2nd Oct

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

Killer of Punjab gov sentenced to death

Global Islamic group rising in Asia

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THULQADA 4, 1432 AH

‘Paparazzi’ housewives hound lawbreakers

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Four killed in blast at Ahmadi refinery Tabtabaei demands oil minister’s resignation

Max 42º Min 26º Low Tide 07:01 & 19:16 High Tide 00:23 & 13:05

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

Dissidents meet as more die in Syria violence DAMASCUS: Representatives of Syria’s six-month-old protest movement and opposition parties met in Turkey yesterday to forge a united front against Bashar alAssad’s regime after violence claimed at least 21 more lives. Clashes between security forces and deserters killed 11 people in a village of Hama province on Friday, while another eight died during a crackdown on protests in flashpoint Homs, human rights activists said.

Two men died yesterday from their wounds after being shot by security forces at Harasta and Qudsaya near Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It also said the body of a third man arrested on Friday at Talbisseh in Homs province was returned to his parents. The Local Coordination Committees group put Friday’s death toll at 23.

Thousands of protesters had taken to the streets on Friday, the Muslim weekly day of prayer and a lightning rod in the protests against President Assad in which the United Nations says 2,700 people have been killed. The protests were held under the slogan “victory for our Syria and our Yemen,” scene of another Arab uprising.

In Istanbul, the Syrian National Council, which is trying to unite opponents to Assad’s regime, was holding negotiations behind closed doors. Several opposition movements are trying to reach an alliance, SNC member Khaled Khoja told AFP. “We have been holding discussions for several days with Burhan Ghalioun; there are also Kurds and representatives of tribes,” he said.

Ghalioun, a France-based academic, was recently designated leader of a rival opposition group, the National Transitional Council, which has Islamist and nationalist supporters. “When the SNC meets, there will be a new assembly which will be expanded to these new movements,” Khoja said, adding that the meeting scheduled for yesterday would now not take place before today at the earliest because of the negotiations.

Elsewhere on the political front, Syria’s ambassador to the United States Imad Mustapha was called in to the State Department and “read the riot act” about an attempted attack on US ambassador Robert Ford. A mob of nearly 100 Syrians chanting hostile slogans tried to storm an office in Damascus where Ford met opposition figure Hassan Abdelazim on Thursday. Mustapha Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: Four workers were killed and two employees injured in a gas pipe explosion yesterday at Kuwait’s largest refinery of Mina Al-Ahmadi, the national refiner said. The explosion took place at the Gas Liquefaction Plant at the refinery during maintenance works, Kuwait National Petroleum Co (KNPC) said in a statement cited by the official KUNA news agency. The four people killed work for a private contractor, KNPC said. Two company workers were also injured but discharged from hospital after treatment. MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei condoled the families of the victims and demanded the resignation of the oil minister “to bear his political responsibility”.

An industry source earlier told AFP the dead workers were Asians and that the explosion was caused by a gas leak, adding that the blast also wounded three firemen.

The source said the refinery continued operations as usual and that the blast would have no impact on Kuwait’s oil output and exports. Mina Al-Ahmadi is the largest of three refineries in OPEC member Kuwait, with a refining capacity of over 460,000 barrels per day. The other two at Shuaiba and Mina Abdullah have a combined capacity of around 450,000 bpd.

Awlaqi victim of relentless US secret war

TAREE, Australia: People look at an ultra-light Cheetah S200 airplane stuck in a ferris wheel after it crashed into the fairground attraction following takeoff from a nearby airstrip yesterday. (Inset) The plane dangles from the structure with its pilot and passenger inside while two children sit in a carriage near the top of the ride. — AFP/AP

Plane flies into ferris wheel in Aussie town

SYDNEY: An ultralight plane crashed into a ferris wheel at a small town fair in Australia yesterday, narrowly missing two children, and dangled from the structure for hours before its occupants could be rescued. Locals were stunned to see the Cheetah S200 fly into the ferris wheel at the Old Bar Festival near Taree, about 250 km northeast of Sydney, and become wedged in its metalwork. “It was a hell of a shock,” resident Gary Jones, whose two sons had been on the ride shortly before the accident, told Australian news agency AAP.

Police and emergency services rushed to the plane, which apparently failed to clear the ferris wheel shortly after taking off from a nearby grass airstrip. “I thought ‘Christ he’s low, he’s coming in low over that’ and next thing ‘bang’ he went straight into it,” one woman told the broadcaster ABC. A nine-year-old boy and a 13year-old girl who were on the ride at the time of the accident were rescued unharmed after about 90 minutes, police said.

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WASHINGTON: US-born Al-Qaeda cleric Anwar AlAwlaqi is the latest American enemy wiped out by a furtive yet relentless and deadly assault on terror suspects on foreign soil pursued by President Barack Obama. The covert warfare, using military and CIA assets, drone strikes and other means has decimated AlQaeda’s senior leadership and seriously degraded its capacity to mount operations against the United States, top US officials say. “We will be determined, we will be deliberate, we will be relentless, we will be resolute in our commitment to destroy terrorist networks that aim to kill Americans,” Obama said after an air raid in Yemen killed Awlaqi on Friday.

The White House refused to confirm reports that US CIA drone aircraft and other military assets had mounted the raid, keeping a veil of secrecy over US anti-terror operations. But the strategy, sometimes unilateral, often Continued on Page 13

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Kuwait denies paying off Iraq KUWAIT: Minister of Oil, Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs, and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Al-Busairi said yesterday that Kuwait did not pay Iraqis to overlook the issue of the Mubarak Al-Kabeer seaport in the northern part of the country as suggested by Iraqi press. Al-Busairi told KUNA that Kuwait denies any accusation of such sort, adding that such claims by an Iraqi media outlet was debunked by the Kuwaiti Embassy in Bagdad on a previous occasion. (See Page 6)

Cleric discontent over king’s move

ANTALYA, Turkey: Derya Sert (right) and her husband Mustafa Sert pose for a photograph at the Akdeniz University Hospital on Aug 8, 2011. — AFP

Turkish womb transplant promises hope for women ANTALYA, Turkey: Lying on a hospital bed in her laced violet nightgown, Derya Sert is the first woman in the world to receive a womb from a deceased donor, raising hopes for millions of women to bear a child. Doctors at Akdeniz University Hospital in Turkey’s southern province of Antalya successfully transplanted a womb on Aug 9 to Sert, 21, who was born without a uterus, like one in every 5,000 women around the world.

“Happiness, excitement all the feelings are mixed,” said Sert, a housewife married to a car mechanic, who has been in hospital for around six months.

“If God allows, we will hold our baby in our arms,” she added in her hospital room, feeling some pain as she had just returned from her weekly check. “I was never afraid of the surgery, I have never

thought about the pain or suffering I would go through,” Sert said. “The womb has already become one of my own organs ... We have been waiting for this day to come,” she said, adding that her family and relatives had supported her in finding a solution for her medical problem.

This was the second womb transplant to be performed in the world, the first being in Saudi Arabia in 2000 from a living donor, which failed after 99 days due to heavy clotting, media reports said.

Doctors had to remove the organ. “It was a handicap to have a living donor,” said micro-surgeon Omer Ozkan, part of the surgical team of eight doctors and seven medical staff at Akdeniz University. “In that operation the vein was too short for the anastomosis and the uterus was not

JEDDAH: One of Saudi Arabia’s most senior clerics said he was not consulted about King Abdullah’s decision to grant women more political rights, one of the first signs of discontent from powerful conservatives since the reform was announced. King Abdullah said his decision was made after consultation with the country’s most senior clerics, who have extensive political and social influence. “I wish the king did not say that he consulted senior clerics... When I heard the speech and what was said about consultation, without a doubt I had no knowledge of it before hearing the king’s speech,” Sheikh Saleh AlLohaidan, a member of the senior clerics council, said on the Al-Majd television channel on Friday. The cleric was careful in his remarks not to criticise the king’s decision directly, and did not say whether or not he supported the reform.

Egypt junta to amend poll law CAIRO: Egypt’s military rulers agreed yesterday to amend a controversial electoral law following threats of a poll boycott by dozens of political parties and a rally in Cairo’s Tahrir Square for reforms. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power when president Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February, agreed to amend the new law to allow political parties to field candidates in the one-third of seats that had previously been reserved for independent candidates, the official MENA agency reported. The decision came after a meeting between military chief of staff Sami Enan and members of the Democratic Coalition, which groups dozens of political groups, including the powerful Muslim Brotherhood and the liberal Wafd party.

MUHARRAQ, Bahrain: Bahraini doctors Nada Al-Daiif (left) and Ali Al-Ekri (center) and senior nurse Rula Al-Saffar (right) sit together at a home where they gathered and consulted with a lawyer. All three have been sentenced to 15 years in prison. — AP

Bahrain medics seek UN probe of abuses Low turnout in latest vote MANAMA: Bahraini doctors and nurses convicted of links to anti-government protests and sentenced to long prison terms appealed to the UN chief yesterday to investigate their claims of abuse and judicial violations in the trial. The medical professionals - whose sentences range from five to 15 years - are appealing the security court’s ruling and speaking out against the wider crackdown by the Gulf kingdom’s Sunni rulers against protests for greater rights by the Shiite majority.

The trial has been closely watched by rights groups that have criticized Bahrain’s prosecution of civilians at the special security court, which was set up

under martial law-style rule that was lifted in June. The UN human rights office and the US State Department are among those questioning the use of the court, which has military prosecutors and both civilian and military judges.

The doctors and nurses worked at the state-run Salmaniya Medical Center close to the capital’s Pearl Square, which became the epicenter of Bahrain’s uprising, inspired by other revolts across the Arab world. The authorities saw the hospital’s mostly Shiite staff - some of whom participated in pro-democracy street marches - as protest sympathizers, although the medics claimed they Continued on Page 13

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‘NAB support key for grilling motion’s success’ KUWAIT: A non-cooperation motion to be filed while debating the grilling motion initiated against HH Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah will be supported by 25 parliament members; depending on whether or not the National Action Bloc(NAB) co-presents the motion with the other opposition blocs. The Development and Reform Bloc(DRB) announced last week that the grilling motion which tackles the government’s ‘insufficient action’ against the case pertinent with suspicious multi-million deposits in MPs’ bank accounts will be presented in cooperation with the Popular Action Bloc(PAB). The third main oppositionist bloc presented in the Parliament was also invited to co-present it.

According to DRB, 25 MPs are expected to vote in favor of a no-confidence vote filed against the premier, including four members of the DRB (Waleed Al-Tabtabaei, Jamaan AlHarbash, Faisal Al-Mislem and Falah AlSawagh). The four members of the PAB (Ahmad Al-Saadoun, Musallam Al-Barrak, Khalid Al-Tahous and Ali Al-Deqbasi), five members of the National Action Bloc (Abdullah Al-Roumi, Adel Al-Saraawi, Marzouq Al-Ghanim, Saleh Al-Mulla and Aseel Al-Awadhi), as well as independent MPs Abdurrahman Al-Anjari, Khalid Al-Sultan, Mohammad Al-Mutairi, Naji Al-Abdulhadi, Shuwaib Al-Muwaizri, Daifullah Buramia, Mubarak Al-Waalan, Salem Al-Namlan, Mohammad Hayef, Saifi Al-Saifi, Hassan Jowhar and Roudhan Al-Roudhan. While 25 MPs’ vote is required for the no-confidence vote to be passed, sources said that the number could rise to 27 following the seminars and public rallies carried out between now and the start of the new parliamentary term, reported Al-Qabas.

MP Al-Tabtabae admitted that the NAB’s

support is key for the grilling motion to succeed in its goal of ousting the prime minister, “The NAB is required to support the grilling as per their approach to defend public funds,” AlTabtabaei said. They insisted that the opposition has no other option but proceed with the motion despite the majority support that the government reportedly holds in the Parliament. Parliament insider revealed that MP Al-Roumi promised that members of his NAB, all of whom are outside the country will study the grilling motion to make a decision on whether to speak in support of it during or select a member to present it jointly with AlSawagh and Al-Deqbasi.

Also, officials close to the PAB indicate that the bloc may withdraw two grilling motions filed against the prime minister, one of which was filed last June and sent to the Constitutional Court for its constitutionality to be verified. The other is listed in the Parliament’s agenda to be submitted once the sessions resume. These two motions will be put on hold so that attention can be focused on the graft scandal’s grilling, and presented again at some time in the future, reported Al-Rai. Sources quoted in another news report yesterday revealed that the grilling motion could be submitted either Thursday, Sunday of the next week. This will be done after oppositionists assess the situation after a mass rally is held on Wednesday, reported AlAnba. Another report quoting parliamentary sources close to the Cabinet indicates that the grilling motion may not garner support of more than 23 MPs, given the majority support that the Cabinet enjoys in the Parliament, reported Al-Watan. A Cabinet member who spoke anonymously is also quoted as asserting that a parliamentary dissolution is out of the question.

KUWAIT: The Charge de Affairs of Malaysian embassy Noor Aza Zainol Abidin hosted a reception on Wednesday on the occasion of the 54th anniversary of the National Day of his country at Maha Ballroom in Kuwait Regency Hotel. It was attended by a number of diplomats and other dignitaries. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

Car owners conned by cheating mechanics

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Leaders Group CEO Nabila Al-Anjari signs an agreement with Hospitality Services CEO Jumana Damus Salameh.

Leaders Group to organize 2012 Horeca Exhibition KUWAIT: Leaders Group for Consulting and Training Company is set to co-organize the 2012 Horeca Kuwait Exhibition with Lebanon’s Hospitality Services, as per a strategic agreement signed recently between the two firms. The event is considered to be the best of its kind in hospitality, catering and food processing industries in Lebanon and the Middle East. The recentlysigned contract allows the Leaders Group to become the official organizer of the exhibition’s Kuwaiti version that takes place between the 22nd and 24th January 2012 at Al-Raiya Hall in Courtyard Marriott Hotel.

“The agreement is based on both companies’ long experience and unified vision in tourism marketing in the region,” said

Nabila Al-Anjari CEO of the Leaders Group.

They pointed out in a recent statement that the touristic sector in Kuwait is growing “despite the late implementation of the national touristic strategy in light of tensions brewing in the local political scene.”

Al-Anjrai also spoke about the growth in the hotels sector in Kuwait as a positive indication that the Horeca Kuwait exhibition will focus on, “Kuwait’s capacity of hotel rooms is expected to rise by 3,000 within three years, increasing the total capacity to around 10,000,” she said. More than 100 companies will participate in the exhibition which is expected to be visited by around 5,000 visitors. An international cooking competition will also be held.

‘Surprises’ to wreak chaos in graft investigations?

KUWAIT: Public curiosity over Kuwait’s ongoing graft scandal has been further piqued by reports circulating on social network sites suggesting that “huge surprises” will be uncovered in the next few days concerning the identities of both pro and anti-government MPs allegedly set to be referred to the Public Prosecution Service over massive unexplained deposits in their bank accounts.

The latest development in the ongoing saga of political bribe allegations has led to speculation in some quarters that the rumors are part of a ‘dirty tricks’ campaign to discredit the activities of anti-government lawmakers who see the scandal as a way of gaining support for another grilling motion against the Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah and for a vote of no confidence against him to force him out.

Speaking to local daily Al-Rai on condition of anonymity, one anti-government MP insisted that the claim that anti-government lawmakers have been involved in accepting bribes “is a desperate attempt [by the Prime Minister] to expand the circle of suspicion and thereby distract the efforts to unveil the mystery behind the multimillion deposits scandal and ultimately to have the entire case shelved from a legal and political viewpoint.”

With no official government statement to date on the case, in which several unnamed MPs are accused of having accepted multimillion dinar bribes from government members in return for their support, speculation has

been mounting among the Kuwaiti public over who is involved, with many calling for the accounts of all MPs, including the antigovernment lawmakers, to be opened up to scrutiny in order to prove their clean records.

One member of the Islamic Constitutional Movement (Hadas), MP Mohammad Al-Dallal, claimed in a recent current affairs program that “influential figures” are lobbying for the scandal to be quietly shelved, adding that he would not rule out the possibility that the alleged massive deposits are “political bribes paid to buy MPs’ allegiance.”

Al-Dallal further alleged that some local banks are facing pressure “to refer the bank accounts of some honorable MPs to the Public Prosecution Service in order to create chaos in the ongoing investigation.”

Appearing on the same TV program, aired on Al-Rai TV last Thursday, the Secretary General of the Democratic Forum MP, Yousef Al-Shayji, called for new wealth disclosure laws to be implemented even-handedly against all state officials, including MPs. Al-Shayji alleged that corruption in Kuwait had become widespread and increased massively since the country was liberated from the 1990-91 Iraqi invasion and occupation.

The MP further claimed that the bribes and inducements paid to MPs and others for political purposes don’t necessarily come in the form of cash payments, but can be through real estate and property deals, business tenders, etc.—Al-Rai

KUWAIT: An increasing number of car owners in Kuwait have been complaining of mechanics at some local garages exploiting their ignorance of mechanical matters to cheat them out of money. One car owner suggested that the best idea for anyone considering repairs to their car is to shop around and take the vehicle to different garages for an estimate before mak ing a final choice. “Usually when I’m not sure about the problems with my vehicle I go to more than one garage to find the right solution,” said Hamad, a 25-year- old Kuwaiti man. “Although I have a good k nowledge of cars, I was once cheated by a garage and it cost me about KD250. There was a problem with my engine and I went to different garages which changed many parts, like sensors, filters, the exhaust and others. In the end I found out that the fuel pump was damaged and after I changed that the car was okay.”

Even the exper ts can some times be conned. Mohammed, who has years of experience working in car accessory sales, said that while he knows most garages in Shuwaik h he was ripped off by one garage that sold him a defec tive used car. “I bought a Range Rover which had problems with the gears,” he told the Kuwait Times. “One garage told me that the gearbox needed to be fixed for KD900, and others said that [it needed] a spare part connected to the gearbox which would cost KD500. Then I found a garage where the mechanic claimed he’d fix it for KD600; when I came to collect the vehicle though, he said that he just needed to program it. I knew that it was a mechanical problem, not an electrical one and when I pressed him about this he told me the truth - that he’d tried to cheat me after I threatened to close his workshop for cheating. Since he didn’t repair my car he had to return the KD300 down payment that I’d paid him in advance.”

Cheating cer tainly isn’t the sole preserve of dishonest garage staff though, with a number of garage personnel telling their own stories of customers’ attempts to cheat them.

Salah, the owner of a carwash, said that he’s had numerous experiences of customers tr ying to cheat him out of money.

“Once a man bought a BMW to the carwash to have it washed. He claimed after getting the car back that a chrome decoration about 50 centimeters long was missing from the car,” Salah recalled. “I asked him where he got it from so I could buy the same model instead of the missing one, but he wasn’t sure. Then I took him to the street where he bought it and the store he mentioned. The salesman said that no such item had been sold for over t wo months and that it cost KD5 - but the customer said that he’d bought it for KD 12 t wo days before. I knew then that he was a liar and I told him to go and make a complaint, and he left.”

Drivers should also be wary of freelance mechanics who can make a problem worse instead of better, as 32-year-old Ibtisam discovered.

She explained that on visiting a friend recently she had left her car outside, giving her friend’s chauffeur the car keys to park it properly. Being unfamiliar with her car, however, the chauffeur turned the key the wrong way in the ignition, with the key snapping off and becoming stuck there as a result.

“M y friend called a mobile mechanic who she deals with as she’s lazy and doesn’t like going to garages,” Ibtisam recalled. “This person charges an additional fee for his services when he takes a car to the garage as he’s not a professional. He took the car to get it fixed, but at the same time he wrecked the car’s computerized system. I then had to go to the agency [where she bought the car], although it’s expensive, and paid KD250 to repair the problem.”

Panel awaits govt opinion on constituency proposals KUWAIT: The Parliament’s interior and defense committee is waiting to receive the Cabinet’s opinion to merge five electoral constituencies in Kuwait to a single one.

This was begun by committee member MP Saifi AlSaifi, who indicated that a request was already sent to the Ministry of Interior to weigh in on the subject. This is after the committee received approval from the legislative and legal committee on three different draft laws.

Al-Saifi also indicated that the draft law proposed by the Popular Action Bloc(PAB) is ‘good,’ but argued that an agreement between lawmakers is necessary for its enforcement, reported Al-Jarida. The draft law which AlSaifi mentioned was submitted by Ahmad Al-Saadoun, Musallam Al-Barrak, and Khalid Al-Tahous from the PAB. This is in addition to MPs Hassan Jowhar and Al-Saifi that submitted it on June 11, 2009. It was referred to the legislative and legal committee on July 12, 2009 along with a similar draft law submitted by MP Saadoun Hammad on June 9, 2009.

A third one was proposed by MP Saleh Ashour on June 28, 2009. They were all approved and sent on July 16, 2009 to the interior and defense committee, which approved their correctness from a constitutional standpoint, awaiting the Interior Ministry’s opinion.

No new licenses for nursery schools KUWAIT: The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor(MSAL) has indefinitely suspended the issuance of licenses to start new private nursery schools in Kuwait. This is until the Ministry completes assessing existing schools to detect violations.

According to Iqbal Al-Rumaidheen, Director of the ministry’s Women and Childhood Department, these schools have reportedly violated laws by renting out facilities to hold other activities.

Al-Rumaidheen talked in a recent press statement about the difficulties her department faces, “due to the lack of a law that organizes the work of private nursery schools in Kuwait,” hinting that some nursery schools offer night time courses to students, violating the conditions based on which these facilities were granted licenses.

She added that the department has 12 active supervisors, making the process of monitoring all local nurseries “extremely difficult.” —Al-Qabas

KUWAIT: The Asian drug dealers pictured after their arrest.

Drug dealers arrested

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Police from the General Department for Drug Control(GDDC) men arrested an Asian who works as a taxi driver in Fahaheel. He possessed 200 grams of heroin, of which 100 grams were in his possession. The rest was were found at his place of residence and hidden in a milk powder tin. Police recovered one kilogram of heroin and sensitive scales from another apartment he rented in Far waniya. He was referred to higher authorities. In another case, an Asian expat was arrested in connection with trading in drugs. The Asian man reportedly traded in drugs after obtaining permission. He was arrested in Al Rumaithiya, tried to escape, but was caught. After inspecting his place of residence, police found a quarter kilogram of heroin and 150 hallucinogen pills. He confessed to using drugs, which he reportedly smuggled in from his home country.

Citizen dies during rave party A citizen died in a rave party that was held in Salmiya. He was repor tedly pushed off from the fifth floor of a building. Another four men and three women

were rounded up for interrogation. Police arrived to the scene in response to an emergency call. They discovered that the man in his forties had participated in the party. Police immediately began identifying the participants and seven individuals present in the apartment were caught.

One of the detainees said that the deceased was too drunk and behaved in an erratic manner. He was then allegedly hurled out from the balcony by some of the revellers. The seven suspects are being interrogated.

Car accidents A car accident took place in Allayh road. A 32-year-old Pakistani expatriate sustained head injury. The 33-year-old Indian expat fractured his right arm, so did a 24-year-old Bangladeshi national. The three were admitted to Jahra hospital. In another incident that took place along Second Ring Road opposite Daeya, a 30year-old Bangladeshi fractured his right leg and was admitted to Amiri hospital. A car accident took place along Fahaheel road opposite Mangaf. A 25-year-old citizen was injured. Another individual died on the spot. His body was removed by medical examiner.

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Local Spotlight

Irreparable fissures in the Syrian regime n March 2011, only a week before the spark of the Syrian revolution, Michael Broning from ‘Foreign Affairs’ wrote an article about the ‘Sturdy House that Assad Built,’ arguing the robustness of the Syrian military dictatorship and its ability to deter country-wide, public agitation. More than two months later, after seeing the events unfold on Syrian soil, he changed his position and wrote ‘Cracks in the House of Assad.’ This exhibits the extent to which the brave Syrian people have surprised policy experts, the international community, the regime, and indeed their own countrymen.

Many political observers of Syrian origin themselves were dubious about the revolution taking place at all, much less its ability to dismantle this iron-clad despotic regime. Such doubts were not unjustified, taking into consideration the ruthless nature of the regime, its criminal history, and how far it was ready to go to crush any anti-government sentiment.

Now, more than six months after the commencement of Syria’s ‘Velvet Revolution,’ there are many indications that the Assad regime is indeed falling apart.

Both the Syrian protesters and the government realize that their predicament is a one-way street. The people are demanding their much-deserved freedom and human rights, and the police state will continue to do what it does best, rule with an iron fist. In late April, I wrote that the Syrian people recognize that there is no turning back. If that applied then, it is that much truer now. Hypothetically speaking, if the revolution were to come to a halt, not only will the people lose this most opportune momentum, but they will be subjected to a savage retaliation campaign to cleanse every house of Assad’s opponents. Eventually, the people’s perseverance will prevail. The regime cannot keep terrorizing the people forever, and many activists have alluded to the resulting lethargy on the part of the regime’s military and security forces that are ordered to work round the clock to quell any kind of rebellious activity.

Military defections are slowly but surely increasing countrywide in cities like Homs, Hama, Daraa, Idlib, Deir Al-Zour, and even Damascus and its suburbs. This is one of the most critical issues facing the regime, especially as defections have even started in the republican guard. It is important to note that the current number of defectors is not an accurate gauge of the military’s real morale. This is because the defection trend would rapidly rise if it wasn’t for the genuine fear of reprisal and being targeted. In addition, there are many defectors who haven’t revealed their defection for tactical reasons or for personal safety. In reality, there is real misery amongst the ranks of the police and military, not least because of their fatigue from facing the public unrest daily. Salaries are either withheld or arrive late. There is a general reluctance in continuing this way. To that end, there is a real possibility that imposing a no-fly zone over Syria may provide the cover needed to generate mass defections that would deal a massive blow to the regime. The newly formed ‘Free Syrian Army’ is attempting to accomplish this by creating a liberated zone in ‘Jabal Al-Zawiya’ in the northwest close to the Turkish border, which would serve as a refuge for future military defectors.

The Assad military, police, and thugs have resorted to atrocious violence and repression of the country’s peaceful protests. This is merely a continuation of the regime’s long history of gross human rights violations and blatant disregard for human life. The regime is waging what seems like an all out war against its people using tanks, fighter jets, heavy artillery, and even naval warships (as was done in Latakia). This reprehensible display of violence indicates the regime’s political bankruptcy and how weak it really is. The crackdown has so far resulted in more than 2,700 deaths, tens of thousands of prisoners, and an alarming number of injured persons. The previous death toll is according to conservative UN estimates; the actual number is much higher. A new humanitarian report released by Avaaz, the global issues campaign group, puts the death toll at 5,300, more than double the UN estimate.

Assad’s forces have sunk to a new low as they viciously beat the elderly, women, and even children.

They have, without shame, resorted to killing, imprisonment, torture, gang rape, and body mutilation.

Incidentally, what sparked the revolution was the torture of children from Daraa who mindlessly painted popular Arab Spring slogans on a wall. It is reported that their fingernails were pulled off. Hamza Al-Khatib, a 13-year-old who was tortured to death, has now become one of the symbols of the revolution. For the many parents who are searching for their imprisoned children, it is quite common for them to be summoned to receive their sons and daughters in body bags.

Recently, a 19 year old girl in Homs was kidnapped and gang- raped by Assad’s thugs and then handed back to her parents as a limbless corpse with her head cut off.

These stories are just a drop in the ocean, as a plethora of such cases exist. Many of these grotesque practices have been verified by actual videos recorded by the perpetrators themselves. Just how such videos were leaked may be confusing if we think the regime pays attention to human rights accusations and media accountability; it becomes understandable when we realize the regime wants such videos to spread to instill fear in the hearts of the people. As despicable as it may be, such terrifying and sadistic videos the security personnel record as they are torturing their victims are being sold for cash profit.

Syria has been ruled with an iron fist by the Assad clan for more than four decades now. Throughout that period, they promoted sectarian divisions by favoring the Alawite minority and discriminating against the Sunni Muslim majority and remaining minorities.

Despite that, Syrian society has been able to achieve a considerable level of co-existence. Now that the regime finds itself backed into the wall, it is insidiously playing the sectarian card and inciting violence by actively arming the Alawite minority. It is also spreading hateful graffiti on public walls and inside houses of worship, in a desperate attempt to hold on to what seems like a slipping throne. Ironically, the regime then blames its opponents for instigating a sectarian civil war while portraying itself as the safety valve against such an occurrence. It is worth noting that the protest movement has been keen on raising banners that condemn sectarianism and promote unity.

The other card the Assad regime systematically manipulated was the constant demagoguing of the

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Satire Wire

Product loyalty or cult-like obsession

Sawsan Kazak

sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

peaking about my iPhone to a colleague the other day, I caught myself furiously defending the products that Apple produces. I began to wonder where this intense brand loyalty has come from. I have become, a bit of an Apple-a-holic, wanting to have all the latest versions of their products.

Even if there seems to be cheaper or ‘better’ models of the same gadget, I would always prefer to have the original. Yes it costs me more and, in some cases, I get less, but my decision is always unwavering.

Everything else just seems like imitation.

Why are we sometimes so loyal to a certain brand or company? Why does it feel like cheating if we even try something else? It’s not like the company we are being loyal to is providing us with extra benefits or they are aware of our loyalty. It’s not like they would know if we were being faithful and would be hurt if they found out we weren’t. Logically, we should choose our purchases on the basis of what they can provide us, not simply by who made them.

I have noticed that many Apple users, myself included, defend the company as if Steve Jobs was their uncle and they personally had shares in the company. These people refuse to even ponder the thought of trying another company and are usually very understanding when the products have some shortcomings. ‘So what if the phone has poor signal or I can’t use Flash, I must have this product now!’

I guess sometimes we just believe so wholeheartedly in a product or brand that it becomes a part of our lives. We do the same thing when it comes to the foods we buy at the supermarket or the clothes we get at the mall. We subconsciously always head to the brand we know and trust, even when there are sales or promotions, we buy what we know.

I’m sure marketing and product placement play big roles in our decision process. But the loyalty that Apple users have for their products does border on cult-like obsession. When you have one product, it’s almost like your body needs you to get the remaining products or will have severe symptoms and side effects. I guess we should question our reasoning behind our sometimes blind devotion, but until I can see the light, I am happy in my Apple-obsessed world.

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Women and the veil

By Ahmad Al-Najjar

Muna Al-Fuzai

believe that the Kuwaiti people are rightfully frustrated and disappointed with the people’s representatives’ disappointing performance. They should be. They are not the only ones to be blamed.

The government has contributed equally to this chaos. The voters chose some individuals to rectify issues, without abusing power to become millionaires. Voters have every right to question how these legislators amass such wealth. Should we abandon this so-called democratic set up for a year or so?

Probably, this is the right time. That would be a wise move if the desire to revise, evaluate and punish the corrupt are not implemented.

Luckily, Kuwaiti voters are not naive enough to believe that an MP’s position will turn him to a billionaire in a year or so. Otherwise all those deep in debts would die to turn into one! What happens next?

No one invites a politician over to dinner thanks to his or her good looks and sweet talking abilities.

So, something is given and taken. It’s a deal.

Politicians are not business people running business empires. They are meant to act on behalf of voters and create future development projects. Of course, we have not seen a single development project so far. I doubt we will be able to.

If the government fails to stop providing benefits to MPs, It will face difficulty when the entire Arab world is experiencing a tumultuous phase.

I understand people’s demand to raise salaries.

They think that if the government is generous enough to hand out cash to MPs, they should benefit from it too. At least money will not be wasted on salaries paid to MPs. At least this move is justified and no suspicion will be cast on people.

The social injustice has never been a matter of threat to governments in the past. Right now the Arab world is under fire. People are affected by what they hear and see. I think if this issue ( of corrupt MPs are not being handled) the circle of anger could get bigger. Is this the future project we were promised?

This year can be termed the year of protests.

in my view

kuwait digest

The year of protests

muna@kuwaittimes.net

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

LOCAL

Palestine question. There is an increasing realization that that was merely a smoke-screen that was carefully exploited to justify its presence and more importantly its right to forever tyrannize the people, and bury the country under several decades of emergency law.

This was quite conspicuous when Assad allowed hundreds of youth to rattle the Golan-Israel border for the first time in forty years, on the anniversary of ‘AlNakba.’ It was a multi-faceted message meant to divert attention from the Syrian conundrum and aimed to show Israel that Syria was the best protector of its neighbor’s borders. It is not surprising that most Israeli media, which always portrayed Assad as villain before, now expressed fear that he may be overthrown. Rami Makhlouf, notorious tycoon and Assad’s maternal cousin, put it best when he said, ‘Security for Israel stems from security for Syria.’ Alas, the Syrian people are finally telling the regime that genuinely supporting occupied Palestine and living with human dignity and freedom are not mutually exclusive.

As the Syrian crisis grows, Bashar Al-Assad may slowly lose what used to be unconditional support from his most valuable ally, Iran. There is evidence of Iran finally taking a closer, more pragmatic look at the situation and possibly planning for a post-Assad Syria.

This is corroborated by news of secret talks with the Syrian opposition in Paris recently. Furthermore, official government media in Iran focuses more on the Syrian protest movement and the subsequent violent government-sponsored crackdown on civilians. In addition, some Syrian opposition leaders look positively upon their most recent meeting with Russian government officials, and feel that Russia’s support may also start to wane, albeit slowly.

As for Turkey, Syria lost that ally long ago. Turkey has stopped several arms shipments to Syria. The friction had reached a climax with the comments of Prime Minister Erdogan in liberated Tripoli, “Do not forget this: those in Syria who repress the people will not be able to stand on their feet because oppression and prosperity cannot exist together.” “The time of autocracy is over. Totalitarian regimes are disappearing. The rule of the people is coming.” From a practical point of view, the New York Times last week quoted several western intelligence sources predicting that Assad is on the edge and isn’t coming back.

Adding to Syria’s isolation, international pressure has been mounting and several world powers called for Assad’s abdication. Arab condemnation has been limited, but is growing. The recent finger-pointing exchange between the New York Times and Iraqi officials about Iraq asking Assad to step down may signal a change in Iraq’s position. A few days back, the Arab parliamentary body called on suspending Syria from the Arab League. Meanwhile, the Syrian opposition is working hard to form a more homogeneous, united body to serve as an alternative for governing Syria in its transition phase.

There is a real economic crisis developing in Syria due to diminished economic activity and foreign investment, reduced labor and closures, and various international sanctions. The most drastic step yet taken was the recent ‘crude oil and petroleum products’ embargo implemented by the EU, Syria’s largest single trading partner. This was followed by EU prohibition of investments in Syria’s oil sector. The last six months of military crackdown has also severely hurt the shipping industry as sources estimate a 35 to 40 percent drop in cargo volumes at Latakia and Tartous, two of Syria’s main port cities. An important shipping agent in Tartous reports a large reduction in vessel exchange from what used to be 25 to 30 vessels daily to a low of five and 10 only. Furthermore, while the IMF had originally predicted 3 percent growth in Syrian GDP back in April, their September ‘World Economic Outlook’ modified that to a two percent decline. Now, Turkey is also preparing sanctions against its Arab neighbor.

The repeated miscalculations of the Assad clan show how out of tune they are with the new reality facing them. The most salient example of this is the repeated announcement that the revolution is over and that normalcy is returning, only to discover that the protest movement is unabatedly growing. Other examples include but are not limited to childish actions such as media performances that were acted out for national television to trap the protestors, false testimony they aired of alleged conspirators after torturing them, and the silly excuses that they have not stopped citing to justify the brutal crackdown. All they keep mentioning is the presence of armed gangs, terrorists, extreme Islamic elements, and conspiring traitors. Topping all those efforts, the cosmetic reforms introduced are fooling no one.

The Assad regime has exhibited an obvious inability to institute reforms, much less convincing the people that the reforms are bona fide. This is because genuine reform requires laws and institutions and is impossible in lieu of military apparatus predominance. Assad and his comrades are the first to know that real reform will only lead to complete downfall of their autocracy. The Syrian people have been hearing empty promises of reform for years. The farcical directives made under pressure in the last six months to appease public anger were rendered null before the ink dried out.

Despite the horrible massacres committed by this fascist regime, it is clear that the Syrian people’s resolve is only growing stronger. The revolution continues to expand in terms of participation and geography, despite the mass arrests carried out. Protests have become a daily event, day and night. All of this speaks to the people’s intransigence with regard to participating in dialogue with the current regime and their insistence on toppling it. As it has been the custom to give an expressive name to every Friday, they chose to name the Friday of September 16 ‘Moving on until the regime is toppled.’

One easily observes the rising intensity of slogans chanted during the demonstrations, as calls for even executing the president are now becoming more frequent. Another indication is the purposeful absence of scores of Syrian students from the first day of school in protest last week. Instead they spent their day chanting an Arabic rhyme, ‘No studying and no teaching, until the leader falls.’ It is also common to hear many of the activists saying that the wall of fear has finally fallen. It is only a matter of time before the house of Assad falls too.

By Fouad Al-Obaid

fouad@kuwaittimes.net Twitter: @Fouadalobaid

nderstand women and you can start getting a glimpse of society. It is the women in all societies, ours included, that raise households. It is the women that instill basic moral grounding into their progeny. It is, therefore, pertinent to understand what is it that women in Kuwait today are thinking about; and more important, how aware are they of the realities that are in this 21st century of ours?

I spent a few hours skimming through one of the largest online Kuwaiti forums dedicated to women in an attempt to grasp a sense of understanding. I read thread after thread, building a mental image on how women in Kuwait perceive, think, and reflect. History taught me that people are usually most honest when discussing matters of faith. Therefore in a region that is polarized by religion, I decided to search for threads’ that dealt with the question of the ‘Islamic veil.’ What I found was countless threads of interesting dialogue between the various members of the forum discussing, dissecting, commenting, and arguing on the need, use, logic, and reasoning behind such a cloth!

I expected to find popular support for the veil, after all in a conservative Muslim society such as ours, that would hardly be surprising. What was interesting and perhaps, intriguing, is the way according to which various female members discussed the topic. What I came across was different voices, some satisfied with their current veil, others ‘praying God to guide them’ towards further more restrictive veiling. In one instance, a member of the forum who did not wear a veil, shunned another member who sought ‘guidance’ as to whether to unveil, and should she pursue such a path-she questioned, what would people think of the matter and how would people perceive her?

I personally believe that the veil is a welcome craze.

However, to assume that the cloth can make anyone purer of heart is ludicrous at best, and insult to humanity at best!

More interesting, what I found was that many advice of trickery on urging forcefully young children to veil early for it would be easier to ‘control’ them. Once older, they fear that reason may come into questioning the use, and need of such cloth; reasoning they ascribe to the ‘devil’ and his whisper!

The most interesting thing, and perhaps the best or worst guarded secret in our region, is the fact that most women who veil surrender not to religion, not even fate, but to death. Intrinsically, by veiling the statement that they are making is bold, we are not alive, but dead. By veiling they chose to be clinically dead, as the veil acts as a reminder that this life is nothing compared to the unknown one that starts postmortem. It is a reminder to the wearer that she needs to control herself. Even the most restrictive of veils in the most oppressive of households will seem like a blissful heaven should she end up in the scourge of hell!

I understand that not all women think of the veil as such. In fact, a look around any mall, co-operative society, or college is sufficient to showcase a dysfunctional pattern of thought that is akin to mentally handicapping a large number of women within our society who attempt to forcefully merge two incompatible ideas; veiling with beauty. Whereas women and girls strive to look beautiful, the veil’s main purpose is to conceal their beauty - an oxymoron that sadly is confuses the wearers of the ‘colorful veil.’ To that crowd I would advice, either wear the veil properly, or don’t, but should you consult with your local imam; he will clearly elaborate on how your ‘colorful veil’ is blasphemy and that it does not fit the religious requirement! So either take it off, or wear the proper black. While you are at it remember that a women needs to be chaperoned 24/7 and that she is half as trustworthy as a man.

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kuwait digest

The silent majority

By Omar Al-Tabtabaei uwait today seems weak, after losing its spirit, optimism and way towards development, with the majority of its people choosing to remain silent about what’s going on in their country.

I know they say that silence is golden, but when it means that the majority of people pretend that what’s happening today is none of their business that is when the country’s stability and future are threatened. Their silence gives a green light to the forces of corruption to continue spreading their poison among us. I don’t know what they are waiting for before they act and become an active majority that turns negativity and weakness into positivity and dignity.

To every member of the silent majority of Kuwaitis, I’d like to ask you this: what are you waiting for before you stick up for your country? What’s with all this negativity? Is it about certain interests that retain their support through this approach? Are these interests really more important than your own country?

Open your hearts, not your pockets. But before that open your minds and see the situation our country is heading towards. I don’t blame those who put their personal interests on the line and took on to the streets to announce their support for anticorruption measures. I understand that the silent majority might not agree with the approach chosen by citizens who attended and participated in mass gatherings.

They could be silent because they trust the parliament, despite its becoming a place controlled by the government.

If that’s the case, citizens have the right to remain silent but only as long as they do not forget their duty towards their country, and find any possible way to contribute to defending it from corruption. Remaining silent when the country needs you the most makes you nothing but a contributor to corruption. Instead of being a supporting wall for corruption to depend on, Kuwaitis need to start giving top priority to their country and not to allow themselves to become like passersby choosing to do nothing and walk on when they see a problem taking place nearby. —Al-Rai

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Problems in LPG supply Shortage frustrates users KUWAIT: Public unhappiness is growing in Kuwait at a shor tage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders widely used for cooking, especially since Kuwait does not yet have any mains gas supply.

Whilst many local domestic users have grown used to being unable to easily obtain LPG cylinders as and when required in the past couple of months, commercial users such as restaurants, cafes and other businesses are unhappy at having to worry on a daily basis about how to source sufficient supplies of the cylinders, which are essential for their business.

The problem has been particularly noticeable for the past three months, particularly in Farwaniya, Khaitan and Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, with some businesses, such as water tanker suppliers, forced to shut down for a few days due to their inability to

source an adequate LPG supply. Some business owners have switched to using kerosene in an effort to avoid the problems they face with obtaining LPG. Staff at some LPG c ylinder retailers, such as those at local Cooperative stores, have complained that the gas supplier firms recently reduced the number of LPG cylinders provided per day to them.

Mohammed Hammadouah, the head of the Farwaniya Co-op’s LPG supply division, said that the problem began just over two months ago when the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC), the country’s main LPG supplier, introduced a new policy of providing them with three rather than four truckloads of LPG cylinders per day.

This means that the number provided to each Co-op LPG outlet daily has been slashed by 735, with the knock-on effect being felt by individual consumers and businesses.

The problem is definitely affecting local restaurants, with a manager of a large recently opened restaurant in Farwaniya telling local daily AlWatan, “We’ve been suffering since we opened the restaurant because restaurants use large quantities of LPG cylinders, up to ten every day.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the restaurant manager explained that the shortage of industrial-sized cylinders has led to the restaurant having to use smaller, domestic ones, which run out quickly, adding that the problem recently reached a critical point where the restaurant, which employs 30 people, was almost forced to shut.

The manager added that this risk was only averted by staff borrowing cylinders from friends and family members, and assigning one staff member to spend time every day tracking down a supply of LPG cylinders to ensure that the restaurant remains open. — Al-Watan

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Voters of 3 Gulf states slouch to the polls People’s voice is barely heard

KUWAIT: Ahmadi governor Sheikh Dr Ibrahim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah met at his office with a team from the Ministry of Interior’s general traffic department, led by assistant undersecretary for traffic affairs Maj Gen Dr Mustafa Al-Zaabi. The two sides discussed the latest developments regarding plans in place to facilitate traffic flow and counter violations in the governorate.

Al-Khorafi affirms Kuwait’s support for Palestinian cause TEHRAN: The Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly (parliament) Jassem Al-Khorafi on Friday underlined Kuwait’s wholehearted support for the just Palestinian cause in all regional and international arenas.

Such support, whether expressed at Islamic or international gatherings, is vital to the Palestinian cause, particularly due to the current difficult conditions which the Palestinians are experiencing, he said.

Al-Khorafi made the remarks while speaking to the press on his arrival in the Iranian capital, where he is taking par t in the Fif th International Conference in Suppor t of the Palestinian Intifada, which began yes-

terday and concludes later today.

The senior Kuwaiti official added that the issue of the Palestinian bid for statehood and international recognition currently stands at a critical crossroads, noting that the conference, which is being attended by delegates from many Islamic and other countries, will further advance support for the Palestinian cause and votes in the United Nations.

The Speaker also expressed his delight at being in the Iranian capital and attending the gathering, as well as noting the importance of maintaining a continuous dialogue between Kuwait and Iran to reach a positive outcome and to benefit the peoples of both countries and the wider region. — KUNA

Kuwaiti minister denies Iraqi media port bribes allegations KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti oil minister yesterday categorically denied Iraqi media allegations that Kuwait had paid Iraqi officials to turn a blind eye to the issue of the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port project, as suggested by Iraqi media.

The minister, Mohammad Al-Busairi, who is also Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, added that similar claims by an Iraqi news outlet were previously debunked by the Kuwaiti Embassy in Baghdad.

Al-Busairi asserted that the committee of Iraqi experts who recently visited Kuwait to find out more about the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port project on Boubyan Island were briefed in detail on the purpose of the seaport, with Kuwait being absolutely transparent on the matter.

The minister also warned that allegations of the nature of those made by the media outlet could lead to dangerous consequences for bilateral relations if they were taken seriously.

KUWAIT: Citizens of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Saudi Arabia - three Gulf states ruled by absolute monarchs — will be getting a tiny taste of democracy in the coming days as they go to the polls. The voting will be the first in the Middle East for elected office since the outbreak of the Arab Spring nine months ago, but analysts and activists said the three exercises in democracy are aimed more at preserving the grip of the region’s hereditary rulers than at granting democratic rights to citizens. “ They are regime-sponsored democracy to win headlines abroad especially with their allies in the West and to make their citizens think that they are going somewhere on reform,” Christopher Davidson of Britain’s Durham University, who specializes in the politics of the Gulf region, told The Media Line.

With the exception of Bahrain, the Gulf has been spared the upheavals that have brought down three of the region’s autocrats this year and threatens the rule of others. Most of the region’s emirates sit on vast petroleum reserves, enabling them to fund lavish development and subsidies. The handouts have increased this year as rulers have grown nervous that the Arab Spring might spread to their countries. But the Gulf ’s rulers have so far avoided any political reform that would impinge of their rule.

In Bahrain, where polls open on Saturday, voters are being asked to fill 18 seats in the country’s parliament that became open after lawmakers belonging to the opposition Shiite Al-Wefaq Party quit in protest against the country’s Sunni monarchy. The same day, UAE voters will be electing 20 candidates for the seven-state federation’s Federal National Council (FNC). Five days later, on Sept 29, Saudis will be selecting candidates for municipal councils.

The countries’ leaders are urging their citizens to turn out in large numbers for the elections. “The citizen is the key element in the development and progress of the country, and should be a partner in shaping the future of the nation and shaping its policy,” Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, the UAE’s president and Emir of Abu Dhabi, its biggest member, said in an address to voters. “We view the

upcoming elections on Sept 24 as the perfect opportunity to make a major step towards this goal, which will be achieved, God willing, with your virtuous efforts.”

But analysts say voters are largely apathetic, if not hostile, to the elections. In all three countries, the franchise is either severely restricted or being boycotted, while the legislative bodies themselves are toothless. Local media have not covered the races and they have generated little discussion among voters, said activists.

The elections in Bahrain are taking place against a background of political turmoil. The island state was shaken by mass anti-government protests earlier this year, followed by a severe crackdown that saw more than 1,000 arrested. Martial law has been lifted, but antigovernment protestors clash with police almost daily.

The leaders of Bahrain’s Shiite majority, who say they experience severe discrimination at the hands of the country’s Sunni rulers, have told voters to boycott the elections, a move that if successful will ensure that Sunni candidates win. On Wednesday, traffic was brought to a crawl on many Bahrain highways after opposition groups called on people to flood the roads with cars in a show of strength before the elections. “The boycott is a message to the government that we need reform — not only elections. The whole system has to be changed,” Mohammed Al-Maskati, president of the Bahraini Youth Society for Human Rights, told The Media Line. “The parliament doesn’t have any power to change laws or review them.”

The government has offered the opposition carrots and sticks. This week it vowed to crack down harshly on protestors. But, in a decree aimed at easing tensions before elections, Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa established a special fund to pay compensation to those harmed “physically or morally” by public officials or security forces during the anti-government protests earlier this year. By contrast, voting day in the UAE is likely to be quiet, if for no other reason than that not many people have any reason to go the polls.

Although the number of Emiratis allowed to vote has been expanded by nearly 20-fold

since the last elections in 2006, just a little over 129,000 of approximately one million native-born citizens are entitled to cast a ballot. The voters are hand-picked by the rulers, according to tribal and regional ties.

Moreover, the 40-seat council is only half elected, with the other half appointed by the UAE’s emirs.

The government has been quick to put down any signs of political activity. Five activists, including a prominent blogger and an economics professor, were arrested in April and charged with anti-state crimes because they signed an on-line petition calling for constitutional changes and a greater political voice.

Davidson said the UAE elections had generated interest on social media networks, which could generate a “reasonable’ voter turnout.

“But [the results] will an anti-climax,” he said. “The FNC doesn’t have the powers of a proper legislature. It can’t question ministers or comment on policy, so it doesn’t matter whether 5% or 100% of the people are taking part in the elections.”

In Saudi Arabia, voting rights are similarly constrained. Next week’s elections will be only the second time in the monarchy’s 79-year history that any voting for any office is being held. In 2005, municipal elections were held and second elections were supposed to follow four years later, but they were delayed until now. Many Saudis complain that after the elections, the councils seem to evaporate, with no reports of public meetings or channels for citizens to petition council members.

Approximately 1,630 seats on 258 municipal councils are at stake in next Thursday ’s polling. But only half of the local council seats are to be decided in the election, with the rest appointed by the government. Only men are allowed to run for office.

