen ($877.5bn)to 80 trillion yen ($1002.8bn)and extended its deadline by six months, to the end of 2013 to i) help pull the economy out of its deflationary spiral and ii) weaken the yen and give

the export sector a well-needed boost. As the BOJ continues to keep its interest rates unchanged at extremely low levels, within the 0% - 0.1% range, the BOJ’s asset purchase program has become the main tool for credit easing. Thus an additional monetary stimulus, via its asset-purchasing program, is widely expected if not at the end of this month, within the next couple of months, if the BOJ wants to step up its fight against deflation and stimulate growth in the economy.

SENDAI: A yellow crane sorts out the rubble of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, at the rubble collection site near the Arahama beach in Sendai, northeastern Japan. Japan’s accounting of its budget for reconstruction from the disasters is crammed with spending on unrelated projects, while all along Japan’s northeastern coast, dozens of communities remain uncertain of whether, when and how they will rebuild. —AP

Japan’s rebuilding money spent on unrelated jobs SENDAI: Japan’s government says about a quarter of its budget for reconstruction after the March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster has been spent on unrelated projects, including subsidies for a contact lens factory and research whaling.

The audit documents released

last week buttress complaints over shortcomings in the reconstruction effort. More than half the $148 billion budget has yet to be disbursed, stalled by indecision and bureaucracy.

Meanwhile, nearly all the 340,000 people evacuated from the disaster zone remain uncertain

whether, when and how they will ever resettle. Many of the nonreconstruction-related projects loaded into the budget were included on the pretext they might contribute to Japan’s economic revival. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda acknowledged yesterday that that approach was a mistake. — AP

Strike-hit Lonmin to raise $800 m for recovery LONDON/JOHANNESBURG: Strikehit South African miner Lonmin, the world’s third-largest platinum producer, plans to raise $800 million from its investors to help slash debt and finance recovery after six weeks of strikes that left 46 people dead.

In August Lonmin’s Marikana mine was the scene of South Africa’s most violent episode since the end of apartheid, when police shot dead 34 people involved in the labor strife battering the country’s already beleaguered platinum industry.

Most of Lonmin’s miners have since returned to work, but the producer which even before the walk-outs and illegal strikes had one of the most stretched balance sheets in the platinum sector - said it had lost 110,000 ounces of production, forcing it to scale back plans to boost output and sales.

Lonmin said efforts to ramp up after weeks of strikes were progressing better than expected, but the push and a rebuilding of stocks would swell its debt in the short term.

That meant it would have breached current loan covenants at the end of March 2012 - even if higher-than-expected sales of stockpiled platinum help it meet a test of covenants this November prompting the miner to turn to investors for a cash boost.

“We believe $800 million is the

right quantum to support the plan we have in place. It will put the company in a position where it can reduce its current debt levels and manage the business on a stable platform,” acting chief executive Simon Scott told reporters.

Analysts had speculated that Lonmin could raise as much as $1.5 billion - virtually its current market value - after it warned in August that it could turn to investors for cash. On Tuesday, Lonmin said it would raise less than half that in gross terms - meaning the number includes fees paid to underwriting banks that are expected to include its advisers JP Morgan and Citigroup. It did not provide full details on the timing or price, but said in a statement it planned to restructure its balance sheet at “the earliest possible opportunity”.

It did not comment on any commitment from its largest single shareholder, miner Xstrata, which owns a 25 percent stake after a failed takeover attempt. Xstrata, which is currently in the throes of a takeover by its own largest shareholder, Glencore, has declined to comment on Lonmin to date.

“I want to see what Xstrata does.

It would be very interesting to see if it follows its rights - they are more impor tant in this whole process than anybody else,” said Sasha Naryshkine, fund manager at

Johannesburg-based Vestact.

“Lonmin has to be a meaner, leaner machine after (this).”

Shares in the group were trading up 2.1 percent at 490 pence at 0950 GMT in London on the back of the smaller than expected capital call, while its Johannesburg listed shares were up by the same amount.

Lonmin said new debt conditions agreed with its lenders depended on the company raising at least $700 million in new equity capital by the end of the year, and using that to reduce its debt to $400 million from $700 million.

The current conditions, linked to a profit-to- debt ratio, will be replaced by conditions tied to the value of its assets and limits on capital expenditure.

The changes will, though, slow Lonmin’s previous vision of boosting production to more than 900,000 ounces by 2015 to raise margins and its bottom line, efforts which had been based on development of its growth shafts at Marikana - Hossy, Saffy and K4. It now aims to sell 660,000 ounces in the financial year to the end of September 2013, Lonmin said, targeting sales of over 750,000 ounces in both 2014 and 2015. That would include output from a planned restar t in 2014 of the currently mothballed K4 shaft. — Reuters

25

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

business

Asian markets mixed, Tokyo lower despite easing HONG KONG: Asian stock markets were mixed yesterday but Tokyo closed lower after the Bank of Japan cut its growth outlook and announced monetary easing that was only slightly bigger than market forecasts.

With US markets closed because of Hurricane Sandy, Wall Street gave regional investors no lead but comments from Spain and Greece revived euro-zone concerns. Tokyo fell 0.98 percent, or 87.36 points, to 8,841.98 while Seoul closed 0.43 percent higher, adding 8.06 points to 1,899.58.

Sydney, which closed before the BOJ announcement, rose 0.20 percent or 8.8 points to 4,485.7.

Hong Kong was 0.38 percent lower, shedding 82.47 points to 21,428.58 but Shanghai gained 0.17 percent, or 3.41 points, to 2,062.35. Just before the Tokyo market closed the central bank said it would add another 11 trillion yen ($138 billion) to its 80 trillion asset pur-

chase scheme to provide liquidity to the economy and jump-start growth.

It also said it expected the economy to grow just 1.5 percent in the year to March, instead of the 2.2 percent previously predicted. Expectations of new easing had sent markets higher in recent weeks, while the yen had suffered a sell-off.

“The vast majority of experts seemed to think that the central bank would go for 10 trillion yen, with a few as far out as 20 trillion yen, so the weighted average probably came out somewhere right around where the BOJ settled,” CLSA equity strategist Nicholas Smith told Dow Jones Newswires.

Despite a similar move last month, Japan’s economy appears unable to emerge from its stupor.

Figures earlier yesterday showed factory output fell 4.1 percent last month, much worse than the 3.1 percent drop expected, with a slump in production of

cars, auto parts and machinery a key cause.

In Greece the finance ministry said banks would not be able to swap greatly devalued holdings of national debt for bonds issued by the new European Stability Mechanism.

The news comes as Athens remains locked in talks with its international creditors over accessing its next tranche of rescue funds, as well as over a possible extension of a timetable to initiate crucial reforms. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy reiterated that his own debt-laden, recession-hit economy does not need a bailout, even as a ninth region made an appeal for rescue funds from Madrid.

The yen clawed back some of its recent losses against the euro and dollar soon after the BoJ’s comments. And in early European trade the dollar bought 79.37 yen compared with 79.80 yen in New York late Monday.

The euro bought $1.2937, compared with $1.2900, and 102.70 yen, from 102.95 yen. CLSA’s Smith said he thought the “dollar-yen was vastly overbought over its recent steep run-up”. Oil prices were mixed. New York’s benchmark oil futures contract, West Texas Intermediate light sweet crude for delivery in December, was up 13 cents to $85.35 67 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for December fell seven cents to $109.03 37.

Gold was at $1,713.88 at 1045 GMT compared with $1,712.20 late Monday.

In other markets: l Singapore closed up 0.30 percent, or 9.12 points, at 3,038.73. Singapore Telecom gained 1.25 percent to Sg$3.23 and Fraser and Neave added 1.10 percent to Sg$9.16. l Taipei rose 1.28 percent, or 90.92 points, to 7,182.59. l Manila closed 0.54 percent higher, gaining 29.25 points to 5,426.67.

Metropolitan Bank and Trust gained 0.86 percent to 93.65 pesos while Ayala Corp rose 0.45 percent to 442 pesos. l Wellington fell 0.25 percent, or 10.01 points, to 3,941.28.

Fletcher Building was down 2.12 percent at NZ$6.92 and Telecom was up 1.68 percent at NZ$2.42. l Bangkok rose 1.16 percent, or 14.86 points, to 1,294.43.

Siam Cement gained 1.37 percent to 369.00 baht, while power firm EGCO dropped 0.77 percent to 129.50 baht. l Kuala Lumpur added 0.13 percent, or 2.11 points, to 1,674.67.

Public Bank gained 0.9 percent to 15.88 ringgit, Hong Leong Bank rose 1.1 percent to 14.88 ringgit and British American Tobacco (Malaysia) eased 0.7 percent to 64.30 ringgit. l Jakarta rose 0.77 percent, or 33.23 points, to 4,364.60. l Mumbai fell 204.97 points, or 1.10 percent, to 18,430.85. — AFP

India keeps benchmark interest rate unchanged Inflation remains key challenge: RBI chief

TOKYO: Unemployed people wait for meal which will be distributed by volunteers at a park in Tokyo yesterday. Jobless rate figures for September offered little encouragement, as the government reported the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in September, unchanged from August. —AP

BOJ unveils new easing, cuts growth outlook TOKYO: The Bank of Japan unveiled $138 billion in fresh monetary easing yesterday, its latest volley in a battle to kickstart an economy it also warned would grow much less than previously expected.

The BOJ, which also said it would provide new loans to banks, had been under pressure from politicians calling for urgent action, as more data indicated a post-disaster recovery is stalling because of the global slowdown and strong yen.

Official data yesterday showed factory output came in weaker than expected for September, while Japan recently posted its worst September trade figures in more than 30 years, as a territorial dispute with China hit exports. The BOJ said it would expand an asset-purchase program-its main policy tool-by 11 trillion yen ($138 billion) to 91 trillion yen, while keeping rates unchanged at between zero and 0.1 percent.

Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index, which has been rising in recent weeks on expectations of new measures, tumbled on the news while the yen rebounded against the dollar after losing ground over the past week. The BOJ’s move was its second since central banks in the United States and debt-hit Europe announced huge policy easing measures in September to stoke growth.

The program is aimed at injecting liquidity into markets through purchases of government and corporate bonds, and commercial paper, with the latest move aimed squarely at countering a slowing global economy. “Time and time again, we have seen slowing overseas economies eventually impacting Japan’s exports and production,” BoJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa told a news briefing in Tokyo.

A separate program offering “unlimited” loans to commercial banks was designed to spur their lending to businesses and households, stoking growth.

But “Japan’s problem is not one of a lack of supply of credit, which this policy addresses, but a lack of demand”, Capital Economics said in a note.

The BOJ’s stimulus also came with a warning the economy would expand just 1.5 percent in the year to March, well off an earlier 2.2 percent estimate.

The BOJ said it expects prices to have fallen 0.1 percent in the year to March, instead of the 0.2 percent inflation tipped earlier, suggesting Japan was a long way from winning its battle with the deflation that has plagued its economy for years.

A rare BOJ-government joint statement said politicians and policymakers were committed to quashing the problem “as early as possible”.

Japan has been stuck in a deflationary spiral-cutting corporate profits and encouraging consumers to put off new purchases-with efforts to battle a general trend of falling prices having little

impact. Earlier yesterday, official data showed Japan’s factory output fell 4.1 percent last month, worse than the 3.1 percent fall expected by the market, led by a slump in production of cars, auto parts and machinery leading.

Japan’s economy, which was hammered by the quake-tsunami disaster on March 11 last year, is also suffering from Europe’s debt crisis and the strong yen, which hit record highs around 75 against the dollar late last year and remains strong.

A high yen makes exporters’ products more expensive overseas while shrinking the value of their repatriated foreign income.

The problem is particularly acute for major export brands such as Japan’s automakers. Honda Motor said on Monday that the yen’s strength would dig into its full-year profit, now expected to be about 20 percent lower than previously forecast.

Japan’s jobless rate, meanwhile, remained steady at 4.2 percent in September, largely due to post-disaster reconstruction-related employment, but household spending slipped 0.9 percent on-year, a sign of weakening consumer confidence.

Auto production tumbled 12.4 percent last month partly due to a drop in sales in China, the world’s biggest vehicle market. Japan-China trade has been hurt by a long-standing spat over an East China Sea archipelago, called the Senkakus in Japan and Diaoyu islands in China, which erupted anew after Japan nationalised the chain in mid-September.

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 move. — AFP

TOKYO: Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa speaks during a news conference after a one-day meeting of the BOJ’s Policy Board yesterday in Tokyo. —AP

MUMBAI: India’s central bank kept its benchmark interest rate on hold yesterday because of inflationary pressures, despite mounting calls for a cut to boost the slowing economy.

The Reserve Bank of India kept the key repo rate-at which it lends to commercial banks-at 8.0 percent, as had widely been predicted by economists. “The persistence of inflationary pressures even as growth has moderated, remains a key challenge, a statement from RBI governor Duvvuri Subbarao said after the policy review in Mumbai.

“Managing inflation and inflation expectations must remain the primary focus of monetary policy,” he said, indicating that a rates cut was likely early next year. Subbarao said that while risks to inflation remain, “the baseline scenario suggests a reasonable likelihood of further policy easing in the fourth quarter (January to March) of 2012-13”.

The bank moved to increase liquidity in the banking sector by cutting its cash reserve ratio-the amount that banks have to keep aside as deposits-by 25 basis points to 4.25 percent.

This will inject 175 billion rupees ($3.3 billion) into the banking system, Subbarao said.

But the lack of a rates cut was likely to disappoint the government and business leaders, who have been calling for a shot in the arm to the Indian economy, which grew at just 5.5 percent in the quarter to June-down from near double-digit rates between 2005 and 2011.

Share prices fell 1.09 percent on the Bombay Stock Exchange to 18,432.05 after the RBI announcement. The government on Monday had sent a strong signal to the RBI to take note of its fiscal consolidation plans after a slew of economic reforms, which included opening up foreign investment in retail, aviation and insurance. “The ball is now in the RBI’s court. Now they have to take a call,” said

Mallya to unveil ‘restart’ plan for grounded carrier NEW DELHI: The billionaire owner of India’s grounded Kingfisher Airlines said yesterday that he would present to the government a “comprehensive” plan to revive his debt-laden carrier.

Vijay Mallya, a Formula One tycoon nicknamed the “King of Good Times”, met India’s Civil Aviation Secretary K N Shrivastava ahead of presenting a revival blueprint for his beleaguered carrier.

“I have briefed him on revival and restart plan,” the 56-year-old, who is also an independent member of parliament, told reporters after the meeting in New Delhi. “It will be a comprehensive plan.

All hurdles will be crossed,” Mallya said without elaborating. India’s Directorate-General of Civil Aviation, the airline industry’s regulator, suspended Kingfisher’s license earlier this month until it came up with a “viable” revival plan.

The debt-ridden airline, named after Mallya’s biggest beer brand, owes billions of dollars in taxes and airport fees. A pay dispute that led to a strike by pilots was only resolved last week.

Mallya owns a yacht, property across the world and a fleet of vintages cars.

But his empire is facing an increasing financial crunch. His flagship United Breweries (UB), India’s biggest brewer, is in talks to sell a stake of the profitable liquor empire to Diageo, the world’s largest distiller, which analysts say could raise $800 million. Kingfisher, which has $1.4 billion in debts, currently has a fleet of 15 aircraft, down from an earlier 64 planes, as it battles to curb costs. It has halted international operations and has the smallest market share among Indian airlines at 5.4 percent, after being the secondlargest among the country’s six largest carriers at its peak.

The problems of Kingfisher are reckoned to be the worst among India’s private carriers, partly due to overly rapid expansion, while the government is reviving debt-laden state-run Air India with a nearly $6 billion bailout. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, a Sydney-based consultancy, in a recent report said Kingfisher’s debt was $2.49 billion including bank debts of $1.1 billion, and it had accumulated losses of $1.9 billion. — AFP

senior finance ministry official Arvind Mayaram.

But the central bank has kept rates on hold since April-when it cut them for the first time in three years-insisting inflation must recede.

