6 Aug

IO N IPT SC R SU B

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Municipality continues inspections on foodstuff

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RAMADAN 6, 1432 AH

U-20: Egypt crush Australia 4-0

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World stocks dive on debt risks

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Gaddafi’s son killed in NATO raid: Rebels 31 others die in attack, Tripoli denies claim

BENGHAZI, Libya: Libya’s rebel forces yesterday said a NATO strike killed Muammar Gaddafi’s youngest son Khamis and 31 others, a claim sharply denied by the authorities in Tripoli. A rebel spokesman said NATO had hit a military operations centre overnight in the western town of Zliten killing 32, including Khamis, a feared military commander.

“Overnight there was an aircraft attack by NATO on the Gaddafi operations room in Zliten and there are around 32 Gaddafi troops killed. One of them is Khamis,” Mohammed Zawawi said.

Zawawi cited as sources spies with Kadhafi’s ranks and intercepted radio chatter. But a spokesman for the Gaddafi regime said the claim was untrue. “Basically the news about the killing of Khamis by a NATO air strike are very dirty lies to cover the murder of civilians in the peaceful city,” said Mussa Ibrahim.

There was no independent verification of Khamis’s death, which has been rumored a number of times during Libya’s five month-long civil war.

In April, Seif Al-Arab Gaddafi, Gaddafi’s youngest son, and three of the strongman’s grandchildren were killed in what was claimed to be a NATO air strike on a house in Tripoli.

From the Naples headquarters of NATO’s Libya operations an official confirmed the alliance’s warplanes had hit at least two targets in Zliten overnight, but made no comment about the reports of Khamis’s death.

Khamis “We are aware of the news reports,” the official said. “NATO struck an ammunition storage at around 8:15 pm (1815 GMT) in Zliten and a military police facility within a combat area at around 10:45 pm in the area of Zliten yesterday,” he added.

If confirmed, Khamis’s death would be a huge blow to both the regime’s military and the morale of Gaddafi’s inner circle. The 28-year-old Khamis trained at a Russian military academy and commands the eponymous and much-feared Khamis Brigadeone of the Libyan regime’s toughest fighting units.

The brigade took part in the assault on the rebel enclave of Misrata, which has been bombarded from three sides and has seen some of the fiercest fighting of Libya’s civil war. In the centre of Benghazi, where hundreds of the faithful gathered for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan, there was caution about the reports.

“Khamis is dead again; how many lives does this guy have,” asked Moataz, an engineer who returned to Libya after the revolution.

Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice-chairman of the rebels’ de facto government, the National Transitional Council, told AFP Khamis’s death would be a major victory.

“If his death is confirmed then the death of this tyrant is a victory for our revolution and our youth, especially in the west,” he said. Travelling in Libreville, Gabon, the head of the NTC’s executive office, Mahmud Jibril, said he did not have confirmation of Khamis’s death.

Meanwhile, state television reported that NATO warplanes struck Tripoli early on Friday, as the regime accused rebels of sabotaging a key pipeline feeding the country’s sole functioning refinery. — AFP

Emsak: Fajer: Shoruk: Dohr: Asr: Maghreb: Eshaa:

03:33 03:43 05:11 11:54 15:30 18:37 20:01

Max 46º Min 35º

JERUSALEM: Thousands of worshipers pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in Jerusalem’s Old City yesterday. The Dome of the Rock is seen in the background. —AP

Kuwait urges end to Syria bloodshed KUWAIT: The Gulf state of Kuwait yesterday urged a halt in Syria’s deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and called for dialogue and “true reforms” to end the crisis.

“The state of Kuwait expresses its extreme pain for the continued bloodshed among the brotherly Syrian people,” said a statement by a foreign ministry official cited by state news agency KUNA. “Kuwait calls for dialogue and a political solution to allow implementing true reforms that meet the legitimate demands of the Syrian people away from the security actions,” said the unnamed official.

The statement came after continued protests and demands by MPs for the Kuwaiti government to condemn the military crackdown in Syria and to expel the Syrian ambassador. Islamist MPs and their supporters plan to hold a rally late Friday in solidarity with Syrian people despite scorching heat in the state. — AFP ( See Page 3)

Order on emergency lane driving revoked KUWAIT: The ministry of Interior has cancelled an earlier decision that allowed motorists to use the emergency lanes of some of the motorways during the rush hour in the holy month. The decision was revoked after many cases were reported that drivers were over-speeding on this lane.

In a press release issued yesterday, the ministry said that a decision had been taken at the beginning of Ramadan to allow drivers on the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Ring Roads to use the left-hand emergency lane during rush hour periods in the morning, afternoon and evening throughout the holy month. After this privilege was abused by a number of drivers by breaking the speed limit, however, the decision was canceled, the ministry explained.

All motorists using emergency lanes during Ramadan will now be penalized and the previous decision stands revoked as of yesterday, the statement added.

LOCAL

SATURDAY, AGUST 6, 2011

Asian expat hit fatally while crossing highway

Municipality continues inspections on foodstuff

Saudi fugitive arrested

Regular lab testing of food with preservatives, dyes

KUWAIT: A 28-year-old Asian man died at the scene from the massive head injuries he sustained when he was hit by a car whilst crossing Fahaheel Highway. Although emergency services personnel arrived quickly at the accident location, the severity of the man’s injuries meant that paramedics were unable to save him, and pronounced him dead at the scene. His body was removed for autopsy and an investigation has been opened into the incident.

Body mystery An investigation is underway to unravel the mystery behind the death of an Asian man whose body was found behind a building in Ahmadi. Emergency services personnel were quickly at the scene after a passerby reported finding the body, with crime scene investigators sealing the location off to remove evidence, after which the man’s body was removed for autopsy. No evidence of foul play was found at the scene, with the cause of death set to remain a mystery until the autopsy results are published.

With friends like that...

A Kuwaiti man was arrested in Hawally shortly after he woke up in a dumpster, where he was thrown whilst unconscious by his distinctly fair-weather friends, who panicked and threw him into the garbage receptacle after becoming convinced that he had died of a drug overdose. On noticing the man clambering out of the dumpster, patrol officers in the area approached him, at which point he immediately fled on foot. He was quickly apprehended and taken into custody, telling his interlocutors that the last thing he remembered prior to waking up in the dumpster was taking drugs with friends at a Maidan Hawally apartment. Police immediately headed for the apartment and arrested the man’s ‘friends,’ who subsequently admitted during questioning that they had decided to dispose of his body after he slipped into drugfuelled unconsciousness, believing that he was dead. All those involved have been referred to the relevant authorities.

Saudi fugitive caught A Saudi national who fled to Kuwait after committing a bank robbery in his home country was arrested by Kuwaiti authorities, who handed him over to their counterparts in Saudi Arabia. After the Criminal Investigations Department was notified by Saudi authorities of the presence of the suspect, who entered Kuwait with nine million Saudi riyals stolen from a bank where he worked as a security guard, Kuwaiti police were able to apprehend the suspect as he was attempting to travel to another Arab country. It was subsequently revealed, however, that the suspect had already given the money to relatives in Kuwait, who used it to buy houses, chalets, cars and other items, according to investigators. The suspect was returned to his home country, while a hunt is underway in Kuwait for his relatives who are involved in a major money laundering ring.

KUWAIT: The confiscated foodstuffs that are unsafe and unfit for human consumption.

KUWAIT: The Director General of Kuwait Municipality Ahmad Al-Sabeeh said yesterday that the municipality’s imported foodstuff department regularly conducts laboratory testing on food preservatives and dyes, especially those used in sweets and flavorings.

Al-Sabeeh said that all food items containing preservatives and dyes are subject to laboratory testing to determine whether the items are safe for human consumption.

“There is a long list of artificial dyes that should never be used, internationally,” he explained, adding that municipality employees are familiar with this list.

“Preservatives are usually added to food, according to international standards, while it is being packed to prolong shelf life; an imbalanced combination of these preservatives would render the food unsafe and unfit for human consumption,” he explained.

Finally, Al-Sabeeh lauded the efforts exerted by the municipality’s inspection teams who recently confiscated a large quantity of sweets and candies which unscrupulous traders intended to sell for the mid-Ramadan Kuwaiti children’s festival, ‘Girgian.’

Meanwhile, the Director General of Kuwait Municipality said the Municipality will not hesitate to arrest those trading in rotten foodstuffs, including ‘Girgiah’ candies unfit for consumption, warning that these

traders will be fined between KD500 and KD1,000, and their stores will be closed administratively.

Al-Sabeeh said that health inspectors are closely monitoring all stores selling Girgian-related foodstuffs, and reiterating his warning that legal procedures will be taken against violators. He said that inspection teams in all six governorates are working round the clock to make sure that all

foods sold meet the regulatory standards, and confiscating all foodstuffs unfit for human consumption. The senior official called upon consumers to check the expiry dates on foodstuffs, and inspect Girgian foods and sweets before buying them to ensure that they are not being cheated, also calling on them to inform the municipality in the case of any violations. — KUNA

Forgery found out An Egyptian man was arrested at the Kuwait Municipality building where he was caught trying to use forged documents in a transaction. He was referred to the relevant authorities for questioning.

Four hurt in road accidents

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

Beggars busted Nine indigent women were arrested during a crackdown on public begging in Mahboula and Ahmadi.

According to the police report, three of the veiled women arrived recently in Kuwait on visitor’s visas, while six others - four bedoon (stateless) women, one GCC national and one woman from another Arab country - are residents in the country. All non-Kuwaiti residents arrested for begging are usually deported, although Kuwaiti and Bedoon nationals are only released after signing undertakings.

KUWAIT: A 31-year-old Bangladeshi man was rushed to Mubarak Hospital on Thursday evening after sustaining serious head injuries after being hit by a car whilst crossing the coastal road near Mesilla.

In a separate incident, three Kuwaiti teenagers aged 13, 14 and 15, were also taken to Mubarak Hospital after suffering minor injuries in a car crash at a junction between Hiteen and Shuhada.

Fight club

Gun, drugs seized

A 24-year-old Syrian man was taken to Farwaniya Hospital after suffering head injuries in a fight in Dhajeej.

Patrol officers conducting routine security checks arrested one young male motorist in possession of an unlicensed handgun, whilst a middle-aged Kuwaiti driver was caught in Abu Hlaifa in possession of 30 narcotic tablets.

Two burglaries A Kuwaiti man told police in Mangaf that burglars had broken into his home in the area and stolen KD8,000 in cash whilst he was on holiday abroad. In a separate case, a Kuwaiti shop-owner reported that nine iPhones had been stolen from his store in Hasawi.

Cell cells A Kuwaiti inmate at Central Prison faces further charges after a routine search of his cell by warders uncovered two cell phones and two SIM cards which he intended to pass on to another prisoner.

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Kuwait’s Syria response inadequate: Tabtabaie FM must summon ambassador to condemn massacres

By Al-Saleh KUWAIT: MP Dr Walid Al-Tabtabaie protested yesterday that the foreign ministry’s statement expressing sorrow at the killing of civilians in Syria is an inadequate response to events there.

Despite being a positive step, said the veteran MP, the statement does not go far enough, demanding that the foreign minister summon the Syrian Ambassador to Kuwait and hand him “Kuwait’s official condemnation of the massacres.”

In its statement issued to local media agencies on Thursday evening, Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry expressed “grave distress” at the “continuous bloodshed among the Syrian people,” calling for

the introduction of measures to restore stability and security in the country that would pave the way for “dialogue and political settlement to achieve a practical, political settlement that could meet the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people”.

Dr. Al-Tabtabaei, one of many Kuwaiti lawmakers who have been active recently in condemning the violent crackdown against civilians in Syria, was quick to comment on the ministry’s statement, saying that it didn’t meet public expectations, adding that at the very least the Syrian ambassador should be summoned and directly informed of Kuwait’s condemnation of the ongoing events in Syria.

The MP said that the ministry’s state-

ment renders the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs’ (MAIA) decision to suspend imams who criticized the killing of Syrian civilians an arbitrary one. “After the government made its statement of condemnation, the suspension of imams can be considered as a national crime committed by the Ministry of Suspension and Arbitrary Affairs,” said Al-Tabtabaei, making a sarcastic pun on the MAIA’s name.

Whilst urging the government to revoke the imams’ suspensions, AlTabtabaei said that he is currently planning a demonstration in front of the Syrian embassy in Mishref, which will only be relocated to Iradah Square should the imams’ suspension be lifted.

Political nexus behind oil sector appointments: MP

By A Saleh KUWAIT: MP Khalid Al-Sultan said yesterday that employment in the oil sector seems to be based on political machinations, claiming that a number of recently appointed employees at KNPC and KOC have no experience in the field.

The MP asserted that a number of people were appointed due to having connections to some influential figures involved in multi-million dinar oil sector contracts.

“We shall keep our eyes open for any violations in this sector,” Al-Sultan warned, adding that this situation is similar to the one responsible for the massive power cuts that hit the country in 2007, necessitating the purchase of emergency generators at a cost of KD75 million simply to maintain the electricity supply.

On a separate issue, a State Audit Bureau (SAB) insider revealed that SAB director Abdul Aziz Al-Adsani has forced an Assistant Undersecretary to accept early retirement after discovering that the senior official had been leaking confidential SAB documents and other information on sensitive projects to an MP. The insider said that apart from the issue of breaching confidentiality, this also meant that the information reaching the MP about these issues was incomplete, causing confusion and unnecessary political tension. The Assistant Undersecretary was forced to accept early retirement and has been blacklisted for further civil service posts on the basis of a decision from the National Assembly (parliament) Council. The insider added that although the actual decision on whether or not to dismiss the official was not in Al-Adsani’s hands since this can only be decided by the NA Council, the SAB chief had the right to reappoint him to a lesser position if he had wished to do so.

The insider also alleged that a number of influential figures had attacked the SAB chief, despite the fact that he had not appointed or promoted the disgraced official, because they wanted him in the position in order to leak sensitive information to them.

MEW seeks to avert 2013 power crisis

KUWAIT: A vendor sells water melons at a fruit market in downtown Kuwait. With Mercury hovering around 50 degree Celsius during this holy month of Ramadan, people are forced to buy more fruits and vegetables to beat the sweltering heat. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Electricity and Water is reportedly working on devising solutions to a possible electricity shortage crisis in 2013, which seems imminent unless answers to technical and administrative challengers are provided.

Problems are foreseen due to the fact that the new North Zoor power plant will not start operating before December of that year.

Earlier statistics had suggested that the ministry’s current facilities would be able to provide sufficient power supplies to meet demand during the current and next year’s summer. It seems, however, that unless the production capacity is increased, the ministry will struggle to meet the projected levels of demand in summer 2013. — Al-Anba

No rise in Bedoons’ Hajj visa numbers: Report KUWAIT: Local Hajj pilgrimage agencies are reportedly set to ask the government to reinforce their subsidies by reducing the fees they have to pay in insurance, as well as give recommendations on fighting unlicensed agencies which usually manipulate prices and cheat customers.

According to a Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (MAIA) insider, the certified agencies are set to meet soon in order to agree on certain recommendations for the next pilgrimage season, in order for them to be submitted to the MAIA’s Hajj Affairs Department in a timely manner.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the MAIA insider indicated that a team from the ministry’s Hajj Affairs Department is currently

preparing to leave for Saudi Arabia to discuss with authorities there some of the problems that faced pilgrims from Kuwait last year, such as the problem faced by some Kuwaiti pilgrims who were delayed at Jeddah Airport due to conflicts in flight scheduling.

Meanwhile, the insider confirmed that the Hajj Affairs Department will not request an increase in the number of pilgrimage visas allocated annually to Bedoon (stateless) pilgrims, which currently stand at 1,250. Hajj is a compulsory ritual in Islam that takes place annually at the start of the Hijri month of Dhu Al-Hijja; the twelfth and final month of the lunar-based Islamic calendar. It is performed each year at the holy sites in Makkah, Saudi Arabia and in the surrounding areas by millions of Muslims who

gather from around the world for the event. Hajj week this year falls at early November, with the end of the Hajj season being marked by the Eid Al-Adha Muslim holiday.

In related news, citizens and residents in Kuwait are hesitant to register for Omra (noncompulsory minor pilgrimage) trips during the holy month of Ramadan, due to concern over violations committed by pilgrimage trip agencies in recent years, with some even cancelling the would-be pilgrims’ trips after taking the fee from them.

Since the ministry’s Hajj Affairs Department is only concerned with monitoring local agencies dealing with Hajj trips, it is not entitled by law to penalize agencies for violations committed in organizing Omra pil-

grimages, with many in Kuwait believing that this loophole has allowed many Omra agencies to commit serial violations in recent years. Whenever pilgrims register complaints against these agencies, the MAIA usually informs the complainants that they need to make their complaints to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry since the malpractice would fall under the category of licensing violations. The commerce ministry, however, is unable to limit some manipulations such as exaggerated prices or unfulfilled services, however. Although there have been many demands to merge the Hajj and Omra pilgrimage agencies under the MAIA’s Hajj Affairs Department, no such decision has yet been forthcoming. — Al-Qabas

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MEW passes early Ramadan test Consumption levels on the rise KUWAIT: The government has managed to ensure a constant supply of electricity and water since the start of Ramadan, with no power cuts or water shortages recorded during the first couple of days of the holy month. According to Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) insiders, there was a noticeable spike in consumption levels from 5:00 pm until the Maghreb (sunset) Azan (at nearly 6:40 pm), and a similar increase after the Isha (evening) prayer (at around 8:15 pm)

until 10:00 pm during the first days of Ramadan.

The MEW put its emergency teams on standby ahead of Ramadan enabling them to respond to any service disconnection reports as quickly as possible. The ministry also instructed large factories and malls to rationalize electricity consumption levels throughout the holy month to avoid problems in the distribution network. The ministry also has 190 diesel-fueled standby genera-

tors which can be used to restore power until a malfunction is repaired.

Overloaded networks have been behind the majority of blackouts during recent summers, as consumption levels peak during the period between the second half of July and the first couple of weeks of August when temperatures can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius (122∞ Fahrenheit).

‘Overloaded networks have been behind the majority of blackouts during recent summers, as consumption levels peak during the period between the second half of July and the first couple of weeks of August when temperatures can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius’ The beginning of Ramadan, especially when it falls during summer, also customarily brings increasing rates of electricity and water consumption. The fact that Ramadan falls at the hottest part of this year’s summer raised many concerns about the ministry’s ability to cope with the projected high demand during the holy month.

Despite the continuous assurances from the MEW of a blackoutfree Ramadan, many people who took part in a recent survey remained skeptical regarding the ministry’s preparations, feeling that the ministry’s rationalization procedures are being implemented in a haphazard manner. A number of people quoted in recently published reports say that both public and private facilities aren’t introducing any rationalization policy, with many expressing the opinion that the ministry is doing a poor job of utilizing the media to increase public awareness regarding the necessity of rationalization. Some members of the public have urged Minister of Electricity and Water Salem Al-Othaina to form committees to investigate the reasons behind the regular power cuts in certain areas. — Al-Rai & Al-Qabas

News

in brief

Twitter campaign to support Somalia KUWAIT: A number of Twitter users in Kuwait have launched a campaign aimed to raise awareness regarding the famine crisis in Somalia, and urge donations for the areas most affected with the drought. The campaign in which twitter posts are tagged with the hashtag ‘#feed them’, does not aim to collect donation, which would be in violation of Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) regulations that demand licensing for such operations, but to urge people to make donations to Somalia, in cooperation with the International Islamic Charitable Organization which has allocated places at several of its branches to collect food donations to be sent to the troubled East African nation. The Twitter campaign is planned to last throughout the holy month of Ramadan, reported Al-Watan, with Thursday set to feature its official inauguration.

Abandoned palace to become 7-star hotel KUWAIT: Al-Salam Palace, the massive abandoned former palace on Gulf Road opposite the Shuwaikh industrial zone, is set to be totally refurbished and reopened as a premium quality seven-star hotel, according to a top Cabinet official. In a letter sent recently to Minister of Public Works and State Minister of Municipality Affairs Dr. Fadhil Safar, Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shamali explained that the Cabinet has ordered the two ministers to coordinate in order to reconsider the planning process for the area where the palace is located, between the Jamaal AbdulNasser Street, Al-Soor Street, the Second Ring Road and the Gulf Road. Al-Shamali says that the plan calls for the building to be turned into a seven star hotel to be used to receive and accommodate world leaders and VIP visitors to Kuwait, Al-Qabas reported. The blueprints for the new, top-of-the-range hotel also include the construction of a cultural center as part of the hotel complex, to be named after the late Amir His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, as well as an area of landscaped gardens for official celebrations.

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Kuwait to reassure Iraqi team Port project won’t have negative impact KUWAIT: In their efforts to convince a committee of Iraqi technical officials set to arrive in the country shortly of the positive aims of the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port project, their Kuwaiti counterparts are preparing a list of assurances on the facility, underlining that it will have no negative effects on maritime activities in Iraqi waters. Amongst the points raised in the Kuwaiti document is the fact that Kuwait has suspended implementation of the fourth stage of the mega project which involves building sixty docking areas for ships.

Tensions have been escalating between the two countries over the port project every since Iraqi MPs objected to the location chosen for the mega-port on the east of Boubyan Island only a few kilometers from Iraq’s narrow outlet to the

Arabian Gulf. Many politicians and transportation experts in Iraq have voiced concern that the Kuwaiti facility would greatly limit maritime activity in the small inlet which separates the two countries. Senior Kuwaiti officials have assured their Iraqi counterparts, however, that the new port will boost regional commercial activity and could even prove vital in helping with the reconstruction process in Iraq.

According to a senior diplomatic insider, the Kuwaiti officials also plan to give their Iraqi opposite numbers further assurances of the generally positive impact of the port. Amongst these assurances, the official said, are that the port construction process has been carefully designed so as not to negatively affect the marine environment in the surrounding area, and that Iraq’s maritime activi-

ties won’t be affected by the port’s presence, even during low tide.

Last Tuesday, Kuwait’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Al-Sabah, met with the Iraqi Ambassador to Kuwait Mohammed Bahr Al-Ulum to discuss the Iraqi team’s visit and agree the details. The date was also, coincidentally the 21st anniversary of the invasion of Kuwait by the forces of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Dr. AlSabah reportedly assured the ambassador during their meeting that Kuwaiti experts are ready to explain all the details of the port project during the meetings with the Iraqi team, whilst reiterating Kuwait’s official policy in stressing that construction work on the project will not be stopped since it is being built on Kuwaiti territory. — Al-Qabas

70 citizens’ status illegally amended KUWAIT: In the past five years, Kuwaiti authorities have reportedly amended the nationality status of around 70 citizens from Article Five and Seven which are accorded to naturalized citizens, to Article One, which is granted to native Kuwaitis.

According to one security official, only around a fifth of these 70 citizens provided documents proving that their ancestors lived in Kuwait before 1920, which is a necessary precondition for obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship according to Article One of the nationality legislation. Speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, the official further indicated that the alteration of the citizenship status of the other citizens affected could be penalized under the legislation on forgery of official documents.

Disability certificates Although, the Public Authority for People with Disabilities grants temporary disability certificates to individuals with certain medical conditions, such as cataract diseases, these certificates don’t grant their holders the same privileges given to people with regular disability certificates, including the disability ID card.

Responding to reports that the current system could be ‘fiddled’ by the unscrupulous to falsely obtain allowances through feigning temporary disabilities, the authority’s managing director, Dr. Jassem Al-Tammar, explained, “Financial grants and other privileges are only given to holders of certified permanent disability certificates.”

Dr. Al-Tammar also revealed that the authority is currently studying the option of issuing certificates which “cannot be easily forged”, adding that these would grant holders electronic access to the Public Authority for Civil Information in order to achieve more credible monitoring and easier transactions for disabled individuals and their families.

KUWAIT: Sitting on the beach in Salmiya, a citizen watches the calm blue sea as the sun goes down over the horizon yesterday. — Photo by Sharif Ismail

Kuwaiti embassy honors TRCS on relief efforts TUNIS: The Kuwaiti Embassy in Tunisia yesterday honored the Tunisian Red Crescent Society (TRCS) on the humanitarian role it has played in coordinating relief efforts to assist refugees on the Tunisian-Libyan border. Kuwait’s Ambassador to Tunisia Fahad Ahmad Al-Awadhi presented a memorial plaque to the representative of the TRCS in

Medenine Dr. Mongi Slim, expressing Kuwait’s appreciation to Tunisia. For his part, Dr. Slim praised the deepseated relations and coordination between the TRCS and its Kuwaiti counterpart, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS). Kuwait was one of the first countries to initiate aid to unreststriven Libya. — KUNA

TUNIS: Kuwait’s Ambassador to Tunisia Fahad Ahmad Al-Awadhi presents a memorial plaque to the representative of the TRCS Dr Mongi Slim.

News

in brief

MOI launches security texting service today KUWAIT: All citizens and residents who signed up for a Ministry of Interior (MoI) text messages service providing information such as deadlines for renewing passports and residency visa expiry dates can start receiving texts as of today when the ministry is reportedly set to activate the service. According to a security insider, the new hi-tech service includes sending SMS messages on various issues, including expiry dates for passports, residency and visitor’s visas, and notifications on matters related to driving licenses, car registration and traffic violations. Those wishing to utilize the new service must open subscriptions through the ministry in order to receive text messages through cell phones, the insider explained.

MSAL hotline for noon labor complaints KUWAIT: The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor is allocating hotlines that can be used by workers forced to work outdoors during the hours in which doing so in Kuwait’s searing summer heat is banned, announced a senior ministry official on Thursday.

“Field inspection teams will continue monitoring construction sites throughout Ramadan to ensure that the law is implemented”, said Assistant Undersecretary for the Labor Sector Jamal AlDoussari, reiterating that inspection tours will continue every day throughout the ban hours from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Al-Dousary announced in his recent statements that workers forced to work during the ban hours can register complaints on the following numbers: 24334906 - 24334067 (ext. 262), every day between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM. The ministry announced last week that 19 workers employed by eight different companies were caught violating the ban during inspection operations carried out throughout July. The ban which came into effect at the beginning of June runs through August which also coincides this year with the holy month of Ramadan.

Kuwait banks record 13.7% profit growth KUWAIT: Local banks achieved notable profits during the first half of 2011, increasing by 13.7% on last year’s figures. According to statistics quoted in a recent report, the banks made a collective compound profit of KD294.7 million, KD35.62 million more than they did in the first half of last year which recorded a KD259 million profit. The report further states that all banks working in Kuwait made growth in profit in the first half of 2011 compared to the first half of 2010, apart from the Kuwait Finance House which failed to achieve profit growth. The National Bank of Kuwait made nearly 49.7% of the total amount of profit of the local banking sector in the first half of 2011, following by the Kuwait Finance House with 15.4% and the AlAhli Bank with 9.65%. Meanwhile, the Gulf Bank posted the highest profit growth rate in one year, with KD18.31 million recorded this year, increasing by 825% compared to the first half of 2010 when the bank made KD1.98 million in profits.

MPW’s KD1.3m tender rejected KUWAIT: The Central Tenders Committee (CTC) has reportedly rejected a request made by the Ministry of Public Works to award a tender for a project to reconstruct the sewer network in the Hawally governorate, turning down the tender due to what it felt was the ministry’s exaggerated valuation of the tender’s cost which exceeded KD1.344 million. According to a CTC insider, the committee’s decision came after it found that the ministry failed to meet the requisite standards on selecting companies to bid for the tender.

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KUWAIT: An aerial view of one of Kuwait’s landmark tourism spots called Green Island.

—Photo by Joseph Shagra

Tourists stay away from Syria, Lebanon Ups and Downs of tourism in the Middle East

T

ravel to the Middle East this year was supposed to reach record highs, but the Arab Spring sent the numbers tumbling, as the violence and turmoil kept many away. But there are signs of recovery in Egypt even as tourism continues to drop in Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian areas.

Egypt’s Tourism Ministry has announced special discounts for Ramadan (Muslim holy month) visitors, particularly targeting the Gulf states. Egyptian Finance Minister Hazem El-Beblawi told Reuters that the Egyptian government forecast revenues from tourism would total $10 billion in the financial year that began on July 1, compared with $11.6 billion in 2009/10.

El-Beblawi said the tourism minister told him “occupancy in Sharm A-Sheikh and other places on the Red Sea was systemically and constantly recovering. If this trend continues, by the end of the year we will reach the normal level.”

According to the UN’s World Tourism Organization, which monitors tourism trends, recovery has already been seen through statistics showing that Egypt suffered an 80 percent drop in tourism in February at the height of the anti-regime protests, but that by May it had halved to 41 percent less.

“In a broader context, it should be underlined that the Middle East has been the fastest growing region in the past decade in spite of temporary disruptions and setbacks,” a UNWTO report said, adding that international travel to the

‘Tourist arrivals from Europe and the Arab Gulf States have almost stopped and occupancy rates at hotels had plummeted “to zero” during the summer holiday season’ region had risen from 24 million to 60 million annually in the past decade.

The annual Maplecraft Terrorism Risk Index released this week ranked travel to the Palestinian Territories sixth in the “extreme risk” category. Kholoud Daibes, Tourism Minister, Palestinian Authority said that tourism was in fact down this year from last. Ironically, the Palestinian territories have not been the scene of any major violent events. “Last year we had two million [visitors]. This year we are expecting 15 percent less due to the circumstances around us. We are around 700,000 until now,” Daibes said during a recent festival in the West Bank town of Birzeit. “We would like to introduce Palestine with its diversity.

With its different, let’s say, image, than the one circulating in the media,” she added.

Syria and Lebanon, on the other hand, have seen tourism die a painful death as President Bashar Al-Asad’s shock troops ratchet up the bloody crackdown on popular unrest that erupted in March. “We would be happy to arrange for you a package that doesn’t take in the risky spots. The hotels are offering very many special deals now,” a travel agent at Syritours, one of the leading tour operators in Syria, said cheerfully

when reached by telephone.

The Syrian Tourism Ministry’s “Damascus in August” brochure is offering Ramadan night tours in the old market sponsored by the Iranian cultural chancellery; and a film festival at the Russian culture center.

No tourists in sight The alleys of the Damascus souq should have been filled with tourists this summer.

Ironically, it was just a year ago that the New York Times rated Syria in the top ten of the hottest places to visit in 2010. UNESCO has cited Syria as the number one place in the world for archaeological sites. And until this Arab Spring and the bloody, ruthless suppression of anti-regime protests during which human rights organizations say nearly 2,000 people have been killed, tourist numbers had been steadily climbing. The United States and European Union have issued severe travel warnings against visiting Syria and have urged their citizens there to “depart immediately.” Syrian Tourism Minister Lamia Assai said the unrest had been a blow to the industry. “Tourism has been the sector hardest hit by the incidents in Syria,” Assai told the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. “Hotel reservations have

been cancelled as insurers refuse to cover tourists wishing to visit Syria.” “Tourist arrivals from Europe and the Arab Gulf States have almost stopped,” she said, adding that occupancy rates at hotels had plummeted “to zero” during the summer holiday season.

Uprising hits economies The crisis has hit the economy hard.

Since the outbreak of the uprising, Syria’s tourism sector - which reportedly makes up 12 per cent of the economy - has almost completely ceased operations. Neighboring Lebanon, too, is suffering. Lebanon’s Tourism Minister Fadi Aboud said last week that the country has lost most of its tourists this year due to the unrest in Syria. Speaking to Radio Free Lebanon, he said that restrictions on traveling through Syria have kept away tens of thousands of tourists from neighboring countries. According to UNWTO figures, tourism to Syria is down 24 percent and Lebanon has seen a 19 percent drop. “I am the only tourist I have seen during my visit to Syria. The beautiful boutique hotels, established in restored Arab houses, lie empty. The rug stores and galleries have no customers. There are no visitors to the castles and archaeological sites of Syria,” Emma Sky, a former political adviser to US forces in Iraq, wrote in Foreign Policy. “I feel sad. Damascus is perhaps the most beautiful city I have visited in the Middle East.

Syrians are the friendliest and kindest of people.” — The Media Line

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

One dead as Somali troops, residents loot famine aid

10

Aquino, rebel leader hold talks

13

Yingluck confirmed as Thailand’s first female PM

13

New Delhi: Indian boys stand on a raised platform during noon prayers at the Jama Masjid, yesterday. — AP

Tribe digs in as army advances on capital Yemenis hold rival protests SANAA: Armed Yemenis loyal to tribal chief Sheikh Sadiq Al-Ahmar, who heads a coalition backing anti-regime protests, were deployed in Sanaa yesterday as army troops bore down on their stronghold in the capital. Armored vehicles from the elite Republican Guard, led by President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s son Ahmed, advanced overnight towards the northern Al-Hassaba neighborhood as tribesmen dug trenches in anticipation of renewed clashes, an AFP correspondent reported.

The troops blocked several roads and erected checkpoints, triggering a similar action by the tribesmen armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled

grenades. Tensions were high despite mediation attempts, the correspondent said, pointing out that loyal troops got very close to the tribe’s stronghold and the First Armored Division, which has sided with anti-Saleh protesters.

Fierce clashes between Ahmar’s tribesmen and loyal troops in AlHassaba in May killed more than 140 people before the two sides agreed a truce. The sheikh heads the powerful Hashid tribe which ended its support to Saleh also a member of Hashid-in March and joined the protests which erupted in January demanding the ouster of the president who has ruled since 1978.

Influential tribal leaders formed

last week a coalition headed by Ahmar to bolster the uprising against Saleh who has been in a Saudi hospital since June after being wounded in a bomb attack on his Sanaa compound.

Tribes wield much influence in impoverished Yemen, where the Hashid is a heavily armed tribal confederation capable of rallying and financing thousands of fighters. The Bakil is the other main tribal confederation.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of opponents and supporters of embattled Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh held rival rallies following prayers on the first Friday of the Muslim fasting Ramadan month.

“Our revolution is popular, and we will continue peacefully” chanted large masses of antiregime protesters who gathered in Sanaa’s Sittin Street for a rally entitled “peaceful until victory,” an AFP correspondent reported.

“The tyrant will go, and the people will stay,” chanted the crowds that organizers put at around 250,000. Large anti-regime protests were also held across Yemen. In Taez, Yemen’s second largest city, a mass protest was held in Freedom Square, calling for an end of Saleh’s regime and insisting on following peaceful ways to achieve the goals of their protest.

Tens of thousands of his loyal-

ists rallied at Sanaa’s Sabeen Square renewing allegiance to Saleh in a rally titled the “Friday of compassion.” “The people want Ali Abdullah Saleh” they chanted as many carried posters of him and Saudi monarch Abdullah as a sign of gratitude for providing medical care for Saleh.

The veteran leader has been in a Saudi hospital since June after he was wounded in a bomb attack on his Sanaa compound, but he has refused to pass the reins of power to his deputy.

Protests erupted in the south Arabian Peninsula nation in January demanding the ouster of Saleh, who has been in office since 1978. —Agencies

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Blind date to blindfold: the kidnap business in Iraq BAGHDAD: Nineteen-year-old Mehdi was looking forward to meeting the girl who had been calling for days on his cell phone. But he was about to learn that the blind date was a lure by kidnappers, who have turned abductions into a multimillion dollar business in Iraq. When he arrived for his rendezvous, Mehdi was forced at gunpoint into a car, then held bound and blindfolded for two weeks until his father paid the $60,000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers.

Since Mehdi was snatched around Christmas of 2009, the number of kidnappings for ransom has multiplied, turning into a seemingly flourishing business for both criminal gangs and insurgent groups. In the lawless aftermath of the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, abductions became rampant, especially during the exceptionally bloody Sunni-Shiite sectarian conflict that peaked between 2005 and 2007. But those sectarian kidnappings were not usually about money. “It is a far increasing percentage now where the objective is money, whereas then the objective was murder,” said Major General Jeffrey Buchanan, spokesman for US forces in Iraq. Foreigners, and truly wealthy and important Iraqis, live behind blast walls and security guards, never stepping out without personal protection. But Iraqi professionals and small businessmen who cannot afford bodyguards, and whom kidnappers can count on to cough up large sums for ransom, have become the favored targets of kidnappers.

Between April and June this year, six to seven Iraqis were kidnapped each month, according to UK-based private security firm, AKE. The average ransom paid to kidnappers, it said, was $50,000. “Kidnap remains a regular occurrence in the country, with many incidents going unreported,” AKE analyst John Drake said. ‘I could not stand the pain’- Iraqi authorities claim that insurgents are behind the kidnappings, demanding ransom to finance terrorist activities. But they also acknowledge that many of the abductions are simply criminal.