The kingdom’s Shura Council recommended earlier this month that “all necessary measures” be taken to allow women to vote, but King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz has yet to approve the proposal. With less than a week to election day, it looks as if only men will be entitled to cast ballots.

—The Media Line

Kuwait documents efforts to search for POWs remains KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry had issued a book documenting the search for the body remains of 605 Kuwaiti Prisoners of War (POW) who were captured and executed by the Iraqi forces.

Director General of the forensic department at the ministry Maj Gen Dr Fahad Dousari said that Al-Muhimah AlKubrah (the Major Operation) book documented the search for the remains of Kuwaiti and other nationals arrested during the period between August 1990 and February 1991.

He noted that thus far, around 236 bodies were identified and buried, adding that the team responsible for

such mission works in Kuwait and abroad to bring back the remains of loved ones.

He indicated that more than 100 specialists had worked in the mission and such effort was depicted in the book.

Al-Dousari also noted that the team had discovered the remains of Iraqi soldiers and, out of humane considerations, returned back the bodies to the Iraqi authorities so that their families would be at peace.

The publication consists of seven chapters documenting the efforts of the search team in their mission to return the remains of Kuwaiti citizens and other nationals. —KUNA

Mexico honors Kuwait ambassador MEXICO CITY: Head of Government of the Federal District, Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, and his spouse Rosalinda Bueso hosted a banquet dinner Friday, in honor of Kuwaiti Ambassador to Mexico Samih Jawhar Hayat for his prime role in establishing the first Islamic cultural center in Mexico City.

Mayor Ebrard expressed satisfaction at the Mexican authorities’ approval of setting up the first Islamic cultural center in the city, praising the fruitful efforts, exerted by ambassador Hayat and diplomats of Islamic nations based Mexico, in this respect.

Elaborating, Ebrard said the presence of the center in Mexico constituted recognition of the divergence of religions and cultures. The center aims at promoting values,

such as respect, understanding, moderation and respect of various cultures, he noted. Mayor Ebrard hailed the role of ambassador Hayat in coordinating and cooperating with Mexican government officials, since he was appointed a year ago to set up the first Islamic center.

For his part, ambassador Hayat voiced gratitude on behalf of Islamic states’ ambassadors to Mayor Ebrard and top Mexican officials, for fully supporting the center, which will reveal the true picture of Islam, which calls for tolerance, renunciation of violence and terrorism, moderation and respect of various cultures. This center will offer services to the Muslim community in Mexico, he added. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Divers in action at the Marine Jaber Reserve this week.

Jaber reserve .. success story KUWAIT: The Marine Jaber Reserve has attracted thousands of scuba divers since its establishment eight years ago.

Walid Al-Fadhel, the head of divers of the Kuwait Environment Protection Society, expressed deep satisfaction at the high turn-up of visitors to the reserve, located in the resort of Ras Al-Zor.

It hosts a statue depicting the old Dasman Gate, also dubbed the “Gate of Goodness” in homage to the late Amir, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, an iconic leader in the realm of encouraging youth to be engaged in environmental activities.

The project is in part designed

to protect some of the depleting national reefs and creating marine spots lucrative for divers.

Teams had dumped cement blocs into the sea bed at the reserve, laying the foundations for re-growth of reefs and luring various species of sea living creatures.

Eight years after the creation

of the artificial infrastructure, the location has become abundant with reefs, various species of plants and fish.

Al-Fadhel renewed the call upon sea-goers to refrain from random dumping of anchors at these sites, or using any other tool that may inflict harm in the area. —KUNA

NBK staff respond to Blood Bank’s call for donations KUWAIT: As part of its social responsibility towards the community, NBK had organized a threeday blood donation campaign for its staff.

Hundreds of NBK staff participated in this campaign in response to the Blood Bank need for donations.

The mobile blood unit of the Blood Bank was available at NBK’s Head Offices to receive the donations.

The Blood Bank team commended NBK’s initiative and its continuous cooperation in serving the community in the philanthropist field.

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Kuwaiti woman thwarts abduction on motorway Two held for assaulting traffic police KUWAIT: Police are hunting for a man who used deception in an attempt to abduct a Kuwaiti woman. The incident took place last week when the woman, a Ministry of Interior employee, was driving along a local motorway. The would-be abductor, who was driving alongside her, signaled her to inform her that her car had developed a flat tire. When she pulled over to the side of the road and got out of her car to check the tire, which was perfectly okay, the man, who had pulled over behind her, grabbed her and attempted to force her into his own vehicle. The woman fought back and screamed for help, which attracted the attention of a passing motorist, who thankfully pulled over to see what was happening. At this point, her attacker, hoping to deflect blame, loudly accused her of verbal assault before getting back into his own car and driving away. The shaken woman immediately drove to the nearest police station to report the incident, providing officers there with the license plate details of her attacker’s car.

Fatal accident A Kuwaiti man died and another man was critically injured in a collision on King Fahad Highway on Friday. Although emergency services rushed to the accident site, paramedics pronounced the first man dead at the scene from massive head wounds, whilst the critically injured driver of the other car involved was rushed to Adan Hospital. The dead man’s body was removed for autopsy. An investigation is underway into the cause of the accident.

Knifepoint robbery Police are looking to identify two men who robbed a baqala (small grocery store) at knifepoint last week. The Iranian owner of the shop told police that after entering the shop, one of the men

threatened him with a knife, with the thieves escaping with the KD140 in the till. The shaken shop owner provided descriptions of both the thieves and other information, which is being used in tracking them down.

Ex attack Police are hunting for a Kuwaiti man who faces a number of charges after he stormed into the home of his wife, from whom he is separated, and brutally assaulted her upon learning that she had filed for divorce. The woman told police that she had rented the flat in Rumaithiya after leaving her violent ex-husband, only for him to break into the apartment and attack her after he discovered that she had filed for divorce. The victim was taken to Mubarak Hospital for treatment to the injuries inflicted during the assault and police removed evidence from the crime scene.

Gang assault Two cowardly brothers were arrested and a hunt is underway for some equally thuggish friends of theirs after they assaulted two traffic police officers. The incident took place after the policemen pulled over one of the brothers in connection with a traffic violation whilst he was riding his motorbike. He immediately called his sibling, who rushed to the scene together with some friends, all on motorbikes, and brutally assaulted the two officers.

Support officers who were quickly at the scene were able to seize the two siblings who were taken into custody at Sharq police station and the search is ongoing for the other attackers.

Dumb drunk A state security officer faces multiple charges after verbally abusing police officers who pulled him over for drunk driving, and insulting senior state officials, including members of the ruling family. The slow-witted security officer apparently caught the eye of traffic police when he drove through a red light, with a car chase ensuing after he refused to pull over. When he was eventually forced to a stop, the traffic policemen noted that he was extremely drunk and hostile, refusing to cooperate with the police officers and generally being foul-mouthed and obnoxious towards them, as well as making offensive remarks about senior state officials, including members of the ruling family. The dim drunkard was taken into custody to sober up, he apparently smashed a mirror in the police station bathroom in a fit of temper. He is being remanded in custody pending legal action.

Khaifan burglary A Kuwaiti man returned from work to his home in Khaifan to find that burglars had broken in whilst the house was empty, stealing KD10,000 in cash and a large amount of valuable jewelry from the house. In a separate case, a Kuwaiti man has accused the maid formerly employed by his family of stealing KD1,500 in cash from his home before fleeing. A hunt is underway for the accused woman.

Harassment accusation A GCC man lodged a complaint at Abu Hlaifa police station against three men who allegedly sexually harassed his Asian wife at a mall in the area. The man explained that he had left his wife alone for a few minutes when the suspects, identified only as Arab citizens, reportedly harassed her. The three were detained for questioning. —- Al-Qabas, Al-Rai, Al-Anbaa, Al-Watan

Kuwaiti physicians in Gaza KUWAIT: A team of medical experts including 10 Kuwaiti doctors has reportedly entered Gaza via the Egyptian border crossing in Rafah, defying the Israeli blockade which includes an embargo on foreign medical services to Gaza’s residents. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official in Gaza explained that the medical team are visiting the besieged enclave to provide assistance to medical facilities there and find out more about their medical requirements.

Meanwhile, health minister, Dr. Helal Al-Sayer, is heading the Kuwaiti delegation currently taking part in the 58th meeting of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional committee, which opens in Cairo today. The meeting will feature the selection of a new regional director, in addition to granting a special award, funded by Kuwait, to select the ‘Medical Subject of the Year’ in the region.

In other health news, a senior Ministry of Health (MoH) official on Friday denied reports that a team from Canada’s McGill University plan to annul the university’s contract with the MoH to run Kuwait’s Chest Disease Hospital. Dr Qais Al-Duwairi, the Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Affairs, stressed that there was no truth in the rumors. The MoH in 2010 signed a contract valued at 86 million Canadian dollars (KD24 million) with the university in a deal that included the provision of training for hospital staff members to improve the quality of medical services offered there. — Al-Rai, Al-Jarida

7,261 traffic tickets issued

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: In a raid carried out in six governorates over the weekend, 7,261 traffic tickets were issued to motorists and 494 vehicles were detained. Three motorcycles were seized and ten persons were arrested.

In the Capital governorate 1,822 tickets were issued and 164 vehicles were seized. In Farwaniya, 1,206 tickets were issued and 33 vehicles were seized. In Hawally, 1,845 tickets were issued and 35 vehicles were seized. Also, in Ahmadi, 712 tickets were issued and four vehicles were seized. In Mubarak Al-Kabeer, 83 tickets were issued and eight vehicles were seized. In Jahra, 416 tickets were issued and nine were seized.

The Operations Department at Traffic Department also handed out 1,058 citations. It has detained 237 vehicles, three motorcycles and ten individuals. All 119 citations were issued at the airport and four vehicles were detained.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

Libyan Jew returns home after 44-year exile

Rescuers find 18 bodies in Indonesia plane crash Page 9

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Snipers halt NTC assault on Sirte Rights group raises alarm over abuse SIRTE: Fighters for Libya’s new rulers have been forced to regroup on the edge of Sirte, after pro-Gaddafi snipers halted a two-week old assault on the ousted despot’s hometown. And in Bani Walid, the only other stronghold of forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the National Transitional Council’s (NTC) fighters appeared to have opened another front. As the fighting raged, Human Rights Watch called on the NTC to stop militia groups from making arbitrary arrests and abusing prisoners, including with beatings and electric shocks.

The New York-based group said it had visited 20 detention facilities in Tripoli and interviewed 53 detainees. “The detainees reported mistreatment in six facilities, including beatings and the use of electric shock, and some of them showed scars to support the claims. None had been brought before a judge,” HRW said in a statement. “After all that Libyans suffered in Gaddafi’s jails, it’s disheartening that some of the new authorities are subjecting detainees to arbitrary arrest and beatings today,” Joe Stork, HRW’s deputy Middle East and North Africa director, said in the statement.

As the NTC forces faced stiff resistance on the battlefield Friday, doubts grew that Gaddafi’s vocal spokesman Mussa Ibrahim had been captured after reports he had been seized while disguised as a woman, complete with veil. AFP correspondents on fronts east and west of Sirte said the former rebels had made no advances. In the fiercest fighting for days, the NTC fighters pounded Sirte with 106mm antitank guns, rocket-launchers and machine guns, while Gaddafi loyalists hit back with mortar, machine-gun and sniper fire.

One NTC fighter was killed and 11 wounded, a medic said, as NATO warplanes and drones flew overhead without striking. NTC fighters held the line on the eastern outskirts of the city amid some sporadic artillery shelling and gunfire, an AFP correspondent said. “If we want we can destroy Sirte completely. We have enough ammunition and shells to fight for 10 years,” said Nasser Obeidi, leader of a group operating four Russian-built 130mm artillery cannon. “But we are allowing civilians to leave the city before we start a big assault. People are leaving the city daily, sometimes in large numbers,” he said.

At least 15 civilian cars were seen leaving Sirte’s eastern gate, while about 1,000 evacuees were registered 50 kilometers west of the city, NTC officials said, adding they were detained 15 suspected Gaddafi supporters. In Benghazi, Red Cross official Abdelhamid Al-Mendi said more than 50,000 Libyans have fled their homes since the war began in February. “The numbers of impressive, but the situation is under control, thanks to the efforts of the Libyan Red Crescent, aid from the international Red Cross” and other organizations.

Obeidi acknowledged, however, that Gaddafi forces had deployed snipers in the city which was troubling the fighters. But a former colonel in Gaddafi’s army who is now an NTC fighter supervising cannon outside Sirte said his forces were determined to win. Gaddafi diehards “are posing problems, but it won’t be for long. Our 130mm cannon are targeting their stationery targets like military and administra-

SIRTE: Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters stand on pictures of Muammar Gaddafi while pointing their guns at his head on the eastern outskirts of Sirte yesterday. — AFP tive command centers and weapons depots inside Sirte,” said Mahmud Muftah. Mustafa bin Dardef, a field commander with the Zintan Brigade said there was a meeting Friday in Sirte between representatives of Misrata fighters and eastern (Benghazi) fighters “to discuss one final assault on Sirte.”

Columns of NTC fighters backed by tanks had on September 15 launched their assault on Sirte, the fugitive Gaddafi’s birthplace. But after making inroads by claiming the city’s strategic port, airport and military air base over the past week, progress stalled and they appealed for more NATO air strikes. In Bani Walid, a heavy barrage of rockets and artillery hit NTC positions from the west, joining other fire that has been coming for days from the south. “Today is the most intense attack we have faced since we came here,”

said NTC field commander Abdelbaset Tarhauni, as NATO fighter jets buzzed overhead. An AFP correspondent saw one dead and six wounded NTC fighters from the attacks.

Meanwhile, Libya’s new rulers were probing the whereabouts of Gaddafi’s spokesman, as one television channel said it would air footage of him being detained in women’s clothing. NTC commanders said late Thursday they received reports from fighters on the ground that Ibrahim had been seized outside Sirte, where his loyalists have been under siege for the past week. But the fighters’ high command in Libya’s third-largest city Misrata said it had been informed Ibrahim had not been captured, although members of his family were. A pro-Gaddafi website also denied NTC forces had captured Ibrahim, who kept up a steady stream of broadcasts in support of the strongman from unknown loca-

tions while on the run.

NTC efforts to secure the extradition of fugitive members of Gaddafi’s family and inner circle, meanwhile, took a blow with a rebuff from neighboring Niger to an arrest notice issued by global police agency Interpol for the toppled strongman’s playboy son Saadi. Niger has confirmed it has a total of 32 Gaddafi loyalists on its soil, including three generals, for “humanitarian reasons.” The whereabouts of Gaddafi himself remain a mystery, although he has issued repeated statements vowing to die a martyr rather than flee his homeland. Libya’s new leaders suspect that two of his sons-Mutassim and Seif Al-Islam-are still in the country, the former in Sirte and the latter in his loyalists’ other significant remaining bastion, the desert city of Bani Walid. — AFP

Afghan interpreters race for US visas as exit looms

HONG KONG: Fireworks explode over Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor to celebrate China’s 62nd National Day yesterday. — AP

China marks National Day with vows for ‘democracy’ BEIJING: China’s top leaders marked National Day yesterday with an appearance on Tiananmen Square in central Beijing after Prime Minister Wen Jiabao pledged greater “democracy” and rights for the people. President Hu Jintao, Wen and top Communist Party leaders descended on the vast square and bowed before the monument to revolutionary martyrs, as they marked the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

In a speech Friday night, Wen pledged to address China’s biggest social issues, including rising inflation, a yawning income gap, unemployment, food safety, corruption, environmental destruction and social injustice. “We will make great efforts to guarantee and perfect democracy and resolve the problems that most concern the people and that most directly involve their interests,” Wen said in the speech posted yesterday on government websites. “We will make great efforts to advance the opening and reform and continue to push forward economic, political, cultural and social system reform. We will make great efforts to safeguard social justice, and ensure the people’s democratic rights and judicial fairness.”

But by “democracy”, China’s communist leaders do not mean multi-party competition for power at the ballot box generally referring instead to discussions within the ruling elite.

During his speech, Wen insisted that the nation would adhere

to “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” code for the one-party dictatorship’s refusal to countenance the separation of powers seen in governments around the world. But, “we must ... dare to study and draw lessons from the outstanding achievements produced by every nation of the world and make contributions to the advance of human civilization,” Wen said.

In recent years, China has witnessed an unprecedented number of street protests often aimed at government graft and the widening wealth gap, problems Wen has earlier attributed to the political system and an over-concentration of power among officials. In response, he has repeatedly pledged to advance democracy and human rights, even as his government has cracked down on any sign of unrest since jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize a year ago.

The crackdown further intensified in February, with leading activists and rights lawyers disappearing into police custody without being charged amid anonymous Internet calls for Arabstyle protests in China. Wen’s remarks also come as the nation’s parliament deliberates amendments to the criminal code that would allow police to secretly detain suspects for up to six months without charges and without notifying their families.

Activists and rights group have loudly decried the amendments as a blatant violation of human rights. — AFP

COMBAT OUTPOST MONTI: They feel lucky to be alive after countless risky missions with US troops, but Afghan interpreters are sure of their fate if they stay put after American forces leave in 2014. “The Taleban will kill me and my family. I can’t stay in Afghanistan,” 30-year-old Mohammad Yousaf said. Yousaf is one of thousands of young Afghan men who learned English from watching American movies and now act as vital intermediaries between international troops and locals in the decade-long war. They work as interpreters, or “terps” as they are known to foreign troops, in the hope of securing an American visa after at least one year of service.

But they fear that when US and combat troops from other NATO allies withdraw in 2014, they will be targeted by the Taleban. Many are now racing to get visas and move to the United States before then, although a backlog of paperwork at the American embassy in Kabul threatens to delay applications. At US Combat Outpost Monti in mountainous Kunar province near the Pakistani border where he lives and works, Yousaf said he was considered an “infidel” by the Taleban and its sympathizers. “They say the people who work with the Americans should be killed,” he said.

As he and his fellow interpreters shared their stories over an Afghan feast of lamb korma, chicken pilau rice and round, flat bread, the risks they take became clear.

“I’m not happy in Afghanistan, it’s a dangerous place.

Everybody knows that,” said Mohammad Islam, a 23year-old with gelled, spiky hair who wore a tight Tshirt and spoke English peppered with slang. Another interpreter, Salim Shah, 35, quit his carpet business to work as a translator and now dreams of one day setting up a rug shop in New York. “If I didn’t become an interpreter, it (would be) too difficult to go to foreign countries,” he said.

The United States admitted it is grappling with a surge of visa applications from interpreters and other Afghans. A US government official speaking on condition of anonymity said 850 Afghan interpreters who worked with the US armed forces or the embassy in Kabul had received special immigration visas as of mid-July, the latest figures available. But under the Afghan Allies Protection Act, passed in 2009 to boost the number of visas for Afghans who have come

under serious threat for working for the US government, no visas had been issued and 2,297 cases were pending.

The official said the process was “time intensive” but that efforts were being made to streamline applications. He confirmed the US embassy in Kabul had received petitions to speed up procedures. “We recognize that we have a special responsibility to Afghans who have worked for us,” he said. “At the same time we’re committed to ensuring that Afghan recipients of special immigration visas, like all those who enter the United States, do not pose a threat to the security of the United States.” He added: “We urge applicants with immediate security concerns to raise such concerns with security personnel where they work.” Yousaf has nearly finished his paperwork but remains unconvinced he will escape Afghanistan within three years.

“Right now there are so many interpreters in Afghanistan trying to get a visa. It’s very hard,” he shrugged. “It’s up to the US government.”

He and his colleagues have seen numerous interpreter friends killed or wounded and had plenty of their own close shaves. During an operation in Kunar last year, the Humvee truck behind Yousaf’s vehicle was destroyed by a roadside bomb, killing five US troops inside. “God saved me,” he said. US troops pay tribute to their courage and competence. One soldier who works with them, Private First Class Joshua MacIntyre, said they had earned the right to a visa. “I trust them,” he said. “It’s very easy to work with them.”

But it is not only out on missions that interpreters feel unsafe.

Although his wife and five children live in the same province, Yousaf said it was too dangerous to go alone by car when he goes home on leave, preferring to fly or travel with the Afghan army. “Maybe they will kill me or ambush me,” he said of the insurgents. He fears even going to the local bazaar close to the outpost, instead asking Afghan laborers on the base to pick up his groceries and favorite chewing tobacco. The Taleban regularly carry out threats to kill Afghans working with coalition forces, but the interpreters hope their troubles will be worth the risk. Yousaf likes the sound of California, but has no fixed plans beyond reaching the “golden state.” “America is the land of opportunity, I will find something there,” he said. — AFP

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Libyan Jew returns home after 44-year exile Jewish integration likely to be sensitive topic TRIPOLI: In the walled old city of Tripoli, Libya’s independence flag pokes through crumbling buildings and a gang of children wielding toy pistols tear through dusty alleyways. In these run-down streets stands the empty, faded peach-colored Dar Bishi synagogue. The interior can only be seen by climbing up the rubble of a collapsed house and the ark, which would normally shelter the sacred Torah scroll, is instead stuffed with a mattress.

The Hebrew inscription above it “Hear, O Israel” is barely perceptible from wear, and empty paint cans are strewn across the floor. The site of the Mikve baths, used once for ritual cleansing, is now a trash dump where stray cats scour for food next to a discarded washing machine as veiled women look on. Libyan Jewish exile David Gerbi said he has dreamed of restoring this synagogue for 10 years, when smoke from New York’s burning twin towers evoked one of the most powerful memories of his Libyan childhood.

The 12-year-old Gerbi and his family fled Tripoli in 1967 when an Arab-Israeli war stoked anger against the Jewish state and led to attacks on Jews in his neighborhood. Gaddafi expelled the rest of Libya’s 38,000 Jews two years later and confiscated their assets. Most Tripoli synagogues have since been destroyed or converted to mosques. Jewish cemeteries have been razed to make way for office blocks on the coast. Gerbi says he is the

first Jew to return to Libya since the revolt that ousted Muammar Gaddafi in August. He said he knows this because he negotiated the extraction of the last onehis aged, dying aunt who stayed behind to protect the family treasures-from a hospice in 2002.

Now that Gaddafi is gone, Gerbi wants to help interim Libyan leaders rebuild the lost Libya of his childhood and foster the type of religious tolerance between Jews and Muslims that exists in other parts of the Maghreb such as Morocco. And he wants the Dar Bishi synagogue to be the symbol of reconciliation between Jewish and Muslim Libyans. Talking over the Muslim call to prayer one evening last week, he said: “Some tell me I need to accept it’s over. I say no, it’s our shop, it’s our synagogue and it’s not over.” “There is something unresolved, unfinished. That is why I am here.”

REBEL JEW A Jungian psychotherapist who lives in Italy, Gerbi is also a representative of the World Organization of Libyan Jews. He sports an “I love Libya” T-shirt with a giant red heart in the Tripoli hotel lobbies where he seeks meetings with officials of the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) about Jewish prospects in post-Gaddafi Libya. Since the revolt against Gaddafi started, Gerbi has been working with NTC officials to promote their cause in South Africa, which only recognized the interim body in late August, and by helping

war victims in Benghazi hospitals. “People called me the ‘rebel Jew’,” he said smiling proudly.

Gerbi’s contribution to the revolt was not risk-freehe said Gaddafi supporters had threatened to kill him and attempted to break into his hotel room earlier this year. Gaddafi authorities detained and questioned him on a previous visit to Libya in 2007, when he also sought to restore the synagogue. Now, Gerbi says he is applying to become a member of Libya’s NTC to represent the as yet non-existent Jewish population. An NTC spokesman declined to comment. The issue of Jews returning to Libya and of Gerbi’s inclusion in the NTC are likely to be sensitive issues in a Muslim country whose former leader had for decades been one of Israel’s most outspoken critics on the international stage.

In a sign of the tensions, an Israeli photographer was detained for five months as a suspected spy while travelling in Libya last year. Casual slurs against Jews are still common here, some of them now ironically directed against Gaddafi in graffiti across the capital. Gerbi says he uses tricks learned as a pyschotherapist to try to bond with the Libyan people. “I have to fix them in the eyes. It (anti-Semitism) has been so ingrained by Gaddafi that the people need to get it out. I try to transform them with my behavior,” Gerbi explained, greeting residents of his former neighborhood in Arabic.

FORGOTTEN REFUGEE Not all Libyan Jews share Gerbi’s curiosity about his former homeland or his desire to return. Even some of his own family do not support his project. “(NTC chairman Mustafa Abdel) Jalil was an inspiration because he was the first to disagree by going against Gaddafi.

What I am doing is the same. I am disconnecting with my community. I want to show them it is possible and that we can come back,” Gerbi said, referring to Jalil’s decision to break with the Gaddafi government ahead of the February revolt. One of Gerbi’s goals is to reclaim properties confiscated by the state, including his own family apartment in a resplendent open-air white stucco arcade once known as the Galleria de Bono.

Now deserted, it echoes with celebratory music drifting over from Martyrs’ Square and a barefoot man prays on the tile floors where small plants have taken root. It is unclear how Gerbi’s ambitions will be received

by Libyans-and other returning exiles who may also feel entitled to recover properties confiscated by the former authorities. Gerbi worries that his aspirations could simply be sidelined in a country faced with the immense and pressing challenges of winning a war, kickstarting the economy and rebuilding. “My worst fear is that the government puts this on a list in order to be forgotten,” he said. “I don’t want to become again the forgotten refugee.” — Reuters

Rescuers find 18 bodies in Indonesia plane crash

MANDA ISLAND: In this undated image provided by the Manda Bay resort hotel, a beach at Manda Island, Kenya, is seen. Suspected Somali pirates driving their boat under the cover of darkness kidnapped an elderly Frenchwoman on a resort island in northern Kenya yesterday. — AP

Gunmen kidnap disabled Frenchwoman in Kenya Coastguard surrounds armed gang, hostage MOMBASA: Kenyan coastguards have surrounded a boat carrying gunmen and an elderly French woman kidnapped earlier yesterday from the northern Kenyan coast and the abductors are firing in the air, a government minister said. The hostage’s Kenyan boyfriend, John Lepapa, said six masked gunmen armed with assault rifles stormed their private beach house on Manda Island, first rounding up the staff who they marched at gun-point to the main living quarters. In what is the second abduction of a foreign visitor in three weeks, the armed gang ordered the 66-year-old French woman, her boyfriend and the house-helps to lie down, face to the floor, before one of the gunmen grabbed the woman and carried her on his shoulders to an awaiting boat.

Minister Najib Balala told Reuters the high-seas standoff was taking place near the border with Somalia and that the armed gang were firing into the air in an attempt to scare off the vessels and a circling aircraft. “Two boats of the Kenyan coastguard have surrounded the boat on which the gunmen and woman are,” Balala said.

“Our fear is if we do drown the boat we will drown the woman,” he said, adding that the woman was disabled.

Lepapa, 39, who said he and the victim planned to marry, believed the kidnap was a planned, targeted attack. “All they were saying was

‘where is the foreigner, where is the foreigner’,” Lepapa said, adding that he had been questioned by counterterrorism police several hours after the attack.

PLEADING FOR HER LIFE “My girlfriend pleaded with them and told them to take whatever they wanted from the house, including the money and to spare her life,” said Lepapa. “But they would not listen.”

This latest kidnapping on the Lamu archipelago by gunmen with links to Somalia has heightened fears that organized criminal networks across the border are increasing their reach.

France said it was assisting the Kenyan authorities. “I can confirm that she was kidnapped by gunmen in all likelihood from Somalia,” said French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero. “Naturally, we are doing everything with the Kenyan authorities to find our compatriot.”

Analysts and diplomats in the region warned earlier in the year that Somali pirates were likely to turn softer targets, such as tourists in Kenya, in response to much more robust defence of merchant vessels by private security guards. The violent raid will intensify pressure on Kenyan authorities to carry out their pledge to beef up security along the country’s porous frontier with Somalia and in the open waters off the lawless Horn of Africa country. Much of southern Somalia is controlled by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al

Shabaab militant group.

In early September, gunmen attacked British tourists at a camp resort a short speedboat ride away from Lamu, killing the man and kidnapping his wife. Somali pirates said she was being held in Somalia.

Yesterday’s kidnapping took place on Manda island, across a narrow water channel from Lamu, one of the pearls of Kenya’s tourism sector where tourists snorkel and bask in the sun and dhows meander lazily down the Indian Ocean. Already under threat from government’s plans to build a world-class $23 billion port nearby, hotel and restaurant operators fear mounting insecurity will ruin tourism.

“If this goes on, we might be forced to close the hotel. Maybe next time they will attack this side of the island,” said Gabriel Kombe, assistant manager at Lamu’s Sunsail Hotel, adding that bookings had already been cancelled after the first kidnapping. “The government needs to put more security on the border and in the waters,” he said.

The attacks come at a time when the Kenyan tourism industry was recovering from violence which followed a Dec. 2007 presidential election and the lingering effects of the global financial crisis. A record number tourists visited Kenya in the first six months of this year and government officials said east Africa’s biggest economy was on track to trump record earnings in 2010 of 74 billion shillings.—Reuters

Relief and anger at mosque where Al-Awlaki preached FALLS CHURCH: At the Washingtonarea mosque where Anwar Al-Awlaki preached a decade ago, there were few tears over the death of the influential Al-Qaeda figure who more than anyone gave the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center its unwanted association with international terrorism. But some found the way he was killed to be unAmerican. Most worshippers at Dar AlHijrah for Friday services said they were glad that Al-Awlaki was gone that he besmirched not only their mosque but all of Islam by calling for the deaths of innocent Americans.

Others rejected both Al-Awlaki’s calls for violence against Americans and the US airstrike that killed him in Yemen early Friday, saying he hadn’t even been charged with a crime. And a small few were unrepentant in their support of Al-Awlaki, though most were unwilling have their names attached to their views. “I like justice to be done the normal way,” said Tarik Diap. “If you’re guilty of doing something, you have the law, you have courts. This is, for me, you’re killing someone without proving innocence or guilt.”

Hassan Mohamed, 62, said no allegations against Al-Awlaki had been proven. “I don’t know why he should be killed,” he said. “I don’t approve of my government going around the world to kill innocent people.” Leaders of the mosque issued a statement saying that although Al-Awlaki “encouraged impressionable AmericanMuslims to attack their own country,” they deplored “extra-judicial assassination” and believed the drone attack “sends the wrong message to lawabiding people around the world.”

The mosque said al-Awlaki, born in the US to Yemeni parents, was known for his “inter faith outreach, civic engagement, and tolerance” when he served as imam at Dar Al-Hijrah from January 2001 to April 2002. It said he did not begin preaching violence until later, after he was arrested and allegedly tortured in Yemen. Opinions varied on what kind of preacher AlAwlaki was when he served in Virginia.

Most said they did not find him to be overtly political or radical.

But Wadi Adam Lahrim, 34, of Fairfax, said Al-Awlaki “did voice his opinions regularly about US involve-

ment in the Middle East. He encouraged the community to speak up against it.” Lahrim said that al-Awlaki was an appealing figure to US-born Muslims because he understood their culture. “He didn’t just teach hate. He did teach (positive) aspects of the religion ... and he was able to communicate better than some other imams,” he said.

Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center is among the largest and most influential mosques on the East Coast, but has been stung by its associations with Al-Awlaki and other targets in the US fight against terrorism. Two of the Sept 11 hijackers worshipped there briefly when Al-Awlaki was imam. Army psychiatrist Maj Nidal Hasan, the suspect in the Fort Hood, Texas shootings that left 13 dead in 2009, attended services there occasionally. Al-Awlaki became a powerful Al-Qaeda tool for recruiting in the West after leaving the mosque.

US officials have said they believe he inspired Hasan’s actions, and that he helped orchestrate the attempted Christmas 2009 bombing of a Detroitbound aircraft, among other allegations. —AP

BAHOROK: The bodies of all 18 people who were on board a plane that crashed into the jungle-covered mountains of western Indonesia were recovered from the wreckage yesterday, an official said.

The Spanish-designed CASA C-212 lost contact with air traffic control early Thursday while flying from North Sumatra to Aceh province. Minutes later, it sent out a distress signal, then dropped off the radar. Rugged, forested terrain and bad weather had prevented rescuers from reaching the crash site by foot, and the wreckage was spotted from a helicopter Friday in the Leuser Mountains at an altitude of 5,000 feet. Early yesterday, 13 rescuers were lowered by helicopter by rope to the crash site, following two others who had reached the site just before darkness fell Friday. “They found the bodies in their seats with their seat belts on,” Sunarbowo Sandi, head of the local search-and-rescue team, told The Associated Press from his monitoring post in a village near the crash site in the Bahorok region, about 930 miles northwest of the capital, Jakarta.

The bodies included all 14 passengers and four crew members. Four of the dead were children. Hopes had been raised that there may be survivors after the aircraft

LANGKAT: Relatives of some of the 18 passengers that were aboard the Casa 212 turboprop plane that crashed in Sumatra wait for news after a helicopter team flew out at Langkat, North Sumatra yesterday to search for survivors. — AFP was spotted intact with one of its doors open, and rescuers dropped food and medicine down to the crash site. The victims’ relatives, who had been waiting for information, broke down in tears when they learned that their loved ones were found dead. Many of them accused the airline - PT Nusantara Buana Air - of taking

far too long to give them information.

“The rescue operation was too slow and unprofessional,” Rosmawati Harahap, who lost her son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren in the crash, said while sobbing. But rescuers insisted that tornadolike winds and heavy fog hampered their efforts to reach the crash site. —AP

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Nigeria marks independence amid bomb fears LAGOS: Nigeria celebrated its independence yesterday with a muted, security conscious ceremony at the nation’s heavily guarded presidential villa amid a campaign of bombings and attacks carried out by a radical Muslim sect. President Goodluck Jonathan joined foreign diplomats and dignitaries in watching goose-stepping soldiers parade at the Aso Rock presidential villa, which remains shielded from public view by its mountain namesake in the capital of Abuja. The event, aired live on the state-run Nigerian Television Authority, had some empty seats and a noticeable presence of security agents.

Africa’s most populous nation typically holds memorial ceremonies at the capital’s Eagle Square parade ground, a large venue that allows the public a rare opportunity to be close to the oil-rich nation’s elite.

However, authorities moved the event to the secure villa as the radical sect known locally as Boko Haram carries out increasingly bloody sectarian attacks in the nation.

The nation faces other security threats as

well. Last year, the main militant group in the country’s oil-producing southern delta claimed responsibility for a dual car bombing outside the capital’s Independence Day celebration that killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens more.

In an address aired on television and radio stations across the nation yesterday morning, Jonathan promised the country’s 150 million people that the “Nigerian spirit cannot be broken.”“The current incidents of violence and terror in parts of the country will surely be overcome,” he said. “We will secure the safety of our citizens for only when we do this will we be able to build the needed peace and tranquility in all parts of the federation.”

Yet Nigeria’s security services remain unable to stop the threat posed by Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility for the Aug. 26 suicide car bombing at United Nations headquarters in Abuja that killed 23 people and wounded 116 others. The commander for US military operations in Africa has said that Boko Haram may be

trying to coordinate attacks with AlShabab of Somalia and with the North African branch of Al-Qaeda. Nigeria gained its independence from Britain in 1960. In the 51 years since, the nation struggled under military rulers, crushing poverty and endemic corruption. The problems persisted after Nigeria became an uneasy democracy in 1999.

At the ceremony yesterday, a soldier played an electronic keyboard and sang “We Are The World.” The military guard presented flags and twirled their rifles. At the end, Jonathan took a dove into his hands and threw it into the air, as others released from a cage flew into the sky.

Aides brushed feathers off the president’s traditional black caftan. As the television broadcast ended, the state-run broadcaster aired a commercial showing ambulances and the aftermath of bombings, asking mothers to stop the “wanton killing of innocent people.” “Nigeria is not at war,” the female announcer said. “It is a country of peaceful people.” — AP

MAIDUGURI: Nigeria troops man a checkpoint in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Security forces have arrested a commander of a radical Muslim sect known as Boko Haram, who allegedly ordered various sectarian killings in the northeastern city, according to Borno state Govenor Kashim Shettima. — AP

US struggles to chart fresh course with ‘ally’ Pakistan Washington rolls back rhetoric - for now

CALIFORNIA: New Jersey Gov Chris Christie speaks during the Perspectives on Leadership Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. — AP

Is Christie conservative enough for Tea Party?

Could weight become a factor?

NEW YORK: Is tough-talking Republican Chris Christie tough enough for the Tea Party? Christie’s potential entry into a 2012 White House race dominated by conservatives would electrify the campaign but trigger scrutiny of his record as a Republican governor in heavily Democratic New Jersey. Hailed by conservatives for staring down public employee unions in New Jersey, he may face questions about whether his beliefs on such hot-button issues as illegal immigration and climate change match up with the conservative Tea Party movement expected to play an important role in choosing the Republican nominee.

“I think there is an interesting possibility that the more people look at him, the more people will have concerns,” said Ryan Rhodes, chairman of the Tea Party in Iowa, a key early voting state. “A lot of people see everybody as Superman until they get in the race, and all of a sudden they are just Clark Kent,” Rhodes said.

After ruling out a presidential run for months, Christie is now said to be wavering under pressure from Republican donors unhappy with the current field.

The New York Post said he might announce his candidacy as early as Monday. A leap into the Republican field would require him to move quickly to form a campaign organization to compete in early voting states. The first nominating contest, the Iowa caucuses, could take place in early January.

Christie’s relatively liberal record on some issues might hold him back from winning support from conservatives who have so far backed Texas Governor Rick Perry and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. In 2008, as US attorney for New Jersey, Christie said that being in the United States without documentation was not a crime, upsetting conservatives. While running for governor, he told Fox News he supported common-sense gun control laws. In August, he said that “climate change is real” and “it’s time to defer to the experts.”

NOT IDEOLOGICAL CONSERVATIVE “I think Chris Christie is a pragmatic politician. I don’t think he’s an ideological conservative,” said Steve Lonegan, director of the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity, who lost to Christie in the state’s Republican primary for governor.

A rising star in the Republican Party since becoming governor of the Northeast state in January 2010, Christie has a fiscal record that will appeal to Republicans and independents concerned about government spending and the $1.3 trillion US deficit. Christie made national headlines in 2010 when he closed an $11 billion deficit on a $29 billion budget by slashing funding across the board including for education and local aid, while capping property tax hikes.

His decision to cancel an $8.7 billion commuter rail tunnel project under the

Hudson River, his tough stance against the state teachers’ union in demanding reforms and an overhaul of the benefits system for state workers have all won him praise from fiscal conservatives.

Gruff, funny and a charismatic public speaker, he also has a reputation for getting things done even if he has to ruffle feathers in the process. Whether the appeal of his blunt manner would spread beyond New Jersey is a question for him.

“We know Christie’s confrontational. The question is whether the New Jersey style plays nationally,” said Merle Black, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta.

COMPLAINTS AT HOME Christie’s strong popularity in New Jersey slumped this spring as the state headed into a tough round of budget negotiations, but it has rebounded. A Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll this week said more than half of voters in the state approved of Christie’s performance. Conservative New Jersey Republicans have many complaints about him. They point to his decision to subsidize two development projects-the Xanadu leisure complex and an Atlantic City casino-as examples of the state propping up projects in defiance of free market principles.

Critics also point to his liberal appointments, in particular of Paula Dow as state attorney general. Dow declined to join other states in a lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul, which conservatives want to repeal. Christie was dealt an embarrassing blow last year when the state lost out on hundreds of millions of dollars in federal education grants after his education commissioner bungled a question during an interview with US officials.

The commissioner was quickly fired.

Lonegan and other conservatives say Christie has not pushed through tax reform in the state, which has among the highest tax rates in the country. Despite such issues, Christie is capable of emerging as a strong competitor in a Republican field seen as weak. “Christie’s challenge is to raise the money, build a strong leadership team in the five early states, and carry a conservative message to the country,” said Republican strategist Scott Reed. “He has the ability to do all three.”

His weight may also be a factor, especially were he to win the nomination, setting up televised debates juxtaposing an estimated 300-pound man against Obama, a slender man who plays basketball to maintain his fitness. In late July, Christie was hospitalized after an asthma attack so bad he had trouble breathing after taking his inhaler. Leaving the hospital, Christie said: “If I weighed less I’d be healthier. I’ve been taking it seriously. It’s one of the major struggles of my life. I’m working on it.” — Reuters

WASHINGTON: The White House’s attempts to set a fresh course with Pakistan are being hobbled by bad options, bureaucratic tensions and the desire to avoid severing a vexing but critical relationship.

In the wake of a blunt and public accusation by the top US military officer that Pakistani intelligence supported a militant attack on the US Embassy in Kabul, officials at the Pentagon, State Department and White House are urgently debating an array of unattractive choices. Washington desperately wants to tighten the screws on the Haqqani network, a militant group US officials say was supported by Pakistan’s powerful ISI intelligence agency in the embassy attack and in other violence that threatens a smooth US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In an op-ed published in the Washington Post on Friday, Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardri attempted to push back against US pressure to act against the Haqqani network. The president said Pakistan’s chief concern in tackling militancy was regional stability after the United States completed its withdrawal of combat forces from Afghanistan in 2014. “Whoever comes or goes, it is our coming generation that will face the firestorm,” he wrote. “We have to live in the neighborhood. So why is it unreasonable for us to be concerned about the immediate and long-term situation of our Western border?”

Despite mounting exasperation in official Washington, dramatic change in US policy looks unlikely in the short term toward Pakistan, an unstable, unpredictable nation that boasts nuclear weapons and controls a key supply route needed to keep US troops fed and fighting in Afghanistan. “I don’t see that we have a comprehensive new strategy on Pakistan in the works,” said Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official who advised the highest levels of the Obama administration on regional policy. “I think we need one, or at least we need to reshape the one we have.”

In the face of Pakistani indignation, the White House and State Department appeared quietly to distance themselves from the remarks by Admiral Mike Mullen, who stepped down this week as chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. “My

understanding of the situation is that senior administration officials agree with Admiral Mullen’s statements,” said Lisa Curtis, a former State Department official and CIA analyst. “But they have not developed a Plan B for dealing with Pakistani malfeasance and that is why they are now walking back Mullen’s tough statements.”

DRONE STRIKES A bureaucratic turf war continues in the meantime, with the Pentagon defending military-military ties with Pakistan; the State Department pushing reconciliation talks with the Taleban and Pakistan-based militants; the CIA holding onto its contacts with the Inter-Services Intelligence agency; and the US Agency for International Development arguing prosperity will further longterm US interests.

“What I keep seeing is that each part of the bureaucracy says we’ve got to get tougher on Pakistan, but not in my lane,” Riedel said. “If you take all those things together, where is the pressure?” The only thing that appears to be a virtual certainty in the Obama administration’s future policy is an intensification of drone strikes on militants in Pakistan’s lawless tribal regions. “Air operations are not a problem,” one US official familiar with US counter-terrorism policy in Pakistan said.

Those drone strikes have had the tacit approval of officials in Islamabad, even though the launchpad for such strikes has shifted to Afghanistan since the US raid that killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden deep within Pakistan in May bruised Pakistan’s military pride. The US official said the United States has what may be surprisingly good intelligence these days about what militants are doing in Pakistan. Even with increasing public hostility between Washington and Islamabad, the United States is still able to collect what it considers to be adequate information to continue drone strikes without much hesitation.

Other military options-drone strikes on urban areas with greater potential for civilian casualties or bombing raids by manned US aircraft-do not appear to have garnered much traction so far. The bin Laden raid’s success surely has shaped the

debate at the Pentagon, where discussions are led

by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Michael Vickers, the Pentagon’s senior intelligence official.

While that raid may have also fueled support in some quarters for further manned US incursions into Pakistan against Haqqani militants or others Pakistan has so far not touched, future US ground operations do not yet appear to be a serious possibility.

NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND One senior US official told Reuters on Friday Pakistan had been informed there would be “no boots on the ground.” Whether Washington will stick to the pledge if push came to shove, and if American intelligence is solid enough, is of course another matter. Beyond military options, the administration also appears undecided what diplomatic or soft power steps it can take to tighten the screws on Pakistan without creating unacceptable backlash-cutting aid perhaps, withholding support at the World Bank or bestowing favors on arch-enemy India.

It has not yet acted on calls from Congress to officially declare the Haqqani network a foreign terrorist group- apparently because some US officials still hope the Haqqanis will be part of a peace deal someday. But talk is growing, Riedel said, of declaring Pakistan a “state sponsor of terrorism”diplomacy’s nuclear option. The US government would more likely threaten Pakistan with such a declaration than actually do it, especially since a declaration is hard to undo.

The White House meanwhile appears to be scrambling to lower the temperature enough to give Islamabad room to act. “The point has been made loudly,” another US official said. “But we recognize there is a risk if the Pakistanis feel like they’ve been backed into a corner.” In the end, it may be Congress that takes the most draconian measures. Lawmakers are already proposing to restrict US aid by placing more rigorous conditions on it. Lawmakers are growing more hostile to Pakistan and-especially as they face a budget crunch-military aid looks certain to be affected. — Reuters

Perugia residents shrug off Amanda Knox case

PERUGIA: People walk in the centre of Perugia yesterday.

Amanda Knox’s murder appeal may have captured international attention but residents of the hilltop Italian town of Perugia where the four-year legal saga has played out say they are fed up. — AFP`

PERUGIA: Amanda Knox ’s murder appeal may have captured international attention but residents of the hilltop Italian town of Perugia where the fouryear legal saga has played out say they are fed up. Television vans have camped in front of the medieval courthouse in the centre ahead of the verdict expected tomorrow and the locals are grumbling. “Look at these clowns!” one woman muttered under her breath as she walked past some reporters carrying bags of shopping. “What a circus!” said another.

“I’ve had it up to here. This has been going on too long. What has it been?

Two years? Three years?” said Alessandro Moroni, a waiter at Sarni, an old-style patisserie established in 1860 on the elegant Corso Vannucci. “It’s been talked about too much. Seventy, eighty percent of people I know have stopped following it. They’ve let it go,” said the 20-year-old, as he served some of the court regulars during a break in one of the hearings.

This historic city-which has walls dating back to the fourth century BC and the works of Early Renaissance masters hanging in its museum-has often been reduced to a backdrop for reports about the alleged sex and drug crazed murder. “ This case has been something of a defeat for us. Ours is a calm city,” said Angelo Biagini, 28, as he cleaned the windows of the Sisley clothes store where he works just in front of the court building on Piazza Giacomo Matteotti.

“The city’s image has been dented but we have strong shoulders,” he said.

Perugia has survived multiple wars and conquests and eventually the Amanda Knox trial will become a blip in a history dating back to the sixth century BC. Many residents say there are far more pressing problems here than the trial.

The legal proceedings receive a mention

in local papers but the headlines are dominated by news about the effects of the financial crisis and the ongoing turf wars between rival drug gangs that have triggered an upsurge in crime.

The knife murder that is drawing most attention at the moment is not that of Knox’s alleged victim Meredith Kercher in 2007 but that of a Tunisian dealer a few days ago which prompted mayor Wladimiro Boccali to promise zero tolerance. “The real problem here is drugs.

That what’s damaging Perugia,” said Moroni, who pointed out that the Amanda Knox trial has in fact led to a bizarre influx of American tourists looking for the house where the grisly murder took place.

And not all local residents have brushed off the case either. Teresa Carlucci, a diminutive 65-year-old pensioner, attended much of the original trial and every hearing in the appeal out of an intense personal curiosity. “Some people laugh at me. My husband criticizes me. He says that I’m sticking my nose into other people’s affairs,” she said.

“Perugia is usually a calm city. Now there are a lot of bad things that happen but four years ago this was a big shock,” she added.

“I know a lot of women who follow it.

But the men don’t,” she said, pointing out that the case has been widely featured in Italian magazines. While town hall is busy dealing with a crisis that threatens to impose deep cuts on local government spending, it too has not forgotten the case. Last November, on the third anniversary of Kercher’s murder, mayor Boccali announced that a student scholarship would be set up in her name. He said: “I think Meredith should be considered as one of us and as such she should have a place in the shared memory of the city.”— AFP

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Global Islamic group rising in Asia JAKARTA: The chanting crowd at the radical Muslim protest in Indonesia stood out for its normalcy: smartly dressed businessmen, engineers, lawyers, smiling mothers, scampering children. At a time when Al-Qaeda seems to be faltering, the recruitment of such an educated, somewhat mainstream following is raising fears that Hizbut Tahrir, an enigmatic global movement, could prove more effective at radicalizing the Islamic world than outright terrorist groups.

Active in 45 countries, Hizbut is now expanding in Asia, spreading its radical message from Indonesia to China. It wants to unite all Muslim countries in a globe-spanning bloc ruled by strict sharia law. It targets university students and professionals, working within countries to try to persuade people to overthrow their governments. The movement’s appeal to an often influential part of society worries experts.

Its goal of an Islamic state may be farfetched, but it could still undercut efforts to control extremism and develop democracy in countries such as Indonesia, which the US hopes will be a vital regional partner and a global model for moderate Islam.

“Our grand plan over the next five to 10 years is to reinforce the people’s lack of trust and hope in the regime,” said Rochmat Labib, the group’s Indonesia chairman in a rare interview with a Western reporter. “That’s what we are doing now: converting people from democracy, secularism and capitalism to Islamic ideology.” Hizbut Tahrir, which means The Party of Liberation, is also raising its profile in the US after operating largely underground since the 1990s. Its first major event was a 2009 conference, followed by another one in Chicago this June.

Starkly conflicting views swirl around Hizbut. It has been described as both a peaceful movement to

restore one-time Islamic glory and a breeding ground for future suicide bombers, “a conveyer belt to terrorism,” in the words of Zeyno Baran, an expert on Islam in the modern world. Banned in most countries, Hizbut remains legal in others, including the United States, Great Britain, Australia and Indonesia, where its leaders say it has spread to all 33 provinces. It is closely monitored everywhere, and often operates on the knife-edge of legality.

