Friday Times

Wozniacki shocked, Sharapova rolls in Toronto

FR EE

60 www.kuwaittimes.net

Max 46º Min 29º

NO: 15178- Friday, August 12, 2011

Fanous lights up Ramadan ( See Pages 4 & 5)

■ 10 killed as Syria army storms in ( See Page 12)

■ Riots were about theft, not politics: Cameron ( See Page 15) Photo by Joseph Shagra

Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

In my view

As sweet as sin

Satire Wire

Aged to perfection!

By Sawsan Kazak

By Sahar Moussa

sawsank@kuwaittimes.net sahar@kuwaittimes.net

S

weets, cakes, konafa and chocolate. These are the ‘unmentionable’ items that often pop up in my work environment. I love my work, my colleagues and we all love sweets. That is not the only sin. We love to celebrate birthdays together. Every now and then in our office of over 50, someone blows the candles. The cake is always the center of attention both for the eyes and the stomachs of guests.

Once again, the office turns into a place of culinary delight that also spells diet disaster. Lately many people have had birthdays, which means more cakes and, of course, a few more pounds to your waistline!

Sometimes I feel that there’s a battle between food, especially sweets, and me, with the sweets emerging the winner. It’s like the sweets have devised a special strate-

gy to beat you any time, just by staring at you innocently from the table.

How can you resist while, sitting at your desk for at least five or six hours, someone comes towards you with a big smile holding a plate of chocolate cake topped with cream?

How can anyone resist something as deliciously sinful as that? I think it’s more of a sin to decline than devour!

We are a staff that celebrates sporting events too! When I was young, I used to love football matches, but now I become really nervous every time a match is played. If my boss’ team, Manchester United, wins, I know for sure that the next day I will find some kind of celebratory food can be found in the office.

“I’ve been a Chelsea fan since I was born,” said my Nigerian colleague. He recalled one memorable day, saying, “Manchester was playing against Chelsea and unfortu-

nately Manchester beat Chelsea 2-1; the next day I came to the office and I found a big chocolate cake on my desk from my boss with a note on it saying, ‘Man U -2,Chelsea - 1’. I was surprised, but after that I shared the cake with my colleagues and enjoyed it.” I really wish my boss’ enthusiasm for Man U’s win stopped here. As if ordering a cake for the losing team wasn’t enough, he hired a catering agency that supplied food to the entire office, as if someone was getting married!

My diet has fallen victim to our constant celebrations. I’ve mentioned only a few of the many foodbased celebrations held here in Kuwait. It is undeniable that food and sweets are really enjoyable, but often the extent to which we’re surrounded by them can be frustrating, especially health wise!

In my view

Grieving gossip

By Lisa Conrad

T

he dinner table at Ramadan sees more feasts in one month than it sees all year. Every night the table is topped with bowls full of hot soup, crunchy salad, mounds of aromatic dishes, pots full of saucy creations.

Stuffed chickens mingle with braised beef shanks, golden brown cheese samosas sit alongside crisp vegetable spring rolls. During Ramadan, your plate is the meeting places for the flavors and cultures of the world.

As happy as I am to see the bountiful amount of great dishes, I am saddened to see the amount of waste during this holy month. No matter how hungry you think you are, you will never finish all the food on the table. Many people I know refuse to eat leftovers, believing them to be a subspecies of culinary creations. They discard the food directly after having finished eating as if the dishes were going to self-destruct ten minutes after everyone was full.

Many people are under the belief that leftovers are not as flavorful or delicious as the previous day. I am here to dispel this rumor. Leftovers are just as good, sometimes better, than the original dishes.

To me, leftovers are somewhat of a culinary treat. In a dish that has been left over for the next day, flavors have time to marinate, to intensify to be more of themselves. At the time the recipe is cooked the ingredients are all frazzled and mixed up. The different components of the dish are heated, probed, poked, cut, fried, seasoned and garnished. But when they are given time to rest , each ingredient can just relax and find its place in the dish.

A recipe is like sticking a whole bunch of strangers in a small hot room. At the beginning it will be awkward and uncomfortable, people pushing and shoving trying to take up more room or dominate over others. But give them enough time to mingle and work out their difference and maybe a night in the fridge, your odd group of strangers become a delectable group of friends.

A culinary creation is just that. The different ingredients are suddenly introduced to each other and expected to get along instantaneously. They might taste good on the first day, but when given time to settle, their true flavors shine the next day. Eating your leftovers will reduce waste and let you taste the true flavors of the recipe.

lisa@kuwaittimes.net

R

amadan is always associated with refraining from food, but another important factor is resisting the temptation of gossip. In the Middle East as a whole, I’ve always found that gossip is rife and an incredibly popular pastime. People shield their reputations from gossip fiercely, fearing that one comment or rumor could tarnish it for good. When something is found, however, it’s shared and spreads faster than a fire in a dry forest. It is great entertainment (as long as it’s not about you) and oftentimes, the stories are so dramatic that even the best drama is dull in comparison. So is gossip really, truly, cut out completely during Ramadan?

Cutting out food is a relatively simple process. Gossip, however, is much more prone to accidental lapses. I was in the supermarket yesterday, and overheard (eavesdropped on) two women gossiping. Their topic of choice? Fasting. “My daughter told me that X’s daughter isn’t fasting this year. She said it ‘drains’ her and makes her feel faint because she has low blood sugar. Can you believe it!”

The fact that they were gossiping about fasting during Ramadan is completely ironic but is indicative of a weakness many are guilty of. Many of my friends are fasting throughout the month but cannot quite resist

gossip. Food? Fine. Water? No problem. Cigarettes?

Grudgingly. But gossip? Gossip seems to slip quietly under the radar and act as a vent for frustrations sparked by low blood sugar and cravings.

I was discussing Ramadan with a friend this morning, and as she told me about the difficulties that come along with fasting, “Don’t even bother asking (our mutual friend) about it. She has no idea, she thinks that smoking doesn’t count! I really don’t get why she even bothers, it’s a joke. Maybe to impress everyone else, but that’s just shallow, don’t you think?” When I queried the fact that gossip was also prohibited, I was met with a long, awkward silence. But isn’t it?

I decided to ask some colleagues for their opinion.

The general consensus was that gossiping doesn’t break your fast, but isn’t ideal behavior during Ramadan.

Definitions were then carefully drawn between gossiping and story-telling, shortly followed by the telling of multiple stories completely devoid of judgment or opinion which, apparently, saves them from being labeled as gossip. How convenient!

KUWAIT: A server pours coffee at a recent ghabqa.

— Photo by Joseph Shagra

Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

local spotlight

Remember the environment too

Conspiracy Theories

Without the magic pen

By muna al-fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

M

uslims engage in a lot of charity work during the month of Ramadan, showing more kindness towards the needy and poor. Not many of us notice that the environment has been suffering. Pay a visit to any local market at noon during any normal Ramadan day, and you will understand what I mean by how we mistreat the environment. Thanks to all the shopping done, the plastic bags keep piling up by the hour. People carelessly ask for several plastic bags to carry small items. They end up carrying ten plastic bags instead of two or three.

Of course, what is special about these plastic bags is that they don’t cost a dime and can later on be used to put garbage and trash. Sadly, consumers’ tendency to disregard the harm caused by these plastic bags is sickening. It is wrong to use plastic bags for these purposes. This is because plastic bags don’t have much capacity and can’t be used to carry dirty items during Ramadan when people tend to cook a lot of food and throw away plastic cans and bottles.

Secondly, they think they are smart enough to avoid buying trash bags that usually come in different sizes. How can

By Badrya Darwish we rid the environment of these plastic bags later? We don’t have a recycling system to ensure that all plastic items can be recycled and used again? There are no companies that produce paper bags which can be replaced at supermarkets.

Paper bags are obviously more expensive!

We need to spread environment awareness. I believe not many are interested in the environment in the Arab world.

Probably this is one of the reasons why companies still dump effluents into the sea, the only source of drinking water. The air we breathe and the water we drink is our environment. Mistreating it will jeopardize our future generations.

We are a rich country and it is a shame that we are not better informed about preserving the environment. We need to set up recycling companies and people may have to pay more to buy paper bags, while different kinds of garbage bins can be designated to put waste in. I believe that the environment should be accorded the same amount of respect given to a living creature. We have to help mother nature so that we can lead healthier lives.

In my view

United we fall

By Jamie Etheridge local@kuwaittimes.net

T

his week I have nothing to say. Or maybe I have too much. The riots in London and the purely criminal looting that followed, and the fact that the country’s youth seem to think it’s just ‘good fun’ leaves me speechless. The atrocities committed in Syria, the fact that Assad regime continues to hang on leaves me dismayed and disappointed. The irresponsible behavior of the politicians in Washington and the bankers in Europe make me want to send my own BlackBerry Messenger to the rioters in London, suggesting new and more worthwhile targets for their lootseeking anger.

Being fed up, however, isn’t really an option. No matter how much I might want to bury my head in the sand and pretend all is well with the world, trouble keeps coming. And no matter how much I don’t want it to, this trouble will eventually affect all of us.

Whether our currency is tied to the dollar or we have investments in London, whether we have family in Deir Al-Zour or planned a holiday for Greece, whether we simply save a portion of our salaries and hope that economies around the globe don’t collapse and the world doesn’t fall into another recession, there is no escaping the world today.

What has become increasingly clear with the advent of Facebook and Twitter, the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia and the earthquake/tsunami in Japan, is that we are all interconnected and thus impacted by what hap-

pens to each other.

I can sleep tonight and not have to worry that the rioters in London will break into my shop or home. But I have friends there whose businesses and residences may be ransacked. I had no plans to visit Tokyo in the near future but I know people whose teaching jobs in Japan have been canceled. My children will maybe escape the politics-fueled debt debate in Washington but they will be impacted by the value of the US dollar now and in the long term.

It is true that the world has constantly turned on crises. Since the start of human history and civilization, humans who lived in groups also organized riots, uprisings, protests and also suffered earthquakes, floods, fires, war and etc.

What’s unprecedented now is that we all know about anything and everything that’s going on at or near the exact moment it happens. We watch the London looters in real time busting shop windows and stealing sneakers. We gasped in horror as giant rolling waves of water washed over entire Japanese towns. We cannot tear our eyes away from the unspeakable massacre of men, women and children in Syrian streets. The Dow collapsed and we all rushed to check our own investments portfolio.

Hyperconnected, we are now truly a global village united in crises and trouble. I wonder what it will take to unite us in triumph? An invasion from Mars?

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

D

o you believe in miracles? Do you believe in the super natural? Do you believe that some people could have certain powers which others do not have? Or are there people who have a sixth sense? Is that possible? You might call me silly but today I lost what for many months I called my ‘magic pen.’ The minute I catch the pen my mind starts flowing with ideas which I put down on paper.

Today I came to my office and I found out my precious magic pen missing. The pen which costs not more than 100 fils was missing. It is not a golden pen, a Parker or a Sheaffer. It is a silly, scratched pen from the 100 fils shop that I am stuck to.

For the first five minutes when I failed to find my magic pen I panicked. I told myself: “Oh, God! I lost my magic touch.” But because I believe that the human being is the best and strongest creation of God I told myself: “Badrya, don’t be a silly girl. Just grab another silly pen and start writing. Don’t let the idea simmer in your head.” And here I am writing with another pen which I haven’t used before. I hope I am doing well.

What I want to say is that it is all in our mind.

The mind is really a great thing. It can make you miserable, happy, sad, silly or genius. The power of will in a human being comes from the mind.

The mind is in control in all possible ways. What makes the mind stronger is my friend’s faith.

Faith is the question. What is a better time to talk about faith than now in this holy month of Ramadan.

People who live without faith are lost in life.

They let fear overtake them. And then they start believing in magic or silly things. They become superstitious beyond belief. It can reach to a point that superstition can ruin their lives. But when you have faith you feel stronger. You are ready to be challenged and you accept whatever unfortunate things happen to you peacefully.

Faith gives you patience. This is what Ramadan is teaching us. Ask a nonbeliever if he can fast from dusk to dawn without even taking a sip of water at 50 degrees Celsius and he will think you are mad. Believe me, faith makes people powerful beyond belief. I have seen workers fasting and working on the streets in the heat. Nobody is watching over them and nobody is going to notice if they take a sip of water. But they don’t do it. This is faith. No magic pen or any other object can achieve this. Just have faith and you will see how life becomes easier.

Have a nice Ramadan!

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Fanous

lights In Kuwait, fanous decorations in homes seem to speciďŹ cally increase during the traditional time of Girgian - or the Kuwaiti version of Halloween

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

up Ramadan nights

By Lama Al-Haqhaq

“T

he fanous and Ramadan are like turkey and Thanksgiving,” Habib Kahil, an expat in Kuwait, says.

“They go together. It is, in itself, the Ramadan spirit.” During the holy month of Ramadan, many cultural traditions are observed. These traditions can be seen in a number of Islamic countries worldwide. Most of these have a history that is deeply rooted or connected with this holy month, maki ng them inevitable symbols of Ramadan. A prime example of this would be the fanous (lantern).

The word fanous in itself has Greek origins, and means “beeswax candles”.

However, it is also used as an Arabic word to describe a specific type of lantern, which is generally used in the Middle East. The fanous (pl. fawanees) is typically made out of tin, wire rings and colored glass, and is illuminated by placi ng a lit candle in the middle.

These days, of course, it is more common to find a battery-operated fanous made out of plastic, and can be found in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. Sometimes, you can find

a fanous that plays popular songs.

This lantern was used in the Middle East long ago, before the use of electricity. People would carry the fanous around in order to light the way for themselves when visiting family and friends, and even the mosque, during the night. Now, in the Middle East, the sight of this lantern immediately brings the idea of Ramadan to mind. Despite the fact that the fanous tradition is currently followed in numerous Islamic countries to symbolize the holy month, the root of this tradition originally stemmed from Egypt.

There are several stories, or tales, explaining the significance of the fanous in connection with the month of Ramadan, yet they all begin with the rule of the Fatimid Islamic caliphate in Egypt. One of these stories says that the tradition began when a Fatimid leader arrived in Egypt, and the people greeted him at night while carrying these lanterns.

As this arrival was said to have happened on the 15th day of Ramadan, the fanous became associated with the holy month.

Another story talks about a Fatimid Caliph who wanted to light the streets during Ramadan. Since there was no electricity dur-

—Photos by Sherif Ismail and Joseph Shagra ing those days, he ordered the sheikhs of each mosque to hang a fanous outside to make this possible. It is claimed that the tradition stuck ever since that day. A third, commonly heard story talks about the night before Ramadan when the leader of the Fatimid Caliphate would go outside to look for the moon, which signals the first day of the holy month. According to this story, the town children accompanied the leader during this night, each carrying a fanous in order to light the way for him.

While we cannot find one set story, nor can we verify how true each story is, the fact remains that the fanous has become a very significant symbol of Ramadan. Long after these alleged events took place, the lantern was used by Egyptians in various ways to welcome the Ramadan season.

Children would play outside on the streets during Ramadan nights while swinging a fanous in their hands. They would also sing a popular Ramadan song, ‘Wahawy ya wahawy,’ while doing this in order to welcome the holy month. Additionally, the fanous was used by the msaharati, a man in charge of waking up the town people in time for suhoor, which is the meal eaten before beginning the fast at dawn. These days, however, the sight of the fanous used in such ways has become a rare occasion. While it is still practiced, the tradition of children and the msaharati carrying the lanterns around is more apparent in the countryside of Egypt than in the streets of the city.

The tradition of the Ramadan fanous is no longer limited to Egypt. These lanterns are sold in many Arab countries, including Kuwait, when the holy month comes around.

It has become an icon that automatically sparks the feeling of Ramadan in people’s

minds. The fanous is largely used for decorative purposes now in order to portray a feeling of Ramadan. They can be seen hanging outside and inside countless homes, “These days it’s used to decorate balconies and apartments. Most people light them up at night, sit under them and chat until sunrise,” Omar S, an expat, said. “We have a whole bunch around our house right now,” said Yousef Farghaly, another expat said. “They range from big ones that are placed on the floor to smaller ones that we’ve hung around the house. Once Ramadan starts, the lanterns have to come out.”

Public places, such as malls, restaurants, and cafes, also take advantage of this tradition when decorating, so as to give their customers a “Ramadan atmosphere”. Television commercials and promotional advertisements tend to flash the fanous symbol during the holy month as well.

In Kuwait, fanous decorations in homes seem to specifically increase during the traditional time of Girgian - or the Kuwaiti version of Halloween. It takes place in the evening during the Ramadan full moon. This is usually during the 13th, 14th and 15th of the month.

At this time, children go from door to door singing, asking for nuts and sweets.

Sometimes, smaller versions of these lanterns are given to the children along with candy.

Many traditions have changed but the main concept of them have remained within their cultures. There is no doubt that this lantern - fanous Ramadan - holds a strong meaning associated to the holy month, regardless of its true origins. It is traditions such as these that have withstood rapidly changing years, and managed to adapt with the times. These will probably still be passed down generations for centuries to come.

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Local Dhari Al-Moawad

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

ABOUT THE RIDDLER

D

hari Al-Moawad, a 22-year-old Kuwaiti graduate from Kuwait University is a self-confessed chocaholic and foodie. He loves to travel and says he reads whatever comes his way.

Dhari believes in the power of his dreams but doesn’t sleep on his plans. He says “Success happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Games people

play

When it comes to thinking on their feet, K-Lue’s thoughts are racing

By Priyanka Saligram

P

icture this: Well-dressed and dignified young Kuwaiti women strolling through the mall suddenly go crazy and start running in four directions at the same time, looking frantically at every store and trying to decide whether they should zip inside or race towards the exit.

They decide to chase each other into the shop and start rummaging through the items like their souls are possessed, and then rush outside at the same speed, hop onto the escalator and burst into a different outlet.

Are the top brands on a throwaway 99 percent sale?

Even if they were, it wouldn’t elicit the adrenalin rush as a game of K-Lue. For those who came in late and missed the hint, K-Lue is a treasure hunt that is making Kuwait’s heart beat faster. Players come together, form teams and employ their best wits, muscles and driving skills and chase clues from one end of Kuwait to another - all to win a gold medal and experience the sweaty taste of success.

When 22-year-old Kuwaiti Dhari AlMoawad created a nation-wide treasure hunt in 2009 and called it ‘K-Lue’, he had no

clue that his baby would grow up to be a monster three years later. After having grown up on a healthy intellectual diet of shows like ‘The Amazing Race,’ ‘Survivor,’ ‘The Crystal Maze,’ ‘The X Files’ and so on, Moawad thought ‘How would it be to have a localized Kuwaiti version of all this and more put together?’ The answer to that sent him on a wild goose chase. When Moawad was studying engineering in Kuwait University, he got together with a friend and organized a treasure hunt in the first year. Needless to say, it was a hit with the crow d and they organized a second one. This was when another pal suggested that they plan one on a larger scale all across Kuwait and the ball got rolling. “We received excellent feedback and people started registering with us. I understood that it was on its way to becoming a trend,” Moawad says. He got a ‘high,’ watching the clients participate and loving the game. As the registrations started pouring in, he decided to hire more hands to help him. “It was my cow and I wanted to milk it completely!”

‘Welcome Stranger’ Moawad got down to working out the finer details of K-Lue and introduced various levels to challenge the players on different levels. Another aspect was allowing players to either play with their friends or pit themselves against strangers. “The ‘Welcome Stranger’ option allows people to interact and play with others but it’s also a gamble because you won’t know their ability (or the lack of it) until the end of the game,” Moawad elaborates.”I always tell the players ‘Don’t play it hard; play it smart’.” K-Lue team also went on to customizing their themes according to the client’s require-

GET THE K-LUE?

“K

-Lue (which is pronounced as ‘clue’, with the K for Kuwait) is a game which is all about having fun, breaking the routine and doing something that you have never done before” says Moawad. There can be any number of teams with say, six people per team. The teams start from a common point in Kuwait and reach another end of the city. The game can take up to seven hours to end, depending on the mental dexterity of the players.

There are five stages in the game and at each stage, you uncover a clue which leads you to the next stage and so on. The first team to reach the final clue without cheating wins the game and goes on to become the proud owner of a gold medal. Moawad explained that while K-Lue doesn’t hand out “prizes” as such since it’s all in good humor and fun. Some corporations do sponsor prizes as a part of teambuilding exercises. “All that you need is a sharp wit, patience, focus, driving skills and the ability to think on your feet,” says Moawad, the brain behind the game.

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

‘It’s my cow and I want to milk it’ ments. They recently had an eco-friendly theme for an NGO which included finding five plants and planting them around Kuwait. “The game is absolutely dynamic and is open to creative modifications.”

Moawad recalls the first game that he had organized and admits that it was anything but easy. He went on to use his engineering know-how to plan every step and credits responsive feedback and his own creative juices for making life easier. “I am so involved that I’m always unconsciously thinking of riddles and every place to me looks like a big maze,” he says. “Once as I was driving, I spotted sign

language for the disabled and I immediately wanted to incorporate that into my next game; this way I get to constantly innovate as well as learn about various communities and cultures.”

Considering the am ount of zipping across Kuwait KLue’s team does, it’s natural to assume that they know every inch of Kuwait like the back of their hand. With territory comes experience, and Moawad recalls one of the funniest incidents with K-Lue. He went to a local park to hide a clue in one of the trees and while he was attempting to do that, a jogger nearby hovered around suspiciously.

Moawad usually spends about 20 minutes watching the hideout to ensure nobody tampers with the clues before the teams come and he did the same before being convinced that everything was fine and left the vicinity. It was only when he started getting calls that he realized that it wasn’t the case. Players called and asked “Is the man sitting near the tree the clue?” and Moawad scratched his head and said “No... what happened?” They said, “There’s a man who’s sitting near the tree and giving away all the clues!” It turned out that the man was distributing the hints to

everyone out of curiosity. Moawad said, “I learnt an important thing that day: You think that every part of the game is planned but it’s not because it’s played in open spaces.

So other external people and factors naturally become a part of the game in the most unpredictable ways!”

When prodded about the craziest dare, Moawad revealed that it’s one which involved looking for a clue that was hidden in a box of snakes. With that level of creepiness, the majority of the players would naturally be adrenalin-fuelled young men, right? Wrong. “Ninety-eight percent of players are women, believe it or not,” shocks Moawad. What gives? He explains the rocket science behind that. “The culture in Kuwait is such that young women don’t really have a lot of avenues to channelize their energy... which is precisely why they enjoy being a part of something as radical is K-Lue because it gives them an outlet to express themselves completely.” The entertainment industry in Kuwait is still a virginal market and KLue feels proud to be one of the pioneers in outdoor stuff.

However, they were left amused when some of their clients decided to start their own version of K-Lue. “Sadly, they couldn’t sustain themselves and they fizzled out at the same speed they began,” Moawad explains with a pseudosympathetic glint in his eye.

Parental support While Moawad’s family wasn’t initially convinced of their engineering student son’s unconventional career plans, one look at the receipts managed to help things.

Moawad’s dad felt the first pangs of pride, when at diwaniyas, he would hear from his friends about how their kids took part in K-Lue’s activities and loved it. “Soon, I heard other people telling me that my dad was telling them that I was really creative and good at this and he was proud of me for taking care of myself at such a young age,” he laughs.

Where’s K-Lue headed to five years from now? Moawad doesn’t see that question as a riddle since he knows exactly what he wants - and the way to get there.” I’m trying to

‘Don’t play it hard, play it smart’ launch a treasure hunt between regional countries. For instance, it would start in Kuwait and end in a neighboring country. We’re still working on the logistics of that one though I’m also eyeing a concept right now which is more individualistic and complex than K-Lue.” Funnily, even though K-Lue has gone on to organizing more than 200 events across the country, its founder Dhari Al-Moawad sheepishly admits that he hasn’t played a single game himself.

The players are seen during various stages of the game.

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Feel r u o y n o ! ! ! ! d o o bl

A literal look into

Arabic

expressions

By Lisa Conrad

A

rabic is an incredibly complex, poetic language. The expressions continue to be as intricate and emotional as Shakespearean English used to be. However, the translations of meanings are usually modified to make more sense in the enquirer’s mother tongue. But what do the sayings, often heard expressed loudly, passionately and jokingly really, literally mean? Below are a list of some of the m ost romantic, dramatic and strange expressions used in various Arabic dialects along with their literal translation and actual meaning. Those marked with an asterisk* are typically Kuwaiti terms.

Terms of endearment ● Mahdoum/e Literal translation: You’re digestible.

Meaning: You’re very charming/sweet/cute ● Damak/damik khafif Literal translation: You have light blood.

Meaning: You’re digestible (see latte r) ● Damak/damik t’eel Literal translation: You have heavy blood.

Meaning: You’re indigestible (see former) ● Leish ya ba’ad omry?

Literal translation: Why after my age?

Meaning: Why my dearest? ● Smallah aleki Literal translation: Blessings on you Meaning: You’re beautiful/charming/funny (enough to need blessing/protection) ● Mitl amar Literal translation: You’re like the moon

Meaning: You’re so beautiful (as beautiful as the moon) ● Mamlouha* Literal translation: Salty Meaning: Beautiful (not bland looking, thus, salty) ● Toabourni inshallah Literal translation: Put me in my grave, God willing Meaning: I hope to die before you ● Ha’ack alayeh Literal translation: Your price on me Meaning: A reassurance - It’s my fault ● Etgett eltair min essama* Literal translation: She drops the bird from the sky Meaning: Even birds are distracted by her beauty, so they fall from the sky ● Ya ba’ad chabdi* Literal translation: You’re after my liver Meaning: You’re so valuable to me (as valuable as my liver) Insults and reprimands ● Yebett elchabd* Literal translation: It explodes the liver Meaning: Something extremely irritating ● Hess ala demak Literal translation: Feel on your blood.

Meaning: You should feel bad about your misbehavior/behave yourself ● Samayte badani Literal translation: You have poisoned my body

Meaning: You’ve frustrated/irritated me ● Heleh’anneh Literal translation: Dissolve from me Meaning: Go away ● Salg baith* Literal translation: Boiling eggs Meaning: Term for a simple task poorly completed ● L’amma b eyounic/eyounac Literal translation: Blindness in your eyes Meaning: Expression of frustration - praying for someone to go blind ● Eyeeb elmarath* Literal translation: It brings the illness Meaning: Slang for something, or someone, hideous ● Ahte’a tu’taak Literal translation: I want to cut you into pieces Meaning: Response to aggravation/frustration ● Yetharrat* Literal translation: To expel wind Meaning: To speak inaccurately or untruthfully

● Raseh mish hemelneh Literal translation: I cannot carry my head Meaning: I can’t take this anymore Food and drinks ● Shrab cigara Literal translation: Drink a cigarette Meaning: Smoke a cigarette ● Znoud el sitt Literal translation: Ladies arms Meaning: Lebanese sweet of pastry filled with cream ● Jowz Hend Literal translation: Nut of India Meaning: Coconut Unclassified classics ● Jowz jawarib Literal translation: Husband of socks Meaning: A pair of socks ● Khatar al’a ba’li Literal translation: Danger on my mind Meaning: Something comes to mind ● Khaleha ala hsabi Literal translation: Keep it on my mathematics Meaning: Let me pay the check

● Yebahhir el kalam* Literal translation: He spices the talk Meaning: He exaggerates in story telling

● Ana adfah al hisab Literal translation: I push the ma thematics Meaning: I pay the check

● Yerabbit asaa’ess* Literal translation: Tying two tails together Meaning: Pitting two people against one another

● Maktab almouraja’at Literal translation: Vomit office Meaning: Enquiries office Lisa@Kuwaittimes.net

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Saadoun says four groups competing for all projects

By B Izzak KUWAIT: Veteran opposition MP Ahmad AlSaadoun yesterday warned that the fourth refinery project will not be implemented without forming a public shareholding company in which Kuwaiti citizens will own 50 percent of the shares. Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly, Saadoun charged that three to four business groups are competing for all projects in the country including the fourth refinery, housing and fuel projects and corruption becomes public only when they enter into a dispute.

The three-time former speaker also called for rescuing Kuwait and its resources from those business groups, saying that the government is incapable of doing anything, describing those businessmen as the real government in the country. “We are before thieves of public and private funds and a government that is either incapable or collaborating with them and the best example for this is the telecom companies which set their own prices and charges, and the Internet companies that are operating without license and they set their own charges, control the speed and misuse bandwidth,” Saadoun said.

Saadoun said that the percentage of

implementation of the KD 31 billion development plan has so far been “zero” despite entering the second year of the plan. The lawmaker said that laws have been issued to establish public shareholding companies to execute projects like the low cost houses, public warehouses, electricity and water, labour towns and the fourth refinery, but none of these companies have been established. He called for probing allegations by the German Siemens company that it paid bribes to officials in the Kuwaiti ministry of electricity and water. Saadoun said his Popular Action Bloc plans to question a number of ministers in the coming term after they receive answers on a number of issues, especially from the defense minister over the ammunition factory which cost KD 260 million and involves many violations.

In another development, spokesman of the Reform and Development Bloc MP Faisal Al-Mislem yesterday warned Oil Minister Mohammad Al-Busairi over what he described as illegal and politically-motivated appointments of senior officials in the oil sector. Mislem said his bloc will not remain silent at “paying favours” by the ministry through controversial appointments that threaten the future of the oil sector on which the future of the country depends almost entirely.

Minister of health visits different health centers KUWAIT: Health Minister Dr Hilal Al-Sayer went on an inspection tour to Al-Sabah medical district to follow up the functioning of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation hospital, Badriya Al-Ahmad Center for chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation, Hussain Makki Juma Centre of Oncology and Yaqoub Behbehani Center for laboratories and transplants. During his inspection tour, Al-Sayer discussed on Wednesday with officials of the Physical Medicine and rehabilitation hospital the best ways to improve the level of medical services provided by the hospital for the patients, and to overcome all the difficulties.

The hospital’s director Dr Dalal Al-Wadaani told Kuwait News Agency on the sidelines of the tour that the hospital lacks rehabilitation

therapy specialists, and Dr Al-Sayer promised to fill the shortage of specialists as soon as possible. Dr Al-Sayer stressed the need to shorten the wait time of patients, in order to provide the needed service, as well as the need of the presence of senior officials at the hospitals at all times, Al-Wadaani said.

During his visitation, Al-Sayer was briefed on the quality of services provided by the different centers and hospitals, and stressed to improve the quality of health services across the country. Furthermore, Dr Ahmad AlAwadhi from Hussain Makki Juma Center of Oncology said that the minister called the technical department of the center to renovate the first and second wards of the old cancer center as soon as possible. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Health Minister Dr Hilal Al-Sayer tours a hospital in the Al-Sabah medical district on Wednesday. —KUNA

KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (left) is seen with visiting Bahraini Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa at Dasman Palace on Wednesday. —KUNA

Kuwaiti-China oil complex costs $9bn KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti-Chinese oil complex to be built in Zhanjiang in south China costs a total of nine billion dollars, China’s ambassador to Kuwait said here yesterday. Interviewed by a Kuwait Oil Ministry magazine, Huang Jiemin hailed fruitful and constructive cooperation between China and Kuwait. Two-way trade exchange has increased markedly, standing at $8.5 billion last year, he added. Over 30 Chinese companies are participating in economic development, as Kuwait has opened a new investment office in China, he said. Kuwaiti-Sino cooperative relations have developed over recent years; particularly in the energy field, he said. He added that this cooperation has led to the signing of a bilateral framework oil agreement in 2004.

This cooperation was also reinforced in 2005 when Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) opened a new repre-

sentative office in Beijing, and a longterm supply deal was hammered out in 2008, he noted. An oil well digging agreement was also signed between Kuwait Oil Company and China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) in 2009, the Chinese ambassador added. Also as part of bilateral cooperation, both sides inked a petrochemical refinery and complex project agreement in Zhan jiang in the province of Guangdong in south China, Huang said.

This joint project between KPC, represented by Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI), and Sinopec costs a total of nine billion dollars, he said.

Preparations for the project will be launched soon, he affirmed. The project includes a crude oil refinery with a capacity of 300,000 barrels per day, and an ethylene complex with a capacity of one million tons annually. —KUNA

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Local

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

MoI files complaint over Hayef threats KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry has filed a complaint with acting public prosecutors Dherar Al-Asousi against MP Mohammad Hayef. The complaint asked that the MP be questioned and sent to court based on recent events that took place at the so-called Al-Irada square in support of the Syrian people. An informed source said the interior ministry’s complaint included several charges such as insults, defaming, threats and calls to kill the Syrian ambassador through seeking a fatwa from scholars to allow that.

The source said the insult and defaming charge goes under the penal code over issuing insulting words against a diplomat who represents a friendly country in Kuwait, in addition to the charges of urging and threatening to kill that are related to state security crimes that speak about an attempt to sever diplomatic relations with friendly countries, adding that the penal code has items concerning state security crimes. He said the charges are being discussed again at the public prosecution which hasn’t started investigations yet. He said the prosecution will take its first step by inviting the interior ministry undersecretary to ask him about the complaint and its content, in addition to calling in detectives who investigated the case for questioning. The prosecution will also ask for a video of the gathering. The sources said the public prosecution will then summon Hayef, especially that he has no immunity due to the parliamentary hiatus.

Meanwhile, MP Walid Al-Tabatabaei said the case of the interior ministry against Hayef is malicious because Hayef only asked for a fatwa and did not issue a ruling on letting the blood of the ambassador,

and “we call upon the prosecution to reject the complaint, and not bow to the orders of parties that seek to move the issue somewhere else and do not want to expose the Baathist regime which is killing its people”.

MP Khalid Al-Sultan found it strange for the interior ministry to file a complaint with the public prosecution against Hayef for calling for the killing of the Syrian ambassador, because he just asked for a fatwa “which is normal and does need all this escalation”.

Sultan said the interior ministry must withdraw its complaint, because there were similar incidents and the government did not act.

MP Faisal Al-Mislem said the interior ministry’s complaint against Hayef for asking for a fatwa about killing the Syrian ambassador represents a highly deteriorating government stand. Mislem said “we disagreed with our brother Mohammad Hayef in his call for the fatwa, but we reject the organized escalation campaign by Al-Qallaf and Al-Mahri and their likes in order to harm him”. He said MP Hussain Al-Qallaf and Shiite cleric Mohammad Al-Mahri did not condemn the killing of the innocent Syrians and backed a rotten criminal regime that kills its people, and the entire world condemned it except Iran.

Mislem said the complaint raises many questions. “Does the government want to punish an MP whose stand is identical to its stand in rejecting the Assad regime crimes? Does the government want to use the incident to take revenge from an MP who grilled its premier three times? Did the government bow to Al-Qallaf’s demands and threats?” he asked. — Al-Qabas, Alaan

PTB signs contract for Kuwait railway project KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Partnerships Technical Bureau (PTB) signed on Wednesday a contract involving KD 2.49 million with a global consortium to provide consultancy services to Kuwait Railroad Project for 16 months. The project is part of the planned Gulf railway network aiming to link the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states together, PTB Chairman Adel Al-Romi told reporters after the signing ceremony.

“The network will subsequently link the GCC members to Yemen in the south and to Europe in the north,” he noted. “The private sector in Kuwait will play a major role in the development of the project as part of its active participation in the mega infrastructure projects. A shareholding company will be established with the private sector being a strategic investor in the project with costs

more than KD 250 million,” Al-Romi revealed.

The consortium, including Booz Company, a global consulting firm, will work out a detailed study on linking Kuwaiti harbors to Kuwait International Airport through the railway with a view to realizing the economic development plan, and revitalizing trade exchanges with the countries of the region, he added. Established under Decree number 146 of 2008, the PTB considers governmental projects and unsolicited proposals forwarded by the Higher Committee to identify potential developmental projects that can be implemented by establishing a partnership between both the relevant public entity and interested parties from the private sector in accordance with the provisions of Law Number 7 of 2008 to regulate all Public Private Partnerships (PPP) projects in Kuwait. — KUNA

Drug peddler arrested

By Hanan Al-Saadoun K U W A I T : Security personnel from the General Department for Drug Control(GDDC) arrested an Asian in possession of 76 grams of heroin, and 650 illicit tablets. Acting Interior Ministry Assistant Undersecretary for Criminal Security Major General Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khalifa received a tip off on the man’s activities. Acting on the tip off, undercover agents struck a deal to sell two grams of heroin for KD 60. He was arrested while delivering the contraband. He told policemen that four grams of the drug were stashed away in the car, while 70 grams and 650 tablets were recovered from his place of residence.

Fire incidents A fire broke out at a laborers’ place of residence in Zour. So, firefighting teams from Nuwaiseeb along with Chevron company’s team responded to an

emergency call and tackled the fire. No casualties were reported. Also, a fire broke out at a Rawda home and 36-year-old Indian suffered slight bruises to his right hand. A 34-year-old woman complained of chest pain and was admitted to Amiri hospital.

Man falls from height A 55-year-old Pakistani fractured his right leg after falling from a height in Amghara. He was admitted to Jahra hospital ICU. Car accident An 18-year-old citizen suffered facial injuries in a car accident that took place along the Fifth Ring Road. He was admitted to Mubarak hospital.

Youth stabbed A 21-year-old Pakistani was stabbed on his left shoulder when a fight took place in a mall. He was admitted to Mubarak hospital.

PM presides over development panel KUWAIT: HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlAhmad Al-Sabah yesterday at AlSief Palace presided over the second session of the ministerial committee tasked with projects listed in the state’s development plan. The committee, during the session, continued discussing the plan’s main facades; education, health and services, Minister of State for

Planning and Development Affairs Abdulwahab Al-Haroun said after the meeting.

The committee has set timetables for firms taking part in the plan, an issue to be discussed in the next cabinet session, scheduled August 21, Al-Haroun noted, adding that the committee will carry on with its weekly sessions to follow up on the development plan.

Highway robbers arrested KUWAIT: Jahra police arrested five persons, three citizens and two bedoons involved in eight robberies on Salmy road. The repeated robberies against the victims prompted acting Jahra detectives director to send roaming patrols on Salmy road where they noticed three persons who stopped an Asian. When they were approached, they tried to escape but were arrested. They confessed to eight robberies along with others who were later arrested.

Hit and run Slow traffic in Farwaniya helped in the arrest of a citizen who attempted to kill two traffic policemen, injuring them in the process. A security source said policemen asked the citizen to move his car because he was blocking traffic, but he ignored their calls.

When one of the policemen asked him for his license, he refused and attempted to escape, hitting and injuring them in the process.

ATM damaged Two masked men attempted to break into an ATM at a Shuwaikh bank. The machine was severely damaged, and police is investigating to identify the two.

Car stolen again The car of a brigadier at the defence ministry was stolen in Rawda.

The officer told police he parked the MoD vehicle in front his house, only to find it missing the next morning.

He also told them that the car is a civil not military vehicle. Police who are investigating the case found out that the same car was stolen from the brigadier before and was found in Andalus area.

Mandoub mugged Farwaniya detectives are looking for two persons who robbed an

Egyptian ‘mandoub’ and took KD 28,000 from him. A security source said the mandoub who works for a telephone company said he was collecting money from several stores when he was surprised by two persons threatening to kill him if he did not hand them the bag which contained the money. The victim said the two were so quick, he could not call for help.

