16 Aug

ON IP TI SC R SU B

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

Caged Mubarak back in the dock 03:41 03:51 05:16 11:52 15:28 18:28 19:50

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

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www.kuwaittimes.net

RAMADAN 16, 1432 AH

Death toll mounts as troops pound Homs

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Real, Barca locked at 2-2 in Supercup

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Ramadan: Month of soaring food waste?

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Amir warns against of surpluses misuse Kuwait leader calls for ‘sacrifices’

Max 45º Min 33º Low Tide 07:31 & 20:07 High Tide 01:40 & 13:12

By B Izzak and Agencies

Inmates protest, attempt ‘suicide’

By Hanaan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Security forces restored order at the deportation jail after backup police were called to subdue a mutiny carried out by eight inmates on Sunday night. The inmates - seven Egyptians and one Saudi - tied bed sheets together and used them as ropes to climb up the jail fence after clashing with the security. Early reports indicated that the inmates attempted suicide using the bed sheets as nooses.

An official release from the Ministry of Interior later confirmed that the inmates faked the suicide attempt after being outnumbered by special task forces who were called to reinstate law and order. Three ambulances arrived at the deportation jail minutes after the insurgency was reported, while other

ambulances escorted special task forces who ensured control after the melee stirred a violent reaction from other inmates.

The Ministry of Interior said yesterday that the riot was a result of frustration.

The deportees were aggravated that unfinished procedures pertaining to fines and travel ban orders delayed their departure from prison. “These orders are being looked into by the investigation authorities”, claimed a report, further explaining that the deportation division at the ministry’s General Department of Correctional Institutions doesn’t have any authority with regard to unfinished stipulations. “[The rioting] deportees’ demands are currently being studied to ensure that they do not stay for an extended period at the deportation center”, the statement read.

Ramadan Kareem See Page 13

KUWAIT: HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (left) and HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (2nd left) listen as HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (right) addresses the consultative committee at Seif Palace yesterday. — KUNA

67 die in Iraq’s ‘bloodiest day’ KUT: Attacks in more than a dozen cities across Iraq killed 67 people yesterday, including 40 in twin blasts blamed on Al-Qaeda in the southern city of Kut, in the country’s bloodiest day in more than a year. The surge of violence raises questions over the capabilities of Iraq’s forces after its leaders agreed to open talks with the United States over a military training mission to last beyond a projected year-end American

withdrawal.

The attacks, which took place in 17 cities and also wounded more than 300 people, were quickly condemned by Iraqi leaders, with parliament speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi blaming security leaders for unspecified “violations.” In the worst attack, a roadside bomb in the centre of Kut, 160 kilometers south of Baghdad, at Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah yesterday asked a group of government and private economists and experts to propose definite measures that would rectify the “structural distortions” in the Kuwaiti economy because of a surge in spending.

Opening the meeting that was called to study the impacts of the global debt crisis on the Kuwaiti economy, the Amir asked the experts to spare low income people from those measures, an indication that the measures may call for imposing taxes and raising charges.

The Amir bluntly told the experts that the huge raise in spending and the misuse of financial surpluses resulting from high oil prices, poses a real danger on Kuwait’s future and urged speedy and effective solutions. Kuwait has been adopting a generous welfare system under which most citizens are employed by the government, people pay no taxes and public services are offered at highlysubsidized prices.

He warned against the misuse of the oil-rich emirate’s mammoth assets.

“Misuse of Kuwait’s state budget surplus, including unproductive spending, has Continued on Page13

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Prime minister hosts ramadan ghabqa KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah (left) with the National Assembly Speaker Jassem Mohammad Al-Kharafi, (centre) and the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammad Al-Afasi are pictured during the annual ghabqa hosted by the prime minister at Bayan Palace on Sunday evening. The event was attended by The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Al-Sabah, other current and former ministers, members of parliament, senior sheikhs, officials government and private sector officials and other dignitaries.

— Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat and Fouad Al-Shaikh

Hussain Al-Mansoury, Director General of KFSD (right) with Sheikh Nasser.

Dr Sheikha Rasha Al-Sabah, adviser to the Prime Minister greeting Sheikh Nasser.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Al-Sabah (centre) and Kuwaiti actress Maryam AlSaleh (right) with Sheikh Nasser.

Lieutenant General Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khalid Al-Sabah Chief of Staff (middle) and Major General Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah AlKhalifa Al -Sabah, Director General of the Drugs Control General department (right) are pictured at the event (right).

Sheikh Nasser greeting guests.

Faisal Al-Haji, advisor at the Prime Minister’s Diwan and former Minister of Information and Social Affairs is greeted by Sheikh Nasser.

Former Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail is greeted by Sheikh Nasser.

Faisal Al-Haji with Minister of Commerce and Industry Amani Buresli at the event.

Sheikh Nasser with guests.

Moudhi Al-Homoud, former Minister of Education and Higher Education and Tamadir Al-Sdairawi, Education Ministry Undersecretary are pictured with Sheikh Nasser.

Finance Minister Mustafa Shamali (second left) with Sheikh Nasser.

Sheikh Nasser with guests.

Sheikha Latifa Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and Sheikha Maimuna Al-Athby Al-Sabah are greeted by Sheikh Nasser.

Sheikh Nasser with guests.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

Convention Center & Royal Suites hosts ghabqa KUWAIT: Convention Center & Royal Suites hosted a ghabqa for media and top VIP clients in cooperation with IAA. Hotel management and staff, IAA committee welcomed all the invitees led by Haleem Ghobar, General Manager of the hotel. The General Manager of the Convention Center & Royal Suites Haleem Ghobar extend his good wishes to all members of the audience in the holy month of Ramadan.

Convention Center & Royal Suites staff were very hospitable by preparing excellent food through Chef Ghosh and his team. More than 400 people attended, the event was full of fun, and live entertainment with lots of prizes were some of the highlights of the event. Convention Center & Royal Suites has a special Al-Mawardi coffee shop where the guests enjoyed shisha and light food. —Photos by Joseph Shagra

Balah al sham

Ingredients 1/2 ml Water 200g butter 10g salt 500g flour any purpose 10pcs Eggs Oil for frying For syrup 2kg sugar 1kg water Rose water for flavor Preparation 1. Boil water, Butter and salt together 2. Add the flour and stir it well until the dough combine properly 3. pour out the dough in the mixing Bowl and add Eggs slowly with All the dough completed 4. Meanwhile heat the oil and fill the dough in a piping bag with small star nozzle 5. pipe the dough to oil and cooked until the color become golden brown 6. Garnish with crushed pistachio.

Kussa bl Laban

Ingredients • 2 lbs zucchini, even sized (1 kg) • cold water • sea salt Filling • 1 medium onion, finely chopped • 1 tablespoon pine nuts • 8 ounces ground beef (250g) • 1/4 cup white rice • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice • salt • fresh ground black pepper • 1 1/4 cups cold water • Fresh yogurt • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 1 teaspoon dried mint Preparation 1. Choose either medium or small zucchini. Wash well cut off stem. Using a corer hollow out zucchini leaving rounded end intact. Try not to puncture the skin. Soak in salted water for 10 minutes.

2. Gently fry onion in butter. Add pine nuts after 10 minutes cook with onions for another 10 minutes, stir occasionally.

3. Add pan contents to ground meat, rice, spice and about a teaspoon of salt, pepper and oil if meat is lean.

4. Fill zucchini with stuffing. (The rice expands and the meat will shrink so fill them all the way).

5. Arrange zucchini in layers in a large pot, sprinkling each layer lightly with sea salt. Add water and invert a plate on top of the zucchini and bring to a slow simmer, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour or until tender.

6. Meanwhile heat the stabilized yogurt. When it begins to simmer/boil, add garlic and boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.

7. When zucchinis are cooked, remove plate and pour garlic yogurt mixture over them and leave over medium heat for 10 minutes to boil gently. Cook uncovered until sauce is thick.

8. Add Crushed garlic with dried mint to mixture on top boil for another 10 minutes before serving with Steamed rice.

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LOCAL

Local Spotlight

in my view

Don’t blame the government

Don’t murder people; it’s Ramadan

By Abdellatif Al-Duaij he people’s legitimate representatives in the National Assembly are adept at heaping blame on the government, and are particularly skilled at singling out the reasons for its failure and the inability to find solutions or even deal realistically with the crises that engulfs the country.

Yet, our MPs are not in better shape, regardless of the noise they make, or the shroud of wisdom and ‘vision’ they try to wrap around themselves with, figuratively speaking. In the end, legislators, like Cabinet members, find themselves trapped in a hole, unable to find the light at the end of the tunnel. The difference here is that, our MPs accuse our government of inability.

It is possible that their judgment is right, and the government is actually cannot plan ahead of time. If the case is as such, then why don’t our MPs themselves take the initiative to work on

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Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net robably I’m addressing this issue a bit too late because Ramadan will be over in another two weeks. We won’t experience this month until next year. So indeed, I don’t want lecture about the holiness of this month. This year’s Ramadan was marred by a tragic incident that occurred in Kuwait, on the first day of Ramadan. I feel this subject should be discussed because it is not right to turn a blind eye on the death of people.

Four Indians were shot dead by a Kuwaiti man. He was a policeman and such incidents are not usually printed in newspapers and are conveniently brushed under the carpet. I don’t think keeping silent is being fair on the victims’ families. People like me want to see that justice is meted out. It was really annoying to read the tailor-made justification that the murders were perpetrated by bouts of insanity!

I agree that no one with common sense would shoot people indiscriminately. Not everyone who commits a crime is mentally ill! Is this a standard excuse to let murderers go scot free, and kill many more? What is all this about?

The four Indians who were gunned down had come here to earn a living so as to support their families that live miles away. One fine day, a mentally-ill individual decides that four people are not fit to live simply because he ‘caught’ them eating ten minutes before Iftar? No one has the right to end their lives, and we have no right to come to his rescue with a ready excuse. There are many mentally ill people in this country, why don’t we shut down the Central Jail and operate only psychiatric hospitals to treat those who commit crimes? This way, everyone that shoots innocent people can be directly admitted to such hospitals!

Some readers have sent me angry e-mails because they fear for their lives, and I completely agree. I believe serious actions should be taken and murderers should not be let loose. This is not justice. When we fail to serve justice to the wronged, this means that we have failed as human beings, no matter what our pretences are.

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The legislator who plans and formulates policies is the National Assembly. The government or the executive authority, as it is named, executes what the Assembly plans.

The curse of unqualified personnel

finding institutions to establish authorities?

Power is ac tually vested with the National Assembly, according to our Constitution. So, the government is just an executive tool in the hands of this nation.

The legislator who plans and formulates policies is the National Assembly. The government or the executive authority, as it is named, executes what the Assembly plans. This makes the National Assembly and its members responsible for the sudden crisis we face, such as university admissions. It is possible to accept justifications put forward by the Parliament, and agree with them on the responsibility shared by the government.

The National Assembly makes plans and implements public policy, not the government.

It approves the Amiri speech which the government presents. So, the National Assembly cannot hold the government responsible, except for its inability to fulfill promises made in the Amiri speech. —Al-Qabas

uite unfortunately, unqual- benefits enjoyed by state involved in. In most cases, they can avoid punishment. In a ified individuals are at the employees.

People are concerned about report published by Al-Qabas helm of several prestigious daily last May, 75 attorneys professions. The reason why were involved in illegal acts like this trend is prevalent in Kuwait is unclear. Is it the lack Many auditors own commercial forging official documents, attack ing public sector of regulations that govern work ethics in professions businesses - defying the nature employees.

The same report concludes like medicine, law and of work undertaken from both that the Kuwait Lawyers accounting?

Many auditors own com- the legal and ethical stand- Association should be blamed for failing to exercise their role mercial businesses - defying the nature of work undertak- points. Can they maintain neu- in penalizing attorneys. I the government should en from both the legal and trality when they are asked to believe be held liable in this case. It ethical standpoints. Can they maintain neutrality when audit companies that rival their opened the door for unqualified lawyers who graduated from C they are asked to audit comgrade institutes to practice this panies that rival their own? own? sacred profession in Kuwait. The While this subject needs to government must act now to be addressed, our lawmakers seem to be busy passing legisla- the notable increase in the num- restore order to the field of law tions to increase the financial ber of crimes that a lawyer is practice in Kuwait. —Al-Qabas

kuwait digest

By Ahmad Al-Sarraf

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kuwait digest

The education crisis

By Shraideh Al-Maosharji recently witnessed a heated discussion between two men at a local diwaniya over the long-running saga of students previously denied places at Kuwait University.

The first speaker attacked MPs for their intervention in the executive authority’s work and their continuous work to destroy state bodies organizations, demanding that the government must not give in to their wishes. He warned against giving concessions to them, especially in the education sector.

The second speaker responded, saying that the last thing anyone expected was that the state of Kuwait would ever become unable to send its children to the country’s university despite its wealth and the limited number of the students. He pointed out that while Kuwait has constructed several universities in other countries, the government is unable to provide this basic service for its own citizens back home. Accordingly, he insisted, this government does not deserve to continue in power and the MPs should do their duty and use all the constitutional tools available to them to resolve this problem once and for all.