“The rhetoric they have goes to the fringe of democracy,” said Hans Joergen Bonnichsen, the former head of Denmark’s intelligence service. But the Danish Justice Ministry has twice asked the nation’s top prosecutor if Hizbut could be banned under Danish law, and both times the answer was no.

Its new frontier in Asia ranges from Indonesia and neighboring Malaysia to Pakistan and China, where Beijing has accused it of inciting violence among Muslim Uighurs in the remote west. It has also become the most widespread, and persecuted, radical Muslim group in Central Asia. The Indonesia chapter is believed to be the largest, with a following estimated in the hundreds of thousands, according to Sidney Jones, an expert on Islam in Southeast Asia.

“They are a real force here. They are a greater long-term threat to Indonesia than people who use violence,” said Jones, a Jakarta-based analyst with the International Crisis Group think tank.

“Collectively, hardline civil society can have a bigger effect than jihadists and terrorists.” Her words are echoed by anti-terrorism expert Zhang Jiadong of China’s Fudan University, who said Hizbut is “more harmful than terrorist organizations, because it has more influence on ordinary people.” The group, estimated at up to 20,000 members in China, is more likely to foment riots or rebellions than terrorist attacks, he said.

Ismail Yusanto, the group’s urbane spokesman in Indonesia, insists that “we are a peaceful Islamic movement.”

“We believe people can be influenced by their environment, so so-called terrorists could be influenced by everyone, not just us. But Hizbut itself is committed to not being violent. There is no evidence,” he says, when asked whether some adherents later veer to violence. The claims of nonviolence

dence that it has committed any acts of terrorism.” Hizbut followers may later “graduate” to terror under the tutelage of other groups. Often cited are the first British suicide bombers, Asif Hanif and Omar Khan Sharif, who attacked a Tel Aviv bar in 2001 and had past Hizbut links. Reports have also linked Hizbut to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the Sept 11 mastermind, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former Al-

JAKARTA: In this file photo, an activist with Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia holds a stack of newsletters with a headline reading “Osama is still alive” to be distributed during a protest against corruption outside the presidential palace in Jakarta. —AP contrast with the movement’s fiery rhetoric, which calls for the annihilation of Israel - that’s what led to it being outlawed in Germany in 2003 and exhorts Muslims to fight coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. One flyer shows a decapitated Statue of Liberty with New York City aflame in the background.

The US State Department says the group “may indirectly generate support for terrorism but there is no evi-

Qaeda chief in Iraq, but they have never been proven.

Hizbut calls for the establishment of a caliphate, uniting all Muslim nations under centralized Islamic rule in emulation of such entities that flourished in the past. This is to be attained by changing Muslim mindsets to think beyond national borders, then pressing the message among political leaders, the armed forces and other power brokers until gov-

ernments crumble. Taquiddin anNabhani, a Palestinian lawyer who founded the movement in 1953, didn’t rule out violence during the last stage of creating the caliphate, or the possibility of fighting Western nations to protect it or expand it into nonMuslim countries. In earlier days, Hizbut staged failed coups in Jordan, Syria and Egypt, and it is now largely banned in the Middle East.

In Indonesia, Jones said, Hizbut appeals to those who believe that neither the country’s earlier dictatorship or present democracy has worked. She said it has been able to infiltrate the top cleric body, the Indonesian Ulema Council, and local governments and exercises some clout on issues such as introducing sharia law, banning non-mainstream Muslim sects and opposing the operations of Western companies in Indonesia. Unlike many Islamist groups, it welcomes women, who make up about a third of the membership, according to Ratu Erma, the head of its women’s organization. It also enjoys a following among parts of the elite.

“Some of them work by day in Jakarta’s main business district making the wheels of capitalism turn and after work talk about overthrowing the country’s infidel system. It’s one of the conundrums about the HT,” says Greg Fealy, an Indonesia expert at Australian National University who is adamant that at least in Indonesia the group is nonviolent. In Malaysia, young hard-liners disillusioned with the moderating stances of mainstream political parties have turned to Hizbut because “they feel it is sticking to Islamic principles more closely,” said Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

Nawab, an expert on the group in

Asia, said that Hizbut, which barely filled a meeting room in Malaysia in 2004, recently drew more than 1,000 to a conference and is present in every state but one. Leaders and followers interviewed in both countries dodge questions about their numbers and inner workings, even the whereabouts of the current global leader, Ata Khalil Abu-Rashta, except to say he is based in the Middle East. Behind its public face, Hizbut is built along Marxist-Leninst lines with secretive cells as key building blocks. Nawab says “students” may go through up to five years of arduous training and indoctrination to prove their commitment and become members. Some 60 percent don’t make the grade.

Hizbut members have been imprisoned in Russia, Central Asian nations and elsewhere, but some experts say the broad definition of terrorism in these countries - rather than any acts committed - landed many of them in jail, and sometimes before execution squads. Within the US, opinion is divided. The State Department doesn’t name Hizbut as a terrorist group, but the New York City Police Department, in a document obtained

by The Associated Press, identified it as a “tier one extremist group” in 2006.

The British government came close to banning the group after the 2005 London bombings, and government officials say membership has shrunk to fewer than 2,000 members. But Britain remains an important base for fundraising, propaganda efforts and recruiting senior members. Many leaders in Indonesia and Malaysia were once asylum seekers in the UK who got an education and made connections and then returned home. Ed Husain, who described his time as a British member in the 2007 book “The Islamist,” said that globally the movement is “strong, robust, growing.”—AP

Senior Haqqani leader captured Afghans give Pakistan evidence in Rabbani killing KABUL: NATO says it has captured a senior leader of the Al-Qaedaand Taleban-allied Haqqani terror network operating inside Afghanistan. NATO announced yesterday that the coalition forces seized Haji Mali Khan during an operation in eastern Paktia province, which borders Pakistan.

The alliance called it a significant milestone in the fight against the terror group. NATO identified Khan as an uncle of Siraj and Badruddin Haqqani, two of the son’s of the network’s aging leader Jalaludin Haqqani. The Pakistanbased network is affiliated to both the Taleban and Al-Qaeda and has been described as the most serious security threat in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s intelligence service said it has given Pakistan hard evidence that former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani’s assassination was planned in the southern outskirts of the Pakistani city of Quetta where key Taleban leaders are based. In the wake of Rabbani’s death, the Afghan government has said it no longer

thinks negotiations with the Taleban can be productive and that there should be negotiations with Pakistan instead. The Taleban have not claimed responsibility for killing Rabbani, who headed the Afghan government’s effort to broker peace with the insurgents.

A suicide bomber claiming to be a peace emissary from the Taleban killed Rabbani at the former president’s home on Sept 20 by detonating a bomb hidden in his turban. Rabbani’s death was a major setback to US-backed efforts to broker peace with insurgents and end the nearly decadelong war. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York last week, an Afghan intelligence official said Rabbani’s death was plotted for four months by the Afghan Taleban’s governing council known as the Quetta Shura, named after the city in southern Pakistan.

Lutifullah Mashal, a spokesman for the Afghan intelligence service, provided the first details about where the assassination was allegedly planned at a news con-

ference yesterday. “ The place where Professor Rabbani’s killing was planned is a town called Satellite near Quetta, Pakistan,” Mashal told reporters. “The key person involved in the assassination of Rabbani has been arrested and he has provided lots of strong evidence about where and how it was planned. We have given all that evidence to the Pakistan embassy.” The Afghan intelligence documents handed over to Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul include the address, photographs and a layout of a house in Satellite, Mashal said. He said the Pakistanis also have been provided with the names of individuals who discussed Rabbani’s assassination at the house in Satellite.

Mashal would not disclose the identity of the person in custody, saying only that he was a secondtier figure within the Taleban hierarchy. He said additional details soon would be released by a commission set up to investigate Rabbani’s death. Asked what Afghanistan expected Pakistan to do with the information, Mashal

referred the question to the Afghan Foreign Ministry and the commission. “This is all concrete evidence that nobody can ignore,” he said. Earlier this week, Afghan President Hamid Karzai met with top government, religious, political and jihadi leaders to discuss the peace effort and Afghanistan’s relations with the US, the European Union and NATO. The Afghan leaders said the Taleban have responded to peace overtures to peace by killing Afghanis, according to a statement released by Karzai’s office after the meeting. “With the assassination of Rabbani and the recent killings of other high-ranking people, the Taleban have shown they don’t have the authority to have negotiations about peace in Afghanistan,” the statement said. It said that Pakistan has failed to take steps to eliminate terrorist sanctuaries and that if Pakistan’s intelligence service is using the Taleban against Afghanistan, then the Afghan government needs to have negotiations with Pakistan, “not the Taleban.”—AP

Pakistani gov’s killer sentenced to death RAWALPINDI: A Pakistani court sentenced to death yesterday the killer of the governor of Pakistan’s largest province after he had called for reform of a law against blasphemy, a defense lawyer and state -run media said.

Mumtaz Qadri was a bodyguard for Punjab province Governor Salman Taseer and shot him dead in the capital, Islamabad, on Jan 4. Taseer was an outspoken critic of predominantly Muslim Pakistan’s blasphemy law and Qadri is viewed as a hero by many people who thought Taseer himself was a blasphemer by calling for the law’s reform.

Qadri had said he was enforcing divine law by murdering a blasphemer. The killing highlighted a growing gulf between conservatives and more liberal elements in society. Qadri’s supporters took to the streets to denounce the sentence soon after it was handed down at a hearing in a jail where he is being held in the city of Rawalpindi. “By punishing one Mumtaz Qadri, you will produce a thousand Mumtaz Qadris!” one man shouted through a megaphone outside the jail.

The court handed down two death sentences for murder and terrorism to Qadri, who has seven days to file an appeal, state television reported. Reporters and other members of the public were not allowed in to the hearing and it was not known if Qadri attended. Pakistan’s blasphemy law mandates the death penalty and is often used in poor, rural areas to settle personal scores. Taseer had championed the cause of a Christian woman sentenced to death in a blasphemy case, which arose out of a dispute. Taseer had said the law was being misused and should be reformed.

RAWALPINDI: Pakistani supporters of Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri burn political party posters, after the court announced the death sentence for Qadri, outside Adiyala Prison in Rawalpindi yesterday. —AFP

TEARS OF ANGER Several hundred supporters of Qadri blocked a road outside the jail and chanted slogans.

Some recited verses from the Koran while members of the hardline Sunni Tehreek religious group waved their party’s green and yellow flags. A Qadri supporter, wiping tears from his face, said: “We don’t accept this. We don’t accept this.” Police were deployed at the jail gate to prevent any break-in. After Qadri was sentenced, the judge left through the back door.

In Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh area, where former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007, about 1,000 angry Qadri supporters blocked a main road with burning tyres. Shouting slogans against the government and the judge who sentenced Qadri, they forced shops to shut down. Stickwielding protesters attacked passing vehicles.

“This decision was made to please the Jewish lobby,” said Sahibzada Ata-ur-Rehman, a leader of the Sunni Tehreek.

Two months after Taseer’s murder, Pakistan’s Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian, was murdered by the Taleban on March 2 for demanding changes to the blasphemy law. After the Bhatti assassination, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said Pakistan was “poisoned by extremism”. Liberal Pakistanis and rights groups believe the law is discriminatory against the country’s tiny minority groups, and its vague terminology has led to misuse. A 13-year-old Christian girl was recently accused of blasphemy after she misspelled a religious word in a school test. She was expelled from school in the town of Havelian in northwestern Pakistan. —Reuters

PULILAN: A family is marooned at the roof of their home after floods swamped their village during the passage of Typhoon Nesat in Pulilan, north of Manila yesterday. —AFP

More misery as typhoon Nalgae rocks Philippines Nesat leaves 50 dead, 31 missing PULILAN: Typhoon Nalgae lashed the Philippines yesterday, killing at least one person and bringing fresh misery for more than a million people still trapped by floods from a storm earlier this week, officials said.

Nalgae made landfall on the main island of Luzon at 9:00am and was tearing southwest with sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 195 kilometers, the weather service said.

Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul said the storm was tracking the same path as deadly Typhoon Nesat, which dumped the biggest single-day volume of rain on the area this year after hitting Luzon on Tuesday.

“At this point in time, all the flooded areas should be emptied of people. Local officials should implement forced evacuation,” he told a news conference. One person was killed and another injured when a landslide buried a van on a mountain highway near the upland resort of Baguio, said Alex Uy of the local civil defense office.

“Baguio is being pummeled by strong rain and winds,” he said. There have been no deaths in the city of 360,000, but the winds uprooted trees, he added. Typhoon Nesat killed 50 people and left 31 others missing, according to a government tally.

Officials say more than three million people are in Nalgae’s immediate path, but the typhoon’s 500-kilometre-wide front means large parts of the island of 48 million people, including Manila, are also feeling its wrath. While the typhoon is forecast to blow out at sea by 5:00pm, authorities are concerned about floods unleashed by

Nesat which are expected to worsen with Nalgae’s passage. Vast areas are already underwater in the heavily populated farming region of central Luzon, where rainwater from northern mountain ranges in Nalgae’s path flow across a 150-kilometrelong floodplain before emptying into Manila Bay. People along the huge Cagayan river basin that empties in the opposite direction to the northeast are also at risk, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. It said about 180,000 people were sheltering at state-run evacuation centers, mostly those displaced by Nesat.

Disaster council director Benito Ramos said thousands of rescue workers were deployed ahead of Nalgae’s landfall, and the northeast coast was evacuated from Friday.

“We’re implementing persuasive evacuation operations,” said Ramos, a retired general, telling AFP: “If I have to handcuff people to remove them from their homes I could be charged with human rights violations.”

Ida de la Cruz, a 37-year-old farmer’s wife, sought refuge on her rooftop as floods engulfed her home and the rest of Pulilan, a town of 70,000 people an hour’s drive north of Manila. “We can’t leave our 15 ducks as most of our income come from the eggs that they lay,” she said while she washed clothes using the murky brown floodwaters that had swamped her farmhouse. She said no help had arrived since the floods descended on Wednesday, when their three children were dispatched to her mother’s home. —AFP

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NEWS

OBERHAUSEN, Germany: People walk in the sunset on the pedestrian bridge ‘Slinky Springs to Fame’ which spans the Rhine-Herne Canal. — AFP

Turkish womb transplant promises hope...

Continued from Page 1 gyneacologist Munire Erman Akar, from the same team.

The doctors are confident that they have overcome those problems. Taking advantage of working on a deceased donor, they were able to remove a wider tissue surrounding the womb to place it well inside the body of the recipient and longer vessels to support the organ.

Immunosuppressive drugs have also improved since that time, the doctors added.

However, they are still cautious in declaring a complete success. “The surgery was a success ... (But) we will be successful when she has her baby,” Ozkan said. “For now we are happy that the tissue is living,” without any rejection, he added. Ozkan gives at least six months before delivering the patient to the test-tube baby experts, who will implant the embryos belonging to Sert and her husband, produced before the surgery. “I would say earliest six months, it can be up to seven or eight,” he said.

During pregnancy, “there are many risks like congeni-

tal anomalies because of the immunosuppressive (drugs), and intrauterine growth retardation, preterm labour,” Akar added. Lowering the dose of the drugs is critical for Sert to carry a healthy baby through pregnancy. Sert has already started to menstruate, which is an important sign that her womb is working. “We can see it from the ultrasound that the endometrium lining is perfect,” Akar added.

A woman can live without a womb, but the only chance for her to get pregnant is a transplant, doctors said. “They are young patients. They have totally normal ovaries so they just deserve this chance to have a baby,” Akar said. However the doctors want to remove the womb again after Sert has had her baby, to prevent any risks of rejection. “Of course it is the patient’s choice but my preference would be to remove it,” Ozkan said, unless the family wants to have a second child, which would be possible with the same uterus. Only three medical centres in the world work on womb transplants, the others being in Sweden and the United States. “We would be so happy if I could be a hope for other women. I wish them to have what they long for,” Sert said. — AFP

Dissidents meet as more die in Syria ...

Continued from Page 1 “was reminded that Ambassador Ford is the personal representative of the president (Barack Obama) and an attack on Ford is an attack on the United States,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters. The Assad regime had earlier accused Washington of inciting “armed groups” to commit violence against its army.

The UN Security Council remains divided over whether to threaten Assad’s regime with sanctions over its deadly crackdown on dissent.

European nations on Friday dropped the word “sanctions” from a proposed resolution on Syria in a bid to temper Russian opposition. France, Britain, Germany and Portugal instead called for “targeted meas-

ures” in their draft text. Russia and China have threatened to veto any resolution calling for punitive measures against Damascus.

On the ground, activists said those killed in Homs on Friday were shot dead by security forces, while around 250 tanks and armoured vehicles entered Rastan, a major city in the province and the scene of intense operations against army defectors. “Five civilians and six military and security agents have been killed today in the village of Kafar Zita during clashes between soldiers and agents on one side and deserters on the other,” the Syrian Observatory said. “Eight civilians were killed Friday in Homs province” by fire from security forces, added the Britain-based watchdog.

Much of the violence was in

Rastan, about 180 km from Damascus and a gateway to the north, where battles have raged since Tuesday between the army and deserters who refuse to fire on protesters. The Observatory, citing a local activist, said an army officer was shot dead by pro-regime gunmen “for refusing to go to Rastan as ordered”.

Activists also reported protests in other locations including 10,000 people in Palmyra (Tadmur) in central Syria, as well as thousands in Hama, also in the centre, Idlib in the northwest and Zabadani just north of Damascus. The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva has said the death toll from the bloody crackdown has risen to more than 2,700 since March 15. — AFP

Plane flies into ferris wheel in Aussie town Continued from Page 1 But the 53-year-old pilot of the ultralight and his 32year-old passenger were forced to wait for another hour and 15 minutes before they could be retrieved. No-one was injured. Paul Cox said he did not see the ferris wheel before his plane hit it. “The next thing I knew, I was stopped inside the ferris wheel,” he said. “I had no idea for a few minutes and I was just hoping no one got hurt.” Witnesses said the ferris wheel was full of children minutes before the crash.

But because of impending rain, only five had dared to take the final ride, said a festival organizer, who gave his name only as Terry.

“The kids were fantastic,” said Brett Campbell, a paramedic at the scene. “They were so calm and so wellbehaved and very brave. And so were the two gentlemen in the plane. They were just the best patients we could ever hope for, and the best thing about it, no one really had any injuries.” Fizal Meah, a witness, said one of the children in a carriage below the area of impact was struck by debris and

was left distraught but uninjured. “Because the rain was stopping and starting, stopping and starting, it was almost empty,” Meah said. Local resident Gary Jones said his 9year-old twin sons were among the last to ride the ferris wheel before the crash. “It was a hell of a shock,” Jones said.

Local Rimian Perkins said he was nearby when he heard a noise and at first was not sure what had happened. “I was looking at the ground, thinking I wonder where this plane is and I didn’t notice for about a minute that it was in the ferris wheel,” he told AFP. “I saw the two kids. They were fine. They were just patient. They (the authorities) couldn’t work out how to get them out.”

An industrial crane was brought in and rescue workers climbed into a metal basket attached to its hook to be lifted up to haul the children from their seats, Perkins said. The crane is now working to remove the remains of the plane from the structure, which some had feared could topple due to the impact. Air safety investigators are expected to examine the circumstances of the crash. — Agencies

Bahrain medics seek UN probe of abuses Continued from Page 1 treated all who needed care. “During the times of unrest in Bahrain, we honored our medical oath to treat the wounded and save lives. And as a result, we are being rewarded with unjust and harsh sentences,” said a statement released by the medics after the court’s ruling.

The group was convicted Thursday on charges that include attempting to topple the Gulf kingdom’s rulers and spreading “fabricated” stories. In a separate trial, the security court sentenced a protester to death for the killing of a police officer during the clashes that began in February.

Shiites account for about 70 percent of Bahrain’s population, but claim they face systematic discrimination such as being blocked from high-level political and military posts. Bahrain’s rulers say they are ready to discuss reforms and have proposed changes such as giving parliament approval power over government appointments. But they appear unwilling to meet protest demands for a fully elected leadership.

At a news conference Friday, Bahraini officials claimed the doctors and nurses actively supported opposition protesters, including allegations that ambulances were used to carry weapons and that hospital blood supplies were used to fake or embellish injuries among protesters. Hundreds of people have been arrested or purged from jobs since the unrest began. More than 30 people have died in clashes on the strategic island nation, which is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. “Our sentences were preordained,” said another statement from the doctors and nurses. “The trials we have been going through are nothing but a playing card in a game of politics. ... Our only crime was that during the unrest earlier this year we were outspoken witnesses to the bloodshed and the brutal treatment by the security forces.”

The group appealed to UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon for an investigation into their case and claims of abuse while in custody. Ban’s spokesman, Martin Nesirky, said Friday the UN chief is expressing “deep concern” over the harsh sentences and calling for the release of all political detainees. Bahrain’s rulers have previously approved an

independent commission to look into the allegations, which include torture and excessive violence. The report is due at the end of this month.

One of the physicians sentenced to 15 years, Dr Nada Daiif, said she was trying to spend as much time with her two young children before the expected order to report to prison. “It’s very heartbreaking. I haven’t slept for 72 hours.

I’ve been touching my children’s cheeks, playing with their hair. I’m trying to capture as much time as I can with them,” she said at a gathering of some of the defendants. Daiif expressed little hope in the appeal, which will be made to the country’s highest civilian court. “The appeal is a procedure and we will go for it. But ... we know very well they are using our case as a political card against the opposition,” she said.

Last week, Bahrain held special elections to fill 18 parliament seats vacated by Shiite lawmakers to protest the crackdowns. The election will leave the 40-seat chamber fully in pro-government hands. Voting wrapped up yesterday in districts where there was no majority winner. Witnesses said less than a dozen voters in 20 minutes turned up yesterday at the largest polling station in Sehla, while a sole voter cast his ballot over the same period in the Shiite village of Sanabes. Polling was brisker in special stations set up outside Shiite districts to allow voters to take part without being identified. “Obviously if Al-Wefaq were here it would have been better but I understand their decision to boycott,” said one voter, Khaled Ibrahim, 48.

An independent candidate in Sehla, Ali Al-Haddad, said he would not have run if Al-Wefaq had taken part, calling for the release of political prisoners and the rehiring of sacked employees for taking part in anti-regime protests.

The first round was held in an atmosphere of tension. The opposition reported a low voter turnout but the government said 51 percent of eligible voters had cast ballots. The interior ministry said 22 people were arrested last month for attempting to obstruct the vote by closing roads, damaging cars in a parking lot near a polling station or by pouring oil in front of another.

Awlaqi victim of relentless US secret war Continued from Page 1 in fractured nations where extremists seek to exploit lawless conditions to hide, also raises pressing new ethical, diplomatic and legal headaches for US national security planners. A string of US drone strikes in Pakistan has for instance further antagonized always testy US ties with Islamabad, amid a new row over alleged links between Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence and the Haqqani network.

The relationship had already been rattled by the centerpiece of aggressive US strategy - the special forces raid which killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in his hideout inside Pakistan in May. Administration officials confided Friday that at least 23 senior extremist Islamic leadership figures had been killed or captured, in US or allied operations in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and elsewhere since Aug 2009. The organizations targeted included Al-Qaeda; Awlaqi’s group, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula; Al-Qaeda in East Africa; and Jemaah Islamiyah of Indonesia. Awlaqi’s death leaves Ayman Al-Zawahiri, named Al-Qaeda’s leader after bin Laden’s killing, as the network’s most high-profile known suspect still at large.

Analysts said the recent spate of

killings reflected an evolving and aggressive strategy to snare terror suspects in areas once seen as havens. “It is the marriage of better intelligence and better drone technology along with the increase in the local partnership of intelligence services that allows us to go after people individually,” said Richard Fontaine, of the Center for a New American Security.

Tom Sanderson, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, agreed the latest spate of strikes reflected better intelligence and military expertise and a political impetus injected by the Obama White House.

“Counter-terrorism at the end of the Bush administration had become quite effective and Obama was smart to pick up where (Bush) left off and enhance it,” he said.

The result, Sanderson said, was the United States had now “injected risk” into calculations of terror networks, forcing operatives either to go into deep cover or flee, complicating their efforts to plot attacks. All signs point to an expansion of the operation, with the United States taking aim at a new generation of Al-Qaeda operatives and new concern at the group’s affiliates like the Al-Shebab group in Somalia.

John Brennan, Obama’s top White House counter-terror advisor, pointed

to new fronts in the war in a speech last month at Harvard. “The United States does not view our authority to use military force against Al-Qaeda as being restricted solely to ‘hot’ battlefields like Afghanistan,” Brennan said.

“We reserve the right to take unilateral action if or when other governments are unwilling or unable to take the necessary actions themselves.” But Brennan conceded that “international legal principles, including respect for a state’s sovereignty and the laws of war, impose important constraints on our ability to act unilaterally and on the way in which we can use force in foreign territories.”

The New York Times earlier quoted administration and congressional officials as saying the Obama team was divided on the legal leeway the United States had in killing Islamist militants in Yemen and Somalia. Since the bin Laden killing, suspected US drone operations and other strikes have killed three senior AQAP operatives in Yemen and Al-Qaeda in East Africa senior leader Harun Fazul was killed in Somalia. Other top leaders, including senior Al-Qaeda operative Atiyah Abd Al-Rahman, and the group’s chief of operations Abu Hafs al-Shahri have been killed in Pakistan’s lawless tribal regions by US drone strikes. — AFP

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

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Washington Watch

Bibi’s lie

By Dr James J Zogby ack when I was in Catholic elementary school and in the Boy Scouts, we would often be enlisted to participate in fund-raising drives that had us going door-to-door in our neighborhoods collecting money for various charities or causes (school or church related projects, scouting trips, etc).

Engaging in this exercise, year after year, taught us some lessons about human behavior.

We learned that there were those kind and generous souls who would give, and there were those who would not.

Among the latter, we took note of those who would simply say “no”, which was fine. But then there were those who would feel the need to make up all kinds of excuses for not giving. A line we heard all too often was “I already gave at the office”.

What we knew was that in saying this, the individual in question was merely attempting to avoid giving, while at the same time pretending that he really wasn’t cheap or heartless.

We almost always knew that this “gave at the office” line was a fabrication, since the charities for which we were raising funds didn’t collect “at the office”, relying instead on our doorto-door solicitations. Because this “little fib” was used so often, and not just in my hometown, it has entered our everyday discourse as an expression which is understood to mean “a made up excuse on which one relies in order to avoid doing what one was being asked to do”.

I was reminded of just how annoying it could be to hear this “little fib” earlier this week when I read an interview which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave to The Jerusalem Post. At one point in the exchange, the interviewer pressed Netanyahu on whether or not he would consider agreeing to a new “settlement freeze” in order help restart peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Netanyahu’s response was a short, but telling: “I think we already gave at the office”. A few thoughts occurred to me as I read the interview. At first, I waxed indignant as I recalled how my disingenuous and dismissive neighbors would try to put me off using this same over-used and very transparent lie. And then I thought, how interesting that this flippant man, who prides himself on his fluency and his debating skills, could make such an obvious mistake - using an expression that actually means its opposite. Finally, I wondered whether Netanyahu misspoke at all. Maybe, I thought, he actually meant just what he said, as in, “I’ve been getting away with this ruse for years now, so go away and leave me be. I didn’t give before and won’t give this time either”. In the rest of the interview Netanyahu forcefully argued why he will continue to build where, when, and how he pleases. And given recent events, he clearly feels emboldened to continue on this path. This was evidenced by the announcement, made shortly after he returned from New York, that Israel would build 1,100 new housing units in Gilo, a settlement built on confiscated West Bank land which Israel illegally “annexed” to Jerusalem.

Netanyahu returned from the UN sessions in New York believing himself to have won some great victory. He had helped to manufacture a crisis mood in Israel over the Palestinian statehood bid. Israelis were told that a U.N. vote would be “doomsday.” Of course, it was not, nor would it ever have been. But having trumped up a phony crisis, and survived, Netanyahu returned to Israel “a conquering hero.”

I can almost imagine his mental processes at work: “No one stops me, Benjamin Netanyahu. In the 1990s, I was elected Prime Minister on a platform that promised to end the Oslo peace process, and I did it. I was forced by President Clinton to go to talks at the Wye River Plantation and forced to sign an agreement with the Palestinians. But I beat them all, because I refused to implement what I signed. I was told by Clinton not to destroy Jabal Abul Ghanaim, the last green hill between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. And now on that hill stands Har Homa, a city of 18,000 settlers, with more due to come. All those settlements the US once called “illegitimate” and the EU called “illegal” are now called “accepted realities” by the US and EU. Remember the “outposts”, built on the hilltops we illegally seized after Wye, that we were repeatedly told to dismantle.

We promised on a number of occasions that we would remove them, but we delayed, knowing that time was on our side. We’ve since built roads connecting them to our highways and linked them to our electric grid and those “outposts” are still there are and flourishing.” “Then came my second term as Prime Minister and a new US President who told me to freeze settlements. After dithering a bit, I pretended to agree (even while I continued to build). And I got away with it. Using my allies in Washington and my friends in the Congress, I stood down the President of the United States.”

“I have the US Congress eating out of my hand, Republican candidates for President are attacking Obama for ‘throwing me under the bus’, and now that the Americans are in an election year the White House apparently believes that they have no choice but to praise me and support me. And if this were not enough, I just stood down the entire United Nations. So I’m feeling pretty good right now. So go away and don’t bother me ‘I already gave at the office.’”

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NOTE: Dr James J Zogby is the President of the Arab American Institute

All articles appearing on these pages are the personal opinion of the writers. Kuwait Times takes no responsibility for views expressed therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions. Please send submissions via email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.

Libya endgame carries new risks for NATO

By Justyna Pawlak ATO commanders face a tough balancing act during the bloody battle for Muammar Gaddafi’s last strongholds, Sirte and Bani Walid. NATO allies would like to let the National Transitional Council (NTC) claim victory in these battles and war for itself. That would enhance the council’s legitimacy as the new ruler of Libya after Gaddafi’s four decades in power, and bolster the chances of a stable democracy taking root in the country. But the European governments that led NATO’s air campaign in Libya also need to remain long enough and engaged enough to make sure the success so far is not diminished by a messy withdrawal. If NATO quietly stepped aside but fighting restarted, that would diminish Europe’s standing in Libya and tarnish a campaign that has been seen as a success for Europeans.

To achieve this, experts say, NATO forces are keen to cut back the bombing campaign that was instrumental in giving the NTC a military edge. Instead, NATO will likely step up other operations such as surveillance and air support to eliminate any remaining weaponry that could threaten peaceful transition. NATO declines to comment on its immediate operations. “As we approach the endgame, it is very clear NATO’s role will become very much the eyes and ears of the NTC, rather than the hammer,” said Tim Ripley, a London-based military expert at Jane’s Defence Weekly. “The next phase in Libya will amount to a more deliberate

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mopping up of the country as the NTC moves to establish their control and presence.”

One problem is that Gaddafi’s remaining loyalists are in Bani Walid and Sirte, which are densely populated. That makes it risky to try to bomb them because of the danger of civilian casualties. NATO, argues Shashank Joshi, an analyst with the Royal United Services Institute in London, lacks sufficient intelligence to allow it to pinpoint targets in Sirte and Bani Walid without endangering civilians.

“We are in a fortress situation where the city is under siege. If you don’t know that a particular building is being used as a school or a mosque, even the best intelligence won’t give you the details,” he said. “In Tripoli, you had rebels, you had (Western) special forces, networks of resistance. We don’t have that kind of information in Sirte or Bani Walid. So targeting is inherently difficult.”

To a degree, battle conditions with Gaddafi’s remaining loyalists necessitate a change of operational approach because of the limitations of NATO jets’ firepower which is too dangerous to use, said Ripley of Jane’s Defence Weekly. “Gaddafi forces are no longer using tanks and artillery that were easier to hit and identify. The NTC is using infantry to drive Gaddafi’s forces from building to building,” Ripley said. “Both sides are operating in such close proximity that differentiating between the sides is difficult. That makes it very difficult to use air-drop weapons (bombs).”

Experts say other constraints also compli-

cate NATO’s operations in Sirte and Bani Walid as its military commanders plan how to fulfill the alliance’s United Nations mandate in Libya to protect civilians during the civil war. So far, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said, there are no confirmed cases of civilians being killed by NATO power, although alliance officials say some cannot be ruled out.

Human rights organisations have called on the alliance to lean on NTC fighters to do more to protect civilians as worries mount for people trapped in Sirte. Desperation is growing in the besieged city as civilians try to flee the battle, both sides are accusing each other of endangering civilians, and aid agencies say a humanitarian disaster is looming because of shrinking supplies of water, electricity and food. “NATO has significant influence over the actions of (NTC) forces,” said Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch. “And needs to use it to ensure that the NTC meet their legal obligation under international law (to avoid civilian casualties),” he said.

Another challenge for NATO, Bouckaert added, was preventing NTC forces from taking action against civilians they suspect of siding with Gaddafi loyalists. “It is essential that those civilian populations, even if they are proGaddafi, do not suffer from vengeance,” he said.

NATO officials acknowledge difficulties they are facing in Gaddafi’s last strongholds but have given little indication of how much firepower the deposed leader has at his disposal, other

than “small logistical and mobility capabilities”.

“Their actions are limited to tactical initiatives in isolated pockets, representing a fraction of Libya’s territory and population,” said NATO spokesman Colonel Roland Lavoie. “They don’t control many access routes within Libya. The mission is not yet over but the end is near”.

Focusing on Gaddafi loyalists’ access routes to supplies or way out of their strongholds might be an important part of NATO tactics in the near future, military experts said. “A very big role NATO can play is to dominate the terrain, the roads outside of town,” said Ripley. “They can enforce the siege but they cannot finish off Gaddafi forces. They can prevent them from rebuilding, replenishing or escaping.”

Already, NATO figures from recent days show the alliance’s targeting has focused on storage and command facilities and less on tanks and artillery assets. Outside of Sirte and Bani Walid, NATO forces will likely concentrate on hunting down any weaponry left behind by the Gaddafi regime, experts said. “There is a lot of kit left in the country,” said Douglas Barrie, a military aviation specialist at London’s International Institute of Strategic Studies. “ The bombing campaign didn’t destroy all of the regime’s military capacity by any stretch of imagination. We didn’t have enough aircraft, we didn’t have enough time.

“I suppose the (NATO) thinking is they don’t want to leave any credible rump of military capabilities that could cause problems for the transitional council.”— Reuters

Qaeda woes deepen with propagandist loss

By William Maclean he killing of Anwar Al-Awlaki robs Al-Qaeda of a Websavvy propagandist who inspired lone militants in the United States and Britain to acts of violence, helping the Pakistan-based core leadership project an image of menace even as it scattered under US drone attacks. But the death of the American of Yemeni ancestry may not hurt the group’s activities in the oil-rich Gulf, home to its most ambitious branch, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which is trying, with uneven success, to exploit Yemen’s accelerating descent into conflict. Revenge attacks on Western targets in Yemen, possibly by his Awlaki tribe, are a distinct possibility.

And the killing of a US citizen by US missiles fired from unmanned drone aircraft may focus public attention on moral and constitutional questions that human rights groups say are bound up with Washington’s use of such remotely controlled weapons. “Given that he was almost entirely focused on international operations against the United Sates, I doubt very much that his death will dent AQAP activity within Yemen at all,” said Henry Wilkinson of Janusian security consultants. “His death is a win for the US but I don’t think it’s a game changer as far as AQAP’s core business is concerned.”

Awlaki was tied to a string of militant attacks and plots in the past three years including the killing of 13 people at the Fort Hood, Texas, military base by a US army major, a failed attempt to down an airliner over Detroit, the stabbing of a British lawmaker and the involvement of a British airline employee in a plot to plant explosives in an aircraft. Anna Murison, of Britain’s Exclusive Analysis, said that “operationally it makes no odds - apart from on the recruitment side”. “AQAP are hampered in their ability to conduct transnational attacks because they do not have the large pool of Western recruits that core AQ in Pakistan used to enjoy. Awlaki could have helped them develop that base.”

Awlaki’s death is evidence of the increasing precision of the US counter-terrorism campaign against the transnational group responsible for the Sept 11, 2001 attacks on US cities.

His killing quickens the momentum of successes this year against prominent militant figures including of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May in Pakistan, the death in June of Al-Qaeda ally Ilyas Kashmiri, and the killing in August of Atiyah Abd Al-Rahman, a Libyan and reportedly Al-Qaeda’s then number two figure.

Bruce Hoffman, Director, Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University in the United States, told Reuters that his death first and foremost represented “a triumph for US intelligence”. “The string of targeted killings of senior Al-Qaeda leaders this year, starting with bin Laden, through Ilyas Kashmiri and other commanders, to Al-Awlaki is testament to the intelligence community’s unparalleled and unrivaled sophistication. The main impact of his killing will be the demoralization of our enemy. They can try to run, but this

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series of targeted killings shows that they can’t hide.”

It is not clear whether Awlaki held a formal role in AlQaeda, and there is debate in the counter-terrorism community over whether he was only a propagandist or whether he was an active plotter who helped to orchestrate AQAP’s attacks in the West. But what has emerged in court testimony is that he responded personally to militants who contacted him by email and encouraged them to act on their antiWestern beliefs, indicating that violence was permissible and even mandatory. Hoffman said he believed Awlaki had a “key

This Oct 2008 file photo shows Anwar AlAwlaki in Yemen. — AP operational role”.

John J LeBeau, a former operational officer for the Central Intelligence Agency, told Reuters that Awlaki’s involvement in the various attacks by individuals in recent years meant that Awlaki “was not merely a propagandist in the traditional sense, he actively and successfully incited people to kill Americans. “As well, he was charismatic and enjoyed a following....That is now history, again leaving Al-Qaeda stuck with

the ageing and decidedly uncharismatic (Al-Qaeda leader Ayman) Zawahri as its public face.”

But LeBeau added that it was an open question “whether a new Awlaki will emerge, equally effective with English-speaking recruits to enjoy relatively broad appeal via writings, and audio and video statements”. US officials are worried about the emergence of so-called homegrown militants in the United States who apparently radicalise themselves by visiting Internet sites that host strongly anti-Western Islamist commentary written in English.

US officials have said Washington has authorised the CIA to kill or capture Awlaki. AQAP has threatened the United States with more attacks should he be harmed. AQAP is one of several Al-Qaeda offshoots that have sprung up in the past three years and are trying to attract militants from the West to their ranks, apparently encouraged by bin Laden.

Jeremy Binne, a terrorism specialist at IHS Jane’s, said: “Arguably, the campaign against the US homeland was always a bit of a side show compared to AQAP’s attempts to destabilise Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Even if it does continue to plot against the US, it does not have anyone who can tap into an international support network in the same way that he did, so his death would seem to represent a significant reduction in the group’s international operational capabilities, as well as its ability to produce slick media for Anglophone audiences.”

Murison of Exclusive Analysts said that Awlaki’s death might complicate political calculations for Yemeni authorities including President Ali Abdullah Saleh, recently returned from medical treatment in Saudi Arabia and seeking to reimpose himself on an increasingly violent political scene. But she added: “If the Yemenis are able to deflect blame on to the Americans enough (by denying they had any role in supplying intelligence for this), Saleh may escape unscathed from Awlaki reprisals, which would instead come against Western targets presumably. But Awlaki tribal reprisals would look different from AQAP terrorist reprisals, and could come in the form of kidnap demanding financial compensation for the death, rather than, say, large vehicle bombs. Evan Kohlmann, an independent counter-terrorism consultant in the United States, said Awlaki would live on in his recorded sermons. “He may be as much trouble dead as alive,” he said. In an article in March for an Al-Qaeda online magazine, Awlaki welcomed the revolts sweeping the Arab world, saying they would help rather than harm Al-Qaeda’s cause by giving Islamists freed from tyranny greater scope to speak out. Western and Arab officials say the example set by young Arabs seeking peaceful political change is a counterweight to Al-Qaeda’s push for violent militancy and weakens its argument that democracy and Islam are incompatible. But Awlaki said: “Our mujahideen brothers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and the rest of the Muslim world will get a chance to breathe again after three decades of suffocation,” he wrote, using a term that refers generally to Islamic guerrilla groups or holy warriors. — Reuters

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Safina to quit tennis MOSCOW: Former world number one Dinara Safina has no chance of making a comeback from injury and will soon announce her retirement, according to big brother Marat Safin.

Safina, 25, has not played since early May because of persistent back pain. She announced in August that she would not play again this year.

“I don’t know how long my time out is going to last because I don’t want to torture myself and my body anymore,” the Russian said then. But brother Marat said she had quit for good.

“If you recall, Dinara first suffered the injury

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

sp orts

Years

in Beijing two years ago,” the former men’s world number one was quoted as saying yesterday by Russian media. “She had tried several times to make a comeback but it only caused her more problems.

“Now she must think of herself, not if she could play again, but just to live a normal life.

She must continue with her therapy, but would not be able to play again.

“She will make an official announce ment, but being her brother, I think she has no chance at all of mak ing a come back.” — Reuters

Life ban for match-fixing

Call to assist medals probe LONDON: Amateur boxing’s world body has formally asked the BBC to provide evidence behind its allegations that Azerbaijan was promised two gold medals at next year ’s London Olympics in exchange for a $9 million loan.

The claims, strongly denied by the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA), were aired on Sept. 23 on BBC’s Newsnight programme.

The BBC said it had uncovered evidence of ‘secret payments’ from a mystery source in Azerbaijan to World Series Boxing (WSB), a competition run under the auspices of AIBA. Despite dismissing the allegations as “preposterous and utterly untrue”, Swiss-based AIBA

has set up a committee to investigate and said in a statement on Friday that the first meeting would be next week. “ The Committee Chairman has written to the BBC to formally request that it assist the Committee in its investigation by providing all evidence relied upon by the BBC in support of its allegations,” AIBA said. “ The Committee will hold its first meeting on 6 October,” added the body, currently busy with the amateur world championships in Baku.

“For the time being, and until the Committee has conducted its full investigation, AIBA will not be in a position to make any further communications regarding these allegations.”— Reuters

LONDON: Serbian tennis player David Savic has received a life ban for attempting to fix matches. The Tennis Integrity Unit says the 659th-ranked Savic was also fined $100,000 after being found guilty of three violations of the sport’s international anti-corruption program. The ban begins immediately. He’s the second player to get a lifetime ban. In May, Austrian player Daniel Koellerer was the first to be banned for match-fixing.

The 26-year-old Savic was found guilty of the same three violations of the sport’s anti-corruption rules as Koellerer, including “contriving or attempting to contrive the outcome of an event.” Savic reached a career

best 363rd in the rankings in 2009 and never played above the challenger circuit.

The anti-corruption hearing was held on Sept. 12 in London and details will not be made public, the TIU said. Koellerer, a former Davis Cup player who once ranked 55th, is fighting his ban that resulted from violations between October 2009 and July 2010. The TIU has been set up on behalf of the International Tennis Federation and the ATP and WTA Tours. Five Italians were among lower-ranked players sanctioned by the ATP in recent years for betting on matches receiving suspensions ranging from six weeks to nine months between 2007-08. French player Mathieu Montcourt also was banned for two months in 2008.—AP

Rays’ Moore dominates Rangers ARLINGTON: Making only his second major league start, Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore pitched seven scoreless innings to lead the Rays to a 9-0 win over the Texas Rangers in Friday’s opener of their American League Division Series.

Kelly Shoppach homered twice and drove in five runs, Johnny Damon also homered and Tampa Bay dominated the whole way thanks mostly to their 22-year-old rookie pitcher.

The Rays played for the first time since their dramatic rally on the final day of the regular season, coming back from a seven-run deficit to beat the New York Yankees in extra innings, and thereby edge Boston for the AL wilcard.

Manager Joe Maddon had no qualms about starting the series with Moore, who made his first start last week at Yankee Stadium and struck out 11 in five scoreless innings.

And just that quickly, Moore has gone from top pitching prospect to postseason star.

Facing the AL’s top-hitting team, Moore struck out six.

Rookie Brandon Gomes and Wade Davis both pitched a hitless inning in relief to complete the first shutout in Rays postseason history.

Moore, who had thrown only 9 1-3 innings in the majors before this start, took a deep breath before his first pitch. He was the first pitcher to ever start a postseason opener with only one previous career start. He was smiling by the late innings and greeted by hugs in the Rays dugout after he had thrown his last pitch.

Having the youngster on the mound led to another important decision for Maddon, who opted to go with the light-hitting Shoppach behind the plate.

The catcher from nearby Fort Worth homered twice off Rangers ace C.J. Wilson and matched a Rays postseason record with five RBIs. After Wilson hit Ben Zobrist with a pitch in the second, Damon followed with a two-run homer that put the Rays ahead to stay. What looked like a high popup just kept carrying and cleared the wall in right field.

Shoppach, a .176 hitter in the regular season, followed with a single and later scored on a hit by Matt Joyce for a 3-0 lead. An inning later, Shoppach hit a 410-foot homer to center.

Tampa led 8-0 after Damon reached base on a two-out error in the fifth and Shoppach followed with a 415-foot homer to left.

Damon drove in another run with an infield single in the ninth.

Wilson had never lost to the Rays until Friday, when he gave up eight runs (six earned) over five innings. His worst outing of the season came at the most inopportune time.

Texas and Tampa Bay have picked up where they left off last postseason, when the visiting team won every game in their fivegame series. That’s the only time that has ever happened in the majors.

The Rangers won that series and then went on to beat the Yankees in the AL championship before losing to San Francisco in the World Series. Texas is only 3-9 in postseason games at Rangers Ballpark, where they had never won a playoff game until last year. —AP

ARLINGTON: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matt Moore delivers to the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning of Game 1 in baseball’s American League division series playoffs. — AP

Yankees playoff opener suspended due to rain

ANAHEIM: Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf (15) battles for a face-off with Los Angeles Kings center Trevor Lewis during the second period of an NHL preseason hockey game. — AP

Kings march over Ducks ANAHEIM: Defenseman Willie Mitchell got the go-ahead goal at 14:17 of the third period, Mike Richards also scored and Jonathan Bernier made 28 saves for the Los Angeles Kings in a 3-1 preseason victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night. Teemu Selanne scored for the Ducks, who had won their previous three games.

Jonas Hiller stopped 12 of 13 shots for Anaheim before Dan Ellis replaced him midway through the second period with the Ducks trailing 1-0.

Hiller has given up just three goals on 67 shots in three preseason starts after a lengthy bout with vertigo following the All-Star break.

Ellis turned aside 16 of the 17 shots he faced.

Anze Kopitar scored an emptynet goal for the Kings with 26 seconds to play. The Kings got a break when an attempted clearing pass by the Ducks inadvertently struck a linesman and bounced back toward the Anaheim blue line.

Mitchell got the puck from Simon Gagne and beat Ellis to the glove side with a slap shot from the left circle for his first goal of the preseason.

Richards, who came to the Kings in a June 23 trade after averaging 28 goals over the previous four seasons with Philadelphia, opened the scoring at 1:08 of the second period when he got the puck from Dwight King and beat Hiller from shor t range for his first preseason goal.

Anaheim’s Maxime Macenauer got the first penalty of the game 3

minutes into the period for goalie interference, after he was thwarted

by Bernier on a solo rush and crashed into him.

But the Kings came up empty on the power play, and the Ducks tied it at 10:53 of the second on Selanne’s one-timer from the left circle while Jarret Stoll was off for cross-checking.

The Ducks and Kings, who open the regular season overseas, won’t be back in Southern California until mid-October.

Anaheim hosts San Jose on Oct. 14 in the Honda Center opener, and Los Angeles hosts St. Louis on Oct. 18 in the Staples Center opener.

Last season marked the first time the Ducks and Kings made it to the playoffs in the same year, and both were knocked out in the opening round. They begin their six-game season series with a home -andhome set Nov. 16-17.

The Ducks (3-4-0) conclude their preseason schedule next Tuesday in Helsinki, Finland, against the Jokrit club before opening their season with games against the Buffalo Sabres in Helsinki on Oct. 7, and the New York Rangers on Oct. 8 in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Kings (3-1-2) continue their preseason schedule Saturday night at Las Vegas against the Colorado Avalanche. They have one more preseason game in Hamburg, Germany, before opening the regular season against the Rangers on Oct. 7 at Stockholm and play the following day in Berlin against the Sabres. — AP

NEW YORK: Before they could really get rolling, Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia were done. A pair of aces washed away after fewer than 30 pitches.

The playoff opener between the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees was suspended because of rain in the second inning Friday night, wiping out both No. 1 starters for a few days. The game will resume late yesterday with the score tied at 1, but neither perennial All-Star will be back on the mound until they get some rest.

“I do feel bad for the national audience,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “Certainly, it was really a marquee matchup. That’s a little sad, but that’s just the way it is.”

Verlander started for Detroit against Sabathia in a highly anticipated matchup between two of baseball’s best pitchers. The teams played for 30 minutes before the game was halted.

According to a rule adopted by Major League Baseball after rain and snow wreaked havoc with the 2008 World Series, the game is not postponed. So it will pick up late yesterday at the point of suspension - weather permitting -

with the Yankees coming to bat in the bottom of the second inning.

The forecast calls for rain through late yesterday.

Neither ace is scheduled to pitch again until at least Game 3 tomorrow, likely limiting both to one start even if the best-of-five American League series goes the distance.

“It’s definitely disappointing,” Sabathia said. “It looked like it was going to be a good game.”

Instead, what was already a wild week for baseball became a wet one, too.

So why did the game start if steady showers were on the way?

The commissioner’s office consulted three weather services Friday before making a decision, and Yankees president Randy Levine said the rain “came from nowhere.”

“We certainly were not going to start a game if we had a forecast of heavy rain. Whether it was CC or Justin or two other guys, because it certainly isn’t fair to either club,” said Joe Torre, executive vice president of baseball operations for MLB. “Our forecast was light, intermittent showers.

Nothing that was threatening,

except until late tonight.

Obviously that forecast changed, and we came up with the result that we did.”