New bait Jahra detectives arrested four persons including a bedoon and three Gulf citizens. The four used a new method to lure their victim, as one of them posed as a girl who asked the victim to join her for an intimate meeting. When he arrived, he found four persons waiting, and they demanded his money and phone.

The four confessed to committing more than 15 crimes.

Suicide bid A man who discovered his driver attempting to kill himself by slitting his wrists. The Asian driver lost consciousness, so his sponsor called police and the driver was rushed to hospital.

Car flips A car flipped over several times between Qurain and Qusoor areas, injuring the driver in the process. The reason for the accident was the appearance of a dog which the Indian driver attempted to avoid.

Jilted lover An Iraqi expat, 20, lodged a complaint against her Kuwaiti boyfriend who promised to marry her. She said she lived with him three months and became pregnant in the process.

Detectives who arrested the man said he confessed to his crime and that he promised to marry her.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

British PM unveils anti-riot measures

Somali children struggle in famine-struck Mogadishu

15

14

August brings multiple jolts for Obama presidency

16

DAMASCUS: A handout picture from the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows supporters of President Bashar Al-Assad waving national flags during a pro-government demonstration on Wednesday in Damascus. —AFP

10 killed as Syria army storms new towns Country defies Western calls for action DAMASCUS: Syrian forces killed at least 10 people yesterday while the army stormed another two towns in pursuit of anti-regime protesters, defying Western calls for action after a “chilling” UN Security Council briefing. The killings occurred soon after columns of tanks entered the town of Qusayr in the central province of Homs early yesterday, sending residents fleeing into the fields, rights activist there said.

“The security forces opened fire on residents who tried to flee to the Al-Basateen district, killing at least five” one activist told AFP in Nicosia, adding later that the death toll rose to seven. Another activist said 16 people had been wounded, adding that the army “has closed entrances to the town,” while security forces were conducting arrests, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Three other people were shot dead by security forces in the eastern oil hub of Deir Ezzor’s Al-Matar neighborhood

and several houses were torched, the Britainbased rights group said.

Tanks, troop carriers and buses transporting security force members also sped into the town of Saraqeb in the northwestern Idlib province bordering Turkey soon after dawn yesterday, the Observatory reported. “Shooting was heard soon afterwards,” it said, adding that security were “raiding homes and making arrests, rounding up more than 100 people, including 35 children.”

“Army troops are smashing the doors of shops owned by activists in search of them, and they have cut off electricity in the town,” where anti-regime protests have been held nightly, said the Observatory. On Wednesday, security forces shot dead 18 people in the Baba Amro neighbourhood of the city of Homs with more than 100 wounded “some in critical condition,” the group said. It said residents were fleeing for

safety while heavy machine-gun fire rattled Baba Amro well into yesterday morning.

The group also reported that security forces arrested 27 activists Wednesday in the town of Salamiyeh and nearby villages, in the province of Deir Ezzor, including prominent dissident Hassan Zahra. Zahra, 67, has been detained several times in the past weeks accused of organizing demonstrations, the Observatory said, adding that he suffers from asthma, high blood pressure and emphysema.

The latest assaults come after UN Assistant Secretary General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco briefed the Security Council Wednesday about events in Syria in the week since the council called for an “immediate” halt to the violence.

Taranco, who spoke behind closed doors, was quoted as saying there had been no letup in the deaths of protesters while UN officials had met Syrian diplomats to try to get accurate informa-

tion. His briefing was “depressing and chilling,” Britain’s deputy UN ambassador Philip Parham said. Western envoys said the Security Council would have to consider “further action” if events did not improve, and it pressed for a new report next week. Ignoring the international outrage, President Bashar al-Assad pledged this week a relentless battle against “terrorist groups” Damascus says is fomenting a popular uprising across Syria.

Rights group say more than 2,000 people have been killed in the crackdown on the protest movement, which first erupted in midMarch with calls for reform before demanding the fall of the regime over its bloody repression.

The Observatory said on its website that a total of 2,150 people have been confirmed dead since the protests began. That includes 1,744 civilians, but “does not account for the martyrs who fell in Hama since August 3.”— AFP

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

international

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Misrata rebels mount offensive to stop rocket fire TUARGA: Libyan rebels from the besieged city of Misrata attacked the nearby town of Tuarga yesterday in an effort to end the barrage of missiles that hits their home town almost daily.

Commanders and soldiers said the rebels had pushed into the centre of Tuarga, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Misrata in western Libya, at around 6:00 am.

“They are firing rockets into Misrata every day,” said Tareq, a 26-year-old fighter who had pulled a few kilometers back from the front to fix his truckmounted rocket launcher. “Today is the day we stop them; today we moved inside Tuarga.” On Tuesday night, at least three rockets slammed into

Misrata, although no casualties were reported. But residents, who have been bombarded for months, uniformly blame the attacks on forces in Tuarga loyal to strongman Moamer Gaddafi.

Hajj Ali, commander of the Taliq Freedom Brigade-which in earlier battles stopped Kadhafi forces reaching Misrata’s port-said rebel forces were moving into the centre of Tuarga in a pincer from the west and east. The rebels hope to cut of supply lines to the town and disrupt rocket positions, but Ali said they were moving cautiously.

“We have to be careful. It does not look like they have hostages, but there are a lot of snipers,” he said.

A few kilometers from the centre of

Israel to OK 4,300 new homes in east Jerusalem JERUSALEM: Israel’s interior minister gave final authorization to build 1,600 apartments in disputed east Jerusalem and will approve 2,700 more in days, officials said yesterday, detailing a plan that could complicate diplomatic efforts to dissuade Palestinians from declaring statehood at the United Nations.

The announcement drew immediate criticism from the Palestinians, and from Israel’s leading anti-settlement group, which accused the government of seizing on mass protests over housing costs to give economic justification to the always explosive issue of building in the holy city.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office knew the construction plans were moving ahead, Interior Ministry spokesman Roi Lachmanovich said. An earlier approval for the 1,600-apartment project embarrassed Netanyahu and caused a diplomatic rift with the US because it coincided with a visit to Israel by US Vice President Joe Biden.

Palestinians oppose all Israeli construction in east Jerusalem because it chips away at their hopes to establish the capital of a future state in the holy city. The approval for the new apartments also could create new problems for Washington, which is trying to persuade the Palestinians to abandon their statehood bid and enter into negotiations with Israel instead.

Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat accused Israel of favoring settlements over peace. “We call upon the US administration to support our endeavor at the UN because the only way to preserve the two-state solution now is the admittance of the state of Palestine,” he said. Lachmanovich, the ministry spokesman, said the new apartments were necessary to address a housing shortage in the city. “There’s always something pending,” he said, when asked about the timing of the approvals.

Actual construction likely will not begin for years because building plans will have to go through multiple approval processes. The Peace Now anti-settlement group accused the government of “cynically” exploiting a sweeping grassroots uprising sparked by high housing prices to cement its plans to build new apartments in Jerusalem’s contested eastern sector. It was also unlikely to win much favor with Israel’s closest ally, the United States, which opposes the Palestinians’ statehood bid and, like Israel, says negotiations on Jerusalem and other core issues are the only way forward.

Jerusalem’s fate “needs to be negotiated between the two parties,” said US Embassy spokesman Kurt Hoyer. “Unilateral actions on either side that appear to prejudice the outcome of those negotiations we find counterproductive.” On Tuesday, Washington rebuked Israel for advancing separate plans to build 930 apartments in another neighborhood of east Jerusalem.

The Palestinians refuse to negotiate with the Netanyahu government as long as it continues to build in the West Bank and east Jerusalem - territories that would form the core of their future independent state. Israel rejects that demand, arguing that previous rounds of talks moved ahead in tandem with settlement construction. —AP

Tuarga, batch after batch of outgoing rebel rocket fire could be seen thundering across the fields full of scarred, burnt and decapitated date palms toward loyalist positions. Trucks piled high with ammunition raced in the same direction toward the front line.

But in the opposite direction a stream of ambulances told of the ferocity of the fighting. Doctors at a nearby field clinic, and at Misrata’s main hospital, reported receiving many more wounded during the morning than they had in recent weeks.

At least four fighters were dead and 42 wounded within the first six hours of fighting medics on the scene said.

Around seven more fighters were said

to be in a critical condition and some with severe burns caused by rockets hitting their vehicle. “The front line here has been static for around six to eight weeks, but from early this morning we started receiving casualties,” said Ahmed, a young field doctor.

“They started coming around seven in the morning and they just keep coming,” he said lamenting that his “hospital” was little more than a first aid station. “All we can really do is stop the bleeding and dress minor wounds.” But the doctors also faced their own challenges. That morning a batch of rockets had hit close to the field hospital, and one medic was injured tending to a fighter on the front line.—AFP

Bomb explodes north of Beirut; two killed Source of bomb not yet clear BEIRUT: A bomb went off in a north Beirut suburb yesterday, killing two people and damaging several cars, including one belonging to a judge, security officials said. It was not immediately clear if the bomb in the busy suburb of Antelias went off by mistake or whether it had a timer, the security officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with regulations. The explosion in a parking lot damaged at least four cars, including one with judicial license plates, the officials said.

The officials said they do not believe the judge was the target since his car has been recently used by his son, an engineer. One of the two men reportedly handling the bomb died almost immediately, while another was seriously wounded and died later in hospital, security officials said.

The man who was seriously wounded appeared to have been laying on the ground when the bomb exploded, tearing off his right arm and left leg, the officials said. It was not clear if he was placing the bomb under the car or trying to throw it away, the officials said. Shortly after the explosion went off, security forces sealed the area and brought in bomb sniffing dogs. Such explosions are not uncommon in Lebanon but there have been no targeted killings in the past three years.

BEIRUT: Lebanese security forces inspect the scene of a blast where two men were killed in a Beirut suburban parking lot yesterday when explosives they were handling detonated. —AFP

Last month, a roadside bomb blew up next to a United Nations convoy carrying French peacekeepers in south Lebanon, wounding at least five of them. The last person to be assassi-

nated in Lebanon was police Maj Wissam Eid, who was one of the country’s top terrorism investigators.

He was killed along with several other people in a car bomb in 2008.—AP

Yemeni president objects to power transfer deal SANAA: A Yemeni official says the country’s embattled president objects to key issues of a US-backed deal that has him transferring power to the country’s opposition in return for immunity from prosecution. The official says Ali Abdullah Saleh spoke dur-

ing a meeting with his top party officials in the Saudi capital Riyadh, where he is recuperating from severe burns sustained in a June attack on his compound in Sanaa. The official says Saleh objects to the mechanism of implementing the deal. The official

attended yesterday’s meeting. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to the media. Yemen’s state TV aired a brief footage of the meeting, showing Saleh with medical gloves covering his burnt hands.—AP

y

A

e niv rsar n

International

Years

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

South African health plan will need billions No intention of increasing tax burden: Gordhan PRETORIA: Plans to introduce national health insurance, one of the biggest changes proposed by South Africa’s ruling African National Congress, will require an estimated 125 billion rand ($17.3 billion) in 2012 and 214 billion rand by 2020, a government source said yesterday. The National Health Insurance program, being discussed by the government and other parties in South Africa’s healthcare system, will require an estimated 255 billion rand by 2025, the source said, citing a policy paper due to be released today.

If the NHI, meant to give the poor greater access to healthcare, is implemented, it will be one of the biggest reforms made by the African National Congress since it came to power in 1994. Analysts said the cost of the NHI could push up the budget deficit, which is already under strain from expanding personnel costs from more than 1 million state employees and new spending aimed at reducing the country’s persistently high 25 percent unemployment rate.

“I am still of view that developmen-

tal state policies overall (including NHI) will pull the long run deficit higher to 4- 4.5 percent from around 3 previously,” said Peter Attard Montalto, an emerging markets economist at Nomura International. Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said the government did not want to unduly increase the burden on taxpayers, saying the insurance program will be funded through public finances, contributions from employers, surcharges and partnerships with the private sector. “There is money in the system and there may be extra money required,” Gordhan said. The government plans pilot programs over the next few years that will give it a better indication of spending and funding requirements.

The government has previously said funding options under study included surcharges on taxable income and increases in value added tax (VAT). Analysts expect the main source of revenue to come from general taxation. But Gordhan said: “We don’t want to burden anybody more

than they need to under normal taxation.” But Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the rich, who almost exclusively rely on private healthcare, may be asked to pay more to finance the public system. “The goal is to try and finance healthcare for everybody,” Motsoaledi told reporters at a briefing. Motsoaledi said the proposed system will not be able to mirror the advanced private healthcare sector but would give millions of poor better care.

“NHI is not intended to destroy the private health care sector. (It) is one meaningful way to reach across the wealth gap.” South Africa is spending about 8.5 percent of GDP on healthcare but the standard of service is poor. Contributors to private healthcare schemes are concerned that the NHI would force them to seek treatment at poorly run and overcrowded state facilities.

The policy will be published in the official government newspaper today, kicking off a three-month consultation process. —Reuters

Somali children struggle in famine-struck Mogadishu MOGADISHU: In drought-ravaged Somalia where food is scarce, three-year-old Ibrahim is so severely malnourished he weighs less than eight kilos (18 pounds), about the same as an eight-month-old baby. “My child is very sick, he’s had a fever, vomiting and got diarrhoea,” said his mother Rukyo Abdullahi, sitting worriedly by her tiny son’s bedside, his skin stretched tight against his small bones.

“He was given some medicine from a local pharmacy, but as soon as he took it, he got worse-the blood drained away from his face.” Abdullahi fled with Ibrahim into the famine-hit Somali capital last week, risking violence in one of the world’s most dangerous cities in a desperate effort to save her son’s life. “I don’t have any money to support my family,” the tired looking mother added sadly, waving away the flies that buzz above her crying child.

She trekked some 50 kilometres (30 miles) on foot into the war-torn city with her feeble child, who also has measles. Brought to Mogadishu’s Banadir hospital, Ibrahim is struggling to survive. Too weak to eat, doctors are fitting him with a feeding tube through his nose. Conflict-ridden Somalia is the hardest hit by an extreme drought affecting 12 million people across the Horn of Africa. The United Nations has officially declared famine in Somalia for the first time this century, including in Mogadishu and four southern regions.

In the past two months, some 100,000 people have fled into Mogadishu, seeking food, water and shelter. Hard working doctors are struggling to cope, offering what little they can with their basic facilities. The UN’s food monitoring unit has described Somalia as facing the most severe humanitarian crisis in the world and Africa’s worst food security crisis since the country’s 1991-1992 famine.

Doctor Lulu Mohamed, head of paediatrics at the hospital, said the situation is the worst she has seen since 1992.

That was the year after then president Siad Barre was toppled from power, and Somalia spiralled into the bloody conflict that has engulfed it ever since. “Since then we haven’t seen this overwhelming number of malnourished children-and the death rate is increasing,” Mohamed said.

Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shebab rebels, who had controlled

MOGADISHU: A malnurished and displaced Somali boy waits for food-aid rations yesterday at an IDP camp in Mogadishu. The United Nations has officially declared famine in Somalia for the first time this century, including in Mogadishu and four southern regions. —AFP around half of Mogadishu, abandoned their positions in a surprise withdrawal at the weekend. But clashes have continued between rebel remnants and African Union-backed government troops. There is some help in the city, but local aid workers say they are being overwhelmed by the demand. “Day after day the situation is worsening because new arrivals are coming from drought affected areas to Mogadishu,” said Adan Yusuf Mahadi, who helps run a feeding centre run by a local aid agency.

“People are in need, people need help,” he said, warning that current relief efforts could in no way cope with the sheer number of people in need. Outside the city, from where thousands continue to flee, the situation is reportedly worse, with aid agency access even more limited there. “Where I am from, life is very difficult,” said Abdullahi, who abandoned her family’s farm after crops withered and animals died from the lack of rain. “There is no aid getting there, we never get any help.”— AFP

DADAAB: Faqid Nur Elmi poses outside her hut in Dagahaley refugee camp north of Dadaab, Eastern Kenya, 100 kms (60 miles) from the Somali border yesterday. —AP

Hundreds of thousands face starvation: UN UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations warned that the famine in East Africa hasn’t peaked and hundreds of thousands of people face imminent starvation and death without a massive global response. UN deputy emergency relief coordinator Catherine Bragg appealed Tuesday to the international community for $1.3 billion needed urgently to save lives. “Every day counts,” she told the UN Security Council. “We believe that tens of thousands have already died. Hundreds of thousands face imminent starvation and death. We can act to prevent further loss of life and ensure the survival of those who are on the brink of death.”

Bragg’s office, which coordinates UN humanitarian efforts, said the famine is expected to spread to all regions of south Somalia in the next four to six weeks unless further aid can be delivered. The global body says it has received $1.1 billion, just 46 percent of the $2.4 billion requested from donor countries. Bragg’s appeal came as a UN food agency official warned that the number of people fleeing famine-hit areas of Somalia is likely to rise dramatically and could overwhelm international aid efforts in the Horn of Africa.

Luca Alinovi, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s representative in Kenya, warned that the situation could become “simply unbearable” in the coming weeks if Somalis continue to abandon their homes in southern and central parts of the country which are mainly under control of al-Shabab Islamist extremists - in search of food. The United Nations estimates over 11 million people across East Africa need food aid because of a long-running drought exacerbated by al-Shabab’s refusal to allow many humanitarian organizations to deliver aid in areas it controls, including the UN World Food Program, the world’s major aid provider.

According to the UN ‘s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit, Bragg said, “the current situation represents the most severe humanitarian crisis in the world today and Africa’s worst food security crisis since Somalia’s 1991-92 famine.” “We have not yet seen the peak of the crisis,” she warned, citing high levels of severe malnutrition and deaths of children under age 5, combined with increasing cereal prices and a dry harvest season.

The Food and Agriculture Organization reported Wednesday that cereal prices in East Africa reached new peaks in several countries last month, worsening the already dramatic situation for millions of hungry people. The FAO said prices of milk also were at record or very high levels in most of the region. Food prices have been driven higher by drought-plagued harvests and sharp increases in fuel and transport costs, according to the Rome-based agency. In the past two months some 220,000 people have fled toward the Somali capital of Mogadishu and across the borders to Kenya and Ethiopia, where refugee camps are straining under the pressure of new arrivals. — AP

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

International

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

British PM unveils anti-riot measures Cameron gives police ‘extra powers’ LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron unveiled yesterday new measures to end the worst riots in decades, and admitted he had considered ordering the army to quell the violence. As a police crackdown and heavy rain prevented a fifth night of chaos, Cameron told an emergency session of parliament he had given police extra powers, including the ability to order youths to remove face coverings.

Cameron said anyone whose property was damaged in the riots in London and other cities, during which dozens of buildings have been torched and four people killed, would be compensated.

“We will not let a violent few beat us,” he told lawmakers. “We need to show the world, which has looked on frankly appalled, that the perpetrators of the violence we have seen on our streets are not in any way representative of our country-nor of our young people.” He also said that a year before London hosts the 2012 Olympics Britain needed to show a more positive face to the world. Britain is still reeling after four of the worst nights of rioting for decades, which started in London then spread to other English cities including Manchester and Birmingham. Cameron, who cut short his holiday to deal with the crisis, said initially that “simply far too few police were deployed onto the streets”, adding that police had treated it as a public order situation instead of criminality.

But he admitted for the first time that he and senior security officials had discussed calling out the military to help, and had raised the possibility of a curfew. “It is my responsibility to make sure that every contingency is looked at including whether there are tasks that the army could undertake that would free up more police for the front line,” he said. Those included “some simple guarding tasks” but added this was “not for today, it is not even for tomorrow, it is just so you have contingency plans in case it becomes necessary.” He reiterated that police had been given powers to use water cannon and plastic bullets.

The riots started on Saturday, sparked

LONDON: Metropolitan Police officers prepare to carry out a raid on a property on the Churchill Gardens estate in Pimlico, London during an operation where police hope to recover property stolen during the recent disturbances in the capital yesterday.—AP by anger over the shooting by police of a 29-year-old man, Mark Duggan, in the deprived north London district of Tottenham.

Cameron, whose Conservative-led coalition government is bringing in tough spending cuts, also dismissed claims that poverty had contributed to the unrest, saying it was “not about politics or protest, it is about theft”. Police started raiding addresses in London yesterday to arrest people involved in the violence. Around 16,000 police have been deployed in London for the past two nights. Apart from a brief flare-up involving 150 people in south London yesterday the situation was generally calm.

Courts meanwhile stayed open overnight to deal with a backlog of more than 1,200 people arrested during the riots. Several people received jail sentences yesterday while others were bailed. Those facing judges have included an 11-year-old boy and a chef, a teaching assistant, an opera steward and an army recruit. In Birmingham, the

father of one of three Muslim Asian men who died in a hit-and-run incident emerged as a heroic figure for his impassioned calls for peace despite the spectre of inter-racial tensions.

Tariq Jahan, whose 21-year-old son Haroon Jahan was one of those killed, was featured on the front page of several national newspapers addressing an angry crowd and urging them not to take revenge. “I lost my son. Blacks, Asians, whites-we all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another? Why are we doing this? Step forward if you want to lose your sons.

Otherwise, calm down and go homeplease,” he said. A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the incident. Meanwhile Malaysian student Asyraf Haziq Rosli, 20, who was mugged during the riots by a group of youths who pretended to help him after he suffered a broken jaw, left hospital in London yesterday. Footage of his ordeal has been watched by thousands of people on the Internet. —AFP

Germany rules out Kosovo partition on ethnic lines PRISTINA: Germany will oppose any partition of Kosovo, its foreign minister said yesterday following a warning by Kosovo Albanian leaders that Serbia wants its former province divided along ethnic lines. Guide Westerwelle said the map of the Balkans had been decided and the issue of territorial changes was closed.

“For us it is clear that the situation and territorial integrity in this region is decided; this means this is out of discussion for us,” Westerwelle said at a news conference with Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian premier during a visit to Pristina.

Westerwelle said German Chancellor Angela Merkel will pass on the same message during a visit to Serbia later this month. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nine years after NATO bombing halted a Serbian military crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians. But 60,000 Serbs in north Kosovo rejected the breakaway and still deem Belgrade their capital. Some Serbian officials have floated the idea of partitioning Kosovo, effectively hiving off its northern Serb enclave.

Violence flared in the enclave two weeks ago after Pristina authorities tried to seize border posts controlled

by Serbs in order to enforce a ban on imports from Serbia and gain control of its northern part. One Kosovo police officer was shot dead and Serb mobs blocked all the roads in the north and torched a border station. “We think dialogue is necessary, we think cooperation instead of confrontation should be the foundation for every process in the region but this also includes that we want respect for the borders,” Westerwelle said.

With 1,023 troops, Germany has the biggest military contingent in Kosovo’s NATO peacekeeping mission (KFOR). It is sending another 500 after the recent violence. Mediated by the NATO commander in Kosovo, a German general, Serbia and Kosovo last week reached a temporary deal to ease tension through mid September when Belgrade and Pristina are scheduled to resume talks in Brussels to resolve trade issues.

However, ethnic Serbs in Kosovo have only partially accepted the accord and have not completely removed roadblocks. Under the deal, KFOR will continue to guard two border posts and let civilians pass in and out of Kosovo. No goods from Serbia will enter Kosovo but Pristina will not send its police and customs officers to the northern border posts. After arresting recently the two last Bosnian Serbs wanted for war crimes in Bosnia’s conflict, Serbia’s road to join the European Union now partly depends on its relations with Kosovo. Although Germany, the United States and most EU members have recognised Kosovo’s independence, Belgrade, with the backing of Russia and China, does not. — Reuters

Ukraine president says will stay out of Tymoshenko case KIEV: Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych yesterday rejected calls to intervene over the arrest of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, saying he could not interfere in the work of the courts. “I cannot and will not interfere in the work of the courts. If I did, the problems would be even greater,” Yanukovych said in a statement released by his office, his first comments on the case since Tymoshenko was arrested last week.

“The Ukrainian judicial system is independent and without prejudice and is guided solely by the constitution and laws of Ukraine,” he added. “Political or any kind of interference in the work of the court is unacceptable,” he added. Tymoshenko, who was arrested for contempt of court during her trial on charges of abuse of power, has insisted she is the victim of a political vendetta led by Yanukovych.

But the presidency has always denied any involvement in the ongoing trials of the former prime minister and other

allies during her stint in office, including former interior minister Yuriy Lutsenko. The statement said his comments came in response to a letter from Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who has asked Yanukovych for assurances that the trial of Tymoshenko was not politically motivated.

“Not one of the current judicial processes involving former officials is, and cannot be, politically motivated. I am responsible for this personally, as a guarantor of the Ukrainian constitution,” said Yanukovych. Tymoshenko’s arrest sparked concern in the United States and EU members about the rule of law in Ukraine and also fears the controversy could endanger an association agreement Kiev hopes to sign this year with the European Union.

France said it had summoned the Ukrainian ambassador in Paris to express its “serious concern” at the arrest of Tymoshenko “and more generally of the progress of (her) trial,” spokeswoman Christine Fages told reporters. — AFP

PRISTINA: German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle (L) shakes hands with Kosovo’s President Atifete Jahjaga in Pristina yesterday. Guido Westerwelle wraps up his three-day visit to the Balkans in the Kosovo capital Pristina, with talks focused on a flare-up of violence in the tense Serb-populated north. —AFP

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

International

FRIDAY, August 12, 2011

Scandals, economy take toll on Brazil’s Rousseff Disapproval doubles on austerity, corruption woes BRASILIA: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has suffered the first major fall in her popularity, a poll showed on Wednesday, as she battles a rash of corruption scandals and a slowing economy. Although her ratings remain relatively high, a sustained fall could undermine the 63-year-old career civil servant’s ability to stay the course on economic austerity measures and make it harder to push reforms through an unruly Congress.

Rousseff’s approval rating dropped 6 percentage points to 67 percent, while the number of those who disapproved more than doubled to 25 percent, a survey by the Ibope polling firm showed. “People had expectations that weren’t fulfilled,” said Flavio Castelo Branco, director of economic policy with the National Industry Confederation, which releases the poll. The center-left Rousseff took office on Jan. 1 amid high expectations, buoyed by a roaring economy and the huge success of her predecessor and patron, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

But she has faced an increasingly tough economic environment, plagued by inflation and a marked slowdown in growth even before the global market plunges of recent days. Her government adopted $30 billion in unpopular budget cuts and has hiked interest rates five times to 12.5 percent to combat inflation, jacking up costs for the country’s credit-reliant consumers. She has taken a tougher stand against corruption and nepotism than Lula, angering her main coalition partner but apparently failing to reap the reward of greater public support.

Further falls in polls could rob her of the crucial political clout she needs to maintain budget cuts and continue to root out corruption in ministries. “She needs to improve her communication skills or she risks losing more political capital,” said Rafael Cortez, a political analyst with Tendencias consultancy in Sao Paulo.

HIGHER RATES UNPOPULAR Despite some improvement, Rousseff still shies from public appearances and, unlike

the charismatic Lula, struggles to connect with ordinary people. Among planned reforms to improve Brazil’s growth prospects that have yet to be taken up by Congress are an overhaul of the country’s Byzantine tax code, and legislation to regulate royalties from the country’s oil riches. With the mounting global crisis set to slow Brazil’s economic growth more than initially expected, Rousseff aides fear her ratings could turn further south.

“Her biggest concern right now is the economy,” said a source in the presidential p alace on condition of anonymity.

Investment bank Credit Suisse lowered its 2011 economic growth forecast for Brazil on Tuesday to 2.9 percent, well below the consensus of around 4 percent and a far cry from last year’s stellar performance of 7.5 percent.

Rousseff’s disapproval ratings rose across the board in the Ibope poll, from education to health and public security. But the biggest jump in dissatisfaction came in monetary policy, rising 20 percentage points to 63 percent.

Rousseff’s fight against poverty got the best marks from poll respondents, though that rating also fell from the previous poll in March. She has made the eradication of extreme poverty a major policy goal and launched her flagship social welfare program in June. Since June, Rousseff has lost three cabinet members to graft and ethics scandals and faces fresh corruption scandals in the agriculture and tourism ministries. The Ibope survey polled 2002 people from July 28-31 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.—Reuters

Police cells fill as Venezuela halts prison intake CARACAS: Holding cells in Venezuelan police stations have begun to fill up a week after a government order to temporarily halt new admissions to the country’s overcrowded and violent prisons. Some police chiefs said Wednesday the lockups in their stations are either at capacity or nearly full as a result of the order for prisons to stop accepting new inmates for a month. The order came last week from President Hugo Chavez’s newly appointed prisons minister, Iris Varela.

Police Chief Manuel Furelos of Caracas’ Sucre district said many local police forces are running out of room in their holding cells. “All of the municipal and state ... police are having that problem,” Furelos told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Opposition politicians were also highly critical of Varela’s order. Carlos Ocariz, the opposition mayor of Sucre, said in a statement that the local police station is now about 80 percent full.

“With this measure, the human rights of detainees are being violated. Viable measures should be used to deal with the prison crisis,” Ocariz said. Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz defended Varela’s decision, saying it aims to “humanize the penitentiary system.” Speaking in an interview with the private television channel Venevision, Ortega denied authorities had cut down on arrests as a result of the order. She

also said authorities had decided to set up special “chambers” to reduce crowding in the prisons, though she didn’t specify how they would work.

Furelos said he believes the government may be setting up temporary holding facilities “because they know the police stations are going to break down, and we’re going to have serious problems.” Police Chief Pedro Granadillo in central Carabobo state expressed similar concerns, saying there are already about 40 detainees in police holding cells built for no more than 30. He said if there is no way to send inmates to prisons soon, the police station could be overwhelmed. Venezuela’s 34 prisons were built to hold about 12,000 inmates but now are filled with about 44,000 inmates.

Chavez has repeatedly promised to fix the prison system. He decided to create a new government ministry to oversee prison issues last month, shortly after inmates staged an armed, weekslong uprising that caused seven deaths at two adjacent prisons. The uprising, which pitted rebellious prisoners against troops, ended after a 27-day standoff. Chavez reiterated his commitment to overhauling the prison system before leaving for Cuba on Saturday to undergo his second round of cancer treatment. He told Varela that one of her main objectives should be dismantling “prison mafias.” —AP

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama hosts an Iftar dinner, the meal that breaks the dawn-to-dusk fast for Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday. —AP

August brings multiple jolts for Obama presidency WASHINGTON: It has been a lousy month for President Barack Obama. And August is not yet two weeks old. Running for re-election on 2012, he’s getting beaten up from the political left for making too many concessions and for abandoning the positions on which he campaigned last time. And he’s being attacked from the right by Republican conservatives who claim his spending and taxing policies are hampering the US economy.

Over the past days, Obama has been confronted with humiliating blows on both the economy and in Afghanistan, while polls show deteriorating public support for both him and Congress amid growing public disillusionment with the US policymaking process. Usually, August is a steamy, lazy time in the nation’s capital when not much gets done and when both Congress and usually the president go on vacation. But so far this month, the government avoided - just narrowly - a first-ever default on its financial obligations as it almost began to run out of cash to pay its bills. A last-minute compromise with Republicans helped avoid the default but wasn’t enough to keep the government’s credit rating from being downgraded one notch from AAA to AA-plus by Standard & Poor’s.

Americans want their presidents to be problem solvers. But polls suggest that a majority of the public has lost faith in the ability of both the president and Congress to fix the ailing economy. More than two years into Obama’s presidency, the US unemployment rate remains painfully high, and the Federal Reserve warns there’s little chance of major economic growth over the next two years.

“Obama’s trapped. He’s trapped by what happens with the financial crisis in Europe. He faces a Congress where Republicans will stop him dead in the tracks on his economic and jobs proposals,” said Thomas Mann, a scholar at the Brookings Institution. “And there’s a near consensus of pundits that he’s fundamentally flawed as a consequence of his personality.”

“He should be glad it’s more than a year before Election Day and not next August,” Mann added. In its downgrade, S&P cited the inability of the political parties to find common ground on getting the US financial house in order - and poor prospects for doing so anytime soon. A Washington Post poll released Wednesday showed that just 26 percent - barely one in four have even some faith the government can solve

its economic problems. And 71 percent see S&P’s political analysis in its downgrade - lambasting the nation’s policymaking process - as accurate.

Obama’s restive Democratic base grumbles about his concessions to Republicans. They cite his failure to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire at the end of last year for the wealthy, his failure to get more education and construction-project spending in the deal that averted a government shutdown this past spring and his decision to drop his push for tax increases as part of last week’s compromise to raise the government’s debt ceiling.

The stock market has plunged more than 1,000 points from late July as investors worried about the twin economic perils of a financial meltdown in Europe and political near-paralysis in Washington. The tumble, which continued Wednesday with a 519 point drop in the Dow industrials, along with slower-than-expected US economic growth, reinforces expectations that the economy could be on the verge of slipping back into a new, or “double dip,” recession.

Obama spoke from the White House earlier in the week in an attempt to calm markets, claiming that “lack of political will” - not the nation’s financial status - led to the debt deadlock and the downgrade. But it did not have its intended effect.

Even his comments that “no matter what some agency may say, we’ve always been and will always be a triple-A country” drew some snickers and dismissive comments from both parties. To many, his performance reinforced fears that Obama has been doing too little to try to fix the economy and promote job creation. Trying to answer such criticism, the president was going to a battery factory in Holland, Michigan, on Thursday to promote his jobs agenda, followed by an economic-themed bus tour through the Midwest next week.

He’s going to Martha’s Vineyard with his family on vacation at the end of this month. Shouldn’t Obama do something extraordinary, given the severity of the economic problem, such as cutting his vacation short or summoning Congress back into session? Presidential spokesman Jay Carney, responding to that question at his daily briefing, said the president is “focused on the things that he can do that can be effective. ...

When you say ‘extraordinary,’ I mean ... if you’re talking about a stunt, I don’t think a stunt is what the American people are looking for.” —AP

y

A

e niv rsar n

International

Years

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Female suicide bomber hits Pakistan, 7 dead Third time police confirmed woman suicide attacker PESHAWAR: A female suicide attacker and a handcart bomb targeted Pakistani police yesterday, killing seven people in the first deadly attacks to hit the northwest during Ramadan, officials said. The city of Peshawar, where the bombs struck, is on the frontline of a Taleban insurgency and borders Pakistan’s lawless tribal belt that Washington calls the global headquarters of Al-Qaeda.

It was only the third time police have confirmed a woman suicide attacker in the nuclear-armed country of 167 million where Taleban and AlQaeda-linked bombers have killed 4,500 people since 2007, destabilizing the government. Dozens were wounded in yesterday’s attacks, carried out several hours apart in the Lahori Gate area of Peshawar, a teeming city of 2.5 million, targeting first a police van and secondly a police checkpost.

“This was a female suicide bomber aged around 17 or 18 who threw a hand grenade on the police checkpost, 20 meters away from the site of the first blast, and then blew herself up,” police official Shafqat Malik told AFP. “Her vest did not explode completely. She was killed and another woman was also killed and three policemen were injured,” Malik said.

There was initial confusion on whether the second woman was also carrying explosives, but police and medics later said she had not. “The other woman is more than 60 years old.

Her face is completely disfigured and beyond identification. Her body has no sign of wearing a suicide vest. We feel that she was just a passer-by,” Doctor Rahim Afridi told AFP. He said 16 people were admitted with injuries after the second blast, including a 10-year-old boy. Police official Imtiaz Shah confirmed that the other woman was a passer by and had no

PESHAWAR: Pakistani doctors treat people injured in a suicide bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan yesterday. —AP connection to the woman, believed to have been around 17 years old. In late June, the Pakistani Taleban claimed for the first time that a married Uzbek couple carried out a suicide attack on a police station that killed 10 officers and threatened further husband-and-wife bombings.

Police said five officers and a child were killed earlier when a bomb hidden in a handcart on the roadside tore through a passing police van carrying 20 personnel at 7:10 am (0210 GMT), updating an initial death toll of five.

Eighteen other people were wounded, said police official Muhammad Faisal.

Shattered glass, human flesh, blood and police uniforms littered the area after the bomb, an AFP reporter said.

“The police van was carrying 20 policemen,” said Imtiaz Shah, another police official, adding the vehicle was wrecked and that a group of schoolboys had been in the area when the bomb

Afghan president will not seek third term KABUL: President Hamid Karzai, who has been the only leader in Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion brought down the Taleban, will not seek a third term in office, his palace said yesterday. “The constitution of Afghanistan does not allow anyone to run for the presidency for more than two terms,” the statement quoted Karzai as telling a group of parliamentarians. He “will not try to run for the presidency for the third time”, it said, adding that he was making the announcement in response to “rumours”, without elaborating further.

Some Karzai opponents have long suggested he could try to change the constitution to extend his time in office, amid rocky relations with Western officials in Afghanistan.

The announcement comes one day after Karzai handed authority for resolving a long-running row over voterigging in last September’s parliamentary elections to the Independent Election Commission. But three years before Afghanistan’s next presidential election is due in 2014, it took many analysts in Kabul by surprise. It was not immediately clear whether it was connected to the announcement on tackling the row over parliament. — AFP

exploded. “A 12-year-old boy has also been killed,” he said. Witness Mohabbat Khan, 45, told AFP that volunteers helped police evacuate the casualties after the attack, after he saw clouds of smoke and dead bodies littered on the ground. Government security forces have been humiliated by some of the most daring attacks in a four-year bombing campaign that erupted after troops targeted extremists holed up in an Islamabad mosque in July 2007. Peshawar police chief Imtiaz Altaf told AFP that officers had killed a suspected Taleban suicide bomber and his handler in an overnight gunbattle at Matani, on the outskirts of the city. Militants bitterly oppose Islamabad’s US alliance in the war against the Taleban in neighboring Afghanistan and US drone strikes on Pakistani soil, which leaked American diplomatic cables showed the government quietly approved. — AFP

3 face execution in former India PM Gandhi’s death NEW DELHI: India’s president has rejected the mercy petitions of three men sentenced to death for the 1991 assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the presidential office said yesterday. Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber belonging to Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers while campaigning for his Congress party in southern India. The rebel group killed Gandhi in revenge for his decision to send Indian peacekeepers to intervene in the conflict.

A total of 26 defendants were sentenced to death in 1998 after a six-year trial. However, an appeals court commuted the sentences of 22 defendants to life imprisonment and another had her clemency plea accepted.

President Pratibha Patil’s office said that she had rejected the final three convicts’ clemency pleas last week. The Gandhi family, no relation to independence leader Mohandas Gandhi, have been India’s main political dynasty since Jawaharlal Nehru became the country’s first prime minister.

Nehru died peacefully, but his daughter Indira Gandhi India’s longest serving prime minister and Rajiv’s mother was also assassinated 1984, by her Sikh bodyguards. Rajiv’s widow, the Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, is the current leader of the ruling Congress party and his son Rahul is seen as next in line to be prime minister. —AP

Afghan bomb kills five NATO troops KABUL: Five NATO soldiers were killed by a bomb in southern Afghanistan yesterday, as the Taleban rejected a US claim to have killed the fighters who shot down an American helicopter killing 38 troops. The soldiers’ nationalities and full details of the blast were not disclosed by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) but they were the latest victims of the deadly insurgency’s increasing use of crude, homemade bombs.