Causing huge hardship to the poor, India’s inflation accelerated to a 10-month high of 7.81 percent in September, spurred by a hike in state-controlled diesel prices to lower fuel subsidies. The RBI also cut its GDP growth forecast for Asia’s third-largest economy to 5.8 percent for the current fiscal year, from 6.5 percent previously. The bank has consistently put the onus on the government to lower the fiscal deficit and boost investor confidence

before it lowers rates, and Subbarao acknowledged the recent reforms as a good step forward.

“Recent policy initiatives undertaken by the government have begun to dispel pervasive negative sentiments,” his statement said.

“As the measures already announced are implemented and further reforms are initiated, they should help improve the investment climate further.” Shubhada Rao, chief economist with private Yes Bank, said the rates freeze was in line with their expectations.

“While the bank has raised concerns over inflation, the stance of the bank has changed to support growth,” she said. —AFP

JAMMU: A man sorts corn for sale on the outskirts of Jammu yesterday. India’s central bank left its key interest rate unchanged yesterday but trimmed the cash reserve ratio, resisting growing pressure from New Delhi to cut rates even as it slashed its growth forecast and raised its inflation projection for Asia’s third-largest economy. —AP

Virgin Australia sells stake to Singapore, pounces on Tiger SYDNEY: Virgin Australia yesterday sold 10 percent of its business to Singapore Airlines while agreeing to buy a 60 percent stake in Tiger Airways Australia as it upped the ante in its battle with Qantas.

In a slew of announcements, the country’s second-biggest airline after the Flying Kangaroo also said it was making a Aus$98.7 million ($101.9 million) takeover offer for Perth-based Australian regional carrier Skywest. Virgin agreed to pay Aus$35 million ($36 million) for its holding in Tiger, the lossmaking subsidiary of Singapore’s Tiger Airways, while Singapore Airlines bought its stake for Aus$105 million.

“The transactions overall represent a monumental shift for Virgin Australia which, if approved, will see a more even playing field in Australian aviation,” Macquarie analysts said in a note. “They arguably create a replica of Qantas.” Virgin chief executive John Borghetti said the deals were designed to accelerate the airline’s growth and increase competition in Australia, where the domestic market has long been dominated

by Qantas. The acquisitions of Tiger and Skywest would boost Virgin’s presence in the budget and regional markets, “enabling us to fast-track our expansion in these areas and become a stronger competitor”.

“These transactions will bring important benefits to Australia, driving growth in jobs, tourism and competition,” said Borghetti, adding that he planned to make the carrier Australia’s “airline of choice in all markets”. If the Tiger and Skywest deals receive regulatory and shareholder approvals, Virgin will expand its fleet to 139 aircraft and employ more than 9,000 workers.

Australia has a lucrative domestic market and global airlines have been deepening ties with local carriers to access it. Last month, Qantas and Emirates announced a major global alliance which opens up Qantas’s domestic network of more than 50 destinations and nearly 5,000 flights per week to the Dubai-based airline. Singapore Airlines is a key international competitor to Qantas and CEO Goh Choon Phong said his compa-

ny taking a stake in Virgin showed “our shared commitment to an alliance that provides a wide range of consumer benefits”.

“Singapore Airlines fully supports the ongoing transformation of Virgin Australia, which has already resulted in a more competitive aviation market in Australia,” he added. The Singaporean airline, which paid 42.88 cents a share for an issue of 245.6 million stock, a 6.8 percent discount to the last trading price, joins Etihad which also has a 10 percent stake in Virgin.

Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Air New Zealand are other major equity holders.

Borghetti described Singapore Airlines as “an important strategic alliance partner”. “We are very pleased to have their support as an investor,” he said. In the Skywest deal, Virgin made a cash and scrip offer for the airline that operates in regional Australia and Southeast Asia. Skywest executive chairman Jeff Chatfield said the offer represented a substantial premium to the current share price. “Based on our advice it is likely that this proposal will take some months to fully play out,” he said in a statement. — AFP

This combo of file photos taken in Sydney (top) and in Melbourne show aircraft from Virgin Australia and Tiger Airways. — AFP

26

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

business

Gulf Bank posts strong operating earnings growth for first nine months of 2012 Net profit of KD 22.4m against KD 27.4m in previous year KUWAIT: Gulf Bank yesterday announced an operating profit of KD 91.1 million before provisions for the first nine months of 2012, compared to KD 82.2 million for the corresponding period last year. In line with the strategy, the Bank increased its precautionary general provisions by KD 46 million to reach KD 136 million. The Bank’s net profit for the period was KD 22.4 million against KD 27.4 million over the same period in 2011 due to transfers to the precautionary general provisions. As of the end of September 2012, the Bank’s total assets reached KD 4,828 million, deposits were at KD 4,059 million, and earnings per share for the first nine months of 2012 was 9fils.

Mahmoud Al-Nouri, Gulf Bank’s Chairman, said: “Gulf Bank’s performance has been driven by its consistent growth strategy, customer centric focus

and financial discipline.

“We continue to set the industry benchmark for outstanding customer service with our ‘We Promise’ program, while maintaining world-class operating efficiency and enjoying solid and consistent growth in our market share. Meanwhile, we continue to build our fortress balance sheet by transferring part of the operating profit to enhance precautionary general provisions to meet any unexpected economic circumstance at the local and global levels,” he added.

“Over the last year, both the global and local markets have delivered challenges which require us to be flexible and fast-moving. The highly professional team of executive management and staff at Gulf Bank are well-positioned to address this rapidly evolving environment and maximize the

opportunities it presents.

“I thank the management, staff and Board Members for their contribution thus far, and as we move into the fourth quarter of 2012 we look forward to a good financial year end while start our preparation for the year ahead,” he concluded.

In 2012, Gulf Bank has frequently been recognized, regionally and internationally, across a number of disciplines, winning numerous prestigious awards. These include the ‘Localization Award’ from the GCC Ministry of Social Affairs for the eighth consecutive year for the employment, development and training of nationals, ‘Best HR Strategy in line with Business’ and ‘Excellence in Training’ awards at the Asia’s Best Employer Brand Awards, and ‘Best Marketing Campaign of the Year’ at the Third Asia’s CMO awards.

Mahmoud Al-Nouri, Gulf Bank’s Chairman

Samsung launches wireless audio with Dock products in Kuwait

Abdulrazzaq Al-Essa, Senior Communication Manager at VIVA with Nabeel Abdulkhaleq Alshayea who won the Ford Mustang Coupe.

VIVA announces winners of new BMW 320i and Ford Mustang KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s newest and most advanced mobile telecommunications service provider, announced yesterday the winners of its successful “Win a car every week” campaign. The latest lucky winners were Ahmad Naser Almutairi who won the BMW 320i and Nabeel Abdulkhaleq Alshayea who won the Ford Mustang Coupe.

VIVA congratulated each of the lucky winners and invited its customers to participate in the longest on-going campaign of its kind. VIVA also announced an exciting development to its “Win a car every week” campaign, where three winners will be drawn rather than two. The third draw will be for a grand prize of 25,000 KD! This celebration will run from 25 October and until the 18 November 2012.

The upcoming draw will take place on the XX of October and is available only to VIVA’s prepaid customers.

Entering the draw can be done through two options. The first option is to subscribe with 500 Fils per day giving customers infinite minutes and SMS to any VIVA line.

This option entitles the customer to one chance to enter the draw each week.

The second option is to subscribe to the BlackBerry KD3.9 service, which gives customers full and unlimited BlackBerry Services. This option provides customers with 7 automatic chances to enter the draw each week. In addition, customers who purchase a new prepaid line are given a single entry to the draw on the week they

activate their new line and send the SMS “GO” to 535.

Customers can also subscribe to both options, increasing their chances each week to win KD25, 000 or a luxurious car. In the case a customer does not win, the points will be accumulated and carried on to the next draw. The upcoming draw prizes will be KD25,000, a brand new BMW 320i and a Ford Mustang.

VIVA also created the ‘Flavor of the Week’, an additional means to entering the draw and increasing the customers chance to win a new car every two weeks. The ‘Flavor of the Week’ will be a ‘special service’ for those two weeks, to which the customers can subscribe. This week’s ‘Flavor of the Week’ will last until 7 November 2012, and will give prepaid customers two chances to win the BMW 320i or a Ford Mustang Coupe upon using KD1 international bundle by sending “3” to 535 or “2” to 242, and one chance to win the BMW 320i or a Ford Mustang Coupe upon using the 500 fils international SMS bundle by sending “6” to 535 or “On” to 240.

Prepaid customers interested in the full, unlimited, local KD 3.9 BlackBerry offer, can send an SMS with the number ‘2’ to ‘535’.

For the full menu of the prepaid offers, send an SMS with the word “GO” to number ‘535’.

To find out more about VIVA’s numerous competitive promotions, products and packages visit any of the 14 VIVA branches or visit our website at www.viva.com.kw.

Etihad Airways signs multi-million deal with airbus for new aircraft ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, yesterday announced it had purchased two more Airbus A330-200 passenger aircraft in a deal worth $418 million at current list prices.

The UAE carrier has also converted seven of its previously ordered Airbus A320s to the larger Airbus A321 model.

The new Airbus A330 aircraft are scheduled for delivery in January and March 2014 respectively.

Etihad Airways commenced operations with its first Airbus A330-200 in November 2003. The airline currently has 16 Airbus A330-200, 6 Airbus A330-300 passenger types and two A330-200 freighters in its fleet of 67 aircraft.

Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said: “The reliable and highly versatile Airbus A330-200 has been an integral part of our global passenger and cargo success.

As our operations and network continue to grow in scale, we feel the A330-200 is the right fleet type to expand with.”

The new Etihad Airways’ Airbus A330200s will be configured with 22 Pearl Business Class lie-flat beds and 240 Coral Economy seats. The aircraft will be powered by Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines,

enough to generate more than 70,000 pounds of thrust and give the aircraft a range of 14,000 kilometres.

Etihad Airways operates its existing A330-200s on routes to: Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Manchester, Munich, Milan, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Lagos, Tripoli, Brisbane, Singapore, Chengdu, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Nagoya, Tokyo, and Beijing.

Mr Hogan added: “Our decision to convert seven of our A320s on order into A321s reflects the increasingly strong demand we are seeing across our different routes and we look forward to taking delivery of our first in November 2013.”

John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, said: “Winning a fifth repeat order from Etihad Airways for A330s is without a doubt a strong endorsement for the aircraft’s unique combination of unbeatable economics, versatility and fuel efficiency.

“In response to the continuing strong demand, we’re making the A330 better and better, with for example new higher weight variants which offer our customers more payload-range capability with the same high operational reliability.”

KUWAIT: Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, yesterday announced the launch of its first Wireless Audio with Dock line of products in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the DA-E750, the DA-E670 DA-E650, DAE570 and the DA-E550. The first-class Wireless Audio with Dock line is the world’s first dualdocking system for the premium audiophile that supports both Samsung GALAXY devices and Apple iOS devices-via both, docked and wireless connectivity.

Delivering a total wireless solution, the Wireless Audio with Dock devices provide superior convenience, supporting wireless audio file playback via AllShare for Samsung GALAXY devices and AirPlay for Apple devices, or via Bluetooth(r) 3.0 for additional smartphones. The devices also feature an analog (composite) input and a USB port to play audio files directly from a thumb drive, music player or portable hard drive-supporting MP3, WMA and WAV file formats.

“As audio is an integral part of the overall home entertainment experience, we’re happy to provide consumers in the region with a line of products that offer superior sound quality to be enjoyed in the comfort of their homes. The new wireless Audio Dock highlights Samsung’s commitment to offer consumers innovative technologies as it is the world’s first dual docking wireless audiophile compatible with multiple devices,” said Vinod Nair, General Manager, AV Business at Samsung Gulf Electronics.

Samsung’s premium Wireless Audio with Dock, the DA-E750 offers the latest vacuum tube

amplifier technology, providing a warmer, more natural sound compared to conventional audio systems that use transistors. This new technology will allow audio enthusiasts to enjoy music the way it was meant to be heard while enhancing the flavor of sound. The DA-E750 also combines the vacuum tube with a digital amplifier which causes it to reduce unnecessary, harsh sound distortions.

The elegant design of the DA-E750 exudes the highest level of sophistication by combining classic design elements with a touch of luxury.

The sleek high gloss wood finish is available in either piano mahogany or piano black, which is accentuated by the warm glow from the vacuum tubes inside the docks when in operation.

Additionally, its 2.1-channel woven glass fiber speakers and powerful built-in subwoofer produce 100 watts of crystal-clear sound with enhanced bass enhancing the power of sound.

Finally, the SoundShare function will allow the wireless streaming of audio from a Smart TV to the device creating a far superior TV experience.

On the other hand, the Samsung Wireless

Audio with Dock DA-E550 and DA-E650 and its unique Horn Style shape, produces a sound experience that is pleasing both to the eyes and ears. The products also include Bluetooth 3.0 and apt-X codec, ensuring that music streams with compatible devices and has the optimum sound quality. Its unique design will also add a touch of style to a home’s interior decoration.

Prices start from KD 49.9 for the DA-E550 and range to KD 249.9 for the DA-E750.

Exclusive promotions for Diwali at Malabar Gold and Diamonds The luster of Diwali is at our doorsteps and everyone has geared up for yet another festive season. To further strengthen their connection with the customers, Malabar Gold & Diamonds celebrates this Diwali by offering exclusive gifts and promotions.

Diwali, the festival of lights marks one of the biggest shopping season of the year, especially for Indians. It is a popular festival of India and Dhanteras, the first day of the five day long festival is considered to be the one of the most auspicious day to buy gold and gold jewellery, as it is believed to attract good fortune and luck into one’s life. This year, Dhanterasand Diwali falls on 11th and 13thNovember respectively. With a large number of Indians living in Kuwait, Diwali is like a national festival and it is enthusiastically celebrated by people of all nationalities and religion.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds unveiled 6 exquisite jewellery sets as a part of their celebrations. Customers who purchase any of these sets can win a 1 gram gold coin absolutely free. Adding extra shine to this season, they are also offering their customers’ special pearl pendant sets absolutely free with every purchase of diamond jewellery. All these offers are valid from November 1t to 14 at all their outlets in GCC. To top it all they are offering free gold coin with every purchase of gold ornaments worth KD 250 from 7th to 14th November 2012.

Ornaments purchased from Malabar Gold & Diamonds can be exchanged from any of their outlets within 15 days from the date of purchase without any lose in making charges and gold

rate. Furthermore, jewellery purchased from their outlet can be exchanged with new ones without any deduction in gold rate or weight, by paying only making charges. Their convenient gold exchange schemes ensure quality service and customer satisfaction.

This Diwali Malabar Gold & Diamonds have ensured that there is something to suit the specific budgets of every customer and as always; the best deals are offered to the customers. The jewellery chain operates its outlet in Kuwait at Lulu Hypermarket, Al-Rai.

Al-Tijari announces winners of daily draw with Najma Account KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait held the Al-Najma Account draw on October 30, 2012. The draw was held under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry represented by Abdulaziz Ashkanani.

The winners of the Al-Najma daily draw are:Amerah Saleh Al-Enzi— KD 7000, Thamer Shabab Ghareb Al-Saeedi— KD 7000, Essa Mohammed Ahmad Al-Ruwayih — KD 7000, Saud Ghanim Rashed Al-Rushood — KD 7000.

The Commercial Bank of Kuwait announces the biggest daily draw in Kuwait with the launch of the new Najma account. Customers of the bank can now

enjoy a KD 7,000 daily prize which is the highest in the country and another 4 mega prizes during the year worth KD 100,000 each on different occasions: The National Day, Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha and on the 19th of June which is the date of the bank’s establishment.

With a minimum balance of KD 500, customers will be eligible for the daily draw provided that the money is in the account one week prior to the daily draw or 2 months prior to the mega draw. In addition, for each KD 25 a customer can get one chance for winning instead of KD 50.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes this opportunity to congratulate all lucky winners and also extends appreciation to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for their effective supervision of the draws which were conducted in an orderly and organized manner.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31 , 2012

TECHNOLOGY

Pandora refreshes iPhone, Android apps LOS ANGELES: Internet radio company Pandora is adding more functionality to its mobile apps showing lyrics and artist information and making it easier to share self-crafted stations with friends - as companies intensify efforts to lure mobile advertising dollars.