Delmon Young homered for the Tigers and Alex Rodriguez had an RBI groundout, both in the first inning. All statistics from Friday night will count.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said rookie right-hander Ivan Nova will be on the mound when the game resumes Saturday at 8:37 p.m. He had been slated to go in Game 2, which was moved back to Sunday at 3:07 p.m., a scheduled day off in the series.

MLB said there will not be a doubleheader during the series.

“Just had a nice bullpen in front of half of America today,” Verlander said. “It was a little disappointing. Now I’ve got a start tomorrow to look forward to, start getting prepared for that.”

Freddy Garcia will pitch the second game for New York instead of Game 3, Girardi said, adding that he wasn’t sure yet when Sabathia would go again. “I want the ball as much as possible,” the big lefty said.

Sabathia added that he would make his pitch to Girardi to start

today, but the manager said: “It’s not the right thing to do.”

Doug Fister, the Tigers’ scheduled starter for Game 2, will pitch when Game 1 resumes. Max Scherzer was moved up from Game 3 to Game 2 and Verlander will start Game 3 tomorrow. “ This is not a big deal.

Everybody does the best they can. Everybody is kind of scurrying around right now. There’s no sense getting excited,” Leyland said. “I don’t worry about stuff like that. I think when the manager makes a big deal about something like that, it affects the players. It is what it is. Good Lord, it rained. So what?”

Verlander and Fister are both right-handed. But the Tigers fielded a lineup Friday night that was stacked with right-handed hitters against Sabathia. Now that same group will have to remain in the game, at least at first, against Nova.

“That’s the one little dilemma probably, but it will work out,” Leyland said. “I’m going to keep my lineup in there and see how the game plays out. Obviously, I’m not going to start pulling guys out.”—AP

NEW YORK: Yankees’ Derek Jeter (left) beats the throw to Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera in the first inning during Game 1 of baseball’s American League division series. — AP

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England edge Scotland to reach quarter-finals

TOKYO: Australia’s Casey Stoner takes a corner during qualifying for the MotoGP Grand Prix of Japan at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit. —AP

Stoner on pole in Japan MOTEGI: Australian Moto GP world championship leader Casey Stoner will start on pole in today’s Grand Prix of Japan after recording the fastest time in qualifying yesterday.

The Honda rider, who won in Motegi last year on a Ducati, clocked 1min 45.267sec, the fastest lap time here on a motorcycle and 0.256sec faster than reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo of Spain on a Yamaha. He was also 0.524sec ahead of Italian Honda teammate Andrea Dovizioso, who took pole last year. It is Stoner’s 10th pole position of the season, also a new record for Moto GP, and his fourth in a row after the last three races in Aragon, San Marino and Indianapolis.

The new surface of the Twin Ring Motegi, laid after damage caused by Japan’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11, gave his soft tyres “fantastic” grip, Stoner said.

“Everything seems to be going well.

The bike’s working well,” he said. “We still need to improve a few small things. For me, on this circuit, I am pretty happy with the way things are going. We just have to wait out for tomorrow and see what the weather does and give it our best,” he said.

Having won eight of the 14 races so

far this season, Stoner enjoys a 44-point lead over Lorenzo and victory in Motegi would improve his chances of securing the championship at his home Grand Prix in Australia on October 16.

Honda have an edge over other manufacturers at the Japanese circuit as they use Motegi to develop their bikes, Stoner has said in the past.

Lorenzo, who settled for fifth place in the three free practice sessions, said his team “changed the bike completely” before the qualifying round.

“It’s unbelievable, the lap time,” the Spaniard said. “We were quite close to Honda (riders). On this track, they are so competitive.”

“So tomorrow (Sunday) is going to be a tough race for us, for all the Yamaha riders. But we are fighting with full motivation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dovizioso said he was happy to start from the front row. “I’m really happy with the work of the team and the Honda is working really well at this track, I think tomorrow we will have a great race,” he said.

Fellow Honda rider Dani Pedrosa came in fourth, followed by Ben Spies on a Yamaha and Marco Simoncelli also on a Honda. Valentino Rossi on a Ducati was seventh.—AFP

Ogier takes lead, Oliveira crashes COLMAR: Sebastien Ogier powered into the lead in the Rally of France here yesterday as Brazilian driver Daniel Oliveira crashed out.

Oliveira and his co-driver Carlos Magalhaes came to grief in the 15th special stage with the pair having to be removed from their Mini Cooper by organisers.

There was no immediate confirmation of any injuries but one of Oliveira’s entourage told France Bleu Alsace radio: “He is conscious and that’s the most important thing.”

Ogier took control of the overall standings after posting the fastest times in stages 14 and 15 to surge seven sec-

onds clear of Spaniard Dani Sordo in a Mini Cooper.

Sordo picked up the 12th stage earlier yesterday to take a two tenths of a second lead over Ogier who had emerged as the main challenger after annexing stages nine and 11.

Sebastien Loeb, chasing an eighth world title, was forced out of this 11th leg of the world rally championship season after his Citroen suffered engine problems on Friday. Loeb heads the race for the 2011 drivers’ title on 196 points, 15 points clear of Ford’s Finnish driver Mikko Hirvonen, who is sixth, 1:47 off the lead, going into yesterday’s afternoon action in Alsace.—AFP

AUCKLAND: England rallied in the second half of a hard-fought match to defeat Scotland 16-12 yesterday and ensure a place in the World Cup quarter-finals after the first game on neutral territory between rugby union’s oldest rivals.

A Chris Ashton try, his sixth of the tournament, near the end of the Pool B clash on a wet and windy night at Eden Park set England up for a quarter-final against France next Saturday.

France limped into the knockout stages despite losing 19-14 to Tonga in Wellington, their second loss on successive Saturdays, while twice champions Australia took their place in the last eight with a 68-22 victory over Russia.

The Scots, who needed to win by eight points to reach the knockout stages, dominated the forward exchanges to lead 12-3 after 56 minutes.

But they then messed up the kickoff and turned over possession to England. Jonny Wilkinson, who had endured another indifferent day with the boot, dropped a goal to spark the revival which preserved the 2003 champions’ unbeaten record.

“We are sometimes making it very hard for ourselves but I think the main thing is the character we showed to get ourselves out of a very tough hole,” said manager Martin Johnson.

Tonga celebrated the biggest upset of the tournament and the greatest day in the Pacific islanders’ rugby history while at the same time lamenting the 25-

AUCKLAND: Scotland’s Joe Ansbro is tackled by England’s Delon Armitage during their Rugby World Cup game at Eden Park. —AP

20 loss to Canada which has ultimately cost them a quarter-final place.

The Tongans squandered the opportunity to score at least five tries against the twice finalists, who needed an injury time try to Vincent Clerc to capture a losing bonus point.

Their victory followed Samoa’s 13-5 loss to defending champions’ South Africa on Friday and underlined the wealth of rugby talent in the Pacific Islands.

“We are capable of beating

England but if we play like we did against Tonga, we will be heading back to France,” said France captain Thierry Dusautoir.

Australia’s victory came at a price with a hamstring injury for Drew Mitchell that looks likely to have ended the winger’s involvement in the tournament.

The Wallabies joined their TriNations’ rivals New Zealand and Australia in the knockout phase and the Wallabies might have to beat them both to reach the final if Ireland defeat Italy on Sunday

to finish top of Pool C. Mitchell, who suffered a badly broken leg in April, added his second try early in the second half but pulled up going for his third.

New Zealand also have injury problems before their final Pool A match against Canada on Sunday, with their two most influential players relegated to the sidelines.

Captain Richie McCaw will rest a long-standing foot injury while flyhalf Daniel Carter left training with a groin injury sustained during kicking practice.—Reuters

3-sport star Tumba dies at 80 STOCKHOLM: Sven Tumba, the Swedish sports icon who was honored in 1999 as the country’s best ever hockey player and later became a golf pioneer in Sweden and the former Soviet Union, has died. He was 80. The Swedish Ice Hockey Association said on its website yesterday that Tumba, he was inducted into the International Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997, died overnight after a period of illness at a Stockholm hospital.

“Swedish ice hockey has lost one of its biggest players through time,” SIHA Chairman Christer Englund said. “With his ice hockey knowledge and with his enthusiasm he made ice hockey popular and attracted more people to our sport.”

A three-sport star, Tumba also represented Sweden in soccer and golf. In 1954, he played five games for the national soccer team, but wasn’t on the squad that finished third in the World Cup later that year in Brazil. In 1959, he helped lead Djurgarden to the Swedish soccer championship.

Starting in 1951, Tumba also played hockey for Djurgarden and won eight Swedish championships and three goal titles for Sweden’s winningest hockey club. He played in 14 world championships and four Winter Olympics for Sweden, and was selected the best forward at the 1957 and 1962 worlds. He was the top goal scorer in the 1964 Winter Olympics when Sweden finished second behind the Soviet Union.

In 1957, Tumba became one of the first European players to attend an NHL training camp, but never signed a contract with the Boston Bruins and returned to Sweden.

Later that season, he helped Sweden win the world championship title over the Soviet Union before an outdoor crowd of more than 50,000 at Lenin Stadium.

The organizers didn’t have the Swedish national anthem ready for the awards ceremony, so the Swedish players grabbed a mike and

instead sang Sweden’s most famous schnapps song on the P.A. system.

“Hockey was my whole life, that’s what my heart was in,” he told Swedish Radio in an interview this summer. After retiring from hockey, Tumba became a serious golfer, course designer and ambassador of the game. In the early 1960s, he took his first swing on Sweden’s oldest golf course on Lidingo island outside Stockholm, putting his tee ball on the green and two-putted for par on the first hole. From then on, he was hooked.

“My hobbies? Golf, golf and golf,” he said a few years ago.

As a golf pro, Tumba represented Sweden at the 1973 World Cup, he invited Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to exhibitions in Sweden and founded the Volvo Open, now the SAS Masters.

Tumba designed several courses in Sweden and the first in the Soviet Union, a 10-minute drive from Red Square in Moscow.

“I started thinking seriously about it after taking the Soviet hockey players to my indoor driving range in Stockholm in the late 1960s,” Tumba said in an interview with The Associated Press in Moscow a year before the course opened in 1989.

Among those accepting honorary memberships in the Tumba Golf Club were former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, soccer star Pele, Arnold Palmer and Seve Ballesteros, track star Carl Lewis, tennis great Bjorn Borg, actor Sean Connery and former heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson. Mike Tyson and Pele were among those attending a crowded ceremony when the driving range opened.

During the Swedish Golf Federation’s centennial in 2004, Tumba received an award as the most influential profile in Swedish golf ahead of Annika Sorenstam among others.

“They laughed at me in the 1960s when I predicted that golf would become one of the most popular

SWEDEN: In this Feb. 1960 file photo, Swedish sports legend Sven Tumba poses during the presentation of Sweden’s Olympic hockey team in Stockholm, Sweden.—AP sports in Sweden,” Tumba once said.

“But I was right. Anyone can play golf in Sweden, not only the wealthy.”

During his last years, Tumba devoted much of his time to the Sven Tumba Education Fund, a global project using sport as a catalyst to capture a child’s interest in reading and writing, teamwork, sharing and self respect. The Fund received support by FIFA, football’s world governing body, and it’s president, Sepp Blatter, in 2006.

Born Sven Johansson, one of the most common family names in Sweden, he changed his family name to Tumba - a small town south of Stockholm where he was born - in 1965. During most of his retired life, Tumba lived with his wife in West Palm Beach, Fla., visiting Sweden only in the summer. Tumba is survived his wife Mona and sons Tommie, Johan, Stefan and Daniel.

Funeral arrangements were not immediately known.—AP

League and players to continue labor talks

FRANCE: US rally driver Ken Block and his co-pilot Italy’s Alex Gelsomino steer their Ford Fiesta RS WRC during the14th stage of the Rally de France. —AP

NEW YORK: No progress was made after four hours of “engaging” talks between National Basketball Association (NBA) team owners and locked out players on Friday, intensifying fears of a delayed start to the regular season.

Representatives on both sides have met several times in recent weeks in an attempt to resolve their long-running labor dispute and further negotiations will now take place in New York over the weekend.

“We had an engaging meeting today, discussed a lot of different ideas, concepts, system issues, economics,” NBA Players Association president Derek Fisher told reporters.

“We did not come out of here with a deal today, but we’ll be back here tomorrow at 10 am to continue to discuss, try to bridge this gap. Today was just about expressing ourselves, our team owners did as well.

“We’ll continue to try and get it done, but I don’t k now if it ’s going to happen this

weekend.” Fisher, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, was accompanied by several leading players at Friday’s talks, among them LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant.

The main sticking point between the owners and players once again appeared to be the salary cap and NBA Commissioner David Stern was wary of negotiation time running out.

“I just know as I stand here that the calendar is not our friend,” Stern said. “Both sides agreed the consequences of not making a deal lead us to the prospect of possibly at some point in the-not-distant future losing regular-season games.

“Our deal with the players is that if we don’t have an agreement on everything than we have an agreement on nothing, and so there’s no such thing as a concensus.

The only concensus we have is that we should turn up tomorrow and negotiate.”

The regular season is scheduled to begin

on Nov. 1 but, with no deal in place for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the league risks postponing or cancelling regular season games for only the second time in its history.

The NBA last week announced they had postponed training camps and canceled the first week of preseason games.

“There are enormous consequences at play here,” Stern said before Friday’s talks.

“Either we’ll make very good progress and we know how good that would be. “Or we won’t make any progress and then it won’t be a question of just starting the season on time. There will be a lot at risk.”

NBA owners contend the league lost $300 million last season with 22 of 30 teams in the red. They want the league’s share of basketball-related income increased from 50 to 57 percent, along with a firm salary cap and shor ter contrac ts. The players offered to reduce their share to 54.3 percent.—Reuters

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Radwanska defeats Vera to win Pan Pacific Open

NEW DELHI: Red Bull supported Formula One racer Daniel Ricciardo performs in New Delhi yesterday. Ricciardo performed on Delhi’s famous Rajpath in a demonstration run ahead of the country’s inaugural Grand Prix later this month. —AP

India grapples with F1 hosting logistics NEW DELHI: India is banking on its hosting of a Formula One Grand Prix to be a boon for tourism, yet hotel shortages and airline price increases may cause headaches for fans intent on travelling to the sport’s newest frontier.

The Buddh International Circuit was given a clearance by top F1 bosses last month, with FIA race director Charlie Whiting recommending only minor alterations to the 5.14-kilometer track ahead of the inaugural race on Oct. 30.

With the track seemingly in order, attention has turned to the logistics of hosting sport’s biggest travelling circus and tens of thousands of visiting fans.

The location of the track is problematical, as Greater Noida, 40 kilometers from New Delhi, is a new suburb with only a handful of decent hotels. Those in the adjoining area of Noida are full for the period and a long commute through the dense traffic from New Delhi is the only option left.

“There has been a great surge for room bookings in that area,” said Rajneesh Malhotra, executive director of Bestech Hospitalities Private Ltd which runs the 88-room Park Plaza hotel in Noida.

“October anyway is a good month for hotels and with F1 taking place during this period the demand for rooms has shot up. During the Grand Prix, hotels are selling their rooms for around 50-80 per cent higher than the month average,” Malhotra told The Associated Press.

Rooms with a tariff of around 6,000 rupees ($130) have generally gone for 9,000 rupees ($200) or more and it has also resulted in super luxury suites priced at around 40,000 rupees ($950) being booked well in advance.

“While Indian media reports saying rooms have gone for 10 times their tariff are not true, the fact is that the 2-3 exorbitant presidential or luxury suits in a hotel that are generally not in demand, have been taken during this period,” Malhotra said.

Greater Noida and Noida boast of just over a dozen hotels with a rating of three stars and above and it is no surprise that rooms have been sold out.

Vikas Suda, director of New Delhibased travel company VDOIT4U, told AP that he usually booked hotels in Greater Noida only for residential conferences, but this year has been different.

“We are holding about 18 rooms in prominent hotels of the area,” Suda said.

“Our clients gave us the queries well in advance and we were able to manage good rates for them.” But Suda said he has to now resort to booking rooms at hotels in New Delhi.

“We are left with no option but to look at New Delhi hotels as there is no way we can manage more rooms in Greater Noida or the adjoining area of Noida,” Suda said.

“Airfares too have seen a surge upward of at least 25 per cent from different Indian cities with those from Mumbai doubling from the normal average of 7,000 rupees ($155) to 14,000 rupees ($ 310).

“Flight rates have gone through the roof, but most of those bookings are generally being done by my clients on the internet since the first thing they want in place is the air bookings,” said Suda, who plans to launch special F1 packages next year.

“We are waiting for the next Grand Prix, to design and launch packages which can be promoted not only in India but abroad too. We definitely see a market there and a package deal would be welcome for lovers of F1,” Suda said.

Private enterprise Jaypee Group has invested $ 215 million at the venue and procured 10-year rights for the Indian F1 race but other investors may take time before taking a plunge.

“I would not like to speculate on investments in the hospitality sector, but it will be safe to say that events like these would definitely enhance the perception of the area in general and many businesses including hotels will benefit,” Malhotra said.

Suda felt a lot would depend on the success of the first edition and it could make up for the negative publicity during last year’s Commonwealth Games which were marked by construction delays and corruption allegations.

“A lot of foreign enthusiasts are waiting for the success of the first Grand Prix. I am sure once we are able to pull it off, there would be a lot of high-end clients making a beeline for the next one,” Suda said.

Vijay Thakur, chief of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, said the success of F1 in India is not guaranteed.

“F1 is bound to generate a lot of international interest, but it depends on how it is marketed. Otherwise, our expectations may not be met,” Thakur was quoted as saying by Business Standard newspaper.—AP

Fleetwood, Hoey lead Dunhill Links CARNOUSTIE: Unsung Tommy Fleetwood and Michael Hoey outshone the world’s best in the Dunhill Links Championship by sharing a oneshot second-round lead on Friday.

England’s Fleetwood, normally a Challenge Tour player, and Northern Irishman Hoey were the halfway frontrunners on 12-under-par 132.

Fleetwood’s 63 at Kingsbarns was one stroke off world number two Lee Westwood’s 2003 course record, while Hoey, also at Kingsbarns, added a second 66. The pair were one stroke better than the 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen (67).

The 20-year-old Fleetwood, ranked 202nd in the world, lost out in the final at Turnberry in 2008 to Dutchman Reiner Saxton when he was poised to be the youngest winner of the British Amateur title.

Since turning professional he has had to ply his trade on the Challenge Tour and this year he has swept all before him on the lower-tiered tour, winning the Kazakhstan Open three weeks ago and heading the rankings, making a full tour card a certainty next year. “I know where I’m playing next year and that’s given me confidence,” Fleetwood told reporters after picking up nine birdies in a faultless round. “My name is in pretty good company right now.

“I had chances to win on the Challenge Tour and finally got it done in Kazakhstan, let’s see if I can do it on the bigger stage,” Fleetwood added.

Hoey, 271st in the rankings, took the British Amateur title in 2001 but struggled to make any impact in the professional ranks until winning the 2009 Portuguese Open. He then added the Madeira Islands Open title in May. “Landing a really big title has obviously been a long-time goal,” Hoey, 32, said. “I led this tournament a couple of years ago after two rounds so I’ve had the experience before.

“My putting has improved with a new coach and a new putter, so I’m hopeful this will be my week.”

Oosthuizen had his week last year at St Andrews and the South African, with two rounds at the course to come, is hoping to do well again there.

“I’ve had a pretty thin time of it over the last few months but perhaps St Andrews will be kind to me again,” he said.

The 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell was in a large group two shots off the pace. McDowell was also hoping to turn back the clock at the Old Course where in 2004 he posted a course-record 62. Two bogeys in the last three holes dropped world number six and defending champion Martin Kaymer three shots off the pace.

World number one Luke Donald hit 71 to put himself eight shots behind the top duo, losing ground on his world-ranking and money-list rivals, Westwood and world number three Rory McIlroy, who were both five shots adrift.—Reuters

TOKYO: Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland overcame a slow start yesterday to beat Vera Zvonareva 63, 6-2 in the final of the Pan Pacific Open.

The ninth-seeded Radwanska was down 2-0 early at Ariake Colosseum but stormed back to win the first set on the back of Zvonareva’s 22 unforced errors.

“I was a little bit nervous at first,” Radwanska said. “Those first two games went by so fast, I was just trying to do my best. I’m just happy that I woke up quickly and won the first set.”

Zvonareva came back from a 5-1 deficit against Petra Kvitova in Friday’s semifinals but couldn’t stage another turnaround in the final.

Radwanska broke Zvonareva twice to take a 5-2 lead.

Zvonareva held to win the eighth game but Radwanska closed out the first set on another error from the Russian.

The fourth-seeded Zvonareva struggled with her serve, double faulting five times. She broke Radwanska to win the sixth game of the second set to make it 4-2 but any chance of a comeback was dashed when Radwanska broke back in the next game.

“I felt like I started out well and then something happened,” Zvonareva said. “It was not me on the court anymore. I will think about it and try to figure out what happened but it’s one of those things that can happen to anyone.”

TOKYO: Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland kisses the winner’s plate during an award ceremony after beating Vera Zvonareva of Russia in their final match at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. —AP

Radwanska won her first singles title in three years when she defeated Zvonareva at Carlsbad in August. She also beat the Russian player in the third round at the Rogers Cup in Toronto the week after Carlsbad.

With yesterday ’s win, Radwanska still has a chance to reach the WTA Championships

which begin on Oct. 25 in Istanbul, Turkey.

“Before here, I didn’t have really big chances because I was around 14th,” Radwanska said. “I just knew that I had to play really well here and in Beijing just to have a chance. Now, for sure my chances are much bigger to go so I will fight to the end.”

The top eight singles players qualify for the W TA Championships. Radwanska is projected to move up to 12th in the rankings after her win here.

In the doubles final, Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond of the United States beat Italy’s Flavia Pennetta and Gisela Dulko of Argentina 7-6 (4), 0-6, 10-6.—AP

Murray beats Simon, faces Young in final BANGKOK: Top-seeded Andy Murray survived a second-set scare to beat Gilles Simon at the Thailand Open yesterday and set up a final against American Donald Young.

Murray won 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 against his French opponent while the 55th-ranked Young beat second-seeded Gael Monfils of France 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) to reach his first career ATP final. The fourth-ranked Murray won 88 percent of points on his first serve in the opening set before stumbling in longer rallies during the second against the 2009 champion. Murray reached 3-0 and then 5-2 against Simon in the decider but needed six match points to clinch the tie.

Murray, who lost to Roger Federer in the 2005 final, predicted Young will be a tough opponent. “It’s his first final, he’s going to be up for it,” Murray said. “You never know how a guy will react in his first final ... He might be a bit nervous but he doesn’t have anything to lose.”

The ninth-ranked Monfils’ first break point put him ahead 5-4 and he clinched the first set after a forehand error by Young.

Monfils saved one set point

BANGKOK: Gael Monfils of France serves to Donald Young of the United States during their semifinal of the Thailand Open tennis tournament. —AP

while trailing 6-5 in the second before allowing the American back into the match when his own forehand sailed wide as Young clinched the second set.

Young trailed 4-1 in the third set before rallying to 4-4 and then recovering from 5-3 down in the tiebreaker to win after Monfils’ eighth doublefault.

“Lately in the big matches that I’ve won, I’ve been down,” the 22-year-old Young said. “I just tried to fight and not give up.”—AP

UK taekwondo champion Grisman knocked out

LONDON: England’s Tony Grisman, defending British Open champion in the Taekwondo 68kg division practices before the British Open Taekwondo competition. —AP

MANCHESTER: Defending British Open champion Tony Grisman has been knocked out after losing a first-round match marred by scoring difficulties at an international taekwondo competition in Manchester yesterday.

Grisman, winner last year in the men’s 68 kilogram division, was among the favorites to win a medal this weekend. After Grisman’s surprising loss, questions may be raised about whether the scoring system needs more tweaking.

The Manchester tournament is one of the events taekwondo officials are using to fine-tune their new electronic scoring system, which registers points only if athletes strike with sufficient force.

Grisman’s match was suspended during the third and final round for about 20 minutes while officials fixed a problem with the scoring system. Officials found Grisman’s sock sensor on his left foot wasn’t working, due to interference from a wi-fi network that was later closed down. Signals sent from player’s socks when they hit their opponent’s body protector register points automatically.

Grisman failed to score any points until after the suspension.

Despite clawing back four points in about one minute, he lost to Visili Nikitin of Russia by one point. Having beaten Nikitin last year by a significant margin, Grisman was confident he would have won today’s fight if not for the scoring problem.

Ian Leafe, head of the group that organized the competition, said any interference with the scoring system is immediately recognized - and that Grisman’s sensors had likely been working properly until the interruption in the third round, when the problem was fixed.

But Grisman wasn’t convinced. “I’m not happy at all,” he said.

“They’re not sure how long the sensor hadn’t been working, but I scored some clean shots in the first and second rounds that weren’t scored,” he said. Grisman added that he thought the match should have been restarted, but the referees refused.

“I don’t see how it’s fair,” he said. Grisman said taekwondo officials need to implement some type of jamming system around the match area so internet networks don’t interfere with the scoring system. Several other fights were also plagued by scoring difficulties. “I didn’t lose to my opponent,” Grisman said. “I lost to a fault in the (electronic) scoring signal.”—AP

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sp orts

Racing back to Kentucky after traffic nightmares SPARTA: It would be fair to call the inaugural Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway a debacle. That description makes general manager Mark Simendinger wince. But he doesn’t deny there’s little room to soften just how bad things were on July 9. “ The fact is, we blew it,” Simendinger said Friday.

After waiting 10 years to land a coveted Sprint Cup race, the entire region eagerly anticipated what was supposed to be a spectacular Saturday night debut at a facility new track owner Bruton Smith spent millions on to make it a worthy host to one of NASCAR’s premier events.

But as the 107,000-plus fans approached speedway property, officials quickly realized there wasn’t enough parking and the access roads couldn’t adequately handle the crush. The result was a traffic jam that stretched for miles and last-

ed so long, many fans never even made it to the speedway.

Speedway Motorsports Inc., the company that owns the track, went to work in the days after the race to fix the issues and Kentucky Speedway gets its first chance to redeem itself since this weekend. NASCAR’s Trucks Series races Saturday night at the speedway, and the IndyCar Series runs Sunday.

The crowds will be a fraction of what descended on the speedway in July, and temperatures expected to hover in the 50s all weekend will likely discourage much of a walk-up crowd. But Simendinger and his Kentucky staff are determined to prove at every chance possible that there will never be a repeat of what happened 2A1/2 months ago.

“We had a bunch of disaffected and disappointed customers, and that’s a major,

major problem,” Simendinger said. “There are a lot of ways to fix that, but the reality is the only remedy that would satisfy many people is if I could go back and get them out of traffic. I can’t do that, so the job now is to convince people to come back and to trust us that we can handle the kind of crowds this place is built for. “I want everyone to come back and see that we are making it better.”

Two days after the traffic jam, SMI offered a ticket exchange to anyone who missed the Cup race. The unused Kentucky tickets could be used for entry into any events at SMI tracks this season, or swapped for entry into the 2012 race at Kentucky.

That was just the beginning, though, as the real work began in earnest behind the scenes. Smith and his SMI group had to negotiate with state and local officials for

road improvements, while Simendinger had to find remedies in and around the speedway. Within six weeks, an estimated $11 million in improvements were announced.

SMI began by acquiring a 143-acre parcel of land surrounding the speedway that will be converted into parking for more than 10,000 cars. The company also pledged to convert all grass-covered lots to gravel, and painting guidelines to maximize the spaces. Simendinger said the speedway has replaced the parking company it used with a new contractor that has experience at NASCAR tracks Daytona, Pocono and Watkins Glen.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet promised its own $3.6 million worth of enhancements to avoid another disastrous situation.

The exit ramp off of Interstate 71 that

feeds into the speedway will be widened to three lanes, and the road outside the speedway will be widened to five lanes ‚Ä” plus two shoulders ‚Ä” to give it seven full lanes on race day. The state will also pay for an underground pedestrian tunnel beneath Highway 35 to transport fans from the new parking lot to the speedway gates.

SMI president Marcus Smith said the company was “overkilling it” to prove to fans Kentucky will be what many had expected for their inaugural race.

“This weekend is certainly our chance to roll out a red carpet and show people that Kentucky is a great facility,” Smith said. “But we know most of that really comes next year when we prove that a Cup event at Kentucky can be successful. The people who came to the inaugural race will see the improvements, tremendous improvements, and see that we can do this right.”—AP

Agbonlahor helps Villa sink Wigan Aston Villa 2

Wigan 0

LONDON: Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole (right) vies for the ball with West Bromwich Albion’s Steven Reid during their English Premier League soccer match at the Stadium of Light. —AP

Sunderland snatch draw Sunderland 2

West Brom 2 LONDON: Sunderland fought back from a disastrous opening spell to force a 2-2 draw with West Brom and relieve the pressure on Black Cats manager Steve Bruce yesterday.

Bruce’s position at Sunderland has come under scrutiny after a disappointing run of results including a 2-1 loss at Norwich on Monday which left his team hovering just above the relegation zone.

And after five catastrophic opening minutes yesterday, Bruce must have felt like averting his eyes as West Brom raced into a 20 lead with goals from James Morrison and Shane Long.

That double strike was the cue for a chorus of “Bruce Out” to reverberate around the Stadium of Light with Sunderland seemingly headed for what would have been their

fourth defeat of the season.

However, Sunderland were swift to recover from the shock of falling behind, and began to take the game to the Baggies.

They were given hope on 24 minutes when summer signing Nicklas Bendtner netted his first goal for the club since arriving from Arsenal.

The Danish international made it 2-1 when his shot deflected off Gareth McAuley past Ben Foster after good work by Sebastian Larsson and Stephane Sessegnon.

Bendtner then turned provider two minutes later, crossing for Ahmed Elmohamady to head in the equaliser and make it 2-2 in a chaotic opening half hour.

Thereafter Sunderland created good chances to take the lead, with Craig Gardner testing Foster near half-time. But Bruce’s men always appeared vulnerable at the back where Long and Peter Odemwingie repeatedly caused problems for Wes Brown and Michael Turner. Elomhamady had a good chance to snatch all three points for Sunderland on 59 minutes after being played in by Sessegnon but Foster was equal to the challenge with a fine block.—AFP

Rangers go nine points clear GLASGOW: A second half goal from Kyle Lafferty fired Rangers nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League yesterday after grinding out a narrow 1-0 win over a stubborn Hibernian side at Ibrox.

The home side struggled to break down Hibs, who had gone four matches unbeaten in the league, in the first-half with Steven Whittaker blazing a stoppage time penalty over the bar after Lafferty had been brought down by Graham Stack.

Junior Agogo twice missed chances to put Hibs in front before Rangers half-time substitute Jamie Ness saw his strike chopped off for offside. Rangers finally made the breakthrough in the 68th minute when Lafferty got on the end of Gregg Wylde’s chipped pass to fire past Stack.

It was Rangers’ ninth successive league win and piles the pressure on Celtic, who face Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday, although the Hoops have played two games less. Motherwell leapfrogged Celtic in second place with a 3-1 win at Dundee United.

“Hibs played well and we warned the lads before the game that they were more than a dangerous opponent,” said Rangers manager Ally McCoist.

“But having said that I don’t think anyone could argue that we didn’t deserve to win the game. It took a good save at nothing each to keep us in it before we got the goal I think we deserved.” Hibs boss Colin Calderwood was satisfied with his side’s performance. “On reflection they had the better chances first-half and we had one real good chance second-half but we would be kidding ourselves on if overall we thought we deserved to win,” he said.

At Ibrox, Rangers top-scorer Steven Naismith missed out through suspension while American international Alejandro Bedoya was handed his first start.

Early on, Paul Hanlon failed to test Allan McGregor, sending his header straight into the

arms of the keeper from a Martin Scott free-kick wide on the left.

A clever pass from Steven Davis released Wylde into the box but Stack was equal to his first-time effort. The winger then squandered a glorious chance to give Rangers the lead when Nikica Jelavic cushioned a long ball into his path but Wylde blazed his volley over the bar.

In first-half stoppage time Rangers were awarded a penalty when Lafferty was brought down by Stack after the striker rounded the keeper. Whittaker stepped up to take the spotkick but skied his effort over the bar to send the sides in level at the break.

Rangers survived a 59th minute scare when Garry O’Connor laid a chance on a plate for Junior Agogo but McGregor saved his first effort and the Ghanaian sent his second into the side netting after being forced out wide.

Substitute Ness thought he fired Rangers ahead on the hour mark when he stabbed home a low shot past Stack but Lafferty had already been flagged off-side.

The home side finally broke down Hibernian’s stubborn defence in the 68th minute when Wylde’s chipped pass into the box evaded everyone but Lafferty who knocked the ball past Stack from close range.

Stack then superbly saved from a fierce Davis strike late on as Hibs lost out by the narrowest of margins. Elsewhere Motherwell came away with all three points from Tannadice as Dundee United suffered their fourth defeat this season.

Keith Lasley put the visitors ahead after 14 minutes with an error from goalkeeper Dusan Pernis allowing Michael Higdon to claim the vistors second just before the break.

Higdon scored a second from a penalty after 64 minutes after a foul by Garry Kenneth on Nicky Law, before Jon Daly got one back for United after 77 minutes. The win moves Stuart McCall’s side up to second, a point ahead of Celtic.—AFP

BIRMINGHAM: Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor underlined his case for an England recall as he scored his fourth goal of the season in yesterday ’s 2-0 win over Wigan at Villa Park.

Agbonlahor has fallen out of favor with England coach Fabio Capello after briefly breaking into the Italian’s squad two years ago, but on this form he looks good enough to regain his place.

After being frozen out by former Villa boss Gerard Houllier, Agbonlahor has been revitalised under new manager Alex McLeish this season and he opened the scoring in the first half before providing the assist for Darren Bent to score the second after the break.

Only a series of fine saves by Wigan keeper Ali Al Habsi prevented Villa - who are still unbeaten in the league this season - from winning by a more emphatic margin.

Four th bottom Wigan only threatened after the introduction of former Villa midfielder Shaun Maloney in the final quarter of the game and have now suffered four successive league defeats.

Villa were the first to threaten with Agbonlahor making a powerful run but his eventual shot was deflected into the hands of Al Habsi.

LONDON: Wigan Athletic’s Gary Caldwell (right) and Aston Villa’s Darren Bent battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match.—AP A deep ball into the Wigan box from Villa skipper Stiliyan Petrov was headed by Bent into the path of Agbonlahor but he was unable to keep his shot down.

Bent was looking sharp and it needed a fine save from Al Habsi to keep Villa on level terms when he chested down Barry Bannan’s pass and shot from close-range.

It came as no surprise when Agbonlahor put Villa ahead after 36 minutes. Stephen Warnock won possession and found

Bannan, whose ball over the top was seized on by Agbonlahor. He turned inside Gar y Caldwell before lashing a powerful shot past Al Habsi from 15 yards.

Agbonlahor began the second half in the same vein as the first and almost doubled Villa’s lead within 60 seconds.

A mazy run took Agbonlahor past Emmerson Boyce, Ben Watson and James McCarthy and his curling shot beat the dive of Al Habsi but flew inches wide.

Wigan had claims for a penalty

rejected after a challenge by Alan Hutton on Franco Di Santo.

But Villa were soon back on the offensive and Al Habsi produced another excellent save to keep out Bannan’s curling 20yard drive at full stretch.

Agbonlahor was a constant menace and after 62 minutes he created the second goal for Bent.

He made a 50-yard run down the left flank before sending over an inviting centre which Bent side-footed past Al Habsi into the corner of the net.—AFP

Newcastle keep Wolves at bay Newcastle 2

Wolves 1 LONDON: Newcastle kept their unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign going yesterday with a workmanlike 2-1 win at Wolves which provisionally lifted the Tynesiders into third in the table.

Demba Ba and Jonas Gutierrez made it four wins and three draws for Alan Pardew’s side who were tipped to struggle after little transfer activty over the summer.

Instead they have 15 points from seven games, provisionally two ahead of Chelsea who face Bolton on Sunday - and four behind the two Manchester clubs, both setting a scorching pace.

A late Steven Fletcher goal for Wolves could not prevent the hosts from handing the Midlanders a fourth straight loss, whereas a win would have lifted them into the top half.

Yohan Cabaye, settling well into the Newcastle midfield following his summer move from French champions Lille, whipped over a cross and Ba nodded in his fourth goal of the season for the opener on 19 minutes, following up last week’s treble against Blackburn.

Gutierrez, fresh from signing a contract extension, should have made it two but allowed Wayne Hennessey in the home goal to smother his point-blank range effort on 24 minutes.

But the Argentine made amends with his first goal of the campaign eight minutes before the interval, driving home from the edge of the box.

Wolves had won four and drawn two of their last six home meeting with Newcastle but last week’s narrow loss at Anfield meant Mick McCarthy’s side had lost three matches on the bounce.

And the Black Country outfit’s luck appeared to be out when referee Mark Halsey only saw fit to award a freekick when Steven Taylor appeared to foul Jamie O’Hara inside the penalty area as the Magpies rode their luck. Newcastle’s recent recruit from Inter Milan Davide Santon had recovered from a knee injury but was on the bench as Pardew kept faith with Ryan Taylor at left-back.

But midway through the second half they had to make a change up front as Ba, having seemingly turned his ankle, gave way to Peter Lovenkrands with 20 minutes remaining.

With time running out, Wolves threw everything forward and Fletcher forced a fine save from Newcastle keeper Tim Krul before the same player headed wide.

But the striker finally did get his name on the score sheet, heading home a Adam Hammill cross with three minutes left. —AFP

LONDON: Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Strephen Ward (left) and Newcastle United’s Jonas Gutierrez battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match. —AP

Iraq to play qualifiers in Qatar DOHA: Iraq will play their 2012 Olympics and 2014 World Cup qualifiers in Qatar after being barred from hosting matches by FIFA, a statement from the Qatari football association said.

Iraq were last month prohibited from hosting qualifying matches for the two tournaments and asked by world football’s governing body to choose a neutral venue by October 3.

“The Qatar Football Association (QFA) will host the official matches of the Iraq senior national team and the Olympic team in the qualifications for the FIFA 2014 World Cup and

the 2012 Olympic Games,” the statement posted on the QFA website said. Iraq had previously hosted games at the Francois Hariri Stadium in Arbil, most recently on September 2 when the hosts and 2007 Asian champions lost 2-0 to Jordan.

Arbil is the capital of the autonomous Iraqi region of Kurdistan, which is widely seen as much safer than the rest of the country.

Iraq Football Association Secretary Tareq Ahmed said FIFA’s decision was taken following the September 2 match due to the poor admin-

istration and organisation surrounding it.

In particular, the match was delayed for 10 minutes because of a power cut, and the stadium appeared to have significantly more spectators than its capacity of 12,400. Iraq are currently third in Group A of Asian qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, behind Jordan and China, but ahead of Singapore. They next play China in Shenzhen on October 11.

The country are also last in Group B of Asian qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics, behind Uzbekistan, Australia and the UAE.—AFP

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S P ORT S

Soccer results/standings Aston Villa 2 (Agbonlahor 36, Bent 62) Wigan 0; Blackburn 0 Man City 4 (Johnson 56, Balotelli 59, Nasri 73, Savic 87); Everton 0 Liverpool 2 (Carroll 71, Suarez 82); Man Utd 2 (Anderson 68, Welbeck 87) Norwich 0; Sunderland 2 (Bendtner 24, Elmohamady 26) West Brom 2 (Morrison 4, Long 5); Wolves 1 (Fletcher 88) Newcastle 2 (Ba 17, Gutierrez 38).

Playing today Bolton v Chelsea; Fulham v QPR; Swansea v Stoke; Tottenham v Arsenal.

English Football League results Championship Barnsley 2 Coventry 0; Blackpool 5 Bristol City 0; Crystal Palace 2 West Ham 2; Hull 2 Cardiff 1; Ipswich 3 Brighton 1; Leeds 1 Portsmouth 0; Leicester 4 Derby 0; Millwall 0 Burnley 1; Peterborough 1 Doncaster 2; Reading 0 Middlesbrough 0; Southampton 4 Watford 0.

Playing today Nottingham Forest v Birmingham Division One Brentford 0 Huddersfield 4; Chesterfield 0 Colchester 1; Exeter 2 Oldham 0; Hartlepool 0 Sheffield Wednesday 1; Leyton Orient 2 Preston 1; Milton Keynes Dons 3 Notts County 0; Rochdale 2 Wycombe 1; Sheffield Utd 0 Charlton 2; Stevenage 1 Scunthorpe 2; Tranmere 0 Bournemouth 0; Walsall 1 Carlisle 1; Yeovil 1 Bury 3.

Division Two Accrington 3 Aldershot 2; AFC Wimbledon 3 Gillingham 1; Barnet 1 Northampton 2; Bristol Rovers 1 Cheltenham 3; Burton 2 Bradford 2; Crawley 2 Plymouth 0; Dagenham and Redbridge 2 Crewe 1; Hereford 0 Oxford 1; Port Vale 2 Rotherham 0;Torquay 1 Morecambe 1.

Played Friday Macclesfield 2 Swindon 0; Southend 3 Shrewsbury 0 Scottish Premier League results Dundee Utd 1 (Daly 77) Motherwell 3 (Lasley 14, Higdon 45, 64-pen); Inverness C T 2 (Shinnie 31, Tade 78) St Mirren 1 (McAusland 23); Kilmarnock 1 (Pascali 36) St Johnstone 2 (Sandaza 22, Sheridan 73); Rangers 1 (Lafferty 68) Hibernian 0.

Played Friday Aberdeen 4 ( Vernon 6, 35, 80, Fyvie 45) Dunfermline 0 Playing today Hearts v Celtic Scottish Football League results First Division Hamilton 0 Falkirk 1; Livingston 1 Raith 1; Queen of the South 0 Dundee 0; Ross County 4 Ayr 0.

Second Division Airdrie 5 Stenhousemuir 2; Arbroath 1 Cowdenbeath 1; East Fife 4 Forfar 3; Stirling 1 Brechin 0.

Third Division Berwick 0 Annan Athletic 1; East Stirling 1 Queen’s Park 3; Elgin City 5 Alloa 0; Montrose 2 Peterhead 1; Stranraer 0 Clyde 0.

German League results Bayer Leverkusen 3 (Castro 14, Derdiyok 65, Kiessling 85) VfL Wolfsburg 1 (Mandzukic 59); Nuremberg 3 (Feulner 5, Mak 19, Pekhart 82) Mainz 05 3 (Bungert 32, Choupo-Moting 45, Ivanschitz 52); Dortmund 4 (Lewandowski 30, 44, 78, Goetze 75) FC Augsburg 0; Hoffenheim 0 Bayern Munich 0; SC Freiburg 1 (Flum 19) Borusssia M’gladbach 0; Hertha Berlin 3 (Lasogga 14, 26, Raffael 34) Cologne 0.

Playing today Hanover v Werder Bremen; Hamburg v Schalke 04 Played Friday Kaiserslautern 0 VfB Stuttgart 2 (Cacau 52, Boulahrouz 69) Italian Serie A results Roma 3 (Bojan 20, Osvaldo 31, Simplicio 81) Atalanta 1 (Denis 48) Playing later Inter Milan v Napoli Playing today Novara v Catania (1030), Cesena v Chievo, Fiorentina v Lazio, Lecce v Cagliari, Palermo v Siena, Parma v Genoa, Udinese v Bologna, Juventus v AC Milan.

English Premier League table English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Man Utd Man City Newcastle Chelsea Liverpool Aston Villa Tottenham Stoke QPR Norwich Everton Wolves Arsenal Sunderland West Brom Swansea Wigan Fulham Blackburn Bolton

24 23 9 12 10 9 9 4 5 7 6 6 9 9 5 4 5 4 8 8

5 5 4 7 8 5 9 6 7 10 8 10 14 8 10 9 11 7 17 16

19 19 15 13 13 11 9 9 8 8 7 7 7 6 5 5 5 4 4 3

English Football League tables Championship Southampton 10 7 1 2 25 Middlesbrough 10 5 5 0 13 Derby 10 6 1 3 14 West Ham 10 5 3 2 18 Brighton 10 5 2 3 16 Hull 10 5 2 3 9 Blackpool 10 4 4 2 16 Leicester 10 4 4 2 13 Cardiff 10 4 4 2 13 Ipswich 10 5 1 4 15 Leeds 9 4 2 3 17 Crystal 10 4 2 4 14 P’borough 10 4 1 5 18 Burnley 9 3 3 3 13 Reading 10 3 3 4 11 Barnsley 10 2 6 2 9 Watford 10 2 4 4 9 Portsmouth 10 2 3 5 10 Birmingham 7 2 2 3 10 Doncaster 10 2 2 6 6 Nottingham 9 2 2 5 9 Coventry 10 1 4 5 7 Millwall 10 1 4 5 7 Bristol City 10 1 3 6 8

12 5 11 10 14 9 9 9 10 17 15 12 15 12 11 9 16 13 12 14 18 13 14 20

22 20 19 18 17 17 16 16 16 16 14 14 13 12 12 12 10 9 8 8 8 7 7 6

Division One Charlton Milton Keynes Preston Sheffield Huddersfield Sheffield Hartlepool Notts County Brentford Carlisle Colchester Tranmere Oldham Stevenage Scunthorpe Chesterfield Rochdale Bury Walsall Bournemouth Yeovil Wycombe Exeter Leyton Orient

9 10 15 16 9 10 9 14 13 16 15 10 17 14 16 17 21 19 13 19 18 18 16 22

27 22 22 22 21 20 19 19 19 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 11 11 10 10 8 8 8 6

Division Two Southend Crawley Morecambe Wimbledon Shrewsbury Oxford Utd Port Vale Rotherham Gillingham Burton Albion Cheltenham Swindon Torquay Northampton Bristol Rovers Macclesfield Aldershot Accrington Crewe Dagenham Barnet Bradford

7 7 7 6 7 7 5 6 6 7 6 7 6 7 7 6 7 6 7 6

11 11 10 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11

6 6 4 4 4 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 1

8 6 7 7 5 6 5 6 6 5 4 4 4 3 2 3 3 3 2 3 2 2 2 1 7 7 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 2 1

1 1 3 1 1 5 0 3 2 2 1 1 1 3 2 2 2 4 1 0

3 4 1 1 6 2 4 1 1 2 4 3 2 4 6 2 2 2 4 1 2 2 2 3 1 1 3 2 2 4 3 3 2 5 2 0 6 3 3 2 2 5 1 1 3 4

0 0 0 1 2 0 2 1 2 3 3 4 3 3 4 3 4 2 5 5

0 1 2 3 0 3 1 4 4 4 3 4 5 4 3 6 6 6 5 7 7 7 7 7 3 3 2 3 3 2 3 3 4 2 4 6 2 4 4 5 5 3 6 6 6 6

23 21 22 20 22 17 17 18 15 13 16 11 12 17 15 13 14 11 11 11 12 10 6 9 18 21 22 20 15 14 24 21 19 16 16 17 16 14 14 14 10 11 13 9 12 15

11 17 9 17 12 10 17 18 14 14 14 12 15 14 17 12 11 14 15 13 22 20

22 22 21 20 20 19 18 18 17 17 17 15 15 15 15 14 14 14 13 13 9 7

Hereford Plymouth

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

11 1 3 11 1 1

7 9

4 5

21 6 21 4

22 13 18 13 9 8 12 14 8 11 11 10

3 13 6 10 6 9 15 19 11 18 20 19

28 19 18 15 12 12 10 10 9 9 9 8

Scottish Football League tables First Division Morton 8 4 2 2 12 Ross County 8 3 4 1 12 Hamilton 8 3 3 2 12 Falkirk 8 3 3 2 11 Partick 8 3 2 3 16 Livingston 8 2 5 1 13 Raith 8 2 3 3 9 Q of South 8 2 2 4 9 Dundee 8 2 2 4 6 Ayr 8 2 2 4 8

14 9 8 10 9 11 9 11 9 18

14 13 12 12 11 11 9 8 8 8

Second Division Arbroath 8 Cowdenbeath 8 Stenhousemuir 8 Stirling 8 Airdrie Utd 8 Forfar 8 Brechin 8 Dumbarton 7 East Fife 8 Albion 7

6 5 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1

1 2 2 3 1 1 2 1 1 2

1 1 2 2 4 4 4 4 5 4

24 21 15 16 17 15 11 15 10 8

13 11 14 14 16 16 13 19 19 17

19 17 14 12 10 10 8 7 7 5

Third Division Annan Athletic Stranraer Alloa Elgin Clyde Queens Park Berwick Montrose Peterhead East Stirling

7 5 5 5 3 3 3 3 1 1

0 1 1 0 2 2 1 0 1 0

1 2 2 3 3 3 4 5 6 7

20 18 15 16 9 12 14 11 9 5

10 9 15 9 9 13 14 17 15 18

21 16 16 15 11 11 10 9 4 3

Italian Serie A table Juventus 4 2 Udinese 4 2 Roma 5 2 Genoa 4 2 Napoli 4 2 Fiorentina 4 2 Palermo 4 2 Cagliari 4 2 Chievo 4 2 Siena 4 1 Lazio 4 1 AC Milan 4 1 Catania 4 1 Atalanta 5 3 Novara 4 1 Inter Milan 4 1 Lecce 4 1 Parma 4 1 Bologna 4 0 Cesena 4 0

2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 0

0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 4

7 5 6 8 6 5 7 6 6 4 5 5 2 8 7 7 3 3 2 2

3 1 4 5 3 2 6 5 5 2 5 6 4 7 7 8 7 9 8 7

8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 1 0

Scottish Premier League table Rangers 10 9 1 0 Motherwell 10 6 1 3 Celtic 8 6 0 2 St Johnstone 10 4 3 3 Hearts 9 3 3 3 St Mirren 10 3 3 4 Kilmarnock 10 2 4 4 Dundee Utd 10 2 4 4 Aberdeen 10 2 3 5 Hibernian 10 2 3 5 Dunfermline 9 2 3 4 Inverness CT 10 2 2 6

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

Note: Atalanta deducted six points at start of season for match-fixing.