“There are gangs who roam government offices, car showrooms or other places to identify targets,” said a police official in Baghdad, speaking on condition of anonymity. Most victims refuse to talk publicly about their ordeals, fearing retribution.

But Mehdi and his father agreed to tell their story. “When I got to the place we had agreed to meet, the girl on the phone kept changing the venue,” recalled Mehdi, now 21, about the day he was taken. Finally, she told him to go down a side street. There, three 4X4 vehicles with tinted windows suddenly pulled up and forced him in at gunpoint. They put a sack over his head and drove him around, finally stopping and dragging him into a house.

“There, I was blindfolded, my hands were bound with rope and my legs with chains,” he recalled. For the next two weeks, that is how he remained, even having to manage going to the toilet with his hands tied and with help from one of his abductors. “It was clear that there was a gang leader,” he said. “The first time he came, they put my legs flat on the floor and he sat on my knees until I could not stand the pain. He kept beating me and asking how much money my father had, and how much he would pay to get me freed.”—AFP

BAGHDAD: Followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr attend Friday prayers in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, yesterday. —AP

Baghdad’s Shorjah market is Ramadan center, 700 years on BAGHDAD: A year after it reopened, following rampant violence, shoppers flocked to Baghdad’s Shorjah market as they have for centuries to buy goods for the holy month of Ramadan. Soaring prices and scorching heat, however, along with the bloodshed that engulfed the capital in recent years, have hit at the tradition and, consequently, the family businesses that depend on it.

“Ramadan starts from here,” said Abu Issam-literally, father of Issam-while gazing at cases of rice and spices in his shop. “Shorjah was a haven for people from all Iraq, especially during Ramadan,” added the 70-year-old, who has worked in Shorjah for five decades, as his son Mohammed tried to turn on a ceiling fan that dates back to 1934. “But today, the market lives in a time of security challenges and high prices that are controlled by importers, who raise them at the beginning of Ramadan every year.” Ramadan, the holy month during which Muslims abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn to dusk, began this week. Evening iftar meals, when the fast is broken, are a time of special dishes and family gatherings, and for more

than 700 years, since Shorjah was established in the Abassid era, Iraqi families have stocked up on goods there before the start of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

The market is the oldest commercial hub in Baghdad and is located in the historic center of the city, bustling with shoppers and merchants hawking their wares as donkeys and horses drag carts of produce along Shorjah’s narrow, pothole-lined lanes.

All manner of goods are sold in several sections located across around a dozen khans, or age-old resthouses that have been converted to shop fronts. In deference to Baghdad’s version, markets that have popped up in cities across Iraq have also taken the name Shorjah. The activity in the capital’s market marks a major departure from just a handful of years ago, when sectarian violence in Baghdad forced roads leading to the market and its main thoroughfare to be closed from 2007 until last summer, when they were finally reopened.

Following the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, Shorjah was the site of heavy fighting between

American and Iraqi forces, and then between US troops and Iraqi insurgents who hid in the area.

Shoulder-high concrete blast walls still line both sides of the market’s main road, Al-Jumhuriyah street, to protect shoppers from the ever-present danger of bomb explosions. And despite the reopening of the roads surrounding Shorjah, a city-wide overnight curfew and city-wide checkpoints have made pre-dawn shopping impossible.

“In the past, we used to visit each other early in the morning, before the fast began,” said Shihab Ahmed, a teacher.

“But now, we cannot do that because of the curfew and the general security situation.” Starkly illustrating the danger, one man with hearing aids declined to talk because his hearing was severely damaged by an explosion in the market.

Another shop owner declined to give his name, for fear of assassination. He lamented the scalding heat, topping 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), had kept some shoppers away, with Ramadan this year encompassing peak summer in Iraq. — AFP

Israel posts defense system against Gaza rockets

CAIRO: Demonstrators are prevented by military police from reaching Tahrir Square, to hold a protest in memory of protester Mohammed Mohsen, who died on Wednesday from wounds received during clashes in the Abbasiyah area of Cairo on July 23, in downtown Cairo, Egypt yesterday.—AP

JERUSALEM: Israel has deployed a new interceptor missile battery to the coastal town of Ashkelon following the latest barrage of rockets that militants fired from the Gaza Strip over the past two days, the military said yesterday. Israel responded with air strikes at Gaza targets after militants launched militarygrade “Grad” rockets on Wednesday and Thursday that landed in several areas in Israel up to 40km (25 miles) north of the coastal strip, the military said.

Gaza medical officials said three Palestinian civilians were wounded from

an air strike in the northern part of the coastal enclave at dawn yesterday, two of them were in serious condition. On Thursday, Israeli aircraft bombed two training camps belonging to the Islamist Hamas faction that controls the territory and did not cause injuries, witnesses said. Hamas say the rockets are fired by some militants who refuse to heed an agreement among the major Gaza factions, led by Hamas, to hold fire against Israel.

The Israeli military says that since the start of 2011 over 340 rockets and mor-

tar shells have been fired at the Jewish state from the Gaza Strip. Israel’s new Iron Dome system was rolled out in March after rushed production to counter the rockets fired by Gaza militants. It only intercepts rockets that it calculates will hit built-up areas and ignores those set to land in open areas. The system won plaudits from US National Security Adviser Tom Donilon for downing eight out of nine Katyusha-style rockets launched at two southern Israeli cities over the course of a day earlier this year.— Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Gaza smugglers thriving after Mubarak RAFAH: The swarm of tunnel activity on the Gaza border raises clouds of fine dust, a sure sign of the boom in underground trafficking since the fall of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak. While the ousted president appeared in court this week on a stretcher, smugglers from the Palestinian territories-under an Israeli blockade since 2006 with Egypt’s tacit cooperation-were enjoying their newfound freedoms.

“Things have changed with the situation in Egypt. It’s chaos out there,” said Mohammed, 27, who runs a tunnel where workers were hoisting bags of cement. Trade in cement, which is on an Israeli list of banned goods on grounds it could be used for military purposes, have risen by up to five-fold since the political shift in Egypt. “Now,

150 tons per day passes through, before it was 20 to 30,” said Mohammed, sporting a moustache and cropped hair, sitting on a mat sipping coffee.

The sudden influx has dramatically slashed prices.”A bag of cement is now worth 25 shekels ($7, five euros), at 20 bags per tonne,” he said. “Before, the price had risen to 200 shekels.” “The people of Hamas do not collect taxes for the moment,” the young entrepreneur said, referring to the Islamist movement that controls Gaza. “They just check that we do not bring in illegal goods, like drugs.” But Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza, recently set up roadblocks to filter access to the border area.

It also undertook to identify the tun-

nels, closing those that are unfinished or abandoned in order to apply the ban on items such as drugs or alcohol, and collect a tax on other goods.

“Hamas comes to inspect every week and takes about 20 shekels ($5.60, four euros)” per ton of cement, said a young man at another tunnel, who also identified himself only as Mohammed.

“There have been more controls in recent weeks,” he added.

Tons of iron transit through another tunnel that is 25 metres deep (82 feet) and 750 metres long. Iron is now available on demand on the other side of the border. “There was much more security on the Egyptian side before,” said Mohammed, who works in a 12man team, doing a 12-hour shift for 250 shekels ($71, 50 euros) per day.

The permanent opening of the Rafah passenger terminal, decreed in May by the new Egyptian government, did not dampen the smuggling, because of a lack of facilities through the legal route. Travellers at Rafah, Gaza’s only access that is not controlled by Israel, must register for permission to cross to Egypt two or three months in advance.

According to the latest weekly report of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), about 700 people on average leave Gaza through Rafah every day and 600 enter. Nearly 30,000 have registered to go through in the coming months. “It’s hard both ways,” said Rami Abu Shia, who had come to welcome his parents.

“It takes at least three hours to get in and seven to get out.”— AFP

3 civilian deaths blamed on NATO Family’s death illustrates divided Libya

TEHRAN: Iranian worshippers perform their Friday prayer, as an Iranian flag flutters at right, at Tehran University campus, in Tehran, Iran during the holy fastingmonth of Ramadan, a period devoted to dawn-to-dusk fasting, prayers and spiritual introspection. —AP

Blast hits Iranian pipeline, oil output not affected Sabotage, technical faults possible causes TEHRAN: Iran said it was pumping oil at full capacity after news of a blast on a pipeline in its southwest yesterday caused a jump in global oil prices. Pipeline blasts happen occasionally in Iran, the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter, and are often attributed to sabotage.

“The production of oil in the southern area is still continuing at full capacity and the oil output from the wells is being transferred to other pipelines,” Hormoz Qalavand, executive director of the National Iranian South Oil Company, said.

Brent oil futures pared some of the gains following this statement but were still up $1 at above $108 a barrel at 1200 GMT as traders cited fears of terrorism in a major OPEC producer. Earlier yesterday, oil had fallen as much as $3 per barrel due to concerns about weakening global economic growth and oil demand. “So far it is not clear if the incident happened due to technical problems or a terrorist act,” the semi-official Mehr agency quoted Qalavand as saying.

Khuzestan province in Iran’s southwest is home to an Arab minority in the largely nonArab country and it has occasionally been the

scene of violent action by militants. Ten people were sentenced to death in July 2006 in Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan, for a series of bombings, but there have been fewer reports of violence in recent years. Last Friday, an explosion in northwestern Iran halted gas exports to Turkey and authorities blamed it on Kurdish rebels.

An Iranian oil ministry official told Reuters the oil pipeline exploded in the early hours yesterday near the city of Shush in Khuzestan, some 100 km from the Iraqi border and 250 km from the Gulf. “It has a 40,000 barrels per day capacity. It is a very average pipeline that has a diameter of 20 inches,” the oil ministry official, who declined to be named, told Reuters. He added that an estimated 10,000 barrels of oil had been burned in the fire. The blast occurred in the desert, far from oil production facilities, the official said. Mehr reported that the blast caused a fire over an area of 300 metres with flames 40 metres high. “The major part of the fire has been brought under control and the rest of it will be fully extinguished within the next hour,” Qalavand said on the website of the National Iranian Oil Co. — Reuters

SOUQ AL-JUMAA: A few kilometers from the front-lines, some of the youngest victims of Libya’s civil war lay on Thursday in simple coffins, testimony to the toll of the conflict in which neither side boasts a clear advantage.

Musatafa Al-Marabit, his feet bandaged and his clothes spotted with blood, was led sobbing from the three coffins containing the bodies of his wife and two young sons.

They were reportedly killed by an airstrike early on Thursday in their home west of Zlitan, the strategically located city some 160 kilometers east of Tripoli that has become Libya’s third front. In a conflict in which murkiness and mutual suspicions abound, foreign journalists were bussed to Zlitan, where nearby rebels are battling Gaddafi’s forces on a fluctuating front-line, to film the remains of Marabit’s house and to a nearby burial site to examine the blood-stained bodies of his boys.

Marabit’s wife Ibtisam, who officials said was killed alongside her children while her husband attended morning prayers, lay in another coffin which was unopened in keeping with Islamic tradition. For supporters of Gaddafi, who has defied expectations since Western powers began their air campaign in March by clinging defiantly to power, the incident was proof of the brutality of foreign

aggressors who dared to strike civilians during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“They are attacking Islam; there is no other explanation,” neighbour Atiya Mohamed shouted as he stood among the rubble that was Marabit’s home.

Yet NATO and the rebels hoping to seize Zlitan and eventually capture the fortified capital will likely portray it as more evidence of Gaddafi stationing civilians at military sites as he seeks to avoid further damage to his fighting prowess. The Gaddafi government routinely reports deaths inflicted by NATO airstrikes, whose victims it calls ‘martyrs,’ but Thursday’s events marked the first time in weeks officials had offered details of the identities of those it said were killed by NATO bombs. It was also the first time in weeks it had offered journalists an opportunity to report on human victims of airstrikes at close range. After the attack, NATO acknowledged it had hit a military command site in the area around 6:30 a.m., approximately the time officials and neighbors said Marabit’s house was struck. “We always take seriously allegations of civilian casualties and are looking into it, but we have no evidence at this stage that this was caused by an air strike,” a NATO official in Naples said. — Reuters

BENGHAZI: Imam Nabil Sati (C) and Libyan mourners pray over the coffin of a Libyan rebel killed during fighting with regime loyalists in Zintan at the end of the first Friday noon prayer of the holy month of Ramadan in the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi yesterday. —AP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Second newspaper group faces hacking lawsuits LONDON: Several alleged victims of tabloid phone hacking in Britain will soon file lawsuits against a second newspaper group, Piers Morgan’s former employer Trinity Mirror PLC, their lawyer said yesteray. Mark Lewis said the claims would be filed in “a few weeks,” but would not disclose identities of his clients or say precisely when the papers would be lodged at court.

Lewis represents the family of Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old girl abducted and murdered by a pedophile in 2002. The revelation a month ago that her voicemail messages had been accessed by the News of the World while she was still missing outraged British opinion, and triggered a crisis for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. The phone hacking scandal centers on allegations that journalists eavesdropped on private phone messages, bribed police for information and hacked

email accounts. So far the crisis has centered on Murdoch’s media empire, leading him to shut down the News of the World tabloid and abandon a bid to take over British Sky Broadcasting. Several former executives of the newspaper have been arrested by police investigating the eavesdropping. But there have also been allegations of hacking by other newspapers. This week Paul McCartney’s ex-wife, Heather Mills, claimed in a BBC interview that she was hacked by a Trinity Mirror journalist in 2001.

McCartney said Thursday that he planned to contact police over the claim. “I will be talking to them about that,” McCartney told the US television journalists by videolink from Cincinnati, Ohio. The BBC did not identify the journalist cited by Mills, but said it was not Piers Morgan, who was editor of the group’s flagship tabloid, the Daily Mirror.

between 1995 and 2004. Morgan has repeatedly denied ordering anyone to spy on voicemails or knowingly publishing stories obtained through hacking.

But in an article published by the Daily Mail in 2006, Morgan said that he had been played a tape of a message McCartney had left on Mills’ cell phone in the wake of one of their fights. “It was heartbreaking,” Morgan wrote. “He sounded lonely, miserable and desperate, and even sang ‘We Can Work It Out’ into the answerphone.” Questions over how Morgan came to hear the message have led several British lawmakers to call on him to return to the UK and explain himself. Lawmaker John Whittingdale, chairman of a parliamentary committee that is investigating hacking by the News of the World, said Thursday that Morgan “absolutely should” come to Britain to answer questions.

Whittingdale said “there is evidence to suggest that other newspapers were involved in phone hacking” - and that police should investigate. Both Trinity Mirror and the publisher of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper, keen to stop the scandal spreading to them, have announced reviews of editorial procedures in the wake of the revelations about the scale of wrongdoing at the News of the World. Meanwhile, an activist who hit Murdoch with a shaving foam pie as the mogul testified to British lawmakers last month was appealing yesterday against a six-week jail sentence.

Jonathan May-Bowles was sentenced Tuesday for assaulting the 80-yearold media tycoon as he gave evidence to the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

Frazier Moore and Noaki Schwartz in Los Angeles and David Stringer and Raphael G. Satter in London contributed to this report. —AP

One dead as Somali troops, residents loot famine aid

Nigeria, Shell under fire after UN details oil devastation

Gunbattles break out in camp

LAGOS: Nigeria’s government and oil giant Shell came under heavy pressure yesterday following the release of a landmark UN report detailing oil pollution that may require the world’s biggest ever clean-up. The report set out scientific evidence for the first time of widespread pollution in Ogoniland, an area of the country’s main oil-producing Niger Delta region and where Shell and the state petroleum company have operated.

Anglo-Dutch Shell was forced to pull out of Ogoniland amid unrest there in 1993, though pipelines for its Nigerian joint venture, which includes the state oil company, and other facilities remain. The report by the UN Environment Program, which the agency described as unprecedented in scope, raised the possibility of lawsuits that could now be brought against Shell or others with scientific evidence to back them.

“This is a wonderful intervention on the part of the United Nations, and this has also in a way confirmed the cries of the Ogoni people over the years,” said prominent Nigerian rights lawyer Femi Falana. “There is now a scientific basis backed by the UN ... I think this now provides an opportunity for people to make legitimate demands.” Shell faced criticism from UNEP, which said “control and maintenance of oil field infrastructure in Ogoniland has been and remains inadequate: the Shell Petroleum Development Company’s own procedures have not been applied, creating public health and safety issues.”

UNEP also called for the oil industry and the Nigerian government to contribute $1 billion to a clean-up fund for the region that activists say has been devastated by pollution. Restoration of the region could take up to 30 years, UNEP said.

“The environmental restoration of Ogoniland could prove to be the world’s most wide-ranging and long term oil clean-up exercise ever undertaken”, it said. Shell maintained its stance that most environmental damage has been caused by oil theft, sabotage and illegal refining. Its managing director for its Nigerian joint venture, Mutiu Sunmonu, says in a Shell video posted on YouTube that until illegal activity is brought under control, “there is little that can be done to bring an end to the problem of spills.”

The study of the effects of pollution in Ogoniland follows a two-year assessment by UNEP in the region of mainly farmers and fishermen that activists say has been devastated by spills. The report points out major health risks in the region of Africa’s largest oil producer, particularly contaminated water requiring urgent attention. — AFP

MOGADISHU: One soldier was killed and a dozen residents wounded when three trucks loaded with food intended for famine victims were looted in the Somali capital Mogadishu yesterday, witnesses said. Government troops fired shots and fought amongst themselves as they loaded wheelbarrows and minibuses with emergency food provided by the World Food Program (WFP) at the Badbaado camp on the outskirts of the city, the witnesses said, forcing hundreds of displaced Somalis to flee the camp.

Some Mogadishu residents also escaped with food on their shoulders. “(Government forces) looted all the trucks. I’m lucky that my family is safe.

I do not know where I’m heading to.

I’m running for my life,” Aliyow Hussein, a 40-year-old father of three, told Reuters on a street outside the camp. “I took only my plastic sheet and this mat. I could see one dead soldier and about a dozen wounded displaced people,” he said, using the sheet to shelter his family from the rain. Some 3.7 million Somalis are at risk of starvation, the majority of them in the south, prompting hundreds of thousands to make the dangerous trek to Mogadishu and its outlying areas in search of food aid. About 100,000 refugees have reached the capital in the last two months and hundreds more are streaming into the city everyday, risking threats of attack

by Islamist Al-Shabaab militants who control most of the worst-hit drought areas. Sacdia Kassim, a Somali aid worker working for a local charity in partnership with the WFP, told Reuters looting was becoming a common occurrence in Mogadishu.

“We often witness government

MOGADISHU: Somalis carry their belongings from southern Somalia as they arrive in Mogadishu, Somalia yesterday. The United Nations says famine will probably spread to all of southern Somalia within a month and force tens of thousands more people to flee into the capital of Mogadishu. —AP forces and residents looting food for displaced people,” Kassim said. “We knew those trucks of food would be looted one day. They were mouthwatering for the government militia.

Unfortunately, I saw fleeing IDPs and others running away with the aid food on my way to the camp,” she added.

The WFP, one of several agencies working to bring aid to Somalis struck by the worst drought in decades, confirmed an incident at the makeshift Badbaado camp, home to nearly 30,000 refugees. WFP spokesman David Orr told Reuters food distribution at Badbaado had begun some time after at 6 am and carried on smoothly for about two hours. “By all accounts, it got out of hand. It got a bit chaotic and looting of the food started.” “It seems that all the remain-

der was lost,” he said, adding there had been 290 tons of maize and oil available for distribution. “We’ve heard reports of fighting breaking out. There have been gunshots, but we don’t know if there are any casualties.” WFP has said aid groups cannot reach more than 2 million Somalis in the worst-hit areas because the militant Al-Shabaab movement has blocked access to most aid agencies.

It has airlifted tons of therapeutic food to feed malnourished children in Mogadishu and Gedo. Government troops and residents generally sell the aid to local markets for cash. Many displaced Somalis feel vulnerable in a city which is not their own or where they have no strong clan links, therefore choosing to flee the camp when fighting breaks out. — Reuters

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INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Merkel, Sarkozy to speak as crisis rages European leaders interrupted vacations for talks FRANKFURT: Italy’s borrowing costs rose above Spain’s yesterday for the first time in more than a year, ratcheting up fears that the eurozone’s thirdbiggest economy will need a bailout that the rest of the continent won’t be able to afford. European leaders interrupted their vacations to find a way to keep the turmoil from pushing Spain and Italy to a financial collapse that would further hobble an already-waning global recovery.

European leaders face the prospect that Italy and Spain won’t be able to hold out until a new, strengthened bailout fund is in place to prop them up. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, vacationing in the Italian Alps, and French President Nicholas Sarkozy, on the French Riviera, are interrupting their summer holidays for a phone conference on the eurozone crisis, Merkel’s office said.

Sarkozy’s office said he would also speak with Spain’s Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The worry is that Europe’s debt crisis is spiraling out of control as investors lose faith in the ability of countries to get a handle on their debts and in the whole European decision-making process.

That has pushed up borrowing costs, particularly for Italy and Spain.

Italy’s ten-year bond yield is now running above Spain’s for the first time since May 2010 in a clear sign that investors think the eurozone’s thirdlargest economy is in trouble. Fears that a country may default drive up the interest yields on its bonds. That can become a vicious spiral as the higher rates increase the debt and frighten away even more bond investors. European leaders face few and difficult options. They gave their ?440 billion rescue fund new powers to prop up bond markets and rescue banks at a July 21 summit, but the changes are not in effect yet because national parliaments have not approved the measures yet. That leaves the European Central Bank, which can buy government bonds under emergency powers but has done so only reluctantly because it does not want to be seen as supporting shaky government finances.

On Thursday, the ECB restarted its bond-buying program by making limited purchases of Portuguese and Irish

HANOVER: In this March 4, 2008 file photo German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks on a mobile phone during her opening walk at the CeBIT in Hanover, northern Germany. Merkel, currently on vacation in Italy, held a telephone conference yesterday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. —AP bonds. Luc Coene, the head of Belgian’s central bank and a member of the ECU, told Belgian radio station RTBF that the bank was reluctant to buy Italy and Spain’s until the two countries have taken additional steps to cut deficits. Otherwise, “it’s like pouring water into a bucket with a hole,” Coene said.

Coene also said without stricter rules on national deficits and debt, the euro is not viable in the long-term.

European officials are working on a tougher set of rules to keep governments from overspending but the EU member states and parliament have not agreed on them yet; the ECB thinks even those new rules offer too much leeway for governments.

Leaders could increase the size of the bailout fund, but that was rejected by leaders at the summit due to resistance from Germany and other countries with solid finances to having their taxpayers on the hook for overspending by others.

A longer-term option would be a eurobond whereby the 17 members of the currency union borrow jointly.

That has so far firmly been rejected by Germany and others with strong finances that let them tap bond mar-

kets cheaply, and who would see borrowing costs go up. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, who has long proposed the idea of eurobond, said in a letter to the head of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, that leaders need to act quickly “so that we always are ahead of developments and not behind them.” Commerzbank economists said that for now the ECB appeared the only line of defense against a nightmare ending. If Spain and Italy cannot borrow after the summer break, he said, they will have to slash spending because they can no longer finance deficits, leading to a profound recession and possibly runs on those countries’ banks. “The foundations of economic activity would be undermined and euro area GDP would collapse, possibly on the same scale as in the winter of 2008-2009 following the Lehman bankruptcy,” they said. They assumed the eurozone governments will halt that by expanding the bailout fund or implementing eurobonds, with the ECB possibly stepping in to stabilize bond markets with much larger bond purchases, even if that meant printing money to finance government spending. — AP

Italy demands probe regarding immigrants ROME: Italy has called on NATO to investigate reports that an alliance warship failed to come to the rescue of a boat stranded off Libya for nearly a week and that scores of migrants aboard may have died for lack of food and water.

Foreign Minister Franco Frattini made the request for a formal probe yesterday and said he also instructed Italy’s NATO ambassador to ask the alliance to consider the care of civilians fleeing Libya on rickety boats as part of the UN resolution that allows military action to protect civilians in Libya itself.

NATO launched its bombing campaign to protect civilians from attacks by the regime of Muammar Gaddafi on the basis of that resolution. Some 24,000 migrants have reached Italy by sea since the bombing campaign began in March. In the latest reported tragedy, the Italian coast guard on Thursday rescued hundreds of people packed aboard a ship stranded between Libya and the southern Italian island of Lampedusa. Unconfirmed reports from passengers said another hundred may have died with their bodies thrown overboard. Accounts in Italian media said the dead included women and children.

The reports said the boat sent an SOS to a nearby NATO warship but received neither help nor a response while being stranded for six days. The alliance’s command in Naples said it was looking into the report but had no immediate comment. In a separate case, police in Sicily have detained six alleged human traffickers as suspects in the deaths of 25 African migrants aboard another overcrowded boat trying to reach Italy from Libya. The men picked up yesterday were identified as citizens of Somalia, Morocco and Syria.

Authorities said they were operating the boat that was boarded Monday by the coast guard off the Italian island of Lampedusa, which is near the coast of Africa and has been the destination of scores of rickety and overcrowded boats carrying would-be immigrants. The coast guard said the 50-foot (15-meter) boat carried 296 people, many packed in the hold. —AP

LAMPEDUSA: Tourists watch as a woman is carried on a stretcher in Lampedusa on Thursday. Around 100 refugees fleeing the unrest in Libya died on an overcrowded refugee boat that arrived at the Italian island of Lampedusa, a survivor said, but coast guard officials did not confirm the toll. —AFP

Belarus rights group leader faces seven years sentence MINSK: The arrested leader of the most prominent human rights group in Belarus faces up to seven years in jail for helping political prisoners and government critics in the authoritarian ex-Soviet nation, the group said yesterday.

Police arrested Ales Belyatsky of the Vyasna group police outside his home in the Belarusian capital,

Minsk, Thursday. It also conducted searches in the group’s offices.

Belyatsky faces up to seven years in jail on charges of “concealment of income,” the group said in a statement. It said Belyatsky received large amounts of cash in neighboring Lithuania from the group’s Western donors since his group was officially

barred from receiving grants in Belarus. The charges against Belyatsky “are punishment and revenge for many years of his work as a human rights advocate,” the statement posted on the group’s website said.

Since 1996, the group has provided legal assistance to thousands of Belarusians who were

fined, arrested or imprisoned for criticizing President Alexander Lukashenko’s authoritarian policies. In 2003, authorities terminated the group’s official registration for reporting violations during the presidential elections.

Vyasna has also been active in reporting on the police crackdown on a recent series of peace-

ful rallies that have reflected mounting public discontent against Lukashenko whom the West dubbed “Europe’s last dictator.” Lukashenko, who has ruled the nation of 10 million people for nearly 17 years, won another term in December’s election that was criticized by international observers. —AP

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Violent Chile protests swirl against unpopular Pinera Protests likely to hamper government agenda

CARACAS: In this photo provided by Miraflores Presidential Press Office, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, top, delivers a speech during an event marking the 74 anniversary of the National Guard at the military academy in Fuerte Tiuna in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday. —AP

Fighting cancer, Chavez seeks aid from deities CARACAS: President Hugo Chavez is seeking divine support from indigenous deities and spirits from Venezuela’s central plains to help him survive cancer. Chavez often describes himself as a devout Roman Catholic, although his religious beliefs are eclectic. The former paratroop commander’s religious doctrines are rooted in his upbringing in Venezuela’s plains region. Many people there adhere to numerous folk religions, such as a sect that venerates the Indian goddess Maria Lionza.

Many people suffering from illnesses pray to the folk deities or offer them animal sacrifices in return for improved health or cures. During a speech Thursday, Chavez said: “I have faith in the spirits of the plains that I’ll prevail.”— AP

Emily breaks up over Haiti, still threatens rains PORT-AU-PRINCE: Tropical Storm Emily broke apart over the mountains of Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Thursday but its remnants still packed rains threatening flash floods and mudslides in the neighboring Caribbean countries. The US National Hurricane Center said the storm dissipated into a low pressure trough, but cautioned it still had potential to regenerate. That meant Florida’s authorities would be watching the weather system to ensure it did not re-strengthen into a threat to the state’s eastern coast.

The remnants of Emily were stretched out across Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic and over the Turks and Caicos, at 8 pm, the Miami-based center said. Emily had been the fifth named storm of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, The governments of the Dominican Republic, Cuba and the Bahamas all dropped tropical storm watches and warnings after Emily weakened. But the hurricane center warned rainfall could still reach as much as 20 inches (50 cm) in some areas. In an advisory late Thursday evening, the hurricane center also said there was a “high chance” Emily’s remaining clouds and thunderstorms could redevelop into a tropical cyclone today. “The large area of cloudiness and showers associated with this system is forecast to move northwestward toward the Bahamas at 10 to 15 mph (1624 kph) for the next couple of days,” the center said.

Heavy rainfall is a significant threat to Haiti, which is vulnerable to flash floods and landslides because of its neartotal deforestation. —Reuters

SANTIAGO: Protesters clashed violently with police in Chile’s capital on Thursday to decry President Sebastian Pinera’s policies, as a poll showed him the least popular leader in two decades since the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. Demonstrators led by students demanding cheaper and better state education blocked roads and lit fires as police used water cannons and tear gas to quell the latest outcry against the conservative billionaire.

Some protesters in Santiago and as far afield as Copiapo in the far north started banging pots and pans in a ‘cacerolazo,’ a popular form of protest in Latin America reminiscent of Chile’s 1973-1990 dictatorship. The term cacerolazo was the world’s top trending topic on Twitter on Thursday night.

Television footage showed a La Polar department store in downtown Santiago ablaze amid the unrest, though firemen said it was too early to determine the cause. Retailer La Polar is embroiled in the biggest financial scandal the country has seen in years, which has piled additional pressure on former business magnate Pinera, who critics accuse of failing on oversight.

La Polar has admitted that it unilaterally refinanced the credit of hundreds of thousands of clients. Violence also flared in the port city of Valparaiso, and the government said police detained 552 people across the country and that 29 officers and two protesters were injured. Hundreds of thousands of people have protested in Santiago and Chile’s other main cities in recent weeks and miners and environmentalists have rallied against Pinera, who is less than half way through his four-year term.

While Latin America’s model economy is growing strongly and is an investor magnet thanks to prudent fiscal and monetary policies, many ordinary Chileans feel they are not sharing in an economic miracle fueled by high copper prices. “It’s going to be very difficult for Pinera to pass legislation and to advance his agenda,” said Patricio

SANTIAGO: People walk past next to a burning public booth during student demonstrations in Santiago, Chile Thursday. Riot police battled high school and university students in the streets of Chile’s capital on Thursday. —AP Navia, a political scientist at New York University. “Because he is so unpopular, people are going to start talking about who’s going to be president next, and that’s going to make Pinera a little bit of a lame duck.”

The slide in support will likely delay the passage of capital market reforms aimed at turning Chile into a financial hub to rival Brazil, Navia said. Strong institutions mean Pinera’s presidency itself is seen as safe.

Pinera, who took power a year and a half ago and appointed a cabinet filled with technocrats in a perceived bid to make government run like a business, has alienated many Chileans with his policies. Pollster CEP said on Thursday just 26 percent of Chileans approved of his leadership of the world’s top copper producer. “The government are liars.

They just want to profit from us,” said Matias Moreno, a 17-year-old business management student said, clutching a lemon used to tame the effects of tear gas as he protested in central Santiago on Thursday.

Workers at Chile’s state copper giant Codelco have also mobilized against a management revamp, and the social unrest has emboldened workers at the private Escondida mine, the world’s biggest, to strike over wage demands.

Pinera has already had to backtrack on a campaign pledge to allow private investment in Codelco. He has also sought to defuse protests by proposing a $4 billion fund for higher educationwhich students said did not go far enough.

Even a major cabinet reshuffle last month, the second since Pinera took power, has failed to quell unrest. A separate survey by pollster Adimark GfK published this week put Pinera’s approval rating at 30 percent, long seen as the floor of his support from the right. Pinera took power last year, ending 20 years of center-left rule in Chile, pushing a raft of labor, health, energy, electoral and environmental reforms, but had to reboot his agenda to focus on reconstruction after a massive earthquake. —Reuters

Schwarzenegger inches back after child disclosure LOS ANGELES : Arnold Schwarzenegger is making a comeback. The former California governor on Thursday made his first speech in the state since confirming in May that he fathered an outof-wedlock son, the latest sign he’s gradually maneuvering back into the public eye. Once among the most public of men, Schwarzenegger has appeared in public only sporadically in recent months.

In the days after he split with wife Maria Shriver, he told his talent agency to postpone his movie projects. His Twitter account - once busy with posts and photos from afar - fell out of use. He hired a divorce lawyer, and the former Hollywood star known to crave the spotlight went into a self-imposed exile to

sort out his family problems.

That’s been slowly changing. He started tweeting again in late June when he traveled to his native Austria for an environmental conference, far from his troubles in the US Last month, he announced he will return to acting with a starring role in the Lionsgate film “Last Stand.” Schwarzenegger will play a border-town sheriff who unwittingly finds himself battling a notorious drug kingpin on the run. He never mentioned his marital problems in his appearance before a business group at a downtown hotel, or his admission of fathering his now-teenage son with the former maid, Mildred Baena. The crowd gave him a standing ovation, and applauded him warmly after he recounted how he

teamed with business leaders to reform the state’s workers’ compensation laws.

He gave a glossy recounting of his uneven years in Sacramento, cherrypicking accomplishments such as redistricting reform and never mentioning that the state economy has struggled for years. Sporting a deep tan, he joked that he was running for president in 2012 - of a bodybuilding association.

Speaking for about ten minutes, the moderate Republican warned about the dangers of political gridlock, telling the group that partisan division was choking progress in California and Washington. “We have too many of the legislators that are too far to the right or too far to the left, and therefore nothing gets done,” he said. —AP

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Manila’s Aquino, rebel leader hold talks in Tokyo More talks scheduled late this month MANILA: Philippine President Benigno Aquino met the leader of the country’s largest Muslim separatist rebel group at a Tokyo hotel in a push to accelerate peace talks, the government and rebels said yesterday.

Aquino met Murad Ebrahim of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for two hours at a hotel near Narita airport on Thursday evening. They were joined by the heads of the negotiating teams. “The meeting was cordial but consisted of a frank and candid exchange of their views about the frames of the continuing peace talks and some possible approaches that the parties can take to bring about a peaceful settlement,” Marvic Leonen, head of the government’s negotiating panel told a news conference in Manila, confirming an earlier Reuters story. “Both agreed the implementation of any agreement should happen within the current administration.

Both agreed to fast track the negotiations,” he said.

“There’s no secret deal made in the meeting,” Leonen said, adding that Aquino had sought the meeting with the rebel leaders, who are no longer seeking to set up a separate and independent republic. The rebels gave few details about the meeting, but described it as “fruitful”.

Japan’s foreign ministry, which hosted the meeting, issued a statement expressing support for the peace process, hoping the two sides will reach the final peace agreement at an early stage. It also pledged support for development assistance in conflict-affected areas.

The two sides will hold another round of talks on Aug. 20-22 in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. The government is due to issue a counterproposal to rebels’ demand to set up a “state within a state” structure in Muslim provinces in the south of the Philippines, a predominantly Roman Catholic country. Aquino has vowed

TOKYO: This photo taken on August 4, 2011 by Malacanang Photo Bureau (MPB) and released by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) yesterday shows Philippine President Benigno Aquino (R) meeting Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Murad Ebrahim near Narita airport in Tokyo. —AFP to strike a political deal to end the twin insurgencies from Maoist guerrillas and Muslim separatists that have killed 160,000 people and displaced 2 million in the last 40 years. The rebellions have scared potential investors away from putting money into poor rural communities believed to be sitting on deposits of minerals, oil and natural gas.

Analysts said the secret meeting in Tokyo could be part of a strategy to move the peace talks forward after initial delays and rebels’ suspicion that Manila was insincere in negotiating.

“Such a meeting would entail significant political risk for President Aquino and could hand ammunition to his opponents if the administration was subsequently unable to reach a deal,” the International Crisis Group (ICG) said in a report this week. Zainudin Malang, head of a civil society group on the southern island of Mindanao,

said the meeting was “a shot in the arm” for a peace process which is steadily losing public support due to delays. “Before this meeting, the level of confidence among Muslims here on the peace process has been steadily going down, but the Tokyo meeting has suddenly revived people’s interest and trust on the government to pursue peace talks,” Malang said. Aquino may be following the policy practised by his late mother, former President Corazon Aquino, who met another Muslim leader, Nur Misuari, in 1986.

Those talks led to the resumption of negotiations with his group, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the biggest rebel movement at the time.

