3rd Oct

ON IP TI SC R SU B 150 FILS

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

www.kuwaittimes.net

THULQADA 5, 1432 AH

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Oppn gears up for 2nd anti-corruption rally Kuwait denies ‘bribing’ Iraqi ministers

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

By B Izzak

30 Yemeni soldiers die in ‘friendly fire’ ADEN: At least 30 soldiers have been killed in a friendly fire incident and clashes with militants linked to Al-Qaeda in south Yemen, security officials said yesterday. The officials said some of the soldiers were killed in a strike by the Yemeni air force that mistakenly hit a school in the southern town of Zinjibar. State television, however, cited an unnamed military official denying that soldiers were killed in a friendly fire incident. Hundreds of militants from the Al-Qaeda-linked Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law) group overran Zinjibar in May, and it has been the scene of bitter fighting.

One militar y official said on condition of anonymity said that the air strike on the school killed a large number of soldiers. “Al-Qaeda militants then attacked the school after the air strike and killed even more soldiers,” he said, adding that at least 30 had been killed at the school. Officials at the military hospital in the nearby port city of Aden said they were unable to confirm the deaths as their ambulances could not reach the location because of “intense fighting” between soldiers and militants.

Continued on Page 13

in the

news

World-first electric car-share scheme PARIS: Self-service electric cars appeared on the streets of Paris yesterday, as a French group launched a public car-hire scheme modeled on the capital’s popular bicycle-sharing system and designed to become the world’s largest of its kind.

The Autolib venture set up by Vincent Bollore, a prominent businessman with ties to President Nicolas Sarkozy, kicked off a two-month testing phase with around 60 vehicles scattered over 10 stations. The program is expected to be scaled up to 250 vehicles on December 5 and could include 2,000 of the small four-seaters over 46 municipalities around the French capital by the end of June 2012. “This service will complement public transport and taxis. Our aim is to widen the range of available transport,” deputy Paris mayor Annick Lepetit said at the launch. The Bollore group predicts it will need 80,000 users to make a profit and hopes to attract customers with a low fee of 12 euros a month for an annual subscription. Carsharing systems exist in New York and cities in the Netherlands but the Autolib project in Paris is a novelty in that all vehicles are electric. Their Lithium Metal Polymer batteries, developed by the Bollore Group, can store more power than any other on the market and can take the Paris “Bluecars” 250 kilometers on a single charge.

Writer wins ‘No Religion’ lawsuit JERUSALEM: An Israeli writer has won a historic court victory granting his request to be officially registered as “without religion” rather than “Jewish,” Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported yesterday. Yoram Kaniuk turned to the courts in May after the interior ministry refused to alter his official religious status from Jewish to “without religion,” Haaretz said. And last week, a Tel Aviv court sided with his demand, ruling that Israeli law allows citizens to be officially registered as having no religion. “Freedom from religion is a freedom derived from the right to human dignity, which is protected by the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Freedom,” Haaretz quoted the ruling as saying. “ The only question that must be weighed is whether the plaintiff proved the seriousness of his intentions... I see no need to impose on the plaintiff any burden with the exception of bringing his request before the court,” it added. Speaking to Haaretz, Kaniuk called the court’s decision a “ruling of historic proportions.”

Stage set for ‘Trash to Treasure’ show

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TEHRAN: Kuwaiti parliament speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi (right) is welcomed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before a meeting at the presidency office in Tehran yesterday. — AP

Khorafi lauds Iran ties Kuwait urges neighbors to resolve maritime issues TEHRAN: Visiting Speaker of Kuwait’s National Assembly Jassem Al-Khorafi said yesterday that Kuwait, Iran, and Saudi Arabia should work on a solution for the maritime continental shelf issue.

This came during Al-Khorafi’s meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. Al-Khorafi said that finding a solution to the issue would benefit all parties. The GCC states, said Al-Khorafi, are keen on strengthening ties with Iran, adding that it was important to take

such steps in order to foil plans of disunity amongst countries of the region. “Kuwait and Iran share a number of identical views and work diligently for resolving any disputes that may develop between the two nations. We accept any differences, but we are keen not to leave any disagreement without reaching a solution,” he added. The Iranian President, on his part, affirmed that Tehran was eager to bolster ties with the GCC, namely Kuwait.

He called on the Kuwaiti top law-

maker to convey his greetings to the Kuwaiti leadership and people.

Al-Khorafi and the Kuwaiti delegation are partaking in a ProPalestinian conference, which began two days ago. On sidelines of the event, Al-Khorafi met the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Osama Al-Nujaifi, discussing bilateral relations between the two countries and means to develop them.

They also tackled latest developments on regional and international arenas. — Agencies

KUWAIT: Opposition groups yesterday geared up for their second anti-corruption rally scheduled for Wednesday as they urged their supporters to attend the gathering in large numbers to press for action. The National Assembly legal and legislative committee meanwhile delayed its scheduled discussion of a large number of anti-corruption draft laws in order to wait for the government-sponsored draft law for combating corruption.

Three liberal groups, the National Democratic Alliance, the Democratic Forum and the Progressive Movement and an alliance of several opposition and student groups under a unified title known as Nahaj in a joint statement called for their supporters to attend the second rally in the wake of the corruption scandal involving more than a dozen MPs. The rally will be held opposite the National Assembly in a bid to press for action against MPs who received millions of dinars in bribes and also against those who paid the money to them.

The statement said that the Kuwaiti people should shoulder its responsibility to send a strong message of rejection to such practices which have undermined and tarnished the image of democracy and the country as a whole. The statement called for a serious investigation into the scandal and for approving draft laws to combat corruption in the country. But the legal and legislative panel yesterday postponed until next week a scheduled discussion of about 17 anti-corruption draft laws submitted by MPs, and meetings of the panel on the issue have been denied several times.

Rapporteur of the panel MP Maasouma Al-Mubarak said the decision to delay the discussion was because the government representative informed MPs that a comprehensive anti-corruption draft law will be submitted later this week. Mubarak said the committee will now discuss all the draft laws together next Sunday. The government-sponsored anti-corruption draft law was criticized by some MPs because the wealth disclosure bill in it does not have a retroactive effect.

Islamist MP Faisal Al-Muslim in the meantime announced that the opposition will file its grilling of the prime minister on October 13 as the opposition waited for the final word from the liberal Popular Action Bloc on whether it will support the grilling or not. The support of the six-member National Bloc is crucial for the Continued on Page 13

Activists boycott UAE ‘unfair’ trial ABU DHABI: Five pro-democracy activists alleging mistreatment refused to appear in an Emirati court yesterday as their trial resumed in a hearing which was open to the public for the first time. The police officer in charge of bringing the five defendants to the hearing told the State Security Court that they “refused to come,” without any further explanation, an AFP reporter said. One of their lawyers, Mohammed Al-Roken, told the court that the defendants accused of insulting top United Arab Emirates (UAE) officials refused to attend the hearing after their demands were not met.

The five men, four of whom are Emirati and one stateless, are demanding to “obtain all documents Continued on Page 13

CALUMPIT: A man is nearly submerged as he crosses a flooded street using a rope in the aftermath of Typhoon Nalgae yesterday in Calumpit, an agricultural town about two hours north of the capital Manila. — AFP

Typhoon Nalgae kills 59

KUWAIT: Swarm of buzzing bees is seen around a plastic hose in the balcony of a family house in Mahboula area. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

MANILA: Rescuers scrambled yesterday to deliver food and water to hundreds of villagers stuck on rooftops for days because of flooding in the northern Philippines, where back-to-back typhoons have left at least 59 people dead. Typhoon Nalgae slammed ashore in northeastern Isabela province Saturday, then barreled across the main island of Luzon’s mountainous north and agricultural plains, which were still sodden from fierce rain and winds unleashed by a howler just days earlier.

Nalgae left at least three people dead Saturday.

Typhoon Nesat killed 56 others and left 28 missing in the same region before blowing out Friday. Nalgae was whirling over the South China Sea and heading toward southern China yesterday afternoon, 230 miles from the Philippines’ northeast coast, with sustained winds of 75

miles per hour and gusts of 93 mph, according to the Philippine government weather agency. China’s National Meteorological Center urged people in areas expected to be lashed by rainstorms in the next three days, including on southernmost Hainan Island and in eastern Taiwan, to stay indoors and cancel large assemblies.

Nalgae’s ferocious winds set off a rock slide in the northern mountain province of Bontoc in the Philippines on Saturday, causing boulders to roll down a mountainside and smash a passing van, where a passenger was pinned to death and another was injured, police said. In northern Tarlac province’s Camiling town, a man sought safety with his two young nephews as Continued on Page 13

Syria oppn forms united front against Assad

Jordan’s tourism hit hard by Arab Spring

Chelsea hammer Bolton 5-1

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LOCAL

Environmental group lashes out against oil companies’ apathy

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Green Line Environment Group - Kuwait (GLEG) issued a statement describing the weakness and failure of Kuwait’s oil companies to preserve the environment. It goes on to state that the companies have denied polluting the environment. The environmental group pointed out that it spread poison and diseases through gas emissions produced by oil refineries.

The announcement also mentioned the false claims made by the Environmental Public Authority (EPA) about the positive environment situation in the country. It criticized the body’s officials for making misguided statements to the media about deteriorating environmental situation.

It has also accused it of receiving money from the oil sector under different assumed names. This factor has prompted the EPA to

be more tolerant toward the gross violations committed by oil refineries despite the environment disasters these have caused, affecting the health of Kuwait’s children. Green Line urged, in its announcement, to dissolve the mentioned oil company and allow oil companies to manage without that company ’s inter ference, thereby stalling many environmental projects.

Green Line also demanded that the Parliament form an investigating committee to examine the billions that were spent by an oil company under the pretext of ‘going green.’ No results were received till today and the situation is worse.

Two top oil companies of the country have been named the as the highest polluters in Kuwait despite being in possession of financial resources to transform the sector environment friendly.

The companies do not even keep track of the magnitude of the damages caused. If the announced profits are accurate, these are simply figures used to generate publicity to hide their flaws, the group claimed.

Many present and past employees working in the oil sector have confirmed that accidents take place at oil refineries. These workers are ready testify against the companies about the violations in case they are offered protection against potential harm. Green Line also highlighted the absence of the observation equipment and highlighted an incident where four workers died due to gas pollution at their work place in the Ahmadi Refinery. The group pointed out that the EPA has not taken any measures to assure citizens that reside in nearby areas of their safety. It also urged the EPA to issue a weekly report on the type of pollutions that the oil companies cause.

Maid recruitment agencies illegally helping customers outside Kuwait KUWAIT: Migration authorities in Kuwait are monitoring illegal activity carried out by some domestic staff recruitment offices, which reportedly help would-be employers from neighboring countries who are recruiting domestic workers in Kuwait to work in those countries.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) reportedly launched an investigation into the issue after receiving a tip-off that some clients living in other GCC nations are paying large illicit bonuses to recruitment agencies in those countries to hire staff via Kuwaiti agencies which they would be unable to do in the nations where they live given the tighter restrictions on recruitment there. Speaking to local daily Al-Shahed on condition of anonymity, one MoI insider said that this illegal activity is contributing to greatly increasing the usual cost of recruiting maids in Kuwait, raising local costs to the same level as those elsewhere in the Gulf region.

O fficials in the ministr y ’s Department of Migration have apparently prepared a directive

reminding recruitment agencies in Kuwait that they are restricted solely to serving clients in Kuwait, whether Kuwaiti or expatriate, which is to be referred to the interior minister for approval before being circulated to the agencies. Department staff are working closely with their counterpar ts at the General Depar tment for Recruitment Affairs in order to penalize all those found to be involved in illegally providing domestic workers to clients outside Kuwait.

The issue of human trafficking involving domestic workers has been a subject of major concern for the governments of the countries from which most of these workers travel to the Gulf region, with recent reports suggesting that the Philippines government is considering banning its citizens from travelling to Kuwait for domestic workers’ jobs. This has prompted a delegation of Kuwaiti parliamentarians to meet with senior Philippine officials in the southeast Asian nation in an attempt to dissuade them from taking this course of action.

The former president of the Kuwaiti Union of Domestic Labor Offices (KUDLO), Abdulaziz Al-Ali, on Sunday applauded the Kuwaiti delegation’s visit to the Philippines, calling on parliament to pass the draft legislation protecting the rights of domestic workers when the new parliamentary term begins on October 25. Many Kuwaitis and expatriate residents of the country hope to see the legislation enforced as soon as possible, not only to protect the workers’ rights, but also to give protection to employers against offences which are allegedly perpetrated by domestic workers and recruitment agencies.

In a recent survey in local daily Al-Rai, the majority of respondents agreed with the statement, “The domestic labor law is necessary to organize the relationship between the sponsor, the housemaid and the recruitment office.”

Many of the respondents complained of experiencing problems with domestic workers. “Most families seek to hire a professional worker to help with housework

and take care of their kids, only to find that they are dealing with poorly trained personnel who can’t live up to the responsibilities of their job,” said one Kuwaiti quoted in the survey. Another respondent complained that domestic workers’ performance of their duties deteriorates when they discover that the wealth they were assured of before coming to Kuwait is not forthcoming, certainly not through working as domestic workers rather than in better paid positions.

While admitting that there are instances in which domestic workers are abused, many Kuwaitis also suggested that maids make up accusations as a way of getting out of their job contracts. Some of those interviewed also suggested that when embassy staff at the embassies of the housemaids’ nations of origin are approached to help resolve disputes between employers and housemaids, they will often “make the problem worse by making questionable allegations against the sponsor.”

—Al-Shahed, Al-Rai

KUWAIT: Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Kuwait Martin Vavra hosted a ceremony at the Hilton Hotel to commemorate his country’s National Day. It was attended by Sheikh Ali Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Capital Governor as well as ambassadors and other dignitaries. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat.

Govt considering jobs for bedoons KUWAIT: The Central System for Remedying the Situation of I llegal Residents (CSRSIR) is working closely with other state bodies to pave the way for bedoon (stateless) residents to be allowed public sector jobs.

The move is part of the government’s plan to grant full civil rights to the stateless residents, according to a government insider.

Speaking to local daily Al-Rai on condition of anonymity, the government insider said that CSRSIR officials have been holding weekly meetings with sen-

ior representatives of other state bodies, including the Civil Service Commission, the Central Tenders Committee, the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and I ndustr y and the Kuwait I nvestment Authority, in order to agree on a strategy to employ bedoons in some public sector posts. The insider claimed that bedoon people have been able to obtain a number of basic rights this year, including birth and marriage certificates, as well as being granted eligibility for privileges such as healthcare, ID cards, and drivers’ licenses. — Al-Qabas

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah at Seif Palace yesterday. The meeting was held after HH Sheikh Nasser represented HH the Amir at meetings of the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly, visited Switzerland, Canada and the United States. HH the Prime Minister briefed HH the Amir about results of these visits.

Review of PM’s successful tour KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad AlSabah concluded yesterday a successful tour of a number of friendly countries, including the Swiss Confederation, Canada and the United States, where he headed the Kuwaiti delegation representing HH the Amir to the 66th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.

This round had reflected keenness of HH the Prime Minister on manifesting the wise policy of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in the continued emphasis on the importance of strengthening bonds of relations between Kuwait and the countries of the world and HH’s ongoing quest to build the foundations of cooperation and mutual understanding with regional and international organizations.

HH Sheikh Nasser kicked off on Sept 13 the first leg of his trip in the Swiss capital, Bern, where he met President of the Swiss Confederation Micheline Calmy-Rey. The two sides discussed the distinguished bilateral relations and ways of enhancing them, in addition to reviewing international issues of common concern.

HH also met with President of the Swiss Parliament, Jean-Pierre Germnier, and held joint talks, during which he attended a session of the Swiss parliament, before moving to the headquarters of the provincial government of Bern, where he met the Mayor of the Swiss capital Alexander Chapat.

Both men reviewed the special relations that bind Swiss and Kuwaiti peoples.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s Ahmadi Governorate and the city of Bern had signed a twinning agreement in March 2010 based on the foundations of mutual cooperation and exchange of experiences between the two sides in various technical, educational, sporting and cultural domains, as well as trade and urban planning, maintenance and revival of the national heritage. In the framework of the distinguished visit, the delegation accompanying HH the Premier, which included the ministers of Commerce and Industry and Finance, in addition to a delegation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kuwait met members of the Executive Council of the Federation of Swiss businessmen.

After the Swiss station, HH the Prime Minister left on September 17 to New York to preside over the Kuwaiti delegation participating in the meetings of the 66th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

HH Sheikh Nasser stressed, in a speech on behalf of HH the Amir to representatives of the international community, importance of the role played by the United Nations and its various organizations in the face of global challenges and risks at various levels, especially political and humanitarian ones.

HH the Premier added that the importance of the United Nations has without doubt increased with time, as the international arena has experienced, during the past six decades, many events that had a direct impact on international peace and security, where the United Nations had

been a safe haven for Member States to search for collective and unified solutions to face problems and crises.

HH the Prime Minister met on the sidelines of the meetings the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in addition to the Eritrean President, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu, President of the Republic of Togo and the Secretar y General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad also attended a meeting of Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), during which they discussed global challenges facing the world and the development of innovative collective solutions to address them with a number of Heads of State and Governments.

With the end of his mission in New York, HH the Prime Minister headed on Sept 25 to Canada on an official visit; the first of its kind for a high-level Kuwaiti official.

The Governor of Canada, David Johnson, had warmly received HH the Prime Minister despite the fact that the visit began at the end of the week; a public holiday, which emphasized depth and strength of Kuwaiti-Canadian relations.

The two sides reviewed during the meeting the prospects for cooperation in economic, trade and investment spheres between the two countries with His Highness the Prime Minister stressing that this visit was to renew the thanks and appreciation of the Kuwait government and people for the people of Canada for their support for the legitimacy of Kuwait, especially during the Iraqi occupation of the country and Canada’s established positions in the support and promotion of peace and stability in the world.

HH the Prime Minister held fruitful talks with the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper that resulted in the signing of two agreements for the protection of investments between the two countries and a memo of understanding in air transport.

HH the Prime Minister also met Canadian House Speaker Andrew Shir and President of the Senate Noel Kinsella.

Washington was the last stop HH the Prime Minister’s tour, where he met in the White House with Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, and discussed issues of common interest, particularly with regard to the security of Kuwait and the Gulf region. He also discussed with Biden the issue of Kuwaiti detainees at Guantanamo, stressing that this case is of great importance to the Kuwait government and people.

He also met with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and discussed with her issues of reciprocal interest, notably the rapid developments taking place in the Arab world. On military security, HH the Prime Minister met with head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the US Army, Admiral Michael Mullen, where the two sides discussed militar y cooperation between Kuwait and the United States and the arrangements for post-American withdrawal from Iraq. —KUNA

Five hurt in road accidents

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: The Director General of Kuwait Fire Services Directorate Maj Gen Jassim AlMansouri recently honored representatives from the Defense Ministry, the National Guard, Gulf Oil Company, Kuwait Oil Company and Souk Sharq for participating in the Ninth Firemen Day. —Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Two Kuwaitis were rushed to Mubarak Hospital after sustaining multiple injuries in a car crash on King Fahad Road. In a separate incident, a 34-yearold Indian man suffered various injuries when he was hit by a car on Airport Road. He was taken to Sabah Hospital. In a third accident, a 50-year-old Syrian man was taken to Mubarak Hospital after suffering fractures to his right wrist and ankle in a crash on King Fahad Road.

Meanwhile, a 19-year-old Kuwaiti man complained of severe back pain following a crash on Istiqlal Street. He was taken to Amiri Hospital.

Sweet-talking swindlers Police in Salmiya have arrested two sweet-talking fraudsters who conned a number of nave young women out of large amounts of money in separate getrich-quick schemes. The first, an Asian man, apparently claimed to be a member of a well-known local family, convincing his remarkably gullible victims that he wished to marry them whilst conning them out of a total of KD200,000. The second man, an Arab expatriate employed at a local cinema, apparently seduced a number of young women, talking them into handing over large amounts of money to him. Both men were referred to the relevant authorities.

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local

Canadian universities hold education expo

KUWAIT: Students inquiring with a Canadian education representative yesterday. — Photo by Joseph Shagra

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: More than a dozen Canadian universities and colleges took part in the Fifth Annual Middle East Education Initiative (MEEI) that was held in Kuwait last night. The education exhibition was inaugurated by Colleen Mapendere Canadian Embassy Charge de Affairs at the Marina Hotel, Salmiya. Hundreds of students along with their parents thronged the venue to inquire about the Canadian educational institutions and the courses offered. Kuwait is part of the eight-country road show being conducted in the Middle East and North African region aimed at providing information and promoting educational opportunities in Canada.

“Quality education awaits students in Canada and we want to share that with everybody. Each province and territory has something exciting to offer - a full range of different programs, from bachelor’s degrees to master’s and doctorate programs are available,” Mapendere told the Kuwait Times on the sidelines of the event. Canada remains a top destination for international students, with 12,000 students that have enrolled from Saudi Arabia alone. According to Mapendere, Kuwaiti students number to 200, with more growing rapidly. “Five years ago, we received a large number of students from Kuwait. We can see their enthusiasm because they are aware of the superior quality of our education system,” she said.

Canada also welcomes people belonging to all nationalities regardless of religious beliefs, “We want our students to experience the diversity of our culture, the multi-ethnicity and the welcoming environment we’ve got in Canada. We are not only proud of the academic excellence, safety and security of our country but also are proud of the most sophisticated and up-to-date technologies and facilities that we offer, allowing them to gain valuable work experience through work placements and cooperative education,” she said. When asked on how long it takes to process student visas from Kuwait, she replied, “About a month, immediately after acquiring acceptance from a university or college. I advise you to apply through our on-line visa application system. The visa will be processed at our Abu Dhabi office. It takes some time to complete it. So far we haven’t received any complaints,” she beamed.

Mapendere lauded Kuwait-Canada ties especially in the field of education thanks to the recent high-ranking visits paid between the two governments, “The Kuwaiti Prime Minister has visited our country and it has paved the way for more opportunities in various fields. The ministers of trade, national defense, the speaker of the Canadian senate, governor general visited Kuwait just last year; it is proof of our continuing but also aggressive and growing bilateral ties,” she mentioned. For more information about the education system in Canada, please visit www.cic.gc.ca.

KUWAIT: (Left) A Eurasian Lark is spotted among shrubbery, littered with plastic waste, at a cleanup yesterday at Kubbar island.

(Right) Al Yaal volunteers collected 200 kilograms of waste at Doha beach cleanup on July 30.

Local initiative tackling Kuwait’s littered shores Volunteering slowly becoming more popular in Kuwait

By Lisa Conrad KUWAIT: “We’ve collected over three tons of waste from Kuwait’s shore lines and island shores since our launch in April,” says Angelique Bhattacharjie, program manager of Al Yaal. Al Yaal, the Arabic word for ‘shoreline,’ is Kuwait’s first nationwide marine conservation initiative and was developed by en.v, a local organization promoting social responsibility in the Arab world. “We pay attention to the areas that are usually neglected, because they have so much marine life and countless species of birds frequenting them,” Bhattacharjie explained. “Our route spans from Doha to Shuwaikh, and we also cover three islands - Kubbar, Umm Al Maradim and Garo.”

Al Yaal chose these locations because they share an unfortunate similarity in that their rich marine ecosystems (and coral reef in the islands’ waters) are littered with a high concentration of manmade waste.

Despite being relatively new to Kuwait, volunteerism appears to be grow-

ing in popularity, said Bhattacharjie. “We have an average of 15-20 volunteers on each cleanup. It’s gaining more and more momentum, as people really become attached to the project after seeing the destruction waste causes marine life. Our volunteers are from all ages, all professions and all backgrounds. A 14-year-old volunteered last week, and so have senior citizens.”

Attention is paid to every detail, from what to collect to what to steer clear of and even which trash bags to use, “We use biodegradable trash bags to collect the waste, and then we send them for recycling,” explained Bhattacharjie. “By segregating the waste during this step, it’s ready for recycling. The Green Target Company and The Metal and Recycling Company come and collect the waste directly from the beach, and then we’ve not only cleaned up, but also sent the waste to be recycled for future uses.”

Levels of production, consumption and, inevitably, waste, are continuing to rise substantially, in Kuwait as elsewhere.

Al Yaal, however, has met one major

problem with achieving all it would like to, as the senior official explained: “We put together a calendar of the areas we’re going to concentrate on each month. We aim for cleanups on three beaches and one island per month, but summer was exceptionally busy as we had five cleanups in September and six in July.”

She continued, “The clean ups are structured. We have a work methodology, which begins with a site survey. We analyze the flora and fauna of the area, and then we look into the types of waste and the effects of it. We clean it up, but then we also look into how long it will take to become littered again because creating sustained programs is vital.”

Education is key to encouraging continued efforts in the future, which is why the initiative is conducting an educational road show to raise awareness amongst students at Kuwait’s state and private schools and universities about the country’s rich marine biodiversity, the impact of waste on natural habitats, and the fundamentals of responsible waste management, while encouraging youngsters to

join in the efforts to clean up beaches as a service to their community: “Kids are often shocked at the range of animals and biodiversity we have in Kuwait, including over 200 species of migratory birds,” Bhattacharjie revealed, adding, “This really takes their interest, which is great because it’s really vital to get them informed and involved.”

The initiative is sponsored by Dow, with K’s Path (Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals and Their Habitat) being Al Yaal’s implementation partner.

Many other groups, organizations and individuals have provided help, but in order to be fully sustainable, the program requires further support and volunteers.

Angelique revealed, “Tomorrow we’re having our volunteer’s hour at 6.30 in the en.v offices in Bneid Al Gar. Current volunteers share their experiences so newcomers can get an idea of what we do and why it’s important. Everyone is welcome to come, of course.”

Those interested in finding out more about helping out and volunteering can do so at: www.alyaal.com.

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LOCAL

Local Spotlight

Satire Wire

The warnings are a start

Letters to Muna Al-Fuzai

By Sawsan Kazak

By Muna Al-Fuzai

sawsank@kuwaittimes.net muna@kuwaittimes.net

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young boy, no older than 10, walks past me at the corner store and asks the clerk to sell him a pack of cigarettes. The man hands him the pack and takes his money; no questions asked. On my way out, I could see the young boy smoking with a few friends at the side of the building.

In a sense, I do not blame these children for taking up smoking at such a young age; there is nothing really preventing them from doing it. They see their older brothers, fathers and all those ‘cool’ kids at the mall smoking so carelessly and think nothing of it.

The laws about selling cigarettes to children are clearly not being followed. And there seems to be a lack of information about the possible harm that tobacco consumption can have on someone’s health.

It was recently announced that Canadian tobacco manufacturers were going to adopt new warning labels on cigarette packages. There are already graphics and health warnings on packages that cover up to 50 percent of the package. The new warnings and visuals will cover up to 75 percent of the front and back of the pack, and will include stories of real people that were affected by tobacco. Why isn’t there any kind of warning being issued here in Kuwait?

I remember the first time I saw an image of decomposing teeth and gums on a package of cigarettes in Canada. I am not a smoker but seeing those black and yellow teeth that demonstrated the symptoms of oral cancer reinforced in me my disgust towards smoking. And I’m sure that those repulsive yet accurate depictions and warnings about tobacco has affected some to give up, or at least reduce, the number of cigarettes they smoke in a day.

Some people may not be aware of the many health hazards they are exposing themselves to and others when they pick up a cigarette. I’m not saying that having graphic pictures and warnings of tobacco will cause people to completely give up smoking right away, but it might remind them a few times a day just how bad smoking really is for them and for those around them.

And if the warnings don’t affect current smokers, it may prevent younger ‘potential’ smokers to think twice before they light up. I say bring on the warnings and gross graphics, at least some information will be out there.

kuwait digest

Cherchez ‘l’interest’!

By Sheriedah Al-Moasherji

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e all know that politics follow interests and that states do not make any decisions until everything is accurately calculated and assessed. There are no emotions when it comes to states’ calculations or in their assessments of any issue. There isn’t any justice either; if there had been any, the USA would have made up its mind and waged war against Israel to give the Palestinians some justice after so many long years under Jewish tyranny, oppression and crimes against humanity that are video-taped and broadcast daily on various satellite TV channels without even moving or touching the hearts of US and European officials.

This shows that politics, namely in the west, is mainly run by special interest groups. If this is true, one should wonder why the US and its European allies gave up and abandoned their allied Arab leaders such as Hosni Mubarak, Zainulabideen Bin Ali, Muammar Gaddafi and Ali Abdullah Saleh and sprang to support the revolutions against them?

How did they take sides with their allies’ enemies?

Was some golden rule broken or is there a secret that is still being withheld up to this moment?

The US’s and its Western allies’ enthusiasm for what is now known as the ‘Arab Spring’ clearly indicates their focus is wholly on their own interests and nothing else. The US pushed those allies to support the Arab peoples’ revolutions and topple their leaders and this will be revealed very soon. By this I don’t of course mean that we should question the intentions of the Arab peoples who rose up against their rulers, against tyranny, dictatorship and oppression.

This is rather the logical explanation of the stances adopted by the US and European governments. This explanation is even more evident in these countries’ attitudes towards the reign of the former Iranian Emperor, Shah Reda Pahlavi, who considered himself America’s number one man in the region with whom the US has had very staunch relations throughout his time in power - until the Khomeini revolution arrived, considering the US as the Biggest Demon.

He soon became enemies with it and with its European allies. Nevertheless, the US and Europe gave up their ally rather cheaply, refused to grant him asylum at a time when France had earlier received Khomeini, gave him access to the media and contacts with his followers inside Iran and worldwide.

This makes us wonder in amazement: How did the West break such a golden rule and give up its allies? I can simply say it’s all about interests and nothing else that controls politics. That is a lesson we have to comprehend and learn by heart in order to be able to explain western attitudes towards our local and national issues! — Al-Jarida

kuwait digest

Why do Arabs hate the US?

By Mubarak Bin Shafi Al-Hajiri

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he image presented by the United States in dealing with the formal bid pre sented by the Palestinian president to accept Palestine as a full member of the United Nations clearly indicates the true American stance towards Arabs and their just causes.

The US has sided with Israel completely since it inherited the ‘Middle East file’ from Britain. The US has spared no effort in the past 50 years to support consecutive Israeli governments both morally and materially, using America’s UN Security Council veto right as a weapon on behalf of the Israelis to derail any true initiative for peace and any attempt to protect Palestinians.

Prince Saud Al-Faisal Al-Saud, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia expressed this in his latest speech at the United Nations when he said that Saudi Arabia “finds it necessary to shun double standards while seeking to achieve the [UN] charter’s goals,” adding, “It is essential to limit the [US’s] use of its veto right”.

Prince Saud Al-Faisal speaks with authority on the subject, having great experience from his longtime role as Saudi foreign minister of seeing how the US has used this veto right to thwart the peace process in the region and support the Israeli occupation and its inhuman practices.

Yes, America supports Israel completely, unquestioningly and

uncritically, and its vision for peace is no different to that of Israel’s. When any Arab citizen reads a news article about the United States government accusing another country of practicing violence against workers and violating human rights, for example, we immediately think of what we continue to see and read, as we have for decades, of Israel’s actions every day in Gaza and elsewhere in Palestine - killings, maiming, besieging, displacement, land seizures, etc - and recall the lack of any American condemnation of Israel for this.

Indeed, all we hear from the Americans are statements urging Palestinians to show restraint and return to meaningless negotiations. What else but hatred should any Arab feel towards the US over this?

And now, the international ‘Middle East Quartet’ has called for the resumption of negotiations and urged both sides not to take any unilateral steps as they may hamper the peace process; the Palestinians responded, quite rightly, by stating that they won’t accept this condition unless the Israelis stop building settlements since by doing so Israel is blatantly violating international resolutions. The Israelis on the other hand say they are ready to return to negotiations but without preconditions! So what are the preconditions?

The preconditions are the

commitment to international resolutions, which means an end to settlement building. Since its establishment Israel has violated or turned a blind eye to every international resolution; despite this, however, the US stands alongside it, supporting Israel with all its might and urging all other nations to do the same.

There is and can be no justification for the US’s opposition to the declaration of an independent Palestinian state and the effor ts being exer ted by President Obama and his administration to keep member states from voting in favor of this proposal.

This, in fact, is the last nail being driven into the coffin lid of negotiations, and after taking this stance the US will henceforth find no fig leaf to cover its exposed failing, not only for Arabs but in front of the entire international community. The USA will now have to exert far greater efforts to protect its interests in the Arab region, which is going through changes whose conclusion is not yet clear.

One thing is certain, however; Arab leaders can no longer convince their peoples to accept the double standards practiced by consecutive American administrations and the winds of the Arab Spring will not stop blowing until they have removed the US’s allies and puppets in the region. — Al-Watan

kuwait digest

kuwait digest

Kuwaitis have changed, and not for the better

Fatal friendly fire

By Iqbal Al-Ahmad

‘A

Kuwaiti man leading a fraud came to business.

Today, unfortunately, Kuwaiti citizengang in Egypt...’ When I first read this line, I laughed at the ship is being used to facilitate criminals notion that Kuwait now has so much of in conning their victims - as demonthis type of crime that we’ve begun strated by the aforementioned case.

Seeing Kuwaiti nationality as a guarexporting it to other countries.

The article in which the line antee of respectability, honesty, trustappeared, published last Wednesday, worthiness and integrity has unfortuSept 28, indicated that Egyptian nately become rare these days at a time authorities have arrested members of a when staying true to those characteristics has become less gang led by a important as demand Kuwaiti man, Kuwaiti citizenship which conned There was a time for is high.

Egyptian firms Sure, holding into selling its when holding Kuwaiti Kuwaiti nationality members goods, paying the com- nationality was a true doesn’t necessarily its holder a certifipanies in worthsource of confidence give cate of integrity, but less rubber the issue at hand today cheques, before for those with it. opens the door to selling the goods make comparisons elsewhere. The article further indicated that the gang between Kuwaitis from the old days members, including their Kuwaiti and Kuwaitis nowadays.

Some Kuwaitis today have become leader, confessed to committing their crimes. Of course I am not saying that vulnerable to practicing deception, Kuwaitis cannot be involved in such hypocrisy, theft and prioritizing personcrimes; I’m surprised that a Kuwaiti al benefits ahead of national interests. fraudster would go as far as to travel Some Kuwaitis today are unhesitant abroad to lead a criminal gang. What I about lashing out against others with am most concerned about is the proba- different opinions, and have become so bility that the fraudster ’s Kuwaiti greedy that filling their pockets is now nationality helped him gain the confi- their ultimate goal, regardless of the dence of the companies which he situation of their fellow citizens.

Some Kuwaitis today are seeking scammed.

There was a time when holding all means necessar y, even illegal Kuwaiti nationality was a true source of ones, to reach the top in their perconfidence for those with it. A Kuwaiti sonal demands, and place their pernational was trusted back then without sonal rights ahead of their duties having to sign undertakings since peo- towards their nations. Kuwaitis today ple from other countries had the idea are not the same as the Kuwaitis of that Kuwaitis were trustworthy when it yore. — Al-Qabas

Dear Muna, You are one of the journalists that spreads light on the plight of foreign workers, especially domestic workers. Workers with little education like drivers fall victim to their employers. On the other hand, there are some merciless employers in Kuwait. We work 24 hours a day, seven days a week without a break. We work on Fridays and holidays without receiving any overtime. He does not release us from employment so that we can transfer our visas under some other sponsor. If anyone argues, he beats them up. Since our employer has powerful connections with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. We fear approaching the ministry, lest he accuses us of wrong doing. We will be immediately imprisoned and subsequently deported. We are not even allowed to visit the hospital. All this happens here despite the new labor law is in effect. What happened to the government of Kuwait’s decision to scrap the sponsorship system? Do we have any hope?

Thank you, A victim Hello Muna, Thank for your writing about the youth and education. I was able to read about something other than politics and crimes. I wanted to write about this long time ago but, unfortunately, I found no support from the media. I know that you were talking about high school graduates, but I would like to draw your attention to a graduate with a BA degree. I’ve been struggling to receive a scholarship. I graduated from Kuwait University and did apply to continue my education with the same English department. However, I was not accepted. I am fine with it although I did not think it was fair because only a few students were accepted.

I am not sure the manner in which students are selected, but I think they should increase the number of students accepted, especially if they meet requirements like GPA. On the other hand, while I kept trying to obtain a scholarship from other programs, all I faced was disappointments and unclear answers. My future is uncertain and will be determined by wasta and politics. My words may sound vague to you but I cannot explain all the things that went through in order to get a scholarship. I will brief them as follows: Kuwait University’s local master program should increase the number of students accepted. Kuwait University’s scholarship program should include scholarships for the English literature major(It has been suspended for many years). Application for a master’s degree course should be completed within a specified period. It is unprofessional on the part of the Ministry of Higher Education when they tell me “we still don’t know.”

They should open more educational institutes. In general, we must shift people’s attention to education and create more career opportunities(English literature has no career opportunities in Kuwait except for teaching posts.)

Regards, Amal Baqshy

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

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he current Cabinet is officially dead. approach and policies that the governThe fatal shot wasn’t fired by their ment is currently adopting.

In my opinion, political responsibility parliamentary opponents, however.

This time, friendly fire cooked the gov- is shared by everyone, including citizens ernment’s goose when protests who have the power by voting or taking appeared within a top advisory econom- strike action to impose their policy ic committee against the failure to curb demands on the government. In a previous column, I explained how the proboverspending.

According to a recent report, mem- lems created by successive governments bers of the committee, which is mainly headed by Sheikh Nasser are the result of these Cabinets’ composed of govyielding to their ernment officials Now we find opponents’ continuand pro-government figures, were ourselves in need ous fraud and unrealistic demands and, contemplating resigof change, not by doing so, failing nation due to “the achieve balance Cabinet’s inability to necessarily in who to between public constay strong under sumption and prothe pressure of pubruns the Cabinet, ductivity. lic demands that has but rather in the If true, the recent contributed to gennews report proves eral overspending, approach followed that the Cabinet and shows it is incaweak pable of leading by the Cabinet and remains against demands to Kuwait in the face of challenges in the the public, which has, boost the state’s general overspending, near future.” This was unfortunately, despite the recomthe fatal shot, fired mendations and supby a committee that resulted in the port of the advisory has no animosity economic committowards the Cabinet reckless and tee. Now we find or ambitions to excessive levels of ourselves in need of change its formachange, not necestion. spending we sarily in who runs the First of all, I’d like Cabinet, but rather in to point out that I have today the approach folam not necessarily targeting the Prime Minister His lowed by the Cabinet and the public, Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed which has, unfortunately, resulted in the Al-Sabah personally when I criticize the reckless and excessive levels of spending Cabinet, but rather I am against the we have today. — Al-Qabas

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local Ministers to discuss govt amendments to teachers’ wage demands

KUWAIT: A file photo of the preparations for last year’s ‘Trash to Treasure’ show, which was held at the Philippine Embassy

KUWAIT: Some of the items made by the women.

Stage set for ‘Trash to Treasure’ show Funky fashion with heart and soul

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: A unique fashion show in which all the clothes are made from recycled materials is set to take place at the Holiday Inn, Salmiya on Nov 1. Michelle Johnson, the head of the Iszonica Modeling School, which is behind the event, told the Kuwait Times yesterday that more than a dozen of the models who passed a recent series of extremely competitive auditions will be taking part in the eco-friendly fashion event.

Johnson said that the response to Iszonica’s audition advertisements seeking models for the event had been “overwhelming,” revealing, “We’ve got people from Lebanon, India, the Philippines, Venezuela, Egypt, America, Nigeria, Kuwait and Jordan, who auditioned and are ready to model the dresses made from recycled materials.”

Johnson is enthusiastic about the broad range of prospective models set to take part in the upcoming catwalk show.

“It’s virtually a mini United Nations!” she said, adding, “The final selection of the models for the upcoming fashion forward show will take place today [Sunday], with the lucky winners set to undergo training and participate in a series of modeling skills programs courtesy of IMS to prepare them for the big event on November 1st.”

A large number of prestigious guests, including diplomats and respected representatives of the local fashion industry, are set to attend the show, Johnson revealed, adding, “Our designs are world class even though the materials are made from recycled products.”

IMS is again managing the fashion show as a joint venture with the ‘Trash to Treasure’ team, established by American expatriate Cheryl Spessert in 2010 to help provide assistance to women at the Philippine Embassy’s shelter for runaway maids, where many women who have fled abusive employers are virtually stranded. Although Spessert has since returned to the USA, a dedicated group of volunteers working with the Salvation Army has now taken over running the ‘Trash to Treasure’ team, with this year’s fashion show promising to be just as exciting as last year’s event, which took place at the Philippines Embassy.

“This will be our second year of working with the Trash to Treasure team,” explained Johnson, adding, “They’re quite a group and definitely worth helping because you know where your effort’s going at the end of the day.”

Trash to Treasure provides the women at the shelter with counseling, as well as training them in various areas to help develop their skills so that they can use their time enjoyably, creatively and pro-

ductively whilst waiting for their cases to be resolved.

“The volunteers from the Philippines Embassy help us to create magnificent dresses,” Johnson went on, adding, “We teach these ladies to create dresses designed by our artists, and their creations will be displayed by our models at the show. The best three designs will win cash prizes for the designers.”

The winning dresses will be given to the seamstresses at the shelter who produced them, Johnson explained. “We’ll select three main winners, and the awards will be received during the show by the Philippines Ambassador since the runaway ladies are barred from leaving the shelter.”

A similar ceremony will be organized especially for the ladies themselves at the embassy afterwards, the modeling agency head added, explaining that the event at the embassy has been “arranged especially so they can receive their cash prizes and also see what their dresses looked like when worn by professional models.”

The IMS offers a grooming, deportment and personality development program for women in Kuwait dedicated to teaching them the finer points of how to behave professionally and socially and helping them master the basics of grooming and deportment from walking

Iraqi diplomats urge Kuwait to ignore MPs’ accusations KUWAIT: Iraqi officials must remain cognizant to regional developments, according to senior Kuwaiti diplomats quoted by Al-Qabas. These comments came in response to accusations made by some Iraqi MPs that the Kuwaiti government is bribing its Iraqi counterparts in a bid to silence opposition to the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port project.

The accusations have prompted a strong response from Kuwait as government spokesman Mohammed Al-Busairi rejected reports accusing the Kuwaiti Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser AlMohammed Al-Sabah of bribing Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari with thousands of dollars and gifts in order to silence Baghdad’s opposition to the new Kuwaiti port.

“It appears that instability is Iraq’s fate, while Kuwait’s fate is to be affected by repercussions of this instability,” said Kuwaiti government sources

who spoke anonymously. The bribing allegations were passed mainly by oppositionists in the Iraqi Parliament.

Meanwhile, Al-Rai has reported that other Iraqi diplomats criticized the “huge interest,” paid by Kuwait to Iraqi MPs’ statements pertaining to Kuwait, especially those made by MP Aliya Nassif of the Iraqiya White Party, who, the sources insist, “doesn’t represent Iraq.”

Nassif has been strongly vocal in her opposition to Kuwait’s planned construction of the port on the shore of Khor Abdullah, a narrow strip of water separating the Kuwaiti and Iraqi outlets to the Gulf. The diplomats, who spoke to Al-Rai on the condition of anonymity, urged Kuwait to heed official statements from the Iraqi government, noting that FM Zebari had agreed on many occasions that the Kuwaiti port does not harm Iraqi interests. — Al-Qabas and Al-Rai

KAC plans major strike next week KUWAIT: Employees from the Ministry of Interior staged a strike yesterday, thereby entering the third consecutive week after the government approved pay rises to oil sector employees.

Meanwhile, Kuwait Fire Service Department (KFSD) employees are expected to join by conducting a strike of their own today.

Meanwhile, the Labor Union of the Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) has announced plans to hold a three hour sit-in next Sunday, increasing gradually to reach a major strike that halts activity of KAC aircrafts at airports around the world.

Abdullah Al-Hajri Union Chairman explained in a press statement that a major strike is inevitable if the government fails to pay bonuses during the first five days after the start of the strike, reported AlQabas.

in heels to flat shoes and how to demonstrate poise and confidence in front of a room full of invited guests.

“Our desire is to continuously support the program launched by Cheryl Spessert in 2010,” said Johnson. “She’s already left the country and gone back to the United States, but we’re here and ready to continue the program she initiated. We want this event to be as successful as the one in 2010 because it’s about sharing and giving.”

Trash to Treasure began last year at the embassy with a project to train the women in making rugs, handmade carpets and other collectable craft items.

As the name suggests, all the materials used were originally considered trash, but show the true value and beauty of recycling. When the handmade items are completed, the Trash to Treasure team sells them to friends and others, with the money collected being used to buy toiletries and other desperately needed items for the women at the shelter. IMS also shares its talents with the shelter’s residents, offering them some much-appreciated free pampering and personal grooming services such as haircuts, manicures and massages. “We are glad to help and be part of the women’s everyday lives at the embassy shelter,” Johnson concluded with a smile.

KUWAIT: The Council of Ministers is reportedly set to discuss a number of government-proposed amendments to Kuwaiti teachers’ wages and additional benefits during its next meeting.

The introduction of new pay grades for Kuwaiti teachers proposed by the government would effectively cancel the existing bonus system. The government is asking the Kuwait Teachers’ Society (KTS) to accept these revisions to its proposed pay rises for Kuwaiti teachers since without amendments they would cost an additional KD231 million annually, which the government feels is excessive.

Education minister Ahmad Al-Mulaifi is reportedly extremely positive about approving the new pay grades for Kuwaiti teachers and supportive of their demands, having already told them a fortnight ago to expect good news. According to cabinet insiders, Al-Mulaifi demanded that pay rises be pushed through for teachers after oil sector workers succeeded in achieving their demands for new pay grades, higher salaries, etc. — Al-Anba

Kuwait presents Cancer Control Prize to Iranian specialist CAIRO: Kuwait’s health minister Dr. Helal Al-Sayer yesterday presented the country’s prestigious annual Prize for the Control of Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to the distinguished Iranian cancer specialist, Dr. Ali Reza Ansari.

The minister presented Dr. Ansari with his award at a ceremony held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on the sidelines of the 58th meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee.

Dr. Ansari expressed delight at winning the award, hailing Kuwait’s role in the fight against cancer, generously donating his prize money to the drought-stricken Somali people.

The Iranian doctor holds a degree in public health from Iran’s University of Kerman and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Sydney in Australia.

He has conducted extensive research in the field of cancer control having worked as a lecturer at the Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, in addition to heading several disease control centers in Iran. — KUNA

Al-Mulaifi to resign?

KUWAIT: Education minister Ahmad Al-Mulaifi is reportedly awaiting the return of the Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah in order to decide on whether or not to submit his resignation.

According to a Ministry of Education (MoE) insider, Al-Mulaifi is dealing only with urgent ministerial business due to his differences with the government over new pay grades for teachers. — Al-Shahed

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local

News

in brief

CCTV installation plans KUWAIT: The Minister of Education and Higher Education Ahmed Al-Mulaifi chaired a meeting yesterday on installing Closed Circuit Television Cameras(CCTV) to monitor schools. The meeting discussed violations that were committed on tender number 64/2008/2009 concerning the supply and installation of the surveillance cameras in schools. The Legal Department report has suggested imposing fines on the contracting company for two reasons, reported Al-Anba. The first is a delay in installing the camera. The second is a lack of skilled engineers to fix the required attachments. The meeting was attended by the Undersecretary Tamadher Al-Sdairawi and other officials.

GCC military drills KUWAIT: Several Kuwait Air Force helicopters departed for Saudi Arabia yesterday to attend joint military drills held between GCC states. The helicopters, headed to the western Saudi Arabian city of Taif, were seen off from Ali Abdullah Al-Salem Airbase by base commanders Air Vice Marshall Abdelaziz Al-Jasem, Group Captain Adnan Al-Salamah and other senior officers.

The joint exercises were due to start Monday and conclude on Oct 16.

‘Oh, Dear Kuwait’ RIYADH: Wife of Kuwaiti Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Sheikha Abseer Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah yesterday inaugurated the ‘Oh, Dear Kuwait’ arts exhbibit in Riyadh.

The three-day exhibit, due to conclude Tuesday, showcases art pieces and the works of Kuwait’s most eminent designers of accessories, including ornamented clothes. In a statement, Sheikha Abeer explained that the exhibit will include lectures on cultural issues. The event, organized by the Kuwait Embassy, will also offer seminars on business skills, etiquette, and philosophy.

Anwar Al-Nisf

Entertainment City to celebrate Teachers’ Day KUWAIT: Teachers will be able allowed free of charge entry to the Entertainment City on Thursday, October 6.

This is part of the Touristic Enterprises Company’s(TEC) celebration of Teachers’ Day in cooperation with the Ministry of Education(MoE).

The announcement was made by Anwar Al-Nisf, Director of the TEC’s Operations and Activities Department who noted that the Entertainment City welcomes visitors during Teachers’ Day from 5:00 pm to 1:00 am.

Meanwhile, Al-Nisf announced that special activities will be held for women on Mondays Oct 3 and Oct 24, in addition to a special ceremony on October 28, 2011 to celebrate India’s public holidays.

Al-Nisf also announced the Entertainment City’s winter work timing: 4pm to 12am during weekdays and from 2pm to 11pm.

Al-Khorafi to attend talks in Albania TIRANA: Kuwaiti Ambassador to Albania Najib Abdelrahman Al-Bader has stated that this week’s visit by the Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker will allow for talks and the strengthening of bilateral ties.

The comments came in a statement, made yesterday, in which Ambassador Al-Bader explained that the visit will allow the two countries to discuss greater cooperation and coordination on a host of issues. Speaker Jassem Mohammed AlKhorafi is due to arrive in Tirana on Thursday.

Al-Bader reported that he received assurances from Albanian Parliament Speaker Josefina Topalli in a recent meeting at Parliament that the newly-opened Kuwait Embassy in Tirana will receive full support pursuant to the two countries’ aspirations to forge closer ties. Among the issues expected to be raised during Al-Khorafi’s visit are implementation of agreements and memoranda of understanding signed by the two countries, in addition to parliamentary, political, and economic affairs. — KUNA

CAIRO: Kuwait’s Health Minister Dr Helal Al-Sayer and other officials at the 58th meeting of the World Health Organization Regional Committee yesterday.

Kuwait participates in WHO Cairo meeting CAIRO: The 58th meeting of the World Health Organization ( WHO) Regional Committee began here on Saturday with the participation of Kuwait’s Health Minister Dr Helal Al-Sayer. Delegates at the

meeting are expected to discuss a number of significant issues, chiefly the response to emergency, disasters and non-communicable diseases, and the fight against polio in all Eastern Mediterranean countries.

vying for the post.

This session was originally scheduled to be held in Damascus, but it was decided to change the venue to Cairo due to the current situation in Syria.— KUNA

Kuwait police bust ‘lottery’ syndicate Five held for Taima brawl KUWAIT: Police are hunting for the fraudsters behind a fake lottery scam who have reportedly conned a number of expatriate workers out of money. An investigation was launched after police received a tip-off about gambling activities taking place at a number of garages in the Fahaheel, Shuwaikh and Jahra areas, where men supposedly representing a lottery syndicate based in Kuwait City were selling tickets to customers for a non-existent sweepstake.

According to the information gathered by detectives, the ‘lottery agents’ were misleading customers into believing that by purchasing the tickets they had a chance of winning a genuine lottery draw based in another Middle East country, despite the fact that no Middle East nation hosts any official lottery draw, with the winners’ names to be forwarded to the company’s Kuwait office. Ticket buyers were reportedly instructed to wait for a phone call to inform them whether or not they had won, rather than check the winning numbers via the Kuwait City office or elsewhere. The hunt continues for the conmen.

Suspicious death Police are questioning a Kuwaiti man over the fatal head injury sustained by his 21-year-old wife at their home in Qurain.

Although the man rushed his wife, also Kuwaiti, to the local polyclinic, medical staff there pronounced her dead on arrival from

the fatal head wound inflicted earlier.

