24 Jul

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

Fugitive businessman Lai deported to China

Return to Palestine

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SHAABAN 23, 1432 AH

Aid groups can’t reach drought-hit Somalis

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Peru beats Venezuela for third place in Copa America

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Norway mourns 92 slain in bloodbath ‘Christian fundamentalist’ arrested • Amir sends condolences

Singer Amy Winehouse found dead LONDON: Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse, whose struggle with drink and drugs overshadowed her sultry musical talents, has been found dead at her flat in north London, emergency services said. She was 27. The Grammy awardAmy Winehouse winning soul singer with her trademark beehive battled with well-documented addictions that she documented in her hit single “Rehab”. Her death is being treated as unexplained, police said.

“We were called at 3:54 pm (1454 GMT ) to an address in Camden Square,” a London Ambulance Service (LAS) spokeswoman told AFP. “We sent two ambulance crews, a cycle responder and a duty manager to the scene. Sadly the Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Yousef Nasser Al-Sulaiman (left) jumps for the ball as he vies with Jason Abbott Sabio of the Philippines during their 2014 World Cup Asian zone qualifying football match yesterday. Kuwait won 3-0. AlSulaiman, Mesaed Al-Enezi and Fahad Al-Ebrahim scored for Kuwait. — Photo by Joseph Shagra (See Page 20)

32 dead as trains collide in China BEIJING: A Chinese high-speed train derailed yesterday when it was hit by another express, state media said, throwing two carriages off a viaduct and killing at least 32 people and injuring more than 100. The derailed train had been crippled by a lightning strike and was stationary when the second one ploughed into it, the reports said, in an accident likely to raise new questions about the safety of a rapid rail expansion. The D3115 highspeed service from Hangzhou to Wenzhou, in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, was rammed from behind by the D301 in Wenzhou’s Shuangyu town, China National Radio said.

The first train derailed and two of its carriages fell from an elevated track at around 8:50 pm (1250 GMT), the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing local firefighting sources. At least 89 people were injured, it said. Photos posted on Chinese websites and microblogs showed a long rail carriage standing vertically, with one end leaning on the viaduct and the other resting on the ground about 20 m below. A second carriage was lying fully on the ground below the track, having apparently fallen completely off, with rescue personnel swarming over it.

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WENZHOU, China: Emergency workers and people work to help passengers from the wreckage after two carriages from a high-speed train derailed and fell off a bridge after a collision in Zhejiang province yesterday. — AP

Nuclear scientist killed in Tehran TEHRAN: An Iranian physicist was shot dead by a motorcyclist in Tehran yesterday and Iran’s student news agency ISNA quoted an unnamed police official as saying the man was a nuclear scientist. ISNA named the scientist as Darioush Rezaie, 35, a university teacher who held a PhD in physics. It was not clear whether he was part of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Enriched uranium can be used for civilian nuclear purposes, but also to build atomic bombs.

“An Iranian nuclear scientist was assassinated in front of his house today ... and his wife was also wounded,” it said. “He was shot dead by a motorcyclist.” Deputy Interior Minister Safarali Baratlou said it was not clear whether Rezaie was a nuclear scientist, Iran’s Labour News Agency ILNA reported. “Police investigations are continuing ... Nobody has been arrested so far,” Baratlou told ILNA. The state news agency IRNA also reported the assassination but gave different details. Officials were not available for comment. “Rezaie was a PhD student in electronics ... He was assassinated in front of his child’s nursery in Bani Hashem street,” IRNA

said, quoting an unnamed official. “His wife, who was wounded in the attack, has been hospitalised.” There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Several Iranian nuclear scientists have disappeared in recent years or been targeted in attacks the Islamic republic has blamed on the United States and Israel, which suspect Iran’s atomic program masks a drive for a weapons capability. Last Nov 29, Majid Shahriari was killed in the capital when men on motorcycles attached a bomb to his car, while the current nuclear chief Fereydoon Abbasi Davani survived a similar assassination attempt on the same day.

Abbasi Davani had been targeted

by UN Security Council sanctions under Resolution 1747 adopted in March 2007. He was identified as a senior defence ministry and armed forces logistics scientist. The PhD holder in nuclear physics is one of the few Iranian specialists who can separate isotopes and has been a member of the elite military force the Revolutionary Guards since the 1979 Islamic revolution, media reports say.

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Max 46º Min 35º Low Tide 12:10 & 23:50 High Tide 05:08 & 16:35

OSLO: Police said they were questioning a rightwing Christian yesterday over the massacre of 92 people in a killing spree that Norway’s prime minister said had turned an island paradise into hell on earth. As harrowing testimony emerged from the summer camp where scores of youngsters were mown down, Norway was struggling to understand how a country famed as a beacon of peace could experience such bloodshed on its soil. “Never since the Second World War has our country been hit by a crime on this scale,” Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg told journalists as police searched for more bodies on the idyllic Utoeya island.

“Many of those who have died were friends. I know their parents and it happened at a place where I spent a long time as a young person... It was a paradise of my youth that has now been turned into hell.”

HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah sent yesterday a cable of condolences to King Harald V of Norway expressing his sympathy Anders Breivik with victims of the horrific shootings and bombing in Oslo and the island of Utoeya. In his cable, HH the Amir expressed Kuwait’s condemnation of the inhuman, terrorist attacks that targeted innocent people. “These heinous attacks contradict all religious and human values,” HH the Amir stressed, wishing the wounded victims speedy recovery. HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah sent similar cables. The latest death toll from the island massacre stood at 85 and seven people also died in an earlier explosion which ripped through government buildings in Oslo. Police confirmed yesterday that the blast was the result of a car bomb. However the toll could still rise as police said four or five people were still missing Continued on Page 13

Bin Hammam gets life ban ZURICH: Asian football supremo Mohamed bin Hammam was yesterday banned from the game for life after being found guilty of corruption following a two-day hearing of FIFA’s ethics committee. The 62-year-old Qatari, the president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), had been accused of trying to Mohamed buy votes in the FIFA bin Hammam presidential election with $40,000 cash gifts to Caribbean football officials.

“The official Mr bin Hammam is hereby banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national or international level for life,” Continued on Page 13

train derails near Homs Driver killed • Regime blames ‘saboteurs’

AL-SOUDA, Syria: People check the destroyed carriages of a derailed train about five kilometers from the central city of Homs yesterday. — AP

BEIRUT: A passenger train derailed and caught fire in central Syria yesterday, killing the driver, authorities said. The regime blamed the crash on “saboteurs” tied to the country’s four-month-old uprising, but opposition figures dismissed the accusation. The train was carrying 485 people when it derailed about 5 km outside the central city of Homs, a flashpoint in the uprising against President Bashar Assad.

The driver was killed instantly and 14 passengers were injured, rail officials said. Ghassan Mustafa Abdul-Aal, the governor of Homs, called it a “terrorist and criminal” act and said it was a “clear message” to everyone who says the protest movement is peaceful. No evidence was provided to support those claims. The opposition dismissed the accusation and said the regime was Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: Relatives, friends and well-wishers welcome back sailors at the Kuwait Sea Sports Club in Salmiya as they return from the 23rd traditional pearl diving trip yesterday. – Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh (See Pages 2 & 3)

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Sailors return with pearl harvest

The ships making their way to the shore.

Pearl diving expedition concludes KUWAIT: More than 180 Kuwaiti young men returned to shore yesterday after concluding this year’s Pearl Diving Trip, an annual event organized by the Kuwait Sea Sports Club (KSSC).

Setting sail on the ‘Dasha’ day of July 14, divers on board 15 ships - five of which were gifted by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and ten by the late Amir HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad AlSabah - were anchored at the KSSC beach front, marking the ‘Qfal’ day.

The entire event was televised nationwide. The concluding ceremony of the 23rd Traditional Pearl Diving Expedition began with the ships’ arrival at around 4:30 pm, after which the captains followed by divers alighted from ships, carrying their harvest of pearls for this year.

It was handed over to the representative of HH the Amir, Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Labor.

Divers opening the oysters searching for pearls.

Young divers look on as they prepare to disembark from their ship.

A kid in traditional costume.

The ships begin docking at the KSSC beachfront. — Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

A diver looks for pearls.

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Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, Minister of Justice and Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Dr. Mohammad Al-Afasi, sits beside Kuwait Sea Sports Club chairman Fahad Al-Fahad as they wait for the divers’ arrival.

Divers lineup to greet the Amir’s representative.

Al-Afasi kisses the Kuwaiti flag after accepting it on behalf of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

Al-Afasi receives the harvest from Al-Fahad on behalf of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The harvest of the 23rd Traditional Pearl Diving Trip.

Families of the divers anxiously await their return.

Senior consultant and veteran pearl diving captain Khalifa Al-Rashid is helped as divers make their way to meet their waiting families.

Crowds watch the oyster-opening event.

The Kuwaiti flag is lowered, marking the formal end of the 23rd Traditional Pearl Diving Trip.

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kuwait digest

in my view

Weighing in on Mubarak Al-Kabeer port

Terror has no religion

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij t appears that many citizens here in Kuwait feel an urgent need to declare their patriotism over any issue that arises. Among these citizens are lawmakers who can be seen strongly criticizing anyone who they feel threaten Kuwait’s interest.

Of course, people have the right to adopt a political stance concerning the current Kuwaiti-Iraqi issue over the planned Mubarak Al-Kabeer port. Until the government puts forward its position on the issue, people will continue to weigh in on the matter from different perspectives according to their own perception of their responsibilities towards their country. So, here’s my opinion on the matter: According to the widely accepted rule, you don’t build something which might hurt your neighbor. This is a basic human principle that has established the foundation of relations between countries throughout the history of human civilization. From this standpoint, the foreign minister of Kuwait can’t be held accountable because he held talks with Iraqi officials about the Mubarak Al-Kabeer port. Instead, Kuwaiti MPs who plan to grill the foreign minister on the subject should stop and think about the reasons why there are Iraqi objections to the project.

That being said, I can’t say that Iraq’s objection to the port is understandable, since the project has the potential to help Iraq more than it will Kuwait, although I understand their concern should there be lack of assurances that the port won’t hurt Iraq’s naval activities.

Kuwait was originally established as a commercial port serving neighboring and nearby countries, including Iraq. Without this form of commercial exchange, who knows if Kuwait would have been established in the first place, or whether Iraq would be able to trade with countries in Africa and the rest of Asia.

Therefore, the Mubarak Al-Kabeer port could be viewed as a revival of this historic relationship between Kuwait and Iraq. All of Iraq’s commercial and naval activity used to go through Kuwait in the past, which is why I believe it’s strange that some people in Iraq don’t wish to see this happen again when it could help their country achieve commercial prosperity. Maybe the real objection has to do with border demarcation, rather than it does with the port. —Al-Qabas

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kuwait digest

Restrictions on twitter

By Dr Bader Al-Daihani t seems that the government has not been keeping up with the latest happenings taking place on both Arab and International arenas.

Let us just say it follows the situation but fails to interpret the radical changes that have been taking place in the Arab region over the past six months. It justifies the information, that was not denied, about the government’s intention to monitor all the social networks, namely Twitter. It blocked some websites and pursued their owners.

This is although such practices clearly violate the Constitution. Its golden jubilee will be celebrated in three months’ time.

This makes one wonder if the government actually feared the ‘140 characters allowed per tweet.’

Does the government think that it can block emails or communication at this open forum and all the advanced technologies provided by Microsoft, Apple and Google that help break traditional monitoring methods. I t was used by totalitarian regimes that have a disgraceful history of watching and monitoring people to the extent that their heart beats can be counted.

Isn’t the content of these electronic communication methods similar to what is said every day? It is, therefore, a useful method of receiving people’s feedback especially in terms of how far government policies satisfy them.

The fact that the government cannot effectively interpret the consequences of Arab and international changes, doesn’t mean they did not exist. It’s obvious that our life is different from what we lived six months ago. It is time now to respect people’s right to power and wealth. It is time when people’s right to express opinions, even if opposed to norms, is sacred. So, the truth can no longer be monopolized, namely, in view of the great technological revolutions and the unlimited and uncontrolled means of e-communications.

In addition, restricting public freedoms, including the freedom of expression provided by e-communication methods such as Twitter, blogs and Facebook does not match the government’s claims that it was committed to the Constitution. —Al-Jarida

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By Chidi Emmanuel

chidi@kuwaittimes.net he ferocious attack in Norway that has claimed 92 lives so far has grabbed the headlines of almost all the major print, radio and television news media.

Interestingly and surprisingly, however, one phrase is invariably missing from the headlines and most commentaries ‘terror attack.’ Many newspapers and other news channels are shying away from calling this a terror attack. The attacks have rather been described as massacre, bloody, deadly, cruel, brutal, etc., but not as terrorism. The reason is not farfetched. Initial speculation after the Oslo blast had focused on Islamist militant groups.

The focus of conjecture during and after the mayhem was on the attacker’s identity. This time, however, to everyone’s chagrin, names like Hussein, Abdul, Mohammed, Yusuf, Osama, Zawahiri, Ahmed etc were missing. The arrest of Anders Behring Breivik - a 32-year-old ethnic Norwegian, whom police have described as a “fundamentalist Christian,” brought a fundamental shift in the reporting and the news coverage. With this description, the Norwegian security operatives are a little bit relaxed, having ruled out any foreign, Islamists links. According to reports, Breivik has reportedly been charged with a killing spree and the bombing of government buildings in Oslo (but not for terror activities).

“These people [Muslims] are back again - hitting Norway very hard this time,” said a friend in Sweden, calling to inform me of the attacks. Terrorism has no religion. It is rather a product of an ungodly mindset. Also, people do use religion to cause mayhem - claiming to be fighting in the name of or on behalf of their god. We should not let our emotions overcome our judgment and understanding. There is no religious book that does not condemn act of violence and terrorism. Every God-fearing person of any religion would condemn terrorist acts, regardless of the terrorist’s color, race, nationality or religious background.

Media can change people’s opinions because they have access to people, which gives them a lot of strength. This strength can be used constructively by informing and educating people - and destructively by inciting and misleading them. While any attack by a Muslim is branded ‘a terror attack’ and the Muslim a terrorist, an attack by a non-Muslim is called a killing spree and the non-Muslim a gunman or a disgruntled far-right extremist.

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kuwait digest

The white elephant

By Dr Sajed Al-Abdeli he story of the white ele- ceived as undeserving made a ters made of gold and silver, with phant and other animal sto- great fortune and applied to join special servants retained to care ries are widely used in the club, it was said, the members for their every whim.

Because of the new administrative development would pretend to welcome him books. Though filled with humor, and ‘celebrate’ his membership by Maharajahs’ nouveau riche status many important messages and a presenting him with a white ele- and determination to prove their elevated position, the theory was great deal of wisdom can be easi- phant as a gift.

According to ancient Indian that they would accept the gift of ly read between their lines.

The stor y of the white ele- traditions and myths, white ele- a white elephant and in time find themselves bankrupted on phant, which is of Indian orispending too much on the gin, concerns those who aspire sacred animal, soon finding to being Maharajahs, a title out that their for tune was which is not necessarily connected to family origins or ‘This story is still used nowadays depleted by taking care of it, social status but which can be as a metaphor, indicating that as a result being stripped of Maharajah status. The conferred on those who have whoever gives someone else a their only Maharajahs capable of achieved a cer tain level of wealth and high social stand- ‘white elephant’ as a gift wants escaping the ‘white elephant ing. Equally, the title could be to keep that person busy and trap’ were the fabulously automatically withdrawn from overburdened, forcing them into wealthy.

This stor y is still used any Maharaja who lost his fornowadays as a metaphor, tune for any reason, leaving a trap. indicating that whoever gives him a title-less ‘ordinary Joe’ someone else a (generally like everyone else, unless he symbolic) ‘white elephant’ as managed to make another vast fortune which qualified him to phants were extremely rare, a gift wants to keep that person sacred animals which should not busy and overburdened, forcing regain the title.

There was also a story that a be humiliated by using them as them into a trap that will concertain group of Maharajas had one did ordinary elephants for sume all their energies and formed an elite club which riding or transporting goods, but efforts. Looking around, we can nobody else was welcome to join should instead be revered, kept in see many, many people who unless all the members agreed to specially prepared luxurious sur- have received ‘white elephants’ their membership. Whenever roundings and served plenty of everywhere, particularly in polisomeone who the members per- fresh fruit and vegetables on plat- tics! —Al-Jarida

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kuwait digest

Why aren’t ministers responding??

By Dr Abdulmohsen Jamaal

kuwait digest

Retain the best to get the job done properly

By Thar Al-Rashidi he contract of the Director of Construction Program at Kuwait University, who is supervising the construction of the Shaddadia University city, will expire on 27th September 2011, i.e. in two months’ time. If the Prime Minister and his government are serious about wishing to see the university opening they must renew her contract, because simply and since she took over her work before one year and ten months, she managed to end overspending and to close many of the loopholes that allowed the wasting of funds in this important project.

As the minutes of meetings and repor ts from the M inistr y of Finance and the Audit Bureau make clear, she has proved that she is the best person for the job and the most honest person among a large number of those in charge of supervising this project.

Nobody has praised this director to me, and I don’t know her personally or even what she looks like, but the Audit Bureau and finance ministry reports and the minutes of the of the parliamentary budget committee committees clearly

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prove that the presence of this young manager is essential for this project which has eaten up millions of dinars which were spent on studies and drawings over the past six years. I wish that His Highness The Prime M inister would extend her contract for the sake of public interest.

I would like to address the premier on the issue as follows: Your Highness, there was a decree issued for the construction of AlShaddadia University in 2004 which stated that the university should be completed and ready for opening in 2014 at the latest. This assessment is based on the words of university officials in the minutes of parliamentary budget committee meetings. This university will now not open until 2020. i.e. six years after the original date and the expiry of the ten-year decree.

Do you realize what a scandal this is? Do you know the amount of money wasted in the black hole of mismanagement of the project? Is it possible that the supervision contract would be given for three years to one company at a cost of KD 2 million and, after that period

expires, the same contract would be given to another company for another three years for KD18 million? The contract needs to have certain stipulations written into it.

Your Highness, if the government is really serious then it must retain the best management figures, such as the young manager in this project, who is a real ray of light amongst the immense darkness caused by a number of senior university officials. At the same time, those responsible for wasting large amounts of public funds on this projec t should be held accountable; the same thing also goes for those responsible for its delay, whether they are still in their jobs or have already retired.

Note: I asked a religious scholar why my young son kisses my hand whenever he sees me.

The scholar asked me, “Do you want a ‘Fatwa’?”

I responded, “No, but I don’t know if I deserve it, as I never did that with my father.”

The religious man laughed and said, “Then learn from your young son, and start kissing the hands of your father.” —Al-Anba

ore than anything else at present, the Cabinet needs to publicly answer questions put by anti-government MPs through the media, since all Kuwaitis can see these days are accusations against ministers without hearing any responses or clarifications in return.

MP Ahmad Al-Saadoun held a press conference recently in which he slammed the Cabinet over numerous issues and clearly announced that interpellation motions against the prime minister and other ministers are ready. Amongst the subjects he raised were allegations that the government failed to enforce the capital markets authority law. Since then, no official clarification has been forthcoming from the Minister of Commerce and Industry Amani Buresli. If she is, indeed, planning a response on the subject, I hope it will be made in public so that any lingering doubts amongst the public over the issue can be laid to rest.

Al-Saadoun has also claimed that internet service providers (ISPs) in Kuwait which he says are unlicensed, are draining people’s money through exploiting the lack of controls over charges. I urge the acting Minister of Communication Salem Al-Othaina to make an official statement to clarify the issue of licensing internet provides, as well as the mechanisms by which they charge customers for services they provide.

Al-Saadoun further accused the government of failing to establish a shareholding company to build a fourth refinery in the country according to the law.

Similarly to the previous subjects, Minister of Oil Dr. Mohammad Al-Busairi should reply on the subject through issuing an official statement.

The veteran lawmaker also mentioned the Jaber Causeway and Jaber Hospital project, Ministry of Electricity and Water tenders, the demographic imbalance, the stateless residents issue and others which require for state officials to comment on the irregularities and problems that Al-Saadoun mentioned. —Al-Qabas

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The co-ed ban deprives young people of education he truth always becomes clear, however long it takes, that the laws of nature, logic and societal development will always come back to impose themselves. The ban on coeducation is not only wrong because it was made wrongly, but because it is a reason behind the harm that Kuwaitis are suffering from and is paid for by their children, who wish to join the university and practice their natural right to get a seat at the university and improve their lives to serve society. Today, we are not rejoicing, but we should remember that what we have opposed and considered as legislative interference in the work of the academic bodies has become a self-perpetuating problem, which needs checking to find out the solutions.

We are not revoking it, but we know that governments and

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ministers were under pressure when they cancelled coeducation and approved the law of student segregation in universities and other institutes of learning; we know that they were under huge pressure from MPs and other groups. We were the first to warn against giving in to that pressure, as it was the start of a developmental setback for our society. More than this, it is an indirect accusation to the bodies concerned, whose officials, especially the university professors, were of the opinion that the coeducation ban would have negative effects on all educational processes.

Furthermore, it has been proven in practice that banning coeducation is not possible and is not applicable completely, unless we open a new completely new university with its buildings and other requirements designed for this purpose from A to Z, which

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requires many things which we do not have a surplus of to achieve that goal. So let us be aware of the damage done by the coeducation ban and the lack of need for it; the international university in Saudi Arabia, which was opened by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and which allows coeducation, is a proof of that.

At least 1,000 Kuwaiti students are now paying for the law banning coeducation. They are waiting with their families for a university place and they are being deprived of their natural right to education at their national university, to earn a better, more promising future and they are witnesses to the joint failure by government and parliament, which were behind the ban on coeducation.

Let us rescind that law, because it is a failure and opposes the natural development of life. —Al-Jarida editorial

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

LOCAL

Woman dies under mysterious circumstances

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A 22-year-old female citizen passed away a few hours after being rushed to Sabah Hospital, with the subsequent autopsy determining that the young woman had recently undergone a surgical procedure, most probably a liposuction operation, to which she had reacted negatively. A full investigation has been launched into the case, with Ministry of Health (MoH) officials saying that a similar case, in which another Kuwaiti woman died of heart failure, was also ascribed to an earlier cosmetic surgery operation.

Cash theft An Asian man filed a complaint with Khaitan police stating that his compatriot stole KD80 from him.

Attempted robbery Criminal investigators are trying to collect fingerprint evidence of some suspects who tried to break into a Co-operative Society store in Jahra governorate.

The attempt at theft was abandoned mid-way when the alarm went off, scaring them away.

Stolen boat Hawally police recovered a boat that was stolen by a drug addict to obtain money to fund his habit. The boat was returned to its owner while the addict was arrested.

Car accidents A car accident took place at the crossroads between Mubarak Al-Kabeer and Al-Qurain. Two Indian mean aged 25 and

40 respectively were injured. An 18-yearold citizen suffered from a case of smoke inhalation. The victims were referred to Al-Adan hospital. A car accident took place along the Fourth Ring Road, Damascus Street, between Al-Adaliya and Al-Rawda. Two female citizens 20 and 21-years-old respectively sustained mild injuries. They were admitted to AlAmiri Hospital. In another incident, a car accident took place along the Fifth Ring Road located opposite to the Avenues.

Two citizens aged 19 and 25-years-old respectively and were admitted to Farwaniya hospital. Also, in a car accident that took place along the Fifth Ring Road opposite Bayan Palace, the driver sustained severe facial injuries. He was admitted to Mubarak Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

Freak accident A 35-year-old citizen accidentally missed a step and slipped from a water recreation facility at Sharq. His sustained a fractured shoulder. He was admitted to Amiri Hospital.

Street fight In a fight that took place at Riqqae near one of the restaurants, a 22-year-old Egyptian expat sustained injuries to his neck and right eye. He was admitted to Al-Sabah Hospital.

Educational segregation issue resurfaces Political blocs disagree over policy’s efficacy

By Hussain Al-Qatari KUWAIT: The word ‘segregation’ is slowly resurfacing as the buzzword of the summer, as political blocs debate whether it could or could not be the ultimate solution to the education sector’s dilemma.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), one of Kuwait’s liberal affiliations, issued a recent statement blaming Kuwait University’s segregation policy, a legislation passed in 1996 for the current education crisis. Kuwait University today faces pressure for its inability to admit more than 2,000 applicants. In retaliation, Islamist blocs issued statements stressing the dangers of co-education in universities, going as far as to threaten to grill the prime minister.

The National Democratic

Alliance’s (NDA) statement noted that the segregation policy has been criticized heavily by Kuwait’s liberal blocs, drawing attention to the lack of facilities, space, and instructors to hold separate classes of the same courses for the sake of segregation, “The University has scampered to fulfill this legislation, and this scampering caused many problems that were only offered temporary solutions. This policy of segregation proved to be a failure, and the damage must be immediately remedied,” said Khaled Al-Khaled, General Secretary of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Attacks on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came from more than one bloc. The Kuwaiti Salafi Movement spokesperson Meshal Al-Melith

warned, “ The National Democratic Alliance(NDA) is trying to pass a legislation allowing co-education in Kuwait University because it shares a good relationship with the Cabinet today.

The Alliance does not want coeducation because of its honest concern on the future of Kuwait’s youth, but it has its own agenda.”

Al-Melith noted that the NDA has infiltrated the Ministry of Education and the Cabinet in general, and it is very possible that both parties are complicit in delaying the Kuwait University City project.

MP Faisal Al-Mislem stated that HH the Prime Minister will be grilled if a legislation that allows co-education is passed. “This justification for the education crisis is ridiculous. Neither the University nor the Ministry of

Education has mentioned segregation and co-education as a reason for this dilemma we face today. Why does the National Democratic Alliance think it is more credible a source for making such allegations that the Ministry and the University?” he asked. Al-Mislem stressed that the real reasons behind this crisis is the failure of the Cabinet.

“Despite the fact that the Kuwait University City is a project announced many years ago, it is still nowhere near complete.

Licenses for private universities to be built in Kuwait were given, but no locations were provided yet, and the government can easily solve this problem by increasing the number of scholarships granted to universities whether they are local or aboard,” he stressed.

Hit and run case A 27-year-old Egyptian expatriate was trying to cross the road at Al-Qasr when a speeding car ran over him, fracturing his left leg. He was admitted to Al-Jahra Hospital.

MP denies football bribes claim KUWAIT: Two Development and Reform Bloc (DRB) MPs have continued their condemnation of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs’ (MAIA) suspension of at least two imams for sermons in which they addressed the current crisis in Syria and reportedly condemned the country’s ruling regime.

“The Kuwaiti public need to mobilize in order to put pressure on the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs to [force it] to stop taking punitive measures against imams who condemn atrocities committed by the Baath regime against the Syrian people,” said MP Dr. Walid Al-Tabtabaie. Fellow DRB member Dr. Faisal Al-Mislem called the ministry’s suspensions “the latest of a series of arbitrary decisions carried out by the MAIA.” Speaking about the issue, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Mohammed Al-Noumas insisted that the punitive measures were taken against the imams because they violated regulations which proscribe addressing political issues in religious sermons.

One MAIA insider slammed the lawmakers for their condemnation of the suspensions, reiterating the ministry’s earlier statement that the regulations on sermon content which the clerics violated “were put in place to protect the sanctity of places of worship by preventing them from becoming platforms to discuss political issues.” Speaking on condition of anonymity, the ministry insider also revealed that MAIA staff are reviewing CCTV footage of several sermons delivered at other local mosques following complaints from worshippers that the imams there also discussed current events in Syria.

On a separate issue, MP Marzouq AlGhanim has strongly denied allegations published by the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in which he was accused of paying a multimillion dinar bribe to the pres-

ident of the Asian Football Association, Mohammad Bin Hammam. “My work in the political and sports spheres was never conducted in the dark,” the politician insisted, adding, “My unyielding commitment to the law is the reason why my name is usually the target of attack.” Al-Ghanim revealed that he plans to sue the “promoters of false allegations” who he said are responsible for the claims about him, further complaining about “evidence of attempts made locally to damage our public image through releasing fabricated information.” Agencies Meanwhile, in other news, MPs have suggested that the lengthy breaks during the last parliamentary term damaged parliamentary productivity and led to lawmakers being diverted from their work in parliament, preventing them from attending committee meetings. MP Dr. Ali Al-Omair said that the extended breaks due to government-parliament tensions and the disbanding of the government were amongst the factors which caused parliamentary committees’ productivity levels to fall by 15 percent compared to previous terms. Another reason for the disappointing productivity rates was the fact that although many committee reports were completed and submitted for consideration during parliamentary sessions they have not yet been discussed and their status remains unresolved. The fact that no decisions are reached on completed reports “makes lawmakers less enthusiastic about finalizing more reports,” suggested Dr. Al-Omair.

Fellow MP and veteran anti-government parliamentarian Musallam Al-Barak perhaps unsurprisingly blamed the government for the poor level of performance by parliamentary committees, particularly singling out ministers for criticism over their “failure to attend [committee] meetings and sending representatives with no decision-making power to attend on their behalves.” — Agencies

Iraqi MPs urge Kuwait to review stance to avoid regional tension

By A Saleh KUWAIT: A coalition of political groups in the Iraqi Parliament has called on Kuwait to review its stance towards Baghdad to avoid more tension in the region.

Iraqi MP Jawad Al-Bolani called upon Kuwait yesterday to review its position on Iraq, warning that if Kuwait continues its current policy, which he said is harmful to Iraq, this could might create a state of tension in the region. He added that threatening language does not solve problems, adding that pausing and resolving all outstanding problems is the only guarantee of building good relations between the neighbors.

Another Iraqi MP, Alya Nateef, said, meanwhile, that Kuwait’s decision to continue with the construction of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port means that Iraqi parliamentarians are busy forming committees to discuss the issue.

She called for the construction process to be slowed down in order to resolve problems between the neighboring countries.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior (MoI) reportedly intends to make changes to the electronic security system on the Kuwait-Iraq border between Um Qasr and Salmi. According to an MoI insider, the changes are par t of an updating strategy which requires the introduction of new equipment, including highly sensitive subterranean apparatus which can detect attempts to cross the border from a distance of up to 70 meters. The new system could be operational by the first quarter of 2012, said the insider.

In other news, the Central Bank has approved the resignation of Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr. Amani Bouresli from the Burgan Bank’s board of directors after she assumed the ministerial post, making the necessary amendments to the Central Bank’s official records.

The bank also approved the appointment of Dr. Bouresli’s replacement in the Burgan Bank post, Samir Khanshant, for the remaining period up until 2013 when the next election for the board of directors will be held.

KUWAIT: NBK social responsibility programs during Ramadan last year.

NBK launches its social program for Ramadan KUWAIT: Supporting its social responsibility program on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, National Bank of Kuwait will launch a series of activities and events aimed at encouraging community engagement and solidarity and charity in Kuwait. By ‘Doing Good Deeds’ NBK hopes to encourage a greater sense of community and charity during Ramadan and encourage its customers and staff to participate by ‘doing good deeds’ all month long.

NBK Executive Manager Public Relations and Advertising Manal Al-Mattar said that NBK will ramp up its charitable activities, as a good corporate citizen of Kuwait.

Its programs this coming month will include providing various institutions with financial and moral support along with con-

ducting regular visits to the underprivileged sections of our society such as elders, orphans and special needs people. “NBK believes in the power of doing good. We like the idea of paying it forward, doing good for someone and seeing it benefit society as a whole.” Al-Mattar added.

Al-Mattar added that the most important initiative within NBK Ramadan Social Program is hosting fast-breaking banquets which has become a tradition observed annually within the “Do Good Deeds in Ramadan” philanthropic drive initiated by NBK 18 years ago.

The Iftar banquets will be held in two main locations; near the Grand Mosque and next to Salmiya Cinema. Fast-breaking will also be offered at various mosques and other locations

throughout Kuwait. NBK will also distribute Iftar meals via special convoys that will tour the more crowded areas in the country.

“NBK staff volunteers who will manage and supervise the fastbreaking banquets have already finalized all necessary arrangements for Ramadan tents to receive fasting people on the eve of first day of Ramadan,” Al-Mattar said.

Al-Mattar added that NBK Ramadan Social Program will also include daily competitions and valued prizes through the official social media channels of NBK in Facebook & Twitter, in addition to daily Ramadan tips.

The NBK Ramadan Social Program will also include several visits by NBK’s Public Relations personnel and NBK staff volunteers to NBK Children’s Hospital,

Manal Al-Mattar

the houses of the elderly, orphans and special needs people as well as the family nursery and the distribution of Girgian throughout NBK’s branch network.

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LOCAL

Egyptian judge held for scuffle at airport Kuwaiti dies in accident

Asilah Forum concludes activities ASILAH: The head of the cultural department at Kuwait’s National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) Sahil AlAjmi yesterday hailed the success of the Kuwaiti events at the 33rd Asilah International Cultural Forum, which concluded on Friday.

Speaking on behalf of the NCCAL’s Secretariat General during the closing ceremony, Al-Ajmi stressed the “strong” ties that have connected the Kuwaiti and Moroccan leadership and peoples of Kuwait for many years.

He pointed out the impor tance of Kuwait’s participation as this year’s “guest of honor” in promoting bilateral cultural ties and highlighting Kuwait’s cultural and refined features.

The 33rd Asilah International Cultural Festival, held from July 2-22, featured several exhibitions and activities shedding light on Kuwaiti cultural and other contributions, with the event being held under the auspices of Morocco’s King Mohamed VI. The activities on the sidelines of the event included handicrafts exhibitions and folk music performances, as well as fashion shows of traditional Kuwaiti costumes, book fairs, a photo exhibition on Moroccan-Kuwaiti bilateral relations and exchange visits, and an exhibition of contemporary Kuwaiti artwork. Around 150 Kuwaiti cultural figures participated in the event.

Moroccan intellectuals who participated in the forum, hailed the activities and events organized by the Kuwaiti participants, which they said demonstrated many aspects of the Gulf country’s cultural authenticity.

Highly esteemed Moroccan critic and professor at Mohammed V University in Rabat Zohor Karam said that Kuwaiti seminars and exhibitions held as part of the schedule of this intellectual gather-

ing, which celebrated Kuwait as this year’s host, revealed many similarities between the culture and civilization of the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries and that of Morocco.

Karam highlighted the importance of Kuwait’s participation in this cultural event to strengthen cultural and intellectual ties between the two nations.

She also lauded Asilah’s administration for choosing Kuwait as this year’s ‘guest of honor’ to celebrates the Gulf country’s national and independence anniversaries as well as the fifth anniversary of the ascendance of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to the throne.

“During the past 50 years, Kuwait has been able to prove its worthiness in leading the Arab region toward fair democracy and an institutional lifestyle, in which law grants civil and political freedom to all,” she pointed out.

Another of the respected cultural figures attending the event, Ekram Abdi, the Moroccan poet and member of the Asilah Foundation, said that this year’s event was ex tremely well received by the M oroccan public over the past t wo weeks.

Members of the public were fascinated by the Kuwaiti culture on show, with many attending all the Kuwaiti musical performances, exhibitions of traditional Kuwaiti ar t and poetr y-readings, she added.

Abdi also expressed his admiration for Kuwaiti poetry, which he said depicts all the facets of current human issues of the Arab region.

The renowned Moroccan poet also expressed special pride in the Kuwaiti women poets, who she said had proved themselves entirely capable of competing with the previously male-dominated poetry scene. —KUNA

KUWAIT: An Egyptian judge was forcibly removed from a plane before it took off for his home country, after he got into a fight with the captain. Airport security officials headed to an EgyptAir plane that was preparing for a flight to Cairo following a report of a scuffle between the passenger and the captain. The passenger, who works at a Kuwaiti court, was handed over to authorities before the plane took off without him. Meanwhile, six citizens were apprehended at Kuwait International Airport after they got into a brawl after their plane from Egypt landed. They were referred to the Jleeb AlShuyoukh police station to face charges.

Fatal crash A Kuwaiti motorist died on Friday when his Ferrari sports car smashed into a lamppost on Kabad Road. Although emergency services personnel rushed to the scene, the driver was pronounced dead shortly after their arrival. Eyewitnesses said that the driver lost control of the vehicle for unknown reasons before it crashed head-on into the lamppost. The body was removed for autopsy.

Grim find Police have launched an investigation after the body of an Asian man was discovered outside a kindergarten in Kaifan. Police and paramedics rushed to the location, with the man being pronounced dead at the scene.

The body was removed for autopsy to determine the cause and time of death, and an investigation is underway to determine the man’s identity.

Callous motorist A Kuwaiti citizen was taken in custody after intentionally running his car over a police officer who was issuing him with a traffic citation. The incident took place in Fahaheel where the officer pulled over the young driver to ticket him. When the officer got out of his car and talked to the driver, the motorist grew irate and tried to flee the scene.

In a desperate attempt to stop him, the officer stood in front of the car; this did not deter the impetuous young motorist, however, who knocked the officer down, injuring him, before driv-

ing away. The injured officer managed to report the incident and police arrested the driver shortly afterwards, taking him into custody where he faces more serious charges than a traffic offence.

Paramedics save teen A teenager was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after paramedics saved his life when he stopped breathing after being rescued from a swimming pool at a home in southern Kuwait. Paramedics and police rushed to the scene as soon as the incident was repor ted.

Although the 15-year-old boy had stopped breathing, they were able to resuscitate him using CPR before quickly taking him to Adan Hospital where he was immediately admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

Jewel thief caught Police arrested a Filipina woman just as she was about to board a plane bound for her homeland after stealing KD4,000 worth of jewelr y from her employer.

Hours after the employer reported the woman missing, along with her passport and the jewelry, detectives located her at the airpor t, quashing her escape plan and taking her into custody.

Drunks busted Three people were arrested for consuming alcohol and driving while intoxicated after they aroused the suspicions of officers at a security checkpoint in Mahboula. The officers first busted two Kuwaitis who were both

found to be inebriated and in possession of a bottle of liquor. A while later, they were able to apprehend an American man who was also drunk. All the suspects were referred to the Criminal Evidence General Department to be breath analyzed and have blood alcohol tests.

Unhappy customer A car mechanic is facing multiple charges after getting into a brawl with a customer who was dissatisfied with his work. After receiving a call from passersby, Jahra police headed to a location in the area’s industrial zone where a fight between a Kuwaiti man in his for ties and the Bangladeshi car mechanic was reported. During questioning, the citizen stated that the altercation took place when he returned his car to the mechanic claiming that an engine problem which he was supposed to have fixed had recurred. The citizen provided a medical report showing that he had sustained bruises during the fight. In addition to physical assault charges, the customer has pressed charges of fraud against the mechanic.

Thief empties account Police are on the hunt of an unidentified thief who emptied the bank account of a college student after stealing her credit card. In her statement to police, the young woman explained that on approaching staff at her bank branch to report her credit card stolen, she was horrified to discover that her account had

been cleared out. Detectives are investigating the record of transactions to attempt to trace the suspect’s movements and identify them.

Farwaniya fire One person died and 15 others were injured after a fire broke out in a residential building in Far waniya governorate last night, Kuwait Fire Ser vice Directorate has announced. The Direc torate said in a press release that it had received a report at 23:00 local time that a fire has broken out in a residential building in Farwaniya and a large number of people were stranded in the building. Fire teams rushed to the scene and managed to put out the fire, recover the corpse of a burnt victim, and rescue more than one hundred people who were stranded in the building, the statement noted. It added that 15 others and a firefighter were injured in the incident.

Khairan blast A massive blast hit a power cable in K hairan at dawn on Friday, shaking the entire area and causing an eight-hour blackout. The area’s residents woke up alarmed at the sound of a huge explosion and the sight of a massive blaze that could be seen from kilometers away. Firefighters and police rushed to the scene of the blast as soon as the incident was reported, subsequently determining that a cable had burst in flames due to a power surge.

—Al-Rai, Al-Anba, Al-Watan

News

in brief

Task force to protect port KUWAIT: The country’s apex military committee held a meeting to discuss the threats issued by an Iraqi militant outfit to companies involved in the construction of Kuwait’s Mubarak Al-Kabeer port.

Members of the Iraqi Hizbollah party warned companies against participating in the project. Officials said that an agreement was reached in the formation of a land and sea task force, consisting of the Army, police and National Guard to protect Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port site from terrorist attack, reported AlShahed. The committee has asked each party to supply a list of trained personnel so that they can be merged into one group. Concentrated training should be held to protect construction sites from any act of terror. Officials said that the group will be the strongest to be armed with automatic weapons.

Firm measures against overstaffing KUWAIT: Local employers should ensure that employees are appointed at designated jobs as per Article 10 of the Labor Law, said Jamaal Al-Dousary, Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. He warned that violations will be met with severe consequences. Article 10 of the Labor Law states that the companies that hire personnel from Kuwait must ensure that workers assume duties in their respective work places. It bans employers from overstaffing companies. Article 38 of the same law states that violators of Article 10 are subjected to punishments that include a three-year jail term or a KD 1,000 fine, reported Al-Rai. Al-Dousary asserted that the ministry will ‘not tolerate’ any violations.

Kuwait thanks Chinese center’s efforts GUANGZHOU: Kuwaiti Charge d’Affairs to Guangzhou, China Dhaif Al-Shammiri praised the Chinese center for International Trade. It organizes the (Canton) exhibition, and efforts are exerted to overcome obstacles that Kuwaiti businessmen face.

Al-Shammiri asked Kuwaiti businessmen to be cautious when contracting with Chinese companies to avoid looming trade disputes, and to enrich the articles of the contracts to serve their interests. He affirmed the Consulate’s readiness to solve any problems that may arise between Kuwaiti businessmen and Chinese companies.

KUWAIT: Yacoub El Hillo pictured with Barjas Hamoud Al-Barjas after reveiving the donation.

aid to Somalia drought victims KUWAIT: United Nations H igh Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)’s Middle East and Nor th Africa Bureau Director Yacoub El Hillo yesterday extolled His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah’s initiative to send urgent aid to the droughtstricken Somali people.

“This initiative has significantly contributed to international efforts to reduce the impacts of the drought disaster in the impoverished Horn of Africa nation,” he said in press statement following a meeting with Cha irma n of Ku wa it Red Cres cent S ociet y Barjas Hamoud Al-Barjas here.

The UN official expressed appreciation of KRCS’s current humanitarian efforts in Somalia to help reduce the tragic consequences of the drought.

He underlined KRCS’s role in providing aid for those in need in disaster-hit areas all over the world.

El-Hillo estimated the number of those affected by Somalia drought at about 140,000, of whom 90,000 fled to Ethiopia, 40,000 to Kenya and the rest to Djibouti.

Moreover, there are about one million Somalis flocked to the capital Mogadishu, in search of food and medicine, he added.

He urged all world powers to mobilize their energies and capabilities to help the Somali people and contribute to ongoing efforts to rescue the displaced people who are in urgent need of food, water, medicines and shelter. For his part, Al-Barjas welcomed UNHCR’s delegation’s visit to the KRCS headquarters.

“This is a real and strong support to KRCS and its humanitarian efforts,” he said.

He voiced KRCS’s readiness for cooperation and coordination with the UNHRC for a better humanitarian action and to provide more care for the most needy worldwide. —KUNA

Hungarian official lauds ‘exceptional’ ties with Kuwait BUDAPEST: A senior Hungarian official yesterday lauded the “exceptional” relations between Kuwait and Hungary.

Speaking following the launch of the Second Kuwait Islamic Art Exhibition in the Hungarian capital, Giza Mehai, the Director General of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Middle East and North Africa Department, under-

lined his country’s strong belief in the “dialogue of civilizations,” adding that the Islamic Art Exhibition will put the country on the right path to advancing KuwaitiHungarian relations. “Hungary has great pride in having deep-rooted ties with Arab countries,” he said, adding that hosting the exhibition provides further proof of Hungary’s belief in the importance of

familiarizing itself with different cultures in order to build bridges of understanding between nations. On the subject of Kuwaiti-Hungarian relations, the senior official said that it is essential for both countries to promote cooperation in many promising domains, including finance, investment and environmental protection. —KUNA

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

Record-breaking heat smothers eastern US

Amid war, life goes on in Tripoli Page 8

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NATO warplanes pound Libyan capital Death toll mounts; 16 rebel fighters killed

BENGHAZI: Libyan rebel fighter shoots in the air to pay respect to the fighters killed by forces loyal to Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, in the rebel-held town of Benghazi. — AP

TRIPOLI: NATO-led warplanes struck the Libyan capital early yesterday, with the alliance saying they hit a military command centre and Muammar Gaddafi’s regime saying that civilians were targeted. At least seven powerful explosions were heard at around 2:20 am, as state television quoted a military official as saying NATO aircraft “are currently bombing civilian sites in the capital Tripoli.” In Brussels, an Atlantic alliance official said “NATO can confirm that we targeted military objectives in Tripoli this morning,” and that the seven strikes were on a command and control node.

Two more explosions were heard in the same area at about midday. The attack came after rebel forces said they had lost 16 fighters east of Tripoli and that they infiltrated the capital and attacked a regime command post where a son of the strongman was among officials targeted. The rebels, who have been fighting to oust Gaddafi for more than five months, said the assault “seriously injured” a high-ranking member of Gaddafi’s security forces. “Yesterday (Thursday) in Tripoli, there was an attack on an operations centre of top regime officials, including Seif Al-Islam Gaddafi,” National Transitional Council vice president Ali Essawy said after meeting Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini in Rome.

“One person was left seriously injured,” he said, identifying the per-

son as a high-ranking security official.

Frattini said the “rocket attack against an operations centre” probably in a Tripoli hotel was aimed at “top officials... including Gaddafi’s son Seif, and the head of the secret service, Abdullah al-Senussi.” On Thursday, unconfirmed rumors swirled that rebels in Tripoli had tried to assassinate senior regime members that day.

Since the revolution began in midFebruary, a number of Tripoli-based groups have broadcast videos purporting to show acts of civil disobedience in the heavily controlled capital.

Libyan officials denied the attack occurred and denounced as “criminal and unjustified” what they said were NATO raids that killed six guards at a pipeline factory south of an oil plant in the eastern town of Brega.

“There was no attack,” government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told reporters of the rebels’ claims that they had attacked a Tripoli command post.

Rebel forces, he said, were losing their battles in the east of the country and to the southwest and were trying “to boost their morale with lies and small victories.”

Elsewhere, the rebels said 16 of their men were killed in two days of fighting for Zliten, the last coastal city between insurgent-held Misrata and the capital. “Sixteen of our fighters have fallen as martyrs and 126 more have been wounded in fighting with loyalist troops in Zliten,” said a rebel

statement, with clashes said to be particularly heavy in the suburb of Souk Al-Thulatha.

The insurgents have been trying for weeks to take Zliten, 200 kilometers from Tripoli and 40 kilometers west of Misrata. The rebels say they have chased the bulk of Gaddafi’s forces from Brega in the east and are poised to advance towards the capital from Misrata and their other western enclave in the Nafusa Mountains, southwest of Tripoli. The Nafusa campaign is focused on taking Asabah, gateway to the garrison town of Gharyan on the highway into Tripoli.

Meanwhile, in the remote desert 1,000 kilometers south of Tripoli, Toubou tribal fighters said they had lost control of the oasis town of Qatrun to Gaddafi’s forces.

The strongman’s troops swept in from the north on Thursday, forcing rebel fighters from the town, according to Mohammed Lino in Benghazi, who relayed information gleaned via satellite phone. At least two people are thought to have been killed and eight wounded in the attack. The lack of transport links to the southwest, patchy telecommunications and poor security make independent verification of the claim impossible. But Lino said Gaddafi’s forces had been camped on the north side of the town and rebels in the south, with an estimated 20,000 civilians trapped between them.—AFP

Pre-Ramadan push aims to spark Libya endgame BENGHAZI: It is D-Day for Libya’s ad-hoc rebel army. After months of waiting, training and stockpiling arms, the revolutionaries are taking the fight to Muammar Gaddafi’s forces across this vast desert country in a pre-Ramadan offensive.

Battle has been joined at an oil town in the east, an oasis town in the south, a coastal town in the west and in the mountains south of Tripoli. The rebels also say a bold attempt to assassinate key members of Gaddafi’s inner circle has taken place in the capital itself.

Yet few people believe the rebel attacks are about taking territory, killing as many Gaddafi soldiers as possible or starting a long march on Tripoli. Military analysts say it is really about finding new ways to split the regime asunder. Four months of NATO-led air strikes and five months of shuttle diplomacy have failed to remove Gaddafi from power, so Benghazi is trying to find the regime’s tipping point through force on the ground. “The best chance the rebels have is still a palace coup,” said Lynette Nusbacher, a senior lecturer at Britain’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. “Convincing the Libyan army that they can’t win is the shortest distance to that palace revolt.”

By pushing Gaddafi’s troops onto the defensive, pounding their positions and slowly pushing them into retreat, the rebels hope to weaken loyalist morale, which is already dismal if rebel radio intercepts are to be believed. “It’s a show of force to try to convince Gaddafi’s people to defect,” said Andrew Terrill, a research professor at the US Army War College describing the rebel strategy. “If they can show that they are actually making progress it might have a lot of impact on people in the regime who are sitting on the fence.—AFP

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Niger battles with fall-out from Tuareg rebellion DABAGA: “The Tuareg rebellion has brought nothing good to our zone, and armed bandits and the Libyan conflict are pushing us further into poverty.” Tchimaden Ahmed, a 36-yearold mother of eight from Dabaga, in northern Niger’s desert region, did not mince her words. “We live like in the Middle Ages: no electricity, no telephone, not even a mill for our grain to relieve us from the drudgery,” she added, in the local Hausa language.

Dabaga lies some 50 kilometers - a white-knuckle, two-hour drive along the Air mountain range in a district that was once the heartland of the Tuareg rebellion.

A sign warns travelers arriving in this town of some 4,000 people of the land mines scattered in the region during the 2007-2009 Tuareg uprising. The desert nomads wanted their share of the wealth generated by the uranium mined in northern Niger. It is barely daybreak, but the women and children are crowding around the drinking wells to replenish their stocks for the next few days. On the Saturday, people come in on the back of donkeys or on foot for the weekly market-and for the latest on the local unrest or the situation in Libya. A number of local people

still live over Niger’s northeast border in the troubled nation. A group of 10 soldiers, armed with Kalashnikovs and posted with an armored vehicle near the market, check cars and pedestrians alike.