In 1996, the government of her successor, Fidel Ramos, concluded a peace deal with the MNLF, creating an autonomous government for the Muslim region in the southern Philippines. —Reuters

China vows security crackdown in Xinjiang BEIJING : China is ordering a sweeping security clampdown in the western region of Xinjiang following recent deadly attacks blamed on Muslim ethnic Uighur militants, with Beijing vowing “no mercy” toward anyone pursuing violence or separatism. Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu has ordered officials to mobilize all available resources and manpower to create a “high-pressure environment” in which to contain terrorism, official newspapers reported yesterday.

“Those criminals who dare test the law with their persons and carry out violent terrorist acts, we will punish harshly, showing no mercy and never being soft,” Meng was quoted as telling participants at an anti-terrorism conference Thursday in the regional capital of Urumqi. Meng urged authorities to work to prevent violence in villages and cities though education and intelligence gathering. He vowed prosecutions for anyone threatening lives or property, pushing for separatism or undermining relations between minority Uighurs and majority Han Chinese settlers in the region. “Stick out your antennae, weave a tight web of pre-

vention and wipe out the hot beds of violent terrorism at their roots,” said Meng, who presides over a large chunk of China’s massive internal security budget, which has reportedly exceeded the official $91.5 billion defense budget.

The conference follows a trio of recent attacks blamed on militants among Xinjiang’s native Turkic Muslim Uighur population opposed to heavy-handed Chinese rule. At least three dozen people, including the alleged attackers, were killed in the attacks in the cities of Hotan and Kashgar, which came just ahead of the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Uighurs (pronounced WEE-gurs), are culturally, linguistically and religiously distinct from China’s Han ethnic majority, and share many links with the native populations of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other parts of Central Asia. Many deeply resent the Han Chinese majority as interlopers and see mass migration to the region as dooming them to minority status in their own homeland. A low-intensity separatist movement has existed for decades, but recent years appear to have ushered in an upsurge in violence. — AP

Yingluck confirmed as Thailand’s first female PM BANGKOK: Yingluck Shinawatra was confirmed as Thailand’s first female prime minister yesterday, as the volatile kingdom begins a new chapter after years of political upheaval since her brother was ousted. Weeks after she was propelled from relative obscurity to election victory by the support of her older sibling, fugitive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck won parliamentary approval to be Thailand’s 28th premier.

Retaining the air of calm assurance she displayed in the run up to her party’s crushing election victory last month, Yingluck said she was “excited to start work” after winning the support of 296 members of the lower house out of a potential 500.

“People will judge whether my work satisfies them and meets their expectations or not,” she told reporters after the vote. Supporters and members of the “Red Shirt” protest movement loyal to Thaksin, gathered at the Bangkok headquarters of her Puea Thai party yesterday evening in expectation of a royal endorsement that will formalize her position.

“It is good that Yingluck has become our prime minister. I think she can solve the problems in the countrydo not underestimate women,” said Rattanaporn Bosakaranut, 76, reflecting the cheerful optimism of those present. Puea Thai and its partners command a three-fifths parliamentary majority after a resounding victory in the July 3 election over the pro-establishment Democrats of outgoing leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Yingluck has since consolidated her parliamentary dominance by forming a six-party coalition that accounts for 300 of the legislature’s 500 seats. But the 44-year-old, described by her brother as his “clone”, faces the challenge of healing the bitter political split that has torn the country in two in the years since Thaksin was thrown out of office in a 2006 army coup backed by Thailand’s elite. Analysts believe the first test for the fresh-faced political newcomer will simply be whether she can hang on to power in a country where the removal of leaders is commonplace.

Thailand has seen 18 actual or attempted military coups since it became a constitutional monarchy in 1932 and only one prime minister in that time has served a full four-year term-Thaksin. “We are still in the middle of a very big conflict in the country with very different ideas about what government should be, and what it should be doing,” said Thai political analyst Chris Baker. Baker said Yingluck’s parliamentary majority-along with the weakened state of the nationalist and anti-Thaksin “Yellow Shirt” protest movement and a lack of public support for the army-will give her “breathing room”.

Yingluck yesterday again denied suggestions that Thaksin, who lives abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption and is despised by the Thailand’s elites, is controlling her party from afar. — AFP

BANGKOK: Thailand’s new Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, center, gives a Thai tradition “wai” at parliament in Bangkok yesterday. Thai lawmakers chose US-educated businesswoman Yingluck as the country’s first female prime minister yesterday. —AP

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India’s Gandhi family scion steps closer to power Rahul seen lacking gravitas, charisma NEW DELHI: The illness of Sonia Gandhi, India’s most powerful political leader, may have set off a risky succession that could propel her inexperienced son Rahul to government just as the ruling Congress party battles corruption scandals and high inflation. The appointment of the 41-year-old Rahul to a quartet that will administer political affairs for Congress as she is being treated for an undisclosed illness abroad came as a surprise to many - other more senior and experienced leaders were ignored.

Sonia Gandhi’s illness was not disclosed in Thursday’s surprise announcement, but the 64-year-old party chief may be away for weeks. Her absence may be longer if two newspaper reports, which said she had cancer, are correct.

The Congress party said yesterday she had undergone successful surgery - but Rahul’s appointment may signal her intention for eventual succession - even if she quickly returns to office.

“He’s being entrusted with a very important responsibility to keep the wheel turning. It’s an expansion of his purview,” said political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan. “One day he will be prime minister, but this is basically continuity.

It’s a signal of continuity to the party.”

Stung by opposition criticism that India could not be run by an Italian-born leader, Sonia Gandhi nominated Manmohan Singh as prime minister after her 2004 election win. Since then she has largely run the country from behind the scenes, winning re-election for her party in 2009.

She had dictated strategy - such as Congress’s emphasis on redistributive policies - rather than micro-managing, and she has pushed key policies such as a food security bill to give subsidised grains to millions of poor families. Rahul will now take these reins just as a raucous parliament debates some key reforms such as a land acquisition bill and battles accusations it turned a blind eye to a huge telecoms licensing scandal that has already seen a minister quit.

Apart from Rahul, the quartet to replace Sonia Gandhi comprises Janardan Dwivedi, a general secretary of the party, Congress political secretary Ahmed Patel and Defence Minister A.K. Antony. All are close advisers to Gandhi.

NEW DELHI: In this July 19, 2011 photo, India’s Congress party President Sonia Gandhi, right, shares a lighter moment with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton before a meeting at Gandhi’s residence in New Delhi, India.

India’s ruling Congress Party says its leader Sonia Gandhi has undergone surgery abroad for an undisclosed ailment. —AP Cabinet heavyweights such as Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee - who usually has a hand in most government affairs and is seen by some as more powerful than the prime minister - and Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, were ignored. “What was baffling was that the top guns who are managing the country ... were not found competent to run the party,” the Mail Today said on its front page.

Rahul has long been seen as heir apparent to the secular and left-leaning Congress party as family scion to a dynasty that has ruled India for much of independence. Many expect him to succeed Singh, 78, before the 2014 general election. But in a sign of the uncertainty of political life without Sonia, Dwivedi appeared on Thursday confused about what was actually happening - first saying she had surgery, then saying she was yet to have surgery. Then the party stated on Friday that surgery had been successful, a confusing string of statements that underscored a sense that the party struggled without Sonia Gandhi’s guidance.

Sonia Gandhi’s agenda has long been more populist than Singh’s - fight-

ing for policies such as food subsidies in the face of government reformists worried about their cost. All signs are that Rahul will carry on from his mother. But until now he has been reluctant to be involved in government, preferring to organise the youth wing of his party and travelling across India to campaign for the land rights of poor tribal people and villagers.

Many saw these travels, where he would often stay the night in a remote hamlet or travel by motorcycle to villages, as a campaign to raise his profile ahead of the 2014 election.His key test was expected to be his drive to win the 2012 elections in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous and electorally important state, before securing the credentials to hit the national stage. That rise of his profile may quicken after his appointment, although Congress officials were reluctant to say it publicly. “Is this something that has to be said out aloud?” said one senior official when asked if Rahul would become more important. Critics say he lacks the gravitas and charisma of his mother or grandmother - the assassinated Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. — Reuters

US head of Afghan aid oversight resigns WASHINGTON: The office that oversees billions in aid to Afghanistan will be without a chief for the second time this year, as its leader announced Thursday he was stepping down. Herbert Richardson, acting special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction (SIGAR), said he will take a job in the private sector after he leaves his government post on September 2.

“After more than 37 years of public service, I’ve decided to accept an opportunity in the private sector at a time when I’m convinced SIGAR has changed course, is producing results and is being led effectively by the new leadership team that I’ve put in place,” said Richardson. Created by Congress, SIGAR is tasked with investigating and leading audits of the more than $62 billion in aid distributed by the United States to Afghanistan since 2002.

The organization’s previous manager was dismissed in January after lawmakers criticized SIGAR for failing to properly uncover misuse of the aid money. A SIGAR report published last month revealed that funds Washington poured into Afghanistan for aid could be financing corruption and going to extremist groups because the money was not traceable.

Richardson stepped down as a new report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank highlighted major problems over foreign aid in Afghanistan, which it said has totalled $57 billion since the US-led invasion in 2001.

Ahead of a deadline for the withdrawal of overseas combat troops by the end of 2014, the ICG warned Afghan state bodies remain weak, including the country’s army and police which have received over half the total aid. “The impact of international assistance will remain limited” unless donor countries take swift action,” it added. It urged countries-particularly the United States, the largest aid donor to Afghanistan-to tackle corruption, better monitor how aid is implemented and separate aid from counter-insurgency goals. “In their haste to demonstrate progress, donors have pegged much aid to short-term military objectives and timeframes,” the ICG report said. — AFP

PESHAWAR: A Pakistani police officer stands guard as people offer Friday prayers in Peshawar, Pakistan yesterday. Muslims throughout the world are marking the holy month of Ramadan, where observants fast from dawn till dusk. —AP

India links Mumbai blasts to home-grown militants NEW DELHI: India has for the first time linked last month’s bomb blasts that killed 26 people in Mumbai to home-grown militants, saying it could no longer deny the existence of indigenous terror cells. No one has claimed responsibility for the rush-hour bombings that ripped through the Opera House diamond trading hub, Zaveri Bazaar gold and jewellery quarter and the suburban district of Dadar.

But Home minister P Chidambaram told parliament on Thursday evening that even though a police investigation into the July 13 attacks was still ongoing “all indications point to (an) Indian module”. “We cannot live in denial. We cannot close our eyes to facts.

There are home-grown modules,” he told the upper house of parliament the Rajya Sabha in a debate. Chidambaram had previously cast investigative net far wider, saying that all outfits “hostile to India” were being treated as possible suspects.

Suspicion has fallen on the Indian Mujahideen, a shadowy group of domestic militants that have carried out similar attacks in the past, including in the capital New Delhi and the western city of Ahmedabad in 2008.

They were al o thought to be behind a restaurant bombing in the western city of Pune in February 2010 that killed 16. The Indian Mujahideen is believed to have links with the

outlawed, Pakistan-based Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Last month’s bombings were the first attack on Mumbai since 10 Islamist militants killed 166 and wounded over 300 in November 2008.

India blamed that assault on the LeT and suspended a peace dialogue with arch-rival Pakistan that only formally resumed earlier this year. Chidambaram told lawmakers that India was not exempt from the rise of militant forces across the world, as opposition leaders accused the minister of being soft on extremism. He accepted that domestic extremists threatened the country’s unity and recognized that the Pune blast in 2010 and the lat-

est attack in Mumbai were “two major blots” on the counter-terrorism fight.

Anti-terror police in Mumbai have said they have “good leads” in the case and have questioned two suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives arrested earlier in connection with the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts. Detectives say they are keeping an open mind and have questioned people with what the government has said are “previous known linkages” to the underworld. No arrests have been made. Officials admitted early on in the investigation that driving monsoon rains that lashed Mumbai had hindered the collection of key forensic clues. — AFP

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Palestine money crisis hovers ahead of UN bid

Turkey eases monetary policy again

Business

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Hitachi-Mitsubishi talks stall

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Women’s clothing reflects retail pull in Abu Dhabi

FRANKFURT: Stock trader Michael Pansegrau reacts at the German stock exchange yesterday. — AP

World stocks dive on debt risks ECB’s efforts fail to restore confidence LONDON: Global stocks plunged yesterday at the rising prospect of a sharp economic downturn with attention focused on US jobs data, widely expected to deepen the gloom of flagging growth and eurozone debt. European stock markets initially dived 3.0-4.0 percent after heavy falls in Asia and on Wall Street, as traders nervously awaited vital US employment figures for last month due at 1230 GMT and wondered whether a so-called double-dip recession was in sight. However losses were far less acute about an hour after the start of trading, while Madrid was even showing a gain after official data showed that the Spanish economy grew in the second quarter.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 1.75 percent after initial losses of 3.0 percent, which had sent it to levels last seen 11 months ago. Frankfurt slid 1.37 percent, Paris lost 0.20 percent, Milan shed 0.47 percent, while Madrid gained 0.73 percent. In foreign exchange deals yesterday, the dollar fell to 78.54 yen from 78.93 yen in New York, a day after Japan intervened in markets to stem the yen’s rise. The euro meanwhile rose to $1.4143.

“The reality of a global economic contraction seems to have finally kicked in as the markets

continue to plummet,” said Manoj Ladwa, senior trader at ETX Capital in London. “Investors are pricing in a slowdown in growth and sovereign debt problems as equities drop across the board. While US Payroll and employment numbers later today are likely to come in weak, the market does seem to have factored this in, and could recover some of its losses later in the session,” he added.

Asian stock markets meanwhile closed sharply lower, as already-fragile investor confidence was hammered by more weak US economic data and a warning from the head of the European Commission that the eurozone debt crisis had spread from peripheral countries to mainstay economies such as Italy. “It’s going to be a very ugly end to an even uglier week,” IG Markets analyst Ben Potter said in Sydney. Tokyo tumbled 3.72 percent, Sydney slumped 4.0 percent and Taipei dived 5.58 percent. Fear swept across Asia from Europe and the United States, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its worst one-day drop since December 2008 to close 4.3 percent lower, erasing all this year’s gains. “We’re seeing the erosion and now the loss of confidence, confidence in the economy, confidence in the market, confidence in the

policy makers. It’s all showing up,” said USbased Hugh Johnson, of Hugh Johnson Advisors.

The latest front cover of the Economist publication meanwhile carried the headline: Time for a double dip? — with the respected magazine questioning whether the US would fall back into recession. A double-dip recession refers to a short-lived recovery from one recession and then a new plunge back into economic contraction. Analysts say that fund managers now see broadly similar, albeit it different, issues to the ones which triggered the financial crisis three years ago, now looming on the horizon.

Weak data out of the United States on Thursday fuelled these concerns. The US Labor Department reported that weekly claims for unemployment benefits remained at a high 400,000 last week. Those figures followed data this week showing manufacturing in the United States, Europe and Asia had come to a virtual standstill. European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso urged eurozone leaders on Thursday to re-think their currency’s financial defenses, admitting debt contagion has now spread to the heart of the single currency area and urging a rapid

revamp of new rescue systems.

“It is clear that we are no longer managing a crisis just in the euro-area periphery,” Barroso warned in a letter sent to the 17 eurozone leaders. A deal on July 21 on a second bailout for Greece worth about 160 billion euros ($226 billion) has failed to prevent sharply higher debtrisk premiums for Italy and Spain, the eurozone’s third and fourth-largest economies. His comments came as the European Central Bank announced it would resume emergency crediteasing measures, some of which were last enacted at the height of the financial crisis.

But the ECB’s efforts still failed to restore confidence. The debt risk premium for Spain and Italy hit a record euro-era high yesterday on growing concerns the two countries could be dragged down by the eurozone debt crisis. The spread or difference in rate of return between Spanish 10-year government bonds and the benchmark German bond, the strongest in the eurozone, was 417 points and 416 points for Italian debt. The eurozone debt crisis has put Italy and Spain under huge pressure in recent weeks after Greece, Ireland and Portugal had to be bailed out by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. — AFP

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Palestine money crisis hovers ahead of UN bid Economy affected by Israeli restrictions RAMALLAH: Hit by delays in payments from donor countries and by Israeli restrictions, the Palestinian Authority is suffering a financial crisis, even as it aspires to become a state. On Tuesday it paid its approximately 170,000 employees in full only after they threatened to go on strike after receiving halfpay the month before. But it warned that doing so would seriously hamper the government’s ability to function as it struggles with the funding shortfall. “In light of the continued financial difficulties, the payment in full of salaries will significantly reduce the capacity of the government to meet other needs over the next month, and everyone understands that,” prime minister Salam Fayyad said on Sunday.

For months, Fayyad has warned of financial woes due to a chronic shortfall in financial support pledged by donors, especially Arab countries. On July 26, he even attended a special session of the Arab League, requested by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, in a bid to push member states to honor their aid commitments. He said the Palestinian Authority had received only $79 million (55.6 million euros) so far in 2011 out of $330 million pledged by Arab nations for a six-month period.

Saudi Arabia subsequently transferred a supplementary donation of $30 million, but the hole in the Palestinian budget remains large. The European Union said Tuesday it had paid 22.5 million euros to enable the Authority to “pay July salaries and pensions of nearly 83,000 employees and retirees.” To cushion the impact of the crisis, the economy ministry this month capped prices for basic food items in the run-up to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began Monday. The maximum price of a kilo of bread is now set at 3.50 shekels ($0.70, 0.49 euros), that of a 10 kilo bag of rice is 57 shekels and that of 10 kilos of sugar is

44 shekels. Beyond the current crisis, national economy minister Hassan Abu Libdeh says the Palestinian economy faces structural impediments that are the result of Israel’s occupation. “There are many United Nations member states, unable to pay their employees, who borrow,” he said. “The financial crisis facing the Palestinian Authority is now mainly due to the fact that it cannot take full advantage of its economy.” “If Israel were to lift only 10 percent of its restrictions on the Palestinian economy, it would represent an income higher than our monthly needs,” he said.

“If Israel lifted its restrictions on agriculture, the contribution of agriculture to national income would be multiplied by eight.”The current financial crisis comes as the Palestinians prepare to head to the United Nations to seek membership for a state on the lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War. But Libdeh said he was convinced that a state unencumbered by Israeli occupation would be economically viable and stable. “We’re not worried about the ability of the Palestinian state to attain a minimum level of economic prosperity,” he said, noting that international institutions have given Fayyad’s management high marks.

Robert Serry, the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process told the world body last week that the Palestinians are “ready to assume the responsibility of a state in the near future.”His conclusions echo those issued in recent months by both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, with both institutions lauding the nascent state’s progress towards a viable economy. But the World Bank warned that the Palestinian economy was still lacking a “vibrant private sector,” something it said could not be altered “while Israeli restrictions on access to natural resources and markets remain in place.” — AFP

Asia markets plunge amid recession fears

HYDERABAD: An Indian goldsmith checks jewelry after making it. Gold prices in India, the world’s largest bullion consumer, hit new highs tracking firm overseas markets and a weak rupee. — AP

HONG KONG: Asian stock markets plummeted yesterday following carnage in the US and European markets over fears the world was heading towards another financial crisis. Already-fragile investor confidence was hammered by more weak US economic data and a warning from the head of the European Commission that the eurozone debt crisis had likely spread to other economies. “It’s going to be a very ugly end to an even uglier week,” IG Markets analyst Ben Potter said in Sydney, adding that all sectors were expected to take a battering. Tokyo tumbled 3.72 percent, or 359.30 points, to close at 9,299.88 while Hong Kong plummeted 4.29 percent, or 938.60 points, to end at 20,946.14.

Sydney slumped 4.00 percent, or 171.1 points, to 4,105.4 and Seoul slid 3.70 percent, or 74.73 points, to 1,943.74. Sydney has lost 8.72 percent in the past four days, while Seoul has shed around 10.5 percent in the same period. Taipei saw the heaviest fall, diving 5.58 percent, or 464.14 points, to close at 7,853.13.

Shanghai slipped 2.15 percent, or 57.62 points, to 2,626.42 while Mumbai was 3.10 percent off in afternoon trade. Fear swept across Asia from Europe and the United States, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its worst one-day drop since December 2008 to close 4.3 percent lower at 11,383.68, erasing all this year’s gains. The broader S&P 500 dropped 4.8 percent to end the day at 1,200.07, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dived 5.1 percent to 2,556.39. European markets plunged at the start of trading yesterday. London and Paris were both down 3.0 percent, Frankfurt dived almost 4.0 percent, Milan slumped 3.5 percent and Madrid shed 2.4 percent. The losses extended a massive sell-off on Thursday that saw London, Paris and Frankfurt shed between 3.4 and four percent. —AFP

ATHENS: EU and Stock Exchange’s flags fly outside the building of the Greek Stock Exchange yesterday. — AP

Madrid shares go higher, rumors of ECB in market MADRID: Madrid’s share market recovered from an opening slump yesterday amid rumors the European Central Bank was preparing to buy hard-hit Spanish and Italian bonds. The IBEX-35 index was up 1.70 percent midafternoon in volatile trade, having slumped by more than 2.0 percent at the open. Dow Jones Newswires said there were rumors the central bank for the 17 nations that use the euro currency had asked for prices on Spanish and Italian debt, a signal that it could be about to buy. Several London dealers disputed the rumors, saying they had no knowledge of the ECB asking for prices, it said.

ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet had announced Thursday a new window of six-month financing for hard-pressed banks.

He also signaled that the ECB bank would buy wilting eurozone sovereign bonds in the markets, responding to widespread calls for tough action to halt the turmoil. But traders said the bank on Thursday was buying only Portuguese and Irish debt instead of targeting Spanish and Italian bonds, which have been pummeled by investors.

Rumors that the ECB had expanded the operation yesterday to Spanish and Italian bonds were enough to support both the bond and share markets. The risk premium investors demand to buy Spanish 10-year bonds over safe-bet German bonds had soared to a euro-era record 4.17 percentage points in early trade but it soon dropped below four percentage points. “It seems that it (the ECB) is buying Spanish and Italian sovereign debt,” said Alberto Roldan, analyst at Spanish brokerage Inverseguros. Investors had waited in vain for the ECB to announce such action Thursday,

he said. “I heard rumors that the ECB may be buying,” Estefania Ponte, analyst at brokerage Cortal Consors, was quoted as telling business paper Cinco Dias. “But it would not be the first time that we have seen rumors spread when in reality the ECB did not intervene,” she added.

Analysts said feeble Spanish economic growth figures had little impact on stocks because the government had already signaled a slowdown in the second quarter of 2011. The Bank of Spain, reporting that economic growth slipped to 0.2 percent in the second quarter from 0.3 percent in the first quarter, called on Europe to rapidly implement a recently agreed second Greek debt bailout. It blamed the snowballing eurozone sovereign debt crisis for crimping economic growth. The Bank of Spain’s plea dovetailed with the government’s calls for Europe to enact a July 21 summit agreement on Greece as quickly as possible to dispel uncertainty.

The July agreement included a new, 160-billion-euro ($226 billion) package of financial aid for Greece.

But almost one-third was to be funded by private sector investors, sparking a sell-off of other doubtful sovereigns.

Spain’s banks, which risk financing strains if the sovereign debt risk premium climbs further, benefitted most from the rumors of ECB intervention in the markets.

By mid-afternoon, top lender Santander had jumped 3.0 percent and and BBVA was up 2.77.

Both banks were among the most heavily traded stocks on the Madrid market. Stocks in other sectors suffered, however, with oil group Repsol down 1.06 percent and wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa declining 1.35 percent. — AFP

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Turkey eases monetary policy again ISTANBUL: Turkey’s central bank cut its bank reserve requirement for foreign exchange deposits yesterday, supporting a set of measures taken to cope with global economic strains affecting the economy. “Required reserve ratios for foreign exchange deposits are decreased 0.5 points for all terms,” under the framework of the decisions that the monetary policy committee made Thursday, the bank said in a statement on its website.

“According to current data, around $930 million of liquidity will be pro-

vided to the market and the weighted average required reserve ratio will drop to 11 percent,” it said. By easing reserve requirements-the amount of money held as a reserve against their liabilities-banks get more leeway in managing their deposit base and can lend more money if they choose, helping support the economy. The bank Thursday cut its key interest rate but raised overnight borrowing rates in twin moves to cope with global economic strains and prevent the fast growing economy from being

dragged into recession.

It cut its key policy rate from 6.25 percent to 5.75 percent, while raising its overnight borrowing rate from 1.5 percent to 5.0 percent in order to “reduce the volatility” in short-term interest rates. The measures “might mark the beginning of a shift in the central bank’s policy stance towards a combination of a ‘lower policy rate, lower required reserve ratios and a narrower interest rate spread’,” said Inan Demir, the chief economist of Finansbank. The central bank is con-

cerned at the threat of a growth slowdown and “expects a much harsher sell-off in the near future. In order to avoid increased volatility ... they are giving an opportunity for ‘hot money’ to exit the country ... by providing enough foreign exchange liquidity,” TEB Bank’s Selim Cakir said. On Wednesday, credit ratings agency Moody’s warned Turkey about growing domestic and external imbalances which could undermine its positive rating outlook if left unaddressed. —AFP

Women’s clothing shows retail pull in Abu Dhabi Cheesecake Factory to open in Kuwait next year

MANAGUA: Broilers are fed in a poultry farm in Tipitapa.

Nicaraguan entrepreneurs refuse to use 100,000 tons of calcified wheat donated by the Russian government to Nicaragua because it is less “digestible” to the birds, hens lay fewer eggs and chicks are born smaller, sources of the poultry sector said. — AFP

Iran fuel oil exports fall for 2nd month SINGAPORE: Iranian fuel oil inflows to East Asia are expected to stay at current low levels of less than 300,000 tons for next month, as exports remain curbed by disruptions to the country’s domestic natural gas supplies for a second consecutive month, traders said yesterday.

The National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC) has told its Asian buyers that September-loading cargoes, straight-run 280-centistoke (cst) parcels from Bandar Mahshahr, will be limited to two to three 80,000-tonne lots for its term customers, similar to August-loading volumes and down by about half from its average monthly exports. “Avails will be the same as for this month-loading, meaning the market will probably remain tight from now through September at least,” a Singaporebased Asian trader said.

“I don’t see a lot of Western arbitrage cargoes coming next month as well, with the Rotterdam barge market as strong and steeply backwardated as it is.” Reflecting the firm market, fuel oil’s prompt August/September timespread has held at a backwardation of $3.50-$4.50 a ton since the start of the month, and was valued at $3.75 midday Thursday. Regular buyers said they were uncertain if the cut in exports will last beyond September, as NIOC has not given any indication. —Reuters

ABU DHABI: It could have picked London or Hong Kong. Instead, the lingerie retailer that styles itself “the original sex symbol” chose the buttoneddown sheikdom of Abu Dhabi for the launch of its first international store.

Frederick’s of Hollywood, famed for its curve-cinching corsets and provocative push-up bras, opened up to little fanfare in the Emirati capital last weekend.

Another outpost offering the chain’s racy lingerie is set to open soon up the road in more freewheeling Dubai. The choice of venue is revealing - not only about demand for risque unmentionables on the Arabian Peninsula, but also for what it says about the United Arab Emirates’ retail pull. In only a few short years, this South Carolina-sized desert country has emerged as an unlikely first port of call for retailers looking to test their brands overseas.

“Despite the outward conservative culture ... this is a very fashion-conscious market,” Frederick’s Chairman and CEO Thomas Lynch said in a recent interview.

“They’re no less interested in what we have to offer.” Other retailers seem to agree. Crate and Barrel, American Eagle Outfitters, Aeropostale, Pottery Barn and Bloomingdale’s each have launched their first stores outside North America in the UAE in the past couple of years.

Smaller companies are making the leap too. When Manhattan favorites Shake Shack and Magnolia Bakery decided to take their burgers and red velvet cupcakes overseas, the first city they turned to was Dubai.

Retailers and restaurant chains that once shied away from overseas markets are being seduced by the region’s deeppocketed citizens and the growing track records of their Arab franchise partners, who take on many of the costs and much of the legwork that goes into transferring the brand abroad.

Frederick’s deal is a good example.

While financial details are private, Lynch said paying for the Gulf expansion is mainly up to the company’s Abu Dhabibased partners, Safeer Establishment.

Frederick’s is primarily providing “brand support” for an arrangement that envisions 10 stores across the region in the next three years, he said.

The UAE has other advantages too. It

DUBAI: An Emirati man walks in front of Potbelly Sandwich Shop at a shopping mall. — AP boasts plenty of high-quality retail space and few of the deeply entrenched local brands that can put retailers off expanding into mature markets like Europe. The country’s booming airlines have turned the Emirates into a global crossroads, funneling armies of guest workers including Westerners - and millions of tourists into the country’s shopping malls each year. That was part of the appeal for Bloomingdale’s, which opened its first international store in Dubai’s biggest shopping mall early last year.

“With all the tourists passing through there, it’s a great billboard for Bloomingdale’s,” Chairman and CEO Michael Gould told The Associated Press. Gould said it is tricky for many American retailers to translate their brands to Europe, as it is for European chains looking to enter the US A market such as the Emirates, however, offers a “much more fertile environment. People have an opportunity to build something there,” he said. A recent surge of new retailers, particularly from the U.S., has pushed Dubai into the No 1 spot alongside London in terms of market penetration for major retail brands, according to a recent report by real estate firm CB Richard Ellis. On the national level, the UAE is in second place globally, just

behind Britain and ahead of the United States.

As the Gulf’s most liberal and internationally-connected city, Dubai has traditionally been the first stop for chains looking to expand in the region. But as it becomes more saturated, CBRE expects international retailers will increasingly target nearby Abu Dhabi and other Gulf markets such as Kuwait City and Doha, Qatar. Michael Leighton, a retail consultant at CBRE, said many American retailers have long resisted setting up franchises, which is effectively a requirement for doing business in the Gulf. The economic downturn helped changed that. “As consumer spending has reduced in the US, they’ve been forced to adjust their business model,” he said.

Setting up a franchise in the Gulf is “a very easy way of generating extra revenue. ... People have to generate profits and balance the books, and in the US it’s very very hard at the moment,” he added. The strategy is not without risks.

Dubai’s economy was pummeled by the global economic downturn, which sent property prices plunging and exposed large levels of debt. Many retailers planned their regional expansions during the boom years late last decade and had to contend with leaner times when they eventually opened. —AP

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

China calls for universal cooperation on debt risks China Foreign Minister says US debt risks growing BEIJING: China’s Foreign Minister called yesterday for more global cooperation to resolve US and euro area debt problems as stock markets around the world tumbled on fears another financial storm may be developing. The minister, Yang Jiechi, said US debt risks were escalating and he called on Washington to protect dollar investments and adopt “responsible” monetary policies. China has a major stake in the future of the dollar.

Analysts estimate about 70 percent of its $3.2 trillion in foreign reserves is invested in dollar assets, making it the United States’ biggest foreign creditor.

“Europe’s debt problems are still developing, and the US sovereign debt default risk is escalating,” Yang told the media in Poland, where he is on an official visit. “All countries must further increase communication and coordination, push ahead reforms in the global financial system, and improve governance of the global economy.” World stocks fell for the eighth straight session yesterday on fears that Europe’s debt crisis could spin out of control and that the US economy may slide into another recession.

Such a scenario could leave the weight of global economic growth on China, although Beijing’s ability to provide fresh stimulus is limited by its need to fight inflation, which reached a threeyear high in June. As it stands, China could account for over a third of world economic growth this year, said Liu Ligang, an ANZ economist. Despite the euro area’s debt woes, China’s foreign minister reiterated Beijing’s confidence in Europe, its top trading partner, and the euro . “We have bought many euro bonds in recent years and will continue to support Europe and the euro as always in future,” he said.

He urged Washington to “ensure the safety” of foreign dollar investment. “We hope the United States can enact

BEIJING: Tricyclists pass an advertisement board featuring part of Beijing’s Central Business District near a real estate project. — AP responsible monetary policies to maintain a trend of global economic recovery,” he said. “A stable US dollar as a major global reserve currency is very significant to global economic and financial conditions.”

China’s dollar risks Underlining Beijing’s growing unease with dollar risks, China Central Bank Governor Zhou Xiaochuan asked Washington this week to deal responsibly with its debt, saying a choppy Treasury market endangers the world.

Washington averted a debt default this week by agreeing to cut fiscal spending, a deal that opened the way for an increase in the government’s borrowing limit. Still, Washington may need to do more to stabilize its finances longer term to stave off the risk of losing its topnotch AAA credit rating.

More Chinese are lobbying for Beijing

to tackle its dollar woes by slowing down the pace of growth in its reserves and by investing its dollars in other asset classes, such as equity. “We have recommended the Chinese government negotiate with the United States to convert part of its Treasury holdings into equity stakes in USfinancial or energy firms,” said Jing Xuecheng, a former deputy head of research at the central bank.

Jing, who now runs his own research institute, said US equity markets are large and liquid enough to absorb any larger-sized sales that Beijing could make in future. Others said China should address the heart of its dollar headache by freeing the tightly controlled yuan and let it rise. A government economist with China’s top economic planning agency, who declined to be identified, said Beijing should allow more Chinese investors and firms to invest abroad. — Reuters

Australia bank slashes growth forecasts SYDNEY: Australia’s central bank slashed its 2011 growth forecast Friday from 4.25 percent to 3.25 percent, warning the coal industry’s recovery from floods was slower than hoped and consumer spending was cooling. The Reserve Bank of Australia, however, did not indicate whether it would increase interest rates despite inflation continuing to stay relatively high “A little more than half of this downward revision reflects the slower-than-expected recovery in the Queensland coal industry, with most of the remainder reflecting slower expected growth in consumption,” the bank said. Downside risks to the global economy had also risen in recent months, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia, with financial markets rattled by debt worries in America and Europe and overheating in Asia.

The stark warnings came as global markets suffered massive selling pressure, including a four percent loss in Sydney afternoon trade. “There remains a possibility that the sovereign debt problems in Europe and the United States play out in a disorderly and disruptive manner, and that this leads to a marked rise in global risk aversion and uncertainty,” the bank said in its quarterly statement on monetary policy. While exposures in the financial system were better understood than at the time of the 2008 global financial crisis, the bank said “the scope for easing monetary and fiscal policies in most major economies is (now) very limited.”

In contrast, the RBA said surging inflation and signs of overheating were emerging in developing economies including Asia. Though slowing global growth had tempered commodi-

ty prices somewhat, their boom in the past year was flowing through to consumer prices, elevating inflation “in almost all countries”-even those with high unemployment. Inflation in Australia was expected to ease from the relatively high 3.6 percent year on year in the three months to June 30 — primarily driven by food prices following the floods and cyclones.

But the bank forecast it to remain at or above three percent into 2013, with the introduction of a pollution tax likely to boost underlying inflation by 0.25 percentage points.

The RBA offered little insight into whether it intended to raise interest rates, which have been at a relatively high 4.75 percent since last November. It said keeping inflation within its 2-3 percent target range was the main goal. “The Board will continue to look through the volatility in inflation resulting from the natural disasters at the start of the year, as well as any once-off effects from the introduction of a price on carbon,” it said. The main domestic issue for Australia was uncertain consumer behavior, the bank said, following a recent plunge in sentiment and steep falls in the retail sector as mortgageladen households saved rather than spent. Growth was seen at or above trend in 2012-13, but balancing the mining and non-mining sectors of the economy and commodities-linked surge in the Australian dollar-which hit a record against the greenback last month-would remain a real challenge.

Australia’s economy contracted for the first time since the global financial crisis in the first three months of 2010, dipping 1.2 percent from the previous quarter due to the impact of wild weather on mining and agriculture. — AFP

N Korea leans on China to make economic zones work SEOUL: Hermit North Korea is trying a new pitch to attract foreign investors into one of the world’s most closed, and impoverished, economies. This time it might even work.

What makes this attempt a bit more credible is that world no. 2 economy China is scaling up support for its heavily sanctioned ally and neighbor which has long made a point of avoiding contact with the outside world. Unlike the past when that support came only from the local and regional level, now China’s central leadership is backing Pyongyang’s latest effort: the construction of two liberalized “special economic zones” in the east and west.

Michael Hay, a British lawyer and business consultant based in Pyongyang, said Asian companies, mostly from China, are showing the most interest in entering the destitute state and forming joint ventures. There has been a perceptible increase in trademark filings and registrations, indicating “that some countries and major companies are gearing up for a possible improvement in the political climate which has a knock-on effect on the business and legal climate,” he told Reuters. The North’s push to make the zones work coincides with an easing in tensions on the divided peninsula and tentative signs of detente between Pyongyang and Washington.