At least 387 coalition soldiers have now been killed in Afghanistan so far this year, according to an AFP tally based on that kept by independent website icasualties.org. That compares to a total of 711 deaths for the whole of last year. South Afghanistan is the Taliban’s traditional heartland and was the focus of a US troop surge from 2010 that commanders say has made significant progress.

However, the Taleban still frequently target foreign forces with crudely-assembled improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that strike troops on foot patrol or travelling in armored vehicles. From April to June, 3,485 IEDs exploded or were found in Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon, a 14 percent increase on the same period last year.

Separately, officials said five Afghan police were killed in an overnight clash with the Taleban in the southern province of Helmand. “One of our police posts was attacked in Gereshk last night. Five policemen were killed,” said Helmand provincial police chief Abdul Hakim Angaar. The latest deaths come a week after the Taleban shot down a US helicopter, killing 38 people including 30 Americans, the biggest loss of US life in a single incident since the 2001 invasion.

On Wednesday, US General John Allen, commander of the NATO-led international force in Afghanistan, said the Taleban fighters responsible for downing the helicopter had been killed in an air strike. But Taleban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that was “not true”.

“After seeing the enemy statement, we contacted the mujahed (fighter) who shot down the helicopter and he’s not dead. He’s busy conducting jihad elsewhere in the country,” Mujahid told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

Mujahid admitted that four “ordinary” Taleban fighters had been killed in the US air strike but said they were not the ones who shot down the helicopter.

He added that the fighter responsible had now left Wardak province, where the crash took place in the Tangi Valley area of wild, Taliban-infested Sayd Abad district. The Taleban are known to exaggerate and distort their public statements as part of a propaganda campaign accompanying their 10-year campaign to evict the mainly US foreign troops who ousted them from power in the 2001 invasion.

Citing intelligence, a senior Afghan official told AFP this week on condition of anonymity that the helicopter was brought down in a Taleban trap designed to lure international forces to the scene. Allen said the Chinook, which was carrying 25 members of the elite special forces, had been sent in as part of an operation targeting a Taleban leader, who is still at large.

“The intelligence that had been generated to this point led us to believe there was an enemy network in the Tangi Valley in the Wardak province, and the purpose of this mission was to go after the leadership of that network,” the general said. When “less than 10” fighters were seen “escaping”, the Chinook was ordered in, he said. It was bringing special forces who were to pursue the insurgents.

The CH-47 was then shot out of the sky with a rocket-propelled grenade, killing all 38 people on board.

Afterwards, the military said US forces tracked the insurgents responsible, calling in an air strike late Monday with an F-16 fighter. The insurgents were traced over the weekend to a wooded area elsewhere in Wardak “after an exhaustive manhunt” by special forces, ISAF said. — AFP

y

A

e niv rsar n

International

Years

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

South Korea dismisses North’s denial of shelling Incident fuels already high tensions SEOUL: South Korea yesterday dismissed a denial by North Korea that it twice carried out shelling along the flashpoint Yellow Sea border, which fuelled already high tensions. Seoul said its marines fired warning shots Wednesday after North Korea fired shells twice near the disputed frontier, which has seen bloody naval skirmishes in recent years and a deadly artillery attack last November.

The North’s military, in a cross-border message early yesterday, hit out at Seoul for “faking up” the incident saying “normal blasting” took place as part of construction work. The South’s defence ministry rejected the North’s claim as “routine and unnatural”, saying a frontline observation post clearly saw the shells landing near the border.

Of five shells fired by North Korea, three fell north of the border-known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL) — and two landed close to it, prompting warning shots from marines based on Yeonpyeong island, a ministry spokesman told AFP. “Soldiers using observing equipment identified the spots where the shells landed,” he said. The incident came after North Korea urged South Korea and the United States to cancel the 10-day Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint military exercise, an annual computer-assisted simulation drill starting next week. US and South Korean officials described the exercise as defensive and routine, but the North denounced it as preparation for “a war of aggression”.

The North said the South had fabricated Wednesday’s incident as a “pretext” to justify the joint exercise. “The South Korean military warmongers spread misinformation that the (North

Korean) army perpetrated a shelling ‘provocation’,” it said. Wednesday’s incidents came after the North made apparent peace overtures in recent weeks and expressed interest in restarting stalled six-nation nuclear disarmament talks.

Nuclear envoys from the two Koreas held rare talks in Bali last month, and a senior Pyongyang official visited New York later for discus-

would not affect its planned shipment of emergency aid for North Korean flood victims. Seoul has offered to provide aid worth five billion won ($4.7 million), the first such offer since the North shelled Yeonpyeong last November.

Troops on frontline islands have been on high alert since the attack killed four South Koreans including two civilians and damaged scores of

INCHEON: South Korean marines walk to board a ship leaving for Yeonpyeong island in the western waters, at Incheon port, South Korea yesterday. —AP sions with US officials. Washington urged North Korea to show “restraint”.

“Our understanding is that this exchange of fire has now ended. That’s a good thing. We call on (North Korea) to exercise restraint,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

She said North Korea should “begin to take steps” aimed at restarting the six-party talks, which involve the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. The South’s unification ministry said Wednesday’s shelling

buildings. South Korea has reinforced troops and sent extra weaponry to the islands along the NLL drawn unilaterally by United Nations forces after the 1950-53 war. The North refuses to accept the NLL and says the border should run further to the south. The boundary line was the scene of naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and November 2009. The South also accuses the North of torpedoing one of its warships near the NLL in March 2010, with the loss of 46 lives-a charge Pyongyang denies. —AFP

Japan to set up new nuclear safety agency TOKYO: Japan’s government has decided to set up a new nuclear regulatory agency under the Environment Ministry instead of the trade ministry to increase its independence after the country’s atomic disaster, officials said yesterday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the Cabinet is expected to approve the plan by Monday. The current Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has been widely criticized for cozy ties with the nuclear industry under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which promotes nuclear energy.

“We expect to make the agency an affiliate of the Environment Agency,” Edano said. “Environment and nuclear issues have a certain affinity for each other.” Public opinion has turned against nuclear regulators and the industry following a massive March 11 earthquake and tsunami that triggered a nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. The disasters destroyed power

and cooling systems at the plant, causing three of its reactor cores to melt and large amounts of radiation to leak outside the complex in the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

The government has been under fire over its response to the crisis. NISA has also faced a scandal over recent allegations that its officials tried to secretly manipulate discussions in favor of nuclear power at a number of town meetings that were held before the crisis. Three senior officials - the head of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, the head of NISA and a vice minister at the trade and industry ministry - were fired last week in a shake-up aimed at calming the public uproar.

Under the plan, drafted by Goshi Hosono, minister in charge of the nuclear crisis, NISA would be integrated with the Nuclear Safety Commission, an independent panel of experts under the Cabinet Office, to

become a more independent entity distanced from the nuclear industry and other promoters of atomic power.

“We must spin off NISA from the trade ministry as soon as possible to keep the regulator away from the promoter,” Hosono told reporters Wednesday.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan told a parliamentary session yesterday that “someone who is not a blind advocate of nuclear safety or promoter of nuclear energy but is fully aware of the problems of nuclear power” should head the new regulatory agency. The embattled prime minister, who has signaled his intention to step down in coming weeks, has vowed to contain the Fukushima nuclear crisis by early January, overhaul the country’s nuclear regulatory framework and scale down Japan’s dependency on nuclear energy. The new entity would require parliamentary approval before its expected launch next April. —AP

Chinese bullet train maker halts some production BEIJING: China has frozen approval of new railway projects and halted some bullet train manufacturing, stepping up an overhaul of its controversial highspeed network after a July collision that killed 40 people. The crash, along with delays on a new BeijingShanghai line blamed on equipment failures, embarrassed the communist government and fueled public anger at a bullet train network that critics say is dangerous and too costly. The railway minister announced the moratorium on new rail projects Wednesday and promised a nationwide safety inspection. He also announced further speed reductions in the top speed of bullet trains following cuts in April.

“This accident exposed the weaknesses lying in the railway transportation safety and management,” said Sheng Guangzu in comments posted on the Cabinet website. The announcement adds to signs Beijing is scaling back plans that called for expanding the high-speed network to 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) of track by the end of this year and 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) by 2020.

The system is a prestige project for the Communist Party and is meant to showcase China’s growing technological prowess. But the July 23 crash made it a target for complaints about the human cost of recklessly fast development. Meanwhile, a state-owned manufacturer said it will suspend production of its CRH380BL trains used on the Beijing-Shanghai line while it investigates equipment failures. China North Locomotive and Rolling Stock Ltd. gave no details in a statement issued through the Shanghai Stock Exchange. But the official Xinhua News Agency said trains “abnormally stopped” three times due to faulty sensor signals. The newspaper Shanghai Daily cited sources who said there were more than 40 breakdowns since late July but did not say how many involved equipment from the same producer.

There was no indication the production halt was linked to the crash near the southern city of Wenzhou. Authorities blamed that disaster on a lightning strike that caused one train to stall and a sensor failure that allowed a second train to keep moving on the same track and slam into it. A CNR subsidiary, CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., produced 24 of the planned 96 trains to be used on the Beijing-Shanghai line, Xinhua said. The company statement said plans call for the company to produce 17 more CRH380BL trains this year.

Experts have been sent to examine train sensors provided by a foreign supplier, Xinhua said, citing its deputy general manager, Zhao Minghua. “The breakdowns make us realize that we must conduct strict checks for suppliers’ products,” Zhao was quoted as saying. China has the world’s biggest train network, with 56,000 miles (91,000 kilometers) of passenger rail. Trains are overloaded with passengers and cargo, and critics say the money would be better spent expanding cheaper, slower routes.

Critics have expected changes since the bullet train lost its biggest official booster when the former railway minister was dismissed in February amid a corruption investigation. In the speed cuts announced Wednesday, Sheng said second-tier trains scheduled to run at 155 mph (250 kph) will slow to 125 mph (200 kph).

In April, the top speed of the fastest lines was reduced from 220 mph (350 kph) to 190 mph (300 kph) after Chinese railway researchers warned the planned speeds were dangerously fast and would waste energy. Ticket sales for high-speed lines linking Shanghai with Beijing and the cities of Nanjing and Hangzhou will be suspended while schedules are reorganized, the Shanghai Railway Bureau said yesterday.

It said the suspension affects tickets for departures starting Tuesday and gave no indication when it would end. An employee who answered the phone at the bureau declined to give more details or his name. —AP

A

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Gulf markets mixed amid global volatility

PAGE 20

e niv rsar n

y

Business

Years

BofA talks to Gulf funds to cut $17 billion CCB stake PAGE 23

ZHEJIANG: A worker displays gold jewelry at a shop in Yiwu, in east China’s Zhejiang province. Gold prices surged past $1,800 an ounce on August 11 as investors bought up the safe haven as markets around the world slump due to ongoing fears about the global economy. ñ AFP (See Page 21)

Kuwait posts surplus of KD 5.3 billion Healthy budget surplus, thanks to high oil prices KUWAIT: OPEC member Kuwait posted a healthy budget surplus of 5.3 billion dinars ($19.5 billion) in the last fiscal year on record revenues thanks to high oil prices, the finance ministry said yesterday. Revenues in the year ended March 31 hit 21.5 billion dinars ($79 billion), the highest ever in the emirate’s history, according to figures on the ministry’s website. That exceeded projections of $35.7 billion on the back of high oil prices throughout the year and producing over the emirate’s OPEC quota of 2.2 million barrels a day.

Kuwait’s current oil production is at between 2.6 million and 2.7 million barrels a day, according to Oil Minister Mohammad Al-Baseeri.

Spending was at 16.2 billion dinars ($59.5 billion), just 92 percent of the budget projections of $64.3 billion.

Kuwait has projected a deficit in each of the past 12 fiscal years but ended in surplus mainly for calculating oil income at a very conservative price.

During that period, Kuwait has accu-

mulated about $200 billion in budget surpluses and is also expected to end the current year in the black, if oil prices remain high. Oil income was $73.3 billion, more than twice the amount estimated in the budget, which was based on $43 a barrel compared to an actual price of more than $100 dollars.

The budget for the 2011/2012 fiscal year also projects a deficit of $22 billion because of projecting a record spending of $71.5 billion. The Gulf state adopts a cradle-to-grave welfare policy where a majority of citizens are employed by the government, receive handsome salaries, pay no taxes and receive services at low charges or for free. Under Kuwaiti law, 10 percent of revenues are deducted every year in favor of the emirate’s sovereign wealth fund, the assets of which are estimated at about $300 billion. Returns on the fund are not included in the budget.

Kuwait says it holds 10 percent of global crude reserves.—AFP

News

in brief

Bahrain’s Al Baraka eyes French market JEDDAH: Bahraini Islamic lender Al Baraka will expand to France next year and expects to launch a bank with a capital of 100 million euros ($142 million) by the first half of 2012, the bank’s top official said. Al Baraka had announced in 2009 its plan to launch operations in France but had to postpone it due to the financial crisis. “I think by the first or second quarter of 2012 you will see us operating in France ... The file was never closed. It was only postponed because of the problem in Europe,” Al Baraka’s chief executive said on the sidelines of an Islamic Finance event in Jeddah late on Wednesday. “At this stage it is up to the French to start amending their laws concerning Islamic banking,” he said. Al Baraka is also in the final stages of issuance of a sukuk, or Islamic bond, from its largest unit, Albaraka Turk Participation Bank, the first bank in Turkey to operate on Islamic principles. “We are finalizing a syndicated facility for our subsidiary in Turkey. .

UAE’s Tabreed Q2 net rises 9% DUBAI: Cooling firm Tabreed posted a 9-percent rise in second-quarter net profit helped by a reduction in finance costs and strong performance at its core chilled water business, it said yesterday. Tabreed, which received funding earlier this year from stateowned fund Mubadala to restructure debt, said second-quarter net profit rose to 43.8 million dirhams ($11.9 million) compared with 40.3 million dirhams a year-ago. Results for the quarter benefited from a 25 million dirhams reduction in financing costs due to the closure of its recapitalization program in April, the company said in a bourse statement. Revenue for the quarter rose to 286.6 million dirhams versus 247.7 million dirhams for the year earlier period. Chilled water business revenues rose 29 percent to 425.6 million dirhams for the first half of the year. The company, which repaid a $200 million Islamic bond in July, expects to complete 10 additional cooling plants by the end of the year, Chief Executive Sujit Parhar said in a conference call.

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

business

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Qatar rates cut to spur credit and bank sector No impact on local spot and forex markets DUBAI: Qatar lowered key interest rates a day earlier to spur activity in the local banking sector and revive private sector credit growth, the central bank said yesterday. The world’s largest liquefied natural gas exporter on Wednesday cut both the overnight lending facility and the repo rate to 4.5 percent from 5 percent previously, and reduced the deposit rate to 0.75 percent from 1.0 percent. “It comes in line with the economic developments that the country is seeing and the expected investment spending on infrastructure projects, and future real estate projects,” the central bank said on its website. (www.qcb.gov.qa) The cuts followed an April policy measure which the bank said was aimed at stimulating banking activities and boosting lending to the private sector.

Analysts said they saw room for even fur-

ther cuts. “There is definitely scope for a further cut, the benchmark lending rate is 4.5 percent in Qatar and the benchmark rates in the UAE and Saudi are 2 percent and in the US it is 0.25,” said Khatija Haque, senior economist at Emirates NBD in Dubai. “We could see another 25 bps cut in the deposit rate as well. It depends on how deposit growth develops in the coming months.”

Qatar, like all but one Gulf Arab oil exporters, pegs its currency to the US dollar. The US Federal Reserve promised to keep interest rates near zero for at least two more years on Tuesday. “The timing of the cut is also likely to have been supported by the US intention to keep its federal funds target rate at exceptionally low levels at least through mid-2013,” EFG Hermes wrote in a note.

EFG Hermes said there was room to

reduce the lending rates from the current 4.5 percent by another 50 bps as inflationary pressure remains muted.

Analysts polled by Reuters in June expect average inflation of 3.2 percent this year and 3.9 percent in 2012. Private sector credit rose by 15.8 percent yearon-year at the end of June after 15.0 percent in May, central bank data showed, although still well below double-digit rates of over 20-40 percent seen in the first half of 2009.

At 0856 GMT, Qatar’s benchmark index dipped 0.2 percent, but traders said the impact on the spot and currency markets was minimal. “In the spot market and in the forex swap market there won’t be any impact whatsoever ... There has been no material dealing,” said Lyndon Loos, head of forex trading for Middle East and North Africa at Standard

Chartered in Dubai. “The changes to the interest rates affect the onshore banks, and not the offshore. The reducing of the repo rate means the lending rate to customers locally becomes cheaper,” he said. Qatari one-year currency forwards were quoted at 20 par, moving only slightly to the left from -15/+5 before the cuts. Liabilities of Qatari banks to their foreign counterparts stood at 89.2 billion riyals ($24.5 billion) in June, below 100.9 billion riyals in May, central bank data also showed. Qatar, one of the world’s top investors through its sovereign wealth fund and host of the 2022 soccer World Cup, has like the United Arab Emirates escaped unrest sweeping through the Arab world. Analysts polled

by Reuters in June expect the country’s economy to power ahead at with 16.7 percent growth this year.—Reuters

Saudis entice Asian refiners at expense of Qatar, Oman SINGAPORE: Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia is enticing Asian refiners to buy more of the kingdom’s crude at the expense of other Middle Eastern producers that are offering more barrels on the spot market, as long-term buyers pare purchases of their grades. Competitive pricing for Saudi crude next month is eroding demand for alternative spot cargoes of Qatari Al-Shaheen and Oman crude in October, traders said yesterday, adding pressure on price differentials to regional benchmarks.

The Saudis have unilaterally raised crude production to near 10 million barrels per day (bpd) over the summer to meet increasing demand in the third quarter and help lower high prices that threaten the global economy. Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries so far have voiced little concern about a dro p of about $10 in Brent prices this month, while the International Energy Agency on Wednesday warned about slower growth in oil demand if economic growth falters.

Qatar’s Tasweeq is selling via tender nine cargoes of heavy sour al-Shaheen crude for loading in October, three more than the previous month, as regular buyers with long-term contracts opt to take less from Qatar and more of rival Saudi crude Arab Medium. Discussions of al-Shaheen prices has turned to a discount of about 10 cents a barrel to Dubai quotes from premiums as high as 40 cents last month, after the Saudis trimmed the price of Arab Medium crude by $1 for September cargoes.

A drop of 60 cents in the price of Saudi Arab Light is also putting rival Oman crude under pressure, with discounts of about 25 cents a barrel to Dubai quotes against premiums of about 10 cents for the latest cargoes traded last month. Some traders said chances are increasing that a few Oman cargoes will move to the US west coast as low shipping rates of about $2 a barrel from the Middle East to California re-open this sporadic arbitrage route.— Reuters

DUBAI: A security personnel stands guard as a woman employee enters the Dubai Financial Market in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. — AP

Gulf markets mixed amid global volatility Real estate shares lead the losses DUBAI: Gulf stocks were mixed yesterday in reaction to continued volatility in global markets as investors worry over a potential new US recession. The Dubai Financial Market index, which dropped more than one percent at the opening, managed to climb back to the green, closing 0.21 percent up at 1,464.00 points. The leading shares of Emaar Properties which slipped 1.43 percent in morning trade, reduced its losses to 1.08 percent.

DFM closed 1.15 percent up on Wednesday, after profit-taking reduced

its pace of recovery after being mostly in the red since the trading week began.

Meanwhile, the general index in Abu Dhabi failed to recover, closing 0.59 percent down at 2,587.22 points. Real estate shares led the losses, falling 1.89 percent, while energy shares dropped 1.7 percent. The Muscat Securities Market in Oman, which was the only Gulf market to drop on Wednesday, also remained in the red yesterday, closing 0.57 percent down at 5,848.72 points.

Qatar Exchange, the second-largest Arab bourse after the Saudi market

which remains closed yesterday, also closed 0.25 percent down at 8,107.47 points. Asian stocks traded lower yesterday after stock markets in the US and Europe plunged over fears of a potential global economic recession. European markets reversed their losses at opening yesterday, but some took a dive back into the red. US stocks plummeted more than four percent on Wednesday, more than wiping out the gains of Tuesday’s rebound as European debt troubles and worries of a new US recession kept investors nervous.— AFP

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Business

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Australian unemployment in surprise jump SYDNEY: Australia’s unemployment rate unexpectedly rose in July to 5.1 percent, data showed yesterday, hitting its highest level since November last year in a sign the mining-powered economy is slowing. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said the jobless rate increased 0.1 percentage point from June after the economy shed 100 jobs-much worse than the 4.9 percent rate and 13,750 extra jobs expected by the market.

Coming as consumer confidence slumped and retail sales had all but stalled, analysts said the weak jobs data would increase pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia to cut its official interest rate-at 4.75

percent since November.

“The RBA will consider this along with everything else, and this is just another piece of information that is pretty weak,” said Deutsche Bank’s Phil O’Donaghoe.

The Australian dollar slumped to 101.39 US cents immediately after the data, from 102.11 shortly before, but recovered to 102.60 within an hour. Analysts expect unemployment, a lagging economic indicator, to soften further in coming months, with Macquarie Research economist Ben Dinte predicting a “gradual increase rather than a decline.”

RBC strategist Michael Turner said “most of the leading indicators

are also pointing towards weaker numbers”, complicating the central bank’s task of lowering inflation linked to the mining boom while easing the burden for households.

Australia’s jobless rate has been steady at 5.0 percent or below since the end of 2010 after peaking at a relatively shallow 5.8 percent during the global financial crisis.

Canberra has forecast unemployment to fall to 4.5 percent by mid2013. Although Australia weathered the global financial crisis without entering recession, natural disasters at home and abroad saw its economy contract in the first three months of 2011, while consumer sentiment is bleak. —AFP

SYDNEY: An investor watches market indices monitors at the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) during morning trade in Sydney yesterday. —AFP

Gold steadies off record high Euro, dollar both in doldrums; Debt worries weigh LONDON: Gold prices steadied after retreating from record highs in Europe yesterday as a move by CME Group to hike margins for trading COMEX gold futures prompted some investors to cash in gains after an early rally. A recovery in stock markets also pointed to firmer appetite for assets seen as higher risk, potentially deflecting some investment from gold. Prices remain supported, however, by worries over the European banking sector and broader economic concerns. Spot gold was flat at $1,794.29 an ounce at 0846 GMT. The metal hit a record $1,813.79 an ounce in early Asian trading hours as concerns over the outlook for French banks with exposure to peripheral euro zone debt and market talk of a possible downgrade of France’s AAA credit rating on Wednesday rattled investors. But its sharp rally ran out of steam after the CME Group said it was raising margins for trading Comex 100 Gold Futures by 22.2 percent. The strength of the metal’s run-up this week, which saw it rising 9 percent to its peak, has left it vulnerable to correction, traders said.

“The news came out when market was around $1,815 and the news took the market lower,” said Afshin Nabavi, head of trading at MKS Finance. “There is still the uncertainty over a downgrade of France despite the rating agencies reaffirming (its) AAA rating, so it feels like gold could be in for another nervous day, with more possibility on the upside.” The CME, the world’s largest commodity exchange, lifted maintenance margins on gold futures to $5,500 per contract from $4,500 a contract for speculators, effective from the close of business yesterday. A series of CME margin rises on silver in May after it hit a record near $50 an ounce sparked heavy selling that saw the metal lose a third of

its value in just six sessions.

While the margin hike for gold is weighing on prices, its impact is unlikely to be as dramatic, analysts said “More important as a driver of gold currently is the search for safety, driven by fears

TOKYO: An employee of Japanese jeweler Tanaka Kikinzoku poses with 1-kilogram gold bars at the company’s main shop in Tokyo yesterday. Gold prices surged past $1,800 an ounce as investors bought up the safe haven as markets around the world slump due to ongoing fears about the global economy. —AFP over global growth and the potential for sovereign debt downgrades in the US and Europe, as well as the likelihood of the Fed funds rate remaining unchanged until 2013,” said UBS in a

note. “These are reasons entirely different, and significantly more substantive, than the search for a quick buck which caused the last leg of silver’s rally at the start of Q2.”

ON TRACK TO CLIMB Despite yesterday’s correction, gold remains on track for its biggest oneweek gain since Sept. 2008, helped by hefty losses in stock markets. World stocks edged off this week’s 11-month low yesterday helped by a recovery in US stock futures, while European stocks surged. Gold’s correlation with the S&P 500 was at its most negative since the fourth quarter of 2008 in early August.

On the currency markets, the dollar index eased 0.3 percent.

The euro edged off lows but was seen as vulnerable to worries about the euro zone sovereign debt crisis spreading to the region’s banking sector. These fears are also underpinning gold.

“Bullion is still looking dangerously overbought, but these are extraordinary circumstances, with risk aversion continuing to spiral out of proportion,” said VTB Capital in a note. “Once again, eurodenominated gold outperformed other bullion crosses on heightened euro zone sovereign debt fears.”

Gold priced in euros hit a record 1,283.38 euros an ounce in earlier trade, while US gold futures for August delivery were up $13.30 an ounce at $1,797.60, having touched an all-time high at $1,817.60. Among other precious metals, spot silver was flat at $39.20 an ounce. Spot platinum was up 0.8 percent at $1,777.74 an ounce, while spot palladium was up 1.3 percent at $731.50 an ounce. The gold: platinum ratio held near its highest since the third quarter of 2008, with gold maintaining its historically unusual premium over the white metal. —Reuters

China lacks options on US debt: Analysts SHANGHAI: China has launched a barrage of criticism at the United States over the debt crisis, but analysts say the world’s largest foreign holder of US debt has no choice but to maintain its Treasury holdings. Chinese state media have savaged the United States over what they call its “addiction to debt,” in a series of unusually critical articles. An analyst writing in one newspaper went so far as to compare US debt to a “Ponzi scheme”, in the wake of an unprecedented US downgrade.

China’s central bank said last week it would diversify its foreign currency investments, warning of “large fluctuations and uncertainty in the US Treasury bond market,” even as it welcomed a deal to raise the US debt ceiling.

But despite the rhetoric, analysts said shifting out of the US dollar can only be a long-term aspiration, with Beijing’s hands tied for several reasons in the short run.

China has the world’s largest foreign exchange reserves at more than $3 trillion, and experts said it would be difficult for it to find alternative investment options able to absorb such volume.

With around $1.2 trillion in US Treasuries, Beijing also cannot conduct large-scale selling of dollar assets without diminishing the value of its remaining holdings, they said. “Any significant selling by China of US dollar assets would be noticed by global markets and could spark panic selling of dollar reserves on a grand scale,” Ma Jun, Hong Kong-based economist with Deutsche Bank, said in a report. With sovereign debt worries in European countries such as Italy and Spain threatening the entire eurozone, investment in US debt might still be attractive, said Liu Hongke, economist at CCB International Securities.

“It is very difficult to cut the holdings of US Treasuries.

With such huge foreign exchange reserves, if you don’t invest in US debt, it is hardly possible to diversify them,” Liu said. China has set up a sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corporation, to funnel the reserves into investments but it was proceeding slowly, she added.

“Despite the downgrade (in the US credit rating), the United States is still safer than Europe,” Liu said. The latest salvos from China came after ratings agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded the United States to an AA+ rating from AAA, on political risk and a rising debt burden.

US officials have also made the case that despite the downgrade and a political showdown that drove the United States to the edge of default, the country remains one of the world’s safest investments. Analysts said that any sale of US dollar assets would also put pressure on China to allow its own currency to rise more sharply, something it has resisted out of fears of hurting its own exporters. —AFP

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Business

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Libyan farmers hunt for lost camels MISRATA: A dozen ruddy-faced men rest their arms on a wall and peer anxiously into a dust-filled enclosure on the outskirts of the besieged western Libyan city of Misrata. They are farmers, here in search of their camels. It’s nearly six months since Libya’s civil war began, but with Muammar Gaddafi’s troops still menacing a short distance to the west and the south, these Misrata-based herdsmen are struggling to reconstruct any semblance of normal life.

Now, despite the risks and with the help of neighbors and a few generous donors, the farmers are slowly rounding up whatever animals are still wondering the desert. At a giant sorting station near Misrata, 35-year-old Milad Ramadan Emgedip helps keep the 300 camels, 50 cows and 5,000-plus sheep they have found so far dishing out meal and administering what inoculations he can until the owners turn up. At the facility, which was a livestock market that went bust thanks to the war, Emgedip points to row upon row of stalls. “Now people are coming here to try to find their livestock. It is easier for them to find

the camels because they are branded, but the sheep and cows are not always marked.”

In a giant breeze block pen nearby Yussef ElGemal is one of a group of men who have seen enough to start darting, shuffling and wrestling among the camels to get a closer look. It’s not a easy task. The animals run, snort and twitch in one sandenveloped dromedarian mass.

Today, El-Gemal says, he has been lucky-finding 18 camels which bear the markings of his farm. But with 582 camels still missing or dead, the term luck seems relative. “Every day I go into the desert to try to find them, but I don’t find anything,” he said still gazing across at the herd. “I lost almost everything.

But this is God’s will.”

Thanks to the ongoing fighting El-Gemal still does not know exactly how close he has come to losing absolutely everything. He has not been back to his farm 75 kilometers south of Misrata since March 16, the day before a United Security Council gave NATO the green light to start bombing Libyan leader

Muammar Gaddafi’s troops. Hoping to find some of his herd and keep them alive, El-Gemal approached the farm but soon came under fire from troops at a nearby Gaddafi military base. He has no idea if his 13 farm hands he employed from Chad and Mali are still alive, or if anything remains of his 20 years of work building up the place.

Every once in a while he gets a new tip about the fate of his herd: A Kadhafi soldier found dead with papers documenting the ownership of some of his prized camels brought from Saudi Arabia, or a few animals found dead. “I have even heard that some of my camels were used on the front line, put in front of Gaddafi’s troops as they moved forward. I did find some that died from bullet wounds, but who knows.”

Asked if he will rebuild the farm, El-Gemal is resolute.

“Of course. I am going to do this.” But it may be a race against time. With winter round the corner Emgedip and others looking after the unclaimed animals are worried a lack of medicines and malnourishment will spell death for most. — AFP

S Korea holds rates SINGAPORE: South Korea’s central bank left interest rates on hold yesterday, setting in all likelihood a precedent for Asian policymakers forced to respond to the global economic slump and briefly halt their battle against inflation. The Bank of Korea was unambiguous in its statement, saying that while inflation would remain high, the downside risks to growth had increased.

Even market analysts, who have been wrong-footed by this central bank consistently this year, had seen this coming through the past weeks as they watched a deepening debt crisis in the euro zone and rapid deterioration in prospects for the US economy. Heavy losses in global financial markets in recent sessions have only added to the case for central banks to put any further tightening plans on hold for now. “It can be viewed as a temporary pause,” said Park Hee-Chan, an economist with Mirae Securities.

“Although there is big economic uncertainty lying ahead, from what we can see the current situation is not that desperate or dangerous.”

The past week’s market turbulence, which has seen the Korean stock market tumble 18 percent so far this month, gives authorities a valid excuse to refrain from tightening policy. Norway did likewise th is week as did Indonesia, although the latter is in a relatively healthier growth-inflation situation.

Some economists worried that Korea may have missed an opportunity to raise rates.

The policy rate has been steady at 3.25 percent since June, painfully below inflation running at an annual pace of 4.7 percent. But with core inflation also uncomfortably high at 3.8 percent, policy rates certainly need to be higher.

Without doubt, the policy terrain for Korea and Asia’s other high-growth economies has become extremely tricky after the US Federal Reserve pledged this week to keep its policy rates near zero for at least two years.

At worst, Asian policymakers face a long period of extremely weak demand abroad for their exports, a drying up of foreign credit and possibly another round of heavy monetary stimulus by the Fed. At home, they have to contend with high and still rising core inflation,

SEOUL: Currency traders monitor exchange rates in a dealing room at the Korea Exchange Bank in Seoul yesterday. South Korean stocks rebounded yesterday as bargain hunting led by institutions helped claw back the morning’s losses. — AFP tight capacity and labor markets, and yet also question marks about overall growth. Alongside that emerges the risk that these central banks do a volte-face on monetary tightening right now, only to find the remnants of still strong price pressures manifest themselves in uncomfortable ways in the economy.

NOT DROPPING THE BALL Even under a base-case scenario in which the euro zone slows considerably and the US economy cools but avoids a recession, it is possible several Asian countries that ought to be raising rates will instead hit the pause button on policy, said Yougesh Khatri, economist with Nomura Securities. The Philippine central bank governor hinted as much this week. “Even as the surge in flows could continue to complicate monetary policy, the specific timeframe provided by the Fed gives us monetary policy space,” Governor Amando Tetangco said.

“What we need to work double time on is strengthening domestic demand to make up for potentially slower trade, given the more negative growth outlook in the US and Europe.” That primarily is the worry: that the battle against inflation will be compromised in some

of these countries, particularly those where the political influence is heavy.

The odds are stacking up against mostly export-dependent Asia. Wall Street economists put the odds of a US recession at one-in-three, while a Reuters poll of 200 economists forecast a 25 percent chance of a US recession and a 30 percent possibility the Fed will launch a third round of quantitative easing.

Commodity prices have fallen. The Reuters-Jefferies CRB index , a global commodities benchmark, has slid 7 percent this month. That should provide quite a bit of respite to Asia, where food and fuel can make up as much as 40 percent of the consumer price basket. But plenty of central banks are in a quandary. Australia’s central bank faces high underlying inflationary pressures residing alongside weakness in sections of its economy.

China’s inflation at 6.5 percent is at 3year highs, presenting a weighty dilemma for authorities who have to be careful about managing growth expectations not just within the world’s secondlargest economy but also in twitchy global markets whose participants keep a close watch on this last major growth engine. — Reuters

Brent falls below $106 LONDON: Brent crude fell below $106 a barrel yesterday, erasing earlier dollar-fuelled gains, on investor concerns that the European debt crisis could spill over to France and harm global economic growth. Brent crude fell by 95 cents to $105.73 a barrel in a choppy trading session, after earlier rising more than $1 on a weak dollar. US oil futures were down 41 cents at $82.48 by the same time. Market talk of an impending downgrade of France’s credit rating and concern about the financial health of one of its key banks have rattled markets, although three major ratings agencies have reaffirmed its AAA rating.

French bank Societe Generale’s boss vehemently rejected rumors that questioned the banks financial solidity and its battered shares recovered some ground. “Volatility is about people trying to balance fundamentals against the macroeconomic environment. We had constructive numbers on oil stocks but there’s macroeconomic uncertainty especially with worries over French banks,” said Tony Hall, chief investment officer of Duet Commodities, referring to a drop in US crude stocks the previous day.

Oil prices had rallied on a weaker dollar, with investors reluctant to hold it after the Federal Reserve pledged to keep interest rates near zero. Commodities including oil tend to rally when the dollar falls since it makes them cheaper for nondollar buyers. World stocks staged a tentative rally yesterday and edged up from this week’s 11-month low as higher US stock futures calmed frayed investor nerves after a steep selloff this week which shook investor faith in global growth.

FUNDAMENTAL UNCERTAINTY Uncertainty about the economic outlook hit oil prices hard in early August, with Brent dropping from around $117 a barrel to briefly dip below the pyschologically important $100 a barrel threshold earlier this week. While prices have since recovered, rising by around 4 percent in Tuesday’s session, many analysts still consider the outlook for oil demand very uncertain. The West’s energy watchdog the International Energy Agency said in its monthly report on Wednesday that a global economic slowdown may stifle oil demand growth, potentially cutting it by more than half to only 600,000 barrels per day. “They are telling the market not to take their demand numbers too seriously. It could revise them lower. But at the moment, we are not trading on fundamentals but macro factors,” said Eugen Weinberg of Commerzbank.

Sentiment in the oil market was given a boost by news on Wednesday that US crude stocks declined 5.23 million barrels to 349.75 million barrels in the week to Aug 5 as imports fell slightly and refinery utilization increased, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Analysts polled by Reuters had projected a 1.5 million barrel build on average. The drawdown came after companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico shut production briefly due to the threat of Tropical Storm Don. Private forecaster AccuWeather.com said on Wednesday there is a possibility that three more storms will form in the tropical Atlantic in the next couple of weeks. — Reuters

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

business

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Chart-based trading behind big market swings NEW YORK: Support levels. Moving averages. Breakouts. That strange language is being spoken more forcefully on Wall Street these days. It is the language of technical trading, which is helping to drive recent wild gyrations in stock prices.

Within hours, stock prices have been leaping and falling in 300 and 400 point bursts.

Technical traders all but ignore fundamentals, such as corporate profits or expected growth rates. Instead they rely on stockchart analyses that signal when to buy or sell the entire US stock market.

In the absence of clear signs about the economy’s direction, more of Wall Street is turning to technical trading. When the charts say “sell,” a herd of sellers emerges, magnifying declines. If prices fall far enough, another wave of technical selling is triggered and the decline is intensified.

At some point, a threshold is reached where the charts say “buy,” and stock prices get whipped higher. “You have to have some idea of earnings and multiples for fundamental analysis,” said James Masserio, the head of equity derivative trading at Credit Suisse. “But now there is essentially no clarity on future earnings for the next 6 to 12 months.”

When traders can’t forecast the future, they turn to what has happened in the past. “Technical analysis at its heart is just a

graphical representation of human emotion and psychology,” said Richard Ross, a global technical strategist at Auerbach Grayson, a New York-based broker. He says that price charts show that markets - and investors - follow reliable patterns. A generation ago, volatility was measured in days. Now huge moves up, and then down, can happen in a matter of minutes.

The moves are so fast these days because computers programmed to analyze charts are executing trades without any human intervention.

Technical trading is based on the idea that price history alone tells an investor all that he or she needs to know. Alternatively called chartists or technicians in the language of Wall Street, most investors who make decisions based on these strategies focus on the point level of the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, a broad index that represents about three-fourths of the total value of the US stock market. Traders who want to buy or sell the S&P index during a trading day often use exchange-traded funds, which are essentially mutual funds that trade all day like a stock.

State Street’s S&P 500 fund, for example, is one of the world’s largest exchange traded funds with $76 billion in assets. Its daily trading volume has doubled over the last five days to 519 million shares

Bank of America faces investors NEW YORK: Bank of America Corp CEO Brian Moynihan defended the embattled bank to investors Wednesday, the same day its stock fell nearly 11 percent. The bank has seen its share price plummet and has lost money in three of the six quarters since Moynihan became CEO in January 2010. He said he felt that acutely. “Everybody should rest assured that my entire net worth is in this company,” he said on a conference call with investors hosted by Fairholme Capital Management.

According to FactSet, Fairholme owns 93 million shares, or just under 1 percent, of Bank of America’s outstanding shares.

He said the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank is in the middle of a “multi-year transformation” that might be painful now, but will stabilize Bank of America long-term. “We’ve been in this business for 230 years,” he said. “We’ll be in this business for another 230 years.” The entire banking industry has been hit hard in recent weeks. Financial stocks have had the worst declines of any of the 10 industry groups in the S&P 500.

Investors are concerned about banks’ exposure to European debt problems.

If European governments default on their bonds, that could start a chain reaction that hurts the United States, because large US banks own European bank debt and have investments in those same banks. These worries only add to concerns about slow growth in the US economy and the weight of bad mortgage loans that banks are still unloading. Bank of America has fared especially poorly, largely because of its mortgage exposure. Like other banks, it is grappling with lawsuits from investors who say they were misled into buying lousy mortgage-backed securities before the financial crisis took hold.