The army presence, explains deputy mayor Rhissa Mohamed, highlights the persisting insecurity from the former rebels who, since laying down their weapons, have had to fend for themselves as best they can. Traditional chief Ghoumour Koussou dressed in a white turban and boubou-the flowing, wide-sleeved robe common to this part of Africa-also lamented their plight. “Enough is enough!” he said.

“The tourists and the aid agencies have fled.”

And the land mines scattered throughout the region had had not only disrupted trade but also made moving cattle a perilous affair. Add to that the threat posed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and it was little wonder westerners had abandoned the region. Al-Qaeda’s North African branch currently holds four French hostages and an Italian tourist kidnapped in southeast Algeria in February.

Ellias Maha, who works for

Handicap International, is still working in the region-and given the proliferation of mines, he has his work cut out for him.

“Watch where you put your feet,” he told a group of local women and children gathered in the courtyard of a house. “Don’t pick up strange-looking objects.” He accompanies his talk with pictures of the deadly weapons that await the unwary. “We live with danger,” says Mahaman Ghissa from his perch on a palm tree at a nearby oasis, where he is picking dates.

His companion, Amoumoune, piling up sacks of locally grown onions, laments the collapse in sales neighboring Libya, normally a major customer.

“Exports to Libya are paralyzed, which has meant a sharp fall in takings,” he said. Rhissa Mohamed, who also runs a major onion-growing operation, said his turnover had fallen this year to just 300,000 CFA francs (450 euros, $635) from several million in 2010.

Given the sudden drop in demand, the price of a sack of onions has plummeted to less that 5,000 CFA francs, four times cheaper than the previous year, to the point that unsold stocks are beginning to rot away in the warehouses. While the women of Dabaga

DABAGA: A man picks up dates near Dabaga village, north of Niger. The economy in Niger has been suffering due to the situation in the battle-torn Libya. —AFP are glad to see their husbands, forced to flee the unrest in Libya, back home, that does create its own problems.

Fatima, a mother of six, said her husband had returned with little but a mobile phone to his name. “I have just

sold one of my goats to buy powdered milk and tea,” she said. Local chief Ghoumour Koussou spoke of his fears regarding the returnees-that desperate to survive, they might join the growing ranks of armed bandits.—AFP

Abbas rallies envoys on statehood bid UN bid forced on Palestinians

ASHDOD: A sign reading in Hebrew, “three and half rooms for sale for 1,500 Millions NIS (New Israeli Shekels)” hangs on a tent set by Israeli demonstrators in the centre of the coastal city of Ashdod to protest against the rising prices of real estate in Israel. — AFP

Plagued by rising rents, Israelis pitch their tents JERUSALEM: Hit by a dizzying rise in housing prices, hundreds of young Israelis have set up tent camps in a burgeoning nationwide protest movement set to move this week to the gates of the nation’s parliament. “This is just the beginning. The struggle continues,” said Haim Nahon, 32, married with two children, pointing to his makeshift home, one of 30 tents set up on a strip of grass at the foot of the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. He said that his income as a graduate in special education and tour guide did not allow him to keep up with spiraling rents, let alone dream of owning his own home. “Today, it takes on average about one million shekels (200,000 Euros, $295,000) to buy an apartment in Israel,” estate agent Eli Melloul said. “In one year, the average (purchase) price of housing has jumped 32 percent in Tel Aviv, and 17 percent in Jerusalem, he said. “It’s the general trend throughout the country.”

Rents are high too, with a family apartment easily reaching 5,000 shekels a month-more than the minimum wage. At the same time about 150,000 properties, often owned by Jews living overseas, stand empty for most of the time. “To survive, I took on more and more odd jobs, but I couldn’t keep my head above water,” said Road Levy, 24, sitting cross-legged in front of his tent. After his compulsory three-year military service he spent a year working abroad to earn and save money. He paid 10,000 shekels to enroll in law school, and shares a small room at the university campus for 900 shekels a month.

Not far from his small tent the coffee shops in a luxury shopping mall are packed

and customers throng to buy imported designer goods. Since 2004, Israel’s economic growth rate has averaged 4.5 percent, while unemployment has fallen to around six percent from close to 11 percent over the same period. But public disgruntlement is growing, fuelled by almost-daily revelations of social inequality, injustice and corruption. “We are with you,” called the driver of a tram passing close to the Jerusalem tent-dwellers.

A consumer boycott of cottage cheese launched recently on Facebook quickly led to a fall in prices of the Israeli staple.

Building on that success, and supported by the national students’ union, property protesters have mobilized by pitching their tents throughout Israel from the northern town of Kiryat Shmona to Beersheva in the southern Negev desert. Every day the movement is growing, with protest marches in major towns and cities.

There is also a rising media clamor, generally sympathetic to the “new poor” and highly critical of the heavy tax burden born by the middle class, unrestrained capitalism and the flow of public funds to support settlement in the occupied West Bank, at the cost of infrastructure investment within Israel. Aware of voters’ concerns, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has addressed the housing problem, pledging to streamline planning and building procedures and to promote low-rent accommodation. Israeli public radio on Friday said that the Old City protesters planned to move their tents to the lawns facing parliament on Monday, when MPs are set to debate housing reform.— AFP

US wastes $34 billion in Afghan, Iraq contracting WASHINGTON: The United States has wasted some $34 billion on service contracts with the private sector in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a study being finalized for Congress. The findings by a bipartisan congressional commission were confirmed to Reuters by a person familiar with the draft of the study, which is due to be completed in coming weeks.

The analysis by the Commission on Wartime Contracting, details of which were first reported by the Wall Street Journal, offers the most complete look so far at the misuse of US contracting funds in Afghanistan and Iraq, where more than $200 billion has been doled out in the contracts and grants over nearly a decade. It also gives the most complete picture of the magnitude of the US contracting workforce in the two countries.

The source, who declined to be named,

said more than 200,000 contractors have been on the US payroll at times in Iraq and Afghanistan-outstripping the number of US troops currently on the ground in those countries. The United States has fewer than 100,000 troops in Afghanistan and some 46,000 forces in Iraq. The tally of private sector contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan can be surprisingly difficult to obtain since many US contractors are outsourced to subcontractors who depend on temporary labor, the source said. The report blames a lack of oversight by federal agencies for misuse of funds and warns of further waste when the programs are transferred to Iraqi or Afghan control as the United States withdraws its troops. The US military is on course to withdraw all of its troops from Iraq by the end of the year and started drawing down its force in Afghanistan this month. — Reuters

ISTANBUL: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas gathered his top diplomats in Istanbul yesterday, rallying them on their quest for statehood as he accused Israel of forcing them to take the campaign to the UN. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been on hold for 10 months, shortly after Washington relaunched the first direct negotiations between the two sides for nearly two years.

And Abbas told the Istanbul meeting of Palestinian diplomats from around the world that the bid for UN membership was forced upon them by Israel’s refusal to halt settlement building and end its occupation.

“We are going to the United Nations because we are forced to, it is not a unilateral action,” he told the gathering attended by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “What is unilateral is Israeli settlement,” Abbas said at the meeting organized to finalize Palestinian strategy ahead of the UN General Assembly in

September. “We have not been able to return to negotiations with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu because of his refusal to negotiate on the basis of the 1967 borders and to stop settlement.”

The peace talks ground to a halt in September last year when Israel’s partial freeze on settlement construction expired and Netanyahu declined to renew it.

The Palestinians say they will not hold talks while Israel builds on land they want for a future state, while Netanyahu blames the Palestinians for the deadlock. “Our first, second and third choice is to return to negotiations,” Abbas said yesterday. “Like the rest of the peoples of the world... we wish to be members of the General Assembly, members of the UN; no more, no less,” he said, recalling the Palestinians had been living under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Six Day War. A senior Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity that preparations for the UN gambit

would be completed on August 4, during a meeting of an Arab monitoring committee in Doha, attended by Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. An official letter would be sent to the United Nations during the first week of August, he added. Addressing the gathering, Erdogan accused Israel of “intransigence,” saying it turned its back on any possible solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and refused to lift its blockade of Gaza. “ The tragedy caused by Israel in Gaza cannot be explained,” he said. “There is no other reality than to see women, children and innocent civilians killed in a barbaric and inhumane way.”

He also ruled out normalization of relations with Israel as long as it refuses to apologize for the death of nine Turkish activists in a May 2010 commando raid on the lead ship in an international flotilla seeking to breach the Gaza blockade. Both Erdogan and Abbas alluded to attempts to finalize a rapprochement between Abbas’s

West Bank-based Fatah movement and the radical Islamist Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

“To get significant results we have to speak with one voice,” Abbas told his audience, adding the decision to seek UN membership would have the backing of a large consensus from both Palestinian factions.

“God willing, Palestinian reconciliation will be achieved before we go to the UN,” he said, referring to a formal end to years of enmity between the two agreed on April 27, but yet to be implemented politically. Erdogan said his conservative government supports the Palestinian UN campaign. But, he said, “We must first show that Palestinians are united,” in reference to the Fatah-Hamas divide.

Abbas said 118 countries had already recognized the Palestinian state within the borders that preceded Israeli occupation of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in June 1967 and that the total would rise to 130 by September.—AFP

South Sudan rebel leader shot dead

TRIPOLI: Libyan children play on an inflatable slide in downtown Tripoli.— AP

Amid war, life goes on in Libyan capital TRIPOLI: In Libya’s east, rebels surround a key oil city, while in the western mountains they mass for a final push on the capital. In Tripoli, meanwhile, Ahmed Ayyat has more wedding invitations than he knows what to do with.

For this 35-year-old purveyor of the fine brocade cloth used in traditional Libyan wedding dresses, the five-month rebellion has meant more weddings than ever and daily invitations to celebrations he can’t possibly all attend.

“The number of people going to weddings is even more than before,” said Ayyat, sitting in his air-conditioned shop in a covered market in Tripoli’s old city. “Before it was more routine, most didn’t attend but now people want more of a connection with each other, they want to be closer.” While rebels may be no more than 60 miles away and opposition to Muammar Gaddafi seethes in shadows of the capital, Tripoli does not have a feeling of city under siege, as its 1 million residents adapt and carry on getting married, going shopping and strolling by the sea.

Tripoli has certainly not been untouched by the revolt that erupted against Muammar Gaddafi’s rule in February, and the ensuing

UN sanctions, NATO airstrikes and rebel rule over half the country. Long lines of cars stretch from gasoline stations and food prices skyrocketed - at least until a new round of subsidies was declared. Trash is strewn around the streets as garbage collection, once the province of foreign workers who have all fled, appears to be on hiatus. Many stores and restaurants are shuttered. Massive construction projects for new malls and housing projects sit abandoned at the city’s edge.

Posters around the city promise high wages, a free car and an apartment for those who sign up for six months in the 32nd Brigade, led by Gaddafi’s son Khamis. But cars still snarl downtown at rush hour and crowds push through the narrow winding streets of the old city beneath the flaking paint of gorgeous old Italianate buildings from the days when Benito Mussolini called Libya part of his empire. Ali bin Atiq, 32, fanning himself in the blazing noon heat next to his cramped store filled with ladies’ purses and luggage, said business actually isn’t bad at all. “Now it’s wedding season and everyone wants to buy bags,” he said, from behind his mirrored sunglasses.—AP

KHARTOUM: South Sudan rebel leader Gatluak Gai was shot dead yesterday, the army and rebels said, just a week after he agreed to a ceasefire and as the newly independent country renewed its amnesty offer. It was unclear how Gai was killed, with the SPLA, the army of the south, insisting he was gunned down by his own men after reneging on the agreement, and a rebel source saying he was “murdered” by the SPLA. “He was not killed by the SPLA; he was killed by his own men” in Unity state, army spokesman Philip Aguer said.

South Sudan, which declared independence from the north on July 9, faces a host of truly daunting challenges. Among the greatest of these is the threat posed by at least seven militia groups within its borders, with more than 1,800 people killed in conflict so far this year, many between the army and the rebels in states across the country. Aguer said Gai, a renegade militia commander who rejected an amnesty offer from the southern government last year, signed a ceasefire last week after months of negotiations with Unity state Governor Taban Deng Gai. But the reconciliation had not been formalized and the rebel leader changed his mind three days ago, Aguer added, which led to a split within the militia. “When he came back to the meeting with his men, some of them said they would not join him.

Gatluak Gai and three others who fought with him were killed in the shooting that took place in the Bentiu area this morning. “The 80 rebels that fought against them have agreed to join the SPLA,” the army spokesman said.

But the spokesman for another rebel group active in Unity state, which borders the north, contradicted Aguer’s account of what happened. “Gatluak Gai was killed by the SPLA... He signed a peace agreement and was ambushed by the same forces he signed the agreement with. He was murdered,” Bol Gatkouth told AFP by phone. “It was a way of luring him in so that they could catch him,” said Gatkouth, speaking on behalf of the militia headed by rebel leader Peter Gadet. In his inaugural speech as president of world’s the newest nation, on July 9, Salva Kiir renewed his offer of an amnesty for all the southern rebel groups that he first made at an all-party political conference in Juba last year. Gatkouth said his group would not accept the amnesty because recent events, including the detention of Gabriel Tang, another rebel leader who surrendered in April, demonstrated the government was not serious about peace. — AFP

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Norway did not see far-right as ‘serious threat’ OSLO: Norwegian intelligence did not consider the far-right as a serious threat to society and instead primarily feared an attack by Islamist extremists, according to an official report published this year.

With its forces involved in the NATO campaigns in both Afghanistan and Libya, Friday’s tragic twin attacks prompted speculation that the country could have been paying a price for its participation in the Western alliance. But after the arrest of a 32-year-old ethnic Nor wegian, whom police have described as a “fundamentalist Christian” with political opinions that leaned “to the right”, there has been a fundamental shift in focus.

In its annual threat assessment

report released earlier this year, the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) had detected a rise in far-right activity but said “the lack of strong leaders limits the growth of these groups.” “There was an increase in the activity of far-right extremist groups in 2010, and this activity is expected to continue in 2011,” the PST said. However “as in previous years, the far-right and far-left extremist communities will not represent a serious threat to Norwegian society in 2011,” the report added.

The same report said there were indications of contacts between Norwegian far-right extremists and criminal groups, which could give far-right activists easier access to

weapons and “thereby increase the potential for violence.” According to the TV2 channel, the arrested suspect possessed two weapons registered in his name. Other Norwegian media reported that the suspect, widely named as Anders Behring Breivik, was interested in hunting and computer games like World of Warcraft and Modern Warfare 2.

Nor way ’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has refused to comment directly on the motives of the gunman who shot dead 84 people at a summer youth camp after seven other people were killed in a bomb attack in Oslo.

But in a press conference yesterday, the prime minister denied that right-wing extremism was a particu-

lar problem for Norway. “Compared to other countries I would not say we have a big problem with rightwing extremists in Norway,” he said. “ We have had some groups, we have followed them before, and our police is aware that there are some right-wing extreme groups, or at least have been some groups of that kind in Norway. “We will not speculate, we will wait for the investigation from the police before we say anything about this particular case but its part of the work of our police to follow this kind of right wing extreme group.” The PST report did however lay out fears of the “radicalization” of some Islamists “who could present a direct threat to Norway in the year ahead.”—AFP

OSLO: Photo shows blood on the floor, following an explosion that tore open several buildings including the prime minister’s office, shattering windows, and covering the street with documents. —AP

Serbia not rid of the UN court yet Last war crimes suspect Hadzic faces UN court BELGRADE: Serbia insists it has fully cooperated with the UN war crimes court after the transfer former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic to The Hague but the court and the EU warn this is not the end. Hadzic was put on a plane to The Hague, where the UN court is based, on Friday. He is the 44th and last fugitive that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has demanded that Belgrade hand over. Following his arrest Wednesday Serbian President Boris Tadic noted that Serbia “had closed the most difficult chapter of cooperation with the The Hague court”.

NEW YORK: News Corporation head Rupert Murdoch enters the News Corp building, on Friday, July 22, 2011, in New York. —AP

Murdoch under fire as hacking claims widen LONDON: James Murdoch was under pressure yesterday over the extent of his knowledge of Britain’s phone-hacking scandal as accusations of tabloid wrongdoing spread beyond the felled News of the World. Prime Minister David Cameron, facing a rough ride over his appointment of former NotW editor Andy Coulson as his media chief, said Murdoch had “questions to answer” over claims of misleading parliament on the affair.

James Murdoch, the chairman of News International, the British newspaper division of his father Rupert’s News Corporation global media empire, has been challenged over evidence he gave before parliament’s media scrutiny committee on Tuesday.

A lawmaker has referred James Murdoch’s testimony to the police. He is standing by his evidence. During a tense appearance with his father before the committee, James Murdoch said that when authorizing an outof-court settlement to a voicemail hacking victim, he was unaware of an email that could suggest knowledge of hacking at the now-shuttered NotW went wider than one rogue reporter.

But Colin Myler, the last editor of the News of the World, and Tom Crone, the former News International legal manager, broke ranks on Thursday to say James Murdoch’s recollection of events in 2008 was “mistaken”.

The scandal, which erupted earlier this month, has already engulfed News International, the police and senior politicians, including Cameron. So far the allegations of wrongdoing have largely been restricted to News of the World. However, a former journalist at the Daily Mirror tabloidthe main competitor to News International’s The Sun, Britain’s biggest-selling newspaper claimed that voicemail hacking was widespread at his old paper. James Hipwell, 45, worked for two years until 2000 on the tabloid’s business desk, which he said was

next to the showbusiness desk.

“You know what people around you are doing,” he told The Independent newspaper.

“They would call a celebrity with one phone and when it was answered they would then hang up. By that stage the other phone would be into their (the celebrity’s) voicemail and they would key in the code. “At the time it wasn’t illegal... It was seen as a bit of a wheeze, slightly underhand but something many of them did-what a laugh. “After they’d hacked into someone’s mobile they’d delete the message so another paper couldn’t get the story. There was a great hilarity about it.”

Hipwell was sacked by the Mirror over the so-called “City Slickers” scandal. He was accused of buying shares before tipping them in the paper. He was convicted of market manipulation and jailed. A spokesman for the tabloid’s publishers Trinity Mirror insisted: “Our journalists work within the criminal law and the Press Complaints Commission code of conduct.” Meanwhile police are to investigate claims of phone hacking in Scotland, which has its own legal system.

They are also investigating whether witnesses lied during a perjury trial last year.

Coulson, the Scottish News of the World editor and a reporter were among those who gave evidence. Opposition Labor Party leader Ed Miliband told The Times that the newspaper ’s owners News International needed to do more to break with the past. “There are just too many unanswered questions. The ignorance defense is being used too often in this saga, at the top of News International and by politicians,” he said. “It gets to a point where the sin of not finding out is as bad as finding out.” He said it was down to News International and its investors to decide whether James and Ruper t Murdoch should resign, but added: “this happened on someone’s watch”. —AFP

Kazakh strongman’s absence exposes succession uncertainty ALMATY: President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s sudden absence from work and reported hospitalization has the exposed the uncertainty over who could succeed the man who has ruled Kazakhstan for over two decades. The 71-year-old Nazarbayev has dominated short history of independent Kazakhstan, constructing a system of power around himself following the fall of the Soviet Union. German newspaper Bild on Tuesday reported that Nazarbayev underwent a prostate operation at University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Hamburg as the president disappeared from public for almost two weeks.

The official silence that followed in the glitzy Kazakh capital, Astana, on the president’s whereabouts or his state of his health, only fueled speculation. Nazarbayev has returned to work on Thursday after 10day absence, with officials saying he has simply been on holiday, but questions about his possible successor remained.

“One of distressing things in Kazakhstan is

that no one can say what will happen in three days,” said political observer Aidos Sarimov. “The whole system is created and sharpened for one man, who will never give up power voluntarily.”

It is difficult to predict how the political situation will unfold in the future, despite the official claim of stability and security, he said. “No one can tell you what will happen in Kazakhstan after Nazarbayev,” he said.

Any abrupt departure from the political stage could send shock-waves through economic and political establishment in Kazakhstan, the second-biggest energy producer among former Soviet republics.

Last year, the parliament gave Nazarbayev a title of “Elbasy,” Kazakh for “leader of the nation,” granting him immunity from prosecution for life and the power to dictate policy after retirement. He enjoys some genuine support of the population and is seen by some as a leader comparable to Turkey’s Mustafa Kemal Ataturk or India’s Mahatma Gandhi. —AFP

Full cooperation with the ICTY has long been a key demand from Brussels for Serbia’s further rapprochement with the European Union. After the arrest of the last remaining fugitives, Hadzic this week and former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic nearly two months ago, Belgrade hopes to be granted EU candidacy status and a date for the start of accession talks by the end of the year.

“The European Union should not blackmail Serbia, there are no reasons to impose (new) conditions on Serbia on the road to European integration,” Serbia’s Interior Minister Ivica Dacic warned Wednesday.

A day later a pessimist Dacic told media that Europe would “probably come up with other conditions on Serbia’s EU path” now. “Anything can be imposed as a condition,” he said. “If anyone in the EU does not want Serbia to join, they should speak up. If the EU does not want us, we will have to live without it,” he lashed out. While welcoming the arrest as a major step EU officials also immediately added that the next step for Serbia was to push on with internal reforms and to solve the issue of Kosovo.

Belgrade refuses to recognize the independence proclaimed by its break-away province while a majority of EU members have accepted Kosovo as a country.

Brussels and the tribunal have also stressed that Serbia needs to continue to cooperate with the ICTY for ongoing trials and to probe how it is possible that many of Europe’s most wanted fugitives could hide from international justice in Serbia for so long. Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic was on the run for 13 years while his military

SCHEVENINGEN: An exterior view at the UN detention centre in Scheveningen, near The Hague, Netherlands. Serbia has extradited the last Balkan war-crimes suspect Goran Hadzic, 53, to the UN war crimes tribunal where he will stand trial for atrocities stemming from Croatiaís 1991-95 war. —AP commander Mladic was only caught after nearly 16-years on the lam. Hadzic had been in hiding since 2004. Serbia has fulfilled “its principal international obligation” with the arrest of the last fugitives, ICTY chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz told the Beta news agency. “This chapter is closed but cooperation continues,” he warned. The UN court still need Belgrade’s cooperation in providing documents and facilitating witnesses in ongoing cases.

“I would be very interested to know where Mladic and Hadzic were during all this time in hiding. Who supported them and how was it possible they were in hiding?” the prosecutor said. Very few details have yet emerged of

the life on the run of the ICTY’s last fugitives Karadzic, Hadzic and Mladic. Tadic vowed that he would one day unveil the results of the different probes into the fugitives suppor t networks.

Croatian daily Jutarni List, whose country has also been dealing with the IC T Y for many years offered some friendly advice to neighboring Serbia. “Serbia has now removed the most important obstacles on its EU path but as Croatia’s experience shows, full cooperation with the ICTY never ends,” it said.

Last war crimes suspect Former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic will appear for the first time before a UN war crimes tribunal judge tomorrow as the

court’s last wanted fugitive, arrested after seven years on the run. Hadzic, 52, who is wanted for his role in the 1991-95 Croatian war, will face South Korean Judge O-Gon Kwon at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague at 1400 GMT. At his first appearance, the erstwhile leader of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina during the early 1990s, will be asked to identify himself and his rights will be read. The judge, an acting ICTY president, will read a summary of the 14 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes against Hadzic, including persecution, murder and extermination by his troops during the 1991-95 Croatian war. —Agencies

Lankan Tamils vote in war-weary north Trust between govt, people still shaky JAFFNA: Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils say President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s post-war development and infrastructure projects in the former war zone in the island’s north have yet to address their real concerns and have not excluded their participation. Sri Lanka’s northern cities hold local polls for the first time in many years on Saturday amid opposition and poll monitor complaints of intimidation. Healing after a 25-year war between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that ended in May 2009, Tamils in the northern city of Jaffna, long the centre of Sri Lanka’s Tamil culture, feel there is little to gain from voting.

“There were a number of elections like this and a change has never happened. I have little doubt that this is also going to be the same,” said Thuvaraki Nakeswaran, 22, a journalism student who will vote for the first time in her life. “I will vote for those who think to help Tamils.” She is among 350,000 voters in 16 constituencies registered to elect local leaders. But voting in Jaffna, as it did in war time, will take place with a heavy military presence. Tamils in Jaffna are reluctant to speak in public

due to the presence of government intelligence officers and soldiers, and many Reuters approached gave a brusque “No comment.”

Free expression has not been a way of life for decades: either the

the war. But building trust between Rajapaksa, who is from Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese ethnic majority, and Tamils is a difficult task. No government since independence in 1948 has given Tamils much confidence, and

KILINOCHCHI: Sri Lankan voters queue outside a polling booth in the northern town of Kilinochchi yesterday, to cast their ballots in the first local polls in the former war zone. —AFP government or the LTTE routinely killed, beat harassed or otherwise punished critics via unidentified gangs. Rajapaksa has launched many infrastructure projects under a rebuilding program he has dubbed the “The Northern Spring”, some of which are rejuvenating roads and railways that fell into neglect during

many have grown up around the LTTE’s rabidly separatist and antiSinhalese doctrine. “I am your friend; I am your relative; You can trust me,” one poster of Rajapaksa says. “We will build our villages together.” The campaign posters of Rajapaksa and candidates from his ally, the Eelam People’s Democratic

Party (EPDP), were all over Jaffna, but those of the opposition were scarce.

SELFISH MOTIVE The evidence of development and economic revival, which Rajapaksa has said will help Tamils rebuild their lives, are ample in Jaffna. Numerous private banks have opened up in the town and many roads are under construction. “There is a selfish motive behind the government’s development program and it’s Sinhalisation that really has been taking place,” a 59-year old man told Reuters on condition of anonymity because he feared reprisal.

Sinhalisation, a term espoused by the LTTE, refers to the moving of Sinhalese people into areas the separatist group said were traditionally Tamil-majority, throughout Sri Lanka’s nearly three millennia of history. “All the jobs created through these projects are given to Sinhalese people,” the man said. “The government has never involved us in the development projects either through providing job opportunities or giving the contracts to Tamils here.” —Reuters

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Asylum seeker cuts throat in Australia protest SYDNEY: An asylum seeker cut his throat and dozens more were on hunger strike yesterday at an northern Australian detention centre, refugee activists said, taking immigration protests into their fourth day.

Two men had cut themselves, “one on his arm and one on his throat”, at the remote Scherger detention centre in northern Queensland State, said refugee activist Pamela Curr from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

They were among 80 men from Afghanistan’s Hazara minority on hunger strike at the centre, about

2,000 kilometers from Brisbane, some of whom hadn’t eaten or had water for more than 48 hours, said Curr. “Two men this morning cut themselves, one cut his arms and one cut his throat,” said the activist, who has been in constant contact via telephone with the men. “There are 80 men sitting out there who are seriously considering killing themselves,” she said.

Immigration officials said there were about 50 people conducting a “peaceful” protest at the centre and there had been some self-harm incidents, but described them as mild. “Two clients did engage in

acts of minor self harm. Their injuries are minor and they are being closely monitored by medical staff,” a spokesman said. Curr said some of the men had been in detention for 22 months, “sitting and waiting quietly” while detainees rioted at centers in Sydney and on Christmas Island, but they had lost hope and were now using “the only tool they have”.

A number of the men had diabetes, kidney stones and high blood pressure and were refusing their medication in addition to food and water, and Curr warned it was only a matter of time before there

were dire consequences. Two men were already unconscious and one had climbed a tree and threatened to jump, she added. “They are losing the capacity to make rational judgments,’ she said. Australia has a policy of mandatory detention for asylum seekers arriving by boat, mostly from conflict zones through a popular people-smuggling corridor from Indonesia.

A record influx of almost 7,000 boatpeople last year has put the system under strain, sparking three nights of wild riots this week at remote Christmas Island, the main detention centre.—AFP

Record-breaking heat smothers eastern US Americans seek refuge in swimming pools WASHINGTON: Residents of the Eastern and Central United States braced for another day of scorching heat as record-breaking temperatures forced Americans to seek refuge in swimming pools and air-conditioned malls. Forecasters predicted little respite at least for another day as a giant heatwave swept across half of the country.

Newark, New Jersey saw an air temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 Celsius) Friday, the highest ever recorded in the city since records began there in 1931, and the hottest reported by the National Weather Service on the East Coast.

At Dulles Airport near Washington, temperatures hit 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41 Celsius), the highest since the facility opened in 1962. Two cities in Connecticut, Hartford and Bridgeport, also set all-time temperature records as the mercury touched the 103 Fahrenheit (39 Celsius) mark. A dozen other towns, cities and airports up and down the East Coast set triple-digit Fahrenheit records for the calendar day, as did New York’s Central Park, where the read-out on thermometers showed a temperature of 104

Fahrenheit (40 Celsius).

Inside the old townhouse in northeast Washington that Ben Dooley shares with two housemates, the temperature was pushing 91 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celsius). That was the temperature indoors. Outdoors in Washington, the mercury climbed to 101 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) Friday, but high humidity made temperatures in the US capital feel more like 116 Fahrenheit (47 Celsius) - hotter than Death Valley at daybreak. From Texas in the southwest to Maine in the far corner of the northeast, more than half of the 50 US states were under extreme heat warnings with the record temperatures and high humidity reportedly claiming at least 22 lives in the past week. “Bullseyes of high heat and humidity” were affecting the central states and most of the East Coast, said Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service.

Triple-digit temperatures were recorded in Islip, Long Island, which is usually cooled by Atlantic breezes; Philadelphia, Allentown and Reading in Pennsylvania; Georgetown in

MAINE: William Dyer of Gortham, Maine stays cool seated on his beach chair waist-deep in Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester, Maine. The heat that has gripped much of the nation arrived in Maine on Friday. — AP

‘Don’t ask don’t tell’ to end September 20 WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama has announced that the US military’s ban on gays will end on Sept 20, in a major victory for rights advocates who overcame concerns about enacting the change during wartime.

Obama, along with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Admiral Mike Mullen, the top US military officer, certified that military readiness will not suffer by repealing the nearly 18-year-old “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.

The long-awaited move triggers a 60-day waiting period before repeal of the divisive policy, which over the years has led to the expulsion of more than 13,000 gays and lesbians who failed to keep their sexual orientation secret. “Today, we have taken the final major step toward ending the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy,” Obama said. “‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ will end, once and for all, in 60 days.” Abolishing the ban fulfills one of Obama’s campaign promises and answers a call by gay rights advocates, who had been successfully pursuing a parallel battle in court to strike down the policy on constitutional grounds.

Although the flurry of reaction in Washington was overwhelmingly positive, not everyone was cheering the news.

Representative Howard McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, accused the president of failing to properly address the concerns expressed by military service chiefs about the impact on troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. “They worry that the combat readiness of our force could be placed at risk, particularly those serving on the front lines,” McKeon said. Critics of repeal, including within the Pentagon, had long argued it was too risky to pursue at a time when the military was stretched by nearly a decade of war. But a Pentagon study unveiled last year predicted that scrapping the policy would have little impact.— Reuters

Delaware; Boston, Massachusetts; the East Coast gambling Mecca of Atlantic City in New Jersey, and Baltimore in Maryland. Even Bangor, Maine, which lies at the same latitude as Montreal in Canada, reached a record for the calendar day of 97 Fahrenheit. To beat the heat, people streamed to swimming pools, spent long hours in air-conditioned museums or shopping malls, or sat inside the foyers of public buildings that were opened as cooling centers.

Philadelphia, the “city of brotherly love”, became the city of smothering heat, with temperatures at 102 Fahrenheit by late afternoon.

Public swimming pools in the Pennsylvania city were so crowded that swimmers were asked to leave every 30 minutes to allow a new crowd to enjoy a cooling dip. Maryland’s Hidden Spring camp for kids aged up to 14, called off a muchanticipated hike to a waterfall and took the 45 campers bowling instead. “It didn’t seem wise to take the kids hiking. They’re disappointed and so are we, but an air-conditioned bowling alley seemed a good trade-off for triple-digit heat,” camp director Eric Fishman said.

In New York City, the Office of Emergency Management opened cooling centers in air-conditioned public facilities for people “experiencing physical discomfort in the heat wave.” And the Washington public transportation system lifted its ban on drinks in trains and busesalthough it stressed that the exception to the rule applied to bottled water only and would end after Sunday night. Nightfall has brought little respite from the heat, with temperatures only falling to lows in the 70s or 80s Fahrenheit.

“That’s one of the unhealthy aspects of this heatwave: temperatures aren’t retreating at night, and that taxes the body. Last night in DC, the low was 82,” Vaccaro said.

Dooley described the previous night in his room without air conditioning in northeast Washington as “unbearable” and admitted that, although not a fan of air conditioning, he was considering “camping” in his housemate’s room, equipped with a window air conditioner.” As many as 34 states at a time have been under heat advisories since the latest surge in the heatwave began a week ago in the Midwest before moving eastward. The high temperatures and humidity are expected to continue into the weekend until a cold front-or less-hot front-is forecast to move in. — AFP

Republican Party makes big gains among whites GOPs losing ground among Hispanic voters WASHINGTON: The Republican Party has made big gains among white voters, particularly younger and poorer ones, since Democrat Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, according to a survey released on Friday. Fifty-two percent of white voters identified themselves as Republicans compared with 39 percent who called themselves Democrats in the survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. The rest said they were independents. In 2008, 46 percent of white voters said they were Republicans versus 44 percent for Democrats.

The survey also showed Republicans losing ground among Hispanic voters and picking up slightly among black voters since 2008. The findings pose a challenge to Obama as he seeks re-election next year. Republicans made big gains in the US Congress and state governments in the 2010 mid-term elections and are attempting to deny Obama a second term as president. “There was a large enthusiasm gap in 2010, with Republicans far more enthusiastic and interested in the election,” said Leah Christian, a senior researcher at the Pew Center who worked on the report.

“A lot of what we’re seeing in the data is a continuation of where we were in 2010,” she said. Christian said the researchers had not detected evidence that Obama’s race had anything to do with Republicans picking up more support among white voters. Obama is the first black US president. Overall, 43 percent of Americans described themselves as Republicans and 47 percent as Democrats in the survey, compared to 39 percent who labeled themselves Republicans and 51 percent as Democrats in 2008.

HISPANIC VOTERS Republicans lost ground among Hispanics.

The poll found that 22 percent of Hispanics called themselves Republicans, compared to 28 percent in 2008. Black voter identification with the Republicans has edged up by 2 percentage points to 8 percent since 2008, the poll found. Eighty-six percent of black voters

called themselves Democrats, compared to 88 percent in 2008. Young voters played a huge part in Obama’s 2008 victory. But the party’s 7 percentage point advantage among whites under age 30 in 2008 has flipped to an 11 percentage point Republican advantage now, the poll found.

There was a big shift among whites making less than $30,000 per year, a group Christian said had favored Hillary Clinton early in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary fight, and so might be less strongly in favor of Obama. In 2008, 37 percent of them said they were Republicans, and 52 percent identified as Democrats. Those numbers now are 47 percent Republican and 43 percent Democratic.

The report was based on a compilation of 223 surveys and about 300,000 interviews among registered voters conducted by the Pew Research Center from January 1990 to June 2011. — Reuters

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama leaves the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on Friday, July 22, 2011. — AP

BALI: US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton waves upon arrival at the Regional Entrepreneurship Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia yesterday. — AP

US: Myanmar at ‘critical juncture’ NUSA DUA: Myanmar is at a “critical juncture” between a genuine civilian government and a military regime dressed up as a democracy, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday. In an address to foreign ministers at an Asian security forum in Indonesia, Clinton said the country’s rulers had to make “concrete, measurable progress” towards meeting the international community’s demands for reform. “The country has reached a critical juncture,” Clinton said in prepared remarks.

“The authorities in Naypyidaw can differentiate themselves from the predecessor military regime by showing that they are indeed a ‘new, civilian government’. .. Or they can continue the path they are on.” She said the Myanmar government could make a start by “releasing unconditionally” more than 2,000 political prisoners and conducting “meaningful and inclusive dialogue” with the opposition and ethnic minorities.

Clinton also said Myanmar must respect and adhere to its “nonproliferation obligations”, a reference to US fears that it is cooperating with North Korea on a nuclear weapons program.

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a renewal of sanctions on Myanmar first passed in 2003 in response to alleged rights violations and failure to adopt democratic reforms. The annual legislation bans the import of goods from Myanmar, including lucrative gems, and restricts visas issued to government officials in the country earlier known as

Burma. President Barack Obama earlier in May extended a separate set of sanctions that bar US investment in Myanmar.

Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide election victory two decades ago that was never recognized by the then military regime. Her party was disbanded by the military rulers last year because it boycotted an election in November that many dismissed as a sham designed to perpetuate military control under the guise of democracy. The junta’s political proxies claimed an overwhelming victory in the poll, which was marred by widespread complaints of cheating and intimidation. Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi was freed by the junta from seven years of house arrest last November, but the government has warned her to stay out of politics.

A US official travelling with Clinton said the Myanmar government’s bid for the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2014 would be in doubt unless it reformed its ways. “Without those steps, we feel that the regime will lack the international legitimacy,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said earlier in the week that the foreign ministers of member states Indonesia and the Philippines would travel to Myanmar this year to assess its readiness to lead the regional bloc. But he said a decision on the matter was unlikely until the next summit of ASEAN leaders in 2012. — AFP

Chavez faces 2nd chemo treatment CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he was preparing for a second round of chemotherapy in Cuba to eliminate the risk of malignant cells after completing what he called a successful first session. The announcement by the 56-year-old socialist leader that he had surgery in Havana last month to remove a baseball-sized cancerous tumor has called into question his fitness to run for re-election next year in the OPEC nation of 29 million people.

Last weekend, Chavez flew back to the communist-led Caribbean island for chemotherapy after delegating limited powers to his finance minister and vice president. “I have completed the first cycle of chemotherapy treatment ... this cycle was completed successfully,” he said in a phone call to a televised meeting of his ruling Socialist Party. “We are preparing for a second cycle ... to totally defeat and eliminate any risk of the presence of malignant cells.”

Chavez has not said what type of cancer he has or for how long he will be abroad as the guest of his friend and political mentor, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Before he flew out last Saturday he said his doctors had not found any malignant cells-suggesting the cancer had not spread and thus become more dangerous and difficult to treat. A former soldier whose workaholic leadership style and image of invincibility have helped him win numerous votes, Chavez is visibly weakened as he plans his re-election bid. He had two operations last month that he described as complicated: the first for a pelvic abscess and another to remove the tumor. He was away almost a month until returning home a day before Venezuela’s 200th independence celebration.

‘GOING TO BED ON TIME’ On Friday, the president said he was putting on weight again and was back to 86

kilos (190 lbs). “I’m at the ideal weight for me ... I was too fat. I’m doing exercise, rehabilitation, and I’m going to bed on time, by 11 o’clock at night at the latest,” Chavez said. “I want to tell the country, the Venezuelan people, that this battle for life continues, with the help of God.” In a message on Twitter, Chavez said Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona had visited him later on Friday. Maradona lived on-and-off in Cuba, undergoing drug rehabilitation, after retiring from professional sport in 1997.

“I am grateful to Diego Maradona for the fraternal visit he paid me this afternoon. We were together with Fidel. Thanks kid!” he wrote on his @chavezcandanga account.

State media in Venezuela then broadcast footage of Chavez meeting several of his senior government officials in Havana, including Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez. The president has been keen to show he is still fully in control despite his illness.

Parliamentary elections last September showed the South American country split down the middle between Chavez supporters and opponents. Now, a fractious opposition coalition senses a chance to unseat a convalescing Chavez in 2012.

Venezuelan pollster Datanalisis said on Friday its most recent poll showed his popularity at 50 percent-lower than the 52 percent recorded in June, but within the margin of error of 2.42 percentage points. The polling was conducted at the end of June and start of July, meaning some of the interviews took place before Chavez’s June 30 announcement that he had been diagnosed with cancer. It was not designed to measure how his illness would affect his popularity, said Datanalisis President Luis Vicente Leon.

“We cannot reach a conclusion, Leon told reporters, adding that a full recovery might improve his ratings. “The epic saga of Chavez cheating death could boost his popularity.” — Reuters

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Delhi’s swanky airport ‘city’ hit by security row NEW DELHI: A development of luxury hotels next to New Delhi’s revamped $3 billion international airport has been hit by fears its close proximity to a runway makes it a security risk, highlighting teething problems in India’s huge push to build infrastructure. Delhi police have called for a security review at what has been dubbed “Aerocity”, a project run in partnership between the government and a private consortium.

The location of the 45-acre site just 200 meters from one of the runways at India’s largest airport makes it a potential launch pad for militant attacks, police said. Asia’s third-largest economy is pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into revamping its creaky infrastructure with worldclass projects, without which it will struggle to maintain its status as one of the world’s fastestgrowing economies. But such developments often stutter under implementation with teething problems ranging from land acquisition, erratic planning or throttling bureaucracy. Delhi airport

offers a snapshot of India’s infrastructure highs and lows. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which contains a consortium led by the Indian firm GMR Infrastructure Limited, says it had received all necessary clearances beforehand to proceed with developing the land. GMR also disputes that the development is a security risk.

“They are very close to the runway,” Deepak Mishra, Special Commissioner of Police (operations) at Delhi police said. “They claim that they have got all kinds of clearances regarding the work,” he said, adding “security vetting should have been done”. Asked about the dangers of the closeness to the runway, Mishra said it made the airport vulnerable to “any kind of sabotage. It may be some terrorists, it may some anti-nationals, it may be some weird character”.

ADVERTISING INDIA Its gleaming new buildings and a high-speed rail link built by a consortium led by Reliance

Infrastructure Ltd, won praise from many Indians as a sign of the country’s ability to build projects that matched its rising economic status. The airport is “a good advertisement for India”, said DH Pai Panandikar, head of the think-tank RPG Foundation. But part of a new terminal’s roof, also built by GMR, collapsed after opening in 2009. The rail link, the first such in India, was delayed by months because it had not been given the necessary security clearance.

The underground line was meant to be ready for Delhi’s Commonwealth Games last October, an event that was mired in rows over corruption allegations and huge project delays that put India’s ability to deliver on infrastructure under scrutiny. GMR was awarded the contract to develop and operate the airport in 2006, with an initial concession period of 30 years. Such contracts are typical of the government’s drive to plug India’s huge infrastructure holes with a thriving private sector taking on a big chunk of the financial bur-

den. Real estate concessions are often given to make a project more viable for private investors.

The first hotel is set to open next March. “Every clearance was taken,” said Arun Bhagat, a spokesman for GMR. Bhagat disputed the figure given by police as to the proximity of the commercial development to the runway. Police have given a figure of less than 200 meters, while Bhagat said it was “many times that” but declined to give a precise figure.

“You can say it’s in the vicinity of the airport but it’s not bang there,” he said. “As far as we’re concerned, we know that we’ve complied with everything that was needed to be done.” Delhi police says it has written to the DIAL developers and has also contacted the home ministry to step in. Mishra declined to give details on what could be done to beef up security at the site, saying he did not wish to prejudge the outcome of a review that would take place within weeks. He did, however, rule out shifting the site elsewhere. — Reuters

Canada extradites China’s most ‘wanted fugitive’ Lai An end to 12-year legal, diplomatic tug-of-war

PAGASA ISLAND: Unidentified Philippine lawmakers join local residents and military officials in a symbolic unfurling of a banner at Pagasa Island, part of the disputed Spratly group of islands, in the South China Sea located off the coast of western Philippines. — AP

Filipinos fly flag in South China Sea PUERTO PRINCESA: For the few dozen Filipinos living on a remote speck of land in the South China Sea, each day is a battle against loneliness but also a love affair with nature. Contact with the outside world is limited and comforts are few for the residents of “Freedom” town, which exists mainly to raise the Philippine flag and fend off the other claimants to the Spratly islands. “People here just play billiards, ping-pong. We have no markets and no malls. You need a special mindset to stay here,” said Eugenio Bito-onon, 55, mayor of the town of Kalayaan, the Filipino word for freedom.

Bito-onon, who initially went to Kalayaan in 1997 to work as a town planner, said he learned to cope by playing guitar, watching videos and simply walking around the small islands surrounded by the purest blue ocean waters. “I love the beauty of the place. It is so peaceful,” said the deeply suntanned Bito-onon while on a visit recently back to Puerto Princesa, the nearest major Philippine city on Palawan island. Kalayaan was created in 1978 mainly to assert the Philippines’ claim to the the Spratlys, a group of more than 700 islets, reefs and atolls in the South China Sea that is believed to sit above vast natural resources.

The Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei claim all or part of the Spratlys, part of a broader territorial dispute across the South China Sea. Most of the other claimants have a presence on some of the other islands in the Spratlys to help boost their positions.

But the Philippines insists Kalayaanwhich covers five islands, two sandbars and two reefs-has the only functioning local government of its own in the Spratlys. Regional tensions in the longrunning territorial dispute have flared again in recent months, with the Philippines accusing China of taking increasingly aggressive actions in the Spratlys and nearby waters.

But Bito-onon said the diplomatic tensions barely affected the residents, most of whom live on the 37-hectare island widely known as Thitu, which the Philippines calls Pagasa, or Hope in English. Mostly this is because of their isolation. Pagasa is about 450 kilometers northwest of Palawan, roughly 600 kilometres from Vietnam’s coast and more than 900 kilometers from China’s nearest major landmass of Hainan Island.

Residents or others travelling to and from Pagasa normally have to hitch a ride on a creaking military supply ship that takes seven days to make the journey, according to Bito-onon.

There is an airstrip in Pagasa but it is made mostly of compacted earth and cannot be used when it rains. Aside from about 100 Filipino soldiers assigned to the area, the town has about 200 registered voters but only about 60 live in Kalayaan at a time because that is all government provisions can sustain, Bitoonon said. ‘Some people can’t take it’Aside from a few fishermen and construction workers, most residents are government employees and their families who take turns, each serving for

about three months on the islands.

Residents are attracted there by the government-provided jobs and housing, as well as the free provisions of essentials such as rice, cooking oil, sugar, noodles and canned food, according to Bitoonon. Fish are also plentiful in the sea and wells provide residents with more than enough fresh water. But Bito-onon said it was not easy to get used to the isolation and lack of amenities-there is no school and no town health worker since the local midwife resigned last year to get married. “Some people can’t take it. They snap and begin talking to the flies or get drunk all the time. They get into fights while drinking,” he said.

Although several families have raised children in the islands, they have to be sent to live elsewhere once they are old enough for school. Bito-onon’s wife lives and works in Puerto Princesa. When the couple’s two sons were still children, the family would only spend about a month and half together in Kalayaan. However the pain of separation for Bito-onon is eased because Kalayaan has an administration “extension office” in Puerto Princesa, which the mayor visits frequently.

The island does have satellite television but the satellite discs are slowly being corroded by the sea spray that has already destroyed their solar power generators. A mobile phone company has struggled to set up services in Pagasa, but Bito-onon said the signal was inconsistent. He complained that despite the Philippines being the closest of the claimants, its occupied islands were among the least developed in the Spratlys. Some other islands have strongly built structures with concrete airfields and one Malaysian-held one even has a hotel for tourists, Bito-onon said.

In his “extension office”, Bito-onon displayed pictures showing Chinese, Malaysian and Vietnamese-occupied islands with marinas where their ships could take refuge. Bito-onon hopes that someday he can attract tourists and even investors from the fishing industry to Kalayaan. But first, the national government will have to upgrade and lengthen the airstrip and build a marina where ships can dock. In the meantime, Bito-onon and other residents are content to continue enjoying their peaceful solitude.

Construction worker Nonelon Balbontin, 34, said life was much better in the Spratlys than in the chaotic, overcrowded and polluted Philippine capital of Manila where he used to live. “It is very beautiful. It has a good climate, I have a job there. We have no problems, no sickness, the food is free, paid for by the government,” he said while visiting Puerto Princesa. Balbontin, who also works on Kalayaan’s salt-making project, said that in his free time, he caught more than enough fish, both for his family and for sale. He also plays basketball with the military men assigned at the Spratlys who are eager for any recreation. At night, he likes to roam around the island to spot sea turtles laying their eggs so he can report them to a local environment officer for tagging and protection. — AFP

BEIJING: China’s most wanted fugitive was arrested in the capital Beijing yesterday after being deported from Canada where he lived in exile for 12 years. Lai Changxing, 53, arrived at Beijing’s international airport yesterday afternoon, where Chinese police “announced his arrest and read him his rights, including hiring lawyers to defend himself, after he was transferred by the Canadian side,” state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the ministry of public security.

The extradition ended a decades-long saga that had plagued Sino-Canadian relations.

Beijing has sought the deportation of Lai, accusing him of running a multibillion-dollar smuggling operation in the southeastern city of Xiamen in the 1990s in one of China’s biggest political scandals in decades. A Canadian lawyer for Lai said he had been put on a plane from Canada on Friday, after a court cleared the way on Thursday for Lai’s extradition, dismissing concerns that he could be tortured or executed back home. .

“Lai’s repatriation once again shows that no matter where a criminal suspect flees, he or she cannot evade legal sanctions in the end,” Xinhua quoted the ministry of public security as saying.

Lai fled to Canada with his family in 1999 and claimed refugee status, saying the allegations against him were politically motivated. China had promised Canada in a diplomatic note that

has no death penalty and will not usually extradite anyone to a state where capital punishment is practiced without assurances the suspect will not be executed.

VANCOUVER: This file photo shows Chinese fugitive and alleged smuggler Lai Changxing entering his immigration hearing in Vancouver. — AFP Lai would not be tortured or executed and that Canadian officials would have access to him. But many legal experts and human rights activists said it was unlikely Lai could receive a fair trial in China. .