United Nations data shows Chinese investment in North Korea grew from $1.5 million in 2002 to about $42 million in 2008. China’s official data from early 2008 show 84 Chinese investment streams in North Korea with a total value of $440 million. Analysts say the North wants something to show for its self-acclaimed rise as a “strong and powerful nation” to mark the 100th anniversary of founder Kim Ilsung’s birth next year. Experts caution against reading too much into the latest drive to woo foreign capital, saying Pyongyang has embarked on such projects before, including talk back in 1991 of constructing an economic zone in the northeast. “If the past is an indicator, the chances of success are not high,” Andrei Lankov, a North Korea expert at Kookmin University in Seoul, wrote on the East Asia Forum website. In the past, the door was often quickly shut by an authoritarian leadership fearful that engaging the outside world was anathema to its ‘juche’ policy of economic selfreliance and a threat to its dynastic rule.

SEZ solution The North’s 10-year economic plan, announced in January, focuses on developing its poor infrastructure, seen by investors as one of the biggest turn-offs to doing business there. In June, within days of Kim Jong-il’s return from his third trip to China in a year, Beijing and Pyongyang declared they would work together to make the special economic zones work. There are two SEZs, one at the small port of the Rason on the east coast near China and Russia, and the other in the west at Hwanggumpyong island near the Chinese city of Dandong. “The North Korean government obviously hopes that small areas of controlled capitalism will generate enough income to make a difference-or at least to keep afloat the longdecaying economy,” said Lankov. — Reuters

JAKARTA: Residents shop for local goods at one of the downtown’s busy sidewalk markets in the Indonesian capital city yesterday. The official Statistics Agency said yesterday Indonesia’s economy grew 6.49 percent year on year in the three months to June thanks to rising exports and investment and strong domestic consumption. — AFP

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BUSINESS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Cyprus gets new finance minister NICOSIA: Cyprus President Demetris Christofias appointed a new cabinet yesterday, his office said, naming Kikis Kazamias as finance minister charged with leading the holiday island out of potential bankruptcy. “Exercising his duty under the constitution, President Demetris Christofias has gone ahead and appointed a new cabinet,” the statement said, adding the cabinet would be sworn in at midday (1000 GMT). Cyprus, which was already struggling to get its finances in order, was left reeling after a July 11 munitions explosion killed 13 people and destroyed the Mediterranean island’s biggest power plant. The disaster that all but crushed any hopes of economic growth this year. The appointment of the new cabinet came after the centre-right party Diko abandoned its coalition partnership with the commu-

nist Christofias on Wednesday, saying talks had collapsed over measures to address the country’s economic and political woes.

Last week, Christofias called on his cabinet to resign after Diko urged a reshuffle.

In the new cabinet, Erato Kozakou was named the new foreign minister, and Demetris Eliades was appointed to head the defence ministry. The ministers of the interior, labour and justice remained unchanged, respectively Neoclis Sylikiotis, Sotiroulla Charalambous and Loukas Louka. As the new finance minister it will be up to Kazamias to steer Cyprus out of its economic quagmire. He is a member of Christofias’s AKEL party and a former representative to the European Court of Auditors. He also served as communications minister in the Diko government of late president Tassos Papadopoulos,

which preceded Christofias’ who was elected in 2008.

But with Diko’s departure, Christofias will have an even more difficult task to restore the public’s trust. His communist party is now in a clear minority in parliament, which could make it difficult for the president to push through legislation. The party has only 19 deputies in the 56member House of Representatives. In particular, the opposition has called for deeper cuts in state spending.

Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said this week Christofias was “not isolated,” even though his administration started as a three-party coalition in 2008 collapsed after Diko pulled out.

The socialist EDEK party withdrew last year. The president and his administration have been under fire over their perceived incompetence in preventing last

month’s explosion. Indecision and political instability have prompted two international ratings agencies-Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s-to downgrade the government’s ratings over debt fears compounded by the blast aftershock.

The Cypriot economy is largely dependent on finance and tourism. The northern third of the island has been occupied since 1974 by Turkish troops and administered by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognized only by Ankara. Before the explosion, the government forecast 2011 GDP growth of 1.5 percent and of 2.5 percent in 2012. Those figures have since been reduced to zero for this year and around one percent next year. In the second half of 2012, Cyprus will assume the rotating presidency of the European Union. — AFP

Hitachi-Mitsubishi talks stall Japan steps up overseas acquisitions

MUMBAI: An Indian stockbroker reacts as he monitors share prices during intraday trade at a brokerage firm yesterday. — AFP

Nationwide bank strike against reforms in India NEW DELHI: A nationwide bank strike hit India yesterday as unions rebelled against proposals to allow more private ownership of state banking behemoths that could threaten jobs and benefits. India, the third-largest economy in Asia, has struggled to reform and liberalize key sectors like banking, retail and insurance in recent years, partly given widespread fears of exploitation of local interests by aggressive foreign investors. The United Forum of Bank Unions which is organizing the strike said it would involve one million employees from 70,000 bank branches, 26 public sector banks including the State Bank of India , and 26 private sector banks.

“It is a nationwide strike. All branches have been closed down. The strike will affect every segment of the banking industry,” Vishwas Utagi, the secretary of the United Forum of Bank Unions said. “(The strike) isn’t for any of the economic demands of the present workforce. It is for the preservation of the economic sovereignty of the nation,” added the left-leaning umbrella of unions that organized the one day strike.

Analysts said many banking operations would be untroubled by the strike, with several of India’s new generation of privately owned banks not involved, including ICICI Bank , HDFC Bank, YES Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank.— Reuters

TOKYO: The crumbling of mega-merger talks between Japanese industrial behemoths Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries threatens a rare opportunity for Japan to improve its global competitiveness by consolidating century-old companies. Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy are ready to walk away from talks that would have created an industrial giant with more than $150 billion in sales, sources told Reuters yesterday, after preliminary discussions were thrown suddenly into the media spotlight and the companies turned cautious.

Traditionally seen as a last resort of failing firms, Japanese companies until recently have largely avoided strategic mergers.

A combination of two of Japan’s oldest, most established conglomerates would have sparked more, providing companies a tool squeeze costs, combat a surging yen and gain competitive scale. “If this merger were to go through, competitors would start considering coming together so they could better compete with the merged entity,” said Atsushi Abe, managing partner at Sangyo Sosei Advisory, a Tokyo-based merger advisory firm. “This consolidation would take place across several segments and that would be good for Japanese companies to boost their global competitiveness,” Abe said.

A wave of consolidation could engulf Hitachi’s main competitors, such as Toshiba and IHI, which would compete directly with the combined conglomerate in the infrastructure sector, bankers said. Mitsubishi Heavy has a global presence in manufacturing trains and subways, and competitors such as Kawasaki Heavy Industries could come under pressure to find a merger partner, they said. Another sector to watch is autos, given Mitsubishi Heavy’s close ties with Mitsubishi Motors , said Keiji Miyakawa, chairman of the Tokyo office for Lincoln International, an advisory firm for mergers and acquisitions. Mitsubishi Heavy is the top stakeholder in Mitsubishi Motors.

Changing mindset A merger between Mitusbishi Heavy and Hitachi could also signal a change of mindset among managers who are feeling the pinch of global competition and a strong yen. The March 11 earthquake and tsunami added to their sense of crisis, helping to spark bolder

decision-making, bankers said. “This could be a very big first step for consolidation in the Japanese industry,” Miyakawa said. Bolstering global competitiveness has become a more urgent task as Japanese companies lose market share to companies from elsewhere in Asia.

Their low profitability in particular makes it difficult for them to engage their Asian rivals in price competition.

Japan Inc’s profitability is among the weakest globally. On average, Japanese companies’ return on equity-a key measure of profitabilitywas 6.0 last year versus the global average of 11.9, placing Japan in the bottom league with Italy, data from Thomson Reuters StarMine data shows. Japanese companies’ average operating or EBITDA margin stood at 11.5 percent last year, ranking only above Latvia and Ireland and compared with a global average of

TOKYO: A money trader reacts in front of a monitor for the yen-dollar exchange rate at a money market brokerage firm yesterday. — AP

18.4 percent, 19.3 percent for Italy and 18.8 percent for UK. Many Japanese companies are trading far below their historical valuations, underscoring market expectations of sluggish growth. Toshiba is trading at a forward priceearnings ratio of 10.8 versus its 10-year median of 20.3, while Mitsubishi Heavy trades at a price-earnings multiple of 23.7, versus a 10year median of 37.4.

Corporate culture Bankers say mergers need to be executed effectively to help companies shape up.

Japanese companies often find it difficult to make hard choices about which businesses to divest, due in part to a corporate culture that emphasizes maintaining employment levels and control over operations. Because of this, many merged entities will end up holding onto everything without any real consolidation, bankers said. Mergers are also hindered in Japan by a reluctance to hand management control to a rival company, often rendering them a last resort for companies facing insolvency.

Hitachi, which boasts annual revenues of 9.3 trillion yen ($117.7 billion), counts telecommunications equipment, power systems and nuclear reactors among its core operations.

Mitsubishi Heavy, which traces its origins back to 1884, builds ships and trains, auto parts and defense systems, as well as power-generation systems. Armed with a stronger yen and the need to expand overseas, Japanese firms have been swiftly snapping up foreign rivals.

Japanese companies made $41.7 billion worth of foreign acquisitions since the beginning of this year, up 53 percent from a year ago, while deals between Japanese companies grew a more modest 9 percent to $33 billion, according to Thomson Reuters data. The creation of ArcelorMittal and rising competition from South Korea and China prompted Nippon Steel Corp to strike a deal this year with Sumitomo Metal Industries to combine into the world’s No 2 steel maker. “Any sector, any companies that have a global presence could be another target,” said Keiichi Mitake, managing director at Global Advisory Japan, the Japanese associate of global advisory firm Rothschild. “Because they need to go abroad to seek growth.” — Reuters

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Wall Street slump sends waves across US economy IPOs withdrawn or delayed NEW YORK: A scary drop in stocks and commodities threatens to squeeze life out of an already faltering US economy, with deal-making, investment in plants and equipment, and capital raising at risk of slowing down or freezing up. This will likely further damage consumer confidence, already jarred by the toxic battle in Congress over the government’s debt ceiling and by high unemployment, and feed fears another recession is just around the corner. Such market declines can create a vicious circle, where falling values in retirement and mutual funds hurt investors’ confidence and reduces their spending activity - in turn feeding into decisions by businesses to delay or cancel plans as the outlook for sales and profits dims.

On Thursday, Wall Street suffered its worst sell-off since early 2009 when the financial crisis was still taking a big toll, while crude oil declined as much as 6 percent. The S&P 500 has now declined 10.7 percent in the past 10 trading days. Behind the panicky slide are fears the United States is staring at another recession following a series of ugly economic figures in the past week, and concerns Europe’s sovereign debt crisis is worsening as it spreads to Italy and threatens the existence of the euro zone in its current form. Investor sentiment has also been hammered by a lack of clear political leadership in both Europe and in Washington, and concern that governments and central banks are running out of fiscal and monetary ammunition to deal with the crises.

As a result there has been a rush to the relative safety of cash, leading to the possibility of an increasing paralysis in spending decisions throughout the economy. “The market is taking everything down, and that’s causing people to pause, which will affect all businesses,” said Kent Gasaway, a portfolio manager with the Buffalo Funds in Kansas City. Here are some of the areas of the economy that are likely to suffer the biggest initial stresses from the slide in markets.

Consumers US consumer sentiment had already fallen in July to its lowest in more than two years on deepening concerns about stagnant wages and rising unemployment, and could now deteriorate further. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan’s final reading on the overall index of con-

NEW YORK: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. — AP sumer sentiment, released last Friday, came in at 63.7, down from 71.5 in June and the lowest reading since March 2009. “It is possible that this will push it down even further,” said Richard Curtin, director of the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan surveys of consumers.

He said that people look at the stock market as an indicator of how the economy will perform in the future. “If you don’t have stock and you think the stock market is a predictor of the future economy, you’ll tend to pull back in spending and prepare for a worse economy.” There would also be a direct, though lesser impact, from those who spend less because their stock market investments in pension and other funds have declined, Curtin said.

“I think most consumers think now that the government can’t do very much either in monetary or fiscal policy. They would rather have the government be more activist and avoid a potential downturn.”

Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross noted that in the financial crisis and its aftermath “consumers’ balance sheets have lost around $7 trillion of net worth, trillion with a big “T” that’s a lot.” “We never had the consumer bashed this badly as happened during this past recession,” he told Reuters Insider on Thursday.

Business spending Capital investment had been one of the few relatively bright spots in the U.S.

economy, rising 21 percent in the first quarter and keeping up a similar pace in the second quarter, according to a Reuters study of more than 3,000 companies. But declining business and consumer confidence, exacerbated by the stock market plunge, could lead to a pullback. Many companies are also likely to continue to invest more in fast growing markets like China in preference to the U.S. under those circumstances. “It’s awfully hard to make long-term spending decisions in an environment that’s as uncertain as this one, and I believe executives will be very circumspect about their long-term spending plans as they become more focused on defensive measures and keep their powder dry,” said David Joy, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial, where he helps oversee $571 billion in assets under management. A number of industrial companies, including Emerson Electric Co and 3M Co, have announced plans to either curb spending or have shifted priorities to foreign markets. Emerson’s CEO David Farr is already looking for ways to limit the St. Louis-based company’s spending. Rather than planning to boost its budget by 5 percent next year, Farr now aims to increase outlays by just 3 to 4 percent. “People are still very reluctant to make long-term commitments to R&D and capital because of the uncertainty,” he told reporters at an industry conference on Wednesday. — Reuters

Markets on edge ahead of job stats WASHINGTON: US markets and politicians are bracing for more bad economic news when the government releases July data on unemployment and job creation early yesterday. With worries about a possible new recession partly behind Thursday’s devastating rout on stock markets, the much-awaited monthly jobs data release at 1230 GMT is expected to set the economic mood for the second half of the year. Many economists-though not all-are expecting gloomy numbers, after weeks of other data have pointed to an almost stalled economy in June and July. On average, analysts are bracing for the unemployment rate to remain stuck at 9.2 percent, and that only a net 84,000 jobs will have been created last month.

Such figures would be an improvement over just 18,000 new generated positions in June and 25,000 in May. But that remains well below the estimated 100,000 needed just to accommodate new entrants to the workforce-to meet the growing population-much less to cut the overall official number of 14.1 million Americans without jobs. Global markets were closely watching the US jobs data, with both Asian and European stocks plummeting yesterday a day after the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its worst one-day drop since December 2008, shaking already brittle investor confidence.

Economic data released in recent weeks mostly point to the US economy having stagnated over the past two months, and suggest businesses have been reticent to hire while the government was locked in a political battle over long-term economic policy and the debt ceiling. Meanwhile, under pressure to trim their budget deficits, government authorities at all levels-federal, state and local-have been cutting staff. But with expectations now very low, a bit of lessthan-dire data released Thursday on new claims for unemployment insurance supplied fodder for both the optimists and pessimists.

Jobless claims for the week to July 30 were 400,000, still high by most standards, but also suggesting a downtrend for the second week in a row. “It may be too soon to read much into these initial claims data,” RDQ Economics cautioned. But if the trend is maintained through August, “that would be an encouraging sign that job creation may have improved from the very disappointing pace reported during the second quarter,” it added. Taking the other view was economist Joseph LaVorgna of Deutsche Bank.

“We doubt that this morning’s data are going to change investors’ perceptions of the economic environment unless the numbers were to surprise meaningfully to the upside,” he said. “Unfortunately, there is little reason to anticipate such an outcome.” Deutsche Bank is forecasting just a 50,000 increase in payrolls — 75,000 from the private sector offset by 25,000 in public sector cuts. The optimists also point to private payrolls firm ADP, whose data released earlier this week showed that private companies created a net 114,000 jobs in June, double the government’s first estimate released on July 8. Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, said the ADP number “certainly supports our contention that we will see either a decent increase, or a hefty upward revision to June, or both” for private sector hiring.—AFP

Chile Escondida workers to end two-week strike ANTOFAGASTA: Workers at Chile’s giant Escondida mine yesterday accepted a company offer to end a two-week strike that shut down the world’s top copper deposit and stoked fears of a global supply shortage. Union leader Marcelo Tapia told Reuters workers could return to the job as soon as evening to lift a stoppage that is believed to have cost owner BHP Billiton more than 40,000 tons of copper. An end to the strike could ease supply fears and add to a sharp fall in copper prices as a gloomy global economic outlook sparks a flight to save-haven assets.

The world’s top miner had defied strikers, resubmitting a lower bonus offer that they snubbed last week but that aimed to set an example to workers at other mines mulling similar pres-

sure tactics to demand more from the copperprice bonanza. Union officials said the proposed bonus worth $5,760 fell short of workers’ expectations but acknowledged that strikers were getting tired after two weeks on the picket lines without pay.

The stoppage lasted longer than expected and forced the mine to declare force majeure-a contract clause that frees it of liability on delivery delays-on copper concentrate sales. It also became a headache for unpopular President Sebastian Pinera, who is struggling with massive student demonstrations that turned violent on Thursday with clashes with police in the capital Santiago. Copper rose to near 4-month highs earlier this week, thanks in part to the stoppage, but

has shed more than $500 in value as investors fret over a sluggish global economy. “This (the end to the strike) might remove some of that (price) support, but I think what’s going to be far more influential to prices is what happens on the macro front over the next view days,” said Gayle Berry, an analyst with Barclays Capital in London.

More turbulence ahead Soaring commodity prices have emboldened workers from Zambia to South Africa and Australia to demand a bigger share of the near-record profits of mining giants such as Anglo American and Freeport McMoran. Unions at Escondida tapped into the growing discontent against Pinera, which may force him to ease on the strict fiscal discipline

that has made Chile the region’s most stable economy. The strike came only days after workers at state copper giant Codelco downed tools for 24 hours to protest massive layoff plans as part of a restructuring of the world’s top copper producer.

The Escondida strike caught Chile off guard, coming outside the collective bargaining process.

It has raised the specter of increasingly unpredictable and volatile labor action in Chile, the world’s top copper producer. The world’s No 3 copper mine, Collahuasi, was hit with a 24-hour partial strike over the weekend. Some workers at Collahuasi, which accounts for 3.3 percent of global mined copper, downed tools today over labor demands of their own but ended their protest tomorrow. — Reuters

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Copenhagen Fashion Week Page 29

Lil Wayne sued for $15 million over ‘Bedrock’ Page 25

Cee Lo Green, right, co-hosts M&M’S Pretzel’s first birthday party with Z100 personality Danielle Monaro at the 69th Regiment Armory on Thursday, in New York. To celebrate the event, M&M’S created a 46foot tall piñata replica of the Orange M&M’S ‘spokescandy’ that was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records at M&M’S Pretzel’s first birthday party. — AP

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temptation for lavish lifestyle

Lisa Kudrow

Cooper admits

asks ‘Friends’ co-stars for favor

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he British actor was overwhelmed by the luxury he experienced working on the 2008 movie and he admits it “skewed” his perception of things after filming had finished. He said: “In whatever work environment, whether we admit it or not, there is always a little part of us that has been or will be tempted by a lifestyle for the wrong reasons. “I noticed it with the first studio film I did, ‘Mamma Mia!’. You suddenly get treated like an absolute king. “You’re flown around the world, staying in beautiful places, in places I wouldn’t in my wildest dreams stay in, or ever be able to afford to stay in, and you finish that particular job and you realize, ‘Oh that’s not my actual life.’ “And you’re back home, down your local pub and you realize that you’ve been a little bit skewered by what you have seen and been through.” Despite his experiences, Dominic, 33, thinks he learned a “good lesson” in avoiding temptation for the “wrong reasons”. He added in an interview with the Independent newspaper: “It’s very bad. But it’s a good lesson, I think, if you can get a taste of it and experience it and then not get tempted by things for the wrong reasons you can relate to it.”

Ryan O’Neal feels family is ‘falling apart’

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he 70-year-old actor - whose youngest son Redmond pleaded not guilty to felony firearms and drugs charges at the LAX Airport Courthouse on Thursday while his other son Griffin was involved in a headon car crash earlier this week - is not feeling positive about the state of his children and is “terribly worried” for Redmond. He told website TMZ: “We’ll come back, we’ll come back. Griffin is 45 years old, so he’ll pick himself up, he’ll find a way. Redmond is more of a problem. He has a real illness. We’re terribly worried for him. He hasn’t been in rehab for four or five months, look what’s happened.” Redmond whose mother is late actress Farrah Fawcett - ran a red light in Santa Monica on Tuesday, and a search of the vehicle discovered he was in possession of narcotics and weapons.

Ryan was in court to support his son, while siblings Tatum and Patrick O’Neal also made an appearance.

he actress hinted more of her old show’s stars which included Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc could follow in the footsteps of Courteney Cox, and appear for a session with Lisa’s neurotic therapist character, Fiona Wallice, in the Showtime program.

When asked if any former ‘Friends’ actors may appear in the show’s new series, she teased: “Yeah. We’ll see who shows up.” Courteney played a psychic named Serena Duvall, who had lost her psychic powers, in the episode in the shows second series, and returned

the favour, by asking Lisa to have a cameo in her show, ‘Cougar Town’. Lisa added she can see why many actors - such as ‘24’ star Kiefer Sutherland have moved from film to television shows, as she finds the lifestyle preferable. She told ‘Access Hollywood’: “We all had that experience during ‘Friends.’ They were very generous about letting us go off and do films and then we’d come back and we’d like, all have a meal together and say, ‘Woah, movies are for the birds. This is great, the food’s better, the hours are better.’ “

Lea Michele

nervous to meet Taylor Lautner T

he ‘Glee’ actress met the ‘Twilight Saga’ hunk for the first time at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s (HFPA) annual luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Thursday and worried he thought she was “crazy” when they posed for pictures. She said: “I was shaking. I was so nervous. I was just shaking and shaking.”

Speaking about posing for pictures together, she added: “I told him it was going to be our wedding picture. He is going to think I’m crazy.” Lea - who is best known for playing Rachel Berry in ‘Glee’ - admitted she would love to see Taylor appear in the musical drama series. She told E! News: “I love that. Let’s make that happen.” However, Taylor is not so keen on the prospect, admitting his musical talents are limited. He said: “I definitely can’t sing. That would be a nightmare.” Another fan of Taylor, 19, is Mark Wahlberg, who admitted he is expecting the star to be taking on the roles previously offered to himself and Leonardo DiCaprio. He told Leonardo: “I am sitting at a table with a gentleman who is better looking than you and is in better shape than me. So, we’re both out of a job, dude. Taylor Lautner! We’re screwed. “It’s over, dude.

‘Titanic’ and ‘Boogie Nights’ were a long time ago. I accept it. I had a good run and on to the next.” Taylor admits he was overwhelmed by the praise he had received. He said: “I don’t even know the word to describe being here. So odd. It’s such an honour. I’m up on the stage and talking in front of people like that? The people that I looked up to my entire life? Hearing words like that from Mark and everybody it’s just really surreal.” Other stars at the event which saw the HFPA hand our almost $1.6 million in financial aid to film schools and nonprofit organizations included Gerard Butler, Kevin Bacon, Elisabeth Moss and Hugh Dancy.

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Kris Jenner

wants to have more grandchildren

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fter the ‘Back To Black’ singer - who battled drink and drug addictions - was found dead at her £2.5 million property in Camden, north London, on July 23, her dad Mitch has revealed plans to make a “positive difference” by making the house the focal point of the Amy Winehouse Foundation. He said: “It could include help for children in trouble, kids suffering health problems, children’s hospices and more. We want to make a positive difference.” An insider added: “Everyone is united in making it a success the label, her family, friends and management. Having the offices in her old house is something they all thought made sense. “Mitch has big plans and needs a nice environment where employees will be able to carry out their work properly.” The 27-year-old star’s family had reportedly planned on selling the property, but decided against it after concluding the place where Amy had died was “too precious” for anyone else to live in. A source told The Sun newspaper: “They think it’s too precious to give up, hence the new HQ idea. “They don’t want to rent it out and if they sold it they think it could attract the wrong kind of buyer as it was where Amy passed away. They may sell one day but that would be some way off.” Setting up the foundation headquarters will be funded partly from the proceeds of Amy’s new single - due for release on September 14, which would have been her 28th birthday - with jazz legend Tony Bennett. Tony said: “All the royalties will go to the foundation that Amy’s father is starting to teach all the young children not to take drugs.”

Meanwhile, Mitch admitted the single - entitled ‘Body and Soul’ - will be the most “fitting tribute” to his late daughter. He explained: “I couldn’t be happier that everyone involved with Amy and this recording felt they wanted to contribute. Amy was so excited to be working with Tony and really looking forward to her fans hearing the song. “The fact that Amy’s voice sounds as amazing and beautiful as ever and she is singing with the great Tony Bennett seems the most fitting tribute of all at this very difficult time.”

Kanye West to stay at extravagant Castle before gig

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he 34-year-old rapper will be able to take advantage of the 12 bedrooms in the landmark, relax in the fully-stocked library and enjoy meals in a gothic dining room before headlining the event in Herefordshire, West Midlands, England, which is taking place in the 300-acre grounds of the castle. Kanye will be transported from the castle to the event via a 16-seater Limo Broker Hummer. The ‘Stronger’ hitmaker is planning to put on a big show for his gig, featuring ballet dancers, and he has asked for additional stage structure to allow him to get closer to his fans. A source explained he requested “20 locally sourced ballet dancers” and a raised area so he can “crowd surf in safety”. A backstage insider added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: “It’s a moving platform on a mechanical arm. It means Kanye can get right up close with the crowd.” Earlier this week, Kanye was spotted celebrating the forthcoming release of his collaboration album ‘Watch the Throne’ with fellow rapper Jay-Z in New York City.

he Kardashian family matriarch - who already has grandson Mason, 20 months, from daughter Kourtney and her partner Scott Disick - is keen to extend her family further and wants all of her children to experience the joys of parenthood. She said: “I would love more grandchildren. Kourtney’s son Mason is the love of our lives and he is so much fun, but there’s only one Mason to go around. It would be nice if we had some more. “I would look all of my children to experience having children of their own. I think going through that process of giving birth, everybody should if you can and you’re blessed.” Kris - who also has daughters Kim, 30, Khloe, 27, Kendall, 15, 13-year-old Kylie, and 24-year-old son Rob - now admits her dream is to get older with all of her family around her. She told Us Weekly magazine: “My dream? To just grow old and enjoy my grandchildren as much as I did my children when they were little.”

Kris’ daughter Kim is due to marry basketball player Kris Humphries later this month, and she has previously hinted she would like to have a family soon.

Asked if she planned to become pregnant soon, she said: “I hope so, I really hope so. Maybe by the end of the year. Well, I won’t have a baby by the end of the year, but maybe we’ll start trying by the end of the year. After the wedding.”

Lindsay Lohan throws tantrum

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he ‘Mean Girls’ star had been given prime seats for the show from the group’s frontman Christ Martin but after the gig - which she attended with her sister Ali - she wasn’t allowed to hang out with the band. A source told The Sun newspaper: “When Lindsay was told she wasn’t allowed backstage because her pass didn’t allow it, she threw a complete fit. “She protested to the people running the guest list, hoping they’d change their minds but it was still a firm ‘no’. “She got even more angry when she found out fellow actress Kate Bosworth was there mingling with Chris’ wife Gwyneth Paltrow and the band. “In the end she got so fed up, she stormed out.”

British actress Kate was at the concert at the UCLA Tennis Center with her new boyfriend Michael Polish, and is said to have been friends with Coldplay which also includes Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion - since their early career. Earlier in the evening, Lindsay - who was recent released from house arrest, served in lieu of jail time for taking a necklace from a boutique and violating the terms of probation set for her 2007 conviction for driving under the influence (DUI) - had tweeted to say she was having a great time watching the ‘Fix You’ rockers. She wrote: “I love Coldplay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! W/my sis :) (sic).”

Fergie wants break from showbiz

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he Black Eyed Peas star is glad the band - who she appears in with will.i.am, Taboo and Apl.de.ap - are taking a short hiatus so she can focus on her family life with husband Josh Duhamel and decorate her home. She said: “I need more balance in my life. I want to be home more, not in hotel rooms recovering from jet-lag and the chaos of touring. “I need a break from that. I want to be in my house, decorating!” The 36-year-old singer admits a baby may be on the cards for her and Josh and is “looking forward” to their future together. She added: “I’m a huge family person - huge - and yes, Josh and I want to have children, but I am not pregnant! “But we definitely talk about it. That’ll be a whole other chapter of our lives and it’s going to be so much fun. We’re looking forward to it.” —Bang Showbiz

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n “Horrible Bosses” and “The Change-Up,” which opened yesterday, Jason Bateman plays a hardworking guy who loves his job but yearns for something new. In real life, Bateman is an actor with three decades of experience who loved starring in two fun summer comedies but really longs to direct. The 42-year-old stands to be the season’s comedy king with his two R-rated flicks coming out just a few weeks apart. In “Horrible Bosses,” he plays Nick Hendricks, a management candidate so frustrated by his twisted supervisor that killing him seems like a good idea. In “The Change-Up,” Bateman is Dave Lockwood, an attorney about to make partner who loves his wife and two kids but envies the no-responsibility lifestyle of his best friend, played by Ryan Reynolds. One drunken night, the two buddies talk about switching lives with each other, and the next day discover that they have changed bodies.

Bateman talked with The Associated Press about his big comedy summer and deep desire to direct.

AP: What drew you to “The Change-Up”?

Bateman: It’s the R-rated version of the bodyswitching movie. No one’s ever done that.

And who better to write that than the guys who wrote “The Hangover” and who better to direct it than the guy who did “Wedding Crashers,” so it’s really an all-star execution of this kind of funny. From an acting standpoint, it’s every actor’s dream to be able to play two sides of the coin, Jekyll and Hyde, or what have you. In this case it’s sort of the conservative guy to the philanderer. So I sent e-mails to the studio, to (director)

comfortable with - but it’s couched in actually a very real and touching domestic story that’s a little unexpected but certainly adds to the film.

Jason Bateman David Dobkin. I really, really, really wanted this.

AP: Was the experience everything you hoped it would be?

Bateman: It was more than what I wanted it to be... Fortunately, my instinct on how to play the character really matched everybody’s expectations about how the character would be played so it was just very simple all the way through, and the end result is something I’m incredibly proud of. I’m pretty confident that people are going to really, really like this movie. They’re going to get all the R-rated laughs they can handle - and probably a few more than they’re

AP: Was it just coincidence that you played these two overachiever-types this summer?

Bateman: Let’s face it, those are the parts that people think of me for ever since “Arrested Development,” because that is basically the type of character I played there and that was certainly a career restart for me, a re-identification of who I am and the kind of thing that I do, the kind of humor that I do. So, understandably, those are the kind of roles that come my way. But the more chances I get to play characters like Mitch in “The Change-Up” and if people like that character and the movie is well received, maybe I’ll start getting roles that are a little more left of center, a little more obtuse, and any actor loves to mix it up. (That said, though, Bateman says he’d be up to reprise his Michael Bluth character should the anticipated “Arrested Development” film move forward. He had no update on the movie’s status other than to say creator Mitch Hurwitz was in negotiations about the project.)

AP: You write, direct and act. Which is your favorite and why?

Bateman: Writing, that’s super hard but is very gratifying when you finish. Acting I find the simplest, probably just because I’ve been doing it a long time and it’s very gratifying.

But, really, directing is the job I would most

like to do because it would allow me to exercise all the things that I’ve learned all these years. It’s just ultimately much, much more challenging and I’m at a place in my life where I’m just very eager to challenge myself more. I’m not feeling lazy or lethargic or that I want to wind things down. I’m more ambitious than I’ve ever been and feel more excited to contribute creatively than I ever have. Directing is definitely the position you want to fill on the set if you want to contribute fully.

AP: Do you have a directing project coming up?

Bateman: We’re flirting with a few but it’s a tough thing to schedule. It’s almost like trying to schedule doing a play. You have to commit way out in advance and that commitment is usually about a 12-month commitment. I’m a very, very lucky boy right now that I’m getting invites to participate in projects as an actor from some people that I respect and admire greatly, so it’s tough to pick and choose and to block out the time to do the directing, although there’s nothing I’d rather do. So don’t be surprised if I disappear for 12 months and go off and direct something.

AP: So what’s next for you?

Bateman: We’re very close on a couple of things, but I can’t say anything about them yet. Things look to remain busy, thank God, because I do love to work. — AP

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hris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne are sharp enough songwriters that they haven’t made a bad album. But 2007’s “Traffic and Weather” lacked their usual snap, killing the momentum the band built up with its hit “Stacy’s Mom” and forcing them to search for a new record company. “Sky Full of Holes” is a welcome return to form.

Collingwood and Schlesinger write finely etched portraits of lives in miniature, usually to ridiculously catchy pop-rock backgrounds. These aren’t lives of triumph. Their subjects are usually muddling through life, and the writers show rather than tell this with an eye for details and humorous turns of phrases.

The song “Richie and Ruben” is a perfect example. The subjects are a couple of losers who fail when they open a bar called “Living Hell” and the bouncers laugh when they order a velvet rope. Same sad story when they open a boutique. As you dismiss them with a few laughs, you notice the song’s narrator mention the money he’s lost investing in his friends. Who’s the biggest loser?

“Sky Full of Holes” is more acoustic than much of the Fountains’ previous work, tabling the cheesy synthesizers. That doesn’t make it slow or quiet, however.

Check out: Can we cheat with two? “A Road Song” is an example of another fine Fountains tradition - the forlorn longdistance love song - and includes the inspired rhyme of “Cracker Barrel” with “Will Ferrell.” Also note the poignant “Cemetary Guns,” with the line that gives this disc its title. — AP

In this CD cover image released by Yep Roc records, the latest release by Fountains of Wayne, “Sky Full of Holes,” is shown. — AP

ritish comedy actor Rowan Atkinson, best known for playing the character Mr. Bean, suffered a minor injury after the supercar he was driving crashed and caught fire, emergency services said yesterday. Car enthusiast Atkinson needed hospital treatment Thursday after the McLaren F1 car he was driving spun off the road near the village of Haddon, eastern England, before crashing into a tree and a lamppost.

The 56-year-old walked away from the accident before firefighters arrived and put out the blaze.”We were called to the scene of a single vehicle collision on the A605 near Haddon at about 7.30 pm yesterday,” a local police spokesman said. “The driver of the vehicle, a man, was taken to Peterborough City Hospital.” A police source confirmed the man involved was Atkinson.

An ambulance spokesman said the casualty had suffered “a minor shoulder injury.”The actor’s love of fast cars is a stark contrast to his hapless character in the Mr. Bean series, who drives an ageing Mini. The McLaren F1 is one of the fastest production cars in the world and has a top speed of 230 miles per hour. It is worth around £650,000.

Atkinson recently appeared in popular British motoring TV show Top Gear, taking part in a segment called “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.” He notched up the fastest ever time on the show, completing a circuit of a race track in one minute, 42.2 seconds.

Atkinson rose to stardom for comedy shows including “Blackadder” and “Not the Nine O’Clock News” but achieved huge international fame with the slapstick comedy of Mr. Bean. — AFP

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McCartney:

I’m going to police over hacking claim F

ormer Beatle Paul McCartney said Thursday he would contact police over his ex-wife’s claim that the couple had been spied upon by a British newspaper. In comments to US television journalists delivered via videolink from Cincinnati, Ohio, McCartney said that he would be in touch with law enforcement as soon as he was finished with his summer tour.

“I will be talking to them about that,” McCartney told the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles.

“I don’t think it’s great. I do think it is a horrendous violation of privacy, and I do think it’s been going on a long time, and I do think more people than we know knew about it. But I think I should just listen and hear what the facts are before I comment,” he said. McCartney is the latest celebrity to be dragged into Britain’s phone hacking scandal, which centers on allegations that journalists routinely eavesdropped on private phone messages, bribed police officers for tips and illegally obtained confidential information for stories.

Until recently the scandal was largely been limited to the British arm of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, but an allegation made Wednesday by McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills implicates the Trinity Mirror PLC group of newspapers, and CNN celebrity interviewer Piers Morgan, who once edited the group’s flagship Daily Mirror tabloid. Mills’ allegation, made Wednesday in an interview with the BBC, was that a senior Mirror journalist admitted to her that his paper had been spying on her messages.

While the broadcaster said that the unidentified man was not Piers Morgan, the former model’s allegation echoes a claim Morgan himself made back in 2006 a few months after the couple began divorce proceedings.