The discussion grew more and more heated, with others present joining in on both sides, some in favor of the first speaker and some supporting the second, until one guest there told everyone, ‘You are talking based on what you’ve heard, but my daughter got 89 percent in her exams and wasn’t admitted and another family member got 92 percent and still wasn’t admitted. Imagine your daughter’s dreams fading away in one second because of the negligence of those responsible for higher education.”

I’ve be g u n to wo n de r, a re we re a lly in Kuwait? Education is a right guaranteed by the state for every citizen, and it should be one of the top priorities, and considered no less important than security, food and honorable living. Furthermore, is it logical that a student with such high marks does not get a seat in the university? Is it logical that the accepted students have got higher percentages? Isn’t it time to open new universities in the north and south of the country to meet the increasing needs of the students? And if the government had to resort to desperate measures to resolve the situation this year, what will it do next year? All those questions require answers, otherwise the government shall face the same problem next year, with an even larger number of students. —Al-Jarida

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Letters to Muna Al-Fuzai Hello Muna, I am a Belgian woman on a business trip in Kuwait and I just read your article on plastic bags.

An alternative solution for paper bags (which kill trees) is selling re-usable bags. People bring their own bags when they go shopping then. The smaller plastic bags need to be sold at a lower price so that it can still be used in case of emergency. In market places, it might be more difficult, and you need government sponsorship to educate people to bring their re-usable bags.

Your article is very good and I hope it wakes people up. In Belgium, it has been a common practice for a few years already. Have a blessed Ramadan.

Elsy Dear Muna, Good day to you! I really appreciate that you raised the topic of salaries paid to expatriates here in Kuwait. I think this issue should be discussed by officials who have the heart to help us.

Imagine the condition of people who have families here, how can they afford to send their children to school, pay for rent and food if they are paid KD 150 a month? I hope that someday the ministry will consider us.

Cecil Dear Muna, Ramadan in Kuwait is indeed so very special, with work slowed down and surrounded by the spiritual ambience, it feels good after a relatively monotonous 11 months of the year.

This year, almost a week before Ramadan, we were flooded with Iftar (Futoor) invitations mostly from friends staying at distant places.

Attending these events would mean playing down the spiritual aura of ‘supplication’ made during the last few minutes before ending the fast. These beautiful moments are lost while driving hastily towards the venues hosting social events, asking directions. I have often ended up breaking the fast with dates I carry, before leaving for such social gatherings.

Not wanting to lose the feeling of spirituality, I wrote emails to all my near and dear ones seeking exemption from such events. I feel that attending Iftar parties deprive me of the feeling of bliss that can only be derived from the recitation of Taraweeh prayers in the mosque.

Furthermore, after Futoor and Maghrib prayer, much time following Eisha Prayer is lost in gossiping, thereby underplaying the very essence of Sunnah associated with holding Futoor.

I strongly oppose parties that are hosted in five-star hotels. To me, it appears to be a deliberate show of affluence that stands in total contrast to the meaning of Ramadan. With so many people suffering beyond the boundaries of this blessed country, such wasteful exercises should be stopped.

Pitching camps and distributing food in mosques is truly a noble gesture to feed the underprivileged. Without proper supervision, the wastage of food is a very painful sight. In the mosque I attend regularly, the quantity of food discarded was far more than what was consumed. Serious efforts should be made to stop such wastage and instead be given as aid relief to Somalia.

May God bless us all Aameen Mujeeb

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

LOCAL

Amir chairs special panel’s meeting KUWAIT: As His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah chaired yesterday, the first meeting of a committee in charge of looking into recent economic developments. This move has been viewed as an important step to boost commitment to protect the national economy from the repercussions of an imminent global cri-

sis. “HH the Amir doesn’t usually chair the meetings held by committees, which is one of the reasons why his presence adds value to the responsibility in hand, with the necessity of achieving positive results,” said a member of the committee who preferred to remain anonymous. The committee comprises representatives of finance,

commerce and development ministries as well as the Central Bank of Kuwait. It “reflects seriousness in containing the present situation in order to avoid falling into a financial pitfall because of lopsided governmental spending rate.”

Meanwhile, another committee member criticized the lack of reactions on legislators’ part and lack-

luster media coverage of the event, warning against attempts to hinder the committee’s work, reported AlQabas.

Concerns have been increasing over the local economy’s ability to counter an overwhelming crisis amid the ongoing global economic troubles and its impact on oil prices - the main source of income.

The concerns mostly revolve around increased government spending in the form of salaries and general costs in the public sector, with no measures to boost productivity. Such concerns are raised despite recent reports which have noted that the national income has increased by 16.9 percent since last year. The statistical repor t also

notes that the year 2010’s income dropped by 23.1 percent when compared to 2008.

According to a news repor t quoting information from the statistical report, the government spent KD 16.7 billion last year on unproductive venues such payment of salaries and sundry expenditures. —Annahar.

Indians celebrate Independence Day India has come a long way since 1947: Mehta

KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received on Sunday at Al-Seif Palace Kuwait’s Ambassador to Syria Aziz Al-Deihani.

HH the Crown Prince also received Chairman of the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources Jassem Mohammad Al-Bader. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta reads out the address of India’s President Pratibha Patil on the occasion of India’s 65th Independence Day celebrations yesterday. Indian embassy officials look on. — Photos by Sajeev K Peter

By Sajeev K Peter KUWAIT: First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber AlMubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah received here yesterday South Korean Ambassador to Kuwait Kim Kyung-Sik. The meeting focused on means to bolster bilateral relations, as well as issues of regional and international importance. The meeting was attended by director of Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak’s office Lieutenant-General Saleh AlHumaithi. — KUNA

VIVA Celebrates week of national days KUWAIT: In support of commemorating the National Days of friendly countries, Kuwait Telecommunications Company VIVA, is celebrating a full week of Independence Days beginning with Pakistan on August 14, India on August 15, Indonesia on August 17, 2011.

Prepaid customers will have the opportunity to call Pakistan, India and Indonesia for 50 fils per minute, after the third minute on all calls. Contributing to the support of the expat community in Kuwait, and establishing a strong relationship by adhering to their needs is important to VIVA and its overall aim to make things possible.

Customers celebrating Pakistan’s

Independence Day can call Pakistan using the special rate starting August 14, through August 20, 2011. For customers calling India during its Independence Day celebration, the special rate offer starts on August 15, through August 20, 2011. The special rate offer starts on August 17, until August 20, for those with the desire to call Indonesia during its Independence Day celebration.

Customers interested in this special offer can visit any of the VIVA branches for additional information and activation. To find out more about VIVA’s numerous competitive promotions, products and packages visit any of the twelve VIVA branches or visit our website at www.viva.com.kw.

KUWAIT: Braving the hot and humid morning weather, a large number of Indian expatriates including children and women flocked to the Indian embassy yesterday to celebrate their country’s 65th Independence Day. In an atmosphere of patriotic fervor and gusto, the new Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta hoisted the national tricolor at 7 am on the premises of the Indian embassy. This was followed by the singing of the national anthem. Later, the ambassador read out Indian President Pratibha Patil’s Independence Day address to the nation.

The people who gathered included all segments of the Indian community in Kuwait who participated in the celebrations with joy and enthusiasm reflecting India’s rich ethnic, religious and cultural diversity. Donning patriotic colors and clothes to

befit the occasion, they greeted each other in an atmosphere of bonhomie and enthusiasm. The ambassador also interacted with the members of the community and greeted them on the occasion. Talking to the Kuwait Times after the ceremony, the ambassador said, “This is a great moment of rejoicing for us, because we have come a long way from where we were in 1947.” Mehta pointed out that the Indian economy is today among the fastest growing in the world. “And the world recognizes the quality of our human resources. The world is gravitating towards India, both for its market as well as for its very capable people,” he added.

Wishing all those people who gathered at the embassy a happy independence day, the ambassador said, “You have come to Kuwait a few thousand kilometers away from the shores of India, yet India remains deeply embedded in your hearts. This is important, because once you

Somali PM lauds Amir’s generous offering KUWAIT: Somali Prime Minister Dr Abdiweli Mohamed Ali lauded yesterday the generous offer of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to the Somali people, saying that such sentiments reflected the righteous nature of the Kuwaiti people. Head of Kuwait’s Red Crescent Society’s (KRCS) Delegation to Somalia Dr Musaaad Al-Enizi, in press statements, said the Somali official stressed that Kuwait has always provided assistance to Somalia during its darkest hours.

The Prime Minister, according to Al-Enizi, also expressed his satisfaction towards the swift procedures that enabled the speedy distribution of the $10 million worth of Kuwaiti relief aid, affirming that such aid would ease the pain of Somalis who are suffering from harsh drought that hit the Horn of Africa.

With reference to KRCS efforts, Al-Enizi said that the society members were continuing to distribute relief aid in an organized manner to people living in the capital Mogadishu and refugees who came to the city seeking help. —KUNA

CBK hosts gergian celebrations KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait hosted a gergian celebration for residents with special needs at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor ’s social care center

which featured programs that included competitions, traditional displays, and other activities, while gergian gifts were distributed.

People attend the celebrations.

Photos from cultural programs.

have shown love and affection for India, it will translate into deep love and affection among the Kuwaiti minds for India. So keep up the good work you are doing,” he said. The ambassador conveyed his good wishes for the continued good health and prosperity of His Highness the Amir, His Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness the Prime Minister

as well as the people of the friendly state of Kuwait with which India shares historical, cultural, trade and economic links.

The ambassador also wished everyone ‘Ramadan Kareem’. A few cultural groups like Kerala Arts Lovers Association, Kalanjali Kuwait and others presented patriotic songs and dance items on the occasion.

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Wataniya shares Girgian’s joy with IbnSina hospital’s children KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom endures its humanitarian and charitable initiatives during the month of Ramadan. These initiatives are taken based on its high interest in taking part in all occasions throughout the whole year and sharing the joy and bliss of all religious and other occasions and events.

During Girgian this month, Wataniya Telecom organized a special visit to IbnSina Hospital where bags of candies were being distributed among children.

Wataniya delegation also extended its blessing and greetings to their families and relatives.

Commenting on this visit Abdolaziz Al-Balool, Public Relations Director at Wataniya Telecom said “Sharing the joy of this occasion with the children comes out of our responsibility towards the society and all members of our community. This became a crucial role we make sure to sort out every year, and we are always keen to enlighten those

Emergency term session scheduled for Thursday

By A Saleh

children’s life and put a smile on their faces and helping them to recover”.

Al-Balool expressed his deep wishes for those children soon to get well and recover; he further added “ Wataniya Team always believes in the social role and is fully aware that these visits will help in the easiness and brushing the pain off these children”.

On its part, IbnSina Hospital

team expressed their gratefulness and appreciation to Wataniya Telecom and assured the fact that this proves Wataniya’s continuous support and sustenance and its constant contributions to the society and everyone.

Head of Social Service Nadya Al-Mahdi was present during the visit and escorted Wataniya’s team along with Ghadeer Al-Sheebani, Social Researcher, and Head of

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Jahra police arrested a citizen and charged him for insulting a national symbol. A security source said the citizen was driving his car with a paper which displayed words which insulted the national symbol. A motorist called authorities and gave them his license plate number. The authorities tracked down the man and arrested him.

KUWAIT: A 14-year-old Egyptian teenager was knocked down by a speeding car in Salmiya, adjacent to the fire station. He fractured his right arm and was admitted to Mubarak hospital.

Car accident A car accident took place yesterday at Al-Omariya, opposite to the Zoo garden. A 24-year-old citizen sustained several injuries and was admitted to Farwaniya hospital. In another incident that took place along Mohammad Ben Al-Qasim street, at Jleeb Al- Shuyuokh, a 35-year-old citizen fractured his left arm in an accident, and was admitted to Farwaniya hospital.

Fire incident A fire broke out in an apartment situated in Salmiya.

Five ambulances participated and five cases were administered first- aid treatment. Firefighters that arrived on the scene soon doused the flames.

Lebanon hunt for Kuwaiti jail-breaker KUWAIT: The Lebanese government is intensifying efforts to capture a Kuwaiti inmate convicted of terror charges and is also one of the five inmates who escaped from the Roumieh prison recently, confirmed a top member of the government. In statements made exclusively to Kuwait’s Al-Rai Daily, Lebanon’s Minister of Interior Marwan Charbel said that Prime Minister Najib Mikati gave orders to pursue Kuwaiti fugitive Mohammad Al-Dousary who is believed to still be in Lebanon along with the other escapees.

According to Charbel, the Lebanese authorities are currently coordinating with officials at Palestinian refugee camps where the inmates are expected to have taken refuge. He ruled out the probability that the inmates could have escaped to Syria, given the heavy military presence along the Lebanese - Syrian border due to the ongoing conditions in that region.

Investigations are yet to confirm whether the escape was coordinated with external sources. According to sources in Lebanon, one of the five jail breakers was already apprehended at the Badawy refugee camp, and he claimed during interrogation that the remaining four went their own way. Sources also said that the investigators are treating this information lightly.