David Matas, another of Lai’s Canadian lawyers, said the judge had allowed the extradition

despite admitting that the diplomatic assurances would not let Canadian officials attend closed hearings. But Federal Cour t Judge Michel Shore said Lai “has been found not to be at risk if removed to China on the basis of extraordinar y assurances received and held as valid (by the Canadian government).” Canada

Beating death highlights Vietnam’s police ‘abuse’ HANOI: It started with a row over a motorbike helmet. Eight days later a 53-year-old man was dead after a beating by Vietnamese police, in a case activists say fits a pattern of brutality in the force. Trinh Xuan Tung was hit on the neck and left handcuffed despite his appeals to officers about the paralysis seizing his body, according to his family. US-based Human Rights Watch said the case highlights the “alarming” use of violence among police in Vietnam, where small offences can have tragic consequences.

“There’s basically total impunity to abuse people in custody,” said Phil Robertson, HRW deputy Asia director.

“It’s just out of control.” A study by the group last September cited 19 incidents of police brutality, including 15 deaths, that were reported in statecontrolled media over the previous year-often the only way to get information. Many of the fatal cases involved people who were reportedly held for minor infractions, the watchdog said in its study, which Britain’s foreign office this year called “disturbing.”

Since then other cases of alleged brutality, including Tung’s, have been covered by local media. Robertson says nothing has changed and there appears little appetite for change within the force. Recounting what he told her before his death, Tung’s 21-yearold daughter Trinh Kim Tien said her father took a motorcycle taxi to a Hanoi bus station one afternoon earlier this year, removing his helmet along the way to make a mobile phone call.

Riding without a helmet is illegal, so a policeman confiscated the vehicle and fined the driver 150,000 dong ($7.14), about three days’ wages.

But the driver refused to pay, leading to an argument and a scuffle that Tung tried to stop, according to his daughter. “ Then the policeman attacked my father,” Tien said. Tung, who sold birds for a living and “never

had any problem with anyone”, was beaten on the neck and back before being taken to a police station where his daughter found him with cuffs on his wrists and legs, complaining of paralysis. “My father said that it hurt and could I please bring him to the hospital because he could not move his arms and legs,” she said, adding police initially refused the request.

“They said my father was trying to pretend” and that nobody had done anything to him. He later died in hospital.

‘A sort of mafia’-The US State Department’s annual report on human rights in Vietnam cited nine reported deaths in custody during 2010, up from none in 2009 and one in 2008. “In nearly all cases, police alleged the victim committed suicide,” said the report released in April. In one of the most prominent abuse cases, Nguyen Van Khuong died in police custody after he was stopped for a traffic violation in the northern province of Bac Giang last year. — AFP

HANOI: Trinh Kim Tien, the 21-yearold daughter of Trinh Xuan Tung, holds a photograph showing her badly injured father lying in a local hospital emergency room after he was beaten by police. — AFP

CORRUPTION CRACKDOWN The case exploded in the special economic zone of Xiamen in Fujian province in the mid-1990s when Jia Qinglin, now the ruling Communist Party’s fourth most senior leader, was the province’s Party boss. Beijing has accused Lai’s business empire, the Yuanhua Group, of bribing officials to allow a massive smuggling ring in a scandal that implicated more than 200 senior figures, including Jia’s wife, Lin Youfang. She denied any wrongdoing. China put more than 300 suspects on trial and sentenced 14 to death, including provincial officials and a former vice minister of public security, in a case Beijing has used for a propaganda campaign against corruption.

Lai admitted in a 2009 interview with Toronto’s Globe and Mail newspaper that he had avoided taxes by exploiting loopholes in the law, but he denies bribery charges. He said that had he not been in Canada he would have been executed. Lai may face life imprisonment, Xinhua cited legal experts as saying on Friday.

Reflecting the intensity of China’s official position on Lai, state media in 2001 cited then-Premier Zhu Rongji as saying Lai “should die three times, and even so that wouldn’t be enough”. — Reuters

China demonization ‘childish’: Dalai Lama WASHINGTON: The Dalai Lama said that Chinese leaders show through their strident denunciations of him that they are “childish” and lack their full brains, but voiced hope that China will change in time. Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader enjoys widespread global popularity, speaking to arenas full of thousands during a recent visit to the United States. But he is demonized by China, which has called him a “wolf in monk’s clothing.”

In a wide-ranging interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the Dalai Lama said that China’s rulers were hoping to convince both Tibetans and Chinese that he was a negative force but lacked any sense of nuance. “They want 100 percent negative. So they use these words.

They actually disgrace themselves,” the Dalai Lama said in the magazine’s current edition. “I mean, childish! Very foolish! Nobody believes them. “Usually, with human beings, one part of the brain develops common sense.

But with those Chinese leaders, particularly the hardliners, that part of their brain is missing,” he said.

“When I met with President (Barack) Obama last year, I told him, ‘You should make a little surgery. Put that part of brain into the Chinese,’” the Dalai Lama, who met again with Obama on July 16, said with a laugh. The Dalai Lama, who fled China’s rule of Tibet for exile in India in 1959, says he is seeking greater rights for Tibetans and accepts China’s rule. Beijing insists that he is a “splittist” trying to divide the country. Vice President Xi Jinping, who is widely expected to take over as China’s leader, attacked the Dalai Lama as he visited Lhasa on Tuesday to mark 60 years since China cemented control over the Himalayan region.

“We should fight against separatist activities by the Dalai group... and take measures to address root causes, and smash any attempt to undermine stability in Tibet and the national unity of the motherland,” Xi said. The International Campaign for Tibet, an advocacy group that works closely with the Dalai Lama, said that Chinese authorities imposed stringent security for Xi’s visit, with reports at least 100 people were rounded up and that Tibetans not involved in official events were told to stay at home.

In the Rolling Stone interview, the Dalai Lama said he was hopeful that China would change with time. He praised Premier Wen Jiabao for his calls for political reforms. “Chinese intellectuals and artists, more and more say they want political change, more freedom. So therefore, it is bound to change,” the Dalai Lama said.

“In the next 50 years, I think it is almost certain things will change, whether I live the next 50 years or whether I don’t.” At age 76, the Dalai Lama appears to be in good health. — AFP

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ne ws train derails near Homs Continued from Page 1 trying to seize on the crash to blunt growing support for a peaceful uprising calling for democratic change. “If there are saboteurs, they belong to the regime,” Ammar Qurabi, who heads the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria, told AP. “They want to send the message that these protests will lead to instability and insecurity in the country.”

Syrian authorities have unleashed a brutal crackdown in an effort to crush the revolt, and activists say more than 1,600 civilians have died since the protests erupted in mid-March. The government blames the unrest on terrorists and foreign extremists, not true reform-seekers. The regime has banned nearly all foreign media and restricted coverage of the uprising, making it nearly impossible to independently verify events on the ground.

The Information Ministry took Syrian journalists to the site to survey the damage, showing several whiteand-red carriages that had jumped the tracks and one overturned and charred carriage. The rails appeared to have been ripped apart. George Al-Qaabari, head of the Syrian railway, said “divine intervention” kept the losses to a minimum. Homs has been at the heart of Syria’s uprising. On Friday, activists and residents reported explosions and gunfire overnight from the area of the Syrian Military College in Homs.

Yesterday, troops backed by tanks entered villages in the Jebel al-Zawiya district of the northwestern province of Idlib near the Turkish border, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP. “The tanks and armoured personnel carriers entered Sarjeh and neighbouring villages and the army is pounding caves dug into the mountains which (anti-regime) mili-

BEIT OMAR: A Palestinian argues with an Israeli soldier during a demonstration by Israeli, Palestinian and foreign activists at this village near the Israeli settlement of Karmei Tzur, north of the West Bank city of Hebron yesterday. The Palestinian demonstrators were demanding the right to farm what they claimed was their land and generally protesting against the settlement. — AFP

Nuclear scientist killed in Tehran Continued from Page 1 Another senior Iranian nuclear scientist, Masoud Ali Mohammadi, was killed in a bomb attack on January 12, 2010, which Tehran blamed on “mercenaries” in the pay of the US and Israeli intelligence services. Following the attacks, the Islamic republic vowed to take measures to increase security for its nuclear scientists. Earlier this year Iran announced it had arrested the man responsible for the bombing that killed Ali Mohammadi, when it busted a network working for the Israeli spy agency Mossad. Iranian leaders have also blamed arch-foes Tel Aviv and Washington for the unexplained disappear-

ances of several of its military officials and nuclear scientists in recent years, and for a computer attack by the Stuxnet malware in the summer of 2010 against its centrifuges enriching uranium.

Iran is at odds with the United States and its allies over its nuclear program, which the West says is a cover to build bombs. Iran, a major oil producer, denies the allegations and says it is enriching uranium solely to provide an alternative source of electricity. Tehran’s refusal to halt its disputed enrichment work has led to the imposition of several rounds of sanctions by the United Nations, the European Union and the United States. — Agencies

Singer Amy Winehouse found dead Continued from Page 1 patient had died. Both ambulances had arrived within five minutes.” A section of the road outside Winehouse’s home has been cordoned off and police officers are on duty at the scene where reporters, local residents and fans had begun gathering. Forensic officers were seen going in and out of the building. A police statement said: “Police were called by LAS to an address in Camden Square shortly before 4:05 pm (1505 GMT) today, Saturday 23 July, following reports of a woman found deceased. On arrival officers found the body of a 27-year-old female who was pronounced dead at the scene. Enquiries continue into the circumstances of the death. At this early stage it is being treated as unexplained.” There was no immediate comment from her agents.

Winehouse rocketed to fame after winning five Grammy awards off the back of her 2006 second album “Back to Black” and the hit single “Rehab”. The singer had a European comeback tour schedule but pulled out following a disastrous opening performance in Serbia on June 18. In the run-up to her live return, Winehouse spent a week at an addiction treatment clinic in London, reportedly at the suggestion of her father, Mitch, over concerns that she was drinking too much.

But she was booed at the opening performance in Belgrade, apparently too drunk to sing. Some 20,000 people gathered for the highly-promoted concert at the sixth-century Kalemegdan fortress, but many soon left.

During the 90-minute concert, Winehouse could only mumble some of the lyrics, failing to follow her band.

She left the stage twice, with many fans showing their displeasure despite her band’s attempts to calm the crowd. “Amy Winehouse is withdrawing from all scheduled performances,” a statement from her representatives had said. “Everyone involved wishes to do everything they can to help her return to her best and she will be given as long as it takes for this to happen.”

She had also been scheduled to per form in

Istanbul, Athens, Bilbao in Spain, Locarno in Switzerland, Italy’s Lucca festival, Switzerland’s Paleo Festival in Nyon, Nova Jazz and Blues Night in Wiesen, Austria, and Poland’s Bydgoszcz Artpop Festival. She made her final public appearance at The Roundhouse venue in Camden on Wednesday, joining her goddaughter Dionne Bromfield on stage. She danced with Bromfield and encouraged the audience to buy the youngster’s album before leaving.

Winehouse’s father Mitch, who has launched his own musical career on the back of his daughter’s success, had been in New York when the news broke.

British media said he was on his way back to London.

Tributes poured in for an artist whose personal troubles stole most of the headlines in recent years. Sarah Brown, wife of former prime minister Gordon Brown, tweeted: “sad sad news of Amy Winehouse - great talent, extraordinary voice, and tragic death, condolences to her family.” Kelly Osbourne, a singer and television personality, also took to the micro blogging site to react: “i cant even breath right now im crying so hard i just lost 1 of my best friends. i love you forever Amy & will never forget the real you!” Winehouse was born on Sept 14, 1983, to a Jewish family with a history of jazz musicians. She was discovered by soul singer Tyler James at the age of 16. Known for her distinctive voice and beehive hairstyle, Winehouse’s debut album “Frank” was released in 2003 and brought her wide acclaim. It went triple platinum in Britain. The follow-up, “Back to Black”, was a worldwide smash hit, reaching number one in Britain and number two in the US charts. It went six times platinum in Britain and double platinum in the United States. She married Blake Fielder-Civil in Miami in May 2007 but they had a tempestuous relationship.

He spent part of their marriage behind bars for a vicious attack on a pub landlord and a subsequent attempt to cover it up. They divorced in July 2009. Fielder-Civil, 29, was jailed again for 32 months in June for carrying out a domestic burglary with an accomplice “while in the grip of heroin addiction”. —Agencies

Bin Hammam gets life ban Continued from Page 1 announced ethics committee deputy chairman Petrus Damaseb. Bin Hammam did not attend the hearing, which took place behind closed doors at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, but the head of his legal team, Eugene Gulland, read out a statement from him after the verdict was announced. “Mr bin Hammam rejects the findings of the FIFA ethics committee hearing and maintains his innocence,” said Gulland. “He will continue to fight his case through the legal routes that are open to him. He has gone on record and he maintains that the FIFA ethics committee was going to find against him whatever the validity of the case that he presented to them. The FIFA ethics committee has apparently based its decision on so-called ‘circumstantial evidence’, which our case has clearly demonstrated was bogus and founded on lies told by senior FIFA officials.”

Whistleblowers said bin Hammam tried to bribe officials to vote for him by distributing cash-stuffed envelopes during a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on May 10-11. CFU officials Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester, also being investigated by the ethics committee over claims they helped hand out the money, were each banned from football-related activity for a year. In addition, Damaseb revealed that the committee had rejected an accusation of racial discrimination made by CFU members against CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer, who sparked the initial investigation into

the bribery claims.

However, Blazer was warned by the ethics committee over comments made at a CONCACAF meeting on May 30 that certain CFU members were “under investigation”, which FIFA said was “not true”. Former FIFA vicepresident and CONCACAF president Jack Warner was also charged over his alleged role in the affair, but his resignation from FIFA last month prompted the organisation to drop all the charges against him. Damaseb admitted that Warner’s absence from the proceedings was a matter of regret. “Mr Jack Warner chose to resign and by that action he placed himself beyond the jurisdiction of this committee,” said Damaseb. “Everyone would have wanted him to appear and face the charges and explain his conduct, but he chose not to do that.”

Damaseb also said that the evidence reviewed by the committee during the hearing had yielded grounds for investigations into the conduct of other parties, but he did not reveal who they were. Bin Hammam’s withdrawal from the presidential election gifted a fourth straight term in office to his former ally Sepp Blatter, who made cleaning up FIFA’s tarnished image a postelection priority. A key figure in Qatar’s stunning victory in the contest to host the 2022 World Cup, bin Hammam had previously dismissed the charges against him as “politically motivated”. Writing on his personal blog on Friday, he pledged to seek justice “through the FIFA Ethics Committee, the Court of Arbitration for Sport or, if necessary, through other courts or legal proceedings”. — AFP

tants often use as hideouts,” said Rami Abdel Rahman.

The army swept through Jebel al-Zawiya at the end of June to crush mounting anti-regime dissent there, arresting scores of people.

Security forces also arrested civilians in Homs, where gunfire was also heard, Abdel Rahman and another activist, Abdel Karim Rihawi, told AFP in Nicosia. Women were among the many civilians rounded up, they said.

“Gunshots were heard in Al-Khalidiyeh neighbourhood and security forces have been making arrests,” said Rihawi, who heads the Syrian League for the Defence of Human Rights. Abdel Rahman spoke of a “campaign of arrests in Homs that has targeted several women” and said six explosions were heard on Friday night near the Baba Amr neighbourhood of Homs, Syria’s third city.

Security forces also made arrests yesterday in the Damascus neighbourhood of Rukneddin, which has a mostly Kurdish population, Rihawi said. On Friday, troops and security forces barricaded Rukneddin and the Qabun district of Damascus and conducted houseto-house searches, activists had said.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians had flooded the streets nationwide Friday in what has become a weekly show of defiance. At least five people were killed as security forces used batons, bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters in several places, activists said. The Syrian conflict has become a test of wills between protesters emboldened by the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, and an entrenched family dynasty. Two special advisers to UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned that there was a “serious possibility” that Syria has committed crimes against humanity and pointed to “persistent reports of widespread and systematic human rights violations by Syrian security forces responding to anti-government protests across the country.” — Agencies

32 dead as trains collide in China Continued from Page 1 The photos also showed mangled metal sections of one carriage and people being carried away from the scene, although it was not clear whether those victims were injured or dead. Xinhua said the capacity of each train car was about 100 passengers. China National Radio quoted an unnamed Shanghai Railway Bureau official who had gone to the scene as saying the D3115 was halted by a lightning strike. Xinhua said the train itself had been struck by lightning but other reports suggested it may not have been a direct hit. The first four coaches of the D301 train also had been knocked off the track by the force of the collision, Xinhua said.

“The train suddenly shook violently, casting luggage all around,” Xinhua quoted survivor Liu Hongtao as saying. “Passengers cried for help but no crew responded.” Users on China’s popular Twitter-like microblogging service Weibo spread appeals for people to donate blood and help look for lost relatives and friends. “I’m looking for Lu Haitian who was in carriage 3. Please send along any clues you have!” wrote “Noodle Kung-fu”.

The accident occurred less than a month after China inaugurated with great fanfare a new flagship $33 billion line from Beijing to Shanghai that halves the rail journey time between China’s two most important cities to five hours. It was opened on the eve of July 1 celebrations to mark the 90th birthday of China’s Communist Party and authorities touted it as yet another symbol of the country’s growing advancement.

However, the new Beijing-Shanghai line has suffered problems with delays caused by power outages, sparking a slew of criticism online and in Chinese media.

China has one of the world’s most extensive rail networks and any problems in the system generate tremendous public interest in a country where, despite a three-decade economic boom, air travel remains beyond the means of most people. China has recently poured money into a further expansion of the network but the huge investments have spurred allegations of corruption, and raised concerns over costs and whether corners were being cut on rail safety.

China’s state auditor has said construction companies and individuals last year siphoned off 187 million yuan ($29 million) from the Beijing-Shanghai project.

The revelation followed the February sacking of former railways minister Liu Zhijun, who allegedly took more than 800 million yuan in kickbacks over several years on contracts linked to China’s high-speed network. The official China Daily said Monday the power supply incident on the Beijing-Shanghai line had raised fresh concerns over the safety of the landmark link, which opened a year ahead of schedule. Similar trains are used on the line where the accident occurred, which was operating before the new Beijing-Shanghai link. In April 2008, 72 people were killed and more than 400 injured when one train derailed and another collided with it in the eastern province of Shandong. The accident raised transport safety concerns for the Beijing Olympics just months later. — Agencies

Norway mourns 92 slain in bloodbath Continued from Page 1 from the island. A mini-submarine was deployed to aid the search operation, along with Red Cross scuba divers. While there was no official confirmation of the suspect’s identity, he was widely named by the local media as 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik. National police commissionner Sveinung Sponheim said said that investigators were still trying to establish if a second shooter was present on the island, as suggested by certain witness accounts. The blond-haired Behring Breivik described himself on his Facebook page as “conservative”, “Christian”, and interested in hunting and computer games like World of Warcraft and Modern Warfare 2, the reports said.

The profile on his now-blocked page veers between references to lofty political philosophers and gory popular films, television shows and video games. The Facebook account appears to have been set up on July 17. The site lists no “friends” or social connections.

Breivik’s profile lists interests including political and stock analysis, with tastes in music ranging from classical to trance, a hypnotic form of dance music. The Norwegian daily Verdens Gang quoted a friend as saying Breivik became a rightwing extremist in his late 20s. It said he expressed strong nationalistic views in online debates and had been a strong opponent of multiculturalism. On his Twitter account, he posted only one message, dated July 17, in English based on a quote from British philosopher John Stuart Mill: “One person with a belief is equal to a force of 100,000 who have only interests.”

He is an “ethnic” Norwegian and a “Christian fundamentalist,” police spokesman Roger Andersen said, adding that his political opinions leaned “to the right”.

The head of the populist right-wing Progress Party (FrP) confirmed Behring Breivik had been a party member between 1999 and 2006 and for several years a leader in its youth movement. “Those who knew the suspect when he was a member of the party say that he seemed like a modest person that seldom engaged himself in the political discussions,” Siv Jensen said in a statement on the party’s website. Anti-fascist monitors meanwhile said Behring Breivik was also a member of a Swedish neoNazi Internet forum named Nordisk, which hosts discussions ranging from white power music to political strategies to crush democracy.

The attacks on Friday afternoon were western Europe’s deadliest since the 2004 Madrid bombings, carried out by Al-Qaeda. While there had been initial fears they might have been an act of revenge over Norway’s participation in the campaigns in Afghanistan and Libya, the focus shifted when it emerged the suspect was a native Norwegian. Seven of the victims were killed in the car bomb which seared through landmark buildings including Stoltenberg’s office and the finance ministry. It is thought that the car-bomber then caught a ferry to nearby Utoeya wearing a police sweater.

On arrival, he claimed to be investigating the bomb attack and began opening fire with an automatic weapon. The shooting spree last for an hour-and-a-half.

Witnesses described scenes of horror among the more than 500 people attending the youth camp. Some who tried to swim to safety were even shot in the water.

Khamshajiny Gunaratnam, a 23-year-old who swam to safety, said people had initially thought it was some kind of joke before she and her friends realised their lives

were in danger. “We ran and ran. The worst thing was when we found out the shooter was dressed as a policeman. Who could we trust then? If we called the police, would he be the guy would come to our ‘rescue’?,” she wrote on her blog. She and her friend Matti swam towards the mainland as the gunman fired into the water. After a while, a boat picked them up and brought them to safety. “We are just ordinary young people. We are involved in politics. We want to make the world a better place,” she wrote.

Labour Par ty youth member Erik Kursetgjerde described the panic on Utoeya when the gunman began shooting. “I heard screams. I heard people begging for their lives and I heard shots. He just blew them away. I was certain I was going to die,” Kursetgjerde, 18, told Reuters outside a hotel in the nearby town of Sundvollen, where many survivors were taken. “People ran everywhere. They panicked and climbed into trees.

People got trampled.”

The killer, dressed as a policeman, “would tell people to come over: ‘It’s OK, you’re safe, we’re coming to help you.’ And then I saw about 20 people come towards him and he shot them at close range,” he said. Kursetgjerde said he ran and hid between cliffs, then swam into the lake and nearly drowned. “Someone (in a boat) rescued me. They saved my life.” Norwegian NRK television showed blurred pictures taken from a helicopter of a man, apparently in police uniform, standing with his arm outstretched amid numerous victims, some prone on the rocky shore, others floating in the water.

Survivors described scenes of terror as the gunman stalked his victims, many of whom were confused by his police uniform. “It was total chaos...I think several lost their lives as they tried to get over to the mainland,” said Jorgen Benone. “I saw people being shot. I tried to sit as quietly as possible. I was hiding behind some stones. I saw him once, just 20, 30 metres away from me. I thought ‘I’m terrified for my life’, I thought of all the people I love. Stine Haheim, a Labour party lawmaker who was on the island, said the gunman had carried out his killings methodically. “He was very calm. He was not running, he was moving slowly and shooting at every person he saw,” she said. Stoltenberg, as he visited some of the survivors, spoke of his own anguish at the massacre on an island to which he was a frequent visitor. He had been due to give a speech yesterday to the camp, organised by his Labour party. The prime minister said he had been deeply moved by speaking to youngsters who had told him how they swam to shore under a hail of gunfire, in some cases helping friends who had been shot.

Norwegian police said they feared there could also be explosives on the island. According to a spokeswoman for a farming cooperative, the suspect bought six tonnes of fertilizer - which can be used to make bombs - in May. “These are goods that were delivered on May 4,” Oddny Estenstad, a spokeswoman at farm supply chain Felleskjoepet Agri, told Reuters. “It was 6 tonnes of fertiliser, which is a small, normal order for a standard agricultural producer.”

There was widespread international condemnation with US President Barack Obama saying the attacks were “a reminder that the entire international community has a stake in preventing this kind of terror from occurring.”

The Norwegian capital is a well-known symbol of international peace efforts and home to the Nobel Peace Prize. — Agencies

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Issues

Somali relief in rebel-held areas raises challenges

By Peter Martell elief efforts are being ramped up for two famine-struck regions of Somalia controlled by a US-designated terrorist group, but there are deep concerns as to the implications of dealing with them. With the Al-Qaeda-inspired Shabab maintaining a ban on several foreign aid groups - despite saying earlier this month they had lifted restrictions key UN and international agencies will be likely forced to work through local partners. That however is far from simple: despite aid agency assurances, some observers fear the aid could still bolster support for the rebels.

Food aid delivered into areas they control still risks adding “legitimacy to them,” said Stig Jarle Hansen, a Somalia specialist and associate professor at Norway’s University of Life Sciences. The hardline Islamists have waged a bloody campaign to overthrow the country’s Western-backed government including abducting a minister on Thursday. Many say it was the Shabab’s blockade of aid since 2009 that turned widespread drought across the region into famine in areas they control.

With the Shabab controlling forces on the ground, even third-party dealings to work with them to deliver aid remains controversial. “This is so preposterous an idea it is barely believable,” said John O’Shea, head of the Irish-based aid agency GOAL, which is providing food to Somali refugees. “None of the warmongers who have helped bring this disaster about, and are currently exacerbating its effects, should be involved in the delivery of aid,” he said.

But up to 350,000 people in famine hit areas face starvation if aid is not urgently provided, the UN warns, with 12 million struggling from drought across the Horn of Africa. But others point out the Shabab has been weakened due to pressure by community leaders angry with the crisis. “They (the Shabab) have lost a lot of credibility and public support,” said Rashid Abdi from the International Crisis Group think-tank. “The idea that they will somehow ride this crisis to regain public credibility is a long shot,” he added.

With the ban still in place, ensuring that aid will reach those most in need is another problem. “So few foreigners can be on the ground in Somalia due to the security situation that it will be a big problem to ensure the aid is delivered correctly,” said Hansen. Of special concern is that the Shabab will levy taxes from contractors delivering aid to boost their coffers.

“We need to test whether they are honest in their intentions or being cynical,” said Abdi.

But donors insist that aid will go where it is needed, and rebels will not be paid off. “This is not complicated - aid will go where the humanitarian workers can gain access,” said Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations. Nearly half of Somalia’s estimated 10 million people face a food crisis and malnutrition rates are the highest in the world. “Neither the United States nor others in the international community are prepared to pay bribes or taxes to AlShabab while it starves its own people,” Rice added.

International aid has got through: the UN children’s agency last week airlifted the first supplies into Shabab-controlled areas, saying the delivery to Baidoa town “went well”. “We use independent third party monitoring to make sure that the aid reaches to those in need,” said Shantha Bloemen, a UNICEF spokeswoman. The UN food agency also insists aid will not benefit the gunmen. “Those in control of various parts of the south are not one controlling command,” said Emilia Casella, spokeswoman for the World Food Programme. “It’s important to note that we’re working where we can. We’re making plans to work where it’s feasible.”

But there are also those who feel that engagement with the isolated Shabab could provide potential advantages. “This is a crisis, an absolute crisis, but one that could have positive political implications for the long term,” said Abdi. “Any engagement (with the Shabab) is good - opening up a dialogue can help draw out the pragmatists and moderates within them.” — AFP

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Desmond Tutu, Israel and US pensions

By Bernd Debusmann hat’s the connection between a South African Nobel Peace Prize winner, Israel, and one of America’s biggest pension funds? An international campaign for economic, cultural and academic boycotts of Israel and Jewish settlements on the West Bank. The South African in question is retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whose role in the fight against apartheid in the 1980s gained him the Peace Prize and world-wide fame. The pension fund is the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association College Retirement Equities Fund, better known as TIAA-CREF. The connecting link is the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign, BDS for short, launched by Palestinians in 2005.

In an op-ed article in the Charlotte Observer, timed to coincide with TIAA-CREF’s annual shareholders meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 19, the archbishop rebuked the pension fund for having refused to allow a vote on a resolution questioning its holdings in companies that profit from operating in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Tutu drew parallels between BDS and the global wave of divestments, spurred by grassroots activists, which contributed to the collapse of apartheid.

The activists in the TIAA-CREF case belong to Jewish Voice for Peace, a small but growing American group that says the fund had denied its investors the chance “to decide for themselves if they want to retire with the help of Caterpillar D-9 bulldozers to demolish Palestinian homes, Veolia landfills on West Bank lands, and Elbit surveillance systems securing settlements throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem and on the Separation Wall.” The archbishop’s op-ed drew a response that highlights the deep divisions between American Jews critical of Israeli policies and those in unques-

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tioning support. Jeffrey Epstein, a leader of the Jewish community in Charlotte, said in an op-ed in the same newspaper that by lending his moral authority to the BDS campaign, Tutu had aligned himself with Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah “and other enemies of freedom and peace in the Middle East”. The archbishop had allowed himself to be drawn into an effort by Israel’s enemies to “delegitimize” the very existence of the state of Israel, Epstein wrote. That view of BDS is shared by Israel’s government (and mainstream American Jewish organizations) as well as the Israeli legislators who approved a law making public calls for boycotts a punishable offense.

As counter-productive measures go, the law is in a class by itself. BDS supporters say it will strengthen their movement rather than weaken it. “It will go down as a galvanizing moment,” said Rebecca Vilkomerson, Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace. “It is already boosting us.” In a conference call with US-based reporters this week, a Palestinian leader of the boycott movement, Omar Barghouti, and an Israeli BDS activist, Ofer Neiman, both thought boycotts would gain momentum internationally. The expectation is that the movement will be spurred by a wave of condemnation of the law, both in Israel and outside, from a long list of individuals and groups including several that are firmly opposed to boycotts. Much of the criticism echoed a statement by Amnesty International which said the law would have “a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Israel” and was “a blatant attempt to stifle peaceful dissent and campaigning”.

Not only that, Amnesty lamented, it was only one of many laws recently passed or being considered which have been criticized by Israeli human rights non-governmental organizations for restricting freedom of expression, the work of Israeli civil society organizations, or the rights of Palestinians. Britain’s

Foreign Secretary, William Hague, called the law an “infringement of the freedom of expression”. The New York Times, in an editorial, said the law was not befitting a democracy and said no country could be delegitimized if it held true to its democratic principles. All that did nothing to persuade TIAA-CREF to make changes in its investment portfolio. Neither did a group of shareholding activists led by Vilkomerson who argued their case at the fund’s Charlotte meeting.

Vilkomerson, in an interview, said the boycott movement has had no major successes in the United States so far. But in Europe, BDS pressure has had results. Both in Sweden and Norway, large pension funds removed Elbit System Ltd., an Israeli defense electronics company, from their portfolios.

The reason: the company’s involvement in building and operating the separation barrier between Israel and the West Bank in defiance of a 2004 ruling by the International Court of Justice which found the wall “contrary to international law.” (The Israeli government points out that suicide bombings have dropped sharply since the barrier went up). Another success story cited by BDS supporters is an international campaign against the French multinational Veolia Transportation for its involvement in a controversial project to link West Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Dutch ASN bank divested itself of Veolia holdings in 2006 and the company later dropped out of the project.

The lack of BDS’s success in the United States raises a question: how much impact can a grassroots movement have in a country where neither the administration, nor Congress, nor the majority of the public is inclined to take Israel, America’s closest ally in the Middle East, to task for building settlements illegal under the Fourth Geneva convention - in what would be a Palestinian state. —Reuters

Rousseff takes risky stand on corruption

By Brian Winter and Jeferson Ribeiro

ublic servants with $2 million lakefront mansions.

Five percent kickback fees on highway projects.

Construction companies owned by officials’ relatives pocketing huge sums from government contracts. A recent wave of eye-popping corruption allegations at Brazil’s Transport Ministry has provided President Dilma Rousseff with a golden opportunity to take a stand against the kind of graft that for years has characterized Brazilian governments and scared away many foreign investors.

But, by personally intervening in the crisis and firing many ministry officials in the past week, Rousseff is also running a heavy risk - that an already sour relationship with her coalition partners could get even worse, leaving her politically isolated and unable to pass legislation. The small party that controls the Transport Ministry, the Party of the Republic (PR), is now near open revolt. Nearly every day brings word that Rousseff - or the new minister she appointed earlier this month to clean up the place - has ordered the removal of another group of party officials. “It’s like nobody in the PR is good for anything,” Lincoln Portela, the party’s leader in the lower house, told Reuters.

If Rousseff can clean up the ministry without the PR quitting her fragile 17-party coalition, the potential gains are enormous. She could send a message to Brazil’s politicians and society at-large that she is less tolerant of corruption than her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who himself was nearly impeached in 2005 after a pay-for-votes scandal. “This could be a big win for her, a sign that politics has changed compared to recent years, which would improve her popular support, especially with the middle class,” said Ricardo Ismael, a political scientist.

There are also clear economic implications. Because of corruption in the Transport Ministry and elsewhere, some foreign companies have been shy about investing in infrastructure despite the immense lure of more than $1 trillion in projects planned in Brazil in the next decade to help prepare for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

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Some US companies, in particular, have steered clear of highway projects in Brazil because of US laws that forbid them from paying bribes abroad, which executives privately say makes them unable to compete with Brazilian and some European firms in government auctions. “Pervasive corruption in parts of the economy has the effect of scaring off American firms from certain areas,” said Reeve Wolford, head of the infrastructure working group at the Brazil-US Business Council in Washington.

Wolford said he doubted Rousseff’s actions marked a “generational shift” in corruption, but that just cleaning up a few key ministries could make a big difference. “My feeling based on a wide range of conversations ... is that the (Transport Ministry) is among the worst, if not the worst,” he said.

“Better management there would be very significant.” Before reaping any gains, Ismael said Rousseff will likely have to overcome “short-term turbulence” and hold together a coalition that has been under enormous strain since virtually the moment she took office on Jan 1.

The PR accounts for about 40 lower-house deputies and six senators - out of 512 and 81 total, respectively - so its departure from the coalition would be a significant blow. Rousseff already has infuriated the biggest party in her coalition, the PMDB, by refusing to appoint its leaders to key government posts. Rousseff’s aides have portrayed that as an effort to keep corrupt officials out of critical areas. The PMDB’s anger has resulted in near-total paralysis in Congress, dimming prospects for economic reforms that would streamline Brazil’s tax code, for example.

Brazilian newspapers reported this week that Lula, who still carries enormous influence in Brazil, has been warning allies that Rousseff could find herself without any political friends unless she handles the PR crisis carefully. Through six months in office, Rousseff has shown a talent for economic management and a particular interest in infrastructure projects. But the career technocrat has often struggled

with the political part of the job, leaving even allies with the impression she is gruff or aloof. Officials at the presidential palace say Rousseff is aware of the balancing act going forward. “Some tensions within a coalition are a normal thing,” an official told Reuters.

“But she is doing what she needs to do with corruption. She is doing what she thinks is right.” — Reuters

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

analysis

Questions over far-right link in Norway attacks

By William Maclean report that Norway’s bomb and gun rampage may be the work of a far-right militant confronts Europe with the possibility that a new paramilitary threat is emerging, a decade after Al-Qaeda’s Sept 11 attacks. One analyst called the attacks possibly Europe’s “Oklahoma City” moment, a reference to American right-wing militant Timothy McVeigh who detonated a truck bomb at a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people. Police forces in many western European countries worry about rising far-right sentiment, fuelled by a toxic mix of anti-Muslim and antiimmigrant bigotry and increasing economic hardship.

But violence, while sometimes fatal, has rarely escalated beyond group thuggery and the use of knives. That may have changed in Oslo and on the holiday island of Utoeya on Friday. Nine people were killed in a bombing in the capital - Western Europe’s worst since the 2005 London AlQaeda-linked suicide attacks that killed 52 people - and at least 84 in a shooting rampage by a lake. Independent Norwegian television TV2 reported on Saturday that the Norwegian man detained after the attacks had links to right-wing extremism. Police were searching a flat in west Oslo where he lived, TV2 said.

“If true this would be pretty significant - such a far-right attack in Europe, and certainly Scandinavia, would be unprecedented,” said Hagai Segal, a security specialist at New York University in London. “I t would be the European/Scandinavian equivalent of Oklahoma City - an attack by a individual (with extremist anti-government views, linked to certain groups) aimed at the government by attacking its buildings/institutions.” “The next key question is whether he was acting alone, or whether he is part of a group.”

A report by European police agency Europol on security in 2010 said that there was no right-wing terrorism on the continent in that period. But it added the far right was becoming very professional at producing online propaganda of an antiSemitic and xenophobic nature and was increasingly active in online social networking. “Although the overall threat from right-wing extremism appears to be on the wane and the numbers of right-wing extremist criminal offences are relatively low, the professionalism in their propaganda and organisation shows that right-wing extremist groups have the will to enlarge and spread their ideology and still pose a threat in EU member states,” it said. If the unrest in the Arab world, especially in North Africa, leads to a major influx of immigrants into Europe, “rightwing extremism and terrorism might gain a new lease of life by articulating more widespread public apprehension about immigration from Muslim countries into Europe”, it added. Public manifestations of right-wing extremism can often provoke counter-activity by extreme leftwing groups. Such confrontations invariably result in physical violence.

In May 2010, a far-right supporter was assaulted and knifed in Sweden during a demonstration staged by a white supremacist movement. An activist was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and attempted murder. The Swedish Security Service says on its website that the so-called White Power scene is made up individuals, groups and networks

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with right-wing extremist views prepared to use violence for political gain. In a speech in Sept 2010, Jonathan Evans, the Director-General of Britain’s MI5 Security Service, cited a notorious far-right militant in a passage describing the security outlook for the country.

“Determination can take you a long way and even determined amateurs can cause devastation. The case of the neoNazi David Copeland, who attacked the gay and ethnic minority communities with such appalling results in 1999, is a good example of the threat posed by the determined lone bomber.”

Copeland struck three targets in London with nail bombs.

with, commemorations and demonstrations.”

In Britain, police chiefs and Muslim groups are worried about a rise in attacks by far-right groups, and in 2009 one senior officer, Commander Shaun Sawyer, from London’s counter-terrorism unit, told a meeting of the Muslim Safety Forum that senior officers had increased surveillance of suspects to monitor their ability to stage attacks. “I fear that they will have a spectacular ... They will carry out an attack that will lead to a loss of life or injury to a community somewhere,” he said.

An analysis by Michael Whine, the Government and

oliticians plant flags on Southeast Asian atolls, mysterious structures appear on rocks miles from dry land, ships flit in and out of territorial waters, and diplomats trade verbal salvoes. The oil-rich South China Sea, where half a dozen countries have bickered for more than fifty years over who owns what, is occupying regional policymakers, and has provoked fears that an argument will blow out into war. The reality is more complicated, and less dramatic. “While the absolute worst case scenario - military confrontation between China and the Southeast Asian nations, backed by the US - is clearly extremely serious, the probability of this taking place is incredibly low,” said Tai Hui, regional head of research for Southeast Asia at Standard Chartered in Singapore. “All parties have much to lose, not only militarily, but also economically.”

Though not a party to the dispute, key to it is the United States, which traditionally has a strong relationship with the Philippines, and newly enhanced ties with Vietnam, both of which have had recent scrapes over the South China Sea with China. Vietnam, recently visited by the US navy, and the Philippines

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f the billboards adorning its capital are anything to go by, Malawi is on the up and up, with President and self-proclaimed Economist-in-Chief Bingu wa Mutharika “propelling Malawi into the future”. The petrol queues snaking hundreds of yards through its dusty boulevards give a very different - and far more realistic - view of the impoverished southern African nation’s prospects. They also help explain this week’s unprecedented wave of political unrest in which police and protesters fought running street battles in four cities, leaving 18 people dead in a country that bills itself the “Warm Heart of Africa”.

Malawi’s official economic growth statistics have been stellar for the last six years, but there is little to show for it on the ground, and the country’s 13 million people are fed up with being told how lucky they are. “It’s very difficult to say to your children that things are going well when they are going to sleep at night hungry, and going to school in the morning without any shoes,” said William Sanudi, a 37year-old curio-seller near Lilongwe’s dilapidated central Post Office. “The economy right now is very bad.”

The debris left by Wednesday and Thursday’s rioting has quickly been cleared up, but the seething anger at Mutharika, a former World Bank economist, and his cabinet of degree-laden technocrats, shows no signs of disappearing. For some, 2014 elections cannot come soon enough. “2014 is too far for him, or he’ll destroy the country,” said Colby Mkupa, a civil servant sweating it out for three hours in a petrol queue.

“This bunch of ‘doctors’ - they’ve completely failed.”

Such sentiment is hard to square with

I

or years, the lucky holder of a post in Guinea’s presidential guard could expect a plush villa and a share in rackets worth up to $50,000 a month - about 500 times the average income in this West African state. Such is the depth of official graft which new civilian President Alpha Conde has vowed to stamp out - an effort which analysts say nearly cost him his life but which he must win to bring lasting stability to his country. “This is all about a clash of interests, a conflict of appetites,” local political analyst Kalifa Gassama Diaby said of a gunfire and rocket attack on Conde’s home in the capital Conakry during the small hours of Tuesday.

Conde himself escaped only because he had changed bedrooms as a precaution, but at least three people died in the two separate assaults which left his residence riddled with bullets and its main gate blown out by a rocket-launcher.

Authorities have so far not pointed the figure at specific individuals but arrests targeting dozens of soldiers this week leave no doubt that among the suspects are top military brass sacked by Conde since he came to power in December.

They include former army chief General Nouhou Thiam and an ex-chief of the presidential guard, Sidiki Camara, known widely by the nickname “De Gaulle” after the onetime leader of ex-colonial power France for his similarly tall stature. Conde, whose election brought to an end two chaotic years of junta rule, said a judicial investigation must establish the culprits, but noted his decision to scrap a slush fund used by senior officers could have created enemies. “Of course there were officers who had got to used to taking home 200-300 million (Guinean francs, or roughly $30-50,000) a month,” he told French RFI radio. “Obviously there are some that aren’t happy, but you can’t go on killing the country,” he said of misrule that has condemned most Guineans to poverty despite Guinea’s rank as the world’s top exporter of the aluminium ore bauxite.

Conde has named himself defence minister and is being guided by French advisers in moves to revamp a military which only in Sept 2009 was involved in mass rapes and killings of some 150 pro-democracy marchers. Ironically, one of his more visible successes till now has been in reining in the military. Conakry residents say the removal of all heavy arms to outside the town centre and efforts to improve army lodgings have contributed to more disciplined behaviour among soldiers in the streets.

Yet few doubt the process will be long and remains littered with obstacles, such as the irregularities in bidding procedures for contracts to build new barracks that have meant some projects have been held up. “This (attack) can only reinforce the determination of the government, with the cooperation of the international community, to commit rigorously to reform of the security sector,” Said Djinnit, special representative of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in West Africa, told Reuters.

Others raise concerns that Conde has not done enough to heal deep ethnic and political divisions opened up during an election campaign marred by violence among rival supporters and accusations of fraud by losing parties.

Ethnically-linked disputes in rural Guinea have led in past weeks to the killings of some 2,500 head of cattle belonging to herding communities. Cellou Dalein Diallo, Conde’s main rival in the 2010 poll, said from Senegal this week that he does not feel safe enough to return to Guinea. “Alpha Conde has not made very visible attempts to form a very inclusive government,” said Africa specialist Mike McGovern at Yale University. “Lots of people are unhappy in Guinea.”

McGovern suggested donors, diplomats and media wrongly “breathed a sigh of relief” after Guinea scraped through its election without descending into deeper violence. “I think everyone has taken their eye off Guinea and that is a recipe for disaster. It is a post-conflict country and ought to have been treated like Liberia and Sierra Leone,” he said of two neighbours whose civil wars prompted years of international support including peace forces and help with military reform.

Stability in Guinea is vital given neighbouring Ivory Coast’s brush with civil war and Liberia’s tense run-up to its own elections later this year.

While challenges remain, Conde’s main ally could well be a Guinean population that is desperate to put the years of unrest behind them.

“The people who did that this week were acting for their own benefit, not that of the Guinean people,” said Conakry market trader Mamadou Barry. “But we don’t any more of that sort of thing in Guinea.” — Reuters

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A woman covered in blood is taken by the arm after two bombs rocked the Norwegian capital of Oslo on Friday. – AFP Three people were killed and scores were wounded at a gay bar in Soho. It followed attacks against the Muslim community in Brick Lane, east London, and a market in Brixton, south London.

In an unclassified 2011 national security outlook published by the Norway Police Security Service (PST) in February 2011, the service said it saw a picture of “increased uncertainty”. Part of that was due to what it called an expected increased level of activity in 2011 by far-right militants. “Norwegian far-right extremists are in contact with Swedish far-right extremists, as well as with other far-right extremist groups in Europe.

Contact also takes place between Norwegian and Russian far-right extremists,” it said. “An increased level of activity among some anti-Islamic groups could lead to increased polarisation and unease, especially during, and in connection

International Affairs Director at the Community Security Trust, an agency of the UK Jewish community, said the willingness to employ extreme violence in defence of European ‘values’ is apparent in the ideology of several groups, among them the British Patriots of the White European Resistance (POWER), which emerged in 2006, and which claims supporters in Croatia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Sweden.

Security specialist Segal said of Friday’s bombing and shootings: “The tactics and actuality of these attacks would be quite striking if carried out by a domestic far-right actor - trying to kill Norway’s PM is one thing and not surprising from any extremist elements, but killing average citizens in this manner is very, very unusual indeed for far-right/supremacists, and certainly for ones in Europe.” — Reuters

are China’s most vocal rivals in the area. In mid-July, a group of Philippines lawmakers landed on Pagasa (Hope) Island in the South China Sea and, amid anthem-singing, politician Walden Bello declared Filipinos were “willing to die for their soil”.

‘Chinese aggression’ is often blamed for many of these standoffs, and fingers are quickly pointed at China’s rapidly growing military might: this month, Beijing said it would test its first aircraft carrier soon, and in June dispatched its largest civilian patrol ship through the disputed waters. China’s smaller neighbours are hyper-sensitive to any perceived threat from a nation so economically and militarily dominant. This drives them to press their claims in the South China Sea urgently, which in turn needles Beijing. “What it means for Vietnam and other claimants is that they have a very narrow window before China has the area under lockdown, that’s why they are upping the ante, and trying to persuade the US to back them,” said Gary Li, intelligence analyst at Exclusive Analysis. “This is seen as provocation by Beijing.”

Trying to gain leverage through numbers, Vietnam wants to build a bloc against China, which would include Malaysia and the Philippines. “You are seeing this bloc slowly

forming, which is another problem for China,” Li said. “What’s happening now is the US is getting involved as the senior partner in an anti-China bloc - this is how Beijing sees it.”

The other countries laying claim to South China Sea territories are Brunei, which has remained largely silent, and Taiwan, which has a far bigger problem of sovereignty to resolve with Beijing.

While this annoys China, it is deeply embedded in the regional economy through trade as well as direct investment. Beijing exports more to Vietnam than it imports from there, and if it were to try exerting pressure by threatening to pull investment it would in many cases be self-defeating. “China’s direct investments in Southeast Asia are often led by its need for commodity resources, hence it would be in China’s interest also to see these through,” Standard Chartered’s Hui said.

The tone of the rhetoric this year has at times indicated the United States and China were headed for major disagreement.

Washington irked Beijing when it said it had a national interest at stake in ensuring freedom of navigation and trade, while China has told the United States not to get involved, accusing it of stirring up trouble by holding naval drills in the region. Then in late July, both

China and the United States tried to calm tensions. On Friday, America’s top diplomat Hillary Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi hailed new conduct guidelines for the South China Sea agreed between Beijing and ten-nation Southeast Asian grouping ASEAN. American attention may discourage China from bullying its rivals, though direct military intervention from US forces, stretched in Afghanistan and Iraq, is hugely unlikely. “The more active participation by the US in the South China Sea probably implies China would be more inclined to negotiate, instead of leaning on its Southeast Asian neighbours,” said Hui. For all the recent talk of higher tensions and the threat of violence, the last major clash in the area was in 1988, when China and Vietnam fought a short naval battle.

Private deals with rival claimants are likely: China’s style is to try to settle border disputes bilaterally, rather than in an international forum. The biggest risk is if one of the smaller states feels sufficiently emboldened to push hard against China - which claims more of the area than anyone else - and pricks it into responding with force. But this remains unlikely. —Reuters

Mutharika propelling Malawi to uncertain future

By Ed Cropley

End of good life stirs discontent in Guinea army

By Saliou Samb

Posturing and bluff in Asia’s phony war

By Daniel Magnowski

Focus

the official statistics about Malawi’s $5 billion economy - even those endorsed by institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. For most of the years since Mutharika came to power in 2004, it has been one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, with annual expansion near 10 percent, due mainly to a donor-funded fertiliser subsidy scheme that boosted maize harvests. But even during the boom years, when sales of tobacco, its main export, were holding up, Malawi faced a perennial shortage of foreign exchange, putting strain on its currency, the kwacha , which is formally pegged at 150 to the dollar.

That has intensified this year as Mutharika has picked a fight with donors that have traditionally bankrolled 40 percent of the government’s budget. First in the firing line has been Britain, Malawi’s former colonial master and its biggest benefactor, whose ambassador was kicked out over a leaked diplomatic cable that referred to Mutharika as “autocratic and intolerant of criticism”.

Britain responded by expelling Malawi’s representative to London and suspending aid worth $550 million over the next four years, a move that pushed the black-market kwacha rate out to 190 in anticipation of a more severe foreign exchange crunch.

In this photo taken on July 18, 2011, Malawi’s President Bingu wa Mutharika gives an interview in Lilongwe. — AFP

As the dust settles from this week’s crackdown it is hard not to see further declines in the currency - and a concomitant rise in the cost of imported goods such as clothes, food and fuel - as condemnation of the police action from Europe and Washington translates into smaller aid flows. There may even be a question mark over a $350 million US government project to overhaul the decrepit power grid.

Unfortunately for most Malawians, Mutharika appears fixated on official growth statistics as proof of his prowess, and dismisses cries of autocracy by pointing out that his jails contain no political prisoners. Meanwhile, he is grooming his younger brother and education minister, Peter, as a successor, even though the latter is renowned for an even more patronising style than his sibling. “If his older brother is professorial, arrogant and patrician, Peter is professorial, arrogant and patrician times two,” one foreign resident of Lilongwe said.

The civil society and union leaders who coordinated this week’s protests have set August 16 as a deadline for Mutharika to sit down and discuss the problems in a country that is also blighted with one of the region’s worst HIV/AIDS rates. But Mutharika appears in no mood to give ground. “I’m going to smoke you out if you go back to the streets,” he said at a televised police officer graduation on Friday.