In an article published by the Daily Mail, Morgan said that he had been played a tape of a message McCartney had left on Mills’ cell phone in the wake

Aretha Franklin gives free NYC concert

Lil Wayne sued for $15 million over ʻBedrockʼ

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retha Franklin performed at a free concert in New York City’s Coney Island. The Daily News reports that the Queen of Soul appeared at the Brooklyn seaside venue Thursday night. She belted out some of her greatest hits like “Freeway of Love” and songs from her latest album “A Woman Falling Out of Love.” She told the News: “They got to hear everything that they came to hear - all of the hits.” Franklin canceled two appearances in Brooklyn last year due to a variety of physical ailments. — AP

of one of their fights. “It was heartbreaking,” Morgan wrote. “He sounded lonely, miserable and desperate, and even sang ‘We Can Work It Out’ into the answer phone.” Questions over how Piers Morgan came to hear such a message have led several British lawmakers to call on him to return to the U.K. and explain himself. Morgan has so far not offered comment on his article, although he did describe Mills’ allegation as unsubstantiated and noted that the judge in the couple’s divorce case had cast aspersions on her credibility.

He has repeatedly denied having ever ordered anyone to spy on others’ voicemails, while his former newspaper group has insisted that it’s journalists obey the law. Mills’ office on Thursday declined to elaborate on what she told the BBC, but said that the 43 year-old “looks forward to receiving Piers Morgan’s answer as to how he knew the content of her private voicemail messages.” Several British parliamentarians have also said that Morgan has questions to answer - among them Conservative legislator Therese Coffey. “I think it would help everybody, including himself and this investigation, if he was able to say more about why he wrote what he did in 2006,” Coffey told the BBC Wednesday.Morgan’s publicist, Meghan McPartland, said that as far as she knew the CNN star - who is spending his summer working as a judge on “America’s Got Talent” - was not returning to England to answer questions.

Morgan himself made light of the calls on his Twitter feed, saying he found it “so heartwarming that everyone in U.K.’s missing me so much they want me to come home.” In a separate development, the publisher of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper announced late Thursday that it was reviewing its editorial procedures. No reason for the review was given, but Morgan is one of many media veterans who’ve claimed

apper Lil Wayne faces a $15 million legal battle over allegations he stole the hit song “Bedrock.” Georgia-based production company Done Deal Enterprises is suing Wayne, Universal Music Group, Cash Money Records and Young Money Entertainment for copyright infringement. Lawyers for the rapper and representatives for Universal Music didn’t return a request for comment Thursday.

Lil Wayne has been ordered to appear in court October 12th. The song, which featured appearances

by Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lloyd, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was on the compilation 2010 CD “We Are Young Money.” The lawsuit, filed Friday in the Southern District court, is the latest legal woe facing the rapper, born Dwayne Carter Jr. He also has been sued by several producers over unpaid royalties. — AP

that phone hacking and other shady practices were common across Britain’s newspaper industry. A similar review is already under way at the Mirror.Associated Newspapers Ltd., which publishes the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday, and London’s free Metro newspaper, said in a terse statement that Liz Hartley, the company’s head of editorial legal services, would be among those working on the review.

Few other details were revealed, and Hartley did not return emails seeking further information.

Frazier Moore and Noaki Schwartz in Los Angeles and David Stringer and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report. — AP

The top 10 singles and albums on iTunes iTunes’ top 10 selling singles and albums of the week ending August 1, 2011 Singles 1. “Party Rock Anthem (feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock),” LMFAO 2. “Lighters (feat. Bruno Mars),” Bad Meets Evil 3. “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” Katy Perry 4. “Super Bass,” Nicki Minaj 5. “Tonight Tonight,” Hot Chelle Rae 6. “How to Love,” Lil Wayne 7. “Otis (feat. Otis Redding),” Kanye West, Jay-Z 8. “I Wanna Go,” Britney Spears 9. “Give Me Everything (feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer),” Pitbull 10.“Rolling In the Deep,” ADELE Albums 1. “Chief,” Eric Church 2. “Back to Black,” Amy Winehouse 3. “21,” ADELE 4. “Watch the Throne,” Jay-Z, Kanye West 5. “Here I Am,” Kelly Rowland 6. “LP1,” Joss Stone 7. “Hell: The Sequel,” Bad Meets Evil 8. “Sigh No More,” Mumford & Sons 9. “Frank,” Amy Winehouse 10.“Torches,” Foster the People — AP

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Kagen Schaefer adjusts the pitch on one of the musical reeds for use on his one-of-akind musical wooden desk in his shop in Denver.

— AP photos

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enver woodworker Kagen Schaefer drew mazes as a kindergartner to stump his dad. He was building 3-D puzzles out of cardboard by the time he was 11. This summer, commissioned by a New York film director, the 33-year-old former Colorado College math major is finishing a one-of-a-kind musical wooden desk.

Its secrets can be unlocked only by those who can solve its puzzles. The desk, crafted from ebony, Bastogne walnut and pink ivory, has eight square drawers that act like bellows on a pipe organ. When a drawer is pushed in, it

emits a tone. Play the right tune of 12 notes, and a secret drawer is unlocked. Clues to the correct tune are held in a musical score that’s hidden in pieces within the desk. The journey begins with a concealed button for a secret panel. That opens to reveal a puzzle of sliding tiles which, when arranged in the right pattern, allow another drawer to open.

All told, the desk contains more than 20 puzzles. It took about four years to design and build, Schaefer said, and cost about as much as a luxury car. “The person who wanted me to build this for him, his only question was to ask if it was inspiring. ‘Are you inspired?’” said the softspoken Schaefer. “It wasn’t until I came across this idea that it seemed that I was.”

The desk works with air Each draft from a drawer getting pushed in not only plays a note on a pipe organ in the back but also moves an array of switches into different positions, Schaefer explained. The “switchboard” resets itself on every wrong note, but if the correct tune is played, the final puff of air travels through the board to unlock the secret drawer.

Schaefer and his production assistant are also building a series of round “lotus tables” that Schaefer designed.

They have six drawers, plus a series of sliding rings inset on top. Inside the first drawer is a pattern. If the rings on top of the table are rotated to match that pattern, the next drawer opens, revealing the pattern to unlock the next drawer, and so on.

“It really turns into a treasure hunt of patterns,” Schaefer said. His work has won awards at puzzle competitions and worldwide attention through the International Puzzle Party, a forum of 3-D puzzle fans. No electronics are involved.”It’s fascinating to take a material like wood and push the limits of it and to have it accomplish unexpected things,” Schaefer said. “It’s almost a feat of magic.” — AP

Kagen Schaefer holds one of his puzzle boxes that he made in his shop in Denver.

Kagen Schaefer sands a piece of wood to use on his musical wooden desk in his shop in Denver.

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review

Menendez’s new stories delight, provoke, confound

I British novelist and journalist Tony Parsons poses for pictures in London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5. — AFP

I

t’s the peak of the holidays and London Heathrow is full of passengers enduring what is likely to be the most trying part of their trip. But Tony Parsons, the airport’s new writer-in-residence, is loving it. “A man who is tired of airports is tired of life. It’s a gateway to adventure,” gushed the best-selling British novelist, as tired-looking families pushed trollies laden with bags past him in the sleek and modern Terminal 5. For the next week, Parsons has unrestricted access to the world’s busiest international airport, from the “church-like” air control tower to the often frantic departure and arrivals halls, which handle 65 million passengers a year.

“I think some of the shine has gone off air travel in recent years, especially since 9/11.

We think of airports as a place where we take off our shoes and our belts and we get delayed,” he told AFP. But he insisted: “You don’t have to look very far before you find massive human drama, the real work of changing lives and love, families brought together and moving and changing. And as a storyteller, that appeals to me enormously.”

Parsons, author of the bestselling novel “Man and Boy”, is the second in-house writer employed by Heathrow, after philosopher and author Alain de Botton spent a week at the airport in 2009.

De Botton wrote a well-received book of non-fiction, but this year, Parsons is intending to write a book of short stories entitled “Departures”, 5,000 copies of which will be distributed free to passengers at Heathrow in October. The stories will be based on the lives of the passengers and the 76,000 staff, from cleaners to security staff, who keep the sprawling airport running 24 hours a day.

Parsons has a lifelong passion for air travel and he regularly passes through Heathrow as he heads overseas with his Japanese wife, Yuriko, and his daughter.

Although the 57-year-old expected the pilots to be the highlight of his stay, he admits

it is the air traffic controllers who fascinate him. “You’re up in the air traffic control tower and looking at weather systems over the Atlantic and planes coming in from Jakarta, and Singapore and San Francisco, you do feel connected to the rest of the planet,” he said.

“You do feel as though you’re plugged into something epic and majestic.” The controllers manage Heathrow’s two runways, one for departures and one for arrivals, although Parsons has discovered that these switch at 3:00 pm every afternoon because of the changing wind. “It keeps it interesting,” he mused.

He was surprised to find the controllers were all young technology geeks staring at screens. “You think it’s going to be like BBC presenters in the 1950s. And they’re kids in khaki shorts with martial arts tattoos. It really does look like ‘The Social Network’,” he said, referring to the film about the founding of Facebook.They are not talkative, but Parsons is already weaving stories about them, imagining a romance featuring the “air traffic control tower of love, where the guy loves the way she brings in Charlie Delta and lands it in bad weather”.

“But I don’t know if I’m going to get enough material. It’s quite silent and churchlike up there,” he said. Parsons praises all the staff at the airport and says it is “remarkable how well it’s run”-although he admits this was not always the case, a reminder of the technical problems that marred the opening of Terminal 5 in 2008. Heathrow also came under fire in December after heavy snow left thousands of passengers stranded just before the busy Christmas period. Cat Jordan, a spokeswoman for the airport, admitted that granting their first writer unrestricted access two years ago had been a “bit of a risk”, but it was such a success that they were happy to repeat the experience.”Heathrow is just a bunch of buildings, it didn’t have a personality and we wanted to build a personality around it.

There are so many people and so many stories, and we could never bring that all to life,” she said. Back in Terminal 5, Parsons is excitedly explaining how three different types of gull land on Heathrow’s runways, and staff need to identify them so they can scare them off by playing a tape of a similar gull in distress. On hearing the sound, the gulls “immediately leave and go somewhere else, preferably Gatwick”, Heathrow’s rival airport, he jokes. — AFP

n Ana Menendez’s second book of short stories, everything flies: the characters, in parachutes and out of airplanes; time, in jolting movements back and forth; and the quiet, cutting realism that has defined her previous works. It’s a daring departure for the Cuban-American author, whose explorations of political strife, identity and exile in the novels “Loving Che” and “The Last War” and the acclaimed short story collection, “In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd,” have been marked by a compelling, minimalist style.

In “Adios, Happy Homeland!”

Menendez instead takes a page from Argentine master Jorge Luis Borges, inventing a cast of mostly fictional Cuban poets whose works are anthologized by an equally fictional Irish library director. There are 24 stories in all, some just a few pages long, and which switch quickly across storytelling formats, from letters and poems to lists and even mathematical equations. The result is a thought-provoking, humorous and sometimes dizzying collection of tales.

The character who anthologizes these works, Herberto Quain, is a connoisseur of Cuban poetry who hails from 19thcentury Ireland and journeys to the New World after becoming captivated by a collection of the island’s finest verses.

Landing in Havana, he fudges his literary credentials and lands a job at the National Library, overseeing a newly created section titled, “Poetry of the Americas.”

Menendez’s inspiration for Quain, we can safely presume, lies in a short story

by Borges. Titled “A Survey of the Works of Herbert Quain,” it is a review of a fictional author’s fictional works, which are unconventional and often misunderstood. In one, for example, readers are offered a choice of narrative sequences, resulting in several different novels within one. In a short story collection, all start out with a promising plot but are then “intentionally frustrated by the author.”

Menendez takes up many of these structures in her own tales. “End-less Stories” consists of three short stories within one, with different story lines depending on what the readers choose. Two of the stories take shape in the form of descriptive lists. Two others are in the form of letters between the fictional poets (some of which bear the names of characters from other literary works) and Quain.

“Who are you?” the writers press Quain in a letter demanding that he abandon the anthology. “You are neither Cuban nor a poet yourself. And (if we are to be frank) you are not even real.” “Can only Cubans understand Cubans?” Quain questions in his reply. “Or are Cubans the only ones in this world looking for a hidden passage, a way out of our maze?”

The effect of this labyrinth of tales is disjointing and sometimes dissatisfying, as though Menendez, like Borges’ Quain, has intentionally squandered several

great, potential stories. Yet, this is also what makes “Adios, Happy Homeland!” a brilliant and inventive work: fractured, layered storytelling conveys the unsettling experience and shifting sense of identity that exile brings.

Menendez retains some of the graceful, poignant lyricism that has defined her previous works throughout, particularly in the stories “Cojimar,” which recounts the early morning departure of a young Cuban boy and his mother on a raft, and related tale, “The Boy Who Was Rescued by Fish,” a take on the Elian Gonzalez saga through the eyes of a poorly run, and often humorous, exile political group.In the author’s note, Menendez writes that “Adios, Happy Homeland!” is a tribute to Cuban poets, whose “courage, foolhardiness and

In this book cover image released by Black Cat, “Adios, Happy Homeland,”

by Ana Menendez, is shown. — AP resilience” has served as a constant inspiration. Indeed, the title of the book comes from a poem by Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda y Arteaga, whose translation (by Google nonetheless) Menendez includes in the book. It tells of a reluctant goodbye and an ode to a land soon to be lost. In the automated translation, the words come across as forced, though it still manages to ring poetic. As in Menendez’s book, exile proves to be repetitive and endless, withstanding contortion of language, time and even a Google translation. — AP

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

‘Mad Men,’ Banana Republic

polish office clothes

“M

ad Men” has gone beyond a fashion fad. The AMC show about a 1960s ad agency - in which style is as important as the characters and plot - continues to influence runways and retailers with a branded collection debuting next week at Banana Republic. Movies and TV are not uncommon inspiration for fashion designers - especially when it’s a highly stylized look. Vera Wang had her “Deadwood” collection, Anna Sui mined “Doctor Dolittle” and Tommy Hilfiger has tapped “The Royal Tenenbaums” more than once, but the influence of “Mad Men” has had a straight run for more than four years, reintroducing the masses to skinny ties, pocket squares and body-hugging dresses.

The new clothing line also provides a temporary fix for “Mad Men” devotees awaiting the show’s return in 2012. No new episodes of the show aired this year. The clothes are sexy, and Joanna Coles, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire, says that’s one of the things that really has resonated with both viewers and shoppers. The show gives us permission to dress to impress the opposite sex - and in fact encourages it, she observes. “‘Mad Men’ shows you how to look great in the workplace, and it shows you how to work it,” Coles says. It’s the rare TV show that glamorizes the office and fills it with attractive people, she says: “When you look at something like ‘The Office,’ no male executive wants to recreate the style of Steve Carell. No one wears lipstick at Dunder

These product images courtesy of Banana Republic show designs from Banana Republic’s Mad Men Collection. — AP

Mifflin. ‘Mad Men’ makes the office a more exciting lace than it often is, and Banana Republic is trying to channel that.”

Madison Avenue during that era was practically a catwalk with men in three-piece suits and fedoras, and women in sheaths and high-heel pumps carrying handle-top handbags. It’s a good look - and one that people look good in, says Simon Kneen, creative director for Banana Republic. “It’s about good tailoring, it’s bon ton, and a little more buttoned up and polished.” But, he says, a key part of the collaboration between Banana Republic and the show’s costume designer Janie Bryant was to be sure they weren’t crafting costumes. The clothes are modern, with shapes and details adapted to a contemporary eye, Kneen explains. Gone is the enhanced hourglass created with bust darts and high waistline, according to Bryant, and they’ve changed up the colors to focus on more sophisticated navys, reds and blacks instead of the then-popular palette of acid green and mustard yellow, says Bryant. (By the way, she says, the 2011 alternatives to those shades - if you’re married to green and yellow - would be emerald and canary.)

Fabrics have stretch and are more lightweight, and the design has to consider comfort. “We have a totally different way of thinking and getting dressed,” Bryant says. “Sixty years ago, there was a different code of what was presentable. There was no going out of the house without stockings, pantyhose, slips and garters, and longline bras. Now you go out of the house in sweat pants.” But, say Bryant and Kneen, you don’t have to go to that extreme either. There is something to admire in a refined appearance, careful fit and chic silhouette. “I have always loved dressing up,” says Bryant, who is again an Emmy nominee for “Mad Men” costumes. “It’s exciting that people want to learn about that again, not in a stodgy or update way, but I know that when you feel better in your clothes, you feel better all the way around.” Kneen agrees: “You want to feel like you’re wearing a well-made, beautiful piece that’s relevant for today.” His favorite piece in the collection is a maroon iridescent taffeta dress, inspired by a white satin dress that character Betty Draper wore on the show. It has lots of pleating and the idea was to give it “the feeling of handmade couture,” Kneen says. Personally, he plans to add the slim suits to his wardrobe. “I can pull it off,” says Kneen. “I was born in the ‘60s, so if I can’t do it, who can? I remember mom and her hairspray - I’d have to get out of the way when she sprayed - and the cigarette smoke in the air.“ — AP

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Copenhagen Fashion Week

A model wears a creation during the CIFF Press Show during Copenhagen Fashion Week spring/summer 2012 at Bella Center in Copehagen on Wednesday, Aug 3, 2011. — AP photos

Danish design from Baum und Pferdgarten showing spring/summer 2012 fashion designs during Copenhagen Fashion Week at Copenhagen City Hall, late Thursday.

A model wears a creation by Stasia for their spring/summer 2012 collection during Copenhagen Fashion Week in Copenhagen, late Wednesday.

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technology

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Travelers face extra mobile-security challenges SAN JOSE: Taking a trip with alwayson digital devices can be like traveling with your safe - and forgetting to lock it. Connecting to the Internet over Wi-Fi hot spots in airports, hotels and cafes is an irresistible activity for business and casual travelers. But sending sensitive information over the air on an unsecured network is risky computing behavior, said Kelly Davis-Felner, marketing director for the Wi-Fi Alliance, a global nonprofit industry association.

“Your average road warrior probably thinks about it occasionally, but now your average family is traveling with two iPads, two iPhones and a laptop and doesn’t think about it much,” she said. “The number of connectable devices is growing by leaps and bounds.” The problem is that modern travelers reflectively go online any chance they can. “I have my iPhone set for ‘search for networks.’ If I find a network that’s available and is not locked down, I join it,” said Kevin Gavin, chief marketing officer at ShoreTel, a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based maker of a Voice over Internet Protocol phone system. The tech executive admits he drops his guard now and then. “The truth is, I ought to be more concerned. But I’ve never had a problem.”

However, he uses a virtual private network (VPN), software that protects data transmissions, when accessing work data, and he also travels with an AT&T MiFi, which provides a secure mobile Wi-Fi hot spot over a cellular network. Many travelers, though, aren’t as securely equipped as Gavin. And they forget that logging in online in an overseas cafe or domestic airport could expose bank account information and other vulnerable digital data to tech-savvy thieves using software that scans the airwaves for unprotected transmissions. While DavisFelner calls the threat “moderate,” exposing sensitive data to the wrong eyes could ruin a vacation or business trip.

“We’ve become so used to being connected wherever we go that we are almost unwilling to do without it,” she said. Often, public hot spots do not have security protections against such electronic eavesdropping, also known as “sniffing.” While banking and other websites are encrypted, the information transmitted from, say, a laptop on a hotel WiFi network to the access point may not be, Davis-Felner said. Sniffers essentially grab the data en route to the access point, download and store

it and then review the electronic material later.

“Anybody who tells me they do their online banking in a cafe needs to rethink what they can live with” in terms of risk, she said. “It’s like writing (personal information) on a postcard because it hasn’t been scrambled.” Another danger is logging into what appears to be a public hot spot home page that is, in fact, a phishing scam designed to trick people into revealing credit card numbers, birth dates and other information that puts them at risk of identity theft.

Davis-Felner suggests travelers access sites only such as social networks or personal email when not at home or in their office. “You should always assume the worst and that you don’t have security protection and conduct yourself accordingly,” she said. In less developed countries, she added, visitors are more apt to have their wallets stolen than experience an electronic pickpocket. But there are other data theft concerns that have nothing to do with laptops or smartphones.

In 2006, the State Department began embedding radio-frequency identification, or RFID, chips in new US passports, which triggered concerns among some travelers who

feared information embedded on the tags could be vulnerable to electronic eavesdropping. “We get asked a lot, ‘Can I just hit it with a hammer?’ “ to disable it, said Michael Aiello, founder of DIFRwear, maker of wallets and passport cases lined with an aluminum mesh that protects RFID enabled credit cards and passports from data snooping. But, he said, “It’s federal property.”

Some security experts worried that terrorists could create improvised explosive devices designed to explode when they detect the RFID chips of American travelers. Others were concerned about identity theft.

Aiello’s card and passport holders ensure travelers can avoid electronic traps. Rob Enderle, principal analyst at Enderle Group, a San Jose-based technology consultancy, said nontech solutions are as effective as special cases or VPN. “Don’t dress like an American” in dangerous regions, he said. That means ditching the shorts and Hawaiian shirts, Enderle said. His precautions also include not posting travel photos on Facebook while away from home, which could be an invitation to be burglarized. “The old ways (of being safe) work best,” Enderle said. “It doesn’t require a lot of technology.” — MCT

Once leaked onto Web, details tough to erase A growing privacy concerns SAN JOSE: Every time you’re online, marketers, game developers and search engines are trying to suck up as much information about you as they can. And they hope to use that information to make lots of money off you someday. But with data breaches and self-inflicted privacy gaffes - former Rep Anthony Weiner, what were you thinking? - becoming a more common occurrence, more people are fighting back against the invasiveness of some technologies, and are trying to wrangle their digital identities back under their control.

They’re finding that there are worthwhile steps to take, but no single solution to control the staggering amount of personal information out there on the Internet.

San Francisco Bay Area resident Nan Lee, for example, recently Googled her name along with her city of residence. On one site, US Identify, she found what she felt was too much information, including her addresses going back nearly 20 years. “I was really creeped out that all this info came up in an instant through such a simple search,” she said.

And a free search at data-aggregation sites like Spokeo or Intelius, for example, may show your address and phone number, a photo of your home’s exterior (courtesy of Google Street View), whether other people live with you and their names. You might even find some of your habits or preferences listed, such as “researches investments” or “cares about healthy living.” “Sitting down and taking an inventory

of what your digital tattoo really looks like, it’s a lesson for a lot of people,” said Janice Chaffin, president of the consumer business unit at data security company Symantec, based in Mountain View, Calif.

“There is so much out there.”

Even Chaffin, whose professional life is devoted to keeping computer users’ data safe, got a first-hand lesson in the associated issue of online privacy recently. She and one of her daughters sat down to look at what information was easily available online about the teenager. They discovered that something the girl had written about on social networking site Formspring was showing up in her profile on an aggregator’s site in an unflattering way. Chaffin’s daughter canceled the Formspring account. But doing so doesn’t guarantee the information will disappear, and Chaffin said removing unwanted data can be a time-consuming process.

Lee, who’s trying to remove her information from the US Identify site, said the company told her it could block her records from searches if she provided them a long list of personal information, including all her addresses since 1991.

Lee said she’s not happy about all the work involved. “Why isn’t there a faster, equally secure way to verify a person and his or her removal request?” she said. A spokesman for Texas-based US Identify said the company needed detailed information to ensure it would be deleting information about the correct person, and doing so thoroughly. — MCT

LAS VEGAS: Hackers and digital security personnel attend the annual Black Hat conference for digital self defense Thursday, in Las Vegas. Even the human bloodstream isn’t safe from computer hackers. — AP

Hack turns Square into criminal tool LAS VEGAS: Hackers showed Thursday how to turn mobile payment service Square into a convenient tool for criminals to pump cash from stolen credit card numbers. Adam Laurie and Zac Franken of computer security firm Aperture Labs used a homemade software program and an easily bought iPad audio wire to trick Square in a way that could be a bonanza for crooks. Laurie could type credit card numbers into his laptop, which converts to sound data sent to Square, where the transaction registers as if a real card were swiped in a dongle.

“Traditionally, the way you make money from stolen credit cards is sell the data to

someone else or buy goods on it, then resell the goods and get the cash,” Laurie said while demonstrating the hack at a Black Hat computer security gathering in Las Vegas. “This really takes the hassle out of it... I can put the money right in the account and it only costs me 2.75 percent.”

The percentage he cited was the fee charged by Square, which was co-founded

by Jack Dorsey, a Silicon Valley star who helped create popular micro-blogging service Twitter. Square markets a pocketsized credit card reader that can be plugged into a smartphone to allow anyone to accept credit or debit card payments on the spot. — AFP

technology

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Editions, AOL’s entrant in iPad news reader race WASHINGTON: AOL, the one-time Internet star seeking to reinvent itself as a major media player, is joining the craze for personalized news readers for tablet computers. The Internet and media firm, which purchased The Huffington Post in February for $315 million to serve as the flagship of its media fleet, launched a free daily news magazine for Apple’s hot-selling iPad this week called Editions.

Like other iPad news aggregators such as Flipboard, Pulse, Taptu and Zite, Editions uses algorithms to take a reader’s interests into account in serving up their pages.

Editions users customize their experience by indicating their interest in topics such as Top News, Entertainment, Sports, Design, Tech, Business, Family, Health and Fitness, Sports or Travel. Readers can also link their Facebook, Twitter or AOL accounts to the application, available as a free download from Apple’s App Store, to help guide the selection of

news sources. When connected with Twitter, for example, a publication followed on Twitter will become a preferred news source in Editions.

Editions users who plug in their location or zip code receive local weather reports and local news, much of it provided by Patch, AOL’s nationwide community news project.

“Once you start reading, Editions will learn what you like (and what you don’t),” according to AOL. “The more you read, the better Editions gets at delivering the latest news and information, all tailored to your tastes.”

David Temkin, AOL’s head of mobile, said Editions is an attempt to “take the best of the online and offline reading experiences and fuse them into a single, sleek magazine.

“By combining custom features with technology that learns about you as you use it, Editions delivers a magazine every day that’s full of the things you care about most,” he added in a statement. While AOL

NASA poised to launch spacecraft to Jupiter WASHINGTON: NASA is poised to launch a one billion dollar solar-powered spacecraft called Juno on a fiveyear journey to Jupiter in search of what makes up the solar system’s biggest planet. The unmanned satellite observatory is set to propel into space aboard an Atlas 4 rocket, blasting off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 11:34 am.

Just under an hour after launch, Juno “will separate from the Centaur upper stage of its Atlas V rocket. At this point, Jupiter will be five years and 1,740 million miles away,” the US space agency said.

Once it arrives in July 2016, the spacecraft will orbit the poles of the gas giant, which has more than twice the mass of all planets in the solar system combined and is believed to be the first planet that took shape around the Sun. The $1.1 billion mission aims for 30 orbits over a period of one year. Juno aims to get closer to Jupiter than any other NASA spacecraft and will be the first to undertake a polar orbit of the planet, said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator and scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. “If we want to go back in time and understand where we came from and how the planets were made, Jupiter holds this secret,” he said.

In 1989, NASA launched Galileo, an orbiter and probe that entered the planet’s orbit in 1995 and plunged into Jupiter in 2003, ending its life. Other NASA spacecraft-including Voyager 1 and 2, Ulysses and New Horizons-have done flybys of the fifth planet from the Sun. When it gets there Juno, orbiting around 5,000 kilometers above the gas giant, will make use of a series of instruments, some of which were provided

by European space agency partners

resembles Flipboard and Zite and other personalized iPad readers, in some ways it has more in common with News Corp.’s The Daily, in that it is downloaded once a day to a user’s iPad. Unlike The Daily, which costs 99 cents a week, Editions is free and devoid of advertising for the time being. Another key difference is that The Daily produces most of its content using its own stable of reporters and editors, while Editions aggregates news from blogs, newspapers and magazines across the Web. Articles from AOL-owned outlets such as The Huffington Post and technology blog TechCrunch open directly in the application but stories from other sources link to a publication’s website in an apparent bid to avoid the legal hassles experienced

by Canadian startup Zite. The Washington Post, Dow Jones, Time Inc. and other news organizations told Zite in March, just weeks after its launch, to stop displaying their arti-

cles and photographs, alleging copyright infringement. Instead of directing a reader to a news organization’s website, where they carry online advertising, Zite had been showing stories reformatted in a pop-up window without ads.

After receiving the “cease-anddesist” letter, Zite began linking directly to the websites of the complaining publications. Editions is the latest media venture for AOL under chief executive Tim Armstrong, who has been seeking to position the company as a major player in online content since he was lured away from Google in March 2009.

Formerly known as America Online, AOL fused with news and entertainment titan Time Warner in 2001 at the height of the dotcom boom in what is seen as one of the most disastrous mergers ever. It was spun off by Time Warner in December 2009 into an independent company. — AFP

NASA finds new evidence of liquid water on Mars Finger-like features extend down slopes, crater walls

FLORIDA: This image provided by NASA shows an Atlas V rocket with NASA’s Juno spacecraft payload at Space Launch Complex 41 of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. — AP Italy, Belgium and France, to learn about the workings of the planet and what is inside.

Two key experiments are to gauge how much water is in Jupiter and whether the planet “has a core of heavy elements at the center, or whether it is just gas all the way down,” said Bolton. Scientists also hope to learn more about Jupiter’s magnetic fields and its Great Red Spot, a storm that has been raging for more than 300 years. “One of the fundamental questions is how deep are the roots to that red spot? How does it maintain itself for so long?” said Bolton during a presentation to reporters last week. — AFP

LOS ANGELES: NASA scientists have discovered new evidence that briny water flows on Mars during its warmest months, raising chances that life could exist on the Red Planet, the space agency said on Thursday. NASA first found signs of water on Mars more than a decade ago, but earlier indications were that any existing water would be frozen and concentrated at the poles.

Recently analyzed images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite show dark, finger-like features that extend down some slopes and crater walls on the planet during its late spring through summer, fading in the Martian winter. “This is the best evidence we have to date of a liquid water occurring today on Mars,” said Philip Christensen, a geophysicist at Arizona State University, Tempe, in a NASA panel announcing the findings in Washington. NASA scientists believe that if there is liquid water on Mars, it would be highly salty and lie beneath the surface. That would explain why it would not freeze in the planet’s frigid surface temperatures, which can fall to around 200 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, or

evaporate in its low air pressure. “It is more like a syrup, maybe, in how it flows,” said Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona, Tucson, principal investigator in charge of a special camera on the Mars orbiter called a High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment. He also is the lead author of a report on evidence of water flows published on Thursday in the journal Science.

BETTER THAN ICE The scientists on NASA’s panel stressed that liquid water is more likely to sustain life than ice, underscoring the importance of the latest discovery. Past NASA discoveries revealed evidence of ancient shorelines and riverbanks on Mars. And analysis of gullies on the Red Planet five years ago turned up fresh mineral deposits that suggested recent water flows, but provided no categorical proof of that, scientists said. The latest discovery is more difficult to explain away as evidence of anything but contemporary water flows, said Michael Meyer, Mars exploration program lead scientist at NASA. — Reuters

Japanese defense researcher develops flying sphere drone TOKYO: A Japanese defense researcher has invented a spherical observation drone that can fly down narrow alleys, hover on the spot, take off vertically and bounce along the ground.

About the size of a beachball and jet black, the remote-controlled Spherical Air Vehicle resembles a tiny Death Star from the Star Wars movies but has a more benign purpose-to transmit live images from a video camera. It is powered by a propeller protected by a spherical shield with large openings for airflow, meaning a knock into a wall or a tumble to the ground will not damage it. Research to improve the device is continuing, but its designer says that in the future it could be used as a formidable pursuit vehicle

that can travel above traffic or spy on a target through a window. Its inventor in pacifist Japan hopes it could also help with non-aggressive operations, such as search and rescue in disaster zones, where it could fly through buildings and even up and down stairways. “This is the world’s first spherical air vehicle,” said its developer, Fumiyuki Sato, a research engineer at the Defence Ministry’s Technical Research and Development Institute in Tokyo.

The latest model, the seventh prototype, is equipped with a single propeller, shielded by the shell, with flaps and wings to control its flight, and can zip through the air at up to 60 kilometers per hour. — AFP

TV listings

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

00:45 01:40 02:35 03:30 04:25 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:25 08:15 08:40 09:10 Irwin 10:05 11:00 11:55 12:50 13:45 14:40 19:15 20:10 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:50

Dogs 101 Untamed And Uncut Last Chance Highway Whale Wars Maneaters Animal Cops Houston Must Love Cats Lemur Street Michaela’s Animal Road Trip The Really Wild Show Natural Born Hunters New Breed Vets With Steve America’s Cutest...

Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Crocodile Hunter Dogs vs. Cats Animal Cops Houston Baby Planet Baby Planet Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Crocodile Feeding Frenzy Killer Crocs Of Costa Rica I’m Alive Mutant Planet

00:00 Ideal 00:30 The Weakest Link 01:20 Paradox 02:10 Robin Hood 02:55 Ideal 03:25 Doctors 03:55 One Foot In The Grave 04:30 Tweenies 04:50 Balamory 05:10 Tikkabilla 05:40 Charlie And Lola 05:50 Tweenies 06:10 Balamory 06:30 Tikkabilla 07:00 Tweenies 07:20 Balamory 07:40 Tikkabilla 08:10 Charlie And Lola 08:20 Tweenies 08:40 Balamory 09:00 Tikkabilla 09:30 Charlie And Lola 09:45 One Foot In The Grave 10:45 Britain’s Royal Weddings 11:35 Robin Hood 12:20 Eastenders 13:50 Eastenders 14:20 After You’ve Gone 14:50 The Weakest Link 15:40 Britain’s Royal Weddings 16:30 Robin Hood 17:15 The Weakest Link 18:00 After You’ve Gone 18:30 Holby City 19:20 Holby City 20:10 Robin Hood 20:55 As Time Goes By 21:25 Allo Allo 22:00 Gavin & Stacey 22:30 Rob Brydon’s Annually Retentive 23:00 Mutual Friends 23:55 Robin Hood

00:40 01:05 01:35 02:20 03:10 04:40 05:10 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:25 07:45 10:20 10:45 14:10 14:40 15:10 19:40 20:30 22:35 23:00

00:00 00:30 00:40 01:00 01:30 02:00

New Scandinavian Cooking What Not To Wear Masterchef Australia Come Dine With Me Daily Cooks Challenge Daily Cooks Challenge Masterchef Australia Daily Cooks Challenge Daily Cooks Challenge Saturday Kitchen Cash In The Attic USA Saturday Kitchen Saturday Kitchen Daily Cooks Challenge Daily Cooks Challenge Daily Cooks Challenge Antiques Roadshow Antiques Roadshow What Not To Wear What Not To Wear Britain’s Dream Homes

BBC World News Sport Today Weekend World BBC World News America Our World BBC World News

THE GREAT DEBATERS ON OSN CINEMA 02:30 03:00 03:10 03:30 04:00 05:10 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 12:10 12:30 World 13:00 13:10 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:10 15:30 16:15 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:10 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:15 21:30

Peschardt’s People BBC World News Weekend World Life On The Edge BBC World News Feasts BBC World News Fast Track BBC World News Third Eye BBC World News Middle East Business Report BBC World News Click BBC World News Weekend World Life On The Edge BBC World News World Features BBC World News World Features The Worst Journey In The BBC World News The Health Show Newsnight BBC World News Our World BBC World News Weekend World BBC World News Sport Today Fast Track BBC World News Dateline London BBC World News Feasts BBC World News Click BBC World News Third Eye BBC World News Sport Today Fast Track

22:00 22:30 23:00 23:10 23:30

BBC World News Life On The Edge BBC World News The Health Show Dateline London

00:40 01:35 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:50 08:45 09:40 10:30 11:25 12:20 14:10 14:35 Junior 15:30 16:25 17:20 18:15 19:10 20:05 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:45

Dirty Jobs Miami Ink Ultimate Survival Wheeler Dealers Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How Does It Work?

Dirty Jobs Street Customs Wheeler Dealers Powering The Future Science Of The Movies The Future Of...

Mythbusters Auction Kings Auction Kings American Chopper: Senior vs Wheeler Dealers Powering The Future Mythbusters Man vs Fish With Matt Watson Man, Woman, Wild Ultimate Survival Taking On Tyson Flying Wild Alaska Man vs Fish With Matt Watson Your Worst Animal Nightmares

00:05 Smash Lab 00:55 Man Made Marvels Asia 01:45 The Tech Show

02:10 The Tech Show 02:35 Powering The Future 03:25 Junkyard Mega-Wars 04:15 How Stuff’s Made 04:45 Man Made Marvels Asia 05:40 One Step Beyond 06:10 The Future Of...