Pandora is essentially bringing the features of its website to users of its apps for Apple and Android mobile devices. The app for iPhones is being released Monday, while an Android version is expected to follow soon. Pandora also said it is releasing a version for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 early next year. It will allow ad-free listening for a year with the Windows app. Mobile use of Pandora’s streaming service is growing quickly. In the quarter

that ended in July, mobile listening nearly doubled from a year earlier and made up more than 75 percent of its 3.3 billion listener hours.

Pandora is the leader in free online radio, where listeners can pick genres or styles of music but not specific songs or albums. It has 175 million registered users, including 58 million who use it in a given month. It claims a 73 percent share of the market for free online radio.

Pandora competes for listeners with services such as Clear Channel’s iHeart Radio and has apps on phones, tablets, computers and car stereo systems. Apple is the leading online seller of song and album downloads, while a whole host of paid subscription music services such as Spotify, Rhapsody,

Rdio and MOG offer unlimited track selection and playback for a monthly fee of $10.

As a free service, Pandora relies mostly on advertising revenue to make its business work.

Investors of Internet companies that offer free services online have been concerned about their ability to make money from mobile advertising as usage of mobile devices has skyrocketed.

Pandora’s mobile ad revenue has been growing almost as quickly as mobile listening, and its revenue from mobile ads was up 86 percent at $59 million in the last quarter, making up over half of the company’s total revenues. The company, which is based in Oakland, Calif., is expected to report its third-quarter results in late November.

Other companies are making headway generating money from mobile ads. Facebook Inc. said this month that 14 percent of its revenue came from mobile ads in the latest quarter, causing its stock price to jump, while Google Inc. said mobile ads were on track to generate $8 billion in revenue for the company this year.

Tom Conrad, Pandora’s chief technology officer and executive vice president of product, said the revamp was not purposefully designed to boost mobile ad revenue although the update will see some advertising partners get more involved.

“Our motivation for doing this was to connect people with the music they’re discovering in a fundamental way,” he said. — AP

Google unveils another phone, larger Nexus tablet Competing with gadgets from top companies

BEIJING: In this Sept. 2, 2011 file photo, a photographer walks past the logo of Baidu Inc., which operates China’s dominant search engine, during a technology innovation conference held by the company at China’s National Convention Center in Beijing, China. — AP

Head of iPhone software out in Apple shakeup SAN FRANCISCO: Apple on Monday announced that the executive in charge of Maps, Siri and other software in its culture-changing iPhones is leaving as part of a shakeup in the upper ranks of the company.

Apple chief Tim Cook said the departure of Scott Forstall and enhanced roles of Jon Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi were part of a move to better integrate hardware, software, and services.

“We are in one of the most prolific periods of innovation and new products in Apple’s history,” Cook said.

Launches in the past two months of iPhone 5, the mobile operating system iOS 6, iPad mini, iPad, iMac, MacBook Pro, iPod touch, iPod nano along with applications result from “relentless focus on tightly integrating world-class hardware, software and services,” according to Cook.

Analysts credit the Apple “ecosystem” of coveted apps, beautiful gadgets, and carefully curated services such as iTunes with making the company a dominant player in modern mobile Internet lifestyles.

Forstall had been billed as one of the Apple executives with the potential to be a captivating pitchman for the company’s products, helping to fill the shoes of late co-founder Steve Jobs at launch events.

Forstall will leave Apple next year and serve as an advisor to Cook until his departure. Ive will have

“Human Interface” with devices added to his role as leader of Industrial Design at Apple. Ive is credited with being the person behind the look and feel of Apple gadgets. Siri virtual personal assistant and Maps software will be added to Cue’s online services group, which includes iTunes and the App Store.

Apple apologized last month for its glitch-ridden maps application in the new operating system used by the iPhone 5 and urged customers to use rival programs while improvements are made. “At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment,” chief executive Tim Cook said in an open letter.

“We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.”

Apple developed its own mapping program included in its new mobile iOS 6 operating system, and in doing so booted off Google Maps, which had been the default program for Apple devices.

But the new Apple program immediately drew scorn for omitting key landmarks and cities, failing to identify correct locations and distorting views from its images.—AP

SAN FRANCISCO: Google is cramming a few more gadgets on to already crowded holiday shopping lists. The devices announced Monday include the latest in Google’s line of Nexus smartphones and a larger version of the 7-inch (17.78-centimeter) Nexus 7 tablet, which the company began selling in July. It’s also adding cellular capabilities to the Nexus 7 and doubling the capacity of existing models. The Nexus 4 smartphone is being made by LG Electronics Inc. and features a minor update to Google’s Android operating system, which now powers more than 500 million devices worldwide. A more comprehensive makeover, known as Key Lime Pie, is expected next year. The version of Android affected by these changes is known as Jelly Bean.

The larger Nexus tablet is being made

by Samsung Electronics Co. and features a display screen that measures about 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) diagonally, about the same size as Apple Inc.’s topselling iPad. With these additions to its product lineup, Google joins a procession of companies selling a gamut of sleek and powerful computing devices in different shapes and sizes. Some are smartphones and others are tablet computers, but they all aim to cater to people’s growing interest to have easily portable devices that can be used to connect to the Internet, take pictures, watch video, play games and read books, magazines and newspapers.

Google’s Nexus devices will be competing with gadgets from such companies as Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Barnes & Noble Inc., Samsung and Microsoft Corp.

Microsoft released a new tablet called Surface last week and launched new software for phones on Monday.

The array of phones and tablets hitting the market underscores how much mobile computing is shaking up the technology industry. The shift has undercut sales of desktop and laptop computers, decreasing the amount of revenue that Microsoft gets from licensing Windows and hurting companies such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc. that make the machines.

Although Android has ensured that Google’s search engine and other services play a prominent role in mobile computing,

Google also is experiencing some shortterm pain because the advertising rates on phones and tablets so far haven’t been as high as the prices on desktops and laptops.

Advertising accounts for most of Google’s revenue.

Google’s introduction of a larger tablet comes less than a week after Apple announced it’s making a smaller, less expensive iPad, with a 7.9-inch (20.07-centimeter) display, to compete with the Nexus 7 and Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle Fire.

The iPad Mini will be available in stores Friday.

Some analysts have questioned whether consumers will balk at the iPad Mini’s $329 price for a device with 16 gigabytes of storage. Google is widening the price difference between the iPad Mini and its smaller tablet by cutting $50 off the price of a comparable, 16-gigabyte Nexus 7, to $199. The 8 -gigabyte version, which had sold for $199, will be discontinued. A Nexus 7 with 32 gigabytes of storage is being introduced for $249 in an apparent effort to discourage even more people from buying the iPad Mini. The cheapest Nexus 7 is still pricier than the Kindle Fire, which starts at $159 for a no-frills model.

The Nexus 7 tablets will continue to be sold at Google’s Play store online as well as such retailers as GameStop, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples and Wal-Mart.

Analysts estimate Google has sold several million Nexus 7 tablets so far. Google declined to disclose how many units have shipped. The tablet “has been an amazing success,” said Hugo Barra, Android’s director of product management. “We had to work extra hard to meet demand.”

Nexus 7 owners have been buying and looking at so much content on the tablet that Google decided to create a larger version with Samsung, Barra said. The Nexus 7 is made by AsusTek Computer Inc. The Nexus 10 tablet with 16 gigabytes of storage will sell for $399. That’s $100 less than the comparable version of the latest iPad, though the older iPad 2 is still available at that price. The Nexus 10 goes on sale in Google’s online store Nov. 13.

Both the Nexus 10 and the new Nexus 7 models will allow multiple users to create separate personal profiles on the devices by using different account names and pass-

words. The Nexus 4 phone boasts a 4.7-inch (11.94-centimeter) screen, larger than Apple’s recently released iPhone 5 and just slightly smaller than Samsung’s flagship phone, the Galaxy S III. A 16-gigabyte model of the Nexus 4 will sell for $199 with a two-year contract to buy phone service and Internet access from T-Mobile. A contract-free version is available for $299 with 8 gigabytes of storage and $349 for the 16gigabyte model. Google is touting the Nexus 4’s wireless charging capability as a major selling point.

Microsoft entered the tablet fray last week with the Surface. The initial model runs Windows RT, part of the Windows 8 family of operating systems. Microsoft has radically redesigned Windows to appeal to people who want the utility of a personal computer coupled with the convenience of smaller mobile devices that rely on touch controls. More than 1,000 PCs and other devices are expected to run on Windows 8.

Microsoft launched its version of Windows 8 for smartphones in San Francisco at an event Monday that included an appearance by actress Jessica Alba.

Google had hoped to upstage Microsoft’s celebration by rolling out its latest gadgets at an event a few hours earlier in New York, but that got canceled because of Hurricane Sandy. The company, which is based in Mountain View, California, instead released details about the devices in a blog post.

Besides adding more hardware to its online store, Google is expanding its music library to include Warner Music Group’s catalog. Warner had been the only holdout among the major music labels when Google began selling music a year ago to compete with Apple’s iTunes stores. The company also said it will begin selling music in Europe beginning Nov. 13.

The Android update includes a feature called Gesture Typing, which tries to anticipate what words a user wants to enter as they are entering text. The guesses are based on an analysis of typical sentence structures and users’ past entries.

Another new feature called Photo Sphere stitches together 360-degree pictures of rooms and landscapes. The highresolution photos created with this tool are similar to the shots shown in Google’s Street View feature in its online maps. —AP

US key data, telecom networks face test WASHINGTON: Hurricane Sandy’s assault on the eastern United States is a major test of the key data and telecom networks that are needed to keep information flowing during such crises. The arrival of the massive storm comes amid lingering questions about the reliability of data centers after a series of power outages caused major problems earlier this year.

“This super-storm will test the preparations of all the networks,” said independent technology analyst Jeff Kagan. “Every carrier has lived through many different weather problems like hurricanes and have improved over time... but whether it will be enough is the question.”

Major telecom carriers had reported no major problems by mid-afternoon Monday, but were bracing for the worst.

Verizon said in a Twitter message at 2100 GMT, “All systems & networks are operating normally, and we’ve implemented add’l preparations for Sandy.”

Sprint said it was mobilizing a “disaster recovery” team and instituting flood prevention measures at network facilities and retail stores. More significant may be how data centers hold up in the storm. If these centers lose power, it could mean a loss of access for items stored in the Internet “cloud,” everything from music files to payrolls to military documents.

Already, earlier this year, outages at Amazon data centers have taken down websites such as Netflix and Reddit. And because increasing amounts of corporate and government data are now stored in cloud-sharing sites, analysts will be watching to see how data centers withstand the crisis.

Akshay Sharma, an analyst who follows data networks for Gartner Inc, said the systems should hold up if they are engineered correctly.

“Bad things can happen but it’s usually just a matter of minutes or hours before things get squared away,” he said. But Sharma said that if there are design flaws, the systems may lack the backup needed for multiple outages, or may open up vulnerabilities to denial of service attacks.

One major cloud storage firm, Nirvanix, announced that it was activating its disaster plan to allow customers using its New Jersey data center to move their data to another location.

“Currently all of the data in Nirvanix’s Node 4 data center in New Jersey is secure and all services remain normal and available,” the company said.

“However, for those customers seeking extra peace of mind, Nirvanix is enabling them to select where they would like their data to specifically reside, at no additional cost.” Amazon Web Services, which hosts a number of websites as well as government cloud data and which suffered high-profile outages this year, said on its “dashboard” that all its US centers were operating normally as of 2000 GMT. “We are monitoring Hurricane Sandy and making all possible preparations (e.g. generator fuel, food/water, flashlights, radios, extra staff) in our US East Region,” Amazon said.

Cloud and IT firm SunGard said it was on “high alert” and would give updates via Twitter. Scott Martin of online financial newsletter The Trust

Advisor said the move to the cloud allows the finance industry to keep operating in spite of the storm.

“Large organizations can simply shift support work to areas well outside the disrupted zone, allowing work to carry on almost seamlessly,” he said. “If client files are hosted on cloud servers or in redundant data centers and at this point, it practically amounts to the same scenario-they can access critical data without going near the office, even if the office loses power or floods.

“And as long as the juice holds out, they can even re-route meetings that were scheduled for the office to Facetime, Skype or some other videoconferencing app.” Even though network operators expressed confidence, the Federal Communications Commission urged consumers to avoid taxing the systems.

“Limit non-emergency phone calls,” the FCC said in a message to consumers. “This will minimize network congestion, free up ‘space’ on the network for emergency communications and conserve battery power if you are using a wireless phone.” - AFP

Verizon to sell Nokia smartphones NEW YORK: Verizon Wireless, the largest cellphone carrier in the US, on Monday said that it will sell a Nokia phone for the first time in years, lending support to the embattled Finnish company’s turnaround effort.

Verizon says it will sell the Lumia 822, an exclusive model that’s part of Nokia’s lineup of smartphones based on Microsoft’s Windows software, for $100 with a two-year contract. It will be in stores by Thanksgiving.

Verizon rivals AT&T and T-Mobile USA started selling Lumia phones earlier this year, and will join Verizon in launching new phones with

Windows Phone 8, an updated operating system. Microsoft held a launch event for Windows Phone 8 in San Francisco on Monday, but the first phones are some weeks away from US store shelves.

Even though it was, until recently, the world’s largest maker of phones, Nokia has been largely absent from the U.S. market for many years. Its early smartphones never caught on in the country, and it was virtually shut out once the iPhone launched in 2007. In addition to Nokia, Verizon will be selling Windows Phones from Samsung Electronics and HTC. — AP

TOKYO: Models show off Sony’s latest digital SLR cameras, NEX-5R (L) and NEX-6 (R) during their press preview in Tokyo yesterday. Sony will introduce the latest Alpha NEX series cameras from November 16, next month. — AFP

Facebook, Twitter abuzz with hurricane chatter NEW YORK: Whether you call it Frankenstorm, Stormpocalypse or simply Hurricane Sandy, the giant weather system barreling up the East Coast is a favorite topic of conversation on social media from Facebook to Twitter. As people post updates to friends and family, relay emergency information and lighten the mood with humor, it’s clear that discussing natural disasters on social media has become as much a part of the experience as stocking up on bread and batteries.

As of early afternoon Monday, the hashtag Sandy had 233,000 photos on Instagram, the mobile photo-sharing service owned by Facebook. “Hurricanesandy,” meanwhile, had 100,000 photos and Frankenstorm had 20,000 and growing. As they waited for the storm to hit over the weekend, people posted photos of hurricane-preparedness supplies ranging from canned goods to board games and bottles of wine. Empty grocery store shelves where bread should have been also showed up on Facebook and Instagram. “There are now 10 pictures per second being posted with the hashtag sandy most are images of people prepping for the

storm and images of scenes outdoors, said Instagram CEO Kevin Systorm in an emailed statement. “I think this demonstrates how Instagram is quickly becoming a useful tool to see the world as it happens - especially for important world events like this.”

By Monday, dispatches about storm preparations gave way to messages of anticipation and real-time updates. Among US users, the terms “Sandy”, “Hurricane Sandy” and “Hurricane” were the most-used terms on Facebook, followed by “stay safe” and “be safe.” In fact, all of the top 10 most-mentioned phrases on Facebook related to the storm in some way among U.S. users, the company said. “Power,” “cold,” “my friends” and “prayers” were also in the top 10. To gauge how much its users are talking about a particular topic, Facebook uses a measurement tool it calls the “talk meter,” which ranks terms around a topic or event on a scale of 1 to 10. Tops that generate the most buzz receive a 10. As of Friday afternoon, Sandy-related chatter was at 7.12, the company said. In comparison, the San Francisco Giants World Series win on Sunday night measured at 6.71 on Facebook.—AP

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

health & science

Experts see manageable storm costs for insurers ALABAMA: As Hurricane Sandy barreled up the East Coast Monday, analysts who cover the insurance industry expected the losses to be manageable, even if it’s too early to estimate the final costs.