The mood on the street is equally unforgiving, suggesting further confrontation is almost inevitable in a country that prides itself on its peace-loving populace. “This week just gave them a lesson,” said Sanudi, the curio-seller. “August 17 - people are waiting for that day. They will go back on the streets and things will get worse.

People want to fight for truth and democracy.” - Reuters

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Chelsea to sign Romeu BANGKOK: Chelsea have agreed terms with Barcelona to sign Spanish defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu but the Premier League club is unlikely to formalise the deal for some time, manager Andre Villas-Boas said yesterday. Romeu is currently on national team duty with Spain at the Under 20 World Cup in Colombia, which runs from July 29-Aug. 20, and would need to pass a medical and agree personal terms with the London club. Villas-Boas said the 19-year-old would be ideal in bolstering the midfield with Ghanian Michael Essien ruled out for as long as six months to recover from knee surgery after he sustained a cruciate ligament injury. “It’s a sector in which we’re struggling with numbers, not only after Michael’s injury,” Villas-Boas told a news conference in Bangkok during Chelsea’s pre-season Asian tour. “Oriol is a player with a bright future, he still has to evolve and prove himself as a player. He’s one of the most interesting bright young players ... hopefully we can agree terms and he can pass a medical.

“Again, we are far from reaching personal terms with the player,” he added. Romeu started his career as a youth player with Espanyol before joining Barcelona’s academy in 2004 and played 49 games for the club’s reserve side before making his first team debut in La Liga in May. —Reuters

Major League Baseball results and standings on Friday. Chicago Cubs 4, Houston 2; La Angels 6, Baltimore 1; NY Yankees 17, Oakland 7; Chicago White Sox 3, Cleveland 0; Philadelphia 3, San Diego 1; St. Louis 6, Pittsburgh 4; Boston 7, Seattle 4; NY Mets 7, Florida 6; Atlanta 6, Cincinnati 4; Texas 12, Toronto 2; Kansas City 10, Tampa Bay 4; Detroit 8, Minnesota 2; Colorado 8, Arizona 4; Washington 7, LA Dodgers 2; Milwaukee 4, San Francisco 2.

GB 2 8.5 11.5 20.5 1.5 5 7 12 3 13.5 13.5

4 12.5 13.5 16 1 1 5 13.5 20 4 9 13 13.5

Harbhajan spoof ad pulled

‘Normal’ Phelps seeks form

NEW DELHI: A controversial advertisement in which India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni ridiculed team mate Harbhajan Singh has been yanked from the air, the alcohol company which ran the ad has said.

Harbhajan’s mother Avtar Kaur sent a legal notice to the Vijay Mallya-headed UB Group, which used Dhoni to poke fun at Harbhajan’s catchphrase from another ad promoting a rival brand.

“In the interest of the game of cricket, Mallya has graciously chosen to replace the current commercial,” the UB Group said in a statement on Friday, claiming Kaur had been misled by “vested interests with mischievous intent”.

“This gesture...is based on the larger national cricketing interests, particularly at time when the Indian team is engaged in a crucial cricket test series in the United Kingdom,” it added.

Spirit and airline magnate Mallya, who had earlier ruled out withdrawing the commercial, said on a micro-blogging site he has asked for a modified advertisement in the spirit of cricket. —Reuters

SHANGHAI: Michael Phelps has won 14 Olympic gold medals, 22 world championship titles and set numerous world records, yet the American still regards himself as just a regular guy.

“In my eyes, I consider myself a normal person,” the 26-year-old from Baltimore told reporters at a media conference stuffed full of reporters, television cameras and photographers. “Yeah there are a lot more cameras pointing at me right now than most other people but this is my life. This is what I consider normal. “I’m getting ready for a world championships and I live my life how I want to live it. If I want to walk down the street and get a bite to eat, I’ll do that. “If I want to play 18 holes of golf, I will go and play 18 holes of golf.” Phelps has had to endure a disappointing three years since he carved his name into the Olympic annals with a stunning eight-gold medal performance at Beijing. He admitted he was not quite ready for a return to the strenuous training regime implemented by long-time coach Bob Bowman after the Olympics while he also suffered embarrassment when he was photographed inhaling from a pipe typically used for smoking marijuana.In 2009, he was badly beaten by Germany’s Paul Biedermann at the Rome world championships in the 200 metres freestyle-one of the events he had won in Beijing a year earlier. —Reuters

Brewers top NL Central

MLB results/standings

American League Eastern Division W L PCT Boston 60 37 .619 NY Yankees 58 39 .598 Tampa Bay 52 46 .531 Toronto 50 50 .500 Baltimore 39 57 .406 Central Division Detroit 53 46 .535 Cleveland 51 47 .520 C’ White Sox 48 51 .485 Minnesota 46 53 .465 Kansas City 41 58 .414 Western Division Texas 57 43 .570 LA Angels 54 46 .540 Seattle 43 56 .434 Oakland 43 56 .434 National League Eastern Division Philadelphia 62 36 .633 Atlanta 59 41 .590 NY Mets 50 49 .505 Washington 49 50 .495 Florida 47 53 .470 Central Division Milwaukee 54 47 .535 Pittsburgh 51 46 .526 St. Louis 52 47 .525 Cincinnati 48 51 .485 Chicago Cubs 40 60 .400 Houston 33 66 .333 Western Division San Francisco 57 43 .570 Arizona 53 47 .530 Colorado 48 52 .480 San Diego 44 56 .440 LA Dodgers 43 56 .434

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

scored twice. Mark Ellis was 3 for 4 with two runs scored and a stolen base.

Troy Tulowitzki also doubled and drove in a pair of runs for the Rockies.

Arizona’s Daniel Hudson (10-6) took the loss.

SAN FRANCISCO: The Milwaukee Brewers went clear atop the National League Central standings with a 4-2 win over the NL West-leading San Francisco Giants on Friday.

Jonathan Lucroy and Yuniesky Betancourt drove in two runs each for Milwaukee. Lucroy’s two-run single highlighted a three-run second inning off Giants starter Matt Cain (8-6).

Brewers starter Shaun Marcum (9-3) pitched seven solid innings to push Milwaukee a game clear of Pittsburgh and St. Louis in a tight NL Central race.

Mets 7, Marlins 6 In Miami, David Wright returned from injury with two RBI doubles that helped New York beat Florida . The five-time All-Star had been sidelined for two months with a back injury. He doubled home the Mets’ first run in the first inning, then put them ahead to stay with a run-scoring double in the eighth. Wright also scored twice.

Daniel Murphy drove in two runs with a single and a double for New York, while Jose Reyes had two hits to keep his NL-leading average at .349.

Braves 6, Reds 4 In Cincinnati, Dan Uggla’s first career pinch-hit home run lifted Atlanta over Cincinnati. Uggla, who missed the last two starts with a calf strain, batted with two outs in the ninth inning for reliever Jonny Venters (5-1) with a runner on second. He lofted a full-count pitch from Nick Masset (1-4) 402 feet into right-center for the go-ahead runs.

Uggla extended his hitting streak to a career-high 13 games. Braves rookie Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth for his 31st save.

Phillies 3, Padres 1 In Philadelphia, Cole Hamels tossed eight dominant innings to steer Philadelphia to its eighth straight win over San Diego. Hamels (12-5) allowed one run, striking out 10. He retired the last 10 batters he faced to move level with Atlanta’s Jair Jurrjens for the most wins in the NL. The major league-leading Phillies (62-36) are a season-best 26 games over .500. Padres starter Cory Luebke (3-4) gave up three runs in five innings.

Cardinals 6, Pirates 4 In Pittsburgh, Albert Pujols went 4 for 5 and homered for the second straight game to lead St. Louis past Pittsburgh.

David Freese broke out of an extended slump with two hits, including a two-run homer, as St. Louis pulled into a virtual tie with the Pirates

Nationals 7, Dodgers 2 In Los Angeles, pitcher John Lannan hit his first major league home run and Jerry Hairston Jr. broke the game open with a ninth-inning grand slam to help Washington beat Los Angeles.

Lannan (7-6) allowed three hits in 6 1-3 innings with six strikeouts to win for the fifth time in his past six decisions. He has a 2.28 ERA over his past 11 starts.

At the plate, Lannan increased the margin to 3-0 in the second with a shot that just cleared the right field fence.

Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda (6-12) gave up three runs in 6 1-3 innings.

SAN FRANCISCO: Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks turns a double play over San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Crawford on a ground ball from Eli Whiteside during the fourth inning of a baseball game. —AP in the crowded NL Central standings.

Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter (67) gave up four runs in eight innings to win his four th straight decision.

Pittsburgh starter Paul Maholm (6-10) put in a sloppy first inning and suffered his first home loss in two months.

Rockies 8, D’backs 4 In Phoenix, Aaron Cook earned his first victory of the season as Colorado downed Arizona. Cook (1-5) allowed four runs and also went 2 for 3 with the bat, scoring a run and driving in another. Dexter Fowler finished 3 for 5, needing only a home run for the cycle, and

Cubs 4, Astros 2 In Chicago, Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano hit fifth-inning homers as Chicago beat Houston. Ramirez’s two-run shot, capped Chicago’s fourrun rally in the inning.

His 13 homers since June 24 are the most in the majors. Soriano started the inning with his 15th of the season.

Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano (7-5) won for just the second time since May 26. He went six innings, allowing two runs and walking one. Houston starter Bud Norris (5-7) went 6 1-3 innings, allowing four runs. —AP

Red Sox down Mariners

COLLEGE PARK: Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank makes his way past the media as he arrives at an NFL owners labor committee meeting. —AP

NFL lockout remains in place NEW YORK: The National Football League (NFL) lockout remained intact on Friday as players and their representatives paused before committing to their next step.

The players are spending the day discussing a proposal from team owners aimed at ending a bitter labor dispute that has been dragging on since mid-March. NFL team owners have given the players until Tuesday to approve the new collective bargaining agreement and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) said they were still considering their response.

“Player leadership is discussing the most recent written proposal with the NFL, which includes a settlement agreement, deal terms and the right process for addressing recertification,” NFLPA president Kevin Mawae said in a statement. Mawae said the NFLPA would not make any further comment on Friday out of respect for Myra Kraft, the wife of New England Patriots own-

er Robert Kraft, who died on Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. Her funeral was taking place on Friday and being attended by team owners and NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith.

The terms of the 10-year deal accepted by the owners at a meeting in Atlanta on Thursday were on the condition that the players also signed off on the agreement.

Local media reported that the league told team officials on Friday that training facilities and the start of the free agent signing period would remain closed until the deal was signed. Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy told reporters it was up to the players to make the next move.

“We’ve put our pens down,” Murphy said. “We’ve negotiated in good faith with the union. We’ve reached an agreement on all the key points. “They know what we ratified and they’re voting to ratify the same thing.” — Reuters

BOSTON: Jacoby Ellsbury his seventh home run of the month and John Lackey picked up his third consecutive win as the Boston Red Sox extended Seattle’s losing streak to 13 with a 7-4 win over the tumbling Mariners on Friday night.

Seattle is one loss away from equaling the franchise record for consecutive losses, which was set in September 1992. Seattle hasn’t won since July 5 and is just 6-21 since the Mariners improved to 37-35 and were a half-game out of first place on June 19.

Felix Hernandez (8-9) pitched strongly through six innings, but unraveled in the seventh as the Red Sox added five runs to break open the game.

Lackey (8-8) only had a one-run lead until Boston’s big seventh inning. He allowed one run on eight hits and struck out for in seven innings. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 22nd save.

Rangers 12, Blue Jays 2 At Arlington, Texas, Nelson Cruz broke out of an extended slump with a career-high eight RBIs and Colby Lewis took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of his 10th victory as Texas beat Toronto.

Cruz drove in runs with hits in each of his four at-bats. His RBI double in the second put Texas ahead to stay and he added a three-run homer, his 22nd, in the fourth off Jo-Jo Reyes (5-8). The slugger had only one RBI in his previous 11 games. Lewis (10-7) allowed one run and two hits over 6 2-3 innings to become the third Rangers starter to win 10 games this season.

Angels 6, Orioles 1 At Baltimore, Ervin Santana allowed just one hit into the eighth inning and Vernon Wells hit a grand slam in the ninth as Los Angeles beat Baltimore.

It was the Angels’ first win against Baltimore since Aug. 17, 2009, when Santana threw six innings in an 8-5 victory. Los Angeles went 0-6 against the Orioles last year.

Santana (5-8) allowed three hits and a walk

BOSTON: Seattle Mariners’ Mike Carp and Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia watch Carp’s three-run home run during the eighth inning. —AP in 7 1-3 innings to earn his first road win in seven starts since April 29. It was the seventh straight start overall in which he allowed three earned runs or fewer. The only hit against Santana over the first seven innings was an opposite-field double by No. 9 hitter Blake Davis with one out in the sixth.

Yankees 17, Athletics 7 At New York, Mark Teixeira hit a grand slam and Nick Swisher had a three-run drive in a nine-run third inning as New York routed Oakland.

Swisher and Teixeira homered with two bases-loaded walks in between as the Yankees had their highest-scoring inning of

the season - it was also the most runs allowed by the A’s in an inning in 2011. The big inning followed a five-run burst against Trevor Cahill (8-9) in the second and sent Oakland to its 11th straight loss against New York.

White Sox 3, Indians 0 At Cleveland, Gavin Floyd allowed four hits over 7 2-3 innings and Carlos Quentin hit a three-run homer in the fifth to give Chicago a victory over Cleveland. Floyd (8-9) earned his second straight win after going 0-4 over six previous starts. The right-hander struck out five and didn’t issue a walk for the first time in 19 starts. Quentin’s 20th homer came off Carlos Carrasco (8-8). —AP

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

S P ORT S

Countdown: 1 year to go to London Olympics LONDON: The London Olympics will open just over a year from now, amid the stunning and historic backdrops of the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace - all the monuments that make this city one of the world’s most popular destinations.

For that very reason, these games will have a security presence like no other in the face of a constant terrorist threat.

Wednesday marks the one-year countdown to the opening ceremony on July 27, 2012.

For years, London has bracing for the Olympic onslaught: 10,500 athletes from more than 200 countries; 5,000 coaches and team officials; 20,000 media personnel; and, hundreds of thousands of visitors.

All for an extravaganza in the most memorable of settings, featuring 26 sports in 32 venues. It’s a tall order, even for a place where the flow of tourists never stops. And it’s that much more challenging just seven years after a coordinated, deadly attack on London’s transit system.

The message from Mayor Boris Johnson: Don’t worry. Everything is taken care of. “With a year to go we can safely say we are ready to welcome the world,” he said.

Venue construction is largely completed, tickets are almost sold out, and the government says the games will come in under the 9.298 billion pound ($15 billion) budget. The Olympic Park is changing the face of a previously rundown area of east London. Athletes will be competing in iconic venues and locations across the capital.

Fans will see Usain Bolt sprinting down the track in a new 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium, beach volleyball players dueling on the sand in Horse Guards Parade, triathletes splashing in Hyde Park’s Serpentine, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal step-

ping back onto Centre Court at Wimbledon, archers firing their arrows at Lord’s cricket ground and showjumpers clearing fences at Greenwich Park.

Underpinning the sports festival will be one of the biggest security operations ever mounted.

Security at the Olympics has been a critical issue ever since the 1972 Munich massacre, even more so after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. A day after London was awarded the games in 2005, suicide bombers attacked London’s transport network, killing 52 people.

The British government is planning for the national terror threat to be “severe” during the Olympics, meaning an attempted attack is highly likely. Security screenings for spectators will be tight and widespread, with airport-style checks at most venues. Away from the competition sites, protecting the Underground subway network and public places will be a major challenge.

“We’re already seeing chatter from terror groups regarding the 2012 Games but none of it seems defined at the moment,” said a British security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of his work. “This is to be expected though with an event of this magnitude.”

About 12,000 police officers will be on duty each day of the July 27-Aug. 12 games, which have a security budget of 475 million pounds ($770 million). British officials say the country has the experience and know-how in dealing with terrorism.

“I am as sure as you can possibly be one year out from a games that we have done everything that we need to deliver a safe and secure games,” Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson said.

Extra surveillance cameras will also be installed around the Olympic Park - Britain has some of the most extensive surveillance powers in the world and has become a leader in what critics call “Big Brother”

techniques with its more than 4.3 million closed-circuit cameras in operation.

All Olympics workers will be put through a vigorous screening, including checks for terror and other criminal offenses.

Organizers are determined to keep security from being overwhelming. They point to the successful policing of the royal wedding in April of Prince William and Kate Middleton, when a million people lined the procession route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace.

“We’re very good at policing in a friendly and a discrete way,” organizing committee leader Sebastian Coe said. “The real challenge is to maintain security to protect the athletes, protect people, protect assets, but at the same time having people leaving your city feeling they haven’t been pushed from pillar to post.”

Despite the tight security, London wants these games to be a party. While the Beijing Olympics were marked by a sterile atmosphere, London promises knowledgeable fans, packed venues, “live sites” with giant screens around the city and a “home” crowd of citizens from different nationalities, cultures and backgrounds. It will all kick off with an opening ceremony created by “Slumdog Millionaire” director Danny Boyle.

“It won’t be the same as Beijing,” Johnson said.

“I’ve always said it would be different. It would be splendid. It would be brilliant. It would be brilliant in an entirely different way.

“Wait till you see that opening ceremony. I think you will be weeping tears of joy after that opening ceremony. That’s my confident prediction.”

While Athens struggled to the last minute to finish venues for the 2004 Olympics, and Beijing was battered for its record on Tibet and human rights ahead of the 2008 Games, London has enjoyed a

comparatively smooth and crisis-free ride so far.

On the down side, the British public has complained bitterly about the ticket sales process, and London’s strained public transport system faces tough challenges to keep the city moving smoothly during the games.

Coe, a two-time 1,500-meter Olympic gold medalist and former 800-meter record-holder, surveys the year ahead like a runner entering the “midway back straight” on the final lap.

“I know from 800s that’s where it’s won and lost,” Coe said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I don’t kid myself. This is a crucial part of the race, and how you come out of that 500 to 600 (meters) often determines how you come across the line.”

On Wednesday, London will mark the year-to-go milestone with a televised ceremony from Trafalgar Square, with International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge on hand to formally invite the world’s athletes to the games. Organizers will present the design of the Olympic medals and, in the Olympic Park, British medal hopeful Tom Daley will perform the first dive into the Olympic pool.

“If we compare with previous games, we are well advanced and this is a very comfortable position,” Denis Oswald, the Swiss IOC executive board member who leads the coordination commission for London, told the AP. “This is especially the case when you don’t have to worry about construction and you can really concentrate on the operations side.” Olympic organizers say 88 percent of the venues and infrastructure work for the games has been completed. The Olympic Park in Stratford has a set of gleaming new venues, including the main Olympic Stadium, the velodrome, handball arena and temporary basketball arena. The aquatics center, with its sweeping wave-shaped roof, will be formally completed on Wednesday. —AP

Canadian Open set for battle of generations

FRANCE: Ai Miyazato of Japan plays on the eighteenth hole during the third round of the Evian Masters women’s golf tournament. —AP

Miyazato leads Evian Masters FRANCE: Japan’s Ai Miyazato had a bogeyfree third round of 67 here yesterday to take the lead and raise her hopes of repeating her 2009 victory in the Evian Masters.

On a day that started dull and wet, the sun was shining by the time leaders set out and Miyazato took advantage of the ideal conditions with a glorious round of five birdies for a 13 under par total that pushed her two shots ahead of a packed field.

Four players shared second place Americans Stacy Lewis and Angela Stanford, South Korea’s Hong Ran and the halfway leader, Japan’s Miki Saiki. Miyazato admits she struggled during the early part of the season in the wake of her country’s earthquake disaster.

It hit around her home city of Sendai.

But she has helped raise $130,000 for the disaster fund and admits she is now able to focus more on her golf.

“Today I hit the ball well and felt really comfortable out there,” said the 26-yearold, whose last of six LPGA wins came at the Safeway Classic in August last year.

“But two shots is nothing. There are so many great players piled up behind me.

“But I also know I can win here. I love the tournament and the win two years ago was my first on the LPGA so it will always be special.” Saiki dropped back with an outward half of 37 but hit back with three birdies on the back nine and a round of 70.

Hon made her move with a 67, while Lewis

was disappointed to drop two late shots for a 69.

Stanford made the best start of the contenders and was out in front after three birdies in the first seven holes. But she made a mistake at two par fives - taking six at both the ninth and 15th - and that wiped out her two back nine birdies and left her with a 69. South Korea’s Kim In-Kyung soared into contention and joined Swede Maria Hjorth in a share of sixth place and just three off the lead with a best of tournament eight under par 64, a round that included nine birdies, four of them at the short holes. “It was great to birdie all the par threes,” said the three-time LPGA Tour winner. “I started with three birdies in a row from the second and it just seemed to snowball. I was so far behind that I went out to attack. I think the winning score will be around 18 under so I need another good one tomorrow.”

Defending champion Shin Jiyai, from South Korea, just about stayed in contention with a 70 for eight under par, while Taiwan’s Yani Tseng, the world No.1, produced her best score of the week with a 68 for six under. Montelimar ’s Virginie Lagoutte-Clement continued to lead the home challenge. But a third round 74 saw her slip back to two under par. Gwladys Nocera (72) was on level par and Anne LiseCaudal, the third French player to make the cut, had a 74 for one over par. —AFP

Golden Lions sparkle in diamond city JOHANNESBURG: Perennial underachievers Golden Lions crushed Griqualand West 49-11 yesterday in diamond city Kimberley to move into the unaccustomed position of Currie Cup table toppers.

The Johannesburg team without a title since 1999 lead defending champions Sharks on points difference after an eight-try triumph in the northern Cape that must have surprised even their most partisan supporters.

With record 32-time champions Western Province third, Free State Cheetahs fourth and Blue Bulls fifth just two rounds into the season, it has not taken long for the cream to rise to the top despite the leading teams lacking stars on national duty.

Late victors over the lowly Mpumalanga Pumas last weekend in the opening round of the South African championship, the Lions reacted positively to three personnel changes and a tongue lashing from coach and former All Blacks handler John Mitchell.

Scrum-half Jano Vermaak grabbed three tries, left wing Lionel Mapoe two and fly-half Burton Francis, right wing Deon van Rensburg and centre Waylon Murray one each while Francis raised his points haul to 35 from two games by also kicking three conversions and a penalty.

After holding 2010 runners-up Province in Cape Town, Griquas were expected to push the Lions at home, but trailed 36-6 at half-time and did not cross the line until the hour mark when captain and number eight Jonathan Mokuena dotted down.

Bulls bounced back from an opening round thumping at the Sharks to edge Cheetahs 33-30 in a Pretoria thriller with fly-half Francois Brummer separating the sides via a 70th-minute penalty.

Brummer-standing in for Springbok Morne Steyn-accumulated 18 points from four penalties and the conversions of tries by left wing Gerhard van den Heever, flank Derick Kuun and right wing Akona Ndungane. —AFP

VANCOUVER: The Canadian Open leaderboard took on a retro tinge after veteran American Chad Campbell climbed into a share of the second round lead on Friday with two of golf’s elder statesmen lurking one shot back.

Carrying over his superb form from the British Open where he finished in a tie for fifth, 37-year-old Campbell took advantage of ideal scoring conditions to card a three-under 67 on an intriguing day at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club that featured glimpses into golf’s past and future.

Unheralded American Michael Thompson, who spent last season playing in golf’s lower leagues on the Hooters Tour, was an unfamiliar name on the leaderboard, signing for a 66 to join Campbell on four-under 136.

But for the older crowd there was no need to introduce the two men chasing the leaders as 46-year-old Lee Janzen and 47-year-old Paul Goydos turned back the clock with second round charges.

Janzen, a two-time US Open champion who has not won a PGA Tour event since 1998, thrilled the gallery carding a tidy two-under 68 while Goydos had a 69 to leave both one men one off the pace.

“I’ve hit good shots on tough courses when it mattered before and that’s what I have to remember,” Janzen told reporters. “Golfers beat themselves up. We’re all optimistic about the future and pessimistic about the present. “You have to have patience but perseverance is even more important.”

The 107th Canadian Open could yet be remembered for a showdown of the generations with golf’s Golden Oldies being hotly pursued by the new generation led by colorful American 22-year-old Rickie Fowler and 26-

VANCOUVER: Michael Thompson of the United States tees off of the first hole during the third round of the Canadian Open golf tournament. — AP year-old South African Masters champion Charl Schwartzel.

Fowler, who was just two when Janzen turned professional, had a 69 and Schwartzel a 67 to join Australia’s 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy (68) and group of four other golfers two shots back.

Also in the pack at two-under 138 are Canadians David Hearn (68) and 23-year-old Adam Hadwin (66), who signaled a changing of

the guard in Canadian golf moving into contention on the same day that Mike Weir, the 2003 Masters champion, was forced to withdraw from the event with an elbow injury.

No Canadian has claimed the national championship since Pat Fletcher in 1954. “I wouldn’t say there is any added pressure,” said Hadwin.”I think me and David are trying to win the thing.

“We’re both going to prepare like we’re going to win a championship.” —Reuters

Wallabies rally to hammer Springboks SYDNEY: Australia took out all the hurt and humiliation of last week’s loss to Samoa on a weakened South Africa yesterday, battering the Springboks 39-20 in the Tri-Nations opener to put their World Cup season back on course.

The five tries were scored by Ben Alexander, Digby Ioane, James O’Connor, Stephen Moore and Adam Ashley-Cooper but it was the return of the brilliant halfback combination of Will Genia and Quade Cooper that galvanised the Wallabies.

The Springboks, missing more than 20 frontline players from their touring squad, were no match for the sharpness and guile of the home attack and tries from Chiliboy Ralepelle and John Smit only added a veneer of respectability to the score.

Tries in the first 10 minutes from prop Alexander and winger Ioane set the tone for the evening, banishing the memory of the limp Australian effort that allowed the Samoans to prosper.

“Critically we got our shoulders down, not only in defence but also in attack and on the back of that we got some momentum which the blokes will be happy with,” said Wallabies coach Robbie Deans. In the eighth minute Cooper, who missed training on Friday with a stomach upset, side-stepped out of defence and streaked up the pitch before finding Kurtley Beale who in turn got the ball to O’Connor.

O’Connor was snared by the defence but the Wallabies recycled the ball quickly and moved it down the line to Alexander, who crossed the line with ease.

Two minutes later it was scrumhalf Genia’s turn to fire the attack inside the Australian 22, his blindside break getting him to the halfway line where he found Ioane who outwitted Springboks fullback Gio Aplon to touch down.

A first half hammering looked on the cards at that point but the ball would not quite go to hand for the Wallabies and a O’Connor

penalty and two from South Africa flyhalf Morne Steyn saw the teams turn around at 15-6.

The Wallabies came out firing again after the break, however, and three more tries had them 39-6 up with the game all but won after 57 minutes.

Cooper ’s trademark drift across the defence set up O’Connor to score in the corner before experienced Stephen Moore bulldozed his way through the middle of the defence.

O’Connor added a penalty when the Springboks were penalised for collapsing a scrum before another backline break allowed Ashley-Cooper to score the fifth try.

Ralepelle replied with a try two minutes

later but the Wallabies were already starting to empty the bench and when Smit went over from close range four minutes from time the match was well out of reach. “You’ve got to look after your ball,” said Springbok coach Peter de Villiers. “Some people will say soft tries but I would say the decisions they made on turnover ball were brilliant.”

The world champions next week take their weakened party to Wellington to face the All Blacks, who host the Wallabies the following weekend in Auckland.

“It was a step forward,” said Deans. “But there’s going to have be another one, we have a bit of time off now to refocus and work on some things before Eden Park where it will go up another notch.” —Reuters

SYDNEY: South Africa’s Juan de Jongh (left) is tackled by Australia’s Ben McCalman during their Tri-Nations rugby match. —AP

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Bolt edges out Carter in Monaco Fighting French runners suspended after punch-up

SHANGHAI: Medalists in the women’s 3-Meter Springboard final (from left) Canada’s Jennifer Abel bronze, China’s Wu Minxia gold and compatriot He Zi silver, pose with their medals at the FINA Swimming World Championships.—AP

China poised for diving sweep SHANGHAI: China moved to within just one victory of a historic diving clean sweep yesterday, as US great Michael Phelps said he was determined to go out with a bang in his final year of swimming. With basketball icon Yao Ming watching from the stands, Wu Minxia claimed the 3m springboard title ahead of synchro partner He Zi, giving the hosts a stunning nine out of nine gold medals at the Crescent Lagoon pool.

Wu’s first individual world title-just months after the retirement of her former partner, “diving queen” Guo Jingjing-means the pressure will fall on Qiu Bo to complete the first ever 10medal haul in today’s men’s 10m final.

But Qiu looked in sublime form as he led the semi-finals by nearly 80 points, with British reigning champion Tom Daley well back in sixth, and will be hot favourite to put the final seal on China’s total dominance.

Meanwhile, Phelps, who has 14 Olympic titles, admitted it would be “really weird to hang up the suit” but said he was hoping to write a final, magnificent chapter-starting with the Shanghai swimming events from today.

“I am excited for the next year and I’m excited to move on and try some other things but also at the same point I think it’s going to be really weird to hang up the suit,” he said.

“Just thinking about all the memories that you’ve gone through and experiences that we’ve had and pools we’ve been to, countries we’ve been to, so I think that was kind of hard to think about.

“I thought about that a lot a month or two ago and it’s just strange for me to think about, but I know that I’ve got a year left and it’s going to be a good year. I’m excited for it and I’ll have fun.”

Phelps admitted he had been “lazy” in recent years, culminating in a series of shock losses. But Phelps and his coach Bob Bowman both said training was going well despite condensing a year’s work into the past nine months.

“I think we’re now in the best place we can be with everything that’s happened. I feel good in the water and ready to compete, kind of tired of waiting around,” the 26-year-old said. “I’m in a lot better shape than I was last year. I don’t think I’m in the same ballpark as I was last year,” he added.

Elsewhere, soaring temperatures prompted angry complaints and a swathe of withdrawals from the gruelling 25km marathon swim, which is in the safety spotlight after the death of a top athlete.

More than 20 swimmers did not finish the race and some were carried away on stretchers as water temperatures hit 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit), above the limit considered safe by America’s open water commission.

“I just want to have a rest, waiting for some water and ice,” said Bulgaria’s Petar Stoychev, who won the men’s race in 5hr 10min 39.8sec.

“The organisation of Shanghai is brilliant, it’s really well prepared. However, I don’t like the heat here, the weather is not for me.” —AFP

Medals Table SHANGHAI: World championships medals table after the eighth day of competition yesterday: Gold China 9 Russia 7 Germany 1 Greece 1 United States 1 Brazil 1

Silver Bronze Total 10 1 20 3 3 13 3 3 7 1 1 3 0 1 2 0 0 1

Britain Bulgaria Switzerland Australia Spain Canada Italy France Mexico Hungary Ukraine

1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 5 2 2 0 2 1 1

1 1 1 3 6 3 3 1 2 1 1

MONACO: World and Olympic champion Usain Bolt needed a late surge to narrowly beat fellow Jamaican Nesta Carter in the 100 metres with his season’s best time of 9.88 seconds at the Monaco Diamond League meeting on Friday.

Bolt overhauled his compatriot, who also ran his season’s best of 9.90, in the last 15 metres while American Michael Rodgers finished third with 9.96.

“It was not the best start, but I executed well overall,” Bolt told reporters after finding his form in his last scheduled meeting ahead of next month’s world championships.

“My last 60 metres have improved dramatically. I need to work on my reaction time, but I’ve been doing great in training, so I’m just focusing and I feel ready.

“My aim this season is to run 9.7, maybe 9.6. For me, this year it’s about building myself and go into the Olympic season fit and ready. London (2012 Olympics) is the key.”

Bolt set his 100 metres record of 9.58 at the 2009 world championships in Berlin and will defend his title at the Aug. 27-Sept. 4 world championships in Daegu, South Korea. He will face competition from compatriot Asafa Powell who set a world leading time of 9.78 in Lausanne last month. Among the others athletes posting world leading times ahead of the worlds were 800 metres world record holder David Rudisha, the Kenyan winning in one minute 42.61 seconds.

Britain’s Mo Farah also set the season’s best time in the 5,000 as he beat American Bernard Lagat in a sprint to the line in a time of 12 minutes 53.11. In the women’s 200 Carmelita Jeter beat compatriot Allyson Felix, a three-time world champion at the distance, and Shalonda Solomon in an American clean sweep.

Olympic 400 hurdles champion Angelo Taylor held his nerve to defeat compatriot Bershawn Jackson while Britain’s world champion Phillips Idowu won the triple jump with 17.36 metres.

Meanwhile, top French runners Mehdi Baala and Mahiedine

Mekhissi Benabbad have been suspended pending an inquiry into their embarrassing punch-up on the track on Friday.

The two men squared up and traded blows at the end of the 1500m, prompting Bernard Amsalem, the president of the French athletics federation, to set up a meeting of the disciplinary committee. The committee will

Benabbad lashed out at his senior team-mate when he came over to console him, headbutts and slaps shared between the two, to the jeers and whistles of a large crowd at the Louis II stadium.

Fourth-placed Nick Willis of New Zealand had to step in to separate the pair who rounded on each other like boxers, footage of which is already an internet hit

talking to you’, and after that I felt his head against mine.

“When you feel threatened, you do what there is to do. It’s pathetic to see things like that.

People like that don’t have their place in sport. But saying that, it’s very rare to see assholes like him.”

Benabbad intially described the incident as “a bit of a laugh” but issued a more measured

MONACO: Usain Bolt of Jamaica (right) wins the 100m in front of Jamaican Michael Frater (left) and Christophe Lemaitre of France (center) at the Herculis International Athletics Meeting.—AP meet within the next eight days during which time the two runners will be provisionally suspended, Baala, world silver medallist in 2003 and bronze medallist in the Beijing Olympics in 2008, clashed with Benabbad, the 3000m steeplechase Olympic silver medallist, after the end of Friday’s Diamond League race.

The duo had finished 9th and 11th in a high-quality race won

by Kenyan Silas Kiplagat, in one of the last outings before the August 27-September 4 world championships in Daegu, South Korea.

But at the end of the race

through video-sharing website youtube. The violent exchange did not stop there, however, the runners continuing to exchange strong words as they moved off the track into the bowels of the stadium.

“There was a misunderstanding,” said Ghani Yalouz, technical director of the French athletics federation, quoted by L’Equipe daily. “I told them to apologise to each other and that’s what they did.” Baala said immediately after the fracas: “I didn’t understand. I went over to see him, moved to put my hand behind his head and he said ‘I have a reason for not

apology yesterday. “I sincerely regret having reacted badly to the provocation,” he said in a statement sent to AFP. “It all started with a misunderstanding. It is not worthy of the values of our sport of athletics.

This behaviour is not like me. It was an incomprehensible and stupid reaction. “I deplore these shameful acts,” said Benabbad who went on to apologise to television viewers, the public, sponsors, his club and the French federation. “Today I feel a sense of shame and guilt. I am sad and I will do everything possible to redeem myself.”—Agencies

England on top despite Dravid ton

GERMANY: Red Bull driver Mark Webber of Australia races during the qualification of the Formula One German Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring circuit.—AP

Webber on pole as Vettel misses out NUERBURGRING: A determined Mark Webber of Red Bull secured pole position for today’s German Grand Prix with a blistering performance in the final minutes of yesterday’s tense and competitive qualifying session.

On a cold afternoon in the Eifel mountains, the 34-year-old Australian was dominant as unexpected nearest rival Lewis Hamilton grabbed second place for McLaren.

The Briton’s performance pushed defending champion Sebastian Vettel in the second Red Bull off the front row of the grid.

It was the first time this year that 24-year-old German, the runaway leader in this year’s title race, had failed to qualify on the front row and, overall, the first time in 15 Grands Prix since last season’s Italian Grand Prix.

For Webber, it confirmed his liking for the Nurburgring circuit, where he claimed his first career win two years ago. It was his second pole in successive races, his third this year and the ninth of his career. Webber clocked a fastest lap of one minute and 30.079 seconds to take the prime starting position ahead of Hamilton, who produced a brilliant effort to take second just 0.05 seconds behind him in his McLaren.

Webber said: “My form has been getting better and this track’s not been too bad for me in the past. “The boys did a great job on the car - there were some late nights in the lead up to here but we got it together in the end. After my lap I thought that if someone gets me they deserve it because I was at my limit and it was a great lap.”

“That was a wicked lap,” said Hamilton after splitting the Red Bulls. “It had everything.” He added: “I really must thank and congratulate my team.

The upgrades this weekend — updates and

improvements to engine modes - have been arriving all the time and they have helped massively. “I underestimated how good the car would be when we went to light fuel load. It was one of the happiest and most comforting laps I have ever had, I felt incredible. We are not far from them (Red Bull) so I’m very happy.” Vettel, whose form has slipped from his own very high standards in the lat two months, was only able to take third place ahead of two-times champion Fernando Alonso and his Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa who was fifth after a dramatic finale to qualifying. A defensive Vettel insisted: “It is not a disappointment. I would like to be further up, but it was a tough session.

The balance was not right yesterday and although we made a bit of a recovery today, we should have been quicker..” Vettel has never won a race on home soil and is desperate to end that record on his ‘homecoming’ as champion, but he has looked slightly ill at ease as his main rivals have begun to produce faster and more competitive performances. German Nico Rosberg took sixth for Mercedes ahead of Briton Jenson Button in the second McLaren.

Then came another German, Adrian Sutil of Force India, Russian Vitaly Petrov of Renault and seven-times champion local hero Michael Schumacher, 42, in the second Mercedes.

‘Schumi’ was 2.4 seconds off pole.

Jenson Button aborted his final qualifying lap and said afterwards he was mystified at being comprehensively outpaced by Hamilton.

“We lost the balance that we had in the morning and I don’t know the answer,” he said. The German Grand Prix is the 10th round in the 19race calendar. —AFP

LONDON: England remained in charge of their series opener with India despite Rahul Dravid finally achieving the coveted dream of a Test century at Lord’s yesterday — 15 years after falling agonisingly short.

At the close of the third day, England were five without loss in their second innings, a lead of 193 runs after bowling India out for 286 in reply to their first innings 474 for eight declared.

The 38-year-old Dravid, dropped on 42, made 103 not out, finally getting his name on the Lord’s honours board 15 years after he was dismissed for 95 here on his debut in 1996. His 33rd hundred in 154 Tests and fifth against England was key to India avoiding the follow-on. It also went some way to compensating India fans who saw Sachin Tendulkar fall for 34 when what they wanted was for the ‘Little Master’ to score his 100th international hundred.

Tendulkar fell to Stuart Broad who, in increasingly overcast, seam-friendly conditions, led England’s attack with a miserly four for 37 in 22 overs.

India had hoped to have Zaheer Khan, their strike bowler, back for England’s second innings after the left-arm quick spent most of the first innings off the field with a hamstring strain. But, worryingly for India, Zaheer did not take the field for the five overs England batted yesterday. England captain Andrew Strauss was three not out and Alastair Cook unbeaten on nought at stumps.

England, bidding to replace India at the top of the ICC’s Test Championship table, struggled as Dravid and Tendulkar, India’s two most experienced batsmen, compiled a third-wicket stand of 81. The 38-year-old Tendulkar was given the unusual honour of a standing ovation by a capacity 28,500 crowd as he walked out to bat in what could be his last Test at Lord’s, with India 77 for two.

He had been rested from India’s recent tour of the West Indies and spent much of the intervening time practising at Lord’s, where his top score in seven previous Test innings was a mere 37.

Tendulkar’s first boundary, a backfoot puched cover-drive off fast bowler Chris Tremlett, was a classic. But a 58-ball innings featuring six fours ended when Tendulkar edged a good length ball from Broad low to Graeme Swann at second slip.

Broad, who bowled India’s openers before lunch, might have dismissed all the trio of Tendulkar, Dravid and Venkatsai Laxmanwho now have 100 Test hundreds between them-but for dropped catches. Laxman was on nought when Strauss put down a sitter at first slip and the same over saw Swann, diving to his right, fail to hold a more difficult chance offered by Dravid.

Laxman, though, fell for 10 when he timed a flick off Tremlett so well that the ball flew straight to Jonathan Trott at long leg.

England took the new ball as soon as they could with India 235 for five off 80 overs. It led to India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni edging Tremlett to Swann for a painstaking 28.

Harbhajan Singh was then caught behind off Tremlett for nought and India were 241 for seven-still needing 34 to avoid the follow-on.

But Praveen Kumar, who had taken a Test-best five for 106 with his medium-pacers on Friday, proved a thorn in England’s side with the bat. Dravid, 80 when Kumar came in, went into the 90s with a typically stylish on-driven four off Tremlett before Kumar’s single off Broad saved the follow-on. However, Kumar was out for 17 when he skied a Broad bouncer and Strauss, running back from first slip, held the catch. —AFP

LONDON: India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni (left) hits a ball from England’s Graeme Swann during the 3rd day of the first Test match at Lord’s cricket ground.—AP

SCOREBOARD LONDON: Scoreboard at close of India’s first innings on the third day of the first Test against England at Lord’s yesterday: England 1st Innings 474-8 dec (K Pietersen 202 no, M Prior 71, J Trott 70; Praveen Kumar 5-106) India 1st Innings (overnight: 17-0) A. Mukund b Broad 49 G. Gambhir b Broad 15 R. Dravid not out 103 S. Tendulkar c Swann b Broad 34 V. Laxman c Trott b Tremlett 10 S. Raina lbw b Swann 0 MS Dhoni c Swann b Tremlett 28 Harbhajan Singh c Prior b Tremlett 0 P. Kumar c Strauss b Broad 17 Zaheer Khan b Anderson 0 I. Sharma c Prior b Anderson 0 Extras (b5, lb12, w1, nb12) 30 Total (all out, 95.5 overs, 422 mins) 286 Fall of wickets: 1-63 (Gambhir), 2-77

(Mukund), 3-158 ( Tendulkar), 4-182 (Laxman), 5-183 (Raina), 6-240 (Dhoni), 7-241 (Harbhajan), 8-276 (Kumar), 9-284 (Zaheer), 10-286 (Sharma) Bowling: Anderson 23.5-6-87-2; Tremlett 24-5-80-3 (10nb); Broad 22-837-4 (2nb, 1w); Trott 6-1-12-0; Swann 19-3-50-1; Pietersen 1-0-3-0.

England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson.

Match position: England lead India by 188 runs with all 10 second innings wickets standing.

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Olympic soccer might not sell out, says minister LONDON: Britain’s Olympics minister Hugh Robertson said he could not guarantee all the stadiums for the soccer tournament would be full in 2012 after a sluggish start to ticket sales compared with all the other events which have already sold out.

Asked in an interview with Reuters whether all the soccer tickets would be sold, he replied: “I really don’t know. “I always thought of all the Olympic tickets they were going to be the most difficult ones to sell because the football market is quite saturated in this country.”

Soccer is traditionally one of the biggest Olympic revenue spinners, with sell-out crowds treated in the past to glimpses of the world’s leading young players including Argentina’s World Player

of the Year Lionel Messi in Beijing in 2008.

About 500,000 tickets have been so sold so far, with matches at Wembley Stadium in London, where the final will be played, thought to have been outselling other stadiums.

However, about1.5 million soccer tickets remain unsold. While England, football’s birthplace, regularly attracts huge crowds for Premier League matches, fans have seemingly struggled to get excited about the 16-team men’s tournament, which is an Under-23 competition with three over-age players allowed, or the 12-team women’s tournament with no age limit.

One reason is that British teams, rather than separate ones representing England, Scotland,

Northern Ireland or Wales, will take part in the Games, and a debate about who will play and who will be the manager remains unresolved.

The issue mainly concerns the men’s team and has left London’s organisers with the difficult task of trying to sell about two million soccer tickets, nearly a third of all those on offer in Britain and the European Union.

“I just always thought that was going to be very difficult (to sell the soccer tickets), so I’m not surprised by the fact they’ve proved the most difficult to shift,” Robertson added.

Soccer tickets will go on sale for a third time later this year with prices between 20 and 185 pounds ($32 and $302).

As well as Wembley, soccer will

also be staged at Old Trafford, Hampden Park in Glasgow, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, St James’ Park in Newcastle and the City of Coventry Stadium. The tournament will kick off two days ahead of the July 27 opening ceremony because of the heavy schedule.

Britain won the first two official soccer tournaments in 1908 and 1912, but have not reached the Olympic finals since 1960. They last entered a team for the 1972 Munich Olympics but were eliminated in the qualifiers.

No British team have taken part since because the home nations have not wanted to jeopardise their individual memberships of world soccer’s governing body FIFA. There is a widespread belief,

certainly among the Scots, Welsh and Irish, that if they allow their players to take part in a British team political pressure from other FIFA members could mount for them to always play as a British team.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has repeatedly said this will not be the case but attempts to bring together players from the home nations for 2012 have still been strongly resisted and mean it is likely that only English players will take part.

Former England captain David Beckham has been mooted as one of the three permitted over-age players, and his presence would certainly help boost sluggish sales.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has suggested offering any unsold tickets to local school-

children to avoid the embarrassment of empty seats.

But Robertson suggested soccer fans may be leaving their purchases until nearer the matches.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if there didn’t continue to be some football tickets available until quite close to the event,” he said.

“The extraordinary thing about tickets really is not the football tickets that have not sold but the huge numbers of everything else that has. “I don’t think any other Olympic city has found itself in a position 13 months out from the Games when it has sold out of tickets.

“Personally, I was surprised. I knew there would be high demand for tickets, I was surprised by just how high the demand was.” —Reuters

Uruguay, Paraguay set for surprise Copa final

JOHANNESBURG: Tottenham Hotspur Bongani Khumalo (left) defends against Orlando Pirates Sameehg Doutie (right) during the 2011 Vodacom Challenge. —AP

Spurs sink Pirates JOHANNESBURG: Tottenham Hotspur defeated Orlando Pirates 3-0 for the second time in four years in a Vodacom Challenge final yesterday to boost their pre-season preparations.

Netherlands midfielder Rafael van der Vaart struck either side of half-time for the Premier League outfit at cool, clear Ellis Park and England striker Jermain Defoe completed the scoring three minutes from full-time.

It was the most impressive display by Tottenham of a three-match tour to 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa after losing against Kaizer Chiefs last Saturday and drawing with Pirates three days later.

“The difference between the teams today was that we took our chances. It was a good trip to a fantastic country and I hope we are invited again next year,” said Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.

“Pirates and Chiefs offered good opposition and my players are fitter and stronger after the tour. Now we go home to continue preparing for our first Premier League fixture against Everton.”

Man-of-the-match Van der Vaart said: “It may be a pre-season tournament but you always want to win a final and that is why I am so happy. I enjoy playing against South African clubs and scored

two nice goals today.”

Spurs were captained for the second consecutive match by want-away Luka Modric with Chelsea having two 20-million-pound-plus offers for the Croat midfielder rejected and Redknapp insisting that none of his stars are for sale at any price.

South Africa midfielder and captain Steven Pienaar and Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes made their tour debuts for Spurs, who took control in the second half after a even opening 45 minutes.

Both teams wasted chances before Van der Vaart repeated his feat of last Tuesday by scoring from a free kick just outside the box, curling the ball over the wall and into the corner off the left hand of goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa with 35 minutes gone.

Pirates were waiting for an offside whistle when Van der Vaart raced through for the second goal eight minutes after half-time with Meyiwa saving his first attempt but unable to prevent a lob trickling into the net.

Midfielder Tlou Segolela failed to convert a penalty awarded for handball with the ball rebounding into play off a post and unmarked Defoe punished the Buccaneers with a close-range tap-in on 87 minutes off a Gareth Bale cross. —AFP

BUENOS AIRES: After two successive finals involving Brazil and Argentina, most South American football fans expected a battle of the giants in the final of the Copa America.

Instead, they can look forward to a duel between two nations whose populations barely reach the ten million of Bolivia between them, never mind the 190 million of Brazil alone.

Uruguay will be overwhelming favourites to see off Paraguay and clinch a record 15th continental crown, their first since 1995, to break their tie with Argentina.

But Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez is keen to play down the favourites’ mantle. “We have a lot of potential but Uruguay need not think it would be a disaster to come second. However, of course we believe we can win it - we have faith in ourselves and we are well prepared,” said the coach.

Argentina had expected to land a 15th Copa for themselves but instead the hosts fell to Uruguay in a quarter-final shootout to leave coach Sergio Batista fighting for his job.

Brazil likewise made a quarterfinal exit to Paraguay after failing to convert any of their kicks and Paraguay were at it again in defeating Venezuela to reach their first final since their second triumph in 1979.

Paraguay, who will likely pin their hopes on Lucas Barrios and Nelson Haedo Valdez in attack with Roque Santa Cruz still not fully fit, also won the event in 1953 and were runners-up on five occasions.

Yet here, the talk is of how they have reached today’s show-

BUENOS AIRES: Uruguay’s Egidio Arevalo Rios (left) and teammate Cristian Rodriguez go for the ball during a training session. Uruguay will face Paraguay today for the final Copa America final. —AP down at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental by drawing all their matches.

But it is Uruguay, despite having only a 3.5 million population to draw on, who have shaped the history of the world’s oldest international football tournament with their 14 wins and six final losses in 42 previous editions.

They will be looking to Diego Forlan, the top scorer at the 2010 World Cup, to find the target for the first time at the tournament.

Paraguayan midfielder Edgar Barreto insists his team do not deserve to have a negative label pinned on them.

“Everyone says how we have not won any of our games, but we didn’t lose any either,” said Barreto

in looking back at the shootout successes over first Brazil and then Venezuela.

Three of their games ended goalless though they were entertaining enough in a 2-2 group draw with the Brazilians and a 3-3 draw with Venezuela thereafter, when they let slip a 3-1 lead in the dying minutes.

On Uruguay, Barreto said: “They are a balanced side with a lot of quality and we have to pick away at their weak points to hurt them.”