German League table Bayern Munich 8 6 Werder Bremen 7 5 Borussia 8 5 Borussia 8 4 Stuttgart 8 4 Hoffenheim 8 4 Leverkusen 8 4 Schalke 7 4 Hertha Berlin 8 3 Hanover 7 3 Nuremberg 8 3 Cologne 8 3 Wolfsburg 8 3 Mainz 8 2 Freiburg 8 2 Kaiserslautern 8 1 Hamburg 7 1 Augsburg 8 0

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 3 3 2 1 0 2 1 2 1 4

1 1 2 3 3 3 3 3 2 1 3 4 5 4 5 5 5 4

21 14 9 13 12 12 10 15 12 8 9 13 9 12 13 5 8 6

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Second straight win for Roma ROME: Roma moved up to third in the Serie A table after recording their second straight victory with a 3-1 success over previously unbeaten Atalanta yesterday.

Bojan Krkic and Pablo Osvaldo gave Luis Enrique’s team a 2-0 half-time lead and although German Denis pulled a goal back early in the second period, Brazilian Simplicio sealed the three points late on.

Having taken over the club in the summer Enrique needed six games to finally register a win but at the Stadio Olimpico the team looked like they were finally starting to gel.

“Today I was happy with the approach and the behavior of the team,” he told Sky. “This is the football I want to see with lots of possession leading to attacks and chances.

“We reacted, we’re back on the front foot and we’ve scored again, congratulations to the lads.” Although third for now, Roma will drop down the table following Sunday’s games but should at least remain in the top half.

Atalanta came out flying and Maximiliano Moralez had an early chance on the break but shot straight into goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont’s arms.

Thereafter Roma took total control for the rest of the half. Osvaldo had two glorious chances but the first was snuffed out by Andrea Masiello while he failed to hit the target with the second.

The hosts went ahead on 20 minutes when Danielle De Rossi clipped the ball over the top and Bojan controlled it on the run before firing across goalkeeper Andrea Consigli.

The second came on 31 minutes as Aleandro Rosi headed the ball back into the danger zone and Osvaldo got past an advancing defensive

ITALY: AS Roma’s Aleandro Rosi (right) is tackled by Atalanta’s Gianpaolo Bellini during their Serie A soccer match. — AP line and Consigli to tap into an empty net.

Roma were rampant and Consigli had to be alert to save a rising effort from Miralem Pjanic.

Captain Francesco Totti almost surprised Consigli with a corner that he sent in low which hit the near post before rolling across the line and away to safety.

However, all that good work came to an abrupt end three minutes into the second peri-

od as Denis headed home a cross from the right.

Atalanta started to push for the equaliser but Roma remained dangerous and Totti shot inches past the post with a daisy-cutter.

Roma had to wait until nine minutes from time to rest easy as Simplicio played a one-two with Pjanic and then dinked the ball over Consigli for the decisive third. — AFP

Perez rescues point for struggling Villarreal MADRID: Substitute Hernan Perez snatched a late equaliser for Villarreal whose poor start to the season continued with a 2-2 draw at home to Zaragoza yesterday.

Considered by many as the only team capable of pushing Barcelona and Real Madrid in the league they have struggled so far with only one victory in all competitions.

Coming into the game on the back of a 20 Champions League defeat by Napoli, Villarreal began the stronger but Luis Garcia gave Zaragoza the lead against the run of play.

Giuseppe Rossi brought Villarreal back on level terms from the penalty spot but the visitors went into the break ahead with Pablo Barrera scoring from another counter-attack.

In an open game Villarreal earned a point through Perez nine minutes from the end.

Two penalties from Tomer Hemed gave Mallorca a 2-2 draw away to Osasuna.

Miguel Angel Nadal took charge of the team following Michael Laudrup’s resignation in midweek and Hemed put Mallorca in front with a spot k ick but R aul Garcia

responded with two headed goals for Osasuna.

With 10 minutes to go Hemed kept his cool again from 12 yards to give Mallorca a point. Racing Santander drew 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano with Raul Tamudo scoring for the side from Madrid before Adrian Gonzalez equalised on the hour mark.

Following summer investment Malaga have started well with Getafe their next opponents later Saturday while Valencia are also in action against Granada.

On Sunday, Barcelona travel to bottom of the table Sporting Gijon still looking for their first away win of the season in La Liga after draws against Real Sociedad and Valencia.

“To win the title you need to win a lot of matches away from home. We are now faced with another very difficult game and it is down to us to break this poor run,” said Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.

“We always find it difficult to beat them (Sporting) and analysing it, it is because they defend very well and pack their penalty area.

“I think that this will be a close game

which will be decided by small details and so we will have to work hard and use our heads.” While Barca have suffered injuries to important players like Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas they have benefitted from Lionel Messi’s rich vein of form which saw him score a hat-trick last weekend and then two more in the Champions League against BATE Borisov to become Barcelona’s joint second highest scorer alongside Lazslo Kubala on 194 goals.

Real responded after picking up just one point from two games with a 6-2 win over Rayo Vallecano and then beat Ajax 3-0 in the Champions League.

They travel to Espanyol with K ak a restored to the starting eleven after a long battle with injury and loss of form.

“I feel a debt to the club for always having stood by me, it would have been easier to leave but I never considered that. I have the dream of triumphing at Madrid and I want to achieve it,” said the Brazilian. “The results mean the atmosphere could be better in the dressing room but we are all united.” — AFP

Neuer breaks 1,000-minute mark BERLIN: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer went over 1,000 minutes without conceding a goal during yesterday’s goalless draw at Hoffenheim as the Bavarians had their 10-match winning streak ended.

Bayern’s 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday had been their 10th consecutive victory and although the run was broken at Hoffenheim, Munich’s last defeat in any competition was still back on August 7.

Germany star Neuer, who joined from Schalke 04 last summer, has now gone 1,018 minutes without conceding a goal in all competitions.

The 25-year-old had to work to keep his record intact as he pulled off a stunning save from defender Marvin Compper on 22 minutes.

“Hoffenheim had us under pressure, perhaps we weren’t so fresh because of our Champions League game in midweek,” said Neuer.

“But it was important for us to take a point.”

Belgian goalkeeper Dany Verlinden holds the European clean sheet record of 1,390 minutes for Brugge, a mark which Manchester United’s Edwin van der Sar came close to breaking when he went 1,311 minutes without conceding a goal in the 2008-09 season.

Munich coach Jupp Heynckes admitted his team were tired and had several injury problems. “After 20 minutes, Hoffenheim took command of the game and you could see we were tired,” said Heynckes.

“We had big problems before the game: Rafina dropped out, Franck Ribery played with a calf injury and we had a long delay to our flight here.”

Bayern’s best chance came in the first half when Hoffenheim’s Ghana defender Isaac Vorsah cleared a shot off the line from Munich’s Jerome Boateng.

Bayern remain three points clear at the top of the league and with a vastly superior goal difference they cannot be caught this weekend even if second-placed Werder Bremen win at Hanover on Sunday. Moenchengladbach, the only team to beat Bayern this season, suffered their first defeat in four games when they went down 1-0 at Freiburg to stay third. Ex-Germany captain Michael Ballack captained Leverkusen to a 3-1 win at home to Wolfsburg having scored in his team’s Champions League win over Belgium champions Genk on Wednesday and played the full 90 minutes. Dortmund bounced back from their heavy Champions League defeat at Marseille to enjoy an impressive 4-0 win at home to Augsburg as Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, with a hat-trick, and Germany midfielder Mario Goetze ran riot.

“We already had a few chances in the first half an hour, but we were just missing the last little bit,” said Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp after his side picked up only their fourth win in their 10 games this season. —AFP

GERMANY: Leverkusen’s Lars Bender (right) challenges for the ball with Wolfsburg’s Christian Traesch during the German Bundesliga soccer match. —AP

Matches on TV (Local Timings) English Premier League Bolton v Chelsea ...........................15:30 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Swansea v Stoke ........................... 17:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 6 Fulham v QPR ................................. 17:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 4 Tottenham v Arsenal ..................... 18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3

Espanyol v Real Madrid ................ 23:00 Al Jazeera Sport +2 Al Jazeera Sport 2 HD

Italian League Novara v Catania ........................... 13:00 Al Jazeera Sport +1 Al Jazeera Sport 1 HD Udinese v Bologna ......................... 16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +7 Al Jazeera Sport 2 HD

Spanish League

Parma v Genoa ............................... 16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +4

Sociedad v Bilbao ..........................13:00 Al Jazeera Sport +2 Al Jazeera Sport 2 HD

Palermo v Siena .............................. 16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +9

Beltis v Levante ............................ 17:00 Al Jazeera Sport +5

Lecce v Cagliari ............................... 16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +10

Atletico v Sevilla ............................19:00 Al Jazeera Sport 2 HD

Fiorentina v Lazio ........................... 16:00 Al Jazeera Sport +1 Al Jazeera Sport 1 HD

Sporting v Barcelona .................... 21:00 Al Jazeera Sport +2 Al Jazeera Sport 2 HD

Juventus v AC Milan ....................21:45 Al Jazeera Sport +1

India grapples with F1 hosting logistics Page 17 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

LONDON: Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney (center) is challenged by Norwich City’s Elliott Bennett (left) and David Fox during the English Premier League soccer match at Old Trafford. —AP

United down Norwich to stay top Man United 2

Norwich 0 MANCHESTER: Manchester United remained top of the Premier League yesterday after second-half goals from Anderson and Danny Welbeck secured a lacklustre 2-0 win over Norwich.

But despite the scoreline, it didn’t tell the full story at Old Trafford. The off-color home side struggled for long periods and were fortunate not

to fall behind on countless occasions.

As it was, the visitors were eventually punished as Anderson headed home in the 68th minute before substitute Welbeck turned home Park Ji Sung’s cross with three minutes remaining to wrap up the points.

Sir Alex Ferguson admitted the midweek Champions League draw with Basel, where his Manchester United side escaped with a 3-3 draw thanks to a late goal, was the wakeup call his players needed.

It appeared he wouldn’t take Norwich lightly, with the likes of Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez recalled to indicate there would be no sign of complacency.

But Ferguson wouldn’t have

guarded against the start Norwich produced. They threatened on more than one occasion, underlining they wouldn’t be inhibited by the visit to the defending champions.

Norwich’s brave decision to relegate captain and striker Grant Holt to the substitutes’ bench appeared to be a shrewd move.

The more mobile Steve Morison, and his unselfish running, was proving a problem for the hosts. It almost resulted in a shock opening goal for the Canaries as Kyle Naughton’s burst ended in his cross being squeezed clear by Phil Jones.

It wasn’t the only scare. The sluggish hosts were becoming increasingly frustrated, with their final ball often

misplaced or intercepted with Norwich’s five-man midfield blocking out any threat.

In fact, it took until the 35th minute for them to carve out their first opening of the afternoon when Rooney’s header from Nani’s corner just cleared the crossbar.

The set-piece had already caused problems, with Darren Fletcher being denied a rare goal by Marc Tierney’s goal line clearance just moments earlier.

But it was clear the home side were looking devoid of ideas and a few choice words from Ferguson would have been the order of the day.

Rooney was among those who

appeared to be coasting and needed to step up his game. The England striker almost responded when his cleverly disguised pass found Anderson in space, only for the midfielder to lose his footing as he shot tamely wide.

While United were now firmly on the front foot, they ran the risk of being exposed defensively. This was evident as Morison shrugged off the attentions of Jonny Evans but the Wales striker delayed his pass and Jones, not for the first time, timed his block to per fection in the 54th minute.

United continued to ride their luck as another breakaway resulted in Anthony Pilkington’s shot deflected

No Tevez, no problem as City thrash Rovers

Carroll shatters Everton after Rodwell dismissal Everton 0

Liverpool 2 LIVERPOOL: Andy Carroll inspired Liverpool’s 2-0 win over 10-man Everton after Jack Rodwell was sent off in a controversial Merseyside derby at Goodison Park yesterday.

David Moyes’ side were forced to play with 10 men for more than an hour after Rodwell was harshly sent off by referee Martin Atkinson midway through the first half for a robust challenge on Luis Suarez.

Despite their numerical advantage Liverpool laboured to make the breakthrough and Tim Howard looked like being Everton’s hero after denying Dirk Kuyt from the penalty spot at the end of the first half.

But Carroll’s first goal in 10 league appearances in the 71st minute put Liverpool in control before Suarez made the game safe eight minutes from the end. The last time Kenny Dalglish stood in the visitors dugout at Goodison Park as Liverpool manager was 20 years ago. Two days after an epic FA Cup tie ended 4-4, an emotionally-drained and exhausted Dalglish announced he was quitting Anfield.

Back in the derby spotlight, Dalglish resisted temptation to start with Steven Gerrard, the England midfielder once again on the substitutes bench following his long lay-off with a groin injury.

However, Kuyt did earn a recall and it was the Netherlands international’s excellent ninth minute cross which presented Suarez with the game’s first real chance.

Suarez was unable to add to his league tally of three goals this season after heading straight at Howard before Everton responded immediately through Tim Cahill.

The Australian had scored five times in his previous 13 Merseyside derbies, but his hopes of a sixth goal were dashed when Pepe Reina tipped his header over the bar after Seamus Coleman had whipped in a cross.

Everton were beginning to settle and great footwork by Sylvain Distin opened up the Liverpool defence before the French defender let fly with a powerful effort which flew narrowly over the bar.

Then came the moment which left Everton with 10 men. The Merseyside derby has proved one of the most volatile fixtures in the English calendar over recent seasons and Rodwell became the 20th player to be dismissed in Premier League encounters between the clubs, and the 11th in the last 14 games between the rivals.

It was harsh on Rodwell, who was given his marching orders after a challenge on Suarez that saw him win the ball. The England under-21 international looked distraught as he walked off and the home side had every right to feel aggrieved.

But Everton could have few complaints when Atkinson pointed to the penalty spot after Phil Jagielka’s needless challenge on Suarez two minutes before half time.

Liverpool, however, were unable to take advantage as Howard brilliantly kept out Kuyt’s spot kick before Adam rattled the bar deep into first half stoppage time from 20 yards.

The visitors continued to crave out chances after the interval, Louis Saha clearing Carroll’s header off the line in the 52nd minute.

Yet the game appeared to be drifting towards a stalemate when Liverpool broke the deadlock in the 71st minute. Carroll has struggled to win over the doubters since his £35 million move from Newcastle in January.

But the England striker produced a quality finish from 12 yards after Jose Enrique’s pull-back from the left. And Everton’s misery was complete when Leighton Baines and Distin got in a tangle to allow Suarez to pounce from close range to seal victory in the 82nd minute.—AFP

into the grateful arms of goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard moments later.

Ferguson threw on Ryan Giggs and Welbeck in search of inspiration.

Yet Norwich missed a golden chance to take the lead in the 65th minute.

Pilkington latched onto Antonio Valencia’s error. He slid the ball past Lindegaard but past the post.

That miss was to prove costly within free minutes when Anderson broke the deadlock for United, heading home his second goal of the season.

Norwich pushed forward in search of an equaliser but they were hit on the counter-attack in the 87th minute, with Welbeck sliding home from close-range as United escaped with a flattering win.—AFP

LONDON: Liverpool’s Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring a goal against Everton during their English Premier League soccer match at Goodison Park. —AP

B L A C K B U R N : Manchester City made Blackburn 0 light of a week dominated by Carlos Tevez’s refusal to come on as a substitute at Bayern Man City 4 Munich by brushing Blackburn aside 4-0 at Ewood Park.

Roberto Mancini’s side started slowly but ruthlessly hit four second half goals to keep pace with rivals Manchester United at the top of the Premier League.

Not even an injury to striker Sergio Aguero could undermine a result which will help City recover from a week which saw Tevez’s two-year spell at Eastlands reach a sorry end in all but name.

City made six changes from the team that surrendered all too easily against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night. And after showing they had much to learn at Champions League level, they set about trying to stay on the coat-tails of Manchester United.

Their best chance of the half fell to Mario Balotelli, who after receiving James Milner’s pass from the byline, somehow blazed over from 12 yards.

Mancini’s difficult week got even worse in the 27th minute when Aguero left the field having been limping for the previous five minutes and was replaced by Samir Nasri.

The Argentine looked to be struggling with his groin and his absence, along with that of Tevez, will give Mancini a further headache with his team selection.

After a lifeless display before the break, the Italian will no doubt have reminded them of the opportunity they had to take a precious three points against Steve Kean’s Rovers side which had won just once all season.

In the opening moments of the second period, David Silva carved an opportunity which allowed him to send a shot with the outside of his boot just inches wide of Robinson’s goal. Then in the 50th minute City upped the ante again when Balotelli drifted into the box, worked another opening and this time curled a superb strike beyond Robinson and against the upright before the ball bounced away to safety.

Six minutes later, last season’s FA Cup winners finally edged ahead. A corner by Aleksander Kolarov was headed away by Rovers defender Gael Givet. —AFP

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Kuwait’s July inflation edges down to 4.6% Page 23

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

KSE ends in red as confidence erodes Page 24

SEC report cites flaws at credit rating agencies Page 26

ATHENS: Workers for the “Help and Home” program shout slogans during a protest outside the Greek parliament in Athens on Friday. The inspectors from the IMF, European Central Bank and European Commission returned to Athens this week after suspending their review earlier this month.—AP

Osborne: No tax cuts during ‘debt storm’ Britain’s incoherent growth plan under fire LONDON: Britain must stick to its austerity drive and avoid tax cuts while it tries to wipe out a record deficit, finance minister George Osborne said yesterday, as a senior member of his party accused him of lacking a “coherent and credible” longterm growth plan.

Speaking before his centre-right party meets for its annual conference, Osborne said abandoning its public cuts and tax rises would lead to an immediate rise in interest rates that would be “disastrous” for the British economy.

A run of bleak UK economic data, the euro-zone debt crisis and worries about the global outlook have stoked fears that Britain could tip back into recession. The economy has barely grown since September, raising pressure on the Conservative-led coalition to soften its deficit-reduction strategy and do more to

stimulate growth.

Osborne said the world’s economic state was “at least as serious” as during the 2008 financial crisis and Britain had to keep cutting its deficit. “A country with an almost double-digit deficit cannot add to its deficit in the middle of a sovereign debt storm to cut tax, presumably on a temporary basis, because you would have to then put it back up again to deal with the deficit,” he told the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

“I don’t think Britain has the fiscal luxury to do that sort of thing.” The coalition has repeatedly warned that failing to cut a record peacetime budget deficit that peaked at around 11 percent of gross domestic product could lead to a Greekstyle debt crisis.

However, some centre -right Conservatives fear the austerity plan will

alienate voters already struggling with rising unemployment, low wage growth and inflation running at 4.5 percent, more than double the 2 percent target. The leftwing opposition Labor Party says the plan is choking growth.

Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative chairman of parliament’s influential Treasury committee, said Britain’s long-term growth strategy was “inconsistent, even incoherent” in places.

Tyrie, a former adviser to two British finance ministers, said he supported the government’s attempts to cut the deficit, but warned that its longer-term growth plans needed “radical improvement ”.

“There is much to do, and it is not just a question of gaps in policy,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC yesterday. “A coherent and credible plan for the long-term economic growth rate of the UK is need-

ed. “ The age of abundance has been replaced by the age of austerity. Current policy does not adequately recognize the fact.”

Britain’s involvement in the Libya conflict, spending on overseas aid and promotion of green policies and localism were either “irrelevant” or “contradictory” to the search for growth, Tyrie added.

His criticism highlights the strains in the Conservative-led coalition over how to revive an economy that has barely grown since September, while trying to cut the deficit.

With interest rates at a record low of 0.5 percent, Business Secretar y Vince Cable has urged the Bank of England to expand its 200 billion pounds ($312 billion) program of asset purchases. The central bank holds its next policy meeting on Wednesday and Thursday. —Reuters

Kuwait investors sophisticated: Expert Neuger sees ‘more opportunities to take more risk’

By Lisa Conrad KUWAIT: I nvestors are becoming increasingly cautious as uncertainty continues to linger, said CEO of PineBridge investments, Win J. Neuger.

Given the volatilit y of the market, investors are concentrating more on fixed income, he added. However, temptations to play it safe can be less profitable. “The general trend is to derisk, but many sophisticated investors are taking risks because they are picking out investments for the long-term that will reap higher returns,” he said in an interview with the Kuwait Times yesterday.

In terms of Kuwait, the investors here are indeed ‘sophisticated,’ said Neuger, adding, “ Their investment decisions are a reflection of the careful selection and development of their talent.”

As uncertainty continues to swill around the European markets, emerging markets are rising in interest and attrac tiveness for sophisticated investors. “Uncertainty is an especially

problematic issue when it comes to Western markets, and it’s further fired

by a higher priority being place on reelection ambitions than on the econo-

PineBridge investments CEO Win Neuger

my [by some decision makers],” said Neuger. Many [investors] associate emerging markets with higher risk which, according to Neuger, is incorrect. “Rationally speaking, is the debt in emerging markets any more riskier than the increasing debt in the developing world’s markets?” he asked.

The uncertainty and fear that has restricted the activity of many investors has, however, created the ideal environment for those more willing to take risk in hopes of higher returns. “There are more opportunities to take more risk, and the best time to do so is when ever yone is stepping back ,” said Neuger. He further added, “risk-takers are still cautious, but not closed. They have long-term time horizons, and are willing to invest strategically over time.”

Win Neuger is CEO of PineBridge Investments. PineBridge Investments is an independent global, multi-asset manager with approximately $77.9 billion in assets under management and more than 800 dedicated professional in 31 countries.

New charges herald end of no-cost US banking WASHINGTON: Big US banks whose profits were savaged by the financial crash are rolling out a fresh batch of fees for customers, leaving experts to warn that the era of free banking in America has ended.

Believe Bank of America, and their decision to introduce a $5 monthly charge for US debit card users is a small but essential step to cover the cost of ill-conceived government regulation that becomes law yesterday. Believe lawmakers, and the new fee is just another example of greedy bankers circumventing level-headed consumer protections to further milk customers and pay for outsized profits and bonuses.

For hard-hit US consumers stuck in the crossfire, Bank of America’s announcement may simply be a sign that the 2008 crisis has killed low cost personal banking. “The banks are in financial trouble and at the same time they are facing a deluge of regulation,” explained Madeline Aufseeser, a senior analyst with the Aite Group financial services consultancy. “The combination of the two things mean that they cannot afford to operate the way they did in the past. What we are seeing is an attempt by banks to replace lost revenues.” The financial difficulties of the America’s four big retail banks-Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup-are well known. — AFP

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BUSINESS

NBK chairman denies Group CEO resignation

Agility recognized for operational excellence Asian Leadership Awards in Dubai

DUBAI: Agility, a leading global logistics provider, received an award for “Operational Excellence” at the Asian Leadership Awards ceremony held recently in Dubai. This award is given annually to a company that demonstrates measurable achievements in enhancing the bottom-line, maximizing customer satisfaction, reducing cost, increasing market share and gaining leadership position though strategic supply chain implementation. Agility also received an award for “Best Corporate Social Responsibility Practice,” for its global and comprehensive CSR strategy.

“We are honored to receive these awards,” said Mohammed Esa, Agility’s Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for the Middle East & Africa. “They under-

panies that have contributed to the region’s post-recession economic development.

These awards follow the “Best Corporate Social Responsibility Practice” honor Agility received at the Asian Best CSR Practices Awards in Singapore last month.

From its roots in emerging markets, Agility brings efficiency to supply chains in some of the globe’s most challenging environments, offering unmatched personal service, a global footprint and customized capabilities in developed countries and emerging economies alike. A publicly traded company, Agility is one of the world’s leading providers of integrated logistics with close to $6 billion in annual revenue and more than 22,000 employees in 550 offices across 100 countries.

Agility’s commercial business,

score Agility’s reputation for efficient, effective and highly dependable global supply chain solutions. With global presence comes global responsibility. We continually contribute to communities around the world in which we work and live and are committed to helping customers reduce energy consumption and waste.”

The Asian Leadership Awards are hosted by the Asian Confederation of Businesses and supported by Stars of the Industry Group. Strategic Partners of the event include CMO Asia, CMO Council and the World Brand Congress. The Asian Leadership Awards are dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange through thought leadership and peer networking amongst decision makers across Asia. The event recognizes com-

Global Integrated Logistics (GIL), is headquartered in Switzerland.

Agility GIL provides supply chain solutions to meet complex and traditional customer needs. GIL offers air, sea and road freight forwarding, warehousing, distribution and specialized services in project logistics, fairs and events, fuels and chemicals.

Agility’s unique collection of portfolio businesses includes Agility Defense & Government Services, a logistics provider to governments, ministries of defense and international organizations. Agility’s Infrastructure group of companies manages commercial and industrial real estate and offers solutions in customs optimization and clearance, waste management and recycling, aviation services, remote infrastructure and life support.

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) Chairman Mohamed Al-Bahar denied yesterday in an official statement rumors of the resignation of NBK Group Chief Executive Ibrahim Dabdoub or any senior executive at the bank. Dabdoub was representing the bank at the IIF and the Bretton Woods meetings in Washington DC, Al-Bahar stated.

Al-Bahar highlighted the bank’s stability at the level of its board, executive management and all levels. NBK management is playing an important role in enhancing the bank’s reputation and status locally, regionally and internationally, he added.

Chairman Al-Bahar urges all media channels not to listen to any news or market rumors mentioning NBK unless it is quoting an official source in the bank to maintain Kuwait’s financial and economic image and reputation.

NBK Chairman Mohamed Al-Bahar

Jazeera Airways offers its largest sale of the year!

KUWAIT: Jazeera Airways yesterday launched one of its biggest sales of the year, offering travellers one-way fares starting at KD 20 inclusive of taxes, charges, meals and 40 kilograms baggage allowance to 14 destinations in the Middle East and Turkey.

The mega sale is valid for the travel period between October 2 and December 15, and is available on jazeeraair ways.com until October 6.

Jazeera Airways Vice President of Sales RafikBoghdadysaid, “Kuwait is perfectly positioned for weekend travel, great fun and relaxing destinations are always at an average of two hours away. Travellers can enjoy a weekend breeze or a short holiday for a quick

change of scenery any time before the end of the year, and this year’s Jazeera Airways Mega Sale makes that easy.”

The fares: 1. Dubai KD20.700 2. Beirut KD27.200 3. Damascus KD27.400 4. Sohag KD29.600 5. Assiut KD32.100 6. Alexandria KD32.100 7. Luxor KD34.100 8. Mashhad KD35.400 9. Amman KD36.400 10. Riyadh KD38.700 11. Jeddah KD41.400 12. Sharm El Sheikh KD57.100

13. Cairo KD62.300 14. Istanbul KD64.800 Jazeera Airways offers travellers free baggage allowance of 40 kilograms for all customers, free on-board new monthly meals in Economy Class and a new monthly ‘ a la carte’ menu for Business Class guests.

The airline offers some of the Middle East’s best value-for-money fares for Economy Class and for Business Class travel. Jazeera Airways’ Business Class offering includes a separate cabin for passengers, exclusive check-in counters, and Business lounge access at airports.

Jazeera Airways is an IATA-member airline and operates one of the youngest Airbus A320 fleets across the Middle East and North Africa.

Established in 2005, Jazeera Airways Group is a Kuwait Stock Exchange-listed company with over 12,000 shareholders. The company has 11 fully-owned Airbus A320s in operation, distributed between its airline business, Jazeera Airways (6 aircraft), and its fullyowned leasing business, Sahaab Aircraft Leasing (5 aircraft). Sahaab has assets placed with Virgin America, SriLankan Airlines, and Jazeera Airways.

In 2010 the airline carried 1.3 million passengers in total, or 15% of Kuwait International Airport passengers, on 14,156 flights across its network that includes highdemand business, leisure, family, and weekend destinations such as, Dubai, Bahrain, Beirut, Alexandria, Amman, Damascus, Istanbul, Sharm El Sheikh, Assiut, Aleppo, DeirEzzor, Luxor, Mashhad, Sohag, Jeddah, Riyadh and Cairo.

The winner Zahir Al Khatib receives the prize form NBK Public Relations Manager Abdulmohsen Alrushaid

A seventh KD 1,000 winner in NBK’s Watani online weekly draw mention the way NBK treats its customers”.

NBK will host a total of eight draws over the course of eight weeks to give customers a chance to win KD 1,000 by using Watani Online. Customers who use Watani Online (www.nbk.com) to per form their banking transactions including account-to-account transfers, credit card payments, bill payments or local and international transfers will be entitled for one chance per day each time they log in to Watani Online to enter the draw to win KD 1,000 weekly.

The campaign is designed to reward customers who do their banking with Watani Online. The aim is to encourage new customers to join the high-tech, secure, convenient and free online banking channel provided by the safest bank in the Middle East.

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) recently conducted the seventh draw of its first-of-its-kind “Use Watani Online and Win” campaign that rewards customers with KD 1,000 weekly for banking online. The campaign will run until today.

Zahir Fouad Al-Khatib, winner of the seventh draw prize, said: “I couldn’t believe it when I was notified by one of NBK employees until I visited the bank and received the prize. The winner said that Watani Online allows him to manage his account and per form many financial transactions online”.

The winner also expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation for NBK. AlKhatib, added that “I have been NBK customer since twenty years because NBK has always been unique by its rewarding offers and promotions, not to

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

.2730000 .4280000 .3720000 .3040000 .2670000 .2710000 .0040000 .0020000 .0746990 .7277750 .3810000 .0700000 .7134510 .0040000 .0430000

.2800000 .4390000 .3815000 .3140000 .2770000 .2790000 .0072500 .0035000 .0754500 .7350900 .4010000 .0760000 .7206220 .0072000 .0530000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2751500 .2772500 .4309540 .4342430 .3744650 .3773230 .3067280 .3090690 .2692930 .2713480 .0503170 .0507010 .0408040 .0411160 .2731000 .2751840 .0352970 .0355670 .2143910 .2160280 .0035980 .0036250 .0000000 .0057400 .0000000 .0025230 .0000000 .0031780 .0000000 .0037020 .0749420 .0755140 .7301310 .7357040 .0000000 .3921500 .0733930 .0739530 .7149540 .7204110 .0000000 .0064100

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.643 5.654 3.160 2.505 3.523 215.720 35.485 3.686 6.349 8.923 0.271 0.273

GCC COUNTRIES 73.776 76.017 718.590 734.820 75.334

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal/for 1000 Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira/for 1000 Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES 49.300 46.319 1.266 195.030 390.690 185.600 5.973 34.100

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 276.550 Euro 378.040 Sterling Pound 433.770 Canadian dollar 271.930 Turkish lire 149.840 Swiss Franc 310.730 Australian dollar 272.870 US Dollar Buying 275.350 GOLD 305.000 153.000 79.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

SELL CASH 271.800 735.630 3.880 267.700 543.300 36.700 51.300 167.800 47.820 374.500 36.190 5.940 0.032 0.238 0.241 3.680 392.700 0.187 89.910 46.100 4.260

215.500 1.792 48.700 718.470 3.210 6.570 76.520 73.850 214.670 37.220 2.613 435.600 41.500 309.200 5.700 9.300 198.263 75.420 277.000 1.210

214.000 718.290 3.165 6.320 76.090 73.850 214.670 37.220 2.502 433.600 307.700 5.700 9.090 75.320 276.600

GOLD 1,684.990

10 Tola

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 433.600 276.600

Sterling Pound US Dollar

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees

New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

SELL DRAFT 270.300 735.630 3.680 266.200

214.700 46.415 373.000 36.040 5.645 0.032

390.950 0.186 89.910 3.550

Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

273.36 269.96 311.48 377.39 433.98 3.66 3.697 5.628 2.505 3.532 3.151 75.17 734.55 46.29 392.88 717.69 76.15 73.74

275.00 271.40 312.20 380.50 436.00 3.62 3.850 5.960 2.609 4.200 3.220 75.31 734.57 47.75 391.86 717.45 76.41 73.75

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank

Selling Rate 276.300 270.840 432.855 377.540 307.890

Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

732.565 75.200 75.840 73.640 388.925 46.334 2.501 5.661 3.171 3.687 6.334 677.742 3.705 9.000 5.820 3.620 91.780

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 276.300 3.160 5.645 2.525 3.695 6.390 75.330 73.835 734.600 46.315 437.300 3.190 1.550 392.500 5.750 380.800 275.300 3.690

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 275.950 Euro 378.800 Pound Sterling 434.900 Canadian Dollar 272.200 Japanese Yen 3.650 Indian Rupee 5.660 Egyptian Pound 46.300 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.504 Bangladesh Taka 3.670 Philippines Peso 6.336 Pakistan Rupee 3.164 Bahraini Dinar 734.975 UAE Dirham 73.500 Saudi Riyal 73.700 *Rates are subject to change

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Top Expo to hold real estate fair this month KUWAIT: Top Expo Group ( TEG) for Organizing Exhibitions and Conferences is ready to organize the Real Estate and Investment Exhibition being hosted in cooperation with the Kuwait International Fair Company. The Exhbition will be held at Hall 8 in the KIF Fairgrounds at Mishref between October 3 and 8. It will be held under the patronage of Ministry of Commerce and Industry undersecretary Abdul-Aziz Al-Khaldi.

“This year’s exhibition takes place at a very critical time in the aftermath of a recession in the real estate market for a few months during the summer and holy month of Ramadan,” said Managing Director of the group Waleed Al-Qadoumi.

In a press release, he noted that optimism is high for a recovery in the Arab real estate sector as stability gradually returns to the

region following the Arab Spring.

Around 30 local companies are expected to take part in the exhibition with at least 50 real estate projects on display from more than ten countries around the world, Al-Qadoumi said. He noted that real estate opportunities in Kuwait, including housing and tourism projects, will be showcased during the event.

Furthermore, the participating companies are set to display investment opportunities in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and other Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, as well as European countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain, France, and Cyprus, in addition to Turkey.

Al-Qadoumi announced that three banks will take part in the exhibition presenting various financial services products to help investors in the real estate sector.

Kuwait’s July inflation edges down to 4.6% Consumer inflation to average 4.7% in 2011, 4.4% in 2012

Waleed Al-Qadoumi addresses during the real estate exhibition.

KUWAIT: Consumer price inflation gained 0.1% month in July. It also recorded 4.6% year on year (y/y), its smallest increase since August 2010, and down from 5.0% in June. The inflation rate is likely to average 4.7% for this year, 4.4% in 2012.

Core CPI measure (which excludes the food component) recorded 3.3% y/y, also an 11-month low, indicating decreased inflationary pressure from sources beyond food. This should allay fears that recent salary increases and the February Amiri grant would spur inflation.

Food prices were up 0.2% from June and 9.7% y/y.

The two largest components of food are still a major source of upward pressure. These two categories

AUB announces winners of Hassady weekly draw

KUWAIT: (Left) Mohamed Aldeferi congratulates the winner Khaled Sulaiman Shaar. (Right) Mohamed Aldeferi congratulates the winner Niaz Ahmed.

KUWAIT: Al-Hassad Islamic is the only scheme to offer high value weekly and monthly prizes that are significantly higher than the total outlay of other prize schemes. AUB has announced the results of the Weekly draws of its Al-Hassad Islamic savings scheme. The lucky customers winning the Grand Week ly prize worth KD 25,000 each at the draws held on 14th 0f September 2011: Edgar Velarde Arsua, Meznah Mutairan Alshemari, Khaled Saleh.

The following Al-Hassad Islamic customers who- won cash prizes of KD 1000 each Amal Abdulraheem Bahbahanee, Mohammad Owaidhah Ghesen Alajmi, Mahmoud Ahmed Seham Asmar, Sabah Ahmad Farhat, Hamad A. Rahman Nasser Al Dosari, Mohammed Ali Al Showaikh, Faisal Yousif Abdulla, Zikriat Abdulrasul Almuwail, Saleh Abdulla Salman, Majeed Ibrahim Mohd, Hassan Al Qadhi, Iman Ahmad Hamza Ibrahim, Kuwaitiya Qased Eid Alshemmeri, Sana allah Aman allah K haled Ahmed, Mariam Ali Mohd Abdulla, Khaled Sulaiman Shaar, Saleema Ibraheem Abdelhasan, Nada Mohammed Aljad, Mohamed A. Rahman Darwish, Khaled Hussain Mohammed Alenezi, Enas Abdelaziz, Ameena Hasan Naser, Sadiq Salman Hilal, Gulam Mohd Yusuf.

Sept 21 draw AUB has announced the results of the weekly draws of its Al-Hassad Islamic savings scheme. The lucky customers winning the Grand Weekly prize worth KD 25,000 each at the draws held on 21th of September 2011: Zeyad Bakroun, Adel Ibrahim A. A ziz Alroumaih,

Salah Ahmed Meshari Alfouzan.

The following Al-Hassad Islamic customers won cash prizes of KD 1000 each Ali A. Aziz, Mohammed Zeitoun, Aqeel Jaffar Mansoor A. R ahim, Deya Anwar Ali, Zahra Ebrahim Fadhul Ali, Ali Mohamed I brahim Al-Terjalli, Niaz Ahmed, Zahra Ali Bash Khalaf, Fatima Hussain Mohammed, Ebrahim Yousif Omran, Mahdi Sayed Hassan Almousawi, Suad Mohammed Khalid, S. Hamid S. Alam Maqbool Shah, Muneera Mousa Ahmed O thman, Ahmed Attalla Ibrahim El Fayoumi, Samer Mounir Zaky Tadros, Fahad Saeed Jabran S. Abdulla, Fawaz Adnan Mohammed AlR ayes, Mohamed Asem A. K halek , Hanaa Mohd Hussein AlQallaf, Niaz Ahmed, Jawad Ali Hasan Ali, Zahra Mahdi Hasan Mohamed, Fahad Rashed Ibrahim Alaslawi, Saad Faisal Abdulla Alghadhouri.

With the new Al-Hassad Islamic 2011 scheme, customers have a lot more to look forward to. With 28 Weekly Prizes totaling KD 100,000 each week and “Salary for Life” Prizes every month, the chances to win bigger prizes more often couldn’t get any better.

The most attractive feature of the new scheme is the chance to win bigger prizes, more frequently with 3 grand prizes of KD 25,000 each, week on week plus 25 other weekly prizes of KD 1,000. Chances to win big prizes on a weekly basis, offer instant rewards to both existing as well as new Investors in Investment Saving Account (Al Hassad Islamic). With the introduction of a “Salary for Life” Prize of KD 250,000 every month, the grand prize is also now more fre-

quent and customers do not need to wait for a quarter or more to qualify for the grand prize. The “Salary for Life” has been a core feature for the AL Hassad Islamic scheme with prizes paid out to date exceeding KD 10 Million. The monthly “Salary for Life” prize has enabled winners to afford better homes, ensure better education for their children and enjoy an improved quality of life, with the assurance that the rewards will continue to come month after month for 250 months. AL Hassad Islamic is the only scheme to offer high value week ly and monthly prizes that are significantly higher than the total outlay of other prize schemes in Kuwait. In addition to the attractive prize pool, customers with high balances can opt for other unique features such as Investment savings plan, cheque facility linked to their investment savings account and state of the art e-banking and 24 x 7 Contact Center support.

The new Al-Hassad Islamic 2011 is geared to meeting the needs of salaried individuals. Customers can benefit from not only the biggest and most attractive prize pool but can also enjoy state of the art banking benefits and access to AUB’s unique products’ range for Islamic Finances ,credit cards and investment products. All AlHassad draws are conducted under the scrutiny of officials from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and independent auditing firm, Ernst& Young.

For more information on the AlHassad Islamic investment savings account, its prize structure and eligibility criteria, customers may visit any AUB Kuwait.

Obama presses Republicans for jobs bill support WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama urged Republican lawmakers yesterday to spell out exactly what they can and cannot support in his $447 billion plan to create jobs, sayi ng i t w a s “ ti m e fo r Congress to get its act together.”

Obama, whose re-election chances in November 2012 are clouded by high unemployment and a sluggish econ omy, ha s sa i d h i s jo b s bi l l should be funded mainly by ending tax breaks for corporations and limitin g d e d uc t i ons fo r th e ri ch .

Republicans oppose those ideas, along with some of Obama’s fellow Democrats. But Republican leaders, wary of being cast as foes of job creation during tough economic times, have said there are some ele-

ments of the plan worth considering. “Some Republicans in Congress have said that they agree with certain parts of this jobs bill. If so, it’s time for them to tell me what those proposals are,” Obama said in his weekly radio address. “And if they’re opposed to this jobs bill, I’d like to know what exactly they’re against.”

Democrat Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, has said he will bring up the bill for consideration this year, but it is not clear when in a climate of discord in Washington.

Obama sent his plan-a mix of infrastructure projects and other stimulus spending plus tax relief for small businesses and workers-to Congress three weeks ago.

Th e pre s i d e nt , who p ushed

through an $800 billion economic stimulus bill in 2009, has criticized Republicans for standing in the way of his initiatives at almost ever y t ur n. R ep ub li c ans reto r t t hat Obama’s spending and regulatory policies have slowed the economic recovery and job creation.

“This jobs bill contains the kinds of proposals that Democrats and Republicans have supported in the past,” Obama said in his address. “It is time for Congress to get its act together and pass this jobs bill so I can sign it into law.”

D em o c r ats i n t he S enate are looking at ways to pay for the jobs program beyond just raising taxes o n t he r i c h, lawm aker s said o n Friday. — Reuters

together account for almost 10% of the CPI index.

Meat, poultry and fish was up 9.0% y/y while fruits and vegetables gained 13.3%. These prices should start to soften as the year progresses and international food prices decline, in part thanks to a weaker world envi-

NBK ECONOMIC REPORT ronment. The housing component -the largest component of the CPI index- registered a 3.3% y/y increase in July. This component is largely made up of house rent, and unlike other elements is updated on a quarterly rather than a monthly basis. Increases in this

component have been gradually slowing down this year, helping ease off inflation pressures. This trend should persist for the near future as the housing market benefits from expected added supplies.

Inflation in the cost of education and medical care has crept upwards over the past 12 months, reaching 5.0% in July. Some of this is attributed to a rise in school tuition fees at the start of the 2010/11 academic year, but is also partly due to increasing medical costs, which reached 5.4% in July. As more gloomy news about the world economy trickles in, food and other commodities prices should start to relent, leaving the Kuwait headline inflation rate headed, in our view, to average 4.7% for this year, and 4.4% in 2012.

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KSE ends in red as confidence erodes KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended the last week of third quarter in the red zone, as both its main indices recorded losses. The price index ended last week with a decrease amounted to 1.40%, while the weighted index 1.16% compared to the closings of the week before. Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnover decreased by 18.55%, compared to the preceding week, reaching KD 172.43 million, whereas trading volume average was 24.08 million shares, recording increase of 22.68%.

KSE witnessed a strong trend of selling operations included many stocks in most of the sectors; in addition to the quick speculations executed by few traders on stocks of investment and real estate sectors, causing the price index a limited fluctuation.

On the other hand, the market was able to rise in few sessions last week supported by a number of leading stocks activity. The stock market also witnessed some selective purchasing transactions by few portfolios and investment groups whom are trying to elevate their assets’ market value before the end of the third quarter, which helped into keeping the market performance steady, until profit taking operations took over and pushed the market once again to the red zone.

Moreover, last moment trades witnessed by most

BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT of the daily sessions did not succeed in turning the market to the green zone, but was able to reduce its indices losses only. From another aspect, traders are watching for the third quarter results of listed companies, which will give an indication on such companies annual results; another reason to drop the liquidity flow levels into the market and relatively affect the daily trading activities in general.

By the end of the week, the price index closed at 5,833.1 points, down by 1.40% from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index registered a 1.16% weekly loss after closing at 408.52 points.

Sectors’ Indices Six of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the red zone, while the other two recorded increases. The Non Kuwaiti Companies sector headed the losers list as its index declined by 3.25% to end the week’s activity at 5,387.1 points. The Services sector was second on the losers’ list, which index declined by 2.37%, closing at 13,039.7 points, followed by the Investment sector, as its index closed at 3,652.7 points at a loss of 1.71%. The Food sector was the

least declining as its index closed at 4,034.1 points with a 0.34% decrease. On the other hand, last week’s highest gainer was the Banks sector, achieving 1.41% growth rate as its index closed at 11,776.4 points.

Whereas, in the second place, the Insurance sector’s index closed at 2,588.2 points recording 0.21% increase.

Sectors’ Activity The Investment sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 299.22 million shares changing hands, representing 34.71% of the total market trading volume. The Services sector was second in terms trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 29.71% of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 256.11 million shares. On the other hand, the Banks sector’s stocks were the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 39.26 million or 32.62% of last week’s total market trading value. The Services sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD 32.66 million represented 27.13% of the total market trading value.

Market Capitalization KSE total market capitalization declined by 1.17% during last week to reach KD 28.73 billion, as six of KSE’s sectors recorded a decrease in their respective market capitalization, whereas the other two recorded increases. The Services sector headed the decliners list as its total market capitalization reached KD 7.09 billion, decreasing by 3.07%. The Non Kuwaiti Companies sector was the second in terms of recorded decline with 2.97% decrease after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 1.72 billion. The third place was for the Investment sector, which total market capitalization reached KD 2.14 billion by the end of the week, recording a decline of 2.87%. The Food sector was the least declining with 0.87% recorded decrease after its market capitalization amounted to KD 698.29 million.

On the other hand, the Banks sector headed the growing sectors as its total market capitalization reached KD 12.83 billion, increasing by 0.51%. The Insurance sector was the second in terms of recorded growth with 0.29% increase after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 300.63 million.

For fur ther details, please visit our web site: www.bayaninvest.com.

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Successful career shift Bayt.com report

By Lama Ataya KUWAIT: It is never too late to start again.

Many investment bankers turn internet gurus mid-career, lawyers turn businessmen, businessmen turn real estate developers, engineers turn architects and the list is endless. If you are feeling completely unfulfilled with your career and know that changing jobs, companies or locations won’t change that, or if you have taken time off to pursue other interests and are ready to start a new role, don’t fret. It is never too late to start afresh, providing you plan ahead and follow a few basic rules. Here are tips to ease you through your career transition as provided by the Middle East’s #1 job site Bayt.com: Identify what you’ve always wanted to do For some, the decision to switch careers is based on some life-long desire to do a particular job, say jewelery design or fabric painting. For others, old jobs have become tedious and unfulfilling but the future course is unclear. Take this time to examine your priorities, your values, interests and goals in life. Ask how important the financial element is versus the geographic or creative or intellectual or interpersonal element. If you don’t know what you want to do next, narrowing down your parameters of interest helps you focus. Research different areas, read business journals, travel, scout business fairs and read college brochures to identify an area of business/ study that will enthrall you and meet your life objectives. Consider franchise opportunities and setting up a small business of your own if you don’t want to be employed again. You will be surprised at how many interesting opportunities are out there just waiting to be explored!

Utilize and package old skills You’ve found that job you want but don’t know how to get it. It doesn’t help that you were a civil engineer and the job you now want is in new media advertising.

Don’t be discouraged. Take your CV and start dissecting your skills and past experience to find all those elements that would apply to your new role. You will be surprised at how many skills are interchangeable and constant across careers and disciplines. Highlight those common denominator skills and attributes. These include general computer skills, languages, organizational skills, leadership skills, quantitative, qualitative and problem-solving skills, relationship and interpersonal skills and cre-

ativity. Also highlight your general ‘aptitude’ for learning. Indicate how you learnt certain aspects of your past job in the minimal amount of time, got promoted early or assigned special projects or received praise for accomplishments etc. There are bound to be very many skills and attributes from your past job that will translate very well in your new role. Your task is to find them and highlight them.

Perfect your marketing kit Your CV and cover letter should be geared to your new role. Emphasize past experience and skills that are adaptable to your desired position and future career.

Elaborate on the relevant items and focus less on technical jargon and skills that are completely irrelevant in your new role. Run the CV and cover letter by friends/ acquaintances in the new field to make sure they are in the best possible shape.

Build a roadmap for success Plan for success in your future role right down to the nitty gritty details. By now you should have a very good idea of what is needed for success in your new role. Set goals for yourself and milestones to achieve these goals. For instance, if you are leaving a marketing career to enter an investment brokerage environment, your plan of action may include reading the Financial Times every morning, watching the financial news channels, taking a crash course in Finance before starting and several evening courses after, fine-tuning your computer skills, building relationships in the industry with people/ institutions you have pre-selected, joining industry groups etc. Visualize yourself already successful in this new endeavor then work backwards to see how you got there.

Don’t look back A radical career change often means completely different working hours, responsibilities, work environment and peer culture. To adapt to this new life, you must slowly shed all vestiges of your old cardiologist or Leonardo de Vinci self. Your old self-image of yourself painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel must be slowly altered to suit your new role as dental hygienist or maths professor. Acquire the tools of the new trade, the skills, the education, the relationships and don’t look back. Emulate those who have succeeded in this new role before you and visualize yourself succeeding just as much by learning from them and from every other resource available. —Lama Ataya is CMO at Bayt.com

Global growth prospects continue to deteriorate Citi Investment Research & Analysis KUWAIT: Global growth prospects continue to deteriorate quickly, both for advanced economies and emerging markets. This month, we are again cutting our 2011-12 GDP growth forecasts for many countries, including the euro area, UK, Japan, US and Canada, with a modest downgrade for China and sharper cuts for Eastern Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong and South Africa.

We expect early sovereign debt restructuring in the euro area, and for the euro area overall to slip back into recession in coming quarters.

We forecast global growth (at current exchange rates) will slow from 4.0% last year to 3.0% this year (revised down from 3.1% last month) and to 2.9% in 2012 (revised down from 3.2% last month and 3.7% two months ago). PPPweighted, we expect global GDP growth to slow from 5.0% in 2010 to 3.8% this year and 3.6% in 2012 (with our 2012 forecast cut from 3.9% last month and 4.4% two months ago). Interest rates are likely to stay low, and negative in real terms, for a long period in the main advanced economies. We expect the ECB to cut its key policy rate back to 1.0% in coming months.