Insurers could even absorb damages as big as those caused by the country ’s most expensive storm, Hurricane Katrina, they said. The industry took $74.7 billion in losses from that Category 3 hurricane. By comparison, Sandy is a Category 1 storm.

Many are using Hurricane Irene as a

point of comparison. That storm cost insurance companies roughly $5 billion after it hit last year, according to Sterne, Agee & Leach Research.

Last year was an unusually rough one for natural disasters in the US, said Chris Hackett, director of personal lines policy at Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, or PCI. It started with a terrific winter snow storm, then tornadoes in Alabama and Missouri, followed by unusual earthquakes in Oklahoma and Virginia and Hurricane Irene along the East Coast.

Cliston Brown, director of public

affairs at PCI, guessed that Hurricane Sandy would probably be the biggest hurricane to hit the New York area since the 1938 hurricane known as the Long Island Express, among other nicknames.

Still, they think the insurance industry is financially prepared for Hurricane Sandy. This year has been relatively easy on insurers. “We were able to collect adequate premiums and charge adequate rates,” Hackett said.

“This year we haven’t seen quite so many incidents as we did last year.” US insurers have more than $500 billion in

capital, according to Morgan Stanley.

That gives them enough of a cushion to withstand losses from most scenarios.

“It’s just too early to predict damages,” said Greg Locraft, an insurance analyst at Morgan Stanley, in an interview Monday. “It’s top-to-bottom the biggest storm. But it’s not as strong as Katrina.” Because the storm is heading toward a major population center with “one of the highest concentrations of wealth in the world” the damages are likely to run into the billions, Locraft wrote in a research note Sunday.

Locraft said insurers’ fourth-quarter earnings could take a hit if losses are anywhere near those from Irene. Their budgets for catastrophes are smaller toward the end of the year than in the third quarter, usually the height of hurricane season.

Chubb, Allstate and Travelers are the insurers most likely to suffer losses, Locraft said, because they claim a large share of the market in areas where the storm looks likely to hit. If losses top $10 billion, global reinsurance companies would also take a hit. — AP

Breast-cancer checks save lives despite over diagnosis Screenings are topic of international debate

RUSTAVI: A picture taken on October 29, 2012, shows children playing inside a Soviet-era Yakovlev Yak-42 plane turned into their kindergarten in the Georgian city of Rustavi, some 25 km southeast of the capital Tbilisi. Local head teacher Gari Chapidze bought the old but fully functional Yak-42 from Georgian Airways and refurbished its interior with educational equipment, games and toys but left the cockpit instruments intact so they could be used as play tools. — AFP

China passes law to curb abuse of mental hospitals BEIJING: China’s legislature passed a long-awaited mental health law that aims to prevent people from being involuntarily held and unnecessarily treated in psychiatric facilities - abuses that have been used against government critics and triggered public outrage.

The law standardizes mental health care services, requiring general hospitals to set up special outpatient clinics or provide counseling, and calls for the training of more doctors.

Debated for years, the law attempts to address an imbalance in Chinese society - a lack of mental health care services for a population that has grown more prosperous but also more aware of modernday stresses and the need for treatment.

Psychiatrists who helped draft and improve the legislation welcomed its passage.

“The law will protect the rights of mental patients and prevent those who don’t need treatment from being forced to receive it,” said Dr. Liu Xiehe, an 85year-old psychiatrist based in the southwestern city of Chengdu, who drafted the first version of the law in 1985.

“Our mental health law is in line with international standards. This shows the government pays attention to the development of mental health and the protection of people’s rights in this area,” Liu told The Associated Press by phone.

Pressure has grown on the government in recent years after state media and rights activists reported cases of people forced into mental hospitals when they did not require treatment.

Some were placed there by employers with whom they had wage disputes, some by their family members in fights over money, and others - usually people with grievances against officials - by police who wanted to silence them.

Yang Yamei, of the Inner Mongolian city of Hulunbuir, has been locked up at a local mental hospital for the last eight months in what her daughter says is retaliation for her attempts to seek compensation from the government for a court ruling that unfairly sentenced her

to three years in a labor camp.

This is the third time in four years that she has been forcibly committed, her daughter Guo Dandan said by phone.

“It’s because my mother has been petitioning for help, but the authorities don’t want to solve her problems, so they put her in there,” Guo said. “I have tried many times to persuade her doctors to release her, but they refuse.”

Guo’s claim could not be independently verified. Local government offices and the mental hospital could not immediately be reached for comment.

“I only hope that the law will be stricter,” Guo said. “In the cases of petitioners, when the authorities can use their personal relationships with doctors to fake medical records, hospitals should not be allowed to accept such cases.”

The law states for the first time that mental health examinations and treatment must be conducted on a voluntary basis, unless a person is considered a danger to himself or others. Only psychiatrists have the authority to commit people to hospitals for treatment, and treatment may be compulsory for patients diagnosed with a severe mental illness, according to the law.

Significantly, the law gives people who feel they have been unnecessarily admitted into mental health facilities the right to appeal. But it will likely be a challenge for people to exercise that right once they are in the system, said Huang Xuetao, a lawyer who runs an organization in the southern city of Shenzhen that assists people who have been committed against their will. Though questions remain over how the law will be enforced and whether sufficient government funding will be provided to enable the expansion of services, psychiatrists said the passage of the legislation marked a milestone. “It’s very exciting. I honestly believe this will start a new trajectory,” said Dr. Michael Phillips, a Canadian psychiatrist who has worked in China for nearly three decades and now heads a suicide research center in Shanghai. — AP

YEN BAI: This picture shows a young ethnic Hmong hill tribe woman (L) carrying a baby on her back as she makes way home in the mountainous district of Mu Cang Chai, in the northwestern Vietnamese province of Yen Bai. — AFP

LONDON: Breast-cancer screening saves lives even though it also picks up cases in some women that would never have caused them a problem, according to a review published in The Lancet medical journal.

The independent review, commissioned by the charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and Britain’s Department of Health, follows fierce international debate about the benefits of routine screening and recent research that has argued it does more harm than good.

“This has become an area of high controversy,” said Sir Mike Richards, the Department of Health’s National Cancer Director and one of the sponsors of the review. Critics of routine screening argue that women can be subjected to unnecessary surgery, radiotherapy and medication to treat cancers that would have posed them no risk.

Harpal Kumar, chief executive of CRUK, acknowledged the shortcomings of screening but argued that until testing for breast cancer becomes more sophisticated, regular monitoring is the best option. “Screening remains one of the best ways to spot the very early signs of breast cancer, at a stage when treatment is most likely to be successful,” he said.

“Yet, as the review shows, some cancers will be diagnosed and treated that would never have caused any harm.”

A panel of experts led by University College London professor Sir Michael Marmot concluded that screening prevents about 1,300 deaths per year in Britain but can also lead to about 4,000 women having treatment for a condition that would never have troubled them.

This means that for every death that is prevented, three women are over-diagnosed. The review panel called for improved information, in health leaflets for instance, to give women a clearer picture of both the benefits and potential harms before they go for a mammogram.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in Britain, affecting one in eight at some point in their lives. The country’s screening programme invites women aged 50 to 70 for a mammogram every three years and this is being expanded to ages 47 and 73.

Earlier diagnosis and better treatments have improved the survival rate to 77 percent in 2007 from 41 percent in 1971, according to

CRUK. The conclusions of the review are based on analysis of 11 trials that all took place more than 20 years ago, which assessed whether screening resulted in fewer deaths due to the disease, compared to when no screening takes place.

The panel acknowledged the studies had limitations, not least because of their age, but decided the evidence was strong enough to conclude that women invited for screening have a relative risk of dying from breast cancer that is 20 percent less than those who are not invited.

Harpal Kumar said research is under way that could lead to more sophisticated tests that distinguish aggressive cancers from those that are not. This, coupled with a better understanding of genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors that play a role in breast cancer, could mean more finely targeted screening and less over-diagnosis.

“Until this is possible, we’d recommend women who have had something unusual picked up through screening to seek full advice and discuss all possible options with their breast cancer specialist team,” he said. —Reuters

Slimmer future for heavy kids who get help early BOSTON: Weight-loss programs can help even very young children slim down, and it appears that acting early may improve the odds of success, according to two European studies.

Excessive pounds in childhood often stay into adulthood, where they have been linked to heart disease, diabetes and other health problems.

In one study, which appeared in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, scientists in the Netherlands found that heavy three- to five-yearolds saw continued benefits from a weight-loss intervention at least several months after it ended.

A report from Sweden showed that overweight and obese children under 10 were much more likely to have slower weight gain than were adolescents getting similar behavioral treatments.

“What they are showing is a pretty consistent trend that if we were to intervene early, we could really have an effect on changing the trajectory of weight gain in children,” said Elsie Taveras, a pediatrician at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, who co-wrote an editorial on the findings.

Taveras said there is mounting evidence that paying attention to young kids may be a promising way to stem the global obesity epidemic. In 2008, more than a third of US youths were either overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The numbers have also been on the rise in Europe, although they are lower than in the United States. The Dutch researchers, led by Gianni Bocca of Beatrix Children’s Hospital in Groningen, studied 75 heavy children who had been randomly assigned to either usual care or an intensive weightloss program. The program lasted four months and involved 25 sessions with dietary advice, exercise and, for the parents, behavioral counseling.

A year after the study began, children in the intervention group had gained 1.9 kilograms (4.2 lbs) on average, and those who got usual care had added another 3 kg (6.8 lbs).

While that difference could have been due to chance, there was a statistically reliable difference in body mass index (BMI), a measure of height in relation to weight.

Children in the intervention group went down one unit in BMI, while the others saw no change.

“The magnitude of the effect, especially initially after the intervention, wasn’t very large, but what needs to be taken into account was that these children were growing,” Taveras said.

“What these interventions are showing is that you can have an effect, and hopefully these interventions are changing the trajectory these children were headed towards.”

She cautioned, though, that the Swedish findings, in a study led by Pernilla Danielsson of Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, were based on observations instead of an experiment.

That means it’s possible that the children between 14 and 16, who saw no or little effect of the behavioral treatment, could have been particularly tough cases.

Still, Taveras said, there is good evidence that heavy children who start weight-loss programs early have an easier time slimming down. “I hope that in a few years there will be more examples of programs that aren’t just clinical that we can send families to,” she said. —Reuters

FLORIDA: Demonstrators protest as they await a decision by the US Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the Affordable Healthcare Act, US President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare legislation, outside the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, in this June 28, 2012 file photo. — AFP

Outdoor wear coated in harmful chemicals BERLIN: Outdoor clothing from top manufacturers is frequently contaminated with chemicals that are harmful to health and the environment, Greenpeace warned Monday.

The environmental group said in a study that the materials that make many clothing items useful in wind, rain and snow are also toxic.

“Images of pristine nature are often used for advertising outdoor clothing.

But nature does not remain untouched by the chemicals in weather-resistant fabrics,” it said. “All over the world, from secluded mountain lakes and Arctic polar ice to deep in the oceans, traces can be found of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs), pollutants with properties that are harmful to the environment and health.”

Greenpeace said it had tested 14 rain

jackets and rain trousers for women and children from top brands such as Jack Wolfskin, Vaude, North Face, Marmot, Patagonia and Adidas for PFCs and found that each sample was contaminated.

It said that some PFCs were known endocrine disruptors and harmful to the reproductive system.

“Most brand name manufacturers use PFCs so that we stay dry in our outdoor wear, inside and outside,” Greenpeace said. “But these man-made compounds of carbon and fluorine are so stable that they can hardly be removed from the environment, if at all.”

The group launched its international Detox campaign in 2011 calling on textile manufacturers to replace hazardous chemicals used in production with safe alternatives, and on governments to step up regulation. — AFP

YANGON: In this photo taken on Oct 29, 2012, girls offer lights at Myanmar’s landmark Shwedagon pagoda on the eve of the full moon day of Thadingyut in Yangon, Myanmar. — AP

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

health & science

Acupuncture help ease cancer-related fatigue General fatigue drop by almost four points LONDON: Acupuncture may help relieve fatigue in women who have had breast cancer, as well as easing anxiety, depression and quality of life, according to a UK study. Cancer and cancer treatments can cause chronic pain, psychological stress and anemia, all of which contribute to fatigue. In addition, people who are nauseated after chemo might not be getting the most nutritious diet for maintaining energy levels.

For the research, which appeared in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Alexander Molassiotis from the University of Manchester and his colleagues tracked 227 women with moderate or severe cancer-related fatigue treated with six weekly acupuncture sessions and another 75 fatigued women who didn’t get acupuncture.

The women had all received chemotherapy for breast cancer in the five years before the study, and most had felt chronically tired for a year or more. Participants were given a booklet

about cancer-related fatigue when they started the study. After six weeks, general fatigue had dropped by almost four point on a 0-20 scale among women who had acupuncture, compared to a less than one point decline in the comparison group. “Acupuncture is an effective intervention for managing the symptom of chemo-related fatigue and improving patients’ quality of life,” wrote Molassiotis and his colleagues.

The improvement was “mild to moderate,” according to Amit OVRSood at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota - not enough to allow someone who is stuck in bed to start walking, but maybe enough to get people who are too tired to exercise to start doing some activity.

Anxiety and depression scores, measured from 0 to 21, dropped by two additional points postacupuncture, compared to scores in women given educational materials only.

Emotional and physical well-being got a greater boost with acupuncture therapy as

well, Malassiotis and his team found. The study did not prove it was the needles themselves that boosted the women’s energy levels, and researchers couldn’t tell how much of the benefit might have been due to the “placebo effect” - feeling better because they expected to-. According to an editorial published with the study, close to one-third of cancer patients have persistent fatigue that may continue for years after treatment. Doctors typically encourage moderate exercise and talk therapy to improve their energy, wrote psychologist Julienne Bower, from the University of California, Los Angeles.

But Carol Enderlin, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said acupuncture may help as an add-on. She recommended “maintaining activity to tolerance, unless there are other problems with that, good nutrition, getting adequate sleep, and if the fatigue continues, considering there might be an alternative that complements those things.” — Reuters

Women smokers who quit before 40 gain nine years PARIS: Women can add nine years to their lives by quitting smoking before the age of 40 but still face a 20-percent higher death rate than those who never smoked, a study said recently.

Published in The Lancet, a survey of nearly 1.2 million women in Britain showed that smoking throughout adulthood chopped on average 11 years off lifespan.

These results echoed the findings of earlier research conducted on men.

Among women who kicked the habit before the age of 40, the researchers measured an average lifespan gain of more than nine years compared with those who never stopped. For those who quit before 30 the

gains were even bigger-about 10 years. “ Whether they are men or women, smokers who stop before reaching middle age will on average gain about an extra 10 years of life,” study co-author Richard Peto of the University of Oxford said. But the paper warned this did not mean that it was safe to continue smoking until 40 before quitting. “Women who do so have throughout the next few decades [of their lives] a mortality rate 1.2 times that of never-smokers.

This is a substantial excess risk, causing one in six of the deaths among these ex-smokers.” In Europe and the United States, the popularity of smoking reached its peak among women in the 1960s,

decades later than for men. The Lancet study is one of the most extensive probes into the impacts of smoking on this generation of women, the first likely to have smoked substantially throughout their adult lives.

The research is part of a vast survey that enrolled 1.2 million women in the UK between 1996 and 2001. The volunteers were asked to detail their smoking history, and were followed for an average of 12 years.

The women were on average 55 years old when they signed up.

Twenty percent of them were smokers, 28 percent ex-smokers, while 52 percent had never smoked.

The researchers found that the

group of women who continued smoking had three times the overall mortality rate of neversmokers. While the risks increased with the amount smoked, “Even those smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes per day... had double the overall mortality rate than neversmokers,” warned the study.

It also cautioned against socalled “light” cigarettes, smoked by most of the women in the study. “Low-tar cigarettes are not low-risk cigarettes and... more than half of those who smoke them will eventually be killed by them,” the authors warned.