Defender Ivan Piris says reaching the final is not enough now they are there. “We want more now. We want to be the champions for the first time in 32 years and make history.”

Liverpool routed 3-0 by Hull

Rangers frustrated by Hearts GLASGOW: Rangers made a sluggish start to their title defence as the Scottish champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Hearts on the opening day of the season yesterday.

Ally McCoist’s competitive debut as Rangers manager, 28 years after he made his playing bow for the Glasgow club, didn’t start happily when Uganda’s David Obua headed Hearts into a 16th minute lead at Ibrox.

Obua and David Templeton had chances to increase Hearts’ lead before half-time, but Rangers improved in the second-half and debutant Juan Manuel Ortiz crossed for Steven Naismith to nod home the second half equaliser.

Nikica Jelavic had an effort ruled out for offside seven minutes later, but Allan McGregor had to be alert to stop Obua’s shot sneaking in and Rangers will need a far better display in their Champions League qualifier against Malmo on Tuesday.

Old Firm rivals Celtic open their league campaign against Hibernian at Easter Road today. McCoist conceded that his side had been disappointing in the firsthalf, but he took some consolation from the way the hosts regained control after the break.

“We changed it a little bit at half-time and I don’t think there was any doubt we were a better team in the second-half than we were in the first,” he said.

“As disappointed as I was with the firsthalf performance, I was really pleased with the reaction from the players and we could have nicked the game.”

Hearts boss Jim Jefferies added: “We could have beaten them if it hadn’t been for a couple of great saves McGregor has made.

“What was pleasing was the way that

we were playing. Our shape was good and we passed the ball well.” Hearts made a flying start when debutant Danny Grainger sent in an excellent delivery from a corner and Obua rose unchallenged to bullet a header past McGregor from 10 yards out.

Some of the Rangers players looked to still be in holiday mode as they struggled to cope with the pace of the match in what is the earliest ever SPL start date.

Templeton took advantage of some slackness to slip between two Rangers defenders but the outrushing McGregor blocked his shot with his legs.

Obua could then have doubled his tally after Templeton slipped him in but the Ugandan lacked composure as he slammed his first-time effort into the side netting.

Naismith twice missed chances for an equaliser in the second half as he smashed Ortiz’s cross-field pass over the bar before flicking the Spaniard’s cross wide minutes later.

However it was third time lucky for Scotland striker Naismith when he headed Rangers level in the 57th minute. Sasa Papac got his cross over at the second time of asking and Naismith appeared at the near post to nod it past Kello from six yards.

Jelavic rolled the ball into the net minutes later after collecting an Ortiz pass but the Croatian had strayed offside in the build up and his effort was disallowed.

Rangers brought on Gregg Wylde for Ortiz as they searched for the winner but it was Hearts who were next to threaten, with McGregor showing why McCoist handed him a six-year contract in the summer when he produced a superb save to tip over Obua’s fierce strike from the edge of the box. —AFP

Uruguay’s Lazio midfielder Alvaro Gonzalez expects a tight contest. “Paraguay play the way they play - we know how this team works. They play it very tight and it’s very difficult to get into their box. They deserve to be in the final. They played Brazil, one of the big favourites, twice and didn’t lose.”

Young defender Sebastian Coates adds: “Paraguay will be tough opponents, given their history and tradition,” while skipper Diego Lugano forecasts that “it will be a great battle.”

The winner of today’s game will go forward to represent South America’s CONMEBOL association in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup hosted by Brazil. —AFP

COLOGNE: Cologne’s Lukas Podolski (left) challenges for the ball with Arsenal’s Carl Jenkinson (right) during a match between 1. FC Cologne and Arsenal. —AP

Gervinho marks Arsenal debut with double COLOGNE: Ivory Coast international Gervinho marked his Arsenal debut with both goals in a 2-1 win over Bundesliga side Cologne in a preseason friendly yesterday.

Gervinho, signed in the summer from French champions Lille, played just 29 minutes before he was substituted following a collision with Cologne goalkeeper Michael Rensing.

His first goal came after a fine pass from Jack Wilshere before a Theo Walcott cross set-up the second. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger-under pressure for failing to make big signings since the end of last season-was delighted that his one major purchase so far made such an immediate impact. “Gervinho had a good start and that is always important for his confidence,” Wenger said. “He has shown his qualities. He has quick movement behind the defence, the timing of his movement is great and he is easy to

find. “We have seen what he can bring to the team and he contributes to the high pace we have in the team. “We played at a good pace in the first half and looked dangerous. We took many risks and were exposed to counterattacks but, overall, I am happy.”

Wenger insisted Gervinho’s knee injury was only a minor knock, while also playing down Samir Nasri’s injury after the unsettled France midfielder-a transfer target for Manchester Citywas caught on his ankle in the second half. “Samir got a kick to his ankle, Gervinho got a kick on his knee but both have minor damage,” Wenger said.

There was less positive news about teenager Conor Henderson’s knee injury, which forced the promising midfielder to be stretchered off in the closing moments, and Wenger fears the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international could have a serious problem. —AFP

LONDON: Liverpool’s preparations for the new Premier League season suffered a setback as the Reds were routed 3-0 by Championship club Hull City in a friendly at the KC Stadium yesterday.

Kenny Dalglish handed debuts to new signings Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Alexander Doni, but the Liverpool manager, who used 22 players over the course of the match, witnessed a lacklustre display from his revamped squad.

Hull took the lead in the 21st minute when leftback Joe Dudgeon picked out Robbie Brady, who gave former Roma goalkeeper Doni no chance with an emphatic finish.

Liverpool almost hit straight back immediately when Alberto Aquilani’s pass put David Ngog through, but the French striker was denied by a brilliant save from goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, on loan at Hull from Dalglish’s team.

The hosts increased their lead soon after when Robert Koren scored with a superb effort from the edge of the penalty area.

Dalglish made 11 changes at half-time, sending on former Aston Villa winger Downing and former Sunderland midfielder Henderson for their first appearances and also introducing Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam.

But those four, who cost Liverpool a combined £83 million, couldn’t halt Hull’s momentum.

Downing was just inches away from opening his Reds account within two minutes of the restart as he forced a fine save from Adriano Basso.

But Jay Simpson got Hull’s third goal when the striker chested down Kevin Kilbane’s cross and fired home. Dalglish blamed fatigue after a heavy training session on Friday for the result and told Liverpool’s website: “Obviously we’re disappointed at losing the game. It doesn’t matter whether it was a pre-season friendly or not, but the fact it is preseason gives us a bit of solace. “We trained yesterday (Friday) as if it was a game. Everybody ran about nine or 10 thousand metres, which is equivalent to what you do in a game, so it’s like playing a game and a half in two days.” —AFP

Canadian Open set for battle of generations

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KUWAIT: Hussain Fadel of Kuwait (second left) vies for the ball against Philippine players during their World Cup qualifier match in Kuwait yesterday. Kuwait defeated Phillipines 3-0.

—Photo by Joseph Shagra

Kuwait blank Philippines

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Al-Azraq defeated Philippine’s Azkals 3-0 in the first leg of the 2014 World Cup qualifier played at the Qadisya Sports Club in Hawally late yesterday. Looking to qualify for the World Cup finals for only the second time, Kuwait opened the scoring in the 17th minute through striker Yousef

Nasser. Mesaed Neda added the second for Kuwait in the 68th before 28year-old defender Fahad Al Ebrahim put the match out of reach with a goal six minutes from time. The return leg is in the Philippines on Thursday.

The Chairman of Kuwait Football Association, Sheikh Talal Fahad AlSabah, attended the much-hyped football match. The 22,000-seater jam-

packed venue was dominated by Filipinos who came in huge numbers from across Kuwait, carrying their flag colors and the name ‘Azkals’, their country’s national football team.

“Mabrook to the Kuwait team!” said a visibly sad but composed Philippine Ambassador Shulan Primavera, who stayed till the end of the game. “It’s okay, they did their best and we are still

LA PLATA: Peru’s Paolo Guerrero celebrates after scoring during the Copa America thirdplace soccer match against Venezuela. —AP

Peru crush Venezuela for 3rd place in Copa America LA PLATA: Striker Paolo Guerrero scored three goals and set up another yesterday as Peru defeated Venezuela 4-1 to finish third in the Copa America.

Guerrero set up William Chiroque’s goal in the 42nd minute, then got his hat trick with goals in the 64th, 89th and two minutes into stoppage time.

Venezuela pulled one back through Juan Fernando Arango in the 77th, but it could not overcome going a man down in the 58th when midfielder Tomas Rincon was sent off for a hard sliding tackle.

Uruguay and Paraguay will play the final today. Host Argentina and defending champion Brazil were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the South American competition.

The fourth-place finish remains Venezuela’s best result in the Copa America. Its surprising run ended with a

loss on penalties to Paraguay in the semifinals. Yesterday’s defeat marked the team’s only loss in regulation in the tournament.

Peru, which was the worst team in South American World Cup qualifying just a year ago, was the other surprise of the South American championship. It finished third despite the absence of its top two forwards, Jefferson Farfan and Claudio Pizarro. Peru lost 2-0 to Uruguay in the semifinals. Venezuela created some of the most dangerous scoring opportunities throughout the match but Peru capitalized on its chances on counterattacks.

Peru only became more dominant after Rincon received a straight red card for a sliding tackle with his feet first on Peru’s Carlos Lobaton, who had to leave the match with an injury.

Chiroque opened the scoring on a

counterattack just before halftime. He fed the ball to Guerrero on the right and rushed into the area to meet the cross, easily finding the open net with a leftfooted shot.

A similar move led to the second Peruvian goal, but this time it was Chiroque who made the pass for Guerrero’s hard shot into the top of the net from close range.

Venezuela pulled one back with Arango’s left-footed shot from near the penalty spot, and he almost equalized in the 81st with a free kick saved by Peru goalkeeper Raul Fernandez. Guerrero secured Peru’s victory on two other counterattacks, easily scoring in front of Vega.

The goals made Guerrero the tournament’s leading scorer with five, two more than Uruguay’s Luis Suarez and Argentina’s Sergio Aguero.—AP

proud of the Filipino team, as we have seen them play till the end. The weather was not really comfortable and it was a negative factor for our players, they haven’t adjusted yet, but despite all that they played well. Anyway, we have the second round in the Philippines, we’ll see what will happen there,” he said. Kuwait and Philippines are both heading to Manila to prepare

for the scheduled July 28 match, tickets of which are reportedly sold out.

Hans Michael Weiss, the Philippine team coach, attributed the win of Kuwait to being a much advanced and well-funded team. “They are in football from ages and this is our first time reaching this far. I think we are just fine and we’ll meet them back in our home country,” the German coach noted.

Susan, a Filipino fan was not disappointed: “There is a good chance in the Philippines with the home advantage. I hope they make it there - we support our team whatever happened,” she said.

Serbian Goran Tufegdzic, the head coach of Kuwait’s national team, in a press conference last Friday, aimed for a 3-0 target and achieved it.

Asian heavyweights win WCup qualifiers SINGAPORE: Singapore beat archrivals Malaysia 5-3 in a thrilling, errorstrewn match that was the pick of World Cup Asian qualifiers yesterday, but events on the field were overshadowed by the lifetime ban handed to AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam. As a FIFA ethics committee delivered the news of Bin Hammam’s punishment for bribing officials, 15 first leg ties were taking place to determine who will join Australia, North Korea, Japan, South Korea and Bahrain in the third round of qualifying, to be drawn in Brazil on July 30.

Despite the scoreline and their atrocious defending, south east Asian champions Malaysia might still have an interest in the draw after a topsy-turvy match at the Jalan Besar stadium.

Malaysia needed just 24 seconds to take the lead on the artificial pitch but they failed to build on that fantastic start and conceded four goals before halftime, much to the delight of Singapore President S.R. Nathan who was in attendance.

Both sides were reduced to 10 men at the start of the second half before two quickfire goals from the visitors, against the run of play, pulled it back to 4-3. However, Singapore claimed a fifth late on through their 40-year-old Yugoslavian-born striker Aleksandar Duric to take a two-goal advantage to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday where 80,000 are expected at the Bukit Jalil stadium for the second leg.

“It was crazy. Definitely not exciting for me,” Malaysia coach Rajagobal Krishnasamy told reporters. “Football is crazy sometimes. But if we score two

goals, do not concede, then we are there. I am confident.” Enjoying a much smoother evening was former Portugal and Real Madrid manager Carlos Quieroz who watched from the dugout as Iran cruised to a 4-0 victory over the Maldives in his first competitive game in charge.

Another big name European enjoying managerial life in Asia was former Barcelona head coach Frank Rijkaard, who led regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia to an easy 3-0 win over Hong Kong thanks to three goals in three minutes either side of halftime.

Jordan, who reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup in January, produced the attacking performance of the night to thrash lowly Nepal 9-0 and all but assure themselves of a place in the hat for the next round when 20 teams will be divided into five groups.

Bin Hammam’s Qatari compatriots began their bid to qualify for the first time with a solid 3-0 home win over Vietnam at the air-conditioned Al Sadd stadium.

That score was matched by the United Arab Emirates, who took advantage of two red cards and two penalties in the first 30 minutes to dispatch India 3-0 at home, and Gulf Cup champions Kuwait, who beat Philippines.

Indian disappointment at the sendings off resulted in a delay to the game of more than five minutes but replacement goalkeeper Karanjit Singh was focused enough to produce a string of saves to keep the score down. There was no place in the UAE starting lineup for internet sensation Theyab Awana, whose backheeled penalty goal

against Lebanon last week has been watched by millions of people on You Tube but attracted negative headlines at home after accusations of showing a lack of respect.

China endured a sluggish start as they fell two goals down at home to Laos inside 30 minutes with a big shock looking likely.

However, substitute Yang Xu netted just before halftime, the first of a hattrick, with China scoring six more in the second half to ease to a 7-2 victory as the visitors tired under the strain of playing in Kuming, some 1,800 metres above sea level.

While Laos stumbled there was some joy elsewhere for the continent’s weaker sides with Lebanon, the lowest FIFA-ranked Asian team remaining at 177, enjoying some rare success on the soccer field as they thrashed Bangladesh 4-0 in Beirut.

Uzbekistan, who finished fourth at the Asian Cup in January, matched Lebanon’s scoreline as they crushed neighbouring Kyrgyzstan while 2007 Asian Cup champions Iraq beat Yemen 2-0 in Arbil. Thailand wasted a number of chances, including a late penalty, in their narrow 1-0 home win over Palestine with Syria edging out Tajikistan 2-1 at home.

Indonesia, who sacked coach Alfred Riedl last week and replaced him with Dutchman Wim Rijsbergen, survived a terrible pitch to claim a precious 1-1 away draw with Turkmenistan and prevent a clean sweep of home victories yesterday. The second legs of the 15 ties are scheduled to take place on Thursday.—Reuters

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JAKARTA: Visitors take a look at new vehicle models, including a Mini Cooper at the Indonesian Motor Show 2011 exhibition in Jakarta yesterday. The 19th Indonesian Motor Show is taking place from July 22 to 31 with a sustainable green technology theme. — AFP

Obama, lawmakers head into crisis talks White House optimistic to avert ‘economic Armageddon’ WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama and top lawmakers headed into crisis talks yesterday to avert a disastrous US debt default, just 10 days away, that could send shockwaves through the fragile global economy.

Obama called the emergency White House summit late Friday after talks on forging a compromise blending ambitious deficit-cutting plans with raising the $14.3 trillion US debt limit collapsed amid angry finger-pointing.

Ahead of the 11:00 am (1500 GMT ) negotiations, Obama renewed his demand that any final deal raise tax revenues from the rich and wealthy corporations, a proposal fiercely opposed by his Republican foes who quit the talks over the issue.

“That’s the heart of this approach: Serious cuts, balanced by some new revenues,” the president said in his weekly address, forecasting “plenty of haggling over the details in the days ahead.”

Representative Jeb Hensarling, delivering the Republican rebuttal, warned that “job creators are fearful that our $14 trillion debt is going to lead to higher taxes, which could harm their businesses and destroy even more jobs.”

Obama was to meet with Republican House Speaker John Boehner, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Obama and Boehner expressed confidence of finding a way to avoid a ruinous and unprecedented US debt default on August 2, when the cash-strapped government of the world’s richest nation won’t be able to pay its bills. Washington hit its debt ceiling on May 16 but has used spending and accounting adjustments, as well as higher-than-expected tax receipts, to pay its bills and continue operating up to that fast-approaching deadline.

Finance and business leaders have warned failure to raise the US debt ceiling by then would send shock waves through the world economy, while Obama has predicted a default would trigger economic “Armageddon.” There was no clear path forward, though some observers focused on a complex legislative maneuver, crafted by Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, that would essentially let Obama raise the debt ceiling with just Democratic votes.

That approach, under which Obama would suggest spending cuts equivalent to any debt hike, faced stiff opposition among House of Representatives Republicans backed by the archconservative “Tea Party” movement. Boehner told reporters on July 14 that he had “no idea” whether the House would sign off on the plan, but stressed it “might look pretty good a couple of weeks from now” as a last-ditch solution.

Obama warned late Friday, after the speaker bolted ongoing talks, that he expected lawmakers on Saturday to have a plan for averting a default by the time skittish world markets pass judgment Monday on the stalemate.

“We have run out of time,” Obama said at a hastily called press briefing late Friday, declaring himself “confident” ultimately of a breakthrough “that avoids a self-inflicted wound to the economy at a time when things are so difficult.”

Republican aides said the deal left on the table included plans to cut some $3$3.5 trillion from US debt over 10 years by paring down annual spending as well as slicing into social safety net programs dear to Democrats. Boehner, who said he left the talks because Obama insisted on tax increases, later told reporters he would attend the meeting and insisted: “I don’t believe that our relationship is permanently damaged.” And “no one wants to default on the full faith and credit of the United States government. And I’m convinced that we will not,” the speaker said. Obama has insisted that the debt-limit increase be large enough to last through his November 2012 reelection bid, avoiding a politically dangerous vote in the heart of a campaign defined by his handling of the US economy.

Still urging a “grand bargain” plan, a senior White House official told reporters late Friday that “there’s a very real prospect” that Washington may lost its sterling TripleA debt rating “for failing to take serious action to control our deficit” even if lawmakers agree on a debt-limit increase.

On Thursday, ratings agency Standard & Poor ’s reiterated its warning that it could downgrade the US debt rating if politicians cannot reach a deal. “ We believe any additional stresses caused by a protracted standoff in the US would likely amplify already tense market conditions in Europe in light of significant fiscal imbalances in Greece, Portugal, and Ireland,” S&P said. — AP

India closer to opening up $450bn retail sector

WASHINGTON: House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio is seen on a television monitor as he makes a statement about the breakdown of debt ceiling talks with the White House during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Friday.—AP

Iraq starts 37,000 bpd output at Al-Ahdab AL-AHDAB OILFIELD: Iraq started production yesterday in the first phase of its CNPCoperated Al-Ahdab oilfield at 37,000 barrels per day, the country’s oil minister said.

Al-Ahdab was the first major oilfield development contract awarded by the Iraqi government after the 2003 US-led invasion, reviving a Saddam Hussein-era deal with China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) in southern Wasit province. “Today we started production with a capacity of 37,000 bpd and we will reach 60,000 bpd in the first half of August,” Abdul-Kareem Luaibi said at a launch ceremony. Luaibi said the second phase of al-Ahdab would start in December and would take the field’s output capacity to 120,000 bpd, while the third would start at the end of 2012 and increase expected capacity to 160,000 bpd. State-owned CNPC operates in more than 80 oil and gas projects in nearly 30 countries. It completed construction of the first phase of the al-

Ahdab oilfield on June 21 and is also developing Iraq’s Rumaila oilfield with BP Plc and Halfaya oilfield with France’s Total SA and Malaysia’s Petronas.

Deputy Prime Minister Hussain AlShahristani said Iraq was studying a proposal from CNPC to production at AlAhdab to 200,000 bpd.

“We will base our response to this proposal ...on the needs of Iraq and the global markets,” Shahristani told reporters at the field. Luaibi said a recent exploratory survey showed Al-Ahdab had reserves of 3 billion barrels and revenue from the field was expected to be more than $40 billion during the next 20 years.

Iraq, which relies on oil for 95 percent of its revenues, has signed a series of oil contracts with international companies to try to boost output capacity to 12 million bpd by 2017 from around 2.7 million bpd currently. — Reuters

NEW DELHI: A top Indian government panel has approved a plan to allow foreign direct investment in the country’s vast retail market in what would be one of the country’s biggest economic reforms.

But it said investors would have to put in at least $100 million to set up multibrand retail stores and would only be allowed to operate in cities with at least one million people, the Press Trust of India said late Friday. The proposal to more fully open up the Indian retail market, whose annual sales are estimated at around $450 billion, now must go to the federal cabinet for approval and then overcome widespread political opposition.

The move would mark one of the biggest reforms by India’s Congress-led government. But analysts say it could be difficult for the embattled government to push through the major changes as it fends off a slew of corruption charges.

Multi-brand foreign groups such as US-based Wal-Mart currently operate as wholesalers but cannot sell directly to the public, amid fears that big international retail chains could swamp small family-run stores. India’s tight foreign investment rules are aimed at protecting small “mom-andpop” stores in the sector where less than 10 percent of consumers shop in bigger, well-known department stores.

The policy change would mean foreign retailers could start selling to Indian shoppers through partnerships with Indian retailers and be allowed to hold up to a 51 percent stake in local joint ventures. India has already allowed 51 percent foreign investment in single-brand retail operations such as Nokia or Reebok and 100 percent in wholesale cash-and-carry operations.

“Step-by-step, we’re moving closer to opening multi-brand retail in India to FDI. This will invite a lot of interest from retailers the world over,” said Kishore Biyani, chief executive of leading Indian retailer Future Group.

Large retailers such as Wal-Mart and France’s Carrefour have been lobbying India’s government aggressively to open the consumer market to foreign chains as they seek to grow outside saturated Western markets. —AFP

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Kuwait bourse weathers turbulent week KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti bourse witnessed a turbulent week with various events causing the market to fluctuate. The first two sessions of the week were dramatic as the market indices dropped to levels not seen in long time. The diminishing performance of the market followed a statement from the Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK), Sheikh Salem Abdul-Aziz Al-Sabah saying that Kuwait is witnessing imbalances in its economy which require corrections.

He stated that this could lead to a lot of risks at various levels. The negative statement fueled the pessimistic feeling between investors who rushed to cash out of the market. Also the arising financial crisis in the US and euro-zone further damped the sentiments.

However, later on during the week traders got some boost in sentiments following the announcement of the newly formed regulator Capital Markets Authority’s (CMA) decision to defer the implementation of new rules by six months.

CMA has given investment funds until March 12, 2012 to sort out their ownership in financial securities. According to the CMA bylaws, which came into effect in March 2011 but still not fully implemented, an investment fund cannot own more than ten percent in a single security. The index managed to rebound from its low levels recording gains for three consecutive days following the announcement, but remained below last week’s closing level.

Kuwaiti Stock Exchange (KSE) experienced a huge drop reaching its lowest levels since July 6, 2010 on Monday, July 18, as measured by market weighted, Global General Index. The index lost 4.23 percent from its value during the first two trading sessions of the week. However, it bounced back regaining half of its losses but remained in the negative territory for the week. It closed lower by 1.96 percent at 187.14 points, escalating its year-to-date loss to 16.28 percent. KSE price index performance was more dramatic as it reached levels not seen since 2004 on Monday after crossing below 6,000 point level for two days before adding new gains. The index ended the week shedding 1.47 percent (90.90 points) from its value and closed at 6,077.9 points (a 12.62 percent decline on a year-to-date basis). Market Capitalization declined by KD611.4mn during the week as it reached KD30.59bn.

Market breadth was notably tilted to the losers side with 88 stocks closing at lower prices against 19 stocks advancing, out of 130 shares traded. Trading activity was much higher as investors’ mood swung between selling and buying on developed news.

Moreover, the flow of 2Q2011 corporate results played a major role in determining investors decisions. Total weekly volume rose by 83.88 percent to 592.38mn shares changing hands at a total traded value of KD117.95mn (87.68 percent increase compared to the previous week). The Real Estate Sector was the most traded in terms of volume, accounting for 28.05 percent (166.15mn shares) of the total market traded shares. Intensive trading was seen on Abyaar Real Estate Development Company stock.

However, the scrip, ended the week flat at KD0.0255 and topped the volume leaders list with 76.64mn shares changing hands.

On the other hand, the Banking Sector topped the value list, accounting for 44.51 percent (KD52.50mn) of the total market

GLOBAL WEEKLY MARKET REPORT traded value. National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) led the value traded stocks in the market with KD22.23mn traded. The stock closed down by 3.51 percent at KD1.100. Kuwait Finance House (KFH) followed with KWD14.64mn traded. The scrip ended the week with 6.12 percent loss at KD0.920, making it the biggest loser in the banking sector. The drop in the share price came after the bank announced a 35.78 percent drop in its 1H2011 bottom line results compared to the corresponding period of 2010.

Net profit of KFH reached KD45.47mn.

All market sectors ended the week with losses. Heavy weighted Banking sector was

kept to May’s record, at KD3,5110.0mn, while time deposits with the CBK came down to KD1,605.3mn. Non-residents’ deposits in Kuwaiti dinar came up 3.5 percent while deposits in foreign currency went up by 16.8 percent to KD2,624.4mn.

Credit facilities for residents came up 0.4 percent to KD25,242.2mn, while average interest rate on 1-year treasury bonds stayed at 1.25 percent.

Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz Al-Sabah said that the budget of (2011/2012) was set, after deducting the allocations of Kuwait Future Generations Fund (FGF), on the basis

accounted for a combined 95% of government revenue in the budget year to March 31, 2011.

the biggest loser, as its index shed 3.09 percent. Kuwait International Bank was the only gainer in the sector, adding 1.67 percent to its share value and closed at KD0.305. Global Real Estate Sector Index followed with a 2.44 percent drop in its value. Three of the real estate companies made it to the top losers list this week with Sanam Real Estate Company being in the lead, shedding 17.74 percent from its share value at KD0.051.

On the other hand, Real Estate Trade Center Company topped the gainers list, adding 11.67 percent to its share price and closed at KD0.134. Global Investment Index and Global Services Index ended lower by 1.47 percent and 0.60 percent, respectively.

While Global Non-Kuwaiti Index lost a notable 2.11 percent from its value.

Islamic companies saw a huge drop, as measured by Global Islamic Sharia Index.

The index was down by 3.47 percent.

Global Large Cap (Top 10) Index also closed lower by 2.12 percent.

of an oil barrel price of $98 in what achieves economic balance, though it is a high and inflexible price. Sheikh Salem said that Kuwaiti banks still see lending risks, but their growth path is “comfortable” without surprises. The central bank is in talks with the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) to reach an agreement on regulating investment firms, he said. “We are in negotiations with the CMA regarding (our roles), and we hope to reach an agreement to assign roles and responsibilities in order to change our scheme in regulating investment firms,” he said.

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services raised its local and foreign currency sovereign credit ratings on the State of Kuwait to ‘AA’ from ‘AA-’. The short-term ratings were affirmed at ‘A-1+’. The outlook is stable. The stable outlook reflects the balance between Kuwait’s very strong fiscal and external positions, on the one hand, and its ineffective, gridlocked political system, undiversified economy, and the lack of transparency regarding government assets on the other. The transfer and convertibility (T&C) assessment, which reflects Standard & Poor’s view of the likelihood of the sovereign (or central bank) restricting non-sovereign access to foreign exchange needed for debt service, is affirmed at ‘AA+’. Kuwait’s public finances remain exceptionally strong, and the general government budget has been recording surpluses at doubledigit percentages of GDP for almost a decade. S&P estimated the 2010/2011 budget year-which ended on March 31, 2011— to have concluded with a budget surplus of 20% of GDP, after 28% the previous year. Budget revenues stem overwhelmingly from oil and investment income, which we estimate to have

rencies. Moreover, oil rose over a dollar on Wednesday, bolstered by hopes of a US debt deal and by tightening crude stocks there, with investors awaiting further data likely to confirm that.

The Board of Commissioners of the Kuwaiti Capital Markets Authority (CMA) on Monday extended the ultimatum given to investment funds to comply with article 347 of the of Law No 7 of 2010, on ratios of investment on a single stock, for six months ending on March 12, 2012. In a press statement, the Board said that it will study investment ratios in the funds in light of the feedback of the bodies concerned and the general situation in the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE). The decision stems from feeling of responsibility towards the national economy, particularly after latest economic developments and the state of KSE, which is one of the important pillars of the national economy, the Board underlined. Chairman and Managing Director of the Industrial Bank of Kuwait (IBK) Abdulmohsen Yousef Al-Haneef said that IBK continued to finance projects in Kuwait through providing 18 soft loans worth KD43.7mn in 2010 at a total cost of KD73.8mn.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of AlManar Financing Leasing Company Bader Al-Sumait said during the company’s AGM held on Monday, July 18 that the company was able to get a loan from a local bank last April worth KWD10mn and was able to repay a loan worth KWD20mn last year. AlSumait said that the launching of several development projects by the government has encouraged banks to extend credit facilities, adding that the national portfolio set up by the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) with the economic rescue law have

Macroeconomic News Figures issued by the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) showed that money supply (M2) in its broad sense had declined by 1.7 percent last month, to reach KD62,912.6mn, compared to May. The monthly bulletin said private sector deposits with local banks in Kuwaiti dinar came down 2 percent to KD25,441.5mn in June, while deposits in foreign currency came down 0.6 percent to KD1,764.2mn.

The overall Kuwaiti banks claims to CBK funds (CBK bonds) came down 6.1 percent from May to KD1,610.0mn, while the overall budget of Kuwaiti banks came to KD42,147.5mn, which is an increase of 0.1 percent. Net foreign assets of local banks

Oil price Price of Kuwaiti crude oil rose by $0.65 during the last week, reaching $111.29 per barrels (pb) on Wednesday, July 20 compared to $110.64 recorded on Wednesday, June 13, as announced by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC). The increase of crude prices is a result of the decrease of the US dollar against other currencies. The increase of crude prices is a result of the decrease of the US dollar against other cur-

had a role in maintaining the cohesion of assets on the Kuwait Stock Exchange.

He said the actions taken by the government have led to the depreciation of value of allocations in Kuwaiti banks and the success of a number of Kuwaiti companies in restructuring their debts.

Kuwait’s Grand Real Estate Projects Company said that its board has decided to delist its shares from the Dubai Financial Market (DFM). The company said that it’s completing the required delisting procedures with DFM and the UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority. Grand did not give a reason for the move.

Highlights Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz Al-Sabah said, “there are many indicators in the global economy raising concern, but this does not make us worried, and does not beckon a new financial crisis.” Sheikh Salem added that the Cabinet asked him to file a report on the possibility of a new global financial crisis, noting that he made a presentation in this respect, particularly as there are problems in the EU, and US related to the volume of sovereign debts.

He also said that these problems are associated with unsatisfactory level of economic growth in the industrialized countries, besides soaring unemployment rate to unprecedented levels in these countries which primarily rely on the consumer expenditure. Sheikh Salem made clear that some countries did not take into account the fragility of some banking systems, pointing out that these conditions may lead to a decline in the demand for oil, which is the main, if not the only, source accounting for 92 percent of the finance of the Kuwaiti budget. He also said that the budget’s volume has rapidly grown over the past period, increasing five times in eleven years, a thing never seen by any other world country.

Heavy Engineering and Ship Building Company (HEISCO) has won tender No 1301/CB, on operating and maintaining the sediment processing unit in Mina Abdulla for Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC). The KD2.13mn tender will last five years and three months. The company will duly inform the bourse upon signing the contract.

Tamdeen Investment Company received a sum of KD6.6mn, for offloading a 40 percent stake in Beyoo Investment & Finance Company. Accordingly, Tamdeen generated KD2.6mn profit, which will be recorded in its 3Q2011 financial statement.

Alimtiaz Investment Company announced completing the increase of its stake in Beyoo Finance and Investment Company to 99.6 percent via paying KWD6.6mn to acquire 60mn shares of Beyoo Co. Major shareholders of Bank Muamalat, Indonesia’s second largest Sharia lender, have decided to postpone a plan to sell down their stake in the bank, partly due to disagreement over pricing, said a bank executive this week.

Muamalat’s top three shareholders, Islamic Development Bank, Boubyan Bank, and Saudi Arabia’s Atwill Holdings Ltd, collectively control 75.7 percent of the lender and were trying to offload some or all of their holdings. Earlier this month Qatar Islamic Bank had pulled out of the bidding, leaving Standard Chartered Plc as the sole remaining bidder.

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

.2700000 .4380000 .3860000 .3300000 .2850000 .2910000 .0040000 .0020000 .0742800 .7236840 .3810000 .0700000 .7094400 .0040000 .0430000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2736000 .4400990 .3885120 .3328470 .2884710 .0521100 .0423110 .2939150 .0351100 .2252960 .0034690 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0745060 .7258860 .0000000 .0729660 .7107960 .0000000

US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka

3.504 6.170 3.184 2.503 3.871 226.900 35.244 3.666

.2765000 .4490000 .3950000 .3420000 .2950000 .3010000 .0072500 .0035000 .0750260 .7309580 .4010000 .0770000 .7165700 .0072000 .0530000 .2757000 .4434770 .3914940 .3354010 .2906850 .0525100 .0426360 .2961710 .0353800 .2270260 .0034960 .0062380 .0025250 .0032060 .0037130 .0750780 .7314580 .3898870 .0735260 .7162530 .0064710

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

6.443 9.185 0.271 0.273

Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

GCC COUNTRIES 73.243 75.467 713.390 729.510 74.789

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 48.650 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 45.999 Yemen Riyal 1.257 Tunisian Dinar 200.770 Jordanian Dinar 387.860 Lebanese Lira 183.300 Syrian Lier 5.929 Morocco Dirham 35.199 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 274.550 Euro 393.430 Sterling Pound 445.870 Canadian dollar 291.670 Turkish lire 165.260 Swiss Franc 336.050 Australian dollar 294.870 US Dollar Buying 274.400 GOLD 294.000 148.000 77.000

Sterling Pound US Dollar

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees

SELL CASH 301.400 729.800 3.920 293.100 539.000 36.500 54.000 167.800 48.130 398.000 35.900 6.520

SELL DRAFT 299.900 729.800 3.665 291.600

228.200 46.084 396.500 35.750 6.180

0.033

387.840 0.185 94.210 3.890 239.400

337.800 5.600 9.390 74.720 274.400

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 449.000 274.400

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees

Selling Rate 274.700 290.135 444.335 391.130 338.355 727.421 74.767 75.403 73.215 386.672 46.162 2.503 6.175

Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

3.202 3.676 6.391 673.812 3.570 9.220 5.776 3.945 91.245

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. 712.580 3.190 6.475 75.490 73.270 228.200 43.190 2.500 449.000

GOLD 1,649.020

10 Tola 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

0.033 0.242 0.239 3.590 389.860 0.186 94.210 47.300 4.310 240.900 1.861 52.100 712.760 3.300 6.630 75.920 73.270 228.200 43.190 2.639 451.000 44.600 339.300 5.600 9.560 198.263 74.820 274.800 1.210

Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 274.300 3.190 6.185 2.520 3.675 6.475 74.785 73.350 729.300 45.995 449.900 0.00003280 3.910 1.550 389.700 5.750 396.900 297.300

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 274.000 Euro 396.000 Pound Sterling 448.000 Canadian Dollar 291.500 Japanese Yen 3.495 Indian Rupee 6.182 Egyptian Pound 46.015 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.503 Bangladesh Taka 3.668 Philippines Peso 6.465 Pakistan Rupee 3.190 Bahraini Dinar 729.300 UAE Dirham 74.695 Saudi Riyal 73.200 *Rates are subject to change

A

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

business

All-new Ford Explorer delivers a bold design KUWAIT: The 2011 Ford Explorer has been redesigned from bottom to top, inside and out, to reflect a contemporary vision of what customers today want in a modern 4WD utility vehicle.

“Ford has changed ever ything about the all-new Explorer, yet it’s still instantly and instinctively recognisable as a Ford Explorer,” said Moray Callum, executive director of North America Design. “We believe that because it’s a contemporary interpretation of the same capabilities Explorer has always stood for, without compromise.” “ The all-new Explorer combines bold, evocative design language with a wind-and noise-cheating aerodynamic shape on a rigid unibody platform,” said Melvin Betancourt, design manager. “Explorer has the height, stance and SUV cues that clearly indicate its capabilities.”

The Explorer design team was challenged with reinterpreting the segment-defining icon as a modern, contemporary 4WD utility vehicle for the 21st century.

“The new Explorer starts with proportions and stance,” Betancourt said.

“Its agile, fluid lines combine with the muscular toned sheet metal, delivering athletic good looks and unsurpassed aerodynamics. The liftgate spoiler lip and the flexible lower air dam - integrated into the fascia - harmonize to provide wind tunnel-proven fuel economy. Blackened rockers lift the eye, denoting Explorer ’s rugged fourwheel- drive capability and driver empowerment.”

Strong, body-color C-pillars and blackened D-pillars are traditional Explorer cues, while the blackened Apillars and B-pillars provide a fresh new wraparound daylight opening.

Explorer’s design is connected to Ford brand DNA through wheel flares inspired by the current Mustang and a body-side undercut that follows current Taurus design protocol, Betancour t explained. “Up front, Explorer has a new interpretation of the Ford signature three-bar grille.

Below the bumper, the Ford DNA trapezoidal lower grille provides visual continuity across Ford vehicles on the showroom floor.”

Standard roof rack, rounded corners, shorter overhang, and aggressive wheels and tires provide the rugged cues that customers recognize in an SUV. From the rear, LED stop lamps glow from the jewel-like taillamp cluster. The Explorer name projects from the rear liftgate appliquÈ. Inside Explorer: Soft touches and upscale seating for seven As with the exterior, the Explorer interior design brief was to modernize, making soft-touch surfaces and occupant comfort key priorities. A goal was to make the Explorer interior a threerow medium for the technology, convenience and connectivity it contains, while inspiring driver confidence in dynamic driving on any road, anytime, anywhere.

The feeling of the interior is one of an upscale, premium vehicle, from the choice of materials to the high levels of fit-and-finish.

“Make it look expensive: That was my goal for the new Explorer interior,” said Mike Arbaugh, interior studio manager. “This is a vehicle that challenges higher-end SUVs so the interior design, craftsmanship and fit-and-finish should play in that league.”

The new Explorer interior package is a best-of-both-worlds approach, combining premium European design cues - imparting a sense of driving dynamics - with a sophisticated and uniquely American familiarity. The graceful, seamless flow from instrument panel into the doors and the forward-leaning center stack reflec t the spor ty, European theme while the command seating position bestows the sense of security so important to SUV buyers.

The Explorer interior package also reflects the latest iteration of Ford DNA storage thoughtfully arranged throughout the cabin, including clever spaces for everything active families like to take along.

Instrument and door panels all reflect soft-touch surfaces, making the Explorer interior environment more pleasing from both aesthetic and tactile perspectives. Cloth interior surfaces - including the black headliner are comprised of 25 percent recycled content. Seating foam from environmentally friendly soy-based content

helps Explorer keep it green.

“The modern design, soft-touch surfaces and chrome accents harmonize to give the new Explorer an upscale aura we think customers will really appreciate in a three-row, fully capable 4WD vehicle,” said Arbaugh. “ The media hub and MyFord Touch(tm) driver connect technology not only reflects SUV buyer lifestyles, it enhances them.”

World-class craftsmanship The new Explorer elevates the impor tance of SUV fit-and-finish.

Explorer is the most exported North American nameplate in the Ford brand portfolio. To that end, the new Explorer was designed and developed to exceed not only North American standards, but global standards for the execution of interior sur faces and the absence of protruding edges.

Meeting these global standards called for tighter surface margin gaps and tolerances, equal to or better than Audi. While this presented some challenges for the interior design team, it also served to underpin the advance in Explorer interior craftsmanship and quality.

A global internal Ford craftsmanship and quality process was instituted with Explorer development, providing metrics and benchmarks to include better quality materials, with enhanced focus on how well interior and exterior parts come together.

Taken to new heights As par t of Ford’s global product development system, Explorer was subject to extreme testing while still in the vir tual computer-aided design phase. Issues identified and addressed in the virtual realm help deliver a higher quality vehicle when prototype build begins. Then these running prototypes are tested and validated to ensure that the attributes targeted at the outset are delivered for customers.

The Explorer vehicle engineering team took prototypes over Colorado’s 13,114-foot Imogene Pass, buried them in deep sand in the California and UAE deser t, car ved through snow in Minnesota and Northern Michigan, traversed a slippery red clay mud bog in Alabama, and logged countless development and validation miles at both Arizona and M ichigan proving grounds.

The goal: Deliver a durable, highquality, fully capable and fuel-efficient utility vehicle for today’s customers in more than 90 countries around the world.

Quietly capable The all-new Explorer was designed and developed to deliver best-in-class levels of NVH control and to rival premium SUVs in quietness. Customer research told the Explorer development team that the interior of an SUV should be serene and soothing.

Explorer’s quiet ride began in the design phase. A unibody configuration with fewer par ts means reduced opportunity for squeaks and rattles.

The front bolster housing the radiator is one single component, whereas a key competitor requires 11 separate pieces to perform the identical function. In addition, Explorer features a hydroformed front structure to add strength, save weight and reduce NVH. Explorer development employed NoiseVision technology and statistical modeling to optimise NVH balance.

NoiseVision consists of a sphere with hundreds of tiny cameras and microphones that allow engineers to pinpoint individual sounds at various frequency bands. This enables isolation and correction of potential noises early in the process.

To provide a quiet ride, Explorer features acoustic-laminated glass, an acoustic headliner, a driver’s side hush panel, full-perimeter hood seal, underbelly pan, a lofted high-density hood insulator, mass-backed barrier carpet and mastic floor treatment. Inner-dash and tunnel insulators, a dash doubler, a spare tire carpet cover door, liftgate and pillar trim absorbers all contribute to interior quietness.

Statistical modeling was employed to tune Explorer sounds. Customers prefer some engine noise - upon acceleration, for example. This analytical measure helps engineers to balance eradication of unwanted sounds, yet accommodate for sounds that appeal to drivers.

Etihad Towers Abu Dhabi on schedule for handover Five stunning towers bring luxury lifestyle choice to Abu Dhabi KUWAIT: Abu Dhabi is setting a new benchmark in luxury living. Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi, a path-breaking luxury development by Sheikh Suroor Projects Department (SSPD) is on schedule for the handover of its first homes and offices later this year alongside rich lifestyle amenities including a five-star hotel and boutique retail arcade.

A reflection of Abu Dhabi’s modern, sophisticated and luxurious ambitions, Etihad Towers is a spectacular five-tower development and a sparkling addition to the city’s skyline. It also accomplishes the promise of a new lifestyle destination, which is much-sought after in the capital city of the UAE. Set in the desirable and exclusive beachside Al Ras Al Akhdar district of Abu Dhabi and located near the world-renowned Corniche, Etihad Towers is a fully integrated luxurious neighborhood offering an unparalleled live, shop & dine, work and stay experience. Sprawling over half a million square meters, the elegantly crafted Etihad Towers is designed by Australian architects DBI Design.

The five towers, ranging from 54 to 75 floors, rise over 300 meters high offering panoramic views of the city and Arabian Sea. Every detail has been hand-picked and crafted to perfection - from materials, details, finishes, spatial planning to lighting and the overall ambiance.

Sami Al-Khuwaiter, Project Director, Etihad Towers, said: “Abu Dhabi has established its credentials as a truly global city, and today, witnesses an unprecedented developmental momentum. The rising prominence of the city as a regional thought leader and business hub has

been complemented by the arrival of global professionals, who demand the best in lifestyle choices.” “Etihad Towers, a community built around you, has been envisaged as the first choice of home, office or leisure for the discerning individuals who value a lifestyle that is anything but ordinary. The five-tower development is a prestigious initiative by SSPD which has a sterling reputation for developing world-class projects. It will serve as the new benchmark in luxury property lifestyle choices in Abu Dhabi.”

The different components of Etihad Towers will open doors in phases beginning this year.

Bringing a new dimension to high-rise living are the three residential towers that underline ‘Living at Etihad Towers.’ The 885 apartments and penthouses, ranging from one to five bedrooms, are now available for lease. Each residential tower has a dedicated gymnasium, sauna, landscaped gardens and decked pool area.

Residents will have access to an extensive choice of stylish cafes, restaurants, two levels of the most desirable boutique shops, health clubs and round-the-clock concierge service.

With over 45,000 sq meter of leasable area over 54 floors, the office tower, ‘Working at Etihad Towers,’ redefines commercial environments with superior technology and design features. With emphasis on environmental sustainability, ergonomics, technical practicalities as well as luxury and comfort, Etihad Towers offers the flexibility of designing the environment in the manner that best suits the customer’s business. Facilities include a high-capacity car park, professionally managed reception areas, concierge service and discreet but effective 24x7

security. Setting a new milestone in luxury retailing is ‘Shopping at Etihad Towers,’ featuring an exclusive collection of designer boutiques offering luxury fashion, jewelry, timepieces and accessories, spread over two levels. Several international brands have signed up to operate stores, ensuring that residents and visitors have access the best global brands.

‘Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi’ is a five star hotel with 382 elegant rooms and suites, 199 luxurious serviced apartments, and an amazing array of beauty, fashion and relaxation amenities including the Talise Spa. ‘Dining at Etihad Towers’ includes sensational dining at any one of the top restaurants. From a pool-side snack to formal dining, there are many restaurants, cafes and lounges to choose from.

Set in sophisticated and luxurious surroundings and offering the freshest and most diverse selection of cuisine from around the world, including French, Japanese and contemporary Lebanese.

The master-development, with its own private beach, will also feature one of Abu Dhabi’s largest and most contemporary convention centers and a grand ballroom that can cater for groups of over 2,200. Four levels of underground car parking with valet services will serve over 3,000 cars, adding to the convenience of residents and visitors.

Spectacularly landscaped, Etihad Towers is in close proximity to the business and official nerve centers of the city including the Central Bank, Foreign Ministry, ADNOC headquarters and Emirates Palace. The towers have quick and easy access to the international airport and local transport links.

KFH: Activation of renewed ATM cards through phone service

Meshaal Al-Obaid

Agility wins contract with FESPA LONDON: Agility, a leading global logistics provider, has been awarded the contract to manage the international freight and on-site handling services for FESPA Digital 2012, a top industry event for the wide format print community.

The event will be held at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via Exhibition Centre in Barcelona from February 2124, 2012. As part of the contract awarded by FESPA, Agility Fairs & Events will be the sole official freight contractor and will be responsible for assisting exhibitors and their contractors with logistical and shipping requirements of exhibits to and from the event.

“Over the years Agility has built great relationships with FESPA and its exhibitors and we are excited to have the opportunity to be involved with FESPA Digital 2012,” said David Richards Managing Director of Agility Fairs & Events UK. “ The Agility Fairs & Events team has proven itself time and time again to be utmost professionals,” said Susan Hamer, Head of Operations, FESPA. “They were awarded the contract because of their efficiency, consistency and reliability in providing great service to our exhibitors.”

KUWAIT: The Call Center Manager at Kuwait Finance House Meshaal Al-Obaid announced that KFH offers a new technological service that is considered to be the first in Kuwait, where clients can activate their renewed ATM cards without contacting the client service officer or visiting any banking branch. He added that once the client receives the new card, he will be able to activate it over the phone and

change its password through following the instructions. It is worth noting that KFH had announced that specialized international companies will shoulder the responsibility of delivering banking cards to clients wherever they are.

Moreover, he mentioned that this service reflects KFH’s keenness to invest in electronic channels; thus improving client service. KFH also seeks to offer all banking, commercial, and

real estate services for clients through alternative electronic channels, which allows them access to those services from their homes or offices.

Furthermore, Al-Obaid stated that a specialized team from his department has been trained to offer immediate support to KFH clients who use those electronic channels. He went on to say that further electronic services for companies will be launched this year.

IMTD - The largest-ever exhibition of Indian hospitals in Kuwait KUWAIT: India Medical Tourism Destination (IMTD) recently held a press briefing to announce the very first IMTD exhibition in the Middle East, in Kuwait on the 14th and 15th of September, 2011.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Narottam Puri, Advisor - Health Services (Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry), Advisor - Medical (Fortis Healthcare (India) Ltd.), and Chairman, National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare, said, “With over 600,000 satisfied medical tourists from around the globe experiencing our world-class healthcare services, India is fast becoming the most preferred medical tourism destinations in the world.”

The notion that India is a developing country with third-world medical facilities is no longer correct, said Dr. Puri. Today, India is a country that offers developed world healthcare at developing world prices. The fact that Indian Healthcare has arrived on the global high-end medical service landscape is borne out by the millions of patients, who have availed of the medical services provided by hundreds of internationally recognized hospitals in India. And these satisfied patients have undergone medical treatment at a fraction of the cost of such procedures in the United States or Europe and without any of the waiting times involved.

Our aim with the upcoming IMTD exhibition is to change perceptions about the Indian medical-care industry among Kuwaitis as well as other expatriates in Kuwait said Dr. Puri. “Our medical care professionals, whether they are doctors, nurses or other healthcare specialists, are respected and admired all over the globe for their high-level of knowledge, experience, dedication and professionalism. The fact that over 60,000 Indian doctors work

in some of the best hospitals in the United States, along with the significant percentage of Indian doctors in the British National Health Services and the large number of doctors and other healthcare providers employed in hospitals in the Middle East, attest to the caliber and demand for Indian medical professionals all over the world.”