07:00 The X-Testers 07:55 Head Rush 07:58 Sci-Fi Science 08:25 Weird Connections 08:55 Brainiac 09:45 Prototype This 10:35 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 13:55 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 14:45 Head Rush 14:48 Sci-Fi Science 15:15 Weird Connections 15:45 Bang Goes The Theory 16:10 The Gadget Show 17:00 Prototype This 17:50 Brainiac 18:40 Smash Lab 19:30 Punkin Chunkin 2010 20:20 The Gadget Show 21:10 Sci-Fi Science 21:35 The Tech Show 22:00 Smash Lab 22:50 Catch It Keep It 23:40 Bang Goes The Theory

00:15 00:35 01:00 01:25 Cody 01:50 02:15 02:35 03:00

Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up The Suite Life Of Zack And Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas Kim Possible

03:25 03:50 04:15 04:35 05:00 05:25 05:50 06:15 06:35 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:15 08:35 09:00 09:25 09:45 10:10 Splits 10:30 11:00 11:25 11:50 12:15 12:40 13:05 13:30 13:55 14:20 14:40 15:00 16:40 17:00 17:25 17:50 18:15 18:35 18:55 19:20 19:45 20:10 20:30 21:00 21:20 21:45 22:10 23:55

Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents Stitch Stitch Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Stitch Stitch Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents Jungle Junction Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates

00:05 00:15 00:40 00:55 01:10 01:30 01:45 02:00 02:15 02:25 02:50 03:05 03:20 03:40 03:55 04:10 04:25 04:35 05:00 05:15 05:30 05:50 06:00 06:15 06:30 06:45 07:00 07:15 07:40 07:55 08:18 08:20 08:30 08:45 08:55 09:47 09:50 10:15 10:35 10:50 11:00 11:10 11:25 11:40 12:02 12:05 12:30 12:45 13:00 13:15 13:25 13:35 13:47 13:50 14:15 14:40 15:03 15:05 15:20

Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Jungle Junction Jungle Junction Higglytown Heroes Higglytown Heroes Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Timmy Time Little Einsteins Special Agent Oso The Hive Jake And The Neverland Pirates Jake And The Neverland Pirates Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Mickey Mouse Clubhouse The Little Mermaid Handy Manny Timmy Time The Hive Jungle Junction Jake And The Neverland Pirates Imagination Movers Special Agent Oso Lazytown Handy Manny Jake And The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction The Hive Timmy Time Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso The Little Mermaid Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Handy Manny Jake And The Neverland Pirates

Fish Hooks Shake It Up Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Shake It Up Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Starstruck Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas And Ferb Shake It Up Fish Hooks Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Forever Fish Hooks Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Twitches Wizards Of Waverly Place

15:35 15:50 16:05 16:30 16:55 17:20 17:32 17:35 17:50 18:00 18:08 19:02 19:03 19:05 19:25 19:47 19:50 20:00 20:08 20:10 20:35 20:50 21:00 21:13 21:15 21:30 21:55 22:10 22:35 22:55 23:20 23:35 23:50

Jake And The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Lazytown Imagination Movers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction The Hive The Hive Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Animated Stories Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Jake And The Neverland Pirates Jake And The Neverland Pirates A Poem Is...

The Little Mermaid Special Agent Oso The Hive Jungle Junction Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny The Little Mermaid Jo Jo’s Circus Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction

06:00 Kid Vs Kat 06:20 Kick Buttowski 06:45 Pokemon Dp: Sinnoh League Victors 07:10 Iron Man: Armoured Adventures 07:35 Phineas & Ferb 08:00 Phineas & Ferb 08:25 Suite Life On Deck S3 08:50 Pair Of Kings 09:15 Kick Buttowski 09:40 Rekkit Rabbit 10:05 Zeke & Luther 10:30 I’m In The Band 10:55 Suite Life On Deck S3 11:20 I’m In The Band 11:45 Suite Life On Deck 12:10 I’m In The Band 12:35 Suite Life On Deck 13:00 I’m In The Band 13:25 Suite Life On Deck 13:45 I’m In The Band 14:10 Suite Life On Deck 14:35 I’m In The Band 15:00 Suite Life On Deck 15:25 I’m In The Band 15:50 Suite Life On Deck S3 16:15 I’m In The Band 16:40 Suite Life On Deck 17:05 I’m In The Band 17:30 Suite Life On Deck 17:55 I’m In The Band 18:20 Suite Life On Deck 18:45 I’m In The Band 19:10 Suite Life On Deck 19:35 I’m In The Band 20:00 New Spiderman 20:25 Zeke & Luther 20:50 I’m In The Band 21:15 Aaron Stone 21:40 American Dragon 22:00 Kick Buttowski 22:20 I’m In The Band

00:25 Kendra 00:55 Behind The Scenes 01:25 E!es 02:20 THS 03:15 25 Most Stylish 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Extreme Hollywood 06:00 25 Hottest Hollywood Cougar Tales 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 09:45 Kourtney And Kim Take New York 10:15 Khloe And Lamar 11:10 The Dance Scene 12:05 E! News 13:05 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 14:05 E! Investigates 15:00 Holly’s World 15:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 16:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 16:55 Extreme Close-Up

TV listings

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011 17:25 17:55 18:55 19:25 19:55 20:55 21:25 21:55 22:25 23:25 23:55

Fashion Police E! News Khloe And Lamar Khloe And Lamar E!es The Soup The Dance Scene The Dance Scene E! News Chelsea Lately The Soup

00:30 Ghost Lab 01:20 A Haunting 02:10 Serial Killers 03:00 I Escaped Death 03:50 Dr G: Medical Examiner 04:45 Ghosthunters 05:15 Ghost Lab 06:10 Life Or Death: Medical Mysteries 07:00 Forensic Detectives 07:50 Murder Shift 08:40 Mystery ER 09:30 Real Emergency Calls 09:55 Street Patrol 10:20 Disappeared 11:10 FBI Files 12:00 On The Case With Paula Zahn 12:50 The Will: Family Secrets Revealed 13:40 Mystery ER 14:30 Real Emergency Calls 14:55 Street Patrol 15:20 Disappeared 16:10 Forensic Detectives 17:00 Murder Shift 17:50 FBI Files 18:40 Mystery ER 19:30 Street Patrol 19:55 Real Emergency Calls 20:20 On The Case With Paula Zahn 21:10 The Will: Family Secrets Revealed 22:00 Ghost Lab 22:50 The Haunted 23:40 A Haunting

09:00 Far North-PG15 11:00 My Son, My Son, What Have You Done?-PG15 13:00 Bustin’ Down The Door-PG15 15:00 Good Hair-PG15 17:00 The Eclipse-PG15 18:45 The Great Debaters-PG15 21:00 Date Night-PG15 23:00 Agora-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 02:00 Family Guy 02:30 Rita Rocks 03:00 Mad Love 03:30 The Office 04:00 Two And A Half Men 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 06:00 Seinfeld 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Two And A Half Men 08:30 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 09:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 09:30 Modern Family 10:00 Mad Love 10:30 Seinfeld 11:00 The Drew Carey Show 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Two And A Half Men 13:00 The Office 13:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 14:00 Seinfeld 14:30 Modern Family 15:00 Mad Love 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 The Drew Carey Show

17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Melissa And Joey 18:30 Hot In Cleveland 19:30 How I Met Your Mother 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:00 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00

Off The Map Big Love The Good Guys Drop Dead Diva Strong Medicine Good Morning America Psych One Tree Hill The Good Guys My Generation The View Off The Map Drop Dead Diva My Generation Live Good Morning America Strong Medicine The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street C.S.I. C.S.I. New York Justified Private Practice Psych

Smallville The Good Guys Drop Dead Diva Big Love Off The Map

05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

The Gates Smallville Sons Of Tucson Look-A-Like Persons Unknown The Good Guys Off The Map Drop Dead Diva Sons Of Tucson Look-A-Like The Ellen DeGeneres Show Persons Unknown Smallville 8 Simple Rules ...

Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Persons Unknown C.S.I. C.S.I. New York Justified Lie To Me Detroit 1-8-7

12:00 Hey Hey Its Esther BlueburgerPG15 14:00 All’s Faire In Love-PG 16:00 Old Dogs-PG 18:00 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star-PG15 20:00 Road Trip: Beer Pong-18 22:00 Reality Bites-PG15

13:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 14:00 Live International Rugby Union 16:00 Live Currie Cup Rugby Union 18:00 Live Currie Cup Rugby Union 20:00 Trans World Sport 21:00 Live International Rugby Union 23:00 International Rugby Union

00:45 02:45 04:45 07:15 09:00 11:00 13:30 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

01:00 03:30 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:15 13:00 15:00 17:15 19:00 21:00 23:00

Public Enemies-18 Fear Island-PG15 Storm Warning-18 S.W.A.T.-PG15 Lost In Space-PG15 The Stepfather-PG15 A Lonely Place For Dying-PG15 Lost In Space-PG15 Staten Island-PG15 Goal III-18 The Lost Future-PG15 Bad Guys-18

01:00 Predators-18 03:00 17 Again-PG15 05:00 The Princess And The FrogFAM 07:00 Gasland-PG15 09:00 Everybody Wants To Be ItalianPG15 11:00 Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief-PG15 13:00 102 Dalmatians-PG 15:00 Nanny Mcphee And The Big Bang-PG 17:00 Everybody Wants To Be ItalianPG15 19:00 Death At A Funeral-PG15 21:00 Nine-PG15 23:00 The Dry Land-18

00:00 NRL Premiership 02:00 Futbol Mundial 02:30 Rugby World Cup Classics 03:00 Rugby Union Currie Cup 05:00 Trans World Sports 06:00 Mobil 1 The Grid 06:30 ICC Cricket World 07:00 Rugby World Cup Classics 07:30 Currie Cup Rugby Union 09:30 Total Rugby 10:00 NRL Full Time 10:30 Live NRL Premiership 12:30 Live NRL Premiership 14:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 15:00 FIVB Beach Volley Ball 15:30 European Tour Weekly 16:00 Futbol Mundial 16:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 17:00 Live Scottish Premier League 19:00 International Rugby Union 21:00 Rugby World Cup Classics 21:30 AFL Premiership

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 PG15

Old Dogs-PG Patch Adams-PG15 I Spy-PG Double Wedding-PG15 Anger Management-PG15 A Pyromaniac’s Love Story-

00:00 Departures 01:00 Earth Tripping 01:30 Earth Tripping 02:00 The Ride: Alaska to Patagonia 02:30 Graham’s World 03:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 04:00 The Frankincense Trail 05:00 Somewhere In China 06:00 Departures 07:00 Earth Tripping 07:30 Earth Tripping 08:00 The Ride: Alaska to Patagonia 08:30 Graham’s World 09:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 10:00 The Frankincense Trail 11:00 Somewhere In China 12:00 Departures 13:00 Food Lover’s Guide to The Planet 13:30 Pressure Cook 14:00 A World Apart 15:00 Ultimate Traveller 16:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 17:00 Endurance Traveller 18:00 By Any Means 19:00 Food Lover’s Guide to The Planet 19:30 Pressure Cook 20:00 A World Apart 21:00 Ultimate Traveller 22:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 23:00 Endurance Traveller

01:00 Rolie, Polie, Olie: The MovieFAM 03:00 Tutenstein: Clash Of The Pharaohs-PG 05:00 Lego: The Adventures Of Clutch Powers-FAM 07:00 Pocahontas & The Spider Woman-PG 09:00 Garfield-PG 11:00 Tom Tom & Nana-FAM 13:00 How To Train Your Dragon-PG 15:00 Leave It To Beaver-PG 17:00 Tom Tom & Nana-FAM 19:00 Cats & Dogs-PG 21:00 How To Train Your Dragon-PG 23:00 Leave It To Beaver-PG

00:00 Predators-18 02:00 Accidents Happen-PG15 04:00 Who’s Your Caddy?-PG15 06:00 The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond-PG15 08:00 Saved!-PG15 10:00 Carnera: The Walking Mountain-PG 12:15 Accidents Happen-PG15 14:00 The People Speak-PG15 16:00 Saved!-PG15 18:00 Stomp The Yard 2: Homecoming-PG15 20:00 The Lightkeepers-PG15 22:00 Don’t Look Up-18

00:00 Storm Warning-18 02:00 Altitude-PG15 04:00 Mindhunters-18 06:00 G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra-PG15 08:00 Changing Lanes-PG15 10:00 Speed-PG15 12:00 The Damned United-PG15 14:00 Changing Lanes-PG15 16:00 Annihilation Earth-PG15 18:00 The Damned United-PG15 20:00 Universal Soldier: Regeneration-PG15 22:00 The Lost Future-PG15

01:00 Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired-PG15 03:00 Dean Spanley-PG 04:45 Three Investigators-PG15 06:30 Invictus-PG15

Gal-18 Mary Reilly-PG15 Riding In Cars With Boys-PG15 When We Were Kings-PG15 Tuck Everlasting-PG Drumline-PG15 Spartacus-PG15 The Dust Factory-PG15 The Shock Doctrine-PG15 The Soloist-PG15 Don’t Look Back-PG15

THE DRY LAND ON OSN MOVIES HD

00:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 10:00 10:30 12:30 13:30 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 21:00 23:00

NRL Premiership Speedway Trans World Sport UFC 133 Countdown WWE SmackDown!

AFL Premiership Total Rugby Live Tri Nations Super Rugby Highlights Total Rugby Live International Rugby Union Live Currie Cup Rugby Union Live Currie Cup Rugby Union Super Rugby Highlights Live International Rugby Union International Rugby Union

00:00 00:30 02:30 04:30 07:00 10:00 10:30 12:30 13:00

Total Rugby Currie Cup NRL Premiership AFL Premiership Live AFL Premiership Total Rugby Live Tri-Nations Rugby World Cup Classics Total Rugby

00:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 14:30 15:00 17:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00

WWE SmackDown!

WWE Bottomline WWE NXT UFC 133 Countdown UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Unleashed WWE SmackDown!

WWE Bottomline WWE NXT WWE Vintage Collection V8 Supercars Extra Live NRL Premiership V8 Supercars Extra WWE SmackDown!

Live Rugby League Powerboats F1 Powerboats F1 UFC 133 Countdown WWE SmackDown!

00:00 00:30 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 05:30 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 Rides 15:00 16:00 17:00 17:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Trabant Trek Word Travels Globe Trekker Globe Trekker Indian Times Globe Trekker Trabant Trek Word Travels Top Travel Top Travel Globe Trekker Flavours Of South Africa Flavours Of South Africa Indian Times Globe Trekker Globe Trekker Special World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rivers Of The World Globe Trekker Cruise Today Journey Into Wine- Australia First Class Cornwall Globe Trekker Indian Times People Of The Sea Exotic Lives Globe Trekker

00:10 Savage Messiah-18 01:45 Play Dirty 03:40 Raintree County-PG 06:30 TCM Presents Under The Influence-PG 07:00 Dark Passage-FAM 08:50 Kiss Me Kate-FAM 10:40 The Adventures Of Quentin Durward-FAM 12:20 Vengeance Valley-PG 13:40 Go West-FAM 15:00 Seven Brides For Seven Brothers-FAM 16:40 Logan’s Run-PG 18:35 Billy Rose’s Jumbo-FAM 20:35 The Honeymoon Machine-FAM 22:00 The Fixer

WHAT’S ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

AWARE Diwaniya

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ou are cordially invited to our diwaniya presentation on Tuesday, August 9, 2011 entitled “High altitude training at sea level” by Jeskeh Maria at 8:00 pm. We make it possible - our five-member team from Germany with a sports scientific background. In our training facilities, we change the room climate to high altitude conditions without reducing the air pressure - albeit the oxygen content. Professional athletes are using scientifically proven benefits of high altitude training for decades to enhance their performance. LOXYMED is a therapy, training and treatment concept that uses all the knowledge for modern health care management. LOXYMED is used to correct disrupted metabolism process, optimize rehabilitation programs for daily revitalization and methodical precision.

The main reason for LOXYMED to open up in Kuwait is the high prevalence of the Metabolism Syndrome. But to give you an impression of our widespread treatment range, you can find our basic programs as follows: Metabolism Rehabilitation, Orthopedic Rehabilitation Program, Respiratory Diseases Program, Competitive Sports and Alpinism Program and Prevention Program. Come and learn about these programs and many more on August 9, 2011 at 8:00 pm at the AWARE Center premises in Surra.

Carina was born in 1979 in Waren/ Germany. In her childhood she suffered from bronchial and exercised-induced asthma. After several rehabilitation stays in high mountains in Davos, Switzerland, she recovered from her respiratory disease and decided to study

Sports Science, Rehabilitation/Prevention and Psychology in Heidelberg, Germany. Jiri grew up in Prague/Czech Republic. At the age of 25 he went to Heidelberg, Germany where he studied Sports Science. He started his football career at the age of seven at SK Kladno. Football is his passion. Before coming to work in Kuwait, he was an official trainer of German Football Association (DFB). He owns an official UEFA B-License.

In 1981, Mareike was born in Bremerhaven, Germany. Mareike has always been an active person. She played Volleyball on the local team of Bremerhaven and during her Sports Scientific studies in Goettingen, Germany she continued her passion. Mareike is an expert in diagnostics in the LOXYMED team.

Maria was born in the middle east of Germany. At the age of 11 she started developing passion for athletics, but she always preferred team sports. So she discovered to play basketball. She decided to make her hobby her profession. She studied Sports Science in Leipzig, Germany. Heiko was born in 1978 in Frankfurt. After finishing his apprenticeship for physiotherapy he decided to study sports science on top. Heiko played Volleyball for several years and became due to some injuries addicted to fitness training.

All five team members are basing on a Sports Scientific background but due to their individual choices everyone is specializing in a slightly different field. This empowers us to handle all kind of customers with a specific treatment. All interested are welcome at 8:00 pm.

Summer Activities KAYAKING Kuwait Surf-Ski Kayak Club 99706742 Sea kayaking is one of the fastest growing water sports in the world today. Call if you are interested in purchasing a kayak, getting involved in the sport.

MOTOR SPORTS Kuwait Motor Bike League / The Amateur Car & Motorbike Association Motorbike track (for trail/dirt bikes) and rally car-racing centre located behind the Science Club on the northern side of the 6th Ring Road (between roads 401 and 50). Car and bike races held on Fridays.

Use of facilities and participation in competitions limited to members only. office on 3td Ring Road, near Road 50.

NETBALL Kuwait Netball Meet Monday for mixed games 6:30 -7:30 and Tuesday for Woman only check the website for more info. www.kuwaitnetball.com RUGBY Kuwait Nomads The rugby season in Kuwait runs from September to May. Mens, ladies and minis rugby are played and the teams frequently travel to participate in AGRFU tournaments. Any interested child between the ages of 5-17 can participate in the Minis rugby. Training is held every Friday between 9am-llam on the grassed pitch at the Yarmouk stadium. The men’s and ladies teams have the pleasure of training and playing on the KOC sand pitch in Ahmadi, the home of the Kuwait Nomads. Training nights are Sundays and Tuesdays from 7pm-9pm. Inter-Gulf matches are played on Thursdays or Fridays. www.p8nompds.com RUNNING For anyone who likes walking, jogging or cycling in Kuwait there is a very good track around the area of Mishref. The

Announcements Ernakulam iftar Kuwait Ernakulam Residents’ Association (KERA) iftar on August 13, at Rhythm auditorium, Abbassiya, from 5.30 pm onwards.

Attention kids!

CEF VBS 11 starting from August 22. Six exciting days of singing, games & bible stories for children of all ages.

Hurry !!!. Limited Seats. Register Online: www.cefkuwait.org Tulukoota talent hunt Tulukoota Kuwait will hold a “Talent Hunt 2011” a chance to prove an inborn trait in you that confirms your individuality, uniqueness. So step forward to grab this opportunity to show your caliber and entertain. Dance, music, art or any special talent- now is your chance to showcase it - and be part of this year’s Talent Hunt & Tulu Parba. Talent Hunt event is open to all Tuluvas. For more information and registration form kindly log on to our Website: www.tulukootakuwait.org or visit our facebook page - Tulukoota Kuwait Talent Hunt 2011. You could also email your form request to: secretary@tulukootakuwait.org or contact our area coordinators mentioned below. Mangaf, Fahaheel, Abuhalifa : Ronald Dsouza- 60035824, Shalini Alva- 23726164, Suma Bhatt- 97834578 Salmiya & Hawally: Swarna Shetty- 99006934, Kripa Gatty- 66044194 Kuwait City, Jahra, Sharq : Rekha Sachu65044521,97862115 Farwaniya, Abbassiya, Shuwaikh & Khaitan: Sathyanarayana- 66585077 Sanath Shetty67712409.

Pathanamthitta Onam The executive committee of Pathanamthitta District Association has decided to hold 2011 Onam Festival celebrations on Friday October 28, 2011 with a grand public function attended by Member of Parliament from Pathanamthitta Loksabha Constituency, Anto Antony and other prominent dignitaries from Kerala and Kuwait.

All residents of Pathanamthitta District and persons of Pathanamthitta District origin are hereby invited to attend this function and friends and families.

track is 4.9km long and is marked out in distances of 100m. There are also a number of outdoor exercise machines located near the start and the end of the track. Please note, however, that the track is more of a horseshoe shape rather than a complete circuit as there is a gap of at least a mile between the start and finish. Decide how far you want to walk, walk half the distance and then turn back. There are roads to cross so take care if you have young children with you. Despite all of this, it’s still very worthwhile going along and trying it out.

HASH HARRIERS 23982219 Social jogging on Thursday and Saturday evenings. Hash Harriers has been operating around the world since 1938. Hash is for a mixture of abilities from walkers to experienced runners. It is social rather than athletic. Length of course depends on time of year. Contact Gerry Burton on the above number or on 99764028. www.hasher.net SAILING The Arabian Gulf waters are an ideal environment in which to learn to sail.

Offshore the seas are seldom rough and there is often a moderate breeze. Many of the sea clubs organize sailing activities.

CATAMARAN SAILING 66587737 Dive Caroline Beach Fafaheel The Kuwait Catamaran Club is a group of enthusiasts who love sailing on fast cats in the Arabian Gulf’s waters around Kuwait.

Usually an informal group sail on Friday afternoons. Boats are privately owned but visitors are very welcome and can be taken out as crew. Boats for hire, a Dart 18 and Hobie 16.

Contact John Morley johnmorley@hotmail.com Fahaheel Sailing Club (see Dive Caroline) 2371 9289 www.horn3.com KOSA 23983365 99745383 The Kuwait Offshore Sailing Association (KOSA) meets on the first Tuesday of each month (except July and August) at the Dive Caroline clubhouse, which is located at the Fahaheel Sea Club. Fortnightly racing plus International events in Bahrain and Dubai. Boats often require crew and will take you if you turn up! Catamaran racing is arranged after KOSA morning races, followed by a sunset barbecue on the beach. An Annual Regatta, usually during April, is also organised.

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.

Rink soccer Don Bosco Oratory is pleased to announce its Major 4-ASide “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. For details contact Chris: 6651-9627, Alex: 66069282 from 6-9pm.

Konkani musical show Comedian Philip, the 1st NRI Goan comedian, is all set to entertain you with a Konkani music show titled “Ani, Anik Zaiem?” to be presented by the United Friends Club on September 9 at 4pm at the AIS (American International School) Auditorium, Maidan-Hawalli. This is Kuwait-based comedian Philip’s third musical show after the overwhelming success of staging “Tum Vhoir Aum Sokol” and “Hem Kazar Koslem” in Kuwait and overseas.

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WHAT’S ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

NBK launches Ramadan Facebook Competition

NBK page at Facebook

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Badria Al-Reshaid

Squash tournament

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nce again this year, the stage is set for the third annual ‘Ramadan Stars Squash Tournament’ to be held from August 1522 at the Kazma Sporting Club, Adailiya.

Abdulrahim Al-Awadi, the Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee has announced that doors are now open for registration to all those who are interested in participating, stating that the deadline for registration will be August 13.

The participation in this tournament is open to all and will fall under three categories this year. The first category is for amateurs from ages 17 and above, second category is for professional players from ages 20 and above and the third category is for ladies 17 and above.

Following its last two years of grand success, the 3rd annual Ramadan Stars

Squash Tournament is being organized during Ramadan for squash lovers who will have an opportunity to practice the sport while being encouraged to develop their skills in a healthy and competitive environment.

Al-Awadi, the Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee, commented, “In our last two tournaments, we have received very positive feedback and have witnessed a huge number of interested participants thus giving us immense encouragement to hold an exciting tournament this year. The 2011 squash tournament offers a great opportunity to all squash players to accept another challenge and build on their sports skills in midst of a friendly atmosphere. I highly encourage all interested players to maintain their level of activity during Ramadan while balanc-

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 is for free and will be end 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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n the occasion of the holy Month of Ramadan, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has launched its annual Ramadan Facebook competition. The competition will focus on the new NBK Ramadan Television commercials campaign and will continue throughout the month of Ramadan. NBK Public Relations Officer, Badria Al-Reshaid said: “The competition will award KD50 to three winners each day. The participants must be fans of NBK’s Official Facebook page to take part in the competition and does not require the participant to be a NBK customer. The winners will be announced daily on NBK’s Facebook page.”

Al-Reshaid indicated that NBK’s Facebook page currently has more than 21,000 fans due to its interaction with fans. NBK Facebook page provides offers and discounts for all customers. NBK values the role social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook play in Kuwait and utilizes them as an important means of keeping in touch with NBK customers and their concerns.

Embassy

ing fitness and fasting and to register before the deadline ends”.

All details pertaining to the tournament and means to participate can be found on the tournaments Facebook page under ‘Ramadan Stars Squash Tourney’. The registration is taking place at GO SPORTS located at The Avenues Mall. Al-Awadi also pointed out the great interest the ‘Ramadan Stars Squash tournament’ received from the private sector, where companies took the initiative in sponsoring the tournament. Alawadi expressed his gratitude and thanks to Go Sports, Comtel, Right Guard, TRACCS Public Relations, and Unite Colors, guaranteeing unique prizes for all winners. For details contact Sarah Saeed TRACCS Tel: 22916093/ 66491539; Fax: 22916095. E-mail: sarah.saeed@traccs.net.

EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Embassy encourages all Australians to register their presence in Kuwait through Smartraveller Online (see link below).

Australians who are registered are asked to update their details. The information provided will assist us in contacting you in an emergency. www.smartraveller.gov.au Kuwait citizens can apply for and receive visit visas to Australia online at www.immi.gov.au. This usually takes two working days. All others visa applications are handled by the Australian Visa Application Centre Tel. 22971110.

Witnessing and certifying documents are by appointment only, please contact the Embassy on 2232 2422.

The Australian Embassy is open from 8.00am to 4.00pm, Sunday to Thursday.

nnnnnnn EMBASSY OF BANGLADESH The Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait will remain closed on Monday, 15 August 2011 on the occasion of the National Mourning Day, the 36th Death Anniversary of the Father of Nation - Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The Embassy will arrange the following programmes to observe the National Mourning Day, the 36th Death Anniversary of the Father of the Nation - Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Monday, 15 August 2011 at the Chancery. The programme on this occasion will be as follows: 0830 hrs Roof top Hoisting of the National Flag at half-mast 1630 hrs First Floor Recitation from the Holy Quran one-minute silence in honour of the martyrs. Reading out the Messages, Discussion Dua & munajat.

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IMA Youth Wing Campaign

Car rally

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akWheels Q8 in collaboration with Kuwait’s Historical, Vintage and Classic Cars Museum (under Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nasser Sabah and with the Support of Ministry of Interior) has organized a celebration full of activities to celebrate the independence day of Pakistan on August 14! The starting point is Kuwait Towers Gulf Road at 8:30 pm and it will end at Kuwait’s Historical, Vintage and Classic Cars Museum at 9:30 pm.

If you are interested in taking part in the car rally on the Gulf Road, you have to provide the details and the plate number of the car/motorcycle for registration.

The same will be provided to the Ministry of Interior.

Please note that only registered vehicles can take part in the rally. The Ministry of Interior will not allow nonregistered vehicles to participate in the rally. We would like to have a very decent and “full of life” gathering and celebration. We all understand that every act of ours will generate our impression for our future within Kuwait and the Kuwaiti community. Lets prove that we are alive, sensible and lets prove that we are real Pakistanis! We hope to see a positive response from your side!

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n association with Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Masjid Al-Kabeer, IMA Youth Wing is carrying out a campaign under the theme ‘Let’s Enter Paradise Together during this Ramadan in order to reform our families and society.

As part of the campaign, numerous lectures will be delivered, books and CDs will be distributed on the theme at several masjids all over Kuwait. All the Urdu speaking residents of Kuwait are invited to attend the different programs conducted as a part of the campaign and benefit from it. For more details please visit the following link http://www.imayouthwing.org.

EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on the following dates on August 15, 2011 (Monday) - “Independence Day” and August 22, (Monday) - “Janamashtami”.

nnnnnnn EMBASSY OF IRAN The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kuwait announced their official working hours during the holy month of Ramadan, which will go between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm on weekdays. The Iranian embassy extends will wishes to His Highness the Amir, the government as well as the people of Kuwait on this occasion.

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Chess tournament

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chess tournament will be held on Sunday, August 14 at 8:30pm and on August 21 at 9:00 pm in the Kuwait Engineering Society. For more info please call Essam: 6597-8686.

EMBASSY OF SLOVAK REPUBLIC The Embassy of the Slovak Republic to the State of Kuwait would like to inform the public that from 8th August 2011, the working hours of the Consular Section will be on Monday and Wednesday from 10:00 till 13:00 hrs.

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health & science

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Self-medication of anxiety tied to later drug abuse NEW YORK: People who drink or use drugs to calm anxious nerves are at increased risk of developing full-blown substance abuse problems later on, according to a study.

The work by Canadian researchers writing in the Archives of General Psychiatry, which followed close to 35,000 people, is one of the first to try and answer a long-standing question: do anxiety-ridden people selfmedicate because they are substance abusers, or do they become abusers because they self-medicate? “Self-medica-

tion in anxiety disorders confers substantial risk of incident substance abuse disorders,” wrote lead researcher Jennifer Robinson at the University of Manitoba in Winnepeg, and colleagues.

The group tapped into a national US survey of drinking problems and mental illness that followed subjects over three years and included interviews. They found that of those who had anxiety disorder at the outset of the study and said they self-medicated with alcohol, 13 percent developed

alcoholism-compared to only about 5 percent of respondents who didn’t self-medicate. After taking income, age and other factors into consideration, self-medicating people had 2.5 to 5 times the odds of becoming dependent on alcohol or drugs compared to people who followed their prescription.

In theory, a person who self-medicates could be a budding drug abuser without the interviewer having spotted it, so the findings aren’t conclusive. But Robinson and her col-

City cycle schemes save lives, cut CO2 Barcelona ‘Bicing’ saves 12 lives LONDON: Public bicycle sharing schemes such as Barcelona’s “Bicing” program or London’s “Boris Bikes” save lives and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study yesterday.

Bike schemes are becoming increasingly popular in cities around the world, with more than 360 already running, but their main aim is usually to ease congestion rather than boost health.

Researchers at the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona found in a study, however, that around 9,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide pollution are averted and some 12 lives saved each year by Barcelona’s scheme, which was introduced in March 2007.

“Active transport policies such as bike sharing systems promote physical activity among the population and are a good means to improve public health and also reduce expenses in public health services,” said David Rojas-Rueda, whose study was published in the British Medical Journal.

Rojas-Rueda’s team used a mathematical health impact model to integrate data from scientific studies and local travel information. From this they estimated the number of deaths associated with travelling by bike compared with driving for three main factorsphysical activity, road traffic incidents, and exposure to air pollution. They also estimated the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Looking at the Barcelona “Bicing” scheme, they calculated an annual increase of 0.13 deaths from air pollu-

GREEN BAY: Green Bay Packers’ Randall Cobb (bottom) and Ryan Taylor ride bicycles to NFL football training camp on Thursday, Aug. 4 2011, in Green Bay, Wis. — AP tion and 0.03 deaths from traffic accidents among cyclists compared with car users. But as a result of high levels of physical activity, 12.46 deaths were avoided, making a total of 12.28 deaths avoided among cyclists every year, the researchers said.

They also estimated a reduction in carbon emissions of over 9 million kg or 9,000 tons per year, the equivalent to flying 1,800 people to Sydney and back from London. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends

adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week and says this could be done by walking for 30 minutes five times per week, or by cycling to work every day. Barcelona’s scheme was launched in March 2007 and by August 2009, more than 182,000 people had subscribed to it 11 percent of the city’s population. The average distance travelled by Bicing on a working day was 3.29 km, taking an average of 14 minutes, according to the study’s findings. —Reuters

Wild dog urine may hold secret message SYDNEY: Australian scientists are working to artificially produce the urine of wild dogs, hoping to keep other wild dogs away from humans and prevent them from destroying livestock, avoiding losses that mount into millions of dollars every year. Researchers say the chemical message in the urine of dingoes, as the wild dogs are known, insists “this is my territory, stay out”-creating a “bio boundary” that that the dogs and other wild animals cannot cross.

“We hope it would be a non-lethal tool for the management of dingo in Australia,” said Alan Robley, senior research scientist at the Department of Sustainability and Environment, a government-funded research institute.

“You can use this non-lethal barrier to keep animals out of where people don’t want them-in their back yards or those sort of urban areas where towns are encroaching into the bush (wilderness), or on a farm where there are sheep and where dogs are coming in and attacking their sheep.” Animals use chemical messages all the time to advertise their social status, whether or not they are sexually available and ready for reproduction, and things about their food. The messages come through the chemicals they excrete. Scientists collect urine from captive dingoes-male and female, adults and juveniles-held in private collections around Australia. — Reuters

leagues said their study bolsters the hypothesis that self-medication leads to substance abuse. They also found that people who selfmedicate with alcohol were three times as likely to develop social phobia-although it was possible that those people had some degree of phobia from the start, and their substance use fueled it. “Another possibility is that the social unacceptability of substance use may create a desire to avoid social contact in those who actively use other drugs,” they wrote. — Reuters

Young chef hots up northern France with sensual cooking LA MADELAINE-SOUS-MONTREUIL: Eating at Alexandre Gauthier’s restaurant should put customers in the mood for making love “otherwise it didn’t work,” said the young chef whose cuisine is luring foodies from far and wide to the north of France. The 32-year-old, perhaps better known abroad than at home, offers the unexpected at his Michelin-starred La Grenouillere (The Frogpond), with gently cooked foods designed to arouse customers with their fresh, “wild” flavours.

Though he took over the inn from his father only eight years ago, Gauthier quickly won attention and is listed among the the top 100 restaurants in the world in the British restaurant guide “Restaurant”. “I am in the north of France, but also south of London, Brussels and Amsterdam,” he joked. The establishment itself, in a cosy village in France’s northernmost Pas-de-Calais department, plays a role in Gauthier’s vision. Open since 1900, it used to be “a bit of a naughty” venue, he said, where customers were more likely to dine with their mistresses than their wives. His own menu is edgy, with focus on the purity of ingredients and textures. He shuns all spice except pepper.

Typical is his lobster barely smoked over juniper branches.

As it’s brought to the table, a few branches are set alight to create a sensual, pungent aroma. He also combines diced avocado and raw monkfish-a fish the French rarely serve raw-without the traditional lemon but steeped in a seaweed-infused broth, redolent of seaside holidays. “You’ve got to be ready not to please everyone, but that’s the choice we’ve made,” said the chef who darts about everywhere with spoons tucked into his jeans pocket, ready to taste and mix his dishes.

Gauthier says his aim is to bring out the “absolute, precise” essence of an ingredient, as in one dish where peas are cooked in every fashion from crunchy shoots to foamy broth to melt-in-the-mouth gnocchi. ‘Don’t use overstatement’-He does not shy away from playing with ingredients, “using certain produce where you wouldn’t expect it, going against the grain”. He did this with one of his signature dishes-pigeon served “bleu”, meaning hot but nearly raw, which both horrified and impressed some of the country’s top chefs at a workshop for young chefs at Paris’ elite Hotel Plaza Athenee in 2005.