For the US, if downside risks intensify, policymakers might turn first toward still-stronger language to guide rate expectations down. Renewed expansion of the Fed’s balance sheet is unlikely unless deflation becomes a clear danger. The UK MPC is likely to be more aggressive, and we expect them to restart QE on a big scale in the next month or two. We expect more sovereign ratings downgrades among Euro Area countries in the next 3-6 months, including Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus. We expect some monetary easing across a range of emerging markets. Against this backdrop, Citi’s Macro Strategy team are cautious on risk assets and bullish core

fixed income. Citi equity strategists believe that markets are oversold, but that stock prices are unlikely to move convincingly higher until there are clearer signs of stability in economic activity and profits growth. Citi rate strategists expect lower yields and flatter curves in core EMU markets and the UK. Citi FX strategists expect the USD and JPY to gain.

Economics We expect global growth to slow to 3.0% this year from 4.0% last year, and we are cutting our 2012 forecast to 2.9% from 3.2% last month and 3.7% two months ago.

United States Although the reversal of temporary drags has given the latest quarter a solid boost, deteriorating financial conditions and lingering policy uncertainties continue to weigh on business confidence. We have trimmed a bit further already subpar growth estimates through next year, with unemployment expected to remain high over the medium term. Enhanced monetary accommodation is likely to persist through 2013 but new fiscal supports for growth are expected to be limited. Euro Area With likely multiple debt restructuring in the periphery countries, the Euro Area will probably fall back into recession. While an enlarged and probably leveraged EFSF is likely to limit the repercussions of the defaults, additional austerity measures and tighter financing conditions probably will hit economic activity. In this environment, the ECB is likely to cut rates back to 1.0% by year-end and the ECB is also likely to put in place additional non-standard measures.

China We have cut our 2012 growth forecast from 9.0% to 8.7%, reflecting a deteriorating external outlook as multiple debt restructurings

in the Euro Area may push the region into recession. With growth decelerating and inflation falling, we expect no further monetary tightening and fiscal policy to be more proactive to forestall downside risks. Japan We have revised down our GDP growth forecast for 2012 to 2.1% under the judgment that the European sovereign debt crisis will enter a new phase and the Euro area will fall into a recession in coming quarters. While Japan’s direct trade exposure to Europe is modest, dysfunctional financial markets in Europe will likely have a much broader impact on the Japanese economy via indirect channels. We expect additional BOJ easing in October.

We expect global GDP growth will slow below 3% in 2012, markedly lower than expected a few months ago. The recent pace of GDP forecast downgrades is among the greatest of the last ten years... ...and extends the recent run of lower forecasts. We have cut forecasts in a wide range of countries...

For the euro area, the cut in our growth forecast (down 0.1% for this year, down 0.8% for next year) is the fifth biggest monthly downgrade of the last ten years. We expect growth to slow markedly in both the advanced economies and emerging markets. We forecast that GDP growth in advanced economies will slow from 2.6% in 2010 to 1.4% in 2011 and 1.3% in 2012, with emerging market growth slowing from 7.3% in 2010 to 6.0% in 2011 and 5.5% in 2012. But, in general we are cutting our advanced economy growth forecasts faster than our emerging market forecasts. Over the last three months, we have cut our forecasts for 2011-12 GDP growth in advanced economies by 0.8%, roughly twice the downgrade for emerging markets (0.45%).

Mideast petroleum sector plans $739.6bn projects MARKAZ PETROLEUM PROJECTS COMMENTARY KUWAIT: As of September, the total value of planned projects in the regional petroleum sector is estimated at $739.6 billion.

This represents an increase of about $12.5 billion since August 2011, but an increase of only about $3.5 billion since the end of Q2 2011. The number of major petroleum projects planned over the next decade stood at 725, a minor decrease of 1 project over the month.

In terms of the number of planned petroleum sector projects, Saudi Arabia continues to lead Iran, whereas in terms of cumulative value of petroleum projects, Iran continues to lead. On a month-onmonth change basis, projects in Iran witnessed the highest increase of around $17 billion, most of which is attributed to the upstream oil and gas segment, whereas projects in Qatar witnessed the highest decrease of around $3 billion.

From a segment perspective, the value of total refining and petrochemical projects remained relatively stable, witnessing minimal changes on a month-on-month basis. In contrast, the value of projects in upstream oil and gas segment increased from $450 billion to $461 billion.

A review of the timing of the upcoming petroleum sector projects indicates that a large proportion of the projects have a short-term horizon. During the month, the mix of timing of projects has changed slightly; 8 projects were added to the medium-term horizon, whereas 6 and 3 projects were removed or reclassified from the long-term and short-term horizon respectively. The value of long-term horizon projects increased, by about $8 billion whereas the value of those with a medium-term horizon increased by about $3 billion.

The number of cancelled/on-hold projects increased marginally whereas their total value decreased marginally over the month. Upstream oil & gas projects continue to be most affected in terms of cancellations or being placed on-hold.

Kuwait Oil inks deal for gas maintenance in Burgan: KOC has signed a KD 151 million ($547.7 million) deal with Al Kazemi International Group, the local agent of South Korea’s GS Engineering and Construction. Under the deal, GS Engineering will provide gas pressure maintenance works to KOC in the Wara

field within Kuwait’s Greater Burgan oil field. This will be the first project that the Korean firm will implement for KOC. GS Engineering is currently implementing a KD 154 million project for Kuwait National Petroleum Company that involves the design, procurement, construction, and operation of new LNG storage tanks to the north of Mina Al Ahmadi.

Saudi Arabia Saudi to pump $63 billion into petrochemicals: Saudi Arabia is pumping nearly SAR 236 billion ($63 billion) into projects to boost its petrochemical industry and maintain its position as one of the world’s top chemicals producers. Nearly 21 per cent of the value of the 62 projects is in the execution stage while 33 per cent is in the study phase, and 18 per cent is in the bidding stage.

Saudi Aramco/Total floats Jubail sukuk: Saudi Aramco and France Total have, through their JV, Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Company announced the opening of the offer period of a Sukuk to construct two new petrochemical tank farms in Jubail. The new facility will have a 400,000 b/d refinery capacity, coming online in 2013. Although the size of the issue has not been released, market analysts believe it to be in the region of $1bn.

UAE French engineering firm wins $500 million contract: French engineering firm Technip has been awarded a half a billion dollar contract at the Satah Full Field

Development, an oil field in Abu Dhabi.

The contract, in partnership with the National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC), was awarded by the local Zakum Development Company and is for the procurement and construction of equipment to help maximize crude oil and oil recovery production from the project.

The oil field is located around 200km northwest of the UAE capital and the French engineering firm said that it was planning to use gas injection and gas lift techniques to boost oil output. The work will also include the installation of new facilities at the onshore Satah plant on Ziku Island as part of its partnership with NPCC. Oman PDO is planning to award contracts: Oman Petroleum Company (PDO) is planning to award $1.04 billion of contracts for work in its oil and gas fields before the end of this year. A company executive said it is processing the tenders submitted for various oilfields contracts, including oil drilling and gas supply. Six contracts are to be awarded this year at the Hasirah and Hawqa gas fields, as well as steam injection work at the Al Ghubar oil field, and a power station at Lekhwair.

Iraq Iraq needs $30 billion for refinery projects: Iraq is seeking about $30 billion of investments to build five oil refineries as OPEC’s third-largest crude producer plans to add enough fuel-processing capacity to avoid importing gasoline and diesel. The

projects would raise Iraq’s capacity to transform crude into fuels by 900,000 b/d.

Iran Iran to Sign $5 billion gas deal: National Iranian Offshore Oil Company (NIOOC) will sign a $5 billion contract with a consortium of Asian companies to develop ‘Farzad-B’ gas field in the Persian Gulf. The contract will be inked by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2012). The development plan will be completed in two phases and the field will produce 2.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day.

Iran to build super heavy oil refinery: Middle East’s first super heavy oil refinery will be constructed in Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf. The refinery will have a capacity of refining up to 30,000 b/d.

Yemen currently has approximately 16 projects upcoming in the petroleum sector, with an estimated cumulative value of $5.8 billion. These projects are focused heavily on the upstream oil and gas segment.

One of the major upcoming projects is the Aden refinery upgrade that is currently in the planned phase, and has an estimated budget of $3 billion. Aden refinery is one of the oldest refineries in the region. It was built by BP Company in 1952 and started production in 1954. The Government of Yemen acquired ownership of the refinery through a peaceful settlement in 1977. Yemen has a total crude oil refining capacity of 140000 b/d. The Aden refinery, which had a design capacity of 170000 b/d, sustained significant damage during the 1994 civil war, but was later partially rebuilt. In order to meet the needs of the domestic market of oil derivatives, Aden Refinery Company (ARC) plans to upgrade the Aden refinery. Yemen is believed to be in talks with Sinopec Corporation and other Chinese companies to upgrade the refinery. If Chinese companies are awarded the construction contracts, they would supply the equipment and Yemen will repay them with refined oil products.

The project has an anticipated EPC award date of Q3 2012, and an estimated completion date of Q4 2016. Due to the civil unrest in the country, the status of all projects in Yemen is uncertain.

NEW DELHI: Maruti Suzuki workers stand outside a plant in New Delhi.

The carmaker ended a bitter month-long labor dispute with workers yesterday.

Bitter labor dispute ends at India’s Maruti NEW DELHI: India’s leading carmaker Maruti Suzuki ended a bitter month-long labor dispute with workers on Saturday that cost the company millions of dollars in lost output. The Japanese-controlled company and the workers at a Maruti plant in northern India had been at loggerheads since late August when the company locked out employees, accusing them of sabotaging cars on the production line.

“We are happy, everyone is happy that the strike is now over,” Maruti chairman RC Bhargava told AFP. “We have reached a settlement and (full) production will resume on Monday,” Bhargava said after the two sides clinched an agreement following several hours of gruelling negotiations.

Maruti sells nearly half of all new cars in India. Bhargava declined to put a figure on production losses due to the strike.

But a company executive told AFP it had lost production worth around $120 million as a result of the dispute. This came after nearly two weeks’ worth of production was lost in a labour row in June, costing Maruti close to $93 million.

The South Asian nation is critical to Suzuki’s fortunes as it is the Japanese company ’s biggest overseas market. The dispute erupted as Maruti has been battling to boost its market share, which has shrunk to 45 percent from 55 percent in the past four years with global auto giants aggressively seeking to penetrate India’s fast-growing vehicle market.

The company produces the Swift and A-Star hatchbacks, and the SX4 sedan at the Manesar factory, which employs 2,000 workers. The company continued to make some cars at the Manesar plant in Haryana state with the help of a few employees who had returned to work, supervisors, engineers and other trained people brought in by the company.

The company had asked all workers to sign what it called a “good conduct” bond, promising they would not sabotage production, before going back to work.

“Everybody will sign a good conduct undertaking and 18 apprentices who were dismissed will be taken back,” the company chairman said. — AFP

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Europe, China woes fuel earnings worries NEW YORK: Investors are worried US earnings growth may finally fall back to earth as turmoil in Europe and signs of a less robust Chinese economy hurt foreign support.

The euro zone’s debt crisis and weakness in China have fueled investor concern that the global economy could tip back into recession, possibly dampening US earnings growth at a time when the US economy is still struggling to gain ground. Overseas sales have helped US companies beat earnings expectations in the last couple of years, with foreign sales totaling 30 percent on average for Standard & Poor’s 500 companies.

“If the euro region is crumbling, that’s going to have a tremendous negative impact” on companies like McDonald’s, said Todd Schoenberger, managing director at LandColt Trading in Wilmington, Delaware.

“I’m not expecting a big earnings quarter,” he said. “We’ve been getting

WALL STREET WEEKLY OUTLOOK the clues already.”

The most recent company to trouble investors about the earnings outlook is Ingersoll Rand Plc, whose shares tumbled 12.1 percent to $28.09 on Friday after the industrial conglomerate cut its third-quarter and full-year earnings forecast to below market estimates.

Investor pessimism is already high.

The S&P 500 finished the quarter with its worst performance since 2008, and many strategists have slashed their forecasts for year-end. The S&P 500 dropped 14.3 percent in the third quarter, losing about $1.7 trillion in market capitalization. A disappointing third-quarter earnings period, which begins the second week of October, could only trigger more losses, analysts said. Strongerthan-expected earnings helped stocks claw back from 12-year lows in 2009.

Next week, investors also will be bracing for data on the US job market, among the weakest parts of the economy. The government’s September employment report is due Friday, while US manufacturing data from the Institute for Supply Management is due Monday. The ISM services-sector index is set for release on Wednesday.

Companies reporting earnings have benefitted for the last decade from weakness in the dollar, which helped overseas revenue figures. With the euro down 7.4 percent this quarter, the biggest quarterly loss by percentage since mid-2010, companies could lose some of that currency cushion.

“I think you’ll see a lot of companies blaming problems on Europe,” said Justin Walters, co-founder of Bespoke Investment Group in Harrison, New

York. Walters said excluding companies that report no international sales, the average percentage of overseas revenue for the S&P 500 is 41 percent.

The euro-zone debt crisis has investors worried about a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis.

In China, which has been a major engine of growth for the global economy, data has shown some weakness. On Friday, figures showed the country’s manufacturing shrank for the third month in a row and had the longest contractional streak since 2009. Analysts have slowly been reducing earnings forecasts for the quarter. Third-quarter earnings are expected to have risen 13.3 percent from a year ago, according to Thomson Reuters data. The forecast was for 17 percent growth on July 1.

“If there’s a very drastic downturn in

the European economic zone, that portion of US earnings will be impacted,” said Natalie Trunow, chief investment officer of equities at Calvert Investment Management in Bethesda, Maryland, which manages about $14.8 billion.

But she and other strategists are optimistic that the earnings period will not disappoint, and could even present a buying opportunity.

“US multinationals don’t necessarily derive all of their additional earnings (from Europe), and in China, data seems to be showing a slowdown but not in hard-landing territory,” Trunow said.

Other strategists said the dramatic costcutting that US companies started in the 2008 financial crisis will help to keep bottom-line earnings numbers relatively healthy.

“In our view, corporate America has learned to make money in this environment,” said Hank Smith, chief investment officer at Haverford Trust Co in Philadelphia. — Reuters

SEC report cites flaws at credit rating agencies 10 agencies chastised for failure to protect integrity WASHINGTON: US securities regulators say their first annual review of the nation’s credit rating agencies finds the companies aren’t doing enough to protect their own financial integrity.

The Securities and Exchange Commission report released on Friday was mandated by the sweeping financial industry reforms passed last year. Regulators examined 10 credit rating agencies, including the three largest: Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch.

The report didn’t specifically identify which of the credit rating agencies suffered the most troubling weaknesses. But it chastised the 10 agencies for a series of problems, including inadequate controls over employee conflicts of inter-

NEW YORK: An elderly group leads a march up Broadway towards Police Headquarters on Friday in New York. The “Occupy Wall Street” protest is in its second week, as demonstrators speak out against corporate greed and social inequality. — AP

Americans earn less in August WASHINGTON: Americans earned less in August, the first decline in nearly two years. With less income, consumers could cut back on spending and weaken an already-fragile economy.

Their lower pay explains why consumers increased spending at a slower pace in August. And most of the increase went to pay higher prices for food and gas. When adjusted for inflation, spending was flat.

Many people tapped their savings to cover the steeper costs. The savings rate fell to its lowest level since December 2009. The decline in income offered “more evidence that households are in quite a bind,” said Paul Dales, senior US economist at Capital Economics.

Consumer spending rose 0.2 percent in August, after growing 0.7 percent in July, the Commerce Department said Friday. Incomes fell 0.1 percent, which was the first decline since October 2009.

The data also contributed to a rough day of Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled to close 240 points down. Broader indexes also fell. When people have less income, they spend less and that slows growth. Consumers spending accounts for 70 percent of economic activity.

The economy grew just 0.9 percent in the first half of the year, the worst sixmonth stretch since the recession officially ended more than two years ago.

Most economists have been predicting the second half of the year will be slightly better, in part because gas prices have come down since peaking this spring. Dales estimates 2.5 percent growth in the July-September quarter and 1.5 percent in the final three months of the year. Those estimates take into account the weaker income figures.

Such growth may be enough to calm recession fears. But it is far from what is needed to lower the unemployment rate, which was 9.1 percent in August. And Dales cautioned that he might have to lower his estimates even further if consumers have less money to spend.

“Households haven’t seen their incomes increase at all this year. That goes a long way to explain why consumption growth has been so weak,” Dales said. “Job growth is stagnant and even those people who do have a job are not in a position to spend because their incomes are not growing.”

Most people probably didn’t experience an actual pay cut last in August. But the economy added no new jobs. And among those who were working, average hourly earnings dropped 3 cents and

hours worked fell slightly. Those factors combined to lower wages and salaries.

Many retailers, particularly discounters like Target Corp and Wal-Mart Stores Inc, have cut workers’ hours. They’re under pressure to trim expenses, said Burt Flickinger III, president of retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group, and labor is the biggest expense after inventory.

In June, Target had its first union election in two decades after facing allegations that it paid skimpy wages and reduced hours at a Valley Stream, NY store. However, Target has repeatedly denied there was a companywide plan to reduce workers’ hours.

Advances in technology have also helped merchants optimize workers’ schedules, too. So they have more workers on duty during peak sales times without being overstaffed during lulls.

More efficient scheduling may make good business sense. But for workers, it can mean less money at time when the cost of living is increasing. When factoring in the cost of inflation, after-tax incomes actually fell in both August and July. That represents the first back-toback declines since mid-2008, at the height of the recession and financial crisis.

The bulk of August’s spending increase went to pay for non-durable items, such as gas, food and clothing - all of which have been affected by spikes in commodity prices this year.

On Friday, the average national price for a gallon of gas was $3.45. While that’s down from its peak of nearly $4 in May, it’s still nearly 76 cents more than what consumers paid a year ago.

At the same time, consumers spent less in August on big purchases, such as cars, appliances and furniture.

“Consumer spending is still rising, which is important for US economic growth.

But the gains are pretty mediocre,” said Jennifer Lee, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. Facing higher prices and earning less money, consumers saved only 4.5 percent in August. The savings rate rose as high as 6.5 percent in late 2008, at the height of the recession and financial crisis.

Prior to the recession, an abundance of jobs and inflated home prices made many feel wealthier. They saved just 2 percent back of their income back then.

“The American consumer is in a fragile state - high debt, low wage growth, poor employment prospects and increasing prices,” said Chris G. Christopher, senior economist at IHS Global Insight. — AP

est. Regulators also found the companies sometimes didn’t even follow their own procedures.

Some examples cited in the report: The agencies had inadequate policies to prevent conflicts that arose when analysts and agency employees own stock in companies they rated Two of the three big agencies didn’t have specific policies to prevent such conflicts when a company they rated held a substantial stake in their agency. One agency failed to follow its own formulas for rating securities.

Another delayed informing investors about changes in its formulas. The SEC staff conducted its examination from December 2009 through August 2010. The SEC hasn’t determined if any of

the findings represent a significant breach of regulations, but the report left that possibility open for future action. Despite improvements made by some since a previous examination in 2008, there are still problems at all of them, including failures in some cases to follow their own policies, the report said.

The three big agencies have been blamed for helping fuel the 2008 financial crisis by giving high ratings to risky mortgage securities. Those investments later soured when the housing market went bust.

Critics say the agencies have a built-in conflict of interest because they are paid by the same companies they rate. — AP

Protesters mass outside New York police HQ NEW YORK: About 2,000 anti-corporate demonstrators marched on Friday from a protest camp they have occupied near Wall Street to the headquarters of the New York Police Department.

The noisy but peaceful rally was the largest since anti-Wall Street activists occupied a small park in lower Manhattan two weeks ago to protest corporate bailouts and corporate influence in politics. “We got sold out!” the crowd chanted as it snaked through rush hour traffic, closely shadowed by columns of police. Hand drawn placards included: “Nazi bankers” and “people before dollars.” It was the first time the protesters tried marching on New York’s high-tech police headquarters at One Police Plaza, the nerve center of one of the

world’s most sophisticated security services.

Numbers were swelled on Friday by support from local unions including the Transport Workers Union and by youths responding to false rumors on the Internet that mega band Radiohead was going to play a free concert at the protest camp.

Protesters added police brutality to their lengthy and still vaguely defined list of grievances after an incident a week ago when a senior officer used pepper spray against four demonstrators who had already been shut inside a police pen. “NYPD protects billionaires and Wall Street,” one placard said.

Although police came ready for mass arrests, carrying rolls of orange mesh used to pen in crowds, the demonstration passed off peacefully. — AFP

NEW YORK: Glenn Carell (left) and a fellow specialist work at a post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. —AP

Dollar rises as hopes fade for euro crisis fix NEW YORK: The dollar was mostly higher against other major currencies as investors began to doubt that European officials will fix the region’s debt crisis as quickly as they thought.

Reports that a sweeping plan to contain the European debt crisis was in the works helped the euro post gains against the dollar earlier in the week. But, with no announcement of a deal from European leaders, the euro has given up some of its gains. In late trading Friday, the euro fell to $1.3424 from $1.3559 Thursday. The euro fell 1 percent

against the dollar since Monday and is down nearly 7 percent from the beginning of the month.

Concerns of a global slowdown intensified Friday as data from China showed manufacturing activity this month was flat from the month before.

The monthly purchasing managers index, released

by HSBC, was flat at 49.9 in September. A reading below 50 indicates that activity is contracting.

“Some analysts have significantly revised down their growth expectations for China, which is starting to spook investors,” said Forex.com analyst Kathleen

Brooks in a note to clients.

In times of global turmoil, investors tend to buy the dollar because they consider it a safe haven currency. On Friday, the dollar index, which measures the greenback against six other currencies, rose over 1 percent. In other trading Friday, the British pound rose to $1.5626 late Friday from $1.5590 Thursday.

The dollar rose to 77.08 Japanese yen from 76.71 Japanese yen, to 0.9051 Swiss franc from 0.8994 Swiss franc and to 1.0438 Canadian dollar from 1.0395 Canadian dollar. — AP

Etihad announces onboard wireless internet by year end

STOCKHOLM: CEO of Swedish fashion chain Hennes & Mauritz AB, Karl-Johan Persson speaks during a news conference in Stockholm, Sweden on Thursday. Swedish fashion chain Hennes & Mauritz AB on Thursday posted a near 15 percent drop in third-quarter net profits mainly on the back of rising procurement costs, a bump-up in the expansion of new stores, a lower US dollar as well as marketing investments. — AP

ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, will provide onboard wireless internet on selected routes to Europe before the end of the year. Speaking yesterday at the World Broadband Forum in Paris, Etihad CEO James Hogan said: “I can tell you that Etihad will have two aircraft with operational onboard internet by December this year, and five aircraft by March, 2012.

“Three of those five aircraft will be Airbus A330-300s, which will operate between Abu Dhabi and cities like Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Munich and Paris. And we are right at the point now of settling on a fleet-wide connectivity solution for the years to come.”

He added airlines around the world now faced pressure from customers to make broadband internet access standard on all flights, but cautioned the industry to invest wisely in wireless innovation.

He said: “Perhaps the biggest challenge is to stay in synch on this incredibly fast and exciting journey into the future.

Annually, airlines invest billions in aircraft and millions in inflight entertainment and other trappings, years before the aircraft enter service. Changes in technology move at the speed of light... There is an

ever present danger of investing heavily in a system or hardware that is likely to be obsolete by the time it rolls off the production line.”

In a wide-ranging speech concerned with the effects of the internet revolution on the aviation industry, Hogan said wireless processes enabled huge financial savings to be made.

“The associated changes now deliver around $18bn in efficiency savings each year, some of which is passed on to customers, some of which enables continued reinvestment.” He added Etihad’s online sales in July, 2011, were up 71 percent on the previous year. “The day is approaching when the greater part of our selling and CRM will be digital, particularly via smartphone and tablet devices,” he said.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, began operations in 2003, and in 2010 carried more than seven million passengers. From its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad serves 72 cities in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America, with a fleet of 61 Airbus and Boeing aircraft. It has more than 100 aircraft on order, including 10 Airbus A380s, the world’s largest passenger aircraft.

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Alibaba’s Ma: ‘Very interested’ in Yahoo CALIFORNIA: Jack Ma, the founder and CEO of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, is keen on buying Yahoo Inc if the opportunity presents itself and has held discussions with other potential buyers about options. Asked whether Alibaba might like to pick up the ailing US Internet company, Ma told an audience at Stanford University that he would be “very interested in Yahoo.”

The former English schoolteacher later added that, were he to have his way, he would be eager to acquire all of Yahoo, not just the stake it owns in Alibaba. “The whole piece of Yahoo,” Ma said in answer to a question from the audience about what part of Yahoo he was interested in. “China is already ours, right? It’s already in my pocket.”

Yahoo shares leaped 5 percent to $13.80 in after-hours trading. Acquiring Yahoo could help Ma expand his online empire into one of the world’s most important Internet markets.

Ma also said he planned to spend the next year in the United States learning more about the countr y and the market. An Alibaba spokeswoman said Ma would be based in the San Francisco Bay area, but would travel across the country and would continue his operational duties as chairman and CEO of the Alibaba Group.

Ma, who was speaking at the China 2.0 conference at Stanford, said he had not visited Yahoo to discuss a deal since he arrived in the United States 15 days ago. “We are probably one of the very few companies that really

News

Microsoft anti-virus program evicts Chrome browser SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft raced Friday to fix an anti-virus program that targeted Google’s Chrome browsing software as a malicious threat and kicked it off computers. Microsoft said the case of mistaken coding identity lasted about three hours and affected about 3,000 users. “An incorrect detection for PWS:Win32/Zbot was identified and as a result, Google Chrome was inadvertently blocked and in some cases removed from customers’ PCs” (personal computers), Microsoft said at a malware protection Facebook page. An update to free Microsoft Security Essentials anti-virus software had mistakenly targeted Chrome as a troublesome computer virus tailored to steal online banking information. Microsoft apologized for the error.

1989 student leader launches China democracy web school TAIPEI: Wang Dan, a leader of the 1989 student movement, launched a website in Taiwan yesterday meant to teach young Chinese about democracy, local media reported. The New School for Democracy hopes to invite well-known academics to teach democratic concepts to Chinese Internet users, the United Evening News said, citing Wang at a ceremony yesterday in Taipei to mark the start of the website.

“Don’t ask what Chinese democracy can do for you, ask what you can do for Chinese democracy,” 42year-old Wang was quoted as saying in the paper, paraphrasing former US president John F. Kennedy.

The website, www.ns4d.org, was likely to be blocked

by Chinese censors, but so many young Chinese go abroad to study now that word was likely to spread anyway, Wang was quoted as saying. Wang was arrested after the crackdown on the Tiananmen protests on June 4, 1989 and spent several years in jail in China before eventually leaving the country for the United States. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, are believed to have died when the government sent in tanks and soldiers to clear the square in early June 1989, violently crushing six weeks of pro-democracy protests in Beijing.

Amazon’s content includes over 1m e-books SAN FRANCISCO: Amazon’s unveiling of the Kindle Fire tablet computer sends a bright-hot message: The online retailer is ready to rival iPad maker Apple in an effort to be the world’s top digital content provider. It may sound odd coming from a company that pioneered online sales of physical products, selling its first book, Douglas Hofstadter ’s “Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought,” in 1995. But since it first entered the digital market in 2006 with its video download store, Amazon has bet consumers will pay for high-quality digital content.

In addition to the millions of actual items it sells, which range from toys to toothbrushes, Amazon’s trove of digital content now includes more than 1 million e-books, 100,000 movies and TV shows and 17 million songs. This is about 1 million fewer songs than iPad maker Apple Inc. sells, but more than twice as many e-books and many thousands more TV shows and movies.

Amazon.com Inc. CEO Jeff Bezos is confident that its content is what will help the Kindle Fire do better than others who have trotted out tablets. “The reason they haven’t been successful is because they made tablets. They didn’t make services,” Bezos said in an interview after his company unveiled the tablet at a New York media event Wednesday.

Bezos, a 47-year- old former Wall Street money manager, built Amazon on exactly this sort of confidence. He started the company on the theory that a Web-based book store would resonate with consumers, since it seemed like the easiest way to browse millions of titles at once. He was right. The company grew rapidly and Amazon began trading publicly in May 1997, despite never having turned a profit. It took five more years - and the addition of product categories like CDs, DVDs and consumer electronics - before the online retailer reported any net income. These days, Amazon consistently reports strong growth: In the most recent quarter, it earned $191 million on $9.91 billion in revenue. It was Apple that moved into digital content first, however. With the

NEW YORK: In this file photo taken Sept 28, 2011, the Kindle Fire is shown at a news conference, in New York. The e-reader and tablet has a 7-inch (17.78 cm) multicolor touchscreen and will go on sale for $199 on Nov 15. —AP

arrival of Apple’s iPod digital music player, which first came out in 2001, Apple figured consumers would be willing to pay for legal, high-quality digital music they could download to the devices.

Apple became a major player early on, making deals with major record labels to sell digital tunes through its iTunes Store in 2003. Soon the iPod became more multimedia-savvy : Apple added T V shows in 2005 and movie downloads a year later.

Amazon soon entered the market itself, rolling out its own digital video downloading service in 2006 and music downloading service a year later. It was in 2007, though, that things really heated up. That’s when Amazon rolled out its first Kindle e-reader, upending the book market once again by turning the focus from costly paper books to electronic ones that could be delivered quickly and cheaply to customers on a reading device.

The Kindle rapidly grew the company’s e-book business, and Amazon said in May that it was selling more e-books than physical copies of books. But the Kindle Fire’s ability to show e-books, surf

Poor nations urged to tap Web fast for growth NAIROBI: With online business increasingly driving economic growth, developing nations’ top priority should be the infrastructure their citizens need to get connected, delegates at an Internet conference in Nairobi said this week. The Internet’s potential to raise living standards is under-exploited in the developing world, where just 21 percent of the population have access, compared with 69 percent in the developed world.

In a study published earlier this year, consultancy Mckinsey found that the Internet accounted for 21 percent of economic growth in mature economies, and that almost $8 trillion changes hands through e-commerce each year. But regions such as Africa, lacking the broadband infrastructure mature economies enjoy, have an uphill struggle to encourage telecoms operators to invest in the mobile networks needed to bring the Internet to the masses-especially when the masses have little disposable income to repay their investment.

“There is no way developing countries should sit back and wait, because online activities are driving offline activities,” said Joe Mucheru, head of Google in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Participants at the United Nationssponsored Internet Governance Forum said there was a need to expand infrastructure such as undersea cables and wireless networks for markets where the primary mode of connection to the Web is by mobile phone. Increased bandwidth capacity and increased competition will cut prices and allow more people to get

Yahoo’s board has also started to look for a permanent CEO, but provided no details on its progress, or whether it hired an executive recruiting firm to oversee the search. At an all-hands meeting the day after Bartz was fired, Yahoo founder Jerry Yang said the company was not for sale, according to another source familiar with the matter. But analysts are staking good odds that Yahoo could eventually be acquired. Ma said he couldn’t predict when a deal to acquire Yahoo might take p l a ce. “ I t ’s m ore com p l i c a te d t ha n we thought. And there’s so many people interested in that. And we are also talking to them and they are talking to us,” he said. “I cross my fingers, just to say we are very, very interested,” Ma said.— Reuters

With Kindle Fire, Amazon’s digital ambitions burn

in brief

Verizon sues to overturn ‘net neutrality’ rules WASHINGTON: Verizon Communications, the largest US cell phone carrier, is suing to overturn new government regulations governing the flow of Internet traffic. The lawsuit filed Friday in Washington’s US Court of Appeals contends the Federal Communications Commission overstepped its authority in setting its so-called “net neutrality” rules last year. The rules are scheduled to go into effect in two months. They prohibit Internet service providers from discriminating against or giving special treatment to online services or content. Verizon filed a similar suit earlier this year, but it was thrown out after the court determined the complaint was premature. The publication since then of the rules in the Federal Register provided Verizon with a new opportunity to challenge the FCC’s regulations.

understand Yahoo USA very well,” he said, referring to his company’s long-running relationship with Yahoo, which dates back to 2005. That relationship has grown strained in recent years.

Ma’s attempts to buy back some of Yahoo’s roughly 40 percent stake in his company were rebuffed by former Yahoo Chief Executive Carol Bartz, who was fired earlier this month.

Yahoo has received inquiries from multiple parties about “potential options,” but the struggling company is expected to take months to decide its future. It has retained Allen & Co to help it conduct a long-term “strategic review.”

Private equity firm Silver Lake Par tners is among the parties that have been in touch with Allen & Co, according to a source familiar with the matter.

connected, government officials and company executives attending the forum said.

Some Western telecoms operators facing stagnation at home are prepared to make big bets on connecting developing nations; France Telecom , under the brand name Orange, is seeking to double its revenue in the Middle East and Africa to 7 billion euros ($9.5 billion) in the coming years. It is already present in Egypt, Tunisia, Senegal and Kenya, among other African countries. One of its present projects is the building of an undersea cable to improve Internet connectivity in west Africa.

“We’ve prioritized spending on the undersea cables, since that will really be a vast improvement to what is currently available,” said Thierry Bonhomme, head of networks at France Telecom. Today, much of Africa’s Internet traffic is delivered via satellites, which have far less capacity and connectivity than the intercontinental cables that are slowly being built. In Nigeria, it costs $1,100 to buy capacity per megabyte on the Lagos to Abuja link-nearly double the $600 it costs to buy the same capacity on the much longer Lagos to London link, due to the lack of internal infrastructure once the signal reaches Africa.

This screen shot provided by MediaMall Technologies Inc, shows “My Recordings” section of Playlater.tv. PlayLater, which bills itself as “the DVR for online videos,” can record content from a number of different online sources — including Hulu, YouTube and Netflix — and save it to your computer. —AP

Executives of cable operators there have been lobbying the government to formulate forward-looking policies that can help cut the costs of moving capacity within the country.

Bitange Ndemo, the top official at Kenya’s ministry of communication, says the answer lies in the construction of a national fibre network to take capacity brought on submarine cables to homes and businesses. “I ask you to make (access) to this resource (highspeed Internet) a human rights issue,” Ndemo told participants at the meeting. “If access to broadband is declared a human rights issue, then governments will step in and invest so no human being is left behind.”

The east African nation, whose approach to provision of communication infrastructure and industryfriendly regulations was promoted by delegates to the conference as a viable model for other developing nations, is in the process of putting up a next-generation LTE network-more advanced than most developed economies can boast-to be run by several firms. The mobile phone is the primary tool of access to the Internet in Africa, driving some handset makers such as Nokia to incorporate Web functions into their latest low-priced models aimed at the continent.

In light of that, Robert Pepper, vice president for global technology policy at Cisco Systems , said African nations could increase access to the Web by switching off analogue television in favour of digital TV and using the spectrum used by TV stations for wireless Internet networks. —Reuters

the Web, stream movies and TV shows and support apps positions it as an even better catalyst for Amazon’s digital goods sales.

The price will probably help, too: When it goes on sale Nov. 15, it will cost $199, which is less than half of the $499 you’ll pay for Apple Inc’s cheapest iPad and $50 less than book seller Barnes & Noble Inc.’s Nook Color e-reader. This leaves buyers with plenty of money left over to spend on content. “It’s important to remember at the end of the day that Amazon’s core business is retailing and this is a way to sell more digital media on a sort of 7-inch vending machine,” NPD Group analyst Ross Rubin said.

The Kindle Fire, which runs Google Inc.’s Android software, is clearly meant for gobbling up Amazon’s digital media in particular. While most Android tablets include access to Google’s Android Market for downloading games and apps, the Fire will eschew that in favor of Amazon’s own app store. And while the tablet doesn’t have much storage space - 8 gigabytes, compared with 16 GB on the cheapest iPad - Amazon is offering users free Web-based storage for any

digital content they buy from Amazon.

Another weapon in Amazon’s arsenal: In hopes of keeping Kindle Fire users purchasing both digital and actual items, the tablet includes a free month of Amazon’s premium shipping service, Amazon Prime. Prime, which costs $79 per year, gives users unlimited two-day shipping on any items they buy from Amazon, as well as free access to a library of 11,000 streaming movies and TV shows. This is about half of what Netflix Inc.’s streaming library has.

Amazon has never said precisely how many Kindle e-readers it has sold, but its higher sales of e-books than print books indicates it’s a strong performer. Given this, and the general popularity of tablets, expectations are high for the Fire. Rubin thinks consumers will become fans of the tablet, saying it offers a more complete media consumption experience than what Barnes & Noble has provided with the Nook Color, which came out last year.

Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps thinks Amazon could sell as many as 5 million Fires by the end of the year, but thinks it will probably be closer to 3 million since it’s coming out so late. Apple, by comparison, has sold nearly 29 million iPads since it released the first one in April 2010, and over 9 million in the June quarter alone. Of course, in addition to being the new tablet on the block, the Kindle Fire faces other challenges. On the content side, the Amazon Appstore currently includes more than 16,000 apps, but this is just a small fraction of the 425,000 apps in Apple’s App Store, over 100,000 of which are tailored specifically for the iPad. On the tablet side, the device’s screen is on the small side, which means less space for watching movies and more panning around when surfing the Web. And it will only be able to access the Internet over Wi-Fi, not over wireless carriers’ highspeed data networks.

Still, Epps believes Amazon’s decision to lead with content and services, rather than hardware, will help it prosper with the Kindle Fire. “Apple will still be the clear market leader, but Amazon will still be a clear number two because of that strategy,” she said. — AP

China cracks down on fake iPhones SHANGHAI: Police in Shanghai have arrested five people for making fake iPhones, state media said Friday, just as Apple fans overseas wait with bated breath for the launch of the US giant’s newest model. The craze for all things Apple in China has triggered widespread cloning of iPhones and iPads. In July, an American blogger even uncovered fake Apple stores in the southwestern city of Kunming. Police said the Shanghai gang scavenged parts from discarded iPhones and combined them with counterfeit components to create the fakes, which were then sold, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The raid on the gang took place in July, and police seized more than 200 fake iPhones and other parts valued at five million yuan

($780,000) from a workshop in a rented apartment, it said. It was unclear whether the gang members were arrested then or in September, and local police could not be reached for comment Friday. The bogus iPhones sold for more than 4,000 yuan each, close to the price for the genuine article, the Shanghai Daily newspaper reported.

The news comes as speculation mounts that Apple may unveil its next generation iPhone as early as October 4, after the US technology giant sent out invitations for an unspecified event on that day. The launch is sure to trigger huge excitement in China, which has the world’s largest online population with over 500 million users. Some diehard fans queue for days to get their hands on the latest Apple products. —AFP

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H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Denmark levies world’s first fat tax Tax to limit population’s intake of fatty foods

KINGSTON: This September 23, 2011 photo shows a man holding a handful of Zebra mussels near Kingston, Canada, which have invaded Lake Ontario. Zebra mussels from the Caspian Sea, introduced to North America by accident, are becoming a veritable plague releasing toxic chemicals into the Great Lakes, Canadian biologists say.—AFP

Chemical-munching mussels contaminating Great Lakes KINGSTON: Zebra mussels from the Caspian Sea, introduced to North America by accident, are becoming a veritable plague releasing toxic chemicals into the Great Lakes, Canadian biologists say. The mussels hitch-hiked to Canada on the ballasts of cargo ships arriving on the continent in 1986. And in the past two decades the thumbnail-sized creatures have spread and are found in more than a third of the Great Lakes.

Not content with devouring plankton and indigenous species, the mussels are sucking on toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) trapped in the lakes’ sediment and releasing the chemicals into the freshwaters, Todd French, a biologist at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario told AFP. “Zebra mussels act as a siphon. They absorb everything and reject what is toxic,” he explained.

PCBs were first manufactured in 1929, and were widely used in sealing and caulking compounds, cutting oils, inks and paint additives. They were detected in the Great Lakes for the first time in 1966. By 1977, concern over the environmental impact of PCBs, which do not break down easily, led to a North American ban on manufacturing and importing the chemicals. Levels in the Great Lakes abated until the late 1980s before starting to climb again, because of the mussels, scientists have now discovered. Their findings were published in a recent issue of the journal Ecosystems.

The concern is the mussels are releasing PCBs that had been trapped in sediment for decades in waters where they are then absorbed by algae and other animals up the food chain until they eventually reach fish eaten by humans. Health Canada says

small amounts of PCBs are unlikely to cause adverse health effects. But an accumulation of the chemicals in the body can lead to problems of the nervous system, and liver and kidney cancer. “There is a concern for the 40 million people (Canadians and Americans) living near the Great Lakes,” French said.

Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario form the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world with a total surface of is 208,610 square kilometers, and hold 21 percent of its fresh water.

“Eventually, we’ll have to re -evaluate guidelines for the consumption of fish from the Great Lakes,” French urged. Over the long term, PCB levels in the Great Lakes should eventually stabilize since the chemicals have largely been phased out, but the havoc created by the mussels does not end there.

They blanket vast areas in clusters, interfering with and even suffocating indigenous mollusks and crustaceans, and cause billions of dollars in infrastructure damage.

“The zebra mussel gets into the cooling systems of power plants and clogs the pipes. It damages water treatment plants and aquaculture, and even boat engines,” said Renata Claudi, head of a group fighting the mussels’ spread. “There is a product (Zequanox) which is (effective for destroying populations of ) mussels, but it can only be used for eradication in small bodies of water,” she said. The Great Lakes are far too big. “There is nothing really that we can do to stop them,” concluded Chris Grooms of the ecological group Kingston Field Naturalists. “We’re just trying to stem their advance by cleaning boat keels to avoid further contamination of more lakes.”—AFP

COPENHAGEN: Denmark yesterday became the first country in the world to impose a fat tax after a week in which consumers hoarded butter, pizza, meat and milk to avoid the immediate effects. “We have had to stock up with tons of butter and margarine in order to be able to supply outlets,” Soeren Joergensen of Arla Distribution told AFP. The new tax, designed by Denmark’s outgoing government as a health issue to limit the population’s intake of fatty foods, will add 16 kroner ($2.87, 2.15 euros) per kilo (2.2 pounds) of saturated fats in a product. This means an increase in the price of a pack of 250 grammes of butter, for example, by 2.20 kroner to more than 18 kroner. “It has been a chaotic week with a lot of empty shelves. People have been filling their freezers,” Christian Jensen of an independ-

ent local Copenhagen supermarket told AFP. “But actually I don’t think the tax will make that much difference. If people want to buy a cake, they will buy it. But right now they’re saving money,” he added.

The new tax will be levied on all products including saturated fatsfrom butter and milk to pizzas, oils, meats and pre-cooked foods-in a costing system that Denmark’s Confederation of Industries (DI) says is a bureaucratic nightmare for producers and outlets. “The way that this has been put together is an administrative nightmare, and I doubt whether it will give better health. It’s more just a tax,” DI foodstuffs spokeswoman Gitte Hestehave told AFP, adding that the costs of levying the tax would be passed on to consumers.

Hestehave said that setting prices on domestically produced or imported goods was complicated,

Crunchy crickets going mainstream in Australia?

SYDNEY: Looking for a taste treat for a special snack? Perhaps a packet of chocolate covered bugs, chocolate-chip mealworms or cricket lollipops will hit the spot.

Australia’s Aborigines have been eating witchetty grubs for centuries, but now etymologist Skye Blackburn is breeding edible bugs and selling them to Australians from all walks of life, and as special treats at corporate functions and children’s parties.

“Eating insects is a fairly new concept,” said Blackburn, who runs The Green Scorpion and bug shop, a Sydney-based online venture that sells the creatures for human and animal consumption, as well as for collections. “On Father’s Day we sold a lot of gift packs, which included chocolate covered bugs, choc-chip mealworm cookies and flavored lollipops with bugs in the centre.” As with many business ventures, the beginning was serendipitous. “We were doing a pet and animal expo, and needed a good promotional item to get people to come over to the stall. So we started making the lollipops and they were really successful,” she said.

She also sells bugs ground up into chocolate-coated cookies, frozen bugs and roasted bugs, so they can be mailed to cus-

tomers. A trial pack retails for A$20 ($19.64). The bugs can be bought by the 100 grams or in kilogram lots. “You would use them like you would use meat really,” said Blackburn, adding that mealworms have a nutty mild flavor and are a little bit more crunchy than crickets. “If you put crickets into a hot dish, like a stir fry or a curry, they do absorb the flavor a little bit better than the mealworm.”

Blackburn said edible bugs also offer nutritional benefits. “Crickets are high in calcium, termites are high in iron and silk worms have special amino acid and good fats in them, while tarantula and water bugs mainly have protein factor,” she said, noting that they are also low in fat. Sales are picking up. Blackburn said the shop sells 1,000 lollipops a week and that she has about 100 regular customers who buy raw insects to use as part of their daily diet, including university professors, doctors and lawyers. But eating bugs can still be a hard swallow in the land of the barbecue. “Some people can’t get past the fact they are eating a bug,” she said. “Some people spit it out because that would be a normal reaction if you got a bug in your food. Others are willing to try and love it.”—Reuters

Federation of Small and Mediumsized Enterprises says the European Union is currently studying the tax as there may be a competition issue. While producers in Denmark have to pay the tax at source, for imported goods it is calculated by the distributor. “This can mean that imported goods will be cheaper than domestically produced items,” Rosenmejer told the national Jyllands-Posten daily.

A Danish producer will have to pay the tax on all of the saturated fat used, including for example what a product is fried in, he said.

An importer may only be paying according to what is actually in the finished product.

“Hopefully the tax will be shortlived,” Rosenmejer said. The rightwing government that decided on the tax was superceded by a centre-left administration in elections last month.—AFP

BERLIN: A new born quadruplet of Indochinese Tigers (Panthera tigris corbetti) , also known as Corbett’s tigers look out of a box during their first presentation for public at the Tierpark zoo in Berlin, Friday. The quadruplet was born on Sept 10. —AP

Cholera epidemic hits Central African Republic BANGUI: A new cholera epidemic has hit the Central African Republic and has already claimed at least 10 victims in the south, health minister Jean-Michel Mandaba said Friday. His comments came the day after a health services source sounded the alarm that cholera had killed six people in the Limbo region, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the capital Bangui.

“The government of the Central African Republic would like to officially declare that there is a cholera epidemic in the (southern) health zones of Ombella-Mpoko and Lobaye, leaving at least 10 people dead,” Mandaba said. The minister called for calm and urged the local population to go about their usual business while “scrupulously respecting basic hygiene and cleansing measures.”

Mandaba also urged the country’s “bilateral and multilateral partners” to provide financial and technical aid.

Two months ago, health authorities warned of the danger of an outbreak due to the presence of cholera in nearby countries. There have been fatal cases of cholera in northern Nigeria, Chad, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and elsewhere.—AFP

AMSTERDAM: Gorillas feast on a lump of ice filled with fruit, vegetables and nuts in Artis Zoo in Amsterdam, on Friday. The apes were treated to this cold surprise by their caretakers due to the warm weather. —AFP

as it required declarations from producers both as to how much saturated fat was in the product itself, and used in its preparation.

Computer systems all had to be adjusted, adding many man-hours to administrative tasks for producers and sellers. “Products that include other products that include saturated fats also have to have new prices worked out.

Imported goods require a declaration from the producers abroad on exactly how much saturated fat has been used in production,” Hestehave said. “As far as we have been able to determine, Denmark is the first country in the world to introduce a fat tax” but we know that other countries are following us closely and have their own plans, she said. The new Danish tax, however, may not last long.

EU legal exper t Jeppe Rosenmejer of the Danish

England bans Cigarette vending machines LONDON: Cigarette vending machines were banned in England yesterday, a move the government hopes will cut the numbers of children smoking. Anyone caught selling cigarettes from the machines, usually found in pubs and clubs, could face a fine of £2,500 ($3,900, 2,900 euros). Pubs will still be able to sell cigarretes from behind the bar. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “Smoking is one of the biggest and most stubborn challenges in public health. Over eight million people (around 15 percent) in England still smoke and it causes more than 80,000 deaths each year.

“Cigarette vending machines are often unsupervised, making it easy for children to purchase cigarettes from them. “The ban on cigarette sales from vending machines will protect children by making cigarettes less accessible to them-we want to do everything we can to encourage young people not to start smoking in

the first place.” The British Hear t Foundation charity said that around 200,000 youngsters start smoking regularly in England each year, with around 11 percent of regular smokers aged 11 to 15 getting their cigarettes from vending machines. It is illegal to sell tobacco in Britain to anyone under the age of 18.

Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, cigarrete vending machines are to be banned in Northern Ireland in February, while Scotland and Wales are committed to introducing a ban.

Meanwhile, in April 2012, all large retailers in England and Scotland will have to take all tobacco off display, with small shops having until April 2015 to comply. The government is due to launch a public consultation on whether cigarettes should be sold in plain packaging with no logos or branding. Smoking in enclosed public places was banned in England in July 2007.—AFP

Boeing arrest points to US workplace drug problems WASHINGTON: The arrest of more than three dozen people on drug charges at a Boeing military aircraft plant highlights the growing problem of prescription drug abuse by US workers, experts said Friday.

Federal authorities on Thursday charged 37 people, all but one of them current or former Boeing employees, with selling or trying to buy painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs at the company ’s suburban Philadelphia plant.

The federal drug raid on the plant that makes key US military aircraft followed four years of stealth operations as agents infiltrated the factory and found workers to cooperate in undercover deals, authorities said.

But outside such investigations, detecting prescription drug abuse among US employees is generally harder than it is for other kinds of illicit drug use, such as marijuana or cocaine. Many employer drug tests now in use would not catch workers abusing painkillers or some other prescription medications.

Only 12 percent of the 4.5 million drug tests conducted last year tested for Oxycontin, a powerful painkiller, according to Quest Diagnostics, the biggest US drug tester for employers. Oxycontin was one of the four types of prescription drugs found

at the Boeing factory. Also, three-quarters of all drug tests happen before someone is hired, Quest said, making it difficult to detect workers who get addicted to drugs on the job. Even with the gaps in testing, evidence shows that prescription drug abuse on the job is on the rise.