During questioning, the woman’s husband, a National Guards serviceman, told officers that his wife had collapsed at their home, adding that she suffered from an unidentified psychiatric disorder. Preliminary investigations by staff at the polyclinic told another stor y, however, with doctors asserting that the young woman had died after being struck hard on the head with a blunt object. The questioning of the widower is continuing and police are awaiting the autopsy results.

Attempted murder Five young men were arrested after inflicting gunshot wounds on two others during a vicious brawl that took place in Taima on Saturday. Emergency services personnel were quickly at the scene after receiving a report of a shooting, finding the two victims bleeding from wounds to their feet. Paramedics rushed both men to hospital, with police using the victims’ descriptions of the assailants to track them down, apprehending them only a few hours after the attack. The detainees have been referred to the Public Prosecution Service on charges of attempted murder, public use of firearms and possession of unlicensed firearms.

Neighborly gunman Police are hunting for a Kuwaiti man

accused of shooting an unlicensed firearm outside his home in Sulaibikhat, potentially endangering the lives of passersby. Police were quickly at the scene after a number of the gunman’s neighbors reported hearing gunfire. Although the man was absent when they arrived, officers found a number of empty cartridges at the scene confirming the reports of gunfire. The investigation is continuing.

Mad motorist A Kuwaiti motorist was detained following a car chase which ended with him threatening police patrol officers with a knife. The chase began after patrol officers ordered the man to pull over after spotting him driving recklessly at high speed. Rather than comply with their instructions, however, he fled the scene, with the patrol officers and a number of backup vehicles in hot pursuit. When he was eventually forced to stop, he pulled out a knife and threatened the officers who approached the car. The knife-wielding motorist was quickly disarmed before being taken into custody and has been referred to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for further action.

Hawally blaze Firefighters successfully rescued 29 residents who were trapped by flames after a fire broke out at an apartment

building in Hawally on Saturday.

Firefighters from the Hawally and Salmiya fire stations immediately rushed to the building with paramedics as soon as the blaze was reported and were able to tackle the blaze before it could spread to nearby buildings. The firemen managed to evacuate all the residents without incident and no injuries were reported. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the blaze.

Fugitive caught A Kuwaiti man wanted in connection with an unpaid debt of KD17,000 was arrested after being pulled over by police on King Fahad Highway over his car’s illegally tinted windows. After the officers checked his ID against the police database, he was referred to the relevant authorities for further action.

Dim drunks Police in Kabad who pulled a motorist over after becoming suspicious of his nervous behavior when he spotted their police patrol vehicle arrested the driver and his three passengers on discovering that all four were heavily intoxicated. The Kuwaiti motorist and the three others two bedoon (stateless) residents and a national of another GCC country - were taken into custody.

— Al-Rai, Al-Anba, Al-Watan

Ministries complex renovation to start in early 2012 KUWAIT: Work on the renovation of the ministries complex is set to begin in the first quarter of 2012, revealed the Ministry of Finance yesterday.

The finance ministry’s Public Services Affairs Department, which is in charge of the renovation project, is currently awaiting the conclusion of the last phases of bidding on the tender for the project and the issuing of the necessary licenses before work gets underway on the executive phase of the major program.

Major upgrades are required to the infrastructure of the complex, which opened 30 years ago, in order to provide staff and users with the latest facilities and services, explained a statement from the ministry department.

The first architectural and design blueprints listing the proposed renovations were drawn up in 2009, the statement explained, with work ongoing ever since to prepare the complex for the work required and ensure that official working practices there will not be adversely affected. The departments where renovation work is to be carried out include the administrative department which supervises the management of all the operations in the complex and affiliated facilities.

The ministries complex houses a number of state bodies’ headquarters, as well as the offices of major financial institutions, including banks and some private sector firms. — KUNA

KRCS announces female volunteers’ training course KUWAIT: The Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) announced yesterday that it is set to launch a training course for women eager to work in the humanitarian aid sector.

In a press statement issued to announce the launch of the course, Dr. Moussad Al-Enezi, the head of the KRCS’ Volunteers Department, explained that the new course will familiarize volunteers with relief aid missions and policies, adding that it’s also hoped that it will help to educate Kuwaiti society about the KRCS’ mission.

Around 50 trainees will be taking part in the upcoming course, Dr. Al-Enezi revealed, noting that the course will include field work for the volunteers.

The senior official concluded by assuring the public that the KRCS will continue with its mission to help all people requiring its assistance locally and around the world. — KUNA

A new head of the WHO Regional Office is to be selected during the meeting, which is attended by representatives from 22 countries, with candidates from Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan and Pakistan

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait recently signed an agreement with Mada internet company, to provide sale points in lieu of credit cards to purchase services. The contract was signed at the CBK headquarters, with Simon Clements General Manager of Consumer Banking Services Department representing the CBK. Ahmad Ibrahim, General Manager representing Mada was also present at the event.

‘Nursery school draft bill law not passed’ KUWAIT: The Union of private nursery schools in Kuwait has presented a draft law to the Parliament to organize work at schools, in addition to submitting a separate draft law to set up a National Authority for Early Learning.

Dr Mohammad Al-Refaie Chairman of the union in a press release stated that the start of the school year at local nurseries, has been the Union’s most notable achievement since inception in 2002.

“The Union prepares activities that will be organized during September and October. It includes seminars to boost awareness on child care,” Al-Refaei said while talking about efforts to tackle problems facing nurseries in Kuwait.

Al-Refaei criticized the conditions based on which the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor grants licenses to new nursery schools, explaining that it is flawed paving the way for those that aren’t specialized in child care to obtain a

license. Al-Refaei also asserted on the role played by nursery schools in education through play, as opposed to the misconception of nurseries established only as a recreational facility for children.

Dr Mohammad Al-Refaie

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

Kidnappers bring Frenchwoman to Somalia

Sirte exodus as Red Cross warns of medical emergency Page 8

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Israel, Palestinians spar over Quartet peace call JERUSALEM: Israel called yesterday for an immediate return to peace talks under the framework of a Quartet proposal, but it said the plan included no preconditions, an interpretation the Palestinians quickly rejected.

Israel’s apparent acceptance of the peace proposal from the international Quartet, and the Palestinian response, illustrated the gulf between the way each side has interpreted the loosely-worded proposal for new negotiations. A statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel “welcomes the Quartet’s call for direct negotiations between the parties without preconditions.”

“While Israel has some concerns, it will raise them at the appropriate time. Israel calls on the Palestinian Authority to do the same and to enter into direct negotiations without delay,” it added. But the Palestinians quickly retorted that Israel could not say it had accepted the Quartet statement without announcing a halt to Israeli settlement construction and a willingness to use the lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War as a basis for negotiations on future borders.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat, speaking to AFP from Cairo, said the statement from Netanyahu’s office was “an exercise in deceiving the international community.” “If he

CAIRO: Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, left, talks during a presser with Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Arabi, following their meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, yesterday. Talks focused on the Palestinian request to be admitted as a state to the United Nations. — AP

Syria oppn forms united front Council rejects any outside interference ISTANBUL: Syrian opposition movements announced the formation of a “historic” united front against President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime at a meeting in Turkey yesterday. Syrian troops, meanwhile, have taken control of the central city of Rastan after sending in 250 tanks to quell clashes between the army and deserters, human rights activists said.

“The Syrian National Council reunites the forces of the opposition and the peaceful revolution,” Paris-based academic Burhan Ghalioun told reporters in Istanbul, announcing the new umbrella movement which he called “historic.”

Uniting groups across the political spectrum, “it represents the Syrian revolution both inside and outside the country,” he said.

“It works to mobilise all categories of people in Syria and give the necessary support for the revolution to progress and realise the aspirations of our people for the overthrow of the regime, its symbols and its head,” he said.

Ghalioun said the SNC was “open to all Syrians.”

The SNC called on “international organisations to assume their responsibility toward the Syrian people and to work to protect them from the war declared against them, to halt ... the dangerous human rights violations.” But “the council rejects any outside interference that undermines the sovereignty of the Syrian people,” he added.

Ghalioun is to chair the SNC, whose board will include Bassma Kodmani as spokeswoman,

Mohammed Riyad al-Shaqfa of the Muslim Brotherhood and representatives of the socalled Damascus Declaration for reform. The new grouping is to hold a general assembly of 190 members at the beginning of next month, “probably in Turkey,” Kodmani said.

The SNC, which is to elect a president, will have a 29-strong general secretariat representing seven Syrian opposition factions. SNC member Hassan Hashimi said they would comprise six members of the Local Coordination Committees, five Brotherhood and tribal representatives, four of the Damascus Declaration and four for a liberal grouping led by Ghalioun.

The remaining members of the secretariat would be five independents, four Kurds and a Christian, he said. The separate opposition factions will also be represented in a seven-strong executive committee, Hashimi said.

Representatives of Syria’s six-month- old protests and opposition met at the weekend against the backdrop of an uprising which the UN says has cost at least 2,700 lives since it erupted in mid-March.

On the ground, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army had “taken complete control of Rastan, and 50 tanks left yesterday” the town in Homs province, 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of Damascus.

“Many houses have been destroyed there and the humanitarian situation is very bad,” the Britain-based rights watchdog said. “We have

information that dozens of civilians were killed and buried in the gardens of houses as the army shelled the town,” it added.

Officers who had deserted announced their “retreat from Rastan” in a statement on Friday night. “Because of major reinforcements and the weapons used in Rastan by Assad’s gangs... we have decided to withdraw in order to better wage the struggle for liberty,” the statement said.

Three people were reported killed in clashes in Rastan on Saturday between the army and deserters as the Assad regime pursued its deadly crackdown on dissent. The Syrian Observatory reported the arrest in Homs of Mansur Atassi, 63, a leader of a coalition of opposition groups, saying he was detained in his office by security agents.

It also said the bodies of three civilians detained since Thursday were returned to their families in Khan Sheikhun near the border with Turkey in Idlib province. The official SANA news agency, meanwhile, said a train driver and his helper were injured in an accident caused by an “armed terrorist group” at Ubin in Idlib province.

“An armed terrorist group targeted a freight train this morning (Sunday), wounding the driver and co-driver and causing three cars to derail,” it said. Assad’s regime blames the violence raging for more than six months in Syria on “armed groups.” — AFP

accepts the Quartet statement then he must announce a halt to settlement activity, including natural growth, and accept the principle of the 1967 borders because this is what was clearly demanded by the Quartet statement.”

The proposal announced by the Quartet on September 23 was loosely-worded, calling for talks to resume within a month with the goal of reaching a deal before the end of 2012. It came shortly after the Palestinians submitted their historic bid to become a full state member of the United Nations.

It suggested no explicit preconditions or parameters for the talks, but did make reference to a string of previous peace proposals, speeches and United Nations resolutions.

With ample scope for interpretation, Israel and the Palestinians have taken virtually opposing positions on what the Quartet meant. Israel made clear in the Sunday statement that it saw the grouping as calling for negotiations without preconditions. But the Palestinians, who insist that they will not join negotiations without a settlement freeze and clear parameters for the talks, say they see the Quartet call as supporting their preconditions. Among the documents referenced by the Quartet is the 2003 “Road Map,” which called for the cessation of violence and a halt to Israeli settlement construction. — AFP

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Washington resumes limited contacts with Brotherhood CAIRO: US officials have met members of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political party, a US diplomat said, after Washington announced it would have direct contacts with Egypt’s biggest Islamist group whose role has grown since US ally Hosni Mubarak was ousted. Washington announced the plans in June, portraying such contacts as the continuation of an earlier policy.

But analysts said it reflected a new approach to the way it dealt with a group which Mubarak banned from politics. The Brotherhood is one of Egypt’s most popular and organised groups, with a broad grassroots network built up partly through social work even in Mubarak’s era.

The contacts may unsettle Israel and its US backers. The Brotherhood renounced violence as a means to achieve political change in Egypt years ago. But groups like Hamas, which have not disavowed violence, look to the Brotherhood as a spiritual guide.

Under the previous policy, US diplomats were allowed to deal with the Brotherhood’s members of parliament who had won seats as “independents” to skirt the official ban. This offered a diplomatic cover to keep lines of communication open.

“We have had direct contacts with senior officials of the Freedom and Justice party,” the senior diplomat told Reuters, referring to the Brotherhood’s party that was founded after politics opened up following the ouster of Mubarak. The diplomat said US officials did not make a distinction between members of the Brotherhood or its party. “We don’t have a policy that makes a distinction, that one or the other is off limits,” he said, without saying when the meetings took place.

The diplomat was responding to a question about whether any meetings had occurred, after Freedom Justice Party Chairman Mohamed Mursi told Egypt’s Al-Dostour newspaper last

week that U.S. officials had not made contact since the policy shift.

Speaking to Reuters yesterday, the party deputy head Essam el-Erian also denied any meetings had taken place with US officials when asked about the diplomat’s comments. It was not immediately clear why the two sides gave different accounts.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked in an interview broadcast on Saturday with Egypt’s Al-Hayat television whether Washington would be ready to work with a future government that included members of the Brotherhood.

“We will be willing to and open to working with a government that has representatives who are committed to non-violence, who are committed to human rights, who are committed to the democracy that I think was hoped for in Tahrir Square,” she replied, according to a U.S. transcript.

Under the former Egyptian presi-

dent, the Brotherhood was banned and its members often detained.

Mubarak often presented himself as the bulwark preventing Egypt’s slide into Islamist hands, an approach that analysts said help secure him backing from Washington and other Western powers wary that Egypt could turn into another Iran or Gaza. The group took a backseat in the early part of the anti-Mubarak uprising, which was broadly led by youth groups who put national concerns above religion. But the Brotherhood and its party have taken a increasingly prominent role since.

The diplomat said the US contacts had been with “high-level” members of the Brotherhood’s party but did not give names. From the US side, he said the contacts were not at ambassadorial level but he did not give further details. “We had occasionally had these contacts in the past ... The difference is in the past we had seen parlia-

mentarians,” he said.

Egypt’s parliament was dissolved after Mubarak’s fall. Fresh elections for the lower house are due to start in November, with a vote for the upper house early next year. The Brotherhood is expected to perform well in the vote, although many analysts expect a fairly fragmented parliament with no single unified voice emerging.

The diplomat said contacts with the Brotherhood were part of an bid to understand Egypt better and explain US policies. “From our perspective it is important to be in touch with all of the emerging political forces here in Egypt, across the board, that are peaceful and committed to non-violence,” he said. “It helps to understand Egypt and the way the political system is developing, and it helps us to deliver our message and get them to understand where we are coming from,” he added. — Reuters

Sirte exodus as Red Cross warns of medical emergency It’s a dire situation: ICRC

NABLUS: An Israeli soldier stands guard at a barrier erected on Palestinian land to protect nearby Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, as Palestinian farmers cross to harvest their olive groves just outside the Palestinian village of Salem in the Nablus region, yesterday. —AFP

Qaeda remains a threat SANAA: Al-Qaeda in Yemen remains a serious threat to the United States despite the death of Anwar Al-Awlaqi, a prominent jihadist leader accused of planning attacks on US targets, experts say. The killing in Yemen Friday of the USborn charismatic cleric in an air raid was hailed by US President Barack Obama as a “major blow” to terrorists, but analysts say Al-Qaeda’s influence in Yemen will not be greatly affected.

“Al-Qaeda was around before Awlaqi and his rise added little to the organization except perhaps that he spoke fluent English and was able to communicate with Western audiences,” Nabil Al-Bakiri, a Yemen-based expert on Islamic militant groups said. “Awlaqi’s death will have no effect on the future of Al-Qaeda,” Bakiri said adding that the American-born militant did not even hold an organizational position within the group. In a commentary after Awlaqi’s death, Bruce Riedel, senior fellow at the American think tank Brookings and a former CIA agent, said Awlaqi’s death was a “significant setback for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) but far from a fatal blow.” Riedel further pointed out that Awlaqi was neither a top ranking commander nor a bomb-maker.

“In short, AQAP’s key players are still at large and very dangerous,” commented Riedel on Brookings’ website, adding that Yemen’s slide into civil war will only benefit Al-Qaeda. “Yemen is falling apart. The countr y is fragmenting into hostile blocks. The more broken Yemen becomes the more AQAP benefits because the break down in law and order allows it to operate and recruit more easily,” said Riedel. AQAP has taken advantage of the weakening of central authority by nearly nine months of deadly protests against veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh to bolster its presence in several southern provinces as well as Marib province,

where Awlaqi was killed.

Armed tribal groups and defected soldiers have since joined the call for regime change provoking fierce street battles in the capital Sanaa between Saleh loyalists and armed dissidents. Hundreds of militants from the Al-Qaeda linked Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law) group overran Zinjibar, the capital of the southern Abyan province and at least three other towns in May. Bitter fighting in the area has continued since. In the latest violence, at least 25 soldiers were killed in overnight clashes and a friendly fire incident between troops and militants, officials said. Security officials, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity said some of the soldiers were killed in a strike by the Yemeni air force that mistakenly hit the school where troops have been based since Saturday. One said Al-Qaeda militants attacked the school after the air strike and killed “even more soldiers.”

Officials at the military hospital in the nearby port city of Aden said they were unable to confirm the deaths as their ambulances have been unable to reach the location because of “intense fighting” between soldiers and militants.

Meanwhile, in the US, officials have issued a worldwide travel aler t warning its nationals of the “potential for retaliation” after Awlaqi’s death.

“Awlaqi’s standing as a preeminent English-language advocate of violence could potentially trigger anti-American acts worldwide to avenge his death,” the State Department said in its alert. US intelligence officials believe he was linked to a US army major charged with shooting dead 13 people in Fort Hood, Texas, and to a Nigerian student accused of trying to blow up a US airliner on December 25, 2009. Although US officials publicly deny any involvement in his death, tribal sources in Yemen said a US drone aircraft fired the missiles that killed Awlaqi. —AFP

Saudi tries seven Qaeda militants JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia is trying seven Saudis accused of creating an al Qaeda-linked “terror cell” and setting up a training camp on the mountains near the country’s southern border with Yemen, al-Watan daily newspaper said yesterday.

The trial is taking place in a special criminal court in Riyadh and is open only to selected local media. After al Qaeda militants launched attacks on Saudi Arabia in 2003, the authorities arrested thousands on suspicion of links to militant groups. Critics say the 12,000-30,000 people that rights groups say were imprisoned included political activists. “The court held its fifth hearing yesterday for the case against seven Saudi suspects... accused of setting up a terror cell with the aim of spoiling the land and implementing plans and goals of al Qaeda,” al-

Watan said. Al-Watan said the cell was discovered in 2003 after a local spotted the training camp and told the authorities. The militant group is believed to be the most long-standing in the country, set up in 2002, al-Watan quoted anonymous sources as saying. The group was accused also of attempting a suicide bomb attack at an airport in the north-eastern city of Arar, near the Iraqi border, in coordination with “terror members” outside of the country.

In August, the Interior Ministry said 5,696 people had been detained by the authorities in “militant” cases, of whom 5,080 had already appeared in court. Last month 41 suspects accused of forming an al Qaeda-linked cell to attack US forces based in neighbouring Kuwait and Qatar were put on trial. The verdicts have not yet been announced.— Reuters

SIRTE: Streams of civilians fled Moamer Kadhafi’s besieged home town of Sirte as the international Red Cross warned of a medical emergency and the battle for the fugitive strongman’s bastion raged yesterday.

An AFP reporter at a mosque field hospital west of the city said hundreds of Sirte residents were fleeing in packed vehicles, with some people sitting on top of possessions piled high in the rear of pick-ups. “ There are so many rockets now. Yesterday there were a lot of attacks. We just could not stay any longer,” Ali Faraj said as a National Transitional Council fighter checked his identity and those of women and children crammed in his car.

A Red Cross team, which delivered desperately needed supplies to medics in the besieged coastal city on Saturday, said the hospital had come under rocket fire as new regime forces stepped up their assault on Kadhafi diehards.

A large force of NTC fighters pushed in from the south to lay siege to the Ouagadougou Conference Centre, a showpiece venue close to the Ibn Sina hospital where Kadhafi hosted the launch of the African Union.

Intense exchanges raged for at least two hours despite pleas from the Red Crescent for a lull while the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team made its delivery on Saturday, NTC fighters said.

“It’s a dire situation,” ICRC team leader Hichem Khadhraoui told AFP. Staff at the Ibn Sina hospital told the team that “because of lack of oxygen and fuel for the generator, people are dying.”

Other wounded or ill people cannot get to the hospital because of the fighting and NATO air strikes, Khadhraoui added.

“Several rockets landed within the hospital buildings while we were there. We saw a lot of indiscriminate fire. I don’t know where it was coming from.” After the ICRC team went in, NTC fighters launched a ferocious attack with rockets, anti-tank cannons and machinegun fire from a position less than a kilometre (half a mile)

BANI WALID: Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters run for cover at the frontline in Bani Walid yesterday as fighting raged against loyalist troops in the desert city, one of ousted Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi’s two last bastions. — AFP from the hospital.

Kadhafi loyalists responded with mortar and sniper fire. “We were surprised” that the attack took place while the team was visiting, Khadhraoui said, adding that they had “contacted all parties to say we were going in.”

The hospital’s water tower was hit, forcing staff to bring in supplies from outside, he said.

Yesterday, after a morning lull, NTC forces opened up on Kadhafi positions in the centre of Sirte from the northeast using heavy weapons including tanks, an AFP correspondent reported.

The correspondent also witnessed NATO air strikes on the city. In its latest update, the alliance said its planes on Saturday hit a command and control node, an infantry and anti-aircraft artillery staging area, two armed vehicles, four armoured infantry vehicles and a tank in and around Sirte.

East of the city, NTC fighters returning from the front said they had captured a neighbourhood in southwest Sirte which was home to many Kadhafi clansmen.

“Ninety-five percent of Buhadi is under our control,” fighter Drisi Mayar said. “This was a stronghold of Kadhafi. A lot of his relatives and clan members lived there. There was a small military base. We took control yesterday.

We had small clashes but it is under our control.”

Hundreds of vehicles also streamed out of Sirte on the eastern front during the lull early yesterday. One man leaving with his family who gave his name only as Muftah said: “ The situation is absolutely pathetic, especially in the hospitals. We have no oxygen, no medicines. Wounded people die even before reaching the hospital.

The ICRC had been trying for weeks to enter Sirte, which has been under siege by NTC forces since the middle of last month. It had sought to ferry medical supplies in by boat but abandoned that idea for security reasons.

Sirte’s port is now in the hands of NTC forces but there has been fierce fighting around it since its capture.

Khadhraoui’s team on

Saturday included a doctor, a first aid medic and a logistician, he said. It delivered about 150 body bags and 300 “war wounded kits” consisting of drips, drugs, gauze and other medical equipment.

The team did not tour the wards or carry out a full assessment of the hospital’s medical needs but hopes to return soon to bring in more supplies. “Oxygen is the main thing they asked for,” Khadhraoui said.

Some of the hundreds of residents fleeing Sirte said there had been civilian casualties when residential buildings were hit, either by artillery fire from besieging new regime forces or by NATO air strikes.

A rocket killed two children on Saturday when their family joined the desperate exodus. Redwan Abdulrahim, his small truck piled high with suitcases and other possessions as he drove out on the coast road to the west, said the situation in Sirte had become intolerable.

“It was really bad. We didn’t know where the bullets and rockets were coming from.” — AFP

US hikers’ lawyer prevented from leaving Iran TEHRAN: Lawyer Masoud Shafii who represented the now free US hikers held for two years in Iran on espionage and illegal entry charges was barred from leaving the country yesterday, a source close to the case told AFP. “ This morning at around six o’clock (0230 GMT), after getting his passport stamped and as he was boarding the plane, his passport was confiscated by order of the judiciary,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

The source added that Shafii “could not proceed to his final destination which was the United States,” without elaborating on why his passport had been seized.

On Tuesday, Shafii was arrested at his home and questioned for several hours by judiciary officials before being released, the source said, adding that agents confiscated documents, his computer and his passport, but returned them later.

Shafii represented Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd in a case which lasted for more than

two years. He always maintained that his clients were innocent, and was criticised by conservative hardliners in the Islamic republic.

Shafii also criticised the judiciary for not allowing him proper access to the three, as required by the law. He met them briefly only three times in two years, once before the start of their trial, and once before each of two hearings in February and August.

Bauer, Fattal and Shourd were charged with illegal entry and spying on Iran after they were arrested in July 2009 along the unmarked Iran-Iraq border. Shourd was released on bail in September 2010 on health grounds, and her two companions were freed on bail on September 21 after being sentenced in August to eight years in prison each by a Tehran revolutionary court.

Four days later, Fattal and Bauer accused Iran at a New York news conference of using them as hostages in its power struggle with the West, and described hearing the anguished cries of fellow

inmates being beaten in Tehran’s Evin prison.

Iran’s judiciary promptly denied their charges. A number of lawyers who took on human rights cases or others potentially embarrassing for the regime have been harassed, arrested or given stiff jail sentences in recent years.

Javid Houtan Kian, who represented Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, has been detained since October 2010 on charges of having links with “anti-revolutionary” groups.

Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, who acted for pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, sentenced to death for apostasy before the supreme court annulled the verdict in July, was himself sentenced to nine years in July.

The Tehran court also banned him from practising law for 10 years after convicting him of “actions and propaganda against the Islamic regime”. Dadkhah, who has appealed the verdict, said he was targeted for having cooperat-

TEHRAN: File picture dated August 21, 2011 shows Iranian lawyer Masoud Shaffi, who represented the now free US hikers held for two years in Iran on espionage and illegal entry charges, at his office in Tehran. — AFP ed with the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights, an organisation founded by Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi, as well as for giving interviews to foreign radio stations.—AFP

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Huge California manhunt ends with suspect’s death Bassler eluded state and federal authorities

RENO: In this June 24, 2011 file photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, and his wife, Mary Kaye, talk to the media during a campaign stop at the Reno Rodeo in Reno, Neveda. — AP

Captured US fugitive claims new identity LISBON: Captured American fugitive George Wright will claim a new identity to prevent the US from extraditing him, his lawyer said. Wright, 68, became a Portuguese citizen, called Jose Luis Jorge dos Santos, in 1991 after marrying a Portuguese woman, lawyer Manuel Luis Ferreira told The Associated Press in an interview Saturday.

Ferreira said Wright’s new identity was given to him by West African country Guinea-Bissau when it granted him political asylum in the 1980s and was accepted by Portugal. The US is trying to extradite Wright to serve the remainder of his 15- to 30-year sentence for a 1962 murder in New Jersey. He had served more than seven years before breaking out of prison in 1970.

But Ferreira said his client argues that he has the right to serve the time in Portugal because he has Portuguese citizenship based on his new identity. “As a Portuguese citizen, if he has to answer to any authority or if he has to serve any sentence, it has to be to Portuguese authorities and in Portuguese territory,” Ferreira said.

US Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney, reached by email, declined to comment on Ferreira’s arguments because the case is pending. Ferreira also disclosed new details about Wright’s life on the lam, including secret trips to France and Spain.

A judge is expected to rule on the extradition request in coming weeks. If he loses, Wright could appeal to higher courts in what would likely be a lengthy process.

Official documents belonging to Wright and provided to the AP show Portugal accepted his new identity papers when it granted him citizenship.

Wright has a Portuguese passport, issued in 2007, and other documents including a Portuguese social security number, driving license and voter registration card. “There’s no doubt whatsoever about his nationality,” Ferreira said, adding that Jose Luis Jorge dos Santos “is now his real name.”

Ferreira also hopes to persuade the Lisbon judge hearing the case that Wright should serve any outstanding jail time in his adopted country because that is where his wife and grown son and daughter live.

Ferreira is due to present his written arguments to the judge on Thursday after an initial hearing last Tuesday when Wright opposed his extradition.

Wright broke out of the Bayside State Prison in Leesburg, New Jersey, on Aug. 19, 1970, after serving more than seven years of his sentence for killing a man in a 1962 gas station robbery. He was also part of a Black Liberation Army group that hijacked a US plane to Algeria in 1972.

Wright was captured in a seaside village near Lisbon on Monday, after decades on the run, and is detained while the court rules on his case. US authorities say they found him when they matched his fingerprint on a Portuguese identity card to one in the United States, though they have not provided further details. Until his past caught up with him, Wright spent decades living with his Portuguese family near Lisbon, keeping his violent past a secret.

After arriving in Algeria in the early 1970s, Wright spent six years moving secretly between that North African countr y, France, Spain and Portugal, according to his lawyer. In 1979, while working as a DJ at a discotheque near Lisbon, he met his future wife, Maria do Rosario Valente.

However, because he was undocumented he had trouble finding work in Portugal, Ferreira said.

He went to Guinea-Bissau which, after its independence from Portuguese colonial rule in 1974, was ruled by a single-party Marxist government that looked kindly on black liberation movements.

Wright lived openly under his real name with his wife there before changing his identity and even socialized with diplomats. A former US ambassador told the AP he knew Wright then but had no idea he was a fugitive. Wright attended Portuguese classes in Guinea-Bissau, Imani Na Umoja, an American who lived there at the time, told The AP last week.The new identity provided to Wright, enabling him to travel back to Portugal, included made-up names for his parents.

Wright requested Portuguese citizenship after his marriage. Ferreira said Wright and Valente wed at a civil service in GuineaBissau in July 1990 and at a church ceremony in Portugal two months later. —AP

FORT BRAGG: The 7,000 residents of Fort Bragg can now relax after spending more than a month on edge while the area’s largest manhunt in decades enveloped their coastal community about three hours north of San Francisco.

The massive operation came to a close when authorities shot and killed the subject of the search, a fugitive accused in the deaths of t wo area officials. Elizabeth McNeill, who works as a clerk in an appliance store in downtown Fort Bragg, said she is feeling a sense of relief, “It’s a sad situation, but now people can relax.”

Aaron Bassler, 35, was shot seven times in an area of redwood forest about 6 miles east of Fort Bragg after being sniffed out by a bloodhound, said Mendocino County Sheriff Thomas Allman.

Th ree member s of th e S a c r a m e nto County SWAT team were in the trees about 4 0 y ards from Bassler wh e n he c a m e toward them on a timber trail.

Bassler was suspected of killing a city councilman in late August and a county land trust official several weeks before.

Bassler was thought to be hiding out in the redwoods outside of Fort Bragg, breaking into several cabins and businesses to steal food and weapons. Both of the men authorities say Bassler k illed, For t Bragg City Councilman Jere Melo and Mendocino Coun t y L an d Tr ust office r M at t he w Coleman, were well-regarded in the community.

“I just hope Jere’s wife can get some closure,” McNeill said. The manhunt disrupted life in the area as law enforcement officials restricted forest use and told residents to stay out of their vacation cabins until Bassler was arrested.

Wan ted poster s offer in g a $30, 000 reward for Bassler hung in the windows of

most shops. Chriss Zaida, who owns a clothing store in the area, heard celebration in the streets when news of Bassler’s death spread. “But I’m not high-fiving people,” she said. “I have the utmost sympathy for his victims, but also for the law enforcement agents who had to do what they had to do. And I can’t imagine what his family is going through.”

Bassler’s father, James Bassler, was not immediately available for comment. He has tol d The As s oc i a te d Pre s s t ha t A a ron Bassler had undiagnosed mental illness and said he had tried unsuccessfully to get help for his son. Authorities had been searching for Aaron Bassler since Aug. 27 when they say he shot and killed Melo, who with a coworker was investigating reports of an illegal marijuana farm in his role as a security consultant for an area lumber company.

Melo’s associate escaped and called for help, leading authorities to hundreds of poppy plants and a bunker where they say Aaron Bassler was holed up when he shot Melo, 69.

Officials had been confounded by Aaron Bassler’s survival skills and ability to elude t he m i n t he 400-s q ua re -m i l e s e a rc h perimeter. Authorities believe that during his time at-large, he broke into a half-dozen cabins in the woods to restock his food supplies.

“H e’s ve r y s av v y i n t he wood s. H e’s proven to be very adept,” said Sgt. Chad Lewis of the Sacramento County Sheriff ’s SWAT team.

Dozens of local, state and federal authorities scoured the forests near Fort Bragg, but Bassler eluded them for more than a month.

Authorities got close to him Thursday, when they say he exchanged gunfire with Alameda County deputies. Authorities say

Bassler was dressed in black and had a high-powered rifle that was seen in a surveillance photo taken last week, the same weapon they say he used to kill Melo, the s a m e one t he y s a i d he w a s c a r r yi ng Saturday.

A break in the search came Friday when a shop owner told authorities his door had been kicked in and that ammunition, beer, food, two compasses and some boots had been stolen.

A bloodhound from the Pomona Police Department named Willow and his handler, Pomona Police O fficer Joe Hernandez, began tracking the burglar’s scent, leading them to Bassler.

“I wish that this incident could have ended without another shot being fired,” said Allman, the Mendocino County Sheriff. But, he added, “I fully support the manner in which this ended. There will be no more lives which will be endangered by Aaron Bassler.”

Allman initially said Bassler raised his gun before the deputies fired. He later said the fugitive raised his rifle as he was falling from the gunfire.

There had been no verbal exchange, but the sheriff said the deputies saw Bassler walking with his finger poised near the trigger before they fired.

The sheriff said Bassler’s rifle was loaded with about 30 rounds, its safety off. He also noted that officials believe Bassler had already killed two people with the same weapon he was carrying on the trail and had shot at three sheriff ’s deputies days earlier.

“Any confrontation or contact with law enforcement agents was going to be lethal and deadly,” Allman said, adding that law permits officers to shoot at a suspected felon under such circumstances.

Chavez backs Gadafi, Assad CARACAS: Venezuela’s firebrand President Hugo Chavez reiterated his support for ousted Libyan leader Moamer Gadhafi and embattled Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, calling them “brothers.”

“I ask God for the life of our brother Kadhafi...

No one knows where Gadhafi is, I think he went to the desert,” Chavez told official television VTV. The 57-year-old Venezuelan leader has defended Gadhafi since the start of the uprising against his regime in Februar y, accusing NATO of using the conflict to gain control over Libya’s oil.

The whereabouts of Gadhafi, who ruled the north African nation with

CIA operative charged in parking fight HIGHLANDS RANCH: A CIA contractor freed by Pakistani authorities after the families of two men he killed in a shootout agreed to accept a $2.34 million “blood money” payment was charged Saturday after authorities said he got into a fight over a shopping center parking spot.

Deputies responding to an altercation between two men outside an Einstein Bagel in Highlands Ranch, south of Denver, took Raymond Davis into custody Saturday morning, said Sheriff’s Lt. Glenn Peitzmeier.

He was charged with thirddegree assault and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.Further details on his arrest, which was first reported by KMGH-T V Channel 7 in Denver, were not immediately available.

Peitzmeier said the victim, who was not identified, refused medical treatment at the scene. Davis was freed from the jail after posting bond, Peitzmeier said. In January, Davis said he shot two Pakistani men who tried to rob him in Lahore. The case enraged many in the country, where antiAmerican sentiment runs high.

The US insisted Davis had immunity from prosecution, but he was not released until March 16 under a deal that compensated the victims’ families, who agreed to accept “blood money” under Islamic tradition. Pakistan’s security agencies came under intense domestic criticism for freeing him.

The agreement, nearly seven weeks after the shootings, ended the dispute that had strained ties between the United States and Pakistan. — AP

an iron fist for more than four decades, are unknown. Chavez has refused to recognize Libya’s new interim leadership, ridiculing its UN representative Ibrahim Dabbashi as a “puppet” and a “dummy.”

The Venezuelan leader said he had spoken by telephone late Friday with Assad, who is fighting “an aggression from Yankee imperialists

and their European allies.” “Our solidarity is with the Syrian people, with President Bashar,” he added. Foreign ministers of the eight member states in the leftist ALBA bloc plan to travel to Syria to prevent what Chavez called “the madness of war by (US) President (Barack) Obama and his imperial allies to destroy the Syrian people.” — AFP

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S Africa’s Tutu turns 80 amid Dalai Lama drama CAPE TOWN: South Africa’s moral beacon Desmond Tutu turns 80 on Friday with celebrations overshadowed by his government’s dithering on whether to allow his close friend the Dalai Lama to visit.

Three days of birthday events are planned for the retired archbishop who is once again a prickly thorn for authorities, after decades of fighting apartheid’s racist rulers, by raising the spotlight on its fawning to China. “It has brought an unnecessary adverse attention to what should be a moment for celebration,” said Dumisa Ntsebeza, chairman of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre.

“Nothing short of the presence of the Dalai Lama to give his own mes-

sage in South Africa on Tutu’s birthday is acceptable... It’s so unfortunate.” The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader is invited to give the inaugural Desmond Tutu Peace Lecture on October 8 to wrap up the events to honour one of South Africa’s best-loved personalities.

South Africa says the visa is under consideration. Two years ago, the Dalai Lama was denied a visa, with Pretoria openly admitting that it feared angering China, now the country’s biggest trade partner.

“It’s unlikely that they’ll give him a visa. If they were going to, they would have done so already. I think they’re going to hold on so there’s little time for people to get nasty against the government. It’s sad,” Tutu told South

Africa’s Mail&Guardian newspaper. The celebrations will begin on Thursday with the launch of a glossy biography “Tutu: The Authorised Portrait”, coauthored by his youngest daughter Mpho which outlines his life story with pictures and tributes from world dignitaries.

The guestlist for the week is being kept under wraps but Tutu, known affectionately worldwide simply as the “Arch”, counts among his friends and fans ever yone from US President Barack Obama to rock band U2 frontman Bono. A public church service follows on his October 7 birthday at St Georges cathedral, where Tutu rallied for all-race democracy as Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, followed by

a private picnic. But the celebrations have been soured by the drama over the government’s dragging of its heels on announcing if it will allow in the Dalai Lama, who like Tutu is a Nobel Peace Prize winner. “This is one of our sons who is celebrating his 80th birthday and near the end of his life and... his wish is only to have a friend of his who in our view has done nothing to hurt South Africa,” Ntsebeza told AFP. The uncertainty has also clouded planning for the event, but if the visa is denied organisers are considering allowing the Dalai Lama to speak via live video link, if he agrees. Tutu felt the monk was an apt choice to speak on the push on the Arab Spring and “addressing the power and the useful-

ness of peaceful measures of bringing about change”, he said.

After initially expressing hope that Pretoria would allow his entry, Tutu and his office moved to voice frustration and disappointment over the delays. The Dalai Lama was welcomed

by Tutu’s comrade and first democratic leader Nelson Mandela in 1996, and his office says it is now time for Pretoria to tell China that another denial would be allowing internal interference. “We just cannot be seen to be bending at the knees when it is time for us to stand straight up and say to the Chinese ‘thank you very much, we are aware of your concerns but this time we are going to issue this visa,” said Ntsebeza. — AFP

Kidnappers bring disabled Frenchwoman to Somalia France, Britain warn travellers to avoid Kenyan coastline

PERUGIA: Curt Knox, father of Amanda Knox, waits to be interviewed in Perugia, yesterday. Knox, an American student, was convicted of murdering Meredith Kercher, her British roommate, and sentenced to 26 years in prison. Knox has attended Mass in prison and called her grandmother in Seattle as she awaits an appeals court verdict. — AP

Verdict looms in Amanda Knox sex-murder appeal PERUGIA: American Amanda Knox’s future hangs in the balance on the eve of a verdict in her appeal against murder and sexual assault convictions for the brutal killing of her British housemate in Italy. Prosecutors have asked for her 26year sentence to be increased to life because they say that she, her then boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and local drug dealer Rudy Guede killed Meredith Kercher in November 2007 “for nothing”.

Knox says she is innocent and was at Sollecito’s house on the night of the murder in the university town of Perugia where Knox and Kercher were studying.

If the verdict is overturned on Monday, her family has said they will take her back to Seattle immediately even though prosecutors say they would appeal.

The jury can also uphold the verdict and keep the sentence the same, increase it to life in prison or reduce it to a minimum of 16 years in prison. Under Italian law, appeals are decided by a jury made up of eight people. Knox’s jury is led by main judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann and includes another judge and six jurors from the general publicfive women and one man. They will have to stay in chambers until they can reach a verdict. Overturning a verdict on first appeal is relatively rare in Italy. If it is upheld, Knox would have one more chance in Italy’s highest appeals court.

Her alleged accomplice, Guede, was tried separately and sentenced to 30 years in prison on the same charges. The verdict was upheld but then reduced to 16 years on first appeal after he appeared to show some contrition.

The verdict was upheld on Guede’s second and final appeal last year. Kercher was found almost completely naked in a pool of blood with 43 knife wounds and heavy bruising all over her body. Forensic tests determined that she had been sexually assaulted, possibly even while she was being stabbed.

The exchange student from Leeds University in Britain was 21 years old.

Knox’s defence has had the upper hand for much of the appeal trial, which began in November 2010. Their request for a review of DNA evidence in the case was accepted and cast doubt on the pre-

sumed murder weapon-a kitchen knife.

Portrayals of Knox in the media-an important factor since in Italy there are no restrictions on jurors’ exposure to news of the case-has also been more favourable, with reports emphasising the genuine suffering of her family.

Her defence lawyers have ably picked holes in what at times seemed like overthe-top reconstructions of the events. In particular they questioned why the three would find themselves together and all take part in a violent attack.

There have also been none of the tough cross-examinations of Knox that were seen as undermining her case in the original trial because of her evasiveness. Knox made an emotional statement to the court at the start of the appeal and is to make another on Monday before the jury retires to consider the verdict.

Guede was called into the court in one hearing and said that he “believed” Sollecito and Knox were responsible for the murder but the defence stressed that he was a petty thief, a drug dealer and had lied multiple times to police. Knox’s lawyers also sought to question the reliability of the witness-a local homeless man-who says he saw Knox and Sollecito outside Knox’s house on the night of the murder, which would undermine their alibis.

Her accusers seems to have resorted to desperate methods including a claim by the main prosecutor in the case that Knox has a one-million dollar public relations campaign behind her and descriptions of her as a “she-devil”.

In the final hearings before the verdict they have also however drawn attention to some of the more incriminating elements in the case including Knox’s false information to investigators in the days after the murder.

Knox originally told the police that she had been in her house at the time of the murder and had heard Kercher’s screams. She identified Patrick Lumumba, the owner of a bar where she worked as a waitress, as the killer.

Lumumba was arrested and held for two weeks before it was found that he had a rock-solid alibi and he was completely exonerated. — AFP

Bomb blast hits violence-torn Kano KANO: Attackers used explosives and gunfire to target a military patrol near a wedding in violence-torn northeastern Nigeria, with residents reporting two civilians killed in the violence. The incident on Saturday, Nigeria’s independence day, occurred in Maiduguri, hit by scores of attacks blamed on an Islamist sect known as Boko Haram, which also claimed an August bombing of UN headquarters in the capital Abuja.

“There was a bomb and gun attack on one of our patrol teams yesterday,” said Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Mohammed, spokesman for a military task force deployed to Maiduguri. “Our men responded to the attack but details are still sketchy.”

Residents reported that two people

were left dead after the bomb blast and an exchange of gunfire between soldiers and residents. It was unclear whether they were killed by the bomb or gunfire. Those attending a nearby wedding took cover when the violence broke out. Two residents said those killed were not part of the wedding.

Thousands have fled Maiduguri in recent months out of fears of further violence. Dozens of similar bomb blasts have hit the city as well as assassinations blamed on Boko Haram.

While most of its attacks have occurred in Nigeria’s northeast, Boko Haram also claimed responsibility for the August 26 bomb blast at UN headquarters in Abuja that killed at least 23 people. — AFP

LAMU: Armed kidnappers who snatched a disabled 66-year-old Frenchwoman from her beachfront home in a prized Kenyan resort have taken her to neighbouring war-torn Somalia, officials said yesterday. With Kenyan forces obliged to stop their pursuit at the border and officials suspecting Somalia’s Al Qaeda-inspired Shebab, chances dimmed of a quick release for the woman, named as Marie Dedieu.

Western countries rushed to update their travel advisories and Kenya to save its vital tourism industry following the incident, which came less than a month after a British woman was abducted from the same area and her husband killed. “She’s already in Somalia. I can confirm that,” said Stephen Ikua, the district commissioner for Lamu, the idyllic archipelago on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast where Dedieu, who moves in a wheelchair, lived.

“It must have been Al-Shebab,” he told AFP by phone, referring to the Somali insurgent group which has been battling the Westernbacked Somali government for years and already holds a French secret service agent. A Kenyan government statement earlier said the woman was taken from her home on Manda island by “10 heavily armed Somali bandits.”

Kenyan forces went in pursuit, dispatching a helicopter and coastguard vessels to catch the kidnappers as they made their way by speedboat to Ras Kamboni in southern Somalia. “In the ensuing shoot-out ... several of the abductors were injured but managed to enter” Ras Kamboni, the statement said, without offering any details on Dedieu’s condition.

“We have not managed to get her back but we have adequately secured the border to ensure it does not happen again,” Coast Province police chief Aggrey Adoli told AFP yesterday. “We have enough forces pursuing the attackers at the border,” he said, adding however that Kenyan troops had not crossed into Somalia.

The kidnapping is the second attack on foreigners in less than a month in this part of Kenya near the border with Somalia. Dedieu’s home lies across a narrow lagoon from Shela, a town on the isle of Lamu popular with the rich and famous, including Monaco’s Princess Caroline, who owns property there.

On September 11, gunmen attacked a British couple in their fifties-Judith and David

Tebbutt-on holiday a few miles north of Lamu.

David Tebbutt was shot dead and his wife was captured. She is believed to have been sold to pirates now holding her in central Somalia.

The latest kidnapping prompted France and Britain to issue new travel advice, warning travellers to avoid not only Somalia but the nearby Kenyan coastline as well. This is a blow for tourism which is a key foreign currency earner for Kenya, East Africa’s largest economy.

armed gangs in small boats against beach resorts in the Lamu area,” the new travel advice says. “Beach-front accommodation in that area and boats off the coast are vulnerable.”

Previously, London advised against all but essential travel to Kenyan coastal areas within 60 kilometres of the Somali border. Shebab rebels control large swathes of southern Somalia, but Ras Kamboni, a former rebel bastion near the Kenyan border, is not currently

MANDA: Tourists walk yesterday at Ras Gitau, in Manda, Lamu archipelago. Kenya has sent mediators to Somalia to negotiate the release of a disabled Frenchwoman abducted Saturday from her beachfront resort home, a security official said. — AFP The Lamu archipelago is often teamed up with a game-viewing safari in a national park in holidays to Kenya. The French consulate in Nairobi issued a formal warning to prospective visitors to avoid the archipelago and the region up to the Somali border. Britain also issued tougher travel advice for Kenya, warning its nationals against all but essential travel to a long stretch of the coast up to the Somali border.

“We advise against all but essential travel to coastal areas within 150 km (93 miles) of the Somali border, following two attacks by

under the control of any single group.

The Kenyan government said every effort would be made to find Dedieu. “We fear for her health,” French foreign affairs spokesman Bernard Valero said in Paris, adding the woman who was retired and had been living in Kenya for about 15 years, was on a medical regimen when abducted.

Her companion, John Lepapa, a 39-yearold Kenyan who was present during the attack and who said he was shot at, said there were six assailants on land and four waiting in the boat, and “they all had guns”. — AFP

Four suspected Islamists held in Germany: Police BERLIN: German authorities said yesterday they had arrested four alleged Islamists on suspicion of illegally obtaining weapons ahead of a ceremony in Bonn to mark Germany’s reunification.

The four men, aged between 22 and 27, were seized Saturday night and their apartments searched, said police in Cologne, near to Bonn, where the festivities were due to be attended by Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The four were “from the Islamist scene”, according to authorities. “As it could not be excluded that a crime was being prepared with these weapons, the men were arrested as quickly as possible,” police said in a statement. However, “no weapons or other dangerous objects” were discovered during the

searches, police said, adding that they had already released one of the suspects.

Federal prosecutors played down the link to Islamic extremist groups. “There is neither evidence that the accused had links to terrorist groups nor that there were concrete preparations for an attack,” a spokesman for the Federal Prosecutions Office told AFP. Authorities were at pains to stress there was no danger for forthcoming celebrations. “A threat to the festivities ... in Bonn from this group of people is ruled out,” police said in a statement.

Alongside Merkel, Germany’s President Christian Wulff and other notable dignitaries were due to attend the ceremony marking the anniversary of German reunification in 1990. — AFP

MANCHESTER: A stall holder wears a face mask resembling Labour leader Ed Miliband at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester yesterday. British Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to boost the “right to buy” scheme for council housing in the UK, as the Tories prepare to open their autumn conference. — AFP

MADRID: Spain’s Socialist party (PSOE) candidate in the upcoming general elections Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba gestures during the PSOE congress in Madrid yesterday. — AFP

Spain opposition extends lead MADRID: Spain’s conservative opposition People’s Party (PP) has extended its lead over the ruling Socialists and is on course to win a parliamentary majority in the Nov. 20 elections, according to an opinion poll yesterday.

The Sigma Dos poll in the right-leaning El Mundo newspaper gave the PP a rating of 47.4 percent and 31.8 percent for the Socialists, the latter battered by the highest unemployment rate in the European Union and an economy struggling to exit recession. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced in April he would not be seeking a third term.

The PP’s lead is now 15.6 points compared to 14.8 points at the beginning of September. The most recent Sigma Dos poll was carried out between Sept. 27 and Sept. 30, on the eve of the Socialists’ three-day party political conference in Madrid which ended yesterday.

PP leader Mariano Rajoy has also sprinted up the polls from a month ago into second place with a rating of 4.39 percent, ahead of Rosa Diez, head of the Union Progreso y Democracia party and Josep Antoni Duran i LLeida, leader in Congress of Spain’s second opposition party Convergencia i Unio. Socialist Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba remains the most popular candidate with a rating of 4.47 percent. — Reuters

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Dreaded militant hit squad goes rogue in Pakistan ISLAMABAD: A blindfolded man stands on explosives, trembling as he confesses to spying for the CIA in Pakistan. Armed men in black balaclavas slowly back away. Then he is blown up. One of his executioners-members of an elite militant hit squad-zooms a camera in on his severed head and body parts for a video later distributed in street markets as a warning.

Al Qaeda, the Pakistani Taleban and the Haqqani network- blamed for a Sept. 13 attack on the US embassy in Kabul-picked the most ruthless fighters from their ranks in 2009 to form the Khurasan unit, for a special mission.

The Obama administration was escalating drone strikes on militants in the Pakistani tribal areas on the Afghan border and something had to be done to stop the flow of tips used for the US aerial campaign. Militant groups don’t have the military technology to match the American drone programme,

but they understand the value of human intelligence, and fear, in the conflict.

So the Khurasan were deployed to hunt down and eliminate anyone suspected of helping the Americans or their Pakistani government and military allies. Just this week, an Afghan couple visiting Pakistan was shot dead for spying in North Waziristan, where the group operates.

“The whole community is scared of the Khurasan, and sometimes we ask each other ‘have you seen the videos’,” said one man, who like everyone else interviewed about the Khurasan, asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. “ They have people everywhere.

How do I know who is an informer for them and who isn’t?”

Made up mostly of Arabs and Uzbeks, the Khurasan, named after a province of an old Islamic empire, are a shadowy group of several hundred men who operate in

Nor th Waziristan, where Washington believes Haqqani network leaders are based.

CIA pilots, who remotely operate the drones, could step up their pursuit of the Haqqani network leaders after an attack on the US mission in K abul last month. That would likely prompt the Khurasan to become more ruthless, after capturing about 120 people they’ve accused of being spies since 2009.

When suspected collaborators are caught, they are held in cells in a network of secret prisons across North Waziristan. A committee of Khurasan clerics decides their fate.

Most are declared guilty after what group members admit are “very, very harsh” interrogations.

“They are given electric shocks.

If they don’t help then an electric drill is used or the spies are forced to stand on electric heaters,” said one Khurasan operative. “Or nails are hammered into their bodies.”