But Bank of America is especially vulnerable; it is the country’s largest mortgage servicer because of its 2008 purchase of Countrywide Financial Corp., a lender known for exotic mortgages. The $4 billion purchase has ended up costing the bank billions more in investor lawsuits and bad-loan write-downs.

Bank of America shares plummeted nearly 11 percent Wednesday to $6.77. The bank’s stock has lost more than half its value since Moynihan became CEO. The bank has also reported total losses of more than $9 billion in that same time frame, in large part because of mortgage-related settlement payments.

Four years ago, before the financial crisis, Bank of America was seen as an industry leader and government officials thanked the bank for taking Countrywide off the market. Many of the problems that Moynihan is dealing with stem from decisions made by others. —AP

exchanged, a sign that more traders are using it to track the S&P 500 index. When evaluating when to buy or sell, chartists turn to a toolbox of over 700 different indicators.

Among the most popular are noting the moving average of the S&P 500 index over the last 200 days and pinpointing the levels where it seemed to stumble before moving higher or lower. A recent low is called a support level, and a recent high is called a resistance level.

Chartists think that it’s a clear sign that the stock market is headed for additional losses when the S&P 500 index breaks past one of its recent lows. That happened last Thursday, when the index fell below 1,257.

The S&P index had nearly touched this level - its closing price on December 31 of last year - during a sell-off in June. Passing through this so-called support level signaled for many that the market had lost its upward momentum.

The index closed at 1,200 that day for a loss of 4.8 percent. Because technical trading strategies are built into many of Wall Street’s automatic computer trading programs, they can be self-fulfilling. During Monday’s sell-off, for example, the S&P index broke through a so-called support level of 1,172 shortly after 11 am Eastern.

That triggered a second wave of selling

that took the market down to another support level of 1,138 by 2 pm. The market then briefly hovered around this range, before finally closing 6.6 percent lower for the day at 1,119.

“The market was trading on technicals until the end, when panic took over and people wanted out and wanted out now,” said JJ Kirnahan, chief derivatives strategist at TD Ameritrade. Kirnahan thinks that the technical trading will account for the majority of the stock market’s ups and downs for the next few weeks. Traders will go back to looking at corporate fundamentals when they know what to expect from big picture issues like the European debt crisis and the direction of the US economy, he said.

Some on Wall Street scoff at the ability of people - or computers - that employ technical trading to be successful for very long. Joe Davis, the chief economist and head of investment strategy at asset manager Vanguard Group, thinks that chartists have a mixed record. He thinks that investors should focus instead on data like price to earnings ratios, a measure that shows how much investors are paying for a dollar in corporate profits. “The only thing that matters over a long period of time is the price that one pays for growth,” he said.— AP

BofA talks to Gulf funds to cut $17 bn CCB stake BofA may shed half of $17 billion CCB investment DUBAI: Bank of America Corp has held exploratory talks with the principal investment funds of Kuwait and Qatar about selling part of its $17 billion stake in China Construction Bank , three sources with direct knowledge of the talks said. Bank of America, which owns about 10 percent of CCB’s Hong Kong-listed shares and is scurrying to raise capital for its mortgagescarred balance sheet, will be contractually free to sell the bank shares after Aug 29.

BofA, the largest US bank by assets, is likely to sell half its stake to shore up its Tier 1 capital, one of the sources said.

Analysts believe Bank of America needs about $50 billion to meet new capital requirements. Talks about the Chinese bank have been held with other investors in addition to the Kuwait Investment Authority and the Qatar Investment Authority, the sources said. If successful, the move to sell the shares to the sovereign wealth funds will alleviate concerns that BofA will be selling the stake in the open market through a block deal.

Shares of CCB rose as much as 4 percent, bucking a fall in the benchmark Hong Kong share index , as traders cut short positions and bet the huge overhang would now not have to be absorbed on the market. “ The market must be thinking that BofA is going to unload their entire stake to Middle Eastern SWFs without showing anything to the street,” one Hong Kong-based trader said. Shares of the Chinese bank have fallen some 20 percent, partly in anticipation of a BofA sale, traders said. The stock was up 1.3 percent at the mid-session break compared with a 1.5 percent fall in the bench-

DUBAI: An Arab woman enters Bloomingdales at a shopping mall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The lingerie retailer Frederick’s of Hollywood, has chosen Abu Dhabi for the launch of its first international store. The choice of venue is revealing, not only about demand for risque unmentionables on the Arabian Peninsula, but also for what it says about the United Arab Emirates’ retail pull. — AP mark index.

It was unclear if any agreement with the sovereign wealth funds or other investors have been cemented. Sources said no talks are being held currently.

Bank of America, whose shares have fallen 27 percent in the past week, did not mention the China investment during a widely followed conference call that top executives held on Wednesday with thousands of investors. Chief Financial Officer Bruce Thompson said on the call that asset sales are being considered to boost capital.

“These stakes will be sold eventually,” a second source said of the Chinese bank shares. “They have been shown previously to funds who matter.” Bank of America spokesman Jerry Dubrowski declined to discuss whether negotiations have been held, and officials at QIA and KIA were not immediately available for comment. “We continue to be a significant shareholder in CCB and we intend to continue the important long-term strategic alliance with CCB originally entered into in 2005,” Dubrowski said. — Reuters

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Business

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Stocks stabilize after battering; euro rises World stocks up 0.5% at 292.01, off 11-month low LONDON: World stocks edged up yesterday from this week’s 11-month low as higher US stock futures calmed frayed investor nerves after a steep sell-off triggered by concerns about the US economic slowdown and the euro zone banking system. The euro and oil rose while buying by the European Central Bank pushed Italian and Spanish government bonds higher. But investors remained reluctant to place long-term bets as trading remained volatile. The dollar briefly jumped above 77.00 yen from near record lows, triggering talk about possible intervention. But dealers reported no action from Japanese monetary authorities and it quickly fell back.

European banks sought to secure dollar funding beyond one week in the currency derivatives market, pushing one gauge of funding costs to the highest levels since the 2008 crisis as investors and banks hoarded funds to protect themselves from further market volatility. On Wednesday, a stream of rumors about a sovereign rating downgrade of France and concerns about the health of French banks caused the biggest widening in the benchmark index of European credit default swaps since 2008.

The three major rating agencies later reaffirmed France’s AAA rating, and said

its outlook was stable, but markets remain concerned that French banks are among the most exposed to a worsening of Europe’s government debt crisis.

“We had slightly more positive equity markets in Asia so therefore the risk aversion is not as strong today,” said You-na Park, currency strategist at Commerzbank. “The debt crisis weighs on the euro but on the other hand there are doubts regarding the US economy.”

The MSCI world equity index was up 0.5 percent while European stocks rose 1.3 percent. US stock futures rose 1.8 percent after Wall Street. The benchmark MSCI index had slipped into bear market territory earlier this week by falling more than 20 percent from its three-year high in May, but has since inched up. Emerging stocks rose 0.3 percent, also off this week’s 11-month low.

US crude oil rose 1.2 percent to $83.82 a barrel. The euro rose 0.5 percent to $1.4230.

MONEY MARKET STRESS Investors are extremely sensitive about any sign of funding stress in the interbank market, one of the first areas to deteriorate at the early stage of the credit crisis in 2007. Yesterday, the oneyear yen-dollar cross-currency basis which reflects the premium for swap-

ping yen LIBOR into dollar LIBOR-extended its rise to 56 basis points briefly, the highest since November 2008.

Bund futures fell 28 ticks in volatile trading, with traders saying the European Central Bank was buying Italian and Spanish government bonds in small amounts to protect the two markets from contagion fears. “Investors are hugely worried about the spread of the debt contagion and the economic status of the US. Each sell-off is effectively a cry for help to politicians and central banks to reach a solution to the debt crisis,” Jimmy Yates, head of equities at CMC Markets, said. Italian 10-year bond yields were 4 basis points lower on the day at 5.068 percent, while their Spanish equivalents were 3.4 bps down at 5.004 percent. The dollar fell 0.2 percent against a basket of major currencies. The US currency has been under pressure from speculation the Federal Reserve may launch a third bond-buying program to bolster the economy. It has pledged to keep interest rates near zero for two more years. The dollar was down 0.5 percent at 76.51 yen. Investors are wary of possible coordinated intervention after Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said that he would work closely with the global community to maintain market stability. —Reuters

Cyprus sets sail through eye of financial storm NICOSIA: A minority Cypriot government must persuade a hostile opposition to approve unpopular tax hikes to close a widening budget deficit, and even then may still face the ignominy of going cap in hand to Brussels for a bailout. As global markets panic over debt-ridden European and US economies, credit rating agencies have shown no mercy to a country that is struggling to overcome the political and financial turmoil caused by a deadly munitions blast on July 11 that wrecked economic growth prospects.

Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s had already downgraded Cyprus, when Fitch stepped in on Wednesday and did the same. Fitch said Cyprus will probably be unable to meet financing requirements for the rest of this year and in early 2012, forcing it to seek a bailout. The government argues that the austerity measures it has agreed upon will see it through this roughest of patches by reaching the EU’s own fiscal deficit target next year, but doubters say the cuts aren’t deep enough. Averof Neophytou, the deputy leader of largest right-wing party, Disy, issued a statement following the Fitch blow blaming President Demetris Christofias for the country’s woes.

“He has consciously chosen through the economic bankruptcy of Cyprus to obligingly lead us toward the support mechanism, destroying the economic fabric of Cyprus, which for decades has

LIMASSOL: A woman walks past a clothing shop offering sale prices with up to 70% discounts in the southern Cypriot port city of Limassol yesterday. — AFP been built with the sweat and hard work of small businesses and workers.”

Although Christofias has one of the toughest fights of his political career looming there are some economists who believe the fundamentals are strong. “If you put all the indicators together Cyprus is one of the strongest performing economies in Europe; it’s among the top 10.

The credit agencies are using a simplistic argument with no relevance to the present situation,” economist Costas Apostolides said. He said credit agencies

like Fitch are driving interest rates up when they need to come down to stimulate growth.

“The Fitch narrative is wrong; there is no appreciation that the banks are strong and they did not need government assistance. This can be solved with a recovery but a recovery needs lower interest rates.” Fitch and the other ratings agencies have expressed serious concerns about the ability of Cypriot banks to withstand the pressures on their balance sheets of their heavy exposure to Greek bank debt. —AFP

PARIS: A man withdraws money from a BNP cash dispenser in Paris yesterday. — AP

No quick exit to eurozone crisis European countries queue for bailouts FRANKFURT: Twenty-one months after Greece triggered financial and political turmoil by admitting it was broke, the eurozone still can’t fix its debt crisis. The reasons: intractable disputes over who will ultimately pay the costs of saving it, and the still-unadressed vulnerability that comes from having a single currency with multiple governments.

One after another, troubled European countries have asked for bailouts: Greece, Ireland, Portugal. Late-night meetings produced hasty statements and new crisis measures, like Sunday’s rushed decision by the European Central Bank to buy Spanish and Italian bonds and ward off financial collapse there. Bond markets steadied, but by midweek the cloud of fear simply moved to France, with panic selling of French bank stocks. The 17 countries who must solve the crisis remain deeply divided over how to distribute the potentially astronomical costs of available fixes. It took months, for instance, to reach agreement on a relatively modest reduction in Greece’s debt by persuading bondholders to take less than 100 cents on the euro. As a result, expect more debate and more crisis headlines. The basic problem is simple: Some of the euro countries have too much debt. Markets wonder if they can pay it back. As a result, lenders are demanding interest rates that would quickly grind government budgets down to insolvency, in a self-fulfilling death spiral.

But how to fix that problem is far from straightforward.

Much depends on the answers; the euro debt crisis poses a serious risk for an economy that, taken as a whole, ranks behind only the United States in size and remains a major trade partner for the US and China. The turmoil has sent stocks down and fed fears over global growth just as the US debt dispute did. The fractures go back to the creation of the euro in 1999, as a stable currency with low inflation and interest rates, but no effective way to restrain multiple legislatures from undermining that with too much spending. Joining meant smaller countries could suddenly borrow almost as cheaply as solid industrial giant Germany. At the time, that was celebrated as a major achievement. Less money for interest payments, more for schools and roads. But some countries, notoriously Greece, misused the unaccustomed access to cheap credit, paying for a bigger government with lots of jobs to give people.

As they did that, wages and prices rose, making the economy less efficient. Credit flooded into Spain and Ireland for real estate booms. Lenders went along. They assumed euro membership meant nothing could go wrong. —AP

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

business

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Trader Andrew Stavros reacts after the close of trading in the NASDAQ, 100 Index pit, on the floor of The CME Group on Monday in Chicago. Stocks plummeted at the close after anxiety overtook investors on the first trading day since Standard & Poor’s downgraded American debt. (Right) The price of gold has shot to record levels, reaching nearly $1,700 per ounce as investors seek protection in commodities amid recession fears. Omid Rabi owns a jewelry shop in downtown Los Angeles, California, and he says the vast majority of his business these days is buying gold. — AP/MCT

US faces a double-dip recession Investors flee as S&P downgrade heightens fears

I

s the US economy heading toward a doubledip recession? Economists say it’s difficult to tell whether a second recession is on the way, so soon after the last one officially turned into a weak recovery two years ago. For every sign pointing to a slowdown, another indicates a pickup.

Recent economic reports have shown weakness in everything from manufacturing to consumer spending. The government recen tly revised its estimate of gross domestic product growth for the first quarter down to a meager annual rate of 0.4 percent. In the second quarter, the GDP growth rate was just 1.3 percent.

Other indicators, such as corporate earnings, are at their strongest levels in years.

Last Thursday’s 513-point plunge by the Dow Jones industrial average, its largest decline since late 2008, sparked concerns that the economy is heading off a cliff, because stocks are often seen as an indicator of future growth.

Signs of economic weakness, the game of chicken with the US debt ceiling that played out in Washington, DC, and the spreading debt crisis in Europe have unnerved investors.

Standard & Poor’s downgrading of the US’ credit rating, announced late Friday, has heightened worries.

But Friday’s employment report, which showed that the economy added a betterthan-expected 117,000 jobs in July, helped ease concerns that another recession is around the corner. In response, the Dow posted a mild gain. In keeping with the mixed signals investors are getting, other indexes, such as the Nasdaq composite, declined.

There’s little question that the odds that the economy is heading toward a contraction are on the rise. John Lonski, chief economist at Moody’s Investors Service in New York, put the chance of a recession at 40 percent, up from just 20 percent a month ago.

His reason: the steep decline in the stock market, which can hurt consumer spending. In the recovery from the 18-month recession that ended in June 2009, rising stock prices have helped make consumers feel better off, even as many saw the prices of their homes decline.

Now, home prices remain in a ditch and stocks are taking a beating. “What the US can ill

afford is the decline in equity prices in view of how home prices have continued to fall,” says Lonski. “It will reduce household wealth.” The debt troubles in Europe are also a major concern for the US, because a collapse in Europe would hurt demand for US goods and wreak collateral damage on the financial secto r, which holds a substantial amount of European government and corporate bonds.

The last time the US economy experienced a double-dip recession was in the early 1980s, when high inflation and interest rates sapped corporate profits and emptied consumer pocketbooks. Starting in early 1983, the economy came roaring back, sparking a powerful bull market in stocks that didn’t stop until the dotcom bust of 2000 and 2001.

The time period between the early-1980s recessions was 12 months, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, which tracks recessions. Since the most recent recession officially ended more than two years ago, in June 2009, economists may quibble over whether another downturn qualifies as a technical “double dip.” For many Americans, however, it seems as if the recession has never ended — which is why some have dubbed the period the Great Recession.

Another difference this time: A sharp, steady decline in interest rates beginning in the 1980s drove the post-double-dip recovery. Today, however, interest rates are already at record lows. That poses the question: What could pull the economy out of a recession this time?

Government spending seems tapped out, as the latest debate o ver the debt ceiling in Washington showed. The Federal Reserve fired a massive amount of ammunition at the recession, going to extraordinary lengths to spur growth. While the central bank may still have a few tricks up its sleeve, skeptics say they won’t be enough to pull the economy out of a steep slowdown.

Recent signals “show an economy with very weak growth prospects,” IHS chief economist Nigel Gault wrote in a note Friday. “It is ... disturbing that policymakers do not seem to have the weapons to match the risks we are facing.”

Of course, if the Fed picks up a whiff of deflation — a steady decline in core consumer prices — there’s little question that it will

throw the kitchen sink at it. Concerns about deflation were behind the Fed’s stimulus moves in 2009 and 2010.

Deflation can devastate an econo my, because consumers often stop spending, expecting prices to decline further. In the 1930s, a prolonged period of deflation triggered years of economic chaos.

Not everyone agrees that the economy is sputtering, of course. Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at BlackRock, pointed out in a Friday report that gasoline prices are declining and banks are starting to lend more to small businesses. And the temporary impact of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on the global supply chain is easing.

“For all these reasons,” he wrote, “we do not believe the United States will be entering a recession anytime soon.”

A month ago, Wrightson ICAP chief economist Lou Crandall was optimistic that the economy was on a path toward solid growth in the second half of the year. Now, he says, he’s become more concerned, in part because of a negative shift in sentiment. If corporate managers fear that the economy is slowing, they’ll cut back on capital expenditures and put off hiring.While he remains “cautiously optimistic,” he says, “we’re back in a period of maximum uncertainty.”

Lonski at Moody’s points out that while growth could pick up, another unforeseen shock, such as a renewed surge in oil prices, could be enough to push the economy over the edge.

Perhaps the weakest corner of the economy is job growth. Friday’s jobs report showed that while the unemployment rate in July ticked down to 9.1 percent from 9.2 percent in June, a big factor was that more workers have essentially given up looking for a job. The so-called labor force participation rate — the number of workers actively looking for a job — fell to 63.9 percent from 64.1percent in June.

Economists certainly weren’t hailing Friday’s jobs report as an all-clear signal. “While July’s employment report provides a drop of decent news amidst a downpour of depressing data, it does little to change our fundamental thesis of long-lasting economic sluggishness,” wrote Guy LeBas, a fixed-income strategist at Janney

Montgomery Scott, in a note.

According to some metrics, the high unemployment rate indicates that the economy is perched dangerously close to a recession. A recent report by Goldman Sachs economist Andrew Tilton showed that, according to historical trends, if the unemployment rate ticks up a mere 0.2 or 0.3 percentage points in the next two or three months, the odds will increase sharply that the economy is either in a recession or will be in one soon.

The reason, Tilton argues, is that employment is critical to economic strength because of those crucial self-reinforcing feedback effects. “When economic activity slows enough to push the unemployment rate higher for more than a short period, household income growth is interrupted,” he wrote in a report.

“This typically leads to a pullback in consumer spending, and companies respond with further cuts in labor demand.”

Perhaps the best argument against the double-dip scenario is a continuing boom in corporate profits. According to Goldman Sachs, 46 percent of the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index have reported betterthan-expected earnings results for the second quarter. Earnings are on pace to grow 15 percent from a year ago.

With more money to spend, companies have the ability to hire more workers. To do so, however, they need to anticipate growing demand. Right now, that’s not the case. The Conference Board’s measure of the confidence of chief executive officers fell sharply in the second quarter. Only 33 percent of CEOs surveyed said conditions improved in the quarter from six months ago, compared with 85 percent in the first quarter.

Confidence can easily shift upward again if the economy starts to show signs of life. If it does, all that cash sitting on corporate balance sheets could be unleashed, driving the economy toward a sustained recovery.

“This is really a crisis of confidence,” says Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi.

“Confidence was completely pummeled because of the debt crisis spectacle. But eventually, businesses will know they need to take a chance, just like they have in every business cycle since World War II.” — MCT

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

opinion

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Syria to snub international pressure - for now T

By Jocelyne Zablit

hough its days are seen as numbered, Syria’s regime is likely to press on with its ferocious crackdown on dissent, despite fellow Arab states and allies joining international condemnation, analysts say. That was underscored when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, under growing pressure from abroad, stood his ground on Tuesday and said he would pursue a relentless war against the “terrorist groups” he says are behind the unrest. “We will not waver in our pursuit of terrorist groups,” Assad told visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Rami Khouri, head of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, said “the regime has been fiercely resistant to international pressure and the moves by the Saudis, the Gulf Cooperation Council or Turkey almost certainly will not have immediate impact.” But Khouri and other analysts stressed that pressure will build from within as Syria becomes more and more isolated on the international scene, and Assad will have no other option but to look for a way out. “When they are completely isolated and there is nobody in the world other than the Iranians who are supporting them, then they have a real problem and they have to find a political solution,” Khouri said.

“But it may be too late.” In a major development this week, Sunni Muslim regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, which had remained silent on the five-month revolt, added its voice to a chorus of criticism against Assad’s regime and recalled its ambassador from Damascus. Kuwait and Bahrain followed suit while the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League condemned the violence that has left more than 2,050 people dead, including almost 400 members of the security forces, according to rights activists.

Turkey, which shares a border with Syria and has a large Sunni population, has also expressed growing impatience with Assad’s scorched earth policy as has Russia. “We hope that some measures will be taken in the coming days to end the bloodshed and open the way to a process for political reform,” Davutoglu said upon returning home from a day-long trip to Syria on Tuesday. “The developments that will take place in the coming days will be decisive with

regard to the expectations of Turkey and the Syrian people,” said Davutoglu, adding that Turkey would continue to follow those developments.

Peter Harling, a Damascus-based analyst with the International Crisis Group, said “the regime has crossed a new threshold in terms of violence, making it increasingly difficult for anyone to remain complacent.” “The world is giving up on this regime.” The unrest wrenching Syria since mid-March poses the greatest threat yet to four decades of Assad family rule that saw power concentrated in the hands of the Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

The majority of Syria’s 23-million population is Sunni Muslim. Assad has blamed the largely peaceful protests across the country on foreign agitators and offered to implement reforms while at the same time pushing forth with a military assault on protest hubs.

The international community, at first hesitant to interfere given Syria’s strategic regional importance and fears of the country sliding into civil war, has gradually upped the pressure while still hoping for democratic reforms. But Assad’s chances of redressing the situation have all but faded as the death toll mounts and the rebellion continues, analysts say. “The regime refers to a global conspiracy against it but in reality many countries across the world, even those that have been historically hostile to this regime, would have liked to see it do a better job at surviving,” Harling said. “The situation is ripe for a dramatic collapse now,” he added. “But it’s impossible to tell when that will occur and what will trigger the dynamics.”

Paul Salem, head of the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center, said that while Assad’s regime will likely pursue its repressive campaign in the coming weeks, his supporters inside the country will eventually turn against him and prove a tipping point. “There are three critical groupsthe Alawite community, the armed force and security services and the commercial elites in Aleppo and Damascus,” Salem said. “But there is no way to guess which one will give way first. “This is a system that is being challenged by its own people and the whole world,” he added. “There is no way they can continue as they are. “So the regime will crumble, but how and when is hard to predict.”—AFP

Syria: Graveyard of America’s Mideast plans

By Frida Ghitis

I

f there is one place that exemplifies the embarrassing failure of Washington’s plans for the Middle East, it is the blood-soaked soil of today’s Syria. As Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad ruthlessly grinds his opponents into the dust, it is hard to believe that just a few months ago Damascus looked like the place where the United States, with a few carefully calibrated moves, might find a gate leading to a more peaceful and stable Middle East.

When Obama came to power, Damascus stood out as the intersection point for all of America’s problems in the Middle East. Turning Assad to America’s side looked like a clever way to transform the region. Assad, many believed, was a “reasonable” dictator; a moderate in a sea of hardliners. In 2008, Assad was isolated. Since 2005, his relations with the rest of the world had entered a deep chill following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which many believed his regime had ordered.

This country, among others, had withdrawn its ambassador. But Obama, believing the now-laughable myth that Assad was a moderate, decided to

restore relations. Washington planned to persuade Damascus to walk away from its closest ally, Iran, and to stop supporting radical groups classified as terrorist organizations by the United States and Europe. Syria had long become a sanctuary and a principal weapons supplier for the Palestinian Islamists of Hamas and the Shiite militants of Hezbollah, which have engaged in furious battles with rivals at home and rejected any compromise with Israel, undermining any chance of long term regional stability.

A little diplomacy would entice Assad from the dark side. If all went according to plan, Syria would help the world get Iran to shut down its illegal nuclear program. Assad would help isolate Iran, weaken terrorist groups, and make peace with Israel. He would stop helping those killing American soldiers in Iraq, and work with Washington to craft a better Middle East. Interestingly, helping bring democracy to Assad’s brutally repressive Syria did not figure prominently in the American plan.

On Dec 30, President Obama, appointed the first US ambassador to Syria in five years. Obama sent Ambassador Robert Ford to Damascus as a recess appointment, temporarily

dodging the required legislative approval. Many in Congress thought that Obama - in what was becoming a familiar pattern - was giving too much to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, easing sanctions with nothing to show in return. This all happened just a few months ago. It sounds like a memory from a different era. Ford, needless to say, did not persuade Assad to do anything. Washington accomplished nothing in the months before the current revolt.

Now the mask has come off the tyrant and America’s Middle East plans lie in ruins. Of course, nobody could have predicted that the so-called Arab Spring would break out. Once it started, however, Washington’s inconsistent efforts to manage the fast-changing events have earned it few friends.

Obama, who came to office determined to build good relations with Arabs, has presided over a confusing response to the uprisings. Granted, the challenge of responding to such cataclysmic change is enormous. But the results so far are not encouraging.

In an astonishing turn, a new poll shows that Obama is less popular in the Arab world than George W. Bush was. A poll by the Arab-American Institute

shows his favorable ratings below 10 percent. In Egypt, site of Obama’s famed 2009 Cairo speech to the Muslim world, only 5 percent have a good opinion of the US president. Not only was the preArab Spring a failure, but Washington’s response to the uprisings also fell flat.

First it was the repeated US change in positions when the Egyptian regime was under pressure, then it was a quick move to join a military effort to overthrow Libya’s dictator. In Syria, it seemed confused about whether it preferred the devil it knows, no matter how diabolical.

Neither the previous nor the future Arab leaders know if they can trust the United States. But it is not too late.

Uncertainty in Middle East produces anxiety in Washington. But Washington needs to make clear on whose side it stands. Enough equivocation.

The murderous Syrian regime deserves only repudiation and those working to bring it down deserve America support. Non-military assistance now could help influence the country’s future. We don’t know what will come after Assad, but we know Assad must go. Anything else would be another embarrassing strategic and moral failure for Washington.— MCT

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011 www.kuwaittimes.net

Actress Lea Michele arrives at the InStyle Summer Soiree in West Hollywood, Calif. on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011. The annual event is hosted by the West Coast editors of InStyle. —AP

y

A

e niv rsar n

Te c h n o l o g y

Years

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Don’t fear the penguin T

he Linux computer operating system turns 20 in August. But, despite having reached that fine age (in computer terms), it remains on the fringe, with relatively low usage levels. Mostly, it has suffered from its reputation for being complicated, with many thinking it’s exclusively for geeks and nerds who know each line of code by heart.

But the reputation is undeserved. Linux hardly makes any special demands on users and is about as simple to use as Windows or Mac OS. Indeed, the most daunting prospect with Linux is choosing between the variety of versions available - and the ability to dive beneath the user interface and get deep into the software, if you’re so inclined.

There are other hurdles for Linux, which uses a penguin as its symbol. Most computer users find it a step too far to switch to Linux when their computers come pre-installed with Windows, says Novell manager Holger Dryoff. “Personally, I haven’t used anything but Linux on my computer since 1994.” Novell has close links with one of the classic Linux versions, OpenSuse, which basically consists of the core of the system, along with a few other freely distributed programs.

Suse, the affectionate name of OpenSuse’s predecessor, “did the pioneering work for the distribution of Linux in Germany,” says Nils Magnus, co-founder of Linux Day. If you understand Windows and want to switch, OpenSuse is the way to go, thanks primarily to the accessible graphical interface from KDE. But OpenSuse is no longer the most popular Linux variation. That honor belongs to the Ubuntu project, founded in 2004 and now with an estimated 25 million users worldwide.

Its version 11.4, for the first time, no longer comes standard with the Gnome desktop, but a new interface from Unity. The launcher is no longer at the bottom, but on the left, leaving

more space on displays - which predominantly use a 16:9 ratio - for contents running from the top to the bottom of the screen. “This is a new and very interesting attempt to design the desktop differently than before,” says Magnus. Ubuntu is a version based on Debian, which has been around since 1993 and also consists predominantly of freeware.

Other versions include free commercial programmes like Acrobat Reader.

“Debian is clearly the biggest Linux line,” says Ladislav Bodnar, who operates the website distrowatch.com. “The latest version requires eight DVDs.” The most compact Linux that still contains a graphical interface is Tiny Core Linux, which takes up all of 11 megabytes. Bodnar, a Slovakian Linux aficionado, lives in Taiwan and has 689 versions of the software in his database. Of those, 323 are still actively managed and under ongoing development.

“More than ever, there’s this heated debate about the graphical user interface,” says Bodnar, explaining trends in the Linux scene. Ubuntu’s Unity desktop, a well as the new Gnome Version 3, orient themselves more towards use on a touchscreen. “They can also be used on a desktop or a laptop, but they demand a radical rethink of expectations.”

That has forced a lot of Linux users to consider alternatives, says Bodnar, like graphically intense user interfaces such as Xfce or LXDE. “Of course, there are naturally those who like the new desktop design from Unity or Gnome 3.” Installing software and downloading updates has become simple with most versions.

“All big distributors are coming along with package management,” explains Magnus.

Finding appropriate drivers is no longer a problem either. There’s support for all kinds of hardware, from USB sticks to UMTS modems

or even finger touch sensors on notebooks.

Magnus recommends Ubuntu, OpenSuse or Fedora - produced by Red Hat for home use for beginners. “Debian is not so useful for first-time users,” he says, noting that this modularly built system can sometimes be complicated to install on a PC. The variety of Linux versions is especially useful for specialists, who tend to use their computers for specific tasks. That means there’s Edubuntu, an Ubuntu version for stu-

dents, or Mythbuntu, for recording videos.

Backtrack also relies on Ubuntu, as it provides special tools for security checks of computer networks. Even if using Linux doesn’t require any particular computer knowledge, it’s still fun to play with software like the thorough word processor Emacs, which offers a lot more options than Microsoft Word. Of course, sometimes things don’t always work right away. But that, says Dryoff, “naturally creates an urge to get it working.” — dpa

Apple lets the Lion out Mac OS X Lion hits the market

A

lot of ideas from the world of mobile devices are being brought to Mac computers with Apple’s newest operating system, Mac OS X Lion. Lion broadens the possibilities for controlling devices with gestures. It also includes a quick-start window, Launchpad, which provides an overview of which programs are running, just like on the iPhone. The recently launched online Mac App Store is also seamlessly integrated, allowing users to buy Apple apps, as well as those from other developers. Overall, Apple has promised 250 enhancements.

Other new ideas include complete hard drive encryption, as well as automatic backup of various data, even while work is still going on. All of it remains accessible later. The software costs about 24 euros (35 dollars) and can be bought and downloaded from the Mac App store. Those without a broadband connection for internet downloads at home can download the files at an Apple Store and, starting in August, buy them on a USB stick for an extra fee. Both the compact Mac Mini and the microthin MacBook Air laptop have also been upgraded with new processors. The three Mini models all have the newest Intel chips, codenamed Sandy Bridge. The smallest version has a 2.3-gigahertz dual-core processor, a 500-gigabyte hard drive and sells for about 600 euros. All devices have a Thunderbolt port for quick data transfer, as do the new Air models for prices starting at 949 euros. The new releases include the first monitor connected via Thunderbolt technology.

The Apple Thunderbolt Display only needs one cable to connect to new Macs, reported the company. Accessories and connections for the monitor are automatically included with Mac laptops, such as a camera for video conferencing, a loudspeaker system, three USB ports and an ethernet connection. The housing of the 27-inch device is finished with aluminum and glass and has a connection for charging the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. Multiple environmental standards were observed during production, said Apple. The monitor should go on sale in about two months, for about 1,000 euros. — dpa

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Relationships

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Brokered brides seek better life I

t is common for an Internet bride to be unaware of unflattering parts of her new husband’s background Back on Dec 4, 2000, a sloe-eyed Nataliya Robertovna Yamayeva arrived in the United States wearing a $200 engagement ring from her American fiancÈ. On the surface, “Natasha” Yamayeva was like all other newly minted fiancees, brimming with affection for her future husband. She was also filled with pastel visions of her future life in a Southern town bordering a leafy college campus, where Yamayeva could add to her Russian-earned college degrees in English and French and the couple could raise the child they were expecting.

But Yamayeva’s new American life would gradually darken. While she blames her husband, their painful misalliance was facilitated by an international marriage broker boasting rosters of compliant women once quaintly labeled “mail-order brides.” “I badly wanted to chase a dream about the overseas prince,” says Yamayeva, her smile tugged by an undertow of sadness. “But how could I know I would become a hostage to my own husband?”

Yamayeva’s story arc - from her first encounter with her American suitor, through her falling down a marital rabbit hole - is a window into the murky subculture of Internet-brokered marriages, which often are built over a cultural chasm of mismatched expectations.

That Yamayeva is Russian is hardly coincidental, as she is part of a recent wave of fashion-shootprimped, well-educated Russian (and, often, Ukrainian) women who, in the wake of the ‘90s collapse of the Soviet Union and the recent loosening of visa restrictions, have set their sights on improving their lives through an Internet matchmaking agency.

The primary motivation pushing many women is the desire to find a supportive, stable husband - and a lifestyle approaching the Hollywood-tinted visions they’ve long nurtured.

And the men? “Essentially, the men are looking for a housewife, reminiscent of American life in the 1950s,” writes Lisa Schwamkrug, a Denton County, Texas, assistant district attorney, in an independent report published in 2005, titled, “The Russian Mail-Order Bride Industry: From Russia for Love, to America in Danger.”

“Many men state they are either tired of or turned off by feminist American women and want a wife who is not obsessed with her career or her rights,” the report says. To some, the bride is little more than a commodity. At datingdepot.com, clients were urged to “Add Olga (48872) to my order,” according to a report by the Virginia-based Tahirih Justice Center, a legal services agency serving immigrant women. And armcandyinternational.com, according to the Tahirih Center, brashly dismisses the $10,500 fee as “less than (the price of) an economy car.”

To be sure, a mail-order-bride system - where men page through a thick catalog filled with thumbnail pictures of women before initiating a letter-based courtship - has been around for decades.

But lately, this process has ramped up to an Internet-woven network of international matchmaking or marriage brokers - often notable for cheesy handles such as First Dream (based in Carrollton, Texas), Cherry Blossoms and Hot Russian Brides - all peddling a virtual runway of comely women, from Russia, Ukraine and the Philippines, to Costa Rica and Brazil.

More than 400 international marriage brokers are based in the United States, according to the Tahirih Center. It estimates that one-third to one-half of foreign fiancees coming to the

United States - between 11,000 and 16,500 a year - encountered their future husbands through an international broker.

Online courtship Born 34 years ago in Vologda (north of Moscow), Yamayeva spent most of her student years in the central Russian town of Tambov.

She graduated from Tambov State University in 1996 and later earned a master’s degree.

Starting out as a language teacher, Yamayeva lived with her parents and found it “really difficult to meet anybody,” she said. Part of her social problems stemmed from disappointment

their own country,” Schwamkrug said.

In the summer of 1999, Yamayeva had her life-altering, “Sex and the City” moment, thanks to an afternoon spent with her friends, commiserating over coffee about their atrophying social lives. A close friend piped up, “asking me,” recalls Yamayeva, “since I speak English, why don’t I look for a better life with someone who will really respect me as a woman?” Yamayeva contacted five matchmaking-marriage agencies’ Web sites and submitted a profile filled with pictures. Her Web portfolio soon became inundated with responses. In September 1999, one

Natasha Henderson was a Russian bride brought over by an older man had been married twice before with five children. She is now divorced and has a son by her ex-husband, and lives in Irving, Texas. —MCT with Russian men. “A lot of them drink heavily.

And when they drink, they can be violent,” she says. “I just knew that a foreigner would be different.”

In the former Soviet Union, women outnumber men, in part because alcoholism and wars have taken their tolls, Schwamkrug said. That’s why educated women employed as engineers, college professors and doctors are avid participants in the international marriage souk, she added. “And when you throw in the age bias meaning that a 23-year-old woman, especially if divorced, is often marginalized as an old maid then one understands why women like Yamayeva are likely to look aggressively beyond

American, Glen Joseph Henderson, rose above the pack of cyber suitors.

Henderson said he came across Yamayeva’s profile by accident. “I’m a computer person, and I happened to be divorced at the time, working at night,” he said in a brief interview. “I didn’t know such a thing existed.” Yamayeva was impressed that Henderson was doing some computer technical and maintenance work at a job that paid $75,000 a year and had been the pastor of his own church. Henderson was pastor at 42nd Street Church in Panama City, Fla., according to F Nolan Ball, pastor of The Rock of Panama City, who said he has known Henderson since 1970.

“He had been in the ministry ... and in Russia, this connection to the church made him possibly an almost perfect new husband,” says Yamayeva. “I got so, so very happy that I didn’t pay attention to me being 26 and he being 49.”

Culminating a months-long letter and telephone courtship, Henderson went to Moscow in April 2000 to meet Yamayeva - who was taken aback by the contrast in how his once-dark hair was heavily sprinkled with cinder gray.

“But we were still really happy to meet each other,” says Yamayeva. “It got romantic pretty quickly, I think because we didn’t have much time to spend together.” And then, Henderson popped the question. Amid the initial euphoria of her greased-lightning engagement, Yamayeva said she sensed that Henderson’s financial circumstances were not as stable as he had suggested - a not uncommon bit of deception with Internet-brokered marriages. But after Yamayeva discovered that she was pregnant, Henderson seemed genuinely thrilled and rushed to complete her immigration paperwork, she said. Yamayeva said she was so swept up in Henderson’s enthusiasm that she brushed aside any early warning signs about the relationship.

Life in the States It didn’t take long after Yamayeva’s arrival in the States for her to see Henderson differently.

She found out that in May 2000 he had received a DUI that suspended his driver’s license. What’s more, only months after their engagement, he had lost the job with the comfortable salary that had impressed her. Ball said that he hired and fired Henderson from a computer job with The Rock church in 2000. Yamayeva remembers “that by the time I arrived to the States, I discovered that not only didn’t Glen have a job, but he didn’t have a car or a real place to live.”

Before the January 2001 birth of their son, Yamayeva had to pack her bags for the first of a dizzying series of job-to-job moves. The first of those stops was Marion, NC, where the couple got married Feb 14, 2001. They chose a justice of the peace at the jail to conduct the ceremony and a police officer and a fellow member of Henderson’s defensive-driving class served as last-minute witnesses. Cost of the ceremony: $10. No reception followed.

The family darted between two small cities in North Carolina before motoring on to Newton, Texas, and a job with the fledgling wine business run by Henderson’s eldest son. After a short time, they moved to Dallas, then the trek churned back to Newton, where Henderson took a different job before becoming unemployed. During this Texas chapter, Yamayeva said, a more complete picture of Henderson’s prior life began to spill out. She said she learned that Henderson had more children from a previous marriage than the two she believed that he had. Records show a Glen J Henderson with his date of birth also had a 1993 arrest on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm.