Mohammad Al-Dousary, also known as Abu Talha, was arrested in Beirut in 2009 and sentenced to three years for holding a forged passport. He was later given a life sentence after he was found guilty. of involvement in forming a militant group linked to Al-Qaeda, and plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in Lebanon and Syria. — Al-Rai

Bangladesh Embassy observes Mourning Day KUWAIT: The Bangladesh Embassy in Kuwait observed National Mourning Day, the 36th death anniversary of the Father of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman yesterday. The country’s national flag was hoisted at half mast by Syed Shahed Reza, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Kuwait. Special prayers seeking divine blessings for the martyrs of 15 August 1975 were rendered. Traditional refreshments were served to guests during Iftar.

The events commenced with a recitation from the Holy Quran, which was followed by observance of a one minute of silence in memory of the Father of the Nation and other martyrs of 15th August 1975. Embassy officials read out an address to the nation delivered by the country’s president, prime minister and foreign minister on the occasion.

KM Ali Reza, First Secretary of the embassy initiated a discussion highlighting the life and achievements of Mujibur Rahman. Leaders of various socio-cultural and professional organizations took part in the discussion and elaborated various golden moments of the life, struggle and achievements of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Syed Shahed Reza in his speech spoke about the personal relationship he shared with Bangabandhu, and how he led the nation towards freedom. He urged all Bangladeshis to sincerely follow the ideals of Bangabandhu and work under the charismatic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to establish ‘Sonar Bangla’. Members of the Bangladesh community took part in the event.

Al Dawli concludes Quran memorization contest has helped create a spiritual atmosphere filled with faith during this Holy month.”

Abdelhay further explained: “The competition had two categories, the first category for boys and girls between the ages of 6-10 years old who recited during the first day of the competition the following Quranic verses: Al Aa’la, Al Ghashiya, Al Balad, Al

KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi announced that the emergency term session to discuss the case of students not accepted by the universities will be held at 11 am Thursday morning. Al-Khorafi sent invitations to members of the parliament to attend the session for which an Amiri decree was issued.

Sources said that the two points came in the application of the emergency term, namely the construction of Jaber Academy for Applied Science and the foundation to support students studying at their own expense. Those two points have no majority support at NA council. The education committee approved them without taking the government opinion or observations. They emphasized that Jaber Academy needs new study.

Parliament sources expressed astonishment at the insistence of certain MPs to hold the emergency

term to discuss the students case, even though the government offered solutions and the whole subject is almost finalized. Sources pointed that MPs who asked for the emergency term are looking for the acceptance of 2,095 students in the first semester, and not the second as announced by government. That will not be achieved for them and Kuwait University cannot accommodate them.

They added that government has allocated additional budget for scholarships inside and outside Kuwait, and ministry of higher education is continuing its work in this field and announces the availability of seats, one after the other.

Meanwhile, Popular Action Bloc members held a press conference at NA council in the presence of airport taxi drivers’ representatives, and requested the concerned government authorities to organize airport work, ensure security and pay attention to the violations made by

some of the taxi drivers and unlicensed private cars.

Meanwhile, member of the Popular Action Bloc MP Ali AlDiqbasi questioned the Minister of Commerce and Industry Manal Boursely in which he enquired about the appointment of assistant undersecretary in the ministry. The following are his questions: 1. Please supply me with a list of the names of consultants working in the minister office for legal affairs.

The list to include their names and previous work, and their titles before they joined the ministry.

2. Please supply me with a list of the names of consultants who were asked to work in the ministry from the date of last government formation. What kind of jobs do they perform and what allowances are being paid?

3. Please supply me with a copy of the articles of association concerning capital standards and the names of its owners.

Police arrest citizen for insulting national symbol

Teen knocked down by speeding vehicle

KUWAIT: Kuwait International Bank (KIB) concluded its first Holy Quran memorization contest held for the children of its employees. The competition, which was entitled “Recite your Quran”, took place at KIB’s headquarters under the supervision of Sheikh Salah Al Hashim and Dr Hisham Ahmad Abdelhay.

Commenting on the occasion, KIB’s Religious Observer, Dr Hisham Ahmad Abdelhay said: “Witnessing the interaction and the participation of so many children in this contest, underlines the sense of engagement and positive communication within our work environment. This

NA to discuss problems of KU admission-hit students

Shams, al Layl, and Al Qari’a. The second category for boys and girls between the ages of 11 -14 years old who recited during the second day of the contest the following Quranic verses: Al Nabaa, Abasa, Al Infitar, Al Mutaffifin, Al Buruj, and Al Fajr.” After listening to the children reciting the Quranic verses, the names of the winners were announced. Haroun Ahmad

Sheikh Salah Al Hashim

Abel Naim in category one and Loulou Mohamad Al Tabtabai, in category two, both came first and each won 150 KD. The second prizes were awarded to Radwan Abel Aziz Al Shaaban in category one and Aisha Ansar Tamna in category two and each won 100 KD. In third place, Khaled Mohamad Jala from the first category and Yaser Mohamad Jalal from the second, each won 50 KD.” Abdelhay also commended the competitiveness spirit and the commitment displayed by the children demonstrating their memorization and recitation skills of the Quranic verses.

Abdelhay highlighted the commitment of KIB management to hold such activities with the goal of encouraging social interaction between bank employees, believing it will have a positive effect and improve their productivity through excellence in the delivery of Shari’a compliant banking and financial services to clients.

Sheep heist Kabd policemen recorded a case against three unknown individuals who stormed an animal pen and stole 10 sheep worth KD 1,000 before escaping. The pen guard told his sponsor about the three masked men storming the pen as he hid in fear for his life. The citizen told police that he bought the sheep to trade during Eid Al-Adha.

Investigations are underway.

Liquor trader busted An Arab expat was caught as he

sold liquor at a cafe he worked at. A security source said that the man was using his job as a cover to meet his customers’ demands for locally made liquor. The man was arrested during an exchange with an undercover source and sent to concerned authorities.

Fast and the furious A traffic policeman was injured while dealing with reckless drivers in Dhaher area. Responding to a call, police went to deal with more than 150 cars which were showing off near the slaughter house roundabout in the area. Policemen cornered the violators but one of them was injured by a suspect as he tried to make a quick escape. Other policemen arrested him and sent him to concerned authorities.

A security source revealed that this is not the first time the young men had displayed reckless behavior as they were known for turning streets into racing tracks and skidding arenas.

Citizen turns liar Two police officers on duty were insulted by a citizen in Salmiya while investigating an accident near a restaurant. The policemen found a car obstructing traffic and asked him to move. The two were surprised by a man who was following them and honking. When they stopped to find out if he needed help and asked him for him ID, he refused to show it to them and claimed to be a brigadier.

When he finally handed his ID, he was found to be a regular citizen. The car was impounded and his license was suspended.

Shopping aisle fight Two citizens in Jahra were standing next to the cooperative cashier to pay for their goods, when one of them placed his basket in front of the cashier so he would not lose his turn.

The second man, who thought this would delay him, moved the cart aside which angered the other man.

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UK’s Cameron: Will mend ‘broken society’ after riots

India PM warns on graft on Independence Day Page 12

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KUWAIT: TV grabs show Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak reacting during his trial in Cairo. (Inset) Mubarak’s son Gamal seen during the trial yesterday. —Photos by Sherif Ismail

Caged Mubarak back in dock Mubarak trial adjourned for three weeks

CAIRO: Egypt’s ousted president Hosni Mubarak, bound to a stretcher and caged, appeared in court yesterday before the judge announced a three-week adjournment and an end to live television broadcasts. The judge, Ahmed Refaat, also decided that the trial of Mubarak and his former interior minister, Habib Al-Adly, would be merged, as demanded by the lawyers of families of those killed in Egypt’s JanuaryFebruary uprising. Refaat put a halt to live television broadcasts of the trial, which opened on August 3 with a brief session held yesterday that went into recess before the adjournment to September 5 was announced.

Mubarak was earlier flown in by helicopter and then driven in an ambulance to the court at a police academy in a Cairo suburb.

Thousands of riot police were deployed along with armored cars outside the court to keep apart pro- and anti-Mubarak demonstrators watching the trial second’s

session on a giant screen. But an AFP reporter said scuffles and stone-throwing erupted between the two groups, with at least five people lightly injured.

At the opening session, Mubarak pleaded not guilty of the premeditated murder of protesters who took to the streets to oust his regime in an uprising which erupted on January 25. Mubarak, as in the first hearing, was placed reclined on the stretcher in the dock, exchanging brief words inside the cage with his two sons and co-defendants on graft charges, Gamal and Alaa. They have also pleaded innocent to the graft accusations. As proceedings resumed when judge Ahmed Refaat sat down, the former president lay with hands clenched together across his chest, while his two sons tried to shield him from the television cameras.

Mubarak confirmed his presence in a low voice, while the judge called for silence from the dozens of arm-waving lawyers packed into the courtroom. The 83-year-old

former leader is accused of involvement in the killings of hundreds of anti-regime activists during the revolt which on February 11 ended his three decades in power. He is being held in a military hospital on the outskirts of Cairo. Mubarak’s dramatic appearance in court last week came as a shock to Egyptians who watched the proceedings on live television. Few believed he would ever be seen in court.

Defense lawyer Farid Al-Deeb has asked judge Refaat to call 1,600 witnesses, including top military officials. The military was called out on January 28, after protesters torched police stations across the country, and took charge on February 11 when Mubarak resigned. Ahmed Mekki, a retired deputy head of Cairo’s appeals court, said the trial would move on to investigating the evidence and calling witnesses, first for the prosecution and then for the defense.

But the court would probably cull the list of witnesses demanded by Deeb, which

would provide him with solid ground for appealing a possible guilty verdict, said one of the lawyers representing victims in civil suits. “If the court does not listen to all the witnesses, it will give grounds for appeal,” said Taher Abu Nasr, whose Front for the Defense of Egyptian Protesters represents 35 plaintiffs. Most of the lawyers have yet to review the thousands of documents of evidence that have been provided by the court, some say belatedly. But judging by the cases of dozens of police commanders who face charges or are on trial over alleged crimes during the revolt, they fear the evidence against Mubarak to be patchy and illprepared.

Legal experts say that a thorough investigation into Mubarak’s alleged crimes should have taken several more months, but the military and the government expedited the process to mollify protesters. On Sunday, Adly’s trial was adjourned to September 5 after a turbulent session. The hearing was

KUWAIT: Egyptians watching the televised Mubarak trial yesterday.

suspended four times in three hours by judge Refaat, who was visibly exasperated by a long list of demands presented by the lawyers of shooting victims. More than 850 people were killed in the 18 days that led to Mubarak’s ouster, and thousands more were wounded.— AFP

Gaddafi, fighters poised to strangle Libya capital ZAWIYAH: Muammar Gaddafi urged Libyans yesterday to free the country from NATO and “traitors”, as rebels in the west began to strangle a major lifeline to his capital. His broadcast appeal was made over a bad telephone line from an undisclosed location. In the following hours, a senior figure in the Gaddafi government showed up in Cairo with members of his family, amid reports that he had defected.

Sources at Cairo airport said Nasser Al-Mabrouk Abdullah arrived at Cairo airport with nine members of his family, having flown from the Tunisian island resort of Djerba. He told Egyptian security officials he was on holiday. In Tripoli no officials were

immediately available for comment.

Despite denials, unnamed representatives of the Gaddafi’s government were reliably reported to be holding talks with rebels at a Djerba hotel on Sunday, on a possible resolution of the 6-month-old civil war.

A dramatic advance on Saturday, witnessed by Reuters, won the rebels control of the town of Zawiyah, 50 km west of Tripoli on the coast, enabling them to halt food and fuel supplies from Tunisia to Gaddafi’s stronghold in the capital. Tripoli was not under immediate threat, but rebel forces are now in their strongest position since the uprising against 41 years of Gaddafi’s rule began in February, controlling the

coast both east and west of Tripoli.

“The fall of Zawiyah would be the biggest milestone for the rebels since the liberation of Misrata. It’s a real morale booster for them and implies a sense of momentum,” said analyst Shashank Joshi of the Royal United Services Institute in London.

“It’s a triple blow to Gaddafi as it is home to the regime’s only functioning oil refinery and may also in the medium-term allow the rebels to benefit from sales of oil; it also lies over his big supply line and blocks an important route from the Tunisian border to the capital.” But a rebel fighter said Gaddafi’s forces still controlled the Zawiyah oil refinery on the coast. A spokesman for British Prime

Minister David Cameron, a leading figure in the anti-Gaddafi coalition, said: “We’ve been saying for some time that we think the NATO operation is proving successful in eroding Gaddafi’s ability to wage war against his own people.”

Medics on the outskirts of the city said sniper and mortar fire by Gaddafi forces killed three civilians. One man was shot in the head and a 15-yearold girl died of shrapnel wounds.