Any attempt to inter vene on

behalf of people who are captured is risky. The Khurasan see that as collaboration with the enemy too and it is punishable by death.

Whenever someone is found guilty, the Khurasan make sure everyone knows about it.

“The spies are taken outside residential areas at night and shot dead. Their bodies are thrown on roadsides or squares in the town with a piece of paper warning others to refrain from this ‘dirty’ job of spying,” said one operative. Their methods have become so brutal and widespread that the Khurasan have alienated some of the militant leaders who created them, men who would not think twice about ordering beheadings.

“We tried very hard to reform the Khurasan but repeated attempts to correct them failed,” the top Taleban leader in North Waziristan, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, said in a statement. The Khurasan are not dependent on larger militant

groups like the Taleban, funding their operations through kidnappings.

They are making it more difficult for the Pakistani army to persuade Pashtun tribal communities to form pro-government militias-a cornerstone of its counter-insurgency strategy. On Friday, senior Pakistani military officials complained to members of a North Waziristan pro-government militia that they were failing to improve security and that militants had formed a state within a state there, tribal elders told Reuters.

The Khurasan, meanwhile, have gone rogue, challenging other militants who may want to rein them in.

“No one is above our law,” said a Khurasan militant. News of torture and executions carried out by the Khurasan spreads fast in the villages and small towns of North Waziristan, a region President Barack Obama described as “the most dangerous place in the

world”.

People believe members of the group-who always have their faces covered and wear dark camouflage-are capable of watching their every move. “They know each and every thing about the people they pick up. They even have devices on which they record telephone calls of the people they are working on,” said a resident of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan.

“They are silent when they carry out operations. They are more sophisticated than the army’s commandos.” The Khurasan usually don’t engage in direct confrontation with the Pakistani army. But a senior military official says that’s changing.

“We face serious problems in areas where the Khurasan operate.

We can’t leave our compounds and camps because they are on the lookout,” said a Pakistani soldier who requested anonymity. “ We can’t risk an ambush.” —Reuters

Kabul urges Pakistan to take steps for peace ‘Rabbanikillerwas Pakistani’

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, right, and Congress party President Sonia Gandhi, left, attend a function at Raj Ghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary in New Delhi, India, yesterday. —AP

Sonia makes first public appearance since surgery NEW DELHI: Sonia Gandhi, the head of India’s ruling Congress party, made yesterday her first public appearance since she travelled to the United States for surgery for an undisclosed ailment almost two months ago.

A slightly frail-looking Gandhi appeared at a memorial to independence hero Mahatma Gandhi and paid floral tributes on his birth anniversary. She walked in her usual brisk pace and showed little sign of any discomfort.

Gandhi also participated in a brief prayer meeting with other political leaders, television images showed.

The 64-year-old Gandhi’s absence coincided with a plunge in popularity for the centre-left party, buffeted by the biggest anti-corruption protests since the 1970s, high inflation and challenges from the opposition that frequently halted parliament proceedings.

Gandhi returned to India in early September after the surgery and chaired a closed-door party meeting in the middle of last month. The Indian media has largely stayed away from covering her ill-

ness and no images of her had been released by her party since she slipped out of the country in early August for an operation.

Neither Gandhi nor her party have disclosed the nature of her illness or how serious it was, but several media reports said she was operated on for cancer at a specialist hospital in New York. The Gandhi family, descended from India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, enjoys a status similar to royalty in the country of 1.2 billion. They are not related to independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, a close ally of Nehru.

Italian-born Sonia was married to Rajiv Gandhi, Nehru’s grandson and a former prime minister, who was killed by a suicide bomber in 1991 while campaigning for elections. His mother, Indira Gandhi, was also prime minister when she was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.

Sonia’s son, Rahul, is widely expected to be the next prime minister if the Congress party returns to power in the next 2014 general elections. —Reuters

KABUL: The Afghan government needs to see Pakistan make “tangible progress” on pledges to use its influence to help end the Taleban insurgency, a foreign ministry spokesman said yesterday. The statement came a day after Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he was giving up on trying to talk to the Taleban directly and that the key to ending the war is mediation

by Pakistan.

It underscores the Afghan officials’ deep frustration over their inability to deal with a major barrier to ending the war in Afghanistan - insurgent havens across the border in Pakistan.

Already tense Afghan-Pakistani relations have been further degraded in recent weeks as US and Afghan officials have publicly blamed the Pakistani government for supporting the insurgency in Afghanistan following a string of high-profile attacks.

“Afghanistan has invested a great amount of goodwill and political capital to create an atmosphere of trust and confidence and to try to improve relations with Pakistan over the past three years,” the spokesman, Janan Mosazai, told reporters in Kabul.

“Unfortunately, we have not been witness to the type of concrete progress that we were expecting that was promised to us by our brothers and sisters in Pakistan,” he added.

For his part, Karzai has suspended a series of trilateral meetings between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States because of the fallout. “When it comes to specific examples of tangible progress that we would like to see, it is facilitation of direct negotiations with the Taleban leadership and with any other insurgent leaders who are prepared to join the Afghan national reconciliation process,” Mosazai said.

Mosazai said an Afghan delegation would travel to Pakistan to discuss the peace process and the allegations that Pakistan had a role in the recent assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani. He originally said the delegation might

leave as early as Sunday but later said it was unclear how soon they would depart.

A statement on Sunday from Karzai’s office said a special commission investigating Rabbani’s death had concluded the attack was planned in Quetta, the Pakistani city where key Taleban leaders are based. The delegation also said the primary assailant was a Pakistani citizen. The killer of

involved in plotting the assassinations. The statement said the commission expects the Pakistani government to make the necessary arrests.

Pakistani analysts said the breakdown in relations between Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US has dire implications for any potential peace settlement with the Taleban, which all sides have said is the only sustainable way to

KABUL: Afghan men shout anti-Pakistan slogans during a rally, protesting against Pakistan’s interference in Afghanistan, in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. —AP Rabbani was Pakistani, a statement from Afghanistan’s presidential palace said Sunday, quoting investigators.

Evidence shows that Rabbani’s death last month “was plotted in Quetta and the person who carried out the suicide attack against Rabbani was a citizen of Pakistan,” the statement said.

It added that the killer had been living in Chaman, a Pakistani border town near Quetta. The commission told Karzai it had already passed the evidence on the Pakistani authorities along with names, addresses and phone numbers of people in Pakistan

end the Afghan war. “I don’t think anyone is in the mood for talks right now,” said Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist who has written extensively on the region.

Rashid said he thought Karzai was playing to the American gallery because the mood in the Obama administration and Congress was allegedly antiPakistani. The only potential for the reconciliation process to move forward would be an improvement in US-Pakistan relations, something that doesn’t seem likely in the near future, said Rashid.

“You need a breakthrough between the US and Pakistan so

Thai PM Twitter account hacked LAHORE: Pakistani youths shout slogans during an anti-US protest in support of country’s Army in Lahore yesterday. US President Barack Obama said Pakistan must “take care” of the extremist Haqqani network, as a fierce dispute raged over US claims whether or not the group was an arm of Islamabad’s intelligence agency. —AFP

4 militants killed in Kashmir SRINAGAR: Indian troops shot dead four suspected militants after they crossed into Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani side of the divided region, the army said yesterday. The rebels were killed in the northern district of Kupwara, which borders the Line of Control-the de facto border that splits Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

An army spokesman said gunmen opened fire on troops when ordered to surrender late on Saturday. “In the retaliatory firing four militants were

killed,” he said. India says it regularly intercepts Islamist rebels crossing into Indian Kashmir to fight New Delhi’s rule of the Himalayan territory. Pakistan denies all Indian allegations that it helps the insurgents. India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which each country holds in part but claims in full. The insurgency in Indian Kashmir has left more than 47,000 people dead since 1989, according to an official count. —AFP

they can convince Karzai to resume” talks, said Rashid. There is debate over how much influence Pakistan actually has with the Taleban, but most analysts believe that the country is vital to the success of any peace talks.

“My own sense is that Pakistani influence and connections and its clout is largely exaggerated,” said Riffat Hussain, a professor of defense studies at Quaid-e-Azam

BANGKOK: Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra came under fire from her own Twitter account yesterday when it was briefly taken over by an anonymous hacker who accused her of incompetence.

Thailand’s Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) ministry said it was investigating the hijacking of the PouYingluck tweet feed for around 20 minutes early yesterday.

Yingluck, the sister of ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, was lambasted on a variety of subjects in eight posts, including her response to recent serious flooding and a number of key government policies.

“How can she protect the country, if she cannot protect her own Twitter account?

Think about it,” said the final post.

Yingluck, who was propelled to victory in a July 3 election with Thaksin’s backing, has put forward a raft of measures, including a rise in the minimum wage, aimed at his poor and rural support base.

One of the hacked posts questioned a

high profile promise to give tablet computers to schoolchildren, saying it was no substitute for education reform, while another accused Yingluck and her government of cronyism. The tweets said that rather than “image building”, the premier should look to find long term solutions for two months of flooding that has left more than 200 people dead and inundated huge swathes of the country.

Thailand deployed about 10,000 soldiers on Friday after Yingluck ordered the army to take action to assist flood victims.

The username PouYingluck refers to the Thai leader’s nickname, Pou, which means crab.

ICT spokesman Songkran Taechanarong said the ministry was hunting for the hacker and was considering closing the prime minister’s twitter account.

Thaksin, who remains a highly controversial figure in politically-divided Thailand, was removed from office by royalist generals in 2006 and lives abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption. —AFP

University in Islamabad. “But if there is any player who can act as a bridge to bring these guys on board, it has to be Pakistan.”

Specifically, he said, the powerful Pakistani intelligence service must be involved.

Yesterday, NATO forces said in a statement that an international service member died Saturday in a bomb attack in southern Afghanistan. The military coalition did not provide fur ther details. At least 43 international service members have died in Afghanistan in September, the majority of them American forces. —AP

US, N Korea may hold nuke talks SEOUL: The United States and North Korea are likely to hold a second round of talks this month to try to revive international nuclear disarmament negotiations, a South Korean report said yesteray.

The meeting may come after a summit between US President Barack Obama and his South Korean counterpart Lee Myung-Bak in Washington on October 13, an unnamed senior government official in Seoul told Yonhap news agency.

Last month the chief nuclear envoys for North and South Korea met in Beijing for discussions on how to revive long-stalled six-nation negotiations on the North’s nuclear programme. The inter-Korean discussions came after a meeting between the two sides in Bali in July which was followed by US-North Korean talks in New York.

The North abandoned the six-nation forum in April 2009, a month before staging a second nuclear test which brought worldwide condemnation and fresh United Nations sanctions. Now all sides say they want to start talking again, especially after Pyongyang’s disclosure in November last year of a uranium enrichment programme which could give it a second way to make atomic weapons. —AFP

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Japan PM support falls in first month to 55% TOKYO: Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s government was at 54.6 percent, a Kyodo news agency survey showed yesterday, down 8.2 percentage points in the first month after he took office.

Noda, Japan’s sixth premier in five years, enjoyed strong support right after he took over from his unpopular predecessor, but the 54-year-old premier had to sack his trade minister just

a week after taking office due to gaffes. His government is now trying to draft and submit to the divided parliament this month another extra budget to fund rebuilding efforts from a huge earthquake and tsunami that destroyed northeastern Japan and its Pacific coast in March.

The government and the ruling Democratic Party agreed last week the size of the extra budget, the third one

for this fiscal year to March 2012, would be about 12 trillion yen ($156 billion). They also agreed to raise taxes by 9.2 trillion yen over a 10-year period to fund rebuilding projects as Japan grapples with a public debt twice the size of its $5 trillion economy. But with confusion over how much non-tax revenues the government would be able to secure from selling its stakes in firms such as Japan

Tobacco and Inpex Corp , it could end up hiking taxes by an additional 2 trillion yen. Respondents to the Kyodo survey backed the extra budget draft but were split over the tax hike plan.

In the telephone poll, 63.2 percent backed the extra budget draft, while 30.3 percent did not. On the possible 11.2 trillion yen tax hikes, 50.5 percent were opposed to the idea, while 46.2 percent backed the proposal. Noda

needs help from opposition parties which control the upper chamber of parliament and can block bills.

Opposition parties have said they are willing to cooperate on the third extra budget, but the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party wants a snap election after this budget is enacted. Noda has said he does not plan to call a snap election anytime soon.— Reuters

Jailed Nobel winner’s wife still silenced ‘Under incommunicado house arrest’

HONG KONG: Filipino domestic helpers gesture as they gather around a barbecue in Hong Kong yesterday. Hong Kong marked an historic court ruling on September 30 after a Filipino domestic worker successfully challenged an immigration law that barred them from living permanently in the city. — AFP

HK split over historic maids residency case HONG KONG: Every Sunday, the public spaces and walkways of Hong Kong are jammed with Filipina and Indonesian domestic workers using their one day off to gather with their friends and fellow countrywomen.

The gleaming skyscrapers of the financial hub are a far cry from the often poor neighbourhoods they have come from.

Now a landmark court ruling has given them a chance to apply for permanent residency-but the decision, which has polarised opinions in the southern Chinese city, has also prompted different reactions among maids themselves.

Newspapers are filled with opposing arguments and rival protests were held in the run-up to the case hearing. About 500 people held a protest Sunday against the court ruling. For some maids, the ruling represents the hope of a better future.

Lannie Hubag, 45, a Philippine domestic helper in Hong Kong since 1998, said she would consider applying for permanent residency.

“I would like to try because if I get it, my husband and two daughters in the Philippines can join me in Hong Kong and my daughters could get better education,” said Hubag. “We’re happy with the court decision because it means the discrimination has been removed,” she added.

But costs and family ties are a deterrent for others. Speaking in her native Indonesian, Asriyatun, 34, said: “I would like to go back” without hesitation, after working for six years in Hong Kong. Foreigners can seek permanent residency in Hong Kong after seven years of uninterrupted stay, gaining rights to vote and to live in the city without a work visa.

There are as many as 292,000 foreign maids in the city, but they were specifically excluded from being allowed to apply. In the first case of its kind in Asia, the city’s High Court ruled on Friday that the provision was unconstitutional. Permanent residency would mean a domestic worker was no longer tied to a single employer, but could take any job and access benefits such as public housing.

According to a pro-government political party there could be an influx of as many as 500,000 people-including children and spouses of foreign maids-costing HK$25 billion ($3.2 billion) in social welfare spend-

ing. Unemployment could jump from the current 3.5 percent to 10 percent, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong claimed.

Following the ruling, currently about 117,000 foreign maids are entitled to apply for permanent residency in the densely populated city of seven million, where rents are sky-high and the income gap widening. “I love Hong Kong, it’s a great city and we are treated better here,” said Asriyatun, wearing a black Islamic headscarf and chatting with a group of other Indonesian maids in Victoria Park, their regular meeting spot.

“But I have no plan to apply for permanent residency when I become eligible next year. I’m here to work, I have a family in Indonesia, I want to go back.”

Others in her group agreed. A single mother, Asriyatun left East Java when her son was eight months old to become a domestic helper in Singapore, and later moved to Hong Kong. She works for a German banker’s family and her contract will expire in 2013. She sees her son Shendy, now 14, once a year.

“I’m here to work for a living and for my son’s future so when he grows up, he doesn’t have to go elsewhere to work and be separated from his child-just like me,” said Asriyatun. Dolores Balladares from Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body, which represents 8,000 foreign maids in the city, said: “It’s only a main barrier that has been removed, it doesn’t mean we get this right automatically.

“The standard of living is very expensive here, it’s not easy. After working for many years in Hong Kong, many of the foreign domestic helpers just want to go back to reunite with their family,” said Balladares, a university graduate who has been a maid for 17 years. Hong Kong is known as a better place for domestic helpers than many other parts of Asia. The city’s foreign maids are guaranteed one day off a week, paid sick leave and a minimum wage of HK$3,740 ($480) a month.

But rights groups say they still face general discrimination and a lack of legal protection. A maid’s visa is tied to a specific employer and activists say this leaves her vulnerable. The government was disappointed with Friday’s ruling and said it would appeal.— AFP

Tibetans protest in southwest China BEIJING: Angry Tibetans protested in a tense area of southwestern China on the country’s National Day after a Tibetan flag and a photo of the Dalai Lama were torn down, a news report said yesterday.

The protest took place Saturday in Seda, a county seat in eastern Sichuan province, after the flag and photo were taken down and thrown into the street, US-funded broadcaster Radio Free Asia reported.

Saturday was the 62nd anniversary of when the Communist Party took control of China. A notice on a website of the Tibetan government in exile, which is based in Dharmsala, India, said more than 200 Tibetans, including monks, protested. It said it had no further details.

Seda was the scene of widespread protests after deadly riots rocked the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, in March 2008.

Ethnic Tibetan areas of Sichuan have

been tense recently. Late last month, two Tibetan monks set themselves on fire at the Kirti monastery to protest China’s tight rein over Buddhist practices in another area of the province. They were rescued by police with slight burns.

Phone calls to government, police and party offices in Seda all rang unanswered yesterday, which was a holiday as part of National Day celebrations. Several residents reached by telephone in the area said that they had not heard of any protest, and that the streets were calm Sunday. Radio Free Asia said the protesters also called for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet. The 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate has lived in Dharmsala since fleeing Tibet. China says Tibet has always been part of its territory, but many Tibetans say the region was virtually independent for centuries. — AP

BEIJING: In a quiet, leafy neighborhood of Beijing, a woman has been living in enforced isolation in her book-lined, fifth-floor apartment. Her apparent misdeed: Being married to a Nobel Peace Prize winner the Chinese government calls a criminal.

In the year since jailed democracy campaigner Liu Xiaobo was awarded the prize, his wife Liu Xia has also become a prisoner. She has largely been held incommunicado, effectively under house arrest, watched by police, without phone or Internet access and prohibited from seeing all but a few family members.

“Liu Xia has been completely cut off from communication with the outside world, and leads a lonely and oppressed life,” said Beijing activist Zeng Jinyan, the wife of another well-known dissident who has endured bouts of surveillance and harassment. “It has already been a year, I dare not imagine how much longer she must bear this pain.”

The Nobel prize announced last Oct. 8 cheered China’s fractured, persecuted dissident community and brought calls from the US, Germany and others for Liu’s release, but also infuriated Beijing, and authorities harassed and detained dozens of his supporters in the weeks that followed. China has a long history of punishing family members of government critics. But the Liu case is different because he’s the first to win the Peace Prize and by isolating Liu Xia the government seems intent on preventing the frail-looking 51-year-old poet with close-cropped hair and wirerimmed glasses from becoming a rallying point for political activists.

“The Chinese government simply just do not want people to be reminded of the emotional, the human aspect of Liu Xiaobo in jail, and to do that they also want to erase Liu Xia from people’s memory,” said Wang Songlian, a researcher with China Human Rights Defenders in Hong Kong.

The harsh treatment of Liu Xia seemingly runs afoul of China’s laws and might be the most severe retaliation ever suffered by

the family of a Peace Prize laureate. “As far as I know, the way she is treated is unprecedented in the history of the Nobel Peace Prize,” said Geir Lundestad, secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

“Her situation is extremely regrettable.”

Lundestad said the committee is also worried about Liu Xiaobo because it has not received any new information about his situation since late last year. The government did not comment. A literary critic and dogged campaigner for peaceful political change, Liu Xiaobo tried to negotiate the retreat of pro-democracy student demonstrators from Tiananmen Square in 1989. He co-authored a manifesto in 2008 calling for an end to single-party rule. Both acts earned him jail terms, the latter an 11-year sentence he is now serving.

Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia’s friendship began in the early 1980s over a shared love of literature and poetry. Her father, a senior finance official, had set up a cushy job at the national tax bureau for her, but she quit because she wanted more freedom, according to an essay about the couple by dissident writer and friend, Yu Jie. They wedded in 1996 while he was in a labor re-education camp in order for Liu Xia to be granted permission to visit him. Yu’s essay says she told police: “I just want to marry that ‘enemy of the state’!”

In a tribute to Liu Xia, Liu Xiaobo wrote: “I am serving my sentence in a tangible prison, while you wait in the intangible prison of the heart,” as part of a statement he had prepared for his trial in 2009. Two days after the Nobel announcement, which brought furious condemnation from Beijing, Liu Xia was allowed to visit him in prison. She carried out a message from him that he dedicated the award to those who died in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. Rights groups say she hasn’t been allowed to see him since.

During a rare phone interview with the AP a few days after the award was announced, Liu Xia sounded hopeful her confine-

BEIJING: In this photo taken Friday, Sept. 30, 2011, a police vehicle stationed outside the apartment, center top floor, where Liu Xia, wife of jailed democracy campaigner and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, is believed to be held incommunicado in Beijing, China. — AP ment would be brief: “I’m sure Liu Xiaobo’s close friend, Wu Wei. that for a moment the pressure Wu said he was informed by Liu will be greater, I will have even Xiaoxuan, Liu Xiaobo’s younger less freedom, even more incon- brother, who told the AP he was venience, but I believe they won’t not allowed to accept foreign go on like this forever and that media interviews.

“He said there was no channel, there will be positive change in no way to inform Xiaobo and Liu the future.”

On a recent day, there were no Xia, so that means that they do signs of movement in her apart- not necessarily know the news,” ment that could be seen from the Wu said in a phone interview. ground floor, although a window Despite being more beleaguered was open and a light in a small since the Nobel prize, many of China’s dissidents say they cherroom was switched on at night.

Downstairs, residents walked ish the recognition. “Awarding Liu their dogs near a river where Xiaobo the prize had the overall Chinese men were swimming effect of helping to energize and fishing. Liu Xiaobo was not China’s civil opposition and rights allowed to attend the funeral of defense movement,” said Wu, the his father last month and it’s not writer. “Just like South Africa had clear that he or Liu Xia know that their Mandela and Myanmar had he died Sept. 12, because his their Aung San Suu Kyi, we now brother could not reach him, said have Liu Xiaobo.” — AP

Malaysia ex-communist fighter gravely ill: Lawyer KUALA LUMPUR: A former communist guerilla fighter in Malaysia who has been living in exile in Thailand is in critical condition, his lawyer said yesteray, calling on Kuala Lumpur to let him return home.

Chin Peng, who led a bloody guerrilla campaign after World War II and left Malaysia shortly after the end of the 1948-1960 “Emergency ”, has been hospitalised in Bangkok, said his lawyer Darshan Singh Khaira.”He has been sick for two months... He’s in critical condition,” he told AFP. Singh said several Malaysian family members had visited the 86-year-old former leader of the outlawed Communist Party of Malaya (CPM). Born Ong Boon Hua in Malaysia’s north, Chin Peng was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and won two medals for helping the British fight the Japanese in Malaya during World War II. He later led the communist party, backed

by China, in a guerrilla campaign against the British colonial and Malaysian governments before and after Malaysian independence in 1957. In 2009, Malaysia’s highest court rejected a bid for him to come back but Singh said Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government should now allow his return.

“I hope they let him in now... as a saving grace for Najib,” he said. “They should let him in to die among his loved ones.” Singh has insisted Chin Peng has the right to return under a 1989 peace agreement between the CPM and Malaysian government which allowed several high-ranking communist leaders to do so.

But the government has rejected all appeals, fearing Chin Peng’s return may open old wounds and anger those whose family members were killed during the emergency.

Last month, a Malaysian court charged an opposition politician for criminal defamation over an alleged pro-communist remark, sig-

naling that tensions over the insurgency still run high.

Opposition leaders and activists slammed the charge as undermining a pledge by Najib to grant greater freedom of expression and overhaul security laws ahead of looming elections. —AFP

TURANGI: Members of a rescue team in the village of Turangi carry body bags containing victims recovered from the plane crash site in the jungle of Sumatra island yesterday. — AFP

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

NEWS

QASR AL-YAHUD: A tourist takes pictures at the Jordan River baptismal site of Qasr Al-Yahud, 50 kms west of the Jordanian capital Amman. Pro-democracy revolts across the Arab world in 2011 are taking their toll on tourism in cash-strapped Jordan, where revenues from the key source of hard currency earnings have dropped by 16 percent this year. — AFP

Jordan’s tourism hit hard by Arab Spring AMMAN: Pro-democracy revolts across the Arab world are taking their toll on tourism in cash-strapped Jordan, where revenues from the key source of hard currency earnings have dropped by 16 percent this year.

Tourism generated three billion dollars last year, with 4.8 million tourists visiting attractions such as the Nabataean rock city of Petra, the Roman town of Jerash, the Dead Sea-lowest point on earth-and the Red Sea resort of Aqaba.

There have been some protests in Jordan, but the country has been relatively quiet compared with unrest in other parts of the Middle East, which has frightened off travelers this year. “The Arab Spring has negatively affected the tourism industry in Jordan,” Shaher Hamdan, head of Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents said.

“Travel agents’ income has significantly

dropped by around 90 percent in 2011 compared to last year,” Hamdan said, adding that 70 percent of travel tours and trips from Europe have been cancelled this year.

“We used to have joint tourism programs with Egypt and Syria, but instability in the two countries has affected us,” he added. Tourism, which contributes 14 percent to the gross domestic product, and bank transfers from Jordanians working abroad are the top sources of hard currency earnings in the kingdom of nearly 6.5 million people. With its economy hit by unrest, Jordan badly needs the money it earns from tourism.“ There is no doubt that the Arab Spring has had an impact on tourism in the kingdom,” tourism board chief Nayef Fayez said.

“Although the situation in Jordan is safe

and stable, there is a misconception that peaceful demonstrations here are similar to what is happening in the region.” Since January, Jordanians have been protesting to demand sweeping economic and political reform, as pro-democracy uprisings have flared with other countries in the Middle East shaking off years of tyrannical and oppressive rule. Mahmud Baddar, general manager of Aladdin Tours, said the number of tourist groups that his company dealt with this year is down by 60 percent compared with 2010.

“The Middle East is no longer a favorite destination for foreign tourists thanks to the Arab Spring,” he said. A recent Jordan Hotel Association study said that 7,700 room reservations in three, four- and fivestar hotels were cancelled between February and April as a result of popular

Obama under fire over space plans WASHINGTON: High-profile critics fear President Barack Obama’s commercial overhaul of human spaceflight is going nowhere and could mark the end of half a century of US supremacy among the stars and planets. “We will have no American access to, and return from, low Earth orbit and the International Space Station for an unpredictable length of time in the future,” Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the Moon, warned lawmakers at a recent hearing.

The end of the space shuttle era has left America’s human spaceflight program in an “embarrassing” state, Armstrong said, arguing that NASA needs a stronger vision for the future and should focus on returning humans to the Moon and to the International Space Station. With the US space shuttle program now mothballed after its last flight in July, the United States is forced to depend on Russia’s Soyuz capsules to ferry astronauts to the orbiting research laboratory until at least 2015. Obama canceled the Constellation program that aimed to return humans to the Moon by 2020 and called on NASA to instead focus on new, deep-space capabilities to carry people to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars by 2030.

NASA is counting on the private sector to develop a

shuttle alternative at the least possible cost within the next five years. But many experts doubt that the firms, most of which have little space experience, can step up to the challenge. “I don’t think any of the ISS partners looks at what we are doing in the US with commercial cargo and crew and feels very confident,” Space Policy Institute director Scott Pace said. “So there is a great gap between the aspirations of the policy and the actual capabilities that exist now.” A ticket on the Soyuz capsules to the ISS costs global space agencies between $50 million and $60 million each.

Former astronaut Eugene Cernan, who commanded the Apollo 17 flight and was the last man to walk on the Moon in 1972, said Constellation has been replaced by a “mission to nowhere” and urged NASA to return to the Moon. Under intense congressional pressure from both his fellow Democrats and rival Republicans, the White House has agreed to develop sooner than planned a heavy-lift launch vehicle for deep human space exploration dubbed the Space Launch System. But financing and other details remain vague. NASA is focusing especially on deploying the SLS to explore asteroids around 2025, remaining vague on plans to visit Mars and mute on a return to the Moon. —AFP

Typhoon Nalgae kills 59 Continued from Page 1 flooding rose in their village Saturday. But one of the children was swept away by rampaging waters and drowned, while his uncle and his brother remained missing.

A drunken man drowned in flooding in a nearby village, provincial disaster officer Marvin Guiang said.

Nalgae roared through parts of Luzon that had been saturated by Typhoon Nesat, which trapped thousands on rooftops and sent huge waves that breached a seawall in Manila Bay. Nesat then pummeled southern China and was downgraded to a tropical storm just before churning into northern Vietnam on Friday, where 20,000 people were evacuated.

Seven towns north of Manila were still flooded yesterday, including Calumpit in rice-growing Bulacan province, where hundreds of residents remained trapped on rooftops in four villages for the fourth day, many desperately waving for help. Rescuers aboard rubber boats could not reach them because of narrow alleys. Two air force helicopters were ordered deployed to drop water and food packs to the marooned villagers, officials said.

Calumpit Mayor James de Jesus said floodwaters were receding yesterday, sparking hope the crisis would end sooner. Local leaders have been asked to help distribute relief supplies to residents in areas in the four villages that could now be accessed, he said. “It’s still critical. There are still houses which could not be reached,” de Jesus told DZBB radio.

Benito Ramos, who heads the Office of Civil Defense, said he was concerned that freshly dumped rains by

Nalgae may flow down from the mountainous north to the central Luzon provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga, which act like a catch basin, especially during high tide in nearby Manila Bay. Some officials said water released from nearby dams had exacerbated the floods.

Ramos criticized those villagers who refused to leave their flooded homes despite orders to evacuate. During a nationally televised meeting with disaster response agencies, President Benigno Aquino III ordered authorities to study how villagers and fishermen can be forced to follow storm warnings to prevent casualties in the future. In the last four months, prolonged monsoon flooding, typhoons and storms across Southeast Asia, China, Japan and South Asia have left more than 600 people dead or missing. In India alone, the damage is estimated to be worth $1 billion. Several studies point to an intensification of the Asian summer monsoon rainfall with increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, according to the state-run Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. Still, it is not clear that the damaging weather is entirely due to climate change, it said. The damage on agriculture and infrastructure from the earlier typhoon in the Philippines was estimated at $200 million. Rice and vegetables could be obtained from the country’s south in case of supply shortfalls due to damaged farms and blocked roads in the north, officials said. Nalgae was the 17th weather disturbance this year to batter the disaster-prone Philippines, which is lashed by about 20 storms and typhoons annually. A low pressure area has been monitored 435 miles off the archipelago and could either dissipate or strengthen into another storm in the next few days, forecaster Gener Quitlong said. —AP

uprisings in the Middle East. “We used to receive at least two to three large tourist groups from France, Britain and Spain every month. But we have not received any groups since January,” an executive at one five-star hotel in Amman said.

Hamdan did not rule out the “possibility of laying off hundreds of travel agency employees if the situation does not improve next year.”

“We have great attractions, but we are suffering now and reservations this year are less than 10 percent of what we had last year,” he said. The ancient ruins at Petra include spectacular temples and tombs hewn from rose-colored rock and were featured in the Hollywood film “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” The World Heritage Site was rediscovered by Swiss adventurer Johann Burckhardt in 1812 and was chosen

in 2007 as one of the “new” seven wonders of the world.

Jordan is also home to the wind-swept peak of Mount Nebo overlooking the Dead Sea and the hills of Jerusalem, and is where biblical tradition says God showed Moses the Promised Land.

Jordanians also say their country is home to the site where Jesus Christ was baptized by his cousin John, who was later beheaded by Herod the Great, the king of biblical Judea. The authorities say they are doing everything they can to promote the country.

“We are trying hard to concentrate on next year to minimize the impact of Arab Spring on our tourism,” Fayez said. “We are launching promotional campaigns abroad.

We need to convey the true picture that Jordan is stable, safe and secure.”—AFP

Activists boycott UAE ‘unfair’ trial Continued from Page 1 related to the trial, allow the defense to question all witnesses,” as well as an “end to their ill-treatment,” Roken told the court. “They are denied their basic rights.

Their rights were violated,” said Roken, as the wife of one of the defendants, Nasser bin Gaith, broke down in tears. “They are treated worse than criminals,” he said.

The court, however, has accepted one of the defendants’ demands by opening the hearings to the public.

In a letter posted online on Saturday, economics lecturer Gaith said he had decided to boycott the trial after having agreed with his co-accused that they would not receive “a fair trial.” Yesterday’s hearing, held under tight security measures, was also open to representatives of human rights groups, who have called for the immediate release of the five, saying their trial was “fundamentally unfair.”

All four previous sessions since the trial opened on June 14 were held behind closed doors. Blogger Ahmed Mansoor, Gaith who lectures at the Abu Dhabi branch of Sorbonne University, and activists Fahid Salim Dalk, Hassan Ali Khamis and Ahmed Abdul Khaleq were all detained in April. “My husband isn’t a traitor. My husband could never be a traitor to this country,” said Gaith’s wife Wedad Al-Muhairi. Muhairi said she was allowed to visit her husband every Sunday but Gaith refused to allow their 18-year-old son to see him “in this situation.”

The prosecution has accused the five men of “insult-

ing the president, the vice president and the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.” It also alleged that they “have used the Internet to call for a boycott of the Federal National Council elections” that took place last week to choose half the members of the toothless Federal National Council. They are also charged with calling for “anti-government demonstrations.” Mansoor is accused of having created an Emirati forum, hosted by a US company named in the court as “Host Rocket,” in which he allowed users to freely criticize UAE authorities.

The other four are accused of having joined the forum and of criticizing the government. The next hearing is to be held on October 9. Four international rights watchdogs, in a joint statement issued ahead of the hearing, called on the authorities to “drop all charges and free the activists.” After the hearing, Jennie Pasquarella, a civil liberties lawyer who is part of a delegation in the UAE on behalf of the rights groups to monitor the trial, described it as “more of a political theatre than a trial.” Amnesty International, the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), Front Line Defenders and Human Rights Watch said the trial had “violated the most basic defense rights of the accused.” Some of the activists signed a petition in March calling for political reforms. All five pleaded not guilty at the start of the trial. The UAE, a federation of seven emirates led by oil-rich Abu Dhabi, has not seen any of the widespread protests calling for reform that have swept other Arab countries, including fellow Gulf states Bahrain and Oman.—AFP

30 Yemeni soldiers die in ‘friendly fire’ Continued from Page 1 Zinjibar, the capital of the Yemen’s troubled southern Abyan province, and at least three other towns in the area were overrun by militants in May. Since then, troops have been battling to take back control of the region.

Saturday’s fighting came a day after one of Al-Qaeda’s top leaders in the Arabian Peninsula country, US-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi, was killed in an apparent US drone strike. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has taken advantage of nearly nine months of sweeping unrest against President Ali Abdullah Saleh to bolster its presence in the restive south and east Yemen, launching

regular attacks. In other unrest, a seven-year-old girl was killed when a rocket struck near a school in al-Akama neighborhood, in the centre of Sanaa, witnesses said.

The source of the bomb was not clear, but clashes had erupted in north Sanaa between troops from the First Armored Division, led by defected General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, and forces from the Central Security that is loyal to Saleh. Eight people were wounded in the gunbattle which took place in a busy market area at a junction between Hail street and Al-Zubairi street, witnesses and medics said. Protests have raged since January in the impoverished country demanding the ouster of Saleh who has been in office since 1978. — Agencies

Oppn gears up for 2nd anti-corruption Continued from Page 1 success of any potential non-cooperation motion as without the backing of their six MPs, any such motion is doomed to failure. Deputy speaker Abdullah Al-Roumi also said that corruption in Kuwait has reached a very serious level that needed an all-out effort to combat it.

In the meantime, Islamist MP Jamaan Al-Harbash vehemently denied that his bank account has been referred to the public prosecution for investigation over suspicious deposits as reported in an electronic website. Harbash said he has started procedures to file a lawsuit against the site.

The same action was taken by MP Daifallah Buramia

against Al-Rai newspaper for allegations that his account was also referred to the public prosecution to probe alleged suspicious huge transfers. Meanwhile, MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei called on the Kuwaiti embassy in Baghdad to deny reports by Iraqi Transport Minister Hadi Al-Ameri that he had returned expensive gifts given to him during a visit to Kuwait. Iraqi news reports alleged that Ameri was given highly expensive gifts during a visit to Kuwait which he returned to the Kuwaiti embassy with a letter scorning the action. The reports come amid strong Kuwaiti denials that the prime minister has given bribes to Iraqi foreign and transport ministers to overlook any objections to Boubiyan Island’s Mubarak Al-Kabeer port.

14

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

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Issues

Trapped in Gitmo

By Joseph Margulies he prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is again in the news. The two Americans released this month by Iran have reported that when they complained about conditions in their Tehran prison, the jailers would “immediately remind us of comparable conditions at Guantanamo Bay.” Such is the power of symbols.

Symbols are important, and we ignore them at our peril.

But even in these hyperpartisan times, when symbols are baseball bats used by thugs in the public square to beat reason senseless, I like to pretend that the truth is worth pursuing. And one part of that truth is that conditions at Guantanamo are vastly superior to those at any maximum-security prison on the US mainland.

I say this as the lawyer who has been involved in challenges to Guantanamo longer than anyone in the United States. I was counsel of record in Rasul v Bush, the first Guantanamo case in the Supreme Court, and today represent Abu Zubaydah, who was the first person tortured by the CIA and the man for whom the infamous torture memos were written. After our victory in Rasul, I was one of the first lawyers to go to the prison, and by now I cannot count the number of times I have returned there.

Conditions were not always as they are today.

Beginning in late 2002 and continuing well into 2004, the interrogation techniques at Guantanamo were equal parts crude and cruel. It was stupidity, sometimes torture, and no amount of after-the-fact rationalization can make it better. Living conditions were likewise appalling, at first to facilitate the interrogations and later as a result of a misguided crackdown after three prisoners committed suicide. But interrogations have long ended, and since late 2006, conditions have improved.

That, in turn, should dispatch another myth: that improvements at the base are somehow the work of the Obama administration. Such drivel reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of American government. The fact is that the great majority of the senior career officers in the US military never wanted to make Guantanamo into the pit that it became in late 2002. But it was not until late 2006 that the iron grip of Vice President Dick Cheney and his legal counsel and later chief of staff David Addington loosened enough that the officers could reclaim the prison and begin to reshape it in a more humane form.

The military deserves the credit for improvements at the prison, not the Obama administration. But if we agree that the truth is worth pursuing, then we should not stop halfway. We should not stop, as partisans may like, with the acknowledgment that conditions are much improved. The whole truth is that the prison remains a disaster. While the great moral bankruptcy of the base was once its conditions, today it is the shameful fact that scores of prisoners who have been cleared for transfer by two administrations remain in custody.

No one suggests they have committed a war crime; no one suggests they will be prosecuted in military or civilian court; everyone involved in their detention agrees they pose no threat to the United States and that they should be transferred to their home countries. Yet they languish for no better reason than because truth cannot breathe in this toxic atmosphere. They may never hold their children, or say goodbye to a dying mother.

Their fate is the four walls of a prison cell, and the country should not congratulate itself on the fact that once the prison was worse. Some say the prisoners may challenge their detention in court. They may seek, as the lawyers say, a writ of habeas corpus. But no one takes that seriously anymore. For all the foolish talk about judicial independence, the same hysteria has settled over both the Capitol and the courthouse. Today, the judiciary is to law not quite what the Chicago Black Sox were to baseball, but every bit what Keystone was to cops.

Yet so ridiculous the whole debate has become that even to utter these words risks a special sort of opprobrium - the mark of the traitor, either to the left, which is committed to using any excuse to bash the prison, or to the right, which invokes any falsehood so long as it helps keep every prisoner there forever.

Today, what passes for intelligent discussion summons to mind James Russell Lowell, from more than a century ago: “I loved my country so, as only they “Who love a mother fit to die for may; “I loved her old renown, her stainless fame. “What better proof than that I loathed her shame?”— MCT

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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.

World divided on new plan to combat global warming

By David Fogarty new plan to curb global warming risks becoming a battleground between rich and poor nations and could struggle to get off the ground as negotiators battle over the fate of the ailing Kyoto climate pact. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol covers only emissions from rich nations that produce less than a third of mankind’s carbon pollution and its first phase is due to expire end-2012. Poorer nations want it extended, while many rich countries say a broader pact is needed to include all big polluters.

Australia and Norway have proposed negotiations on a new agreement, but say it is unrealistic to expect that to be ready by 2013. They have set a target date two years later, in 2015. “This is the only way ahead. There is no other way than failure,” said a senior climate negotiator from a developed country on the Australia-Norway proposal, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the talks. Developing nations insist Kyoto be extended to commit rich countries to tougher carbon cuts and fiercely resist any attempts to sideline the world’s main climate pact, meaning the AustraliaNorway plan faces a tough time .

Failure to agree on a new climate deal could lead to nations committing only to voluntary steps that are unlikely to put the brakes on climate change, risking more extreme droughts, floods, storms and crop failures. It would also weaken efforts to put in place tough policies to promote cleaner fuels and green energy. The proposal calls on major economies to quickly strengthen steps to curb emissions, agree on a way to standardize actions and a system to compare and verify what everyone else is doing. Marathon UN-led climate talks failed to meet a 2009 deadline to agree a new pact to start in 2013 and a major conference in Durban, South Africa, in two months is under pressure to launch a process to negotiate a new treaty.

WILD WEATHER As negotiators haggle, data show the world is heating up, as emissions, particularly from big developing nations, keep growing from burning more coal, oil and gas. Scientists say floods similar to those that left millions homeless in Pakistan last year and ravaged parts of Australia, could become more common, along with more intense Atlantic hurricanes and wildfires. The United States has already tied its yearly record for billion-dollar weather disasters and the cumulative tab from floods, tornadoes and heat waves this year has hit $35 billion, the National Weather Service said in mid-August. That doesn’t include billions in losses and disaster relief from Hurricane Irene , which struck in late August.

All this throws the spotlight on emissions curbs by the world’s major economies and the fact that these are not enough. When Kyoto was agreed, emissions from poorer nations were much smaller. Now they dwarf those of rich

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countries. At the least, the talks need to restore faith that countries can do more to fight global warming. “We need to push away from this annual cycle of what are we going to achieve into a more realistic timeline of when can we achieve a new agreement. My sense is that none of the negotiators disagree with that. It’s obvious,” said the senior delegate. The Australia-Norway proposal will be a focus of UN-led climate talks in Panama this week, the last round before the conference in Durban.

“RECIPE FOR INACTION” The EU said it broadly supported the submission. “It tries to take forward the international climate negotiations into the next years, seeing how we can build a broader climate regime,” Artur Runge-Metzger, the EU’s chief climate negotiator said. “We think that this seems to be a workable timeline.”

He said it was crucial the Durban meeting agrees on building a new climate framework for all countries, referring particularly to the United States and major developing economies.

China produces about a quarter of mankind’s greenhouse gas pollution and is the top global emitter. While the govern-

ment is taking steps such as promoting energy efficiency and vehicle fuel standards, these are voluntary. The proposal will prove divisive for poorer countries. None more so than nations most vulnerable to climate change, such as low-lying islands that face ever rising sea levels, flooding and shrinking fresh water supplies. They want faster action by big polluters and feel Kyoto is the way to go.

“It basically delays real action to address climate change and vulnerable countries aren’t going to like it,” said Ian Fry, lead climate negotiator for the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, told Reuters, adding: “It’s a gift to the United States.” India, the world’s third largest carbon polluter, has also dug in its heels over the proposal. “Such a plan takes the focus away from Kyoto and redraws negotiating paradigms. Why should the developing countries agree?” said an Indian official with knowledge of the global negotiations, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The United States, the world’s second-biggest polluter, never ratified Kyoto, saying the pact is flawed because it doesn’t commit big developing economies to meet legally binding emissions curbs.— Reuters

R2P and the Libya mission

By Simon Adams he Palestinian bid for statehood and traffic congestion weren’t the only things going on in New York last week as the 66th UN General Assembly convened.

One of the issues privately discussed by foreign ministers at the United Nations was the “responsibility to protect,” or R2P. This concept was central to the UN mandate to protect civilians in Libya, which led to NATO’s aerial involvement there. As the dust settles in Tripoli, it has become necessary to refute a powerful myth that has developed among some pundits and politicians. That myth is that R2P bestows “the right to intervene” in Libya.

Even though R2P features in just two paragraphs of the 40-page “outcome document” of the 2005 UN World Summit, historian Martin Gilbert has suggested that it constituted “the most significant adjustment to national sovereignty in 360 years.” R2P’s core idea is that all governments have an obligation to protect their citizens from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

It is primarily a preventive doctrine. However, R2P also acknowledges that we live in an imperfect world and if a state is “manifestly failing” to meet its responsibilities, the international community is obligated to act. It is not a right to intervene but a responsibility to protect.

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The distinction is not diplomatic artifice. After the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the 1995 massacre in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica, the international community resolved to never again be a passive spectator to mass murder. Still, it would not have been surprising if R2P had quietly expired after 2005. The United Nations, after all, can be a place where “good ideas go to die.” Instead, within the U.N. the debate now is about how R2P should be meaningfully implemented, rather than whether such a responsibility exists. Enter Muammar Gaddafi and the gruesome violence he unleashed on his own people in February. Threatening “no mercy or pity” for the “cockroaches” who had risen against him, and with the rebel city of Benghazi encircled, the UN response - Security Council Resolution 1970 - was unprecedented. Not because it referred Gaddafi’s regime to the International Criminal Court and imposed sanctions but because of its unanimous endorsement (15 votes to 0) of “the responsibility to protect” as its motivation for doing so.

In the face of continuing killings, Resolution 1973, passed weeks later, authorized “all necessary measures” and established a no-fly zone. The rest is history.

However, as the bombs fell, R2P became entangled with the regime-change agenda of some of those enforcing the UN’s mandate. It is, therefore, time to remind ourselves of two essential facts. — MCT

Decoupling crime and identity after 9/11

By Alexander Kronemer nsight is often found in moments we don’t anticipate. The tenth anniversary of 9/11 has occasioned volumes of commentary and analysis, searching for meaning about that terrible day and the ten years of war and conflict that have followed. But the most compelling idea that I have yet found came out of an unexpected conversation I had during a business lunch a few months ago. The lunch was a meeting in downtown Washington, DC, with a media organization that was interested in a film my company had produced on Muslim public opinion. Through our introductory small talk, I learned that my lunch companion was herself Muslim and originally from Bosnia, which she had left during the war there.

For most of the lunch, we talked about my film, Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think. She was particularly fascinated and a little dismayed - to learn that many people doubted the finding that showed that the vast majority of Muslims wanted to live under democracies. I opined that the source of this disbelief - owing in large part to the 9/11 attacks - was the trope that Muslims hated democracy and freedom. Such stereotyping was human nature.

That led to her telling me a little more about her harrowing experiences during the war in Bosnia, and how her family was forced to abandon all they owned. Forgetting my own criticisms of knee-jerk generalizations a few minutes earlier, I asked her if it was “the Serbs” who took her home. She was thoughtful for a moment and then answered, no, not the “Serbs.” It was a particular man. He was a Serbian, she explained, but he was an individ-

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ual. He had a name and it was him alone, and not an entire people, who had injured her.

As she continued to talk, it occurred to me that of the many things that have been said about 9/11, very little has been devoted to the identities of the 19 men who carried out those acts. We remember Osama Bin Laden, but the actual perpetrators of the attacks had

names too. They had individual biographies and differing motivations for joining the plot.

Some were religious and some apparently less so. Some had distinct political motivations and some acted out of personal allegiance to the cult of Bin Laden.

Yet so much of the discourse following that event has been framed in such broad

VILNIUS: Human-rights organization Amnesty International militants and opposition members protest in front of government headquarters in Vilnius to urge Lithuania to reopen a probe of claims that it hosted a secret US interrogation center for Al-Qaeda suspects, saying there was new evidence. —AFP

terms as the “Muslim world”, the West, Arabs, Islam and the Clash of Civilizations, as though these were the perpetrators and the victims of those criminal acts. I imagine that those 19 men were thinking in such terms when they set out to perpetrate mass murder on 11 September. They couldn’t have been considering the individual identities of the people they were about to kill when they aimed those planes at the buildings.

Anders Behring Breivik, the man who massacred 77 people in Norway this summer was certainly thinking in those terms. He clearly stated in his manifesto that he was trying to save Western civilization by his actions. How else could he indiscriminately shoot children at a summer camp? And civilization was also what certain Serbian leaders cited when they ordered the mass killings of Muslim men and boys in Bosnia. Such acts are enough to make one skeptical of any pretence about all highminded ideals. But as my lunch companion talked further, it became clear that the reason she didn’t blame an entire people for the actions of a few was precisely because of her faith. A big part of Islam’s moral message is about individual responsibility. Simply put, no one should hold innocents guilty for the crimes of others. And that’s what was guiding her. Western civilization’s emphasis on individualism asserts the same imperative. So here is my personal lesson about 9/11: religion and civilization are meant to lift us above human nature, yet they are not immune from it. Many crimes are committed in their names. Therefore, it takes others to rescue those values and proclaim them again, or at least witness them quietly in one’s own heart, and perhaps share them in an unexpected way. — CGNews

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Liz Hurley engaged to Warne ST. ANDREWS: Former Australia cricketer Shane Warne says he and British actress Elizabeth Hurley are engaged. Speaking after a round of golf at the Dunhill Links Championship pro-am in Scotland on Saturday, Warne said “Yes, I can confirm we are engaged.”

British newspapers showed pictures of Hurley wearing a large engagement ring while she watched Warne playing at the Kingsbarns club in east Scotland. The couple have been together for 10 months. Warne retired from international cricket in 2007 but played four seasons with the Rajasthan Royals in the lucrative Indian Premier League before calling it quits at the end of the 2011 IPL season.

Hurley dated actor Hugh Grant for more than a decade and was previously married to Indian businessman Arun Nayar.

—AP

Ludogorets want foreign refs SOFIA: Bulgarian league leaders Ludogorets want foreign referees to officiate their games against “the big guns” in the club’s first top-flight season to avoid biased refereeing.

“We want foreign referees to take charge in our matches against teams that are considered to be subscribed to top places,” Ludogorets, who lead the standings with 22 points from eight matches, said in a statement.

Unbeaten Ludogorets, based in Razgrad-a town with a population of less than 35,000 — claim there has been biased refereeing during their last two league games. Last week, Ludogorets, who were in the domestic league’s third division two years ago, beat the 26-times champions

Levski Sofia 2-1 while they needed a goal deep in the stoppage time to grab a 1-0 win at lowly Botev Vratsa on Friday.

The Razgrad-based club critisised Alexander Kostadinov’s refereeing during their match against Botev, adding that “muscle-bound men, armed with pistols” entered the referees’ dressing room at halftime.

“We want to make sure that if any of the two teams is harmed, it will be because of human error and not intentional,” the club said.

The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) was not immediately available for comment. Several referees have said recently there is widespread pressure on match officials to manipulate games in Bulgaria. —Reuters

Tipsarevic wins maiden title KULALA LUMPUR: Serb Janko Tipsarevic captured the fist title of his career as he came from a slow start to beat Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-4, 7-5 for victory at the Malaysian Open yesterday.

Tipsarevic, seeded third, had been the only player in the Top 20 without an ATP title after losing his first four finals.

But he cleared up that problem in just over two hours of struggle at the Putra Stadium as he defeated 2006 Australian Open finalist Baghdatis. “I knew I had to play well overall,” said Tipsarevic, 27.

“In my other finals I was overly aggressive in two of them and passive in the other two. “Neither strategy is the way to win. I knew I needed to feel my game and do the right thing in the impor tant moments. That’s what I did but it was high pressure in this match,” he said. “It feels great to win. I think I deserve it now, maybe I didn’t before. I’m glad to have won a title in a nice place and against a good player, a former Grand Slam finalist. I could not be happier.” — AFP

Cano and Nova tame Tigers fastball, a good slider. He mixed every pitch,” Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta said. “He controlled the plate.”