It is common for an Internet bride to be unaware of unflattering parts of her new husband’s background. Addressing this, Congress passed the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act, which requires brokers to collect personal background information on the US client - including specified criminal and marital history - before providing information on how to contact the foreign client. The law, enacted last year, also requires a criminal background check of anyone seeking a visa for an immigrant fiance or spouse. The law’s aim is to protect immigrant women from emotional or physical abuse. —MCT

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Fo o d

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Ramadan sweets

By Sawsan Kazak

Everyday cooking

N

Strawberry parfait Ingredients 2 basket strawberries 2 tbsp sugar 1 cup sour cream 8 3/4 oz can drained crushed pineapple 2 tbsp sugar 1/4 cup chopped pecans

S

ave 6 berries then quarter the remaining berries. Sprinkle sugar on quartered berries. Set aside. Whip sour cream in chilled bowl 5 minutes or until soft peaks form. Fold in pineapple, sugar and pecans.

Alternate layer of berries and sour cream mixture in chilled parfait glasses.

Top each with whole strawberry. Serves 6.

ever do I crave sweets more than in Ramadan. My sweet tooth seems to be dormant all year long until Ramadan rolls around and it wakes with a vengeance. But after an elaborate meal for iftar, who really feels like slaving over the oven to make dessert? The following recipes satisfy your appetite for sweets while respecting your need for laziness this month.

What are your favorite Ramadan dishes? sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Fo o d

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Grilled Peach Melba

5 Minute Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats 1 cup flaked coconut 1 cup peanut butter 2 cups white sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

L

ine baking sheets with waxed paper. Mix the oats, coconut, and peanut butter in a bowl until thoroughly combined.

Place sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute; remove from heat. Mix the oat mixture into the liquid mixture; stir in vanilla extract.

Scoop up about 1 tablespoonful of the dough, roll it into a ball, and flatten. Place on waxed paper, and allow to cool.

Microwave fudge

Ingredients

2 large ripe peaches, each cut in half and pits discarded 1/2 pint raspberries 1 tablespoon sugar 1 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

P

repare outdoor grill for direct grilling on medium. Place peach halves on hot grill grate and cook 5 to 6 minutes or until lightly charred and tender, turning over once.

Meanwhile, prepare sauce: In bowl, with fork, mash half the raspberries with sugar. Stir in remaining raspberries. To serve, place a peach half in each of 4 dessert bowls; top with ice cream and raspberry sauce.

Ingredients 3 (6 oz) pkgs semi sweet chocolate chips 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk Dash of salt 1/2 - 1 cup chopped nuts 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

I

n 1 quart glass measure, combine chips with sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on 100% power (high) 3 minutes. Stir until chips melt and mixture is smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread evenly into wax paper lined 8” or 9” square pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn onto cutting board; peel off paper and cut into squares. Store loosely covered at room temperature

Easy baked pineapple cheesecake Ingredients 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 thin strip lemon peel 1 cup sour cream 1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese 1 can (8 1/2 oz) crushed pineapple, well drained No bake crumb crust for 9 inch pie

R

eserve 2 tablespoons of crumb crust mixture for topping. Press remaining crumbs into bottom and about 2 inches up sides of greased 8 inch spring-form pan or 8 inch round layer cake pan which is at least 2 - inches deep. Chill thoroughly.

In blender container place eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon peel and sour cream. Cover. Set blender; timer 10 seconds. Press timer button. Set timer for 40 seconds. Press timer button, while blender is on, tip measuring cap and gradually add cream cheese. Scrape down and continue processing until smooth. Add drained pineapple. Cover, sit at stir; timer 5 seconds. Press timer button. Pour into crumb-lined pan. Sprinkle reserved 2 tablespoons crumbs over top. Bake in preheated oven, 325 degrees. About 55 minutes or until set in center. Filling will be soft but will firm as cake cools. Remove from oven. Cool on wire rack at room temperature. Makes 10-12 servings.

THEY ARE THE 99!

99 Mystical Noor Stones carry all that is left of the wisdom and knowledge of the lost civilization of Baghdad. But the Noor Stones lie scattered across the globe - now little more than a legend.

One man has made it his life’s mission to seek out what was lost. His name is Dr. Ramzi Razem and he has searched fruitlessly for the Noor Stones all his life. Now, his luck is about to change the first of the stones have been rediscovered and with them a special type of human who can unlock the gem’s mystical power. Ramzi brings these gem - bearers together to form a new force for good in the world. A force known as ... the 99!

THE STORY SO FAR : When a volcano in Iceland becomes active, a trio of scientists is lost on the ice.

A 99 rescue team -- Hadya, Jaleel, and Samda -- arrives on the scene...

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

www.the99.org

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Tr a v e l

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

A narrow boat tour of London’s canals: The boat that rocks

O

f course this would happen. It was inevitable. It happened to camping, and to caravanning, holiday camps, real ale and beach huts Canal boating, the holiday preference of bearded retirees, eventually had to succumb to the cool treatment and, yes, it seems the first signs are there.

Urban canals may be synonymous with vandalism, stabbings, the pushingin of cyclists, but over the past couple of years, the stretch of London waterway between Islington and Hackney Wick has developed into one of the capital’s most fashionable locales. Hot youngsters in Wayfarer shades, flatteringly unflattering clothes and brogues swarm there at weekends, spilling out from London Fields to drink lattes at the Towpath Cafe, or gathering as if at a festival, to sit on the canal edge outside The Narrowboat, sipping pints and swinging their legs above the green-brown water.

Never mind that the dingy depths are full of carrier bags and Coke cans, that the paths are peppered with poop or the bridges graffitied; what was once an industrial dead zone is the place to be this summer.

Canal boats themselves are changing too: new owners now reach for a spray can and stencils, not brass polish; win-

Studio Weave and artist duo Somewhere (Nina Pope and Karen Guthrie). The boat hosts arts events across London: on 18 August, at Bow Locks, there’s a screening of films made by Somewhere over the past decade; on 19 August Fantastic Mr Fox will be projected onto the banks at the 3 Mills studio in Bow, where the film was made; and on 24 August there will be a “botanical busk” nature tour starting from Old Ford Lock. A Book Barge (thebookbarge.co.uk), an independent bookshop that also stocks The Chap magazine and hosts workshops and bookclub nights, travels around the country, and is currently on its way to Bath, before heading for Bristol.

With all this in mind I wondered if a canal-boating break wasn’t perhaps the ultimate way to parachute oneself (slowly) into the centre of this hot London scene. As luck would have it, just as I began investigating, a company called Drifters opened a new canal boat holiday rental centre in Yeading, Middlesex. The closest base to the capital, it would offer, for the first time, the possibility of a circular tour through the city by boat, in just three days. Surely this wasn’t coincidence? Had not Drifters astutely cottoned on to this burgeoning trend?

Would it be reinventing its fleet of Black

dows are hung with kitsch curtains and display Blu-Tacked posters for karmic yoga classes, arthouse cinema events and indie gigs. In east London, a new generation of twentysomething houseboat owners pose on deck with roll-ups, a grotty British equivalent of the St Tropez yacht scene, with party boats are moored near the hottest ticket in town ñ in this case, not Nikki Beach, but The Dove pub at Broadway Market.

The canals even worked their way in to some of this summer’s most groundbreaking arts events — in Hackney, Folly For a Flyover featured cinema and performance in a building beneath the A12 and beside the Regent’s Canal, while the Floating Cinema (floatingcinema.info/about) is a customised canal boat created by architects

Prince barges for a youthful new market?

The information pack that arrived by post suggested maybe it had. A list of food that could be pre-ordered onboard included tins of stewed steak, Bovril, wine that was “red or white” (no mention of origin) — this had to be irony in the first degree. Drifters must have recognised that luxury organic hampers were old hat and had leapt ahead to embrace the retro 1970s food revival. Clever.

Collecting the boat from the Willowtree Marina with my buddy involved travelling far, far away, along the Central line to Northolt, in deepest suburbia (do hipsters shrivel up and die if they come to zone 5?). Pontus, a friendly Swede, welcomed us on board Caroline and set about demonstrating how to use the windlass to open locks, how to clean weeds off the propeller,

and how the toilet pump worked. This didn’t feel very glamorous, but it was clear the vessel had all the makings of a glamping-esque reinvention: a small, boxy environment that smells a bit funny and feels uncomfortable? The incrowd are on their way! And yet, the decor (cheap carpet, depressing furnish-

Has the ultimate nerd’s getaway – the canal boat holiday — been transformed into holiday heaven for hipsters? We reveal all from London’s canals ings, plastic bathroom) took the oldfashioned kitsch vibe to such an extreme that I didn’t even get it.

After some practice under Pontus’s guidance we were off, cruising east along the Grand Union Paddington Branch towards the good times. We slammed into the bank a few times, then opened a beer because, rather insanely, there are no drink-driving laws on narrowboats. We felt elated. The freedom of the open waterway! Then it began to drizzle. A Sainsbury’s was signposted from the canal and had a parking space for barges, so we shopped then wheeled our trolley straight on to the boat.

The scenery through Northolt, Perivale and Alperton, in north-west London, was a grim (perhaps hipsters like that) mural of office blocks, garden walls topped with broken glass and sad parks, but occasionally we spotted a cheery sight — an Elvis statue on a roof, a diving heron, some Rastas playing dominos in the sun. At last we slid between Paddington’s mirrored skyscrapers, as if in a scene from a New York disaster movie. Trying to turn around to park for the night in Paddington Basin, we got stuck, but were rescued by a couple of genuine canal boating hipsters, who invited us on board the Bobby Dazzler for a platter of cheese. Jesse, a New Yorker, and his Argentinian boyfriend Max, poured shots of a Hungarian spirit (acquired when they lived in Budapest) and explained how they had taken to the narrowboat life after tiring of Shoreditch flats. “We were cycling around one day and ended up on the canal,” said Max. “We didn’t even know the canals existed. We were amazed. We noticed the narrowboats, and realised, ‘Wow, people live on them!’

Then we happened upon one that was for sale, looked around it and bought it immediately.”

“We didn’t have a clue when we first got the boat,” added Jesse, “but every-

body helped us. It’s such a friendly community. Now we always moor our boats in groups, for safety.”

By living as “continuous cruisers”, like many boaters (6,000 in the UK), Jesse and Max don’t have to buy a permanent mooring, as long as they move on every fortnight. Holidaymakers, too, can moor anywhere along the public towpath.

The continuous-cruising lifestyle is under threat, however. British Waterways, the public corporation that manages the nation’s 2,200-mile canal network, wants to change the rules.

According to Mark Walton, who has helped form a campaign group among London’s boating community: “BW says London’s canals are getting too congested, that numbers have gone up 39% in the past three years, and visiting leisure boats can’t find a space to park.

Yes, a growing number of young people are buying boats, many to use as party boats rather than to live on, but we think we can find our own solution to congestion.”

At the moment, the continuous-cruising law is ill-defined: “You’re supposed to move to a ‘different place’ every 14 days,” said Mark, “but some people were taking the mick — just swapping positions with another boat. Most people abide by the rules, and there are fines for overstaying, but what’s crazy is, for the past two years no one has enforced this rule. Now BW want to change things without proper research or even speaking to the community.”

The new proposals would reduce stays in some areas to seven days, increase the size of official areas and make boaters travel further around the system before returning. “It would be impossible,” said Mark. “People will be forced way out of London — no good for those with jobs in the city or kids in local schools, plus there aren’t enough water points in these new areas.”

There seemed to be a feeling among the authorities, he added, that continuous cruisers are a threat, are ne’er-dowells, but he says it’s the opposite.

“There are people from all walks of life, and it’s a fantastic, friendly community.

Our presence actually makes the canals safer — joggers and cyclists feel less at risk if there are houseboats around.”

The community’s other worries include the Olympics. With the site located along the Lee Navigation, a little further east, the towpaths and surrounding areas are being improved, but there are plans to ban continuous cruising during the Games and rent moorings to visiting or official boats.

The eastern stretch of the Regents canal hosted our own fun and games the next day. After travelling east from Paddington, through Little Venice, Regent’s Park and Camden’s crowddrawing lock, beyond the architectdesigned apartments of King’s Cross and through Islington tunnel, we had lunch at the trendy Towpath Cafe — delicious courgette and feta fritters and wine, served from a hatch. We texted friends, put some mini speakers on deck, opened some bottles and soon had our own floating party, right at the end of popular Broadway Market. —Guardian

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Tr a v e l

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Top 10 Attractions In Spain W hen you look at a country such as Spain, it’s difficult to narrow down all of the attractions and experiences to the top ten. However, here are the top ten attractions in Spain that we think you shouldnít miss.

1. Museo del Prado in Madrid The Prado is considered to be the world’s most premier art museum. With some 4,000 masterpieces, you can explore the history of Spain and the art movement all under one roof. Many of these art featured in the museum was acquired by the kings of Spain and include the works of the masters including Goya, Caravaggio, Fra Angelico, Botticelli and Hieronymus Bosch.

2. La Alhambra in Granada La Alhambra is a Moorish fortified palace. The palace complex is vast and occupies a large portion of the city. Be sure to plan an entire day for exploring the grounds. If you’re visiting in the summer, be certain to purchase your tickets well in advance. La Alhambra is considered to be one of the greatest representations of Islamic art and architecture. The La Alhambra provides a variety of sights within itself including the Alcazaba, the palaceís fortress that offers spectacular views of the city.

3. Sagrada Familia, Barcelona The Sagrada Familia is Gaudiís unfin-

ished cathedral. Work began on the cathedral in 1882 and two years later the architect resigned. Gaudi secured the commission to complete the cathedral and he secluded himself on site to work on it. He lived and worked on the cathedral until he died in 1926 and the cathedral was never finished. The building features Gaudiís transformed Gothic style including sidewalls, vaults and piers. In 1979, work was started on the cathedral to complete it as Gaudi himself would have.

4. The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao Experience the design of Frank O. Ghery at the Guggenheim in Bilbao. The museum opened its doors to the public in October of 1997 and is considered one of the most significant architectural structures of the 20th century.

5. Cordoba and the Mezquita Founded by the Romans, the city of Cordoba features a variety of treasures including a mosque-cathedral, the Calahorra Fort, and the Jewish Synagogue, which is now a museum. You also want to check out the medieval quarter of La Juderia.

6. The Running of the Bulls, Pamplona Itís not recommended that you run with the bulls yourself, but definitely have fun watching others do it! This is one of the most famous festivals in Spain, but do go

with caution, because itís not only the runners that have been injured.

7. Las Ramblas, Barcelona The Las Ramblas is just for pedestrians and offers outdoor markets, shops, cafes and restaurants. You can spend the entire day strolling and looking for hidden treasures and sampling all of the great cuisine that Spain has to offer. Donít forget to hit the tascas for some tapas.

8. Experience the Art of Salvador Dali, Figueres Salvador Dali is one of the most beloved painters in the world. Experience his mausoleum and museum; it’s one of the highlights of northern Spain.

9. Ronda Driving through the Andalucian mountains, you’ll upon Ronda. This little town is set atop a huge cliff and features a magnificent bridge that spans a gorge between new and old Ronda. You can also find the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain and roman baths.

10. The Food You’ve simply not seen everything in Spain without enjoying the cuisine of the country. No matter which city or town you’ll visit, you’re going to find a new style of cuisine to try. Take your time and try them all from the ensaimada and tapas to the coffee and paella. (www.eyeonspain.com)

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Books

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Get in touch with your

spirituality in Ramadan W

ith these titles, we hope that you will be able to get in touch with your spirituality during the holy month of Ramadan. Regardless of your religious views, these books offer an insightful look into the religious teachings and spirituality of Islam. Using mediums of fiction and nonfiction alike, these gems are keepers.

Send your suggestions to hussain@kuwaittimes.net

Chasing Rumi: A Fable About Finding the Heart’s True Desire

By Roger Housden

Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life

By Karen Armstrong

O

ne of the most original thinkers on the role of religion in the modern world — author of such acclaimed books as A History of God, Islam, and Buddha — now gives us an impassioned and practical book that can help us make the world a more compassionate place.

Karen Armstrong believes that while compassion is intrinsic in all human beings, each of us needs to work diligently to cultivate and expand our capacity for compassion.

Here, in this straightforward, thoughtful, and thought-provoking book, she sets out a program that can lead us toward a more compassionate life.

The twelve steps Armstrong suggests begin with “Learn About Compassion” and close with “Love Your Enemies.” In between, she takes up “compassion for yourself,” mindfulness, suffering, sympathetic joy, the limits of our knowledge of others, and “concern for everybody.” She suggests concrete ways of enhancing our compassion and putting it into action in our everyday lives, and provides, as well, a reading list to encourage us to “hear one another’s narratives.” Throughout, Armstrong makes clear that a compassionate life is not a matter of only heart or mind but a deliberate and often life-altering commingling of the two.

The Forty Rules of Love

By Elif Shafak

E

lif Shafak, the most widely read female writer in Turkey, has earned a growing fan base all over the world. In The Forty Rules of Love, her lyrical, imaginative new novel about the famous Sufi mystic Rumi, Shafak effortlessly blends East and West, past and present, to create a dramatic, compelling, and exuberant tale about how love works in the world. Shafak unfolds two parallel narratives — one set in the thirteenth century, when Rumi encountered his spiritual mentor, the wandering dervish known as Shams of Tabriz, and one contemporary, as an unhappy American housewife, inspired by Rumi’s message of love, finds the courage to transform her life.

S

tirred by the potent poetry of Sufi mystic Rumi, a restless young man embarks on a life altering pilgrim-

age.

This enchanting story, set in the late 1940s, takes us from the hills and piazzas of Florence to the green-domed mosques of Konya, Turkey. Upon discovering a poem by the Sufi dervish Jelaluddin Rumi, Georgiou, a young Greek icon painter, is compelled to travel to the land that this poet called home.

Inspired by Rumi’s magical words, Georgiou leaves his father and their small business in Italy to recapture the power of an early childhood vision.

Having experienced a divine connection with a painting as a boy, he seeks to reconnect with the essence of that first transcendent feeling.

Through encounters with Christian and Islamic mystics, Georgiou learns to hear his own voice calling and understand what we all eventually learn - that life is a mystery. The closer he gets to Konya, the keener his perceptions become. But it is not until his arrival that he understands “that earthly and spiritual love, when they are total and without reserve, become one and the same”, and Georigiou’s life is changed forever.

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Books

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

The Heart of Islam:

Enduring Values for Humanity

By Seyyed Hossein Nasr

A

Muhammad:

A Prophet for Our Time

By Karen Armstrong

M

uhammad (PBUH) was born in 570 CE, and over the following sixty years built a thriving spiritual community, laying the foundations of a religion that changed the course of world history.

There is more historical data on his life than on that of the founder of any other major faith, and yet his story is little known.

Karen Armstrong’s immaculately researched new biography of Muhammad (PBUH) will enable readers to understand

the true origins and spirituality of a faith that is all too often misrepresented as cruel, intolerant, and inherently violent. An acclaimed authority on religious and spiritual issues, Armstrong offers a balanced, indepth portrait, revealing the man at the heart of Islam by dismantling centuries of misconceptions. Armstrong demonstrates that Muhammad’s (PBUH) life—a pivot point in history—has genuine relevance to the global crises we face today.

s the specter of religious extremism has become a fact of life today, the temptation is great to allow the evil actions and perspectives of a minority to represent an entire tradition. In the case of Islam, there has been much recent confusion in the Western world centered on distorted portrayals of its core values. Born of ignorance, such confusion feeds the very problem at hand.

In The Heart of Islam one of the great intellectual figures in Islamic history offers a timely presentation of the core spiritual and social values of Islam: peace, compassion, social justice, and respect for the other. Seizing this unique moment in history to reflect on the essence of his tradition, Seyyed Hossein Nasr seeks to “open a spiritual and intellectual space for mutual understanding.” Exploring Islamic values in scripture, traditional sources, and history, he also shows their clear counterparts in the Jewish and Christian traditions, revealing the common ground of the Abrahamic faiths. Nasr challenges members of the world’s civilizations to stop demonizing others while identifying themselves with pure goodness and to turn instead to a

deeper understanding of those shared values that can solve the acute problems facing humanity today.

“Muslims must ask themselves what went wrong within their own societies,” he writes, “but the West must also pose the same question about itself . . . whether we are Muslims, Jews, Christians, or even secularists, whether we live in the Islamic world or in the West, we are in need of meaning in our lives, of ethical norms to guide our actions, of a vision that would allow us to live at peace with each other and with the rest of God’s creation.”

Such help, he believes, lies at the heart of every religion and can lead the followers of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as well as other religious and spiritual traditions to a new future of mutual respect and common global purpose.

The Heart of Islam is a landmark presentation of enduring value that offers hope to humanity, and a compelling portrait of the beauty and appeal of the faith of 1.2 billion people.

No god but God:

The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

By Reza Aslan

T

hough it is the fastest-growing religion in the world, Islam remains shrouded in ignorance and fear for much of the West. In No god but God, Reza Aslan, an internationally acclaimed scholar of religions, explains this faith in all its beauty and complexity. Beginning with a vivid account of the social and religious milieu in which the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) forged his message, Aslan paints a portrait of the first Muslim community as a radical experiment in religious pluralism and social egalitarianism. He demonstrates how, after the

Prophet’s (PBUH) death, his successors attempted to interpret his message for future generations — an overwhelming task that fractured the Muslim community into competing sects. Finally, Aslan examines how, in the shadow of European colonialism, Muslims developed conflicting strategies to reconcile traditional Islamic values with the realities of the modern world, thus launching what Aslan terms the Islamic Reformation. Timely and persuasive, No god but God is an elegantly written account of a magnificent yet misunderstood faith.

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Beauty FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

The perfect blowout - How to

blow dry your hair

A good blowout can last several days. Once you learn how to do it the right way and you take your time, you should be able to keep the look for several days.

secret is to coat every strand of hair with product.

If you have dry hair, work in a leave-in conditioner, a straightening balm or shine serum. Start by coating the ends, working your way up the hair shaft. Finish by combing the product through hair.

If you have flat, limp hair, spritz a thickening spray or work in a mousse. Stay away from gels.

A

hhhh, the perfect blowout. How is it you never really look as put together as you do when you leave the salon after a professional blow dry? Is there magic to hair care and achieving the perfect blowout or is it possible, just possible to do it yourself? Actually, it is as long as you follow the right steps.

A good blowout can last several days.

Once you learn how to do it the right way and you take yourtime, you should be able to keep the look for several days. If you find hair is getting greasy, a bit of baby powder along the crown not only soaks up oils, it adds body.

Here’s How: 1.Start with freshly-washed hair.

If you have dry hair, condition in the shower. If you have fine hair, condition only the ends. Blot hair-never rub-with a towel to get rid of excess moisture. You can’t do a blowout with super wet hair or it will take forever.

2.Apply product to towel-dried hair.

A good styling product is key to the perfect blowout. It adds body to fine, limp hair, while women with thick, curly hair need to keep the frizzies at bay. The

3.Break out the blowdryer (see Best Blowdryers).

If hair is still pretty wet, use a dryer to remove excess moisture before you start the blowdry or let hair air-dry for a few minutes.

4.Separate hair into sections.

Divide combed hair into sections and secure with clips or ponytail holders. I find Winding hair into mini buns-two in the back and one on each side-works best. If you have super thick or heavy hair, try dividing each of your sections. One above the other helps manage the blowout. Leave out a section to start with.

5.Start with your fingers.

Stylists know the secret to the perfect blowout is to start with your fingers. Pull your fingers through hair starting at the roots. Pull hair out a few inches and hold it while you use the dryer to shoot air at the crown on down.

“A brush can only get so close in,” says Manhattan stylist David Dieguez, in the July 2007 issue of Lucky Magazine. Dieguez suggests holding hair super taut, “otherwise, moisture stays in the hair shaft and frizzes it up.”

6.Move on the round brush.

Now that your roots are dry, it’s time to move on to a round-barreled brush (Ken Paves prefers a “mixed-bristle brush”-a mix of boar and synthetic bristles). Pull the brush through hair as you blowdry, pointing the nozzle downward onto hair (this supposedly helps with frizz). Celebrity stylist Ken Paves likes to start with the ends, because they tend to dry fastest.

7.Pull hair super taut as you dry.

As you pull the brush thr ough hair, follow

the brush with the dryer. Here’s Dieguez’s tip in Lucky, “Imagine there’s a point six inches in front of your nose. Stretch the hair toward that point as you dry. It sounds crazy, but when you’re done, the tips won’t flip under or upthey’ll just sort of fan out over your shoulders.”

8.Lock in style with the “cool button.”

The last step for each section is to pull hair taut with the brus h and blast it with cool air

from your dryer. You can also each dried section up in a Velcro roller.

9.Continue through all sections until hair is dry.

10.Finish off with a serum.

Weigh down random frizzy bits with a shine serum or balm. Skip this step if you have limp, oily hair. —About

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Beauty FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

T

he No 1 rule is the healthier your skin, the less makeup you’ll require. If you cleanse, exfoliate and hydrate skin, you’ll notice over time you don’t need much concealer and very little foundation. Get your skin in tiptop shape using the articles found in the skincare section of my Website.

Moisturize before applying concealer and foundation If you apply moisturizer to your face first, your conc ealer and foundation will glide on smoothly instead of settling into your fine lines or wrinkles. The trick is to apply within a minute of the moisturizer application-you don’t want it to soak into skin completely.

Apply concealer BEFORE foundation Once you apply concealer, you won’t need as much foundation, according to makeup artist Bobbi Brown. Use concealer under eyes, along the nose and one the chin.

When you do apply concealer, pay special attention to the red areas around the nose. Dot concealer on these areas and then step back and look at how much brighter your face is.

Tips for

Gorgeous Skin How to even out skin tone with foundation, concealer, blush

Avoid full foundation coverage Few people need to apply foundation all over the face.

Apply where you have uneven skin tone (usually along your nose and on the skin). In wintertime, if your cheeks tend to get ruddy, apply there as well. For more sheer, natural coverage, consider a tinted moisturizer, which goes on much lighter than typical foundations.

Blend foundation correctly If you do want more coverage, use a foundation brush (more on this below) and always start in the center of your face, blending outward. Pay special attention around the neck, otherwise people will see the line where you stopped, giving you a “mask face.”

Pick the proper color and formula for your skin type Choose a color that’s as close to your natural skin tone as possible. Never try to deepen your complexion with foundation, it will look very obvious. But do consider two shades of foundation: One for summer when skin is naturally darker, and one for winter when skin is lighter. Mix them in the inbetween months. For oily skin, go for a matte f oundation.

Dry skin? Try a hydrating formula. One last tip: It’s a myth to test foundation colors on the back of your hand. The best spot is actually along your jawline, according to Allure’s Linda Wells, in her book, Confessions of a Beauty Editor.

Use a sponge, a brush OR your fingers There’s really no right or wrong way to apply foundation.

It’s just by preference. Some makeup artists swear by foundation brushes to apply foundation.

A brush allows you to get into all the nooks, crannies and pores on your face. To do this, put a glob of foundation or tinted moisturizer on the back of your hand and dab in a synthetic brush then apply to face. Other makeup artists believe using your fingers warms up the foundation, which helps it melt into your skin better. A sponge provides a great even coverage. It’s up to you which you prefer.

Don’t throw out wrong-toned foundations and concealers Finding the right color foundation and concealer can be daunting. Try before you buy. But if you do have a few foundations and concealers that are just a bit off, do like the makeup artists and blend a couple of mismatched colors for the perfect one.

How to conceal dark under-eye circles According to makeup artist An thea King in InStyle magazine, you want to neutralize dark under-eye circles with peach- or yellow-tone concealers. Dab concealer on the inner corner of the eye by tapping it into place (never run a concealer on like you would sunscreen or foundation).

Avoid ‘cake face’ Oily face? Make sure to blot oil before powdering or your skin will look cakey. Try a powder-free blotting sheet.

Don’t be afraid of bronzers Nothing warms the face more than a bronzer. Make sure to use a big makeup brush and a light touch. Apply to all the spots wh ere the sun hits: Forehead, cheeks and nose.

For more “pop,” blend a creamy blush on top.

Set makeup with a primer Primers are a relatively new “must-have” trend in the beauty world. They act like spackle: They moisturize, plump the skin and fill in any fine lines, pores and wrinkles so your foundation won’t settle into them.

The primer is oil-free, which means it contains no oils, a bonus for my oily skin.

Natural oils are not bad Don’t be afraid of your skin’s natural oils. Keep in mind oily skin tends to develop fewer lines than dry skin.

If you have oily skin, apply an oil-free primer before your foundation to keep makeup in place, then powder only the nose and chin. Keep a pack of blotting tissues in your purse to blot excessive oils. —About

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

health FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Relieving tension headaches without medication Besides using traditional anti-inflammatory (such as ibuprofen or naproxen) and pain-relieving medications, there are also other ways to reduce tension in your life so these headaches become a thing of the past.

H

eadaches come in a number of varieties — migraines, tension headaches, sinus headaches — but regardless of the type, it can be a debilitating and downright annoying condition. A majority of headache sufferers have headaches that can be labeled as tension headaches. Through the years, many theories have surrounded the cause of these headaches. The name comes from the fact that tension in the muscles of the neck can cause significant pain in the head, but tension in the form of stress can certainly contribute to this common cause of headache. Besides using traditional anti-inflammatory (such as ibuprofen or naproxen) and pain-relieving medications, there are also other ways to reduce tension in your life so these headaches become a thing of the past.

Relax The first thing to do is relax. It may be easier said than done, but it is a skill that our society has lost over time. We are bombarded with activities and responsibilities, but we are rarely presented with opportunities to calm ourselves and learn to manage stress. Relaxation begins with identifying those things that make us feel good. It may be watching a television program, listening to our favorite musical album, or going for a nice walk in the evening. Other things you can do to relax include making healthy food choices, finding a quiet spot into which you can retreat if things get overwhelming, exercising, avoiding doing activities that make you feel guilty, and spending time with your favorite pet. Whatever it is, taking time for yourself will reduce the effects of the stresses in

your life.

Breathe Breathing goes hand in hand with relaxation. Sure, breathing is automatic, that’s the beauty of it, right? Well, it is automatic, but it is also an activity over which you have an immense amount of control. Ayurvedic practitioners and yogis will tell you that since it is the only activity that you can perform both voluntarily and automatically

breathing is a perfect way to access the subconscious, and to gain control over processes commonly thought of as “out of r each.”

Whether or not you are looking for a window to the subconscious, proper breathing promotes relaxation and is a powerful tool for dealing with pain.

Pranayama, or yogic breathing, is a good way to learn to breathe.

Begin by sitting quietly without any distractions. Take a nice, slow, con-

tinuous breath in through your nose. Hold it for a few seconds without making any other movements. Then slowly exhale through your mouth. Again, like during inhalation, your exhalation should be smooth and continuous. Once you’ve exhaled, take a short, deliberate pause before starting the cycle again. It sounds simple, but even simple tactics can help you deal with tension headaches.

During this whole process, you

want to focus on how the air is entering your lungs and then exiting. That is all you need to think about — breathing in and breathing out. Once you’ve really begun to visualize the path the air is taking you want to “direct” the breath to areas of pain. Imagine the breath going into your lungs and then heading to your temples or forehead, wherever you’re hurting.

Then picture the breath drawing the pain away and out through your exhaled air. This routine requires a lot of practice, but one that can be immensely helpful.

Stop Stressing Finally, learn to stop stress before it starts. Plan ahead for situations you can anticipate; take a short walk before a meeting at work you think may be a tough one; take a few deep breaths before entering into a heated discussion (or better yet, try to avoid the heated discussions whenever you are able). Prioritize your to-do list into categories like “must be done” and “can wait a day or two.”Others have suggested using the “choose three things” approach. Select three things you will do on a particular day and do them. If you get to other things, that’s great, but at least make an effort on the three you’ve chosen. Recognize what are true necessities and what are only essential because you’ve placed undue pressure on yourself.

Stress happens and we can do little to elimi nate it completely from our lives. But we can certainly learn to cope with the pressures of life, and in time, implement effective relaxation strategies that will reduce the amount of tension we experience and hopefully deal with headaches. (www.about.com)

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

health FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

How much exercise do you need and what kind?

H

ow much exercise do you need to improve and maintain health? What kind of exercise do you need? Is walking enough, or do you need to jog? What about strength training? The American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association updated their Physical Activity Guidelines in August, 2007. These guidelines are for healthy adults aged 18-65.

Choose moderate or vigorous aerobic (endurance) exercise All healthy adults need endurance exercise, which noticeably accelerates their heart rate for at least 10 minutes at a time. They can get it either with moderate or vigorous exercise-you can enjoy a brisk walk, jog, dance, bike, or swim. You can also mix it up and enjoy moderate some days and vigorous other days, if you wish.

Moderate aerobic exercise for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week • How Long: A minimum of 30 minutes a

day. The 30 minutes can be broken up into 10 minute increments.

• How Often: At least 5 days a week.

• What Does Moderate Feel Like? A moderate level of activity noticeably increases your heart rate and breathing rate. You may sweat, but you are still able to carry on a conversation.

• Kinds of Exercise: Brisk walking, easy jogging, treadmilling, elliptical trainer, bike riding, swimming, dancing.

• What Doesn’t Count: An easy walk of under 10 minutes doesn’t count as aerobic activity. You can build moderate activity into your lifestyle by walking briskly for at least 10 minutes to the bus, etc. But just adding steps on your pedometer doesn’t count.

• How to Start Walking • Weekly Walking Workout Schedule: Vary your walking intensity.

Or - Vigorous Aerobic Activity for 20 Minutes on 3 Days Each Week • How Long: 20 minutes.

• How Often: At least 3 days a week.

• What Does Vigorous Aerobic Exercise Feel Like? You are breathing rapidly and only able to speak in short phrases. Your heart rate is substantially increased and you are likely to be sweating.

• Kinds of Vigorous Aerobic Exercise: Running, cycling, or swimming at an intense level.

Add strength training two days a week Moderate or vigorous aerobic activity is needed, but you also need strength training exercise two days a week.

• How Many: Do eight to 10 strengthtraining exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise.

• How Often:: Two days each week.

• What Are Strength Training Exercises?

Strength training exercises have you lift, push or pull to increase muscle strength and endurance. These include lifts with dumbbells and barbells. You may also use resistance bands or gym equipment.

• Strength Training Guide

More is better These guidelines are the minimum for maintaining good health. If you workout for longer or more often, you further improve your fitness and reduce your risk of chronic disease and weight gain. -About Add flexibility exercises such as stretching Take 10 minutes extra on each exercise day to stretch your major muscle and tendon groups. Take 10 to 30 seconds per stretch, and repeat each stretch 3 to 4 times.

Flexibility will help you in your daily activities.

Customize an activity plan Work with your doctor or another health professional to develop an activity plan that takes any of your health conditions, risks, and therapeutic needs into account. You will get the most out of the exercise you can safely do.—About

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Art FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

The man who stole the Mona Lisa The audacious theft of Leonardo’s masterpiece in 1911 made La Giaconda an overnight star

A

hundred years ago, on 21 August 1911, an Italian painter and decorator slipped from the cupboard in the Louvre where he had been hiding all night, stepped up to the Mona Lisa, freed her from her frame and left the building apparently unseen. It was 24 hours before anyone noticed she was missing. The usual line is that the Louvre was closed for maintenance and everyone thought that somebody else must have removed the picture to be photographed, or cleaned. But museums are - or were - surprisingly blind to crime, even when it involves stealing the world’s most famous painting. Or perhaps not the world’s most famous painting - the Mona Lisa certainly wasn’t universally known in 1911. You still had to travel to the Louvre to see her. There were prints, though Leonardo’s cumulative portrait, gradually painted over several years, had long proved extremely hard to copy as an engraving. And photographs did exist - indeed the French police printed off 6,500 copies for distribution in the streets of Paris immediately after her disappearance, as if to jog someone’s memory. These mugshots were also for comparison with any forgery that might turn up purporting to be the original. For the Mona Lisa wears a fine veil of craquelure - that pattern of tiny cracks that can form in the surface of a painting when it’s as old as she is - that is more or less impossible to fake. Wrinkles are her positive ID. But a century ago, the painting’s fame was restricted to the west, where she had been buoyed up on clouds of romantic hype ever since Walter Pater wrote in 1869: “She is older than the rocks among which she sits, like the vampire she has been dead many times . . .” which although not exactly gallant, broadcast her strange allure to hundreds of thousands.

A picture that could still come as something of a surprise: unthinkable now, but in those days reproductions of the Mona Lisa had only fairly recently become popular. What really put a face to the name was the press coverage inspired by the theft.

Every major newspaper in Europe covered the story, and every story was illustrated with a reproduction of the painting. One paper, France’s l’Illustration, even produced a centrespread, peddling the story that Leonardo had been in love with his sitter, and promising to work towards a colour reproduction within a couple of weeks. Millions of people who might not have seen it, might never even have heard of it, soon became experts on Leonardo’s stolen painting.

One of the first suspects was Pablo Picasso. The painter had nothing to do with the crime but immediately tried to dispose of some statues that turned out to have been stolen from the same museum. The poet Guillaume Apollinaire was also

brought in for questioning. No charges were brought, though suspicion followed Picasso for a while - surely a great painter would want a great painting, ran the theory. For almost two years the trail went cold.

The painting was in Switzerland or Argentina. Or it was in a cold-water flat in the Bronx or a secret room in the mansion of JP Morgan. In fact it never left Paris, or not until the thief, Vincenzo Perruggia, went to Florence in December 1913 after contacting a Florentine dealer called Alfred Geri, who he hoped would help him dispose of this unsaleable hostage for cash.

Geri played along, even bringing the director of the Uffizi to the meeting at the Albergo Tripoli-Italian (needless to say swiftly renamed the Hotel La Gioconda). The painting was removed from its false-bottomed trunk. The craquelure was identified, and Geri promptly called the police.

What did Perruggia feel about the eerie, enigmatic, supercilious, exquisite, remote, satanic (call her what you will) Mona Lisa that he would have her more or less about his person for two long years?

To begin with he kept her in a cupboard, then under a stove in the kitchen, and finally in the false-bottomed trunk. For a while, he rather cockily propped her postcard on the mantelpiece, and in the letter to Geri he signs himself Leonardo Vincenzo. But fairly soon he seems to have found her hard to look at, impossible to live with; there is evidence of repeated attempts to sell her.

The object Perruggia stole is painted on a rectangle of poplar wood only 77cm high - “not even the size of the new TV screens!” was the notorious objection of Americans in the 1950s. I find that reaction strange, having the opposite feeling that the actual painting is much bigger than I ever expect.

Perhaps that’s because the Mona Lisa is scaled in one’s mind to the size of an infinite number of postcards and reproductions.

In reality, set in concrete, behind triple layers of bulletproof glass, she seems as large as any incarcerated offender.

How the Mona Lisa looked in 1911 we shall never know.