Internationally recognized hospitals in

Dr Narottam Puri India have all been accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare providers (NABH) and some by the Joint Commission International (JCI). Both these agencies are accredited by the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua), which provides assurance that the standards, training and processes used by NABH and JCI to survey the performance of healthcare organizations meets the highest international benchmarks for accreditation entities. Dr Puri concluded by saying, “Our medical professionals have the experience and knowledge to successfully undertake the most complicated surgical procedures;

our accredited medical facilities utilize the latest medical technologies and offer the best pre and post-operative care; and, we offer some of the most competitive prices for complex surgical procedures with excellent clinical outcomes comparable to the best in the world; often at a fifth of what it would cost to do the equivalent quality procedure in the United States or Europe. So, by opting for Indian healthcare you have the best of 3 A’s - Access to the best healthcare professionals, Assurance of service from internationally accredited hospitals and easy Affordability. The only thing that needs to change is the misconstrued perception about Indian Healthcare...”

“The remarkable success of our initial medical tourism exhibition, IMTD 2009, in Toronto, Canada, which saw the participation of 16 Indian hospitals, and our second exhibition in Nairobi, Kenya, where 26 Indian hospitals participated, has encouraged us to hold this first-ever IMTD exhibition in Kuwait,” said Sujit Gopal, Managing Director of Trident Exhibitions, the organizer of the show.

With the expected participation of over 60 leading Indian hospitals and, with seminars and medical conferences to be held on the sidelines of IMTD Kuwait, the exhibition will be a value added event for participants and visitors alike. With emphasis on Business to Business interactions, as well as Business to Customer solutions, IMTD Kuwait will provide an opportunity for the Indian Healthcare industry to introduce their products and services to customers in Kuwait. The exhibition will also allow the industry to exchange ideas with their counterparts in Kuwait and together develop a new vision for the future of the medical care that operates without borders.

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BUSINESS

Kuwait banks remain reluctant to lend KUWAIT: In its monthly monetary statistics bulletin for last month, the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) states that balance of public debt instruments in the end of last month retained its amount of KD 2,038 million since 8/2010. These instruments comprise the longer-in-term treasury bonds with a balance of KD 1888 million (since 8/2010), treasury bills with a balance of KD 150 million (since 8/2009).

Average interest rate on treasury bonds for one year scored 1.25% since 3/2010 and 1.375% for two years since 5/2010. That average interest rate on treasury bills for 3 months was 0.836% (about 0.671% in 3/2011). Local banks take about 95% of total public debt instruments (89.1% in the end of 3/2011).Thus, the total public debt scores about KD 2038 or 5.6% of the total nominal gross domestic product (GDP) for 2010 estimated at KD 36.55 billion. The bulletin also indicates that total credit facilities extended to residents by local banks scored about KD 25.2422 billion, which forms about 59.9% of total local banks’ assets, with a slight drop

by KD 11.5 million from its level in the end of 3/2011, reflecting a drop rate by 0.04%, and a very slight growth rate by 0.2% vis-‡vis the end of 2010.

This reflects continued local banks’ reluctance in offering credit facilities due to the risk on the banks’ performance from returning to lending again. Total personal credit facilities scored about KD 8.4968 billion (33.7%) of total credit facilities (KD 8.4131 billion in the end of 3/2011). Installment loans scored about KD 4.8895 billion (57.8% of total personal facilities in the end of 5/2011), for purchase of securities scored about KD 2.5566 billion (30.1%) of total personal facilities.

Consumer loans value scored KD 747.4 million (in the end of 5/2011). Credit facilities to the real estate sector scored about KD 6.6002 billion, or 26.1% of the total, (about KD 6.6415 billion in the end of 3/2011), and about KD 2.6655 billion, 10.6%, (about KD 2.7311 billion in the end of 3/2011) to the non-banks financial institutions, and about KD 2.2776 billion, 9% (about KD 2.2681 billion in the end of 3/2011) in credit facilities to trade sector.

The bulletin also stated that total deposits volume at local banks scored about KD 28.5941 billion which represent about 67.8% of total banks’ liabilities, a noticeable drop by KD1.2679 billion from its level in the end of 3/2011, a quarterly drop rate by 4.2%.

Share of private sector clients from these deposits in the overall definition including major institutions like Public Institution for Social Securities -excluding the government- scores about KD 25.4415 billion, 89%, with KD 23.6773 billion (93.1%) in Kuwaiti

WEEKLY AL-SHALL ECONOMIC REPORT dinars and KD 1.7642 billion equivalent in foreign currencies for the private sector’s clients as well.

As for the average interest rate on customers time deposits in both the KD and the dollar vis-‡-vis the end of 3/2011, the bulletin states that it sustained its drop on both currencies. However, the difference in interest average rate on time customers deposits is still in favor of the Kuwaiti dinar in the end of the two periods. It scored 0.663 point for 1 month deposits, 0.782 point for 3 months deposits, 0.920 point for 6 months deposits and 1.010 points for 12 months deposits. That difference in the end of 3/2011 was 0.710 point for 1 month deposits, 0.822 point for 3 months deposits, 0.977 point 6 months deposits, and 1.034 points for 12 months deposits. The monthly average exchange rate (June 2011) for the KD against the dollar scored 274.294 fils per one US dollar, a rise in favor of the KD by 1.2% versus the average in March 2011 when it scored 277.520 fils per one US dollar.

Balance of Payments 2010 The Central bank of Kuwait published preliminary figures about Kuwait’s balance of payments for 2010. The figures indicate that the current account surplus scored about KD 10.553 billion (about $36.8 billion) with a noticeable rise by KD 3.135 billion (42.3%) over 2009. CBK adjusted 2009 surplus figures downwards to KD 7.418 billion instead of KD 8.232 billion (- 9.9%). The current account is composed of balance of commodities, services and investment revenues in both the public and private sectors and the current transfers for the two sectors.

Most of the rise is attributed mainly to the significant rise in the commodity balance surplus (the difference between exports and imports values) from KD 9.897 billion to KD 13.731 billion (about KD 3.834 billion), or 38.7%, because value of oil exports increased by 31.8%. In commodities exports, oil exports revenues increased from KD 13.415 billion, 90.2% of total commodity exports in 2009, to about KD 17.681 billion, 92.1% of total commodity exports, in 2010.

Commodity imports increased by 9.9% Net investment income in both sec tors increased by KD 233 million, 11.5%, from KD 2.022 billion in 2009 to KD 2.255 billion in 2010.

The government’s share thereof, including CBK, was 94.5% and the rest went for all other sectors including the banking and joint sectors. CBK tables provide certain fig-

ures which we believe are significant such as expatriates’ money transfers abroad in the amount of KD 3.360 billon in 2010 ($11.7 billion) vis-a-vis KD 3.352 billion for 2009, insignificant change. On the other hand, value of received compensations went up and scored KD 618 million during the same year (KD 307 million for 2009) of which KD 286 million went to the public sector and KD 6 million were paid by the public sector versus KD 331 million received by the public sector and KD 5 million paid by the public sector in 2009. The private sector received KD 363 million and paid KD 24 million compared with KD 12 million received by the private sector and KD 32 million paid by the private sector in 2009.

Kuwait, both sectors, is supposed to have achieved surplus in its foreign investments worth KD 9.956 billion (KD 7.600 billion for 2009). This surplus includes portfolio investments securities- by about KD 2.217 billion, and other investments by KD 7.169 billion.

Table summary indicates that the balance of payments achieved surplus in 2010 worth about KD 159 million versus KD 1.088 billion for 2009.

FDI in Arab World (2010 Estimates) The Arab Investment and Exports Credit Guarantees Corporation issued its annual report about investment climate in the Arab world for 2010 and is published on its web site. Preliminary available information from individual countries indicates that the Arab countries as a whole attracted about $64.3 billion (18 states) vis-a-vis $83.9 billion for 2009 (for the same states). This means that foreign direc t investment in flows decreased by about $19.7 billion, or -23.4%, and $ 86.3 billion attracted in 2009 for 21 states. These flows dropped by $22 billion. 25.5%. This drop is due to the successive crisis in the last 2 years.

(Dubai financial crisis in 2009, Europe sovereign debt crisis in the second quarter of 2010). Saudi Arabia led the list of countries hosting foreign investment inflows during 2010 by about $ 21.5601 billion, 33.5%, of total investments despite their drop substantially by - 40.9% compared with 2009 figures. Qatar came next with $6.5935 billion (10.3%), Egypt with $6.3856 billion (9.9%), Lebanon with $4.9549 billion (7.7%), Morocco with $4.3618 billion (6.8%), UAE with $3.9483 billion (6.1%), Sudan with $3.6887 billion (5.7%), Libya with $ 3.1140 billion (4.8%), Algeria with $2.0500 billion (3.2%), Iraq with $1.9480 billion (3%), Syria with $1.8500 billion (2.9%), Jordan with

$1.7028 billion (2.6%), Tunis with $ 1.5899 billion (2.5%), Yemen with $196.3 million (0.3%), Bahrain with $155.8 million (0.2%, Kuwait with $80.3 million (0.12%), Mauritania with $56.6 million (0.09%) and finally Djibouti with $40 million (0.06%).

Comparing foreign direct investments incoming to the Arab states world in 2009 and 2010, it transpires that only 5 Arab states among the states with available information, recorded increase in the incoming flows thereto, namely, Lebanon, Morocco, Libya, Iraq, and Mauritania while incoming investments in the remaining countries plunged. It is expected that the FDI will decrease in a higher rate in 2011 due to the Arab Spring events. This decrease will vary between the nations. The situation of some countries would be worse if we calculated foreign investments outflows; numbers could turn negative and perhaps significantly.

NBK Financial Results - 30 June 2011 NBK announced its semi-annual results for its operations ending June 30, 2011 which indicate the bank achieved net profits in the amount of about KD 147.3 million, after deduction of the share of Kuwait Foundation, due Zakat and taxes on its foreign branches. These profits are higher by KD 1.3 million (0.9%) than their counterpart value (KD 146 million) in the first half of 2010.

Total operational revenues increased to about KD 266 million (KD 250.8 million for the same period 2010), a KD 15.1 million rise. Share of results of associates increased by 70% to KD 8.1 million in 6/2011 (KD 4.8 million in 6/2010). Net profits from investments in securities went up by KD 2.3 million to KD 3.8 million (KD 1.5 million in 6/2010). Net interests’ revenues rose by 4% to KD 186.8 million in 6/2011 (KD 179.7 million in 6/2010).

Operational expenses declined by KD 1.2 million to KD 82.1 million in 6/2011 (KD 83.3 million in 6/2010): administrative charges dropped by about 8.3% to KD 26.8 million in 6/2011 (KD 29.2 million in 6/2010) and depreciation to buildings and equipment increased by 31.2% compared with the same period in 2010.

It is worth mentioning that the bank’s net interest income increased by 4%, ie KD 7.1 million, due to a drop in interests charges by about 16.9%, KD 11.3 million.

This decline is higher than the drop in interests’ revenues which scored KD 4.1 million (1.7%). Net interest margin (the difference bet ween received and paid interest)

increased slightly to 3.4% (3.3% for the same period 2010).

The bank’s financial statements indicate that its total assets increased by KD 798.6 million (6.2%) to KD 13697.6 million (KD 12898.9 million in the end of 12/2010).

However, it went up by 1157.9 million, 9.2%, if compared with the total assets in the end of 6/2010.

As for the clients’ loans and advances por tfolio, which constitutes the major component of the bank’s assets, it rose by 0.2%, or KD 12.9 million, making the portfolio equal KD 7866.2 million (57.4% of total assets) vis-‡-vis KD 7853.3 million (60.9% of total assets in 12/2010). The portfolio increased over its counterpart value in 2010 by 1.9%, or KD 144 million, when it scored KD 7722.2 million (61.6% of total assets).

As for government assets (bills and bonds), they increased by 9.4% to KD 938.1 million (6.8% of total assets) vis-a-vis KD 857.4 million (6.6% of total assets) in the end of 2010. Those assets went up by 15.1% compared with their value in the end of June 2010 level when they scored KD 814.7 million (6.5% of total assets).

Similarly, cash and short-term deposits item went up by about KD 661.8 million (56.5%) to score KD 1833.7 million (13.4% of total assets) in 6/2011 compared with KD 1171.9 million (9.1% of total assets) in December 2010. Deposits’ value increased

by KD 711.6 million or 63.4% in comparison with June 2010 value.

As for profit indexes, return on assets average (ROA) dropped slightly to 2.2% (2.3% in 6/2010); similarly, return on capital (ROC) dropped to 74.4% (89.3% for the same period 2010), and return on equities (ROE) dropped to 13.3% (15.7% for the same period 2010). Per share profit (EPS) scored 37 fils (38 fils in the same period 2010), thus it achieved 6.4% annual return on the per share market value. Price multiplier to earnings per share (P/E) scored 16.5 times while price multiplier to the book value (P/B) scored 2.1 times.

Weekly performance of KSE The per formance of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) for the last week was mixed compared to the previous one, where the indices of trading value, trading volume and the number of transactions showed an increase, while the general index showed a decrease. Al-Shall Index (value weighted) closed at 470.3 points at the closing of last Thursday, showing a decrease of 11.4 points or about 2.4% compared to previous week’s closing, and decreased by 107.5 points or about 18.6% compared to the year end 2010.

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business

A Marshall Plan for Arab economies KUWAIT: The prospect of a financial aid package to revive the North African economies hit hardest by revolution and unrest gained momentum recently after the G8 summit at Deauville, France in late May. In a throwback to the Marshall Plan of 1948 that saw war-ravaged Europe benefit from $13bn (equivalent to $290bn today) in reconstruction and development aid, international leaders pledged at least $20bn in economic assistance to Egypt and Tunisia to help them stabilize their economies and successfully negotiate their transition to democracy.

Aid will take the form of development loans, investments, debt forgiveness and financial guarantees that will be channeled through multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the African Development Bank (ADB) as well as through bilateral agreements between the North African economies and individual donor countries.

Such financing will, however, also be contingent on the economies of Egypt and Tunisia, for example, demonstrating tangible progress in reforming governance, enhancing political participation, tackling corruption and developing the private sector.

Much like in post-war Europe, the overall aim is the establishment of an optimum environment to ensure that jobs are being created and that the benefits of growth are widely distributed and shared.

The economic impact of the Arab uprising The revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia caused significant dislocation to the economies of both countries. The IMF estimates the net effect of this is going to be slower real GDP growth for Egypt and Tunisia of about 1.0% in 2011, following rates of 5% and 3.7% in pre-crisis times. The impact has been most severe on manufacturing, tourism and foreign investment, on which both countries depend heavily.

Industrial production in Tunisia fell by 13% in January while tourism, which accounts for 7% of GDP, declined by 40% in the first two months of 2011. In Egypt, the number of tourist arrivals, which averaged 1.38 million per month in the last quarter of 2010 and 1.14 million in January 2011, dropped by 81% in one month to register just 211,000 in February. The IMF estimates the economic impact this year of a drying up of tourism revenues in both countries to subtract about 1% of GDP. Similarly, net foreign direct investment in Egypt, which had averaged $9bn a year during the last 5 years and which accounts for 3% of GDP, is projected to reach $2.5bn in 2011, a drop of almost 60% from the previous year, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF).

Remittances have also been affected by the turmoil in North Africa. The return of more than 100,000 workers from the civil war in Libya, for instance, is likely to lead to a significant drop in transfers received by Egypt from its nationals employed overseas in 2011. These inflows had reached $6.3bn in the second half of 2010.

The fall in tourism receipts, foreign investment and remittance flows, when coupled with a decline in export manufacturing revenue and sales of Egyptian equities and fixed income securities by non-resident investors, has put significant pressure on the country’s balance of payments (BOP). By April 2011, the country’s official foreign exchange reserves had declined by more than 20% to reach $24.5bn as the Central Bank of Egypt has been forced to draw down its holdings to provide liquidity for the system and to protect the currency (Chart 1).

Samir Radwan, the Egyptian Finance

Minister, estimates that, as a result, the country will have a BOP gap of $10-12bn for the fiscal year 2011/12, and would thus benefit greatly from international financing.

Similarly, some MENA governments’ fiscal positions, already hamstrung by deterioration in economic output and tax revenues, have been placed under greater strain by the raft of public spending and subsidy measures that were promised by the old regime. The previous Egyptian government had committed to a 15% increase in state salaries as well as to a maximum of $1.2bn in food subsides. Tunisia, in turn, is expected to honor its public commitment for increased welfare spending and extended subsidies.

The expectation of widening fiscal deficits, which, according to the IMF, are estimated to reach almost 10% of GDP for Egypt and 4.7% of GDP for Tunisia in 2011 and balance of payments deficits has made the need to secure funding from the international community that much more pressing.

This is especially marked given the premiums being demanded today by investors on Egyptian and Tunisian debt.

The ‘Deauville Partnership’ and international aid The international community has pledged at least $20bn in the form of loans, credit guarantees, investments and debt relief for Arab economies. The actual amount is likely to be significantly higher, howeverpossibly in the region of $50-100bn over the next 4-5 yrs-on the assumption of more countries emerging to seek financial assistance over the next few years.

Dubbed the ‘Deauville Partnership’, the international community’s commitment to support the transitioning economies of North Africa represents belated recognition that political and economic transformation in developing countries requires concerted engagement and sustained support. To that end, funds will be made available through the African Development Bank (ADB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) as well as through individual countries.

The ADB is the first international institution to offer financing for the North African economies, having extended $500m in loans to the Tunisian government since its January revolution. In conjunction with additional financing from the World Bank, the European Union and the French Development Agency, a combined package of $1.4bn has already been allocated to the country. Similarly, the EIB expects to sign a $550m loan facility with Tunisia in July and, through the European Union’s Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP), has indicated that up

Yalla Apps offers further enhancements to developer platform KUWAIT: Yalla Apps, the Windows Phone 7 developer portal that is now trusted by thousands of developers to publish their Apps into the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, is now making its services even more convenient to the community.

Since its launch during Microsoft’s Tech-Ed in March, Prototype Interactive’s Yalla Apps has been embraced by the developer community.

In response to its popularity, the platform has been upgraded and evolved further, with several new enhancements added. One of these includes a new payment service which opens up the platform to developers in Egypt and Pakistan.

Alexander Rauser, CEO of Prototype Interactive, said: “We are excited about this major update to Yalla Apps as it is a direct response to the feedback we got from the developer community. The growing number of developers in the region creating applications for Windows Phone 7 is very encouraging and we expect the system to improve even further over the coming months.”

The newest additions to the portal are helping the region’s developers to create, submit and make money from their apps quickly and easily, with Microsoft Middle East and Africa’s Gustavo Fuchs Microsoft Mobility Director, Middle East & Africa,

as well as facilitating greater integration with the global economy.

NBK ECONOMIC BRIEF

commenting: “Our aim is to enable people to have easy access and availability to technology, to give them the means to use their skills. The new enhancements made on the Yalla Apps platform are the perfect way of making the platform even more accessible to developers in the Middle East and Africa region, with further ways for users to make revenue from their creations and get their apps out on the market using Windows Phone 7 Marketplace.”

The latest enhancements include: l Paid Apps support, which will allow developers to submit their Paid Apps and generate revenues from their sales in the Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Marketplace. l Addition of an alternative method of payment via MoneyBookers, which will now allow developers from countries like Pakistan and Egypt among others to sign up for the service, pay for a subscription and generate revenue from their App sales. l More convenient charge structure, which will allow developers to submit many more Apps - Free or Paid - with their annual subscription. The new charge structure would allow the user to enjoy unlimited Paid App submissions, as many as 100 Free App submissions and a Free device unlock, for only 100 credits, which are automatically awarded to every Annual Subscription, priced at $99.

to $8.7bn can be provided in financing once approval has been granted by the EU’s budgetary authorities. The EBRD, a notable contributor to the post-Communist reconstruction of Central and Eastern European economies in the 1990s, has indicated that shareholder approval has been sought to make available up to $3.6bn a year for development financing in Egypt and Tunisia.

In terms of bilateral economic assistance, Qatar has emerged as the country most publically committed to the rejuvenation of the Egyptian economy. Qatar has promised the largest single financial package pledged so far: up to $12bn in financing and investment. The Qatari government is prepared to purchase $2bn worth of

Egyptian treasury bonds and contribute $10bn to the domestic economy through a broad range of investments and joint ventures in industrial projects such as the two new ports being constructed at Alexandria and Port Said. The potential for job creation in Egypt is immense: the Port Said project alone will lead to the creation of 1 million jobs. Furthermore, Qatar is also planning to employ Egyptian workers and companies in its own domestic development projects.

And, taking inspiration from the role of the EBRD, Qatar has also proposed the establishment of a Middle East Development Bank in cooperation with other GCC countries. The aim is to provide financing outside the IMF to help promote economic diversity and tackle the Arab world’s bur-

geoning unemployed youth population.

Forthcoming but conditional assistance As the G8 leaders have indicated, however, continued access to funding beyond current emergency stabilization will be subject to the respective economies demonstrating tangible progress in political and economic reforms. Robert Zoellick, Group President of the World Bank, for example, has already stated that the Bank’s financial aid package of $6bn over the next two years-$4.5bn for Egypt and $1.5bn for Tunisia-will be linked to governance and openness reforms as well as to initiatives to strengthen the economy and provide more inclusive growth.

From the public commitments made so far, the impression gained is of a concerted effort by the international community to engage with recipient countries to an extent beyond established practice.

Previous international efforts to promote economic development in North Africa through multilateral financing institutions were frequently cited as underwhelming.

For example, in recent years criticism has been directed at the European Union’s Euro-Mediterranean Policy framework (EMP) for focusing exclusively on immigration and security issues and not linking financial aid to democratic institutionbuilding. At the same time, the organization failed to address the economic needs of the North African economies for greater access to European markets for their products.

As a result, in an effort to capitalize on the aspirations of the Arab people and prevent rollback to instability in North Africa,

organizations such as the European Union, the World Bank and the IMF have begun to prioritize the tracking and attainment of a broad range of human and economic development achievements beyond traditional measurements. No longer would gains in domestic productivity be the yardstick against which to measure the success of financial assistance-or for that matter, economic and political stability. Financial aid will be accompanied by the following objectives: supporting civil society; increasing female participation; enhancing social accountability; strengthening corporate governance; promoting education and innovation; expanding the private sector; accelerating employment creation; stimulating international trade and investment,

Key challenges The IMF has estimated that the MENA region will need $160bn in financial aid over the next four years to alleviate both shortterm and longer-term, systemic problems.

Beyond the immediate necessity of shoring up the balance of payments and public finances in Arab economies affected most by the unrest, the IMF has indicated that MENA economies will need to undergo a ‘fundamental transformation’ of their economic models in order to ensure that the socio-economic and political grievances that gave rise to revolution and turmoil do not go unresolved.

The solution is for economic growth to be inclusive, with as many segments of society benefiting as possible. This is one of the charges most frequently leveled at previous government policies. Control of important corporations and key growth industries as well as access to the economic gains generated from them have often been the preserve of the few.

A tradition of bloated governments accompanied by underdeveloped private sectors, structurally inefficient labor markets, burdensome regulatory restrictions and sub-optimal educational systems are among the areas identified as requiring special attention.

In the MENA region, expanding labor forces are being fueled by a burgeoning youth-heavy demographic that is, at present, comprising 25% of the population. This is placing considerable pressure on governments to create sufficient jobs to tackle existing double-digit unemployment rates and absorb future entrants to the workforce.

The World Bank has estimated that 40 million additional jobs are needed over the coming decade in order to prevent the ‘demographic dividend’ from turning into a socio-economic and politically destabilizing demographic deficit.

Furthermore, in the short term, given the fact that domestic initiatives in post-revolutionary Egypt and Tunisia will be driven by popular mandate, a key challenge will be reconciling demands for statist policies: enlarged public sectors, increased subsidies and government expenditure, with the realities of fiscal deficits and free-market economics. Despite the recent downward revision to the Egyptian budget deficit for the fiscal year 2011/12, from 10.9% to 8.6% of GDP, on the back of a reduction in government spending and projected increases in tax and gas export revenues, the government faces a challenging fiscal predicament.

At $22bn, food and fuel subsidies alone account for more than a quarter of the $83bn in forecasted spending in 2011/12.

Along with public sector salary raises and the provision of low cost housing, these represent commitments that the transitional government intends to honor in the current circumstances.

The key for Arab economies faced with the need to turn to international markets and foreign creditors for short term help will be to ensure that debt repayments and the obligations and conditions that are invariably attached to them do not become fiscally burdensome and politically sensitive.

Indeed, the recent announcement by the Egyptian finance minister that the country does not need to tap IMF and World Bank loans was largely a response to those public concerns. While the opportunity cost of not requesting international aid may prove too great-given the necessity of macroeconomic stabilization-governments will, nonetheless, need to keep debt levels in check and avoid over-optimistic growth assumptions.

Goalna and X-cite by Alghanim Electronics create soccer euphoria Pro Evolution Gaming challenge at the Avenues KUWAIT: X-cite by Alghanim Electronics in association with Goalna.com and Al-Watan held an exclusive PS3 Pro Evolution Soccer challenge at Avenues on the 15th and 16th of July 2011.

PS3 soccer enthusiasts from all over Kuwait flocked at the X-cite showroom at the Avenues on these two days to showcase their gaming skills. There was an online registration done prior to the gaming event. Due to the massive response received, the registrations had to be stopped on the day of the event. All of the registered participants were scheduled to 2 days in 4 sessions.

The participants at the gaming challenge aged 12 yrs to 35yrs were high level players who professionalized in the game. The first prize winner of the challenge was Hussein Shaker Rajab Al Abdeen who won a trip to Munich, Germany to watch the semi finals and finals of the Football Audi Cup at the Allianz Stadium. “I love playing Pro Evolution Soccer on the PS3, but never imagined to actually be rewarded for my skills in the game. I am so happy to have been part of this exciting gaming competition hosted by X-cite,” said the surprised winner. The second place was won by

Abdulwahab Hilal Al-Shammari who received an iPad with a KD50 gift voucher from X-cite. The other quarter finalists of the competition each received an EQ mobile.

The competitive spirit amongst everyone present at Xcite was prevalent throughout

the event. Participants had a huge crowd of supporters clapping and cheering for them as they depicted true sportsmen spirit during the games. The grand finale was hosted on a huge screen with special speaker arrangements to give a feel of a real live match. X-cite was suc-

cessful in hosting yet another community event bringing all gaming lovers together and creating a happy experience. In the past X-cite has held many such similar gaming challenges which has in turn lead to increased footfall in the stores especially in the gaming section.

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

business

Feeling the heat on US debt, earnings NEW YORK: New York City may be frying in near record temperatures but Wall Street has been feeling the heat for months. Wrangling over the US debt ceiling and questions marks over corporate earnings mean markets are unlikely to get a break any time soon.

Wall Street is set to close its worst three months in a year as July draws to a close next week after a roller coaster ride for markets. Whacked out fund managers hitting the beach in August may find themselves fiddling with their BlackBerrys more than the little umbrella in their cocktails.

“I need a vacation, man.

After all the stuff that’s happened in the last three months I’m pretty much shot, I’m getting weird, even my six-yearold looks at me,” said one New Jersey-based fund manager, who was packing his bags for a destination in the Caribbean as

temperatures topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit in New York City.

With euro zone leaders having reached a deal for yet another bailout for debt-laden Greece, investors will be free to chew over the rancor in Washington with even more attention.

Negotiations between President Barack Obama and the top Republican in the House of Representatives, John Boehner, still looked far from a deal to avert a looming US default, lawmakers said on Friday, raising the likelihood of more volatility next week if no solution is reached over the weekend. “It’s likely an agreement in any form will cause a relief rally for equities,” said Glenn Starkman, global head of sales trading at Dahlman Rose in New York.

“Coming on the heels of overall pretty good earnings

WALL STREET WEEKLY OUTLOOK numbers and some sort of resolution in Greece and that could make for a rally in the market,” he said. But on the other side of the coin, the prolonged and partisan dispute over solving the country’s debt crisis means there is still a big downside risk.

“Who knows where that is going to go,” said Nick Kalivas, an analyst at MF Global in Chicago. “We’re vulnerable to a buyers’ strike if we don’t get any news.”

In addition, the corporate earnings season suggests other risks could dog the market.

Despite generally good results so far, there have been some worrisome signs. The S&P 500 rallied 6 percent in the run-up to reporting season, but earnings misses from big industrial names like Rockwell Collins and

Caterpillar Inc weighed on the Dow and S&P 500 on Friday.

Earlier in the week several big consumer names such as Whirlpool and Pepsi warned about sluggishness in developed markets, sending their shares sharply lower. “The market still has a high degree of skepticism in it,” said Kalivas, summing up the earnings season so far.

Kalivas said he will be closely following earnings from sector and economic bellwethers next week. Those include the package delivery company UPS, chipmaker Texas Instruments, and online retailer Amazon.

Around 30 percent of the S&P 500’s $12.3 trillion market cap have reported earnings so far.

They have outpaced consensus

estimates by 3.8 percent, and only 7 percent have missed estimates, according to data from Morgan Stanley.

But share prices of those that have fallen short of estimates have taken a severe beating. Given the fragile sentiment a few more prominent misses could derail the market.

“The market is punishing these misses more than it is rewarding beats, an asymmetry we have been calling for and we forecast will continue,” wrote Morgan Stanley’s US equity strategist Adam Parker in a note to clients. “Our view remains that first half of the year numbers are achievable but the second half of the year looks challenged,” he said. Next week is also a big week for economic data. Fears of a slowdown in the economy have been a large driver of market volatility over the last few months, and the coming releases will be parsed very

closely. They include early regional manufacturing data from Chicago and New York, a reading of consumer sentiment, and a first reading of US growth for the second quarter, expected to show the economy grew just 1.9 percent in the period. Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at BlackRock, one of the world’s largest fund managers with around $1.6 trillion of equities under management, said this week that the US economy is at a critical juncture. Doll points out that since 1960 everytime year-on-year growth has fallen under 2 percent the US economy has gone into recession.

“Our bottom line view is that investors should maintain a reasonably constructive bias toward risk assets, but should also be prepared to scale back exposure if evidence of economic growth acceleration does not materialize,” said Doll. —Reuters

IMF likely to lend more money to ailing Greece Lagarde sums up all the caution on lending

AMRITSAR: Indian media representatives stand inside the country’s first ever Bharti Wal-Mart “Best Price” Modern Wholesale cash and carry store in the village of Manawala, some 11 km from Amritsar. A top Indian government panel has approved a plan to allow foreign direct investment in the country’s vast retail market in what would be one of the country’s biggest economic reforms. —AFP

Yanukovych’s riverside property intrigues Ukraine KIEV: It is beautifully situated on the Dnipro river, surrounded by fences and guards and has taken on a mysterious allure as the authorities wave away questions about its residents. This is Mezhygirya, the private residence of Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych, who has made much of his impoverished youth but is now facing mounting questions over what the press says is a vast luxury complex. Yanukovych insists he owns only a 1.7 hectare plot and a villa of 620 square metres at Mezhygirya, an official residence dating back to Soviet times that has a total area of 137 hectares.

“I invite only those that I want to invite,” the president said in a testy exchange at his annual news conference this month with reporters who asked to be shown around the residence. “If you want to find out who the (other) owners are ask them: they sometimes come to Ukraine,” he added enigmatically.

Yanukovych was serving as prime minister in the early years of the last decade when he settled in the idyllic residence that lies about 40 kilometres north of Kiev on a resevoir formed by the mighty Dnipro.

The land belonged to the government in Soviet times, but was subsequently rented out to the private sector on a 49-year lease, according to the press. Opposition Ukrainian media have claimed that new tenants were confidants of the president, including even his sons, allegations denied by the presidency. The circumstances of the lease to the private sector have not been made public.

Yanukovych’s rival and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has even called it an outright “theft”. Surrounded by several massive perimeter fences, the residence is watched by many guards planted inside and around the compound.

Faced with mounting public pressure, Yanukovych in June allowed a group of journalists to visit his villa and surrounding area, without giving access to the rest of the property, which he has denied controlling.

Footage from the trip depicts a two-level building decorated in a classical style with thick curtains and gilded picture frames.

Landscaping that surrounds the house includes trails winding through a wooded area with streams and fountains, as well as a banya, beehives, and a large pool.

The daily Segodnya —- whose reporters even commissioned a pilot to fly over the property-published photographs depicting not only the villa, but a hangar, helicopter pads, and a three-storey “clubhouse” building. “The residence is like a small town,” said the daily, which is considered close to the government. Other Ukrainian media have said other parts of the complex of which Yanukovych denies control contain tennis courts, a golf area, a garage for 70 cars and even a private zoo complete with ostriches and kangaroos.

Ukraine’s top investigative news website Ukrainska Pravda, which has published several detailed reports on the subject, has argued that just the rare wood used for interior decorating in the “clubhouse” costs some $9.7 million. A source in the construction industry told AFP that the bathroom in the clubhouse is entirely encrusted with semi-precious stones worth 350,000 euros ($490,000). The presidency has denied that Yanukovych owns any such bathroom.

“It is a typical manifestation of post-Soviet culture,” which pushes successful people to “accentuate their status with exuberant luxury,” said political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko.

The probing investigations by the Ukrainian media about the residence contrasts with the virtual taboo in the Russian press over allegations that strongman Vladimir Putin has built a vast luxury pad in the south of Russia. But observers have expressed doubt that the group of six journalists from pro-government Ukrainian media on their tour saw the real residence, which industry experts told AFP would cost $2-2.5 million to build. — AFP

Suzuki frustrated with VW, mulls turning to Fiat BERLIN: Japanese automaker Suzuki is getting increasingly frustrated with its larger partner Volkswagen and is eyeing deeper ties with Italian giant Fiat, German media said yesterday. “The cooperation with Fiat has been going well in a climate of mutual trust for years,” a senior Suzuki executive told the Automobilwoche weekly. “It is perfectly imaginable that a strengthened partnership would be beneficial to both parties,” he said. “On the other hand, our cooperation with Volkswagen is still being reviewed.” Volkswagen’s purchase of a 19.9-percent stake in Suzuki in December 2009 had been seen as an opportunity for both carmakers to benefit from each other’s strengths, in hybrid and small-car technologies

respectively. However the $2.5-billion alliance (1.7 billion euros) turned sour, with Suzuki complaining that its autonomy was being jeopardized and that it was being treated like a subsidiary by Volkswagen. Hans Demant, in charge of international cooperation at Volkswagen, stressed that both automakers were “two independent companies with different economic models.”

“As a result, cooperation should be developed with caution. It is unfortunately taking a little longer than what had been initially planned,” he told Automobilwoche. In May this year, Italian daily Corriere della Sera had reported a secret meeting in Italy between Fiat and Suzuki executives. — AFP

WASHINGTON: Europeans are convinced that the International Monetary Fund is going to lend more money to Greece. The banks that hold Greek debt say it must. But the global crisis lender, already heavily committed to Athens, is biding its time. After the agreement reached on Thursday between euro-zone leaders on a new rescue plan for Greece, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde summed up all the caution that reigns in Washington, affirming “the IMF will continue to play its part.”

What that “part” covers is not yet quite clear. At a minimum, the IMF is expected to continue to press Athens for austere budget measures and structural reforms under the 30-billion-euro ($43 billion) loan it extended in May 2010, through 2013.

About 12.5 billion euros remain to be disbursed. But the IMF could promise more to a country in dire straits, as part of the new 159-billion-euro ($229 billion) second bailout the European Union has crafted for Greece. That would take a new loan request from Greek authorities, whose conditions would be discussed with IMF officials. Then the IMF executive board, where 24 representatives of countries or groups of countries, would need to approve it.

It could easily take to September at the earliest, given the customary time needed for IMF procedures.

Lagarde considers a request from Greece imminent. “I’m sure it will be coming shortly,” she said at a news conference following the EU summit Thursday. “I’ll wait to see what the request will be” and notably the amount, she said, but added that “it’s clearly the intention of the International

The joint declaration released by the heads of state or government in the 17-nation eurozone was less direct: “We call on the IMF to continue to contribute to the financing of the new Greek program.”

The European Union does not decide alone.

ATHENS: Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou leaves the Greek President’s mansion in Athens after a meeting on Friday, hours after euro-zone leaders and private creditors agreed to give Greece a new 159-billion-euro bailout, risking a potential default to prevent the debt crisis from spreading worldwide. — AFP Monetary Fund to be an active participant in this program going forward.”

European Union president Herman Van Rompuy is banking on additional IMF money. The new aid to Greece will be “financed by both the European Union and the IMF,” he said in Brussels Thursday.

The United States, which has the power to block any IMF decision it opposes with its 16.2 percent voting rights, is in wait-andsee mode. Asked by AFP about US support for a new loan, the Treasury Department said it would not comment before seeing a request from Athens.

The current IMF aid package to

Greece is already a record-breaker. Described as “exceptional access to IMF resources,” the 30billion-euro loan is more than five times higher than the standard ceiling.

It the loan is completed, it will be the biggest IMF loan in the institution’s six-decade history.

The IMF’s loans to Ireland, approved in December, and to Portugal, awarded in May, also vastly surpass their theoretical ceilings. But if the IMF “is not just a cash machine,” as Lagarde said on July 11, it nevertheless may find it difficult to remain on the sidelines when a sizable eurozone economy is shaken by a sovereign debt crisis.

“When the IMF says it plays a role, that means that it lends money,” said Adam Lerrick, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.

“Certainly they have a choice to lend more money to Greece or not. But given the efforts that the euro area has made, the number of things that they have agreed to and that the IMF clearly wanted, I think the Fund will provide the money.”

The Greek finance minister, Evangelos Venizelos, is expected in Washington Monday and is scheduled to meet with Lagarde.

“This meeting was scheduled at the request of the authorities,” IMF spokesman David Hawley said, refusing to comment on what would be discussed. —AFP

N Korea urges foreign help on rare earths

JAKARTA: Visitors take a look at new vehicle models during the Indonesian Motor Show 2011 exhibition in Jakarta yesterday. The 19th Indonesian Motor Show is taking place from July 22 to 31 with a sustainable green technology theme.—AFP

China hails new Greek debt deal BEIJING: China yesterday welcomed the new bailout plan for the troubled Greek economy as a solid step forward in addressing the euro-zone’s sovereign debt problem. “This will help in promoting a resolution of the euro-zone sovereign debt issues, maintaining financial stability in the eurozone and its member states, and maintaining market confidence,” central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said. “We support the efforts made by the European Union and the euro-zone in combating the global financial crisis and improving their fiscal situation,” he said in a statement posted on the website of the

People’s Bank of China.

Euro-zone leaders and private creditors agreed at an emergency summit late on Thursday to give Greece a new 159-billion-euro bailout, risking a potential default through its inclusion of the private sector so as to prevent the debt crisis from spreading.

The euro-zone and the International Monetary Fund will provide 109 billion euros while private sector banks will share the costs with about 50 billion euros up to 2014, a total equivalent to $229 billion.

“China has always been confident regarding the eurozone and the euro and will

continue to play an active and stable role in the international financial market,” Zhou said.

He pledged that China would step up cooperation with the European Union, the European Central Bank and the European Financial Stability Facility. He added that the European financial market will continue to be one of China’s biggest investment destinations.

China has repeatedly expressed its confidence in the euro-zone economies amid the crisis, and has invested an increasing portion of its world-leading foreign exchange reserves in eurodenominated assets. — AFP

SEOUL: North Korea wants foreign companies to help develop what the impoverished communist state says is its abundance of rare earth metals, a proPyongyang newspaper said yesterday.

The Japan-based Chosun Shinbo said on its website that about 20 million tons of rare earth elements had been found buried in North Korea. China has 90 million tons of rare earth deposits, Russia has 21 million tons while the United States has 14 million tons, the report said. Estimates on the North’s rare earth deposits could rise if the current digging work finds new burial grounds or more formations buried deeper in existing sites, it added. The largest burial deposit was discovered in North Pyongan Province, the paper said, while the rest of the elements were distributed in southern and northern parts of the country.

A senior North Korean official of the state natural resource development agency told the newspaper that North Korea was encouraging joint ventures with other countries to develop rare earth metals.

“It is important that these elements must be processed in this country before being exported,” the official, Kim HungJu, was quoted as saying by the Chosun Shinbo.

The government will put limits on its output and exports of rare earth materials, Kim added. Currently, China produces more than 95 percent of the world’s rare earths 17 elements critical to manufacturing everything from iPods to low-emission cars and missiles. — AFP

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TECHNOLOGY

Web startups give consumers more health control SAN JOSE: When new mom Leah Dillon needed advice for her son’s first fever, she wondered where to turn. Recently arrived in Palo Alto, Calif, she couldn’t ask neighbors for guidance and wasn’t sure if she should page her son’s pediatrician in the dead of night. So Dillon went to a website called HealthTap, unveiled this spring by a startup in her neighborhood. An interactive Q&A database walked her through a set of recommendations - from doctors, not just anybody with an opinion and a keyboard. “ The Internet is so vast, you don’t know where you’re getting your information from,” she said. “It gives me more confidence if it’s backed by pediatricians.”

The arrival of a new child also set Robert Auguste looking for technological help, but with spending, not symptoms. “All of the hospital bills started coming in, and I said, ‘I have no idea how I’m going to get through all of this,’ “ said the consultant in Greenwich, Conn. “They’re all from different companies, and it’s confusing.” Then Auguste read about another Palo Alto, Calif, startup, called Simplee, which promised help organizing medical bills; he immediately signed on for the beta. “I went to this one dashboard and I could see, ‘These bills are all related to the hospital; these are from the doctor.’ It adds a whole level of simplicity.”

HealthTap and Simplee are part of a growing wave of Web 2.0 startups that are using mobile and social technology to give consumers more control over their health.

From turning smartphones into diagnostic tools to helping users shop for health plans and providers, these young companies hope to bring Silicon Valley know-how to bear on age-old problems. “There’s a ton of interest in this area, and for good reason: There hasn’t been a lot of progress in applying information technology to health

care,” said Derik Pridmore of Founders Fund, the San Francisco venture capital firm launched by the co-founders of PayPal and Facebook.

Among his firm’s investments are ZocDoc, which lets patients instantly book

CALIFORNIA: Leah Dillon uses a computer program called HealthTap that gives health advice and keeps her from unnecessary trips to the pediatrician. — MCT medical appointments online, and Practice Fusion, which gives doctors and patients more control over medical records. Practice Fusion CEO Ryan Howard realized the need for such a system while working for Brown & Toland, a network of more than 800 San Francisco Bay Area physicians. “I started seeing a massive problem - the claims systems were so disparate,” he said. “And I started thinking about patient records, which are even more complex.”

Howard, who previously had built sup-

Doctors turn to smartphones, tablets to access medical data Watching fetus’ heartbeat on iPhone FORT WORTH: If a patient of Arlington, Texas, physician Ignacio Nunez shows up at the emergency room when the doctor is not at the hospital, he doesn’t have to wait long to start investigating what might be wrong. The obstetrician/gynecologist can call up an expectant mother’s medical records on his iPhone, or even watch the fetus’s heartbeat on the device once the woman is connected to a hospital monitor, wherever he might be at the time. “Maybe I made my rounds in the morning, but at 2 pm a nurse calls and says, ‘We don’t like the way an EKG looks.’ I can see it. I don’t even have to leave my house,” he said.

According to AirStrip, the San Antonio software company that developed the app Nunez uses, there is only a three- to five-second lag to get information to the physician’s mobile device. AirStrip also makes a version for cardiologists and has an upcoming version that will monitor other critical data in intensive care units and emergency rooms. Luis Saldana, associate chief medical information officer for Texas Health Resources, said that by linking mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers to hospitals’ electronic medical records, “we’re trying to extend the physician beyond the hospital.”

“We’re trying to give physicians as many options as we can,” Saldana said, such as seeing any X-ray the moment it becomes available. At Huguley Memorial Medical Center in Fort Worth, physicians have been able to view selected patient medical records, such as test results, on smartphones for about six months, said Tammy Collier, chief nursing officer. “What we see physicians doing is preparing themselves with very current information,” Collier said. “They have so much more information available at their fingertips.”

Mobile access is also a way to draw more value out of the big investments hospitals have made in electronic records in recent years. According to consultant Accenture, North American hospital systems spent $7.4 billion in 2010. And the 2009 stimulus act promised $50 billion over five years to help move government and private health care providers to electronic records.

Texas Health Resources says it has spent $200 million-plus on electronic records systemwide.

ply-chain technology to help companies like Wal-Mart find small suppliers, began noodling on a way to connect doctors to pharmacies, labs, and insurance companies and ensure a secure flow of patient health information. Practice Fusion, rolled out in

That’s a lot of money, but “one of the problems is making it easy to use,” said Brian Dolan, editor and co-founder of MobiHealthNews, an online newsletter that covers mobile technology in the health care industry. “If you make it easier to access through technology,” physicians and patients can make greater use of the data available, he said. While many physicians have desktop or laptop computers in their offices, and hospitals have desktop computers at nursing stations or physician quarters, putting information on a mobile device seems to make a difference, some say. “It’s just the way doctors use tablets. There’s more of a willingness to share with the patient,” Dolan said. “The collaborative nature is more of a game-changer.”

According to Saldana and others, getting physicians to carry smartphones or tablets is an easy sell. “Many doctors are now carr ying iPads,” Saldana said of Apple Inc.’s tablet computer, which dominates its market.

Dolan said about 30 percent of physicians have an iPad and more than 80 percent have smartphones, which include the iPhone and many other devices that use the Android or other operating system to turn a cellphone into a functional computer. Nunez said that while he owns both an iPhone and an iPad, he finds the tablet computer too large for his daily work. And with an iPhone, he said, “I can find the medical record, look up information and do it while I’m talking” to a patient, doctor or nurse.

IPads in particular are handy for viewing X-rays and other medical images, Saldana said. “The resolution is very good,” he said. While such apps are widely available, they draw their data from secure hospital-based networks. So consumers likely won’t be able to make much use of the app on their device.

Meshing a popular trend like mobile device apps with medicine can also run into other speed bumps. Dolan said an iPhone app featured on iTunes when Apple opened its App Store in 2008 was a medical image viewer from MIM Software. It looked impressive, but wasn’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration, he said, and had to be removed from Apple’s online store. It finally got that approval in February, along with a version for the iPad. — MCT

late 2007, provides the system for free to nearly 100,000 doctors and nurses, making money by placing ads on the platform. “It literally prevents the doctor from prescribing a medication that the patient will have an adverse reaction to,” Pridmore said.

And while the road to broader adoption of electronic health records has been potholed - Google last month said it would close down its 3-year-old Google Health initiative - investors have been bullish on Practice Fusion, with Pridmore’s firm lead-

ing a $23 million April venture funding round that also included Artis Capital Management and Felicis Ventures. Despite the failure of Google Health, which aimed to let consumers input and update their health records online, Howard has high hopes for a feature that lets doctors in his network give their patients access to their charts, medications and immunization histories. “Right now we’re sort of Salesforce for doctors,” Howard said. “We’ll be at 100 million patients next year, which will let us become Facebook for patients.” He talks of letting users put together online wellness plans with social gaming-type rewards and use “clinical crowdsourcing” to share information about their own conditions with other patients.

Helping patients by helping doctors was also the idea behind HealthTap. CEO Ron Gutman, who led an interdisciplinar y research team on personal health while a graduate student at Stanford University and later founded Wellsphere, an online community of health writers, launched his latest venture in April. Within two months, it had added more than 1,200 board-certified doctors in all 50 states. “We want to bring the doctor back into the center of the discussion,” he said, “because if not, it’s the blind leading the blind.” (Gutman’s wife, incidentally, is a retinal surgeon.)

What powers HealthTap is not just the database culled from peer-reviewed medical articles and curated by physicians, but a search algorithm that asks patients questions as they describe symptoms_much the way a doctor would during a visit. Gutman says the software provides better search results and gives patients a personalized “prep sheet” they can take to doctor’s visits, making them shorter and less costly. Users like Dillon appear to be sold. “As a new mom, you’re constantly worried about every little thing, but you can’t see your

doctor every day,” she said. “This is going to be my one-stop shop for health care. It saved me a trip in the middle of the night, it saved me money, and it works.”

As for Simplee, which only came out of beta June 30, it too has its roots in a parent’s search for answers. CEO Tomer Shoval, who at the time was a managing director of eBay’s Shopping.com, had a “horrifying,” flufilled Mexican vacation in 2009, an experience made worse once the family arrived home and was inundated with invoices from medical providers and obtuse benefit statements from their insurance company.

“Each of them comes in a different format; you’re not really sure if you’ve paid them or not,” he said. “It kind of hit me that this is really broken.” So Shoval left eBay last summer and in May began the beta, which he said included several thousand people covered by eight of the biggest insurance companies.

Once users register, Simplee pulls together information from their insurers on recent medical visits, out-of-pocket expenses and so forth. The software will also email a user to say a doctor’s bill is on the way or remind them to take advantage of health plan benefits like free immunizations. “The average family spends more than $3,000 a year on out-of-pocket expenses, and it’s increasing every year,” said Shoval. “We can’t afford to ignore this anymore.” The service is free to consumers. And Shoval, whose 15-person company has landed $1.5 million in venture backing from Greylock Israel and others, plans to add a recommendation engine that would look at a person’s insurance history and suggest new health plans based on their historical consumption of care. “Consumers in every other vertical have transparency,” he notes. “Why would we spend 30 minutes shopping for a running shoe or a digital camera, but not for a knee surgery?” — MCT

US robot set for Mars NASA aims to land robot near mountain in Mars crater CAPE CANAVERAL: NASA moved on to a new chapter in space exploration on Friday, a day after the end of its shuttle program, by announcing details of plans to determine if Mars has or ever had the ingredients for life. Managers at the US space agency said a robotic science laboratory, being prepared for a Nov 25 launch, will land in August 2012 near a mountain in a crater on the planet most like Earth in the solar system. The announcement came after the final curtain fell on NASA’s 30year-old space shuttle program with Thursday’s landing of shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center.

A detailed blueprint of NASA’s follow-on space exploration strategy is still pending and many Americans fear the demise of the shuttle program means the United States is relinquishing its leadership in space. But US President Barack Obama has said the objective is to build new spaceships that can travel beyond the shuttle’s near-Earth orbit and eventually send astronauts to asteroids, Mars and other destinations in deep space.