Detroit scored twice against Luis Ayala and Girardi took no chances, bringing in Mariano Rivera. The career saves leader got a threepitch strikeout in a non-save situation to end it. Rivera also threw out the ceremonial first pitch - Friday night - to longtime teammate Jorge Posada.

Fister, who went 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA after being acquired in a July 30 trade from Seattle, replaced Verlander. The right-hander retired 11 in a row before Granderson singled with two outs in the fifth. Cano followed with a drive to left that hit the top of the fence as several fans in the front row backed away to avoid interfering. The ball caromed back to left fielder Delmon Young and umpires ruled it in play as Granderson scored easily to give New York a 2-1 lead.

Girardi came out for a brief discussion and four umps went under the stands to take a look at the replay. After a 4-minute delay, they came back out and upheld the call.

“Everyone in this row spoke about not reaching over and catching a ball,” said the closest fan, 37-year-old Chris Vitali from New Brunswick, NJ “We said, ‘Don’t do it. If it’s Detroit, fine. Catch it.’ ... But, believe me, if it was a little bit further out, I would have dove over the top of the wall to catch it.”

The opener resumed after a delay of 23 hours, 29 minutes. There was no national anthem and official scorer Jordan Sprechman announced Verlander’s pitching line, a day later, one batter into the game. The Bleacher Creatures gave Yankees starters a second roll call. The only other suspended game in postseason history was Game 5 of the 2008 World Series in Philadelphia, stopped after 5 1/2 innings because of rain and snow. Play picked up two days later, and the Phillies finished off Tampa Bay to win the title.

That bizarre scenario led Major League Baseball to adopt a rule in January 2009 ensuring that any postseason game halted after it begins will resume from the point of suspension rather than postponed and restarted another day.

The forecast was ominous for Saturday as well, and a steady drizzle cut short Detroit’s NEW YORK: Yankees’ Derek Jeter singles off of Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Daniel Schlereth batting practice after only a few minutes as in the eighth inning during the continuation of Game 1 of baseball’s American League the grounds crew covered the field. But the sky cleared up and the tarp came off 50 mindivision series. —AP utes before the first pitch. Play began on time Freddy Garcia starts for New York on through the right side - with second baseman and was never interrupted on a windy, 55Sunday afternoon in Game 2 of the best-of- Ryan Raburn covering the bag on a steal play degree night. month, and it certainly felt like October. five American League division series. Max - during the sixth-inning rally.

Detroit nearly went ahead in the fifth when Nova was demoted to the minors for most Scherzer gets the ball for the Tigers, who will try to rebound the same way they did against of July to open a roster spot when Phil catcher Alex Avila tried to score from second Hughes came off the disabled list. But the on Peralta’s sharp single to center. Granderson the Yankees in 2006.

That year, Detroit dropped the postseason right-hander won his final 12 decisions during fired to Jeter, who relayed to the plate from opener in New York before winning three the regular season and picked up where just behind second base. The throw was a litstraight to stun the heavily favored Yankees Sabathia left off Friday, pitching shutout ball tle wide but in time for Russell Martin to apply en route to the World Series. Game 2 of that into the ninth before 50,940 fans - the largest a quick tag. With runners at second and third, Leyland went to his bench. But pinch-hitter playoff was postponed a day by rain. This crowd at the new Yankee Stadium.

“I just wasn’t sure how he was going to Wilson Betemit, a left-handed hitter, flied out time, it took two nights to finish Game 1, so the scheduled off day on Monday was elimi- control his emotions,” Girardi said. “I didn’t to end the inning.

Nova caught a break in the sixth after issunated. Along with Curtis Granderson, Cano is think he had his best stuff today and he still one of New York’s two leading contenders for found a way to get outs. But I thought he ing a leadoff walk with a 2-1 lead. With the AL MVP - and he showed why. Yankees man- pitched really well. He pitched to contact. ... I runner going, Magglio Ordonez hit a grounder up the middle and Cano, covering ager Joe Girardi moved the slugger up from loved what he did today.”

After loading the bases in the ninth, Nova second base on the steal, turned it into an fifth to third in the lineup for the playoffs to get him more protection and pitches to hit. was pulled. The 24-year-old rookie tipped his easy double play. Nick Swisher followed with cap as the crowd gave him a standing ovation a diving catch in right, and Nova pumped his Smart move so far.

“They put you third, so you want to do your and pounded his chest when he got to the fist. Young homered for the Tigers and Alex Rodriguez had an RBI groundout, both in the job there. You don’t want to let your manager dugout.

“He’s a really good pitcher. He had a good first inning Friday. —AP down,” Cano said. “I did my job today and NEW YORK: One rainy day after Game 1 started, Robinson Cano and the New York Yankees slammed their way to a blowout.

Cano hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, rookie Ivan Nova pitched brilliantly into the ninth inning in an unusual relief appearance and New York shook off a 23-hour delay to beat the Detroit Tigers 9-3 Saturday night in their suspended playoff opener.

A day after showers wiped out aces Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia after only 11/2 innings, play resumed in the bottom of the second with two new pitchers on the mound.

No national anthem, all Yankees.

Cano barely missed a homer on his tiebreaking double in the fifth and New York broke it open with a six-run sixth against losing pitcher Doug Fister. Brett Gardner had a two-run single on an 0-2 pitch with two outs to make it 4-1 and, moments later, Cano connected off Al Alburquerque for his fourth grand slam since Aug. 11. “My goal is just to win it all,” Cano said.

hopefully I can continue doing it.” Cano added a run-scoring double in the eighth to tie a club record for RBIs in a postseason game this is New York’s 50th postseason appearance. His seventh career postseason homer was the 11th slam in Yankees postseason history and the first since Ricky Ledee connected in the 1999 AL championship series against Boston.

Rather than bring in left-hander Daniel Schlereth to face Cano in the sixth, Tigers manager Jim Leyland went with Alburquerque, a righty.

“To me, that’s one for everyone else to second-guess. To me that was a no-brainer,” Leyland said. “Left-handers are hitting .177 off Alburquerque, .200 off Schlereth. Cano is .320 off of left-handers, .295 off righties.

Alburquerque has had a tremendous ratio of swings and misses. He had only faced him one time; he had struck him out.” Derek Jeter threw out a runner at the plate to keep the score tied and bounced a fortunate single

Watney inches closer to third victory this year LAS VEGAS: Nick Watney put himself in a good position to become the PGA Tour’s first three-time champion this year by surging into a tie for the lead in Saturday’s third round at the Las Vegas Open.

The American world number 11, the highest-ranked player in the field, fired a sizzling seven-under-par 64 to end another sunny day of low scoring in the Nevada desert at 17-under 196. Long-hitting Watney birdied five of the last six holes at the TPC Summerlin to finish level with South Koreaborn American Kevin Na, who carded a 66.

The pacesetting duo held a one-stroke advantage over Robert Garrigus, who racked up nine birdies and a lone bogey on the way to a 63, and fellow American Kris Blanks (66).

“As far as tomorrow goes, I’m just going to try and keep doing the same thing, give myself a lot of chances and hopefully roll some in,” Watney told reporters.

“A third win ... it would be really, really

nice but it’s a long way off, so I’m not trying to think about that too much.” Watney, who clinched the PGA Tour’s elite WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral and the AT&T National earlier this season, began the third round two strokes off the lead.

After reaching the turn in two-under 33, he upped the tempo with birdies at 13, 14, 16, 17 and the par-four last to charge to the top of the leaderboard.

“I’m trying to keep it really simple,” said the 30-year-old Las Vegas resident. “I’ve driven the ball pretty well and I’ve hit quite a bit of greens.

“That’s what you need to do out here is give yourself as many chances as possible.

I’ve been able to do that so far, and that’s the game plan for tomorrow.” Six players were tied for the lead early on in Saturday’s third round-Na, Watney, Blanks, Bryce Molder, Paul Goydos and Jhonattan Vegas - before Na initially took control. — Reuters

LAS VEGAS: Nick Watney hits a tee shot on the second hole during the first round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open golf tournament. —AP

ARLINGTON: Texas Rangers’ Mitch Moreland (18) watches his eighth inning home run against the Tampa Bay Rays at Game 2 of baseball’s American League division series playoffs. —AP

Rangers roll over Rays ARLINGTON: Mike Napoli kept fouling off pitches while Texas Rangers fans chanted his name. “It was pretty loud, too, and when I heard it, I was like you guys can’t do this to me right now in this situation,” Napoli said. He came through anyway.

Napoli’s tying two-run single in a fiverun fourth inning against suddenly wild Tampa Bay starter James Shields sent the crowd into a real frenzy. It also propelled the Rangers to an 8-6 win Saturday night over the Rays to even the AL division series at a game apiece.

The defending American League champion Rangers had just gotten their first run of the series when Shields hit his second batter of the inning, a fastball near the left knee of Adrian Beltre that forced in a run.

When Shields threw three consecutive balls to Napoli, the chants of “Nap-o-li!, Nap-o-li!” began and only grew louder with each swing. Napoli swung and missed at two pitches, then fouled off three consecutive.

“The whole stadium is chanting his last name, and I get the chills,” teammate Ian Kinsler said. “I don’t know how he is up there staying focused. ... He kept battling and battling.”

Finally on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, Napoli ripped a liner to left that tied the game at 3. Manager Ron Washington pumped both fists with a shout, team president Nolan Ryan clapped in the front row nearby and those chants turned to earsplitting cheers from a towel-waving crowd of 51,351. “That hit turned the switch on,” Elvis Andrus said.

Then Shields really got wild, throwing two wild pitches while David Murphy was at the plate. Murphy fell behind 0-2, though he worked back to a full count with a couple of foul balls and a wild pitch that allowed Beltre and Napoli to move up a base.

Next came a pitch that Murphy swung at and missed, but the ball hit in the dirt and ricocheted away from catcher Kelly Shoppach, allowing Beltre to score for a 4-3 lead. Napoli came home on Mitch Moreland’s grounder.

“I thought he had some really good stuff. He had nice tempo and rhythm about him, and all of a sudden a couple of hit batters. That’s real unusual,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He was composed, he was fine. He just hit a couple of guys.

He was just trying to make an even better pitch and that’s what got him in trouble right there.”

The home team finally won a postseason game between the Rangers and Rays. Game 3 in the best-of-five series is today in Tampa. Colby Lewis pitches for the Rangers against David Price.

Texas finally got on the scoreboard in this series after being held to two hits in the opener by 22-year-old rookie lefthander Matt Moore and two 20-something relievers in Tampa Bay’s first-ever postseason shutout. “It was very satisfying because Tampa has some great pitching over there, and pitching usually settles down a great offense,” Washington said. “But we kept grinding and kept grinding, and, you know, I think

we got our confidence back.”

Texas was trailing 3-0 when Andrus was hit by a breaking pitch leading off the fourth. Josh Hamilton then singled between the shortstop and the second baseman, both positioned on the right side of the infield against the slugger.

Michael Young’s sharp single to left loaded the bases before Beltre got hit by the pitch.

“I felt really good out there today,” Shields said. “My (velocity) was up there.

My first three innings, I was really feeling my delivery. I hit Andrus and things really started rolling there for me. I made some bad pitches and they capitalized.”

Napoli and Cruz had consecutive singles to start the sixth and chase Shields.

Kinsler sent both of them home with a double to make it 7-3. Moreland added a towering one-out homer in the eighth for the Rangers, their first long ball of the postseason and his first at home since June 21.

The double by Kinsler and home run

by Moreland wound up being huge in the rematch of last year’s AL division series, when the visiting team won every game in the five-game series — the only time that has ever happened in the majors. Texas was 0-7 all-time in ALDS games at home, including four to the New York Yankees over three series in the 1990s, until now.

Two trades in a matter of five days last winter sent Napoli to Texas. The catcherfirst baseman played the first five seasons of his career with the AL West rival Los Angeles Angels, before he was traded last winter to Toronto and then dealt only four days after that to the Rangers.

He set career highs by hitting .320 with 30 homers and 75 RBIs. Fans were chanting Napoli’s name again in the fifth when he threw out B.J. Upton trying to steal third base.

Derek Holland, the Rangers’ left-hander who had gone 10-1 over his last 15 starts in the regular season, overcame a bases-loaded walk in the first inning and a two-out, two-run homer in the fourth after his throwing error extended the inning.

Shields allowed seven runs in five-plus innings. The big right-hander had thrown eight scoreless innings at Texas on Aug. 31, then allowed only one run in a complete game victory against the Rangers five days later at Tropicana Field. He had hit only five batters and thrown four wild pitches over 249 1-3 innings in his 33 regular-season starts before that horrible inning in the playoffs.

Tampa Bay had a 1-0 lead after Shoppach, a .176 hitter in the regular season who homered twice in the opener, drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the first. That came right after 38year-old Johnny Damon reached on his second infield hit of the series. That lone run looked liked it might be plenty for Shields the way he was throwing early.

He had three consecutive strikeouts against Beltre, Napoli and Cruz when all the sluggers swung at pitches that darted down close to the plate — for the last two outs of the second, and to start the third.— AP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

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Power wins pole in Kentucky Speedway SPARTA: IndyCar series leader Will Power took pole position Saturday for the race at Kentucky Speedway, showing he has overcome the weaknesses that cost him the championship last year: a lack of experience on ovals and in dealing with the pressures of a title race.

Power will start from pole in Sunday’s race after posting a lap at 219.283 mph to beat Graham Rahal’s lap of 218.348. James Hinchcliffe qualified third at 218.186. The qualifying effort Saturday earned Power a valuable point in the championship race on a day when Franchitti and Scott Dixon struggled in qualifying.

“If the championship comes down to one point, then this will prove to be very beneficial,” Power said. “This puts you in a good position to run well all day, not get stuck in the back of the pack. If you have a good car, which I’m sure the Ganassi guys have, they’ll work their way up all day and be right there at the end.”

Franchitti, who trails Power by 12 points with

two races left to decide the title, had to change his engine Saturday and qualified 11th. His Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dixon was seventh.

“Pretty upset with the qualifying. That’s not what we need to be doing,” Franchitti said. “We know we can rebound. We have a good race car.

It’s good in traffic. After a number of laps, it’s very consistent.” Dixon said finding speed has been an issue for his car.

“That’s been the most difficult part,” he said.

“Car balance-wise and feel of it, feels pretty good, but straight-out speed by itself is maybe not the best. Where we qualified is not where we want to be, but we’ll do our best to have a comeback and try to get back to the front of the field.

“Need to try to get around Will so he doesn’t get the most laps led.” Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon qualified 28th in the 29-car field in his warm-up for his bid to win $5 million in the Oct. 16 season finale at Las Vegas.

Wheldon replaced Alex Tagliani in the Sam

Schmidt Motorsports entry earlier this week to get some track time in before the GoDaddy Challenge at Las Vegas. Should Wheldon, who has 14 career victories on ovals, win at Vegas he and his team will split the $5 million prize with a fan yet to be chosen.

It’s a sideshow, though, to the three-driver championship race. Power presently has the advantage, and his pole Saturday was his seriesleading eighth of the season. It was also the 24th of his career- but it’s only the second pole he’s won on an oval. The first was at Iowa in 2010.

“We try to get the best car combination that we have, find the best chassis, the lightest chassis, all those little details that matter,” the Penske Racing driver said. “We just try to do everything to win the championship. We’ve lost the championship in ‘09 and ‘10, two years in a row to Ganassi. The whole team as a group are very determined to not let that happen again.

“We’re doing everything we can. I’m doing

everything I can. We really want to get a championship.” With that comes a laid-back approach to dealing with the pressures of a championship race. Franchitti is a three-time champion, Dixon has two titles, and the two have combined to win the last four championships.

“No pressure, I finished second last year and it was very disappointing to me but I definitely learned from it,” Power said. “I understand how you need to be mentally throughout the season, that’s what I’ve applied this year. Good focus, focus on what I need to be focused on.”

But racing on ovals has also helped Power in comfort and experience. “There’s two things that were bad for me, oval experience, a lack of that and maybe not being in a championship situation before, those two things hurt me the most,” Power said. “Now, the mileage on ovals, that’s the one thing that’s really helped me. I feel more comfortable now, I’ve been here three times now and I just feel much better.” —AP

Hornaday picks up 50th career Trucks Series win

LONDON: Iran’s Hossein Tajik (right) lands a kick on his way to a 5-1 win over Holland’s Ferry Greevink during the British Open Taekwondo Championships. —AP

Secret to winning taekwondo? Try not to get kicked MANCHESTER: For the Iranian competitors, simplicity rules. Whereas for the Taiwanese, it’s grace and accuracy. But for the Europeans, it’s strength and speed.

At this weekend’s British Open in Manchester, regional interpretations of Korea’s oldest martial art are clashing in one of the key taekwondo competitions before the London 2012 Olympics.

The Iranian team boasts three world champions and has top fighters in nearly every category. On Saturday, Iranians won two golds and three silvers. Their sparring success was based largely on taekwondo basics - sharp and quick roundhouse kicks delivered with devastating power. Unlike many taekwondo teams - who have focused on spinning or turning kicks to the head that score more points - the Iranian squad often concentrates on the sport’s most basic kick, worth only one point. Iranian fighters spend much of their matches avoiding getting kicked by swaying out of range, but once they move in to counterattack they often score a solid hit.

“The point is to win the match,” said Yousef Karami, a former world champion and winner of the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Karami, who is coaching his compatriots in Manchester, said the high spinning kicks that score four points are often too risky and hard to disguise, since fighters are immediately vulnerable to a counterattack if they don’t land the kick. “This is not a demonstration,” he said. “When you kick, you

want to make sure you score a point.” The low-risk but reliable roundhouse kicks aimed at the body are a much better bet, Karami said.

The Taiwanese team, however, is known for their great flexibility and fluid movements. Many Asian fighters spend considerable time stretching. That clearly comes with major sparring benefits for their fighters, who often launch attacks with a swooping ax kick that must be accurate enough to land on the opponent’s face to score.

In Europe, players work predominantly on their strength and speed. “We focus on our fighters firing off a lot of combination kicks,” said Joseph Salim, one of the British national team coaches. “So if they attack with five or six kicks, hopefully a few of them will land and score points.”

Hasanein Khafaji, a fighter on the Iraq national team, said he has noticed regional variations among taekwondo competitors from around the world and that he adapts his fight strategy in the ring accordingly. “With the Chinese fighters, you know they’re flexible enough to kick high even when they’re very close,” he said. “But with the Iranians, they’re not going to raise their legs until there’s a 99 percent chance of scoring a point.”

In Manchester, however, unorthodox strategies also proved successful. In the men’s 58 kilogram division, Germany’s Levent Tuncat employed a flashy style of near-continuous spinning and jumping kicks that occasionally drew gasps from the spectators on Saturday. —AP

Sheikh Nawaf Shooting tournament

By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: HH The Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf AlAhmad Tournament will start on Thursday Oct 6, 2011, marking the start of the new shooting sport season in Kuwait. Competitions will be in the skeet, trap, double trap, 10m, Air rifle and pistol, 50 meter free pistol for men and 25m for women as well as Olympic archery.

President of Kuwait and Asian Shooting Federations and Vice President of ISSF Sheikh Salman Sabah AlSalem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah expressed his pleasure as the new season will start with a distinguished tournament.

He said “HH The Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al- Sheikh Salman hands a trophy to a winner in this Ahmad has extended great file photo contribution to the sport of shooting ever since it started in Kuwait, and he gave it tremendous port, and lauded the Higher Organizing moral and material support, as a sport of Committee for its efforts to ensure the Arab heritage, adding that his sponsor- success as usual. Sheikh Salman invited ship gives shooters great motivations to the public to attend the tournament participate strongly and compete for top activities and show their support to the prizes. Sheikh Salman thanked His shooters. The tournament will end on Highness the Crown Prince for his sup- Saturday Oct 8, 2011.

SPARTA: Ron Hornaday picked up his 50th victory in the Trucks Series with a Saturday night win at Kentucky Speedway.

Hornaday held off Austin Dillon over the final 10 laps to take Kevin Harvick Inc. to Victory Lane for the third time this season. He beat Dillon by 0.438 seconds to the finish line.

“Unbelievable,” said Hornaday. “This one will mean a lot when I hang my helmet up and sit out on the porch with my grandkids.

Fifty wins.”

Hornaday, a four-time series champion, is the winningest driver in Trucks Series history and the only active driver who ran the inaugural Trucks Series race at Phoenix in 1995.

His first win in the series came two months later at Tucson.

The 53-year-old driver has won races on 30 tracks, is the series’ all-time short track winner with 22 wins and also won three races on road courses. His best season was 1997, when he won seven times, but Hornaday has won six or more races in five different seasons. His championships were in 1996 and 1998 with Dale Earnhardt Inc., and in 2007 and 2009 with KHI. “Ron has been the heart and soul of the Truck series,” said owner Harvick, who fielded the truck in 24 of Hornaday’s wins. “Fifty wins is just one more incredible achievement in a career that I’m sure will one day land him in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.”

But Hornaday is looking for a job next season: Kevin and Delana Har vick said last month they are closing the team at the end of the year. So to hold off Dillon, whom Hornaday called “the up-and-comer” of the series, made Hornaday “I kind of needed that right now. A little boost,” Hornaday said. “You talk to people and they all want you to bring money (sponsors), and I’ve never done that. They know I ain’t got $3 million bucks, so my phone ain’t ringing. There’s some kids out there bringing money, and that’s the way the sport is going.”

Dillon finished second and picked up

SPARTA: Brendan Gaughan (62) passes by as Miguel Paludo (7) and Parker Kligerman (29) crash into each other in the fourth turn of the NASCAR Trucks Series auto race. — AP

another point over James Buescher in the series standings. Buescher, who finished third, trails Dillon by three points with five races remaining.

“It’s going to be close,” Dillon said. “I feel like we’re hitting our stride here at the end. I feel like I am very confident in winning this championship and I want to go to the next five races and do what I have to do to get it done.”

Next up on the schedule is Las Vegas, where Dillon won last year and Buescher finished third. “It’s going to be a long five races,” Buescher said. “The points battle will probably stay tight for the rest of the year.” Nelson Piquet Jr. was fourth to give KHI two trucks in the top four. Both Hornaday and Piquet are looking for jobs for next year. Hornaday joked he’s looking for a job and wants to take crew chief Bruce Cook with him. “I need three friends and all they need is $1 million apiece,” he said. Cook was thrilled to be par t of

Hornaday’s victory. “To be able to crew chief him for the win is awesome for me,” Cook said. “It brings me back to my driving days ... when I looked up to him as a hero.”

Brian Ickler finished fifth and was followed

by Ricky Carmichael, Todd Bodine, Cole Whitt, Dakoda Armstrong and David Starr.

Dillon’s younger brother, Ty, made his series debut and finished 18th after running out of fuel during the race. But Austin Dillon praised the 19-year-old’s performance.

“It was fun seeing him up there running, I think he learned a ton,” Dillon said. “He was good enough to run in the top 10, and he ran in the top-five for a long time. Ver y impressed. He also helped me in lapped traffic, so that was nice of him, and he raced me clean. “He’s going to be one to beat, he’ll probably have a shot at the championship next year and rookie of the year, for sure.”

There were a record 15 lead changes between 11 drivers. —AP

No NBA agreement after day of salary cap talks NEW YORK: With a month until the NBA season, players and owners don’t sound much closer to a labor deal than they did when the lockout began.

They’re so far apart on money they decided to leave it alone Saturday and focused mainly on the salary cap. They couldn’t solve that one, either. “I wouldn’t say there was any progress.

What happened was, they put some concepts up, we put some concepts up, and we’re still miles apart,” union executive director Billy Hunter said. “There’s a huge bridge, gap, that I don’t know if we’re going to be able to close it or not.”

The sides will meet again today - the day training camps were to have begun - though time is getting short to save the start of the regular season, scheduled for Nov. 1. Neither side sounds optimistic.

In a seven-hour bargaining session, their longest since the lockout began July 1, the sides talked about one of the two major issues that divides them. Owners want a hard cap, or at least want a number of changes to the current soft cap system, which the players prefer to keep largely intact.

The sides didn’t even attempt to deal with the division of revenues, the other big obstacle to a labor agreement that would end the lockout.

Commissioner David Stern said he had nothing to announce in terms of cancellations. But the remainder of the preseason schedule is in jeopardy - some games already have been canceled.

Regular-season games could now be threatened, too. “Our desire would be to not cancel, and we had been hopeful that this weekend would be a broader marker, but for reasons which we understand, the players suggested that we resume on Monday, and we said ‘fine,’” Stern said. Stern did indicate some level of progress, saying: “We’re not near anything, but wherever that is, we’re closer than we were before.” The sides will meet in small groups, then bring large groups back for another meeting tomorrow. Hunter again said owners haven’t moved off their proposal to trim the players’ guarantee of basketball-related income to 46 percent, down from the 57 percent they were guaranteed in the previous collective

NEW YORK: Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony attends a news conference after a meeting between the NBA Players Association and owners to discuss a new labor deal and possibly avert a lockout. —AP

bargaining agreement.

With the gulf so wide on money, Hunter suggested they separate the issues and attack one at a time. They started with the cap, where the league has transitioned from a desire for a hard cap to a proposal that would make the luxury tax more severe for the highest-spending teams.

Union officials fear that would act like a hard cap by scaring teams into spending less to avoid a harsh penalty. Stern, Hunter and Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver all said they felt some good came of going at the cap issue first. But they couldn’t resolve it, and it leaves another problem on the horizon largely untouched.

“I can’t necessarily characterize things as we made progress and that I’m somehow more optimistic than I was yesterday,” union president Derek Fisher of the Lakers said. “The reality is we still have an extremely long way to go. Even with the exchanges that we made today, there’s still huge gaps in what we’ve proposed compared to what they’ve proposed, and then obviously we still have the economics that are just kind of sit-

ting out there waiting for us to tackle. So there’s a lot of work left to be done, but we’ll keep at this.” Fisher said the players basically gave the owners a list of things they wanted kept in the next cap, likely things such as the midlevel and Larry Bird exceptions that allow teams to exceed the cap. However, the league is looking for ways to keep costs down for owners, and those items are easy targets. Stern also confirmed he and Miami All-Star Dwyane Wade had a “heated exchange of some kind” during Friday’s meeting.

Most of the star players had left by Saturday, but Stern and Silver said they were pleased by the number of players who did show up, singling out Boston’s Paul Pierce as one who said some meaningful things. Hunter said he assumed it would be possible to save the entire season if the sides agreed to a deal by the middle of next week. But that will be difficult, given it could take as much as month between an agreement being reached and the time games could be played, so that free agency and exhibition games can first take place. —AP

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Li Na humiliated in front of Beijing fans

BANGKOK: Andy Murray of Britain holds his trophy after winning over Donald Young of the US, at the Thailand Open tennis tournament. —AP

Murray thumps Young to win Thailand Open BANGKOK: World number four Andy Murray lost just two games as he breezed past American Donald Young in 48 minutes yesterday to win the Thailand Open in Bangkok.

The top seed won 6-2 6-0 against the 55th ranked Young who was outclassed in his first Tour final. Murray converted all five break points against his unseeded opponent to claim his third title of the

year. The 24-year-old Scot raced into a 4-0 in the opening set before Young managed to hold on to a couple of service games to get on to the scoreboard.

It was one-way traffic in the second set as Murray conceded just three points against the 22-year-old Amercian who had caused an upset in the semi-finals against second seed Gael Monfils of France.—Reuters

BEIJING: French Open champion Li Na was humiliated in front of her adoring home fans yesterday, crashing out in the first round of the China Open in straight sets to unheralded Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu.

Li’s 6-4, 6-0 defeat was the second straight first round exit round for the 29-year-old, who made histor y as the first Asian to win a Grand Slam singles title in Paris in June.

World number five Li dropped serve six times against Niculescu, slipping to defeat in just under 90 minutes in front of stunned home fans in the Chinese capital.

“I’ve just lost all confidence now,” said the fourth seed. “I don’t know what I can do. Even winning one point is tough for me.”

“For me it seems like the end of the season right now. I need a long break for the body and the mind,” said the player who is back with her husband as coach after a trial with Dane M ichael Mortensen.

“Hopefully I can start again and prepare for next year,” she said.

Niculescu, ranked a lowly 58th, was playing Li, whose win in Paris catapulted her to superstar status in China, for the first time.

Li, whose best result at the China Open was a semi-final showing last year, also lost in the first round of the US Open against another Romanian, Simona Halep.

Since her Paris success she has won just five matches.

US Open winner Samantha Stosur made sure she didn’t suffer a similar fate, with the sixth-seeded Australian easily defeating Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 6-0.

There was further disappointment for the Chinese fans as Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia ended the hopes of Zhang Shuai 6-0, 6-2 and Kaia Kanepi of Estonia

BEIJING: China’s Li Na returns a ball from Romania’s Monica Niculescu (unseen) during a women’s singles tennis match of the China Open. —AP defeated Zheng Saisai 6-0, 6-3.

French eighth seed Marion Bartoli beat Czech Iveta Benesova 3-6, 6-4, 7-5. Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, seeded 13th, put out qualifier Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 7-5, 6-4, while Germany’s Sabine Lisicki advanced into the second round as Romania’s IrinaCamelia Begu was forced to retire after losing the first set 6-2.

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic of Serbia defeated Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-1, 6-1 and American qualifier Christina McHale put out Ayumi Morita of Japan 6-2, 0-6, 6-3.

“I really enjoy competing here and have so many memories. And I played quite well today, which

I’m ver y pleased with,” said Ivanovic.-AFP Meanwhile, tennis legend Steffi Graf said yesterday she is happy to have shunned the limelight to focus on her career as a mother, 12 years after retiring.

The 42-year-old quit in 1999 having won 22 Grand Slam titles during her career to be one of the most successful tennis players of all time.

She married former tennis star Andre Agassi in 2001 and the couple live in Las Vegas, in the USA, with their children Jaden Gil, nine, and Jaz Elle, eight.

“My job now is primarily to be a mother,” Graf told German daily the Berliner Morgenpost on a rare

visit to the capital to open a tea shop. Graf said she opts for fewer public appearances as they still make her nervous.

“At public appearances, I am often nervous and have butterflies in my stomach,” she said. “I am not used to such appearances any more and I am only rarely at things like this.”

Despite more than a decade away from professional sport, the German admits she has not lost the habit of staying in shape.

“If I have the feeling that I need time for myself, I do sports,” she said. “It still plays an important role in my life. I don’t do it quite so often, but still a couple of times a week.”—AFP

Ireland overwhelm Italy

PARIS: German jockey Andrasch Starke on Danedream, on the way to win the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe horse at Longchamp race track. —AP

Danedream gives Germany the Arc PARIS: Danedream won Europe’s most prestigious horse race the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp yesterday to give Germany only their second win in the race in a record time of 2min 24.49sec.

The three -year-old filly had only been supplemented by trainer Peter Schiergen on Thursday but made light of that, and her odds of 20/1, to come home five lengths clear under Andrasch Starke and emulate wide outsider Star Appeal’s win in 1975.

Danedream’s win also rewarded Japanese owner-breeder Teruya Yoshida’s shrewd decision to buy half of her last week from Gestut Berg Eberstein, who themselves had only shelled out 9,000 euros for her as a twoyear-old.

Peintre Celebre had held the race record of 2min 24.60 since 1997.

Shareta, whose stablemate and favourite Sarafina never threatened and finished seventh, was second at 66/1 while another filly, last year’s Epsom and Irish Oaks winner Snow Fairy, was a fast finishing third at 14/1. It was the first all fillies 1-2-3 since All Along led home Sun Princess and Luth Enchantee in 1983.

“I don’t believe it, she’s the best horse I’ve ever trained,” said Danedream’s trainer Peter Schiergen, who is keen to send her to the Breeders Cup early in November.

He added: “She is a small filly with a big, big heart and there’s no better race to win. This is a really big day for German racing.”

Starke said: “I was just dreaming in the last two furlongs, that was a great performance.” Ed Dunlop, the trainer of Snow Fair y, was delighted with his tough filly’s performance which replicated that of his only previous runner

Ouija Board in 2004.

“It was a marvellous run. I’m really pleased with her and to finish third in the Arc, well that’s great,” said the 43year-old, whose father John, also a trainer, has yet to win an Arc. “I will keep her in training next year, maybe have another go at it but in the immediate future we will take her to Japan.”

Former Australian champion So You Think was given every chance with two of his stablemates Treasure Beach and St Nicholas Abbey hitting the front to set the pace.

His trainer Aidan O’Brien was not willing to give an immediate appraisal of the eight-time Group One winner’s performance immediately afterwards.

“I will have to look at the replay of the race but if the owners are willing I would like to set him towards the Breeders Cup,” he said. So You Think’s jockey Seamus Heffernan said it had been a tough race to judge.

“I wasn’t in a great position coming into the straight, but if there was one thing I might wish to do over again it would be to have got into a better spot in the early part of the race.”

Of the other fancied runners, seventime winning Arc trainer Andre Fabre’s Meandre never looked likely to add to that tally as he was pulling from the off and finished seventh.

H ighly-fancied and well backed Japanese runner Hiruno D’Amour was prominent but stumbled coming into the straight and was then baulked leaving him with no chance and leaving Japan still without a win on the race.

Last year ’s winner Workforce was never in the reckoning, not liking the fast ground and was 12th of the 16-runner field while last year’s runner-up Nakayama Festa was 11th.—AFP

AUCKLAND: Ireland surged irresistibly to a 36-6 win over Italy in the final World Cup group match in Dunedin yesterday to clinch the top spot in Pool C and a quarterfinal against Wales next weekend.

The Irish, roared on by their exuberant supporters under the roof at the Otago Stadium, set the tournament alight with their upset victory over twice World Cup winners and Tri-Nations champions Australia.

Yesterday, a team who lost all four World Cup warmup matches again looked the pick of the northern hemisphere challengers, scoring three unanswered tries including two to left wing Keith Earls on his 24th birthday.

Coach Declan Kidney paid tribute to his side, who had needed at least a draw to top the pool, and to the Irish fans. “Times are tough economically in Ireland and a lot of the people here had to emigrate,” he said.

Ireland’s reward is a quarter-final against the side they beat in Cardiff two years ago to win their first grand slam since 1948.

Wales banished their 2007 World Cup blues - when they lost 38-34 to Fiji - to run in nine tries during a 660 win over the Pacific islanders in Hamilton.

They have grown in confidence as the tournament has progressed, overcoming their 1991 and 1999 conquerors Samoa after losing by only a point to defending champions South Africa.

Argentina were forced to battle hard against a plucky Georgia side in Palmerston North before winning 25-7 thanks to two late tries while the All Blacks predictably overwhelmed Canada 79-15.

DUNEDIN: Ireland’s Paul O’Connell is tackled by an Italian defender during their Rugby World Cup match at Otago Stadium. —AP The quarter-finals divide neatly between the hemispheres with Ireland playing Wales in Wellington on Saturday followed by England versus France in Auckland. On the following day, South Africa play Australia in Wellington while hosts New Zealand meet Argentina in Auckland.

The All Blacks’ victory, which featured four tries to winger Zac Guildford, was overshadowed by the groin injury to their key play-

maker Daniel Carter which has ruled him out of the remainder of the tournament.

His replacement Colin Slade kicked four conversions and a penalty against Canada but had problems with the swirling wind and was replaced at flyhalf in the second half by the versatile Piri Weepu.

Acting captain Andrew Hore reacted with typical Kiwi pragmatism when he said it was up to the

rest of the team to make life easy for whichever player takes over from Carter.

“If we keep building like that we will go a long way to winning this thing,” he said. Another New Zealander, Wales coach Warren Gatland, spoke for the remaining seven nations when he said: “If we do happen to get to the final against the All Blacks we’ll be very happy that Dan Carter’s not playing.”—Reuters

Pedrosa wins in Japan as Stoner kept waiting JAPAN: Casey Stoner’s charge to a second MotoGP title was held up as he survived a scare to finish third in a crash-filled Japanese Grand Prix behind Spanish duo Dani Pedrosa and world champion Jorge Lorenzo yesterday.

Honda’s Pedrosa rode a superb race, untroubled by the chaos around him, with seven-times world champion Valentino Rossi crashing off on turn two in the first of several hair-raising spills in overcast conditions at Motegi’s Twin Ring circuit.

There were also three drivethrough penalties dished out and the rare sight of a Suzuki battling for a podium finish, while Lorenzo

was left to rue a chance to close the gap on Stoner by more than four points.

“I had one of my worst starts of the year and then Valentino almost took me off at the second corner,” Lorenzo told reporters.

“I still thought I could win the race and I pushed to the max but Dani was really inspired today.

When you look at all the positions though, second place is good.”

Australian Stoner, who started on pole for a record 10th time in the MotoGP four-stroke era, powered away from the grid and looked untouchable until a frontwheel wobble and brake failure while hur tling into a corner at

180kph caused him to run into the gravel on lap four.

The 2007 world champion reemerged in seventh place and tore his way back through the field to earn a podium finish, leaving him 40 points clear of Yamaha’s Lorenzo with three races remaining this season. The next race will be Stoner’s home grand prix at Phillip Island on Oct. 16.

“We were confident, the bike felt good,” said Stoner, who had won four of the previous five races. “ Then I hit a bump and it shook my hands off the handle.

When I pinched the brakes there was nothing there. I’m a little bit disappointed by I’m happy how I

pulled it back.”

Pedrosa clocked a time of 42 minutes, 47.481 seconds over the 24 laps, taking the chequered flag more than seven seconds ahead of Lorenzo with Stoner well back.

“It was a bit weird in the beginning,” said Pedrosa. “Casey made a mistake so I had a free way. Jorge was pushing hard but I’m happy to get my first win here in MotoGP-and for Honda.”

Suzuki, without a podium since 2008, were third until a fired-up Stoner passed Alvaro Bautista at the halfway point, the Spaniard skidding across the tarmac and out of the race in spectacular fashion soon afterwards.—Reuters

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A&M let one slip away, Louisiana dump Kentucky ARLINGTON: Texas A&M blew a big lead for the second straight game, losing 42-38 to Arkansas on Saturday in college football.

Tyler Wilson and Jarius Wright shattered school records for passing and receiving. Quarterback Wilson was 30 of 51 for 510 passing yards and also ran for a 2point conversion that tied the game 35-35. Wright caught 13 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns.

Broderick Green ran 3 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:41 left as the No.18-ranked Razorbacks came from 18 points down to win and give Texas A&M a preview of what it can expect when it joins the Southeast Conference next season.

This makes two straight weeks the No.14-ranked Aggies have thrown away a huge halftime lead. They were up by 17 at home against Oklahoma State last week.

the way, and Alabama rolled in an early season matchup of Southeastern Conference heavyweights.

Richardson finished with his fourth consecutive 100-yard game, and the latest one should solidify his position as one the Heisman Trophy front-runners.

With Richardson leading the way, the Crimson Tide (5-0, 2-0 SEC) extended its recent dominance in the series. Alabama has outscored the Gators (4-1, 2-1) 101-29 in three wins in as many seasons.

Florida struck first, getting a 65-yard touchdown pass from John Brantley to Andre Debose. It was one of few highlights for the Gators, who lost Brantley to a right leg injury late in the second quarter.

Boise State 30, Nevada 10 In Boise, Idaho, Doug Martin ran for two touchdowns and

welcome to the Big Ten. Montee Ball ran for 151 yards and four touchdowns for the Badgers (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten). But Wilson was the main attraction for a prime-time television audience as Wisconsin overcame a slow start to solidify its status as the class of the conference. Wilson was 14 for 20 for 255 yards.

Taylor Martinez threw three interceptions for the Huskers (4-1, 0-1), who showed they weren’t quite ready for the best of the Big Ten. Auburn 16, South Carolina 13 In Columbia, South Carolina, Barrett Trotter threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Lutzenkirchen with 1:38 left to lift Auburn over South Carolina.

The Tigers had struggled to move the ball against South Carolina’s defense. Trotter had thrown two interceptions and was sacked four times by the

Robinson was 15 of 19 for 169 yards and didn’t throw an interception for the first time since the season opener and had a seasonlow six rushing attempts for 51 yards. He was taken out in the third quarter. Vincent Smith scored on a run, pass and catch to help Michigan lead 38-0 at halftime.

S Methodist 40, Texas Christian 33 In Fort Worth, Texas, J.J. McDermott threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Johnson in overtime to complete SMU’s comeback and an upset win over TCU. SMU coughed up a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter before McDermott hit Johnson on a deep out route in the end zone for his fourth scoring pass of the game. The loss ended a schoolrecord 22-game home winning streak for the Horned Frogs.

Georgia Tech 45, N Carolina State 35 In Raleigh, North Carolina, Orwin Smith rushed for three touchdowns as Georgia Tech beat North Carolina and extended its best start in more than 20 years.

Smith finished with 74 yards and scored on runs of 13, 9 and 3 yards to help the Yellow Jackets open with five wins for the first time since their national championship season in 1990.

Georgia Tech led 21-0, briefly allowed N.C. State to make a game of it in the third quarter and pulled away with three touchdowns in a 2-minute, 22second span of the fourth.

TUSCALOOSA: Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson (8) tries to scramble away from Alabama defensive lineman Jesse Williams (54) during the second half of an NCAA college football game. —AP Louisiana State 35, Kentucky 7 In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jordan Jefferson scored on his first play back from suspension related to a bar fight, setting up Louisiana State’s win over Kentucky.

Jefferson was brought into the game on an early fourth-and-goal and dived over the goal line to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead.

Cornerback Tyrann Mathieu scored after setting an LSU record for career forced fumbles.

No. 2 Oklahoma 62, Ball State 6 In Norman, Oklahoma, Landry Jones threw for 425 yards and five touchdowns, Tony Jefferson fueled a second-quarter scoring surge with three interceptions and Oklahoma geared up for Texas.

Jones had touchdown passes of 64 yards to Ryan Broyles and 56 yards to Jaz Reynolds a minute apart in the third quarter for the Sooners (4-0).

Ball State (3-2) didn’t stand much of a chance after recovering an onside kick to open the game, then going three-and-out.

Jefferson stopped three straight Cardinal drives with picks midway through the second quarter.

Alabama 38, No. 12 Florida 10 In Gainesville, Florida, Trent Richardson ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns, breaking tackles and carrying defenders along

Boise State’s suffocating defense shut down Nevada’s potent offense.

Boise State’s defense dominated throughout the game and prevented the Wolf Pack from crossing midfield until midway through the third quarter.

Martin rushed for 126 yards on 21 carries, and his 43-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter put the Broncos up 27-0. His best game of the season helped offset a lackluster performance

by Kellen Moore and the rest of the Boise State offense.

Stanford 45, UCLA 19 At Stanford, California, Andrew Luck threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns keeping Stanford perfect with a victory over UCLA. Luck completed 23 of 27 passes and had the Cardinal (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12) in cruise control to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 12 games.

Stepfan Taylor ran for 112 yards and two scores and Coby Fleener caught two touchdown passes in front of a rare sellout crowd of 50,360 at Stanford Stadium.

Richard Brehaut had 202 yards passing and tossed two touchdown passes to Joseph Fauria for the Bruins (2-2, 1-1).

Wisconsin 48, No. 8 Nebraska 17 At Madison, Wisconsin, Russell Wilson gave Nebraska a harsh

Gamecocks. But down 13-9, Barrett led Auburn on a 12-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a pass to wide open Lutzenkirchen in front of the goal line.

The junior fumbled the ball into the end zone, then recovered it just before sliding out of bounds to put Auburn ahead.

South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia threw two interceptions.

Texas 37, Iowa State 14 At Ames, Iowa, Freshman David Ash threw for 145 yards and his first two career touchdown passes and Texas won its Big 12 opener.

Jaxon Shipley added 141 yards receiving and a TD for the Longhorns (4-0, 1-0 Big 12), who raced out to a 34-0 halftime lead to beat the previously-unbeaten Cyclones (3-1, 0-1).

Ash threw a 48-yard TD pass to Mike Davis and a 40-yard touchdown to Shipley, and Josh Turner took a blocked punt back 34 yards to help Texas blow the game open in the second quarter.

Steele Jantz was 28 of 51 passing for 251 yards and a late TD pass for Iowa State.

Michigan 58, Minnesota 0 In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Denard Robinson threw two touchdown passes and ran for a TD to lead Michigan to its most lopsided win since 2000.

West Virginia 55, Bowling Green 10 In Morgantown, West Virginia, freshman Dustin Garrison rushed for 291 yards and two touchdowns to lead West Virginia over Bowling Green.

West Virginia’s Geno Smith continued his solid season by throwing for three scores, but for the first time, the Mountaineers didn’t need to rely on his arm.

Having entered the game as one of the worst rushing teams, West Virginia compiled 360 yards rushing.

It’s very important for the championship but now I must do two good rallies.” Loeb, chasing an eighth world title, was forced out of this 11th leg of the season after his Citroen suffered engine problems on Friday.

The Alsacian has 196 points overall with Ogier and Hirvonen both on 193. Ogier, who comes from Gap in southern France, won 10 special stages and gained a bonus point by finishing third in the event closing Power Stage which was won by Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala.

It was his first win on home soil and his fifth this season after Portugal, Jordan, Greece and Germany. Ogier also won in Portugal and Japan last year on his way to fourth place in the overall world championship series. Mini are back competing in the world rally championship after a lengthy absence.

“Two rallies on tarmac and two podiums is amazing and feels like a victory,” Sordo, Loeb’s former Citroen teammate, who has finished on the podium 30 times, told WRC.com. “It’s an incredible result, very nice and in the end I am very happy.” —AFP

Hernandez stops Cunningham GERMANY: Yoan Pablo Hernandez of Cuba defeated champion Steve Cunningham on a controversial split technical decision after six rounds Saturday to take the American’s IBF cruiserweight title.

Referee Mickey Vann stopped the bout because of two cuts sustained by the Cuban after the fighters twice clashed heads in earlier rounds.

Two judges scored it 58-55 and 59-54 for Hernandez while another had it 57-56 for Cunningham. Ring doctor Walter Wagner said he recommended the fight be stopped.

“The cuts weren’t dangerous but the blood could have run into the eyes and affected his vision. I think the head clashes that the referee felt were accidental weren’t entirely accidental. You can have different opinions there. Hernandez was at a disadvantage from the cuts, so I gave the recommendation,” Wagner said.

“I was ready for 12 rounds,” Hernandez said. “I led from the beginning. They were hard head clashes and head clashes are always harder than punches. I’ll have to get stitches but then I’ll treat myself to a cigar.”

Cunningham immediately called for a rematch, saying he was “set up” and that he was still the best cruiserweight in the world.

The American was making his second title defense in his second reign as IBF champion, having lost the belt to Poland’s Tomasz Adamek in 2008 before reclaiming

it from Troy Ross of Canada in June 2010.

Hernandez, based in Germany the last six years, improved to 25-1 with 13 knockouts. The 35-year-old Cunningham was knocked down in the first round but got back up. His record now is 24-3 with 12 knockouts.

A technical decision happens when a fight must be stopped because of an unintentional head butt. In such cases, the referee has the option of sending the bout to the judges.

Hernandez sent Cunningham to the canvas in the first round with a left blow behind the ear. The Philadelphia native stumbled as he got up but was allowed to continue by Vann and just managed to see out the round.

“The referee counted too slowly after the knockdown. That would have been it already,” Hernandez’s coach Ulli Wegner said.

Cunningham kept his southpaw opponent at bay in the second, and recovered confidence in the third when the Cuban began bleeding profusely after the first clash of heads.

Hernandez suffered another cut above his right eye as Cunningham’s confidence grew as he gained control in the remaining rounds but - although more cautious - the Cuban did not seem overly affected before Vann stepped in and asked the judges to decide.

“Pablo was clearly in the lead. He’s a deserved world champion,” Wegner said. —AP

Illinois 38, Northwestern 35 In Champaign, Illinois, quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase scored a 1-yard touchdown with 13 seconds left to lead Illinois to a comeback win over Northwestern.

He threw for a career-high 391 yards and three touchdowns for the Illini. All three TD passes went to A.J. Jenkins, who had 12 catches for a school-record 268 yards.

Scheelhaase had to engineer two comebacks to pull out the win over the Wildcats.

Arizona St. 35, Oregon St. 20 At Tempe, Arizona, Cameron Marshall claimed two touchdowns in the second half and No. 25 Arizona State overcame four turnovers to keep Oregon State winless.

Brock Osweiler threw both of his touchdown passes after a shaky start and Jamal Miles had Arizona State’s first punt return for a touchdown since 2005 to put the Sun Devils (4-1, 2-0 Pac12) up by eight at halftime, after trailing 13-0 early.

Oregon State (0-4, 0-2) pulled within one on James Rodgers’ 5yard touchdown reception before fading, unable to tackle Marshall on touchdown runs of 37 and 8 yards. —AP

Ogier bags Rally of France HAGANEAU: Sebastien Ogier, at the wheel of a Citroen DS3, rekindled his bid for a first world championship title by winning the Rally of France at home yesterday.

Overnight leader Ogier finished six seconds ahead of Spaniard Dani Sordo in a Mini Cooper with Norway’s Petter Solberg third, over a minute off the pace in another Citroen DS3.

The 27-year-old French driver claimed his seventh rally victory and closes the gap to just three points on overall leader Sebastien Loeb, who hails from Haganeau, with just two races left this season in Spain and Great Britain.

Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen, who finished fourth in a Ford Focus, is equal on points with Ogier to make it a three-way battle for the title.

“It was a very long weekend with a lot of pressure,” said Ogier. “Dani and Petter made life difficult for me, it was hard to take the rally lead and hold it. I feel relieved and happy to have managed this race well without taking too many risks.” He added: “It’s a very good feeling.

It was difficult at the end because there was a lot of pressure after the problem for Seb (Loeb).

GERMANY: Cuba’s Yoan Pablo Hernandez (left) connects with United States’ Steve Cunningham during their IBF cruiserweight world title bout in Neubrandenburg. —AP

FRANCE: Citroen driver Sebastien Ogier of France (right) and Julien Ingrassia of France react while standing on their Citroen DS3 after winning the Rally of France. —AP

LAS VEGAS: Toshiaki Nishioka celebrates after defeating Rafael Marquez by unanimous decision after their WBC super bantamweight title fight at the Marquee Ballroom in the MGM Grand Conference Center. —AP

Nishioka retains WBC title LAS VEGAS: Japan’s Toshiaki Nishioka successfully defended his WBC super bantamweight title, unanimously outpointing Rafael Marquez on Saturday night at the MGM Grand.

Nishioka improved to 39-4-3 in his sixth title defense, receiving winning scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 from the judges. Marquez dropped to 40-7.

“The key was keeping my distance from Marquez,” the 35-year-old Nishioka said through an interpreter. “He had a long jab.

Marquez’s punches extend. His punches are powerful. Not for a second could I rest.”

On the undercard, Ramon Gonzalez retained his WBA light flyweight title by stopping Omar Soto at 36 seconds of the second round. Gonzalez improved to 30-0 with his 25th knockout, flooring Soto (22-9-1) with a left to the chin.

In the fifth round, Nishioka, a left-hander, started landing his most of his punches. He also landed two more in the sixth on the 36-yearold Marquez “As the first time to defend the title in the US, the tension was high,” Nishioka said. “With the support of my gym and the fans of Japan, I put on a good defense.”

In the eighth, Nishioka landed three consecutive punches, backing Marquez against the ropes, and later another to the face. After a brief timeout by referee Kenny Bayless because of a cut on Nishioka’s head due to a head butt, both fighters landed several punches to end the round.

Marquez came out the aggressor in the ninth, but Nishioka rallied late in the session.

Nishioka started strong in the 10th with several lefts.

“We recognize Nishioka won the last three rounds,” Marquez said through an interpreter. “I think I was the winner of the fight. He was catching me with the left. I started adjusting things and came on in the end.

“I love to have a rematch. I keep going forward. I thought I was ahead on points. I don’t see it as a loss. I think I was the winner of the fight.”