Nowadays, her photograph, her fame, precedes her so that every sighting is inflected: does she match up, does she look different, how does she compare with our expectations? The joy of seeing any painting in reality before seeing its pygmy reproductions - or worse, in the false glow of the computer - is long since over. But it is hardly controversial to suggest that Leonardo’s portrait is a special case.

Her beauty, for instance. Mona Lisa - the person, not the painting - was the epitome of beauty for so many 19th-century

writers and 20th-century singers. Yet to me she is anything but, with her chipmunk cheeks, close-set eyes and depilated face.

She is famous even in parts - the hunched silhouette, the complacently folded hands. But I find it hard to believe that her pole place in cultural life really has to do with intrinsic beauty either hers or that of the painting.

The photographs of the crime scene a century ago show not a dramatically empty glass case, as one would nowadays see, or even a large expanse of bare wall, but a narrow gap between the Titians and Correggios - something more like a missing tooth. It is well known that thousands of people came to view this spot, this gap, this rumoured blank - more people, it is often pointed out, than used to visit when the painting was there. But there was something to see, not quite a blank. Four iron hooks and a dusty outline: the ghostly trace of the painting. The smile was missing, or was it hanging in the air like the proverbial Cheshire Cat? Some claimed to have felt it continuing to resonate, like a visitation. And it is, after all, the Mona Lisa’s crowning glory, this artful vanishing act.

A smile is such a tricky thing to depict. It nearly always stiffens and dies on the canvas. The Mona Lisa’s is only enigmatic because of Leonardo’s sfumato technique - that smokey, smudgy blur where you can’t see how the smile ends at each corner, so that it simply tails away, unresolved, literally openended.

Sfumato is not the only thing that makes her smile mysterious, of course. There are many contributory factors, but high on the list is the total absence of any visible context or event that could help to explain this peculiar smile. Vasari reduced it all to a sideshow: Leonardo had laid on musicians and jesters to keep his sitter from ennui. Some people think she was remembering lost love.

But if the Mona Lisa were handed a baby, her smile would become beatific and make her look even more like a secular Madonna. With a couple of jesters on site, she might come across as polite if disapproving. The art historian Edgar Wind once slotted her into two different scenes to illustrate this point and was able to show that the same expression could look like grief at the Crucifixion, or tipsy mirth in the context of a bacchanalian revel.—Guardian

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Art FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Artist Katie Paterson’s Streetlight Storm, part of the Whitstable Biennale.

Katie Paterson’s Earth - Moon.

Focus on: Katie Paterson Whether she’s burying sand grains or moonbouncing Beethoven, Paterson’s work brings home the immensity of the natural world

T

eleporting us from the humdrum to the epic is something Katie Paterson does very well. One moment she’ll have you looking at litter, the next musing on celestial mysteries. This is the case with 100 Billion Suns, a confetti gun that fires 3,216 paper pieces, each numbered and color-coded to match the gamma-ray bursts that are known to have occurred in outer space - explosions so intense they can wipe out entire galaxies.

She can transform something as prosaic as a box of lightbulbs into a meditation on our finite existence, with their wattage engineered to match moonlight and their lifespan of 66 years reflecting that of the average human. Or turn our stomachs queasy simply by burying a grain of sand in the desert, bringing home the sheer immensity of things and how small we are.

Paterson’s 2007 graduation show at London’s Slade staked out her technological, ecological territory. For Vatnaj kull (The Sound Off), what visitors encountered in the gallery was a mobile phone number in neon on the wall. But call up the number and, through the space-collapsing marvel of telecommunications, you’d find yourself listening to the cracks and bellows of a dying, melting glacier.

Paterson’s work is inherently Romantic, part of a tradition that goes back to Caspar David Friedrich’s lonely wanderer, perched on the edge of an unfathomable chasm. Her use of technology - whether working alongside bulb manufacturers or the many top science departments she’s collaborated with - would seem to be at odds with this tradition. But, if anything, they support each other. Take her ongoing project, All the Dead Stars, in which she’s attempting (with the help of leading

astronomers and astrophysicists) to document the locations of dead stars - a highly difficult task given that the universe is infinite, and given the nebulous boundary between a celestial object’s life and death.

Rather than containing the universe with technology and human ingenuity, Paterson leaves us floundering in an unknowable, unmanageable universe where we are anything but masters.

Why we like her: For Earth-Moon-Earth (Moonlight Sonata Reflected from the Surface of the Moon), a grand piano that plays what’s left of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata after the notes have been translated into morse code and sent to the moon and back. As the halting melody plays we’re left to wonder where the missing notes have gone, apparently absorbed by the lunar landscape.

Space cadets: To make the above work, Paterson teamed up with “moonbouncers” amateur radio enthusiasts who reflect messages off the moon using a technique developed by the US military after the second world war.

Where can I see her? Paterson’s work is included in Constellations (on at the Cornerhouse, Manchester, until 11 September) and Mystics or Rationalists? (at the Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, from 5 August until 29 October).—Guardian

Katie Paterson, Light bulb to Simulate Moonlight.

Katie Paterson, As the World Turns.

Comic

C R O S S W O R D

4 0 7

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

To Yester

Word Sleuth Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

ACROSS

1. Uttering in an irritated tone.

5. An awkward stupid person.

9. A fine grained mineral having a soft soapy feel and consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate.

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

14. Any of various strong liquors distilled from the fermented sap of toddy palms or from fermented molasses.

15. A midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region.

16. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

17. One of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof.

18. An official language of the Republic of South Africa.

19. A large fleet.

22. A soft silvery metallic element of the rare earth group.

23. A complete metric system of units of measurement for scientists.

27. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

31. A port city in southwestern Iran.

35. Affect with wonder.

37. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).

39. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.

40. An aromatic ointment used in antiquity.

41. A federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment.

45. Green algae common in freshwater lakes of limestone districts.

48. Fish-eating bird of warm inland waters having a long flexible neck and slender sharp-pointed bill.

52. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

53. United States gangster who terrorized Chicago during Prohibition until arrested for tax evasion (1899-1947).

56. A former agency (from 1946 to 1974) that was responsible for research into atomic energy and its peacetime uses in the United States.

57. An undergarment worn by women to support their breasts.

58. Relating to the blood vessels or blood.

59. The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code.

60. God of the earth.

61. Attack someone physically or emotionally.

62. Used of a single unit or thing.

OWN 1. The capital of Morocco.

2. Fear resulting from the awareness of danger.

3. A fraudulent business scheme.

4. East Indian tree bearing a profusion of intense vermilion velvet-textured blooms and yielding a yellow dye.

5. An amino acid that is found in the central nervous system.

6. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

7. Scottish insurgent who led the resistance to Edward I. 8. A secret society of white Southerners to resist Black emancipation.

9. Constituting the full quantity or extent.

10. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

11. A person who has lied or who lies repeatedly.

12. Large genus of African trees bearing kola nuts.

20. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

21. A region of Malaysia in northeastern Borneo.

24. A bachelor's degree in science.

25. A silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group.

26. An informal term for a father.

28. The capital and largest city of Yemen.

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

30. Occupied or in the control of.

32. A piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep.

33. A compound whose molecules are composed of two identical monomers.

34. Kamarupan languages spoken in northeastern India and western Burma.

36. A member of a nomadic people of the northern Ural mountains.

38. A city in Tamil Nadu on the Bay of Bengal.

42. A civil or military authority in Turkey or Egypt.

43. Leafless East Indian vine.

44. Having a shell or or containing shell.

46. Swift timid long-eared mammal larger than a rabbit having a divided upper lip and long hind legs.

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

48. A very poisonous metallic element that has three allotropic forms.

49. A quantity of no importance.

50. Wild or seedling sweet cherry used as stock for grafting.

51. A dull persistent (usually moderately intense) pain.

54. An associate degree in applied science.

55. The foot of a human being.

Yesterday’s Solution

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Lifestyle

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Goldfishes swim in a spherical water tank in an art aquarium exhibition in Tokyo, Japan, yesterday. —AP

Virginia museum displays Faberge treasures

O

rnately jeweled Easter eggs designed

by Karl Faberge for the Russian royal family are among hundreds of Faberge objects on display at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. “Faberge Revealed” includes imperial Easter eggs and other pieces from VMFA’s own collection, along with sculptures and other works loaned from three private collections, making the exhibit the largest public Faberge collection in the United States, said Geza von Habsburg, a Faberge expert and the exhibit’s guest curator.

A standout piece is the Imperial Lilies of the Valley Basket sculpture, which represents all aspects of Faberge’s artistry in one work, Habsburg said. “One can see the jeweler’s art in the pearl buds and little rosebud diamonds; the stonecutter’s art in the nephrite leaves, which seem to be alive; and the goldsmith’s art in the gold basket,” he said. “And the moss, it’s utterly amazing.” It was presented to Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna in 1896, the year of the coronation of her husband, Nicholas II, Russia’s last emperor. The work was her favorite, displayed on her desk until the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. The couple and their children were executed the following year. The exhibit, which ends Oct. 2, includes six eggs Nicholas presented to his wife and mother as Easter gifts, including the 1903 Imperial Peter the Great Easter Egg, the 1912 gold-and-lapis lazuli Imperial Tsesarevich Easter Egg and the 1912 gold-and-green enamel Imperial Napoleonic Egg. Commissioned to mark the bicentennial of St. Petersburg, the Peter the Great Egg is crafted of gold, platinum, diamonds, rubies, sapphire and enamel with miniature watercolors on ivory. Inside is a miniature replica of Falconet’s Bronze Horseman statue of the 17th-century emperor that rises when the egg is opened. An imperial egg can fetch $25 million to $30 million at auction, Habsburg estimates. Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg

bought nine imperial eggs from the Forbes collection in 2004; the Imperial Coronation Egg’s purchase price, for example, was estimated between $18 million and $24 million, he said.

Faberge’s company became supplier to the Imperial Court after he sold a piece of gold jewelry to Czar Alexander III’s wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, in 1882. He then started his series of Imperial Easter eggs, which subse-

The Bolsheviks destroyed most of the Faberge pieces during the revolution, melting the metal and selling the jewels and stones. Only a few hundred objects remain in Russia, Habsburg said. The royal family’s imperial eggs were confiscated, and eight disappeared during the revolution.

Ten are in the Kremlin Armory Museum in Moscow. The Bolsheviks ordered the others sold between 1925 and 1933 through a gov-

A Faberge 1912 gold-and-lapis lazuli Imperial Tsesarevich Easter Egg which is part of an exhibit titled ‘Faberge Revealed.

If you go...

This undated image provided by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts shows a Faberge Imperial Lilies of the Valley Basket, 1896, which is part of an exhibit titled “Faberge Revealed” at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Va. —AP photos quently made him famous and forever linked him with the opulence of the Russian dynasty’s final days. With his four sons and his brother, Faberge employed a 40-person design studio in St. Petersburg and 500 craftsmen and other workers to create 150,000 unique objects, distinguishing the House of

Faberge revealed: Exhibit open through Oct 2 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, http://vmfa.state.va.us or 804-340-1400.

Open Saturday-Wednesday, 10 am-5 pm, Thursday-Friday, 10 am -9 pm.

Adults, $15; children 7-17, seniors 65 or older and students with Idaho, $12.

Faberge as the leading jeweler of the period.

“Each piece was one-of-a-kind, meaning there were no repetitions,” Habsburg said. “That sets him aside from any other craftsman or jeweler of his time.”Alexander gave his wife 30 eggs, and Nicholas II, Russia’s final emperor, gave 20 to Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna.

A Faberge 1903 Imperial Peter the Great Easter Egg which is part of an exhibit titled ‘Faberge Revealed’. ernment agency in charge of art sales; 42 eggs survive and are in both public and private collections. Because he was a symbol of artistic decadence in the run-up to the overthrow, Faberge and three of his sons fled the country in 1918. A fourth son who remained in Russia was imprisoned. —AP

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Lifestyle

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

‘Apes’ strong

opening brings talk of sequel

Caesar, the chimpanzee whose plight is the heart of the picture. Their “Apes” project began in 2006, when married couple Jaffa and Silver were trying to figure out what their next project would be. Jaffa, who keeps a folder stuffed with news articles, “kept going back to these two articles about these chimpanzees who had been raised in homes as children and loved as children, and always, these situations ended up badly,” Silver said. “The chimps would grow up and become naturally more aggressive.”

Jaffa said he knew there was a movie in that story. Then one day, he thought, “Planet of the Apes.” “He said, ‘I’ve found a way to reboot “Planet of the Apes,” and I laughed nervously,” Silver said. “Then he started talking about the chimpanzee and the character of Young Caesar was born. We started talking about this chimpanzee who feels very human but isn’t human.

We just fell in love with him.”

From there, the story came together very quickly. But they were sure the movie itself couldn’t. “We thought, Fox must already be

developing something,” Silver said. “Infact, the idea felt so good we thought, ‘They’re probably developing this idea.”“ Jaffa, a former agent at the William Morris Agency, and Silver, the granddaughter of blacklisted “Mr Smith Goes to Washington” screenwriter Sidney Buchman, put together a meeting at Fox. To their surprise, studio executives loved the idea of revisiting “Apes”-despite Tim Burton’s much maligned 2001 reboot. But still there were reasons to be intimidated. The 1968 original was written by Rod Serling and Michael Wilson- “so that’s a little bit of pressure,” Jaffa said. They knew that fans of the original movies would be dubious, so they kept to the “Planet” mythology-and “we have lots of Easter eggs in there and fun little things and surprises that hearken back to the earlier movies,” Jaffa said. It wasn’t clear at that point whether the motion-capture technology would be impressive. “So we tried to separate that out and just concentrate on the characters,” Silver said. “The crazy thing about this story is, yes it has action, yes, it’s science fiction

and maybe you could say adventure-thriller, but at its heart, it’s a character picture.” By sticking to that and sticking to a theme - hubris can be humanity’s downfall - they stayed focused.

They credit director Rupert Wyatt for pulling great performances out of the actors. And they credit the studio for sticking with the project with the uncertainty of the motion-capture technology. They said watching Serkis perform onset was like watching Charlie Chaplin except in a gray leotard.

“I’ll never forget it,” Jaffa added. “The first shot that came in was of Andy, and he has set the virus loose, or set the 113 loose in the primate house...He’s waiting to see if it took effect and he does that side-glance as Tom Felton walks past. We all screamed and jumped up in the air and it was, ‘Oh my God, it’s going to work.’ It’s literally one-and-a-half seconds.”

Now, Jaffa and Silver are pitching some television ideas and have a time-travel movie set up at Sony. “We’ve been writing together over 20 years,” Jaffa said. “We write a variety.”—Reuters

Conductor Barenboim White House rejects claim to be Nobel nominee about bin Laden raid film A M oviemakers producing a film about the US special forces raid that killed Osama bin Laden are getting help from the Pentagon, but the Obama administration dismissed concerns Wednesday that classified information has been divulged. The film, focusing on one of President Barack Obamaís key successes in office, is due to be released in October 2012, less than a month before the election in which the Democrat is seeking a second term.

Republican Peter King, chairman of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, called Tuesday for an investigation into contacts between the administration and the filmmakers. King questioned whether special operations methods had been compromised. ìThe claims are ridiculous,î White House spokesman Jay Carney told a White House briefing. ìWe do not discuss classified information. And I would hope that as we face the continued threat from terrorism, the House Committee on Homeland Security would have more important topics to discuss than a movie,î Carney added.

US Marine Corps Colonel Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Defense Department is cooperating with filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal as they work on a motion picture about the raid that killed bin Laden. —Reuters

rgentine-Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim will be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for using music to bring peace to the Middle East, supporters announced Wednesday. An official announcement about the 69-year-old musician’s nomination will take place on August 17 at the Academia Argentina de Letras language academy in Buenos Aires.

Around 2,500 people in Argentina have expressed their support for the nomination.

Former president of Uruguay Julio Maria Sanguinetti and writer Juan Jose Sebreli were among those promoting the nomination. Along with his friend, late Palestinian intellectual Edward Said, Barenboim brought together young Arabs, Israelis and Iranians to form an orchestra in 1999, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which tours the world.

“Music cannot solve conflicts but music has the ability to make people interested and passionate about the same thing,” Barenboim

Daniel Barenboim

T

here haven’t been any official conversations. But after the big “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” opening last weekend, the movie’s writer/producers not only expect a sequel or two-they are prepared for them.

They already know the story they want to tell, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver tell TheWrap.

Jaffa said that even in early drafts, they “set up things we’d like to play off in the next and even the next.” “We’re definitely teed up. We feel very confident that there will be (a sequel), but at this point it’s still wait-and-see,” he said.

While they did admit they are trying not to think too much about it (“Everyone is kind of superstitious,” Silver said), it does seem a good time to put superstition aside. The movie is doing great. In its first five days of release, it grossed $91.5 million worldwide. Its domestic gross for its opening weekend was $54.8 million. On top of that, the critics loved it: It has an 82 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, and there is talk of Andy Serkis deserving an Oscar nod for his motion-capture performance as

said Tuesday before his orchestra performed a concert in South Korea. Since 1992, Barenboim has been a conductor at the Staatsoper in Berlin, one of three opera houses in the German capital.

Born in Buenos Aires in 1942 to Jewish parents of Russian origin, the musician uses his international fame to promote peace between Israel and its neighbors, especially the Palestinians. Barenboim also has Spanish citizenship and a Palestinian passport. Argentina currently has five Nobel Laureates.—AFP

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Lifestyle

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

New Bollywood film stokes caste

controversy Kim Kardashian arrives at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday in Universal City, Calif. —AP

Kardashian sues Old Navy over look-alike ads

R

eality TV star Kim Kardashian sued retailer Old Navy on Wednesday to force the clothing store chain to quit using a look-alike model in advertisements the celebrity claims hijack her fame.

Attorneys for the star of TV show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” on the E! cable network said in the lawsuit that Old Navy knew what it was doing when it launched the sales blitz in February using a woman with a striking resemblance to the fashion trendsetter.

“The infringing ads are likely to cause confusion, and have caused actual confusion, in the minds of the consuming public as to an association of Kim Kardashian with defendants’ products and services,” the lawsuit states. Kardashian’s suit was filed in US District Court for the Central District of California against Delaware-based Gap Inc <GPS.N>, the parent company of Old Navy, which also was named. A representative for Gap could not be reached on Wednesday night.

Canadian-born entertainer Melissa Molinaro, who was featured in the Old Navy advertising campaign and has been singled out in some media reports for her resemblance to Kardashian, was not named in the lawsuit. Advertisements for Old Navy starring Molinaro show her getting her nails done, walking her dog and dancing on a supermarket’s checkout counter.

Kardashian, 30, is known for living her life in front of cameras, mixing celebrity glamour and her daily routine with her sisters on the TV show, as well as in magazines and other media. She first gained fame for appearing in a private sex tape that famously went public, but has transcended that notoriety to become a bona fide celebrity.

The lawsuit alleges unfair competition and violation of both the California common law right of publicity and the state’s statutory right of publicity. Kardashian is seeking a permanent injunction barring Gap and Old Navy from using her likeness in advertising, and an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages. —Reuters

File photo shows Indian Bollywood personalities Manoj Bajpayee, Prateik Babbar, Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan posing during a press conference to promote the forthcoming movie ‘Aarakshan’ in Mumbai. —AFP

A

new Bollywood film tackling the thorny issue of caste quotas in Indian government jobs and education is released this week in the face of vocal protests from minorities. Politicians and interest groups championing low-caste Hindus and other marginalized groups that the system is designed to help have come out in force against “Aarakshan” (Reservation), which hits screens on Friday. Two north Indian statesUttar Pradesh and Punjab-have even banned the film, with the Uttar Pradesh government, led by low-caste politician Mayawati, saying it “could incite civil disorder and violence”.

Critics, including the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, have said Prakash Jha’s drama contains “objectionable” references to marginalized groups such as Dalits, the community formerly known as “untouchables”. The ban in Uttar Pradesh, announced late Wednesday, will last two months while Punjab will decide whether to show the film only after a state government panel has reviewed it, officials said yesterday.

“Aarakshan”, which sees screen legend Amitabh Bachchan play the principal of a successful school who has quotas imposed on him, was dogged by controversy even during shooting. Dalit groups opposed the casting of Saif Ali Khan, who is of Muslim royal stock, as a low-caste Hindu. And the film’s set in Bhopal, central India, was deemed illegal and bulldozed. Publicity material was vandalized and more than a dozen activists arrested for protesting outside Jha’s office in Mumbai last weekend, prompting police to give him and the lead actors extra security.

India’s Censor Board, which passed the film uncut, has been asked to look at it again.

Jha, known for tackling social issues in his films, denies taking a position on reservation and Dalit rights.”In India there are people who benefit from this policy and there are those who have missed an opportunity because of the policy. Reservation and the quota system is a hard-hitting reality,” he said last week.”It is almost an India versus India situation and by showing this in my movie, I am trying to bridge the gap.”

Reservation refers to the policy of guaranteeing jobs for socially disadvantaged groups, officially referred to as “scheduled tribes, scheduled castes and other backward classes”. The affirmative action aims to provide equal opportunities for the poorest and most marginalized in India’s complex and deeply entrenched social hierarchy. India’s 160 million Dalits, many of whom live in rural areas, still face prejudice despite anti-discrimination laws, while harsh retribution is often meted out for flouting caste and sub-caste lines.

The quota system itself is the subject of frequent challenges, with the number of places allocated to disadvantaged groups changing from state to state and sometimes exceeding the legal maximum of 50 percent.

Those who miss out on public sector jobs or education places as a result say the system fails to reward talent or ability.Some sociologists have suggested that traditional caste notions have been eroded in any case due to India’s economic boom, improving wealth and social mobility.

Professor Kamal Mitra Chenoy, a political

scientist at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said the phenomenon was more noticeable in fast-growing cities but the pace of change was slow. ”It’s still a major issue,” he said but admitted that given the chronic under-investment in state education there was “no alternative” to quotas apart from a concerted government drive to lift millions out of poverty. Other Bollywood films have faced protests in recent years, most notably Deepa Mehta’s “Fire” (1996), for its portrayal of lesbianism, and “Water” (2005), about the treatment of widows in Indian society.

Critics of actor Shah Rukh Khan’s support for Pakistani cricketers threatened to disrupt showings of his film “My Name Is Khan” in 2010. But the objections have mainly been against sex or nudity on moral grounds from conservative Hindu groups, who see themselves as champions of traditional Indian values. For his part, Jha has accused politicians of playing communal politics in the quest for votes. “I am just trying to show how it (reservation) has created two Indias,” he said.—AFP

File photo shows Indian Dalits listen during an anti-government rally organized by National Conference of Dalit Organizations in New Delhi. —AFP photos

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Lifestyle

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

‘Dirty Dancing’

In this undated image released by Warner Bros, Heath Ledger is shown in a scene from, “The Dark Knight.”—AP

remake brings strong fan reaction

Post 9/11,

few beside superheroes can save the day

O

F

rom the first shattering moment, movies were wrapped up in Sept 11. The images of planes flying into the World Trade Center and the twin towers crumbling, to be replayed time after time in high-definition on television, were strikingly movie like. With no other frame of reference, many, for a moment, thought they were seeing a Hollywood blockbuster. Robert Altman would later claim that committing such an atrocity would be unthinkable, “unless they’d seen it in a movie.”

Speculation soon followed on how and when Hollywood would take up the story of that day.

In the 10 years since, 9/11 is nowhere and everywhere, rarely depicted straightforwardly and yet a constant thought. It took five years before the subject was tackled, and even then, Hollywood did so gingerly. Oliver Stone, usually a filmmaker o f bravado, tracked a humble police officer (Nicolas Cage) amid the chaos in his 2006 film “World Trade Center.” The documentary-style “United 93” (2006), too, was a specific tale of courage.

There were others, such as “Reign Over Me” (2007) and “Remember Me” (2010) that told personal stories around the tragedy, and documentaries such as Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” (2004). And perhaps the most lasting cinematic reaction to 9/11 was the founding of the stillgrowing Tribeca Film Festival in downtown New York.

But movies often best reflect seismic events not head-on but through the lens of genre, allegory and moods that filter subconsciously onto celluloid. World War II was followed with movies that sought to reconcile the war, such as 1946’s “The Best Years of Our Lives,” released just a year afte r the war ended. But the more telling movie expression was film noir, the great genre of fatalistic crime films, deeply saturated with dark shadows and postwar cynicism.

Similarly, in the decade since Sept 11, movies have turned dark, paranoid and questioning.

Such a trend, of course, runs parallel with everpresent, pure escapism. But even in the most popular films of the decade, a post-9/11 atmosphere is unmistakable. The 2000s belonged to the superhero, and among the countless capedcrusaders, it was Batman who reigned supreme.

It wasn’t the patriotic Superman (recent adaptions have largely sputtered) or the even more red-white-and-blue Captain America (recently restored in a thoroughly nostalgic period film).

Instead, Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” (2008) became not only the most acclaimed of the comic book films, but the most popular, earning more than half a billion domestically. “The Dark Knight” is perhaps the ultimate Sept 11 movie. The Joker (played by Heath Ledger) is a terrorist as seen through Western eyes. His only goal is to create chaos and stoke fear. Batman (Christian Bale), a vigilante operating outside of the corrupt police, is effective because he is lawless: He personally extradites a Chinese mobster from Hong Kong and uses a very NSA-like hacking device to spy on the pub-

lic. Though the film was shot in Chicago, Gotham City has always been a stand-in for New York.

The movie is a dark, pessimistic rendering of the war on terror, doubtful that the government can successfully combat terrorism and troubled by the means necessary for justice. The poster for the film is alm ost shocking in its imagery: A burning skyscraper lurks behind Batman with his insignia flaming high up on the building, about the shape a plane would leave behind.

New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis called the film’s engagement with 9/11 “diffuse,” but claimed, “that a spectacle like this even glances in that direction confirms that American movies have entered a new era of ambivalence when it comes to their heroes.”

That’s true also of James Bond, originally a witty, but deadly sophisticate. In the latest incarnations of 007, played by Daniel Craig, Bond has turned grim, brooding and doubting.

The war on terror and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have produced a large, adjacent body of work. The tone is an extension of the Vietnam-era films of the late 1960s and 1970s, when antiheroes populated movies and mistrust of government and institutions boiled over.

Such movies are numerous: “Syriana” (2005); “Body of Lies” (2008); “Lions for Lambs” (2007); “Rendition” (2007); “Redacted” (2007); “Brothers” (2009); “In the Valley of Elah” (2007); “The Messenger” (2009); “The Men Who Stare at Goats” (2009); “The Kingdom” (2007); “A Mighty Heart” (2007); “Fair Game” (2010); “Green Zone” (2010); and the Acad emy Award winner, “The Hurt Locker” (2008).

Many of these movies were overtly political, and many were box-office disappointments. On the whole, they turn examination inward, doubting American military policy and direction. The thoroughly complicated “Syriana” seemed to find it impossible to make sense of America’s mission in the Middle East.

“We’re ready for a big movie. I’d like to see the ‘Syriana’ of 9/11,” says author and critic Daniel Mendelsohn, whose book “How Beautiful and How Easy It Can Be Broken” included an essay on 9/11 and movies. “What you want your artists to do is help you think about things. But nobody in the movies yet is helping to think about this event and I find that strange.”

Some films have turned to the past to illuminate the present. De Niro’s “The Good Shepherd” examined the roots of the CIA and its disjointed relationship with American ideals.

Steven Spielberg’s “Munich” (2005), about the pursuit by Israel’s Mossad of the Islamic terrorists responsible for the slaughter of athletes at the 1972 Olympics, considered the moral repercussions of revenge against terrorism. “Charlie Wilson’s War” (2007), starring Tom Hanks, hinted at the seeds of contemporary Afghanistan by recalling America’s neglect of the nation in the 1990s once the threat of the Soviet Union was gone. —AP

K, no one’s happy that Lionsgate will be remaking “Dirty Dancing “-the Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey team-up that has made women swoon ever since its release in 1987. The news Tuesday set off a firestorm of nay saying on Twitter and in blogs. The film, set for 2013, will be directed by Michael Jackson-Ite Kenny Ortega, who was the choreographer in the original. And since somebody has to star in it, the search for fresh blood begins. TheWrap took a look around the web to see who some of the fan favorites are. First the guys. For Johnny Castle, the Patrick Swayze role: In this image provided

by Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Patrick Swayze, portraying Johnny Castle, and Jennifer Grey, portraying Baby Houseman, are shown in a scene from the film, “DirtyDancing.”

Lionsgate is set to produce a remake of the film directed by Kenny Ortega. —AP

Derek Hough Who he is: Fave choeographer and three-time coach on “Dancing With the Stars.”

Who wants him: “Dancing With the Stars” judge Carrie Ann Inaba tweeted with some bias: “If they do a dirty dancing remake - THEY BETTER USE DEREK HOUGH There’s no one better for the role!!!” Hough also has a dedicated fan site, with forums pouring in support for the up-and-comer to gain the leading role.

Why he’d be good: A ballroom champ, he performed his third champion season with original “Dirty Dancing” star Jennifer Grey. He also starred in the 2006 original cast production of “Footloose: The Musical” in London.

Zac Efron Who he is: “High School Musical”/”Hairspray” teen idol who has sung and danced his way to semi-stardom.

Who wants him: In an US weekly poll Wednesday, Efron came out No 1.

Why he’d be good: Having worked with director Ortega in “High School Musical” Efron is a natural choice, if he can beef up to a bad boy image. (Of course, he’d likely refuse; he bowed out of a “Footloose” remake because he wanted to steer away from more musicals.”)

Justin Timberlake Who is he: A dancing, singing an acting triple threat!

Timberlake’s increased visibility on the big screen makes him a viable contender for Swayze’s replacement.

Who wants Him: If it’s any indication (and it definitely isn’t), Irish bookmaker Paddy Power is letting users weigh in on the casting, and Timberlake is the 3/1 lead.

Why he’d be good: The pop sensation has proved his chops as a bad boy in the upcoming sci-fi thriller “In Time.” And while his arms may not be as pumped as Swayze’s were, he’s never seemed to have trouble with sexy dancing.

Lea Michele Who she is: Rachel Berry on “Glee” Who wants her: Carrie Ann Inaba again. Also, Ortega has already expressed his support for her.

Why she’d be good: Well, Rachel Berry will be graduating high school on “Glee” after this season, so Michele may be looking for a job. But as we’ve seen on “Glee,” she also has the dance chops to pull off the role-and her nose bears a remarkable similarity to the one Grey memorably sported circa 1987. —Reuters

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Lifestyle

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Rehabilitation through Zen drumming in Taiwan T

wenty inmates pound barrelsized drums in a Taiwanese prison courtyard until they are so drenched with sweat that colorful tattoos show through their thin cotton T-shirts. The convicts range in age from 18 to 25 and most of their records include violence or serious drug abuse. They beat out their energetic rhythms under a blazing summer sun during their midday session at the Changhua Prison.

A young convict practices Chinese style drum beats in the Changhua prison.

The prison, 150 miles (250 kilometers) south of the capital Taipei, is one of the latest proving grounds for rehabilitation programs involving dance or other performing arts. Prisons in Japan, the US. and several other countries have experimented with them in recent years. A Philippines prison wowed the world when a YouTube video went viral in 2009 with 1,600 of its inmates dancing to Michael Jackson.

None of the programs are quite like the one led by Taiwan’s UTheater Ensemble of drummers and Chinese operatic dancers. It leverages the spirituality of Zen Buddhism and Tai Chi Chuan exercises to try to instill a new sense of

equanimity among the convicts.

Ensemble dancer I Bau spends one day a week working in the prison, and is convinced she’s making headway with the troupe’s “mind to body” approach. “At first the inmates were easily distracted,” she said. “But I taught them to bring their minds back and focus on the rhythm. They show a different temperament now. Everyone sits still like the Buddha mediating.”

One of her students is a sturdy 24-year-old man surnamed Chou, who settled a dispute at his former school two years ago by pulling out a pistol and shooting a rival.

Because the victim survived, he received only a six-year sentence.

“The lessons give me peace of mind,” Chou says with a coy smile.

“I can release my anger and all my other negative emotions by beating the drum very hard.” Chou said he meditates in his prison dormitory at night and tries to recite by heart the choreographed drumming lessons he has learned from the ensemble.

U-Theatre founder and artistic director Liu Ruo-yu says the group’s spiritual approach emphasizes teamwork over ego. “As each performer becomes progressively calmer, he can hear his and his partners’ drumbeats achieve a kind of harmony,” she says. “After finding their inner tranquility, they will progress from their former state of restlessness to gain maturity and stability.” U-Theatre also works with school dropouts and runs a summer camp for wayward students amid the lush mountains of suburban Taipei. But its highestprofile endeavor is the prison program, which began two years ago as part of attempts in Taiwan to expand rehabilitation efforts beyond handicrafts and carpentry.

Changhua warden Tai Shou-nan has been so impressed with the results that he recently took the

unprecedented stop of allowing inmates to perform before 10,000 spectators at a local stadium. He wasn’t disappointed, saying the audience’s enthusiastic response helped boost the inmates’ confidence.

Young convicts perform rhythmical drum beats to a prison audience.

“They realized they were not inferior to other people and they too had great potential,” he said.

Tai noted with pride that U-Theatre recently hired two freed inmates to join its professional ranks. “This gives other inmates hope that they too will have a bright future when they are released,” he said.—AP

Members of the U-Theatre Ensemble create drum rhythms during a practice session on the hills surrounding Taipei.

Young convicts practice Chinese style drum beats in the Changhua prison.

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Lifestyle

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Rehabilitation through Zen drumming in Taiwan T

wenty inmates pound barrelsized drums in a Taiwanese prison courtyard until they are so drenched with sweat that colorful tattoos show through their thin cotton T-shirts. The convicts range in age from 18 to 25 and most of their records include violence or serious drug abuse. They beat out their energetic rhythms under a blazing summer sun during their midday session at the Changhua Prison.

A young convict practices Chinese style drum beats in the Changhua prison.

The prison, 150 miles (250 kilometers) south of the capital Taipei, is one of the latest proving grounds for rehabilitation programs involving dance or other performing arts. Prisons in Japan, the US. and several other countries have experimented with them in recent years. A Philippines prison wowed the world when a YouTube video went viral in 2009 with 1,600 of its inmates dancing to Michael Jackson.

None of the programs are quite like the one led by Taiwan’s UTheater Ensemble of drummers and Chinese operatic dancers. It leverages the spirituality of Zen Buddhism and Tai Chi Chuan exercises to try to instill a new sense of

equanimity among the convicts.

Ensemble dancer I Bau spends one day a week working in the prison, and is convinced she’s making headway with the troupe’s “mind to body” approach. “At first the inmates were easily distracted,” she said. “But I taught them to bring their minds back and focus on the rhythm. They show a different temperament now. Everyone sits still like the Buddha mediating.”

One of her students is a sturdy 24-year-old man surnamed Chou, who settled a dispute at his former school two years ago by pulling out a pistol and shooting a rival.

Because the victim survived, he received only a six-year sentence.

“The lessons give me peace of mind,” Chou says with a coy smile.

“I can release my anger and all my other negative emotions by beating the drum very hard.” Chou said he meditates in his prison dormitory at night and tries to recite by heart the choreographed drumming lessons he has learned from the ensemble.

U-Theatre founder and artistic director Liu Ruo-yu says the group’s spiritual approach emphasizes teamwork over ego. “As each performer becomes progressively calmer, he can hear his and his partners’ drumbeats achieve a kind of harmony,” she says. “After finding their inner tranquility, they will progress from their former state of restlessness to gain maturity and stability.” U-Theatre also works with school dropouts and runs a summer camp for wayward students amid the lush mountains of suburban Taipei. But its highestprofile endeavor is the prison program, which began two years ago as part of attempts in Taiwan to expand rehabilitation efforts beyond handicrafts and carpentry.

Changhua warden Tai Shou-nan has been so impressed with the results that he recently took the

unprecedented stop of allowing inmates to perform before 10,000 spectators at a local stadium. He wasn’t disappointed, saying the audience’s enthusiastic response helped boost the inmates’ confidence.

Young convicts perform rhythmical drum beats to a prison audience.

“They realized they were not inferior to other people and they too had great potential,” he said.

Tai noted with pride that U-Theatre recently hired two freed inmates to join its professional ranks. “This gives other inmates hope that they too will have a bright future when they are released,” he said.—AP

Members of the U-Theatre Ensemble create drum rhythms during a practice session on the hills surrounding Taipei.

Young convicts practice Chinese style drum beats in the Changhua prison.

Stars

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Aries (March 21-April 19) You are at your mental best with sharp ideas and clear thoughts. This is an excellent time to make decisions and take care of mental work. This is a favorable day for you—a day geared toward accomplishments, luck, good news, etc. Your mind is exceptional in its clarity.

All that is mental comes to you without struggle or labor—ideas, thoughts and mental things of all kinds. A real guide or pathfinder—your sense of truth and direction is very clear. You already know the way to accomplish things and solve problems—you need no further education to achieve success. You are very much just as you appear to be. Someone in the workplace may be using you as a mentor. Try to keep any criticisms to yourself. A one-on-one relationship deepens.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today may be a difficult time to relax and remain calm. There are plenty of time schedules and goals that must be met. If there is a need for change, then you must initiate the change. If you allow your very own common sense to come into play today, it will guide you productively. Anything connected to journeys and schooling should go well at this time. This afternoon you may find yourself with friends, lending a helping hand or a listening ear. You will enjoy someone’s tale of high adventure and may be able to join in with your own stories. You can demonstrate great understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others just now and are in a good position to come to the aid of neighborhood and community affairs.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) If it makes sense you love it—if it does not you feel guilty about it: that’s what life feels like now. There is a loving attention to details and a sense of satisfaction in doing what is right today.

Circumstances can throw you into positions where you must use your mind and deal with communications, service or enclosed hidden interests. You may deal with education, psychology, spiritual enlightenment or teaching techniques as well. You pay particular attention to activities that are mental as well as having an awareness of clarity—yours and others. You want to be accepted by all and you work very hard to do what is expected of you. Your dedication to achievement is intense. Leave work behind this evening and enjoy your family.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) There are clear-minded insights into your own plans and methods—this is a good time for decisions. This is also a very good time to communicate your goals and put them into words. Everything may be pouring in at once and it’s all good news. Your career direction gets some encouragement and life’s problems should find easy solutions. You may benefit from an older person or one in authority. You are able to use good common sense, making all the right moves. This is a time to get ahead by taking action.

You can demonstrate great understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others just now and are in a good position to communicate concerning groups and society in general. There is a family conference tonight—travel plans are on!

Leo (July 23-August 22) Ideas regarding business should be put in writing and presented to higher-ups. Keep one copy for yourself and get it dated and witnessed. This will ensure you against someone else taking your ideas. You have a creative burst of energy that could show monetary results now and this is just one area where you may enjoy the rewards of your creation. Your creative energy could take the form of writing music or poetry.

Your career will be anything but ordinary and leave it to you to find unusual ways of supporting yourself. You bring a lot of mental skill and understanding to whatever you do now. You could pursue further knowledge within the realm of electronics, computers and the like. This evening is a good time for a movie.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Go for it! Do it now and ask questions later—you are a born leader—always first and never afraid to go it alone. Your sense of mission makes for impulsive, sometimes rash, but always brave actions.

Your motto may be: Don’t think about it—let’s just get the show on the road.