Waleed, brother of a woman with shrapnel wounds, said Gaddafi forces “have made life very hard for us in the past few months. They’ve gone from house to house arresting people and now they’re shooting at us indiscriminately.” —Reuters

ZAWIYA: Libyan civilians fleeing the fighting between rebels and loyalist troops in Zawiya approach a checkpoint held by rebels 10 kms outside the town on Sunday.—AP

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Death toll mounts as troops pound Homs 20 protesters shot dead in Latakia

GAZA CITY: Palestinians hold pictures of relatives imprisoned in Israeli jails during a rally calling for their release outside the International Red Cross offices in Gaza City yesterday.—AFP

Israel okays 277 new homes in settlement JERUSALEM: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has given the green light to build 277 new homes in the Ariel settlement of the occupied West Bank, his office said yesterday. “Defense Minister Ehud Barak last week approved the marketing of 277 housing units in the Neuman district in Ariel,” it said, referring to a sprawling settlement deep inside the northern West Bank. Ariel Mayor Ron Nachman said that the housing units had not yet been built and that the settlement had been waiting for years for the political green light to complete the neighborhood.

“It’s a neighborhood in the centre of the town which we started building exactly 10 years ago,” he said, explaining that the project had been put on hold in 2004 for political considerations. “Now the defense minister is allowing us to finish this neighborhood,” he said. “We don’t have a vacant apartment in the whole city.” All building projects in the West Bank must be signed off by Israel’s defense minister before being put to tender. With a population of some 18,000 residents, Ariel is one of the largest settlements in the West Bank and lies some 20 kilometers inside the borders of Israel before the 1967 Six-Day War. Hagit Ofran of Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said construction of the new homes was likely to begin “within a year or two.” She described it as a cynical move to exploit the nationwide protests which have seen tens of thou-

sands demonstrating across Israel over the country’s lack of affordable housing.

“The government of Israel is exploiting the housing crisis in a cynical way in order to promote its settlement policy,” she said. “The majority of Israelis do not wish to live in the settlements, therefore construction in Ariel does not help the housing crisis.”

The timing of the move was also deeply provocative, she said, coming a month before the Palestinians approach the United Nations for recognition of a state along the lines that existed before the 1967 war. They are to present their bid for UN membership on September 20, in a move which has infuriated Israel. “ They ’re throwing oil on the flames ahead of September,” Ofran said of the Israeli decision. “This government has decided that it will take unilateral steps.

Because the Palestinians are acting unilaterally... they permit themselves to act unilaterally.” Since it occupied the West Bank in the 1967, Israel has set up more than 130 settlements across the territory.

They are now home to more than 300,000 residents. Interior ministry figures show the majority of settlers live in eight large settlements which Israel wants to annex in any final peace agreement with the Palestinians. The largest settlements are urban enclaves which tend to lie close to the border between Israel and the West Bank, with the notable exception of Ariel, which lies deep inside Palestinian territory.— AFP

Egypt charges Israeli, Jordanian with spying CAIRO: Egypt’s chief prosecutor has ordered a Jordanian and an Israeli to be tried at a state security court on charges of spying for Israel, according to Egyptian security sources and media. Al-Masry AlYoum newspaper said the two men entered Egypt after the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak on Feb 11, allegedly with the aim of intercepting international calls and re-routing them to enable Israel’s Mossad security agency to monitor them in a way that endangers Egyptian national security. It said the first suspect, identified as Jordanian communications engineer Bashar Ibrahim Abu Zeid, was arrested in March, while the

second, an Israeli identified as Ofir Herari, had fled the country and was being tried in absentia. Al-Masry Al-Youm said Abu Zeid was also charged with collecting data on some employees working in the telecommunications sector with the aim of recruiting candidates to work for the Mossad. No date has yet been set for the trial. Egypt in June arrested an Israeli man suspected of spying and recruiting agents to destabilize the Arab world’s most populous country and sow strife after Mubarak’s ouster. Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab country to forge a peace treaty with Israel, but relations remain cool.— Reuters

Alleged coup plotters stand trial in Turkey ISTANBUL: A four-star general and dozens of other Turkish officers appeared in court yesterday charged with plotting to overthrow the country’s Islamist-rooted government in a coup.

General Bilgin Balanli and 27 others face between 15 and 20 years in jail if they are found guilty of planning to unleash a series of attacks designed to cause panic across the country, allowing them to launch a coup to unseat the government which took power in 2002.

Appearing in the cour troom at a detention centre near Istanbul, Balanli, a former head of the country’s military training academies and the highestranking officer arrested and in jail in the case, dismissed the charges as a “cowardly plot” to discredit Turkey’s military.

NTV news channel said the presiding judge had to suspend the court session briefly because of the loud applause for Balanli, detained since May, in the public gallery. About 40 top generals and admirals, equal to one tenth of the military brass, are already implicated in the alleged plot dubbed “Operation Sledgehammer.”

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a liberal offshoot of a banned Islamist movement, says the plan was hatched shortly after the party took power in 2002. Last year around 200 serving or reserve military officials were ordered to appear in connection with the case which has developed into a major threat to the power and prestige

of the military. Prosecutors say the plotters planned to bomb mosques and down a Turkish jet over the Aegean and blame it on Greece, hoping to discredit the government and garner public support for a coup.

The alleged plot leader, retired general Cetin Dogan, has said that papers from a seminar on a contingency plan based on a scenario of tensions between Turkey and Greece, coupled with domestic unrest, had been doctored to look like a coup plan. NATO member Turkey’s entire top military command resigned at the end of July in protests over the government’s treatment of officers jailed in connection with the alleged plot.

Turkey ’s Supreme Militar y Council moved swiftly to appoint a new top brass within days of the shock mass resignation. Tensions between Turkey’s fiercely secularist military and the government have been building for years.

Since 1960, the military, which views itself as the defender of secularism in the country, has ousted four Turkish governments, including that of Erdogan’s mentor Necmettin Erbakan in 1997. Efforts to clip the military’s wings began as Turkey opened discussions to join the European Union and tried to reduce the military’s role to bring it in line with its European equivalents. The move initially won public support but criticism has been growing recently surrounding the motives for the investigation and the fact that no successful prosecutions have been brought.— AFP

DAMASCUS: Syrian troops backed by tanks clamped down yesterday on the flashpoint province of Homs, a day after gunboats joined an assault that killed more than 20 people in Latakia city, activists said. As the country’s anti-regime uprising turned five months old, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said snipers shot dead an old man in the provincial town of Hula and reported another killing in Latakia. “The community of Hula is under siege ... The army is carrying out raids and arrests under the cover of heavy gunfire” in Homs province, said the Britain-based rights group.

Another rights monitoring group said “a large number of tanks entered Hula this morning.” “Security agents encircled all the entrances to Hula and they started shooting to terrify local residents. Then the army went in to make raids and arrests,” said the Observatory. The operation came a day after gunboats joined the pounding of the port city of Latakia that killed as many as 26 people, in the first attack from the sea since Syria’s antiregime revolt erupted March 15, according to activists.

Many residents were allowed to flee the worst-hit districts of Latakia at dawn yesterday, but soldiers opened fire at a checkpoint, killing a man and wounding five other people, the Observatory said. In the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, security agents unleashed a wave of arrests while a 67-year-old man succumbed to his wounds after being shot on Friday in a city centre street, the Observatory said.

“Security agents arrested 27 people during a campaign of arrests across the neighborhoods of this city and in surrounding villages,” it said.

President Bashar Al-Assad has appointed a new governor for Aleppo province in northern Syria, the state news agency SANA announced. The decree followed the naming of new governors for Homs and Hama in the centre of the country as well as for Daraa in the south, scene of the first major bloodshed of the uprising. SANA also ran a denial that the navy had attacked Latakia, however, quoting its correspondent in the Mediterranean city as saying security forces had battled gunmen.

Activists said four more people were killed elsewhere on Sunday. The Syrian Observatory said at least 23 people died and dozens more

were wounded in Latakia, while the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria (NOHRS) put the Latakia death toll for Sunday at 26. The Syrian Observatory said the vessels opened up with heavy machine guns. The NOHRS, backing up the report, gave a list of 26 victims-including two Palestinian men from the Ramel refugee camp in southern Latakia-and said one more person was killed in Homs and another in Idlib, northwest Syria.

A spokesman for the UN refugee agency UNRWA, Chris Gunness, said reports from the

El Pais newspaper, meanwhile, reported that Madrid sent a special envoy to Damascus last month to convince Assad to accept a plan to go into exile with his family. The government was also “ready to offer asylum to Assad and his family in Spain,” the country’s leading daily said. “My impression is that (Assad) will not compromise on anything substantial,” envoy Bernardino Leon said on his return, El Pais reported. “My (Syrian) interlocutors were totally detached from reality.”

On Saturday, US President Barack Obama,

RAMALLAH: Palestinian youths stage a sit-in late on Sunday in the West Bank city of Ramallah to protest Syria’s brutal crackdown on Syrian anti-regime protesters. —AFP Ramel camp spoke of “fire from tanks which have encircled the area as well as fire from ships at sea.” SANA denied naval vessels had opened fire on the city. “Law enforcement members are pursuing armed men who are using machine guns, grenades and bombs in Ramel from rooftops and from behind barricades,” it said.

The head of medical services in Latakia was quoted as saying that two members of the security forces were killed and 41 others wounded “while chasing armed men.” Spain’s

Saudi King Abdullah and Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron called for an “immediate” end to the Syrian government’s deadly crackdown. The violence has killed around 2,200 people, including some 400 members of the security forces, according to rights activists. Syrian authorities have blamed the bloodshed on armed gangs and Islamist militants. The UN Security Council is due to hold a special meeting on Thursday to discuss human rights and the humanitarian emergency in Syria.— AFP

Iran ‘seeks to stifle’ Mideast democracy JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran in talks with top Republican US lawmakers yesterday of seeking to torpedo efforts to bring about democracy in the Middle East, his office said. “Iran is the greatest danger that we face today,” a statement quoted him as telling a 27-member delegation, headed by Representative Kevin McCarthy, the number-three Republican in the US House of Representatives.

“It drives extremists and leads to instability in the region,” Netanyahu said. “Its aim is to destroy any chance of democratic rule, of peace and of freedom in the Middle East.” Israel, the United States and other governments say Iran is seeking to develop a nuclear weapons capability, an ambition Tehran strongly denies. The Jewish state also accuses the Iranians of supporting the Palestinian militant Islamic Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, both implacable foes of the Jewish state.

The week-long fact-finding visit, involving meetings with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders, is the first of two scheduled by Republican lawmakers this month. A second group of 29 is due from August 21-28. In addition to Netanyahu, both delegations were to meet Israeli President Shimon Peres, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. A group of 26 Democratic lawmakers returned home on Sunday after a similar week-long visit. All the trips were sponsored by the American Israel Education Foundation, an affiliate of the powerful US proIsrael lobby AIPAC. Nuclear talks A senior Russian official, National Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev, arrived yesterday for talks with Iranian officials on the country’s nuclear program, state news agency IRNA reported. Patrushev is set to hold two meetings with his Iranian counterpart Saeed Jalili and also to meet other officials, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during a two-day stay. Moscow is seeking to revive nuclear negotiations between Iran and major world powers known as the P5+1, the five UN Security Council permanent members plus Germany. In mid-July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposed a new “step-bystep” approach to restart talks on the nuclear issue.

In response to a positive move by Iran, the major powers would then have to start reducing international economic sanctions against Tehran. As a follow-up to Patrushev’s visit, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi is to travel to Moscow this week to continue negotiations with Russia. Tehran has been hit by four rounds of UN sanctions over its program of uranium enrichment, which Western powers suspect has a military dimension, despite Tehran’s repeated denials. The United States and European Union have also imposed their own unilateral sanctions on Iranian banks, posing risks for foreign companies which deal with them.— Agencies

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani girl reads the Arabic alphabet while attending a religious class in a mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan yesterday.—AP

Tunisia police use tear gas to disperse protest TUNIS: Tunisian security forces used tear gas and truncheons yesterday to disperse a crowd of protesters in the capital demanding that the government step down for failing to prosecute supporters of the ousted president. Several hundred protesters tried to assemble in front of the Interior Ministry headquarters, on the central Bourguiba Avenue, said a Reuters reporter who was at the scene.

“We need a new revolution ... Nothing has changed,” one protester, Mounir Troudi, told Reuters. “This government should leave right now.”

Police, who were gathered in large numbers in front of the interior ministry, fired tear gas canisters and hit some of the protesters with truncheons, forcing them to scatter. Tunisia electrified the Middle East in January when mass protests forced longstanding leader Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee to Saudi Arabia.

Tunisia’s revolution became the template for the “Arab Spring” uprisings rippling across the region. However, the caretaker authorities now running the North African country have struggled to restore stability. Protests and strikes break out regularly.

Some groups involved in toppling Ben Ali say he and his supporters should have been prosecuted more vigorously and they suspect some in government of sympathizing with the ousted administration. There was an outpouring of anger after the justice minister under Ben Ali was released from jail and a highprofile friend of the ex-president’s wife fled to Paris without facing trial. Many Tunisians contrast that with Egypt, where former president Hosni Mubarak and his sons have been put on televised trial, appearing in the courtroom inside a cage.