In September 2008, Nishioka won the interim title and became undisputed champion when Israel Vazquez vacated his title. In Nishioka’s previous fight, he stopped Mauricio Munoz on April 8. Marquez had the title for five months in 2007, defeating Vazquez, but losing the rematch. —AP

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

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Barca labor to victory

GERMANY: Bremen’s goalie Sebastian Mielitz and Andreas Wolf (left) challenge for the ball with Hannover’s Mohammed Abdellaoue (right) during the German Bundesliga soccer match. —AP

10-man Bremen slip up BERLIN: Bayern Munich remained three points clear at the top of the German league yesterday after 10-man Werder Bremen slumped 3-2 at Hanover.

Hanover’s Norway striker Mohammed Abdellaoue netted a hat-trick in an entertaining game as both sides threw everything into attack.

Second-placed Bremen were reduced to 10 men with 12 minutes left when ex-Inter Milan striker Marko Arnautovic was shown a straight red card for kicking Hanover midfielder Sergio Pinto in the foot. “To get three goals is fantastic,” said hat-trick hero Abdellaoue. “Bremen were very strong in the second half, but eventually we got the three points that we wanted.”

Bremen have 16 points from eight games, three points behind Bayern, and ahead of Borussia Moenchengladbach, who also have 16, on goal difference after they fell 1-0 at Freiburg on Saturday.

Abdellaoue, 25, scored his first goal after just two minutes when he drilled home a penalty and then doubled Hanover’s lead when he converted a perfect cross from ex-Germany striker Jan Schlaudraff on 38 minutes.

Arnautovic made it 2-1 on the stroke of halftime and both sides began the second half by hitting the woodwork - Bremen’s Claudio Pizarro clipped the post, as did Schlaudraff for Hanover, all in the opening five minutes.

Abdellaoue made sure of the win, which lifted his side to fifth, slamming home a shot on 60 minutes when the Bremen defence were caught napping. Pizarro was finally rewarded for a tireless display when he netted with eight minutes left to make it 3-2 to the hosts.

New Schalke boss Huub Stevens enjoyed a 2-1 win at Hamburg, a week after he was in discussions with the north German club to become their coach.

Schalke took the lead through a header from Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on 13 minutes and although Mladen Petric equalised for the hosts on 38 minutes, Huntelaar scored his second 17 minutes from time.

The points move Schalke up to fourth, while Hamburg remain on the bottom. Bayern’s 10match winning streak ended when they were held to a goalless draw at Hoffenheim on Saturday although goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has now gone over 1,018 minutes without conceding a goal.

Bayern’s last defeat in any competition was back on August 7. Moenchengladbach, the only team to beat Bayern this season, suffered their first defeat in four games when they went down at Freiburg on Saturday.

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, who scored a hattrick, and Germany midfielder Mario Goetze ran riot. The three points lift Dortmund up to sixth.

Mainz came back from 2-0 down to seal a 3-3 draw at Nuremberg while teenage striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga scored twice in Hertha Berlin’s 3-0 win over Cologne.—AFP

German League results/standings Hanover 3 (Abdellaoue 2-pen, 38, 60) Werder Bremen 2 (Arnautovic 45+3, Pizarro 83);

Hamburg 1 (Petric 37) Schalke 04 2 (Huntelaar 13, 73)

German League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Bayern Werder Borussia Schalke Hanover Borussia Stuttgart Hoffenheim Leverkusen

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

6 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4

1 1 1 0 3 1 1 1 1

1 2 2 3 1 3 3 3 3

21 16 9 17 11 13 12 12 10

1 10 4 13 10 7 6 7 11

19 16 16 15 15 13 13 13 13

Hertha Nuremberg Cologne Wolfsburg Mainz Freiburg K’lautern Augsburg Hamburg

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

3 3 3 3 2 2 1 0 1

3 2 1 0 2 1 2 4 1

2 3 4 5 4 5 5 4 6

12 9 13 9 12 13 5 6 9

9 10 18 15 18 22 12 16 20

MADRID: Injury-hit Barcelona took over top spot in La Liga yesterday when Adriano scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at Sporting Gijon, the champions’ first away win of the season.

Barcelona have 14 points and lead Levante on goal difference while Malaga and Valencia are a point further back. Real Madrid can move up to third place with victory at Espanyol later yesterday.

After draws against Real Sociedad and Valencia, Barcelona looked to beat bottom of the table Sporting, but they did so with a lengthy injury list.

Cesc Fabregas and Andres Iniesta were among the midfielders in the treatment room while neither Carlos Puyol or Gerard Pique started in defence.

Barca don’t have a good record against Sporting, where they drew last season, but Adriano gave them an 11th-minute lead, knocking in a rebound after a Xavi Hernandez shot came back off a post.

While Barca had almost total control, they struggled to convert it into further goals against a very organised Sporting, whose only shot of note was a Roberto Canella drive which keeper Victor Valdes parried before half-time.

Eric Abidal went off injured after the break to add to Barca’s defensive worries but they never looked likely to concede, while the main danger to the Sporting goal came from a Lionel Messi header which keeper Juan Pablo caught.

Unfashionable Levante are behind Barcelona only on goal difference after a Juanlu Gomez goal gave them a 1-0 win over former leaders Real Betis, their fourth successive victory.

Promoted Betis won their first four games on the trot, but succumbed to their second straight defeat against a Levante side who had the better openings.

Arouna Kone had a couple of excellent chances to score either side of Juanlu’s volley from a Valdo Lopes cross which broke the deadlock after 33 minutes. “ We know which league we are in and although the fans can enjoy our position inside the dressing room we are only thinking that we have taken a step closer to our target,” said Levante coach Juan Ignacio Martinez, whose aim is to avoid relegation.

Betis coach Pepe Mel rued bad luck for the result. “They (Levante) know exactly what they are doing, they are a solid side and very professional and so I can only congratulate them but they have been fortunate today with one shot and one goal,” he said.

Atletico Madrid drew 0-0 with Sevilla in a match between two sides who are expected to be fighting for a Champions League place by the end of the season.

The home side had the better openings but it will be a game remembered more for the number of fouls with the referee issuing eleven yellow cards.

Diego had a shot blocked by keeper Javier Varas and Jose Antonio Reyes missed the target with an excellent chance.

After the break Manu del Moral went close for Sevilla but Varas continued to save Sevilla while Radamel Falcao ballooned the best opportunity over the cross bar from inside the six yard box.

Malaga are a point behind the leaders after a superb overhead kick in injury time from Julio Baptista completed a spectacular turnaround as they beat Getafe 3-2 on Saturday.

The Andalusian side, who are bankrolled by a

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi from Argentina (right) duels for the ball with Sporting de Gijon’s Alberto Rivera during their Spanish La Liga soccer match. —AP

Spanish League results/standings Real Betis 0 Levante 1 (Juanlu 33); Real Sociedad 1 (Martinez 61) Athletic Bilbao 2 (Llorente 34, 70);

Barcelona Levante Malaga Valencia Sevilla Real Betis Real Madrid Atletico Sociedad Mallorca

6 6 6 6 6 6 5 6 6 6

4 4 4 4 3 4 3 2 2 2

2 2 1 1 3 0 1 2 1 1

0 0 1 1 0 2 1 2 3 3

23 8 10 9 6 9 16 8 7 5

4 3 4 6 3 7 5 6 8 7

Stoke 0 SWANSEA: Swansea’s record signing Danny Graham finally started to repay his transfer fee as the striker’s first goal for the club sealed a 2-0 win over Stoke yesterday.

Graham had gone six games without a goal since his £3.5 million transfer from Watford in preseason, but he ended that barren run with a cool finish in the closing stages at the Liberty Stadium.

That was enough to see off Stoke as Scott Sinclair had already opened the scoring for Swansea with a ninth minute penalty.

It was a frustrating day for Stoke, whose five bookings mean they are set for an FA fine. Andy Wilkinson was one of those to see yellow but was fortunate not to have been dismissed for a horrible waist-high tackle on Nathan Dyer.

Swansea got off to the ideal start when Ryan Shawcross fouled Wayne Routledge in the penalty area in the ninth minute and referee Mike Jones had no hesitation in pointing to the spot,

ITALY: Udinese Serbian midfielder Dusan Basta (left) and Bologna Uruguayan midfielder Diego Perez vie for the ball during their Serie A soccer match. —AP

Hearts shock 10-man Celtic EDINBURGH: Hearts put a significant dent in 10-man Celtic’s title challenge as the hosts clinched a surprise 2-0 victory at Tynecastle yesterday. Second-half strikes from Rudi Skacel and Ryan Stevenson saw off Neil Lennon’s side, who had midfielder Kris Commons sent off for a crude challenge on Adrian Mrowiec in between the two goals.

The defeat leaves Celtic languishing in third place 10 points behind leaders Rangers, albeit with one game in hand. Lennon admitted Celtic must show more consistency before they can think about catching Rangers.

“We have a game in hand but we have to win that game and cut it to seven and eat away at it.

But we have to find more consistency in our performances,” he said.

“It is a concern, obviously. We have lost three games already this season and last season we lost four.

“It is a difficult position that I am in but I

understand that position. “The players are going to have to turn it around, and I am going to have to turn it around.

“A few players have to look at themselves and ask if they are doing enough at the minute.

We weren’t clinical enough and that was the biggest disappointment.”

There was pressure on Lennon before the game after champions Rangers beat Hibernian on Saturday, but all eyes were on the Hoops boss for other reasons, the Irishman having being attacked at the touchline the last time the Parkhead side visited Ediburgh in May. As a consequence of that security was beefed up and one fan was ejected from the Hearts section of the ground before the game.

Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov, the Russian-born Lithuanian businessman, was in attendance, two months after his last visit to Tynecastle for a game which signalled the end for previous manager Jim Jefferies.—AFP

14 14 13 13 12 12 10 8 7 7

Osasuna Espanyol Villarreal Vallecano Zaragoza Athletic Getafe Santander Grenade Sporting

6 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

1 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0

4 0 3 3 3 2 1 4 1 1

1 3 2 2 2 3 4 2 4 5

5 5 7 6 7 7 6 4 2 2

12 7 11 10 13 9 10 9 8 10

7 6 6 6 6 5 4 4 4 1

Udinese down Bologna to go top

Graham off the mark as Swansea sink Stoke Swansea 2

Atletico Madrid 0 Sevilla 0; Sporting Gijon 0 Barcelona 1 (Adriano 11).

Spanish League table after yesterday’s evening kick-offs (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

12 11 10 9 8 7 5 4 4

with Sinclair slotting the spot-kick low to Asmir Begovic’s left.

Michel Vorm had little to do in the early stages but the Swansea goalkeeper was alert when called upon as he made a stunning save to deny Jon Walters, tipping the striker’s improvised volley onto the bar and over.

Angel Rangel headed over at the other end after meeting Mark Gower’s corner before Wilkinson was guilty of an awful tackle on Dyer five minutes before the break.

The defender’s challenge was waist high and left the winger on the floor in a heap, but referee Jones somehow deemed it only worthy of a yellow card.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis brought former Birmingham striker Cameron Jerome on for Rory Delap in the second half and the substitute ought to have done better than firing weakly wide after being found by a Walters header. Glenn Whelan exchanged shoves with Ashley Williams and then hit the woodwork with a low free-kick. But Swansea remained a threat on the break and it took an outstanding save from Begovic to deny Sinclair his second after he had cut in from the left and got away a curling effort.

And Graham sealed the hosts’ second win of the season as the striker got a lucky ricochet off Jonathan Woodgate and shot past Begovic.—AFP

Qatari billionaire, moved up to 13 points and clear on goal difference of Valencia who beat Granada 1-0.

Two penalties from Tomer Hemed gave Mallorca, with caretaker coach Miguel Angel Nadal, the uncle of tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, in charge, a 2-2 draw away to Osasuna. Raul Garcia headed both Osasuna’s goals from corners.—AFP

Italian League results/standings Novara 3 (Rigoni 47-pen, Morimoto 65, Jeda 85) Catania 3 (Legrottaglie 14, Lodi 56, Gomez 90); Cesena 0 Chievo 0; Fiorentina 1 (Cerci 8) Lazio 2 (Hernanes 28, Klose 83); Lecce 0 Cagliari 2 (Ribeiro 10, Biondini 40);

Palermo 2 (Migliaccio 19, Hernandez 90pen) Siena 0; Parma 3 (Giovinco 29, 42-pen, Morrone 50) Genoa 1 (Palacio 90-pen); Udinese 2 (Benatia 29, Di Natale 72-pen) Bologna 0.

Italian Serie A table ahead of yesterday’s late match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Udinese Napoli Palermo Cagliari Juventus Roma Lazio Chievo Fiorentina Genoa Catania

5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 5

3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1

2 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 3

0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 2 1

7 9 9 8 7 6 7 6 6 9 5

1 3 6 5 3 4 6 5 4 8 7

11 10 10 10 8 8 8 8 7 7 6

Parma 5 2 0 3 6 10 6 Novara 5 1 2 2 10 10 5 Siena 5 1 2 2 4 4 5 AC Milan 4 1 2 1 5 6 5 Atalanta 5 3 1 1 8 7 4 Inter Milan 5 1 1 3 7 11 4 Lecce 5 1 0 4 3 9 3 Cesena 5 0 1 4 2 7 1 Bologna 5 0 1 4 2 10 1 Note: Atalanta deducted six points at start of season for match-fixing.

ROME: Udinese went top of Serie A after Mehdi Benatia and an Antonio Di Natale penalty gave them a 2-0 victory over Bologna yesterday.

The win took the northerners a point clear of Napoli, 3-0 winners at Inter Milan on Saturday, ahead of the night’s crunch clash between Juventus, who would go back to the top with a two-goal victory, and champions AC Milan.

Despite selling stars Alexis Sanchez (to Barcelona) and Gokhan Inler (to Napoli) in the summer, Udinese proved they have lost none of the verve that took them to a fourth-placed finish last season and qualification for the Champions League play-offs, where they were beaten by Arsenal.

Udinese coach Francesco Guidolin admitted he was proud to take his side into the international break at te top of the tree.

“The most that can happen is that Juve join us. Alone or in company from now until the resumption of the league we will enjoy this achievement,” he said.

“It really is a great satisfaction, even though I get angry when I hear people in the stands comparing us with Barcelona.”

Morocco centre-back Benatia gave them the lead on 29 minutes when Pablo Armero’s corner was headed goalwards

by Damiano Ferronetti only to hit Benatia, who nonetheless was quick to swivel and shoot home.

Captain Di Natale was inches away from doubling the lead when his shot hit the post, the ball rebounding to Dusan Basta who slotted home but was signalled offside.

Di Natale then wasted a glorious opportunity when he danced around goalkeeper Federico Agliardi but prodded the ball into the side-netting with his right foot when he should have used his left instead.

Bologna came close when Alessandro Diamanti curled a free-kick goalwards but Samir Handanovic plunged to his left to beat it away at his near post.

Diego Perez then committed a terrible foul from behind on Armero to give away a penalty, though the incident was possibly just outside area.

Di Natale made no mistake from the spot on 72 minutes.

Cagliari and Palermo moved into the top four after 2-0 victories at Lecce and at home to Siena respectively.

Ribeiro diverted the ball home to give the Sardinians the lead at Lecce before Davide Biondini pounced on a defensive error to double the advantage before half-time.

Giulio Migliaccio benefitted from some awful defending in Sicily when he was left to jump unopposed on the penalty spot to head Fabrizio Miccoli’s free-kick into an open goal, with goalkeeper Zeljko Brkik nowhere to be seen.

Palermo had to hold on with 10 men for the last 20 minutes after Italy left-back Federico Balzaretti was sent off for a second booking. But Abel Hernandez buried a generouslyawarded penalty deep into injury time to seal the points.

Cesena earned their first point of the season and moved off the bottom of the table on goal difference, to be replaced

by Bologna, with a 0-0 draw at home to Chievo.

It could have been better but for Chievo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino saving Adrian Mutu’s second half penalty.

The game of the day came in Novara where the hosts were held to a 3-3 draw by Catania, for whom Alejandro Gomez scored an injury-time equaliser.

The result leaves promoted Novara with the best attack in the league. On Saturday Napoli moved to the top of the table after a stunning win at 10-man Inter Milan.

Inter had Nigeria midfielder Joel Obi controversially sentoff in giving away a penalty at the end of the first half. Hugo Campagnaro slotted home the rebound after Julio Cesar had saved the resulting penalty before Christian Maggio and Marek Hamsik added second half strikes.—AFP

A&M let one slip away, Louisiana dump Kentucky

Liz Hurley engaged to Warne

18

15

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

Li Na humiliated in front of Beijing fans Page 17

LONDON: Chelsea’s Portugese defender Jose Bosingwa (up) vies with Bolton Wanderers’ Jamaican midfielder Ricardo Gardner during the English Premier League football match. —AP

Lampard treble helps Chelsea rout Bolton Chelsea 5

Bolton 1

BOLTON: Frank Lampard defied the critics with a hat trick as Chelsea routed Bolton 5-1 in the Premier League yesterday.

The 33-year-old England midfielder was dismissed as being past his prime last month after being dropped to the bench by both club and country.

But at the Reebook Stadium he took his tally to four goals in two games for Chelsea, while Daniel Sturridge scored the other two for the visitors. Dedryck Boyata had given bottom-place Bolton a faint hope of a comeback at 4-0 with a 46thminute header before Lampard’s third. Chelsea is third in the standings, three points behind Manchester rivals United and City.

Lampard and Daniel Sturridge both netted twice in the first half, two errors in quick succession by Bolton goalkeeper Adam Bogdan allowing each player their second.

Boyata scored his first Bolton goal soon after the restart, but it counted

for little as Lampard clinched his hat trick in the 59th minute. Bolton stays bottom, with its losing streak in the league extending to six games.

While Bogdan - in the Trotters team for the injured Jussi Jaaskelainen - endured a nightmare, it was a dream performance from Lampard, who followed up his midweek goal in the Champions League draw at Valencia in style.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas also handed Didier Drogba a start, the Ivorian taking the place of the suspended Fernando Torres, while Sturridge returned as well having recovered from a knee problem.

Jose Bosingwa’s cross was inter-

cepted by Boyata to earn the Blues a corner and when Juan Mata swung it in, Sturridge rose unmarked to score against his former club in the 2nd minute. At the other end, David Ngog skewed an effort high and wide, catching John Terry with his boot in the process, and Martin Petrov hit a free kick into the wall.

After 15 minutes, it was 2-0 as Sturridge squared in the box for Lampard, who had the space to slot the ball past Bogdan. Two mistakes

by Bogdan then put the result beyond doubt.

First the young Hungarian let Sturridge’s shot from the edge of the box loop in off him in the 25th when

he should have saved. He then parried David Luiz’s strike straight at the feet of Lampard, who grabbed his second in the 27th.

After the interval, Wanderers pulled a goal back a minute in when Boyata nodded in Petrov’s free-kick.

Drogba flashed an effort across the face of goal and was the provider when Chelsea added to its lead soon after, laying the ball across the area for Lampard to sweep in. Bolton refused to give up and thought it had scored again when Kevin Davies prodded in Petrov’s cross but the ball was judged not to have crossed the line before substitute Branislav Ivanovic’s clearance.—AP

Tottenham stun Arsenal Tottenham 2

Arsenal 1

LONDON: Kyle Walker’s first goal for Tottenham sealed a 2-1 victory for Harry Redknapp’s side over their north London rivals Arsenal at White Hart Lane yesterday.

Walker caught out Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny with a 30-yard strike in the second half after Aaron Ramsey had cancelled out Tottenham midfielder Rafael van Der Vaart’s first half opener. The result means Tottenham move up to sixth place, five points ahead of their hated neighbours after a derby victory that brought an abrupt end to Arsenal’s recent revival. This was the Gunners’ fourth defeat in seven Premier League games and they are 15th in the table, just two points off the relegation zone. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger’s frustration was evident in a fractious exchange with Clive Allen, the Tottenham coach, on his way down the tunnel after the final whistle.

The visitors had appeared capable of claiming at least a point until Walker drilled in a powerful long range shot that found its way through the arms of Szczesny, summing up the Gunners’ difficult start to the campaign.

Wenger marked the 15th anniversary of his appointment as manager two days before this game by praising his side’s spirit and mental strength after three successive victories over Shrewsbury, Bolton and Olympiakos.

But that run was always under threat against an in-form Spurs side inspired by former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

Spurs had started the game brightly and should have gone ahead in the seventh minute when Van der Vaart released Scott Parker into the visiting area only for the midfielder to place his shot too close to keeper Szczesny.

Arsenal responded with a left shot from Theo Walcott that Spurs keeper Brad Friedel tipped wide of the post.

And when Van der Vaart failed to convert a good opportunity at the near post midway through the half, Wenger’s side again reacted well, this time through Robin van Persie, who created a clear opportunity with a clever pull back that was wasted when Gervinho connected with a tame shot wide.

Arsenal were looking nervy in front of goal and when Gareth Bale sent a powerful shot narrowly over at the start of the second half, Tottenham showed signs of taking control of the game. Both sides had chances to score but it took the combination of Adebayor and Van der Vaart to conjure the opener.

Adebayor’s chipped pass found his team mate in space on the edge of the Arsenal area and the Holland striker brought the ball under control and finished with a left foot shot.

Arsenal centre back Per Mertesacker immediately appealed for handball but referee Mike Dean adjudged that Van der Vaart had collected the ball on his chest although television replays suggested the decision was marginal.

The Gunners matched the hosts chance for chance and this time were rewarded for their efforts when Ramsey struck six minutes into the second half. The opening came after Younes Kaboul had only half cleared an Arsenal corner and Alex Song was allowed to run to the byline and deliver a low cross that the Wales captain turned home from close range. Now Arsenal were in the ascendancy and Redknapp’s growing concern was reflected in his decision to introduce Sandro to shore up his midfield in place of Van der Vaart. The switch helped steady the home side, although Redknapp could hardly claim that Walker’s 73rd minute strike was the result of a tactical masterplan. The full back chanced his arm after Luka Modric’s attempted shot had been deflected back towards the halfway line, advancing to within 30 yards of goal before unleashing a powerful drive that Szczesny should have kept out.-—AFP

LONDON: Arsenal’s Francis Coquelin (front) vies with Tottenham Hotspur’s Togolese player Emmanuel Adebayor during an English Premier League football match. —AP

EPL results/standings Bolton 1 (Boyata 46) Chelsea 5 (Sturridge 2, 25, Lampard 15, 27, 59); Fulham 6 (Johnson 2, 38, 59, Murphy 20-pen, Dempsey 65, Zamora 74) QPR 0; Swansea 2 (Sinclair 9-pen, Graham 85) Stoke 0; Tottenham 2 (Van der Vaart 40, Walker 73) Arsenal 1 (Ramsey 51).

Played Saturday: 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).

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

7 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

6 6 5 4 4 4 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1

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

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

24 23 17 9 10 11 9 4 7 6 5 10 6 6 10 9 5 5 8 9

5 5 8 4 8 10 5 8 10 9 13 7 8 10 16 8 10 11 17 21

19 19 16 15 13 12 11 9 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 6 5 5 4 3

Johnson bags treble as Fulham hit QPR for six Fulham 6

QPR 0

LONDON: Andrew Johnson scored a hat-trick as Fulham demolished west London rivals QPR 6-0 to clinch their first Premier League win of the season at Craven Cottage yesterday.

Martin Jol’s side had gone six league matches without a victory, but they ended that barren run in spectacular fashion in their first meeting with QPR for 10 years.

Johnson handed Fulham the lead after just 79 seconds and their strong start continued when Danny Murphy slotted home from the spot mid-way through the first period.

Fulham had scored just four league goals since the start of the season but they matched that total by the 59th minute here as Johnson struck twice more to complete his hat-trick.

Clint Dempsey and Bobby Zamora wrapped up the romp in the second half to leave QPR nursing a chastening defeat.

The Cottagers were ahead in double-quick time as Moussa Dembele played a neat one-two with Zamora before unleashing a

fierce drive that Paddy Kenny could only parry onto Johnson, who finished with ease.

Dempsey saw a goalbound effort blocked by a last-gasp challenge by Bradley Orr and, as the home side’s onslaught continued, Johnson came agonisingly close to netting his second after firing a volley inches wide from a Zamora header in the 17th minute.

Fulham did not have to wait long to score their second as Kenny upended Johnson in the box and referee Andre Marriner awarded a 20th-minute penalty, which skipper Murphy duly converted.

Jol’s side increased their lead when Johnson turned home Zamora’s cross in the 38th munute

and QPR looked shell-shocked as they trudged off at the break.

Hoops boss Neil Warnock sent on DJ Campbell and Tommy Smith for Adel Taarabt and Shaun Derry at the break, but the changes made no difference.

Kenny was forced to save from Zamora and Steve Sidwell before Johnson notched his third goal with a neat finish from Murphy’s quick free-kick.

Fulham did not rest on their laurels and Zamora laid the ball off to Dempsey to make it 5-0 with an exquisite finish in the 65th minute.

And it got even worse for QPR in the 74th minute when Zamora slotted past Kenny after more poor defending from the visitors.—AFP

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Britain’s Cameron urges swift euro-zone action Page 25

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

Kuwait equities advance

Page 24

Ford debuts all-new Ford Explorer at GITEX 2011 Page 23

PETRA: Tourists riding camels in Jordan’s Nabataean rock city of Petra. Pro-democracy revolts across the Arab world are taking their toll on tourism in cash-strapped Jordan in 2011, where revenues from the key source of hard currency earnings have dropped by 16 percent this year. — AFP

Kuwait’s mega developments in focus MEED’s Kuwait Energy and Infrastructure Projects 2011 KUWAIT: MEED, a primary source of business intelligence for the Middle East, yesterday announced that it will host the Kuwait Energy and Infrastructure Projects 2011 from Monday, 31 October to Thursday, 3 November, 2011 at The Kuwait Marriott Courtyard, Kuwait City. The conference will highlight the latest developments in Kuwait’s mega project sector and address the key issues in delivering the successful implementation of the National Plan.

Keynote speakers addressing the Kuwait Energy and Infrastructure Projects 2011 include Farouk Al-Zanki, Chief Executive Officer, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation; Shaikha Al-Bahar, Chief Executive Officer, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) and Dr Hashem Al-Tabtabaei, Technical Team Leader at Partnership Technical Bureau.

For 2011 the content has been especially extended, with 2 days devoted to the Energy sector and one-day solely dedicated to the infrastructure and construction sector. Meed Projects data reveals that 29 per cent of current planned projects are in the construction sector, 25 per cent in infrastructure, 25 per cent in oil and gas production, 19 per cent in power projects, and the remaining 4 per cent made in waste and water projects. Major projects under discussion at the conference include world scale

Clean Fuels project and the vast array of projects being developed in the social and transport infrastructure sectors.

Edmund O’Sullivan, Chairman, MEED Events, said: “The project market in Kuwait is gaining momentum with new opportunities arising. The Kuwait Energy and Infrastructure Projects 2011 will engage all the key Kuwaiti government and private sector stakeholders involved with delivering

meet key decision makers who can significantly influence future profitability, to explore the opportunities in Kuwait and also to expand and fast track commercial success,” added O’Sullivan.

Other confirmed speakers addressing vital sector issues include: • Dr. Hashem Al-Tabtabaei, Technical Team Leader, Partnership Technical Bureau (PTB), Ministry of Finance, Kuwait

the nation’s long term vision. At this event we will highlight the critical role that Kuwait will be playing in shaping the future of the regional and global economy.”

“This event is the perfect platform to

• Nezar Al-Sayegh, Assistant Manager for Transport Master Plan Department, Kuwait Municipality • Eng. Suhaila Marafi, DirectorDepartment of Studies and Research,

Ministrt of Electricity and Water • Nezar Al-Sayegh, Assistant Manager for Transport Master Plan Department, Kuwait Municipality • Dr. Hashem Al Tabtabaei, Technical Team Leader, Partnership Technical Bureau (PTB), Ministry of Finance, Kuwait • Abdulnaser Al-Fulaj, Deputy Managing Director, Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) • Dr Mohammad Al-Ramadhan, Deputy Managing Director, Research & Technology, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) • Eng Mahdy Al Dhakheel, Director of Projects Department - Kuwait International Airport, Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the leading banking institution in Kuwait is a strategic partner of the event. Kuwait Petroleum Company and Agility are the supporting partner and silver sponsor respectively. Gulf Bank, ABB and Al-Tamimi and Co are the bronze sponsors. Kuwait Energy and Infrastructure Projects Conference 2011 is part of MEED’s comprehensive portfolio of large-scale summit and conferences that offer businesses unique one-to-one networking opportunities and facilitate showcasing of solutions to key target groups and niche professionals.

Saudi says oil income will cover spending DUBAI: Saudi Arabian Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf said increased oil-driven revenues will cover the higher spending ordered by King Abdullah earlier this year, the website of Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper reported yesterday.

At the height of the Arab protests this year, Saudi Arabia announced it would spend an estimated $130 billion on social benefits and housing, a figure equivalent to nearly a third of its annual gross domestic product. “The increase in income will cover the increase in spending,” the newspaper quoted him as saying at a conference in Riyadh. “Even as the global economy is going through some challenges, the Saudi economy is one of the few in the world that has healthy growth,” he added. Saudi Arabia’s budget spending has more than doubled over the past decade to a record 580 billion Saudi riyals planned for 2011 before the announcement of the king’s handouts. The kingdom, which has accumulated a record $500 billion reserves thanks to robust oil prices, launched a five-year, $400 billion development plan in 2008, the biggest spending package relative to gross domestic product among the world’s top 20 developed nations, to upgrade infrastructure, including airports and roads. — Reuters

Greece to unveil lay-off plans ahead of EU meet ATHENS: Greece was expected yesterday to unveil plans to trim its bulging civil service and meet one of its creditors’ key demands a day ahead of a euro-zone meeting that could free up an eight-billion-euro loan.

The 17 countries that share the debt-challenged euro currency will meet in Luxembourg today in an effort to reach an agreement on releasing the bailout tranche which has been blocked by the IMF for the past month.

Divided euro-zone ministers will seek to avert a Greek default, which could send stock markets into a panic, deal an unprecedented blow to the European currency and bring the world back to the brink of a fresh financial crisis.

Yesterday afternoon, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou was to chair an emergency cabinet meeting to finalize the details of a scheme aimed at shrinking the public sector.

Following consultations with EU and IMF

auditors, the government now seems to have fixed on a scheme to place 30,000 civil servants temporarily in a “labor reserve”. Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the government had developed the scheme effectively laying off state workers with “transparent and objective” criteria.

“It creates the lowest possible social cost and places on a ‘reserve’ those who in comparison can more likely cope with the difficulties of this new situation,” Venizelos said in an interview with the Sunday edition of newspaper “To Vima”. Greek civil servants’ jobs are protected by the constitution, hence the controversial idea of a “labor reserve”-where those close to retirement could be placed on a lower wage. Antonis Samaras, the leader of Greece’s main opposition New Democracy party, complained however that the government had rejected a more efficient labor reserve plan. “ With our proposal the deficit will be reduced by 850 million (euros) the first year

and four billion the fifth. According to the government ’s proposal the deficit will decrease by 614 million the first year and three billion the fifth,” he wrote in the same newspaper. EU-IMF auditors returned to Athens on Thursday, four weeks after they abruptly left, having noticed new spending discrepancies by the Greek government and disappointed at the lack of progress in implementing promised structural reform measures. They spent the weekend trying to obtain the most accurate, up-to-date picture of Greece’s finances and forecasts, after protests, including staff occupations of ministries, meant a slow resumption of negotiations last week.

EU economic and monetary affairs commissioner Olli Rehn will give ministers the inside track in Luxembourg today on what the Washington-based IMF wants to do, as looming recession risks turning Greece’s crisis into global catastrophe. Austrian Finance Minister Maria Fekter told Germany’s Welt am Sonntag

newspaper she thought the euro-zone was likely to grant Greece a new slice of aid. “The likelihood that the next eight-billion-euro ($11-billion) slice of aid will be paid out to Greece is, in my view, clearly higher than the likelihood it will not be paid,” she said.

“It should not be the case that the payment of individual tranches of aid become a battle every three months because Greece threatens to fall short of the conditions,” she added.

Athens is laboring under a crushing 350 billion euros or more of debts, with its stripped-bare economy already on its knees, and the government says it needs the loans to pay salary and other bills this month. A top official from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Bavarian sister party suggested yesterday that Greece ought to solve its economic problems outside the euro-zone, as Europe’s paymaster remained divided over the Greek crisis.

“I think it is a solution, if you want to bring Greece back to stable competitiveness, that

they do so outside the euro-zone,” Alexander Dobrindt, general secretary of the CSU party, told German radio.

He added that if Greece failed to convince an international team of auditors of its reform efforts to secure more aid, then the EU’s rescue fund, the EFSF, “should also have the right to organize the exit.”

The United States and other major economies are showing growing signs of concern that Europe is too divided to solve the Greek problem or deal with problems in the much bigger Italian economy, and adequately re-capitalize banks that lose heavily in the event of default.

Outside Europe, the fear is that a ricochet effect could charge through global financial markets already on a downer as data increasingly points towards renewed recession.

Many want the 440-billion-euro ($590 billion) European Financial Stability Facility’s legal status changed to that of a bank, so it could “leverage” much more firepower. — AFP

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business

VIVA announces second draw winner of the ‘Win a Car Weekly’ campaign KUWAIT: Kuwait Telecommunications Company VIVA announced the second weekly draw winner since the launching of its latest campaign, the first of its kind in Kuwait, for its prepaid customers, which was announced and televised on Al-Watan Television Station on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at Souq Sharq.

VIVA is thrilled to announce the success of its launching of its newest campaign for its prepaid customers offering them the opportunity to win a luxurious car every week including infinite local calls and messages on the VIVA network only. The campaign will continue for several weeks to enable customers as many opportunities as possible to enter a draw for the chance to win a new car every week.

Winner Ashraf Mohamad Yehya of second weekly draw won a brand new Jeep Cherokee which was presented to them by VIVA Executives who attended the ceremony at Souq Sharq and handed the winner his car. VIVA aims to create, design and promote unique campaign offers to provide all of its customers infinite opportunities to participate in exciting promotions to endorse subscribers’ loyalty, as well as provide subscribers and customers instant track of the winners. The offer is applicable to prepaid customers where they can enter into the draw through two options, the first option is to subscribe with 500 Fils per day containing infinite local minutes and

local messages on the VIVA network as well as free calls from VIVA to VIVA. For every 500 Fils spent, the customers is entitled the 1 chance to enter the draw.

The second option for prepaid customers includes subscribing to the KD 7 and full and unlimited BlackBerry Services subscription, where customers will gain fifteen points upon subscription.

Customers are able to subscribe to both options in order to enter the draw to win a luxurious car, where their points will be accumulated and carried on to the next draw. Last week’s ‘Flavor of the Week’ began Thursday, September 29, and will end on October 5, 2011 which will allow prepaid customers 1 point closer to winning a brand new car for every 5 minutes of local calls made to any number other than the VIVA network. Stay tuned each week to discover the new ‘Flavor of the Week’ offer and increase your chances to win a car.

Customers interested in subscribing to the ‘Infinite Calls and SMS’ offer, can Send “1” to 535 in SMS. Prepaid customers interested in the full, unlimited, local KD 7 BlackBerry offer can send an SMS with the number ‘2’ to ‘535’. For the full menu of the prepaid offers, send an SMS with the word “GO”, to number ‘535’. To find out more about VIVA’s numerous competitive promotions, products and packages visit any of the twelve VIVA branches or visit website at www.viva.com.kw.

Shaikh Daij with guests during Seafarer’s Center inauguration

Shaikh Daij at Seafarer’s Center inauguration

Seafarers welcomed at new Bahrain Seafarer’s Center GOP fulfils commitment, opens new building BAHRAIN: The General Organization of Sea Ports (GOP) fulfilled the commitment it made to the seafarer and maritime community during last year’s Bahrain Maritime Festival 2010 with the inauguration of the new Bahrain Seafarer’s Center located at the state-of-the-art Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP). The ceremony was inaugurated by Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al-Khalifa, Chairman of GOP, members of the Board, management and staff of GOP and distinguished guests.

The new Seafarer’s Centre was developed with facilities for international seafarers calling at the port and office space to Bahrain International Seafarers Society (BISS). The new Centre will provide international seafarers various amenities, services and support for rest and relaxation, all of

which will meet international standards. In addition, the new centre will include several ICT dedicated rooms, where computers, printers, and internet connections will be provided. This will be complemented with TV and consultation rooms, a library, and a kitchen. A separate room dedicated to the provision of commercial goods.

The Bahrain Maritime Festival represents the Kingdom’s landmark celebration of the World Maritime Day (WMD), which takes place all over the world during the last week of September.

Held under the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2011 theme of ‘Piracy: Orchestrating the response’, this year’s event includes maritime-themed activities specifically geared to combat piracy and aims to spread greater awareness of the maritime industry and

focus attention on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and the marine environment, and in recognition of the risks the seafarers shoulder in the execution of their duties. Major companies and media partners have come forward as sponsors to support and be a part of BMF 2011 activities to mark World Maritime Day. While the Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (ASRY) is BMF’s strategic sponsor for BMF for the second consecutive year, Tamkeen is the strategic partner for the school visit as part of the festival’s educational program this year. This is in addition to Bahrain Flour Mills, Al Jazeera Shipping Co WLL, Bahrain Polytechnic, GAC Bahrain, APM Terminals, and UCO Marines. Media partners include: Al Watan, Al Ayam, Al Bilad, Akhbar Al Khaleej, and Gulf Daily News.

Top Real Estate offers property management service in Britain Looking after your property as if it is our own Mohammed Walid Al-Qaddoumi, the director of the Real Estate Department in Top Real Estate Group, said that the Group, through its participation in the Kuwait International Property show KIPS 2011, to be held at the exhibitions area -Mishref during the period from 3 to 8 October 2011, will provide a new service for its customers in the Gulf and the Middle East. This will be a Real Estate management service in Britain which includes a full day to day management for residential, commercial and investment properties owned by investors in the Greater London area and parts of Milton Keynes and Brighton.

Al Qaddoumi pointed out the reason behind the Group’s decision to provide this service was due to the increasing demand from our customers and investors to manage their real estates in Britain. This demand is due to their successful experiences with the Group in real estate and

Viva executives with the winner

The winner receives the car key.

investment areas in the British, Gulf and Arab markets.

Al Qaddoumi added that a large segment of property owners in Britain faced many problems with property management companies and tenants. Many of whom have lost significant returns due to the accumulation of these problems. These, of course, are due to property owner’s inability to permanently and continuously stay in Britain to supervise their properties. They leave the matter to the agents who may neither care nor manage the property well.

He added “that is why our Group provides a Real Estate Management Service under the slogan “Looking after your property as if it is our own“.

Investors property portfolios will be based on this theory. Al Qaddoumi pointed out that to provide an outstanding service, the Group has entered into a partnership with a British real estate company; Morphey Parsons Wright (MPW), which special-

izes in the field of management, to take advantage of their experience and capabilities in the British real estate market, combining with the Group’s experience and potentials in this field. All experiences and skills will be utilized to provide the highest customer service level and quality

Mohammed Walid Al-Qaddoumi

assurance, ensuring the maximum return on the property while maintaining it.

Al Qaddoumi explained the Company Pavilion at the exhibition will provide a detailed explanation for concerned people. “Our British partners will also be available to provide advice and guidance to real estate owners in Britain.” Al Qaddoumi called on real estate owners in Britain to visit the company’s Pavilion and acknowledge the range of services provided by the Group in the British real estate market.

Al Qaddoumi also mentioned “the Group is currently working on a wide range of properties in several regions of Britain, specifically in the most prominent areas of London. Projects range from residential buildings and commercial offices to hotels, some of which are fully rented and achieving net income ranges between 2-6%.”

He noted that these projects are for sale to investors.

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

.2730000 .4270000 .3670000 .3010000 .2600000 .2640000 .0040000 .0020000 .0748890 .7296230 .3810000 .0700000 .7152630 .0040000 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2758500 GB Pound/KD .4298980 Euro .3792530 Swiss francs .3007660 Canadian dollars .2627770 Danish Kroner .0496310 Swedish Kroner .0400690 Australian dlr .2665680 Hong Kong dlr .0354350 Singapore dlr .2109910 Japanese yen .0035790 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0751330 Bahraini dinars .7319890 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0735800 Omani riyals .7167730 Philippine Peso .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

3.643 5.654 3.160 2.505 3.523 215.720 35.485 3.686 6.349 8.923 0.271 0.273

.2802500 .4385000 .3770000 .3150000 .2730000 .2750000 .0072500 .0035000 .0756420 .7369560 .4010000 .0760000 .7224510 .0072000 .0530000 .2779500 .4331710 .3720640 .3060790 .2647770 .0500090 .0404750 .2685970 .0357050 .2125980 .0036070 .0057550 .0025330 .0031860 .0037110 .0757050 .7375610 .3931400 .0741400 .7222290 .0064270

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

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

GCC COUNTRIES 73.776 76.017 718.590 734.820 75.334

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 49.300 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.319 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.266 Tunisian Dinar 195.030 Jordanian Dinar 390.690 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 185.600 Syrian Lier 5.973 Morocco Dirham 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

COUNTRY

SELL CASH

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

272.300 736.960 3.880 268.100 544.300 36.800 51.400 167.800 47.900 375.100 36.250 5.950 0.032 0.239 0.241 3.690 393.400 0.187 90.070 46.200 4.260 215.900 1.795 48.800 719.770

SELL DRAFT

270.800 736.960 3.685 266.600

215.100 46.499 373.600 36.100 5.650 0.032

10 Tola

75.450 277.100

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Selling Rate

US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

277.000 266.095 432.705 373.375 305.585 734.425 75.395 76.030 73.825 389.915 46.471 2.501 5.667 3.174 3.697 6.321 679.461 3.690 8.975 5.835 3.730 92.010

Currency

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

272.28 268.15 310.29 374.12

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

277.000 3.165 5.655 2.525 3.690 6.360 75.520 74.020 736.400 46.470 437.200 3.190 1.550 393.500 5.750 376.500 269.300 3.690

Al Mulla Exchange

UAE Exchange Center WLL Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro

434.92 3.65 3.709 5.650 2.514 3.544 3.165 75.41 736.94 46.48 394.16 720.03 76.40 73.98

436.40 3.62 3.820 5.955 2.617 4.200 3.220 75.65 736.96 47.90 393.40 720.00 76.66 74.00

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 434.400 277.100

Sterling Pound US Dollar

Currency

719.590

308.300 5.700 9.110

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

Currency

391.660 0.186 90.070 3.560 214.400

3.175 6.330 76.230 73.990 215.050 37.290 2.510 434.400

GOLD 1,688.030

Rate for Transfer

Bahrain Exchange Company

3.220 6.580 76.660 73.990 215.050 37.290 2.617 436.400 41.500 309.800 5.700 9.320 198.263 75.550 277.500 1.220

272.30 268.10 309.80 375.10

US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

276.650 373.400 434.200 266.400 3.615 5.655 46.475 2.511 3.667 6.300 3.165 736.925 73.400 73.900

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business

Ford debuts all-new Ford Explorer at GITEX 2011 KUWAIT: Ford is the official GITEX Technology Week automotive partner for the fourth consecutive year. This October, the all-new Ford Explorer makes its Middle Eastern debut as Official Car of The Show, featuring a host of segment-exclusive connectivity, driver-assist and safety technologies including the world’s first second-row inflatable seat belts.

Ford’s iconic Explorer has been completely reinvented to raise consumer expectations of utility vehicle technology, fuel efficiency, safety, capability and quality. It comes with bestin- class fuel economy, improved driving dynamics, state-of-the-art technology and world-class craftsmanship.

Ford Middle East’s managing director, Larry Prein, said: “GITEX is all about pioneering technology being showcased to the region’s indus-

try - which is why Ford has been the official automotive partner for the fourth year in a row. Our innovation in automotive technology produces tangible benefits to our customers, and GITEX is the ideal platform for us to debut these class-leading innovations in the Middle East. The all-new Explorer sets again the benchmark in the industry and its category with the world’s first inflatable rear seatbelts, Active Park Assist, its new Terrain Management System, MyFord Touch and many more. We are excited to demonstrate these and many more technologies to the show visitors this year.”

From Ford’s acclaimed SYNC voice-activated communications and entertainment system to MyFord Touch driver connect technology, the new Explorer offers innovations that enhance the ownership experience. GITEX visitors com-

ing to the Ford stand in Hall 6 will get the chance to see the all-new Explorer up close and learn more about some of Ford’s latest driver connectivity and safety technologies including: the Explorer ’s new Terrain Management System; Active Park Assist; Second-row Inflatable Seat Belts; Cur ve Control; MyKey; SYNC; MyFord Touch; BLIS with Cross Traffic Alert; Adaptive Cruise Control with Collision Warning and Brake Support and many more.

For those wanting to experience the new Explorer real-time, Ford will dedicate a special demo area in the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre’s Plaza where visitors will have the opportunity to experience the intelligent four-wheel-drive that is redefining the segment.

DWC appoints Regus to manage business centre KUWAIT: Dubai World Central (DWC), the region’s first aerotropolis, announced yesterday that it has appointed Regus, the world’s largest provider of flexible workplaces, to manage an upcoming dedicated Business Centre located at DWC headquarters.

The Business Centre will be the perfect one-stop solution for companies seeking small-sized, serviced or shortterm office space, meeting rooms and video communication facilities. The centre will be used by both local companies looking to work from the prestigious address and businesses looking to establish an initial presence in the region.

Notably, any firm that signs a minimum one-year lease at the Business Centre will be entitled to apply for a trade license.

A demonstration of DWC’s commitment to providing world-class, valueadded services to investors and tenants, the Business Centre will provide a fully flexible way to work through the innovative Business Lounge allowing members to take advantage of secure Internet access, comfortable work space as well as all-day refreshments on a drop-in basis.

Rashed Buqara’a, Chief Operating Officer, Dubai Aviation City Corporation, said: “ The upcoming opening of our Business Centre - managed by Regus, a leader in workplace solutions - underlines our focus on providing first-class facilities to companies that choose to locate at Dubai World Central, which already offers a host of strategic advantages.

“As Dubai World Central continues to expand its range of services, we expect

to see even more companies see the appeal of operating from this fast-cycle logistics hub,” Buqara’a added. “ The opening of the Business Centre, in particular, highlights our commitment to providing flexible solutions that meet the needs of any client - no matter how large or small.”

“We are very pleased to be working with Dubai World Central to operate and manage this important facility,” said Paulo Dias, CEO for EMEA at Regus. “As the operator of 1,200 business centres across 550 cities in 90 countries, we will put our international experience to work for Dubai World Central.

“It is vitally important for individuals to have a place to work and hold meetings in a professional environment, as well as having access to administrative and printing support, all within the heart of the region’s first aerotropolis.”

In its first phase, the Business Centre will occupy 5,200 square feet within Dubai World Central’s grade-A headquarters building, offering wide floor plans, raised floors, high-end finishes, and a large, light-filled atrium. Plans are already in place to expand the facility following the full implementation of the first stage.

The Business Centre will complement the existing strategic benefits enjoyed by companies operating at Dubai World Central, including world-class commercial office space; immediate access to Al Maktoum International Airport, which commenced operations in 2010; close proximity to Jebel Ali Sea Port, the sixthlargest container terminal in the world; and links to all the main motorways in the UAE.

Dubai World Central appoints Regus to manage its new business centre

Air Arabia wins award for innovation in operations KUWAIT: Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, announced yesterday that it has won the top award in the category of ‘Innovation in Operations - Low-Cost Carrier Airline’ at the recent Express TravelWorld Awards 2010-2011 held in New Delhi.

Air Arabia was recognized for its innovation in business at the annual awards, now in their eighth year. The awards are widely regarded as India’s most respected B2B travel industry awards and were open to all organizations with registered offices in India that have been operational for two years or more. Nominations were assessed by an independent jury, with Ernst & Young as the official process advisors.

“We are delighted to receive this prestigious award, which recognizes the success of our growth strategy in the key market of India, where Air Arabia now has thirteen destinations,” said A K Nizar, Head of Commercial Department at Air Arabia. “As the pioneer of low cost air travel in the region, Air Arabia prides itself on innovation-driven strategies have consistently delivered best-in-class products and services to our customers across the region”. The Express TravelWorld Awards seek to salute the most innovative companies and practices that have taken the travel, tourism, hospitality and aviation industry forward.

They celebrate industry innovators in categories including airlines, tour/travel operators, tourism boards, hotels and car and bus rentals.

Value drop, global crisis hit Kuwait real estate KAMCO KSE RESEARCH REPORT KUWAIT: After a ten year period of expansion in its balance sheet, the Real Estate sector witnessed its first decline of 4.7 percent in total assets, equivalent to a decrease of KD 269 mn, to record KD 5.4 bn by the end of 2010 in comparison with KD 5.7 bn by the end of 2009; this is due mainly to the drop in value of investment properties and equity investments triggered by the correction in the local property market and the sharp losses that hit the local & international capital markets.

Investment properties witnessed the largest drop of KD 163 mn to record KD 3.24 bn at the end of 2010 down from KD 3.40 bn in 2009. This decline was in large part due to the depreciation in the value of Real Estate properties, delay in implementing projects due to shortage in liquidity and the efforts of many Real Estate companies to divest part of their real estate portfolios in order to raise cash for paying off debt obligations and finance their operations.

The value of equity investments (Investment Portfolios) dropped KD 107 mn to KD 1.5 bn by the end of 2010 as compared to KD 1.6 bn in 2009. This decline is mainly attributed to the sharp losses in regional and international equity markets during the year 2010 along with liquidating investment portfolios to raise cash and honor debt obligations.

Many companies have been forced to liquidate part of their investment properties and equity investments to finance their operations in the midst of the current tight credit conditions where many companies have no access to the local and regional credit markets.

Factors Growth during 2009 and 2010 in the real estate sector was

affected adversely by the depreciation in the value of properties across different segments as well as the tight credit market conditions. In addition, there has been a drop in new real estate projects due to lack of resources to fund such projects as well as the risk aversion attitude adopted by most developers especially when it came to participating in BOT projects due to the tough conditions included in the BOT law that limited the potential benefits for investors and discouraged their participation.

Debt & Financial Leverage The level of borrowings for the real estate sector has been relatively stable since 2008 primarily due to the tight credit conditions in the local and international credit markets and the fragile operating environment which is affecting the financial standing of the sector. Some companies are facing difficulties in paying off their debt obligations due to the lack of robust sources of income as well as the oversupply of properties and the scarcity of demand.

Total debt for the sector registered a marginal increase of 4 percent, or KD 75 mn, to reach KD 2bn by the end of June-11. On the other hand, the sector ’s shareholders’ equity base remained robust at the KD 2.5 bn level over the past three years. As a result, the financial leverage for the Real Estate sector registered 0.8x by the end of June-11 which is considered an acceptable and healthy ratio compared to other sectors in the Kuwaiti market.

Given the slowdown in local property market and the challenging operating environment faced by Real Estate companies and contractors in Kuwait, local banks’ exposure to this sector (33 percent of banks’ loan portfolios) indicates that further correction

TAQA sets up 3.5bn ringgit program ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi National Energy Co (TAQA) plans to tap the Malaysian sukuk market with a 3.5 billion ringgit ($1.1 billion) Islamic bond, or sukuk, program, the company said in a bourse statement yesterday. The bond program is pending regulatory approval.

The statement did not provide any further details. “Once appropriate regulatory approval is received, the program will allow TAQA to issue quickly if and when market conditions are optimal.” A senior TAQA executive told Reuters in March the company was unlikely to issue a bond this year but could tap debt markets in 2012 ahead of a $1.5 billion maturity. Gulf borrowers are tempted to explore financing options in Malaysia to diversify funding sources away from dollar financing and to tap into an Islamic investor base.

In August, Kuwait’s Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) issued 750 million ringgit ($253.5 million) of fiveyear sukuk at 4.90 percent National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank have both issued in ringgit, in response to high demand from Malaysian investors looking to gain international exposure in local currency.