Senior Management is impressed with your work. At heart, you have a deep sense of responsibility and purpose and this seriousness is genuinely felt by others. You seem to gravitate to those things which last and hold true. You manage to get down to the bare bones of most any matter. Matters of law, religion and philosophy hold your interest today. This evening is important to a loved one and even though you may be pooped—it would be good to show your support!

COUNTRY CODES Libra (September 23-October 22) You may be learning some new methods of problem solving this morning. Perhaps you are learning to use both sides of the brain to process a problem or situation—right and left brain hemispheres. Perhaps some method of elimination will be learned as well. You feel a strong connection to the company for which you work. Today, it may be best to dig in and strengthen your current position rather than expand outward too much. You put forth a lot of effort, in particular regarding your career. This afternoon someone will express their appreciation for your abilities and the way you accomplish your goals. You are very painstaking when it comes to partnerships, lovers—relationships of all kinds. You will enjoy your friends this evening.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You may find yourself leading a group today. This could mean a tour, instructing others in safety, etc. Group or community work—anything that is altruistic or serves the common good—is where you can be found. There is greater self-discipline in your work and your superiors are impressed with your overall improvement. Whether your work involves a humanitarian aspect or not your mind naturally runs to humanitarian needs.

Ideas connected with group work and goals, making your inner vision real, are natural. You are good at putting your ideas to work in the world, making dreams real. This could mean work, or volunteer in the community—such as social welfare, community aid or training young mothers in child care or nutritional needs.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You have a sense of justice and an innate ability to understand the law, whether natural or man-made. You could find yourself correcting a situation at work that would cause a great loss if you did not call attention to it. Showing others the way through or beyond the problems in business or life is easy for you. You can sense how to manipulate the opportunities of life—lucky. Making money is second nature for you—keeping or investing the money you earn or win is the challenge. You are able to field ideas and bring forth growth and success. This evening you are happy to stay close to home and family. If you so desired, you would do well working out of your own home. Although you enjoy interaction with the business world this might be a consideration.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You have an incredible drive to accomplish and achieve. Your ambitions are backed up by the will to get things done. You try hard and you always push on toward whatever goals you have in mind. A conservative by nature, you tend to stand up for the status quo. You give loving attention to the details in a special project today. By the end of this day, there is a sense of satisfaction in doing a job well done. You may decide to make some definite changes in your diet just now. There may be a young person in your family that could use your example of balance and perseverance. A special affinity between old people and children may find you working to improve living conditions for one or the other this evening—perhaps in a volunteer position.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You could be most persuasive with others today—perhaps you are a top salesperson. Whatever the circumstances, the situation is a natural for self-expression and lends itself to your particular ideas. Your optimum job is just being you and this indicates a career in front of the public: politics, sales, consultant, etc. This is a lucky day. It is also a time to enjoy and appreciate your ties to others and to seek and promote harmony. Questions that concern education and behavior within the school system gain your attention today. You may decide to share some information about programs and initiatives that have worked elsewhere. You have a particular interest in some form of art and may be able to find time this evening for an art showing.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) You give loving attention to details and have a sense of satisfaction in doing what is right—especially with respect to your health. The ability to break away and express your independence, as well as anything unusual or different, is valued. You may enjoy getting away from routine and doing something completely different this afternoon. Take a little trip, or exercise with a friend. A call from friends later this afternoon may have you making plans for some fun activity this evening. Transitioning from work to home is an easy thing to do today and a reminder of the need to work this into your schedule more often. It may only mean a thirty minute diversion.

This is a time during which you are unusually motivated or driven into new directions.

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African Republic 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands)0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062 Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686

Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland)0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK)0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677 Somalia 00252 South Africa 0027 South Korea 0082 Spain 0034 Sri Lanka 0094 Sudan 00249 Suriname 00597 Swaziland 00268 Sweden 0046 Switzerland 0041 Syria 00963 Taiwan 00886 Tanzania 00255 Thailand 0066 Toga 00228 Tonga 00676 Tokelau 00690 Trinidad 001868 Tunisia 00216 Turkey 0090 Tuvalu 00688 Uganda 00256 Ukraine 00380 United Arab Emirates00976

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

W h a t ’s O n FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

CSK holds iftar mahfeel

Embassy

C

hittagong Samity Kuwait held an iftar mahfeel at the Rajdhani Hotel of the Kuwait City on Monday 8th August 2011.

The programme was presided over by Abdul Rashid the acting President of Chittagong Samity and conducted by Haroon Ar Rashid, the Joint Secretary of CSK. While the honorable Ambassador of Bangladesh Embassy Sayed Shahed Raza was the Chief Guest.

Moazuddin Ahmed, Engineer Rafiq uddin Ahmed, Shafiq ur Rahman all the advisor of CSK, Nurul Islam (the Councilor of the Bangladesh Embassy), K M Ali Raza (the Labour Secretary of Bangladesh Embassy), Sadek Hussain (the President of Awami League, Kuwait) were the special guest of the mahfeel. Emadul Haque Khan, Rabiut Alam Rabi (Moktijudda Sanghati Parishad), Ismail Hussain(Jatio Party), Ashrak Ali Firdous(Awami League), Azadur Rahman Azad(Faridpur Samity), A U Minto, Shamsul Hoque, Mohd Alam, Haji Lukman, M Illyas Chy, Salim Reza, Jashim uddin and Abu Taher were also present at the mahfeel.

The Chief Guest Shahed Raza said in his speech that all Bangladeshi people should respect the Kuwait law and not to violate any rules and regulations of the Kuwait Government.

Mowlana Abu Baker Siddiky, highlighted the Holy Month of Ramadan and he had specially prayed for the whole Muslim people of the world and a special prayer was offered for the sick organizer, the advisor of Chittagong Samity Fayez Kamal, Shirin Akhtar (the wife of our respectable advisor of Abdus Sabur), and the father of Mahfuz Ur Rahman (who is in Clinic at Bangladesh).

Mr. Jahangir Mia, the General Secretary of the Chittagong Samity, thanks all people and local co-ordinator and journalist and media people and the me mber of Chittagong Samity who participated in the mahfeel.

Information

The Bangladeshi Ambassador Shahed Reza addressing the Iftar mahfeel of CSK.

EMBASSY OF ARGENTINA In order to inform that 23rd of October 2011, will be Argentine national election where all Argentinean citizen residents permanently in Kuwait can vote only if they are registered at the Electoral Register of the Argentine Embassy. The procedure of inscription ended on 25 of April 2011. To register it is necessary that Argentinean citizens should come personally at the Argentinean Embassy (Block 6, street 42, villa 57, Mishref) and present the DNI and four personal photos (size 4x4, face should be front on white background). For further information, contact us on 25379211.

■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF BANGLADESH The Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait will follow office hours during the holy month of Ramadan. Sunday to Thursday : 09:00 A.M - 3:00 PM. Friday and Saturday : Weekly Holidays. This is for information of all concerned.

The Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait will remain closed on Monday, 15 August 2011 on the occasion of the National Mourning Day, the 36th Death Anniversary of the Father of Nation - Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The Embassy will arrange the following programmes to observe the National Mourning Day, the 36th Death Anniversary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Monday, 15 August 2011 at the Chancery. The programme on this occasion will be as follows: 0830 hrs Roof top Hoisting of the National Flag at half-mast 1630 hrs First Floor Recitation from the Holy Quran one-minute silence in honour of the martyrs.

●

Mowlana Abu Bakar Siddiky conducting special prayer at the Mahfeel of CSK.

■■■■■■■

A partial view of the Iftar mahfeel of CSK.

Announcements Girgian Fashion Show Get your kids dressed up in their best Girgian costumes or Fairy tale costumes! The Kids Gergean Fashion Show event is sponsored by Fantasy World & it includes lots of entertainment & goodies. It is open to kids aged 2 to 15 years. This event will be covered by many magazines :) When: Thursday, August 11th, Time: 8:30pm, For more info: 9722-4813 GIRGIAN: A fun Girgian party at Baroue! :) When: August 12th, 13th & 16th, Where: Baroue, Avenues Mall, Time: 8pm, For more info: 2259-7457 to 60 Ernakulam iftar Kuwait Ernakulam Residents’ Association (KERA) iftar on August 13, at Rhythm auditorium, Abbassiya, from 5.30 pm onwards.

Attention kids!

CEF VBS 11 starting from August 22. Six exciting days of singing,

EMBASSY OF BRITAIN The Visa Application Centre (VAC) will be closed on the same dates above. The opening hours of the Visa Application Centre are 0930 - 1630 Application forms remain available online from the UKBAs’ website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or from the Visa Application Centre’s website: www.vfs-ukkw.com. And also, from the UK Visa Application Centre located at: 4B, First Floor, Al Banwan Building (Burgan Bank Branch Office Building), Al Qibla area, opposite Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City. For any further inquiries, please contact the Visa Application Centre: Website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com E-mail:info@vfs-uk-kw.com Telephone:22971170.

The Consular Section will also be closed on the same dates. For information on the British Embassy services, visit the British Embassy website: www.ukinkuwait.fco.gov.uk ■■■■■■■

games & bible stories for children of all ages. Hurry !!!. Limited Seats. Register Online: www.cefkuwait.org Tulukoota talent hunt Tulukoota Kuwait will hold a “Talent Hunt 2011” a chance to prove an inborn trait in you that confirms your individuality, uniqueness. So step forward to grab this opportunity to show your caliber and entertain. Dance, music, art or any special talent- now is your chance to showcase it - and be part of this year’s Talent Hunt & Tulu Parba. Talent Hunt event is open to all Tuluvas. For more information and registration form kindly log on to our Website: www.tulukootakuwait.org or visit our facebook page - Tulukoota Kuwait Talent Hunt 2011. You could also email your form request to: secretary@tulukootakuwait.org or contact our area coordinators mentioned below. Mangaf, Fahaheel, Abuhalifa : Ronald Dsouza- 60035824, Shalini Alva23726164, Suma Bhatt- 97834578

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca.

Canada offers a registration service for all Canadians travelling or living abroad. This service is provided so that Consular Officials can contact and assist Canadians in an emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or inform Canadians of a family emergency at home. The Embassy of Canada encourages all Canadian Citizens to register online through the Government of Canada Travel Website at www.voyage.gc.ca. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait.

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

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

W h a t ’s O n FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Al-Sayegh and Al-Mutawa’a during the prize draw.

Ahmad Jum’ah from the National Bank of Kuwait receives his prize.

Jowhara Al-Kandari from the International Bank of Kuwait reacts to winning a prize.

Members of the social committee.

KBC hosts Graish

T

he Kuwait Banks Club hosted a Graish festival attended by members of the administration, committees and staff at a local restaurant. Among the guests were KBC treasurer Mohammad Al-Sayegh, head of the sports committee Khalil Al-Bloushi, head of the social committee Reem Al-Wuqayan, assistant director Abbas AlBloushi and deputy head of the sports committee Musa’ed Al-Mutawa’a. Graish is an annual tradition practiced in Kuwait and the Gulf region in which people gather on the eve of Ramadan.

Al-Mutawa’a smiles as his name is announced as a winner in the draw.

Karima Al-Murdhi from BNP Paribas with her prize.

Rashid Al-Shemmary (middle) from Al-Watan TV is awarded.

Khalil Al-Bloushi and Musa’ed Al-Mutawa’a.

Al-Wuqayan awards a winner.

TV Listings FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

00:45 Dogs 101 01:40 Untamed And Uncut 02:35 Big Five Challenge 03:30 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife 03:55 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife 04:25 In Search Of The King Cobra 05:20 Animal Cops Houston 06:10 Dogs 101 07:00 Meerkat Manor 07:25 The Really Wild Show 07:50 Crocodile Hunter 08:40 Breed All About It 09:10 Must Love Cats 10:05 Dogs 101 11:00 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 11:55 Meerkat Manor 12:20 Wildlife SOS 12:50 E-Vets: The Interns 13:45 Animal Cops Houston 14:40 Animal Precinct 15:30RSPCA: Have You Got What It Takes?

16:00 The Really Wild Show 16:30 Animal Planet’s Most Outrageous 17:25 Cats Of Claw Hill 18:20 Breed All About It 18:45 Orangutan Island 19:15 Crocodile Hunter 20:10 Dogs 101 21:05 Last Chance Highway 22:00 Whale Wars 22:55 Maneaters 23:50 Life Of Mammals

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

My Family The Weakest Link Casualty Born And Bred Eastenders Doctors My Family Tweenies Balamory Tikkabilla Charlie And Lola Tweenies Balamory Tikkabilla Tweenies Balamory Tikkabilla Charlie And Lola Tweenies Balamory Tikkabilla Charlie And Lola My Family The Weakest Link Ray Mears’ Wild Foods Doctors Eastenders Casualty My Family Ray Mears’ Wild Foods The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Casualty Ray Mears’ Wild Foods The Weakest Link Doctors

00:15 00:40 01:10 02:00 02:45 03:40 05:10 06:00 09:25 10:15 11:10 11:55 12:45 13:15 14:10 14:35 15:25 16:20 17:05

The Naked Chef New Scandinavian Cooking What Not To Wear Masterchef Australia The Naked Chef Daily Cooks Challenge Masterchef Australia Daily Cooks Challenge What Not To Wear Indian Food Made Easy Cash In The Attic Antiques Roadshow New Scandinavian Cooking Britain’s Dream Homes New Scandinavian Cooking What Not To Wear Indian Food Made Easy Cash In The Attic Antiques Roadshow

00:00 00:30 00:45 01:00 01:30 01:45

BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today BBC World News America Asia Business Report Sport Today

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

Dirty Jobs Miami Ink Ultimate Survival Wheeler Dealers Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How Does It Work Dirty Jobs Wheeler Dealers Street Customs 2008 How Does It Work Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Auction Hunters Battle Machine Bros Sons Of Guns Ultimate Survival Miami Ink Dirty Jobs Wheeler Dealers Mythbusters Deadliest Catch Cake Boss Border Security Auction Hunters How Does It Work Cash Cab (US) American Chopper: Senior vs

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

Smash Lab Extreme Engineering Prototype This Bang Goes The Theory Bang Goes The Theory Scrapheap Challenge How Stuff’s Made Extreme Engineering One Step Beyond Ecopolis Scrapheap Challenge How The Universe Works The Gadget Show Sci-Fi Science Weird Connections Scrapheap Challenge Nasa’s Greatest Missions Sci-Fi Science The Gadget Show The Tech Show Powering The Future Smash Lab The Gadget Show The Tech Show Powering The Future The Gadget Show

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

Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas Kim Possible Fairly Odd Parents Stitch Replacements Emperor’s New School Stitch Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Emperor’s New School The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Splits Mickey Mousekersize Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Splits Jungle Junction Splits The Hive Handy Manny Splits Jake & The Neverland Pirates Splits Sonny With A Chance The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody Phineas And Ferb Splits Shake It Up Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck

Wheeler Dealers Powering The Future Deadliest Catch

A PERFECT GETAWAY ON OSN ACTION HD 02:00 02:30 02:45 03:00 03:30 03:45 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00 05:30 05:45 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 07:45 08:30 08:45 09:30 09:45 10:00 10:30 10:45 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 12:45 13:00 13:30 13:45 14:00 15:00 15:30 15:45 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 17:45 18:00 19:00 19:30

BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Peschardt’s People BBC World News World Business Report BBC World News World Business Report BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today BBC World News Peschardt’s People BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today GMT With George Alagiah BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today Impact Our World Impact World Business Report Sport Today World Have Your Say The Hub With Nik Gowing BBC World News

19:40 Weekend World 20:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 21:30 World Have Your Say Extra 21:40 Weekend World 22:00 BBC World News 22:30 Middle East Business Report 23:00 BBC World News America 23:30 Peschardt’s People

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

Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Higglytown Heroes Higglytown Heroes Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

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

Timmy Time Handy Manny Jake And The Neverland Pirates The Hive Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse The Little Mermaid Little Einsteins Jungle Junction Lazytown Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake And The Neverland Pirates The Little Mermaid The Hive Special Agent Oso Little Einsteins The Little Mermaid Mickey Mouse Clu bhouse Handy Manny The Hive Jake And The Neverland Pirates Imagination Movers Lazytown Jungle Junction The Hive Little Einsteins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake And The Neverland Pirates The Little Mermaid Special Agent Oso Animated Stories Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake And The Neverland Pirates The Hive Timmy Time The Little Mermai d Little Einsteins Jake And The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Timmy Time Handy Manny Jungle Junction

18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:45 22:10 22:35

Fish Hooks Shake It Up Jake & Blake Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Fish Hooks Hannah Montana Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Lemonade Mouth

06:00 American Dragon 06:20 Kick Buttowski 06:40 Pokemon Dp: Sinnoh League Victors 07:05 Phineas & Ferb 07:30 Kid Vs Kat 07:50 Pair Of Kings 08:15 I’m In The Band 08:40 Kick Buttowski 09:00 Zeke & Luther 09:50 I’m In The Band 10:15 The Super Hero Squad Show 10:40 Suite Life On Deck 11:30 Pair Of Kings 11:55 Phineas & Ferb 12:45 I’m In The Band 13:10 Kid Vs Kat 13:50 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 14:30 Phineas & Ferb 14:50 Zeke & Luth er 15:15 Kick Buttowski 15:35 Pokemon Dp: Sinnoh League Victors 16:00 I’m In The Band 16:25 Suite Life On Deck 16:50 Zeke & Luther 17:40 Phineas & Ferb 18:30 Escape From Scorpion Island 18:55 Kick Buttowski 19:20 American Dragon 19:45 Aaron Stone 20:15 Kid Vs Kat 20:40 I’m In The Band 21:05 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 21:30 Zeke & Luther 21:50 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 22:15 The Super Hero Squad Show

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

Kendra Extreme Close-Up E!es 25 Most Stylish Sexiest Extreme Hollywood THS Behind The Scenes E! News The Dance Scene THS E! News Kendra Keeping Up With The Kardashians E!es THS Behind The Scenes Khloe And Lamar E! News E!es Kourtney And Kim Take New York Chelsea Lately Kendra E! News Chelsea Lately Keeping Up With The Kardashians

00:15 Man’s Work 00:40 Mantracker 01:30 World Combat League 02:20 Man’s Work 03:10 Aiya TV 04:00 FIM World Motocross MX3 Championships...

04:50 Mantracker 05:40 World Combat League 06:30 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 08:00 Kenny Belaey’s Big Time 08:25 Summer Dew Tour 2010 10:05 Ticket To Ride 2009/2010 10:55 Winter Dew Tour 10/11 11:45 BMX Megatour 13:25 Wall Rats 14:15 World Combat League 15:05 X Games 15 2009 15:55 Tread BMX 16:20 Tread BMX 16:45 Kenny Belaey’s Big Time 17:10 Summer Dew Tour 2010 18:50 Ticket To Ride 2009/2010

TV Listings FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

19:40 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

BMX Megatour Winter Dew Tour 10/11 World Combat League Carpocalypse M1 Selection 2010

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

Ghost Lab Psychic Witness True Crime With Aphrodite Jones True Crime Scene Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghosthunters Ghost Lab Mystery Diagnosis Murder Shift Forensic Detectives Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Undercover FBI Files On The Case With Paula Zahn Extreme Forensics Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Undercover FBI Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol On The Case With Paula Zahn Extreme Forensics Nightmare Next Door I Escaped Death Dr G: Medical Examiner

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

Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam Good Eats - Special Grill It! With Bobby Flay Barefoot Contessa Unwrapped Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam Good Eats - Special Unwrapped Ten Dollar Dinners Paula’s Best Dishes Paula’s Party Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics Chopped Guy’s Big Bite Everyday Italian Good Deal With Dave Lieberman Ten Dollar Dinners Pa ula’s Best Dishes Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics Good Eats - Special Boy Meets Grill Unwrapped Paula’s Party Everyday Italian Paula’s Best Dishes Good Deal With Dave Lieberman World Cafe Asia Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam Good Eats - Special Unwrapped Boy Meets Grill Chopped Guy’s Big Bite Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics Paula’s Be st Dishes

00:15 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:15 12:30 14:00 16:15 18:15 20:00 21:45

Mirrors 2-PG15 A Perfect Getaway-18 Orphan-18 Hollywood Homicide-PG15 Star Trek-PG The Core-PG15 The One-PG15 Star Trek-PG Against The Ropes-PG15 The One-PG15 Ninja Assassin-18 XXX-PG15

01:00 03:15 05:00 07:00 PG15 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 16:45 19:00 21:00 23:00

Tron: Legacy-PG15 Mee Shee-PG The Longshots-PG15 Desperate Hours: An Amber AlertMee Shee-PG How To Train Your Dragon-PG The Longshots-PG15 The Lizzie McGuire Movie-PG Tron: Legacy-PG15 Crazy On The Outside-PG15 The A-Team-PG15 Jack Goes Boating-PG15

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 02:00 State Of The Union 02:30 Rita Rocks 03:00 Just Shoot Me 03:30 Just Shoot Me 04:00 Two And A Half Men 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 06:00 Seinfeld 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Two And A Half Men 08:30 Just Shoot Me 09:00 Tyler Perry’s House O f Payne 09:30 Community 10:00 Happy Endings 10:30 Seinfeld 11:00 The Drew Carey Show 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Two And A Half Men 13:00 Just Shoot Me 13:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 14:00 Seinfeld 14:30 Community 15:00 Happy Endings 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 The Drew Carey Show 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Mad Love 18:30 The Office 19:00 Rita Rocks 19:30 Modern F amily 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Family Guy

00:00 White Collar 01:00 White Collar 02:00 Burn Notice

03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00

Bones Strong Medicine Good Morning America The Event Emmerdale Look-A-Like Burn Notice The Martha Stewart Show The View White Collar Bones Live Good Morning America Strong Medicine The Ellen DeGeneres Show One Tree Hill Drop Dead Diva Off The Map

00:00 01:00 02:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00

Smallville Burn Notice White Collar Bones The Gates Smallville Sons Of Tucson Look-A-Like Tower Prep Burn Notice White Collar Sons Of Tucson Look-A-Like The Ellen DeGeneres Show Tower Prep Smallville Sons Of Tucson Look-A-Like The Ellen DeGeneres Show Persons Unknown Drop Dead Diva Off The Map Inside The Actor’s Studio

01:00 Valhalla Rising-18 03:00 Paranormal Activity-PG15 05:00 Altitude-PG15

07:00 Signs-PG15 09:00 Phone Booth-PG15 11:00 G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra-PG15 13:00 Virtuality-PG15 14:30 Phone Booth-PG15 16:30 Harry Potter And The Half- Blood Prince-PG15 19:00 Dead Snow-PG15 21:00 Outpost-18 23:00 Jason X-PG15

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Mean Girls-PG15 The Freshman-PG15 Born Yesterday-PG15 From Justin To Kelly-PG The Invention Of Lying-PG15 Rugrats In Paris: The Movie-FAM The Associate-PG15 Indian Summer-PG15 Mean Girls-PG15 50 First Dates-PG15 Man About Town-18 The Perfect Score-PG15

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

Whatever-18 In America-18 Paradise-PG15 Little Nicholas-PG Ice Castles-PG15 Make It Funky!-PG15 Blues Brothers 2000-PG15 Delgo-FAM Guarding Tess-PG My Sister’s Keeper-PG15 Not Since You-PG15 The Knot-PG15

01:00 Tron: Legacy-PG15 03:15 The Blind Side-PG15 05:30 Old Dogs-PG 07:00 St. Trinian’s 2: The Legend Of Fritton’s Gold-PG15

09:00 Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant-PG15 11:00 Avatar-PG 14:00 Enid-PG15 15:30 The Soloist-PG15 17:30 Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant-PG15 19:30 Stomp The Yard 2: HomecomingPG15

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

Dinosaur Island-PG The Three Musketeers-FAM Barney’s Great Adventure-FAM Barbie: A Fairy Secret-FAM Nanny Mcphee And The Big BangTurtle Hero 1-PG15 Fly Me To The Moon-PG Ponyo On The Cliff By The SeaTurtle Hero 1-PG15 The Nutty Professor-FAM Fly Me To The Moon-PG Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea-

00:00 Cinema Verite: The Saga Of An American Family-PG15 02:00 Salt-PG15 04:00 How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days-PG 06:00 Tooth Fairy-PG 08:00 Arthur And The Revenge Of Maltazard-PG 10:00 The Missing Person-PG15 12:00 Post Grad-PG15 14:00 Tangled-FAM 16:00 Arthur And The Revenge Of Maltazard-PG 18:00 Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief-PG15 20:00 Love And Other Impossible Pursuits-PG15 22:15 A Nightmare On Elm Street-18

00:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 10:00 10:30 12:30 13:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30

Test Cricket Rugby World Cup Classics NRL Full Time RFL Championship ICC Cricket World Live ITM Cup Rugby Union Rugby World Cup Classics Live Test Cricket ICC Cricket World Total Rugby Rugby World Cup Classics Live Super League

02:00 03:00 03:30 04:30 09:30 12:30 14:30 19:30 20:00 21:00

Golfing World Rugby World Cup Classics Trans World Sport The PGA Championship AFL Premiership LIVE NRL Premiership The PGA Championship Futbol Mundial Golfing World Live The PGA Championship

00:00 WWE NXT 01:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 02:00 Speedway 03:00 WWE NXT 04:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 05:00 UFC Unleashed 06:00 UFC Unleashed 07:00 WWE NXT 08:00 WWE Vintage Collection 09:00 Speedway 10:00 Powerboats UIM Class One Highlights 10:30 Modern Pentaholn 11:30 WWE NXT 12:30 Live NRL Premiership 14:30 Speedway 15:30 Powerboats F1 16:30 WWE NXT 17:30 V8 Supercars Extra 18:00 Live Currie Cup Rugby Union 20:00 Live Currie Cup Rugby Union 22:00 WWE SmackDown!

VALHALLA RISING ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

00:00 01:00 01:55 02:50 03:45

Orca Killing School World’s Deadliest Animals Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy Caught In The Act Shark Men

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

Insects From Hell Wild Chronicles Built For The Kill The Living Edens Zambezi Animals Of Brazil Animals Of Brazil Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy Caught In The Act Shark Men World’s Deadliest Animals The Living Edens Zambezi Animals Of Brazil Animals Of Brazil Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy Caught In The Act Shark Men The Living Edens Zambezi Animals Of Brazil Animals Of Brazil Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy Caught In The Act

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 03:30 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 13:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 22:00 22:30 23:00

Globe Trekker Special Rivers Of The World World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides Glutton For Punishment Chef Abroad Globe Trekker Globe Trekker Special Top Travel Globe Trekker Think Green World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides Planet Food Top Travel Globe Trekker Flavours Of Peru Cruise Today Globe Trekker Special Temples In The Clouds Globe Trekker Top Travel Flavours Of Spain Globe Trekker Budapest To Bamako 2010 Budapest To Bamako 2010 Budapest To Bamako 2010 Globe Trekker

00:00 Jerseylicious 01:00 Fashion Avenue 01:55 Big Boutique 02:25 How Do I Look?

03:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

05:10 Homes With Style 05:35 Area 06:05 Clean House 07:00 Big Boutique 08:00 Homes With Style 09:00 Fashion Avenue 09:55 How Do I Look?

10:50 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

11:50 Clean House: Search For The Messiest...

12:50 Clean House 13:45 Clean House Comes Clean 14:15 Mel B: It’s A Scary World 14:45 Jerseylicious 15:40 Ruby 16:35 Giuliana & Bill 17:30 Top 10 18:25 Giuliana & Bill 19:25 Big Boutique 19:50 Fashion Avenue

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00

Life After People Ice Road Truckers Barbarians Ax Men Sliced Deep Wreck Mysteries Life After People Ice Road Truckers Barbarians Ax Men Sliced Deep Wreck Mysteries Life After People Ice Road Truckers Barbarians Ax Men Sliced Deep Wreck Mysteries Life After People Ice Road Truckers Barbarians Egypt: Land Of The Gods

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Information

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines RJA THY JZR ETH UAE DHX ETD MSR GFA QTR JZR THY BBC KAC BAW KAC JZR JZR KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY IRA ETD GFA MEA IYE MSR JZR RBG KAC MSR UAL RJA JZR OMA KAC KAC QTR MLR ETD JZR UAE GFA SVA ABY ALK KAC KAC KAC

Flt 642 772 241 620 853 370 305 614 211 138 539 770 43 544 157 416 507 557 206 533 284 302 332 53 678 352 362 855 132 125 619 301 213 404 825 623 173 3553 618 610 982 640 121 645 546 788 134 403 303 535 857 215 510 127 227 166 502 542

Arrival Flights on Friday 12/8/2011 Route AMMAN ISTANBUL AMMAN ADDIS ABABA DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI CAIRO BAHRAIN DOHA CAIRO ISTANBUL DHAKA CAIRO LONDON JAKARTA / KUALA LUMPUR LUXOR ALEXANDRIA ISLAMABAD ASSIUT DHAKA MUMBAI TRIVANDRUM DUBAI MUSCAT / DUBAI COCHIN COLOMBO DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH LAR ABU DHABI BAHRAIN BEIRUT SANAA SOHAG DUBAI ALEXANDRIA / SOHAG DOHA CAIRO WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN BAH RAIN MUSCAT ALEXANDRIA JEDDAH DOHA COLOMBO / DUBAI ABU DHABI CAIRO DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH SHARJAH COLOMBO / DUBAI PARIS / ROME BEIRUT CAIRO

Time 0:05 1:15 1:35 1:45 2:25 2:55 2:55 3:05 3:15 3:20 3:50 4:10 4:20 4:40 6:30 6:35 6:40 7:05 7:15 7:30 7:40 7:50 7:55 7:55 8:00 8:05 8:20 8:25 9:00 9:10 9:20 9:30 9:35 10:55 12:05 12:10 12:50 12:55 12:55 13:20 13:30 13:35 13:45 14:00 14:30 14:50 15:15 16:40 16:50 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:40 18:00 18:40 18:45 18:50

KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC JAI KAC FDB OMA VOS MEA JZR KAC JZR SVA DHX JZR GFA FCX QTR JZR UAL UAE MSR DLH SAI KLM PIA

774 744 674 102 1742 575 572 562 61 647 81 402 203 786 239 506 372 267 217 304 136 213 981 859 612 636 441 447 215

Airlines KAC AXB JZR DLH JZR BBC AIC PIA THY ETH UAE DHX ETD MSR QTR THY BBC RJA GFA KAC VOS BAW FDB JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC

Flt 677 390 506 637 532 44 982 206 773 620 854 371 306 615 139 771 44 643 212 545 94 156 54 172 177 117 787 617

RIYADH DAMMAM DUBAI NEW YORK / LONDON JEDDAH CHENNA I / GOA MUMBAI AMMAN DUBAI MUSCAT BAGHDAD BEIRUT DAMASCUS JEDDAH AMMAN JEDDAH BAHRAIN BEIRUT BAHRAIN RIYADH DOHA DEIREZZOR BAHRAIN DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT LAHORE AMSTERDAM / BAHRAIN KARACHI Departure Flights on Friday 12/8/2011 Route DUBAI / MUSCAT MANGALORE / KOZHIKODE LUXOR FRANKFURT ASSIUT DHAKA AHMEDABAD / CHENNAI LAHORE ISTANBUL BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI CAIRO DOHA ISTANBUL DHAKA AMMAN BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA DUBAI / KANDAHAR LONDON DUBAI DUBAI FRANKFURT / GENEVA NEW YORK JEDDAH DOHA

19:10 19:15 19:25 19:25 19:25 19:30 19:35 19:50 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:15 20:20 20:20 20:35 20:35 21:00 21:10 21:25 21:30 21:35 21:40 22:00 22:00 22:50 23:00 23:05 23: 35 23:55

Time 0:10 0:25 0:30 0:40 0:45 1:00 1:05 1:10 2:15 2:30 3:45 3:55 4:05 4:05 5:00 5:10 5:40 7:00 7:10 7:40 8:00 8:25 8:40 8:40 8:55 9:05 9:25 9:35

UAE ABY QTR JZR ETD GFA IRA JZR MEA KAC KAC KAC IYE MSR RBG KAC MSR RJA JZR UAL KAC JZR JZR OMA KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC VOS ETD MLR QTR UAE GFA ABY SVA ALK KAC KAC JAI FDB JZR KAC KAC OMA MEA SVA DHX GFA KAC QTR KAC KAC FCX UAE UAL KAC MSR JZR SAI

856 126 133 534 302 214 618 120 405 541 103 501 825 624 3554 1741 611 641 212 982 561 202 266 646 785 238 673 773 743 82 304 404 135 858 21 6 128 511 228 283 361 571 62 538 343 351 648 403 507 373 218 381 137 301 205 102 860 981 411 613 556 442

DUBAI SHARJAH DOHA CAIRO ABU DHABI BAHRAIN LAR BAHRAIN BEIRUT CAIRO LONDON BEIRUT DOHA / SANAA SOHAG ALEXANDRIA JEDDAH CAIRO AMMAN DEIREZZOR BAHRAIN AMMAN DAMASCUS BEIRUT MUSCAT JEDDAH AMMAN DUBAI RIYADH DAMMAM BAGHDAD ABU DHABI DUBAI / COLOMBO DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH RIYADH DUBAI / COLOMBO DHAKA COLOMBO MUMBAI DUBAI CAIRO CHENNAI COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT JEDDAH BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DELHI DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD DUBAI DUBAI WASHINGTON DC DU LLES BANGKOK / MANILA CAIRO ALEXANDRIA LAHORE

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

9:40 9:50 10:00 10:00 10:15 10:20 10:20 10:45 11:55 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:05 13:10 13:35 13:40 14:20 14:30 14:40 14:45 14:45 14:55 15:00 15:00 15:05 15:05 15:10 15:50 16:25 17:00 17:35 17:40 17:45 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:35 19:10 20:00 20:20 20:35 20:40 21:00 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:55 22:00 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:55 23:00 23:10 23:40 23:40 23:50 23:55 23:59

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Healthy Living

ACCOMMODATION

An incredible, edible flower If you have a garden full of zucchini and other squashes, try serving squash blossoms, a lovely delicacy.

All about squash blossoms

Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya, near United Indian School. For a couple KD 80 or bachelor KD 50. Contact: 99645213. (C 3557) 8-8-2011

' With their sweet, nutty flavor,

! # %

# "

!

FOR SALE Mitsubishi Galant, Model 2000 (Manual) silver color, 380km done, registered up to February 2012, new tires & battery, good condition A/C working, demand KD 800/- can discuss. Contact: 97868266. (C 3561) 10-8-2011

' Stuffed with bread crumbs or cheese, %

%

! $ # &!

!

!

Nissan Sunny 2009, white color, 71000km, KD 2,300/-. Contact: 65085629. (C 3559) 9-8-2011

' The classic presentation,

$

%

!

#

&&

!

%

%

%

%

"

2006 Pajero white V6 full option without sunroof cruise control, 6CD changer, wood decoration, folding mirror, fog light alloy wheels, running 126000 km, price KD 3750 (negotiable) for urgent sale leaving Kuwait.

Contact: 66219290. (C 3552) 6-8-2011

' Make sure the oil

!

# ! !

"

Sharing accommodation in Abbassiya near Balansiya Bakery, from 1st September, full furnished 2 bedroom flat with mini split A/C, looking for executive bachelor or couple to share with Keralite family. Contact: 66944127 or (afternoon) 24334240. (C 3560) 9-8-2011

MATRIMONIAL

Š 2011 MCT

Christian parents invite marriage proposal for their daughter 25, 5.5â&#x20AC;?, MA, Bed, English teacher,

based Meerut, U.P, India from qualified and professional boys.

Email: davidsondaniel@hotmail.com (C 3562) 10-8-2011 Proposals are invited for a RCSC girl, 30, 165 working as accountant with a reputed company in Kuwait. Email: anson7714@yahoo.com (C 3556) 8-8-2011 Kuwait Orthodox parents invite proposals for their son 29/172cm, M.Com PGDBA born & brought up in Kuwait and employed in MNC Kuwait since 2008 from parents of Orthodox / Jacobite / Marthoma girls B.Tech/ MCA/MBA/M.Com employed in Kuwait.

Contact email: thekalloors@gmail.com (C 3555) 7-8-2011

SITUATION VACANT A driver for a family of two adults, will have to carry other tasks, must have a valid driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s license and transferable visa interested call Tell: 99160902 9-8-2011 British family in Fintas looking for live-in maid. Please Contact: 23908092 after 2pm.

(C 3558) 8-8-2011

y

A

e niv rsar n

Sports

Years

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Phillies rally to down Dodgers LOS ANGELES: The Philadelphia Phillies overcame a six-run deficit to edge the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-8 on Wednesday and complete a three-game sweep in their National League series.

Ryan Howard and Hunter Pence homered for the Phillies, who won for the 12th time in 13 games and completed a 9-1 road trip. Down 6-0 after three innings, the Phillies scored four runs in the sixth for a 97 lead. Howard’s 25th homer of the season was a tiebreaking, two-run shot with two outs. Philadelphia reliever Kyle Kendrick (75) pitched one inning for the win after replacing starter Vance Worley. Ryan Madson, the sixth Phillies pitcher, got three outs for his 22nd save.

Braves 6, Marlins 2 In Miami, Dan Uggla extended his hitting streak to 31 games - the best by any player this season - as Atlanta beat Florida and completed a three-game road sweep.

Uggla’s two-run single in the first inning tied Rico Carty for the second-longest streak in franchise history. Tommy Holmes holds the record with 37 straight for the Boston Braves in 1945.

Uggla went 3 for 5, his ninth multihit game during the longest hitting streak in the majors this season. Dodger Andre Ethier hit in 30 straight games.

Eric Hinske drove in two runs for the Braves, who have won six of seven. Atlanta starter Tim Hudson (12-7) allowed two runs in 7 1-3 innings and struck out seven.

Florida’s Anibal Sanchez (6-6) stretched his winless streak to 11 games. He allowed five runs in 1 2-3 innings. The Marlins have lost seven straight.

Pirates 9, Giants 2 In San Francisco, Pittsburgh defeated San Francisco to take its first series win in three weeks. The Pirates took two of three from the reigning World Series champions on the heels of a 10-game losing streak.

MLB results/standings Major League Baseball results on Wednesday. Philadelphia 9, La Dodgers 8; Pittsburgh 9, San Francisco 2; Baltimore 6, Chicago White Sox 4 (10 innings); NY Yankees 9, La Angels 3; Cleveland 10, Detroit 3; Toronto 8, Oakland 4; Tampa Bay 8, Kansas City 7; Atlanta 6, Florida 2; San Diego 9, NY Mets 5; Cincinnati 3, Colorado 2; Seattle 4, Texas 3; Chicago Cubs 4, Washington 2; Minnesota 5, Boston 2; Milwaukee 5, St Louis 1; Arizona 6, Houston 3.

BALTIMORE: Baltimore Orioles left fielder Felix Pie attempts to catch a fly ball hit by Chicago White Sox’s Juan Pierre in the sixth inning of a baseball game. —AP Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer and Garrett Jones added an RBI singles to back Jeff Karstens (9-6), who struck out a career-best nine and bounced back from giving up nine runs in his previous start.

Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez (4-7), who hasn’t won for 10 weeks, allowed five runs in 4 1-3 innings.