Before returning home, Gauthier-who admires and often cites Michelin-starred Michel Bras, a compatriot also known for his minimalist approach-worked in other kitchens for only three years, including the Michelinstarred Regis Marcon in south-central France and Lasserre in Paris. “At the time it seemed short. Today I’m glad as I avoided getting stuck in a mould,” he said. He broke with his father Roland’s classical fare-frogs’ legs, crepes suzette and such-when he took over La Grenouillere in 2003. “I didn’t want to do the same traditional food as my father but I realized quickly that I had to find a style, a certain way of doing things,” he said. His approach earned him a Michelin star-out of a maximum three-in 2008 and the title of “creative” chef of the year in 2010 from the French food bible Omnivore, which looks for up-and-coming stars. To complete his changes at La Grenouillere, Gauthier recently hired French architect Patrick Bouchain to extend and “reinvent” the inn. The result is a modern, open kitchen and new accommodations in six rustic yet luxurious huts at the edge of the garden. — AFP

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CLASSIFIEDS SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

FASCINATING FACTS

By Bill Marvel/The Dallas Morning News

If poison ivy were a movie monster, it would be worse than those blood-sucking creatures in “War of the Worlds.” Worse than The Thing or Alien. Much, much worse than Godzilla.

If poison ivy were a movie monster, it would be out there waiting for you where you least expect it, crouching in the shade under that bush in your backyard. It would slither along your alley fence. It would sit beside the picnic table in that charming roadside spot, the one where the kids had such a wonderful time romping through the woods. You couldn’t kill it. Chop off its head and it would spring to life again. Burn it and it would spread through the neighborhood poisoning the air.

But it’s not a movie monster. It’s just a woody vine that grows lush and green — even lusher and greener thanks to global warming — putting out pale yellow flowers once a year. A delight to the eye. Like your aunt’s prized porcelain figurines — very pretty, but don’t touch.

It will irritate you, but it won’t kill you. And it can be killed, though not easily. Eventually that burning itch will go away. In the meantime, there are things you can do.

WHAT IS THAT STUFF?

WHAT IF I’M EXPOSED?

If it has three-leaf clusters, it could be poison ivy or poison oak.

Poison sumac has 7 to 13 leaves on a stem. Despite their names, all are members of the cashew family and equally irritating.

Poison ivy and oak can grow as groundcover, as a bush or a climbing vine. They like the edges of fields, the undergrowth of gloomy forests, and, more often than you’d imagine, suburban backyards and parks. Sumac grows as a bush or small tree and prefers swampy areas. Poison oak leaves are shaped like regular oak leaves. Ivy leaves are shiny or sort of waxy. Look for the little flowers through midsummer, and after that the clusters of white or gray berries. In the fall, the leaves turn reddish. Dead or dying C H A R L E S T. B RY S O N / plants sometimes have shiny black I N VA S I V E . O R G Eastern poison ivy flecks on them. That’s urushiol resin, the stuff that causes all the itching.

If you know you’ve touched it — or touched something that’s touched poison ivy, like those gloves you wore to pull it out, your shoes or the family pet — here’s some advice from Dr. Ponciano Cruz, professor and vice chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern. He recommends promptly washing with soap and water to remove the urushiol from the skin surface. Tap water is just fine.

The welts and rash of poison ivy are an allergic reaction to the oil, which must penetrate the skin and get to your T-cells to start the damage. The T-cells mobilize in reaction to the invading urushiol, destroying the invader and damaging a considerable area of surrounding skin. That explains the welts and blisters.

Once the oil has penetrated, there isn’t a lot you can do except to wait for the rash, George says. It may not come for a day or two, but unless you’re poison-ivy tolerant — and not many are — it’ll come.

The good news is that once the rash has developed, you won’t spread it by scratching. The bad news is that your scratching might bring on a secondary infection, which can be worse than the rash itself. Once the rash has developed, over-the-counter cortisone creams usually help. Most rashes usually heal in two weeks.

A really massive exposure calls for a doctor’s care.

Treatment, Cruz says, usually consists of a topical steroid cream or ointment plus prednisone, orally or by injection.

If you’re resistant or immune to poison ivy, don’t gloat.

Immunity can wear off with repeated exposure.

CAN I GET RID OF IT? You could get a goat. Goats love poison ivy — so do rabbits and deer — and are not bothered by the toxins. But your neighbors might be bothered by the goat.

The other way is to starve it out, week by week.

“It’s not easy,” says Dr. Steve DAV I D J. M O O R H E A D / I N VA S I V E . O R G George, area horticulture specialist with Atlantic poison oak the Texas Cooperative Extension Service. He knows because he has it in his backyard, where his dog rubs against it and passes it on to family members.

“The best advice I have is to wear gloves, preferably rubber gloves, and long-sleeved shirts,” he says. To get rid of the mature plants chop them off at ground level (dispose of the corpses carefully; they’re still full of urushiol).

Wait a couple weeks until a new set of T E D B O D N E R / I N VA S I V E . O R G plants appear and chop again. Repeat Poison sumac as needed. Eventually the plant will exhaust its food resources and fail to sprout. The various brushkilling herbicides on the market, such as Ortho’s Brush-B-Gon Poison Ivy Killer, work, but George cautions, “They’ll also consider your shrubs and trees fair game.” If you must use an herbicide, he says, mix it with water according to directions and daub it on the leaves with a sponge. Once again, the plant dies back, then will return, so repeated applications are necessary. Eventually you’ll win.

If it’s really a big outbreak, you can call landscape firms that also advertise brush clearance. Make sure they know what they’re doing. Several we contacted thought, erroneously, that one visit would do the trick and that the dead leaves and stalks are harmless.

Above all, don’t burn the remains.

The smoke carries off particles of the urushiol oil, thus sharing your misery with everybody downwind.

POISON IVY RESOURCES Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac Information Center: poisonivy.aesir.com offers a mixture of useful lore and sometimes questionable advice from folks who have encountered poison ivy, oak and sumac, and have tried various remedies, from massive doses of vitamin C and baking soda baths to applications of gasoline, Miracle Whip and white shoe polish. Proceed with caution.

FDA — Outsmarting Poison Ivy and its Cousins: http://www.fda.gov

/ForConsumers/Consumer Updates/ucm049342.htm is more authoritative.

Unfortunately, no pictures.

Poison Ivy Tutorial: Lots of helpful pictures, including gruesome photos of the rash, plus advice www.cattail.nu/ivy/

I Global warming is spreading poison ivy. Experiments on forest plots suggest rising levels of carbon dioxide promote the rapid growth of poison ivy and other woody vines, according to scientist Dr. Jacqueline Mohan, at the Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass.

I The active ingredient in poison ivy, urushiol, is also present in poison oak, poison sumac, cashew shells, the Japanese lacquer tree and the ginkgo tree.

I Two micrograms of urushiol is enough to cause a reaction in hypersensitive persons. That’s about 1/30 the size of a single grain of salt.

I Smoke-borne particles of urushiol are as potent as those in the living plant, and one of the major hazards for firefighters battling forest fires.

I The plant may be dead, but the malady lingers.

Exposure to dried leaves and stems can cause a rash, even after a dozen years.

MYTHS

I Scratching spreads the rash. The facts: Once it’s a rash, it doesn’t spread. It’s only when the oil is still on the surface of the skin, right after exposure, that it can be spread. It also can spread from tools, pets and clothing.

I Poison ivy can spread through the blood stream.

The facts: The toxin penetrates the skin and causes local damage. Any apparent spread is through skin contact.

I If you’re hypersensitive, you can get poison ivy just by driving near a patch. The facts: Not likely, unless the plants are damaged — say, by mowing or a fire — and the urushiol is carried through the air.

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information SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 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 PIA THY ETH PIA BBC UAE DHX ETD MSR GFA QTR JZR THY JZR JZR JZR KAC BAW KAC FCX JZR KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY ETD GFA QTR MHK JZR IRC MSR IRM KAC MSR KNE UAL RJA MSR FDB KAC JZR KAC SVA KAC KNE JZR CLX QTR JZR SVA IRC KAC KAC ETD UAE SYR KAC GFA SVA JZR JZR ABY FDB

Arrival Flights on Saturday 6/8/2011 Flt Route 642 AMMAN 215 KARACHI 772 ISTANBUL 620 ADDIS ABABA 239 SIALKOT 43 DHAKA 853 DUBAI 370 BAHRAIN 305 ABU DHABI 614 CAIRO 211 BAHRAIN 138 DOHA 529 ASSIUT 770 ISTANBUL 241 AMMAN 503 LUXOR 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA / BANGKOK 157 LONDON 416 JAKARTA / KUALA LUMPUR 201 BAHRAIN 1541 CAIRO 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 302 MUMBAI 53 DUBAI 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 362 COLOMBO 344 CHENNAI 855 DUBAI 132 DOHA 125 SHARJAH 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 6130 DOHA 711 BAGHDAD / NAJAF 165 DUBAI 6807 SHIRAZ 623 SOHAG 5066 MASHAD 672 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 703 MEDINAH 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 640 AMMAN 621 ASSIUT 57 DUBAI 786 JEDDAH 357 MASHAD 562 AMMAN 500 JEDDAH 552 DAMASCUS 745 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 792 LUXEMBOURG 134 DOHA 535 CAIRO 2702 JEDDAH 6791 MASHAD 118 NEW YORK 550 SOHAG 303 ABU DHABI 857 DUBAI 341 DAMASCUS 178 GENEVA / FRANKFURT 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 777 JEDDAH 239 AMMAN 127 SHARJAH 63 DUBAI

Time 0:05 0:25 1:15 1:45 2:15 2:20 2:25 2:55 2:55 3:05 3:15 3:20 3:35 4:10 4:55 5:15 6:10 6:15 6:30 6:35 7:00 7:10 7:15 7:20 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:10 8:20 8:20 8:25 9:00 9:10 9:30 9:35 10:25 11:00 11:10 11:35 12:10 12:50 13:15 13:20 13:25 13:30 13:35 13:40 13:50 14:00 14:10 14:20 14:30 14:35 14:45 15:10 15:15 15:15 15:50 15:55 16:00 16:15 16:40 16:50 16:55 17:00 17:15 17:15 17:20 17:25 17:35 17:40 17:55

JZR ALK KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC SIA JAI KAC AIC VOS FDB KNE OMA MEA KAC MLR MSR DHX KLM UAE GFA JZR QTR KAC UAL JZR MSR JZR JZR MSR DLH AXB JZR

177 227 104 502 542 618 774 674 1720 458 572 790 975 93 61 789 647 402 788 1405 618 372 445 859 217 203 136 614 981 135 606 1773 185 612 636 393 539

DUBAI COLOMBO / DUBAI LONDON BEIRUT CAIRO DOHA RIYADH DUBAI JEDDAH SINGAPORE / ABU DHABI MUMBAI MEDINAH CHENNAI / GOA KANDAHAR / DUBAI DUBAI JEDDAH MUSCAT BEIRUT JEDDAH COLOMBO / DUBAI ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN DAMMAM DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN LUXOR JEDDAH DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT KOZHIKODE / COCHIN CAIRO

Airlines MSR JZR DLH AIC KLM PIA THY ETH PIA BBC UAE DHX ETD MSR QTR THY JZR RJA GFA KAC JZR BAW FDB JZR KAC JZR KAC KAC UAE ABY KAC KAC QTR ETD

Departure Flights on Saturday 6/8/2011 Flt Route 1613 CAIRO 1540 CAIRO 637 FRANKFURT 576 GOA / CHENNAI 447 AMSTERDAM 216 KARACHI 773 ISTANBUL 620 BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA 240 SIALKOT / ISLAMABAD 44 DHAKA 854 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 306 ABU DHABI 615 CAIRO 139 DOHA 771 ISTANBUL 164 DUBAI 643 AMMAN 212 BAHRAIN 785 JEDDAH 356 MASHAD 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 534 CAIRO 671 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 551 DAMASCUS 561 AMMAN 856 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 549 SOHAG / SHARM EL SHEIKH 101 LONDON / NEW YORK 133 DOHA 302 ABU DHABI

18:00 18:00 18:35 18:45 18:50 18:55 19:10 19:25 19:25 19:35 19:35 19:55 19:55 20:00 20:00 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:50 20:55 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:25 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:00 22:10 22:15 22:15 22:35 22:50 23:00 23:15 23:30

Time 0:20 0:20 0:40 0:50 0:55 1:25 2:15 2:30 3:30 3:40 3:45 3:55 4:05 4:05 5:00 5:10 6:55 7:00 7:10 8:15 8:20 8:25 8:40 8:50 9:00 9:10 9:10 9:15 9:40 9:50 9:55 9:55 10:00 10:15

GFA KAC QTR KAC JZR JZR MHK IRC KAC MSR JZR KNE KAC IRM MSR RJA FDB MSR UAL KAC KAC KNE KAC KAC JZR SVA JZR KAC JZR CLX IRC VOS SVA ETD QTR SYR UAE GFA ABY JZR JZR SVA FDB KAC JZR ALK KAC JAI KAC FDB KNE KAC KAC OMA MEA SIA MLR KAC MSR DHX KLM UAE GFA FCX KAC QTR KAC KAC JZR MSR UAL KAC MSR

214 165 6131 541 776 238 712 6808 501 624 176 702 1719 5065 611 641 58 622 982 673 787 746 617 773 1772 505 202 789 538 792 6792 82 2703 304 135 342 858 216 128 184 266 511 64 613 134 228 283 571 1717 62 790 331 351 648 403 457 1405 543 619 373 445 860 218 102 381 137 301 205 554 607 981 411 613

BAHRAIN ROME / PARIS DOHA CAIRO JEDDAH AMMAN NAJAF / BAGHDAD SHIRAZ BEIRUT SOHAG DUBAI RIYADH JEDDAH MASHAD CAIRO AMMAN DUBAI ASSIUT BAHRAIN DUBAI JEDDAH JEDDAH DOHA RIYADH JEDDAH JEDDAH DAMMAM MEDINAH CAIRO HONG KONG MASHAD BAGHDAD JEDDAH ABU DHABI DOHA DAMASCUS DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI BEIRUT RIYADH DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DUBAI / COLOMBO DHAKA MUMBAI JEDDAH DUBAI JEDDAH TRIVANDRUM COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT ABU DHABI / SINGAPORE COLOMBO CAIRO ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN / AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DELHI DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD ALEXANDRIA LUXOR WASHINGTON DC DULLES BANGKOK / MANILA CAIRO

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

10:20 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:10 12:20 12:35 13:00 13:10 13:40 14:10 14:15 14:15 14:20 14:30 14:35 14:40 14:45 15:10 15:20 15:30 15:35 15:50 15:50 16:00 16:05 16:30 16:40 16:45 17:00 17:00 17:25 17:35 17:45 18:00 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 18:40 19:00 19:10 19:10 19:30 20:35 20:40 20:40 20:45 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:20 21:50 21:55 21:55 22:00 22:05 22:25 22:30 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:55 23:10 23:15 23:40 23:40 23:50

C R O S S W O R D

4 0 1

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Word Sleuth Solution

Yesterday始s Solution

ACROSS 1. An associate degree in applied science.

4. A member of the Siouan people of the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska.

9. The capital and largest city of Fiji (on Viti Levu island).

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

14. A science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement.

15. A theocratic republic in the Middle East in western Asia.

16. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

18. Of or relating to or characteristic of Thailand of its people.

19. The arch of bone beneath the eye that forms the prominence of the cheek.

20. (British colloquialism) An excavation.

21. Genus of North American and east Asian perennial herbs.

23. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

26. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring on the sea or ships.

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

29. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (19021984).

32. Committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates.

33. The cry made by sheep.

35. (of reproduction) Not involving the fusion of male and female gametes reproduction".

38. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.

40. Feed, care for, and rear young birds for flight.

42. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

44. The shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object.

45. A white trivalent metallic element.

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

49. An awkward stupid person.

53. A drug (trade names Calan and Isoptin) used as an oral or parenteral calcium blocker in cases of hypertension or congestive heart failure or angina or migraine.

56. 100 avos equal 1 pataca.

57. A medicinal drug used to evoke vomiting (especially in cases of drug overdose or poisoning).

61. A religious belief of African origin involving witchcraft and sorcery.

62. Being two more than fifty.

63. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Turkey and Iran and the Caucasus.

64. A member of a Mayan people of southwestern Guatemala.

65. Any of several small ungulate mammals of Africa and Asia with rodent-like incisors and feet with hooflike toes.

66. A Christian Bishop who translated the Bible from Greek into Gothic (311382).

67. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

DOWN 1. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

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

3. Lac purified by heating and filtering.

4. After noon.

5. Profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger.

6. Last or greatest in an indefinitely large series.

7. Malevolent aspect of Devi.

8. The largest continent with 60% of the earth's population.

9. Rock that form the continuous lower layer of the earth's crust.

10. A mountain range in western Russia extending from the arctic to the Caspian Sea. 11. A numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed.

12. Squash bugs.

17. (old-fashioned) At or from or to a great distance.

22. Confederate general during the American Civil War who was defeated by Grant in the battle of Chattanooga (1817-1876).

24. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

25. A port city in southwestern Turkey on the Gulf of Antalya.

28. An ugly evil-looking old woman.

30. A unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material.

31. Conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC).

34. A rounded thickly curled hairdo.

36. A state in midwestern United States.

37. Being ten more than one hundred ninety.

39. A small cake leavened with yeast.

41. The rate at which energy is drawn from a source that produces a flow of electricity in a circuit.

43. French mathematician who described the conditions for solving polynomial equations.

46. Chromatic purity.

48. Type genus of the Caviidae.

50. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.

51. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

52. (Jungian psychology) The inner self (not the external persona) that is in touch with the unconscious.

54. An intensive care unit designed with special equipment to care for premature or low-birth-weight or seriously ill newborn.

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

Yesterday始s Solution

SPORTS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Daly still unpredictable 20 years after PGA win ARIZONA: John Daly felt as though he had nothing to lose.In his eyes, his rookie year on the PGA Tour already was successful. The then 25-year-old had a pair of top-10 finishes and earned $166,590 - decent money in 1991 - to ensure that he would keep his card. It also was enough to make him the ninth alternate for the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick. So he thought nothing of an eight-hour drive through the night to Indiana, with no guarantee he would play until he checked into his hotel in the early morning hours and saw the message light on his phone.

Nick Price had withdrawn from the final major of the year to stay with his wife for the birth of their first child, and the alternate ahead of Daly on the list, Brad Bryant, was not available. “I was just happy that I got in,” Daly said. Within hours, Daly stepped onto the first tee of a 7,295-yard course that he had never seen, and four days later he was a major winner. Daly returns to the PGA Championship this year, 20 years after the week that changed his life. “It feels like it’s been 40 years, to tell you the truth,” he said.

At the time, golf had never seen anything like Daly. His swing was so long that the head of his driver pointed to the ground. It was so powerful that he never hit more than a 7-iron into the par 4s when he seized control of the PGA Championship in the second round. By Sunday, he was slapping hands and pumping fists on his way to a stunning win that made Daly an instant star, a Bunyanesque figure who promised to deliver all sorts of excitement for years to come.

And he did, in ways not many could have imagined. He won only six more times worldwide, but one of those was a British Open at St Andrews. He went through three more divorces. He was suspended at least twice by the PGA Tour. He sought alcohol treatment twice, and named one of his three children after one rehab center he visited in Arizona.

His son was born five days before his fourth wife and her parents were named in a federal indictment on drug and illegal gambling charges.

But he’s still going. Daly still entertains.

Fans forgive him, and they love him. “I’ve been up and down, up and down. And that’s how life is,” Daly said. “But I keep coming back. I’ve had troubles in my career, but the fans can relate. I don’t have any skeletons in my closet. One thing I can say about my life is that I wake up every morning and don’t have to worry about whether anybody is going to find something out about me.” Price had heard about the big-hitting rookie from friends in South Africa, where Daly had won a couple of tournaments the year before while trying to get to the PGA Tour.

“A lot of guys were telling me, ‘You’ve got to see John.’ So we played a practice round at the Byron Nelson,” Price said. “I had never seen anyone with a straight left arm get the club that far around. And there was this ‘WHOOSH’ when he hit the ball, like a windmill. It was amazing. He had a lot of game.”

Price never would have thought they would be connected in history. His wife was expecting the weekend before the PGA Championship, but there were no indications she was ready to give birth.

Knowing that Daly’s alternate number was getting close, Price told him it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get to Crooked Stick. And he had some advice if Daly were to get into the tournament. “I said, ‘Just make sure you take Squeak. He’s up there, he’s seen the course, he’ll do you a great job.’ I wasn’t wrong,” Price said. Price was referring to his caddie, Jeff “Squeaky” Medlin, who took only a few

holes of the first round to figure out what Daly was all about - and what to say to him.

“He knew I was an aggressive player,” Daly said. “It was on about the third hole. He said, ‘Just kill it, John.’ And we stuck with that the rest of the week.”

Even as a 14-year-old in Australia, Geoff Ogilvy vividly remembers watching that PGA Championship, even to the point that he could recite the top four finishers. “That was really the first week that golf became about long hitting,” Ogilvy said. “Yes, Greg Norman hit it long, and Jack Nicklaus hit it long, and

was disqualified for signing for an incorrect score after his 87.

He didn’t even sign his card in Australia after an 81 in the second round. He was accused of trashing a hotel room during a drunken rage in South Africa. It’s a long list.

When his disciplinary file was made public last year as part of court records in a lawsuit, there were no big surprises. There was another side to Daly that was overlooked through all his escapades. He donated $30,000 to set up a trust fund for the two young daughters of a man killed by lightning at Crooked Stick

CARMEL: File photo shows PGA champion John Daly celebrating with his caddy Jeff ‘Squeaky’ Medlin after winning the golf tournament in Carmel, Ind. — AP Bobby Jones hit it long. But the whole game changed. All of a sudden, people thought, ‘How big of an advantage is this to smash it that far?’ He was the first, at least in this generation, who was a truly absurd long hitter.”

Was it a fluke? Or was this blond-haired bomber from Arkansas about to change the game? Bruce Lietzke, the runner-up, was leaning toward the notion that Daly was for real. “He could be that guy who starts winning seven or eight golf tournaments a year,” Lietzke said that Sunday afternoon. “He can overpower 15 golf courses on tour.” It wasn’t long before Daly made headlines for other reasons. Four months later, he broke his putter in the second round of the Johnnie Walker World Championship in Jamaica and

during the PGA Championship. Both went on to graduate college. If someone was in need and Daly could help, he did so without asking questions. With his newfound fame, old friends showed up with their hands out, and Daly didn’t turn them away.

“I had people borrowing money and saying they would pay me back, stuff like that,” Daly said. “They would want to invest your money, and they stole it. That happens to everybody. I didn’t know any better.” And so began a roller coaster ride like none other in golf. Daly won the BC Open in 1992, and three months later entered alcohol rehab. He got into a scuffle with the father of a player at Firestone in 1994 and agreed to sit out the rest of the year, then won at St Andrews in

1995 for his second major.

It’s been that way his whole career, although there haven’t been many upward trends on the golf course. His last win came in 2004 at the Buick Invitational by making birdie from a bunker behind the 18th green at Torrey Pines. How fitting that he won with a shot that has come to define his life. It was an up-and-down. What was expected of Daly after he won that PGA Championship at Crooked Stick? His raw talent alone - extreme power, a remarkably soft touch with the short game - would suggest more than five PGA Tour wins. “He should have won more,” Ogilvy said. “He needed a great first wife, don’t you think? One of those wives who would pull his head in, let him be John Daly, but just without that little bit of excess.”

Peter Kostis, a swing coach and CBS Sports analyst who worked his first PGA Championship at Crooked Stick, was expecting the start of something truly grand when Daly won 20 years ago. “But I didn’t appreciate the difficulties he would have with the social parts of his life, the lack of social awareness and social situations that really bothered him,” Kostis said. “And he fought it.”

Daly’s goal when he finally reached the PGA Tour in 1991 was simply to keep his card.

When he won the PGA Championship, he had no idea it came with a 10-year exemption. “If I had known that, I would have choked,” he said.

His biggest dream as a kid was to win a British Open at St Andrews, and that’s why he is satisfied with his career. “I did more than what I thought I would have,” Daly said. “I never thought I was a very consistent golfer. I was aggressive, and that’s how I was taught.

So the good will come with the bad. But I’ve learned a lot. “I know I’ve made people mad, but I’ve also helped a lot of people.” Through it all, even as he returns to Atlanta Athletic Club 20 years after he appeared out of nowhere, he remains an attraction. Some are just curious to see what he will do next. Some expect to see a spectacular crash.

Most of them see beyond the high scores and the wild living, the gambling debts, the failed marriages, the 61 rounds in the 80s, swatting a ball as it was rolling off the green at Pinehurst, heaving a driver over the fence at Winged Foot.

They see someone they can relate to - not all of him, but parts of him. “If you take all those things away, whether bad luck or his own doing, he’s still a good guy,” Steve Stricker said. “A lot of people have ups and downs throughout their lives, and they can relate to John. A lot of people had a divorce maybe not four of them - and they say, ‘This guy is like us.’ As athletes, you get put on a pedestal and it’s like nothing can go wrong.”

“I (cheer) for the guy,” Stricker added. “The times I’ve been out with him, he’s easy to be around. I can’t say a negative word about John.”

Daly first attracted fans because of the long ball. Then came his exploits off the course. But there was always the appeal of an ‘everyman.’ He was, and still is, unlike any other golfer in an otherwise buttoned-up sport. “Not everybody behaves the way John has at periods, but everyone has a little bit of him in them,” Ogilvy said. “Everyone has a time when they drank a bit too much, or gambled a bit too much, or ate a bit too much or smoked a bit too much or struggled on the golf course with his temper. It’s the whole thing. That’s what makes him so endearing. As grumpy as he got with his golf, he was never like that with the other players.”It’s not possible to not like him.”—AP

SPORTS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

Aussie O’Hern leads at Reno RENO: Australia’s Nick O’Hern made the most of the morning’s favorable scoring conditions, firing a sevenunder 65 for a one-shot lead after the first round of the US PGA Tour Reno-Tahoe Open.”Can’t play much better than that,” said O’Hern, who made six of his seven birdies from inside 10 feet. He had the only round without a bogey on the Jack Nicklaus-designed Montreaux Golf and Country Club layout, where Chris Riley was second on 66.

“Missed a couple of putts but every time I hit an ornery shot I got it up and down for par, so I kept the round going,” O’Hern said. Riley, a

former star at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, had one bogey in his six-under effort. He is one of seven past champions in the field, his victory here in 2002 helping him earn a place on the Presidents Cup team.

Will MacKenzie, the 2006 champion, was another stroke back on 67, level with Blake Adams and Briny Baird. Baird was one of just two players among the top 20 who had to cope with the tough afternoon winds and holed out from 100 yards for an eagle on the par-five second.

“The strength of the wind wasn’t as bad as the direction of the wind,”

Baird said. “It would be complete different directions from hole to hole, so that made it tough.”

Defending champion Matt Bettencourt birdied two of his first four holes and was two-under through six before a rib injury forced him to withdraw. O’Hern, Riley and most of the other players on the leaderboard teed off in the early morning. “There was no wind,” Riley said. “The greens were perfect.” The wind, combined with a number of elevation changes on the mountain course, makes it hard to calculate distances on the tree-lined course that sits some 5,500 feet above sea level.

Tiger on the prowl to spoil ‘Chubby Slam’ ATLANTA: Tiger Woods is back in the hunt for his 15th major golf title at next week’s PGA Championship but the possibility of a “Chubby Slam” adds spice to the showdown at Atlanta Athletic Club. Former World No 1 Woods, who has slid to 28th in the rankings, returned to competitive golf Thursday from left knee ligament and Achilles tendon injuries that had sidelined him since May, causing him to miss the US and British Opens. Next week he plays his first major since the Masters and faces stiff competition from US Open winner Rory McIlroy, top-ranked Englishmen Luke Donald and Lee Westwood and defending champion Martin Kaymer.

Woods managed a practice round last Monday at the 7,467-yard Atlanta layout and found it much to his liking as he tries to snap a 22-month win drought and claim his first major title since the 2008 US Open. “I had a blast out there on a wonderful golf course,” Woods said. “It should be a great test for a major championship.” While Woods pulled off the “Tiger Slam” feat of winning four major titles in a row in 2000 and 2001, another sort of major title sweep has unfolded this season and could culminate in history of a different sort next week in Atlanta.

Andrew “Chubby” Chandler, a former European Tour player, is the manager for this year’s three prior major champions, Masters winner Charl Schwartzel, McIlroy and his fellow Northern Irishman, British Open champion Darren Clarke. “It’s an amazing ride we’re on right now,” Chandler said. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence. They spend a bit of time with each other and they’re used to talking majors and preparing for majors.”

Chandler’s champions figure to be a popular trio over the first two rounds, which could help all three thrive in expected sweltering conditions.

“I think it’s going to be Charl, myself and Darren, the major champions, the first two days, so at least we all know each other and it will be

OHIO: Hunter Mahan (left) and Tiger Woods putt on the 13th green during practice for the Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. — AP good fun to go out and play in that group,” McIlroy said. McIlroy has finished third at the past two PGA Championships and the course layouts are to the Ulsterman’s liking. “I like the PGA setups,” he said. I’m pretty confident going into there. “It was a great experience for me to get over the hump of winning a major championship and now that I’ve won one, I have the confidence and I think that I have the know-how to go out and win more.”

McIlroy was heralded as the next Woods when he won the US Open after having squandered a big lead entering the last round of the Masters, but it was countryman Clarke who pulled off an emotional British Open triumph. While his stable also includes three-time major winner Ernie Els and 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, Chandler says he wants World No. 2 Westwood to win his first major and complete

the “Chubby Slam”. “It would be fantastic if Lee Westwood could complete the job for himself and us in Atlanta because nobody deserves a Grand Slam title more after coming so close so often,” Chandler said.

Westwood has finished in the top three at six of the past 14 majors, including runner-up efforts at last year’s Masters and British Open and thirds at the 2008 and 2011 US Opens, the 2009 British Open and the 2009 PGA. “If I was a gambling man, I would have a substantial bet on Lee Westwood winning the PGA in Atlanta,” Clarke said. “I’m very sure he will win majors and not just a major.

“If he was to complete the ‘Chubby Slam’, I’m sure everybody concerned would be very pleased, but he has got an awful lot of good players that will have chances. “I hope he does. Lee has done everything he can do to get himself into contention to win. He has been there many times. — AFP

“I do enjoy the fact that the ball goes a long way because I’m a short hitter,” O’Hern said. “So it’s nice to get the driving stats up.”I played well last week at the Greenbrier but had a cold putter. It was nice to finally get the putter warmed up,” he added.

With most of the world’s best players at Firestone this week for the World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational, O’Hern is hoping he can join the list of players who have made the Reno-Tahoe their first US tour victory. The 39-year-old Australian came close with a tie for second at the Booz Allen Classic in 2006. — AFP

Major win drought rocks US golf stars ATLANTA: Golf’s global growth, including a spot in the 2016 Olympics, has helped push the once-dominant American lineup to a record win drought of six major events entering next week’s PGA Championship. Since the Masters began in 1934 as the newest of golf’s four major events, only in 1994 did a year pass without a US player taking at least one of the game’s most coveted crowns.

But 2011 could see another American shutout as South African Charl Schwartzel won the Masters while Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy won the US Open and his compatriot Darren Clarke captured last month’s British Open.

Europeans dominate the world rankings too. England’s Luke Donald and Lee Westwood rank first and second followed by Germany’s Martin Kaymer, the 2010 PGA Championship winner, and American Steve Stricker edging McIlroy for fourth.

Add Europe’s victory in last year’s Ryder Cup and it’s easy to see how even the return of former World No 1 Tiger Woods from left knee and Achilles tendon injuries might not be enough to push a US player into a Sunday trophy ceremony. “I just think the game has become so global,” Woods said. “Golf is just growing leaps and bounds globally. It’s been a flat market here in the States, but around the world it’s been tremendous to see. “With the advent of us being in the Olympics, I think there is going to be a huge influx of countries that haven’t really taken up the game of golf are now going to be focused on it.”

Woods warns that China might well follow the lead of Northern Ireland, which has produced three of the past six major winners. And China has a much larger pool of potential talent should the sport catch fire there. “I know China is just exploding over there,” Woods said. “I’ve been over there looking at some of the junior golf academies that they have and it’s phenomenal. They all have good swings.

“Extrapolate that out 15, 20 years from now, it’s going to be just amazing.” Not since Phil Mickelson won last year’s Masters has an American won a golf major and the lefthander sees Asia as a region to be watched now that South Korean Yang Yong-Eun became the first Asian man to win a major at the 2009 PGA. “Certainly we all expect that in the next couple of decades Asia is going to have a very strong presence in the game of golf,” Mickelson said. “I’m not worried about American golf. I think I’m more happy to see how strong international golf is. We’ve got players from all over the world winning the biggest events. That this only helps grow the game on an international level. “I’m not worried as though we don’t have good young players coming up to represent America, because I think we do.” Ben Curtis, the 2003 British Open winner, also sees Rickie Fowler and other young US talents as the tonic for competing with the new worldwide challenge.

“As far as American golf, it’s healthy,” Curtis said. “We’ve got a lot of great young players coming up. I think a few of them just need a little bit more experience. — AFP

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Pujols lifts Cardinals MIAMI: St Louis’ Albert Pujols hit his 25th home run of the season and finished a triple shy of the cycle, powering the Cardinals to a 7-4 win over the Florida Marlins in the National League on Thursday. Pujols came into the game only 1 for 14 on the Cardinals’ road trip. He walked and scored in the first inning, singled and scored in the third, homered in the fourth and doubled in the sixth. The Cardinals’ David Freese was hit on the helmet by a pitch with the bases loaded in the third inning. It put the Cardinals ahead 4-3, but Freese left the game with a mild concussion and a bruise. In a further casualy, Marlins second baseman Omar Infante broke his right middle finger diving for a ground ball in the third. St Louis reliever Kyle McClellan (9-6) pitched three scoreless innings to take the win. Florida starter Clay Hensley (1-4) lasted just 2 1-3 innings and allowed six runs.

Rockies 6, Nationals 3 In Denver, Troy Tulowitzki homered among his three hits as Colorado beat Washington. The Rockies took a 2-1 lead in the fifth on Eric Young Jr’s RBI single.

Tulowitzki made it 3-1 when he led off the sixth with his 21st homer of the season. Ty

Wigginton and Chris Nelson had two hits each for the Rockies, who snapped a fourgame losing streak. Colorado starter Esmil Rogers (5-1) allowed one run and struck out six in 5 2-3 innings. Nationals pitcher Ross Detwiler (1-1) made his second start of the season and gave up two runs in five innings.

Cubs 7, Pirates 6 In Pittsburgh, Carlos Pena hit one of Chicago’s three home runs and walked with the bases loaded during a three-run eighth-inning rally that lifted the Cubs over Pittsburgh and to a season-best fifth straight win. Pena, Geovany Soto and Blake DeWitt homered to give Chicago 10 long shots in the four-game sweep, the Cubs’ first in Pittsburgh in 52 years. The Pirates - in first place in the NL Central 10 days ago - have lost a season-worst seven consecutive games. Pittsburgh reliever Daniel McCutchen (3-3) came to the mound in the eighth and did not retire any of the three batters he faced. All of them scored. Chicago reliever Jeff Samardzija (6-4) pitched a scoreless seventh to earn the win, and Carlos Marmol worked a perfect ninth for his fourth save in the past five days.— AP

Baseball results/standings Major League Baseball results and standings on Thursday.

Tampa Bay 7, Toronto 6 (12 innings); Texas 5, Detroit 2; Chicago Cubs 7, Pittsburgh 6; Cleveland 7, Boston 3; St. Louis 7, Florida 4; NY Yankees 7, Chicago White Sox 2; Kansas City 9, Baltimore 4; Colorado 6, Washington 3; LA Angels 7, Minnesota 1; Philadelphia 3, San Francisco 0.

W NY Yankees Boston 68 Tampa Bay Toronto 56 Baltimore 43 Detroit 59 Cleveland 55 Chicago White Sox Minnesota51 Kansas City Texas LA Angels Oakland Seattle

62 61 49 48

Philadelphia Atlanta 64 NY Mets 55 Florida 55 Washington Milwaukee St. Louis 59 Pittsburgh 54 Cincinnati 54 Chicago Cubs Houston 37 San Francisco Arizona 61 Colorado 52 LA Dodgers San Diego 48

American League Eastern Division L PCT 68 42 42 .618 58 52 55 .505 65 .398 Central Division 52 .532 54 .505 52 58 60 .459 48 63 Western Division 50 .554 51 .545 62 .441 62 .436 National League Eastern Division 72 39 48 .571 55 .500 56 .495 53 58 Central Division 62 50 53 .527 56 .491 57 .486 47 65 74 .333 Western Division 62 50 50 .550 60 .464 50 60 64 .429

GB .618 .527 12.5 24 3 .473 8 .432

10

6.5 11

1 12.5 13

.649 8.5 16.5 17 .477

-

.554 3 7 7.5 .420 24.5

-

.554 .5 10 .455 14

-

19

15

11

MIAMI: Florida Marlins outfielder Mike Stanton catches an eighth-inning fly ball hit by St Louis Cardinals’ Rafael Furcal during a baseball game in Miami on, Thursday. The Cardinals won 7-4.— AP

Red Sox lose, caught by Yankees BOSTON: Cleveland pitcher Justin Masterson struck out nine and again beat his former team as the Indians downed Boston 5-2 on Thursday, costing the Red Sox the outright lead in the American League East division.