TAQA is owned 75-percent by the Abu Dhabi government and invests in the energy sector globally.

Its second-quarter net profit more than doubled helped by high oil prices and increased production in the UK.— Reuters

in the property market might expose local banks to additional credit risk.

Overall, the financial standing of the Real Estate Sector remains healthy despite the lack of primary income sources and unfavorable business environment.

On the other hand, the Sector remains largely exposed to equity investments in securities and associated companies which will keep the overall risk relatively high especially with renewed fears from further deterioration in asset prices and its impact on the performance of the sector.

Sector’s profitability With the exception of a few strong operational companies, the Real Estate sector has been posting losses since 2008 and is struggling to improve its profitability. After posting record profits of KD 416 mn during 2007, the sector recorded its first loss during 2008 of KD 69 mn before deteriorating even further during 2009 to KD 142 mn. This continuous weakness in profitability levels comes on the back of sharp drop in the revenues generated from real estate activities that sharply dropped in 2009 to KD 220 mn down from the all-time high KD 534 mn reported during 2008 triggered by the correction in the property market, tight liquidity along with the high levels of debt that reached KD 2 bn at the end of 2009.

The soaring amount of provisions and impairments booked against investment in securities and projects under construction also weighed down on the Sectors’ profitability; provisions and impairments booked by Real Estate companies listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange reached unprecedented levels in 2008 and 2009 at KD 281 mn and KD 136 mn, respectively, a notable

increase from KD 11 mn booked during 2007. During 2010, the Sector’s revenues remained flat at KD 238 mn; Income from Real Estate activities surged by 20 percent to KD 263 mn indicating a pickup in the property market, whereas investment losses recorded KD 29 mn. Provisions for the impairments of investments which amounted to KD 118 mn in 2010, albeit lower than those booked in 2008 and 2009, continued to add pressure on the Sector’s bottom line which reported a net loss of KD 103 mn in 2010.

In conclusion, the past three years (2008-2010) have been the most challenging years faced by the Real Estate Sector in Kuwait where accumulated losses over this period mounted to KD 313 mn, while total provisions and impairments booked over the same period recorded KD 534 mn.

H1 Financial Performance During 1H-2011, 37 out of 40 listed Real Estate companies announced their financial results with net profit dropping 10 percent to KD 21 mn down from KD 23.6 mn reported during 1H-2010.

Sector revenues remained unchanged at KD 186 mn during 1H-11 backed by a stable rental income of KD 98 mn that has also remained flat over the same period. Income from sale of real estate properties more than doubled to KD 38 mn during 1H-11 up from KD 18 mn in 1H-10 indicating a gradual improvement in the liquidity stance of the real estate market. Income from investments, however, sharply dropped by 64 percent to KD 12.5 mn in 1H-11 driven by the drop in asset prices along with the scarcity of new investment opportunities.

Moreover, provisions & impairments continue to weigh down on the Sector’s profitability recording KD 18.5 mn during 1H-11.

Al Tijari announces winners of daily draw with Najma Account KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait held the Al Najma Account draw yesterday.

The draw was held under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry represented by Abdulaziz Ashkanani.

The winners of the Al Najma Daily Draw are: 1. Wasmiya Shabram Obaid Shawkan — KD 7000, 2. Shaikh Ghousia Begum — KD 7000 3. Moayad Tawfeek Makhlouf — KD 7000 4. Rahaf Zuhair Shaaban Al-Temeemi — KD 7000 5. Mohammed Saad Mifreh Zamanan Al Ajmi— KD 7000 The Commercial Bank of Kuwait announces the biggest daily draw in Kuwait with the launch of the new Najma account. Customers of the bank can now enjoy a KD 7,000 daily prize which is the highest in the country and another 4 mega prizes during the year worth KD 100,000 each on different occasions: The National Day, Eid Al Fitr, Eid Al Adha and on the 19th of June which is the date of the bank’s establishment. With a minimum balance of KD 500, customers will be eligible for the daily draw provided that the money is in the account one week prior to the daily draw or 2 months prior to the mega draw. In addition, for each KD 25 a customer can get one chance for winning instead of KD 50.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes this opportunity to congratulate all lucky winners and also extends appreciation to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for their effective supervision of the draws which were conducted in an orderly and organized manner.

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business

Kuwait equities advance GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwaiti equities ended yesterday’s session on a positive note on the back of a smart rally in the equity prices of some market’s heavyweights. Services stocks spearheading the advance. It is worth mentioning that, Minister of Commerce and Industry Amani Bouresli will meet tomorrow employees of Kuwait Stock Exchange to discuss their demands.

Global General Index (GGI) ended the day up by 0.14 percent, at 180.67 point. Market capitalization was also up for the day, reaching KD29.46bn.

The KSE Price Index closed at 5,839.2 point, adding 6.10 points (0.10 percent) to its previous close.

During the session, 96 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 36 equities advanced versus 28 that declined.

The gains was accompanied by decreased trading activities. Total volume traded was down by 5.80 percent with 124.51mn shares changing hands at a total value of KD13.61mn (25.57 percent lower compared to Thursday’s session). Services sector was the volume leader, accounting for 35.06 percent of total shares exchanges. Al-Safat Energy Holding Company was the session’s most traded stock with 15.20mn shares exchanged. The same sector was the value leader, having 41.20 percent of total traded value.

In terms of top gainers, Al-Safat TEC Holding Company was the top gainer for the day, adding 8.33 percent to its share value and closing at KD0.065. On the other hand, International Resorts Company shed 7.81 percent and closed at KD0.030, making it the biggest decliner in the market.

Sectors Service sector gains during the session helped the major indices to close in green. Global Services Index registered an increase of 0.84 percent to

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

Dubai Holding’s DIC sells hotel operator Ishraq DUBAI: Dubai International Capital, the private equity arm of Dubai Holding, has sold hotel operator Ishraq Dubai to diversified firm Almulla Group, the latest disposal in its drive to cut its $2.6-billion debt pile. DIC, which is owned by the ruler of Dubai, did not disclose a value for the deal.

Ishraq Dubai owns four hotels in Dubai operating under the Holiday Inn Express franchise, and Almulla, which also has interests in healthcare, real estate and banking, has a portfolio of major hotels in the emirate including the Ritz Carlton Dubai, Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers.

DIC has exited some of its investments recently. In March, it sold its 45-percent stake in valve maker KEF Holdings Inc for $178 million and in June, DIC’s Jordan Dubai Capital sold its stake in Jordan’s Central Electricity Generating Company. DIC’s assets include UK hotel chain Travelodge, Doncasters and European aluminum maker Almatis Holdings BV. Dubai Holding holds a substantial portfolio of brands in the property and hospitality sectors, organized under three main groupings: Dubai Holding Commercial Operations Group (DHCOG), Dubai International Capital and Dubai Group. — Reuters

Iran in talks to increase oil swaps, says NIOC

close at 779.5 points, mainly on the back of the gains registered in Zain Company which increased by 1.06 percent to close at KD0.950 and National Mobile Telecommunications Company (Wataniya) which rose by 1.06 percent to close at KD1.900. In sector related news, Burgan Company for Well Drilling, Trading & Maintenance (ABAR) signed an agreement worth KD48.2mn with Combined Group Contracting Company last Thursday.

Under the 5-year contract which will start as of April 1, 2012, ABAR will pro-

vide well drilling and maintenance services in Al-Wafra. ABAR closed the day up by 1.54 percent at KD0.330, while Combined Group Contracting Company closed flat at KD1.400.

Five out of the eight sector indices registered losses by the end of the day.

Global Industrial Index was a major loser, registering a decline of 0.39 percent on the back of the losses registered in heavyweights, such as National Industries Group (Holding) (0.93 percent), and ACICO industries Company (- 3.77 percent).

Corporate news Al Masar Leasing and Investment Company announced that it will start negotiating with Amar Finance and Leasing Company the possibility of merging the two entities, through the acquisition of the latter, which awaits the general assembly ’s approval.

The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $103.11pb on Thursday, compared with $104.34pb the previous day, according to OPEC secretariat calculations.

DUBAI: Iran is in talks to increase oil swap deals with its northern neighbors, oil ministry news agency Shana quoted the director of state oil company NIOC as saying over the weekend.

Ahmad Qalebani, director of state-run National Iranian Oil Company, said Iran hopes to sign new deals to boost swap volumes from current levels of around 25,000 barrels per day (bpd), Shana said.

Shana reported NIOC international affairs director, Seyed Mohsen Qamsar, as saying Iran imported around 500,000 barrels of oil from northern neighboring countries from June 22 to Aug. 22, or around 8,300 bpd, into the Caspian Sea port of Neka. Once the volume of oil imported from other countries around the Caspian reaches 1 million barrels, the same quantity of crude will be exported from Iranian terminals in the Gulf, he told Shana in mid September.

Iran has boosted import capacity at Neka to allow greater crude imports from Russia and Azerbaijan and facilitate swaps with Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Under the swap deals, Iran consumes the oil imported into Neka and then exports an equivalent amount from the Gulf, giving Central Asian producers better access to oil-hungry Asian markets. Iran exported 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan from March 21 until late September, an executive from the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said, or about 25 million cubic metres a day. Iran resumed natural gas exports to Turkey on Friday after an nine-day stoppage due to technical problems, NIGC said on Saturday. — Reuters

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

BUSINESS

Doubts grow, not economy, under UK austerity drive MANCHESTER: Jobs have been lost, libraries shuttered, sailors sacked and street lights dimmed - Britain is beginning to taste the bitter medicine David Cameron warned was necessary to fix its wounded economy. It’s left some wondering: Is the remedy worse than the symptoms?

The prime minister, whose Conservative Party convenes in Manchester yesterday for its annual convention, made taming the country’s runaway budget deficit his key priority when he took office in May 2010 at the head of Britain’s first coalition government since World War II. Though the sharpest measures of a 81 billion pound ($126 billion) four-year program of public spending cuts are yet to bite, there already are fears that the drastic action intended to slash Britain’s debts has stalled the country’s meager economic growth - a point of growing unease between the Conservatives and their left-of-center partners, the Liberal Democrats.

Figures released last month showed growth in Britain had slowed to 0.2 percent in the second quarter, diminishing hopes that the country’s businesses can generate new jobs to replace public sector posts being lost under the austerity plan. In the last year about 250,000 public sector workers have been laid off, and the country’s jobless rate was 7.9 percent in the period between May and July.

Cameron insisted yesterday that the government’s plan would revive Britain’s economy and leave the country on a sound fiscal footing.

“Things are difficult,” he told the BBC,

“but we need to explain to people what are we trying to build at the end of it.”

Though Cameron’s uncompromising plan to trim spending has won the confidence of credit rating agencies, the International Monetary Fund has warned that the UK’s growth is likely to stall further.

Last month the IMF cut its growth forecast for the British economy to 1.1 percent this year from its previous forecast of 1.7 percent in April, and urged Cameron to slow down the pace of austerity measures should growth fall even lower.

“From almost day one they had an austerity plan, but they had no plan for growth,” said David Blanchflower, a professor at Dartmouth College and a former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, who has long been critical of Cameron’s plans.

Opposition to Britain’s spending cuts has already boiled over into street protests, with public sector workers marching on Parliament and students angry over rises to college tuition fees engaging in violent protests, including an attack on a car carrying Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.

Analysts suspect riots which flared in August - when mobs of young people torched cars and looted stores in several English cities were sparked in part by a sense of desperation among jobless urban youths. As Cameron makes a keynote speech Wednesday on the last day of the Conservative convention, he must choose whether to press ahead with his austerity plan

in spite of creeping public concern, or soften the program and offer measures aimed at kick-starting growth.

“The big economic policy question now is how to progress from financial stability to growth. With

in its role as junior partner in Britain’s governing coalition.

Some critics have started to discuss the looming breakup of Britain’s coalition - most likely shortly before the country’s 2015 national election.

“If it’s a marriage, well it’s a good

MANCHESTER: British Prime Minister David Cameron (center) and his wife Samantha arrive at the Conservative Party Conference, Manchester. Jobs have been lost, libraries shuttered, sailors sacked and street lights dimmed — Britain is beginning to taste the bitter medicine David Cameron warned was necessary to fix its wounded economy. It’s left some wondering: Is the remedy worse than the symptoms? —AP business and consumer confidence so low, there is a special responsibility on government - we are not bystanders,” Britain’s business secretary Vince Cable told the Liberal Democrat party ’s own rally last month, urging action. Cable’s party, led by deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, used its own convention last week to pledge to be more assertive

natured one, but I’m afraid it’s temporary. We’re staying together for the sake of the kids,” Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat president, told the convention.

But Cameron predicted the coalition would last till 2015 - though he stressed, “I’m happily married to my wife, not Nick Clegg.” Steven Fielding, professor of political history

at the University of Nottingham, said that so far Britain’s public hasn’t turned against Cameron’s government, or its austerity plan - but stressed that many spending cuts slated for the next three years have yet to kick in.

“The cuts have been announced more than they have been applied; unemployment is rising, but it hasn’t taken off. People are giving them the benefit of the doubt for now,” he said There is also a realization that as European trading partners labor under their own debt crisis and the US grapples with a sluggish economy, Cameron may have little ability to deliver a return to prosperity. “The fate of this government is largely in the hands of people who don’t live in Britain,” Fielding said.

Cameron urged the 17 countries that use the European single currency - mired in political and economic crisis due to Greece’s overwhelming debt - to act decisively.

“Frankly, right now the euro-zone is a threat not just to itself, but a threat to Britain and a threat to the world economy,” Cameron said.

A ComRes telephone poll last month for The Independent put Cameron’s Conservatives on 37 percent, ahead of the main opposition Labor Party on 36 percent. It was the first time the polling company had recorded a Conservative lead since Oct. 2010.

The survey of 1,000 adults by telephone between September 23 and 25, did not specify a margin of error, but it is typically plus or minus 3 percentage points in samples of a similar size.

Ed Miliband - elected as Labor chief a year ago after he narrowly defeated his better known brother David, the ex-Foreign Secretary - last week sketched the outlines of his own vision for Britain, ditching much of the legacy of predecessors Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

He promised to overhaul Britain’s “fast buck” culture by broadening out its financial services dominated economy, to tighten flimsy regulation which allowed risky banking practices to fester, and - in a direct challenge to Blair’s rhetoric - to challenge the eye-watering salaries racked up by executives.

His pitch suggested a direct link between bankers pursuing risky trades for personal profit, tabloid reporters hacking voicemail messages, teenagers who looted stores during England’s riots, lawmakers exposed over their wild expense claims and celebrities who accrue vast wealth despite showing little talent.

Britain is a country “too often rewarding not the right people with the right values, but the wrong people with the wrong values,” Miliband said.

While Cameron will appeal to Britain to hold its nerve and reap the future reward of his economic remedy, Miliband hopes to tap a simmering sense of injustice among middle-income workers - many of whom have seen their living standards decline.

“We’ve ended up with a financial crisis and you’ve ended up footing the bill,” Miliband said last week, rehearsing his likely 2015 election pitch. —AP

Britain’s Cameron urges swift euro-zone action Britain must remain part of European Union

Vladimir Putin

Mission Impossible II? Putin’s new economic challenge MOSCOW: In five years time, Russia will be one of the top five economies in the world with growth of up to seven percent based on a thriving and innovative business sector.

Russian strongman Vladimir Putin vowed to make this vision of economic transformation-until now a distant dream-a reality when he announced he would stand for a second stint as president in March 2012 elections. But economists this past week questioned Putin’s appetite for reform after moves to encourage business and end dependence on oil came to a standstill in his first presidency from 2000-2008, especially from 2004.

Putin had been able to boast of propelling Russia to stellar growth rates up to the 2008 crisis after its 1998 financial meltdown but these were driven largely by high crude prices rather than the fruits of economic change. “Putin said these words but I have a feeling that I have heard this all before,” said Yevgeny Yasin, a Russian economy minister in the 1990s and now director of research at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics.

Shortly after Putin first rose to the Kremlin in 2000 after the shock resignation of Boris Yeltsin, his reformist economy minister German Gref presented a “Strategy 2010” for wholesale change of the economy in the decade.

“If you ask me what needs to be done now, I say take the Gref program and carry it out. They say it has been fulfilled to 35 percent, for me no more than 15 percent. On many questions there has been no progress,” Yasin told reporters. President Dmitry Medvedev, who is to stand aside for Putin and swap jobs to become prime minister after the elections, embarked on a much-trumpeted modernization program that has so far failed to make headway. But reform has historically been tough in Russia.

The reforms of tsarist-era prime minister Pyotr Stolypin ended with an assassin’s bullet in 1911 outside the Kiev opera while efforts of Russia’s post-Soviet reform champion Yegor Gaidar made him a public hate figure.

Stalin’s massive industrialization program of the 1930s was pushed through with a horrific cost in human life while the Soviet Union after World War II settled into stagnation until the perestroika of Mikhail Gorbachev.

—- ‘The power structure was determined for the long term’ —-On the surface Russia has a relatively stable economic position in 2011, in particular a narrow budget deficit forecast to be just one percent of GDP this year that is the envy of its debt-ridden

European partners.

But investors have repeatedly diagnosed ills that could spell major trouble chronically low labor productivity, a lack of business activity outside the energy sector, overspending on pensions and still endemic corruption. An immediate cause of concern is the amount of money investors are taking out of Russia at a time of renewed economic uncertainty with net capital outflows of more than $30 billion in the first half this year. “In his 12 years in power, Putin was for four years a reformer and then he went into stability, stagnation mode,” Sergei Guriyev, rector of the New Economic School told a conference organized by Rennaisance Capital. “We don’t know which Putin we will see in the next years.” Credibility in Putin’s reform agenda was immediately eroded with the ousting of finance minister Alexei Kudrin, the government’s last remaining holdout from the liberal reform era who had served in his post since 2000. Kudrin succeeded in decimating Russia’s national debt as well as building up massive reserve funds that helped the country overcome the potentially dangerous 2008 economic crisis. The finance minister broke ranks with Medvedev’s plan for a 20 trillion ruble ($620 billion) military spending program which he said created budgetary risks that would “extend to the entire domestic economy”. He also appeared unimpressed with Russia’s future political construction. “On September 24 the structure of power in our country was determined for the long term.

I have also determined my future,” he said in a bitter parting shot.

Kudrin was seen as a talismanic figure in the markets-not only was he a liberal with an acute understanding of Russia’s problems, but he also had the ear of Putin, an old colleague from Saint Petersburg. In his place, Putin appointed two men-little known finance ministry bureaucrat Anton Siluanov as finance minister and First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov as the government’s economic pointman.

Shuvalov, who is already overseeing some of the government’s biggest spending projects, is not seen as sharing Kudrin’s fiscal hawkishness. “His abrupt resignation creates a risk of substantial deterioration in Russian budget discipline, which is particularly dangerous in the event of a crisis,” said Alfa Bank economist Natalya Orlova.

Nevertheless the Kudrin era may not be entirely over. Some observers predicted a rapid comeback at the central bank and despite his angry dressing down from Medvedev he is holding on to jobs on official commissions. —AFP

MANCHESTER: Europe must urgently fix its banks and deal with its debts, British Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday, warning that the euro zone’s problems were threatening the global economy. Any prolonged economic crisis in the rest of Europe, the UK’s main export market, would hurt Britain when the government is trying to rebalance a struggling economy and increase the sale of British goods and services overseas.

Cameron, speaking on the first day of his party’s annual conference in the northern English city of Manchester, said there was little that Britain could do to “insure” itself against what was happening on the continent. “The euro-zone is a threat not just to itself but also a threat to the British economy, but a threat to the worldwide economy,” Cameron told BBC television.

“Action needs to be taken in the next coming weeks to strengthen Europe’s banks, to

build the defenses that the eurozone has, to deal with the problems of debt. They’ve got to do that now. They ’ve got to get ahead of the markets now.”

The Conservative -Liberal Democrat coalition government, in power since May 2010, is increasingly concerned about a lack of growth in the British economy, with critics saying its tough austerity plan is only making matters worse. But the coalition argues that dealing with Britain’s debts decisively is the only way to restore long-term growth and stability, and to also keep financial markets at bay.

Cameron said he was not about to “tear up” Britain’s own deficit reduction plans, but said everything must be done to “fire up the engines of the British economy”.

He unveiled plans to make thousands of acres of state owned land available in a “build now, pay later” scheme for property developers which he said

could mean 100,000 homes were built and 200,000 jobs created.

Britain’s economic destiny will dominate much of the Conservative Party’s annual gathering after a leading parliamentarian criticized finance minister George Osborne for lacking a coherent growth strategy. With no spare cash to spend on stimulus, the government has looked to the Bank of England to keep monetary policy loose to support growth and ministers have ramped up pressure in recent weeks for more action.

The BOE meets this week for its monthly policy meeting with some expecting the central bank to start printing money again, despite inflation running at more than twice the two percent target.

The Conservative conference also is likely to see a renewed focus on Britain’s relationship with Europe. Many backbench Conservative MPs are angry that Cameron has not taken a tougher

line with the European Union over funding and human rights.

Cameron said he wanted to claim back some powers from European institutions but slapped down party members who want to leave the EU. “I think what most people want in this country is not actually to leave the European Union but to reform the European Union and to make sure the balance of powers between a country like and Europe is better.”

European officials are scrambling to avert a Greek debt default, which could wreck the balance sheets of European banks, damage the prospects of the euro single currency and possibly plunge the world back into another financial crisis.

“The problem for Europe right now is dealing with the euro-one problem, that is where all our energies should go.Because we’ve got to solve this problem in order to get the world economy to grow again,” Cameron said. —Reuters

US watchdog suspects leaks at ratings agency WASHINGTON: The internal procedures of one of the world’s top three ratings agencies appear to allow leaks of its decisions, according to a report by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

At one of the larger agencies, “the procedures for disseminating a pending rating action appeared to allow for limited dissemination of a pending rating action in some instances prior to public dissemination,” the report said.

The 23-page document is the latest report released by the SEC on the major ratings agencies-Fitch, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s-and seven others of lesser stature which are recognized in the United States.

Annual checks of the agencies were introduced under a financial reform law that came into effect in July last year. Up until then, the checks were carried out every two years.

The latest report covers the 2009-2010 period.

No agencies were named throughout the report.

The power ful “big three” raters have been accused of contributing to the global financial crisis by helping propel the sale of risky investments such as mortgage-backed securities just to net more business. The agencies, suspected of multiple conflicts of interest, are the focus of several US probes.

The decision by S&P in early August to strip the United States of its sterling AAA credit rating was preceded by several media reports announcing the decision was imminent. The SEC noted that each of the big three had “made changes to improve its operations since the 2007-08 examinations.”

Commission staff made a series of recommendations to each agency for improvements, notably on how to handle conflicts of interest, the report said. —AFP

Bavarian castle Schloss Bullachberg

Porsche to sell German castle BERLIN: German luxury sportscar maker Porsche is putting up for sale a Bavarian castle snapped up for six million euros ($8 million) in 2006, a spokesman for the manufacturer of the iconic 911 car said yesterday.

“We are parting company with this estate,” the spokesman told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS), after the paper said Porsche was selling Schloss Bullachberg, near the famous Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. Porsche had purchased the cas-

tle five years ago, under previous boss Wendelin Wiedeking, hoping to transform the 180,000-square-metre (1.9-million-square-feet), building into a luxury hotel. But the required renovation work never got going, the FAS wrote. The carmaker has built up massive debts as it looked to seal a tie-up with Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest car manufacturer.

However, in August, Porsche said it had booked a first-half net profit of 149 million euros, bouncing back from heavy losses. —AFP

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business

US Senate to take up China currency bill Key procedural vote set for today WASHINGTON: The US Senate this week takes up a bill to punish China for its alleged currency manipulation, a measure that has divided the Republican presidential field and put the White House in a bind. The legislationbacked by Democrats and Republicans in the polarized Congress, but opposed by Beijing and potent US business groups-faces a key procedural vote set for 5:30 pm today.

Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, a key author of the measure, predicted the bill would clear that hurdle easily on the road to an “overwhelming vote” to approve it and send it to the House of Representatives.

“The time for asking China nicely is over,” he said. But the bill faces an uphill fight in the House, where Republican leaders have no plans to bring it up for a vote unless the issue flares up as a core dispute in the November 2012 presidential races, several aides said.

And while White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters last week that the administration was “reviewing” the legislation and would not yet take a formal position, Schumer and others have said President Barack Obama opposes it. The White House and Republican House leaders are likely mindful of stiff opposition to the bill from the business community in the wake of a letter from 51 US industry groups warning it would spark a “counterproductive” trade war.

The measure builds on congressional anger at the refusal by Obama and his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush, to formally designate China as a currency manipulator in annual reports.

It would make it harder to avoid such a diagnosis, while making it easier for US firms to seek retaliatory tariffs against Chinese imports if Beijing is found to keep its currency-and thus its goods-artificially cheap. With the election season heating up, the bill’s backers have tied it to the sour US economy and the high 9.1 percent unemployment rate and said that China’s trade policy has cost millions of American jobs.

A recent study by the left-of-center Economic Policy Institute found that the US trade deficit with China has eliminated or displaced nearly 2.8 million jobs since 2001.

But the legislation has split the top two Republican White House contenders, with Texas Governor Rick Perry opposing it and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney saying he would make China’s currency an issue on his first day in office. Romney has

dubbed China an “economic threat” and vowed to designate Beijing a “currency manipulator,” a step that can trigger retaliatory US sanctions under existing law.

But “this is a free trade issue and Governor Perry does not support this bill,” said a spokesman for his campaign, Mark Miner.

House Democrats hope that anger at the sour economy and at what are seen as China’s unfair trade practices will help them force a vote with a little-used parliamentary procedure. But so far, 174 Democrats-and not one Republican-have signed a so-called “discharge petition” to do just that, leaving it well shy of the 218 signatures it needs, according to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s office.

Last year, a similar bill cleared the House by a lopsided 348-79 margin, with 99 Republicans voting yes.

Beijing unsurprisingly opposes the meas-

ing to trade protectionism.”

Republican White House hopeful and former US ambassador to China Jon Huntsman told Fox News Channel last week that he “would sign it simply because you need to keep pressure on China” but warned Beijing would retaliate.

“You take action against China, you can expect them to rebut that action with commensurate tariffs,” he said. “During a recession, you don’t want a trade war.” In late 2010, Obama himself said in the heartland state of Iowa that the yuan was “undervalued” and was “a contributing factor” to the yawning US trade deficit with China. In May 2011, however, the US Treasury Department declined in a formal report to brand Beijing a currency manipulator, and congressional Democratic aides say Obama may get caught between opposing the bill out of worries it could spark

WASHINGTON: Sen Sherrod Brown with (from left), Sen Charles Schumer, Sen Sam Brownback, Sen Debbie Stabenow, and Sen Lindsey Graham, speaks at a bipartisan news conference on Capitol Hill about legislation to combat China’s currency manipulation.

The Senate is expected to take up the bill today which would impose higher US duties on Chinese products. — AP ure: Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei last week urged US lawmakers to “reconsider their decision and refrain from pushing through the bill” and warned against “politicizing economic trade issues and resort-

a trade war and election-year pressure to look tough on China. Beijing has a history of allowing the yuan to strengthen slightly when it expects to come under heightened pressure over the value of its currency. — AFP

NEW YORK: A large group of protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement attempt to cross the Brooklyn Bridge, effectively shutting parts of it down on Saturday in New York. — AP

More than 700 anti-Wall Street protesters arrested NEW YORK: More than 700 anti-Wall Street activists were arrested on Saturday in New York amid chaotic scenes on Brooklyn Bridge after the protest movement’s march against “corporate greed” was broken up by police.

The activists, many of whom have been camped out in Manhattan for two weeks, were detained during their latest and biggest demonstration yet against government-backed banking bail-outs and corporate influence in US politics.

The “Occupy Wall Street” movement said it had staked its ground in downtown Manhattan “as a symbolic gesture of our discontent with the current economic and political climate.” Some of the demonstrators carried hand-drawn placards that read “End the Fed” and “Pepper spray Goldman Sachs” in what police described as a peaceful protest that nevertheless saw hundreds detained for public order offenses.

“More than 700 people were arrested.

Most of them for disorderly conduct,” a New York Police Department spokesman told AFP. The anti-Wall Street activists began their campaign by occupying Zuccotti Park, in the heart of Manhattan’s financial district, on September 17 and have since held protests outside the New York Stock Exchange and NYPD headquarters.

Some of those arrested at the bridge on Saturday were released after a few hours, while others would likely be held for a day or could receive a court summons, police said.

“We are the majority. We are the 99 percent. And we will no longer be silent,” Occupy Wall Street, which describes itself as a resistance movement inspired by the Arab Spring, said in a statement.

Saturday’s protest forced authorities to shut down the bridge for several hours as police placed protestors in handcuffs while others chanted slogans.

Another NYPD spokesman said there were “several hundred protestors who decided to walk on the roadway and who blocked traffic. Some heeded the warnings, some left, and arrests were made.”

Police shut down the Brooklyn Bridge “for a couple of hours” in the late afternoon, the NYPD said, adding that many protestors had remained on the bridge’s pedestrian walkway without incident.

Protestors have added police brutality to their lengthy and still vaguely defined list of grievances after a senior officer used pepper spray against four demonstrators who had already been shut inside a police pen a week ago.

Meanwhile in Boston on Saturday, 24 protestors were arrested and charged with trespassing as a vast crowd marched outside Bank of America offices.

Right to the City, the coalition of advocacy groups that organized the demonstration, said the event was held to protest corporate greed and to stop bank foreclosures.

According to organizers, around 3,000 people marched outside the bank. Police did not provide a crowd estimate. — AFP

Wall St protest’s success not easily measured

KABUL: Afghan pedestrians walk past goods for sale at a market in Kabul.

Despite massive injections of foreign aid since the fall of the Taleban in 2001, Afghanistan remains desperately poor with some of the lowest living standards in the world. — AFP

Shock cuts hit healthcare in Spain’s richest region MADRID: Spain’s crisis spending has cut a bit deeper with its richest region, Catalonia, suspending payments this past week to care homes and mental clinics because the money ran out.

The regional government insisted it was a temporary cash-flow measure, but health workers complained it will hurt the most vulnerable members of society over the coming months.

“These measures affect care centres for the elderly, the disabled, drug addicts and mental health patients,” said Toni Codina, director of a federation of welfare providers in Catalonia. “ We don’t understand how the Catalan government, at a time of funding difficulties, can have concentrated these measures on one of the most vulnerable sectors in Catalan society.”

The regional government insisted it was a temporary measure and all arrears would be paid by the end of the year. The latest measures “are part of a shock strategy” adopted because the regional government will not be able to pay the budgets of certain health clinics for two months, health spokeswoman Susagna Caseras told AFP. Francesco Homs, the spokesman for the ruling Catalan nationalist party CiU, told national radio: “It is a question of cash flow. I would not count it as one of the cuts.” Catalonia is on track to record a deficit double the regional limit — 1.3 percent of gross domestic product-set by the national government this year, despite an austerity budget that aims to save a billion euros by shaving 10 per-

cent off health spending. It had already begun closing hospitals in July, but these efforts did not impress foreign investors and the ratings agency Fitch downgraded Catalonia’s credit rating on September 14 to A-minus from A. The region responded by adopting a law on Tuesday that will oblige it to keep its deficit down to 0.14 percent of gross domestic product from 2018. The following day it said it would have to suspend payments to care centres. “ This announcement is a prelude to a rather painful few months for most regions as they scramble around to meet their increasingly challenging budget deficit target,” said Raj Badiani, an analyst at IHS Global Insight.

Cutbacks are biting in regions across Spain. In Madrid the regional government has asked teachers to work longer hours, prompting angry protests by staff who say this lowers the quality of teaching. The Navarra region has announced cuts in health and education that aim to save 190 million euros, and the Balearic Islands plan to cut 800 regional public sector jobs. “Health care and social security pay-out delays seem to be a popular measure in Spanish regions, because they are partly financed by the federal government,” said Christian Schulz, an analyst at Berenberg bank.

But investors are watching more carefully than ever to see how forcefully Catalonia, an independent-minded economic powerhouse which accounts for nearly 19 percent of Spain’s overall economy, will act. — AFP

NEW YORK: The collection of people in tiedyed T-shirts and star-spangled underwear have been camped out in a granite plaza in lower Manhattan nearly two weeks - and show no signs of going away.

They sleep on air mattresses, use Mac laptops and play drums. They go to the bathroom at the local McDonald’s. A few times a day, they march down to Wall Street, yelling, “This is what democracy looks like!” It all has the feel of a classic street protest with one exception: It’s unclear exactly what the demonstrators want.

“When all the bailout money was spent on bonuses and stuff everyone was outraged, but no one did anything because no one feels like they can,” protester Jesse Wilson, 22, said this week when asked to take articulate the cause. “It’s time for us to come together to realize we are the masses, and we can make things happen.”

But he couldn’t say what, exactly, he wanted to happen. Handmade signs carried by some of the demonstrators - “Less is More” and “Capitalism is evil” - hardly make it clearer. On Saturday, the group shut down part of the Brooklyn Bridge when they spilled onto the roadway from Manhattan in one of their many marches. Police arrested about 700 people while trying to clear the road and reopen for traffic.

But does it matter that the protest is vague? Academics and longtime activists give varying opinions. “A lot of this revolves around economic justice, who gets what in this society, who has a safety net, who doesn’t and how much corporate influence exists in Washington,” said Bill Dobbs, an activist involved in the 2004 demonstrations at the

Republican National Convention, and many others.

Dobbs and others say the group’s lack of specificity serves a purpose because it invites outrage over a full spectrum of societal grievances. Indeed, some demonstrators say they are against Wall Street greed, others say they are protesting global warming and still others say they are protesting “the man.”

The modern protester also expects an immediate response, thanks in part to technology, said Gabriella Coleman, a New York University professor of media, culture and communication who has studied some of the groups affiliated with the protest.

“We are in a cultural moment where people think the dictator will topple tomorrow, after four days of protests, and also the media is going to jump to pay attention,” Coleman said.

There has been a growing swell of coverage in mainstream media, but there has been loud complaining the cause hasn’t been championed fast enough - or in the way protesters want.

Newspapers, The Associated Press and television stations have covered the protests, and editorials have both poked fun and lauded the effort downtown. National Public Radio, which hasn’t aired stories, has fielded angry communiques demanding coverage.

“The recent protests on Wall Street did not involve large numbers of people, prominent people, a great disruption or an especially clear objective,” Dick Meyer, executive editor for news, explained on NPR’s website. But observers say the approach can be difficult for media - and the average person - to digest. “You should have a clear and convinc-

ing message, and know who is going to deliver it,” said the Rev. Herbert Daughtry, a longtime civil rights activist who has participated in protests for decades. “One of the reasons to get attention is to deliver the message.” Misinformation has added to the confusion. For instance, a rumor sprang up on Twitter that the New York Police Department wanted to use tear gas on protesters - a crowd-control tactic the department doesn’t use. The organizing group that calls itself Occupy Wall Street retracted the claim, one of several such retractions over the past several days. On Friday, it sent out a message that Radiohead would be performing in solidarity for the cause. (The band’s management said it wasn’t playing.)

Clashes with police have resulted in about 100 arrests. Most were for disorderly conduct. Many were the subject of homemade videos posted online. One video surfaced of a group of girls shot with pepper spray by NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna. The woman claimed they were abused and demanded the officer resign, and the video has been the subject of several news articles and commentary. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said internal affairs would look into whether Bologna acted improperly and has also said the video doesn’t show “tumultuous” behavior by the protesters.

The Civilian Complaint Review Board is also investigating. A group affiliated with the protest, Anonymous, later posted Bologna’s personal details, including where his kids go to school. He has received threatening emails, said a police union spokesman, Roy Richter. — AP

IMG board votes to oust Ovitz after failed bid

LISBON: Protesters shout slogans as they march during a demonstration in Lisbon. Portugal’s largest trade union confederation has held marches in the country’s two largest cities to protest against austerity measures and declining living standards linked to the country’s massive bailout. — AP

LOS ANGELES: The advisory board of IMG held a conference call to discuss what to do about Michael Ovitz’s play to take over company management, according to an individual with knowledge of the call.

The tally was 7-4 to oust Ovitz, the individual said, and there was a plan to reconvene today to formalize the decision. With IMG Worldwide Chairman and CEO Ted Forstmann on his deathbed, board member Michael Ovitz made a failed takeover play for the giant sports talent agency on Friday, but it backfired, TheWrap has learned.

The board met on a conference call Friday to discuss ousting Ovitz in response to his maneuvering, according to an individual close to the board. Ovitz could not be reached for comment.

IMG spokesman Jim Gallagher declined to comment on any takeover bid

by Ovitz. He gave TheWrap the following statement: “No offer for IMG has been sought and no offer has been received.

IMG is not for sale.” IMG is the largest sports agency in the world, representing sports stars from Tiger Woods and Roger Federer to corporate behemoths including Nike and Rolex.

TheWrap spoke to three different individuals, all with knowledge of IMG, who confirmed the particulars of Ovitz’s moves.

According to another insider, board members Jerry Perenchio and Irving Azoffrespectively the ex-CEO of Univision and executive chairman of LiveNation-are leading the charge to get Ovitz booted. With Forstmann fighting a losing battle against brain cancer, Ovitz recently moved to take over the company with boardroom maneuvering, according to two individuals close to the situation. — Reuters

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TECHNOLOGY

Autonomy CEO defends HP deal while sniping with Oracle SAN JOSE: Despite a continuing uproar over his company’s acquisition by Hewlett-Packard Co, the CEO of British software-maker Autonomy Corp said in an interview that he’s confident the $10.3 billion deal will help HP expand its business in software, computer hardware and even printing systems. But even as he sought to ease the controversy that erupted when the deal was announced last month, Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch stepped into a new imbroglio this week when he disputed Oracle Corp CEO Larry Ellison’s claim that Autonomy had unsuccessfully

shopped itself to Oracle before landing at HP. Oracle promptly accused Lynch of lying or showing “a very poor memory,” although Lynch stood by his account.

The public war of words is part of a bitter rivalry between Oracle and HP, which had hoped the Autonomy acquisition would boost its efforts to compete in the growing market for software that helps businesses analyze digital and on-line data. The high price of the deal, however, was widely criticized after it was announced last month.

Controversy over the acquisition and other recent moves led HP’s board to

remove then-CEO Leo Apotheker and replace him with Meg Whitman last week. Still, Whitman publicly endorsed the Autonomy deal when she was named CEO. And Lynch said this week that in conversations with Whitman, who will be his new boss, and with HP Executive Chairman Ray Lane, “they very much reiterated that the fundamental strategy for doing the deal still stands.” Autonomy’s software helps companies identify patterns in “unstructured” data, including emails, phone calls and even video. That’s a much bigger and faster-growing sector than the

financial records and other information that fits in the rows and columns of a traditional “structured” database, according to Lynch.

Working with other programs, Autonomy’s software can help businesses identify sales opportunities or resolve problems, for example, when a customer phones a call center with a question or complaint, Lynch said.

“People forget that customers don’t send you database entries,” he added.

“They ring you up or send out tweets.”

While experts agree the technology can be a valuable addition to HP’s com-

mercial products, analysts also questioned how long it will take for HP to recover an investment that’s ten times Autonomy’s annual revenue. Even after Whitman’s endorsement, Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore said in a recent report that the deal’s “rich” price “is likely to destroy shareholder value” for HP investors. Jason Maynard of Wells Fargo Securities said in a note that HP still lacks other “building blocks” of software that would make Autonomy’s products useful to HP customers. “We still don’t think HP has a credible strategy,” he added. — MCT

New Facebook features cause privacy concerns Latest features create ‘frictionless sharing’

DUBAI: Photo shows Doug Kennedy, Vice President, Microsoft Dynamics Partners, the award winning partner and Microsoft Dynamics Lead in Qatar, Yehia Nabil at the conference.

Microsoft honors its strongest performing Dynamics partners 6 business solution partners honored DUBAI: Microsoft honored its strongest performing Microsoft Dynamics partners in the region for their commitment to outstanding customer service and sales growth at the Microsoft Gulf Partner Conference in Dubai. During the regional recognition ceremony, a select group of Microsoft Dynamics partners were awarded worldwide for Inner Circle and President’s Club for Microsoft Dynamics. Microsoft Dynamics enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions help companies enhance productivity, simplify business processes and improve relationships with customers, partners, and suppliers.

The partners who won the Inner Circle awards include MDS Group and Columbus IT. Those who won the President’s Club awards include CEM Business Solutions - UAE; Enhanced Engineering & Multi-Technologies Co (EEMC)-Kuwait, Levtech - UAE and Veripark - UAE. Inner Circle for Microsoft Dynamics is an elite group of Microsoft Dynamics partners across the world with the highest level of sales globally. Membership to the Microsoft Dynamics Presidents Club recognizes the top 5 per cent of Dynamics partners worldwide based on exceptional and consistent customer commitment and business performance.

“This is the time of year when we get together to recognize and celebrate the achievements of the top Dynamics partners,” said Samer Abu-Ltaif, Regional GM, Microsoft Gulf. “As a partner-centric business, the success of Microsoft Dynamics is dependent upon the expertise, commitment and performance of our partners. The quality and depth of our channel is envied in the marketplace; and the annual Microsoft Dynamics award winners are clearly an elite set of partners. On behalf of Microsoft, I thank our award winners

and congratulate them for their achievements this past year and for their dedication and support of Microsoft Dynamics applications.”

“Given our company’s commitment to the Microsoft platform, our ability to deliver consistent, measurable business results is essential. We are proud to be recognized by Microsoft for our dedication towards enhancing the success of our customers,” said Omar Faisal AlOmar, CEO of EEMC - Kuwait. “Through our comprehensive industry expertise, our investments in creating innovative solutions that address business needs, and our partnership with Microsoft, we are able to provide unparalleled value to our Microsoft Dynamics customers.” “ This recognition represents the highest achievement attainable by our Microsoft Dynamics partners, and we thank them for their dedication to Microsoft,” said Tamer Elhamy, Business Solutions Manager, Microsoft Gulf.

“Microsoft Dynamics provides our customers with the flexibility to choose the best solutions and deployment methods in the face of rapid change. In the competitive environment that exists today, our partners are a key ally in helping customers to make the best use of our technology by allowing them to take advantage of the latest advancements while maximizing their existing technology investments.”

The Gulf Partner Conference provides Microsoft’s regional partner community with access to key marketing and business strategies, leadership, and information regarding specific customer solutions designed to help partners succeed in the marketplace. Along with informative learning opportunities covering sales, marketing, services and technology, the Conference is an ideal setting for partners to garner valuable knowledge from their peers and from Microsoft.

Botnets ‘major threat’ DUBAI: The Chief Malware Expert, Global Research and Analysis Team, Kaspersky Lab Vitaly Kamluk, said yesterday that hundreds of thousands of machines are joining botnets every month. Most of these botnets are used to propagate spam or distribute malware that can be used in cyber espionage. Some of them are used in DDoS attacks or as proxies to commit other cybercrimes. Botnets are a major threat to both the average user and corporations; however, the countermeasures we take are about as much use as measures a tiny mouse might take in protecting itself against a tiger: immensely inadequate.

One could think that laws should be able to help us. Indeed, there is a law that prohibits unauthorized access to remote systems, ie, third parties cannot use the resources of the other’s machine.

However, cybercriminals successfully bypass this law. They utilize and exploit systems in any way they want - to commit crime, earn money, etc. At the same time we researchers come up against the same law - but in our case it prevents us from fighting botnets.

As an example of what could be done but cannot even be contemplated, there are over 53 000 command and control (C&C) centers on the Internet (source: www.umbradata.com). In many cases we know where the C&C centers of these botnets are, so in theory we could contact the owner’s Internet Service Provider and ask it to take it down or to pass control of the center to us.

This would be the right decision if we didn’t want to leave all those thousands of infected machines online - continuing to attack other machines. We could issue a command for a bot to self-destroy itself from within the botnet infrastructure (starting from the command center) and then take it down. But unfortunately this represents unauthorized access, and we are not allowed to issue such a command. Clearly we need changes to improve the situation. And first of all we need the law enforcement agencies of all nations to consider doing a few things: Carrying out mass remediation via a botnet. - Using the expertise and research of private companies and providing them with warrants for immunity against cybercrime laws in particular investigations, so they can collect more evidence, or bring down a malicious system when it cannot be accessed physically.

Using the resources of any compromised system during an investigation so that we can place traps on compromised machines to get the source IP addresses of the attackers, and to bypass the mechanisms they use to hide their identities. - Obtaining a warrant for remote system exploitation - only in the cases when no other alternative is available. Of course this could result in cyber espionage. But if it is done properly - if the warrant is given for particular system, in a particular case, for particular timespan - this could bring positive results.

Indeed, it could significantly change the cyber-threat landscape.”

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said its new features create “frictionless sharing.” But they are causing friction with some users and consumer groups.

Facebook unveiled last week services that make it easier for its 800 million users to share more information about themselves and their lives online. The social networking service showed off a dramatic redesign of users’ profiles, a timeline that charts in chronological order all the information users have shared in the past. Facebook also said that third-party applications would - with users’ consent automatically share every action users take, such as the songs they listen to or the videos they watch.

Privacy watchdogs are urging the Federal Trade Commission to look into the new features that they say push users to share more than they may feel comfortable sharing. Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the watchdog group Electronic Privacy Information Center, which has criticized Facebook in the past, said he was sending a letter to the FTC pressing his organization’s concerns, which he says the agency has so far failed to address.

“It’s getting really difficult to evaluate the changes that Facebook makes, and I say that as a privacy professional. I can’t imagine what the typical user goes through,” Rotenberg said. “Users might opt in to what Facebook is planning to do, but Facebook never gives users that option. It just marches forward and users have to go along.” Facebook did not respond to a request for comment. An agency spokeswoman declined to say if the FTC is investigating Facebook. The FTC does not discuss investigations unless the subject of an inquiry discloses the investigation, she said.

Privacy watchdogs aren’t the only ones who say Facebook is stripping away its users’ privacy. Writer Ben Barr of technology blog Mashable in a blog post said, “We’re at the point of no return.” “Facebook’s passive sharing will change how we live our lives. More and more, the things we do in real life will end up as Facebook posts,” Parr wrote. “And while we may be consoled by the fact that most of this stuff is being posted just to our friends, it only takes one friend to share that information with his or her friends to start a viral chain.”

Facebook says it gives users the ability to control the privacy of their personal informa-

tion. And it has taken recent steps to give users even greater control. But it continues to be dogged by privacy concerns as it taps users’ information to better target advertising.

Advertising sales make up most of the income

users when they are logged off from the service.

Facebook engineer Gregg Stefancik denied that the company tracked users in a comment on Cubrilovic’s blog post. Stefancik said that

Mark Zuckerberg for Facebook, which is preparing for a highly anticipated initial public offering next year.

With Internet companies gathering huge volumes of personal information, lawmakers and regulators in the US and Europe have stepped up scrutiny.

In March, Google settled with the FTC, which had accused the Internet search giant of engaging in deceptive practices with the rollout of the social networking service called Buzz. Google agreed to put in place a privacy program and to be audited by a third party every other year. Over the summer, Google launched another social networking service, Google+, which is seen as a credible competitor to Facebook.

Spotify and other third-party applications are already being made available to Facebook users. The redesign of users’ profiles will roll out in coming weeks. As consumers tried to digest the latest Facebook changes, another concern emerged: Blogger Nik Cubrilovic accused Facebook of using cookies to track

Facebook alters - but does not delete - cookies when users log out. But he says Facebook does that as a safety measure and does not use the cookies to track users or sell their personal information. In a statement, Facebook said the logged-out cookies are used to identify spammers and phishers and detect when an unauthorized person is trying to access a user’s account, among other things.

Tim Whitlock, chief technology officer and co-founder of Brandfeed, a company that helps promote brands, said users should think through the consequences of sharing personal information on Facebook. “Most people understand that sites like Facebook are free to use for a reason. It’s not because Mark Zuckerberg loves you, it’s because Facebook and its peers make money from your data and from your eyeballs,” Whitlock wrote. “We need to start thinking beyond what our data is currently used for ... and wonder what else the information we hand over today might be used for tomorrow.” — MCT

Microsoft to sponsor ACISC KUWAIT: Microsoft yesterday announced its participation in the Arabian Conference on Information & Communications Security (ACISC) which kicks off today in Kuwait. Microsoft, which is a platinum sponsor of the conference, will be addressing attendees on the latest security technologies and trends. Cyril VoisinChief Cloud and Security Adviser, Microsoft Gulf will present two papers at the conference focusing on “Securing personal confidentiality in e-government systems” today and “Security challenges in Cloud Computing” tomorrow.

The central role of IT systems and adoption of cloud computing in Kuwait and the region is now putting cybersecurity at the forefront. In such a scenario, Microsoft will help attendees understand the risks and best practices to make security an enabler for any modern organiza-

tion. As a company, Microsoft is in a unique position to provide both guidance and technology solutions that can offer a safer online experience given its 15 years of experience providing cloud computing solutions.

The coordinated and strategic application of people, processes, and technology allows Microsoft to adapt to the rapid changes happening within the cloud infrastructure and in the marketplace for online services while still maintaining Microsoft’s commitment to delivering a Trustworthy Computing experience for customers.

United marketing & Organizing Exhibitions UNIEXPO said, “This conference comes at a pivotal time as our region and government institutions grapple with setting a growth agenda and improving infrastructure by using Information technology as a strategic tool. However, this

brings security concerns to the fore. We welcome Microsoft ‘s presence at this conference and look forward to engaging with their team and experts to learn more about operating in this challenging environment.”

“Organizations today need to have a clear strategy to deal with the overall security scenario which is being affected by growing number of threats from the use of social media, malware, identity fraud and unauthorized access to corporate systems and networks,” said Cyril Voisin. “Given the spread of new Web technologies and popularity of cloud services, organizations need to evolve an enterprise-wide information security process to deal with such multiple threats. Microsoft has a great deal of experience working in the information security domain and across the cloud and I look forward to sharing our experience at this conference.”

Speaking on the occasion, Ehab Mostafa, Country Manager, Microsoft Kuwait said, “Given the increasing importance of information technology in driving the strategic growth of an organization, having a sophisticated security approach is absolutely essential to protect data and the reputation of the firm.

As business security issues continue to grow, due in large part to the typical operational challenges faced by organizations in Kuwait, Microsoft is well placed to help CIOs and IT administrators cope with these diverse challenges.” Voisin’s paper on “Securing personal confidentiality in e-government systems” will deal with protecting the confidentiality of personal information in e-government systems which relies on isolation of data, encryption, storage of minimal information and absence of unique keys.

Beyond those traditional approaches, his paper will discuss how the innovative U-Prove cryptographic technology can be used to reconcile seemingly conflicting security and privacy requirements in electronic communication and transaction systems.

Based on Microsoft experience in both cloud computing and security, Voisin’s paper on “Security challenges in Cloud Computing” will also discuss the security aspects to take into consideration when looking at public cloud computing from the point of view of Compliance & Risk Management, Identity and Access Management, Service Integrity, Endpoint Security, Information Protection and Network Dependence.

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H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Sheds help Australia men shed the pounds ‘Men’s Sheds’ provide pathway to counseling

MINNEAPOLIS: Dr David Hilden (right) burned out as a family physician, now is a “hospitalist.” — MCT

Doctors overdose on stress, anxiety MINNEAPOLIS: Dr Dan Fulton and his wife, Lois, talk about stress quite a bit. He’s a thirdyear medical resident; she’s a physical therapist. In addition to raising two daughters, 3 years and 9 months, the couple is chipping away at about $173,000 in student debt from medical school. “We have an agreement that I can’t log in from home,” said Fulton, 30, a resident in internal medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center in downtown Minneapolis. “It means that at times at the end of a long day I have to stay at work and finish up reports. But when I’m home, I’m home.”