Reds 3, Rockies 2 In Cincinnati, Joey Votto hit the last of Cincinnati’s three solo homers, giving the Reds a narrow win over Colorado.

Votto’s leadoff homer in the sixth snapped a 2-2 tie. Edgar Renteria and Jay Bruce also homered off the 36-year-old Kevin Millwood, who signed a contract before the game and made a comeback to the big leagues. Cincinnati starter Mike Leake (10-7) gave up 11 hits in 7 1-3 innings

but still managed to become the Reds’ first 10-game winner. The Reds turned a seasonhigh four double plays.

Padres 9, Mets 5 In New York, Will Venable had four hits to help San Diego beat New York. Cameron Maybin had two RBIs while Venable tripled, singled and doubled twice for the Padres.

The Mets loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth but Padres second baseman Logan Forsythe made a leaping grab of a line drive for the final out. San Diego’s Aaron Harang (11-3) won his second straight start despite giving up at least 10 hits in both outings, and the Padres bullpen rebounded from consecutive flops to make the early lead stand. Mets knuckleballer RA Dickey (5-11) lost his third straight start as New York stranded 13 baserunners. —AP

American League Eastern Division W L PCT Boston 72 44 .621 NY Yankees 70 45 .609 Tampa Bay 62 54 .534 Toronto 59 57 .509 Baltimore 45 69 .395 Central Division Detroit 61 55 .526 Cleveland 58 56 .509 Chicago White Sox 57 59 Minnesota 52 65 .444 Kansas City 49 68 .419 Western Division 66 52 .559 Texas LA Angels 64 53 .547 Oakland 52 64 .448 Seattle 50 66 .431 National League Eastern Division Philadelphia 77 40 .658 Atlanta 69 49 .585 NY Mets 58 58 .500 Washington 56 60 .483 Florida 55 62 .470 Central Division Milwaukee 67 50 .573 St. Louis 62 55 .530 Pittsburgh 56 60 .483 Cincinnati 61 .479 56 Chicago Cubs 50 67 .427 Houston 38 79 .325 Western Division Arizona 64 53 .547 San Francisco 64 54 .542 Colorado 55 63 .466 LA Dodgers 52 64 .448 San Diego 52 66 .441

GB 1.5 10 13 26 2 .491 4 9.5 12.5 1.5 13 15 8.5 18.5 20.5 22 5 10.5 11 17 29 .5 9.5 11.5 12.5

Yankees pound Angels NEW YORK: New York’s Curtis Granderson hit a three-run homer in the first inning to set up the Yankees’ 9-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, ending their run of three straight losses in the American League. Granderson got his 31st homer of the season, before Los Angeles rookie pitcher Garrett Richards got his first major league out.

Robinson Cano tacked on a tworun shot in the seventh, getting within a single of hitting for the cycle.

Richards (0-1) allowed six runs in five innings, having been called up from the minors to fill in for suspended ace Jered Weaver. New York starter Ivan Nova (11-4) took over the big league lead in wins for rookies, allowing five hits in six innings.

ARLINGTON: Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba (top) flips over Seattle Mariners’ Trayvon Robinson in a rundown between third and home in the fourth inning of a baseball game. —AP

Twins 5, Red Sox 2 In Minneapolis, Jim Thome hit a tiebreaking RBI double during Minnesota’s three-run eighth inning which lifted the Twins over Boston.

Thome, who also had a run-scoring single, hit the 119th pitch of the game

from Red Sox starter Jon Lester (11-6) to left field for a 3-2 lead. Danny Valencia added an RBI double and Tsuyoshi Nishioka came through with a run-scoring single in the eighth. The Twins got an outstanding effort from starter Nick Blackburn, who gave up only one unearned run in 6-2/3 innings.

Indians 10, Tigers 3 In Cleveland, the hosts shaved another game off Detroit’s lead in the AL Central division, reducing the gap to two games.

Ubaldo Jimenez (1-0) won in his first home start for Cleveland since being traded from Colorado. He allowed six hits in eight innings, striking out six and walking only one.

Jason Kipnis went 5 for 5 with four runs and three RBIs, becoming the first Cleveland rookie in 59 years to get five hits and score four times in a game. He hit a two-run homer off Rick Porcello (11-7) to put the Indians up 4-0 in the second. It was Cleveland’s 13th straight home win over the Tigers.

Mariners 4, Rangers 3 In Arlington, Casper Wells had the tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning that stood up as Seattle’s winner against Texas. Wells walked twice and had two singles, the last one driving in Mike Carp, who started the seventh with a single off reliever Koji Uehara (1-2). Mariners starter Jason Vargas (7-10) went seven innings, throwing a season-high 121 pitches to get his first win in seven starts.

Brandon League worked the ninth for his 27th save.

Blue Jays 8, Athletics 4 In Toronto, Brett Lawrie hit his first career grand slam, powering Toronto past Oakland. Promoted from the minors on Friday, Lawrie drove a bases-loaded pitch into the bullpen beyond left field in the sixth. He also doubled off the wall in left in the eighth. He is hitting .389 in five games since his promotion. Blue Jays reliever Casey Janssen (4-0) got one out for the victory. Athletics starter Gio Gonzalez (9-10) allowed four runs in five innings. — AP

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Sports

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

F1 expected to trigger auto racing frenzy in India NEW DELHI: With names like Sachin Tendulkar already being linked to a racing franchise concept, India’s usually overshadowed motor racing fraternity is banking on the arrival of Formula One to spark a surge in domestic interest in their sport.

As workers put in overtime to get the Buddh International Circuit into shape, officials are growing in confidence that the Oct. 30 Indian F1 Grand Prix will change the face of motor racing in this country of 1.2 billion where all sports take a backseat to cricket.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Vicky Chandhok, president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India. “For the motorsport fraternity, it’s fantastic to get F1 on home soil.”

Chandhok dismissed concerns about any delay in completion of the $215 million track about 40 kilometers from New Delhi in the satellite town of Greater Noida.

“It will project India as a technologically driven country, since F1 is the most technology-driven sport in the world,” he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “We already have a few drivers in the international arena and you must note that F1 has huge television audiences. So you can expect a lot of youngsters to take to the sport.”

The 5.14-kilometer track is part of a

sports city being developed by the Jaypee Group, which has vast interests in real estate. Jaypee Group has 10-year rights for the Indian F1 race. The venue has been designed by German architect Hermann Tilke, who has designed many of the new circuits that have been added to the sport’s calendar in recent years.

Seeking to capitalize on the predicted boom, a motorsports management company has announced the launch of a city-based franchise competition this December, albeit using star cricket icon Tendulkar as its brand ambassador.

Motor racing joins an increasing group of sports launching pro leagues in India following the stunning success of cricket’s lucrative Indian Premier League.

American football, field hockey, volleyball, badminton and tennis are among the sports to have either launched their leagues or made announcements already.

The i1 Super Series, which has sought clearance from motorsport’s governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), will feature teams from nine Indian cities competing in seven Asian cities: New Delhi, Chennai in India; Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai in the Gulf; Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; and Pattaya, Thailand.

“Cricket and Bollywood stars as well as some top industrialists have shown a keen interest to own teams,” Machdar Motorsports’ chief executive M. Darshan told reporters in Mumbai last week.

It is expected to further fuel interest

to make motor racing a mainstream sport. “I’m absolutely sure that its success will be the starting point for a big surge in Indian motorsport. We’ve been on the threshold for a few years now and this should give us a shot in the arm,” Karthikeyan said.

Narain Karthikeyan, first Indian to race in the high-profile series for Jordan. in the sport initially evoked by Narain Karthikeyan, who in 2005 became the first Indian to race in the high-profile series for Jordan.

Karthikeyan, who drove for Hispania in the early part of this year’s F1 championship, expects the Indian Grand Prix

Vicky Chandhok’s son Karun, who emulated Karthikeyan when he made his debut with Hispania last year and had since switched to Lotus, feels business support is vital.

“More people will want to be associated with the sport,” Karun Chandhok

‘Wild Thing’ Daly aims for straight shooting JOHNS CREEK: Twenty years after winning the PGA Championship in the most unlikely of circumstances, John Daly is back at the season’s final major fervently hoping he can regain form with his driver.

The long-hitting American is languishing 176th in the PGA Tour’s driving accuracy charts with an average percentage of 54.51 and knows he will need to improve that significantly this week on the challenging Atlanta Athletic Club layout.

“I’ve really been struggling with my driver lately,” Daly, 45, told Reuters after completing his preparations for late yesterday’s opening round.

“I have been working hard on it today and you certainly need it out here. Hopefully I can hit some fairways this week, because the rest of my game is very good, very good.”

The challenging par-70 course at Atlanta Athletic Club measures 7,467 yards off the back tees and places a high premium on fairway accuracy.

Daly, whose outlandish attire and power hitting have proved a massive drawcard on the PGA Tour over the last two decades, hoped he could recapture the driving form he displayed at last month’s Canadian Open.

“I hit the drivers pretty good that week, I just didn’t make a ton of putts,” the double major champion said after puffing on a cigarette. “And I loved the way I chipped there the last two days.”

Daly, popularly known as ‘Wild Thing’, tied for ninth at the Canadian Open, his first top 10 on the PGA Tour since 2005. He has not won on the US circuit since the 2004 Buick Invitational.

Asked how much confidence he had gained from his performance at

JOHNS CREEK: Andres Romero, of Argentina, hits a drive on the first hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament . —AP Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, he replied: “It’s been a struggle, like a lot of guys that have been hurt out here.

“You can’t play good golf out here when you’re hurt. I had a little groin problem that week but other than that, everything felt pretty good. I just didn’t execute.”

Daly, who has spent most of his adult life struggling with alcohol, anti-depressants, gambling, binge eating and divorces, has also suffered various injuries in recent years.

“You get aches at this age and you just wonder what bone is going to pop or not pop on every swing,” he said with a grin.

Twenty years ago at Crooked Stick, Daly became one of the most unlikely major winners of all time, triumphing by three strokes

over fellow American Bruce Lietzke after being the ninth alternate in the build-up to the PGA Championship.

Aged 25 that year, Daly was told only the day before the tournament’s first round he had been elevated to first alternate.

After driving in a car for seven-and-a-half hours, he was then informed that Zimbabwe’s Nick Price had withdrawn from the event as his wife was about to give birth.

A last-minute addition to the field, the bighitting American went on to clinch his first major title-using Price’s caddie, Jeff “Squeaky” Medlen, and without having played a practice round at Crooked Stick. “That all feels like 40 years ago now,” Daly jested as he made his way up the steps to the locker room at Atlanta Athletic Club. —Reuters

said. “Our biggest challenge has always been funding. I hope more corporates step forward and see the benefits of being associated with the sport.”

Indians have taken some interest in the performance of Force India, an F1 team run by liquor baron Vijay Mallya for four years now.

Force India drivers Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta had shown improved form after a sluggish start to the season, and will be eager to perform well on the team’s home track.

“There has been huge interest in F1 for many years, so the fan base is already there. Last year’s Monaco Grand Prix was watched by 27 million people back home. That’s more than the TV figures for the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy combined,” Karun Chandhok said.

“If only 0.5 per cent of that audience comes for the race, it would give us a crowd of 150,000 spectators.”

Like the Korean Grand Prix which debuted in 2010, the area where the circuit is being built was originally agricultural land, but is designed to become a new suburb with apartment and townhouse complexes, which are also under construction.

The developers are hoping to market the area as a sports city, complete with a cricket stadium and golf course. —AP

Vegas hits jackpot with PGA Championship debut JOHNS CREEK: Jhonattan Vegas has enjoyed a dizzyingly successful rookie season on the PGA Tour and it will become even more memorable for him late yesterday when he competes in his first PGA Championship.

The 26-year-old Venezuelan has made only one previous appearance in the majors, at the Masters in April when he missed the cut, and he is champing at the bit to tee off in the opening round at Atlanta Athletic Club.

“I am really excited for this week,” Vegas told Reuters on a sun-baked Wednesday afternoon while wrapping up his preparations for the season’s final major. “And it’s even better going in as a PGA Tour winner. A major championship is always fun to play, it’s always great. I am ready and it should be a fun week.”

Vegas, who became the first rookie to win the PGA Tour’s Bob Hope Classic in more than a half-century with a playoff victory in January, took an instant liking to the Atlanta Athletic Club layout.

“I had heard great things about this course and I really enjoy it,” said the Venezuelan, whose beefy build has helped him become one of the longest hitters on the tour.

“It should be fun. Playing long courses is always fun for me but on major championship courses it is all about making putts and getting it up and down at the right times. Hopefully I will be ready for it tomorrow.”

Life swiftly changed for Vegas in January when his PGA Tour breakthrough sparked jubilant celebration in his baseball-mad homeland. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez put aside his mockery of golf as a “bourgeois” sport in a TV address to congratulate his young compatriot for winning a PGA title in only his fifth start on the US circuit.

Vegas, who is now based in Austin, Texas, also earned the respect of some of the game’s leading players and became a much more recognisable figure among the fans as his profile sharply rose. —Reuters

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Sports

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Nadal stumbles in Montreal Federer moves on

TORONTO: Maria Sharapova, of Russia, serves the ball to Bojana Jovanovski, of Serbia, during the Rogers Cup women’s tennis tournament. —AP

Wozniacki shocked, Sharapova rolls TORONTO: World number one Caroline Wozniacki headlined the parade of seeded players to fall at the Toronto Cup with a shock loss on Wednesday while Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams moved into the last 16.

Defending champ Wozniacki rarely looked comfortable on court and did not live up to her top seeding with seven double faults and a slew of errors during a 6-4 7-5 loss to Italy’s Roberta Vinci in windy conditions that played havoc with her game.

A day after second seed Kim Clijsters dealt the tournament a blow by retiring from her opening match with a partial tear of a stomach muscle, it was Wozniacki’s turn for a premature exit.

“I didn’t get a chance to really get any rhythm, it was difficult first with the wind but also the way that she was playing,” Wozniacki, who became the seventh seeded player to exit the tournament in Toronto this week, told reporters.

“Right now it’s pretty disappointing and you just try to get over this match and just try to analyse what happened and take the positives and negatives and try to improve.”

After dropping the first set, Wozniacki raced into a 5-1 lead and seemed poised to force a third set but was unable to close it out as she served into the wind, which on several occasions interrupted her service tosses.

“I came against the wind for the next two games and it was pretty difficult on the other side and she served well and that pretty much just summed everything up,” said Wozniacki.

“On one side the wind was blowing in the back and you had to watch out you didn’t play it long, and on the other side you really had to hit through the ball to make it even go.”

Wozniacki headed a solid Toronto field that boasted the top 20 women players in the world, but Williams, unseeded after an 11-month layoff that ended in June, has grabbed the spotlight.

After barely breaking sweat in a 46-minute opening match against Alona Bondarenko, Williams was forced to work a little harder to get by Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-1 7-6.

The 13-times grand slam winner said she had been calmer on court since her return and was enjoying the lack of pressure as an unseeded player and did not have “anything to lose at all”.

“It puts me in a wonderful position and such an easy position to be in,” said Williams, who won the Stanford Classic in her third tournament back.

Sharapova, who had a first-round bye, jumped out to a fast start but needed to dig deep for a 6-1 7-5 win over Bojana Jovanovski after the Serbian qualifier gained a 4-2 lead in the second.

Swirling winds made for some challenging play and Sharapova needed to make adjustments in the match to hold off a spirited challenge from Jovanovski.

“The conditions were tough for everyone today and it’s not always the best tennis when you are facing those conditions, but it goes both ways,” Sharapova told reporters.

“Not just for yourself but also for the opponent so it’s just a matter of who handles it better and who adjusts and makes adjustments at the right time.”

Third seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia dumped compatriot Nadia Petrova 7-5 6-4, earning herself a matchup against Agnieska Radwanska in the last 16. —Reuters

MONTREAL: Rafa Nadal fluffed his lines to script, with 10 of the 13 seeds in lead. But the Russian could only win two on the return from five-week break when action enjoying a safe passage into the more games as Djokovic shifted into top gear, reeling off six straight service breaks the Spanish world number two was third round.

Djokovic’s reign as world number one to turn the match around before sealing stunned 1-6 7-6 7-6 by unheralded Croatian Ivan Dodig in his opening got off to a sluggish start as the Serb victory as lightning crackled around the match of the Montreal Masters on scrambled to a 7-5 6-1 win over Russian stadium.

“I’m just trying to handle it (being Nikolay Davydenko, while Roger Federer Wednesday. number one) the best possible way Back in action for the first time but on the other side trying to keep since losing to Novak Djokovic in my life very simple, the way it was the Wimbledon final on July 3, before,” Djokovic told reporters.

Nadal had looked poised for a rou“Of course, the world is looking tine comeback victory after stormat me a bit differently.” Playing his ing through the opening set of the first competitive match since celesecond round encounter. brating his 30th birthday on However, the 41st ranked Monday, Federer looked a fresh as Croatian had other ideas and ever as he strolled onto centre court would not be bullied by the musimpeccably attired in a blue shirt cular Mallorcan, matching Nadal and headband. shot-for-shot before ending the It was also business as usual for three-hour thriller with a backhand the Swiss maestro once the match cross-court winner. started, the former number one Despite an inconsistent perbeginning his tune-up for the US formance, Nadal had his chances Open with a gentle workout. to seal the contest when he led 5-3 While there were a few noticein the deciding set and served for able signs of rust, there was no evithe match, but the two-time champion on Canadian hard courts was dence of a tennis mid-life crisis, as Federer brushed aside the 21-yearunable to put away his stubborn old Canadian, who grew up idolisopponent. It was Nadal’s first ing him. opening match defeat in a tournaFederer was not at his sharpest ment since Rome 2008. The loss against Pospisil, piling up unforced will be a blow to Nadal’s Flushing errors with some wayward groundMeadows preparation, where the strokes, but there was never any Spaniard will launch the defence his US Open crown later this MONTREAL: Ivan Dodig, from Croatia, panic as the world number three warmed to his task, finally month. celebrates his win against Rafael Nadal at slowly breaking the Canadian to take the “I don’t feel I played bad but in first set. the decisive moments I didn’t play the Rogers Cup tennis tournament. —AP Back in rhythm, Federer quickly well,” Nadal told reporters. “He didn’t feel the pressure in the important entered his 30s with a clinical 7-5 6-3 vic- put his stamp on the match, breaking his opponent at the first opportunity in the moments and at the end of the match, tory over Canadian Vasek Pospisil.

In near invincible form this season on second on the way to a straightforward probably I was a little bit unlucky.

“I felt like I played well enough to win his way to eight titles while compiling a victory over the 155th ranked wildcard. “It but that’s tennis.” The late night shock, 49-1 record, Djokovic looked vulnerable felt good,” Federer said. “It was my first provided an unexpected twist to the end after his extended holiday as Davydenko match outdoors on hard courts... it was a of a day that had gone largely according claimed two early breaks to race to a 4-1 bit tough.” —Reuters

Fletcher blames English conditions for failures BIRMINGHAM: India’s famous batting lineup has flopped for a fifth successive innings as they are struggling to handle the swinging and seaming conditions in England, India coach Duncan Fletcher said on Wednesday.

So far India, a team which includes the two highest test run scorers in Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, have failed to score 300 runs in a single innings during this series and are in danger of relinquishing the top test ranking to England after being walloped in the first two matches.

India were bowled out for 224 on the first day of the third test after losing the toss, before England’s openers cruised to 84 without loss at stumps.

Apart from Dravid, who scored hundreds in the first two tests, the other batsmen have struggled, including world record holder Tendulkar and fellow veteran Vangipurappu Laxman.

“It’s been pretty difficult for the batsmen to adapt,” Fletcher admitted after being quizzed by reporters on another batting let-down. “And I have not seen

three pitches, even when I was with England (from 1999 to 2007), that have swung and seamed around as much as these have here.

“Our guys are finding it difficult at the moment to handle the swing and seam.

They have practiced and there’s not much more they can do. It’s about getting out in the middle and putting things into practice.”

Surprisingly, one of England’s bowling heroes at Edgbaston, Tim Bresnan, said that the conditions did not assist the hosts as much as they had expected when skipper Andrew Strauss elected to field after winning the toss.

“As a seamer you look at the wicket and think ‘I’d prefer to bowl on there than watch someone bat on it’,” Bresnan said after finishing with four for 62 on Wednesday.

“But it didn’t really do that much. We were expecting it to be a bit quicker and seam a bit more than it did - so it’s a good effort. It swung a bit but not like Trent Bridge did. So it was a case of building

pressure.”

While Dravid fell for 22 this time, after Bresnan bowled him with a delightful delivery that swung away from him late, Tendulkar again missed an opportunity to register his 100th international century.

He scored just one.

Tendulkar, though, still averages 54 in tests in England, while Laxman’s is a shade under 40 in England. Bresnan rejected any notion that India’s batsmen were underperforming and preferred to believe that the credit deserves to go to the bowling unit.

“It goes to show how well we’re bowling as a unit,” Bresnan added. “There’s definitely that ‘hunting-in-a-pack’ mentality, and we do enjoy each other’s success.

It’s good to watch your mate get four or five... or have a really good day with the bat.

“The Indians have not really got themselves out. We’ve bowled really well and stuck to our plans. It’s not like they’re inventing ways to get out, put it that way.” —Reuters

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Sports

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

United kick off at West Brom

Arjen Robben

No panic at Bayern despite shock start BERLIN: Bayern Munich stumbled into the new Bundesliga season with a surprise home defeat to Borussia Moenchengladbach last week but the Bavarians have not pressed the panic button yet.

The 1-0 home loss was not the kind of start the club had been hoping for but Bayern sports director Christian Nerlinger said it was far too early for drastic changes.

“We must not panic,” said Nerlinger.

“Obviously the defeat against Gladbach was not part of our expectations, it was indeed a bad start, but it was not a performance that made us worry.”

A revamped VfL Wolfsburg, who narrowly avoided the drop last season, wait for them on Saturday and Bayern need to get their house in order or risk spending another season chasing champions

Borussia Dortmund from the start.

Nerlinger said the team, under new coach Jupp Heynckes, might need a bit more time to find their groove but predicted they would be ready for Wolfsburg.

Heynckes would prefer a bit more time, or at least have some more players at his disposal, to prepare for the away match as a string of international friendlies during the week whittled down the Bayern squad at training.

Eight players were on duty for Germany in their 3-2 win over Brazil, who also had Luiz Gustavo in the squad, while Croat Ivica Olic, Ukrainian Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Belgium’s Daniel van Buyten and Austrian David Alaba were also on international duty.

Wingers Arjen Robben, who returned to Munich after the friendly between

Netherlands and England was called off, and Franck Ribery, were the only big names on the training pitch.

Wolfsburg, who suffered a shock first round German Cup exit to fourth-division RB Leipzig in late July, recovered in time for the Bundesliga start to crush hosts Cologne 3-0 last week.

Former Bayern coach Felix Magath, who led Wolfsburg to the 2009 German league title and then returned late last season to rescue them from relegation on the last matchday, will be looking to make it two wins out of two.

Dortmund again seem to be the team to beat after their sparkling 3-1 win over Hamburg SV last week. They travel to face Hoffenheim, while fellow Champions League competitors Bayer Leverkusen host Werder Bremen on Sunday. —Reuters

Lyon have chance to move clear PARIS: Olympique Lyon have the perfect opportunity to establish an early lead at the top of Ligue 1 when they host promoted Ajaccio this weekend with Remi Garde’s team having been the only one of France’s big four to win in the opening round of fixtures.

Once the dominant power in France, winning seven straight titles between 2002 and 2008, Lyon have flattered to deceive ever since despite boasting arguably the best Ligue 1 lineup on paper.

Last weekend’s comprehensive 3-1 win at Nice contrasted with draws for champions Lille and Olympique Marseille and big-spending Paris St Germain’s 1-0 home defeat by Lorient.

The latter three have tricky encounters at home to Montpellier, away to Auxerre and at in-form Stade Rennes while Lyon host promoted Ajaccio on Saturday (1700 GMT).

Lyon, who were impressive in Garde’s first official game in charge since replacing the sacked Claude Puel, have been further boosted for the match against the Corsicans by Michel

Bastos saying he is staying after strong interest from Juventus.

“I feel happy here. There has been a change, a new ambiance,” the Brazil winger told reporters. “I am 28 and I still have a career ahead of me. I said to myself that for sporting reasons it was more interesting for me to stay at OL. There is a will within the club to extend my contract, the president and coach have faith in me.”

PSG could play French record signing Javier Pastore at Stade Rennes although the Argentine playmaker, signed from Palermo for a reported 42 million euros ($59.57 million), is not fully match fit. Rennes, surprise title challengers for the first two-thirds of last season, are feeling upbeat after a 5-1 away demolition of promoted Dijon on Sunday.

Lille were generally pleased with their display in the opening 1-1 draw at Nancy but Dimitri Payet’s withdrawal from the France squad with a leg injury could make him doubtful for Sunday’s home clash with a Montpellier side who overran Auxerre 3-1 last weekend. —Reuters

LONDON: Manchester United’s sparkling performance in the Community Shield should put them in good heart for the start of their Premier League title defence at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.

Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck, Phil Jones and Ashley Young inspired the fightback that sank Manchester City at Wembley and Alex Ferguson will keep faith with his vibrant young players as they set out in pursuit of a 20th league title.

Ferguson’s men won just five league games away from home last season, one of them at West Brom, and they will face a tougher challenge at The Hawthorns this time around as the midlands side continue to improve under manager Roy Hodgson and have signed livewire striker Shane Long.

Young was United’s standout performer against City, the pacey, versatile England forward looking instantly at home and setting up a goal with a trademark free kick.

Elsewhere, Chelsea’s new Portuguese coach Andre Villas-Boas will begin his spell in England on Sunday with a tough trip to a Stoke City side whose season has already started with Europa League qualifying wins.

Last season’s league runners-up have agreed a deal to add Anderlecht’s Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku to their squad, although yet-to-be completed paperwork may mean he misses out on Sunday. Influential midfielder Frank Lampard could be fit after returning to training this week following a throat infection.

On Saturday, Arsenal travel north to Newcastle United with manager Arsene Wenger hoping that new forwards Gervinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will appease the club’s restless fans who have called for extra recruits to boost their title challenge.

Arsenal, who host Italian side Udinese in a Champions League playoff first leg on Tuesday, managed just one point against Newcastle last season, losing at home and drawing 4-4 away after being 4-0 up in one of the standout games of the season.

In contrast, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has splashed the cash on a raft of midfielders and will also be able to call on fully fit striker Andy Carroll for Saturday’s visit of Sunderland to Anfield.

Winger Stewart Downing has joined for 20 million pounds, along with Charlie Adam and highly-rated England international Jordan Henderson, who is set to face his former employers.

“Obviously Jordan is one they’ve lost. He’s a good player who they would have been understandably reluctant to let go,” Dalglish told the club website.

“But sometimes as a manager you’ve got to be philosophical and say if a player wants to go we should let him leave. I don’t think (Sunderland fans) will have any animosity towards Jordan.”

Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham and newly promoted Queens Park Rangers, all based in London where the capital has been subjected to days of rioting and looting, host Everton, Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers respectively.

Manchester City, who will have to balance a league schedule with Champions League commitments for the first time this season, do not play until Monday giving manager Roberto Mancini a little longer to decide which combination of his forwards to use against promoted Swansea City. — Reuters

Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Sports

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Spurs match postponed over London violence LONDON: Tottenham’s opening Premier League match against Everton has been postponed due to the violence in London, league chief executive Richard Scudamore confirmed yesterday.

Scudamore said the decision had been taken following advice from police but said so far the nine other fixtures due to take place this weekend were expected to go ahead as planned.

“The very latest situation is that Tottenham and Everton has gone.

The police have done a fantastic job,

but it’s been a crime scene all week and the council have not had enough time to do what they need,” Scudamore said.

“The other nine fixtures are looking positive, subject to any more trouble. “At 6pm tonight we will have a very clear picture. The Tottenham game is a real shame but we support the police in what they are doing. “They want these games to go on as much as we do.”

Tottenham said the club had been powerless to prevent the postponement. “Following ongoing discus-

sions with the necessary authorities regarding this weekend’s Premier League home match against Everton, it has now been confirmed that this fixture will be postponed due to safety concerns relating to the infrastructure of the High Road and access to the stadium caused by last Saturday’s riots,” the club said in a statement. “We apologise for any inconvenience caused to supporters due to matters outside of the control of the club. We shall update fans on when this fixture will be rearranged in due course.” Spurs defender

Michael Dawson expressed disappointment at the postponement but backed the decision.

“The most important thing is the safety of the fans,” Dawson said.

Tottenham was one of the worst hit areas in the rioting which rocked London for several days before a massive influx of police restored calm. England’s friendly international against Holland on Wednesday had already been cancelled because of the violence, along with several other League Cup matches in London.—AFP

Japan downplay win over S Korea TOKYO: Japan downplayed their convincing 3-0 victory over long-term rivals South Korea as the team turned its attention yesterday to the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Borussia Dortmund star Shinji Kagawa bagged a brace and World Cup hero Keisuke Honda scored another as the Asian champions claimed their first home win over South Korea in 13 years on Wednesday.

“The Japanese men are strong, too,” read a headline in the Nikkan Sports daily after the one-sided home game in Sapporo, which followed glory for the women’s team in the World Cup in Germany last month. But Kagawa and Honda said they had work to do before the Blue Samurai launch their campaign next month to qualify for a fifth successive World Cup finals. “It was purely a friendly match. The qualifiers will be much tougher. So this result won’t get us anywhere,” Kagawa told local media.

The midfielder spent four months on the sidelines after breaking a metatarsal in his right foot at the Asia Cup in Doha in January, where Japan clinched a record fourth continental title.

“The South Koreans looked heavy-footed,” said the 22-year-old, who made a big impact after his move to Dortmund in July last year, scoring eight goals in 17 league games before the winter break.

“When we passed the ball, it created space. When we moved, they didn’t chase us.” Honda, a CSKA Moscow midfielder and the driving force behind the team, said: “We were concerned about how we would play, let alone the result. I feel happy that we fought a good game.”

But the 25-year-old, who says his ambition is to win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, added: “I want to refocus ourselves on the World Cup qualifiers. It’s not that we got something out of this.”

Coach Alberto Zaccheroni was delighted with the win. The Blue Samurai are now unbeaten in 11 matches, with six wins and five draws since he took over following the World Cup. “It gave us a lot of confidence for the qualifying round,” the coach said.

In the World Cup Asian qualifying round, Japan, in Group C, will host North Korea on September 2. The group also includes Uzbekistan and Syria.

South Korea, in Group B, will face Lebanon on September 2, followed by Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The result on Wednesday put South Korea’s head-to-head record with Japan at 34 wins, 11 defeats and 20 draws, according to FIFA statistics. The two sides drew 0-0 in Seoul in October last year. Japan battled to scorel ess draws with Peru and the Czech Republic at home in June, the only other friendlies the team has played this year as the country struggles to recover from March’s quake-tsunami disaster.—AFP

BARI: Italy’s Christian Maggio (center) and Spain’s Santiago Cazorla Gonzalez challenge for the ball during their friendly soccer match. —AP

Germany beat Brazil, Spain undone by Italy LONDON: A late goal rush helped Germany beat Brazil for the first time in 18 years while world champions Spain suffered defeat on a bumper night of international friendlies on Wednesday.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mario Goetze and Andre Schuerrle all struck in the last half hour for Germany in a 3-2 home win over the 2014 World Cup hosts to raise the pressure on Brazil coach Mano Menezes whose side replied through Robinho and Neymar.

In a clash of the last two World Cup winners in Bari, Spain were beaten 2-1 by Italy with Alberto Aquilani scoring the winner late on with a deflected shot.

Spain’s Chelsea striker Fernando Torres had to go off in the first half with concussion and was taken to hospital for a check-up while Gerard Pique was another casualty when the Barcelona defender limped off just before halftime.

Many of the nations scrapping for

qualification places for next year’s European championships in Poland and Ukraine were in action as they prepared for forthcoming group matches, although England’s friendly against Netherlands had been called off on Tuesday because of the civil unrest that has hit London.

France, steadily rebuilding after their atrocious World Cup campaign last year, were held to a 1-1 draw by Chile in Montpellier. Loic Remy was on target for France with Nicolas Cordova equalising for the South Americans.

Poland, who do not have to worry about qualifying for next year’s tournament, earned a narrow 1-0 victory over Georgia in Lubin while co-hosts Ukraine went down 1-0 at home to Sweden.

Croatia, who are involved in a threeway battle in Group F with Greece and Israel to qualify for Euro 2012 after missing out on the World Cup, drew 0-0 away to Ireland. Ireland top Group B in qualify-

ing level on points with Russia who enjoyed a 1-0 victory over Serbia in a scrappy match in Moscow. Substitute Pavel Pogrebnyak sealed victory in the 53rd minute.

Three-times World Cup winners Germany had not met five-times world champions Brazil since the Confederations Cup in 2005 and had not beaten them since 1993. Brazil, smarting from a disappointing Copa America campaign, shaded the first hour in Stuttgart but fell behind to a hotly-disputed penalty which Schweinsteiger converted.

Teenager Goetze made it 2-0 six minutes later before Robinho halved the deficit with another penalty. Schuerrle made it 31 before Neymar struck in stoppage time.

“Since I took over the national team one year ago, this is the first time we have played a team who have been better than us over the 90 minutes,” Brazil coach Menezes told reporters. —Reuters

y

A

e niv rsar n

Years

Sports

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

Hidayat bounced out LONDON: Former winner Taufik Hidayat was unceremoniously ousted from the world championships in the second round on Wednesday, beaten 21-17 21-14 by unseeded Zi Liang Derek Wong from Singapore.

It was an unwelcome 30th birthday present for the Indonesian who reached last year’s final in Paris but played some way below his best at a modestly-attended Wembley Arena.

Wong, 22, thoroughly deserved his victory, his agility round the court and heavy cross-court smashes confounding the 2005 champion.

Hidayat managed to pull back a little from 11-7 down in the second game but Wong swiftly accelerated away to claim a third round place against unseeded Dane HansKristian Vittinghus.

World ranked 49, a thrilled Wong told reporters: “ He’s by far my biggest scalp. This morning I did not think I could beat him but I wanted to give him a real hard game today.”

In their only previous meeting two years ago Hidayat came out on top in a close game. Wembley was different.

Wong said: “I came in focused and well prepared to run for everything he gave me and also play faster than him.”

Defending champion Chen Jin and three-times title holder Lin Dan suffered no scares. Chen, seeded six, beat Dicky Palyama of the Netherlands 21-13 21-17 and Lin overcame Ireland’s Scott Evans 21-15 21-16.

Top seed Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia breezed past Finland’s Ville Lang 21-10 21-11 and will now meet South Korean ninth seed Park Sung-hwan, the man who put out Lin in the quarter-finals in Paris in 2010. Chong Wei told reporters: “I am quite confident because I played him in the Sudirman Cup recently and beat him.”

Guatemalan giant-killer Kevin Cordon marched into the third round with a 21-19 21-17 victory over Sweden’s Henri Hurskainen.

Hard on the heels of his stunning first round success over fifth-seed Chen Long of China, Cordon led for most of the match, helped by some powerful cross-court smashing to confound the Swede.

Cordon, world-ranked 36, was named after Kevin Keegan who was a favourite soccer player of Cordon’s father. He said: “It’s great to be still alive in the world championships. I was still tired yesterday after the match with Chen Long but I kept my focus and tried to play my best again.”

Since March, Cordon has been playing with the Spanish national team in Madrid. He explained: “It’s easier to practice in Europe, it’s easier to travel and there are more tournaments every week.”—Reuters

LONDON: Malaysia’s Chong Wei Lee (left) returns a shot to Korea’s Sung Hwan Park during their match at the World Badminton Championships.—AP

COLOMBIA: Challenged by Nigeria’s Ahmed Musa (left), England’s Billy Knott kicks a ball to rattle the crossbar during a U-20 World Cup round of 16 soccer match. —AP

Spain and Brazil to meet in U-20 World Cup q-finals BARRANQUILLA: Brazil and Spain advanced in the Under-20 World Cup on Wednesday, setting up a quarterfinal match between two teams with genuine title aspirations.

Brazil beat Saudi Arabia 3-0 in Barranquilla, while Spain narrowly escaped a shock defeat by South Korea, winning a penalty shootout 7-6 after 0-0 draw in regulation and extra time in Manizales.

Nigeria enhanced its status as one of the title contenders by beating England 1-0 in Armenia for its fourth straight victory, sending England home without having scored a goal in four games.

France also advanced, edging Ecuador 1-0 Cartagena. Six-time champion Argentina, Portugal, Mexico and host Colombia had progressed to the last eight on Tuesday.

Four-time champion Brazil struggled in the first half but scored three goals in the second period to clinch its spot in the quarterfinals. Striker Henrique scored in the 46th minute, Gabriel Silva added to the lead in the 69th and substitute Dudu sealed the victory in the 86th.

“Now we have to think about Spain, it’s going to be an interesting match,” Brazil coach Ney Franco said.

“Two of the tournament’s best teams playing against each other. Both are here to fight for the title.” In the other quarterfinal matches, it will be Argentina vs. Portugal, Colombia vs.

Mexico and Nigeria vs. France.

Spain struggled against South Korea and just barely avoided an upset. The Spaniards had won all of its matches so far but were not able to get past the South Korean defense in regulation and extra time.

South Korea’s Kim Kyung-jung missed the deciding penalty, firing over the crossbar. Spain goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco had stopped South Korea’s third attempt, by Lee Ki-je, while Koke missed Spain’s only shot over the crossbar.

Spain is trying to win second U-20 title to add to its first trophy in 1999.

South Korea’s best showing had been a fourth-place finish in 1983.

In Cartagena, Antoine Griezmann scored in the 75th to give France a 1-0 victory over Ecuador. Griezmann tapped the ball home after Ecuador keeper John Jaramillo made the initial save but failed to control the rebound.

Earlier in Armenia, Nigeria advanced with a close-range goal by striker Edafe Egbedi in the 52nd in front of nearly 20,000 fans at the

Centenario stadium.

“It was a difficult match but we were the ones who took more risks,” said Nigeria coach John Obuh, who was wearing a Colombian sombrero and earned the support of the local fans. “The English team played very defensively.”

England, playing without many of its top players, is winless in 14 straight matches at the Under-20 World Cup, a streak dating back to the tournament in Malaysia in 1997. More than 30 eligible English players were not released by their clubs for the tournament.

“If you look at the results, you can say it was a failure,” England coach Brian Eastick said. “The only way to change that is to change regulations to make the clubs release their players.”

Argentina, trying to win a record seventh world title, advanced Tuesday by beating Egypt 2-1 with two goals

by Roma midfielder Erik Lamela in Medellin. Colombia was losing to Costa Rica but rallied to win 3-2 on a stoppage-time penalty by Porto playmaker James Rodriguez. Portugal edged Guatemala 1-0, while Mexico got past Cameroon on penalties after a 1-1 draw.—Reuters

A

y

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2011

e niv rsar n

Years

Nadal stumbles in Montreal Page 60

www.kuwaittimes.net

STUTTGART: Germany’s Holger Badstuber (right) and Brazil’s Alexandre Silva challenge for the ball during a friendly soccer match. —AP

Germany beat Brazil, Spain undone by Italy Page 63