The key causes of death among smokers were chronic lung disease, lung cancer, stroke and heart disease. — AFP

KATHMANDU: A Nepalese man carries strings of lemon and chili for sale in Katmandu, Nepal, yesterday. Nepalese believe in hanging these garlands on the gate of homes and stores to get rid of bad energy. — AP

New UN ‘atlas’ links climate change, health GENEVA: Two UN agencies have mapped the intersection of health and climate in an age of global warming, showing that there are spikes in meningitis when dust storms hit and outbreaks of dengue fever when hard rains come.

Officials said Monday that their “Atlas of Health and Climate” is meant to be a tool for leaders to use to get early warning of disease outbreaks. Though the data or conclusions aren’t necessarily new, the way in which they are presented may sharpen governments’ ability to respond to the threats posed by rising temperatures and changing climate.

Since 2005, for example, the atlas shows that the weekly number of cases of meningitis, which is spread by bacteria and germs, has risen when the dry season hits subSaharan Africa, where it has killed an estimated 25,000 people over the past 10 years. And since at least 1998, there has been a strong seasonal pattern of dengue fever, transmitted by mosquitoes, during periods of heavy rainfall in tropical and subtropical areas, killing about 15,000 people a year. The joint project of the World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization, both

based in Geneva, says the likelihood of increasingly frequent heat waves hitting the planet is four to 10 times as often by 2050 and they will probably most affect the fastgrowing vulnerable populations of ageing and urban people particularly in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

“Many diseases including malaria, dengue, meningitis - just a few examples these are what we call climate-sensitive diseases, because such climate dimensions for rainfall, humidity and temperature would influence the epidemics, the outbreaks, either directly influencing the parasites or the mosquitoes that carry them,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, the director-general of the UN health agency. Chan said the data could be used to better manage animals’ habitat and ecosystems, which would also make a big difference to people’s health because 80 percent of the infectious diseases currently found in humans have come from animals.

WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said the atlas is meant to translate and map information buried in the agencies’ technical documents “into something which can be used by the decision-makers directly.” — AP

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

WHAT’S ON

BHCK wins BHI award for 2012 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 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.

ox Hill College Kuwait (BHCK) is proud to announce the winning of Box Hill Australia (BHI) of the prestigious award as the Leading Victorian and higher education provider of the year 2012. This prestigious state government award was presented to CEO, John Maddock by the Hon Peter Hall, MLC; Minister for Higher Education and Skills.

BHCK would like to take this opportunity to congratulate BHI on this award which reflects the dedication and commitment by BHI and recognizes the strength of the BHI’s partnerships with stakeholders in the community, industry and internationally. Dr Ali Arifa, the president of BHCK commented on this occasion by saying “Congratulations! I believe that winning this award is yet recognition of BHI’s standing in the higher educational field and its commitment to

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quality achievements! At BHCK, we are very proud of this award, knowing that we are an extended campus of one of the best educational provider’s internationally” BHCK, which is an extended campus of BHI, Australia, is the sole private higher education exclusive to women in the State of Kuwait. BHCK currently offers six diploma programs in the fields of management, marketing, banking services management, graphic design, interior design and decoration and website development. The program disciplines currently offered by BHCK require 2 years of post-secondary full time study exclusive of any preparatory requirements.

The programs are offered in English, and are accredited under the Australian Qualifications Framework and by the Kuwait Private Universities Council and

Ministry of Higher Education. BHCK offers students pathways to employment as well as undergraduate degree pro-

grams through transfer and articulation agreements with local Kuwaiti Universities.

IKEA Kuwait organize blood donation drive KEA Kuwait recently held an in store blood donation camp as part of their ongoing corporate social responsibility initiative which portrays a renowned tradition of IKEA giving back to the community. Hosting a blood donation drive conducted by The Mobil Unit - Blood Bank, all IKEA Kuwait employees, donated their blood to this humanitarian cause.

This norm is a means of extending the brands support to the local communities by addressing their social needs through the active involvement of the employees.

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Nadal live in Kuwait with Jamer

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.

atch your breath with live music and laughter on November 2, at 4 pm to be held at Ramada Hotel Ballroom, Reggae-Kuwait. A combination of two gifted artists from Philippines to impart to Filipino community the message of “Proud to be Pinoy”. Guest artists Kitchie Nadal and Janell Jamer from Wowowee. A major project of Musikerong Filipino sa Kuwait with special participation of Filipino organizations in Kuwait. Organizations participated in this event: PANIK, FBK, RUGBII, Triskelion-K-Tao, Guardians Brotherhood, The Bicolanos In Kuwait (TBIK), CATSCLAW, BISDAK, SOSK, TISOK, Light Benders, SPMK, Hiligaynon and GMGI.

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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

Arabic courses WARE will begin Winter 1 Arabic language courses with new textbooks and curricula will begin on December 2, 2012 until January 24, 2013. AWARE Arabic language courses are designed with the expat in mind. The environment is relaxed & courses are designed for those wanting to learn Arabic for travel, cultural understanding, and conducting business or simply to become more involved in the community. For more information or registration, please log-on to our website.

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Agility introduces Arabic website

Vichar Bharathi Kuwait conducts professional meet ichar Bharathi Kuwait, Fahaheel unit conducted its first professional meet on October 19, at Sopanam Auditorium, Abu Haleefa. The meet started with recital of Vandematharam by Smt Sreelakshmi Vichar Bharathi Kuwait, Fahaheel Joint Co-ordinator Shri Nanda Kumar N welcomed the gathering. Samskritha Bharati Middle East Coordinator Shri Balasubramaniam inaugurated the function lighting the traditional

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IDAK launches website he 25th of October 2012 was a milestone day in the history of the Indian Dentists’ Alliance in Kuwait as they launched their much-awaited website at the hands of the past presidents Dr. David Gnansekhar and Dr. Peter D’Souza. The IDAK website was created by web moderator and ex-General Secretary Dr Shaheer Malik. Currently the website is in its initial stages of its development but eventually more features will be added including a common login and password to be used by IDAK members. A special thanks to the IDAK executives, sub-committees and to all the members who graced this historic and happy moment with their well wishes. The web address is www.idakuwait.org

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Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

lamp and did the commencement of the membership by handing over the membership form to Dr Krishnadas. Dr Nandakumar Moorkath, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Kuwait University was the chief guest for the meet.

Vichar Bharathi Kuwait CoOrdinator Shri Vibeesh Thikkodi briefed the vision, mission and activities of Vichar Bharathi.

Fahaheel Co-ordinator advocate Sumod M K introduced the topic

“Social commitment of a professional” for debate and this was moderated by Shri Redhish Chandran.

Participants spoke positively on the subject which became the main attraction of the event. The debate came to a conclusion supporting the importance of self-commitment and the need for creating an awareness on those who lacks it. Shri Biju N delivered the vote of thanks. The function concluded with a lunch.

Kala (Art) Kuwait holds ‘NIRAM 2012’ ala (Art) Kuwait, a leading Progressive Art and Socio Cultural Organization among the Indian Community in Kuwait has scheduled to conduct Children’s Day by marking the birth day of the First Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, under the auspices of Kala (Art) Kuwait on Friday, 9th November 2012 at the Indian Community School, Khaithan Branch, at 2.00 PM. The program is titled as ‘Niram 2012 - B Natural’ consists of Painting Competition for the Indian School Students and a “Marathon Open Canvas Painting” for the other attendees including parents, visitors and Guests. The

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Painting Competition will be conducted in four different age groups. Group ‘A” from LKG to 1st Standard, Group ‘B” from 2nd to 4th Standard, Group ‘C” from 5th to 8th Standard and Group ‘D” from 9th to 12th Standard.

The media for Group ‘A” and ‘B” will be Crayons while Group”C” and ‘D” are Water Colors. Crayons and water colors shall be brought by the participants. Stamped Drawing papers will be supplied by the Organizers. Clay Modeling Competition also will be conducted for 7th to 11th Standard Students. Clay will be provided by the Organizers. The Marathon Open Canvas Painting is conduct-

ing in a view to display everyone’s views and talents through their vivid creations.

For the successful conduct of the program, a Reception Committee has been formed on Friday headed by K Hassan Koya as General Convener and Mukesh V P as Registration Convener.

Besides the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes, ten percent of the participants will be awarded with consolation prizes. The winners are liable to prove their age group with relevant documents in case the Organizers requested so.

Parents also have the opportunity to win prizes for Open Canvas Painting.

gility, a leading global logistics provider, launched its Arabic-language website on October 30, to cater to Arabic-speaking customers, partners, and shareholders in the Middle East and North Africa. The website has been designed to allow Arabic speakers convenient access to the latest company news, range of products and services, specialized solutions, and other related business and investor information. “We are a global company that operates in more than 100 countries, but we have strong local roots in the countries in which we operate. This is especially true in the Middle East, where we got our start as a company. Our Arabic website is part of our ongoing commitment to serving our customers in the Middle East and North Africa, and to maintaining open communication with our shareholders and partners,” said Elias Monem, Agility’s CEO for the Middle East and Africa.

With the newly introduced Arabic version, Agility’s website is now available in four languages, including English, French and German.

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GWS drawing competition s a part of the Goa Day 2012, organized by the Goan Welfare Society (GWS), in association with other Goan clubs and groups, a drawing competition and a collage competition, for children, will be held prior to the main event, as detailed here: date of competitions: November 14, (children’s day). Venue: Salmiya Indian Model School(SIMS), Salmiya, Kuwait. Time: 6 pm to 8 pm.

The competitions are open to students, enrolled in Indian schools, from ages 4 - 17 years, who will be grouped as follows: Drawing and coloring competitions: Group A ages 4 - 6 years, Group B ages 7 - 9 years, Group C ages 10 12 years. Collage competition: Group D ages 13 - 15 years, Group E ages 16 - 17 years.

The theme for drawing and collage competitions will pertain to the State of Goa and will be announced on the spot for each Group, separately.

The winners will be announced and prize distributions will be held on Friday, November 30, at the Goa Day 2012 function, to be held at the same venue, Salmiya Indian Model School (SIMS), Salmiya, Kuwait, between 12:00 noon to 8 pm. Online Entries, if desired, may be emailed to GWS email before November 7, with details of participant, as follows: participant’s name, date of birth, school, Std or Class, name of parent or guardian, Tel contact, mobile and email.

Please note that entries will not be accepted after November 7.

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 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.

LAIF holds annual convention

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he Life Abundant International Fountain Church (LAIF) recently held its annual convention at the National Evangelical Church Kuwait (NECK) compound, Kuwait City. The event featured ministrations, praise worship, drama, picnic etc.

In his message, Bishop Jonathan preached for peace and prayed for Muslims as they celebrate their Eid. He urged Christians to be good ambassadors of Christ. The program attracted lots of Christians from other denominations in and outside Kuwait.

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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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IIS, Carmel School bag top awards in IKFS competition ndo-Kuwait Friendship Society (IKFS), Kuwait conducted competitions in Indian and Kuwaiti patriotic songs on October 27, at the auditorium of Salmiya Indian Model School, Salmiya. This is the first time in Kuwait, an Indian, (Socio cultural - friendship) association organized contest in “Patriotic Songs” for school students on Inter-school basis. India International School, Mangaf (Fahaheel) bagged the first place in the patriotic songs competition and was lead by group leader Muzammil K. His team also included Rijas Abdulla, Ashwathy Prasad, Nayana Dinesh, Sruthi Narayanan, and Nimisha John. Judges Shahjan Jaffri and Mattin Sadiqi (executive committee members of IKFS) supervised the Patriotic Songs contest panel.

Harini Mahadevan scored first place in the girls’ solo singing (Hindi language) and instrumental (violin) contests while Mani Mahadevan scored first place in the boys’ solo singing (Hindi language) and instrumental (organ) contests. Both students represented Indian Community School of Kuwiat (ICSK), Amman Branch.

Sumayya Ghalib, 9 class student of

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Indian Public School (Salmiya) got first place in the English solo singing.

In the essay writing (English) competitions Yash Shanbghag, 10 class student of Carmel School bagged the first place.

Vijay, 8 class student of Gulf Indian School bagged second place, while

supervised by the judges : Engineer Sayid Fadal Nizar, Laxmi Ramalingam, Dr Noora Sayed Zoheb (MBBS). Some spot registration chances were also given to the students. IKFS has announced earlier the subject as “Patriotism” for the essay writing competition.

country. That was the purposeof these contests. IKFS chief advisor and patrons, Muzammil Malik, (Industrialist and Philanthropist ) Abdul Mohsin Al-Sadi, also were present. IKFS executive committee thanked Satish Mehta, Ambassador of India, The chief guest of

Lalitha Mary R of India International School , Mangaf, secured third place.

Hansen D’Silvia (India International School), Zainab Ghalib (Indian Public School), Shaon Bhattacharyya (Carmel School), Ajaz Ahmed G. 8 class (Indian Community School) bagged consolation certificates. The essay competitions were

Satish Mehta, Ambassador of India was the Chief Guest of the event who delivered the prizes and certificates to the winning children and the representatives of the participating schools.

Ghalib Al-Mashoor, President, IKFS said that let our children learn what they mean as a “Patriotic” to their home

the event for delivering the prizes to the winning school students. AKS Abdul Nazar (general secretary) welcomed the guests and audience while Natrajan (secretary) coordinated the contests.

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 ■■■■■■■

Remarkable record by Malaysia Manikam alaysia Manikam, the athlete legend who participated in Asia Olympic Race walking and won many medals in race walking events conducted in Japan, Australia, Columbia, India and Philippines. He made another mile stone in Kuwait soil.

On October 5, in Salmiya garden under 36 Degree Celsius he started the race walk at 11:00 am and walked continuously for 6 hours and finished at 5:00 pm in the evening. He successfully crossed 58 km in 6 hours.

This event was arranged by Valaikuda Vanambadi Poets Association. In the beginning along with VVPA members, Mutu, Sundarajan, yoga class members, devotional members, Rajasekaran (Waraba Insurance) were also joined in the event. In the end K Narasing Rao from Indian Embassy,

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

Kuwait. R I Diamond MBA, Radha Krishnan, Dr Paul Manuvel, Dr Kumar, Alex, Mathi, Palaniyappan, Sammanthan and many others accom-

panied to cheer and appreciated Manikam for his remarkable record.

Apart from that on November 9, in Kaifan stadium, he has planned to walk

continuously for 12 hours to make unbeatable record in the Middle East.

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.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

TV PROGRAMS

00:20 00:50 01:45 02:35 03:25 04:15 04:40 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

Safari Vet School Animal Cops Phoenix Lions Of Crocodile River I’m Alive Sharkman Safari Vet School Safari Vet School Wildest Africa Predator’s Prey Escape To Chimp Eden Wild Africa Rescue Wild Africa Rescue Wildlife SOS Talk To The Animals Growing Up...