Finding ways to keep a lid on the pressure is becoming ever more difficult for doctors-intraining, according to a new Mayo Clinic study. Large numbers are burned out, depressed and becoming increasingly cynical about their work. They’re deep in debt and finding it impossible to balance work and life.

Most jarring, according to the study of more than 16,000 US graduate medical students, is that the stress is making it harder for residents to learn needed skills. The Mayo Clinic researcher who worked on the report warns that downplaying the signs could lead to mistakes and poor patient care.

“This isn’t just a woe is me, look at those doctors complaining about how hard their medical training is,” said Dr Colin West, a general internist who co-directs the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Program on Physician Well-Being. “This actually has an impact on what we’re providing to patients throughout the health care system.” The results, published last Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, are the first to draw connections between distress, debt and medical knowledge. The researchers used scores from tests taken each year by nearly every internal medicine resident in the country and added questions about burnout, work-life balance and other measures of wellbeing.

More than half of the internal medicine residents, about 52 percent, reported some symptom of burnout. Nearly 46 percent complained of being emotionally exhausted, and 3 in 10 showed signs of cynicism, lack of empathy or callous feelings on the job. The report also found that those with more than $200,000 in debt had test scores 5 percent lower than their debt-free peers. Today’s medical school graduate leaves school with an average of $160,000 in student loans.

Medical leaders have known for years that young doctors are under stress, with previous reports focusing on individual hospitals and training centers. Those results helped spawn industry regulations in 2003 that now limit residents to an average of 80 hours a week

averaged over a four-week period. New rules came into effect in July aimed at interns doctors in their first year of residency - that limits them to 16 hours in a single shift.

The Mayo report indicates that reducing hours may not be sufficient or the best approach. “You reduce the work hours, maybe fatigue gets better,” West said. “But even after you’ve helped with that, we’re still seeing these national numbers of high rates of burnout, high rates of quality of life concerns. What are we going to do on a national basis to address those issues? That’s a dialogue that’s really in its infancy.” Medical experts say there’s a certain amount of stress medical residents need to experience to become good at making quick decisions in high-pressure situations, and to get as much hands-on training as possible.

But the combination of the debt load and the stress is affecting the number of students choosing to become family doctors. Specialty medicine offers bigger paychecks and fewer midnight calls at home than primary care doctors get. “When you graduate from medical school with well into the six figures of debt, that is a motivating factor for what specialty of medicine residents and medical students go into,” said Dr David Hilden, who works with medical residents and students at HCMC. Hilden points to his own experience. He was a primary care doctor for six years, but got out “largely because of burnout.” Two years ago, he became a hospitalist, where he sees patients at HCMC. “A family doctor might see 20 patients or more before lunch and the same after lunch,” he said. “And that’s only a fraction of the actual work involved. You’ll spend an equal amount of time doing the charting and the billing and the follow up of lab results and the phone calls for that patient.”

“You never feel caught up,” he added. “The pressures of the clock are extreme.” Fulton said staff physicians and resident fellows can help residents deal with the pressure and try to anticipate signs of stress. “People don’t always get better,” he said. “As a physician, it’s hard to see that and walk through that with them. The more that happens, the more burned out you start to feel.” West said he hopes this research, which documents the problem on a nationwide scale, will turn the focus away from documenting the problem to looking for solutions. The end game is providing better medical care. “There’s a balance,” West said “You’ve got to have the right stress with the right support so you promote the best growth for the trainee. We’re not at that point right now.” — MCT

Austrian glaciers shrink dramatically VIENNA: Austria’s glaciers shrank dramatically this summer, the most since a record hot period in 2003, principally because of low amounts of snow the preceding winter, scientists said. The Goldbergkees glacier in the Alps, for instance, is on average two meters (6.5 feet) thinner than in 2010, losing around seven percent of its mass, the ZAMG national meteorological institute said. Glaciers generally shrink in the summer months and grow again in the winter, and in recent years more has generally melted than has been replaced. This year however the loss has been particularly marked, the ZAMG said.

“Although 2011’s summer wasn’t particularly hot, the losses are as extreme as during the 2003 summer of the century,” climatologist Berhard Hynek said. Snow levels were much lower than normal in the eastern Alps after an unusually warm and dry winter. On the 3,000-metre (10,000-feet) Hoher Sonnblick, for example, the level was only two-thirds of the 80-year average on May 1. Mountain glaciers and snow cover in both hemispheres have retreated in the past few decades because of changes to the Earth’s climate blamed by the vast majority of scientists on the rise in greenhouse gas emissions. — AFP

COLORADO: Three black footed ferrets huddle in a temporary housing unit as animal keepers at the National Zoo’s conservation center in Front Royal, rounded-up 26 ferrets for shipment to Fort Collins. This shipment marks an important moment in the recovery of a species once declared extinct. — AP

MAITLAND: They’ve long been considered an Australian man’s temple but the humble backyard shed is experiencing a super-sized renaissance, and they’re bringing blokes back from the brink. The premise is simple: community spaces where men can do handywork, fitted out with wood and metal workshops, assorted tools and gardening areas. But it’s “health by stealth” according to Hunter Valley convener Marty Leist, rescuing retired and unemployed men from lonely and sometimes dark existences and encouraging them to work-and talk-alongside others.

“It’s like we’ve tapped into a new male, you’ve got your SNAGs-your sensitive new age guysthese are ‘shedders’,” Leist tells AFP at the thriving Maitland Men’s Shed in a sleepy Hunter Valley town 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Sydney. “These are guys that have been tough, the strong person all their life, and now they’ve found an environment where they can let it all out, and be themselves. “It’s like a big relief, a big weight off their shoulders. They’re not alone.”

There are now 600 registered Men’s Sheds across Australia-explosive growth from a dozen or so five years ago-and their patron is Tim Mathieson, partner of Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the nation’s “First Bloke.”

Their popularity has even seen some sheds open their doors to women, an issue which varies from site to site depending on demand.

The Maitland centre is a hive of activity, with saws and welders humming and a small group puzzling over a giant Maori canoe, the dream project of a local man who died before he had a chance to finish it. Good-natured ribbings are the order of the day, and the men speak freely as they toil over a playhouse and paint bird boxes to sell in the local petshop. Men’s Sheds operate under the motto “Shoulder to Shoulder” and Maitland president John Hill says the practical element is critical in getting the sometimes gruff and hardened locals to open up.

“Guys come in with no self-esteem at all and build themselves up purely because (they realize) ‘Hey I’m needed again in life, I’m not just sitting around waiting to die’,” Hill says. “Suddenly they’ve got a reason to get out of bed. It’s a harsh way of saying it but that’s how it is.” Jerry Cassidy, a retired telecom technician, came to the shed seeking companionship after his wife died and their adult children left home. He has never looked back.

“You start to use your hands and it loosens

people’s tongues,” Cassidy says.

“People that are very quiet normally and standoffish come here and they start to do stuff, and they talk to people. “All of a sudden you’re in your old work situation with your mates, they were like your family. These guys are just the same.” Every shed has its stories and its characters-Maitland’s resident scavenger Graham Williams is known as “Batman” because he likes to spend the days in the shed’s half-finished mezzanine sorting and organizing supplies.

One former mine worker who prefers to stay

cancer, heart health, diabetes and depression.

They’re touchy issues that men can be unwilling to talk about, even with their wives, but the familiar environment gives them the space to open up about their symptoms and for others to ask questions. “They don’t know what they’re talking about half the time, it just comes out, they don’t realize they’re talking about themselves,” says Cessnock shedder Col Chapman.

Men who might otherwise slip through the cracks-those whom Leist says “were inches away from topping themselves”-can find new mean-

SYDNEY: In this picture, Trevor Smith (left) and Graham Heydon cut panels for a cubby house at the Maitland Men’s Shed in Hunter Valley. — AFP anonymous says the shed gives him a sense of purpose and helps him to stay off the drink.

“When I retired I started to vegetate and I was just getting sicker and sicker,” he said. “The doctor’s advice to me was use it or lose it.” Local speech therapists arrive with cake for an informal talk about recovering from a stroke and Leist says health issues-both physical and mental-are a big part of a shed’s business.

Across the valley at Cessnock’s shed regular seminars are held on issues including prostate

ing in their lives and the shed can be a pathway to counseling or treatment for a medical problem. Food grown in the shed garden will often go to the single, older men to make sure they’re eating well and Hill says some of the Maitland members have defied dire health predictions since joining up. “We got a couple of guys we thought would die when they first came here, but they’re still here,” he says. “The doctors have come back to them and said ‘I don’t know what’s happening to you but keep doing it’.” —AFP

How to exercise the right way

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aybe the biggest barrier to working out is time. Barrier, challenge, excuse? So fitness trainers hate to see anyone frittering away precious workout periods or filling them with less-than effective exercises. Actually, it makes them crazy. We asked a few trainers to point out things they see in the workout world that they really wish they didn’t. Perhaps a different exercise would be a better use of time. Or a certain exercise ultimately yields more injury and pain than progress. You might be surprised by their picks. But first, let’s address the flagrant waste of workout time, and the chief culprit here is - you guessed it - the cellphone. “It drives me bananas,” says John Benz, co-owner of CrossFit on 18th in Kansas City, Mo. “If you can talk on the phone or text, your workout isn’t intense enough.” Recently, a person was observed just barely moving her legs on an elliptical machine because she couldn’t coordinate legs and texting thumbs. “She wasn’t breathing hard, but she was definitely communicating with someone,” Benz says. Unless you’re taking a call from a patient or a babysitter or some other emergency ”Somebody better be dying on the other end” leave the cellphone alone, he says. And if you’re using your phone during a class or while working with a trainer, that’s just rude. Bottom line: If you weren’t actually working out during your workout, you can’t claim a workout.

Instead of crunches, do planks Corey Scott knows why people do crunches, those truncated sit-ups meant to target abdominal muscles. They want a “six-pack,” a washboard stomach, that shrink-wrapped look. But the real way to get the shrink-wrapped look is to shrink the wrap. That requires improving nutrition and cutting calories. “We all have the same musculature,” says Scott, owner of Corey Scott Personal Training Studios in Prairie Village, Kan. “It’s just that we have to reduce down to it. The six-pack starts in the kitchen. Or better yet, the grocery store.” If your goal is to strengthen your “core,” which means the torso muscles, including stomach, back and hips, your impulse is right on, Scott says. But crunches aren’t good for that, either.

Few people keep perfect form during crunches, he says. And it gets worse as they try to increase repetitions. Most notably they will arch their backs, a strain that can lead to injury. A simple and effective core exercise is the plank, Scott says. It involves a host of abdominal, back and stabilizer muscles. Lie on the floor face down and raise your body, “balancing” on your forearms and toes. Hold for 20 seconds or more, lower your body to the floor and repeat several times. Be sure to keep your rear from poking up or sagging.

For a more advanced plank, place your forearms on an exercise or stability ball.

Instead of rote cardio routines, do interval training Cynthia Kernodle gives certain people credit at least they’re not sitting at home on the couch but still it’s disturbing: “I see the same people on a piece of cardio equipment like an elliptical machine or stationary bike, doing the same thing every time, at the same level. “It’s better than being sedentary, but they’re not going to change their bodies or increase their aerobic fitness.”

Several problems: The body gets accustomed

to long stretches of routine exercise, and fitness doesn’t improve; you increase your risk for repetitive motion injuries; and workouts lack mental focus. They’re boring. Two solutions, says Kernodle, owner of Choices Personal Training: If you perform your cardio at the gym, spend shorter amounts of time on each of several machines: elliptical, treadmill, bike. And switch to interval training, which means alternating periods of high-intensity and low-intensity exercise. The latter are also called rest intervals (but that doesn’t mean to stop).

Intensity is pushing yourself hard to maximum

Fitness trainer Cynthia Kernodle is quick to list opportunities to improve folks’ exercise regimens. — MCT effort, which is a different level for different people. Think of sprinting, running as hard as you can, followed by jogging. Or increase the slope or resistance on a cardio machine for a time, then lower it. “Even doing that for 30 seconds and then backing off for recovery is going to make changes,” Kernodle said. “Otherwise your muscles just become immune to your exercise, and they quit changing.”

Instead of bicep curls, do pull-ups or assisted pull-ups No matter how toned or bulky you’d like your biceps to be, John Benz has a message for the bicep-curl fans among us: “Way too much time is dedicated to that tiny muscle.” Benz realizes that the bicep curl, lifting a hand-held weight by bending the elbow, is a hallowed weight-training maneuver. But the time would be better spent doing pull-ups, he says. Gripping a bar and lifting your body weight will give you great biceps plus recruit an array of muscles in the back and elsewhere. It’s also more aerobic and will improve your grip, forearms and shoulder stability.

Can’t do one? Ask a friend to grasp your ankles

with both hands and provide just as much support as is needed for you to lift your body and get your head above the bar, Benz says. Or, at first, stand on a chair or stool and approximate a freehanging pull-up. And if you’re too old school to completely abandon bicep curls? “Less than 3 minutes,” Benz says. Hit them fast, intensely, and move on.” By now you’re picking up on a general theme here: For fitness and function, choose exercises that work large and multiple muscle groups rather than those that attempt to target specific muscles.

Instead of leg holds, do alternating leg exercises Our legs contain the body’s biggest muscles.

They’re heavy. That’s one reason leg-hold exercises can cause injury, Kernodle says. For leg holds, people lie on their backs and with their legs straight, raise them to a right angle with the floor, then lower them to about 10 inches from the ground, hovering there as long as possible.

This is meant as an abdominal exercise, with the legs serving as dead weight. But remember the crunch? Similar issue. “You see people’s backs arching away from the mat or the bench,” she says. “Really their lower back is taking the strain, and the abdominals aren’t working.” Anyone with chronic lower back pain shouldn’t do leg holds, Kernodle says. Others risk injury unless they maintain perfect form, with the full spine against the floor. Here are a couple of alternatives: Lying on the floor face up, bend the right leg at the knee and keep the right foot on the floor.

Extend the left leg and raise it off the floor, hold for several seconds, and return the left leg to the floor. Make sure you don’t push your right foot against the floor, which recruits the right hamstring rather than the abdominals. Then switch legs. Now, lying face up, arms at your sides, position your legs as though sitting in a chair, thighs at a right angle to the ground and knees bent.

Lower one leg to the ground and return to the starting position. Do the same with the other leg.

If you find yourself arching your back, place your hands, face down to the floor, under your rear.

Instead of overhead shoulder lifts, do scaptions Scott was at a fitness convention when a physical therapist asked a group of trainers whether they instruct their clients to do shoulder presses and other overhead weight-lifting routines for shoulder strength. Most hands shot up. “Stop it,” the therapist said. “I’m tired of trying to fix all these patients with messed up shoulders.”

Pushing heavy weights above the head is a staple of gym work, but be wary of injury, Scott says.

Especially as people age, such weight training can damage shoulder joints and tendons. A common term is “shoulder impingement syndrome.”

Try scaptions as an alternative, he says.

With light to moderate weights in each hand, place your arms about even with your front pockets. Now raise the weights to just below shoulder height, then lower them. Your arms are angled rather than straight at your sides or straight in front. “I was in Hawaii at a gym hotel,” Scott says, “and I saw a guy doing upright rows. So I told him I was a trainer, and that what he was doing could cause impingement of the shoulder joint. He looked at me, said, ‘hmm,’ and went right back to what he was doing.” — MCT

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

H E A LT H

Young Indonesians paint the town green JAKARTA: Young Indonesians are breathing new life into their polluted concrete capital city with little more than buckets of soil and seeds. A group of mostly young professionals, known as Gardening Indonesia, has joined the global urban farming movement, converting vacant patches of land between Jakarta’s skyscrapers into lush green vegetable gardens.

“There’s concrete, concrete, everywhere. But if

we look hard enough, there is vacant land we can farm,” said Sigit Kusumawijaya, 30, watering freshly planted tomato seeds.

On a one-hectare (2.5-acre) lot between luxury homes in a north Jakarta suburb, Kusumawijaya and his fellow gardeners grow tomatoes, cucumbers, corn and chillies where an eyesore dumping ground once stood. The group’s goals are to encourage a healthy pop-

senses' harmony ... with life

ulation and a green city while saving money on grocery bills. Jakarta residents have for years criticised the government for allowing giant malls and towering apartment buildings to replace green spaces, which are now few and far between.

Traipsing the muddy earth of the vegetable garden in her leopard-print boots, 26-year-old architect Syahnaz said that urban farming was

one way young Indonesians could take matters into their own hands. “The government isn’t doing very much for us, so we have to take the initiative to look after the city,” she said. Syahnaz-who like many Indonesians uses only one name-has traded her life as a mall-rat for urban farming.

“The massive use of air conditioning in malls is destroying our planet-it’s an evil,” she

A Al-Seef Hospital Hospital Visiting Vi isiting Doctors Program Proogram

said. Kusumawijaya and some friends formed the Gardening Indonesia group earlier this year, recruiting thousands of followers on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.

Members discuss online the latest urban farming trends and projects and share information about organic farming, while hundreds turn out on weekends to work in group gardens in 14 cities around the country. — AFP

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N

FIT4FUN Arena

F Magic makeover at Movenpick Hotel Doha

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ovenpick Hotel Doha has renovated all its 154 rooms and suites, providing a contemporary look for today’s savvy business travelers.

The four-month makeover has transformed the hotels’ rooms and suites into even more comfortable, stylish and technologically advanced living spaces that elegantly combine sophistication and functionality.

Using luxurious fabrics in rich tones for the curtains and carpets, as well as bright, vibrant colors for the walls, has cast a warm and inviting sensation upon the rooms. The inroom technological features now include large LCD TVs and high-speed wired and wireless internet access.

The second phase, due to commence shortly includes changing the concept, name and dÈcor of the “Piano Piano Bar”, restyling “Seasons”, the hotel’s main restaurant, as well as launching a new casual dining outlet. “This transformation brought fresh energy to the property and has given the rooms and suites a contemporary modern style with an understated elegance,” said Fabien Chesnais, General Manager of Movenpick Hotel Doha.

Hamad Al Mulla, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar National Hotels added: “The continued developments at the Movenpick Hotel Doha is a high priority for QNH as we are committed to driving forward the country’s regeneration as well as helping our owned hotels improve their competitiveness and productivity. This is why we are delighted to invest in renovations and expansion plans which will provide a significant boost to the economy as well as contributing to the vibrancy of the local community.” Created with the business traveler in mind, the upscale hotel enjoys a unique location in the heart of the city, centrally positioned on the Corniche road, only 5km from Doha International Airport as well as the city’s business district and tourist attractions.

Congratulations!

Jaisal Ashraf, has secured second rank in Medical electronics engineering diploma exam conducted by Kerala State. He is the son of Kanakkcheri Ashraf; Thalakkalathuv, Andikode, Calicut, who had worked in Kuwait Airways.

IT4FUN Arena is the first and only indoor shooting game in Kuwait. It is as well the first and only paint(less)ball in the country. Instead of paintball they use fluorescent rubber balls along with UV lamps inside the arena and neon fluorescent designs making the whole arena aglow during the game. For safety players use a face mask and a special vest with pressure points that automatically register points when hit. These give the game a very futuristic effect, which goes with the theme - Tron legacy the blast attack!

Ladies, Young ladies, Young men, and Kids This is not all. The FIT4FUN Arena also launches the BAZOOKA BALL! Play the game, enjoy the fun without the pain! Instead of the regular paintball size bullets the guns are loaded with golf size squeeze balls which are very soft and pops every time you shoot.

This is very suitable for kids and ladies who want to enjoy the game and have the same fun as playing the blast attack but without the pain and the ugly bruises after. Paintless and painless!

Pankaj Udhas - The inimitable ghazal maestro

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ince its origins in 6th century Arabia, ghazal music migrated across Persia, the Central Asian republics and eventually to India and South Asia. Across the ages, ghazals have assimilated musical characteristics and improvisations from various cultures, including Arab, Persian and Indian. But despite transformations brought about by time and terrain, ghazalscontinue to mesmerize audiences with the poignancy ofits central theme of love, especially unrequited love, and the pain associated with its loss.And, when it comes to conveying the core elements of ghazal in its full emotiveness and heartrending intensity, there are few singers that can compare to Ghazal maestro, PadmaShriPankajUdhas.

PankajUdhas, the velvety voice behind scores of soulful ghazals and the man credited with bringing the genre from the realm of aselect few and popularizing it among the masses, was recently in Kuwait for a live concert organized by Al Mulla Exchange. The legendary singer graciously found time between his brief stay and busy schedule to speak about his music, his views on current status of ghazals and future prospects for this unique form of music.

“Ghazal, which has been in India for well over 400 years, is no longer seen as just a genre of music, it has become an integral part of our musical culture. Through the right composition and combination of poetry and melody, ghazals have endeared to audiences around the world and its oeuvres have becomeindivisible elements of the Indian musical repertoire,” said the ghazal maestro.

The perception that Indian musical landscape, increasingly inundated with Indipop, remixes, techno, rave and other modern musical forms, has shifted ghazal and other traditional classical music forms to backstage,is not fully accurate. “Like everything

else in life, ghazals too have had their share of ups and downs,” said the singer. “I would say that at presentghazalsmay not be riding a wave of popularity, but that would not meanghazals are no longer of interest to audiences. It you needed any evidence of this enduring interestin ghazlas, just ask the over 1,400 people who attended the liveconcert in Kuwait.Previously, I have been to this country in 1985 and again in 1995, and though there was a gap of over a decade between each visit, each time the response from ghazal fans in Kuwait have been simply overwhelming.”

“And this is not just the case with fans in Kuwait; earlier this month we had the same enthusiastic response when we did five, backto-back concerts across Australia. The passionate reception to ghazal recitals, whether they are held in India or across the world, is anobvious indication of the continuing popularity of this form of music. So it is wrong to say that ghazals are diminishing in popularity, if I would have to qualify this, I would only add that perhaps ghazals are nowadays being promoted less wholeheartedly by electronic media, especially mainstream television channels.”

“With television in nearly every household in India, it is important that we receive the support of television channels to reach the people and make ghazalsmore accessible and appealing to the younger generation. I would be the first to admit that times have changed and with it so has the taste in music. But interest in music, or for that matter,in anything else and at any time or in any place, is promoted and popularized by media support.

Today, television and other electronic media have a strong hold in fashioning the likes and dislikes of people; but sadly,the majority of television channels are no longer focusing on any other musical forms than those dictated

HOT STEPPER to entertain Indians based in Kuwait

C ‘Most Beautiful Egyptian Child’ Contest begins

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he ‘Bawabat Al-Masreyeen’ (Egyptians Gate) blog in Kuwait launched a course in operating the photoshop program which deals with editing pictures and prepare designs. There was also a contest for the picture of the most beautiful child among Egyptian community children in Kuwait. The contest began yesterday and will continue until Wednesday, results will be announced on Saturday, October 15. It is worth mentioning that the gate began dealing with the communityís problems two weeks ago, as it presents them to concerned officials, and the most important problem is that of Egypt Air so far. http://www.facebook.com/egykwt

Furthermore, FIT4FUN Arena also introduces the grenade ball! The game is played without the guns! Instead players throw at each other tennis balls like grenades. It’s dodgeball gone better!

These fun games can be enjoyed by both men and ladies and young kids and adults. Bring in the whole family and play! It is also a great team building game for everybody, so build up your team whether of friends or by companies either way you’ll have fun and bond together.

ountdown begins and the wait finally comes to an end with the Hot Stepper’s strike. The long awaited ‘Indian Fiesta 2011’ is finally here to be held on 28th October, 2001 on the grounds of entertainment city, Doha, from 2 pm until 11pm.

The summer heat has finally cooled down and a pleasant weather is eagerly awaited upon by every citizen and expat in Kuwait creating a perfect inspiration for fun, entertainment, and family outings together. For moments like these, keeping in mind the needs and thoughts of thousands of Indians based in Kuwait, Prashanth D’souza decided to pull togeth-

er a group of likeminded individuals in the year 2004 which later came to be known as Creative Indians AssociationHot Stepper group. Presently a team of executive members comprising of Vinod D’Souza, Rakesh Sequeira, Wilfred Rebello, Shailesh Castelino, Vinod Rebello, Vijay Rebello, Raghavendra Kulal, Wilson Rayan, Jacob Pinto, Faizan Khan, Ramdas Revedkar and Joseph Pinto are all professionals from different fields in Kuwait and they work hard along with Prashanth D’ Souza to cater to the likes and preferences of the Indians based in Kuwait. The event marketing partners - Badra International led by Wilson D’Souza and his team are also the backbone of all their events.

For dance groups and sponsors to be part of this Grand Indian Fiesta, please call 22455818. Visit and register on our website www.hotstepper.com for timely updates on the event.

by Bollywoodfilms.”

“Today, television programs are all about ratings and eyeballs and regretfully the spotlightcurrently is on Western based musical forms. Ten or fifteen years ago there was a lot of television support for ghazals and other classical music. For instance, there was a huge interest in ghazals when we ran the program ‘AadabAarzHai’ on Sony Entertainment Television. It provided an opportunity to bring the hidden talents of many musically gifted youngsters to the limelight;both as a concept and a program, the show was able to reach out to millions of people across the world. Unfortunately, the Channel decided to replace ‘AadabAarzHai’ with ‘Indian Idol’, which they believed was a better utilization of their time slot. Since then we have held discussions with various people and hopefully by the end of the year, or early next year, we will be able to re-launch AadabAarzHai.” PankajUdhas, the singer who has enthralled a generation of ghazal lovers with his expressive and emotive, ‘Ghungroo toot gaye’, ‘Aurahistakijiyebaatein’ and mesmerized movie-music fans with his ‘Chitthiayihai’ and ‘Jiye to jiyekaise bin aapke’, was rather reluctant to speak about his contributions in popularizing ghazals and in helping revive the genre. From very early on in his musical career hehad decided that ghazals should be made more appealing in order to engage with a wider audience. The challenge came in the form of’pure’traditional ghazals,which were very limiting and did not lend themselves easily to improvisation.

According to the maestro, byjuxtaposing melodious music with evocative lyrics, by melding traditional and contemporary elements and experimenting with different musical compositions and combinations of

instruments, it became possible to render ghazals in innovative and enthralling forms.

But creating ghazals that reverberate in the hearts of fans is not about just remixing pure ghazals and adding new instruments.Successful and popular ghazals are the result of a number of factors, including the singer’s voice interacting with the melody and the poetry, and how each word is articulated and its meaning drawn out and expressed in a genuine and distinctive style.

Regarding new projects that are on the anvil, the singer said, “I have lined up two or three projects that are now in final stages; one is the release of a DVD of my concert held at the Gateway of India, it was filmed by an international crew of professionals in full HD and with surround sound. I must say that this video is, if not the best, certainly one of top Indian concert videos ever filmed. And I am sure fans will respond excitedly to this DVD when it is released. Another project coming up is a continuation of the series I have been doing on lesser known Urdu poets. I have done one entitled ‘In Search of Meer’ on 18th century Urdu poet MeerTaqi Meer, and another album called ‘Shayaar’, on ghazals by the Mughal poetDaagDehlvi. I am now in the process of beginning work on several postindependence poets, including SahirLudianvi and Ahmed Faraz among others.

If someone were to come ‘in search of PankajUdhas’, what sort of an individual would they find? “I am a very simple person, nothing complicated or complex about me. As a singer, I have devoted my life to ghazalmusic andI am driven by a passion for this music. I believe that the applause I receive to any song is the outcome of genuine emotions elicited in a listener, when the words and music of the song echoes against their innermost feelings.”

BSK PE team launches 2011/2012 ISACK/KFSAC events

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s the 2011/12 academic year has commenced at The British School of Kuwait (BSK), there is a palpable sense of excitement, opportunity, and competitive spirit in the air as the BSK sporting teams begin their quest to exert maximum effort to be the best they can be. The previous academic year saw BSK win several boys and girls ISACK titles. This year the teaching and coaching staff at BSK is once again committed to creating well rounded, motivated individuals who will be empowered to sustain regular, lifelong physical activity. The coaching staff believes this philosophy will lead to immediate and future successes for BSK student/athletes. The Director of PE, James Cochran, launched the ISACK/ KFSAC program of events with the second BSK Olympic Torch Relay at the campus. This academic year BSK boys and girls sporting teams defend several titles in the International Schools Athletic Conference (ISACK). This includes: boys under 15 volleyball, boys’ basketball under 13 and under 19, girls’ volleyball

under 15, girls’ basketball under 13 and under 15, and girls under 15 table tennis.

Katerini Konstantinidou, an extremely motivated Year 7 student at BSK has dominated swimming competitions in Kuwait and across the Middle East over the past few years. We plan on pushing Katerini to continue and excel in her excellent talents as a swimmer! The BSK teaching and coaching staff strives to push toward its winning traditions in sporting endeavors and understand that success does not come easy. They value and recognize that success is a by-product of sacrifice, hard work, and teamwork. Full programme details are available on www.bsk.edu.kw.

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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. nnnnnnn

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 nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca.

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. nnnnnnn

120 attend first 2011-12 IWG meeting

By Nawara Fattahova

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n impressive 120 members of the International Women’s Group (IWG) attended its first meeting of the 2011-2012 season yesterday morning at the Radisson Blu Hotel.

During yesterday’s meeting, the members, who meet up regularly for various events and activities, enjoyed a live demonstration of Armani’s 2011 Autumn/Winter cosmetics collection, and enjoyed the opportunity to try out

the latest make-up looks. Some of the members also won gifts from the Beidoun Company in the raffle draw held during the event, which was followed by a breakfast buffet.

IWG board member Narjis Al-Shatti explained that the group’s Kuwait chapter is just one branch of the Denmark-based International Women’s Association, which has branches worldwide that organize similar programs and activities. These activities include celebrating World Breast Cancer

Awareness Day and other major international events. This month (October) will feature a wide variety of activities, with a number of new ambassadors’ wives set to meet with the other IWG members and the new president of the group, Sebella Van Tonder, the wife of South Africa’s Ambassador to Kuwait.

“The program for this year will also include a trip to the Kuwaiti islands,” Al-Shatti revealed, adding, “This trip will be held aboard the dhow of the Radisson Blu Hotel

before winter season.”

The new president of IWG Kuwait, Sebella Van Tonder, noted during yesterday’s event that the activities organized during the 2011-12 season for the group will also include visits to more traditional venues, such as museums, the Bayt Lothan centre and the headquarters of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. Other activities organized for this season include themed cultural events hosted by the ambassadors’ wives.

University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School visits Kuwait

T BEC joins hands with Red & Black Club to host cricket tournament

By Sajeev K Peter

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he BEC, a leading money exchange company in Kuwait, has joined hands with Red N Black Cricket Club, Kuwait to organize the ‘BEC T10 Tennis Ball Cricket Tournament’. The tournament will be played from Oct 7 to Nov 11, 2011.

Addressing a press conference to announce the tournament, BEC Exchange Director E.D. Titus said, ‘’The tournament, open to all cricket lovers, is organized with a view to encouraging the sport in Kuwait especially among the expatriate cricketers and cricket enthusiasts.”

Thirty two teams will participate in the tournament which will be played out in Abu Halifa cricket grounds. Already over 25 teams have registered including Indian,

Pakistani, Sri Lankas and Bangladeshi expat teams.

The prizes apart from being crowned as the Tennis Ball T20 Champions Kuwait, the winning team will receive medals, the BEC T10 Cricket Trophy and a cash prize. There are prizes also for runners up, Man of the Match etc, Titus said.

Others who attended the press conference that was held in Jleeb Al-Shoyouk on Saturday included Jose Thomas, Marketing Manager, BEC, Melvin George, president Red & Black Cricket Club and Jimmy Scaria, Red & Black.

To be played out as a knockout tennis ball tournament (T10), each innings will consist of 10 overs and every bowler can bowl a maximum of two overs, the organizers informed.

he Admissions Director for University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Ankur Kumar was in Kuwait recently to talk to prospective students about their Masters in Business Administration (MBA) Program. Hosted by Agility, the two hour long session gave an overview of Wharton’s 19 majors, over 250 faculty members, 11 academic departments, nearly 200 electives, 24 research centers and initiatives, and it’s strong alumni network.

Wharton, established in 1881 was the first business school in the United States, and is ranked as one of the top business institutions in the world.

Wharton Alumni in Kuwait include Tarek Sultan, Chairman and Managing

Director of Agility, Mohammed Alshaya, Executive Chairman of M H Alshaya Co, Yann Pavie, Founder and CEO of GulfMerger, Farouk Sultan, CEO of Kuwait Lbo Mgt Ltd, Anis Saif, Vice President of GulfMerger, Saleh Al Ateeqi, CEO, Boubyan Capital, Ahmed Wahedi, Assistant Vice President of Boubyan Capital, Abdullah Al Sharekh, Senior Manager - Corporate Banking at NBK and Hassan El Houry, CEO of National Aviation Services (NAS).

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 nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on the following dates during the month of October 2011. October 6, 2011 (Thursday) - Dussehra; and October 26, 2011 (Wednesday) - Diwali.

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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.

Study in Canada Fair 2011

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rganized by the Embassy of Canada, the sixth annual Middle East Education Initiative (MEEI) will be visiting Kuwait from Oct 1 to 4, 2011. Representatives of 20 leading Canadian universities and colleges will be available to meet students, parents, teachers and guidance counsellors to present the advantages of studying in Canada. The Canadian institutions will also be visiting local schools to speak to interested students about opportunities to study in Canada.

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

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

00:00 01:30 01:45 02:00 02:10 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00

Untamed & Uncut Ultimate Air Jaws Shark Family Whale Wars Dogs 101 Animal Cops Phoenix Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Meerkat Manor The Really Wild Show Baby Planet Breed All About It Project Puppy Project Puppy Dogs 101 Animal Cops Houston Pit Bulls And Parolees Animal ER Crocodile Hunter Ultimate Air Jaws Monkey Life The Really Wild Show Natural Born Hunters Safari Sisters Dogs 101 Breed All About It Weird Creatures With Nick Dogs 101 Planet Earth My Cat From Hell Untamed & Uncut Maneaters

As Time Goes By The Weakest Link The Fixer The Weakest Link Lark Rise To Candleford Last Of The Summer Wine 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 Poetry Pie Last Of The Summer Wine The Weakest Link Heart & Soul Doctors As Time Goes By Coast Last Of The Summer Wine Heart & Soul The Weakest Link Doctors As Time Goes By Coast Heart & Soul The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Dalziel And Pascoe Blackadder

BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News The Health Show Our World Newsday India Business Report Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday

05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Sport Today 06:00 Newsday 06:30 Hardtalk 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 World Business Report 07:45 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 Sport Today 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Hardtalk 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 Sport Today 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 BBC World News America 23:30 Hardtalk

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 Eliot Kid 07:25 Angelo Rules 07:50 Best Ed 08:15 Flapjack 08:40 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 09:05 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 09:30 Courage The Cowardly Dog 09:55 Cow & Chicken 10:20 I Am Weasel 10:35 Adventure Time 11:00 Ben 10 11:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 11:50 The Secret Saturdays 12:15 Samurai Jack 12:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 13:05 Codename Kids 13:30 Skunk Fu! 13:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 14:15 Flapjack 14:40 Ed, Edd n Eddy 15:05 Camp Lazlo 15:30 Chowder 15:55 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 16:25 Cow & Chicken 16:50 Courage The Cowardly Dog 17:15 I Am Weasel 17:40 George Of The Jungle 18:05 Casper’s Scare School 18:30 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 18:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 19:20 Generator Rex 19:45 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 20:10 Hero 108 20:35 Bakugan: New Vestroia 21:00 Total Drama Island 21:25 Adventure Time 21:50 Billy And Mandy

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

TV PROGRAMS 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:40

Ben 10 Bakugan Battle Brawlers The Secret Saturdays Samurai Jack Megas XLR

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

Replacements Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic Stitch Kim Possible Emperor’s New School Stitch Emperor’s New School The Suite Life Of Zack And Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Suite Life On Deck Belle’s Magical World Fish Hooks Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb Fish Hooks Shake It Up The Suite Life Of Zack And Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Jake & Blake Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up The Suite Life Of Zack And Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas

00:00 Chef Abroad 00:30 Glutton For Punishment 01:00 Globe Trekker 02:00 Africa Trek 04:00 Globe Trekker 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Intrepid Journeys 09:00 Globe Trekker 10:00 Planet Food 11:00 Distant Shores 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 Opening Soon 13:30 Hollywood and Vines 14:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 15:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 Distant Shores 18:00 Opening Soon 18:30 Hollywood and Vines 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 Flavours of Greece 20:30 Travel Today 21:00 Cruising the Spirit of Adventure 22:00 Tall Ship Explorers 23:00 Globe Trekker

00:10 01:45 03:25 05:00 06:30 07:55 09:35 11:20 12:45 14:25

Yellowbeard Longtime Companion Body And Soul Till The End Of The Night The Border Article 99 Kings Of The Sun Road Rage Romantic Comedy Sibling Rivalry

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON ON OSN CINEMA

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

The Next Great Baker Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear Flying Wild Alaska How Do They Do It? Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Auction Kings Ultimate Survival Deadliest Catch Ultimate Survival Extreme Fishing Swamp Brothers Cash Cab Us Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear The Future Of...

Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Auction Kings How Stuff’s Made How Do They Do It? Cash Cab Us Ultimate Survival Deadliest Catch Dual Survival

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

Killer Outbreaks Science of Storm Chasing Ultimate Power Builders Science of the Movies What’s That About?

Kings of Construction How Stuff’s Made Smash Lab Thunder Races Tank on the Moon The Gadget Show Smash Lab The Future of...

Sci-Fi Science How Stuff’s Made The Tech Show The Gadget Show The Gadget Show One Step Beyond Stunt Junkies Engineering Thrills Weird Connections Thunder Races Brainiac Sci-Fi Science The Gadget Show Engineering Ground Zero When Aliens Attack Nextworld The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Engineering Ground Zero When Aliens Attack The Gadget Show

00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:55 Unwrapped 01:45 Lidia’s Italy 02:35 Barefoot Contessa 03:00 Barefoot Contessa 03:25 World Cafe Middle East 04:15 Chef vs Britain 04:40 Unwrapped 05:05 Ten Dollar Dinners 05:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 05:50 Paula’s Party 06:35 Barefoot Contessa 07:00 Chopped 07:50 Guy’s Big Bite 08:15 Everyday Italian 08:40 Chef vs Britain 09:05 Ten Dollar Dinners 09:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 09:55 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 10:20 Aarti Party 10:45 Lidia’s Italy 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 Paula’s Party 12:25 Everyday Italian 12:50 Paula’s Best Dishes 13:15 Chef vs Britain 13:40 World Cafe Middle East 14:30 Lidia’s Italy 14:55 Unwrapped 15:20 Grill It! With Bobby Flay 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Guy’s Big Bite 17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 17:50 Aarti Party 18:15 World Cafe Middle East 19:05 Chef vs Britain 19:30 Food Network Challenge 20:20 Paula’s Party 21:10 Chef vs Britain 22:00 From Spain With Love 22:50 Boy Meets Grill 23:40 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 07:30 07:45 08:15 08:30 09:00 09:15 09:25 09:45 09:55 10:15 10:45 10:58 11:10 11:30 11:45 12:10 12:35 13:00 13:15

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 Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Handy Manny The Hive Timon And Pumbaa Timmy Time Mickey Mouse Clubhouse The Little Mermaid Handy Manny Handy Manny Imagination Movers Jungle Junction Lazytown Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Special Agent Oso

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

Little Einsteins Imagination Movers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny The Hive Jake & The Neverland Pirates Imagination Movers Lazytown Jungle Junction The Hive The Hive Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Little Mermaid Special Agent Oso Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 101 Dalmatians Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Hive Timmy Time Imagination Movers Little Einsteins Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Timmy Time Handy Manny Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction

00:25 Style Star 01:25 Beauty Queens Gone Wrong 03:15 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 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:15 THS 12:05 Extreme Close-Up 12:35 Fashion Police 13:05 Khloe And Lamar 14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:35 Giuliana & Bill 15:30 E! Investigates 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Giuliana & Bill 17:55 THS 19:55 The Dance Scene 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:25Kourtney & Kim Take New York 22:25 Style Star 22:55 Fashion Police 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

00:15 Wrestling With Reality 00:40 Aiya TV 01:30 Final Fu 02:20 Fantasy Factory 04:50 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships...

06:30 Ride Guide Snow 2008 08:00 UCI Nissan Mountainbike World Cup 2008 08:25 Ticket To Ride 2009/2010 10:55 Fantasy Factory 11:45 Eds Up 12:35 Sports Jobs 13:25 Eddie Jordan’s Bad Boy Racers 14:15 World Combat League 15:05 Fantasy Factory 15:55 Eds Up 16:45 UCI Nissan Mountainbike World Cup 2008 17:10 Ticket To Ride 2009/2010 19:40 Eddie Jordan’s Bad Boy Racers 20:30 Sports Jobs 21:20 Glutton For Punishment 22:10 World Combat League 23:00 Wrestling With Reality 23:25 Aiya TV 23:50 Sports Jobs

00:30 Cuff Me If You Can 01:20 Ripped From The Headlines 02:10 I Almost Got Away With It 03:00 Deadly Women 03:50 Cuff Me If You Can 04:45 Ghosthunters 05:15 Murder Shift 06:10 Diagnosis: Unknown 07:00 Murder Shift 07:45 Forensic Detectives 08:35 Mystery Diagnosis 09:20 Real Emergency Calls 09:45 Street Patrol 10:05 The Will: Family Secrets Revealed 10:50 FBI Files 11:40 Murder Shift 12:25 On The Case With Paula Zahn 13:15 Disappeared 14:00 Mystery Diagnosis 14:50 Street Patrol 15:15 Real Emergency Calls 15:35 The Will: Family Secrets Revealed 16:20 FBI Files 17:10 Forensic Detectives 18:00 Murder Shift 18:45 Real Emergency Calls 19:10 Mystery Diagnosis 19:55 Street Patrol 20:20 On The Case With Paula Zahn 21:10 Disappeared 22:00 Nightmare Next Door

00:00 Travel Madness 00:30 Madventures 01:00 Cooking The World 02:00 Going Bush 02:30 Bluelist Australia 03:00 Food School 03:30 Banged Up Abroad 05:30 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 06:00 Travel Madness 06:30 Madventures 07:00 Cooking The World 08:00 Going Bush 08:30 Bluelist Australia 09:00 Food School 09:30 Banged Up Abroad 11:30 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 12:00 Travel Madness 12:30 Madventures 13:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 14:00 Word Travels 14:30 Market Values 15:00 Cycling Home From Siberia With Rob Lilwall

BOND OF SILENCE ON OSN MOVIES HD 15:30 Finding Genghis 16:00 Which Way To 17:00 Endurance Traveller 18:00 Ultimate Traveller 19:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 20:00 Word Travels 20:30 Market Values 21:00 Cycling Home From Siberia With Rob Lilwall 21:30 Finding Genghis 22:00 Which Way To 23:00 Endurance Traveller

00:00 The Siege-PG15 02:00 The Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day-18 04:00 Mirrors 2-18 06:00 The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course-PG15 08:00 The Sum Of All Fears-PG15 10:15 The Marine 2-PG15 12:00 You Got Served-PG15 14:00 The Sum Of All Fears-PG15 16:15 The Lost Future-PG15 18:00 You Got Served-PG15 20:00 Storm Warning-18 22:00 Rocky-PG

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

Girl, Positive-PG15 Date Night-PG15 Charlie & Boots-PG15 How To Train Your Dragon-PG The Great Debaters-PG15 The Nutty Professor-FAM The Tempest-PG15 Good Hair-PG15 The Client List-PG15 Agora-18 Perrier’s Bounty-18 Dinner For Schmucks-PG15

00:00 Curb Your Enthusiasm 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 Friends 03:30 Friends 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 Friends 09:00 Will And Grace 09:30 State Of Georgia 10:00 30 Rock 10:30 Coach 11:00 Weird Science 11:30The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Two And A Half Men 13:00 Friends 13:30 Will And Grace 14:00 Coach 14:30 State Of Georgia 15:00 30 Rock 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 19:00 Cougar Town 19:30 Traffic Light 20:00 Seinfeld 21:00 The Daily Show Global Edition 21:30 The Colbert Report Global Edition 22:00 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

01:00 03:00 05:00 06:45 09:00 11:00 12:45 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Valhalla Rising-18 Wrong Turn At Tahoe-18 A Lonely Place For Dying Bugsy-PG15 Bodyguard: A New Beginning Raising Cain-PG15 Set It Off-PG15 Bodyguard: A New Beginning The Thirteenth Floor-18 Sleep Dealer-PG15 Rocky-PG The Wizard Of Gore-R

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 09:45 12:00 14:00 16:15 18:00 20:00 22:00

Yogi’s Great Escape-PG The Perfect Score-PG15 My Father The Hero-PG15 Bustin’ Loose-PG15 Chasing Papi-PG Renaissance Man-PG15 A Lot Like Love-PG15 The Parent Trap-PG Yogi’s Great Escape-PG Revenge Of The Bridesmaids Mystery Men-PG15 The Shape Of Things-PG15

01:00 As Good As It Gets-PG15 03:30 Easy Virtue-PG15 05:30 Bond Of Silence-PG15 07:00 Salt-PG15 09:00 By The People: The Election Of Barack Obama-PG15 11:00 Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief-PG15 13:00 Malibu’s Most Wanted-PG15 15:00 The Sunset Limited-PG15 17:00 By The People: The Election Of Barack Obama-PG15

00:15 Sabrina The Teenage Witch: Friends Forever-PG 02:15 Young Fisherman-PG 04:00 The Thief Of Baghdad-PG 06:00 Sabrina The Teenage Witch: Friends Forever-PG 08:00 Kung Fu Magoo-FAM 10:00 Marmaduke-PG 12:15 Young Fisherman-PG 14:00 Columbus III: The New World 16:00 Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare 18:00 Marmaduke-PG 20:00 The Country Bears-PG

00:45 01:15 02:15 18:15 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00

RWC Matchday Highlights RWC Weekly Highlights Rugby World Cup Le Mans Series Magazine RWC Weekly Highlights Speedway FIM World Trans World Sport Rugby World Cup

00:45 03:15 05:00 05:30 06:30 07:00 09:30 11:30 12:00 13:00 16:30 17:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00

NRL Premiership Pro 12 Celtic League Total Rugby RWC Highlights Futbol Mundial NRL Premiership Scottish Premier League RWC Matchday RWC Highlights Premier League Snooker Golfing World RWC Matchday World Hockey Futbol Mundial Trans World Sport RWC Highlights Live Darts Grand Prix

03:00 AFL Premiership 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 European PGA Tour 12:30 Scottish Premier League 14:30 RWC Weekly Highlights 15:30 Trans World Sport 16:30 NRL Premiership 19:00 AFL Highlights 20:00 European PGA Tour Highlights 21:00 ICC Cricket World 21:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 22:00 AFL Highlights 23:00 European PGA Tour Highlights

01:30 02:30 05:00 07:00

UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC UFC Unleashed WWE Bottom Line

00:00 02:00 03:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 16:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00

UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC 135 Prelims UFC 135 UFC Unleashed WWE Bottomline WWE Tough Enough Speedway FIM World Le Mans WWE SmackDown WWE Tough Enough Speedway FIM World UFC 135 Prelims UFC 135

00:00 Pawn Stars 00:30 Pawn Stars 01:00 American Pickers 02:00 Pawn Stars 02:30 Pawn Stars 03:00 Who Really Discovered America?

05:00 America: The Story of the US 06:00 Pawn Stars 06:30 Pawn Stars 07:00 American Pickers 08:00 Pawn Stars 08:30 Pawn Stars 09:00 Who Really Discovered America?

11:00 America: The Story of the US 12:00 Pawn Stars 12:30 Pawn Stars 13:00 American Pickers 14:00 Pawn Stars 14:30 Pawn Stars 15:00 Who Really Discovered America?

17:00 America: The Story of the US 18:00 Pawn Stars 18:30 Pawn Stars 19:00 Ice Road Truckers 20:00 Engineering Disasters 21:00 Lock N’ Load with R. Lee Ermey 22:00 IRT: Deadliest Roads 23:00 Ax Men

00:00 Top 10 01:00 Videofashion News 01:55 Big Boutique 02:25 How Do I Look?

03:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

04:15 Married Away 05:10 Homes With Style 05:35 Area 06:05 Clean House 07:00 Big Boutique 08:00 Videofashion News 08:30 Videofashion News 09:00 Open House 09:25 Open House 09:55 How Do I Look?

10:50 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

11:50 Clean House: Search For The Messiest...

12:50 Clean House 13:45 Videofashion Daily 14:45 How Do I Look?

15:40 Ruby 16:35 Jerseylicious 17:30 How Do I Look?

18:25 Ruby 19:25 Open House 19:50 Open House 20:20 Clean House 21:15 Top 10 21:40 Top 10 22:10 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 23:05 How Do I Look?

00:10 Wise Guys 01:40 King Solomon’s Mines-FAM 03:20 Welcome To Hard Times-PG 05:00 Boom Town-PG 07:00 Anna Christie-PG 08:30 The Adventures Of Quentin Durward-FAM 10:10 Light In The Piazza-PG 11:50 Gun Glory-FAM 13:20 Some Came Running-PG 15:35 Kiss Me Kate-FAM 17:20 The Wizard Of Oz-PG 19:05 Flamingo Road-PG 20:40 Bad Day At Black Rock-PG 22:00 2001: A Space Odyssey-FAM

Classifieds MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available for single working ladies in Abu Halifa near round about, one room with separate toilet + purified water drinking, internet available, KD 75/-.

Contact: 66971502/ 90033641/ 66924824.

(C 3666) To-let, a big room with independent toilet from a 3 BR flat in B’neid Al-Ghar, single occupancy KD 75/-, double occupancy KD 95/-.

Contact: 60914165.

(C 3667) 3-10-2011 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 Sharing accommodation available for single bachelor near Khaitan Garnata Cinema bus stop with a Mangalorean R/C bachelor, KD 25. Contact: 66036893.

(C 3658) 1-10-2011

FOR SALE

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)

CHANGE OF NAME I, Sheikh Mohmed Juber Haji Ibrahim Bhai holding Indian Passport No. G5618180 would like to correct my name to Shekh Mohammadzuber Haji Ibrahimbhai. Herein after in all dealings and documents I will be known by my new name. (C 3660) 3-10-2011 I, Sukhraj Singh, holder of Indian Passport No. F9950973 hereby change my name to SUKHRAJ SINGH BRING. (C 3657) 29-9-2011 I, Firoj Latif Shaikh S/O Abdul Latif Shaikh would like to state that I have changed my name from FIROZ LATIF SHAIKH to FIROJ LATIF SHAIKH. Henceforth all my dealings & documents will have the name as FIROJ LATIF SHAIKH. (C 3649)

MATRIMONIAL Hyderabadi Sunni Muslim (S.M) parents invite proposals for their religious, fair, smart, B.E, MBA gold medalist daughter from good looking M.B.B.S / B.E, M.S. boys of decent, proper Hyderabadi families. Interested contact:Mohdr2005@yahoo.com (C 3665) 3-10-2011

SITUATION WANTED Mechanical Engineering graduate, with immaculate English language skills, looking for a job in Kuwait, transferable residency.

Contact: 67078742.

(C 3663) 3-10-2011

No: 15228

Complete contents of 1 BR flat for sale, ideal for newlywed or single executive, for details and viewing call: 99701641 or email: alem.furnz@gmail.com (C 3640) 3-10-2011 Citroen - C5, 2002 excellent condition, low mileage, full options, reasonable price.

Contact: 99836939.