At a Cape Canaveral briefing next Wednesday, NASA officials will discuss preparations for the agency’s upcoming Juno mission to Jupiter. The unmanned spacecraft, set for launch next month, is expected to reach Jupiter’s orbit in July 2016 and should further understanding of the solar system’s beginnings by revealing the origin and evolution of its largest planet. “A lot of attention has been given to the event that concluded yesterday with the landing of the space shuttle, marking really the turning of the page to a new chapter in human exploration of space,” said NASA chief scientist Waleed Abdalati.

“Things change, things evolve, but what remains constant is the urge to explore, to reach out beyond where we are and understand our surroundings and our place in it,” Abdalati said at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, where the landing site for the Mars Science

FLORIDA: The space shuttle Atlantis is towed back to its hangar at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after its 13-day mission. Atlantis safely touched down bringing an end to the 30-year US shuttle program. — AFP Laboratory was announced.

NASA plans to turn over its three space shuttles to museums and regroup for development of the new manned exploration program. This will be aimed at the inner solar system, which so far has only been explored by robots, albeit increasingly more capable ones. Among the most sophisticated probes in the offing is the plutonium-powered roving Mars Science Lab, nicknamed Curiosity, which is being prepared for launch in November. Twice as long and five times heavier than previous Mars rovers, Curiosity packs 10 science instruments, including two for on-site chemi-

cal analysis of pulverized rock.

With it, scientists hope to learn if Mars has or ever had the organics necessary for life-at least life as it appears on Earth.

‘STUNNING’ ROCK MOUNTAIN Scientists spent five years mulling 60 possible landing sites before narrowing the list to four: Eberwalde Crater, Mawrth Vallis, Holden Crater and-the winnerGale Crater, which sports a stunning three -mile -(5 km-)high mountain of rocks rising from the crater floor. That’s about twice the height of the stack of rocks exposed in the Grand Canyon.

Analysis from Mars-orbiting

spacecraft shows the base of Gale Crater’s mountain includes both clays and sulfate salts, the only site among the four finalists with both types of materials available.

“Those are key classes of minerals that tell us about the environment on Mars and the interaction with water. Water is critical to habitability,” said geologist Dawn Sumner, with the University of California at Davis. Scientists do not know how the mountain formed, but it may be the eroded remnant of sediment that once completely filled the crater. “If you start at the bottom and you go to the top, it’s like reading a novel and we think that Gale Crater is going to be a great novel,” said lead mission scientist John Grotzinger, with the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

Though Curiosity’s mission is scheduled to last two years, scientists hope the rover will live past its warranty. One of a pair of Mars rovers that arrived for concurrent three-month surveys in January 2004 is still working. Its twin succumbed to the harsh Martian environment only last year. They returned evidence that Mars was once far wetter and warmer than the dry, cold desert that exists today. “Gale Crater is interesting to explore because it crosses what we think is a major time boundary on Mars recorded in its mineral history,” said Brown University geologist Jack Mustard. “ That boundary marks a change from an early wet, hospitable environment that would have been suitable for life to a middle period where conditions may have become more hostile.

We believe that at Gale Crater, we have located that boundary where life may have sprung up and where it may have been extinguished. That’s why we’re going there,” he added. Kennedy Space Center is overseeing preparations for Curiosity’s launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, which is adjacent to the space shuttle’s now-dormant launch pads. — Reuters

Google to debut platform for social games LOS ANGELES: Google Inc is planning to debut a platform for social games that would compete with offerings on Facebook. The Silicon Valley search giant has approached developers to put their games on Google’s new social networking ser vice Google, according to people knowledgeable about Google’s plans who did not want to be identified because of confidentiality agreements.

The plans, reported Friday by technology blog AllThingsD, could be announced as early as next month, they said.

A Google spokesperson declined to confirm the report, saying only that the company plans “to add a lot of features and functionality to Google over time.” Google is trying to counter Facebook Inc, which is competing with the Internet search giant for eyeballs and

advertising dollars. An investor in San Francisco social gaming company Zynga Inc, Google aims to keep Facebook from dominating the lucrative market for social games, which has become a major revenue stream for the world’s most popular social network.

Google is Google’s most aggressive effort yet to crack the evolution of the Web from a place that connects people to information into a place that connects them to one another. It has amassed 20 million users in three weeks, according to research firm ComScore Inc. Adding social games could liven up Google, which has far fewer users than Facebook’s 750 million-plus and fewer bells and whistles. Google requires an invitation.

The market for social games in the US, which reached $1 billion last year, is projected

to reach $5 billion by 2015, said Pietro Macchiarella, a game analyst with market research company Parks Associates. Much of the revenue comes from games played on Facebook. Facebook requires makers of applications on its platform to pay 30 percent of revenue collected from selling virtual items on the network. One way Google could compete is by offering to take a smaller portion of game publishers’ revenue.

Google’s success in recruiting publishers, however, will hinge on its ability to continue its momentum in adding users to Google, Macchiarella said. About 250 million people play social games, but only about 2 percent to 3 percent of them spend money on virtual items or power-ups that enable players to advance faster in those games. — MCT

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health & science

Drogba takes malaria fight to native Africa BANGKOK: After six years braving England’s frigid winters, a tropical disease was the last thing Chelsea’s injury-prone striker Didier Drogba thought would keep him on the sidelines of the Premier League. Since contracting malaria last year, Drogba’s fight against the disease has gone from the Chelsea treatment room to the wilds of West Africa, where he is building a hospital and providing thousands of mosquito nets in an effort to cut the infection rate of one of the world’s biggest killers.

There are 225 million cases a year of malaria, a

mosquito-borne disease which can damage the nervous system, kidneys and liver. There were 781,000 deaths due to malaria in 2009, nine out of 10 were in Africa, according to the World Health Organization.

“I had malaria, I know exactly what it feels like and it’s something that I want to stop,” Drogba told Reuters yesterday, handing out hundreds of nets bearing his face to a foundation in Thailand during Chelsea’s Asian tour.

“That’s why we’re giving these nets to kids and people who can’t afford treatment. These are

Health

in brief

Return to smoking after heart attack ups death risk NEW YORK: After a heart attack, quitting smoking may offer a patient more benefits than any medication, but Italian researchers say the flipside is that resuming smoking after leaving the hospital can raise the same patient’s risk of dying as much as five-fold. On average, people who started smoking again after being hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) — crushing chest pain that often signals a heart attack-were more than three times as likely to die within a year as people who successfully quit in a study led by Dr Furio Colivicchi of San Filippo Neri Hospital in Rome.

Parents’ stress tied to pollution’s effect on kids NEW YORK: Children living in high-stress households are more vulnerable to lung damage from traffic pollution than children whose parents are less stressed out, according to the results of a new study. “It makes sense,” said Dr Jane Clougherty from the University of Pittsburgh, who was not involved in this study. “The bodily wear and tear induced by...stress could make the individual more susceptible to the effects of traffic-related air pollution.”

Take-home chlamydia tests tied to more screening NEW YORK: Women at risk for Chlamydia infections are more likely to get tested if they can do it at home instead of going to a clinic, suggests new research. The study participants had all previously tested positive for chlamydia and were treated for the sexually-transmitted disease. But guidelines recommend women get tested again, three months after treatment, because it’s easy to recatch the infection from a partner who hasn’t been treated.

Transparency rules a tangle at cancer journals NEW YORK: Economic ties that could bias drug trials and patient care might remain hidden due to tangled disclosure rules at medical journals, a new study reveals. Researchers found that of 131 cancer journals, only 112 had policies requiring researchers to state conflicts of interest, such as drugmaker stock ownership or speaker fees. And among journals that did have such policies, the rules were all over the map.

good options, they’re efficient and they save lives.” Drogba has been active in his native Ivory Coast in raising funds and donating his own sponsorship earnings to building a hospital in the capital Abidjan worth more than $4 million. The 32-year-old fell ill with malaria in September but continued playing, a decision he said was foolish in retrospect and delayed his recovery.

Dangerous move The towering forward still does not know

where he picked up the illness, which the club did not reveal until two months later. “It was very dangerous and cost me fitness for almost two months,” he said. “But I kept playing, I wanted to help my team, but I really should not have.” Drogba’s hospital project has been delayed due to a four-month conflict in Ivory Coast that killed thousands of people following an election intended to unite the former French colony that plunged it back into civil war. The country is now in recovery following April’s ouster by French-backed rebels of for-

mer President Laurent Gbagbo, who had refused to cede power. Drogba said he would return to his homeland in the next few weeks to get his hospital project started. “The situation in Ivory Coast has meant it’s difficult for people to receive treatment, but the country is trying to survive, slowly things should get back to normal,” Drogba said. “I want this money to go to the right place, to try to help my people and give back to them what they gave to me. “They’ve always been supporting me, so I really want to help them.” — Reuters

EU boosts support to Horn of Africa drought victims ‘Shebab’s aid restrictions deliberately starving people to death’ DADAAB: The European Union aid commissioner yesterday vowed to do all that is possible to help 12 million people struggling from extreme drought across the Horn of Africa, boosting aid by 27.8 million euros ($40 million). “We commit to do as much as we can,” said EU aid chief Kristalina Georgieva during a visit to Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee complex. The funds come on top of almost 70 million euros ($100 million) the bloc has already contributed as assistance in the worst regional drought in decades, affecting parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti and Uganda.

Refugees from neighboring Somalia fleeing drought, famine and conflict continue to stream daily into the camp in eastern Kenya, a vast and overcrowded complex sheltering some 380,000 people.

Kenya’s government has said it is overwhelmed by the flood of refugees, including those fleeing two areas in southern Somalia that the United Nations declared on Wednesday were suffering from famine. “We really appreciate what the Kenyan government and the Kenyan people are doing,” said Georgieva. “We have a responsibility to share.”

Kenya recently agreed to open a new extension to ease congestion in the camp, but remains wary of the security threat posed by Somali insurgents and fears that some rebels can find their way into the camps. Government spokesman Alfred Mutua suggested on Thursday that feeding camps be opened inside Somalia.

“The current flow of refugees is not ten-

MOGADISHU: A Somali malnourished child from southern Somalia is cared for at a camp yesterday. — AP able and it may get to a point where the burden will be too great to bear,” Mutua said. “A more viable solution that really assists the drought-driven refugees needs to be arrived at.”

The new Dadaab camp, called Ifo II, was built last year to accommodate 40,000 refugees but remains closed.

However, Georgieva said she understood the Kenyan government was facing major challenges, with the drought also affecting its own citizens. “We will discuss

this with the Kenyan government,” Georgieva said, when questioned if she would push for the camp to open. “Kenya is already pressured by the drought and the refugees coming in.” Kenya’s deputy internal security minister Orwa Ojode has called on the African Union to help relocate refugees to a third country.

“We have asked the AU to assist to relocate the refugees to another country because our camps are becoming too congested,” Ojode said. Donor countries

have ramped up aid pledges to assist the drought-stricken millions, with UN chief Ban Ki-moon calling for $1.6 billion in aid to combat the crisis. But relief efforts inside southern Somalia are hampered by the refusal of the Al-Qaeda-inspired insurgents-who control both areas declared by the UN to be famine-struckto lift an aid ban on several foreign aid groups. Georgieva called on aid to be allowed to reach those who need it. “I hope there is access to humanitarian aid in Somalia,” she said, calling the Shebab organization a “dragon with many heads.”

The UN has warned that up to 350,000 people in famine areas risk starvation, with the crisis likely to spread to all eight of southern Somalia’s regions if aid is not urgently supplied.

The Shebab, designated a terrorist group by the United States, have waged a bloody campaign to overthrow the country’s Western-backed government they accuse of being an apostate administration. Somalia’s government also condemned the Shebab’s aid restrictions, calling the group “callous terrorists.” “The extremists are literally and deliberately starving the people to death,” said Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, in a statement released late on Friday. The government’s authority in the war-ravaged capital Mogadishu is limited to just a few areas where it survives under the protection of a 9,000-strong African Union force. “It is the insurgency itself that is the root cause of the famine,” Ali added. — AFP

Childhood pets linked to lower allergy risk NEW YORK: Good news for families that would love to have a furry dog or cat but hesitate for fear the kids might become allergic: Fido or Kitty might actually be good for children’s health, scientists say. They found that children who were exposed to animals at a young age had lower rates of nasal allergies as adolescents.

Health at birth linked to teen academic performance NEW YORK: Babies who get low scores on a test of heart, lung and brain function given just a few minutes after birth may be more likely to need special education as teenagers, suggests a new study from Sweden. But an outside researcher said that the chance of going to a special school was still low enough that parents shouldn’t be concerned so long as their kids with a low socalled “Apgar score” do fine early in life.

Japanese herb for hot flashes fails in US trial NEW YORK: An herbal remedy widely used in Japan to ease menopause symptoms failed to show the same benefits in a clinical trial of US women, researchers report. The study looked at the effects of keishi-bukuryo-gan, a mix of cinnamon bark, peach pit and several other botanicals that is also known as known as TU-025.

Under-eye fat transfer lasts a few years NEW YORK: Fat transferred under the eyes to create a younger-looking face can last for at least three years, suggests a new study of people who had the surgery. The procedure involves taking fat from the belly or thighs and injecting it below the lower eyelid, to puff up an area that surgeons say generally begins to lose its shape by the time people are in their 30s.

Life expectancy rises with AIDS therapy NEW YORK: Ugandan HIV and AIDS patients receiving antiretroviral “cocktail” therapy can expect to live nearly as long as their compatriots who don’t have HIV, a new study finds. “They can have almost a normal life expectancy, and live approximately two thirds as long as if they had not had HIV,” said Edward Mills, a professor of global health at the University of Ottawa in Canada and lead author of the study. “This is very good news.”

Going into hospital far riskier than flying GENEVA: Millions of people die each year from medical errors and infections linked to health care and going into hospital is far riskier than flying, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.

“If you were admitted to hospital tomorrow in any country... your chances of being subjected to an error in your care would be something like 1 in 10.

OSAKA: Gogo the polar bear grabs an ice cube containing apples presented to him on the day known as Taisho, or “Big Heat,” in the Japanese traditional calendar, at Tennoji Zoo yesterday. Taisho marks the beginning of the 12th of 24 solar terms in the traditional calendar, and is known as one of the hottest periods of the year. — AP

‘30 days of hell’ for US victim of E coli ATLANTA: In early May, John Meyer stayed at a lakeside hotel in Hamburg, Germany. He attended a business conference. He went sailing. And he became one of the few US victims in one of the worst food poisoning outbreaks in recent world history. Meyer went to the hospital a week later with what turned out to be a rare and deadly strain of E. coli bacteria that caused thousands of illnesses, mostly in Germany. He would spend the next month in a Massachusetts hospital, much of the time a delirium, while doctors worked around the clock to save his life.

Meyer is one of six US cases linked to the German outbreak and he’s the first to talk about his terrible experience, speaking to The Associated Press by phone from his home in Franklin, Massachusetts. “It was 30 days of hell,” said his wife, Loreen. Meyer was in Hamburg as that city was emerging as the epicenter of a food poisoning disaster that would be among the deadliest in memory. More than 4,000 people in Germany and other countries became ill since the outbreak was detected in May, including several hundred who developed a serious complication that can lead to kidney failure. At least 53 died.

The outbreak ultimately was traced to a batch of fenugreek seeds from Egypt. The seeds, which taste a bit like burnt sugar, are sometimes used as a spice in cooking. Fenugreek sprouts are used in salads. Meyer believes he must have eaten fenugreek while attending a business meeting at the Hamburg hotel. He thinks the tainted seeds, or sprouts, could have been in the fresh fruits and vegetables at a breakfast bar. There would be some irony if that was the case: It’s hard to find good produce during hurried business trips, and Meyer had welcomed the opportunity to eat healthy.

“In this case, it backfired,” he said. Meyer’s lawyer provided the AP with lab results and government investigation reports into his illness. Massachusetts state health officials also confirmed he was infected with the rare German E coli strain. Meyer declined to allow his doctor to speak to the AP and he would not

agree to be photographed. Some common forms of food poisoning can cause symptoms within a day of eating tainted food, but Meyer said he felt no ill effects during a six-day European business trip that included two days in Hamburg and a brief stop in France afterward. He returned home on May 13 feeling fine.

However, this unique and dangerous E. coli bug takes a week to announce its presence. Meyer first became aware something was wrong on May 18. He was at his desk at Senior Aerospace that morning when his abdomen began hurting. At 52, he is a cyclist who eats two Greek yogurts each day. He says he’s never had food poisoning, but on that day he went home in pain. By midafternoon, he was hit with bloody diarrhea and a dawning sense of alarm. “Whatever it was, it wasn’t a minor thing,” Meyer said. His wife Loreen, a high school biology teacher, was home by then and worried.

She took him to nearby Milford Regional Medical Center.

Doctors there saw him quickly but weren’t able to diagnose him. They recommended follow-up with a gastroenterologist the next day and sent him home for the night. But when he got home the diarrhea accelerated. “Every hour, and then it started getting even closer,” he recalled.

Loreen took him back to the hospital that night and he was admitted. Though it all happened less than two months ago, Meyer’s memory is fuzzy on what happened the next several weeks. He had intense stomach pain and his kidneys stopped working. Doctors put him on fluids to rehydrate him. They treated him with different antibiotics, and cleansed his blood using dialysis and other measures.

The infection affected his mind. He recalled staring at a clock in his hospital room and not being able to tell time. “I was thinking, ‘Why do they have this strange clock in here, and why is it set up differently?’” Meyer said he grew paranoid, believing that his doctors had written him off for dead. Doctors had not given up on him, but were perplexed. A test for the most dangerous

form of E. coli familiar to Americans came back negative. They sent specimens for additional analysis to lab with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab in Atlanta. In early June, CDC confirmed it was the German strain. Around that time, he had begun to recover. His kidneys were improving. His awareness returned. He was moved out of intensive care more than three weeks later, and on June 17 he was sent home.

But he was far from normal. He and his wife said his muscles had atrophied, his red blood cell count was still down, and the lining of his colon had become a layer of dead tissue, unable to absorb nutrients. A man who had been an athletic 6-foot 2 (1.88 meters) and 185 pounds (84 kilograms) was down to 162 pounds (73 kilograms) and able to walk only short distances using a cane. He was hungry, though. Voracious, even, eating two breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners each day. “He had such a huge appetite because he was still not able to absorb as many nutrients,” his wife said.

Now he’s up to 170 pounds (77 kilograms) and working part days from home. He’s been in physical therapy and regaining his strength, though he’s months away from the kind of vigorous exercise he used to do. Meyer and his wife contacted a local attorney, saying they were worried about possible problems with getting health insurance to pay his hospital bills. That turned out not to be an issue. But the attorney referred the couple to Bill Marler, a Seattle lawyer considered the nation’s pre-eminent plaintiff’s attorney in food poisoning cases. Marler is looking into the possibility of a lawsuit, with potential targets including the company that owns the Hamburg hotel where Meyer stayed. He called Meyer’s suffering “horrific,” and echoed Meyer’s wife in worrying that he may suffer long-term problems. For his part, Meyer feels lucky to have survived, crediting his doctors for saving his life and his good health and fitness before the illness for helping him get through it. “Many unfortunate people didn’t survive,” he said. “It really is a frightening thing.” — AP

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Man cuts his weight in half by cycling ‘All it takes is discipline to do it’ LEXINGTON: Five years ago, Bill Cole weighed 420 pounds, had little strength and less endurance, and generally avoided physical exercise. Cole, 49, is a Lexington real estate consultant. Before that, he taught sociology at the University of Kentucky and Morehead State University. “I was born with some foot problems and had a bunch of surgeries, which kind of gave me an excuse not to be active,” he said. “In college, I started to get sedentary. “I worked behind a computer, essentially lived in my car commuting to different college campuses, and ate nothing but drive-through.”

Five years later, Cole has cut his weight roughly in half. He now weighs a little more than 200 pounds. He eats small portions of healthy foods only and is a hardcore bicyclist who pedals 150 miles a week, leads rides around Central Kentucky several times a week and tirelessly spreads the word that physical activity is a key to good health. Cole never took an exercise class, never joined a spa. He says he turned his life and health around with wise eating and lots of walking and biking - and he did it on his own.

Not surprisingly, he doesn’t think much of Men’s Health magazine’s recent designation of Lexington as America’s most sedentary city. “I prefer the designation we got from Bicycling magazine of 41st-best

cycling community in the nation, which unfortunately nobody knows about,” Cole said. “They wrote up our club ride that comes out of Masterson Station

every Monday night as one of the best in the nation for cyclists of all levels.”

What motivated him to get active? Almost six

LEXINGTON: Bill Cole, of the Bluegrass Cycling Club, rolls down Pisgah Pike on a Sunday bike ride. — MCT

breath deeply

years ago, Cole’s mother died unexpectedly of a heart attack. He took stock and realized that “every single older relative I had was an overweight diabetic.” He knew he had to do something about his health. “I went down to Hartland Park, where they have a half-mile track, and started walking,” he said. “It took me an hour to walk a half-mile, and I had to stop and sit down a couple of times.”

It took Cole two days to coax his aching legs and ankles back to the track, but he kept walking. Soon, he was walking six or seven miles several times a week, and he entered 5K races - walking, not running.

He started counting calories, eliminated soft drinks and switched from deep-frying to grilling. Cole bought a used bike at a garage sale and started puffing up and down Delong and Walnut Hill roads.

Gradually, the rides got longer, with fewer rest stops, and his extra pounds started melting away.

Cole joined Bluegrass Cycling Club, becoming a club director and a member of the committee that plans the club’s annual Horsey Hundred event. This year, he completed a “metric century,” pedaling 100 kilometers in a day. It has changed his life, he said.

“Anybody can do it,” he said. “All it takes is the discipline to do it.” — MCT

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Announcements Art salon Bouhshari Art Gallery Exhibition runs through 15 September. Daily working hours: 10am 1pm and 5 - 9pm, except on Friday and on Thursday evening.

Indian bowling league Indian Bowling League Season 2 would like to invite you and your families to participate in an Indian bowling event where all nationalities, the young and the old can have fun playing an enjoyable game while meeting new people in a healthy competition from July 12th - August 15th For more details contact: Uly 99503348, Amaldo 66052062, and Nasha 99516960. If anyone is looking to assist them in this event with sponsors, they will be really obliged to have your help to make this event a success.

Registrations are open.

Bodybuilding competition The Philippine Body Building & Fitness Association in Kuwait will be holding its first Bodybuilding competition for all Filipino Instructors and enthusiasts tomorrow at AlZumareida Hall, Salwa along the Gulf Road from 5pm - 9pm. The competition will be one of a kind in Kuwait. It will highlight the participation of highly skilled Filipino fitness and aerobics trainers and showcase remarkable presentations during the competition. Three categories for the Bodybuilding competition: Small, Medium, Tall, all of which are based on required height measurements. There will be three winners from each height category and one overall winner. The competition will be covered by Al Watan Daily News, TFC (The Filipino Channel) and GMA 7 from the Philippines.

KuwaitBodyBuilding.com will be one of the sponsors for this event and PBBFAK are actively looking for other organizations that may also be interested in becoming a sponsor.

Rink soccer Don Bosco Oratory is pleased to announce its Major 4-A-Side “Rink Soccer Fiesta” in Kuwait!

This event is for the soccer lovers in Kuwait and will be played on a League (round robin) cum knock out basis from August 2nd at the IEAS Quadrangle in Salmiya. Last date to register for participation is on July 28th. Draws will be announced on the July 30th. For details contact Chris: 6651-9627, Alex: 66069282 from 6-9pm.

Pizza eating championship makes delicious comeback

P

izza Inn organized a Pizza Eating Championship which was held at their True Value Branch in AlRai on July 18. The winner was the person who was able to eat the most number of slices. The first prize winner, Fahad Al-Baroud, won an X-Box 360 and second and third place winners, Shiraz Noor Riaz and Ahmed Monaf Yassin, won free meal coupons. The judges were Mubarak Al-Rashidi, Zakir Hussain, Murtaza Shamoon Ali. —Photos by Joseph Shagra

Al-Yasra Hockey tournament 2011

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hough field hockey is not one of the main stream sports in Kuwait but there are serious efforts being made to make it popular and revive its glory of 70’s and 80’s. In this regard, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) organized a hockey tournament in KOC hockey ground Al Ahmadi which was sponsored by Al-Yasra Foods. Al-Yasra Foods is one of the leading food distribution companies in Kuwait and represents brands like Sadia, Allana, Lamb Weston, Catch of the Day, Al-Tayyab rice, Al-Safi DANON (Activia, Danette) and Pride etc.

Seven hockey clubs from Kuwait participated in the tournament which started on May 6, 11. It was a league based tournament in

which each team had to play against each other and top four would qualify for the semi-finals.

Don Bosco and KOC Green won their semi-finals comprehensively and qualified for the final. The match for no 3 spot was played between KOC Blue and KIH which was a one sided game and won easily by KOC blue with a wide margin of 5-0.

The finals were played on July 22 evening. It was an excellent match and truly deserved to be called as ‘final’. Both teams played carefully during first half and there were some very good shots at the goal posts but no conversion. At the end of first half match remained scoreless. Second half

started rather aggressively and Don Bosco managed to score a goal within first 10 minutes. KOC Green changed the strategy, few players in forward line swapped their positions and all of sudden the game picked up momentum.

KOC Green built pressure on Don Bosco and managed to get a penalty corner on which after several attempts, goal was scored and score levelled 1-1.

The last 10 minutes of the second half were very tense, lot of attempts by KOC Green to score second goal but all in vain. There was huge support for KOC Green and crowd was very noisy whenever there was move by KOC Green.

Just few minutes before the end of match, KOC Green again managed to get a short corner and this time strategy was changed by pushing ball directly into the nets but excellent save by goal keeper and match resulted in a tie. As per rules of the tournament, the game was now to be decided on penalty strokes. This was anybody’s game now. Luck favoured Don Bosco won the penalty 3-2.

Don Bosco lifted the 2011 Alyasra Cup and Mushtaq from KOC Green was declared player of the tournament for excellent skills and scoring most number of goals.

Al-Yasra Foods and representatives from KOC distributed the Prize to the teams. Al-Yasra announced to continue support for hockey in Kuwait and also have the Al-Yasra Cup to be held next year as well. All clubs thanked and appreciated the efforts of Mr Khaled Arshad - member of KOC committee & manager KOC Green, in particular and KOC sports committee in general, for organizing the excellent tournament.

Aware Arabic courses “The AWARE Management is glad to announce that Ramadan Arabic language courses will begin on August 7th till September 15th, 2011. AWARE Arabic language courses are designed with the expat in mind. The environment is relaxed & courses are designed for those wanting to learn Arabic for travel, cultural understanding, and conducting business or simply to become more involved in the community.

We cater to teachers, travelers & those working in the private business sector.

AWARE Arabic courses highlight ● Introductory to Level 4 Arabic language basics ● Better prepare you for speaking, reading and writing Arabic ● Combine language learning with cultural insights ● Taught in multi-nationality group settings ● Provide opportunities to interact with Western expatriates and native Kuwaitis/Arabs.

For more information, call 25335260 or log onto: www.aware.com.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.

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EMBASSY OF BANGLADESH The Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait will follow office hours during the Holy Month of Ramadan. Sunday to Thursday : 09:00 A.M 3:00 PM. Friday and Saturday : Weekly Holidays.

This is for information of all concerned.

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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 ■■■■■■■

Nursing Institute hosts graduation ceremony

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he Nursing Institute hosted a celebration for its students who graduated with outstanding records. The event was attended by the institute’s director Sheikha Al-Methen, who supervised the honoring ceremony.

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. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday.

Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday.

The forms are available on the internet at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/I MM5257E.PDF. A guide explaining the process can be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/ 5256E.PDF. ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF GERMANY The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait wishes to announce that as of 1 May 2011, the external service provider Al Qabas Assurex is operating a Visa Application Centre in support of the German Embassy. Short-term visa applications for travels to Germany (e.g. for tourism, visits, business) are to be submitted to the service provider Al Qabas who for your convenience will ensure that all relevant documents are included in your application. Your personal appearance at the Application Centre is not required. Address of the Visa Application Centre: Al Qabas Assurex Sanabel Tower (Al-Babtain) Mezzanine (M3) opposite Sharq Mall Kuwait 22924444 Fax: 22924442 Further information are available on the following websites: www.kuwait.diplo.de www.qavisa.com ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF INDIA Embassy of India, would like to inform that application forms for passport/visa services and labour contracts that are on its website, www.indembkwt.org, have been upgraded to include the facility for online data entry. Affidavit forms on the Embassy website have had this facility since May 6, 2009.

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EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk

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Years

00:45 Cats 101 01:40 Untamed & Uncut 02:35 Touching the Dragon 03:30 Into the Dragon’s Lair 04:25 I’m Alive 05:20 Animal Cops Miami 06:10 Cats 101 07:00 Lemur Street 07:25 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 08:15 The Really Wild Show 08:40 Natural Born Hunters 09:10 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife 09:35 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife 10:05 My Cat from Hell 11:00 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 11:55 Crocodile Hunter 12:50 Great Ocean Adventures 14:40 Cats 101 15:35 Austin Stevens Adventures 16:30 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife 17:25 Escape to Chimp Eden 18:20 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 19:15 Venom Hunter with Donald Schultz 20:10 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 21:05 World Wild Vet 22:00 The Afterlife 22:55 Whale Wars 23:50 Speed of Life

00:00 00:45 02:45 03:35 04:30 04:50 05:10 05:40 05:50 06:10 06:30 07:00 07:10 07:30 07:50 08:20 08:30 08:50 09:10 09:40 10:10 11:00 11:45 12:30 13:20 14:15 15:00 15:45 17:45 18:20 19:05 20:00 20:50 21:40 22:30 23:20 23:50

Robin Hood Strictly Come Dancing Red Cap BBC Electric Proms 2009 Tweenies Balamory Tikkabilla Charlie And Lola Tweenies Balamory Tikkabilla Charlie And Lola Tweenies Balamory Tikkabilla Charlie And Lola Tweenies Balamory Tikkabilla One Foot In The Grave BBC Electric Proms 2009 Robin Hood The Weakest Link Casualty Casualty The Weakest Link The Weakest Link Doctors Doctors Robin Hood BBC Electric Proms 2009 Ray Mears Goes Walkabout Monarch Of The Glen The Fixer Spooks Bleak House Bleak House

00:05 Antiques Roadshow 00:55 Antiques Roadshow 01:45 Antiques Roadshow 02:35 Cash In The Attic USA 02:55 Cash In The Attic USA 03:20 Cash In The Attic USA 03:40 Come Dine With Me 13:10 New Scandinavian Cooking 17:00 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 17:25 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 17:45 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 19:00 Come Dine With Me 19:50 Come Dine With Me 20:40 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 21:05 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 21:30 The Naked Chef 22:30 The Naked Chef 23:00 The Naked Chef 23:25 Masterchef Australia

00:00 00:10 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:10 02:30 03:00 03:10 03:30 04:00 04:30 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:10 10:30 11:00 11:10 11:30 12:00 12:10 13:00 13:10 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:10 15:30 16:00 16:15 16:30 17:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:15 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00 23:10 23:30

BBC World News BBC World News BBC World News Middle East Business Report BBC World News World Features Newsnight BBC World News World Features Equestrian World BBC World News Dateline London BBC World News BBC World News Click BBC World News Newsnight BBC World News India Business Report BBC World News Fast Track BBC World News World Features Equestrian World BBC World News World Features Dateline London BBC World News My Country BBC World News World Features Africa Business Report BBC World News Newsnight BBC World News World Features Women On War BBC World News Sport Today Click BBC World News BBC World News India Business Report BBC World News Africa Business Report BBC World News Sport Today Click BBC World News Equestrian World BBC World News World Features BBC World News

00:05 Cow And Chicken 00:30 Cramp Twins 00:55 The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy 01:20 Courage The Cowardly Dog 01:45 Eliot Kid 02:10 Ed, Edd n Eddy 02:35 Ben 10: Alien Force 03:00 The Powerpuff Girls 03:15 Chowder 03:40 The Secret Saturdays 04:05 Samurai Jack 04:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 04:55 Best Ed 05:20 Skunk Fu! 05:45 Cramp Twins 06:10 Eliot Kid 06:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 07:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 07:25 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 07:50 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 08:15 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 08:40 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 09:05 Best Ed 10:00 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 10:30 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 10:55 Ben 10 11:45 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 12:35 Samurai Jack 13:25 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 13:50 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 14:15 Robotboy 15:05 The Secret Saturdays

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

TV PROGRAMS 15:25 The Secret Saturdays 15:50 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 16:35 Bakugan: New Vestroia 17:15 Ed, Edd n Eddy 17:40 Chowder 18:05 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 18:30 Eliot Kid 18:55 Chop Socky Chooks 19:20 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 19:45 Camp Lazlo 20:10 Squirrel Boy 20:35 Cow And Chicken 21:00 Courage The Cowardly Dog 21:25 The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy 21:50 Robotboy 22:00 Adventure Time 22:25 Hero 108 22:50 Ben 10 23:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 23:40 Chowder

00:00 The Best Of Backstory 00:30 World Sport 01:00 World Report 01:30 Mainsail 02:00 World Report 02:30 Inside Africa 03:00 Your $$$$$ 04:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 05:00 The Best Of The Situation Room 06:00 World Sport 06:30 Mainsail 07:00 World Report 07:30 The Best Of Backstory 08:00 World Report 08:15 CNN Marketplace Middle East 08:30 Revealed 09:00 World Report 09:15 CNN Marketplace Africa 09:30 Ireport For CNN 10:00 World Sport 10:30 Mainsail 11:00 African Voices 11:30 Talk Asia 12:00 Going Green 12:30 Inside Africa 13:00 World Report 13:30 World Sport 14:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 15:00 Fareed Zakaria Gps 16:00 State Of The Union With Candy Crowley 17:00 International Desk 17:30 Inside Africa 18:00 Ireport For CNN 18:30 World Sport 19:00 Prism 19:45 CNN Marketplace Middle East 20:00 International Desk 20:30 Revealed 21:00 World Report 21:30 Mainsail 22:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 23:00 Fareed Zakaria Gps

00:40 Human Prey 01:35 Inside The Aryan Brotherhood 02:30 How Stuff Works 03:00 How It’s Made 03:25 How Stuff Works 03:55 How It’s Made 04:20 How Stuff Works 04:50 How It’s Made 05:15 How Stuff Works 05:40 How It’s Made 06:05 How Stuff Works 06:35 How It’s Made 07:00 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 07:50 Ultimate Car Build-Off 08:45 Sea City: Building The Impossible 09:40 River Monsters 10:30 River Monsters 11:25 Flying Wild Alaska 12:20 Pit Bulls And Parolees 13:15 LA Ink 14:10 Taking On Tyson 15:05 Cake Boss 16:55 Cake Boss 17:20 Mythbusters 18:15 Flying Wild Alaska 19:10 Swamp Brothers 20:05 Swords: Life On The Line

21:00 Mythbusters 21:55 Ultimate Survival 22:50 Ultimate Survival 23:45 Extreme Fishing With Robson Green

00:05 00:30 00:55 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:50 04:45 05:40 06:10 07:00 07:55 07:58 08:25 08:55 09:45 10:35 12:40 13:05 13:30 13:55 14:20 14:45 14:48 15:15 15:45 16:10 16:35 17:00 17:50 18:15 18:40 19:05 19:30 19:55 20:20 20:45 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:50 23:40

The Gadget Show Things That Move Things That Move Colony Building The Future Engineered Da Vinci’s Machines Catch It Keep It How Stuff’s Made Superships How The Universe Works Head Rush Sci-Fi Science Weird Connections Brainiac Prototype This Bang Goes The Theory Bang Goes The Theory The Tech Show The Tech Show The Tech Show The Tech Show Head Rush Sci-Fi Science Weird Connections Bang Goes The Theory The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Science Of The Movies Sci-Fi Science Sci-Fi Science Weird Connections Weird Connections Things That Move Things That Move The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Sci-Fi Science The Tech Show Bad Universe Perfect Disaster Bang Goes The Theory

00:20 Replacements 00:45 Replacements 01:10 Fairly Odd Parents 01:35 Fairly Odd Parents 02:00 A Kind Of Magic 02:20 A Kind Of Magic 02:45 Stitch 03:10 Stitch 03:35 Kim Possible 04:00 Kim Possible 04:25 Emperors New School 04:50 Emperors New School 05:15 Stitch 05:35 Stitch 06:00 Jungle Junction 06:25 Handy Manny 06:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 07:10 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 07:30 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 07:40 The Hive 07:50 The Hive 08:00 Tinkerbell And The Great Fairy Rescue 09:15 Good Luck Charlie 09:40 Wizards Of Waverly Place 10:05 Wizards Of Waverly Place 10:30 Luck Of The Irish 12:00 Shake It Up 13:15 Shake It Up 13:40 Wizards Of Waverly Place 14:00 Wizards Of Waverly Place 14:25 Hannah Montana 14:50 Hannah Montana 15:15 Fish Hooks 15:25 Good Luck Charlie 15:45 Good Luck Charlie 16:10 Hannah Montana 16:35 Shake It Up 17:00 Wizards Of Waverly Place 17:25 Wizards Of Waverly Place 18:00 Shake It Up 18:20 Shake It Up 18:45 Shake It Up 19:10 Jump In 20:55 Wizards Of Waverly Place 21:25 Fish Hooks 21:50 Phineas & Ferb 22:15 Suite Life On Deck S3 22:40 Sonny With A Chance Yr 2 23:05 Jonas La 23:30 Hannah Montana 23:55 Kim Possible

06:00 Kid Vs Kat 06:20 Kick Buttowski 06:40 Iron Man: Armoured Adventures 07:05 Pokemon Dp: Sinnoh League Victors 07:30 Phineas & Ferb 07:55 I’m In The Band 08:45 Zeke & Luther 09:10 I’m In The Band 09:30 Zeke & Luther 09:50 I’m In The Band 10:15 Zeke & Luther 10:40 I’m In The Band 11:05 The Super Hero Squad Show 11:30 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 11:55 Kick Buttowski 12:15 Kid Vs Kat 12:35 American Dragon 13:00 Pixel Perfect 14:30 Kick Buttowski 14:55 Pair Of Kings 15:20 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 15:50 I’m In The Band 17:05 Kick Buttowski 17:30 I’m In The Band 17:55 Kick Buttowski 18:20 I’m In The Band 18:45 Kick Buttowski 19:10 I’m In The Band 19:35 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 20:00 X Men 20:25 Zeke & Luther 20:50 I’m In The Band 21:15 Aaron Stone 21:36 American Dragon 22:00 Kick Buttowski 22:21 I’m In The Band

A PERFECT GETAWAY ON OSN CINEMA

00:25 Fashion Police 00:55 Behind The Scenes 01:25 20 Most Shocking Unsolved Crimes 03:15 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Reality Hell 05:30 Wildest TV Show Moments

06:00 07:50 08:20 09:15 09:45 10:15 10:40 11:10 12:05 13:05 15:30 15:55 16:55 17:25 17:55 21:25 21:55 York 22:25 23:25 23:55

THS Behind The Scenes E! News Kendra Kendra Married To Rock Married To Rock Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane E! News Khloe And Lamar Khloe And Lamar THS Behind The Scenes Behind The Scenes Khloe And Lamar Khloe And Lamar Kourtney And Kim Take New

00:15 00:40 01:05 01:30 02:20 03:10 03:35 04:00 04:50 05:40 06:30 2008 08:00 09:15 09:40 10:30 11:20 12:10 13:00 14:15 14:40 16:45 17:10 18:00 18:25 18:50 19:40 20:30 21:20 21:45 22:10 22:35 23:00 23:50

Aiya TV Aiya TV Aiya TV M1 Selection 2010 Sports Jobs Sports Jobs X Games Heroes Carpocalypse Lucas Oil Ama Motocross...

Lucas Oil Ama Motocross...

FIA European Drag Racing

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:50 04:45 05:15 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 09:55 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:40 14:30 14:55 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 19:55 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40 Jones

E! News E!es Chelsea Lately

IFMXF 2010 IFMXF 2010 Summer Dew Tour 2010 Summer Dew Tour 2010 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross...

Lucas Oil Ama Motocross...

Mantracker Mantracker Untracked Untracked I’ll Do Anything Mantracker Mantracker Lucas Oil Ama Motocross...

Lucas Oil Ama Motocross...

Mantracker Eds Up Eds Up Mantracker Mantracker I’ll Do Anything Aiya TV

A Haunting Ghost Lab The Haunted A Haunting A Haunting Amsterdam Vice Murder Shift Mystery ER Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery ER Real Emergency Calls Street Patrol Fugitive Strike Force FBI Files On The Case With Paula Zahn Royal Inquest Mystery ER Real Emergency Calls Street Patrol Fugitive Strike Force Forensic Detectives Murder Shift FBI Files Mystery ER Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Most Evil Kill Zone True Crime With Aphrodite

01:00 Carrie 02:35 Impromptu 04:20 Driven To Kill 06:05 Stay Hungry 07:45 Haunted Honeymoon-PG 09:10 Kings Of The Sun-PG 10:55 From Noon Till Three-PG 12:35 Man Of LA Mancha-PG 14:40 Canadian Bacon-PG 16:15 Mgm’s Big Screen-FAM 16:30 Crime And Punishment (1998)-PG 18:00 The Defiant Ones-PG 19:35 West Side Story-FAM 22:00 One Summer Love-PG 23:40 Summer Heat-18

00:00 Megafish 01:00 Fish Warrior 01:55 Croc Ganglands 02:50 Shark Eden 03:45 Hammerhead Highway 04:40 Triumph of Life 05:35 Strike Force 06:30 The Kill Zone 07:25 Leopard Queen 08:20 World’s Deadliest 09:15 Ultimate Predator 10:10 Shane Untamed 11:05 Cameramen Who Dare 12:00 Killer Shots 13:00 Built For The Kill 14:00 Fish Warrior 15:00 Predator Battleground 16:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 17:00 Ultimate Predator 18:00 Alaskan Killer Shark 19:00 Fish Warrior 20:00 Predator Battleground 21:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 22:00 Ultimate Predator 23:00 Alaskan Killer Shark

00:15 Nine Dead-PG15 02:00 Se7en-18 04:15 The Thirteenth Floor-18 06:00 Kiss The Girls-18 08:00 Changing Lanes-PG15 09:45 Wyatt Earp-PG15 13:00 The Stepfather-PG15 14:45 Changing Lanes-PG15 16:30 Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life-PG15 18:30 The Stepfather-PG15 20:15 Blood: The Last Vampire-18 22:00 From Hell-18

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

01:00 Meet Bill-PG15 03:00 Echelon Conspiracy-PG15 05:00 Furry Vengeance-PG15 07:00 Meet Bill-PG15 09:00 Echelon Conspiracy-PG15 11:00 My Son, My Son, What Have You Done?-PG15 13:00 Furry Vengeance-PG15 15:00 Emotional Arithmetic-PG15 17:00 It’s A Wonderful AfterlifePG15 19:00 The Bounty Hunter-PG15 21:00 Kisses-18 23:00 A Perfect Getaway-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 02:00 Saturday Night Live 03:00 10 Things I Hate About You 03:30 How I Met Your Mother 04:00 Yes Dear 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 06:00 According To Jim 06:30 Coach 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Yes Dear 08:30 10 Things I Hate About You 09:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 09:30 Hot In Cleveland 10:00 Hot In Cleveland 10:30 According To Jim 11:00 Coach 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Yes Dear 13:00 How I Met Your Mother 13:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 14:00 According To Jim 14:30 Hot In Cleveland 15:00 Hot In Cleveland 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Coach 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Malcolm In The Middle 18:30 Hope And Faith 19:00 30 Rock 19:30 30 Rock 20:00 My Boys 20:30 Curb Your Enthusiasm 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Neighbors From Hell 22:30 Bored To Death 23:00 The Ricky Gervais Show 23:30 My Boys

00:00 C.S.I. New York 01:00 Justified 02:00 Private Practice 03:00 C.S.I. 04:00 Strong Medicine 05:00 My Generation 06:00 Good Morning America 07:00 Psych 08:00 Emmerdale 08:30 Coronation Street 09:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 10:00 My Generation 11:00 The View 12:00 C.S.I. New York 13:00 C.S.I. 14:00 My Generation 15:00 Live Good Morning America 16:00 Strong Medicine 17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 18:00 Emmerdale 18:30 Coronation Street 19:00 Law And Order: Los Angeles 20:00 Law And Order 21:00 Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior 22:00 Private Practice 23:00 Glee

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30

Alias Breaking Bad Justified C.S.I. New York C.S.I. The Glades Alias 8 Simple Rules ...

Coronation Street

08:00 Persons Unknown 09:00 The Glades 10:00 C.S.I. New York 11:00 C.S.I. 12:00 8 Simple Rules ...

14:00 Persons Unknown 15:00 Alias 16:00 8 Simple Rules ...

18:00 No Ordinary Family 19:00 Law And Order: Los Angeles 20:00 Law And Order 21:00 Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior 22:00 Breaking Bad 23:00 The Glades 01:00 The Final Destination-18 02:30 The Thirteenth Floor-18 04:30 El Orfenato-18 06:15 2012-PG15 09:00 Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen-PG15 11:30 The Order-PG15 13:15 Annihilation Earth-PG15 15:00 Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen-PG15 17:30 The Taking Of Pelham 123-18 19:15 Battlestar Galactica: The Plan18 21:15 The Thin Red Line-18

00:00 02:00 04:00 PG15 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 PG15 20:00 22:00

The Invention Of Lying-PG15 Marci X-PG15 Revenge Of The Bridesmaids-

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:15 09:00 11:00 13:15 15:00 17:00 19:15 21:15 23:30

Cape Fear-PG Clash Of The Titans-PG15 Blues Brothers 2000-PG15 Little Nicholas-PG The Soloist-PG15 Capitalism: A Love Story-PG15 Born Free-PG Of Mice And Men-PG15 Finding Forrester-PG My Sister’s Keeper-PG15 The Deep-PG15 Husbands And Wives-18

Nativity!-PG The Ramen Girl-PG15 Sweet Home Alabama-PG15 Captain Ron-PG15 Mean Girls-PG15 The Invention Of Lying-PG15 Return To Sleepaway CampThe Wedding Singer-PG15 American High School-18

00:45 Boogie Nights-18 03:30 Preacher’s Kid-PG 05:30 Bandslam-PG15 07:30 Ghosts Of Girlfriends PastPG15 09:15 Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea-FAM 11:00 Sherlock Holmes-PG15 13:15 Chasing Papi-PG 15:00 Another Year-PG15 17:15 Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea-FAM 19:00 The Girl In The Park-PG15 21:00 Alfie-18 23:00 Piranha-R

00:00 A Christmas Carol-PG 02:00 The Big Green-PG 04:00 Inspector Gadget’s Biggest Caper Ever-FAM 06:00 Babe-FAM 08:00 Groove Squad-FAM 10:00 The Big Green-PG 12:00 Scooby-Doo! Camp ScareFAM 14:00 Yogi And The Invasion Of The Space Bears-FAM 16:00 Garfield-PG 18:00 Scooby-Doo! Camp ScareFAM 20:00 Tooth Fairy-PG 22:00 Groove Squad-FAM 00:15 Jake’s Closet-PG15 02:00 Phoebe In Wonderland-PG 04:00 Nanny Mcphee And The Big Bang-PG 06:00 Make It Happen-PG15 08:00 Stomp The Yard 2: Homecoming-PG15 10:00 The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond-PG15

12:00 Nanny Mcphee And The Big Bang-PG 14:00 One Hot Summer-PG15 16:00 Stomp The Yard 2: Homecoming-PG15 18:00 Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time-PG15 20:00 South Solitary-PG15 22:30 Calvin Marshall-PG15

01:00 03:30 05:30 06:30 07:00 08:00 10:00 10:30 12:30 13:00 20:00 21:00 23:00

AFL Premiership NRL Premiership Trans World Sport Powerboats WWE Vintage Live NRL Premiership Powerboats WWE Smackdown Futbol Mundial Live Test Cricket Trans World Sport Live Darts World Matchplay NRL Premiership

00:30 02:30 03:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 13:30 14:00 18:00 20:00 21:00 23:00

NRL Premiership Futbol Mundial Darts World Matchplay Live NRL Premiership Tri Nations NRL Premiership ICC Cricket World Futbol Mundial Live The Evian Masters Tri Nations Trans World Sport Live Darts World matchplay NRL Premiership

00:00 02:00 02:30 04:30 07:00 10:30 11:00 13:00 13:30 17:30 19:30 21:30

Rugby Union Total Rugby NRL Premiership AFL Premiership Live Snooker Total Rugby Rugby League Euro Tour Weekly Live PGA European Tour Live Rugby League NRL Premiership Snooker

00:00 WWE NXT 01:00 V8 Supercars Championship 02:00 V8 Supercars Championship 03:00 WWE SmackDown 05:00 UFC Unleashed 06:00 UFC Unleashed 07:00 WWE Vintage Collection 08:00 Live NRL Premiership 10:00 V8 Supercars Extra 10:30 WWE SmackDown 12:30 Live Snooker 16:00 WWE Vintage Collection 17:00 Live The Seniors Open Chanpionship 21:00 UFC 132

00:00 Rajasthan - A Colourful Legacy 01:00 Indian Times 02:00 Trabant Trek 02:30 Word Travels 03:00 People Of The Sea 04:00 Globe Trekker 05:00 Globe Trekker 06:00 Globe Trekker 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Planet Sports 09:00 Glutton For Punishment 09:30 Essential 10:00 Rivers Of The World 11:00 Globe Trekker 12:00 Africa Trek 14:00 Indian Times 15:00 Cruising To The Northern Lights 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 Globe Trekker 18:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 Rajasthan - A Colourful Legacy 21:00 Intrepid Journeys 22:00 Planet Sports 23:00 Globe Trekker

Classifieds SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

Science Matters

One of the last dinosaurs A fossil has been found in rocks that were laid down not long before a meteor or asteroid impact apparently wiped out the dinosaurs.

65 million years ago Early mammals face each other over a dead triceratops – among the last of the dinosaurs

ACCOMMODATION

Illustration by Mark Hallett

Accommodation available in 2 bedroom and 2 bathroom C-A/C apartment for a decent couple, executive bachelor or working lady in Mahboula, close to Gulf Road. Contact: 66216713.