Forty percent more American workers tested positive for prescription opiates, or painkillers, in 2009, than in 2005, said Quest. Those drugs were also linked to more workplace accidents, the company said. “If you think about the profile of the typical prescription drug user, they’re not going to be typical of other illicit drug use.

It’s going to be in the normal places, like workplaces, colleges,” said John Challis, vice president of treatment services at the Daytop Village drug treatment facility in New York. “That report about Boeing is inclusive of that.”

While prescription drug abuse usually makes headlines when tied to celebrities, experts say it is not surprising the problem has spread beyond Hollywood. Some 2.7 percent of Americans reported using prescription drugs for non-medical reasons in 2010, according to a yearly survey released earlier this month by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA. The numbers

treated for prescription painkiller abuse rose 400 percent over the past decade, according to 2010 figures.

Such statistics prompted President Barack Obama’s administration in April to launch a fight against what it called a prescription drug abuse epidemic. No study has looked at which industries have the highest incidence of prescription drug abuse. But US Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Rusty Payne said, “These problems with prescription drugs, the addiction rates, the abuse rates, are happening in a lot of places that would surprise you. “These are people who don’t fit the profile of a typical drug user,” Payne said.

Federal drug regulations do not require testing for prescription drug abuse for federal employees. But a July meeting of a SAMHSA advisory committee recommended the government reconsider its decision.

At the Boeing plant, 23 of the 37 arrested were charged with the illegal selling of drugs, rather than using them. “(The Boeing plant) I imagine was seen as a network where you could have a captive audience and make sales,” said Challis. “(But) it’s an example of how much it (prescription drug abuse) has permeated into everyday life.” — Reuters

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Killer cantaloupe, scary sprouts - what to do?

MILWAUKEE : Avoid foreign produce. Wash and peel your fruit. Keep it refrigerated. None of these common tips would have guaranteed your safety from the deadliest food outbreak in a decade, the one involving cantaloupes from Colorado. Whether it’s sprouts or spinach, turkey or hamburger; whether the government conducted double, triple or quadruple inspections, the truth is that no food will ever be completely free of risk. And a few foods have become so risky that certain people such as children, pregnant women and the elderly may do best to avoid them altogether until growers and the government figure out how to make them safer, some food experts say. An unappetizing fact: Although the current cantaloupe outbreak has been tied to just one farm in Colorado, it’s at least the 19th outbreak involving that melon since 1984.

It’s also the first one caused by listeria, a germ that actually likes to be in the refrigerator and thrives in this fruit, which cannot be cooked unless you want to eat melon mush.

Listeria also prompted a California farm to recall bags of chopped romaine lettuce on Thursday because of possible contamination, though no illnesses have been reported. The greens from Salinas-based True Leaf Farms went to an Oregon distributor and possibly at least two other states - Washington and Idaho. So what should you do if you see cantaloupe on a salad bar or at the grocery store? Can you be sure all of the tainted stuff has been pulled from the market, since the last bad melons were shipped on Sept 10? What if no one knows where the cantaloupe was grown?

“If the store can’t tell them or the restaurant can’t tell them, I would not buy it at all,” said Chris Waldrop, director of the Food Policy Institute at the Consumer Federation of America. Laura Anderko, a Georgetown University public health expert, went a step further. “Honestly, as a nurse, I would tell people don’t eat the cantaloupe until this thing resolves itself,” she said. “This stuff happens because our system is not as tight as it needs to be.”

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has confirmed 13 deaths and 72 illnesses in the outbreak so far, has not told people to stop buying cantaloupe. However, the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration cannot even say where all of the tainted melon went, because it was sold and resold to many distributors across the nation. “When in doubt, throw it out,” is the CDC’s advice to consumers who have any cantaloupe whose origins they can’t determine. “Even if the

cantaloupe is gone, you need to wash the drawer or shelf it may have been on” to make sure other foods don’t become contaminated, said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Beyond that, each outbreak brings fresh lessons on how to make produce safer. And while some of these things aren’t guarantees, they can cut the odds you’ll lose at the food safety lottery.

Some new tips food experts offered: Shop more often and consume fresh fruits and vegetables within a few days. This gives germs less chance to multiply and gives you more nutrients from your food, too. Don’t just wash a melon. Scrub it under running water to rinse off any dislodged germs, and let it dry. If you cut it while it’s still wet, “you may be sliding the pathogens more easily from the outside to the inside” on the knife, DeWaal said. Keep the fridge cold, 40 degrees or lower. Higher than that can let germs grow. Don’t get a false sense of security if you buy organic produce. That just means less pesticide - not necessarily fewer germs.

Consider dropping especially risky foods from your diet. Bean sprouts are not safe for children, pregnant women or people with weak immune systems and certain diseases, but that doesn’t mean they’re OK for everyone else, said Michael Doyle, a microbiologist who heads the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety.

Doyle also consults for a lot of food companies, including a major spinach producer that sought help after outbreaks involving that vegetable. He has chaired a food safety advisory council for McDonald’s for many years. “I don’t eat sprouts at all,” he said. If harmful bacteria are in the seeds “they grow in the sprouting process, and there’s nothing to kill them unless you cook them.”

You can go too far with this, though. Even Dr. Robert Tauxe, the CDC’s top food-germ sleuth, once confessed over lunch that he refused to live in fear, and that there were only a few foods he absolutely wouldn’t eat, such as raw oysters and unpasteurized milk.

Beyond that, safe handling and cooking can generally keep most foods safe, he said. The big picture is important, said Robert Gravani, a food scientist at Cornell University. A gazillion pounds of produce are consumed each day, and only a tiny fraction cause problems, he said. “I have a hard time saying, ‘Don’t eat produce,’ because of all of the health benefits,” he said. “Everything we do has some degree of risk attached to it.”— AP

senses' harmony ... with life

HOLLY: Cantaloupes rot in the afternoon heat on a field on the Jensen Farms near Holly, Colo., on Wednesday. The Food and Drug Administration has recalled 300,000 cases of cantaloupe grown on the Jensen Farms after connecting it with a listeria outbreak. —AP

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Announcements Laif annual convention Here comes LAIF Annual Convention. The Life Abundant International Fountain Kuwait is holding its first annual convention at the National Evangelical Church, Kuwait (Neck Compound-Hall of Faith), Near Parliament House, Kuwait City from Thursday, October 6-9, 2011. It will commence on Thursday at 7 pm, Friday at 10 am, Friday at 10 pm, Saturday at 6 pm and Sunday at 6:30 pm. For more information, contact and transport, call 66332844 50611737, 66922052, 665SO209 or e-mail: laifkuwait@yahoo.co.uk, www.facebook.com/L.A.I.F.CHURCH.

W H AT ’ S O N

Health and hygiene week at India International School

Brain Bang Calling all students aged 11 and above, Support Group for Accelerated learning under the umbrella of FOCC (Friends of CRY Club, Kuwait), BRAIN-BANG invites you to join us in our fortnightly Friday Class from 11.45 am to 13.45 pm in Salmiya starting October 7th for the next 6 months. Successfully running for the seventh consecutive year.

Areas of development are : ● Memory tools to Understand and Learn Better ● Tools and Techniques to empower your mind ● Activity, fun, games and worksheet based assignments ● Practical Experiments ● Mind Gymnastics ● Application of Learning Techniques to conventional study. Register before October 5th 2011. Limited seats. Register early to avoid disappointment. Website: www.focckwt.org EMail: brainbang@focckwt.org Phone no: 25660835/25618471/97677820

Birthday Greetings

K

eeping our body clean is an important part of keeping us healthy and helping us feel good about ourselves. The KG section of India International School observed health and hygiene week from 18/9/2011 to 22/11/2011. The highlight of this week was to inculcate healthy habits for tiny tots and keep body clean and germ free. A plethora of events were planned involving the children.

The slogans for the week were ‘Good health is in your hand, Germs are not for sharing stay fit, Be healthy and be happy, Brush me twice & keep me germ free , Take a bath and knock the germs out of your body.

Demonstrations were given to the children by the teacher through enactments and role play. The teachers got into the characters like Mr germ, Mrs Fit, Mrs sunshine smile ,Mrs hygiene and Ms healthy and amused the children and gave them ways and means to be happy , fit and germ free.

The week was filled with fun excitement and the knowledge transferred to them was fruitful and it was seen in children when the smiling faces went home happily saying goodbye to the germs.

Annual competition Tulu Koota Kuwait has great pleasure in inviting its valuable members to Tulukoota Kuwait annual competitions on 14th October 2011. It’s a unique opportunity to our members & their children to showcase their talent at the varied competitions. There will be singing, dance, fancy dress competitions for all age group, cute baby photo contest etc. Competitions will be held on Friday 14th October from 10 am onwards in Indian Community School (Senior Girls), Salmiya. For details, competition rules and registrations please contact 65044521, 65013887, 66958848, 97834578 Or visit our website www.tu1ukootakuwait.org or mail us at secretary@tulukootakuwait.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 Alva- 23726164, Suma Bhatt- 97834578 Salmiya & Hawally: Swarna Shetty- 99006934, Kripa Gatty- 66044194 Kuwait City, Jahra, Sharq: Rekha Sachu- 65044521,97862115 Farwaniya, Abbassiya, Shuwaikh & Khaitan: Sathyanarayana- 66585077 Sanath Shetty67712409.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

Happy birthday to Jefran Abdullah Mohammed Al Hajree, best wishes from mother Rafath Mohammed Ghouse Bin Ali, aunty Farhana Mohammed Ghouse Bin Ali.

British Ladies Society to hold meeting

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he British Ladies Society will hold their Monthly Meeting on October 4th at the Movenpick Al Bida’a from 6:30pm. October is Breast Cancer Month and Dr Suzanne Samir from the Hussein Make Juma Kuwait Cancer Centre will give a talk on the work they are doing. It promises to be an informative and inspirational evening.

Tickets are KD8 for members and KD10 for guests.

To book please contact events@theblskuwait.com

Konkani drama

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Hindi Diwas program

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o enhance the awareness and significance of Hindi as the national language of India, Hindi Diwas was celebrated at Indian Public School with great enthusiasm. Various programs were staged to highlight the rich and glorious culture and heritage of India.

Debate Competition was organized for Senior Secondary classes.

The topic of the debate was - ‘Nari Shiksha Ka mahatava’. For Secondary classes the topic for the same was - ‘Internet - Vardan Ya Abhishap’. Students performed very well.

Primary class children performed a cultural program in which they sang Hindi songs and poems.

A fancy dress show was put up by the students of classes 111 to V in which they are dressed up like Indian freedom fighters and deliv-

uwait Goan Association (KGA) after presenting popular Konkani tiatrs ‘Ghor Bandlem ghorabo Modlo’ and ‘Tujea Moga Passot’, now all set to present Tragedy King Mario Menezes most popular Konkani drama “Hatachim Panch Bottam” in Kuwait on Friday, 18th November 2011 with full troupe.

Await for more details or email: kgakuwait@gmail.com

ered their slogans in Hindi. The principal applauded the efforts of the students in organizing the program.

Modern art sculpture

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ami Mohammad is a pioneer sculptor. A key founder of the modern art of sculpture in Kuwait. His work is the embodiment of human epic. The use of “Bronze” Symbolizes strength, resilience and strong will. Opening reception: Today October 2, 2011 at 7 pm. Exhibition hours: 3 - 13 October 2011, 10 am - 2 pm, 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm.

Tulu Parba Merit scholarship

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Galleries in Kuwait Sultan gallery established 1969 to promote Arab contemporary art. Sabhan, Sadeer company. Block 8, street 105, building 168. 24714325 ext. 110 Dar Al-Funoon, Behbehani Compound, House 28- near the Christian Church off of Gulf Road.

Tel: 22431338 Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah, Shaab, next to Shaab Leisure Park. Tel: 22400963 AWARE Surra Street, Block 3, Villa 84. Tel: 25335260/80 or www.aware.com.kw The Strip, across Al-Seif Palace Jibla Tel: 99666533 www.the-exhibition.com.kw Located on ‘The Strip’ Across from Al-Seif Palace Jibla, Kuwait Tel: + (965) 9-406-6226 Fax: + (965) 2-534-4061 Email Address: info@the-exhibition.com.kw Mailing Address: P.O. Box 17919, Khaldiya, Kuwait

James and the Giant Peach

ulu Koota Kuwait is pleased to announce its Merit Cum Means Scholarship Award to be awarded during Tulu Parba which will be held on 4th November 2011 in American International School Auditorium, Maidan Hawally.

Tulu Koota Kuwait firmly believes in the great value of education and is strongly committed to helping needy students to achieve their educational goals. Application accepted from minimum one year valid members children studying either in State of Kuwait or in India, scoring high grades at X and XII standard Board Examination held during Academic year 2010-2011. Contact Tulukoota Kuwait Welfare officer Suresh Shyam Rao on 65976789 or email: shyamson@yahoo.com to submit the copies of marks sheet & proof of income with the application. Candidates obtaining high grades but not eligible for merit cum means scholarship shall be honored with Merit Certificate and Medal. For further information please contact: Harish Bhandary Tel. 50264416

Pathanamthitta Onam

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Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

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rade 6 boys and girls at Kuwait Bilingual School, Jahra pose in front of the giant peach as part of the celebration of the 50th year of the publication of James and the Giant Peach, the celebrated book by Roald Dahl. The class had a cake in the shape of a giant peach as well.

he executive committee of Pathanamthitta District Association has decided to hold 2011 Onam Festival celebrations on Friday October 28, 2011 with a grand public function attended by Member of Parliament from Pathanamthitta Loksabha Constituency, Anto Antony and other prominent dignitaries from Kerala and Kuwait. All residents of Pathanamthitta District and persons of Pathanamthitta District origin are hereby invited to attend this function and friends and families.

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Embassy Information 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.

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NBK holds training course

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he National Bank of Kuwait concluded a training course on improving basic skills for security guards, which took place recently at the NBK building in Al-Mubarakiya. The course included several training sessions organized in cooperation with the Leaders’ Institute for Security Studies and Training.

Somonnito Abrittichorchakendru met on a jubilant Eid-reunion

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omonnito Abrittichorchakendro (associated poetry recitation exercise center) Kuwait, is an organization of expatriate Bengalis in Kuwait dedicated to enrich and spread the art of poetry recitation and rich cultural heritage of Bangladesh worldwide. The association hosted a jubilant cultural program on account of Eid reunion at Rajdhani hotel in Kuwait City on 22nd September 2011. Literature Mohammed Ali Azam and renowned recitation artist Kamruzzamanbabu coordinated the program that was thoroughly presented by poet KanthaPathik.

A good number of men of letter, dignitaries, poet, literature, socio-cultural-political and journalists association leaders and activists had participated in this cultural festivity.

The program was commenced with the introductory discussion on poetry and literary exercise presented by the chief coordinator, literature Mohammed Ali Azam. Among the Kuwait expatriate Bengali poets respectively Selim Reza, Abdur Rahim and Al Amin chowdhury Swapan had presented their poetry recitations.

Renowned recitation trainer Babul Akhtar Nur lead the well groomed artists of Somonnito Abrittichorcha kendro namely Patrick Gomez, Kamruzzamanbabu, Kazi Mahbubul Islam Liton, Sanjibbadhrachandan, Jahangir Hossainbablu, KanthaPathik, SheikhAhsanul Haque khokon in reciting famous pieces of Bengali poetries while the Maestro Babul Akhtar Nur himself had spell bounded the audiences with the recitation of Debotargrash a master piece by Tagore. The segment of Bengali songs and jokes had also cheered the audience. “Jadebe dao” a collection of poems composed by the poet Sanjibbhadrachandan was inaugu-

ICAI Kuwait chapter holds seminar

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he Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Kuwait Chapter, has conducted a CPE Seminar on 18th September 2011 at Holiday I nn Downtown. The Seminar was presented by Jasmin Kohina, General Consul of NBK Capital and the topic was CMA. Almost 100 Indian CA s were present for this seminar.

The speaker Jasmin Kohina, in her opening remarks stated that The Capital Markets Law will write a new chapter in the history of capital markets in Kuwait”. She commenced her presentation by providing a brief introduction to the law and the regulations as well as the regulations that existed prior to their enactment governing capital markets.

Her presentation covered all sections under the Capital Markets Law and Regulations including the setting up of the Capital Markets Authority, Stock Exchanges, Clearing Agencies, Securities activities, Investment Funds, Disclosure of I nterest, Acquisitions, Takeovers, Placement of securities and Disciplinary actions and penalties. The presentation primarily focused on the organization of securities activities and the obligations that are required to be complied with by companies that engage in such activities. This included a discussion on establishment and marketing of investment funds and the requirements prescribed under the CMA regulations for fund managers. She then went on to explain the disclosure requirements and the rules governing acquisitions and takeovers as provided under the regulations. Her presentation also touched upon the rules prescribed for issuance of a prospectus and the approvals required from the Capital Markets Authority.

The presentation concluded with an analysis of the Law and the Regulations with respect to its applicability, a discussion on the drawbacks and difficulties perceived and the areas where it is expected that the Capital Markets Authority would come up with further clarifications or information.

In her concluding remarks she stated that the law, once implemented fully in its correct spirit will bring about a significant change in the capital markets sector in Kuwait, providing for greater transparency in securities dealings and curtailing excessive volatility in the stock market. It will also ensure better investor protection, particularly with regards to minority investors. It is therefore a step in the right direction, which will place Kuwait in a better position within the global financial markets”. This was followed by a lively participation from all members present where they asked a number of questions to the speaker.

rated by BabulAkhtar Nur, Mohammed Ali Azam in association with other notables. Crests of honors par respective excellence namely Onupomsammanona to Poet SanjibbhadraChandan, ‘Soilpiksoukorjosarnmanona’ to Patrick Gomez, ‘Hardiksommanona’ to Saiful Islam Mansour were also awarded in

the program.

The program was sponsored by renowned business establishment Al Meshal General Trading Co. Sound system assistance was extended by Bangladesh Awami Jubo League, Kuwait. Also it was heartily supported by Al Meshal Trading Co. representative GiasUddin, and Afazuddin Mollah, Abdul Kader Mollah, Bangladesh Awamiiubo league- Kuwait chapter. Leaders and activists from Bangladesh Awami League, Jubo league, Seschsasebak League, Soinik League, Bangabandhuparisad, Awami Foundation, Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi dal (B.N.P.) Jatiya Party, Barnamala Sankskritik Sangsad, Jatiya Kabita Parisad, Rituranga Shilpi Goshti, Onkur Shilpangon, Swarlipishilpigoshti, Bangladesh, Jubosankskri tik & krira chakra, Joybangla Sankskritikjothe, Sabujbanglasankskritikjothe, Rangdhanushilpigoshti, Hridoye Bangladesh Shilpigoshti, Ashik Fashion Readymade garments, touristic hotel, News magazines Ajker Surjodhoy, Oporadhchitro, probas Bangla, Marulekha, Swadesh, MadinarPathey, Ekushe Bangla, Probaskantha, Reporter’sunity, mediagroup, Sangbadik Parisad, The Arab Times.

Among community leaders and notable presence were Sheikh Akramuzzaman, Abdulkader Mollah, Abulkashem Quddus, Afazuddin mullah, Md.Yakub, Rafiqul Islam bhulu, Sirazul Islam Aslam, Mohammed MasudKarim, Moinuddinmoeen, Md Aminul lslam (National Bank), Md.Manirul Islam (U.A.E. exchange).

Performers, participants and the organizers had attributed their best to make the event culturally colorful and the synchronization made it remarkable.

St Thomas Indian Orthodox Church Harvest Festival 2011

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 ■■■■■■■

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.

Effective January 15, 2011, the only Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) application form that will be accepted by CIC is the Application for Temporary Resident Visa Made Outside of Canada [IMM 5257] form.

All previous Temporary Resident Visa application forms will no longer be accepted by CIC and instead will be returned to applicants. Should old applications be submitted prior to January 15, 2011 they will continue to be processed. To ensure that the most recent version of the Temporary Resident Visa application form is being utilized, applicants should refer to the CIC website. As of January 15, 2011, forms are to be filled in electronically.

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EMBASSY OF GERMANY The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait wishes to announce that as of 1 May 2011, the external service provider Al Qabas Assurex is operating a Visa Application Centre in support of the German Embassy. Short-term visa applications for travels to Germany (e.g. for tourism, visits, business) are to be submitted to the service provider Al Qabas who for your convenience will ensure that all relevant documents are included in your application. Your personal appearance at the Application Centre is not required. Address of the Visa Application Centre: Al Qabas Assurex Sanabel Tower (Al-Babtain) Mezzanine (M3) opposite Sharq Mall Kuwait 22924444 Fax: 22924442 Further information are available on the following websites: www.kuwait.diplo.de www.qavisa.com ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on the following dates during the month of October 2011. October 2, 2011 (Sunday) - Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday; October 6, 2011 (Thursday) - Dussehra; and October 26, 2011 (Wednesday) - Diwali.

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t Thomas Indian Orthodox Syrian Church, Ahmadi, Kuwait, part of Indian Orthodox Church- under the Diocese of Kolkatta will be celebrating ‘Harvest Festival 2011’ on 21st October 2011, at Delhi Public School, Ahmadi.

Inaugural ceremony will be held at 09:00 AM and the main stalls will be open from 08:30 AM.

As part of our great heritage, Harvest Festival which is also an annual socio-cultural programme, is celebrated and a large number of people from all walks of life, women and children, young and old get together to celebrate this eagerly awaited harvest festival. v

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EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to request all Kenyans resident in or training through Kuwait to register with the Embassy. We are updating our database. This information is necessary in order to facilitate quick assistance and advise in times of emergency. Kindly visit in person or register through our website www.kenyaembkuwait.com. The Embassy is located in: Surra Area - Block 6 - Street 9 Villa 3 Tel: 25353362 - 25353314; Fax: 25353316.

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KEF to present Ramanan, a musical

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uwait Engineers Forum will present the musical version of Ramanan, the celebrated Malayalam poem, penned by Changampuzha, as part of its Onam celebration on Oct 14, at American International School, Maidan Hawally.

Preparations are underway for the half an hour musical on a day filled with many other cultural items presented by KEF members.

Ramanan will combine the art forms of dance, ballet and kathakali. On stage: Ramanan - Saji P; Chandrika - Poornima Sumesh; Madanan - Bejoy Idicula Mathew; Changampuzha: Vinod Kumar.

Chrous- Nilofar Hafees, Faisa Sageer, Sherin Iqbal, Namitha Ginu, Nikitha Ginu, Nimisha Ginu. Concept:- Shemej Kumar K.K; Direction: Jhony Chirayathu.

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF PERU Embassy of Peru in Kuwait has the honor to announce the opening of its office soon in Sharq area, Ahmed Al-Jaber street, Al-Arabiya Tower, 6th Floor, Kuwait City.

Moreover, please be notified that there will be “Peru Expo-Tour, Trade & Invest” and the working hours will be from 09:00 till 14:00 (SundayThursday). You are cordially invited to visit us in order to know why Peru should be your new touristic destination and your best business partner.

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

Untamed & Uncut Deadly Waters Great White Appetite Wildest Africa Dogs 101 Animal Cops Phoenix Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Meerkat Manor Crocodile Hunter The Really Wild Show Animal Crackers Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife Trophy Cats Dogs 101 Crocodile Hunter Shark After Dark Shark Family Big Five Challenge Bad Dog Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife Karina: Wild On Safari Wildest Africa Dogs 101 Ultimate Air Jaws Shark Family Whale Wars Max’s Big Tracks

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

Robin Hood The Jonathan Ross Show Blackadder Blackadder The Weakest Link As Time Goes By One Foot In The Grave Balamory The Roly Mo Show Me Too Tellytales Poetry Pie Balamory The Roly Mo Show Me Too Tellytales Poetry Pie Balamory The Roly Mo Show Me Too Tellytales Poetry Pie Balamory The Roly Mo Show Me Too Tellytales Tellytales Poetry Pie As Time Goes By One Foot In The Grave Robin Hood The Weakest Link Casualty Casualty The Weakest Link Doctors Robin Hood As Time Goes By One Foot In The Grave Coast Heart & Soul Lark Rise To Candleford The Fixer Dalziel And Pascoe

00:10 Antiques Roadshow 03:40 Holmes On Homes 07:05 The Naked Chef 07:30 Come Dine With Me 12:30 New Scandinavian Cooking 12:55 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 17:30 Design Star 19:00 Gok’s Fashion Fix 20:40 Masterchef Australia

00:00 00:10 00:30 01:00

BBC World News World Features World Challenge 2011 BBC World News

01:30 Middle East Business Report 02:00 BBC World News 02:10 World Features 02:30 Newsnight 03:00 BBC World News 03:10 World Features 03:30 BBC World News 04:30 Dateline London 05:00 BBC World News 05:10 The World Debate 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 Click 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 Newsnight 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 India Business Report 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 Fast Track 10:00 BBC World News 10:10 The Health Show 10:30 BBC World News 11:10 World Features 11:30 Dateline London 12:00 BBC World News 13:10 World Features 13:30 BBC World News 14:30 Newsnight 15:00 BBC World News 15:10 World Features 15:30 BBC World News 16:15 Sport Today 16:30 Click 17:00 BBC World News 17:30 World Challenge 2011 18:00 BBC World News 18:10 The World Debate 19:00 BBC World News 19:30 India Business Report 20:00 BBC World News 21:00 Sports World Have Your Say 22:00 BBC World News 23:10 This Week With Christiane Amanpour

00:05 Robotboy - Elements 00:30 Squirrel Boy 00:55 George Of The Jungle 01:20 Cramp Twins 01:45 Chop Socky Chooks 02:10 Best Ed 02:35 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 03:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 03:25 Generator Rex 03:50 Adventure Time 04:15 Flapjack 04:40 Chowder 05:05 Powerpuff Girls 05:30 Ed, Edd n Eddy 05:55 Cow & Chicken 06:20 Squirrel Boy 06:45 I Am Weasel 07:00 The Life & Times Of Juniper Lee 07:25 Powerpuff Girls 07:50 Cartoon Network Dance Club 08:05 Angelo Rules 08:30 Chowder 08:55 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 09:20 Adventure Time 09:45 Courage The Cowardly Dog 10:05 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 10:27 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 10:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 11:20 Generator Rex 11:45 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 12:10 Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders 12:35 Hero 108 13:00 Best Ed 13:58 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 14:20 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 14:40 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 15:30 Ed, Edd n Eddy 16:20 Camp Lazlo 17:10 Robotboy - Elements 18:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 18:25 Flapjack 18:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 19:15 Adventure Time 19:40 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 20:05 Chowder 20:30 Courage The Cowardly Dog

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

TV PROGRAMS 20:55 21:20 21:45 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:40

Cow & Chicken Best Ed I Am Weasel Ben 10 Bakugan Battle Brawlers The Secret Saturdays Samurai Jack Megas XLR

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

Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic Stitch Kim Possible Emperor’s New School Stitch Jungle Junction Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Fish Hooks Suite Life On Deck Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Fish Hooks Wizards Of Waverly Place Beauty And The Beast Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up A Kind Of Magic Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Wizards Of Waverly Place Stitch Shake It Up Fish Hooks Good Luck Charlie Hannah Montana Shake It Up Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up Beauty And The Beast Hannah Montana Forever Wizards Of Waverly Place Fish Hooks Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Sonny With A Chance The Suite Life Of Zack And

00:10 01:55 03:25 05:00 07:00 08:25 09:55 11:40 13:30 15:15 16:50

Bright Lights, Big City-18 The Outriders-FAM Penelope-FAM The Sea Of Grass-PG G-Men-FAM Lassie Come Home-FAM The Swan-FAM Young Cassidy-PG The Wings Of Eagles-FAM The Trouble With Girls-FAM The Adventures Of

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

Africa Trek Trabant Trek Word Travels Tall Ship Explorers Globe Trekker Intrepid Journeys Glutton For Punishment Flavours of Greece The Blue Continent World’s Greatest Motorcycle Globe Trekker Planet Food Tokyo Revealed Globe Trekker Africa Trek Globe Trekker Special Globe Trekker Food Tripper Globe Trekker Essential Specials Globe Trekker

THE FLYBOYS ON OSN CINEMA

00:40 I’m Alive 01:35 I Escaped Death 02:30 How Stuff’s Made 03:00 How Do They Do It? 03:25 How Stuff’s Made 03:55 How Do They Do It? 04:20 How Stuff’s Made 04:50 How Do They Do It? 05:15 How Stuff’s Made 05:40 How Do They Do It? 06:05 How Stuff’s Made 06:35 How Do They Do It? 07:00 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 07:50 Ultimate Car Build-Off 08:45 Wheeler Dealers 09:40 Extreme Fishing 10:30 Extreme Fishing With Robson Green 11:25 Ultimate Survival 12:20 How Do They Do It? 12:45 Cash Cab Us 15:05 Cake Boss 17:20 Mythbusters 18:15 Ultimate Survival 19:10 Deadliest Catch 20:05 Dual Survival 21:00 Mythbusters 21:55 Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero 22:50 The Next Great Baker

00:05 The Gadget Show 00:30 Man Made Marvels: China’s National...

01:20 Science of Storm Chasing 02:10 Ultimate Power Builders 03:00 Engineered 03:50 Da Vinci’s Machines 04:45 Catch It Keep It 05:40 How Stuff’s Made 06:10 Superships 07:00 Super Comet: After the Impact 07:55 Head Rush 07:58 Sci-Fi Science 08:25 Weird Connections 08:55 Brainiac 09:45 Prototype This 10:35 Mighty Ships 14:45 Head Rush 14:48 Sci-Fi Science 15:15 Weird Connections 15:45 Bang Goes the Theory 16:10 The Gadget Show 17:00 Smash Lab 17:50 Science of the Movies 18:40 Last Flight of the Space Shuttle 19:30 Extreme Bodies 20:20 Killer Outbreaks 21:10 Sci-Fi Science 21:35 The Tech Show 22:00 Eco-Tech 22:50 Man Made Marvels: China’s National...

23:40 Extreme Bodies

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

Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Bobby Chinn Cooks Asia Food Network Challenge Chopped Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Chef vs Britain Unwrapped Ten Dollar Dinners Paula’s Best Dishes Paula’s Party Barefoot Contessa Chopped Guy’s Big Bite Everyday Italian Chef vs Britain Ten Dollar Dinners Paula’s Best Dishes Barefoot Contessa Aarti Party Lidia’s Italy Unwrapped Paula’s Party Everyday Italian Paula’s Best Dishes Chef vs Britain World Cafe Middle East Lidia’s Italy Unwrapped Grill It! With Bobby Flay Chopped Guy’s Big Bite Barefoot Contessa Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives Aarti Party World Cafe Middle East Chef vs Britain Food Network Challenge Unwrapped Unwrapped Lidia’s Italy Lidia’s Italy Barefoot Contessa Barefoot Contessa World Cafe Middle East World Cafe Middle East

00:05 00:15 00:40 01:10 01:30 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:20 03:40 04:10 04:35 05:00 05:30 05:50 06:15 06:45 07:00 07:15 07:40 07:50 08:15 08:30 09:00 09:10 09:25 09:45 09:55 10:15 10:45 11:10 11:30 11:40 12:05

Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Jungle Junction Higglytown Heroes Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Timmy Time Little Einsteins The Hive Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse The Hive Lazytown Jungle Junction Art Attack (Cema) Imagination Movers The Hive Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

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

Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction The Hive Timmy Time Special Agent Oso The Little Mermaid Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Handy Manny Lazytown Art Attack (Cema) Imagination Movers Jungle Junction The Hive Little Einsteins Jake & The Neverland Pirates Handy Manny Timmy Time Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates A Poem Is...

The Little Mermaid Special Agent Oso The Hive Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Lazytown Jo Jo’s Circus Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction

00:25 Fashion Police 00:55 Chelsea Lately 01:25 E!es 02:20 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Reality Hell 05:30 Wildest TV Show Moments 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Kendra 10:15 THS 13:05 E!es 15:00 THS 16:55 Behind The Scenes 17:55 E! News 18:55 Holly’s World 19:55 Giuliana & Bill 20:55 E!es 21:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 22:25 E! News 23:25 The Soup 23:55 Chelsea Lately

00:15 Wrestling With Reality 01:30 M1 Selection 2010 02:20 Untracked 04:00 Fight Girls 04:50 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships...

06:30 Ride Guide Snow 2008 08:00 Ticket To Ride 2010/11 09:40 LG Action Sports World...

11:20 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships...

13:00 Mengejar Ombak 13:50 Mantracker 14:40 Fantasy Factory 17:10 Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding Challa 18:00 Mantracker 18:50 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships...

20:30 Mengejar Ombak 21:20 Final Fu 22:10 Mantracker 23:00 Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding Challa 23:50 Wrestling With Reality

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

A Haunting Ghost Lab The Haunted A Haunting A Haunting Ghosthunters Murder Shift Diagnosis: Unknown Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Diagnosis: Unknown Real Emergency Calls Street Patrol I Almost Got Away With It FBI Files True Crime With Aphrodite I Was Murdered I Was Murdered Diagnosis: Unknown Real Emergency Calls Street Patrol I Almost Got Away With It Forensic Detectives Murder Shift FBI Files Diagnosis: Unknown Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls True Crime With Aphrodite Disappeared Ripped From The Headlines I Almost Got Away With It Deadly Women

00:00 Racing To America 01:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 01:30 Pressure Cook 02:00 A World Apart 03:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 04:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 05:00 Long Way Down 06:00 Racing To America 07:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 07:30 Pressure Cook 08:00 A World Apart 09:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 10:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 11:00 Long Way Down 12:00 Racing To America 13:00 Cooking The World 14:00 Going Bush 14:30 Bluelist Australia 15:00 Food School 15:30 Banged Up Abroad 16:30 Banged Up Abroad

VALHALLA RISING ON OSN MOVIES ACTION 17:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 23:30

Weird & Wonderful Hotels Travel Madness Madventures Cooking The World Going Bush Bluelist Australia Food School Banged Up Abroad Weird & Wonderful Hotels

00:00 Penny Dreadful-18 02:00 Legendary-PG15 04:00 Arctic Predator-PG15 06:00 Timeline-PG15 08:00 Star Trek: Generations-PG15 10:00 Hardwired-PG15 12:00 The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course-PG15 14:00 Star Trek: Generations-PG15 16:00 The Marine 2-PG15 18:00 The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course-PG15 20:00 The Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day-18

01:00 03:15 05:30 07:15 09:00 11:00 13:15 15:00 16:45 19:00 21:00 23:00

The Gray Man-PG15 The Flyboys-PG15 Jonah Hex-PG15 Private-PG15 Charlie & Boots-PG15 The Flyboys-PG15 Private-PG15 How To Train Your Dragon-PG The Great Debaters-PG15 Date Night-PG15 2:22-18 Gentlemen Broncos-PG15

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Neighbors From Hell 02:00 Saturday Night Live 03:00 Melissa And Joey 03:30 Mr. Sunshine 04:00 Two And A Half Men 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Will And Grace 06:00 Coach 06:30 Weird Science 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Two And A Half Men 08:30 Melissa And Joey 09:00 Will And Grace 09:30 How I Met Your Mother 10:00 Outsourced 10:30 Coach 11:00 Weird Science 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Two And A Half Men 13:00 Mr. Sunshine 13:30 Will And Grace 14:00 Coach 14:30 How I Met Your Mother 15:00 Outsourced 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Weird Science 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Friends 18:30 Friends 19:00 30 Rock 19:30 State Of Georgia 20:00 Happy Endings 20:30 Curb Your Enthusiasm 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:00 Neighbors From Hell

01:00 03:00 05:00 06:45 PG15 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:15 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

The General’s Daughter-18 Arctic Predator-PG15 Two: Thirteen-R The Manchurian CandidateThe Three Musketeers-PG15 Dolan’s Cadillac-PG15 Bugsy-PG15 The Three Musketeers-PG15 Raising Cain-PG15 Valhalla Rising-18 Wrong Turn At Tahoe-18 A Lonely Place For Dying

22:30 European PGA Tour

00:00 02:00 04:00 05:45 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Return To Me-PG15 The Making Of Plus One-PG15 America’s Sweethearts-PG15 Who’s Your Caddy?-PG15 Roommates-PG15 My Father The Hero-PG15 Bustin’ Loose-PG15 Chasing Papi-PG Return To Me-PG15 The Perfect Score-PG15 Pete Smalls Is Dead-18 Say It Isn’t So-18

01:00 03:30 05:30 07:00 09:00 11:30 13:30 15:00 16:45 19:00 21:00 23:00

Finding Forrester-PG Maneater: Part I-PG15 Maneater: Part II-PG15 13 Going On 30-PG15 The Blind Side-PG15 Easy Virtue-PG15 Bond Of Silence-PG15 Salt-PG15 The Blind Side-PG15 It’s Complicated-PG15 Toy Story 3-FAM Whiteout-18

00:00 Treasure Island-PG 01:45 North-PG 04:00 Ramses Of Egypt-PG 06:15 Casper Haunted ChristmasFAM 08:15 The Thief Of Baghdad-PG 10:00 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid-PG 12:00 North-PG 14:00 Sabrina The Teenage Witch: Friends Forever-PG 16:00 Flicka 2-PG15 18:00 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid-PG 20:15 Young Fisherman-PG

01:15 02:15 02:45 05:00 05:30 07:30 08:00 10:00 10:30 12:30 13:30 14:00 16:15 16:45 18:45 19:15 21:15 21:45 23:45

UFC The Ultimate Fighter RWC Matchday Highlights Live Rugby World Cup Live RWC Matchday Live Rugby World Cup Live RWC Matchday Live Rugby World Cup Live RWC Matchday Live Rugby World Cup Live RWC Matchday RWC Matchday Highlights Rugby World Cup RWC Matchday Rugby World Cup RWC Matchday Rugby World Cup RWC Matchday Rugby World Cup RWC Matchday

00:00 00:30 02:15 02:45 05:00 05:30 07:30 08:00 10:00 10:30 12:30 13:30 14:00 16:15 16:45 18:45 19:15 21:15 21:45 23:30

RWC Matchday Currie Cup Total Rugby Live Rugby World Cup 2011 Live RWC Matchday Live Rugby World Cup 2011 Live RWC Matchday Live Rugby World Cup 2011 Live RWC Matchday Live Rugby World Cup 2011 Live RWC Matchday Futbol Mundial Rugby World Cup 2011 RWC Matchday Rugby World Cup 2011 RWC Matchday Rugby World Cup 2011 RWC Matchday Rugby World Cup 2011 RWC Matchday

00:00 04:30 06:30 07:00 09:00 09:30 12:30 14:30 18:30 19:00 20:00

European PGA Tour Currie Cup Futbol Mundial Scottish Premier League V8 Supercars Extra Live NRL Premiership Rugby Union Currie Cup Live European PGA Tour RWC Matchday Highlights RWC Weekly Highlights NRL Premiership

00:00 03:00 04:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 09:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 14:45 17:00 19:00 20:00 22:30 23:30

UFC 135 UFC The Ultimate Fighter Live UFC Fight Night UFC All Access WWE Vintage Collection WWE Bottom Line WWE SmackDown Power Boats F1 Power Boats F1 Speedway FIM World V8 Supercars Extra Live Scottish Premier League WWE SmackDown UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Power Boats F1 Power Boats F1

00:00 Nostradamus Effect 01:00 Modern Marvels 02:00 Modern Marvels 03:00 Barbarians 04:00 The Dark Ages 06:00 Nostradamus Effect 07:00 Modern Marvels 08:00 Modern Marvels 09:00 Barbarians 10:00 The Dark Ages 12:00 Nostradamus Effect 13:00 Modern Marvels 14:00 Modern Marvels 15:00 Barbarians 16:00 The Dark Ages 18:00 Nostradamus Effect 19:00 American Pickers 20:00 Pawn Stars 20:30 Pawn Stars 21:00 Who Really Discovered America?

23:00 America: The Story of the US

00:00 01:00 01:55 02:25 03:20 04:15 05:10 05:35 06:05 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:55 10:50 11:50 12:20 13:15 13:45 20:20 20:45 21:15 22:10 23:05

Homes With Style Videofashion News Big Boutique How Do I Look?

Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

Married Away Homes With Style Area Clean House Big Boutique Clean House Top 10 Homes With Style Open House Videofashion News Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane My Celebrity Wedding With...

Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane Fashion Police Clean House Comes Clean Clean House Jerseylicious Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane

06:00 Kid Vs Kat 06:20 Kick Buttowski 06:45 Pokemon Dp: Sinnoh League Victors 07:10 Iron Man: Armoured Adventures 07:35 Phineas & Ferb 08:00 Phineas & Ferb 08:25 Suite Life On Deck S3 08:50 Pair Of Kings 09:15 Kick Buttowski 09:40 Rekkit Rabbit 10:05 Zeke & Luther 10:30 Zeke & Luther 10:55 I’m In The Band 11:20 The Super Hero Squad Show 11:45 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 12:10 Kid Vs Kat 12:35 American Dragon 13:00 Snow Buddies (Cema) 14:35 Kick Buttowski 15:00 Pair Of Kings 15:25 Phineas & Ferb 15:50 I’m In The Band 16:15 Rekkit Rabbit 16:40 Zeke & Luther

Classifieds SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available for a couple or working ladies with Christian Keralite family C-A/C 2 bathroom near Integrated School Abbassiya, internet available.

Contact: 66293133, 24317514. (C 3664) 2-10-2011

options, original price KD 14,750 - include special seats + navigation + many other options, mileage 32,000 km.

Selling price KD 6,900.

Contact: 90080013.

(C 3655)

Sharing accommodation available for single bachelor near Khaitan Garnata Cinema bus stop with a Mangalorean R/C bachelor, KD 25. Contact: 66036893.

(C 3658)

Toyota Prado 2008 VX limited silver color - beige leather inside - options No.1, 81,000 km, with navigation system, price KD 8,750. Contact: 66161766.

(C 3656) 29-9-2011 Nissan Sunny 2009, white colour, KD 2,350/-. Contact: 66729295.

(C 3650)

FOR SALE

CHANGE OF NAME

Citroen - C5, 2002 excellent condition, low mileage, full options, reasonable price.

Contact: 99836939.

(C 3662)

I, Sheikh Mohmed Juber Haji Ibrahim Bhai holding Indian Passport No.

2-10-2011

G5618180 would like to correct my name to Shikh Mohammadzuber Haji Ibrahimbhai, hereinafter in all my dealings and documents I will be known by my new name. (C 3660) 1-10-2011 I, Sukhraj Singh, holder of Indian Passport No. F9950973 hereby change my name to SUKHRAJ SINGH BRING. (C 3657) 29-9-2011

MATRIMONIAL Marriage proposal is invited from parents of well to do Nair girls for an Indian, Kerala, Hindu, Nair boy, 29 years, Bachelor of Engineering, height 161 cm, Star Punartham with slight dosham, hailing from central Kerala, working as mechanical engineer in Kuwait.

Interested parties may email: menon.murali@ymail.com (C 3661)

No: 15227

Mercedes S350L model 2009, one owner from AlBisher, black color - Beige leather inside - full options + AMG body kit + panorama sun roof + 2 TV in the back seats + 20 inch alloy wheels, low mileage, 16,000 km, price KD 22,000. Contact: 90000162.

(C 3653) Volkswagen Tiguan 2010, manual gear box, special order from Bahbahani white color - black/beige cloth inside - 21,000 km - like new, price KD 5,750. Contact: 99283882.

(C 3654) Volkswagen Passat R36, model 2009, silver color brown leather inside - special

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines RJA MLR JZR THY ETH UAE DHX ETD MSR FDB GFA QTR JZR KAC JZR FCX JZR KAC BAW KAC KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE IRA QTR ABY IRA ETD GFA FCX MEA RBG IRC JZR JZR KAC MSR UAL RJA KAC FDB QTR KAC SVA

Flt 642 1405 267 772 620 853 370 305 614 67 211 138 529 544 503 201 555 412 157 206 382 284 302 53 332 678 352 855 615 132 125 603 301 213 203 404 3555 6801 561 201 672 610 982 640 774 57 140 562 500

Arrival Flights on Sunday 2/10/2011 Route AMMAN COLOMBO/DUBAI BEIRUT ISTANBUL ADDIS ABABA DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI CAIRO DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA ASSIUT CAIRO LUXOR DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MANILA/BANGKOK LONDON ISLAMABAD DELHI DHAKA MUMBAI DUBAI TRIVANDRUM MUSCAT/DUBAI COCHIN DUBAI SHAHRE KORD DOHA SHARJAH SHIRAZ ABU DHABI BAHRAIN DUBAI BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA AHWAZ SOHAG DAMASCUS DUBAI CAIRO WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN RIYADH DUBAI DOHA AMMAN JEDDAH

Time 0:05 0:15 0:35 1:15 1:45 2:25 2:55 2:55 3:05 3:10 3:15 3:20 3:45 4:40 5:15 5:25 6:10 6:15 6:30 7:15 7:20 7:40 7:50 7:55 7:55 8:00 8:05 8:25 8:35 9:00 9:10 9:25 9:30 9:35 10:30 10:55 11:05 11:15 12:30 12:45 13:15 13:20 13:30 13:35 13:40 13:50 14:15 14:20 14:30

KAC KAC JZR QTR UNO ETD UAE GFA SVA JZR RBG JZR ABY JZR FDB ALK JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JAI SYR FDB OMA VOS MEA KAC DHX KAC UAE KAC GFA QTR UAL AFG AIC JZR JZR JZR MSR DLH AXB JZR KLM JZR PIA

788 746 257 134 331 303 857 215 510 777 3557 239 127 213 63 227 177 166 542 618 786 614 102 674 572 341 61 647 81 402 552 372 512 859 172 217 136 981 405 981 135 787 185 612 636 389 539 447 481 205

JEDDAH ABU DHABI/DAMMAM BEIRUT DOHA BASRAH ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH SOHAG AMMAN SHARJAH DEIREZZOR/ALEPPO DUBAI COLOMBO/DUBAI DUBAI PARIS/ROME CAIRO DOHA JEDDAH BAHRAIN NEW YORK/LONDON DUBAI MUMBAI ALEPPO DUBAI MUSCAT BAGHDAD BEIRUT DAMASCUS BAHRAIN TEHRAN DUBAI FRANKFURT BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN KABUL/DUBAI CHENNAI/AHMEDABAD BAHRAIN RIYADH DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT KOZHIKODE/MANGALORE CAIRO AMSTERDAM/BAHRAIN SABIHA LAHORE

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

Airlines KAC KAC AXB DLH AIC MLR THY ETH SWT UAE FDB DHX ETD MSR QTR JZR RJA GFA JZR BAW FDB KAC KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC IRA UAE ABY KAC QTR ETD GFA KAC IRA JZR FCX RBG MEA JZR KAC JZR IRC KAC KAC JZR

Flt 677 677 394 637 976 1405 773 621 94 854 68 371 306 615 139 560 643 212 200 156 54 171 671 745 256 561 787 614 856 126 117 133 302 214 773 602 212 204 3558 405 776 541 238 6802 103 785 176

Departure Flights on Sunday 2/10/2011 Route DUBAI/MUSCAT DUBAI/MUSCAT COCHIN/KOZHIKODE FRANKFURT GOA/CHENNAI COLOMBO ISTANBUL ADDIS ABABA DUBAI/KANDAHAR DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI CAIRO DOHA SOHAG AMMAN BAHRAIN DAMASCUS LONDON DUBAI FRANKFURT DUBAI DAMMAM/ABU DHABI BEIRUT AMMAN JEDDAH SHAHRE KORD DUBAI SHARJAH NEW YORK DOHA ABU DHABI BAHRAIN RIYADH SHIRAZ DEIREZZOR/ALEPPO DUBAI SOHAG BEIRUT JEDDAH CAIRO AMMAN AHWAZ LONDON JEDDAH DUBAI

Time 0:10 0:10 0:15 0:40 0:50 1:15 2:15 2:45 3:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:05 4:05 5:00 5:55 7:00 7:10 7:15 8:25 8:40 8:55 9:00 9:05 9:10 9:15 9:25 9:35 9:40 9:50 10:00 10:00 10:15 10:20 10:20 10:25 10:50 11:45 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:10 12:15 12:30 13:30 13:40

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

MSR RJA FDB UAL KAC KAC KAC SVA JZR QTR KAC KAC JZR ETD QTR UAE GFA RBG ABY JZR SVA FDB JZR JZR ALK KAC KAC JAI FDB SYR KAC KAC OMA MEA KAC DHX UAE GFA FCX QTR KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR KAC UAL MSR KAC

611 641 58 982 551 673 617 503 480 141 613 511 538 304 135 858 216 3556 128 184 511 64 786 134 228 283 361 571 62 342 343 351 648 403 543 373 860 218 102 137 301 205 502 554 530 411 981 613 415

CAIRO AMMAN DUBAI BAHRAIN DAMASCUS DUBAI DOHA MEDINAH/JEDDAH SABIHA DOHA BAHRAIN TEHRAN CAIRO ABU DHABI DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA SHARJAH DUBAI RIYADH DUBAI RIYADH BAHRAIN DUBAI/COLOMBO DHAKA COLOMBO MUMBAI DUBAI ALEPPO CHENNAI COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT CAIRO BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD LUXOR ALEXANDRIA ASSIUT BANGKOK/MANILA WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA

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

34

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

s ta rs CROSSWORD 456

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) Your attention is drawn to lovers, children and other people or things dear to your heart. Being appreciated and admired for the way you share and give of yourself is a powerful need and you enjoy returning the same appreciation to others. Your appreciation of others and the beauty in your life as well as the love of those around you are where you will find comfort. This afternoon there is time to bust out of your thoughts and try something new; perhaps you have never been to a flea market or a farmer’s market. There is much communication between friends. Philosophical disagreements can become overblown, however— careful. Family matters get top priority this evening. Play a sort of banking or shopping game with a child to teach about money.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You will prosper through new insights, inventions and an independent point of view. Meditation and planning can only be productive if you write down your ideas, let them develop and begin to plan. Perhaps you have an art you would like to display. Anytime is a good time to begin the process of expressing your art. This may mean landscaping, music, drawing, photography, lighting, pottery, etc. You can expect a little boost, some sort of extra support or recognition from those around you. Through your own ability to follow through and be expressive, you will be helping others. You could find that you are admired for your talents. If you are not involved with a loved one now, you will be soon—clarify your feelings within a reasonable time.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. Having undesirable or negative qualities.