Protesters in front of the interior ministry chanted: “Ben Ali is in Saudi Arabia and his clan is still here!” Another protester, Meriam Nafti, said: “Look at Egypt.

Mubarak is up before the court together with his sons and the symbols of his regime. Why is it that in Tunisia, the source of the revolution, these things don’t work?” Witnesses in the city of Sfax, about 250 km (150 miles) south of Tunis, said about 1,000 protesters gathered to demand the resignation of interim prime minister Beji Caid Sebsi and his government.— Reuters

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Gert strengthens, targets Bermuda Reinsurance hub Bermuda issues warning

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s President and candidate for reelection Cristina Fernandez, left, holds an Argentine flag next to her daughter Florencia while celebrating with supporters after the primary elections in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday. —AP

MIAMI: Tropical Storm Gert strengthened slowly on Sunday on a track toward Bermuda and forecasters said the global reinsurance hub could expect increased winds, rain and surf when the storm passed on its eastern side. Gert, the seventh named storm of what is proving as predicted to be an active 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, formed earlier on Sunday but its forecast ocean track will keep it well away from the heavily populated US east coast.

Authorities in Bermuda, a small British overseas territory which has a population of more than 68,000 and hosts 16 of the world’s top 35 reinsurers, issued a tropical storm warning. The rocky archipelago is well prepared for the tropical storms and hurricanes that sweep across the Atlantic from June to November and storm fatalities are rare there.

At 5 pm, Gert’s top winds had increased to 45 miles per hour and the storm was located

about 255 miles south southeast of Bermuda, moving northwestward, the US National Hurricane Center said.

“The center of Gert is expected to pass near or just east of Bermuda by Monday afternoon,” the Miami-based hurricane center said, adding that the storm was expected to strengthen over the next 48 hours. But the storm was not expected to turn into a hurricane. The Bermuda Weather Service warned residents to expect winds and rain showers increasing later on Sunday as the storm approached from the south. Tropical storm force winds should develop over the east of the territory by early Monday.

The hurricane center said large swells generated by Gert were likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip currents. Jeff Masters, a hurricane expert at private forecaster Weather Underground, said in his blog on Sunday the 2011 season was so far seeing an unusual

In campaign mode, Obama kicks off Midwest bus tour

Republicans who could take on Obama in 2012 WASHINGTON: Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty became the first major casualty in the U.S. presidential campaign on Sunday while fellow Republicans Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry built momentum in the race.

Here is a look at Republicans who are vying for the party nomination and the oppor tunity to face Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 2012 election.

MITT ROMNEY Romney, who lost the nomination to John McCain in 2008, has been viewed as the early front-runner, topping recent polls of potential Republican candidates by an average of about 5 percentage points, according to the website Real Clear Politics. He also leads the Republican money race, raising $18.25 million in the second quarter for 2011, more than four times as much as any other contender. Romney co-founded private equity firm Bain Capital and has pushed his business experience as a way to attack Obama’s handling of the struggling US economy. Critics say he was a corporate raider who cut jobs.

He is also known for righting the scandal-plagued 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and a fortune estimated at $250 million. While favored by more traditional pro-business Republicans, Romney is viewed skeptically by some conservatives because he was governor of liberal Massachusetts and is a Mormon, a religion some evangelicals do not consider Christian. Fellow Republicans have attacked him because of a healthcare plan he helped develop in Massachusetts that became a model for the Obama healthcare law. Romney has defended the state law while attacking the federal version and promising to repeal Obama’s plan.

MICHELE BACHMANN A leader of the Tea Party movement, Bachmann joined the upper tier of candidates after a strong performance in the first major Republican debate on June 13 in New Hampshire. A former tax lawyer, Bachmann became the first Republican woman elected to the US House of Representatives from Minnesota in 2006. A fiscal, social and religious conservative, Bachmann could benefit if former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin decided not to run, because the two are similar in politics and appeal to many of the same voters. Bachmann has led recent polls in Iowa, where social conservatives are strong, but might struggle in primaries in New Hampshire and Florida, where her strong religious views and uncompromising positions on financial issues may not appeal to more moderate Republicans.

RICK PERRY The three-term Texas governor was second in most polls even before announcing that he would enter the race. He is seen as a candidate who could bridge divides within the party because he is known for promoting job growth and staunch religious conservatism, and is popular within the Tea Party movement. Perry would have the advantage of being the field’s only governor from the South, a powerful party stronghold. Known for his fund-raising acumen, he would also have strong support from within Texas, home to many wealthy Republican donors.

One challenge is the prospect of comparison with another Republican Texas governor known for wearing cowboy boots: former President George W Bush.

Bush’s lasting unpopularity could pose a hurdle in a general election. Critics question Perry’s economic record.

They say many Texas jobs he claims credit for creating are low-wage and his

record includes heavy education cuts, low public service levels and high numbers of people without health insurance.

His strong evangelical Christian views could lessen his appeal to independent voters, whose support will be essential to beat Obama. Perry held a religious rally on Aug. 6 whose backers included groups criticized as extreme and intolerant.

JON HUNTSMAN He annoyed the White House by resigning in April as Obama’s ambassador to China to consider whether to seek the Republican presidential nomination.

Like Romney, Huntsman is a Mormon.

The former governor of Utah and member of a wealthy chemicals family is a moderate, which may make it hard for him to win over conservatives who play a big role in the nominating process.

Huntsman’s name recognition is low and his biggest immediate hurdle among Republican voters is his service to the Obama administration. He lags far behind in opinion polls.

SARAH PALIN Palin, the party’s vice presidential nominee in 2008, has not said whether she will run but told an interviewer that she expects to make a decision in August or September. She has star power and can afford to enter the race relatively late because of her broad name recognition. Palin made herself a millionaire with two books, the TV show “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” and paid speaking engagements. A leading voice in the conservative Tea Party movement, Palin enhanced her influence by campaigning for its candidates in the 2010 congressional elections. Palin is not a favorite of establishment Republicans who fear her low approval ratings with the broader electorate could doom the party in a general election matchup with Obama.

RON PAUL An anti-war Republican congressman from Texas who ran unsuccessfully for the party’s 2008 nomination, libertarian Paul, 75, is known as the “intellectual godfather of the Tea Party.” His calls for steep cuts in the federal deficit and the size of government have moved to the mainstream of debate in Congress since November when the fiscal conservative movement swept Republicans back into power in the House.

NEWT GINGRICH Leading members of Gingrich’s campaign team resigned in June, and he has had a poor showing in opinion polls. The former speaker of the House was the main architect of the 1994 Republican congressional election victor y and author of the “Contract with America” political manifesto. Gingrich ended his 20-year congressional career after Republican losses in 1998 elections. He has faced concerns among religious voters about his personal life. Gingrich is married to his third wife, with whom he had an affair while married to his second.

RICK SANTORUM Santorum, once a leading Senate Republican, was badly defeated in his 2006 re-election bid. He made a name for himself opposing abortion rights and gay marriage while backing welfare reform.

He has campaigned hard to enhance his profile in early voting states but remains far back in the Republican field.

HERMAN CAIN A radio talk show host and former chief executive officer of Godfather’s Pizza, Cain was chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s board of directors and has never been elected to political office. — Reuters

number of weak tropical cyclones. This is nevertheless forecast to be a busy year for hurricanes. Late on Saturday, Tropical Storm Franklin, which formed briefly earlier in the weekend as the sixth named storm of the 2011 Atlantic season, lost its tropical cyclone characteristics over the North Atlantic.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic, forecasters were watching a low pressure trough located some 425 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands.

The NHC gave it a medium chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours, saying conditions were only marginally favorable for it to develop. Some weather watchers also recommended keeping an eye on another disturbed weather system moving west between the coast of Africa and the lesser Antilles, in case it developed and eventually posed a threat to the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. — Reuters

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE: President Barack Obama walks from Marine One to board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md yesterday, en route to Minnesota to begin a three-day economic bus tour in the Midwest. —AP

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama heads out on a bus tour of Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois in the US Midwest, aiming to leave behind doubts about his leadership that could dent his 2012 reelection prospects. The three-day trip takes him to three states vital to retaining the White House in the November 2012 election, but could expose Obama to voters who, polls suggest, are furious about political gridlock back in Washington. Obama won all three states in the 2008 presidential election.

The White House says Obama is on listening tour to hear from Americans about the economy and to talk about how to boost jobs and hiring. There are no plans announced for a major policy speech to roll out new initiatives for economic growth. Obama is due to speak at a town hall style meeting in Cannon Falls, Minnesota yesterday before heading to Decorah, Iowa. He then holds a rural economic forum in Peosta, Iowa, on Tuesday and holds town hall meetings in Atkinson and Alpha, Illinois on Wednesday before returning to Washington.

The unmistakable campaign style of the trip will help the Democratic president test his organization and grassroots support as the field of Republican presidential candidates takes clearer shape.

Texas Governor Rick Perry entered the

Perry looms large in narrowing GOP race WASHINGTON: Texas Governor Rick Perry loomed large over a narrowing White House race yesterday despite Tea Party darling Michele Bachmann’s victory in a key test that saw the first major Republican bow-out. Perry, a popular fiscal and social conservative, will pose a major challenge to both the ultraconser vative Bachmann and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, a moderate who has until now led the polls.

Meanwhile Tim Pawlenty, a low-key former governor of Minnesota who was hoping for a crucial bump from Iowa’s Ames Straw Poll, dropped out after coming in a distant third behind Bachmann and libertarian congressman Ron Paul. The poll is unscientific and nonbinding but widely seen as an indicator of who is best positioned to energize the party’s activist base and win the first batch of nominating contests early next year.

Bachmann told ABC News’s “This Week,” that her win was a “big message sent to Washington” by Americans frustrated with the slow pace of economic recovery and stubbornly high unemployment under President Barack Obama. She also dismissed critics who say she is too radical, insisting she had attracted Democrats and Independents “because I’m talking about what people really care about, and that’s turning the economy around and job creation.”

But Perry, who announced his candidacy as the Iowa poll was under way, can challenge Barack Obama where the president is most vulnerable by pointing out that Texas has led the country in job creation despite the economic slowdown.

Late Sunday two of the top candidates, Perry and Bachmann, were in the first face-off as they both spoke after Republican Party dinner in Waterloo, Iowa, with the Texas governor insisting he was the man to beat Obama in the 2012, and flouting his commitment to stem federal government spending.

“The president of the United States has a pen, and it’s called a veto pen, and I will use it until the ink runs out if that’s what it takes to get the message that we’re not spending all the money,” Perry said to cheers from the crowd, according to the Des Moines Register newspaper. Pawlenty, who had campaigned hard in Iowa, admitted to ABC television’s “This Week” earlier Sunday that his message “didn’t get the kind of traction or lift that we needed and hoped for” going into the Iowa poll. He finished with a disappointing 2,293 votes, over 2,500 behind Bachmann and close second-place finisher Paul, a small government advocate with strong Tea Party support

who is opposed to foreign aid and military interventions. Perry meanwhile garnered 718 write-in votes, more than the 567 that went to Romney, who was listed on the ballot but has focused on other states. The Texas governor, who succeeded George W Bush in 2000, has touted his “Texas miracle,” in which the state has created jobs while the nationwide unemployment rate has hovered above nine percent. Perry also has strong credentials as a social conservative, and earlier this month held a prayer rally attended by more than 30,000 people. Critics charge that the jobs created in Texas have been mainly low-paying, and have come as a result of reckless deregulation and painful cuts in social spending.

“Middle class families know his economic record is no miracle-it’s a tall tale,” Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said Saturday. Multi-millionaire Romney has been making the most of his private sector experience on the stump, but faces lingering skepticism from core Republican voters for past moderate views on issues like health care and climate change. — AFP

IOWA: Republican presidential candidate Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann holds up a copy of the local paper with her picture on the front as she speaks at the Black Hawk County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner Sunday in Waterloo, Iowa. —AFP

race for the Republican nomination on Saturday and is expected to join early front-runner Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann in the top tier of candidates in the field.

Iowa, which launched Obama’s historic journey to the White House in 2008, has recently been playing host to Republican presidential hopefuls who have been criticizing his record as they crisscross the state. Bachmann on Saturday won the Iowa straw poll, an early test of strength among the Republican candidates. Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty became the first major casualty of the campaign when he dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination on Sunday after a disappointing showing the Iowa straw poll.

Obama’s departure follows a spate of bad news that has dented confidence in his leadership, particularly after weeks of bitter debate to raise the US debt limit that left exposed deep partisanship verging on government dysfunction. A leading ratings agency downgraded the nation’s AAA credit rating and fears of another US recession have grown, adding to investor concerns about Europe’s ongoing debt crisis. Stock markets whipsawed over the past week, producing one of the most volatile periods of Obama’s presidency. — Reuters

4 die in Alaska plane crash; Two survivors ANCHORAGE: Four people died in a plane crash in the Alaska wilderness, and two others on board the small aircraft sur vived, state troopers said Sunday.