Masterson (9-7) allowed five hits in six innings. He improved to 3-0 overall against Boston, which traded him to the Indians to get Victor Martinez in 2009.

Carlos Santana hit a go-ahead home run for Cleveland, which avoided falling below .500 for the first time since its third game of the season. Erik Bedard, making his Red Sox debut after being acquired from Seattle, gave up seven hits in five innings. Reliever Franklin Morales (0-1) took the loss for Boston, which is now tied with New York in the AL East.

Rangers 5, Tigers 2 In Detroit, pitcher Alexi Ogando defeated Detroit for the third time this season, leading Texas to victory in a clash of divisional leaders. Ogando (11-5) allowed two runs over 6 1-3 innings. He has allowed just three earned runs in 21 innings against Detroit for a 1.29 ERA. Texas added three runs in the fourth on RBI singles by Mike Napoli and Ian Kinsler and a sacrifice fly by Endy Chavez.

Detroit starter Brad Penny (7-9) took the loss, giving up five runs in 6 2-3 innings.

Yankees 7, White Sox 2 In Chicago, Ivan Nova struck out a

career-high 10 as New York completed a four-game sweep of Chicago. The Yankees have won seven straight to pull level with Red Sox ahead of the threegame series between the arch rivals beginning Friday at Fenway Park.

Russell Martin hit a three-run homer in the ninth to break open the game and send Chicago to its sixth straight loss.

He drove in four runs. Robinson Cano homered, singled, walked and scored a pair of runs for the Yankees. Nova (10-4) pitched 7 2-3 innings and won his sixth consecutive decision. He held Chicago to one run and didn’t walk a batter.

White Sox pitcher Phil Humber (8-8) lost his fourth straight start, giving up four runs in 6 1-3 innings.

Rays 7, Blue Jays 6, 12 innings In St. Petersburg, Florida, Robinson Chirinos hit a tying single in the 11th inning, then delivered a two-out single in the 12th that lifted Tampa Bay over Toronto. The Rays twice rallied in extra innings. Desmond Jennings’ solo homer in the 10th made it 4-4 and Chirinos tied it again the next inning with his two-out single off Shawn Camp (1-2).

Tampa Bay loaded the bases in the 12th on B.J. Upton’s triple and two intentional walks. One out later, Chirinos grounded the game-winning single off Camp past the diving shortstop. Evan Longoria hit a three-run homer for Tampa Bay. Jose Bautista hit his major league-leading 33rd home run for

Toronto. Rays reliever Brandon Gomes (1-1) pitched one scoreless inning for his first major league win.

Angels 7, Twins 1 In Anaheim, Dan Haren took a onehitter into the eighth inning, steering Los Angeles to a win over Minnesota.

Haren (12-6) allowed struck out six and walked none. The only run came in the eighth when Jim Thome hit the 598th homer of his career. Mark Trumbo hit a homer and four RBIs for the Angels.

Twins starter Francisco Liriano (7-9) gave up seven runs in five innings, matching his season worst.

Royals 9, Orioles 4 In Kansas City, Alex Gordon matched his career high with four hits to help Kansas City defeat Baltimore. The Royals sent 11 men to the plate in a sixrun sixth inning to break open the game. The inning included eight hits, with Yamaico Navarro doubling home two runs and Chris Getz stroking a two run single. Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler added run-producing singles in the inning. Navarro drove in three runs, while Gordon, Cabrera and Butler - the first three Kansas City hitters - combined to go 8 for 14 with six runs, two doubles and three RBIs. Royals reliever Blake Wood (5-0) worked two hitless innings for the win. Orioles starter Zach Britton (6-9) allowed six runs in 5 1-3 innings.— AP

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England eager for ‘intense’ Wales warm-up LONDON: England play their first game since winning the Six Nations title when they face Wales in a World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham today, with manager Martin Johnson keen to see his side tested. “It’s a preseason game in one sense but when we get there today and it’s a full house, it’s a Test match, and that’s what we want-we want the games to be as intense and as hard as we can make them, because that’s what the World Cup is going to be (like) when we get there,” said Johnson.

Players on both sides will be keen to prove their worth as they bid to make it into their countries’ respective 30-man squads for next month’s World Cup in New Zealand. England beat Wales 26-19 when the teams last met, in the Six Nations and, as well as the memory of that loss, Wales-embarrassingly defeated last time out by the Barbarians in a match they unusually classified as a cap international-will also be keen to make amends for four years ago.

An under-strength Wales were thrashed 62-5 by England in a warmup match in 2007, and although current Coach Warren Gatland was not in charge for that fixture, he is well aware of the hurt it caused Welsh fans. “The guys are in great shape physically, and I think it is going to be an absolute full-on Test match from both teams,” said the New Zealander ahead of the first of two back-to-back games with England, who next weekend will travel to Cardiff. “We know what happened in 2007,” said Gatland. “These two

games against England, coming out of that, will give us a lot of confidence of where we are physically. “I know England will try to come and dominate us physically, and that’s a big challenge for us.”

Prop forward Matt Stevens will make his first England appearance in nearly three years following a drugs ban after being named in the start-

ing XV. Stevens, now with Premiership champions Saracens, won his last England cap in November 2008, but shortly afterwards, while a Bath player, he tested positive for cocaine and was banned for two years. However, impressive displays for Saracens have seen Stevens earn a recall and Johnson, England’s 2003 World Cup-winning

DUBLIN: Wales centre Tom Shanklin (right) evades a tackle by Ireland’s centre Andrew Trimble during the Six Nations rugby union international match against Ireland at Croke Park in this file photo. — AFP

All Blacks, Wallabies set for ‘epic’ clash AUCKLAND: The All Blacks and Wallabies are preparing for a no-holds barred showdown in their Tri-Nations clash being played today against the backdrop of the looming World Cup. The top two teams in the world are both sides coming off solid bonus point wins against a hapless Springboks combination for what Wallabies coach Robbie Deans predicts will be an “epic” battle. “There will be a lot of rugby played. Neither side is going to walk off the ground without having chanced their arm... they’ll do that because neither side wants to become second,” he said.

At stake is the Bledisloe Cup, the trophy bitterly contested between the All Blacks and Wallabies annually, and the important opportunity to take a psychological advantage into the World Cup, which starts here next month.

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said he was aware that history shows the All Blacks’ performance in the Tri-Nations “doesn’t count for a lot” at World Cup time but admitted it was hard not to think ahead. “We’d love to have a good performance here. The last time in New Zealand before the World Cup and obviously at this stadium there’s a little bit of that and we’re pretty keen to go out and have a good performance.”

Eden Park, also the venue for the World Cup final, is the All Blacks fortress where they have not lost for 17 years. The Wallabies last won there 25 years ago. The prospect of the two sides meeting again on the park in the World Cup final was also in the All Blacks’ thinking. “There’s a little bit of that underlying (in the team),” McCaw said. “The Bledisloe’s on the line, so it would be nice if we get a win and be able to hold onto that for another year and if we do the job right hopefully come October if that plays out like that it might help then.”

The All Blacks will be banking on winning the battle for possession with the return of Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Brad Thorn and Kieran Read giving them a near full-strength forward pack. But even if the Wallabies are forced to live off scraps of ball they have playmakers including Quade Cooper, Will Genia and Kurtley Beale in the backs who can turn a game at any time. “In a Test match like this it comes down to one or two opportunities that can dictate what happens for the rest of the game,” McCaw said. — AFP

captain, said: “Matt is a very smart player, obviously he can do the work in the tight phases but he is a very smart rugby player as well.”

Meanwhile 20-year-old Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi, who comes from a family of Samoa rugby stars, is set to make his England debut after being named in midfield, having qualified on residency grounds. The England team features several players making Test comebacks. Backrow Lewis Moody missed this season’s Six Nations title-winning campaign with knee ligament damage but was named captain on Thursday of a side featuring Tom Croft at blindside flanker and James Haskell at No 8. England great Jonny Wilkinson starts at outside-half in place of Toby Flood and Johnson said: “Jonny has trained as he always does, he has been absolutely outstanding and he’s still got a lot in him.”

Wilkinson will be up against a longstanding rival No 10 in Stephen Jones, who will become Wales’s most capped player when he makes his 101st Test appearance this weekend.

But Gatland has decided against including high-profile centre Gavin Henson in a side captained by flanker Sam Warburton instead of an injured Matthew Rees. “Gavin Henson is no more special than anyone else when it comes to the squad,” said Gatland.

“If he gets a chance he gets a chance, and if he doesn’t get a chance, he doesn’t.”— AFP

Beattie out to make mark in Ireland warm-up clash EDINBURGH: It may only be a so-called friendly on paper, but for Johnnie Beattie the World Cup warm-up clash with Ireland at Murrayfield today is the biggest match of his career. A year ago the Glasgow breakaway forward was rated among the best in his position in the global game. But a season of injury problems set him back on his heels and he needs to prove his skills once again to Andy Robinson before the coach decides on his final squad for next month’s World Cup in New Zealand.

“It’s the most pressure that I’ve ever looked at in one match,” Beattie said. “It was nice to be named and given the chance to play, but the flipside of that is that it is a hugely pressurized environment. “It can make or break, but that’s the pressure we all have to deal with while trying to play well and get a victory. “It’s huge, especially when it’s all based on one game. That’s the kind of frightening thing. “Everybody is in peak condition and vying for those spots. In my opinion, back row is the most fiercely contested area at the moment.

Meanwhile Scottish Lions stars Chris Cusiter and Mike Blair face a battle to revive their top flight careers after suffering a fresh dose of preWorld Cup injury agony. Scotland’s two most experienced scrum-halves have been ruled of the Ireland encounter and, with time fast running out until the World Cup, at least one of the No9 big guns looks set to be left at home.

Not only has Rory Lawson claimed the position

at such a crucial time, he has been made captain for the Murrayfield tussle. His bench deputy will be Greig Laidlaw - so it could be the case that even if they regain fitness, Cusiter and Blair will be left to fight it out for the third scrum-half slot in the finalized squad. Scotland field a new look centre combination in Graeme Morrison and Joe Ansbro, who will be up against an unfamiliar Ireland midfield duo of Fergus McFadden and Paddy Wallace, with regular skipper Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy both nursing injuries.

Ireland, who have won 10 out of their last 12 matches against their Celtic rivals, including a 2118 success in this season’s Six Nations, will be captained for the first time by Leinster lock Leo Cullen while behind the scrum Jonathan Sexton will look to run the game from outside-half. The need to experiment in such fixtures coupled with the enduring desire to win the game, can make a World Cup warm-up match tricky for a coach. But Ireland boss Declan Kidney said: “When you play a Test match there’s no holding back...It’s a Test match and that’s the way we’re approaching itwe want to go out there and get a win.”

Ireland full-back Rob Kearney returns to Test duty for the first time since suffering a knee injury against New Zealand in November. “Rob will be judged by a certain standard and there will be comments that he hasn’t played for a while,” said Kidney. “All we ask is that he gives everything. — AFP

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Zvonareva beats Dushevina at Carlsbad CARLSBAD: Top-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia beat countrywoman Vera Dushevina 6-3, 6-0 on Thursday as the top five seeds advanced at the Mercury Insurance Open. The third-ranked Zvonareva, who received a first-round bye, rebounded from a tough openinground match to move into the quarterfinals. She will next face Sabine Lisicki of Germany, who was a 6-4, 6-3 winner over American teenager Coco Vandeweghe.

Second-seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany reeled off 10 consecutive

games to lead 6-2, 3-0 when her French opponent Virginie Razzano retired with a right shoulder injury.

Petkovic will be an odds-on favorite in her quarterfinal, against 18-year-old American Sloane Stephens, who advanced when Austria’s Tamira Paszek quit with an abdominal strain when facing set point at 5-3 down in the first set.

No 3 Agnieszka Radwanska breezed past American Christina McHale 6-1, 60 and the Pole should face a more challenging task against quarterfinal opponent Daniela Hantuchova; the

eighth-seeded Slovak struggled past China’s Zheng Jie 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. There was a better result for another Chinese, as fourth-seeded Peng Shuai won a thriller against Italian No 15 seed Sara Errani 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7). Peng was down a break in the third set.

Peng will face former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in the quarterfinals. The fifthseeded Serb was a comfortable 6-1, 62 winner over Alberta Brianti of Italy.

After a struggle in the second round Tuesday against American qualifier Jill Craybas, Zvonareva was pleased with her performance against

Dushevina. “I started off a little slow but then I picked it up and it was a little bit better, a little bit cleaner than the previous one,” Zvonareva said.

Lisicki used two early service breaks to jump out in front 5-1 in the first set before Vandeweghe rebounded. The 19-year-old, who grew up less than 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the site of the tournament, fought back to within 5-4. Vandeweghe staved off two set points before Lisicki finally took the first frame. “I didn’t play my best tennis,” Lisicki said. “The important point was that I pulled it through.”— AP

Hardy wins 100m breaststroke title

WASHINGTON: Gael Monfils, of France, readies for a return to Dmitry Tursunov, of Russia, at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Thursday in Washington. Monfils won 6-2, 7-6 (9). — AP

Monfils wins twice, reach Washington quarterfinals WASHINGTON: Top-seeded Gael Monfils won two matches on Thursday, beating Ryan Sweeting then Dmitry Tursunov, to progress to the quarterfinals of the Legg Mason Classic. Monfils was among several players who were forced to play both their second and third-round matches on the same day due to rain curtailing play on Wednesday. The Frenchman downed American Sweeting 6-3, 7-6 (3) and had a very similar scoreline against Russian Tursunov, winning 6-2, 7-6 (9).

His opponent in the quarterfinals will be Serbian No. 6 seed Janko Tipsarevic, who also got through two straight-sets matches, beating Germany’s Michael Berrer 6-3, 6-4, then Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-2. The other player to win twice was seventh-seeded Marcos Baghdatis, though the Cypriot had to labor through six sets to down Somdev Devvarman 6-2, 0-6, 7-5 and Thomaz Bellucci 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Baghdatis- last year’s beaten finalist - will next face American Donald Young, who beat compatriot Michael Russell 6-3, 6-3, giving a hint he may finally be ready to deliver on the great promise he showed as a junior.

Tursunov, Dimitrov and Bellucci also played twice. Tursunov had beaten Italian Flavio Cipolla 6-1, 6-4 in his initial match; Dimitrov progressed from the early match when Michael Llodra retired with a rib injury while trailing 4-3 in the first set; while Brazil’s Bellucci had beaten Tommy Haas 76 (3), 3-6, 6-3. Having an easier task was No 3 seed Viktor Troicki, who beat South Africa’s Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3. The Serb will next face big-serving John Isner, who won five less games than James Blake but snared both tiebreaks against his neighbor and doubles partner to win 7-6 (0), 1-6, 7-6 (4).—AP

PALO ALTO: World record-holder Jessica Hardy won the women’s 100m breaststroke title on Thursday at the US swimming championships. Hardy won in 1min 6.81sec, well outside her world record time of 1:04.45. But she was comfortably in front of Ann Chandler, who was second in 1:07.17. Hardy withdrew from the 50m freestyle, opting not to double up on events as she did on the last day of the world championships on Sunday in Shanghai, where she won individual gold in the 50m breaststroke.

“I’m not happy with the time, but I’m really grateful to have a good race,” Hardy said. Hardy acknowledged she was feeling the strain of the national championships following so closely on the heels of worlds-a schedule that prompted top swimmers including Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin to skip the US meet. “The whole meet is a cruel joke,” Hardy said. “It’s kind of awful having nationals this close to worlds.”

Nathan Adrian, who finished out of the medals in fourth at last week’s worlds, won the men’s 50m freestyle in 21.84sec. His time at the US meet would have been good enough for silver in Shanghai. “The only reason I came back here was my coach and I knew there

CALIFORNIA: Jessica Hardy pushes through the water for a first place finish in the 100 meter breastroke during the 2011 ConocoPhillips National Championships in Palo Alto. — AFP was more in the tank,” Adrian said. “I’m happy I got to come here and swim that time and be a little more satisfied with my season than I was.” Elizabeth Beisel, who won the 400m individual medley world title at Shanghai, captured the

national title in the same event. Beisel led from start to finish and won in 4:34.78. In other events, Lara Jackson won the women’s 50m free in 24.98sec and Tim Phillips won the 100m butterfly in 51.69sec.— AFP

Top five Seeds sail into quarters in San Diego SAN DIEGO: The top five seeds at the WTA San Diego Open sailed into the quarter-finals on Thursday, with only China’s number four Peng Shuai taken the threeset distance. Top-seeded Vera Zvonareva led the way as she hammered fellow Russian Vera Dushevina 6-3, 6-0. German second seed Andrea Petkovic needed a mere 43 minutes to advance after French opponent Virginie Razzano retired with a shoulder injury while trailing 6-2, 3-0.

And third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska persevered through shoulder pain caused by a nerve problem to crush American teenager Christina McHale 6-1, 6-0. Radwanska admitted: “I’m worried about the shoulder. I’ll have to get it looked at. “It seems every time I come on the the hardcourt in summer it gives me trouble. It’s tough to treat.” But she said: “I played better than in my first match,

everything was working.”

In the quarter-finals Radwanska will face eighth-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, who beat China’s Zheng Jie 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. Peng needed two hours, 39 minutes to defeat Italian 15th seed Sara Errani 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (9/7). She now faces fifth-seeded Serb Ana Ivanovic, a former world number one who was buoyed by by her 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Italian Alberta Brianti. “There were a lot of close games, overall I played very well,” said Ivanovic, the 2008 Roland Garros champion and world number 18, who recently hired Briton Nigel Sears as a coach. “I was patient. If you give her chances she can do damage. I stayed calm and executed my shots like I’ve been doing in practice.”

Zvonareva posted her sixth victory in nine matches against Dushevina and reached her ninth quarter-final of the sea-

son. “It was an improvement over my first match,” said Zvonareva, a finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2010. “I started slow and had some ups and downs. I was able to go for my shots and played well on the key points. I never gave her a chance to turn it around or get back into the game.” Zvonareva next faces Wimbledon semi-finalist Sabine Lisicki of Germany, a 6-4, 6-3 winner over American Coco Vandeweghe. Petkovic, who arrived at La Costa six days early and has been enjoying the luxury resort with her sister, will next play American surprise packet Sloane Stephens after the 18-year-old advanced when Austria’s Tamira Paszek retired with an abdominal strain while trailing 5-3. Petkovic is rationing her American events in the lead up to the August 29 start of the US Open to avoid any chance of burnout.— AFP

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Relegated River cast shadow over first division BUENOS AIRES: The mood in Argentina at the start of a new season this weekend is quite different from a mere two months ago-before River Plate’s shock relegation and the national team’s Copa America failure. The prospect of a season without a “Superclasico”-the country’s biggest derby between arch enemies River and Boca Juniors-was unheard of, as was the idea that the second-tier Nacional B division might actually be of huge interest. River have been on a recruiting drive that has put most of the top flight clubs in the shade with the return of players such as strikers Fernando Cavenaghi and Alejandro Dominguez, who helped them win titles in the early 2000s.

They have been making headline news almost every day as they prepare to try to bounce back in one season. A controversial plan espoused by Argentine Football Association (AFA) president Julio Grondona to merge the

top two divisions into a 38-team national championship from next season also made waves until it was literally shouted down. Amid suspicions it was being devised to help River and make sure other top sides like Boca do not risk a similar fate, Grondona took less than a week to say the idea had been “put in the freezer”.

Club directors, coaches and players criticised the concept in the media and fans staged a protest against Grondona outside AFA headquarters, while River’s president Daniel Passarella and new coach Matias Almeyda, both former captains, said they wanted to come back up by their own means. Grondona sacked Argentina coach Sergio Batista after the Copa America hosts could not get past the quarter-finals and has replaced him with Alejandro Sabella, who will be keeping a close eye on the domestic league after the failure of a team packed with elite European exiles.

Champions Velez Sarsfield have qui-

etly gone about the business of preparing to defend their title, while making good money for new signings with the transfer of midfielders Ricky Alvarez to Inter Milan and Maxi Moralez to Atalanta. Boca have gone nearly three seasons without a title, a long time for a club of their standing when there are two on offer per season, the Apertura (opening) from August to December followed by the Clausura (closing) from February to June. Following Martin Palermo’s retirement, Boca signed former Ajax Amsterdam striker Dario Cvitanich.

Juan Roman Riquelme, on whom their hopes are centered again after an injury-plagued 2010/11 season, has taken over the captain’s armband. Two major Boca targets close to the deadline were the return of Real Madrid and Argentina midfielder Fernando Gago and the signing of Uruguayan goalkeeper Sebastian Sosa, who helped Penarol reach the final of the Copa

Libertadores in June. A major factor in River’s relegation-the result of their poor points average over three seasons in a system ironically devised to save the big clubs from the drop-was how well promoted sides All Boys and Olimpo did.

Neither finished in the relegation zone in the table of three-season points averages and instead two other sides who have traditionally been a part of the top flight, Huracan and Gimnasia de La Plata, went down with River. Few of the major derbies remain as Estudiantes will not face Gimnasia while Rosario Central, whose arch-rivals are Newell’s Old Boys, continue to struggle in the Nacional B. That leaves the Avellaneda derby between Independiente, who have brought back Argentina central defender Gabriel Milito from Barcelona, and Racing Club, now under coach Diego Simeone, as the major first division “clasico”. — Reuters

Lennon: Celtic to learn from tough schedule GLASGOW: Celtic boss Neil Lennon believes his players will be sharper going into their second Scottish Premier League game of the season thanks to a recent spate of friendly matches. Celtic dispatched Hibernian 2-0 on the opening day of the campaign two weeks ago before being allowed to take the following weekend off to compete in a friendly tournament in Dublin. Lennon’s team triumphed against an Airtricity XI but lost out to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Inter Milan and Swansea as they packed four games into 11 days.

However despite the disappointing results the Celtic boss believes his squad will have benefited from a punishing run of matches as they prepare for the trip to Aberdeen tomorrow.

“In terms of game time, we didn’t have enough going into the first match with Hibs so it was pleasing we negotiated that okay,” Lennon said. “The four games we have had since then have been very worthwhile. Everyone in the squad has had good game time, so anyone I call on this Sunday should be up to speed. “I am thankful for the games because we had a very short close season. We had a couple of games in Australia where I used the whole squad. But most went into the opening game of the season with a game and half, two games under their belt. “Sometimes that’s not enough. So these four games will have done the players a world of good.”

Celtic’s preparations for the match at Pittodrie have been dealt a blow after it was revealed the hamstring injury suffered by Glenn Loovens in training this week will rule him out for six weeks.However Lennon has plenty cover for centre of defence with Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanyama the latest to be tried out in the position in the match against Swansea. Lukasz Zaluska will remain between the sticks for Celtic this weekend but Lennon admits the search for a new keeper continues. Aberdeen’s disappointing start to the season continued last weekend with a defeat away to St Mirren and boss Craig Brown has demanded a reaction from his players in the match against Celtic.

Also tomorrow top of the table Motherwell will hope to continue their unbeaten start to the season as they welcome Hearts to Fir Park.Elsewhere, on Saturday bottom of the table Inverness Caledonian Thistle will be looking to try and get their first goal and points of the season as they take on newly promoted Dunfermline at East End Park. Third take on fourth as Dundee United host St Mirren at Tannadice. United will need to get used to life without top scorer David Goodwillie, who completed his transfer to Blackburn Rovers earlier this week. Rangers have a weekend off from SPL action as they prepare to host English Premiership side Chelsea in a friendly at Ibrox.— AFP

MANCHESTER: Manchester City players including David Silva (right) train at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England.

Manchester City will play Manchester United in the Charity Shield soccer match in London tomorrow. — AP

City ready to price title from United LONDON: Manchester City stand ready to emerge from the long shadow cast by their illustrious neighbors when the new Premier League season begins next weekend. City last won the English title in 1968, the year Manchester United first became European champions, and United have since secured 12 Premier League crowns, all under manager Alex Ferguson. Once dismissed by Ferguson as noisy neighbors, Roberto Mancini’s City team and last season’s runners-up Chelsea are the biggest threats to United’s hopes of retaining the title. “We expect a big challenge from those two,” Ferguson told Inside United.

City showed improvement by finishing third last season. It ensured Champions League football and provided a valid reason- other than eye-bulging salaries-for the world’s best players to flock to Eastlands. Argentina striker Sergio Aguero is the latest A-lister to join the City revolution. His move from Atletico Madrid is the

stand-out signing of a transfer window that has been relatively short of spectacular deals. Chelsea will begin a new era under Portuguese coach Andre VillasBoas-the latest occupant of the hottest seat in English football that normally results in ejection by owner Roman Abramovich if a season ends without silverware. Villas-Boas, 33, must get the maximum out of an ageing squad that pushed United close last season. Chelsea’s pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Luka Modric could persist until transfer deadline day. Villas-Boas will also need to solve the riddle of Spain striker Fernando Torres, who since his record 50 million-pound ($82 million) move from Liverpool in January has managed only one goal.

“Andre is a modern manager,” Chelsea captain John Terry told reporters. “The thing that impresses me, he understands the players. I’ve been really impressed and everyone seems to finally understand the

way he wants us to play.”

Arsenal, fourth last season and facing a potentially tricky Champions League playoff tie, have spent the summer trying to hold on to skipper Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri after left-back Gael Clichy joined Manchester City. Of the other teams expected to threaten, Liverpool have been the most progressive as they try to restore their faded glamour and challenge for their first title since 1990.

The optimism of Kenny Dalglish’s return to Anfield midway through last season has been fuelled by the signings of England winger Stewart Downing from Aston Villa, playmaker Charlie Adam from Blackpool and Jordan Henderson from Sunderland. “It has given the supporters a bit of hope and put a smile back on their faces,” Dalglish said. “In and around the city, you can see the feel-good factor is there for us. Now we have got to go on the pitch and win games.”—Reuters

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NYON: UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino (left) and UEFA Competitions Director, Giorgio Marchetti pick up the balls containing the names of the soccer clubs, during the draw for the Champions League playoffs at the UEFA Headquarters in Nyon yesterday. — AP

NYON: The group formations are shown on an electronic panel after the draw for the Champions League playoffs at the UEFA Headquarters in Nyon yesterday. — AP

Arsenal face Italy’s Udinese in play-offs Bayern relieved to get Zurich in qualifiers NYON: Bayern Munich, whose Allianz arena will stage this year’s Champions League final, breathed a sigh of relief when they were drawn against modest FC Zurich in the final qualifying round yesterday.

Arsenal will face Serie A outfit Udinese, a draw which looks tough on paper but may not be so tricky in reality against a club who have sold their two most important players and will not have played a competitive match beforehand.

Four-times European champions Bayern and Arsenal were spared the long trip to Russia to face Rubin Kazan, a task which fell

to France’s Olympique Lyon.

Former European champions Benfica must play Twente Enschede and Spain’s Villarreal were pitted against Odense of Denmark in the so-called “league” side of the draw, featuring nonchampions from Europe’s strongest domestic championships.

“That is an achievable and interesting task,” Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes told the Bavarian club’s website (www.fcbayern.thome.de). We have an excellent chance to qualify for the group stage.

Avoiding Rubin meant we will not have any complicated travel-

Socceroos kick off World Cup campaign in Brisbane SYDNEY: Australia have chosen Brisbane’s Lang Park to host Thailand for their opening match in Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) said yesterday. The Socceroos, aiming to reach a third successive finals in Brazil in 2014, will be hoping to tap into a well of local success at the 52,500seat stadium when they take on the Thais on Sept 2. The Brisbane Roar, captained by Socceroos midfielder Matt McKay, clinched the A-League title in front of 50,000 at Lang Park in March and the Queensland rugby union and league teams have both packed the stadium to win silverware this year.

“FFA is delighted that we’ll start the journey in Brisbane, which is obviously a hot spot for football in the afterglow of the Roar’s triumph and Matt McKay’s growing stature with the national team,” said FFA chief Ben Buckley. The top two from each of Asia’s five third-round groups progress to a second group stage, which offers four places at the finals in Brazil as well as a possible fifth via playoffs. Saudi Arabia and Oman are the other teams in Australia’s group.— Reuters

ling to do.” Bayern were plunged into the qualifying stage when they could finish only third in the Bundesliga last season, a performance which cost Louis van Gaal his job as coach.

UNTHINKABLE FAILURE Failing to qualify for the group stage would be unthinkable for Germany’s biggest club, especially in a year when they are hosting the final.

FC Zurich, who beat AC Milan 1-0 away in a group stage match two years ago, beat Standard Liege in the third qualifying round but have made a terrible start to the Swiss League, losing all three

games so far. Udinese general manager Franco Collavini did not appear to hold much hope of preventing Arsenal reaching the group stage for the 15th consecutive season and said his team were concentrating on their Serie A debut on Aug 28. “It’s a very difficult match against one of the most important clubs in Europe,” said Collavini, whose club have sold winger Alexis Sanchez to Barcelona and midfielder Gokhan Inler to Napoli. “We are working to complete our squad for the end of August. It’s important to have the opportunity to play a club like Arsenal.”

Arsenal manager Arsene

Wenger will not be in the dugout for the first leg after his outburst in their last 16 defeat by Barcelona last season resulted in a one-match ban.

The first legs will be played on August 16/17 with the returns one week later. Of the sides to won their domestic championships FC Copenhagen, who last year reached the last 16, were drawn against Viktoria Plzen from the Czech Republic while former European Cup runners-up Malmo will play Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb, who last qualified in 1999/00. Five places are reserved for the champions from lower-ranked nations in the group stage.— Reuters

2012 Bahrain GP set for November move LONDON: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has agreed to provisionally re-schedule next season’s Bahrain Grand Prix from March to November because of the uncertain political situation in the country. This year’s race at the Sakhir circuit, originally set to open the season in March then controversially switched to Oct 30 because of bloody civil unrest, was finally struck off the calendar in June after pressure from the teams.

When announcing its provisional calendar for 2012 in June, governing body the FIA penciled in the Gulf kingdom for the season-opener in March. However, continuing unrest in Bahrain has forced the government to ask for a later date, according to a report in the online version of the Financial Times. “They didn’t want it up the front so I’ve had to screw the whole calendar up,” Ecclestone was quoted in the report on (www.ft.com).

While next season’s calendar is provisional, the new date of Nov. 4, three races from the finale, would cause logistical problems for the teams, who face six back-to-back races in quick succession in different continents. However, a spokesman for the Bahrain International Circuit, said a November race would have advantages. “We are extremely

happy to host the Grand Prix in November. Due to high temperatures in our summer, either early or late in the season is better. November is the best month for us,” the unnamed spokesman was quoted in the report.

Bahrain has been a thorn in the side of the FIA since Shiite protestors took to the streets of the capital Manama in February, demanding the fall of the country’s Sunni leadership. Several protestors were killed and hundreds wounded as the government’s security forces tries to suppress the revolt. When it was announced by the FIA in June that the Bahrain Grand Prix would go ahead on Oct. 30 it sparked criticism from human rights campaigners and some of the drivers, including Australia’s Mark Webber. “In my personal opinion, the sport should have taken a much firmer stance earlier this year rather than constantly delaying its decision in the hope of being able to reschedule it in 2011,” Webber said at the time. “It would have sent a very clear message about F1’s position on something as fundamental as human rights and how it deals with moral issues.” The Bahrain Grand Prix, which has been on the F1 calendar since 2004, is estimated to inject $500 million into the local economy through tourism and commerce.—Reuters

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BARRANQUILLA: Brazil’s Gabriel Silva (left) and Panama’s goalkeeper Luis Mejia eye the ball during a U-20 World Cup group E soccer match in Barranquilla, Colombia. — AP

Brazil outclass Panama 4-0 U-20: Egypt crush Austria 4-0 BARRANQUILLA: Philippe Coutinho’s two goals led Brazil to a 4-0 win over Panama on Thursday and a place in the knockout stage of the Under-20 World Cup. Striker Henrique put Brazil ahead with a goal from close range in the 40th minute, and Inter Milan’s Philippe Coutinho added to the lead in first-half stoppage time, then again in the 52nd. Dudu completed the scoring in the 89th with a shot from inside the area.

Brazil finished top of Group E with seven points from three matches. Egypt beat Austria 4-0 and also finished with seven points, but trailed Brazil on goal difference. Panama and Austria were eliminated with one point each.

Brazil’s opponent in the second round will be either Saudi Arabia or Nigeria. It will most likely be the Saudis, unless they manage to beat the Africans in their last group game on Saturday. “We are improving in the competition and hopefully we will play even better in the next round,” Brazil coach Ney Franco said.

“We can’t make mistakes from now on.” “We reached our goal, which was to advance to the second place in first place. We were always in control.” Panama held out for much of the first half before defensive lapses in the closing moments. Henrique gave Brazil the lead after striker Oscar got past two defenders and the goalkeeper inside the area before

feeding him the ball for an easy goal from in front of the open net. Philippe Coutinho doubled the advantage before the interval, controlling a loose ball near the penalty spot and firing a shot into the far corner. He netted his second by controlling the ball with his thigh inside the area and clearing a defender before and striking a well-placed shot into the far corner. The goals were Philippe Coutinho’s second and third in the tournament, and in 20 minutes of game time, the contest had gone from locked to effectively over.

Egypt 4 Austria 0 Mohamaed Ibrahim scored three goals as Egypt defeated Austria 4-0 on Thursday to advance to the second round of the Under-20 World Cup. After Mohamed Ghazi opened the scoring in the 31st minute, Ibrahim scored in the 60th, 62nd and 82nd to give Egypt the lopsided victory in Group E. Egypt finished group play with seven points in three matches and was level with Brazil, which defeated Panama 4-0 on Thursday. But Brazil claimed first place with a better goal difference. Egypt will face Argentina, the top team in Group F, on Tuesday in the round of 16.

Mexico 0 England 0 Mexico held England to a 0-0 draw to

secure a spot in the second round of the Under-20 World Cup, leaving the English relying on other results in other groups to advance. Argentina defeated North Korea 3-0 in Medellin earlier Thursday to top Group F with seven points, three more than Mexico.

England ended with three points after three scoreless draws and will wait to see if it can advance as one of the four best third-place finishers among the six groups. North Korea was eliminated with one point from three matches.

Mexico had its greatest chance with a penalty in the 14th minute, but striker Taufic Guarch had his shot saved by England goalkeeper Jack Butland. The penalty was awarded after England defender Reece Brown’s foul on Erick Torres inside the area. Mexico dominated the action at the Estadio Olimpico Jaime Moron Leon in the coastal city of Cartagena. It created most of the scoring opportunities and controlled possession throughout the match. England’s most significant scoring opportunity came in the 56th when Callum McManaman’s shot from inside the area was barely saved by Mexico goalkeeper Jose Rodriguez. Midfielder Dean Parrett also threatened in the 79th with a long-range right-foot shot that just missed over the crossbar.

Argentina 3 North Korea 0 Six-time champion Argentina defeated North Korea 3-0 on Thursday in its final group match in the Under-20 World Cup, advancing to the second round and sending the Asian team home. Facundo Ferreyra opened the scoring in the 36th minute, with second-half goals coming from Lucas Villafanez in the 84th and Adrian Cirigliano in stoppage time.

Coach Walter Perazzo played the match without star Erik Lamela, who has an ankle injury.

“We had to win a spot in the next round, and Argentina went after the match - but patiently,” Perazzo said. “It was a strange match. We created a lot of chances but it took us time to break through.”

The victory gave Argentina seven points from three matches and top spot in Group F. North Korea finished last in the group with one point. Mexico advanced with four points following a 0-0 draw with England. The English have three points and are relying on other results to advance. Despite needing a victory, North Korea played a defensive game, with Argentina having 60 percent of possession. “Argentina is a very strong team and attacking would not have been prudent,” North Korea coach Jo Tong Sop said.

Argentina has won this event six times, including five of the last eight. — Agencies