Cats 101 Bad Dog Wildest Africa World Wild Vet Vet On The Loose Vet On The Loose Wildlife SOS Shamwari: A Wild Life Animal Cops Phoenix Wildest Africa Escape To Chimp Eden Talk To The Animals Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 The Jeff Corwin Experience Cats 101 Wildlife SOS Shamwari: A Wild Life Predator’s Prey Escape To Chimp Eden Wildest Africa The Magic Of The Big Blue Speed Of Life

23:50 Animal Cops Houston 00:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 00:45 Gok’s Fashion Fix 01:30 Antiques Roadshow 02:25 Holmes On Homes 03:10 Holmes On Homes 04:00 Living In The Sun 04:50 French Food At Home 05:15 MasterChef 06:10 Living In The Sun 07:05 MasterChef 08:00 MasterChef Australia 08:45 MasterChef Australia 09:35 Holmes On Homes 10:20 Holmes On Homes 11:05 Bargain Hunt 11:50 Antiques Roadshow 12:40 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 13:25 Gok’s Fashion Fix 14:15 10 Years Younger 15:05 10 Years Younger 15:55 Bargain Hunt 16:40 Antiques Roadshow 17:30 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 18:10 Gok’s Fashion Fix 19:00 Raymond Blanc’s Kitchen Secrets 19:30 Gino D’acampo: An Italian In Mexico 19:55 Rhodes Across China 20:40 A Taste Of Greenland 21:35 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 22:20 Antiques Roadshow 23:15 Bargain Hunt 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

You Have Been Warned Body Invaders Rattlesnake Republic 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 You Have Been Warned Body Invaders Rattlesnake Republic 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 Dynamo: Magician Impossible Mythbusters Mythbusters

23:20 Surviving Disaster 00:40 Prank Science 01:05 Prank Science 01:35 Building The Biggest 02:25 Build It Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg 03:15 Moon Machines 04:05 The Gadget Show 04:35 Prank Science 05:00 Prank Science 05:25 Cosmic Collisions 06:15 Punkin Chunkin 2010 07:05 Building The Biggest 08:00 Build It Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg 08:50 Moon Machines 09:40 Head Rush 09:43 Tech Toys 360 10:12 Patent Bending 10:40 Cosmic Collisions 11:30 The Gadget Show 11:55 The Gadget Show 12:20 Building The Biggest 13:10 Punkin Chunkin 2010 14:00 Build It Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg 14:50 Moon Machines 15:45 Cosmic Collisions 16:35 The Gadget Show 17:00 Head Rush 17:03 Tech Toys 360 17:32 Patent Bending 18:00 Engineered 18:50 Cosmic Collisions 19:40 Punkin Chunkin 2010

20:30 21:20 22:10 22:35 23:00 23:50

Space Pioneer Meteorite Men The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Space Pioneer Meteorite Men

20:20 Bang Goes The Theory 00:20 Special Agent Oso 00:35 Special Agent Oso 00:50 Lazytown 01:15 Little Einsteins 01:40 Jungle Junction 01:55 Jungle Junction 02:10 Little Einsteins 02:30 Special Agent Oso 02:55 Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 03:00 Lazytown 03:25 Little Einsteins 03:50 Jungle Junction 04:20 Little Einsteins 04:40 Special Agent Oso 05:05 Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 05:10 Lazytown 05:35 Little Einsteins 06:00 Jungle Junction 06:15 Jungle Junction 06:30 Little Einsteins 06:50 Special Agent Oso 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:15 Jungle Junction 07:30 Jungle Junction 07:45 Handy Manny 08:00 Special Agent Oso 08:15 Lazytown 08:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 09:10 The Hive 09:20 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 09:35 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 09:50 Handy Manny 10:05 The Hive 10:15 Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 10:20 Mouk 10:35 Mouk 10:45 The Hive 10:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 11:20 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 11:45 Art Attack 12:10 Imagination Movers 12:35 Lazytown 13:00 Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 13:10 Handy Manny 13:25 Jungle Junction 13:40 Imagination Movers 14:05 The Hive 14:15 Special Agent Oso 14:30 Lazytown 14:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 15:20 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 15:45 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 16:00 Mouk 16:15 The Hive 16:25 Art Attack S2 16:50 Doc McStuffins 17:05 Art Attack 17:30 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 17:45 Art Attack 18:10 Lazytown 18:40 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 18:55 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 19:10 The Hive 19:20 Mouk 19:35 Imagination Movers 20:00 A Poem Is...

20:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 20:25 Jungle Junction 20:40 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 21:05 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 21:20 The Hive 21:30 Mini Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 21:35 A Poem Is...

21:40 A Poem Is...

21:45 Mouk 22:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 22:25 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 22:40 Special Agent Oso 22:55 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 23:20 Timmy Time 23:30 Jungle Junction 23:45 Handy Manny 23:55 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

M1 Challenge Aiya TV Aiya TV Pro Bull Riders 2011 World Combat League TNA: Greatest Matches Dragrace High Dragrace High M1 Challenge 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

Grill It! With Bobby Flay Guy’s Big Bite Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Guy’s Big Bite Guy’s Big Bite Grill It! With Bobby Flay Grill It! With Bobby Flay Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

05:15 Guy’s Big Bite 05:40 Outrageous Food 06:05 Unique Sweets 06:30 Food Network Challenge 07:10 Barefoot Contessa 07:35 Barefoot Contessa 08:00 Food Network Challenge 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 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 Network Challenge 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 Unwrapped 20:30 Food Network Challenge 21:20 Chopped 22:10 Kid In A Candy Store Special 23:00 Guy’s Big Bite 23:25 Barefoot Contessa 23:50 Food Network Challenge

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 Fatal Encounters Killer Kids Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab A Haunting Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis 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 Behind Mansion Walls American Greed

00:15 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 3 00:45 By Any Means 01:40 Ultimate Traveller 02:35 Which Way To 03:30 Don’t Tell My Mother 04:25 Long Way Down 05:20 Bondi Rescue 05:45 Bondi Rescue 06:15 Food School 06:40 Food School 07:10 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 3 07:35 David Rocco‚Äôs Dolce Vita 3 08:05 By Any Means 09:00 Ultimate Traveller 09:55 Which Way To 10:50 Don’t Tell My Mother 11:45 Long Way Down 12:40 Bondi Rescue 13:05 Bondi Rescue 13:35 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 14:00 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 14:30 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 14:55 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 15:25 By Any Means 16:20 Ultimate Traveller 17:15 Which Way To 18:10 Treks In A Wild World 19:05 Long Way Down 20:00 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 20:30 My Sri Lanka With Peter Kuruvita 21:00 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 21:30 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 22:00 Bondi Rescue 22:25 Bondi Rescue 22:55 Food School 23:20 Food School 23:50 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 23:00 Naked Science 00:00 Rescue Ink 01:00 Fish Warrior 01:55 Untamed Americas 02:50 World’s Deadliest GPU 03:45 Prehistoric Predators 04:40 The Living Edens 05:35 That Shouldn’t Fly 06:30 Untamed Americas 07:25 World’s Deadliest GPU 08:20 Prehistoric Predators 09:15 Freaks & Creeps 10:10 Spine Chillers: Vampire Bats 11:05 Hunter Hunted 12:00 Monster Fish 13:00 Untamed Americas 14:00 World’s Deadliest 15:00 Ultimate Vipers 16:00 Striker!

17:00 Warrior Bees 18:00 Hunter Hunted 19:00 Untamed Americas 20:00 World’s Deadliest GPU 21:00 Prehistoric Predators 22:00 Freaks & Creeps 23:00 Spine Chillers: Vampire Bats Zoo Confidential 23:00 Dangerous Encounters 00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00

The Killing Room-18 Rollerball-18 Reign Of Fire-PG15 Twins Mission-PG15 Bending The Rules-PG15 Shanghai Noon-PG15

12:00 14:00 16:00 PG15 18:00 20:00 22:00 22:00

Dangerous Flowers-PG15 Bending The Rules-PG15 True Justice: Urban Warfare-

KUWAIT

Frozen-PG15 The Crazies-18 The Rite-18hting-PG15 Homecoming-18

02:00 The Ricky Gervais Show 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 19:30 New Girl 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 The Boondocks 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Fall on

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

01:00 Walk The Line-PG15 03:30 Treasure Buddies-PG 05:30 Justice For Natalee HollowayPG15 07:30 Kings Ransom-PG15 09:00 Battle For Terra-PG 11:00 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Pt.2-PG15 13:30 The LXD: The Uprising BeginsPG15 15:00 The LXD: Secrets Of The RaPG15 16:45 Battle For Terra-PG 18:30 War Horse-PG15 21:00 The Inbetweeners-PG15 23:00 Anonymous-18

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

00:00 Toyz Goin’Wild-PG 02:00 The Nimbols: Part I-FAM 04:00 Return To Halloweentown-PG 06:00 The Great Bear-PG 08:00 The Nimbols: Part II-FAM 10:00 Despicable Me-FAM 12:00 Scooby-Doo! Legend Of The Phantosaur-PG15 14:00 Olentzero And The Magic LogFAM 16:00 Tommy & Oscar-FAM 18:00 Despicable Me-FAM 20:00 Arthur And The Revenge Of Maltazard-PG 22:00 Olentzero And The Magic LogFAM 22:15 Resident Evil 4: Afterlife-18

MARINA-1 CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) LOOPER (DIG) CHASING MAVERICKS (DIG) TAKEN2 :2D NO TUE+WED

01:00 02:00 04:00 05:00 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

Breaking Bad Homeland Grey’s Anatomy Private Practice Emmerdale Coronation Street Royal Pains The Ellen DeGeneres Show Grey’s Anatomy Private Practice Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Royal Pains Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Royal Pains Body Of Proof Franklin & Bash Combat Hospital Supernatural Grimm23:00 Grimm

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

Get Rich Or Die Tryin’-18 Reign Of Fire-PG15 Fighting-PG15 Anaconda-PG15 Aeon Flux-PG15 Fighting-PG15 Blank Slate-PG15 Aeon Flux-PG15 Frozen-PG15 The Crazies-18 The Rite-18 Creature-PG15 The Morgue-18

00:00 02:00 04:15 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 22:00

Pieces Of April-PG15 In Her Shoes-PG15 Held Up (1999)-PG15 The Lightkeepers-PG15 Prom-PG15 My Last Five Girlfriends-PG15 That’s What I Am-PG15 Flipped-PG My Last Five Girlfriends-PG15 Dinner For Schmucks-PG15 Zero Effect-PG15 Frenemy-18 Frenemy-18

01:00 Fear-18 03:00 Shanghai-PG15 05:00 The Chamber-PG15 07:00 Alabama Moon-PG15 09:00 The Greatest-PG15 11:00 Elizabethtown-PG15 13:00 The Headless Woman-PG15 15:00 The Greatest-PG15 17:00 Swansong: Story Of Occi Byrne-PG15 19:00 Planet Of The Apes-PG15 21:00 Loosies-PG15 22:45 Broken Embraces-18 Square Grouper-18

00:30 Challenge Series Golf Highlights 01:00 Futbol Mundial 01:30 Wake The Line 02:00 Kiteboard World Cup 02:30 PGA European Tour Highlights 03:30 Premier League Snooker 07:00 Challenge Series Golf Highlights 07:30 PGA European Tour Highlights 08:30 ITM Cup 10:30 Futbol Mundial 11:00 Currie Cup 13:00 Trans World Sport 14:00 Premier League Snooker 17:30 Challenge Series Golf Highlights 18:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 19:00 Top 14 21:00 Futbol Mundial 21:30 Trans World Sport 22:30 PGA European Tour Weekly 23:00 ITM Cup

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 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JAI THY FDB KAC JZR JZR QTR KAC KAC ETH GFA JZR UAE ETD OMA FDB MSR QTR DHX THY JZR JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC ETD UAE KAC KAC GFA ABY QTR FDB ETD GFA IRC BAB IRA FDB JZR MEA MSC KNE IRM UAE JZR MSR CLX GFA FDB IRC SVA QTR JZR KAC JZR QTR KAC JZR IYE UAE JZR ETD RJA IRC UAL GFA SVA KNE JZR QTR ABY KAC JZR RBG KAC BAB FDB MSC JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC OMA FDB KAC JAI AXB MSR ABY QTR ALK MEA QTR GFA ETD UAE JZR FDB DHX KLM UAL AIC JZR GFA JZR DLH

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 31/10/2012 Flt Route 574 MUMBAI 772 ISTANBUL 8051 DUBAI 2704 MEDINAH 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 148 DOHA 2956 JEDDAH 2706 MEDINAH 620 ADDIS ABABA 211 BAHRAIN 1779 JEDDAH 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 643 MUSCAT 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 170 BAHRAIN 770 ISTANBUL 555 ALEXANDRIA 529 ASSIUT 157 LONDON 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 933 ABU DHABI 855 DUBAI 344 CHENNAI 284 DHAKA 223 BAHRAIN 121 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 6589 MASHAD 436 BAHRAIN 603 MASHAD 69 DUBAI 165 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 2401 ASSIUT 470 JEDDAH 1190 MASHAD 871 DUBAI 175 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 792 LUXEMBOURG 219 BAHRAIN 57 DUBAI 6692 MASHAD 500 JEDDAH 140 DOHA 561 SOHAG 788 JEDDAH 325 NAJAF 134 DOHA 538 SHARM EL SHEIKH/SOHAG 535 CAIRO 824 SANAA/DOHA 857 DUBAI 481 SABIHA 303 ABU DHABI 640 AMMAN 6791 MASHAD 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 462 MEDINAH 777 JEDDAH 144 DOHA 127 SHARJAH 542 CAIRO 177 DUBAI 3553 ALEXANDRIA 786 JEDDAH 438 BAHRAIN 63 DUBAI 2405 SOHAG 787 RIYADH 166 PARIS/ROME 618 DOHA 102 NEW YORK/LONDON 674 DUBAI 774 RIYADH 647 MUSCAT 61 DUBAI 614 BAHRAIN 572 MUMBAI 389 MANGALORE 606 LUXOR 129 SHARJAH 146 DOHA 229 COLOMBO 402 BEIRUT 136 DOHA 221 BAHRAIN 307 ABU DHABI 859 DUBAI 135 BAHRAIN 59 DUBAI 372 BAHRAIN 417 AMSTERDAM 981 BAHRAIN 975 CHENNAI/GOA 239 AMMAN 217 BAHRAIN 185 DUBAI 636 FRANKFURT

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

Airlines AIC PIA UAL BBC DLH FDB JAI ETH THY FDB UAE OMA ETD MSR QTR QTR JZR GFA THY KAC JZR FDB JZR BAW JZR JZR KAC GFA ABY UAE FDB KAC ETD QTR ETD GFA KAC BAB IRC FDB KAC IRA JZR JZR KAC MEA KAC MSC KNE JZR MSR IRM UAE GFA FDB CLX KAC IRC SVA KAC JZR QTR KAC KAC JZR IYE ETD JZR QTR UAE RJA IRC GFA UAL JZR SVA KNE ABY JZR QTR RBG JZR FDB BAB MSC KAC FDB KAC KAC OMA JAI ABY MSR DHX ALK MEA ETD QTR GFA KAC KAC FDB JZR UAE DHX KAC KLM QTR JZR GFA JZR KAC

Depature Flights on Wednesday 31/10/2012 Flt Route Time 982 AHMEDABAD/HYDERABAD/CHENNAI 0:05 206 LAHORE/KARACHI 0:10 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 0:10 44 DOHA/DHAKA 1:00 637 FRANKFURT 1:20 8052 DUBAI 01:25 573 MUMBAI 01:30 621 ADDIS ABABA 02:45 773 ISTANBUL 02:55 68 DUBAI 03:45 854 DUBAI 03:50 644 MUSCAT 03:55 306 ABU DHABI 04:00 613 CAIRO 04:10 139 DOHA 04:50 149 DOHA 06:05 164 DUBAI 06:55 212 BAHRAIN 07:00 771 ISTANBUL 07:35 537 SHARM EL SHEIKH/SOHAG 08:10 560 SOHAG 08:15 54 DUBAI 08:25 174 DUBAI 08:30 156 LONDON 08:45 480 SABIHA 08:55 534 CAIRO 09:15 787 JEDDAH 09:25 224 BAHRAIN 09:30 122 SHARJAH 09:45 856 DUBAI 09:55 56 DUBAI 10:00 117 NEW YORK 10:00 302 ABU DHABI 10:05 133 DOHA 10:10 934 ABU DHABI 10:30 214 BAHRAIN 10:40 175 FRANKFURT/GENEVA 10:45 437 BAHRAIN 10:50 6590 MASHAD 11:00 70 DUBAI 11:25 541 CAIRO 11:30 602 SHIRAZ 11:40 324 NAJAF 12:05 776 JEDDAH 12:15 103 LONDON 12:20 405 BEIRUT 12:55 785 JEDDAH 13:00 2406 SOHAG 13:05 461 MEDINAH 13:10 176 DUBAI 13:50 611 CAIRO 14:05 1191 MASHAD 14:15 872 DUBAI 14:15 220 BAHRAIN 14:20 58 DUBAI 14:30 792 VIETNAM 14:45 673 DUBAI 15:05 6693 MASHAD 15:10 503 MEDINAH/JEDDAH 15:45 617 DOHA 15:45 786 RIYADH 15:50 141 DOHA 16:15 773 RIYADH 16:25 613 BAHRAIN 17:05 238 AMMAN 17:15 824 SANAA 17:30 304 ABU DHABI 17:35 538 CAIRO 17:40 135 DOHA 17:45 858 DUBAI 17:50 641 AMMAN 17:55 6792 MASHAD 18:00 216 BAHRAIN 18:15 982 BAHRAIN 18:25 184 DUBAI 18:30 511 RIYADH 18:35 471 JEDDAH 18:40 128 SHARJAH 18:40 266 BEIRUT 18:45 145 DOHA 18:50 3554 ALEXANDRIA 19:00 134 BAHRAIN 19:05 64 DUBAI 19:25 439 BAHRAIN 19:30 2402 ASSIUT 19:55 283 DHAKA 20:30 62 DUBAI 20:40 353 COCHIN 20:45 331 TRIVANDRUM 20:55 648 MUSCAT 20:55 571 MUMBAI 21:10 120 SHARJAH 21:15 619 ALEXANDRIA 21:25 171 BAHRAIN 21:50 230 COLOMBO 21:55 403 BEIRUT 22:20 308 ABU DHABI 22:20 137 DOHA 22:25 222 BAHRAIN 22:30 301 MUMBAI 22:35 381 DELHI 22:40 60 DUBAI 22:40 554 ALEXANDRIA 22:45 860 DUBAI 22:50 373 BAHRAIN 23:00 205 ISLAMABAD 23:00 417 DAMMAM/AMSTERDAM 23:05 147 DOHA 23:10 502 LUXOR 23:35 218 BAHRAIN 23:50 528 ASSIUT 23:50 415 KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA 23:55

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

ACCOMMODATION 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 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) Sharing accommodation for Filipino Farwaniya blk 1, st 122, in front of Gulf Mart, non-smoking, decent person only, call 66390770.