The deadly crash closely follows two midair collisions, including one that killed an Anchorage family of four.

Troopers spokeswoman Beth Ipsen said she did not know the condition of the two survivors found Sunday. She said the identities of the six on board the Inland Aviation Service have not been confirmed.

The single -engine Cessna 207 departed Saturday evening from the community of McGrath, about 225 miles northwest of Anchorage. A pilot and five Iditarod School District employees on board were heading to the village of Anvik, which is about 140 miles to the west, said Steve Hill, one of the owners of Aniak based Inland Aviation. Later on Saturday, a personal spot beacon transmitting a 911 signal was activated, showing the plane 37 miles west of McGrath. The Alaska National Guard’s Rescue Coordination Center in Anchorage coordinated the ensuing search, Ipsen said.

The Cessna’s emergency locator beacon helped searchers pinpoint the exact location, said Benjamin Morgan, a ground crew member for Inland Aviation. Morgan said the plane crashed above the 15,000-foot level of hilly, rough terrain.

He said there was heavy mist at the time and visibility between two and three miles. He didn’t know who survived and who didn’t. “We’re just sitting and waiting to find out,” he said. “It’s been a long night.”

On July 30, an Anchorage pilot and his family died in a collision between their single-engine plane and another aircraft around Amber Lake near Trapper Creek, north of Anchorage. The pilot of the other plane was alone in the aircraft and uninjured.

On July 10, nine people aboard a Piper Navajo and four people in a Cessna 206 were uninjured when the planes collided as they were flying directly toward each other in Lake Clark Pass - a narrow river valley that runs between Anchorage mountains. Both aircraft had minor damage but were able to land safely in Anchorage. — AP

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British PM vows to ‘mend broken society’ after riots Police unhappy over criticism, cuts

ZHUKOVSKY: Members of the media gather next to a Boeing 787 Dreamliner after it arrived at Zhukovsky airfield to take part in the MAKS-2011, the International Aviation and Space Show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia yesterday.—AP

Russia set to be biggest buyer at own airshow MOSCOW: Russia will showcase its topof-the-range fighter jets and newest space shuttles at the MAKS airshow, starting today, and an ambitious program to upgrade its arms looks set to make Moscow the biggest buyer at its own show. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is expected to visit the biennial event tomorrow, and highlights will include the first public flight of Russia’s long-delayed, fifth-generation T-50 fighter plane.

State-controlled Russian manufacturers of both military and civil planes are likely to use the event to unveil new orders and joint ventures with industry giants including Boeing , and Russia is expected to dominate buying rather than foreign governments. Last month President Dmitry Medvedev struck out at Russia’s arms industry, the No 2 exporter in the world, telling his army it could buy weapons from abroad as well as home.

Analysts say that may spark more foreign arms purchases like the 1.2 billion euro ($1.69 billion) order for two Mistral helicopter carriers, sealed with France this year. “Russia is at a moment where it’s looking to beef up its arms industry with new technology. It’s looking abroad to do this, which might make Moscow a bigger buyer than a seller at MAKS this year,” said Ruslan Pukhov, director of Moscow-based defense think tank CAST. Russia is in the market to buy up to $3 billion worth of combat and training aircraft during the show, Vedomosti reported earlier this month. Around $10 billion in deals are expected to be signed at the week-long airshow, according to the show’s organisers Aviasalon, cited by Russian media. The last show in 2009 saw deals of about the same level.

NEW ORDERS Russia is trying to inject new life into its defense industry, which once competed with US technology but fell into a deep stagnation when research funding was cut after the break up of the Soviet Union. The T-50 fifth-generation fighter jet, for example, is a belated attempt to rival the long-established F-22 United States aircraft made by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, itself set to be replaced by the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The stealth fighter is the prototype for the aircraft Russia will develop and mass-produce with its top arms importer India in a deal reported to be worth $35 billion. Russian Helicopters, which makes the series of Mi-branded vehicles such as those used to invade Afghanistan in the 1980s, was formed last year from 11 regional manufacturers. The company is expected to use MAKS to announce a range of new orders and contracts-although mostly to Russian firms and the Defense Ministry. Russia’s UTair Aviation and Gazpromavia, the airline of gas monopoly Gazprom , have both agreed to buy the Mi-171 models, the company said.

Russia has also re-emerged as a force on the civil side of the industry, starting deliveries of its first passenger plane since the Soviet era and becoming an ever-growing presence at the world’s biggest airshows at Le Bourget, Paris and Farnborough, near London. The mid-size plane is a collaboration between state-owned Sukhoi and Italy’s Finmeccanica . A source close to the joint-venture said it would announce new orders at MAKS, adding to the 170 it has received already.— Reuters

Southern African leaders hold summit amid spreading unrest LUANDA: Southern African leaders meet this week in the Angolan capital amid concern about spreading unrest in the region and criticism of their failure to resolve ongoing crises in Zimbabwe and Madagascar. The 15-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) is facing calls for less talk and more action on a range of issues at its August 17-18 summit in Luanda, from the protracted deadlocks in Zimbabwe and Madagascar to recent crack- downs on anti-government protests in Malawi and Swaziland.

“We need to begin to call our leadership to account,” Boichoko Ditlhake, the head of a coalition of non-profit groups from the region, told journalists at a pre-summit briefing. “There is a systematic and continuous disregard for the policy framework that defines and dictates how member states in our regional body should behave.” Regional leaders are under pressure to act on a laundry list of tricky issues, including: The SADC has so far failed to force long-time President Rober t Mugabe to finish implementing a power-sharing deal with rival Morgan Tsvangirai brokered by regional mediators after an inconclusive 2008 election that was aborted by violence.

The power-sharing government has restored a measure of stability to the country, but the process of drafting a new constitution to pave the way to elections is running a year behind schedule. Mugabe has called for a vote this year, with or without a new constitution. Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change wants key reforms to be implemented first to prevent Mugabe’s ZANU-PF from stealing the election. A meeting of the SADC’s security troika in March tacitly chastised Mugabe for dragging his feet on the power-sharing deal and for ongoing political violence against Tsvangirai’s supporters. But the full SADC has been gentler on the veteran leader, calling simply for both parties to finish imple-

menting their agreement.

The SADC suspended Madagascar in 2009, after former president Marc Ravalomanana was ousted by Andry Rajoelina, then mayor of the capital, Antananarivo. Regional mediators have yet to find a solution to the impasse.

Ravalomanana, who is in exile in South Africa, has refused to sign an SADCbacked roadmap to new elections that would keep Rajoelina in power as transitional president and allow Ravalomanana to return only when political and security conditions are “favorable”. Rajoelina for his part says Ravalomanana faces life in prison if he returns, after he was sentenced in absentia to hard labour for the killing of 36 protesters by his presidential guard during the unrest of 2009.

Normally stable Malawi was ripped by violence last month when security forces responded to protests against President Bingu wa Mutharika with live ammunition, leaving 19 dead. After the unrest, the SADC sent an observer mission to the country, which will report back at the summit. Mutharika, who has presided over a major economic slump, earlier this year cost the impoverished country its largest foreign donor by expelling Britain’s envoy to Malawi over a leaked cable that referred to the Malawian leader as “ever more autocratic and intolerant of criticism.” Britain retaliated by sending Malawi’s own envoy home from London and suspending its £19 million ($30.7 million, 21.6 million euros) in budget support to the country.

King Mswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch, is facing growing opposition to his regime amid a financial crisis that saw the kingdom almost run out of cash before getting a temporary reprieve with a 2.4-billion-rand ($330-million, 232.8-million-euro) bailout loan from South Africa this month. Security forces violently dispersed anti-regime protests in April, drawing condemnation from rights groups and calls for Mswati to allow democratic reforms.—AFP

WITNEY: Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday promised a law and order “fightback” and robust action to mend what he called Britain’s broken society after riots and looting last week shocked Britons and tarnished its reputation abroad. In a speech full of tough language likely to please his traditional Conservative supporters, Cameron vowed more “no-nonsense policing” and tougher sentencing to tackle gang culture and known troublemakers, and said he would to do more to promote families, boost discipline in schools, and encourage hard work.

“We have been too unwilling for too long to talk about what is right and wrong,” Cameron said in a speech at a youth centre in his affluent southern constituency of Witney, near Oxford.

Behind him, the wall bore a graffiti-style mural centred on characters wearing the kind of hoods and masks associated with those widely seen on television ransacking shops last week. More than 2,800 people have been arrested since a protest over a fatal shooting by police on Aug. 4 prompted rioting and looting in the poor north London area of Tottenham. That spread across the capital and sparked violence in other English cities.

Cameron, who returned from holiday abroad last week after days of unrest, is seeking to tap into widespread public anger over the protests.

They came 15 months after he took office at the head of a centre-right coalition committed to cuts in welfare and other spending that critics say will hit the poor. “This has been a wake-up call for our country. Social problems that have been festering for decades have exploded in our face,” said Cameron, who also faces criticism for plans to cut police spending and for his management of the crisis. “Now, just as people wanted criminals robustly confronted on our street, so they want to see these problems taken on and defeated. Our security fightback must be matched by a social fightback.”

The stakes are high for Cameron. Any repeat of last week’s lawlessness, in which shops were smashed up and set on fire and five people were killed in related violence, will sap public confidence in his government. However, analysts say Cameron, a 44-year-old former public relations executive from a wealthy establishment background, could benefit politically if he provides the tough law and order response some voters are seeking. Cameron has taken a hard line in rhetoric. His speech yesterday talked of the dangers of indiscipline in schools and family breakdown, succour to traditional Conservatives who feel their young leader has been too liberal on

social issues.

Cameron and his centre-left Liberal Democrat coalition partners will review their programme over the coming weeks, looking at issues like welfare and substance addiction in an effort to promote more stable communities. But the prime minister has ruled out easing spending cuts which some left-wing critics say are fuelling tensions in Britain’s cities, where the gap between rich and poor is gaping.

Planned austerity has put Cameron on a collision course with the police, still smarting over his criticism of their initial response to the riots.

Police chiefs say a 20 percent cut in their budget

LONDON: Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron speaks at a youth center in Witney, his Parliamentary district in southern England yesterday.—AP over the next four years will make it harder for them to maintain law and order. Cameron believes that jittery financial markets will take fright at the first sign of backtracking on plans to erase by 2015 a budget deficit that peaked at over 10 percent of national output.

“Yes, we have had an economic crisis to deal

with, clearing up the terrible mess we inherited, and we are not out of those woods yet-not by a long way,” Cameron said, referring to his centreleft Labour predecessors. “But ... the reason I am in politics is to build a bigger, stronger society.”

At Witney Ecumenical Youth Trust, where Cameron gave his speech, young people stressed the importance of organisations like theirs-a charity which relies on donations and which almost closed a few months ago.

They fear government cuts, which have meant local councils cutting back on services like youth centres and care for the elderly, could exacerbate social problems. “If they try to close this place down, there will be a riot,” said 19-year-old Jesse Day, who felt the Trust’s facilities had helped keep him out of prison. “I would have been banged up by now if it wasn’t for them. It’s my family.” Opposition Labor leader Ed Miliband said the government had to help young people who felt they would face tougher lives than their parents or grandparents.

“Are issues like education and skills, youth services, youth unemployment, important for diverting people away from gangs, criminality, the wrong path? Yes. They matter,” Miliband said in a speech at the London state school where he was educated. Miliband said a lack of morality was not confined to a “feral underclass” but had also been displayed by risk-taking bankers, legislators who fiddled their expenses and newspaper reporters who hacked into telephones for storiesall major topics of debate in Britain in the past couple of years.

“When we talk about the sick behavior of those without power, let’s also talk about the sick behaviour of those with it,” he said. It was a line echoed by Cameron. Politicians are conscious that voters, disillusioned by what many see as a failure to punish bankers they hold responsible for the financial crisis, could take unkindly to being lectured by politicians, many of whom were also embroiled in a 2009 expenses abuse scandal. Cynicism towards those in power has been further fuelled by a phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World newspaper, which exposed a cosy relationship between British politicians, the press and police. In Witney, another 19-year-old Georgia Hayes, was not convinced Cameron had got the message about opposition to cuts: “He’s there on TV trying to make himself big and beautiful,” she said. “Bring the youth centres back. Stop the cuts. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. “He should think about other people for once.”— Reuters

Rwandan rebel leader faces world crimes court charges hearing THE HAGUE: Rwandan rebel leader Callixte Mbarushimana will face world court judges this week in a hearing to confirm charges for his alleged role in the murder, rape and torture of Congolese civilians in 2009. Prosecutors will try to convince International Criminal Court (ICC) judges that they have enough evidence to proceed to a war crimes and crimes against humanity trial against the 48-year-old Mbarushimana.

Lawyers for the man identified as the executive secretary of the FDLR rebel group will be also given a chance to refute the charges in a hearing that opens tomorrow and is set to last three days. After the hearing closes, judges at the Haguebased court will have a maximum of 60 days to decide whether there are grounds to move to trial. ICC prose-

cutors suspect the former computer technician of five counts of crimes against humanity and six war crimes committed in 2009 in two provinces in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kivu Nord and Kivu Sud. Mbarushimana stands accused of having “personally and intentionally contributed” to plotting “widespread and systematic attacks against the civilian population in order to create a humanitarian catastrophe”. The attacks included murder, rape and torture against Congolese civilians.