(C 3662)

2-10-2011 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,

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines

Flt

BBC THY ETH UAE DHX ETD FDB GFA QTR KAC JZR FCX JZR KAC JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY ETD GFA SHY MEA IRC MSR JZR KAC KAC MSR SYR UAL RJA FDB OMA QTR SVA

45 772 622 853 370 305 67 211 138 544 503 201 555 412 531 157 206 302 53 352 284 362 344 855 132 125 301 213 1125 404 6521 623 201 618 672 610 341 982 640 57 645 140 500

Arrival Flights on Monday 3/10/2011 Route DHAKA/BAHRAIN ISTANBUL ADDIS ABABA DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA CAIRO LUXOR DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MANILA/BANGKOK ASSIUT LONDON ISLAMABAD MUMBAI DUBAI COCHIN DHAKA COLOMBO CHENNAI DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH ABU DHABI BAHRAIN ANTALYA BEIRUT LAMERD SOHAG DAMASCUS DOHA DUBAI CAIRO DAMASCUS WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN DUBAI MUSCAT DOHA JEDDAH

Time 0:55 1:15 1:45 2:25 2:55 2:55 3:10 3:15 3:20 4:40 5:15 5:25 6:10 6:15 6:20 6:30 7:15 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:10 8:20 8:20 8:25 9:00 9:10 9:30 9:35 10:45 10:55 12:00 12:10 12:45 12:55 13:15 13:20 13:25 13:30 13:35 13:50 14:00 14:15 14:30

KAC JZR QTR KNE KAC KAC KAC MLR ETD UAE GFA SVA JZR JZR ABY RBG FDB ALK KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC JAI FDB OMA JZR VOS MEA KAC DHX KLM UAE GFA QTR UAL JZR TAR JZR MSR DLH JZR PIA

788 257 134 745 546 550 118 403 303 857 215 510 777 239 127 3553 63 227 104 542 786 744 614 774 674 975 572 61 647 179 81 402 552 372 445 859 217 136 981 135 327 185 612 636 539 239

JEDDAH BEIRUT DOHA JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA SOHAG NEW YORK COLOMBO/DUBAI ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH ALEXANDRIA DUBAI COLOMBO/DUBAI LONDON CAIRO JEDDAH DAMMAM BAHRAIN RIYADH DUBAI CHENNAI/GOA MUMBAI DUBAI MUSCAT DUBAI BAGHDAD BEIRUT DAMASCUS BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN TUNIS DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT CAIRO SIALKOT

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

Airlines AXB DLH KLM AIC PIA AFG BBC THY ETH UAE FDB DHX ETD QTR GFA JZR BAW KAC FDB KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR ETD GFA SHY KAC MEA KAC JZR JZR KAC IRC MSR KAC MSR SYR RJA FDB UAL OMA

Departure Flights on Monday 3/10/2011 Flt Route 390 MANGALORE/KOZHIKODE 637 FRANKFURT 447 AMSTERDAM 982 AHMEDABAD/CHENNAI 206 PESHAWER/LAHORE 406 DUBAI/KABUL 46 DHAKA 773 ISTANBUL 622 BAHRAIN/ADDIS ABABA 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 212 BAHRAIN 200 DAMASCUS 156 LONDON 545 ALEXANDRIA 54 DUBAI 671 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 787 JEDDAH 549 SOHAG 617 DOHA 856 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 133 DOHA 302 ABU DHABI 214 BAHRAIN 1126 ANTALYA 165 ROME/PARIS 405 BEIRUT 541 CAIRO 776 JEDDAH 238 AMMAN 103 LONDON 6522 LAMERD 624 SOHAG 785 JEDDAH 611 CAIRO 342 DAMASCUS 641 AMMAN 58 DUBAI 982 BAHRAIN 646 MUSCAT

Time 0:25 0:40 0:55 1:05 1:10 2:00 2:10 2:15 2:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:05 5:00 7:10 7:15 8:25 8:35 8:40 9:00 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:35 9:40 9:50 10:00 10:15 10:20 11:45 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:10 12:30 13:00 13:10 13:30 14:20 14:25 14:30 14:35 14:45 15:00

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

KAC KAC SVA JZR KAC KNE QTR KAC KAC JZR VOS ETD MLR QTR UAE GFA ABY JZR JZR RBG SVA FDB ALK JZR KAC JAI FDB JZR KAC KAC OMA MEA KAC DHX KLM UAE GFA FCX QTR KAC KAC TAR JZR JZR KAC UAL MSR

673 551 501 178 773 746 141 613 743 538 82 304 404 135 858 216 128 184 266 3554 511 64 228 134 283 571 62 528 331 351 648 403 543 373 445 860 218 102 137 301 205 327 554 504 411 981 613

DUBAI DAMASCUS JEDDAH DUBAI RIYADH JEDDAH DOHA BAHRAIN DAMMAM CAIRO BAGHDAD ABU DHABI DUBAI/COLOMBO DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA RIYADH DUBAI DUBAI/COLOMBO BAHRAIN DHAKA MUMBAI DUBAI ASSIUT TRIVANDRUM COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT CAIRO BAHRAIN BAHRAIN/AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD DUBAI/TUNIS ALEXANDRIA LUXOR BANGKOK/MANILA WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO

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

34

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

stars CROSSWORD 457

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) There are faith, optimism and a yearning to explore all kinds of new horizons: these are some of the focal points in your life at this time. Travel, education and other ways to stretch your horizons will open new doors of opportunity. Religious, philosophical and cultural matters are likely to have a special appeal for you now. You see positive results happen as you transmit ideas on a broad scale such as radio, lecturing or teaching. Take time to enjoy where you are right now.

Fun, personal pleasure and sensual delights are at your fingertips. Communications of all kinds are encouraged. A committed relationship deepens now; however, if you are unattached, there is a chance to meet up with your potential future love this day.

Advice from a friend is good.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You may have allowed the young people, or the students around you, too much freedom or become too relaxed when it comes to guiding the young. Now you will find yourself making changes and these young people may not like the restrictions you put on them; they will quickly learn that they can test you just so far and no farther. This can involve a class in some upcoming winter sports, creative art or some other ability that others want to learn.

Practicality takes on a special importance now. You could be most persuasive with others and eloquent in speech and communication. The situation is a natural for selfexpression and lends itself to your particular creative talents. You enjoy a surge of enthusiastic ideas and plans.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. Inquire about.

4. State in eastern India on the Bay of Bengal.

10. The federal agency that insures residential mortgages.

13. Seed vessel having hooks or prickles.

14. A Greek island in the southeast Aegean Sea 10 miles off the Turkish coast.

15. A human limb.

16. A period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event.

17. A written statement of the grounds of complaint made to court law asking for the grievance to be redressed.

18. The sense organ for hearing and equilibrium.

19. Flightless New Zealand birds similar to gallinules.

21. A member of an Indian people formerly living along the Gulf coast of Louisiana and Texas.

23. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

25. Black tropical American cuckoo.

26. An opaque watercolor prepared with gum.

29. A member of an agricultural people in southeastern India.

33. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

34. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

35. Consisting of or involving two parts or components usually in pairs.

36. Take something away by force or without the consent of the owner.

37. A rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic element.

40. A small piece of cloth.

41. A light strong brittle gray toxic bivalent metallic element.

44. An esoteric or occult matter that is traditionally secret.

48. (Irish) Mother of the Tuatha De Danann.

49. A siren of German legend who lured boatmen in the Rhine to destruction.

52. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.

56. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

57. Small wooden bat with a flat surface.

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

61. Being five more than one hundred fifty.

62. (music) Characterized by avoidance of traditional Western tonality.

63. A nucleic acid that transmits genetic information from DNA to the cytoplasm.

64. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.

65. West Indian tree having racemes of fragrant white flowers and yielding a durable timber and resinous juice.

66. A young woman making her debut into society.

DOWN 1. Assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing.

2. The muscular back part of the shank.

3. An industrial city in southern Poland on the Vistula.

4. Ascribed to Orpheus or characteristic of ideas in works ascribed to Orpheus.

5. The actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group.

6. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

7. One of the two main branches of orthodox Islam.

8. United States writer (born in 1933).

9. Remote city of Kazakhstan that (ostensibly for security reasons) was made the capital in 1998.

10. Any wingless blood-sucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap.

11. A collection of objects laid on top of each other.

12. A city in northern India.

20. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.

22. Scottish sea captain who was hired to protect British shipping in the Indian Ocean and then was accused of piracy and hanged (1645-1701).

24. Having nine hinged bands of bony plates.

27. A slender double-reed instrument.

28. An ugly evil-looking old woman.

30. A sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure.

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

32. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves.

38. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

39. The basic unit of luminous intensity adopted under the System International d'Unites.

42. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice.

43. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Turkey and Iran and the Caucasus.

45. The cry made by sheep.

46. An anti-TNF compound (trade name Arava) that is given orally.

47. A long noosed rope used to catch animals.

50. Look at with amorous intentions.

51. A material effigy that is worshipped as a god.

53. One of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes.

54. A stick that people can lean on to help them walk.

55. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

58. A nucleic acid consisting of large molecules shaped like a double helix.

59. A workplace for the conduct of scientific research.

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

Gemini (May 21-June 20) A loved one may mention your intensity and you would be wise to involve yourself in some fun activity, perhaps to lessen your worries. Learning a musical instrument or involving your energies in some hobby or art will help you become more patient or relaxed or just put a smile on your face. You do know what it feels like to lose yourself in some fun activity and that activity could be enjoyed today. Being more actively involved with family and domestic matters will bring people close. It is always good to take on the unique ability to listen with compassion. Lovers, children and other people or things dear to your heart are emphasized at this period in your life. Some kind of healing process is at work in your life and in your family life.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

Stress seems to have magically been taken away today—you feel as though you could run and play all day! Pay attention to how you direct your energies—wasted or scattered energy can cause physical problems as well as an inability to focus. Take precaution with expenditures and you will have a great day with no repercussions later. A natural transformation of your values and the way you appreciate and love yourself and others is taking place. There is much energy and drive now—perfect for starting something or taking care of business. You could be cleaning out closets and getting things ready for the winter months ahead. A phone call may lead to an interesting story but the story may need research—check out the story in a diplomatic way. Romance is in.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Connections with people on a grand scale play a big part in your life now. This could involve education, advertising, lecturing or travel. Writing for a travel company and photographing the city streets are the opportunities that await you now. These types of jobs will allow you to work in your own time frame. Your talents in being thorough and clear and prompt create a continued workflow. When the weekend comes around and a day such as today is available, your time would be best spent in the company of family or friends. Family and friends are the beauty that becomes lasting. A visitor in your home may compliment you on your tastes or belongings this Sunday. An afternoon sports show or card game puts a pleasant end to the weekend.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Your thoughts and ideas may not mesh with the plans and methods of someone you visit with today. A careful compromise may have to be found. Playful recreational activities provide the best outlet for enhancing fitness. A child or young person may join you in your exercise or practice routine today. A child becomes a focal point in your life. You may be teaching this child or a young person the rules of some game today. Monitor your eating habits, since sweets are highly favored by you at this time. You are coming into a creative and competitive phase now; you want to be admired and appreciated for what you do and who the person is that you have become. Creative pursuits are an outlet for much of your energy.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You will find this an easy day with much communication.

Friends, neighbors or relatives from long ago may be contacting you this afternoon. A short trip or two may bring you long forgotten memories. Long conversations about the past can be fun and enlightening. Viewing old photographs brings about fond memories as well. See the light of love when people come together in joyful gatherings: marriages, births, religious ceremonies, holidays and vacations.

There is much to review and the feelings of home and hearth is strong. There is a chance to understand those around you and to have a special time with someone you love this evening. Rethink the idea of living together. You and a loved one may decide to plan a marriage instead.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) A vacation or perhaps a little trip is favored today. This may only be a trip to the country; fishing or perhaps reading a book, but today is the perfect time to spend in pure relaxation. If you are working, take more time to prepare yourself for work. Putting your best foot forward takes on greater importance at this time. Appearances and style may count more than substance.

Romance, the arts and other pleasures of life seem to take center stage this afternoon.

You may be able to enjoy and value your own life situation today or feel especially kind towards a friend or loved one. This evening you may want to share time with your beloved or with close friends. You enjoy the company of your loved ones and may be feeling reflective rather than expressive.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Yesterday’s Solution

Progressive people and idealistic groups or concepts play a more important role in your life now, as a new energy begins.

During a get-together with friends or loved ones this morning you may gain ideas of how the trends in business will be moving this winter. Today, however, is full of opportunities to rest and relax in your own private environment. It looks as if this afternoon will be the best time to catch up on any reading, cooking, mending, cleaning and whatever else has been nagging at you to be attentive lately. The good life and all that is fine and luxurious may be what you value just now. You put your feet up and just lie back to relax later today. You find solutions to whatever problems you have. This evening someone else cooks for you.

A social gathering today brings out the light in your eyes! You enjoy the communication and the socializing that comes with these special times. You will have a grasp for theoretical and spiritual ideas and the ability to present or communicate these to others can be fun and insightful. You exhibit great understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others and you may find that many people just enjoy being near you. You have a basic drive to appreciate and taste life.

You draw emotional sustenance and a sense of security from ideals, friends and social involvement now. This afternoon could be the perfect time to enjoy a play or musical with your friends or a loved one. It is good that you are careful with your money while shopping this afternoon.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Communication and ideas are emphasized today. This could mean travel and other contacts with faraway people and places that play a bigger role for you now. Such things bring love and gain in one way or another.

Higher education or philosophical or religious contacts could have a part in making good things happen. Romance becomes an end in itself just now. Love, creativity and self-expression satisfy a deep yearning to be appreciated and admired. There is a flashy, flirty, stylish splash of color and warmth. Discovering what you truly believe in—fighting for it, even—is a high personal priority now. Religion, law, politics, travel and higher education are some of the arenas where this takes place. You or others could be testing your limits this evening.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

This is a day of good fortune when things open up in a very natural way for you. Situations are almost tailor-made and it is easy to see which path is the one to take. There are opportunities to be with people you have not seen in a while—perhaps a neighbor that moved out of town, or a family member that was away on a long trip. There are long conversations and visits with plenty of laughter and a renewed appreciation for just about everything. You may find yourself becoming intensely personal and passionate in the way you appear or come across to others. Others may notice you have, perhaps, developed a more direct method of communication and you get to the very heart of things quickly. Probing conversations find you at your intellectual best.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

i n f o r m at i o n

FIRE BRIGADE

112

Al-Madena

22418714

Al-Shohada’a

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

24812000

Al-Jahra

25610011

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

Hospitals Sabah Hospital

POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

Clinics Rabiya

4732263

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Katie

Price splits

a n n e P o r d from Lean

ne hunk the Argenti ven d n a l e d o rm r se he glamou n their romance afte hinted they o e called time ting, just days after h to the lana n d f w o o s d e th b mon said to o The split is m, as Katie speaks n y. rr a m ld e th wou f n o e e sp ier betw asic gra guage barr Leandro has only a b through a transd n n io a ss h is cu Span lt dis e male er a heartfe be best if th English. Aft th decided it would source told the bo A lator, they s back to Argentina. e truth is Th ve model mo ewspaper: “It’s over. K without any of n r U e ro ir th M in Daily eing a good lt isolated b it would be Leandro fe family. “He decided his family, and try e or e best.” tina and se his friends rn to Argen it was probably for th nt vistu re idea to d ce e after a re . She agre to get work eared to get homesick UK to New York p e p th a Leandro brother went from family. He ed his trip to see his made it from his d ve n a te h x e to ved , then with them from there he is belie y decided to split. is e in Miami. It ll to Katie in which th iend of Katie’s fr ca the phone back to Argentina. A take a break. to w e e fl m ti n e s a th w e H r to tell ecided it d a translato ght ro d d n se a e u e H . u e said: “L re th g a said he o didn’t dis phone and her heart that And Katie e th n o lt w in he fe e split Katie how . “Katie kne turn home g very adult about th ship re e h st e b n in it o e ti b la ’s e re h S -term ing. it was com didn’t see it as a long s. But she will e id and says sh ad to marriage and k ultimately the s le a ld w u r o ie that w e barr he languag and Leandro met in fter T . im h s is e m a ti rty, shortly r them.” Ka problem fo lton John’s Oscars pa and, cage fighter E t sb a u February r second h n English lessons lit from he she had sp ile Leandro had take d they had both h n Alex Reid. W was said to be slow, a on services to ti a ss sl re n g a tr ro web his p relying on ther. admitted to t messages to each o x decipher te

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Gene Simmons marries Shannon Tweed he KISS bass player - who previously claimed he would never marry - tied the knot with his girlfriend of 28 years in an evening ceremony on the Crystal Lawn at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. Shannon, 54, walked down the aisle in an ivory Priscilla of Boston gown, carrying a bouquet of ivory garden roses.

When they then exchanged vows and said “I do,” the crowd of 400 guests let out a huge cheer. Guests included Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and Bill Maher, while members of KISS, including guitarist Paul Stanley, were among the wedding party guests. The couple’s two children Nick, 22, and Sophie, 19 - who was head bridesmaid - also looked on and cheered. Fittingly for a

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couple who have been together for so long, their first dance was to Etta James’ track ‘At Last’. Gene proposed to former Playboy centrefold Shannon while they were on holiday in Belize this July. As he got down on one knee, he told her: “I come with so much baggage, but you’re the only friend I’ve got, you’re the only one I’ve ever loved, you’re the only one I love, and the only one I ever will love. “I’ve never said those words to anybody, and I don’t ever wanna... It’s funny, they used to watch movies where they say I can’t live without you but for me it’s true.”

Kelly Row

land wants to wo rk with NDubz

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he forme rD group’s si estiny’s Child sin ger has h nger Tulisa it it off on ‘Th sinc orating w e X Factor’ and sa e working with he with the ys they h hen the sh ave discu r as a judge things, an ow ends. ss d immense how hard it is bre She said: “We’ve ta ed collably talente a k in g th e US. I th lked about d, and I a pretty am ink lso a very goo zing as well. Whe think her band N she’s d chance n the sho -Dubz are w we could er.” Kelly fe all do a c is over there’s a ollaborati such a stro els “blessed” that on sh with her ng bond, though e and Tulisa have togethpal as ‘Th she is exp forged eX ec new! mag azine: “W Factor’progresse ting arguments e’ve been cool we g s further.

S e o shoes, we t on so well. We h ut for dinner, and he told ave dinne it’s really talk abou r, ality. I’m b t lessed th music. She has a re we talk about at the fou is very stro ally swee r got on pre ng minded and I of us all get on so t personlo w until now tty great so far, bu ve that about her. ell. “She t that’s ab We have we’ve all all the live fi been on out to ch th n an better kn als, and we have o e same side, but w ge. Up ow there u are going r own acts to defe hen it’s to be fire nd, you’d works!”

David Beckham going grey after Harper

ly a e H a n U

hates the

recently ys singer yfriend a rd tu a S bo he ir d she and confirme are expecting the n e d o F is n Be and she om together first child t to be suffering fr e o S n r. so fa h pleased de effects ncy has si y n a m too gna , I’ve far my pre said: “So I’ve not been sick e . v sy ti a si e n n se e be gly n amazin rong just got a ell. I can’t bear st ited” xc sm f “e o re a se n se and Ben ut the ‘Ego’ a n U ” s. ival b cheese ir new arr and about the also hoping she aris m r t e e k g e to hitma d the tim re! magan fi n a c n o m Be cited. . She told ried soon nd I are just so ex defia e zine: “Ben dible time. And w n. o re c so in d It’s an marrie nt to get will be, but I a w ly e it n it ws when e Mrs Foden.”

Who kno om c e b to excitit can’t wa mates are equally ait to d w n ’t a n b a c ’s Una and the baby duties. ed about t with parenting k but u c o o r sh e h a was help g said: “It ing her Mollie Kin happy. We’re giv e me so ad we’re all; pport. It hasn’t m e b loads of su t we’re all going to ” . u y b b y a d b o the bro mums to not surrogate dford added: “It’s ut n b a S r, e ie h k it n ee Fra that time for m the right joking with Una fun n e e e th b ll e a ’v r we y fo e e the bab we’ll hav e minute he or sh t h th g t ri u it b d ff n u st we’ll ha , g in ry c starts wbiz Bangsho back.” —

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cheese g n o r t s f o ll sme

he soccer star and fashion designer wife - who also have three sons, Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, nine, and sixyear-old Cruz, together - welcomed the little girl into the world in July and David admits the stress of raising four children is starting to take its toll. He told the Wall Street Journal magazine: “I got my first grey a few years ago, and a couple more since we’ve had the little girl.” The 36-year-old athlete also admits he’s starting to feel his age as he now has more aches and pains when he wakes up. He said: “I definitely feel different than I did 10 years ago. It takes a

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Jessica Alba improves with age he ‘Fantastic 4’ actress has had her second daughter, Haven Garner, with husband Cash Warren in August and said motherhood and hitting the landmark age have both contributed to her becoming more selfless. Jessica - who also has three-year-old Honor Marie with Cash - said: “I feel like I’m much more considerate and can give more of myself than I could before, as I was so caught up in being self-aware and being a people pleaser that I almost got in my own way.

Now I’m at ease with myself. “I’m definitely more grounded and secure in my choices. My priorities are completely different and I care a lot less about what people think of me who aren’t my family or friends.” Jessica admits she can get a “little nutty” by being made to stay inside all day to feed and tend to her new arrival, but Cash gives her as much support as he can to help her through the first few months of becoming a mother again. She told Britain’s OK! magazine: “You get a little landlocked when you’re feeding and you feel like you have to get out of the house for an hour, but luckily I’ve had a lot of support. I am super emotional and hormonal, but that’s just what happens when you have a baby. Cash is good at putting it into perspective when I get a little nutty!”

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while for the Achilles to warm up. Once I’ve had my coffee, I’m good.” As well as being a successful soccer player, David recently launched his own fragrance and has signed a deal to design his own leisurewear and underwear but insists he is completely involved with everything. He said: “I’m totally involved in everything that goes out there in stores. I don’t just sign with a company and give my name to do whatever they want. Everything that goes out there is something I would wear.”

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

LIFESTYLE Trial throws spotlight on

‘lost boy’ Jackson n life, he was infamous for his bizarre quirks-the pet chimp, the oxygen tent, the nose. In death, the portrait of Michael Jackson emerging from his doctor’s manslaughter trial is one of a “lost boy,” deeply content with his children but dogged by health woes and desperate to reclaim his earlier career success. The details of his everyday life, recounted in a Los Angeles courtroom, paint a picture of happiness surrounded by Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket in their luxury home in LA’s plush Holmby Hills district.

“It was a happy home,” said his personal chef, Hollywood celebrity cook Kai Chase, describing her daily routine of making meals and organic juices for the Jackson family in the sunny kitchen of their two-storey mansion. They had reason to be satisfied-Jackson had in March 2009 announced a series of comeback concerts in London, four years after he was acquitted on all charges over accusations of child molestation.

The child abuse scandal had torpedoed the career of the King of Pop, the youngest of the former Jackson Five who had grown up to become one of the biggest-selling artists of all time. Now, with the “This is It” concerts at London’s O2 Arena, Jackson was on the verge of resurrection-both in terms of his reputation and financially, hoping to pay off huge debts racked up during years of lavish living.

And rehearsals were going well-the star had reunited with his veteran show producer and choreographer Kenny Ortega, who directed his 1992 Dangerous world tour and the HIStory tour in 1996. “I asked him if he was happy, and he said he was very happy ... he felt like we were accomplishing the dream. He saw it before him in those rehearsals,” Ortega told the trial, recounting the last time he saw Jackson alive.

The trouble was, his health-both physically and mentally-was far from stable, and had been for some time. eports of his erratic behavior were nothing new-his 2002 babydangling episode was an example, as was his companion Bubbles the chimp-but the LA trial has thrown a spotlight on the grim reality of his final months and weeks. For example, the fact that he was going to a top Beverly Hills dermatologist on an almost daily basis, accompanied by his personal assistant, and emerging afterwards mysteriously speaking slowly.

And that the home where he died was equipped with clinic-style medical facilities including intravenous (IV) drips and oxygen tanks, stored in the bodyguards’ trailer outside and regularly replaced by his personal doctor. Conrad Murray, who was employed for $150,000 a month to look after Jackson

I

People take part in an art installation by French artist Pierre Ardouvin “Purple Rain”, on October 1, 2011, during the Paris’ Nuit Blanche (White Night) event. Attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, the Nuit Blanche offers free access to countless Paris galleries, museums, town halls, even swimming pools. —AFP

Michael Moore bemoans US wealth, poverty paradox ichael Moore, clad in customary baseball cap, a black T-shirt, baggy trousers and white sneakers, strolled into the neo-Gothic splendor of Georgetown University’s Gaston Hall and began to preach. “We as Americans have allowed a very small group of people to be highly skilled practitioners of one of the seven deadly sins,” he told his youthful and multinational audience on Friday, “and that

M

ourselves good by creating a society that’s filled with so much poverty?” he asked, recalling the record 46.2 million Americans now living in poverty.

“Or for not providing them with health insurance, or just treatment when they become sick?” he said, reminding his listeners in the university’s most prestigious auditorium that the United States is the only industrialized nation without universal

Filmmaker Michael Moore gestures during a visit to the “Occupy Wall Street” protest in Zuccotti Park in New York. —AP sin, of course, is greed.”

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, when he was growing up in the motor city of Flint, Michigan, the rich paid high taxes, but still lived well, he said. So too did the not-sorich who had good homes, free education and job security. Not so today, said the director of “Bowling for Columbine,” “Fahrenheit 9/11,”“Sicko” and “Capitalism: A Love Story” who is touring the United States and Canada to promote his just-published memoirs, “Here Comes Trouble.”

“What on earth got into us in these last 30 years where we thought we were doing

health care. With his blend of confrontational interviewing and ironic humor, Moore, 57, is perhaps his generation’s bestknown documentary filmmaker, winning an Academy Award for “Bowling for Columbine” and the Palme d’Or at Cannes for “Fahrenheit 9/11”.

“Here Comes Trouble” covers the years before he took up the movie camera, and in doing so it reveals the origins of his politics, clearly influenced by his outspoken, liberal-minded Irish American family. It is unabashedly nostalgic and sometimes painfully candid, no more so than in a

chapter-Moore wrestled over whether to include it-that recounts the agony of the death of his mother. “Trouble” entered the New York Times hardcover non-fiction bestseller list at number eight last week, after it was praised by the newspaper’s critic as Moore’s best book “by far.”

A hero to liberals in the United States and abroad, Moore is reviled by conservatives at home. His Oscar win in 2003 was followed by death threats, and he is still accompanied by bodyguards today. “Be respectful of the speaker,” Friday’s crowd of several hundred were needlessly told, before Moore read a chapter from “Trouble” about his unlikely election to his local school board when he was still attending high school.

Settling into a burgundy leather armchair, he also fielded questions on the economy (“The main problem is not the debt, we need jobs-jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs”) and gun control (“You don’t need a machine gun to shoot a deer”). He namechecked Bono on poverty, and Matt Damon on clean water for the developing world. With a US football metaphor, he scolded Obama for doing too little, too late (“You can’t suck for the first three quarters and then try to win the game”).

He won applause when he said: “Nobody makes a profit on a fire department or a police department or a library.

We should not make a profit when people make sick.” The root cause of America’s woes, he added, was “21st century capitalism”. “This has to be completely restructured,” he said. “I don’t think that it’s impossible-some of it is just going back to the way it was-but it’s going to require more government, meaning ‘we the people,’ and making sure the pie is divided fairly.” He added: “It doesn’t have to be divided evenly-that would be impossible with 300 million people-but at least fairly.” —AFP

Seymour Hoffman, while Tapley thinks that George Clooney has the best bet. Moving In Contention to HitFix, by the way, no doubt gives Tapley and Lodge more resources and a potentially larger audience-but the comfortable design of the website is feeling a little cramped in its new digs, surrounded as it now is by the parent site’s far busier and more cluttered look. (In Contention) Sasha Stone has a theory that she doesn’t exactly believe, but she wants to bring it up anyway. “No one is talking about the possibility, the serious possibility, that ‘The Artist’ could not only be nominated for Best Picture but could WIN,” she writes. “...It has everything a stealthy best picture winner needs-it’s the movie everybody loves and the movie nobody thinks can win. Sounds a lot like ‘Slumdog Millionaire.”“ I was once toying with the theory that in this strange and unsettled year, the best picture winner was going to be one of three seemingly unlikely contenders: “The Artist,” “Midnight in Paris” or “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” So I’m not completely dismissive of Stone’s theorythough the film, as charming as it is, does seem a little slight to go all the way. (Awards Daily) And finally, Thelma Adams ventures into what she says is “the wilderness”-i.e., the best supporting actress race. She does so with the help of several female entertainment and awards journalists, including Stone, Susan Wloszczyna, Kim Voynar and Anne Thompson. —Reuters

In this photograph, L’Oreal Paris teams up with Collier Strong and a team of makeup artists (background) during an event at ULTA in Arlington, Texas.

L’Oreal Paris introduced the new “Colors Take Flight” cosmetics collection to customers during the event. —AP

L’Oreal heiress eyes

The extremely loud and incredibly Oscar-baity trailer I n Oscar world, the biggest news of the week was probably the release of the first trailer for “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” director Stephen Daldry’s film version of the Jonathan Safran Foer novel set in New York City after 9/11.

And while it’s virtually impossible to tell how good a movie will be based on its trailer, it’s safe to say that this one does scream Oscar Bait. In fact, Tom O’Neil all but dubs it a sure nominee in his review of the trailer at Awards Tracker: “Early Oscar buzz is confirmed: it’s a serious player,” he insists. “It touches all of the Academy buttons.”

(Awards Tracker) I’d say it’s risky calling a movie “a serious player” on the basis of a trailer-but here’s the evidence, complete with emotional slow-motion shots set to U2’s gloriously portentous “Where the Streets Have No Name.” And after watching it a couple of times, I do see O’Neil’s point...

Meanwhile, from his new home at HitFix, In Contention’s Kris Tapley gets Anne Thompson on the phone for the latest in their long-running “Oscar Talk” podcast. It starts with plugs for “50/50” and “Take Shelter,” then delves into the supporting races, where they speak highly of candidates like Shailene Woodley in “The Descendants,” Albert Brooks in “Drive” and Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs.”

They disagree on who stands the best chance for a supporting actor nomination for “The Ides of March”-Thompson goes for my choice, Philip

while he was preparing for the London shows, was known to stay overnight at the mansion, according to testimony by security staff.

But Jackson’s health woes took a dramatic turn for the worse a week or two before his death, according to Ortega, who recounted how the superstar was clearly unable to rehearse on June 19, six days before he died. “My friend wasn’t well, with something going on deeply troubling me.

He was chilled and appeared lost and a little incoherent,” he said, adding: “Michael didn’t appear physically or emotionally stable.”

“He was like a lost boy,” he said. One of the most chilling pieces of evidences was an audio recording played at the start of Murray’s trial last Tuesday. In it, an apparently heavily-drugged Jackson, slurring his words and barely intelligible, tells Murray in a phone call about his hopes for his comeback shows in London. “We have to be phenomenal. When people leave my show, I want them to say: ‘I’ve never seen anything like this in my life... It’s amazing. He’s the greatest entertainer in the world’,” he says.

But for all that, in his final few days at least, Jackson appeared in good form, and his family was happy. His last rehearsal at LA’s Staples Center, the night before he died, was a great success. He returned home shortly after midnight on June 25, 2009, and rolled down the window of his car to talk to fans who, as usual, gathered outside the gates of his mansion to see their hero and offer him gifts. The next day opened to a typically sunny Los Angeles morning.

“The children were playing, music was playing and everyone was enjoying themselves” said his chef, recounting how she was preparing a lunch of spinach cobb salad with organic turkey breasts for the Jackson family. That all changed shortly after midday, when Chase saw Murray “come down the stairs into the kitchen in a panic, frantic,” demanding that she get help, security and his daughter Paris. She fetched Paris, and returned to the kitchen. A short time later she realized the housekeeping staff were crying, as Jackson’s security was alerted and paramedics eventually called.

“The children were crying and screaming, and the next thing we did we started hugging and we came together and we held hands and we started praying,” she said.

“The energy in the house did not feel good.

It (was) not the energy that I have always felt in this home.” —AFP

‘nuclear war’ with daughter illionaire L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt is ready for “nuclear war” with her daughter and has asked her lawyers to revoke a reconciliation deal the two struck last year, according to a French paper yesterday. Francoise BettencourtMeyers had, in one of a series of lawsuits, tried to have her 88-year-old mother declared mentally unfit to manage France’s largest private fortune, but in December the two announced that they had resolved their differences. However Bettencourt’s lawyer, Jean-Rene Farthouat, told France’s Journal du Dimanche that relations have turned hostile again.

“I saw Lilliane Bettencourt on Friday, and she is in favour of nuclear war, but we are waiting a bit before taking action,” Farthouat told the paper and later confirmed the quotes to AFP. In a Friday letter, the multibillionaire asked her lawyer to “act firmly and without delay against the activities of (her) daughter.” She wants the December reconciliation deal scrapped and said all necessary action should be taken to stop her daughter’s

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Chris Martin of English alternative rock band Coldplay throws his guitar into the ground during the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil yesterday. —AP

“harassment”, the paper reported.

Farthouat said he intends to take a series of preliminary actions, and then visit with his client in an effort to keep the feud from escalating. Bettencourt-Meyers has alleged people close to her mother, including celebrity photographer Francois-Marie Banier, took advantage of the heiress, who she claimed was no longer in a fit mental state to manage her 16-billion-euro (20-billion-dollar) fortune. Banier was Bettencourt’s sole named beneficiary in the will drawn up in December 2007. But Bettencourt broke with Banier earlier this year, cutting him out of her will and depriving him of an estimated 1.25 billion euros.

Following the December reconciliation, Bettencourt-Meyers’ lawyer Olivier Metzner said mother and daughter were “overjoyed to be together again” after three years of legal battles. —AFP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Viktor & Rolf go tame with outfits, but wild with show Filled with wearable pieces, Saturday’s collection was quite tame by Viktor & Rolf standards: Regarded as experimental vanguards, the pair is known for playing with scale and has sent out collections where cocktails dresses are the size of pup tents and outsized tulle skirts that threaten to swallow the entire garment. Still, the outrageous staging of Saturday’s show more than made up for the lack of wackiness in the clothes themselves. The lights went up to reveal a hip Paris duet, Brigitte, perched some 20 yards (meters) in the air atop dresses with endless pleated skirts. As they belted out their signature number, “Ma Benz,” their skirts parted and the models emerged from underneath, like little children from beneath their grandma’s dress.

A model presents a creation by Dutch designers Vickor & Rolf as Sylvie Hoarau and Aurelie Maggiori of French band Les Brigittes perform during the Spring/Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection show. — AFP

Sonia Rykiel With its tennis-ready ensembles in swinging seventies shapes, the Rykiel collection felt like something out of Vittorio de Sica’s 1970 classic “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis.” White cropped

‘Mammoth’ Fashion Fest

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sually Viktor & Rolf collections are exercises in an almost ostentatious creativity, but Saturday’s display was less about over-thetop experimentation than detail. But outrageousness had not completely deserted the building: The models took to the catwalk from beneath a giant pleated skirt the size of a giant teepee.

France’s reigning queen of knitwear, Sonia Rykiel, was also more subdued than usual, though her pleated culottes and relaxed pant suits in creamy whites and yellows were as still sporty and fun as usual.

It was as if Japan’s Tsumori Chisato were in touch with the weather gods: With the Indian summer beating down on Europe, her tropical themed separates felt spot-on. Australian-born designer Martin Grant’s was one of those collections where you coveted simply everything. The wide-legged trousers in canary silk jersey; the halter tops in graphic black and white prints; the maxi-dresses hung with floor-length strips, like seaweed. It was a great collection and among the strongest shows of the day. Paris’ spring-summer 2011 collections move into day six out of nine on Sunday, with shows by three of the City of Light’s top labels, Hermes, Celine and Givenchy.

Viktor & Rolf It looked as if Viktor & Rolf had been playing with those sewing-made-easy kits that teach children how to stitch by threading bulky yarn through a constellation of little holes on cardboard. The Dutch duo sent out pretty cocktail dresses and bourgeois skirt suits with oversized stitches at all the hemlines. Bulky red stitches dressed up the tiers of a multilayered pink evening gown and shimmering electric blue ones embellished the flippy skirt on black trench and an A-line cocktail number.

Models wear creations for French fashion house Sonia Rykiel designed by her daughter Nathalie Rykiel as part of her spring-summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection. — AP photos

and even that was too much for many of them, for whom dour, hipper-than-thou grimaces have apparently become second nature. Before the show, ushers in black polyester suits lined the runway, holding onto ropes meant to keep the audience off the yellow chalk that covered the catwalk.

Between their suits and the heat wave that has had Paris melting for days, they were roasting, but with ropes in each hand, they couldn’t wipe off the rivers of sweat that poured down their faces.

After, Nathalie Rykiel, the daughter of the label’s founder and namesake, took to the mile-long runway alongside the house’s new creative director of ready-to-wear. April Crichton, a Scottish designer and graduate of Central Saint Martin’s, was promoted to the role from within a day earlier.

culottes and flirty pleated skirts in ivory silks with black accents were paired with ribbed V-neck sweater in Lurex stripes. Striped sundresses with little bib-style tops were worn with cropped leotard tops for a sporty seventies vibe. In a toneddown palette of ecrus and yellows, the collection was less eye-popping than usual, but still pretty and appealing. Rykiel has a reputation as an upbeat house, and they encourage the models to act bubbly on the catwalk - something that often proves an insurmountable challenge for many.

This season, they had only to wear cheery smiles,

Tsumori Chisato It was a beach holiday in cotton and sequins.

Chisato delivered an easy, breezy collection of vacation-ready separates which, emblazoned with a shimmering grove of sparkling palm trees, made it hard to resist the urge to immediately book an island getaway. Parasols and oversized straw hats were the accessories of choice, and were paired with cute palm-emblazoned knit dresses and T-shirts hung with tufts of raffia and sequins. A blouse with a cartoon Carmen Miranda in a full banana regalia was worn with a pair of mini bloomers or a stretchy miniskirt with kissing crocodiles. It was just the kind of light, slightly kooky looks that Chisato - a Japanese-born designer who’s made known for her wacky knitwear - does best. — AP

Models display creations of designer Galina Galuza during “Mammoth” vanguard fashion festival in Minsk.

— AFP photos

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Models wear creations by French Designer Jean Paul Gaultier for his fashion house’s spring-summer 2012 ready to wear collection.

— AP photos

Tattooed skin at Jean Paul Gaultier

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ean Paul Gaultier showed tattooed leather and classic pinstripe Saturday for a signature look that was all Parisian elegance with a subversive touch, midway through the Paris runway shows for spring 2012. Pinstriped suit jackets left the back nude, one simply wrapping around the neck like a scarf on bare shoulders, above a fully tailored front complete with square pockets. Underneath, corset-like wide belts cinched the waistline above full-length Bohemian skirts in white cotton, or nude jersey sheaths. Nude calf skin jackets were scored with Asian-inspired navy blue tattoo patterns, while human tattoos-real ones on the skin of female performers, painted ones on Gaultier’s models-added a touch of edginess to the affair.

Spectacular earrings injected a punk-rock feel, while bright orange pieces wrapped flawlessly around the body offered a softer take on femininity. High sandals and pumps displayed a silver-tipped Japanese heel, helping the models walk the runway like Hollywood Lolitas. “It’s 100-percent Gaultier,” the designer told reporters backstage. “What do I do best? I revisit what I have done before, but with a twist.”

In 1992 the designer showcased a collection based on tattoos, but back then they were seen as “ethnic, rebellious.” These days, “it’s almost classic, bourgeois-everyone has a tattoo and at least one piercing,” he quipped. The Fashion Week crowd was also granted a mock-candid glimpse behind the scenes with models readying for the show on a scaffold above the runway. Gaultier said he wanted to show his clothes “in a more human setting” than the classic runway, where girls “under spotlights walk by staring into thin air.”

The goings-on above head, he said, were not an act: “that’s what normally happens except we tried to make less noise, normally there’s a lot of shouting.” A French former TV weathergirl added a humorous touch, introducing each look with a mischievous pet name-from “Excuse my French” to “Look of Seduction” or “My bellybutton has a problem”. She also gave the game away at times, revealing for instance that outfit “Number One, ‘Belle de Jour’,” was worn by Karlie Kloss, the US top model “who loves the colour turquoise and chocolate.” Gaultierwhose company is now majority controlled by the Spanish group Puigseemed to have scored a hit with the buyer crowd. “No matter how the show is styled, the cut in Jean Paul Gaultier’s jackets always ranks among the best in the world,” Maria Luisa, buyer and fashion editor for the Paris department store Printemps, said as she left.— AFP

Bossini launches Winter Collection W

2011

inter is around the corner and everyone is geared up for all the excitement it has to offer. This season, revamp your entire wardrobe with the must have ‘a la mode’ pieces introduced by Bossini’s stirring 2011winter collection. The ladies collection consists of a folkloric theme with a Scandinavian touch. Patterns including jacquard or print in Nordic textures are used traditionally on sweater knit items as well as newer approach on jersey knit and woven pieces. Traditional checkers and diamond shape patterns brings about strong sentiment for the tribal culture. Colors are a hot contrast, with fire red and black this fall season is a warm and glamour one. Leather jackets, folkloric print tunic blouses, metal trimmed denim, ethnic printed tunic and lace print burn out tee are all a part of this collection Turning to a cooler fall season, the collection uses more outdoor elements with a British feeling of forest hunting. Colors turn to khaki, sage green with highlight of dusty salmon to create an autumn forest scene.

This includes animal printed fake fur jacket, duffel coat with plaid lining, pale gold down jacket with fur trims, horseshoe patterned tunic blouse, corduroy shirt and pants and jacquard sweater cardigan with fur trim.

Men’s winter fashion by Bossini this year is all about great taste inspired from military style, ethnic patterns, and animal prints. With a strong focus on layering and mix and match, key garments include ethnic pattern shirts, water color print stripe tees, and pin tuck low shirts with washed grey jeans or vintage jeans. Colors are booming this season with white, rhodium, black accent , dusty orange, pale olive to name a few. Kids are promised a happy, fun and joyful winter with the delightful clothing line by Bossini this season. College look is inspired by boy’s interested school sports and camping. The college badges, check shirt, ruby polo design are given a strong image for happy school life.

Girls are given the little Parisian, a classic French look filled with girly style and French cultural icon from color to pattern. Chanel jacket, La Tour Eiffel printed tees, ruffles and polka dot prints are all in trend. Visit Bossini at Hawally, Fahaheel, Farwaniya, Khaldiya Co-op and Qortuba Co-op and across all Centrepoint outlets to experience a whole lot of winter fun!

Kanye: Not a run of mill celebrity fashion line F

ashion’s most famous aficionado, music star Kanye West, turned pro on Saturday with a luxurious hard-edged women’s collection that bucked all the stereotypes about celebrity designers. West has been a front-row fixture at fashion shows for years, but industry insiders had greeted news that he was planning to launch a line of his own with a more than hefty dose of skepticism and plenty of barbed quips about how it would surely be Lindsay Lohan’s leggings line all over again. So, it was with slightly humbled wonder that the fashion editors, stylists and journalists hand-picked to attend Saturday’s late-night spring-summer 2012 show greeted the sophisticated, highly designed looks on the catwalk.

Sure, West didn’t reinvent the wheel: You could see the influence of established designers many of shows he frequented over the years. There was a bit of Balmain in the short, sexdrenched dresses and some Givenchy in the gothic, bondagey leather jackets and skirts, for example.

But luxed-up streetwear elements, like hooded jackets made in a mosaic of crocodile skins, gave the collection a unique voice of its own. 36The specifics of project remained foggy: The extent of West’s involvement in the actual design remained unclear, as did the identities of those on his design team. But West’s emotional attachment to the brand was clear.

Speaking to reporters after the show, the seasoned performer kept repeating “I’m so scared, I’m so nervous. “The biggest conversation I hope I can end tonight is whole ‘celebrity designer’ thing,” he said once he’d managed to collect himself. “That’s the biggest hurdle when you want to get amazing people to work for you.” Another challenge, he added, was figuring out who to work with. The fashion industry is notoriously opaque and often inscrutable for outsiders, even ones as well connected as him. Celebrities (R&B singer Ciara), designers (Joseph Altuzarra, Alexander Wang and Olivier Theyskens) and celebrity designers (the Olsen twins) turned out for West’s show, which was hands-down THE event on Paris’ spring-summer 2012 calendar.

Ciara, defying the stifling weather in a fur stole,

said “he did a great job. I walked away from this show feeling like I would love to wear this line.

There is so much in it that’s right up my alley.

“Especially since for me, it’s so cool to see someone come from our music world and do something like this. It’s really hard,” she said a backstage interview.

U.S. designer Jeremy Scott concurred.

“Everyone probably thought it was going to be another like Jennifer Lopez’s Macy’s line and it’s not, it’s really clear it’s not,” said Scott, who’s known for his kooky, colorful designs. “Kanye has impeccable taste and you see his taste level is up there. He’s a fan of design across the board. I have five-hour long conversations with him all the time about everything because he’s so obsessed, and I think we got a little bit of an insight into his mind there.” Held in a high school in southern Paris, Saturday’s show drew a thick crowd of star-struck celebrity watchers who snapped their cell phone cameras at literally anything that moved. —AP

Models wear creations by rap singer Kanye West for his spring-summer 2012 ready-towear collection. — AP

Viktor & Rolf go tame with outfits, but wild with show

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

38

A devotee of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine parades with two small guitars piercing his cheeks during a street procession to mark the annual Vegetarian Festival in the southern Thai town of Phuket yesterday. During the festival, which begins on the first evening of the ninth lunar month and lasts nine days, religious devotees slash themselves with swords, pierce their cheeks with sharp objects and commit other painful acts to purify themselves, taking on the sins of the community. (Inset) A devotee of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine parades with a gun piercing his cheek. — AFP

Bollywood hopes Lanka believes to inspire homegrown movies are ticket to better times superheroes O

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Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan poses during India’s GQ Men of The Year Awards 2011 event in Mumbai. — AFP

ollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is gearing up for the release of his new special effects-packed film, hoping it will trigger a spate of Hollywood-style superhero movies in India. “Ra.One”, which hits screens at the Hindu festival of light Diwali on October 26, has cost more than one billion rupees ($20 million) to make and is one of the most ambitious-and expensive-films in Indian cinema history. Khan says that the film-in which he stars as G.One, who saves humanity from evil villain, Ra.One-has more special effects than James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster “Avatar” and will mark a shift in the domestic movie industry.

“This film is one of a kind,” Khan told reporters in India’s entertainment capital Mumbai this week. “I feel (it) will take the Indian film industry one step forward from what we have been doing. “After this film, I feel there will be other Indian superheroes in our films and many more actors to follow.” The 45-year-old is one of the triumvirate of Khans who has ruled Bollywood since the 1990s, carving a niche as a bankable romantic lead through movies like “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” (The Braveheart Gets The Bride).

But he has been eclipsed recently by his namesakes Aamir and Salman, who have both set box office records with works such as “3 Idiots”, “Dabangg” (Fearless) and “Bodyguard”. Shah Rukh Khan’s last high-profile film was “My Name Is Khan” in 2009, which was hailed by its studio at the time as Bollywood’s first, truly international picture, yet it was more successful abroad than at home. The “Om Shanti Om” star may say he is not worried about whether his latest venture is a success, but his publicity drive-from video game launches to marketing tie-ups and a dedicated YouTube channel-suggests otherwise.

For the time being, he has preferred to talk about how India should have its own superheroes-and that the country is now well-placed to do so. “Why should it be that it is only America that has superhero films? We (India) are the largest film-producing country in the world and I feel we need our own,” he said. “We need to make Harry Potters, Supermen and Spidermen here, just like we did earlier in films like ‘Krrish’ or ‘Drona’.”

The last big Indian superhero film was “Endhiran” (Robot), starring Tamil-language superstar Rajinikanth. It was dubbed into Hindi and broke box office records. “Krrish” (2006), starring Hrithik Roshan, was the last successful Hindi-language superhero flick, while “Drona” (Saviour) — a Diwali offering with Abhishek Bachchan in 2008 — failed to excite cinema-goers. Both were big budget productions and made use of domestic firms specializing in computergenerated imagery (CGI), whose post-production expertise has seen them increasingly courted by Hollywood.

Khan’s own production and distribution company, Red Chillies Entertainment, has a special effects division.Previous Western-style superhero films include a version of Hollywood’s “Superman” and “Mr India”, about a villain who steals a scientist’s formula for invisibility. But Indian directors, television producers and animators have preferred to look to Hindu mythology for their superheroes, particularly the monkey god Hanuman or the battle between kings Ravana and Rama.

For Khan, “Ra.One”, which is also being released in 3D, shows how India can now compete with the best in the world. “‘Ra.One’ is a salute to India’s technical expertise,” he told the Times of India newspaper in a September 26 interview. “People across the globe contributed to its makingbut India was the nerve centre.” — AFP

nce a location of choice for directors shooting World War II classics and big 1980s adventure films, Sri Lanka is hoping to make a comeback on the movie trail as it emerges from civil war. Since the island’s bloody conflict ended in May 2009, the government has been trying to promote a new image focusing on its elegant colonial buildings, tropical jungles and golden beaches. Post-war ethnic reconciliation is still far from certain after the Tamil Tiger militants were brutally crushed, but there are signs that international studios are again looking to Sri Lanka as a film location.

“Midnight’s Children”, the screen adaptation by director Deepa Mehta of Salman Rushdie’s 1981 Booker prize- In this picture, Sri Lanka’s film director Chandra Ratnum poses next to winning novel, was completed in Sri a poster promoting his movie “A Common Man” in Colombo. — AFP Lanka earlier this year. The project was shrouded in secrecy to avoid protests by religious groups angered by Rushdie’s work, and film productions in Sri Lanka were the biggest drawfuture films will hope for an easier experience after backs during the war. People are now willing to invest in shooting was suspended at one stage on government films here because we are cheaper than other Asian orders. Sri Lanka’s next major foreign film is tipped to be locations.”

Rutnam knows better than anyone the island’s “Toomai of the Elephants”, an adaptation of a story from Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Book”, starring former James potential as he has worked on more than 50 international projects over the decades. He was a 16-year-old film Bond actor Pierce Brosnan and veteran Omar Sharif.

Filming is set to begin in January, and many local film hand on the multiple Oscar-winning “The Bridge on the professionals see it as a major chance to advertise Sri River Kwai” (1957), directed by David Lean and starring Lanka as a flexible and attractive film location. “The Alec Guinness, which was filmed in a valley near the post-war era has opened doors for more movies to be western town of Kitulgala. Rutnam was also production shot in Sri Lanka,” Chandran Rutnam, a Sri Lankan film manager alongside director Steven Spielberg on the maker who wrote the “Toomai of the Elephants” script, 1984 blockbuster “Indiana Jones and the Temple of told AFP. “Safety and difficulty to get insurance to cover Doom”. —AFP

French director

Abu Salem dies in West Bank F

Friends gather to mourn the death of Francois Abu Salem, a French actor and director and long-time Palestinian West Bank resident, in the city of Ramallah yesterday. —AFP

rancois Abu Salem, a French actor and director and long-time West Bank resident, has died at the age of 60 in the city of Ramallah, Palestinian security forces said. His body was found on Saturday night in the Al-Tira suburb of the Palestinian city, where he lived and worked for many years.The cause of death was not immediately known, although security sources said that suicide was being investigated as a possibility. Friends of the director, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said he had been depressed. Abu Salem was born in 1951 to renowned French poet and surgeon Lorand Gaspar and sculptor Francine Gaspar. He was raised in east Jerusalem, Beirut and France. A fluent Arabic speaker who decided to take an Arabic surname, Abu Salem was the co-founder of the El-Hakawati Theatre Company, which later grew into the Palestinian National Theatre, in east Jerusalem. He was best known as a theatre director and also adapted plays by renowned authors including Dario Fo and Bertolt Brecht for a Palestinian audience. Abu Salem, who also directed movies, received the Palestine Prize for theatre from then Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 1998.”It’s a terrible loss for those close to him as well as for theatre in Palestine and as a whole,” his friend Lea Tzemel told AFP. — AFP