(C 4191) 25-10-201

Prado 2005, silver, 4 cylinders, full option, including double gear and censor, one owner only. Price KD 4,750. Tel: 97479763.

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw

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

112 Prayer timings

SITUATION WANTED 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

Fajr:

04:40

Duhr:

11:32

Asr:

14:40

Maghrib:

17:03

Isha:

18:21

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

No:

15613

FOR SALE Dodge Durango 2000 model, V8 engine, in good condition, silver grey color, 148,000 km. Price KD 1,100.

Contact: 66645886.

31-10-2012

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

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 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: Tuesday

Ext.: 262 2627 - 2630

WWW.MET.GOV V..KW

30/10/2012

BY Y DA AY:

Sunny with light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of 12 - 35 km/h

BY Y NIGHT:

Fair with light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of 10 - 32 km/h

No Current Warnings arnin a

WA ARNING

31 °C

22 °C

22451082

KUW WAIT A AIRPOR RT

30 °C

15 °C

Al-Mirqab

22456536

NUW WAISEEB A

31 °C

19 °C

Sharq

22465401

WA AFRA

31 °C

18 °C

Salmiya

25746401

SALMI

28 °C

15 °C

ABDAL LY

30 °C

15 °C

Jabriya

25316254

JAL ALIY YAH A

30 °C

16 °C

Maidan Hawally

25623444

FAILAKA A

31 °C

21 °C

Bayan

25388462

AHMADI POR RT

29 °C

22 °C

Mishref

25381200

UMM AL-MARADEM

29 °C

26 °C

W.Hawally

22630786

WA ARBA A - BUBY YA AN

31 °C

15 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

ST TATION T

SFC. CHART

30/10/2012 0000 UTC

4 DA AYS Y FORECAST Temperatures DA AY

DA ATE T

WEA AT THER

MAX.

MIN.

Wind Direction

Wind Speed

Weednesday

31/10

sunny

30 °C

15 °C

NW

10 - 32 km/h

sunny

31 °C

16 °C

NW

12 - 35 km/h

sunny + scattered clouds

31 °C

17 °C

NW

12 - 35 km/h

31 °C

18 °C

NW-VRB

08 - 28 km/h

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

Thursday

01/11

South Jahra

24775066

Friday

02/11

North Jahra

24775992

Saturday

03/11

partly cloudy

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

PRA RA AY YER TIMES

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WAIT A AIRPORT

Fajr

04:39

MAX. Temp.

30 °C

Sunrise

06:00

MIN. Temp.

20 °C 52 %

Firdous

24892674

Zuhr

11:32

MAX. RH

Al-Omariya

24719048

Asr

14:40

MIN. RH

16 %

Sunset

17:04

MAX. Wind

N 39 km/h

Isha

18:22

TOT TAL AL RAIINF FA ALL L IN 24 HR.

23900322

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

00 mm

30/10/12 02:58 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

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Walsh approves of Cole’s new boyfriend imberley Walsh approves of Cheryl Cole’s new boyfriend. The Girls Aloud star thinks her band-mate and close friend’s man Tre Holloway is “lovely”, and although she doesn’t know too much about him she is looking forward to Cheryl opening up about her relationship with her backing dancer when the time is right. Kimberley revealed: “He’s a really lovely guy, but I feel it’s right to give her the space to settle into it herself and discuss it in her own time. She deserves that.” The ‘Something New’ singer has also been getting advice from Cheryl on her dance steps for ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and she hopes the pair could incorporate some of their fancy new moves on the group’s hotly-anticipated comeback tour next year. Kimberley, 30, added: “I tell her each week what the dance is and she gives me a

K

quick run-down of the basics. It’s nice that she understands how hard it is. Maybe me and Cheryl could do it together - she used to do ballroom dancing.” Despite her busy schedule, Kimberley still makes time for her long-term boyfriend Justin Scott and says her nine-year romance is stronger than ever. She told LOOK magazine: “It’s always been busy in our relationship, but he’s so easy going, he just chills out.

We’ve been together so long, it’s not like when you’re at the early stage of a relationship and you worry whether you’ll get through. I go home to him every night, so I do see a lot of him.”

Houghton brands ex-fiance ‘sick’ hantelle Houghton has branded her ex-fiance Alex Reid “sick”.

The reality TV star had been getting on better with her former partner but says things have taken a turn for the worse after girls came forward to say he has been messaging them on twitter asking for improper things, while she has been caring for their fourmonth-old daughter Dolly. She said: “Alex and I have taken a massive step backwards after we began to get on better last week. “When he was being reasonable, I - like a fool - thought, ‘Oh God, maybe he does actually cares.’ “But I now feel like he’s manipulating the situation to make it look as though he’s making a real effort. “Meanwhile, a girl messaged me on twitter to say Alex had asked her for sex.

She’s not the first - he’s been asking girls to send him pictures and various other things I can’t say in my column! “Alex is single now and can do what he likes but I think his timing is a bit sick really. At 3:00 am, when I’m feeding Dolly, it’s really not the sort of thing I want to be reading.” However, Chantelle, 29, is looking forward to moving on with her life and can’t wait for her and Dolly to move into their new house. Writing in her column for new! magazine, she said: “I’m so excited to have found a lovely house - in three weeks we’re moving in. It’s got four bedrooms and a garden and it’s a really nice home for Dolly. There’s a lot of space, which will be handy for when she starts crawling. “I’ve got to furnish it because I left a lot of my stuff at the old house. I just want to start again so I’m going to be really busy.”

C Brand is being sued for $25,000 ussell Brand is being sued for $25,000 by a man who claims he hit him with his car. Victor Sneed has filed a lawsuit at the Los Angeles County Superior Court against the ‘Rock of Ages’ actor claiming he drove into him in January 2012. He says he suffered personal injury, property damage and had hospital bills as a result of the accident, totaling a claim of $25,000. Victor says Russell - who had split with wife Katy Perry just a month before the alleged incident - was driving “negligently” at the time, TMZ website reports. If convicted it will be the second time Russell has been involved in court proceedings this year after he was ordered to pay $500 in court fees and undertake 20 hours of community service after he threw a photographer’s phone through a window in March. However, he claimed afterwards he was “honored” to do it.

He said: “I don’t know what their format of community service is, but community service, that doesn’t seem like a punishment. That seems like a duty. “We are our community. Service is an honor. I’ll be happy to do it.”

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Kerr finds climbing trees ‘rewarding’ iranda Kerr finds climbing trees “rewarding”. The Victoria’s Secret beauty - who has 21-month-old son Flynn with her husband Orlando Bloom - was a tomboy when she was younger and still likes to indulge her adventurous side. She told the December issue of Esquire magazine: “I spent my childhood outdoors on my grandparents’ farm. I learned to ride a motorbike when I was about six, a little PeeWee 50. “I’d climb trees - there was a big weeping willow.

We had a flying fox [a zip-line]. I was so fortunate to grow up like that. “I really feel that my body craves to be in the mountains or by the ocean or in the countryside. I still like to climb the odd tree. Yeah, it’s fun! I like to climb. I find it very rewarding. You feel like you’re going somewhere. I don’t like abseiling, though. I don’t like going down. I like going up.” However, Miranda, 29, admits she has had some mishaps with her climbing antics. The Australian model said: “It is tough! I got stuck up a tree when I was about seven, and my dad had to come and get the ladder to get me down. I loved to climb all the way up to the top. I must have been a koala in my past life.” Miranda’s full interview is in the new issue of Esquire, which goes on sale on Thursday.

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One Direction wants a break ne Direction want to have a 10-year break. The boy band - made up of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik - plan to split up during the peak of their career and then reunite years later, just like Take That did. Niall said: “We want to be like Take That or Gary Barlow - take 10 years out and then come back.” Take That - also made up of Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange - split in 1996, one year after original member Robbie Williams quit the group, before announcing their reunion in 2005 and their three subsequent albums and tours have been met with universal critical acclaim. However, One Direction - who are about to release their second album, ‘Take Me Home’ - have no plans to disband yet and are enjoying every moment of their sensational career so far. Niall, 18, says the group love the album’s second single, ‘Little Things’, and are looking forward to seeing the reaction of their fans when the video is released. He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “We heard the new song and said, ‘Yeah, that’s a cracker, we want it.’ “For the video, we just kind of sit around in a studio and act like we’re recording.” One Direction first shot to fame on ‘The X Factor’ in 2010 and were signed by show boss Simon Cowell to his Syco Records label after they finished third on the talent show.

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Stewart won back Pattinson risten Stewart won back Robert Pattinson with a video montage of their happiest moments together. The couple - who play on screen lovers Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in the ‘Twilight Saga’ series - have rekindled their romance after Kristen had an affair with her ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ director Rupert Sanders but it took a lot of groveling and effort by the actress to convince the actor to take her back. The touching video comprised of photos and footage of their life together made Robert realize he didn’t want to throw their relationship away. A friend of Kristen, 22, told The Sun newspaper: “She sent Robert the film after bombarding him with hundreds of texts, emails and answer phone messages. “It was a last-ditch attempt at getting him back and she spent ages making the video montage using hundreds of photos and hours of home film footage of nights out and holidays.” It would seem that Google Chrome’s recent advert - which sees a man begging for his ex-girlfriend’s forgiveness through a film inspired the actress as she chose the same approach to try and gain Rob’s forgiveness. The source added: “It was just like the Google Chrome ad as she cut-and-pasted lines from love poems to connect it all together.” The pair have been spotted out several times since they got back together, most recently at a Prince concert in Los Angeles last week, and Kristen recently spoke about how she has learnt from her mistake. She said: “You have to be OK with your own fears. If you’re an honest person you’ll make mistakes, but it’ll be OK. The most interesting things happen after making mistakes.”

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Embarrassing encounter in a restaurant with Holmes atie Holmes had an embarrassing encounter with a diner wearing a “Free Katie” T-shirt in a restaurant. The 33-yearold actress and her daughter Suri, six, sat down to enjoy a quiet dinner at Mr Chow Tribeca, in New York City, on Saturday October 27, next to a group of Halloween revelers, who were wearing the comedy T-shirt and another shirt which read “Save Suri”. The slogan emblazoned clothes are references to the campaign that was started when Katie was still married to Scientologist Tom Cruise - who she divorced in July - urging her to leave the actor. Another member of the party was dressed as a young Tom from ‘Top Gun’, but when they spotted who was on the next table they covered up their T-shirts. A source told the New York Post newspaper: “When they sat down, they exchanged an awkward glance with Katie, but she kept her cool and didn’t say anything.

The embarrassed Halloween crew quickly covered up the costumes before Suri got a chance to take a look.” It was recently claimed Katie is getting ready to date again following her separation from Tom, 50, and her dad Martin intends to help her find a new guy.

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Krasinski is ‘emotional’ about ending ‘The Office’ ohn Krasinski is “emotional” about the end of ‘The Office’. The actor - who is married to Emily Blunt - has played Jim Halpert on the comedy for seven years and while he doesn’t want to say goodbye, he is happy that he and his cast-mates have the opportunity to bring their storylines to a satisfactory conclusion. He told VMAN: “I get so emotional to think that we’re ending the show.

But I’m unbelievably proud to be a part of one that actually gets to end. Instead of being asked to leave, I actually get a shot at bringing the whole story and all the characters to a close.” John, 33, also revealed he used to live in fear of the show ending and asked for some of the first episodes on DVD so he could show his mother. He explained: “We actually had a guy come down every Friday to the set and he’d be like, ‘Ah man, this episode’s so great. It’s going so well. The dailies are looking great. You know this is the last episode, right? We’re not going to pick it up’. And I was like, ‘Can I at least get these on DVD to show my mom?’ And he actually did give me the first six episodes on DVD, because we were sure we actually weren’t going to get picked up.” —Bang Showbiz

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

LIFESTYLE F e a t u r e s

Green Day cancels shows for frontman treatment rammy-winning US punk band Green Day announced Monday it has canceled upcoming tour dates and postponed shows in early 2013, as frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has treatment for substance abuse. The band, founded in Berkeley, California in 1987, canceled nine dates between now and December, and postponed 21 shows scheduled during January and February next year, it said in a statement. All the shows are in the United States.

“Obviously the timing for this isn’t ideal, but Billie Joe’s wellbeing is our main concern,” said the band’s bassist and co-founder Mike Dirnt, without explicitly referring to the Green Day singer’s drug problems.

“We are happy to say that Billie Joe is doing well, and we want to thank you all for the outpouring of support and well wishes that we have received, and we can’t wait to see you all again soon,” he added. Armstrong has checked in for rehab after an expletiveladen meltdown at a festival show in Las Vegas last month, according to the Los Angeles Times newspaper, which said he is being treated for “substance abuse issues.” Earlier this year the band announced a trilogy of albums, “Uno,”“Dos” and “Tre,” going on sale in September, November and January, as follow-ups to their Grammy-winning 2009 hit album “21st Century Breakdown.”

The second album is still due out in November, but the release of “Tre” has been brought forward to December. Tickets for shows this year will be refunded, while new dates will be announced for the January and February shows. “We feel bad we have to delay our tour, so to make up for it we want to give our fans the music earlier than we had planned,” said drummer TrÈ Cool, real name Frank Edwin Wright III. “If we couldn’t be there to play it for you live, the least we could do was give you the next best thing,” he added. —AFP

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Indian Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan is flanked by actresses Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif as they pose during a promotional event for the forthcoming Hindi film”Jab Tak Hai Jaan” in Mumbai late October 29, 2012. The film was directed by Bollywood legend Yash Chopra who died on October 21. —AFP

Bond fans beware: Wikipedia reveals major ‘Skyfall’ spoiler ames Bond fans beware Wikipedia’s entry for the latest 007 film “Skyfall” contains spoilers big enough to drive an Aston Martin through. It’s a posting that includes a full plot summary, which jeopardizes major twists involving the fate of one character and the future of MI6, the agency Bond calls home. Seriously, reading Wikipedia will have Bond devotees reaching for their vodka martinis.

Don’t worry, we won’t spoil it, but best to steer clear of the web’s encyclopedia if you want to stay in the dark. How did that happen? “Skyfall’s” secrets have remained closely guarded throughout its development and production, with the film’s producers teasing out key details, such as the singer behind the film’s theme song (it’s Adele!) and the bizarre blonde appearance of chief villain Javier Bardem, until the last possible moment.