Prosecutors believe he “directed or helped to direct” from Paris the abuses carried out in clashes between the FDLR and both the Congolese and Rwandan armies.

Prosecutors further allege that FDLR members forced civilian men to rape women, mutilated the geni-

tals of rape victims, cut open the wombs of pregnant women to remove their fetuses, and burnt down homes. The FDLR, considered one of the most active rebel groups in the volatile Great Lakes region, is “the last incarnation of the group of persons who committed the 1994 genocide in Rwanda,” ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has previously said. More than 15,000 cases of sexual violence have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2009.

Mbarushimana’s lawyer Nick Kaufman told AFP the defense will “argue and will prove that there is no evidence to support the charges... against Mr Mbarushimana,” who he added “was not guilty of the offenses the prosecution has alleged he has committed.” Kaufman said the ICC prosecutor’s case “solely relied on

human rights reports coming from NGOs... whose sources are unverified and unreliable.”

He charged the prosecution was carried away “by the need to find a culprit, a scapegoat for the awful crimes that were committed in the northern part of the Kivus in 2009.”

“Mr Mbarushimana was an easy target for the Office of the Prosecutor, living as he was in France and without hiding,” Kaufman said. Mbarushimana was arrested on an ICC warrant in October last year in Paris, where he had been living as a political refugee since 2002, and was delivered to the world court in January.

Imprisoned at the UN’s detention centre in The Hague, he made an initial appearance before the ICC on January 28 when he protested his innocence.—AFP

Affair with teen fells Merkel ally BERLIN: A state leader of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party has resigned after admitting to an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old girl he met on the Internet. Christian von Boetticher, the unmarried 40-year-old leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU) in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany, stepped down late Sunday and renounced his bid to stand for state premier in a May 2012 election.

The right-wing rising star tearfully confirmed media reports that he had had an affair with the teenager he met in early 2010 on Facebook. They began seeing each other in March last year but he ended the liaison in May when he was under consideration to succeed current CDU state premier Peter-Harry Carstensen. “It was, quite simply, love,” he told

reporters. “It was a relationship that people in our private lives accepted and supported.”

He noted that their relationship was not illegal under German law but that many people had “understandable moral reservations” about it. Carstensen told German media he had been aware of “rumours about Boetticher’s private life” since early July and called him immediately. “I pointed out the explosive nature of these rumours and recommended that he very openly go on the offensive,” he said.

His opponent from the Social Democrats, Torsten Albig, said he would not seek to exploit the scandal in his own campaign. “It is not up to me to judge Mr Boetticher’s private life,” he told yesterday’s Handelsblatt newspaper. The CDU is to decide today whether to keep Boetticher on as state parliamentary group leader.—AFP

Bulgaria bans police donations SOFIA: Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov yesterday banned private donations to his ministry after Brussels raised concerns over police integrity. The ban will enter into force on September 1 and outlaw all donations except from municipalities, stateowned companies and government or international institutions.

The practice of accepting donations-mostly of fuel but also equipment and even firewoodfrom both persons and companies was widespread at the ministry. The private television channel bTV recently reported that traffic police in Sofia have a special list of vehicles of police sponsors, which they are told not to stop for checks. People under investigation and even some convicted criminals were also on the list of police donors.

Gifts to the ministry totaled 6.5 million leva (3.3 million euros, $4.7 million) over the first three months of 2011, ministry data showed. Tsvetanov tried to clear the concerns, saying, “Whoever the donors are, they are in no way protected from prosecution if they have committed any crimes.” Questions about police integrity however remained as the Dnevnik daily newspaper found that a large part of the donating companies later won public tenders.

The issue was subsequently also brought up in the latest progress monitoring report by the European Commission in July. “Concerns have been reported in connection with the practice of police to accept donations from private and legal persons to contribute to the funding of its operations,” it said. —AFP

MOGADISHU: A woman from southern Somalia holds her malnourished child in a refugee camp in Mogadishu, Somalia, yesterday. The World Food Program said Saturday that it is expanding its food distribution efforts in faminestruck Somalia, where the UN estimates that only 20 percent of people needing aid are getting it. —AP

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Victim of Indonesian mob attack sent to jail JAKARTA: An Indonesian man wounded when Islamic hardliners launched a deadly attack on his minority sect was sentenced yesterday to six months in prison - more than some of those caught on video taking part in the lynching. Human rights groups blasted the ruling, saying 48-year-old Deden Sudjana was acting in selfdefense. They said it showed how the police, the judicial system and the government are helping fuel religious intolerance in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

Sudjana was convicted of inciting violence because he defied police orders to leave

the scene when the attackers arrived at a meeting of the minority Ahmadiyah sect.

Sudjana instead fought back during the Feb. 6 incident in the village of Cikeusik in central Indonesia. Footage of the attack, which circulated widely on the Internet, showed 1,500 hard-liners descending on a house where 20 members of the sect had gathered. The attackers, carr ying wooden clubs, machetes and rocks, killed three people and continued to pummel their lifeless bodies, chanting “God is Great!” as police looked on.

Sumartono, presiding judge of the Serang District Court,

gave Sudjana six months for resisting police orders and then beating one of the mob’s leaders. Sudjana - whose hand was nearly severed by a machete during the attack - looked stunned as the verdict was read out. “I’m the victim,” he told reporters as he was escorted from the courtroom. “Why am I getting a higher sentence than some of the perpetrators?”

Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim and secular nation of 240 million, has a long history of religious tolerance. But a small, extremist fringe has grown more vocal and violent in recent years. They’ve been emboldened by the inaction of

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who relies on the support of Islamic parties in Parliament, and does not want to offend conservative Muslims by taking sides. Perpetrators of such violence often go unpunished. Human rights groups say police, under pressure by hardliners, did not carry out a proper investigation into the Feb. 6 attacks and that prosecutors, claiming the Ahmadis were instigators, didn’t call key eyewitnesses. Andreas Harsono, of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, called it the Talibanization of Indonesia.

“We have the impression that the Indonesian justice sys-

tem has surrendered to (those) who have decided to take the law into their own hands,” he said. The decision to punish one of the victims will only encourage more such violence, he added.

So far, 12 members of the mob have been convicted, including one man who was captured on camera smashing in an Ahmadi member’s skull with a rock. They were given between three to six months in jail. The Ahmadiyah, which has followers around the world, is considered heretical by many Muslims and banned in many Islamic countries because of its belief that Muhammad was not

the final prophet. In recent years, hard-liners in Indonesia have attacked the sect’s mosques and intimidated some of its 200,000 followers, but the lynching in Cikeusik was by far the most brutal.

The latest attack occurred over the weekend in the South Sulawesi town of Makassar, where 30 members of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front attacked a mosque. Two people also were beaten, sect members and a lawyer who tried to interfere, rights groups said.

Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini and Michael Holtz contributed to this report from Jakarta.—AP

One killed in Philippines as bomb hits governor’s convoy Seven people wounded in attack

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, bottom left, speaks from a bullet proof podium as schoolchildren in colored clothing make a formation that resembles the Indian flag, background, during celebrations of India’s Independence Day at the Red Fort monument in New Delhi, yesterday.—AP

India PM warns on graft on Independence Day NEW DELHI: India’s embattled premier yesterday used his Independence Day address from Delhi’s rain-drenched Red Fort to insist the government was taking “the strictest possible action” against corruption. Manmohan Singh, speaking from a bullet-proof enclosure in torrential monsoon rains, also said that inflation running at nearly 10 percent was a “problem”, but that solving it “will be our top-most priority in the coming months”.

The 78-year-old prime minister dwelt at length on the problem of graft, which has sapped his government in its second term and tarnished his own reputation as “Mr Clean”. “Today the world recognises our potential to be one of the major economic powers globally. But the problem of corruption is a big obstacle in such a transformation,” Singh conceded.

While promising that “we are taking the strictest possible action in cases of corruption that have surfaced”, Singh also defended his record, saying that the country was enjoying political stability and fast economic growth. Despite the challenges posed by rising inflation, Singh also promised a new focus on providing free healthcare and pledged to make India slum-free via an infrastructure-building scheme.

Not yet half-way through his second term as premier, Singh faces fierce criticism from opponents and in the media over apparent drift in the government and its failure to deliver on promises of reform. He has spent much of the past year managing crises after a string of corruption scandals in the government and the ruling Congress party. A former telecom minister in Singh’s government is on trial and another has resigned over the flawed sale of telecom licences in 2008, which could have lost the exchequer up to $40 billion, according to the national auditor.

Meanwhile, the former head of last year’s New Delhi Commonwealth Games faces charges of embezzlement, while the chief ministers of two Indian states have stepped down over land and mining scandals respectively. Singh said

there was no “magic wand” to tackle corruption, but he promised to work towards greater transparency, an effective justice system, a new law on public procurement and an ombudsman to probe and prosecute corrupt officials.

“I believe that there is no single big step which we can take to eradicate corruption (and) in fact, we will have to act simultaneously on many fronts,” he said in his speech from the ramparts of the imposing Mughal fort. Singh will face a public confrontation over corruption today after a famed activist vowed to defy the police and begin a hunger strike demanding a tougher anti-graft law.

Hazar, a 74-year-old devotee of Mahatma Gandhi, said he would stage the fast despite a ban by the police. Police and soldiers were out in force across India on Independence Day, which celebrates the 1947 end of British rule on the subcontinent.

Security measures were increased in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata, as well as Mumbai, where police are probing triple bombings on July 13. The three coordinated explosions killed 26 people and injured 130, but no group has claimed responsibility and detectives have struggled to unearth who was behind the attack. “Last month’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai warn us that there cannot be any slip-up in our vigilance as far as the fight against terrorism is concerned,” Singh said, echoing President Pratibha Patil in her address on the eve of Independence Day. Security was also raised in insurgencyhit Kashmir and India’s seven restive northeastern states including Manipur, where several separatist groups called for a boycott of yesterday’s celebrations.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, a general strike was in force. Separatists enforced the shutdown to protest Independence Day celebrations, which they consider a “black day”. Kashmir was divided between India and Pakistan after partition of the subcontinent in 1947 and has since sparked two wars between the neighbors.—AFP

Policeman, 4 Taleban die in Afghanistan attack GHAZNI: A policeman and four Taleban insurgents were killed overnight when militants attacked government offices in central Afghanistan, the local police chief said yesterday. The attack in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni province lasted about an hour and started when the Taleban launched two rockets at the district’s administrative headquarters before opening fire on a police checkpoint nearby.

Police shot back, triggering a gun fight, but insurgents did not get inside the compound, Ghazni police chief Dilawar Zahid said. “Four militants and a policeman have been killed in the clash,” Zahid said.

Taleban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed that eight policemen were killed in the clash. The Taleban is known frequently to exaggerate claims in relation to attacks launched by insurgents. The attack came after 22 people died in a gun and suicide attack on the compound of the governor of Parwan province, just north of the Afghan capital Kabul. The Taleban have been leading an insurgency against

the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai for nearly 10 years and frequently target government offices and officials.—AFP

KANDAHAR: A wounded US army soldier is transported into a frontline ambulance (FLA) car after being airlifted by a Medivac helicopter of the 159th Brigade Task Force Thunder to the Kandahar airbase yesterday.—AFP

MANILA: A car bomb in the southern Philippines killed one person and wounded seven yesterday in an attack targeting a governor who took office after many of his relatives were slain in the country’s worst political massacre in 2009. Maguindanao Gov Esmael Mangudadatu said he was shaken but unhurt in the bombing that struck his convoy on a busy highway in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat Province. He and his followers were heading to a restaurant to celebrate his birthday.

“The blast was so powerful and I saw one of the cars in my convoy going up in flames,” Mangudadatu told ABS-CBN television network.

Sultan Kudarat police chief Senior Superintendent Danilo Peralta said it was not immediately clear whether the person killed by the blast was a pedestrian or a member of the convoy.

The bomb consisted of a 105 mm howitzer round and was

remotely detonated in a parked white car, the military said.

Among the victims were a Maguindanao provincial board member and his son, whose foot was severed by the blast. They were riding in the convoy’s third car, which absorbed the main impact of the bomb.

Three other victims, a motorcycle taxi driver and two bystanders, were not part of the convoy.

Mangudadatu said journalists were in his convoy but it was not immediately clear if they were among the wounded. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda condemned the “attempted assassination” of Mangudadatu, adding investigators have identified the owner of the bomb-laden car and were checking other leads.

Mangudadatu, an ex-town mayor, rose to prominence in November 2009 when 57 people including his wife, sisters, supporters and at least 31 journalists - were

gunned down in Maguindanao in a massacre that was blamed on his political rivals.

The group was attacked while they were traveling to register Mangudadatu’s candidacy for governor, a position he later won by a landslide. A powerful family patriarch and former governor, Andal Ampatuan Sr., and a number of his sons are among the 196 people accused in the massacre.