(C 3534) 23-7-2011

Helps solve ‘3-meter gap’ puzzle

FOR SALE Toyota Rav4 - Jeep 2007, 4 doors, full options, white color, 4 cylinder, KD 3,900/-.

Contact: 55323839.

(C 3539)

Rocks of the “K-T boundary” level have signs of the ancient impact – but in the 10 ft. (3 m) below that level, no fossils had been found “Gap” difficulty has led to doubts about the 30-year-old impact theory

Honda City 2009, white color, full automatic, 16000km, KD 2,300/-. Contact: 65085629. (C 3540)

Triceratops fossil has been found in Montana only 5 in. (12 cm) below rocks of K-T boundary

Volvo S60 2001, light green metallic, run 190,000km, very good condition, price KD 900 only. Contact: 99881982. (C 3541)

Conclusion: The ‘gap’ no longer exists Source: Tyler Lyson of Marmarth Research Foundation, Yale University, Biology Letters Graphic: Helen Lee McComas © 2011 MCT

Chevrolet Tahoe 1996, two doors, dark green, very good condition, price KD 850. Contact: 97792794.

(C 3542) 24-7-2011

“PILATE POWER GYM” for all over body strength and Aerobic training, almost brand new with owner’s manual nutritional guide and CD for details info pls do Google search, price less than half from market KD 55. Contact: 99430379.

(C 3535) 23-7-2011 Items for sale in a spacious 2 BR + 2 Bathrooms in Jabriya. Hall (12m), BR (5m), big kitchen, private area + shaded car park. Contact: 66197107. (C 3533) 20-7-2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Ex - 2009 - GLS - white color - 45000 km - Price KD 2,400/-.

Contact: 66729295. (C 3529) 18-7-2011 CHANGE OF NAME SITUATION VACANT Nepalese, Sri Lanka, Philippine housemaid required for an Indian family in Salwa live-in, salary KD 100. Residence can be arranged. Contact: 97205370/ 25618766.

(C 3537) 23-7-2011

I, Mehlka, holder of Indian Passport No. G6110304 hereby change my name to Mehlka Mustansir. (C 3536) I, Shahina Begum Abdul Kalil, holder of Indian Passport No. J6455361 hereby change my name to

Shahina Begum Abdul Khaleel. (C 3538) 23-7-2011 I, Sathian Payyappat Velayudhan, Passport No. Z1886330 hereby change the name of my son Abhishak Passport No. G1582875 to Abhishek Payyappat Sathian.

(C 3531) 18-7-2011

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines RJA MLR JZR THY ETH UAE DHX ETD MSR JZR JZR FDB GFA QTR KAC FCX JZR KAC BAW JZR KAC KAC IRA KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY IRA ETD GFA IRC FCX MEA JZR JZR JZR RBG KAC MSR UAL RJA KAC FDB QTR

Flt 642 1405 267 772 620 853 370 305 614 269 189 67 211 138 544 201 555 412 157 1541 206 382 615 284 302 332 53 678 352 855 132 125 603 301 213 6801 203 404 165 121 561 3553 672 610 982 640 774 57 140

Arrival Flights on Sunday 24/7/2011 Route AMMAN COLOMBO / DUBAI BEIRUT ISTANBUL ADDIS ABABA DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI CAIRO BEIRUT DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA CAIRO DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MANILA / BANGKOK LONDON CAIRO ISLAMABAD DELHI SHAHRE KORD DHAKA MUMBAI TRIVANDRUM DUBAI MUSCAT / DUBAI COCHIN DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH SHIRAZ ABU DHABI BAHRAIN AHWAZ DUBAI BEIRUT DUBAI BAHRAIN SOHAG ALEXANDRIA / SOHAG DUBAI CAIRO WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN RIYADH DUBAI DOHA

Time 0:05 0:15 0:35 1:15 1:45 2:25 2:55 2:55 3:05 3:05 3:10 3:10 3:15 3:20 4:40 5:25 6:10 6:15 6:30 7:10 7:15 7:20 7:35 7:40 7:50 7:55 7:55 8:00 8:05 8:25 9:00 9:10 9:25 9:30 9:35 10:15 10:30 10:55 11:10 11:15 12:30 12:55 13:15 13:20 13:30 13:35 13:40 13:50 14:15

KAC SVA KAC KAC JZR QTR JZR ETD UAE GFA SVA JZR JZR ABY JZR FDB ALK JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JAI SYR FDB OMA VOS MEA KAC DHX KAC UAE KAC GFA QTR AFG UAL AIC JZR JZR JZR MSR DLH AXB JZR KLM JZR PIA

562 500 788 746 257 134 535 303 857 215 510 777 239 127 213 63 227 177 166 542 618 786 614 674 102 572 341 61 647 81 402 552 372 512 859 172 217 136 405 981 981 135 787 185 612 636 389 539 447 481 205

AMMAN JEDDAH JEDDAH ABU DHABI / DAMMAM BEIRUT DOHA CAIRO ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH DEIREZZOR / ALEPPO DUBAI COLOMBO / DUBAI DUBAI PARIS / ROME CAIRO DOHA JEDDAH BAHRAIN DUBAI NEW YORK / LONDON MUMBAI DAMASCUS / ALEPPO DUBAI MUSCAT BAGHDAD BEIRUT DAMASCUS BAHRAIN TEHRAN DUBAI FRANKFURT BAHRAIN DOHA KABUL / DUBAI BAHRAIN CHENNAI / AHMEDABAD BAHRAIN RIYADH DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT KOZHIKODE / MANGALORE CAIRO AMSTERDAM / BAHRAIN SABIHA LAHORE

14:20 14:30 15:00 15:05 15:10 15:15 15:50 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:25 17:35 17:40 17:50 17:55 18:00 18:00 18:40 18:50 18:55 19:00 19:20 19:25 19:25 19:35 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:15 20:15 21:00 21:00 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:35 22:00 22:00 22:05 22:10 22:20 22:35 22:50 23:00 23:10 23:30 23:35 23:50 23:55

Airlines AXB JZR DLH AIC BBC MLR THY ETH UAE FDB DHX ETD MSR QTR JZR JZR RJA GFA VOS JZR BAW IRA FDB JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR ETD GFA KAC IRA JZR IRC FCX MEA KAC JZR JZR KAC KAC RBG

Flt 394 1540 637 976 46 1405 773 620 854 68 371 306 615 139 560 164 643 212 94 120 156 614 54 534 171 671 745 117 256 561 787 856 126 133 302 214 773 602 212 6802 204 405 541 776 238 103 785 3554

Departure Flights on Sunday 24/7/2011 Route COCHIN / KOZHIKODE CAIRO FRANKFURT GOA / CHENNAI DHAKA COLOMBO ISTANBUL BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI CAIRO DOHA SOHAG DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN DUBAI / KANDAHAR BAHRAIN LONDON SHAHRE KORD DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT DUBAI DAMMAM / ABU DHABI NEW YORK BEIRUT AMMAN JEDDAH DUBAI SHARJAH DOHA ABU DHABI BAHRAIN RIYADH SHIRAZ DEIREZZOR / ALEPPO AHWAZ DUBAI BEIRUT CAIRO JEDDAH AMMAN LONDON JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA

Time 0:15 0:20 0:40 0:50 1:00 1:15 2:15 2:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:05 4:05 5:00 5:55 6:55 7:00 7:10 8:00 8:20 8:25 8:35 8:40 8:50 8:55 9:00 9:05 9:05 9:10 9:15 9:25 9:40 9:50 10:00 10:15 10:20 10:20 10:25 10:50 11:15 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:10 12:30 13:30 13:35

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

JZR MSR RJA FDB UAL KAC KAC KAC SVA JZR QTR KAC KAC JZR ETD QTR UAE GFA ABY JZR SVA FDB JZR JZR ALK JZR KAC KAC KAC JAI FDB SYR KAC KAC OMA MEA KAC DHX UAE GFA FCX QTR KAC JZR JZR JZR KAC UAL MSR KAC

176 611 641 58 982 551 673 617 503 480 141 613 511 538 304 135 858 216 128 184 511 64 786 204 228 134 1501 283 361 571 62 342 343 351 648 403 543 373 860 218 102 137 301 502 554 530 411 981 613 415

DUBAI CAIRO AMMAN DUBAI BAHRAIN DAMASCUS DUBAI DOHA MEDINAH / JEDDAH SABIHA DOHA BAHRAIN TEHRAN CAIRO ABU DHABI DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI RIYADH DUBAI RIYADH DAMASCUS DUBAI / COLOMBO BAHRAIN BEIRUT DHAKA COLOMBO MUMBAI DUBAI ALEPPO / DAMASCUS CHENNAI COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT CAIRO BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI LUXOR ALEXANDRIA ASSIUT BANGKOK / MANILA WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO KUALA LUMPUR / JAKARTA

13:40 14:20 14:30 14:35 14:45 14:55 15:10 15:35 15:45 16:00 16:15 16:20 16:30 16:40 17:35 17:45 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:35 18:40 18:40 18:55 19:10 19:10 19:30 20:00 20:20 20:35 20:40 20:55 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:55 22:00 22:25 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 23:05 23:10 23:35 23:40 23:40 23:50 23:50

34

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

stars CROSSWORD 388

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) There are several opportunities for in-depth discussions and probing conversations. Others will find you at your mental best today. This may mean a competition of some sort. Sports or educational competition is the stimulation you need from time to time. Time flies! Your perceptive abilities are at a high point as well. This day seems to accent your own ideas and expectations. Of course, winning or earning money could be part of the incentive to your high energy. This evening you may be feeling more inward and more like sharing some time with your lover or with close friends.

This evening is a good time for propping your feet up and enjoying some good communication between yourself and those you love.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Gut-level is the way you think, speak and perceive in the cycle you have just begun. You are not interested in the superficial; instead, you want to get right to the root of things. You do not care about the universal, only about how things impact you and yours. There is an intellect and emotions mix to the point of inseparability. An instinctive imperative to be powerful and in control—pulling the strings—may lead to greater interest in investing.

There is a tendency to be too strict with yourself today. You cannot solve your and all the world’s problems in one day. You can get the most out of those that work under you. All of this intensity and you still display a conservative personality.

Allow music to enter your life this evening.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. (usually followed by `to') Naturally disposed toward.

4. Submerged freshwater perennials.

10. The residue that remains when something is burned.

13. (in golf) The standard number of strokes set for each hole on a golf course, or for the entire course.

14. United States abolitionist (1786-1865).

15. The 17th letter of the Greek alphabet.

16. A short introductory essay preceding the text of a book.

19. A town and port in northwestern Israel in the eastern Mediterranean.

20. Liquid containing proteins and electrolytes including the liquid in blood plasma and interstitial fluid.

23. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily.

24. (astronomy) The angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing.

26. A bodily passage or tube conveying a secretion or other substance.

29. The United Nations agency concerned with civil aviation.

33. An emotional response that has been acquired by conditioning.

35. A rare heavy polyvalent metallic element that resembles manganese chemically and is used in some alloys.

37. Large burrowing rodent of South and Central America.

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

42. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.

43. A state in the western United States.

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

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

47. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

48. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice.

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

52. The branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively.

57. An implement used to propel or steer a boat.

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

62. The law enforcement agency in the Justice Department.

63. Catch fire.

65. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

66. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

67. The father of your father or mother.

68. Towards the side away from the wind.

DOWN 1. Strike with disgust or revulsion.

2. A kind of heavy jacket (`windcheater' is a British term).

3. (South African) A journey by ox wagon (especially an organized migration by a group of settlers).

4. The 7th letter of the Greek alphabet.

5. A cord that is drawn through eyelets or around hooks in order to draw together two edges (as of a shoe or garment).

6. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

7. A person forced to flee from home or country.

8. The sense organ for hearing and equilibrium.

9. An associate degree in nursing.

10. (of persons) Highest in rank or authority or office.

11. One of the two main branches of orthodox Islam.

12. A blind god.

17. King of Saudi Arabia since 1982 (born in 1922).

18. King of the Huns.

21. A federal agency established to regulate the release of new foods and health-related products.

22. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

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

27. Type genus of the family Arcidae.

28. A unit of length of thread or yarn.

30. A state of deep and often prolonged unconsciousness.

31. South American armadillo with three bands of bony plates.

32. A law passed by US Congress to prevent employees from being injured or contracting diseases in the course of their employment.

34. Take in solid food.

36. God of death.

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

40. Baked dish of layers of lasagna pasta with sauce and cheese and meat or vegetables.

41. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

45. A doctor's degree in education.

50. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart.

51. An elaborate song for solo voice.

53. Severe diabetes mellitus with an early onset.

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

55. A French abbot.

56. Small European freshwater fish with a slender bluish-green body.

58. 10 grams.

59. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring in the air.

60. Any high mountain.

64. A radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Someone around you is continuing his or her education and someone else is getting that job they always wanted—another friend or relative is going into his or her business. You catch the bug and have a yearning to broaden horizons. You have always wanted to sing or paint or create the best Web site—now could be the time. Law, politics, education, travel and religion are some other areas in which an emotionally charged drama will be played. What is needed now is a plan, especially since your interests are so varied. You are sensitive and can become lost in thought on occasion. Although there is much dedication when you do choose a goal, you can sometimes change your mind in the middle of the course. Logic and practicality will come with age.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

You work well with those in authority who are original. You could find yourself engaged in nonconformist causes—always ready to promote what is new. You have a high degree of motivation when it comes to giving and to personal sacrifice. You like radical approaches and find yourself in support of product breakthrough. There is a chance to understand those around you and to have a special time with someone you love. General good feelings and a sense of support make this a happy time. This evening you may feel like being different, trying something new and unusual. It is also the perfect time to become involved in some favorite creative art. Perhaps you will be teaching or showing others how to express their talents.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You are powerfully motivated, even driven and tend to be impulsive. You are seldom very reflective when it comes to doing something—you just move forward with the idea and get things accomplished. You could be more tempted to act first and ask questions later. You have blind courage and sheer guts. You may be a bit aggressive, but in positive ways. Emotional seriousness and a sober orientation are keynotes of your deepest feelings just now. Rushing through the day can only cause mistakes—take breaks even when you are working on a hobby and do not forget healthy eating. Slow and easy moves will get you into the fast lane just as quickly as the reckless moves—the difference is in the endurance.

A friend invites you to play; enjoy.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Real insight into your own inner workings or psychology could surface today, and in a manageable form. You may be in the mood for deep and penetrating conversations. You are a good family member, always thinking and caring for others. You are naturally service-oriented and enjoy taking care of the needs of others. You can sort out most problems and help others to solve problems. You may also find yourself lecturing, guiding or teaching today. Your sense of life and the wonder of the whole creation subject are felt in your attitude and in your curiosity of everything and the way you communicate. You love a good story and are at home in the world of myths and dreams. You may find the difficulty of writing easy to overcome with a recorder.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Obtaining and exchanging information is important to you.

This could mean that you will be putting the finishing touches on family vacation plans or some other travel plans. There is a lot of physical energy available now. You and your family may decide to attend some social affair before your vacation begins. This social function is important to you and your family because there are old friends to visit. Everyone wants to be included in fun activities with enjoyable people. A family person at heart, you find that a family business might work well in the future—you enjoy discovering the personality and talents of your own offspring. Research the type of business you want to conduct before you invest. You appreciate futuristic ideas.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You may find that your ideas and thoughts are similar to the people around you, which may mean you are attending an art fair or some other event where everyone has the same thing in common. Fun conversations are easy to find but you may want to be stimulated by something unusual and separate from your regular routine. Consider a visit to a new shop or an art show or some little area of town where you know there will be unusual art displayed. You could take in a professional massage with a friend later this afternoon. This is a great way to relax and a good healing tool. You enjoy meeting new people and the day just seems to automatically provide opportunities to share a story. Tonight you can surprise your family with an unusual meal.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You are at your most practical when it comes to dealing and working with others. You know just what to do and can act without any frustration. You are called on to make use of your natural abilities. Yes, this means you could be called on to work today. After spending a little time in the office you may look for ways to relax. Intellect and emotion mix to the point of inseparability.

Remember that to have a balance in your life you must include laughter and relaxation. Tonight you will be able to do just that. There are opportunities to attend a watermelon party or some other get-together with friends, neighbors or family—perhaps it is already in process. You are a family person at heart; family is where you like to spend your time.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

You expect perfection and you have a difficult time with your work when the results are not what you would like to achieve. You never give up and eventually you are pleased with the extra time you have contributed to the end result. Relaxing this afternoon you use your vivid imagination to experiment with some color on a wall that needs painting. Sometime this evening you make your plans to paint the wall today . . . perhaps a light color with some type of art pattern in the corners. You have a vivid imagination and are extremely perceptive to colors and visual balance. Many people like your artistic talent. Your ability probably revealed itself at an early age and you seem to express it naturally now. New music brings about a relaxing evening.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Your home environment, friends and surroundings in general may become more enjoyable now. There is encouragement in personal matters. Your work or career is in real harmony with the rest of your life. There is a tendency to be too strict with yourself however, to insist that whatever does not contribute to security and other long-term goals is trivial. Pay attention—outer circumstances are good for whatever projects need attention now. Things may seem almost magical in the way they work for you.

This is a great time to organize and get things accomplished. Your mind tends to be very imaginative this evening. Ideas and writing of a mystical or poetic nature may appeal to you now. Research results are positive.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

This is a time of great mental activity and heightened communication with others. Intellectualism, the exchange of ideas and the idea of being smart as a fox are the things that have special appeal and importance. You are full of wit and sharp insights. This could be a time for real breakthroughs in the idea department. You are in top form when it comes to mental activity. This is a great time for writing, studying and research. You may have opportunities this afternoon to be with young people—perhaps guiding young people. You could be teaching young people about science or art. There is a chance to understand those around you and to have a special time with someone you love this evening. There are good feelings and harmony this day.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 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

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

PHARMACIES

AIRLINES

ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Hawally

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Kuwait Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways FlyDubai Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines Aeroflot

22433377 177 22924455 22414400 22423888 22425747 22434940 22420002/9 22418064/5/6 22433388 22425635 22430224 22425566 22438184 22424444 22421578 22421516 22426306 22423073 22422493 22421044 22414427 22416474 22452977/8 22417901/ 2433141 22456700 22958787 22453820/1 22404838/9

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist 25340300

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

Dr Anil Thomas

3729596/3729581 22641071/2

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Salem soso

22618787

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Adnan Ebil

22639939

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Mousa Khadada

22666300

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists

25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

Dentists

Internists, Chest & Heart

25339330

25655535

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

General Surgeons

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antiga Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands

0093 00355 00213 00376 00244 001264 001268 0054 00374 0061 0043 001242 00973 00880 001246 00375 0032 00501 00229 001441 00975 00591 00387 00267 0055 00673 00359 00226 00257 00855 00237 001 00238 001345

Central African Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Cyprus (Northern) Czech Republic Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador England (UK) Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia

00236 00235 0056 0086 0057 00269 00242 00682 00506 00385 0053 00357 0090392 00420 0045 00246 00253 001767 001809 00593 0020 00503 0044 00240 00291 00372 00251 00500 00298 00679 00358 0033 00594 00689

y

A

36

e niv rsar n

Years

SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

li fe s t y le G o s s i p

arner Bros, the movie studio is so grateful the author allowed them to turn her ‘Harry Potter’ book series into a film franchise they wanted to show their appreciation after the eighth and final installment, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’, was released last weekend. Warner Bros CEO Barry Meyer splashed out millions of dollars on the stunning piece of white gold jewelry and she was presented with it at the after-party for the London premiere earlier this month. According to TMZ.com, Rowling was so nervous about wearing the bracelet before getting

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it insured she was accompanied to the bash by a mini-security team. ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’ - which stars Daniel Radcliffe as the boy wizard and Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as his magic friends - has already broken US box office records by taking $170 million on its opening weekend and has already banked $500 million around the globe.

Dolly Parton fqgup€v"tgitgv"dgkpi"ejknfnguu he 65-year-old singer - who has been married to Carl Dean since 1966 - would have liked to have had a family but is proud of the things she has achieved in her career and thinks the sacrifices she has made in her personal life have been worthwhile. She said: “I wanted to make music in my career because I wanted to travel and have clothes and things for my people. “People always ask me if it’s worth what I’ve sacrificed and it absolutely is. I’ve gone through a lot. “You give up a lot to make it and I did but I don’t have any regrets. I would have liked to have had children but it wasn’t meant to be.” Dolly credits her six brothers for her fearlessness and determination as she has never been “afraid” of doing business with men. She explained in an interview with The Sun newspaper: “I was always strong with them around. I could hold my own and I understood men, I was never afraid of them. “I never had to sell myself or sleep with anyone I didn’t want to just to get my music across. “I always felt they would be lucky to have my music so we could both make a lot of money.”

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Brad Pitt

spends his time ‘deer spotting’

he 47-year-old actor - who raises six children with partner Angelina Jolie is filming his new movie ‘World War Z’ in Surrey, South East England, and has been using his spare time to get closer to nature in nearby Richmond Park. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Brad has been staying near Richmond for the past week and will be revisiting for the next few months. “He’s been getting to know the area. He took a few photos of the deer in the park when he went for a stroll.” Though Angelina is currently in Los Angeles with two of their children, Zahara, six, and five-year-old Shiloh, she will be looking forward to seeing Brad’s wildlife pictures when they reunite as she has previously spoken of his much she admires his photography. She said: “I love his photography. Some people have a hobby and they find the quickest way into it and are very pleased with the outcome right away. “But he’s someone who will really study the camera. He’ll get the most complicated one and really understand the science behind it.” The ‘Wanted’ actress also says Brad strives to make his photographs

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perfect and is rarely completely happy with his work. She added: “He’s very critical of his work. I’ll see a photograph and think it’s amazing but he’ll see all the different reasons why it can be better and he’ll work very, very hard to improve it.”

he ‘On the Floor’ singer’s marriage had been in trouble for some time before the couple announced they were splitting with one friend saying Jennifer was ready to leave at Christmas last year. The source told Star magazine: “Jen told him she wanted out of the marriage late last year, but he begged her to stay. “She stayed, but she was miserable until finally she couldn’t take it anymore.” It has also been reported the couple nearly split in 2009, over Marc’s alleged affair with an airline stewardess. Another source told Us Magazine: “Jennifer was going to leave him then, but Marc begged her to stay. “They went to marriage counseling and she decided to give it another shot. He was someone she truly loved.” Marc’s spending habits are also said to have caused problems for the pair - said to be worth $250 million - during their seven-year

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Lady Gaga inherits wild streak from dad he ‘Edge of Glory’ hitmaker - who famously dressed in a gown made of meat and once hatched out of an egg live on stage - explained her dad Joe hired a stripper to teach her the piano and used to enjoy al fresco romps with random women. She explained: “He saw a lot of himself in me. My first piano teacher was a stripper. My dad told me later. I used to say to her, ‘Why do you have such long nails?’

She just said, ‘Someday you’ll understand why.’ “ However, the 25-year-old singer credits her father with “kicking her a**”

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he 30-year-old actress - who has three-year-old daughter Honor with husband Cash Warren - is due to give birth to her second child in the coming weeks but is in no hurry to get their nursery complete as she is in the process of renovating her house. She said: “The nursery isn’t ready. It’s not even close, but I’m accumulating things. In the beginning the baby stays with me in the room, so you don’t need the nursery ready so soon. We’re remodeling our house, so it’s going to take a few months.

I’m really taking my time.” While the ‘Little Fockers’ star is taking a relaxed approach to her second child, Honor is very excited about the new arrival and can’t wait to be a big sister. Jessica explained: “She’s as excited as a kid can be, even though she doesn’t real-

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and helping her to stop using drugs. She told US radio host Howard Stern: “I was for sure addicted. I got off it because my father called me out and kicked my a**. “I didn’t do it with people, I did it alone. But I regret every line I did.” Despite overcoming her habit, Lady Gaga - real name Stefani Germanotta - confessed to still smoking on an occasional basis. She added: “I don’t do it that often - and I tell the truth about that. I don’t respect artists who aren’t honest about what they do recreationally.”

ly know what it means just yet. Honor’s funny. She has her own personality.” In her spare time, Jessica loves refurbishing old furniture and is planning to set up a blog to document the changes she is making to her home. She told Us Weekly magazine: “I like to buy like old furniture and new furniture and refurbish it. I did that with Honor, so it’d be nice to show off how I did it.”— Bangshowbiz

marriage, with him owing $3.4 million in taxes for last year.

Despite her marriage woes, Jennifer, 41, pulled out all the stops last night for a performance at a private wedding party in Ukraine - for which she reportedly received a $1 million fee. The singer performed a string of hits for the son of Azam Aslamov, a Uzbek oil tycoon, and his guests at the $15 million wedding.

As she took to the stage, she said: “Are you happy? I am happy, because I am here with you today!” Jennifer is expected to take primary custody of her children with Marc, three year old twins Max and Emme, with friends saying she is planning to throw herself into her work as an actress and singer.

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

Years

lifestyle

Just don’t call me

‘granny’ Evelyn Hirsch, 93, who has Alzheimer’s, holds a stuffed dog as she entertains residents at the Menorah Park Center for the Aging in Cleveland, Ohio. — MCT

Laughter still best medicine as dementia patients entertain

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ementia robs the mind, but it can’t steal the heart of a clown.

The members of the 2-year-old Beachwood Clown Troupe make that clear. They reside in the Menorah Park Center for Senior Living, a Clevelandarea long-term care facility, and all have diagnoses of advanced Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia. Last month, eight of them, most in wheelchairs, prepped for visits to other residents of the facility. Staff members and volunteers hovered around tables full of electric pink, blue, and yellow wigs and helped the clowns make simple choices about colors and outfits.

“Give me your foot,” activities specialist Katie Lally said to Eve Chuse, as she helped the 91-year-old resident ease into a blue outfit. Chuse was quick with a quip: “I can’t - I need it.”

Clowning is one of many alternative therapies at Menorah Park in Beachwood, Ohio. The way-out-of-thebox therapies are usually the brainchild of Pam Nicholson, a gregarious woman who oversees the nursing home’s activities department. Nicholson holds a graduate degree in divinity and considers dementia patients to be full of potential, even as their mental and physical capabilities deteriorate.

And that’s what the clowns at Menorah Park do. They entertain some of the most frail and ill residents of the facility. But in addition to fulfilling religious obligation, the clowning is good medicine for the clowns themselves.

Troupe members tend to act more calmly the rest of the day after they dress up and entertain others, Nicholson said. The effect is especially obvious during the late afternoon and early evening, a time when many dementia patients “sundown,” or become particularly agitated and con-

fused, she said. Menorah Park staff ask residents to participate in the clowning troupe based on their past interests.

Nicholson said those residents who like to clown are likely to be people who enjoyed jokes or comics before they got sick. Pam Schuellerman, director of the Greater East Ohio Area Alzheimer’s Association, said as more is learned about Alzheimer’s and other dementias, nursing homes have begun to tailor more activities to the specific interests of residents. Getting dementia patients socially involved with others is now considered extremely important.

The clowning troupe officially began two years ago, although Nicholson previously had experimented with clowning using makeshift materials. The family of a resident with dementia offered to set up a “clown fund,” which now pays for the elaborate costumes, makeup and wigs. “The first days we did the clown troupe was the last good day my mother had,” said clown fund co-creator Marcy Cowan of Shaker Heights, Ohio, a businesswoman who said her mother loved a good laugh.

Cowan has continued to volunteer at Menorah Park since her mother, Mildred Bonhard Reitman, died on April Fool’s Day two years ago. After about a half hour of preparation, the clowns were ready for their performance. “Almost ready to go for the parade?” a staff member asked 93-yearold Claire Green. “I couldn’t be any readier,” she replied. An alarm sounded.

“It’s a humor breakout!” a staff member joked, as the clowns were wheeled down the hall. Once at the unit where the performance was to take place, the clown troupe was introduced to residents who are at the end stages of dementia. — MCT

Adair Lara, or Bobbi as her grandkids call her is pictured in her San Francisco, California home. —MCT

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t wasn’t that Adair Lara wasn’t thrilled about her daughter’s pregnancy. It’s just that at age 52, Lara was, well, way too hip and young to be a grandmother. And she spent the next nine months trying to avoid the name “Grandma” - a word, she says, “that lay in wait for me like a pair of dentures in a glass.” Actually, the San Francisco author was four years older than the average first-time grandmother, according to an American Association of Retired Persons survey and the exact same age her own grandmother was when Lara was born.

But times have changed. “It used to be at age 60 you were old,” says Matt Thornhill, founder of the Virginia-based Boomer Project, a marketing research firm that specializes in the “grandboomer” generation. “This generation has gotten to that age and it’s considered midlife.

Boomers today, knowing - or thinking - they’re going to live to be age 85 or 90, (say), ‘I’m not old yet at 60. And I don’t want to be called the name that signifies I’m old.’”

That was the issue for Lara, author of the new “Granny Diaries: An Insider’s Guide for New Grandmothers.” “We’re often the same age as our mothers and their mothers were when they became grandmothers,” says Lara, “but it looks different and feels different on us. We’re in our forties and fifties, in the middle of our lives and careers.” Plus, there’s that whole boomer zeit-

Dancer, 77

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“The international companies are stepping up investments in Taiwan because they see real profits here,” said the group’s public relations director Ellen Chang. Taiwanese official data shows that more than 2.2 million Chinese visitors have arrived since a new, economy-minded Taipei government relaxed the rules three years ago in an effort to mend ties with Beijing, following decades of marred relations since the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war. The influx has generated about $3.8 billion in revenue for the island.

Last year, China replaced Japan to become the biggest source of visitors to Taiwan and the allowing in of solo Chinese tourists has seen international and local luxury brands step up their offerings in anticipation of robust demand. Affluent Chinese shoppers are fond of the island’s specialty coral, pearl and jade goods as well as international designer products and luxur y watches, which are up to 20 percent cheaper in Taiwan due to lower taxes, sources say.

Lucoral and Lupearl, a leading Taiwanese jeweler which counts celebrity clients including US first lady Michelle Obama, said coral pendants priced at $6,900 apiece have become a top-selling item among the dozen or so Chinese groups which visit its shop daily. —AFP

devoted to cool things to do with your grandkids: Alaskan cruises, whitewater rafting, and adventures keyed to different cities. The Bay Area guide, for example, includes ghost walks, sailing excursions, teddy bear-building and exotic, ethnic restaurants.

The bottom line, says Lara, is that today’s grandparents are more than a label, unless that label is Grandma 2.0. “Baby boomer women, in their forties and fifties, with busy lives and careers, are wrestling with their new identity as grandmothers in a world where Mom, Dad, and Nana all work,” she says. “These new grandmothers are the urban, marginally hip, accomplished boomer who’s too busy getting her Website up and running to take up needlepoint.”

And “grandma” is just a word, anyway, says Merrilee Miller. Her mother-in-law, Joyce Miller, may be “Grandma Joyce,” but she not only sews quilts but she also also does yoga and celebrated her 70th birthday by climbing Mt. Whitney.

This year, the retired Sunnyvale nurse is headed for Mt. Kilimanjaro. “When she comes over to visit, she says ‘OK, put me to work,’” Miller explains.

“The other day we were redoing our side yard with half a ton of river rocks. Joyce and I put all the rocks in.” As for Lara, children have a way of reinterpreting names anyway. Lara may have settled on a “Baba” variant, but 3-year-old Maggie calls her “Bob.” — MCT

is as active as ever

Luxury brands in Taiwan gear up for China tourists hinese businesswoman Jiang Guihong devours fashion and is exactly the type of high-spending tourist that Taiwan’s high-end retailers are trying to attract-and they are spending millions to do so. While a political thaw between Beijing and Taipei has been welcomed, shops on the island see the moment more as an opportunity to cash in, with many of them gearing up for a surge in mainland visitors such as Jiang, who spends big. “I like sightseeing and sampling Taiwanese food but I am really looking for ward to going shopping in Taipei,” said Jiang, carrying a $1,700 Louis Vuitton bag as she browsed in a duty free store in the island’s capital.

Jiang, who said she has nearly 20 other designer handbags, spent more than $3,000 on bags, clothes, cosmetics, perfumes and souvenirs before wrapping up her recent sixday group tour of Taiwan. Such tours have been happening since 2008 but it is Taiwan’s recent decision to allow solo Chinese travelers to visit-the first 300 arrived in Taipei on June 28 — that has led retailers to invest.

The Formosa International Hotels Corporation, intends to spend $10.38 million to renovate the shopping areas at its flagship residence, the Grand Formosa Regent Hotel Taipei, which houses 51 international brands.

geist thing.

“We all think we’re still 19 years old and we don’t want any titles actually used for older people,” says Lara, now 56 and grandmother to Ryan, age 5, and Maggie, 3. “The connotations in this culture have a lot of baggage - you should get an apron and learn to bake cookies.” Lara says her husband told her “I won’t sleep with a ‘grandma.’ You can’t make me.” So, Lara tried on “Nana” for size, vetoed it, and finally dubbed herself “Bobbi,” a twist on “Baba,” the Russian word for grandmother.

That’s not to say there was ever any question about Lara’s excitement and delight at the thought of having grandbabies to hold and love.

Lara was - and is - absolutely smitten. The Landaverdes can relate. “My mom is called Nana and gets mad if strangers call her a grandma,” says Noreen Landaverde, a Pittsburg, Calif., mother of two. “It is an age thing. She does not want to be old enough to be ‘grandma.’”

Sixty is the new 40, says Jerry Shereshewsky, CEO of Grandparents.com, a Web site devoted to first-time grandparents. “They’re certainly not their own grandparents and they’re barely their own parents,” he says. “Instead of being an old person dealing with your grandchild, you’re a young person - younger and fitter and richer.”

And the most popular segment of Shereshewsky’s Web site, he says, is the section

Ruby Rogan (from left front) Audrey Wallace, Mary Jo Holland, Diane Hughes, Debbi Binford; (back row from left) Betty Simpson, Marlene Current, Patsy Nemchick, Betty Simpson, Karen Davis, Thelma Seale, Andrea Cryder, make up the LAX Energizers who dance at the Lexington Athletic Club in Lexington, Kentucky. — MCT photos

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ertainly, no one could ever accuse Mary Jo Holland of being inactive. She is a dancer and has been for about as long as she can remember. She has taught dancing and aerobics to countless Lexington, Ky., residents since the 1950s and still performs regularly with the LAC Energizers, a seniors dance group that entertains at nursing homes, retirement centers and a veterans center.

By the way, Holland will celebrate her 78th birthday next month. She credits a lifetime of dancing and exercise with keeping her fit, active and vital. “My daughter tells me, ‘You walk like someone who’s 100 years old, but when the music starts, you look like you’re 16,” Holland said, laughing.

“I’ve had three surgeries in the last 10 years, and in every case the surgeons said I came through well because I was in such good physical condition.”

Holland grew up in a Lexington family in which most members “smoked and sat around and died young.” Determined to avoid that trap, she became active at an early age, became an avid dancer and was invited to teach dancing part-time when she was 15.

Holland opened her own Lexington dance school in 1955. For years, she choreographed the Miss Lexington Pageant, the annual Paris Lions Club show and other events.

Later, while living in California, she was asked to teach an aerobics and dance class for seniors. She also helped organize a seniors dance troupe that once performed in Las Vegas. After returning to Lexington about 20 years ago, Holland taught aerobics for seniors at Lexington Athletic Club, which led to creation of the LAC Energizers.

“The first 15 minutes of aerobics class, I would have students warm up by doing country line dancing,” she said. “The 15 minutes grew to 20 minutes, and when we got ready to do aerobics, half the students would leave. They liked the dancing better.” Holland agreed that too

many folks weigh too much, but she said Men’s Health magazine missed the mark in naming Lexington’s the county’s most sedentary city. “I don’t believe that at all,” she said. “I live near Shillito Park, where they’ve built that nice new track, and you see people on it all the time.” As for herself, Holland says she’ll keep spreading the word that exercise saves lives.

“I have so many friends my age who say, ‘When are you going to quit all this jumping around?’ I say, I’m never going to quit as long as my knees hold out.” — MCT

Mary Jo Holland (center) gets her exercise dancing with the LAX Energizers at the Lexington Athletic Club.

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

Years

lifestyle

The return to

Palestine

A panoramic view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque can be seen.

— Photos by Majed Al-Sabej

By Yousef Al-Marzouq Al-Anbaa Editor-in-Chief

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Kuwaiti media delegation recently returned to the Occupied Palestinian Territories a few months after its previous visit late last year. The delegation’s latest trip featured many stops along the way, including visits to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Old Jerusalem, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and the city of Nablus.

On reaching the occupied territories, the delegation was welcomed

by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential palace in Ramallah, as he acknowledged the “ongoing media and public outreach from Arabs towards their Palestinian brethren,” describing the visit as a “form of support for the Palestinian resistance.”

The meeting saw discussion of numerous topics, including the latest developments with regard to preparations for the declaration of an independent Palestinian state next September. On that issue, Abbas expressed pessimism, citing the likelihood of the United States vetoing a UN Security Council vote to recognize the declaration.

“We told the world that negotiation is our choice by which we build our state instead of through violence or military action,” said Abbas during the meeting, “Our demands can be concluded in two things: realizing what [US] President Barack Obama mentioned about establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, and a halt to settlement-building for a number of months in order to agree on the borders.”

Whilst reiterating the fact that Palestine is the only state in the world that has remained under ongoing occupation for 63 years, President Abbas said that his authority is willing to accept Israeli demands “as long as they remain reasonable.” He continued, “Israel is afraid of violence coming from an independent Palestinian State... We agreed to bring a third party to secure our borders and train our troops.”

The Palestinian President added that the two sides agreed on this issue during talks mediated by James Jones, the former National Security Advisor to US President Barack Obama. President Abbas also pointed out that 17 countries have already recognized Palestine “and if it was for European countries, I know they would recognize Palestine as well since many West European countries have already increased Palestinian diplomatic representation”.

Before setting foot in Palestine, the Kuwaiti delegation stopped in Jordan where they met with Parliamentary Speaker Faisal Al-Fayez, who echoed the commitment of King Abdullah II on supporting the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

One of the most memorable events during the visit was a meeting with the custodian and doorkeeper of the Church of the Holy Sculpture; Wajeeh Nuseibeh - a Muslim Palestinian man whose family has inherited the position for generations ever since the Caliphate Omar Ibn Al-Kattab’s Muslim conquerors entered Jerusalem in the seventh century. “The great impact that we felt our visit has left within the Palestinian people made us more committed to keep in touch with them in this decisive face of their history”, said Yousef Al-Marzouq, the Editor-in-Chief of Al-Anbaa newspaper who took part as a member of the Kuwaiti delegation, adding, “The current events in the Arab World should never make us forget the fact that Palestine remains our primary cause.”

Accompanying the Kuwaiti media team was artist and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Abdullah Al-Ruwaished, who gave a concert at the Al-Najaah University theater attended by thousands of Palestinian fans. Describing the visit as a “dream come true,” AlRuwaished told reporters upon returning to Kuwait that the spiritual visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as the appreciation he received from his Palestinian fans, made his visit unforgettable.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Kuwait Ambassador to Jordan Dr Mohammad Al-Duaij, Palestinian Ambassador to Jordan Atallah Khairi and Kuwait Times General Manager Badrya Darwish are pictured.

Abdullah Ruwaished is pictured at the Al- (From left to right) Reem Al-Wuqaiyan, Daliya Al-Shaater, Badrya Darwish and Aqsa Mosque.

Seham Al-Washmi are pictured in the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The KJA media delegation poses for a picture with the Kuwait Ambassador to Jordan Dr Mohammad Al-Duaij.

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

Years

lifestyle The Kuwaiti delegation would like to thank • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Jordan Attallah Khairi Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to Jordan Dr Mohammad Al-Duaij Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs Husain Al-Sheikh Undersecretary of Palestine’s Ministry of Civil Affairs Ayman Qandeel Managing Director of Palestine’s Ministry of Civil Affairs Samer Al-Barghoothi Managing Director of the Palestinian President’s office Intisar Abu Amarah Head of the Diwan of the Palestinian President Dr Huwain Al-A’araj Members of the Palestinian embassy in Amman, Jordan: Abdulhakeem AlRuzaiqi, Mu’ath Al-Atshan, Nader Al-Shayeb, Bassam Al-Batal Members of the public relations department at the diwan of the Palestinian President: Hussam Al-Dabbas, Mohammad Al-Zuraiqi, Khalid Al-Sa’iedi, Heba Khadhr Director of Palestinian Crossings Major Gen Nazmi Al-Muhanna Palestinian Presidential Security Supervisor Major Gen Shahatah Ismail Member of the Jerusalem Governorate Dawood Mustafa Ramallah Governor Dr Layla Ghannam Hebron Governor Kamel Hameed Jericho Governor Majid Al-Ghaitani Nablus Governor Lt Gen Jebreen Al-Bakri Nablus Deputy Governor Anan Al-Atairah Director of the Kuwait Airways office in Jordan Abeer Al-Qattan Director of the Kuwait Airways station at the Queen Aliya International Airport in Amman, Mohammad Al-Ajrami Authorities at the Queen Aliya International Airport in Amman Members of the Kuwaiti Embassy in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan KJA President Ahmad Behbehani and Al-Anbaa’s Editor-in-Chief Yousef AlMarzouq for their unlimited support to the visit which is the third for the Kuwaiti media delegation to Palestine in two years The KJA media delegation poses for a group picture at the Al-Aqsa Mosque square.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas presents Kuwait Times General Manager Badrya Darwish a traditional Palestinian scarf.

The KJA media delegation poses in front of the Palestinian presidential office.

Members of the Kuwaiti delegation • • • • • • • • • •

Kuwait Journalists Association President Ahmad Behbehani Al-Anbaa’s Editor-in-Chief Yousef Al-Marzouq Kuwait Times General Manager Badrya Darwish UN Goodwill Ambassador Abdullah Al-Ruwaished Public Relations Society board member Reem Al-Wuqaiyan Kuwait Attorneys Association member Seham Al-Washmi Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Al-Yaqatha Magazine Daliya AlShaater Businessman Badr Al-Mutawa Photographer Majed Al-Sabej Coordinator Adnan Al-Rashid (From left to right) Badrya Darwish, Ahmad Behbehani and Yousef Al-Marzouq are pictured before they embarked on the journey to the West Bank.

Kuwaiti singer Abdullah Ruwaished performs on stage at Al-Najjah College in Nablus.

Yousef Al-Marzouq, Adnan Al-Rashid, Palestinian Presidential Diwan, the Governor of Nablus and the Governor of Ramallah are pictured.

The KJA media delegation is seen inside the Church of the Holy Sculpture.

Abdullah Ruwaished, who is not only a famous Kuwaiti singer but also a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador shares a light moment with a child.

Andrew Garfield calls Spider-Man a role for life

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SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2011

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hen the team shooting J Crew’s spring 2011 catalog set up at the Hollywood sign, preparing to snap a leggy model wearing a pair of shiny gold shorts, no one was expecting that the scene would turn into something out of “Law & Order: Los Angeles.” But this is a city full of surprises. “A fireman walked into the shot, and all of a sudden over loudspeakers someone started yelling at us to leave because we were trespassing,”

Swimwear gets hotter

J Crew goes Hollywood

or five days, the business behind beachwear unfolded in Miami Beach - under big top tents, on rooftops, on a catwalk built above a pool, in swank hotel lobbies and boutiques, even in the elegant salon of a private estate, where models strutted under stunning chandeliers. The annual staged at the iconic Raleigh Hotel, the nearby trade show at the Miami Beach Convention Center and a growing constellation of smaller satellite shows collectively offered a peek into next year’s uniforms of the beach - a dazzling patchwork of bikinis and one-pieces, breezy caftans and tunics, rompers and cover-ups, peek-a-boo pants and skirts, exotic prints and the occasional cape for those headed more for lounging than swimming.

“I love doing swim,” said New York-based designer Mara Hoffman, who added swimwear to her brand four years ago. “It’s more whimsical and I think women are willing to take more risks with swim in terms of prints and cover-ups. Women have fun with swimwear, so it’s fun to cater to that.” The swimsuit industry, once an afterthought in the larger fashion world, has exploded. Swim week has grown to include an official lineup of 25 major international designers -including six labels this year - alongside satellites and trade shows, Salon Allure, Funkshion, MOD Swim Week and RAJ, all showcasing established and emerging designers. Another new satellite came to the beach this year: Miami Splash: Dive into Fashion, which offered a stage for black and Hispanic designers. And all over Miami Beach last week, designers presented independent swim, resort and fall collections to capitalize on the week’s gathering of buyers, a discerning audience and the media, not unlike fashion week in New York each fall.

“We chose Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim to exclusively present our Fall 2011collection at the Setai South Beach as we feel this is the perfect atmosphere to strengthen the presence of Chloe with Miami local and international clients,” said Jose Manrique, Chloe boutique manager.

The runways were brimming plunging necklines, cut-out maillots, oneshouldered styles and a sprinkling of bathing skirts. Add to that, lots of bikinis, with plenty of crochet, fringe and ruffles detailing, rope and leather belts and ribbon-like strings. Both tops and bottoms were accented with hardware, from Diesel’s denim-inspired leather straps to Luli Fama’s gold butterflies and coins and bejeweled broaches.

Animal prints, a designer favorite, were omnipresent, both in natural hues and re-interpreted in bold colors. In a nod to bohemian chic, Cia. Maritima mixed leopard and floral separates and showed a blue leopard string bikini with pink trim and a cropped tee. Inca, the Miami Beachbased brand by Stacy Josloff, showed flowing cheetah print dresses. And designer Liliana Montoya, who showed at Funkshion, used tiger and zebra patterns. As in years past, many of the designers showed swimwear that blurs the lines between the beach and the bedroom. In a fitting move, the main trade show, called SwimShow, added lingerie to its lineup this year. Beach Bunny Swimwear even introduced a bridal swimwear collection, fashioned with handbeaded pearls, Chantilly lace and Swarovski cr ystals. Other lines also indulged in water unfriendly details, most notably, feathers. —MCT

Images from the J Crew Spring 2011 catalog, shot at Paramount Pictures back lot in Los Angeles, California. — MCT photos

says Ashley Sargeant Price, a J Crew senior vice president who was on the set that day in October. The crew had secured a permit to shoot and the reprimand turned out to be a product of miscommunication, but a fully geared-up fireman and a lowflying helicopter made it into a few of the

shots anyway. “You can’t get more LA than that,” Price says. The New York-based company, which is known for its studio-set catalogs full of elegantly disheveled models and quirky tomboy styling, sought out the sunny backdrop of LA to showcase its spring 2011 collection. To really channel the era of old Hollywood, actor Sam Page from “Mad Men” was cast to model the men’s collection (his female counterpart was a model) and locations such as the Chateau Marmont, downtown’s Palace Theatre, Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House No 22 (also known as the Stahl House), the Paramount Pictures lot and tree-lined North Hillcrest Road in Beverly Hills served as backdrops.

“We were inspired by the idea of old Hollywood glamour and tying that into

American classics,” says Jenna Lyons, who, as president and executive creative director of J Crew, is the person responsible for creating the feel of the brand. “We’re making things look a little more polished, things like the hair, makeup and styling.

It’s definitely an overarching theme for styling.”

Crew Cuts, J Crew’s kids’ collection, was shot on the Paramount lot to utilize the whimsical sets. “There are those funny extremes you can have nowhere else but in LA,” Lyons says. But it’s the giant white letters of the Hollywood sign that have been a major draw for fashion companies in the last few years. YSL shot Claudia Schiffer for its spring 2009 campaign, standing in front of the “Y” in “Hollywood.” — MCT

So you want to be a wardrobe stylist?

K atie Brown, a 23-year-old dead ringer for (a young) Jennifer Aniston, gets paid to tell people how to dress. She herself follows the lead of her style icon, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, which means she chooses classic pieces - like the trench coat her aunt bought in London - and she doesn’t chase trends. Neither should you, says the wardrobe stylist from Prairie Village, Kan. More than just a pretty face. Fashion has “always kind of been hidden in my heart,” she says, from the days she played dressup in her sisters’ clothes and chose items for her mom and aunt to try on when they shopped together.

“Black is nothing. It gives no shape. It doesn’t tell a story like fuchsia would,” says wardrobe stylist Katie Brown. — MCT

After earning a fashion merchandising degree from Johnson County Community College, she moved west to study at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. “Project Runway” fans will recognize that as the site of Season 6. (She never saw Heidi Klum or Tim Gunn. Sigh.) “Some people really think it’s an easy degree to go into, but it was a full-time job. We worked really hard. ...

Some of my professors were buyers for Ralph Lauren, and you just sit there with your jaw dropped open every day.”

School taught her everything from the business end of the fashion industry to the nitty-gritty of fabric care. (She learned design, too. “I have something in the works. Stay tuned.”) To stay on top of her game she reads Women’s Wear Daily, all the fashion mags and web sites including www.refiner y29.com, www.whowhatwear.com and www.dailycandy.com. California’s an expensive place to live, so she moved home to put her fashion education to work.

She started a business called Chanari Style and Design (www.chanaristyle.com) .” The canary bird is one of the signals of warning when things go wrong. So I’m kind of your fashion canary bird.”

For $75 an hour, she will come to your home and prune all the ill-fitting, out-of-style, never-wear-them-anymore clothing from your closet and advise you on what to buy to fill the gaps. She will pack for your business trip or vacation.

She will come to the office and advise employees on proper work wear. And, like a helpful girlfriend, but one with really cute shoes, she will shop with you. “When I take my clients shopping I will ... have items picked out ready for them to come in so they don’t have to wander around and get stressed out and waste their time.”

Two words: balance and proportion. “If you’re wearing a balloon skirt on the bottom, you want to wear something slimming on top. If you wear something billowy on top, you want to wear a cute little pencil skirt or skinny jeans.” Don’t blink. Like it or not, people make up their mind about you in the first 10 seconds, she says. —MCT

A model displays a swimsuit by Aqua Di Lara during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim at the Raleigh Hotel on Miami Beach, Florida.