But all that intrigue went up in smoke after “Skyfall” opened overseas in countries

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Israeli-Palestinian drama ‘The Other Son’ wins at Tokyo Film Fest orraine Levy’s Palestinian/Israeli drama, “The Other Son,” won the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix, the top award at the 25th Tokyo International Film Festival, on Sunday night. Levy also took home the best director honors at the festival, which marks the final go-round for festival chairman, Tom Yoda.

The special jury prize went to Kang Yi-kwan’s “Juvenile Offender.” Seo Young-joo, who stars in the film, was awarded the best actor prize. The best actress award went to Neslihan Atagul for “Araf - Somewhere in Between.” Tetsuaki Matsui’s “Flashback Memories 3D,” about a Japanese didgeridoo player who loses his memory, took home the audience award. The Toyota Earth Grand Prix for the best nature-themed fiction or documentary was given to Valerie Berteau’s “Himself He Cooks.”

“All the films were excellent,” said Roger Corman, president of the international competition jury. “They each demonstrate the glory and power of cinema to entertain, inform, and teach us.” For the first time this year, TIFFCOM, the market arm of the festival took place in Odaiba, a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. At TIFFCOM, there were 227 exhibiting companies from 25 countries and regions, up from last year’s 20 countries, with 111 of those entities were new exhibitors. At the close of the festival, Yoda reflected back on his five years as chairman. “It is the fifth year since the introduction of the Green Carpet and the Toyota Earth Grand Prix.

It is also the 25th memorable year for us. On such as special year, I am very happy to have had the world respected Roger Corman leading the member of the jury,” he said. —Reuters

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like the United Kingdom and Russia two weeks before its US debut. The good news for the film’s backers is that new James Bond movie “Skyfall” is off to a roaring start, collecting $77.7 million in 25 markets last weekend. Featuring Daniel Craig in his third appearance as the skirt-chasing superspy, “Skyfall” opens stateside on Nov 9.

A spokesman for Sony, the studio handling Bond’s distribution, said that on a crowd sourced site like Wikipedia, it is difficult to police spoilers after a film has opened. “Skyfall’s” Wikipedia problem is instructive for Hollywood given that many major films, such as last summer’s “Battleship,” are choosing to open early overseas before hitting the domestic marketplace, leaving them open to spoilage. —Reuters

British actor Daniel Craig poses during a photo call prior to the German premiere of the twenty-third James Bond film “Skyfall” in Berlin, Germany yesterday. —AP

‘South Park’ takes aim at...Lance Armstrong? nimated TV comedy satire “South Park” is taking aim at a disgraced icon who seems a lot like seven-time Tour de France winning cyclist Lance Armstrong. In a teaser clip released on Monday by Comedy Central, an episode titled “A Scause for Applause” shows residents of the fictional American town standing in line to get their yellow wristbands removed. While the teaser for the Oct 31 episode does not refer to Armstrong by name, Comedy Central said in a statement that it deals with “the recent news of drug use by a beloved icon” and “the world is left feeling lost and betrayed”.

Armstrong, who was stripped of his cycling titles and banned for life earlier this month for doping, used yellow wristbands to promote his charity Livestrong. In the “South Park” episode, the news has left the town enraged and upset as chubby foul-mouthed Eric Cartman, one of the show’s four lead children, declares “I can’t believe we all got duped”. Hapless schoolboy Clyde Donovan yells “lying jerk” and school counselor Mr Mackey sobs as his bracelet is removed, saying,

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“I don’t know what to believe in anymore”.

Armstrong, 41, who became a hero after battling cancer to dominate the world of professional, cycling, has always denied allegations of taking performance enhancing drugs. He was banned from the sport for life after 11 of his former team mates testified against him and the United States Anti-Doping Agency published a report which alleged he had been involved in the “most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen”.

“South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are known for responding quickly to current affairs and taboo subjects for their raunchy comedy show, which has become a cult hit. They previously landed in hot water after showing late Australian wildlife expert Steve Irwin with a stingray barb in his chest less than two months after his sudden death from a stingray attack, and drawing the Muslim prophet Mohammed dressed in a bear costume in a 2006 episode. —Reuters

Indian film actress Aarti Chabria poses at the Sikh Shrine Golden Temple in Amritsar yesterday. Chabria visited the city during shooting of her first Punjabi film ‘Viyaah 70KMS ‘ directed by Mushtaq Pasha and produced by Rajan Batra and Vivek Ohri. —AFP

Eric Church storms CMAs by doing it his own way

ric Church expects to be angry when he walks out on the stage to perform during the Country Music Association Awards. The rising country music star will cap a long journey as the top nominee Thursday night, but that doesn’t change anything as far as he’s concerned. He’s always angry when he walks onstage. “I have a huge chip on my shoulder,” Church said. “I got that from how we got here, and I think it’s a good thing.

When I walk on the stage, I carry all the times that other artists got other things, we couldn’t get a song played because of who we were versus the song’s merits, or the times we had to play 12, 13 days and still were broke. All those things I carry on that stage. I think it makes me a better performer and I think it makes it better for the crowd. I’m not going to lose that, regardless of the nominations.”

In 18 months, Church’s relationship with the Music City machine that runs popular country music has turned upside-down. Long an outsider, he’s been shunned for his hard-edge sound, lack of hits and even his choice of eyewear. There was a tip of the hat to his growing popularity last year when Church got to play part of his song “Drink in My Hand” during the CMAs. “Drink” went on to become Church’s first No. 1 and a year later he’s got a leading five nominations, including album and male vocalist of the year. He’s also got a primo performance slot on a show that will likely draw 16 million viewers when it airs live at 8 pm EDT on ABC.

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Church acknowledges he did everything wrong on his journey to this point. That’s what makes it all feel so right. Almost every decision ran hard against conventional Music City wisdom, yet since the release of “Chief” in 2011, the 35-year-old has done no wrong. That album debuted atop the Billboard 200 all-genre album chart and went platinum, scoring heavy sales for his back cat-

This June 6, 2012 file photo shows Eric Church performing on an outdoor stage during the CMT Music Awards show in Nashville, Tenn. —AP

alog. He launched his first headlining arena tour. And the rise of “Springsteen” to the top of the charts further proved Church has overcome radio’s resistance, the largest hurdle to a widespread country audience.

Country star Jason Aldean, a friend of Church’s, believes that unwillingness to compromise is as responsible for his growing audience as his hit songs.

“He’s never tried to conform to what Nashville or radio or anybody else thought he should be, and I think early on in his career it cost him a little bit,” Aldean said. “He wasn’t getting that radio success. But I think when he started releasing songs like ‘Homeboy’ and ‘Springsteen’ and some of that stuff, they’re just great songs and really different. I think those kind of things let people know that’s who Eric Church is and it really kind of set him apart from a lot of the other acts that are out there.”

Church jokes about the decisions he’s made and says a lot of it was simple survival. But the North Carolina singer-songwriter and his manager, John Peets, knew the key to success early on. It was just a matter of waiting for everyone else to come around to their point of view. Peets said he heard it in early demos Church recorded while chasing a record deal. “A light bulb went off,” Peets said. “I’m from a dirt road in Ohio and I was just like every guy that I grew up with would be, drinking beer to this. ... It just resonated very instantly with me.”

From there, it was about honing “a fine point on a point of view.”

That point of view was initially “off-center,” Peets said, when it came to the way business was being done in Nashville. The mushy middle of country’s demographic has long been women over 30. Since that crowd didn’t seem interested, Church and Peets ignored it. They hired rock ‘n’ roll producer Jay Joyce to make sure the music was as hard as possible, feeding on an ‘80s rock vibe that resonated in Church’s youth. And he geared his live show to the people he saw staring back at him every night - young, often angry, men with beer bottles in hand and fists in the air. Church did interviews with magazines decidedly uncool with country’s core like Playboy, Penthouse and High Times, eschewing sure things like the morning talk-show circuit and heavy radio promotion.

His crowd wasn’t up early and they weren’t listening to the radio. “They weren’t somebody that were a very sought-after demographic, except for us - because, you know, I’m a guy,” Church said. “And we make guy music.

That’s who we saw in these bars and these clubs, and they were seeking it out. And they were telling people about it and they were spreading the word. And then it changed in the format. All I hear now is people going, ‘We want to improve our guy numbers. We want to improve our 25-to-34 male numbers,’ and all these things. We built it on that demographic’s back.” Church enjoys the focus the CMA’s voters have put on him but plans no changes in his way of thinking. —MCT

Creepy Confections

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2012

Knott’s Berry Farm Halloween Haunt maze designer Todd Faux with some fake heads inside the ‘Delirium’ maze, one of 13 that make up ‘Knott’s Scary Farm.’ —MCT photos

Creative director J.J. Wickham, center, and talent director David Wally are surrounded by cast members in costume at Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor Halloween maze.

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ven before the fake blood and plastic skeletons are put away after Halloween, Todd Faux is already thinking of new ways to dispatch his 1,000 or so monsters to scare the living daylights out of you next year. As entertainment design manager at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif, Faux has unleashed vampires, a deranged butcher, zombie cannibals and a homicidal Pinocchio on park visitors during its annual Halloween Haunt event. His task now is to come up with something even creepier for next Halloween.

“The research is the fun part of the job,” he said. “Oh, yeah, I have to watch horror movies.”

Faux is among a handful of fear peddlers at theme parks who create and manage the goreand bedlam-filled mazes that draw horror fans in the weeks leading up to Halloween.

Such jobs have evolved from temporary posts to crucial full-time gigs, held by professionals with training in theater or filmmaking. They oversee hundreds of actors, technicians, wardrobe experts and set builders. And now big money is at stake. Across the country, Halloween attractions such as haunted houses, theme park mazes and festivals bring in about $300 million in revenue each year, according to the trade group Haunted Attraction Association.

Attraction designers now trade notes at annual gatherings such as Transworld’s Halloween and Attractions Show in Missouri and Monsterpalooza in Burbank, Calif Maze design has also become a high-profile job. Just ask John Murdy, the creative director at Universal Studios Hollywood. He starred in a recent meet-andgreet event that drew more than 500 horror fans to a theater in the park. “People are walking up

Talent director David Wally, center, who previously worked in films, oversees the makeup of costumed cast members at Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor Halloween maze. and asking me for autographs,” said Murdy, who created his first haunted house at his Whittier, Calif, home when he was 10 years old. “That is really weird to me.”

In the not-too-distant past, Halloween scares were primarily offered at haunted houses or hay rides operated by nonprofit groups such as the Boy Scouts of America or the local chamber of commerce, said Patrick Konopelski, president of the Haunted Attraction Association. And the scares, he said, were created by high school stu-

dents with latex masks and plastic knives.

Halloween attractions at theme parks now feature infrared sensors, multi-channel audio tracks, animatronics, 3-D technology and moviequality makeup. Konopelski estimates the cost of building a maze at as much as $150,000, including equipment, props and lighting.

“The days are gone of the black hallway and props on a fishing line,” Konopelski said. “We now have designers, sets and technicians all taking part in the attractions.” Knott’s was the first major

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Items for Mexico’s traditional Day of the Dead are for sale in Olverita’s Village in Olvera Street in Los Angeles, California. — MCT

ia de los Muertos is anything but dead, and it’s increasingly coming to life in old and new ways. With Mexico’s traditional Day of the Dead approaching, the number and kinds of events are growing. Concert promoters, art galleries featuring Mexican folk art and merchants-big and small-are taking advantage of these celebrations and in some cases extending the merchandising of Halloween.

Once observed quietly in Latino communities, US festivities are becoming more mainstream and, typically, louder and more visible than in years past. Corporations are getting more involved as sponsors and participants. Theme parks are adding Latino touches to their Halloween attractions. Party stores have amped up their offerings. And bakeries are already cooking up special treats.

There’s no better place to see this growing US interest than at Hollywood Forever Cemetery’s 13th annual Dia de los Muertos festival. It included a traditional procession, musical performances and more than 100 homemade altars set up to honor the dead on Saturday. Organizers estimat-

theme park in the country in 1973 to remodel its park with ghosts and monsters and open it after dark for Halloween. The park added the first walk-through maze in 1977.

Since then, Universal Studios, Disneyland and other theme parks across the country have invested millions of dollars to draw Halloween revelers. Theme parks won’t disclose attendance numbers, but officials at Knott’s say the park’s annual Halloween Haunt has brought in about 8 million visitors since it started and is responsible for about 15 percent of the park’s annual attendance.

The main attraction at such Halloween events are the mazes, temporary labyrinths decorated in blood, gore and creepy movie props and teeming with costumed actors who jump out from behind hidden doors and curtains. The mazes carry names such as “Black Out,” “Village of the Damned” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

Ticket prices to enter the parks after hours range from $24 to $99, depending on the park and added features such as passes to zip to the front of the line. For designers of such mazes, the biggest challenge is coming up with new creepy themes and ways to frighten jaded teens and adult horror fans.

“We are trying to make it amazing every year and keep within the time and budget that we have,” said Faux, who worked as a theater designer for musicals and dinner theaters before starting at Knott’s in 1994. He said his love for horror grew from watching the television series “Dark Shadows” when he was a child.

Other maze designers at theme parks also have a background in theater or movies. David Wally, the talent director for retired ocean liner

ed attendance at 20,000 people this year, up from 300 in the event’s first year.

“It’s something that has grown through a sort of overwhelming interest of the general public, not just Latinos but the greater ... community,” said Jay Boileau, the cemetery’s executive vice president and cultural events director. “Its popularity exceeded our expectations. What started as a traditional event kept growing and growing.”

For the first time, multinational food giant Nestle has jumped into Day of the Dead festivities, partly as a way to promote Abuelita, its popular Mexican-style hot chocolate. Nestle is a sponsor of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery event, at which the company is serving free hot chocolate, and it has launched a marketing campaign involving Facebook and Pinterest social media websites.

“This year we’ve been very integrated around Dia de los Muertos,” said Juan Motta, head of emerging markets business for Nestle. “It’s a day that’s growing in terms of interest in this country both by bi-cultural Hispanics and the general community.” Before the Los Angeles event started

Queen Mary-now an entertainment venue in Long Beach, Calif-previously worked as executive producer on “Hostage,” starring Bruce Willis, and co-producer of “Meet Joe Black,” starring Brad Pitt. Wally likes to compare Halloween mazes to nightly shows. “The way I look at it is as a big continuous performance piece,” he said.

Murdy, a theater major who began designing theme park rides before taking over at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights in 2006, has the advantage of using Universal Studio’s connections in the entertainment industry to borrow stories and characters from popular TV shows and horror flicks, such as “The Walking Dead” television series. “I want the guests to feel like they walked into the screen of a horror movie,” he said, adding that he has even borrowed sound effects from horror movies for his mazes.

At Universal Studios Hollywood, the lights, sounds and animatronics for each maze are managed from individual control rooms. “We go to ridiculous lengths to get the effect,” Murdy said.

The hours can be long, particularly during maze construction when the designers might put in 12- to 16-hour days. J.J. Wickham, the creative director at the Queen Mary, said she has slept onboard several nights during maze production.

Although they work in the world of gore and horror, the designers are not immune to the terrors of the mazes. “When I first got the job last year,” Wickham said, “I was scared to enter the mazes by myself.”— MCT

in the early 1970s it was mostly celebrated at local homes, but Mexican American artists saw the holiday as an opportunity to explore their identity, Self Help Graphics Executive Director Evonne Gallardo said.

“It’s evolved,” Gallardo said. “Today, it’s much less looking to Mexico for how it’s expressed and celebrated and more reflective of what it’s like for a Chicano or recent arrival to LA.” Everywhere you go next week watch for sugar skulls, brightly colored paper decorations and the omnipresent skeleton statues in many poses and involved in many activities. These folk art figurines are often put on display by people commemorating their departed relatives. The figures have seen explosive growth in all kinds of media, including sugary treats and tattoos. Often they blend in with Halloween decorations.—MCT