4. A summary that repeats the substance of a longer discussion.

9. A sodium salt of carbonic acid.

13. A unit of surface area equal to 100 square meters.

14. Bearded reddish sheep of southern Asia.

15. Front part of a vessel or aircraft.

16. Lacking or deprive of the sense of hearing wholly or in part.

17. A dress worn primarily by Hindu women.

18. Freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort.

19. The sense organ for hearing and equilibrium.

21. Having ones attention or mind or energy engaged.

25. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.

26. A colobus monkey with a reddish brown coat and white silky fringes down both sides of the body.

28. A gray tetravalent metallic element that resembles zirconium chemically and is found in zirconium minerals.

29. Type genus of the family Myacidae.

32. A state in northwestern North America.

33. An intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores.

35. Someone who travels by air.

37. A small short-legged smooth-coated breed of hound.

40. The branch of engineering science that studies the uses of electricity and the equipment for power generation and distribution and the control of machines and communication.

41. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

43. A Loloish language.

45. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).

49. A cruel wicked and inhuman person.

51. United States psychologist who experimented with psychoactive drugs (including LSD) and became a well-known advocate of their use (1920-1996).

55. Relating to or concerned with a city or densely populated area.

57. A benevolent aspect of Devi.

58. A unit of length equal to one thousandth of an inch.

59. In the same place (used when citing a reference).

61. Either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye.

62. Any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species.

63. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

64. A period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event.

DOWN 1. A Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria.

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

3. Dearly loved.

4. A rare polyvalent metallic element of the platinum group.

5. Artificial and inferior.

6. An independent agency of the United States government responsible for collecting and coordinating intelligence and counterintelligence activities abroad in the national interest.

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

8. An architectural support or base (as for a column or statue).

9. Express in speech.

10. The Japanese art of folding paper into shapes representing objects (e.g., flowers or birds).

11. A measured portion of medicine taken at any one time.

12. Inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence.

20. A fixed charge for a privilege or for professional services.

22. A socially awkward or tactless act.

23. Two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on both masts.

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

27. (Hawaiian) A small guitar having four strings.

30. Not only so, but.

31. Type genus of the family Arcidae.

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

36. Acquire or gain knowledge or skills.

38. Capable of being added or added to.

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

42. (architecture) A triangular bracket of brick or stone (usually of slight extent).

44. German chemist remembered for his discovery of the ring structure of benzene (1829-1896).

46. Suggestive of the supernatural.

47. A self-funded retirement plan that allows you to contribute a limited yearly sum toward your retirement.

48. Someone who is critical of the motives of others.

50. Tropical tree of Central America and West Indies and Puerto Rico having spikes of white flowers.

52. An informal term for a father.

53. An independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia).

54. A quantity of no importance.

56. Top part of an apron.

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

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) There is a feeling that anything is possible today. There is optimism, faith and a tendency to take chances at the deep emotional levels. There is a kind of restlessness for new emotional experiences just now. Others cheer on your idea of success. Your support system of family and friends becomes more secure. You are able to dispense with some of the unessential and develop what is most indispensable in your environment. You encourage better support because you are flexible, agreeable, security conscious and reliable. You will be encouraged to step outside of your shell this winter and perhaps enjoy the art of snow skiing, water polo, or some other adventure . . . you will travel to faraway places.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

Memories come to the forefront of your mind as you work through some of your chores today. An old picture album or some school autograph book may come to your attention. You may be preparing your place for company or for the possibility of providing a place to freshen up before a reunion or a special social event. Meeting at your place before an event is a good thing as it renews a closeness from long ago. Whatever the case, you enjoy having people in your home and providing the necessities for their comfort—people enjoy your hospitality. You have done all this preparation work because you enjoy doing it but you might think of investing in a place you could turn into a bed and breakfast. This would be a most successful adventure for you.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You will be pleased at the progress you have made today— just take a look! This is a gratifying day. This may mean an art project or perhaps you are refurbishing the old family homestead. Support and praise should be coming, not only from family but from neighbors and the general public as well. Some civic duty may be in order—your ideas are not challenged.

You are right where you need to be at this time. You could have insight into your own feelings and inner, spiritual nature. A little play time is in order this afternoon; perhaps a dinner with friends is in order later this evening. Someone may suggest a camping trip or a group get-together—whatever you are in the mood to do— others will follow. You feel healthy and natural.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Be open to those around you—listen to their words. Someone could challenge you on a very sensitive issue but this is the opportunity you have been waiting for as it gives you the opening to try out some new communication techniques. You have some insights that will help others as well as yourself today. Your friends are very pleased with the attitude changes you have developed over the last few months. New tools for communication, especially with a disagreeable person, are proving quite successful. Harmonious ties to others are what you yearn for; refinement and elegance are what you seek. The ideal partnership, the perfect balance, the highest standards of truth and beauty—are some of the things that quicken your pulse.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Like wheat or grass blowing and bending in the winds, you create ways to make projects and circumstances bend to your will; things have a way of working out smoothly. Here is a real opportunity to complete any personal projects and work out difficulties. You should be able to get your ideas across to family or friends with ease at this time. Today and tomorrow are wonderful times to enjoy a short trip or begin a vacation. Good feelings and a sense of support and harmony make this a happy time; you are flexible as well as witty and people laugh and are merry in your presence. There are makings for a bright and witty day today. Adding to a charity bag with a few old things brings back memories and helps to gracefully move you forward.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You could give or obtain a loan from a family member today.

In choosing whether to take or to give this loan, you consider the person and his or her past. You might admit or advise that rainy days and celebrations are good reasons for a savings account. You have a lot of optimism for whatever goals you set before yourself at this time. A new hobby may have your attention most of the rest of the day. After you get really good at this hobby, it is possible that you could use this hobby to make a little extra income from time to time.

Today you are either a good student or a good teacher. Self-control and setting limits are important. Later today is for e-mail and phone calls. Tonight you may enjoy a popular movie with a special friend.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Professional advice today is advised. Financial savvy and a practical turn of mind are qualities that take on greater importance in your life now. This could be a real estate situation or an auction of some sort. You are a wheeler-dealer and seem to have a knack for knowing when to purchase the best buys. You also play the role of a facilitator and this can be a rewarding day. You value fairness in all things and go out of your way to be just. You appreciate others who have been successful and may surround yourself with those in power—be they politicians, officials, etc. Your sense of quality and discrimination may amount to some sort of livelihood for you. You could make your living with your good taste. Music and romance are available tonight.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Yesterday’s Solution

Yester

Beginning a diet is favored today. Also on the list of things to do are the holiday list-making opportunities. Now is a great time to shop and find just the right thing for the right person on your list. It is also a good time to stock up on the canned goods that you wonít have to purchase all at one time when those special dates approach. Any money or time-saving plan is a good one. Loved ones and other people or things dear to your heart are emphasized at this time in your life. Later today is for you and if you know of a massage therapist or health food store, this would be a good time to see what they have to offer. Relax now, you can show off your best self at a party later. A concert, civic affair or perhaps live theater can be enjoyed tonight.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) A desire for the stimulation of new ideas and ideals is emphasized now. You may appear at-ease today. Everything seems to be working together; you may find yourself expressive and outgoing. New friends and an involvement in fun activities make you hopeful that you can meet again. You can agree to regular meetings with these friends. You and your friends enjoy all the same activities and the grand thing about it all is that you are easy-going with each other.

There are golf, tennis, bicycle tours, educational treks, etc. You may find that at this time of the year, some of you like to make things to send to a senior home or some other place where people need blankets or gloves to keep warm. The best part of today is that feeling of being useful to others.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

There is a feeling that time is slipping away before you even get up this morning. You may want to accomplish more than there are hours in the day. Be fair to yourself and make a list with the most important chores at the top of the list. Set a stop time for additional projects and give up the rest of your list if family members need your attention. When your friends call, consider trading lists; laughter can then be enjoyed. Make a fun project out of your chores. There may be some painting or repair of some sort. You find yourself talkative and quick-witted.

While working through your list, you may find the time good for thinking over your own affairs. You may have an insightful conversation with a senior member of the family that is encouraging.

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

i n f o r m at i o n

FIRE BRIGADE

112

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24892010

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23940620

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24840300

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24846000

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24874330/9

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24770319

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24892674

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24710044

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3900322

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22666288

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25330060

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25722290

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li fe s ty le G O S S I P

Crystal Harris puts engagement ring from Hefner for sale

he blonde beauty called off her marriage to the 85-year-old Playboy founder just days before it was due to take place in June, and has since listed her 3.39 carat circular-cut diamond with a guide price of between $20,000 and $30,000. A source said Crystal, 24, “couldn’t bear to look at the ring anymore because it brought back bad memories”. The lot description on the website christies.com reads: “A diamond ring. Set with a circular-cut diamond, weighing approximately 3.39 carats, to the circular-cut diamond hoop, mounted in platinum.” Hugh - who has been married twice previously - let his former fiancÈe keep her engagement ring, because he doesn’t believe she was “faking” her feelings for him. He said: “I truly didn’t see it coming. I think an argument could be made that she took me for a ride, but I must say, quite frankly, it was a pretty nice ride. “If she was faking it, she did it very well. If you’re looking for an explanation about Crystal, I don’t have a clue. I don’t really feel bitterness. I think I screwed up with us.”

T

Jack Osbourne is engaged

Hulk Hogan

blew ‘hundreds of millions’ of dollars

he reality TV star proposed to model-and-actress Lisa Stelly after just four months of dating and she said “yes”. After accepting his proposal, she tweeted: “The most amazing man I’ve ever met asked me to marry him - and he wasn’t joking! Crazy, right :) (sic)” Jack has had his fair share of troubles after rising to fame on MTV fly-on-the-wall show ‘The Osbournes’, which followed him and his family including his heavy metal legend father Ozzy Osbourne, and he went to rehab for drink and drugs issues in 2003. After getting sober he reinvented himself as a filmmaker, directing a video for his father’s track ‘Life Won’t Wait’ last year and producing a film about him, ‘God Bless Ozzy Osbourne’, earlier this year. Lisa starred in Green Day’s ‘21 Guns’ music video. Before getting together with Lisa, Jack had been linked to Kimberly Stewart and models Niki Cloyd and Sarah McNeilly.

T

T

Simon Cowell does 500 push-ups a day he ‘X Factor’ judge sticks to the same routine every day which includes regular exercise, and breakfast in bed. He told People magazine: “I’ll do 500 push-ups in a day religiously, and if I can I like to have a workout. Then I have a steam and a bath but I always have breakfast in bed. “A workday starts around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I have a weird routine.” Simon admits he’s obsessed with being clean so has at least three baths

T

a day and hates his house to be in a mess. He said: “I’m obsessed with cleanliness for myself, so I will take a bath three times a day, sometimes a steam twice a day in addition to that.

And the same thing in the house. I don’t like clutter. That’s why I think I’d find it difficult to have kids. “Your house, I think, defines your mind. If you come into something which is chaotic, it means your head is chaotic, and I can’t work that way.”

Courtney Love is writing a tell-all autobiography T

he Hole singer and widow of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain hopes to “set the record straight” in the book, which is expected to cover her life as an aspiring musician, her marriage and drug problems, her attempted Hollywood career fortune of the Nirvana estate she claims to have been defrauded out of. Details of what Courtney - who has one daughter, 19-year-old Frances Bean, with Kurt intends to write are scarce at present, but she is known for her self-belief and being extremely opinionated, direct and forthright in her interviews and writing. According to publishers William Morrow, the book will be a collaboration with writer Anthony Bozza who has written with INXS, Tommy Lee and Slash. As well as her marriage to Kurt, Courtney has had a string of famous lovers including Smashing Pumpkins rocker Billy Corgan, Blur bassist Alex James, ex-Oasis singer Liam Gallagher and British comedian Steve Coogan. Courtney has previously written one other book, 2006’s ‘Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love’, which consisted of years worth of personal photos, journal entries, song lyrics, letters, poems, and drawings. Her new memoir is expected to be available in Autumn 2012.

Jason Derulo

he wrestling legend - real name Terry Bollea - admitted he wasted the vast sums of money he earned during his years in the WWE and WCW and is now living in a rented home after slashing $16 million off the price of his Florida mansion in order to get a quick sale. The WWE Hall of Fame inductee told ‘Good Morning America’: “There were houses being bought, and cars being bought, and vacations for family members. There was eight, nine, $10 million, $11 million going out, so it got way off.”

Despite his financial troubles, Hulk seemingly announced his retirement from professional wrestling on TNA TV show ‘Impact Wrestling’ claiming he wanted to break the news to his fans first because they always stuck by him through the major difficulties in his life, including a divorce from wife Linda in 2007. However, speculation is rife his retirement is a ‘work’ - part of a wrestling storyline - and he will step inside the squared circle again against Sting at upcoming pay-per-view ‘Bound For Glory’.

Meanwhile, Hulk has run into trouble after attempting to boost his finances with his latest venture, a reality TV show on US network TruTV featuring miniature wrestlers, after midget competitor Steve Richardson - aka ‘Puppet the Psycho Dwarf’ - accused him of stealing his idea. He said: “I have no ill feelings toward Hogan, but loads of his wrestlers are the guys I fired. They’re using all the ideas everything I came up with. There’s no individuality. They’re following the same concepts. It’s a violation of intellectual property rights.” MCW wrestling owner Johnny Greene said: “We had this idea first, but they rushed to Spike TV to get their show on the air first, figuring whoever got on the air first would capture the audience. “But their show sucked. They were doing midgets and Jackass, and ours is a real wrestling show. Puppet’s just trying to jump on the bandwagon because their business is dying.”

Mike Myers stuns onlookers has become a dad in New York T T

he 22-year-old singer took to the street with the New York Nicks basketball team’s City Dancers to highlight the release of ‘Future History’ - which came out by putting on a spontaneous performance on some of his new songs. Speaking on the Kyle and Jackie O show on 2Day FM, he said: “I wanted to celebrate ‘Future History’ coming out here in America, basically I got with the Nicks dancers - who are the basketball team dancers - we went out in the middle of the street and had an impromptu performance. “I think as long as you’re not disturbing the peace you’re cool ... we could just be walking you know ... to the beat ... and you have no idea where the music is coming from.” The ‘Don’t Wanna Go Home’ hitmaker admitted he’s “just friends” with ‘American Idol’ winner Jordin Sparks, but he is shocked when people do not want to be mates with his acquaintance David Hasselhoff.

He added: “Hasselhoff is an awesome guy, he’s one of those people that’s really kind-hearted, his heart is always in the right place, how could you not want to be friends with the Hoff!”

he ‘Shrek’ star and his wife Kelly Tisdale welcomed a baby boy into the world earlier this month and have decided to call the tot Spike. A source told Life & Style magazine: “The baby is named Spike and was born two weeks ago!” Mike, 48, started dating the New York cafe owner in 2006, shortly after splitting from his first wife, comedy writer-and-actress Robin Ruzan, after 12 years of marriage. The ‘Austin Powers’ funnyman wed Kelly in a secret ceremony last year and didn’t confirm the news until five months after the nuptials had taken place. They were first revealed to be an item when they were spotted holidaying in Hawaii together.

Kelly - who previously dated dance star Moby - confirmed their romance, saying: “We’re actually surprised you didn’t find out about us sooner.” While he is happy now, the Canadian actor once admitted that he is “insecure” like his animated character Shrek. When asked if he and the green ogre have anything in common, he said: “Insecurity. I’m secure enough to admit I’m quite insecure. “Growing up in Canada you feel like you walk amongst Americans, but you are slightly different. I think ogres feel slightly alienated.”

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

lifestyle

The special Annahar 4th anniversary cake is pictured.

A group photo of the Annahar team.

Annahar celebrates grand fourth anniversary he Arabic Kuwaiti daily Annahar celebrated its fourth anniversary on Wednesday evening at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Salmiya. The celebration was attended

by Annahar staff, editors-in-chief of other dailies, many ambassadors, members of board of the Kuwait Journalist Association, and a number of Kuwaiti actors.

The Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Annahar Ridha Al-Faili gave a welcome speech and thanked the guests for attending the ceremony. The Editor-in-Chief Emad Bu Khamseen noted that “Journalism is freedom and responsibility, and Annahar followed the principle during the years of its work”. He said that the Bu Khamseen Group (owner of Annahar) is a media establishment with different activities and the group also owns the Kuwait Post

English Daily apart from being involved in other media related activities. “We also apply the moderation principle in all our publications,” he said.

Nasser Al-Othman the Secretary General of the Journalists Union of the GCC countries presented a short speech where he thanked Annahar for awarding him and praised the role of the Kuwaiti press in the area. The Minister of Education Ahmed Al-Mileifi used to write for Annahar before he was appointed to his present post. During this ceremony, he was also awarded by the daily.

Jawad Bu Khamseen considered this ceremony as awarding to all the journalists.

“Kuwait represents politics and economy, which can’t be separated from journalism. We thank Annahar for publishing the true and real news. Kuwait also cares about all the Arab issues, including the Palestinian issue,” he said.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief Ridha Al-Faili

Editor-in-Chief Emad Bu Khamseen

By Nawara Fattahova

T

Kuwaiti actor Yaqoub Abdullah, one of the winners in the raffle draw receives his prize.

The Annahar management awards Kuwaiti veteran actor Mohammed Al-Mnaye.

Two models wearing custom-designed outfits from Annahar daily pages pose with Kuwait actor Mohammed Al-Sayrafi.

The ambassadors are pictured during the dinner.

Nasser Al-Othman, the Secretary General of the Journalist Union of the GCC countries

Jawad Bu Khamseen

The Annahar management awards Nasser Al-Othman.

The Annahar management awards Kuwaiti actress and singer Maram.

This was followed by a documentary about the history of Kuwait. This documentary showed old pictures from Kuwait before the oil era, when it was still dependent on pearl diving as the main source of living. After the documentary, Annahar awarded many Kuwait and Arab veteran and young actors including Sa’ad Al-Faraj, Ahmad Al-Saleh, Ibraheem AlSalal, Mariyam Al-Saleh, Huda Husain, Mansour Al-Mansour, Mohammed AlMansour, Mohammed Al-Mnaye, Zahra AlKharji, Maram, Yaqoub Abdullah, Mashael AlZankawi, Mariyam Husein, Maisa Al-Maghrebi, Mohammed Jaber, Basma Hamada, Mohammed Al-Sayrafi, and the newly married couple Zeina Karam and Ahmad Iraj. The reporters and some staff of Annahar were also awarded during the event which was followed by a raffle draw for the attendees for valuable prizes and a dinner buffet.

The Annahar management awards popular Kuwaiti actress Huda Husain.

Kuwaiti veteran actor Ibraheem Al-Salal addresses the audience.

The audience is pictured having a good time.

Ahmed Al-Mileifi, Minister of Education

The Annahar management awards Kuwaiti veteran actor Sa’ad Al-Faraj.

The Annahar management awards Kuwaiti actress Zahra AlKharji.

The Annahar management awards Kuwaiti veteran actress Mariyam Al-Saleh.

A musical band performs during the celebrations.

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Years

lifestyle

S Korea ‘paparazzi’ housewives

hound law-breakers A

t first glance, middle-aged Seoul housewife Jennifer Chung hardly looks like a bounty hunter tracking down lawbreakers.

But every morning, after sending her two sons and husband off to school and work, she sets out in search of local scofflaws-such as cram school teachers, restaurateurs or beauty salon owners. “Some of them charge parents more than state-set tuition limits, don’t disclose on the menu the origin of food they serve, or give skincare treatments which only doctors are allowed to perform,” Chung, 54, told AFP. “These are all against the law ...I need evidence to report them to the authorities,” she said, sporting a high-definition camcorder hidden in her purse with the lens peeking through a tiny hole. On a typical undercover mission, Chung poses as a regular customer, videotapes conversations or scenes at offending establishments and sends the videos to authorities.

Each time she collects cash rewards from various departments which add up to more than two million won ($1,700) a month. Chung is far from alone. Many South Koreans, especially middle-aged women, have joined a growing number of “paparazzi” snoopers. They cash in by videotaping minor lawbreaking by fellow citizens, instead of the lives of the rich and famous. With the government continually expanding such rewards, schools for snoopers are thriving. They teach pupils how to stalk their prey and get them on film, and even how to play the innocent to dodge suspicion.

“This has become a pretty lucrative industry now...some people are doing this as a full-time job,” Moon SeungOk, founder of Mismiz, a paparazzi school in Seoul, told AFP. The number of students spikes during economic slowdowns when housewives seek ways to supplement family incomes, he said. Moon himself is a longtime

paparazzi focusing on everything from speeding drivers to drug dealers.

He said snoopers help officials and the police, who are too understaffed and overworked to enforce regulations. “Some people accuse us of having no conscience or being a rat, making money by taking advantage of others’ weakness,” he told four nervous-looking students all housewives in their 40s or 50s-during a class this month. But there’s no need at all to feel guilty, he told them repeatedly.

Cash cow for bounty hunters “These are criminals, making pots of money by breaking laws. They deserve punishment!” Moon said, describing the job of snoopers as “kind of a patriotic duty...with benefits”. A textbook he wrote list scores of violations linked to rewards, ranging from dropping cigarette butts or dumping trash in the wrong bag to prostitution and insurance fraud. The most common targets in the educa-

tion-obsessed nation are cram school owners who overcharge parents or run late-night classes, breaking state rules aimed at curbing spending on private education and pressure on kids. “It’s most popular because cram schools are everywhere, and housewives can easily act like ordinary parents asking for quotes for tuition,” said Moon.

The education ministry said it had paid 3.4 billion won ($2.9 million) in rewards since the system was adopted in July 2009, with one person alone raking in nearly 300 million won by making more than 920 reports. A catand-mouse game has developed between snoopers and their increasingly wary prey. Chung often sneaks into a cram school in the evening and hides in a toilet for hours, until teachers have locked the door from inside to try to keep out the snoopers.

“Janitors often catch me in the toilet. I tell them I had sudden diarrhea and urgently needed to go to the

In a picture taken on Sept 19, 2011 Moon Seung-Ok, founder of Mismiz, leads a class of women at a paparazzi school in Seoul. - AFP bathroom,” Chung said. Critics say snoopers are squeezing mom-andpop businesses trying to survive in tough times. Cho Young-Hwan, spokesman for South Korea’s cram school association, called them “merciless predators” who forced many small cram schools to shut down.

Many schools are pressured to run late-night classes because parents demand that their kids study until late despite the government ban, he said.

“These professional bounty hunters are turning a place of children’s education into a playground for their profiteering,” Cho told AFP. Oh

Chang-Soo, a law professor at Jeju National University, called the situation worrying. He told AFP the rewards had become “a cash cow for bounty hunters” and did not encourage a healthy civic spirit or genuine sense of justice. “These paparazzi...set up a trap and eagerly wait until someone violates a rule. A practice like this will only fan mistrust among members of society,” Oh said. —Reuters

Call of a lifetime: ‘Congrats! You win a Nobel!’

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A New York resident attempts a wheelie trying a bicycle as part of a demonstration of a new bicycle sharing system which will start next year, in New York. —AFP

NEW YORK CITY JOINS THE BIKE PATH

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icycle lanes, cycling lessons for adults, and soon 10,000 bikes in a sharing program: New York is pedaling hard to join the world’s growing love affair with the bicycle. The number of New Yorkers taking the two-wheeled option to commute has doubled in the last five years, according to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office. They are still a relatively rare sight as they zigzag between the yellow cabs and heavy traffic pouring through Manhattan each rush hour. But if this can still be a perilous activity, that’s starting to change, with 350 kilometers of new bike lanes put down since 2007, bringing the total to 683 miles (1,100 kilometers) and a target of 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) by 2030, according to the mayor’s office. Cyclists couldn’t be happier with Bloomberg and his prominent transport commissioner, Janette SadikKhan.

“Their leadership and vision have been tremendous,” said Brent Tongco, spokesman for Bike New York, a non-profit promoting bicycle use and safety. “With many more bike lanes, people feel safer,” he said. Tongco said an attraction to bicycling is part of a broader awareness among New Yorkers about their health and protecting the environment. Next summer will see 10,000 bikes deployed in the world’s third largest bike-sharing scheme after Hangzhou in China and Paris. The scheme was met with enthusiasm, at least among some New Yorkers, when announced September 14. Within a week, almost 6,000 visits had been made to the official Internet site for the project, where residents could use an interactive map to suggest locations for the future bike stations.

The city has rolled out demonstrations and a large crowd came in the rain at Union Square on Thursday to get their first glimpse of the colorful bicycles. “I’ve been waiting for that for ages,” said Qinn, a 17year-old student from the borough of Queens. “The subway is expensive. I can’t pay a monthly ticket, while using the bikes will cost 104 dollars a year-less than the monthly fare for the subway.” Victor Matos, a photographer who has biked in the city since the ‘70s, said he was worried about the shared bicycles being vandalized, but he said the initiative would be popular, not least for tourists.

The bicycles will be stationed every few blocks in Manhattan and available around the clock, with smartphone apps available to inform users of availability. After paying the annual subscription, rides will be free for trips of less than 45 minutes, at which point a fee will kick in. Opponents to the bike trend say the money and attention on such projects could be better spent on protecting pedestrians, including from rogue cyclists. Opponents recently lost a lawsuit seeking closure of a Brooklyn bike lane. The city says that while bike use is up, the total number of accidents is stable. According to a Hunter College study, some 500 pedestrians are hurt each year by cyclists. At Bike New York, there is nothing but optimism.

The organization is seeing “very high demand from a wide array of people” for its cycling lessons, Tongco said. This year, 3,650 adults and children took courses.

Others come to learn how to repair their machines. —AFP

A New York resident looks at a demonstration of a new bicycle sharing system. —AFP

cientists, writers and brokers of peace around the world will be holding their breaths for a potentially life-altering, $1.5 million phone call from Scandinavia next week.

Goran Hansson will dial the first one. “Sometimes they think that I’m joking,” said Hansson, secretary of the Nobel Prize committee for medicine.

He will announce the first of the 2011 Nobels on Monday, after he calls the winners. “I usually speak to them a few minutes,” he told The Associated Press. “And tell them a little bit about the ceremony and so on and then I advise them to make some coffee, catch their breath and prepare a little bit before the media starts calling them.”

The Nobel Prizes, given out annually since 1901, reward groundbreaking achievements in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace. The economics prize is strictly speaking not a Nobel Prize, because it was not in the 1895 will of award creator Alfred Nobel, a wealthy Swedish industrialist who invented dynamite. It was created in 1968 by Sweden’s central bank in Nobel’s memory. All prizes are announced in Stockholm except for the Nobel Peace Prize, which is presented in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, in line with Nobel’s wishes. During his lifetime, Norway was in a union with Sweden.

While the literature and peace prizes generate the most buzz - winners include well-known people such as Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Mother Teresa and President Barack Obama - the science awards can have an even bigger impact on the recipients. Many of them have toiled for decades with little recognition outside their field of research, when suddenly

they are thrust into the global media spotlight, if only for a day. It’s a moving moment when these savants, often white-haired and somewhat awkward in their tail coats or gowns, collect their Nobel diplomas and gold medals from King Carl

In this file photo, Peruvian Nobel literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa (left) receives the Nobel Prize in Literature from Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf (right) at the Concert Hall in Stockholm. —AP

XVI Gustaf at the annual Dec 10 ceremony.

Speculation surrounding this year’s peace prize revolves around the revolutions sweeping Arab countries in North Africa and Middle East.

The peace jury seeks to link the award to current events, including works in progress, which it demonstrated in 2009 by giving the prize to Barack Obama in the first year of his presidency.

“I’m convinced that the committee will be working hard to find a deserving candidate related to the Arab Spring,” said Kristian Berg Harpviken, the director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, and a prominent voice in the Nobel guessing game.

His top picks are Egyptian activists Israa Abdel Fattah, Ahmed Maher, Wael Ghonim or Tunisian blogger Lina Ben Mhenni. Writers typically considered among the favorites for the literature prize include Syrian poet Adonis, Canadians Margaret Atwood and Alice Munroe, South Korea’s Ko Un and American authors Philip Roth, Joyce Carol Oates and Thomas Pynchon. The secretive Nobel committees reveal nominations only after 50 years. Most of the juries will have made a decision by now, to be confirmed with formal votes shortly before each of the six announcements.

Hansson says it’s the highlight of the year, but also a nerve-racking moment when he reads the citation for the Nobel Prize in medicine before the world media at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute. “I have to read it out in five languages, so I have to practice a bit beforehand,” he said. “It doesn’t come naturally in Russian. French can also be a bit difficult.” —AP

A look behind the making of ‘Terra Nova’ dinosaurs

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verybody knows what dinosaurs look and sound like. After all, who hasn’t seen the “Jurassic Park” movies. So what if your boss is Steven Spielberg-the guy who created that movie and is chiefly responsible for those dinosaurs? And he says that for his new TV show, “Terra Nova,” make me dinosaurs but don’t make them look or sound like “Jurassic Park” dinosaurs?

“You can see the dilemma,” deadpanned Michael Graham, the supervising sound designer for Spielberg’s new Fox series, “Terra Nova,” which debuted on TV earlier this week. “Everybody who’s seen that movie knows-that’s what they sound like! That is the vocabulary of dinosaurs,” Graham said.

In “Terra Nova,” humans are sent back in time to escape the overcrowded and polluted future of 2149. And they go WAY back to prehistoric times when massive animals with scaly skin, sharp teeth and names that end with “aurus” ruled Earth. The show drew a solid audience of 9.7 million viewers on its debut night last Monday, and reviews were mostly positive. The New York Times said the story was “lavishly produced by television standards, at a level of visual and technical sophistication” befitting its two years from script to screen. The dinos of “Terra Nova” don’t look or sound like their theatrical predecessors, and for good reason. Jack Horner, the show’s paleontology expert who worked with Spielberg on “Jurassic Park” made sure of it. “Jack set our show in the Cretaceous Period, 85 million years ago,” explains visual effects supervisor Kevin Blank. “That’s a period where the fossil record is the least defined. They only know about 10 percent of what existed at that time.” So Blank and his team were able to give audiences dinos that audiences may have heard of, like the menacing Carnotaurus and the gentle, longnecked Brachiosaurus, as well as some we probably haven’t.

New dinos, loud roars The Slasher Tails in the premiere episode, for instance, never existed but they might as well have, says executive producer Brannon Braga. “We needed a big, climactic dinosaur, so I thought, ‘What’s one that didn’t exist but could have existed?’Then we just go for the Jack Horner seal of approval, in terms of appearance and behavior. We do that for any animal we create.” Creating the behavior of dinos is “the fun part” for the writers. “You can’t just throw a dinosaur up on screen, especially if it’s one you’re making up,” says Braga. “They have to have specific behaviors. Maybe they travel in packs, like the Slashers do. And maybe one scouts the area, and when it finds its prey, calls for others. First there are two Slashers ... and then there are a dozen others.” But it is most important that even the made-up dinosaurs look real to audiences. “If a six-year-old who loves and studies dinosaurs spots something that doesn’t look right, they’ll cry ‘Fake!’ And Jack says he gets those letters all the time,” said Blank. And that all leaves one critical question. How do the special effects wizards create the sound of a dinosaur? They’re a mixture of sounds, it turns out, but one element is common, they all roar. “You can use a bear, a lion, a cougar, and we manipulate them so that they fit the size of the creature,” said Graham. For the Carnotaurus, Graham and his team sought to come up with a new terrifying sound. “That was a challenge. The producers definitely didn’t want to hear the T. Rex sound. So we had to create a new, intimidating dinosaur sound.” Rick Steele, Graham’s chief dino sound designer, injected the sound of a bird-a condor, in this case-into the Carno. “You hear it at the tail end when they attack,” he explains. “The hardest part,” Steele said, “is to try and create a personality,” making the dino vocalizations match the expressions the animators put on their faces. —Reuters

(From left) Florida Orchestra musicians Robert Smith, Andrew Karr, William Mickelsen, Dwight Decker and Kenneth Brown perform at Tampa International Airport at a farewell celebration for the Florida Orchestra Principal Winds Quintet, who were flying to Havana, Cuba. —AP

Florida musicians play Cuba in cultural exchange

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quintet of wind musicians from the Florida Orchestra was in Havana on Friday for a performance and workshops with local students, the latest in a string of US-Cuban cultural exchanges that have been on the rise in recent years.

The five members of the Tampabased orchestra, all principals on their instruments, met with teens at the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory in the morning and were struck by the budding musicians’ acumen, oboist Katherine Young told The Associated Press. “As a group we were so impressed with the level of students at the conservatory and their maturity as young players,” Young said. “I think American students would be surprised at how sophisticated they are.” They were scheduled to appear in concert later at the historic San Felipe Neri Oratory in Old Havana.

The orchestra said it was the first time musicians from a professional US orchestra performed in Cuba since 1999, when the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra made a celebrated tour of the island. The New York Philharmonic has tried to visit on two separate occasions since

2009, but plans fell through both times.

Washington’s nearly 50-year-old economic embargo bars most American travel to Cuba, but such cultural exchanges have increased under President Barack Obama. The American Ballet Theatre performed an homage to Cuba’s legendary prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso in a Havana theater last November. The previous month, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center orchestra played a series of historic jazz concerts on the island.

Meanwhile, Cuban musicians such as Silvio Rodriguez, Los Van Van, Chucho Valdes and Pablo Milanes have recently toured the United States. The exchanges have not healed the rift between two governments torn by decades of antagonism, but Young said it was clear from the sessions with the youngsters that they had much in common, as individuals and music lovers. “We were able to immediately start talking about the things we know about, the difficulties that we all share with our reeds and our instruments,” she said. —AP

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

Years

lifestyle

Judge issues gag order in Jackson T

he judge in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson’s doctor issued a sharply worded gag order for attorneys on Friday and ordered one of them to return for a possible contempt hearing after he appeared on a TV show telling details about the case. Judge Michael Pastor’s order came at midday on Friday, the fourth day of the widely watched trial in which prosecutors are trying to prove Dr. Conrad Murray was responsible for the drug overdose that caused the pop star’s death on June 25, 2009. Prosecutors brought to the courtroom paramedics who responded to a call for help on that day, as well as other witnesses, to try to prove

Pastor said in court.

Alford said on “Today” that one witness had changed his testimony several times. He also declared that Jackson was addicted to propofol.

That raised the ire of Pastor, who a day earlier instructed attorneys to rein in their comments to the media. On Friday, Pastor told defense attorneys he found the “Today” show appearance “shocking,” according to a court transcript.

Murray’s defense lawyer, Ed Chernoff, argued that even though Alford was part of his law firm, he was not directly a member of Murray’s defense team and was speaking as a private citizen. Pastor did not seem to

Michael Jackson’s bedroom is projected in court during Conrad Murray’s involuntary manslaughter trial in downtown Los Angeles, Friday, Sept 30, 2011. —AP Murray was negligent in his care and covered up Jackson’s use of the anesthetic propofol, which was the principal cause of Jackson’s death.

But the day’s bombshell came with Pastor’s gag order, which followed an appearance by defense attorney Matthew Alford on NBC’s morning talk show “Today.” “The attorneys for the parties in this case ... are ordered not to comment to anyone outside of their respective teams either directly or indirectly regarding any aspects of this case, whether orally or in writing,”

accept that argument and ordered Alford to return to his court for a later hearing on possible contempt proceedings. Also in Friday’s testimony, paramedics who rushed to the singer’s bedside told jurors they were initially optimistic he might live because they arrived within five minutes of being called. But they soon saw Jackson was unresponsive. “I knew that we got there very, very quickly. It meant we’d have a good chance of restarting the heart if that was the issue,” said paramedic Richard

Senneff.

Cold skin, dead eyes But Senneff said he quickly realized Jackson had been down for more than five minutes. “His skin was very cool to the touch,” Senneff said. “When I took a first glance at him, his eyes, they were open and his pupils were dilated. When I hooked up the EKG machine, it was flatlined.” Murray admits administering propofol but denies involuntary manslaughter. His lawyers have argued that Jackson caused his own death by giving himself an extra dose of propofol, mixed with prescription sedatives, without Murray’s knowledge. In trying to prove Murray’s negligence, prosecutors have spent much of this first week creating a timeline between when Jackson stopped breathing and Murray called for help. During those precious minutes, prosecutors claim Murray was trying to cover up evidence of Jackson’s use of the anesthetic propofol, which ultimately caused the singer’s death.

The first call for help was received at 12:22 pm, paramedics arrived at 12:26 pm and made it to Jackson’s bedroom a minute later, working feverishly to revive Jackson. Senneff testified he was on the phone with doctors at a nearby hospital and they recommended at 12:57 pm that Jackson be declared dead. Murray demanded that Jackson be taken to the hospital for further treatment. The singer was pronounced dead later that day at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angles. Jurors earlier heard a voicemail Murray left for one of his heart patients at 11:49 am the day of Jackson’s death- seven minutes before he is believed to have found the singer unresponsive in his bedroom.

Prosecutors seek to prove Murray failed to monitor Jackson properly after giving him a dose of propofol.

They claim that instead of watching Jackson in the singer’s bedroom, Murray was busy on his cell phone before discovering around 11:56 a.m. that the “Thriller” singer had stopped breathing. Murray faces up to four years in prison if convicted. —Reuters

Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas performs onstage during CHASE Presents The Black Eyed Peas and Friends “Concert 4 NYC” benefiting the Robin Hood Foundation at Central Park, Great Lawn on September 30, 2011 in New York City. —AFP

Cancer comedy ‘50/50’ takes on lions, dolphins, Brad Pitt

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Director Demi Moore attends the Lifetime and Sony Pictures Television premiere screening “Five” at Skylight SoHo in New York. —AP

Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore tweet away split rumors

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Colombian singer Shakira performs on stage at the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro yesterday. —AFP

shton Kutcher and Demi Moore save their marriageor at least stave off divorce rumors-through the power or Twitter? Hollywood’s most intriguing MayDecember power couple have been ground up in the gossip mill in recent days, with rumors that their marriage is on the rocks. And now the pair of dedicated tweeters are addressing the scuttlebutt-although cryptically so-on their Twitter accounts, which combined boast nearly 12 million followers. The most recent buzzing about discord in the couple’s marriage began last Friday, on the eve of the couple’s sixth wedding anniversary, when the pair were spotted on separate coasts. Moore was in New York promoting her Lifetime movie “Five.” Kutcher, meanwhile, was seen partying with his former “That ‘70s Show” co-star Danny Masterson at San Diego, Calif, nightclub The Fluxx-after which, according to the current buzz, he spent the night with hitherto-anonymous San Diego blonde Sara Leal.

From there, the rumors-as they tend to do-blossomed.

As of Friday, according to esteemed celebrity journalist Perez Hilton, there might have been multiple women holed up in Kutcher’s hotel room-though, apparently, the other women waited in a separate area while he and Leal commingled. (Memo to Ashton: If that is, indeed, the way it went down, you’re doing it wrong.)

While neither Kutcher nor Moore have dignified the affair rumors with a direct response, they do appear to have obliquely addressed the issue via Twitter, which appears to be their favored method of communicating with their fans.

On Thursday, Kutcher made sly reference to the brouhaha, tweeting a link to Spotify to indicate that he was currently listening to the Public Enemy chestnut “Don’t Believe the Hype.” He followed up with a variation on another chestnut, writing “When you ASSUMME to know that which you know nothing of you make an ASS out of U and ME.” Meanwhile, Moore offered her own puzzler Monday, posting a photo of herself with her eyes closed with the caption, “I see through you.” Though some reports have interpreted Moore’s Twit-pic as a message to her 33-yearold husband, it’s equally likely that she’s broadcasting to the tabloid media that their methods and tactics are transparent, even with her eyes closed. Or she could just be making a goofy joke unrelated to the affair rumors at all. —Reuters

Scarlett Johansson says leaked nude photos ‘wrong’

‘Glee 3D’ director boards new ‘Mortal Kombat’ film

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ortal Kombat” will fight its way back into theaters, but this time the big-screen adaptation of the popular video game will come courtesy of “Glee” concert movie director and choreographer Kevin Tancharoen. The new film will be a coproduction between New Line and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

The studio will produce the film next year, on track for a 2013 release.

Tancharoen directed the short film “Mortal Kombat: Rebirth” to show that he could handle ultra-violent tournament fighting as easily as he once did Britney Spears videos. It was a hit with the

YouTube crowd, which watched the action more than 10 million times. A multi-episode series called “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” that he filmed as a follow-up attracted some 50 million viewers. New Line apparently was convinced the new, grittier take would be a hit with moviegoers. In addition to Tancharoen, New Line has tapped Oren Uziel, who also wrote the script to the short film, to handle screenwriting duties. The original 1995 adaptation of the game grossed $122 million on a $20 million budget, but the 1997 sequel, “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” banked a disappointing $52 million. —Reuters

f you loved Steven Soderbergh’s thriller about a deadly encephalitis pandemic, then get to the multiplex this weekend for buddy dramedy “50/50” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young man dealing with terminal illness! Yep, with new films about cops dealing with their estranged sons, evil houses driving their owners to murderous deeds, and young women ruminating over failed relationships, the domestic box office won’t get any cheerier this weekend. And predicting a winner won’t get any easier, with “50/50” facing off against a competitive crop of holdovers that includes Disney’s “Lion King” 3D rerelease, Warner/Alcon feel-gooder “Dolphin Tale” and Brad Pitt baseball movie “Moneyball.”

Any of those films that can step up and gross $15 million or more will probably end up winning the domestic box office, according to prognosticators. Fluffing up the previously deflated pom poms of 3D cheerleaders all over Hollywood, “Lion King 3D” has been a revelation at the box office-it once again led the market last weekend, its second in re-release, with nearly $22 million, a 27 percent week-to-week decline. A similarly shallow drop this weekend will probably give it a third straight crown.

Sony’s “Moneyball” and “Dolphin Tale,” meanwhile, are riding the word-of-mouth wave that comes with respective “A” and “A-plus” grades from Cinemascore, so week-toweek drops for those films should be negligible too. If any new film breaks through and wins the box office, it’ll probably be “50/50.” Starring Gordon-Levitt as a young man dealing with a cancer diagnosis, and co-starring Seth Rogen as the friend who watches him shave his head in the movie’s poster, Summit’s “50/50” arrives in 2,458 theaters in the US and Canada with solid reviews (91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes). Summit, which is distributing the Mandate Pictures-produced film, predicts an opening in the low double digits-okay for a film with a negative cost of around $8 million. While critical buzz is solid, tracking is middling. For the film’s most solid audience base, women under 25, total awareness only stands at around 66 percent, according to the most recent surveys conducted by research firm NRG. Of that group, a solid 36 percent express definite interest in the film, and 7 percent call it their first choice.

But “50/50” does arrive with an R rating, which will limit its younger-audience potential. Opening in 2,660 theaters, meanwhile, the PG-13-rated “Dream House”-produced by Morgan Creek for around $55 million and distributed in the U.S. by Universal-could be the weekend’s big floparoo. The thriller, starring Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz, and directed by Jim Sheridan (“My Left Foot”) has not been reviewed. Various prognostications put its opening weekend somewhere in the $10 million - $14 million range. According to NRG, older women (those older than 25 anyway) represent the strongest demo for “Dream House,” with total awareness among that group standing at 63 percent, definite interest at 32 percent and first choice at 6 percent. On the lighter side of the ticket counter, Fox’s “What’s Your Number?” arrives in 3,002 locations with fairly poor reviews (30 percent on Rotten Tomatoes).

The R-rated comedy stars Anna Faris as a young woman recalling her previous 20 bad relationships. Chris Evans, Aziz Ansari and Andy Samberg co-star. Produced

by New Regency for around $20 million, “What’s Your Number?” isn’t expected to crack double digits this weekend. It’s tracking strongest with young women-NRG reports that 67 percent of females under 25 know the film is coming, 47 percent have definite interest in seeing it and 11 percent call it their first choice. Beyond that group, however, there isn’t much traction for the film.

Also debuting in 1,161 theaters this weekend, with Sony handling distribution, Sherwood Pictures drama “Courageous” could exceed $8 million this weekend, a boon for a small, no-name drama produced for around $2 million. A production company owned by a Georgiabased Baptist Church, Sherwood has proven the merits of its low-cost model before, starting in 2006, when its $10,000 football drama, “Facing the Giants,” grossed $10 million. “Courageous” will be the company’s fourth release and will focus on four cops who-while able to cope with their challenging jobs-must face very different obstacles while trying to raise their sons at home. —Reuters

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US actress Scarlett Johansson arrives for the Dolce & Gabbana Spring-Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection at the Milan’s women fashion week. —AFP

ost In Translation” star Scarlett Johansson defended her right to privacy in an interview, weeks after her smartphone was hacked and someone posted semi-nude pictures of her on the Internet. “Who doesn’t want to protect their own privacy? Just because you’re in the spotlight, or just because you’re an actor or make films or whatever doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to your own personal privacy,” Johansson told CNN. “If that is sieged in some way, it feels unjust. It feels wrong.”

Johansson, 26, said that people have asked her how she deals with the invasion of privacy. “It’s an adjustment, but there are certain instances where you give a lot of yourself and then finally you just have to kind of put your foot down and say, ‘No, wait, I’m taking it back,’” she said, in her first comments on the incident.

The pictures of Johansson, star of “The Horse Whisperer” and “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” appeared in mid-September and showed her in a state of undress in a home setting. In one she was holding a towel round herself with face to the camera, her unclothed rear view clearly visible in a mirror, while in the other she was topless. In the first picture she was photographing herself with a smartphone camera, and appeared to be doing so in the second, on a bed. The FBI is probing allegations that smartphones and computers of several Hollywood celebrities, including Johansson, have been hacked.

CNN interviewed Johansson in Nairobi, Kenya, where she witnessed the impact of drought on that African nation with workers for the British humanitarian group Oxfam. —AFP

Annahar celebrates grand fourth anniversary

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011

The only rule at

Westwood is that there isn’t one A

n excess of excess was on offer at madcap British designer Vivienne Westwood’s anarchic show, where models in full clown makeup and ball gowns rubbed shoulders with grunge princesses in shredded knits and argyle knee-socks. XXL looks ruled the catwalks at experimental Belgian house Maison Martin Margiela and at Japanese-born designer Yohji Yamamoto - where many of the clothes looked like they’d been freshly hacked off the fabric bolt. Anne Valerie Hash tapped into the essence of Parisian chic with a neglige collection of slouchy silken separates that - like cool Parisiennes just happened to look at once disheveled and sexy and perfect.

With Paris’ Indian summer in full swing and temperatures in the nineties, fashion insiders packed into a Right Bank mansion for a cocktail marking Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld’s thirda collaboration with Italian shoemaker Hogan. Paris’ spring-summer 2012 collections cross the halfway mark yesterday - day five of the City of Light’s nine-day-long fashion week - with shows

by Viktor & Rolf, Jean Paul Gaultier and Sonia Rykiel, which announced the appointment of a new creative director for ready-to-wear. In a statement Friday, the Paris-based knitwear brand said Scottish designer April Crichton had been promoted from within to the new role. Yesterday’s biggest event - indeed among the biggest events of the entire week - is happening off the official calendar: Superstar musician Kanye West, an inveterate fan of fashion and frequent front-row guest at the shows, is debuting his own women’s line at an exclusive runway display late in the evening.

Christian Dior Under Galliano, Dior took on almost superhuman proportions, with larger-thanlife collections and shows to the scale of the British designer’s prodigious talent. The house returned to human size with a

Vuitton’s Marc Jacobs, but no announcement has been made, leading some to speculate negotiations with the superstar New York designer have derailed.

Whatever the status of the search, Gaytten’s strong performance Friday certainly takes the pressure off Dior to immediately find a permanent solution.

scaled-down spring-summer collection from Galliano’s replacement, Gaytten.

Models in discreet makeup - not the extravagant war-paint of the Galliano’s years sported pretty, wearable skirt suits in neutral shades of chiffon. Gone were Galliano’s maxi-volumes and the over-the-top riffs on outrageous themes, replaced by an appealing array of wearable, sellable clothes.

Gaytten and his team drew on the timehonored codes of the label, sending out variations on the nip-waisted Bar jacket and tulip-shaped skirts in graphic blackand-white checks and soft sandy neutral tones. The evening gowns, in powder blue and black organza, were of an understated elegance. Dior executives have made it clear that Gaytten is but a stopgap measure, to be replaced by a top-name designer.

The rumor mill has thrown out the names of practically everyone who’s anyone in fashion, from Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz to Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci. Trade industry paper Women’s Wear Daily reported a deal was close to being struck with Louis

Vivienne Westwood The only rule at Westwood is that there isn’t one. It was a free-for-all Friday, as the British designer who leapt to international fame for helping inject anarchy into fashion threw open all the doors and let everyone - including the riffraff - in. The clothes appeared to have been put together from whatever bolts of leftover fabric were laying around: Satins, lames, brocades, prints, stripes, lace, argyle and tulle were heaped on the models’ heads, tied round their waists, slung over their shoulders or draped in artful floorlength skirts.

Some of models wore full-on clown-style face paint, while others sported Klein blue lips and eyebrows. They padded the raised circle-shaped catwalk in towering platforms, pausing in front of the photographer’ pit to strike exaggerated poses or do little pantomimes as a 16-year-old pianist played his own compositions on a grand piano. Whoops of enthusiasm erupted from the audience as the carrot-topped Westwood and her strapping young husband appeared for a final bow. —AP

Models present creations by Japanese designer Junya Watanabe during the Spring/Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection show, yesterday in Paris.

— AFP photos

Models wear creations by Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto for his Spring-Summer 2012 ready to wear collection.

— AP photos

Models present creations by Japanese designer Tsumori Chisato during the Spring/Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection show, yesterday.