The trial has been taking place in Manila. The Ampatuans have denied any involvement in the killings and pointed to Muslim guerrillas as possible suspects. No group immediately claimed responsibility for yesterday’s attack. Sultan Kudarat and nearby Maguindanao, about 590 miles (950 kilometers) southeast of Manila, are in a violent region that teems with Muslim guerrillas and warlord clans with private armies.

Muslim guerrillas belonging to the main Moro Islamic Liberation

Front clashed with Mangudadatu’s followers in Maguindanao last April due to a land dispute, but rebel spokesman Von Al Haq said his group had nothing to do with the attack on the governor. Shortly after the 2009 massacre, officials placed predominantly Muslim Maguindanao under a state of emergency as government troops cracked down on the Ampatuan clan and its many armed followers.

Mangudadatu said yesterday’s attack was one more reason why the emergency declaration, which empowers the military and police to take stronger actions to prevent violence, should not be lifted.

Many people associated with the main massacre suspects still roam the province, Mangudadatu said.

“We know that many remnants of the suspects are still around, they’re in the thousands,” he said.

Associated Press writer Teresa Cerojano contributed to this report.— AP

China dubs US ambassador ‘the backpacker’

SEOUL: South Korean family members of victims of World War II hold portraits of family members during an anti-Japanese rally to commemorate the 66th anniversary of liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule in Seoul yesterday.—AFP

S Korean leader urges North to seek peace SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak yesterday urged North Korea to stop military “provocation” and work towards peace and cooperation on the divided peninsula. “Nothing can be accomplished through provocations,” he said in a Liberation Day speech marking the 1945 end of Japan’s colonial rule over what was until then a unified Korea.

“Over the past 60 years, the South and North have lived in conflict. Now is the time to overcome it and open up an age of peace and cooperation,” he said, urging the North to join in the pursuit of their “common prosperity”. Lee said that despite lingering cross-border tensions, the South would continue offering humanitarian aid to its impoverished neighbor where flooding due to heavy rainfall this summer has exacerbated food shortages.

“Humanitarian assistance for children in the North will continue. Humanitarian support to help it recover from natural disasters will also be continuously carried out,” he said. The Koreas faced renewed tension last week after the South accused the North of firing shells along the flashpoint Yellow Sea border, the scene of a deadly artillery attack in November. The South said its marines fired warning shots last Wednesday in response to two shells fired by the North, which denied the charge, saying the sounds came from “normal blasting” from construction work.

The North accused Seoul of fabricat-

ing the latest incident as a pretext to justify annual US-South Korea joint military exercises due to begin today. US and South Korean officials described the exercises as defensive and routine, but the North denounced it as preparation for “a war of aggression”. Tension on the peninsula has been acute since the South accused the North of torpedoing a South Korean warship in March last year, with the loss of 46 lives-a charge Pyongyang denies. Lee also urged Tokyo to help forge “mature” bilateral ties by teaching youngsters about Japanese atrocities committed during colonial rule. “Japan has a responsibility to teach its young generation the truth about what happened in the past,” he said.

Older South Koreans still have bitter memories of Japan’s harsh colonial rule.

Thousands of activists rallied in central Seoul yesterday against Tokyo’s claim on South Korea-controlled islands. A test flight by Korean Air over the islands, called Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan, reignited the decades-long dispute. The activists chanted slogans including “Dokdo is our land!” and “Japan will sink if it keeps claiming Dokdo!”.

Tokyo ordered public servants not to use Korean Air for a month after the flagship carrier carried out the test flight of its new aircraft in June. Seoul earlier this month refused entry to three Japanese lawmakers who attempted to visit Ulleungdo, the closest South Korean territory to Dokdo.—AFP

BEIJING: Chinese bloggers and the media speculated yesterday about whether the new US ambassador’s Chinese roots would help Sino-US ties-and nicknamed him “the backpacker” for his frugal travelling habits. Gary Locke, formerly US commerce secretary, arrived in Beijing at the weekend carrying his own luggage and travelling in a regular car, with little of the ceremony that usually surrounds Chinese dignitaries abroad.

“Our own officials have got used to a luxury lifestyle,” lamented one user of the Sina Weibo microblogging service in response to Locke’s relaxed arrival, while the state Xinhua news agency dubbed him the US “backpacker”.

Locke, the first Chinese American to hold the job, succeeds Jon Huntsman, who resigned to run for the Republican presidential nomination.

A column in the official China Daily newspaper said there were hopes Locke’s ancestry would “help him be a bridge between China and the United States and between the two peoples”. “However, we should not pin too many hopes on him adopting a more pro-China approach than his predecessors,” said the commentary, written by Tao Wenzhao, a scholar at the Centre for US-China Relations at Beijing’s Tsinghua University. Tao reminded readers that Locke would “work to serve the US national interests”, in comments echoed online and in other newspapers amid excitement over the 61-year-old’s China roots.

“Luo Jiahui (Locke’s Chinese name) needs to prove to Americans that he will not be influenced by his Chinese lineage,” one netizen said on Sina Weibo, China’s most popular microblogging site. “A lot of people understand that he will represent US interests, but... many Chinese people still have a fantasy about him.” Locke-a third generation Chinese American whose grandfather emigrated to the US state of Washington-was quick to point out his allegiance to the United States over the weekend. “I am both humbled and honoured to stand here before you as a child of Chinese immigrants representing America, the land of my birth, and the American values my family holds dear,” he told reporters. Locke takes over at a time of fraught USChina relations, with tensions escalated by a range of disputes including Beijing’s export-driven economic policies, growing military spending and human rights record. On Sunday, Locke told journalists Washington was “committed to getting our fiscal house in order”, addressing rising Chinese concerns over US economic woes that led to an unprecedented downgrade of the nation’s top-notch credit rating.

“We note that over the last several days more people are buying US Treasuries,” he said. “So it’s a clear indication that investment in the United States is safe, secure, and that the economy, while having its challenges, is still strong, and that investment in the United States is to be promoted.” Beijing has launched a barrage of criticism at the United States over the debt crisis, with state media savaging the country over what they call its “addiction to debt”, in a series of unusually critical articles. China is the biggest foreign holder of US debt, with holdings of $1.2 trillion, but analysts say it cannot conduct any large-scale selling of dollar assets without diminishing the value of its remaining holdings. In a comment piece yesterday, Xinhua hinted at the scale of the task facing the new US envoy. “A picture of a backpacker on the Internet attracted much attention from the Chinese people. Sunday afternoon, the backpacker appeared in front of the media as the new US ambassador,” it said. “One thing for sure is that his mission will be much heavier than the bag he carried on the way to China.”— AFP

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

NEWS

Racists plague NY Fire Department

Ramadan Kareem

Etiquette and the Sunah of fasting

By Shaikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

W

e should make sure that we eat and drink something at suhoor, and that we delay it until just before the adhan of Fajr. The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Have suhoor, for in suhoor there is blessing (barakah).” “Suhoor is blessed food, and it involves being different from the people of the Book. What a good suhoor for the believer is dates.” Not delaying iftar, because the Prophet (PBUH) said: “The people will be fine so long as they do not delay iftar.”

Breaking one’s fast in the manner described in the Hadith narrated by Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (PBUH) used to break his fast with fresh dates before praying; if fresh dates were not available, he would eat (dried) dates; if dried dates were not available, he would have a few sips of water.” After iftar, reciting the words reported in the Hadith narrated by Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), according to which the Prophet, when he broke his fast, would say: “Dhahaba Al-zama’, wa’btallat al-’urooq, wa thabat al-ajru in sha Allah (Thirst is gone, veins are flowing again, and the reward is certain, in sha Allah).”

Keeping away from sin, because the Prophet said: “When any of you is fasting, let him not commit sin...”. The Prophet said: “Whoever does not stop speaking falsehood and acting in accordance with it, Allaah has no need of him giving up his food and drink.” (Al-Bukhaari, Al-Fath, no. 1903). The person who is fasting should avoid all kinds of haram actions, such as backbiting, obscenity and lies, otherwise his reward may all be lost. The Prophet said: “It may be that a fasting person gets nothing from his fast except hunger.”

Among the things that can destroy one’s hasanaat (good deeds) and bring sayi’aat (bad deeds) is allowing oneself to be distracted by quiz-shows, soap operas, movies and sports matches, idle gatherings, hanging about in the streets with evil people and time-wasters, driving around for no purpose, and crowding the streets and sidewalks, so that the months of tahajjud, dhikr and worship, for many people, becomes the month of sleeping in the day so as to avoid feeling hungry, thus missing their prayers and the opportunity to pray them in congregation, then spending their nights in entertainment and indulging their desires.

Some people even greet the month with feelings of annoyance, thinking only of the pleasures they will miss out on. In Ramadan, some people travel to kaafir lands to enjoy a holiday! Even the mosques are not free from such evils as the appearance of women wearing makeup and perfume, and even the Sacred House of Allah is not free of these ills. Some people make the month a season for begging, even though they are not in need. Some of them entertain themselves with dangerous fireworks and the like, and some of them waste their time in the markets, wandering around the shops, or sewing and following fashions.

Some of them put new products and new styles in their stores during the last ten days of the month, to keep people away from earning rewards and hasanaat. Not allowing oneself to be provoked, because the Prophet said: “If someone fights him or insults him, he should say, ‘I am fasting, I am fasting.’”

One reason for this is to remind himself, and another reason is to remind his adversary. But anyone who looks at the conduct of many of those who fast will see something quite different. It is essential to exercise self-control and be calm, but we see the opposite among crazy drivers who speed up when they hear the adhan for Maghrib.

Not eating too much, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The son of Adam fills no worse vessel than his stomach.” The wise person wants to eat to live, not live to eat. The best type of food is that which is there to be used, not that which is there to be served. But people indulge in making all kinds of food (during Ramadan) and treating food preparation as a virtual art form, so that housewives and servants spend all their time on making food, and this keeps them away from worship, and people spend far more on food during Ramadan than they do ordinarily.

Thus the month becomes the month of indigestion, fatness and gastric illness, where people eat like gluttons and drink like thirsty camels, and when they get up to pray Taraaweeh, they do so reluctantly, and some of them leave after the first two rak’ahs. Being generous by sharing knowledge, giving money, using one’s position of authority or physical strength to help others, and having a good attitude.

Al-Bukhaari and Muslim reported that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “The Messenger of Allah was the most generous of people [in doing good], and he was most generous of all in Ramadan when Jibreel met with him, and he used to meet him every night in Ramadan and teach him the Quran. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was more generous in doing good than a blowing wind.” How can people exchange generosity for stinginess and action for laziness, to the extent that they do not do their work properly and do not treat one another properly, and they use fasting as an excuse for all this. Combining fasting with feeding the poor is one of the means of reaching Paradise, as the Prophet said: “In Paradise there are rooms whose outside can be seen from the inside and the inside can be seen from the outside. Allah has prepared them for those who feed the poor, who are gentle in speech, who fast regularly and who pray at night when people are asleep.” Al-Albaani said in his footnote, its isnaad is hasan because of other corroborating reports.

The Prophet said: “Whoever gives food to a fasting person with which to break his fast, will have a reward equal to his, without it detracting in the slightest from the reward of the fasting person.” A number of the Salaf preferred the poor over themselves when feeding them at the time of iftaar. Among these were ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar, Maalik ibn Deenaar, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and others. ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar would not break his fast unless there were orphans and poor people with him.

— www.zawaj.com

CAIRO: Egyptian policemen intervene as an anti-government protester (left) punches a supporter (center) of ousted president Hosni Mubarak outside the police academy where his trial resumed in Cairo yesterday. — AFP ( See Page 7)

Ramadan in Dubai: Month of soaring food waste?

Dubai food waste jumps 20% in Ramadan DUBAI: Hundreds of Asian laborers sit silently on the floor outside Dubai’s Fatima Hassan Mosque in front of plates laden with fruit, pakoras and biryani as they wait patiently in the energy-sapping humidity to begin their Ramadan iftar.

Nearby, sweat-drenched volunteers hastily scoop the deepfried vegetables and the rice-based dishes of stewed meats from huge metal urns on to plates for the last of their weary guests, as they count down the final minutes until the sun disappears from the horizon, the moment they can break their daily dawn-to-dusk fast in the Muslim holy month due to end as August closes.

The mosque, situated downtown just yards from Dubai’s creek the location of the emirate’s original trading hub when it was just a small trade and fishing centre-provides a free iftar for the poor every day during the holy month, cooking enough rice, mutton or chicken to feed some 1,500-1,800 workers in one sitting.

The Fatima Hassan Mosque’s waste bins may be empty, but Ramadan brings a huge increase in food waste across the city and the Gulf as leftovers from more lavish banquets attended by the well-to-do are thrown out in a region where soaring summer temperatures mean that fresh food goes off quickly. “We hardly have any waste. Whatever is left over we serve to people. We call the people over and give it to them,” said Nour Mohammed, a sales coordinator who volunteers to serve food.

But not all iftars in Dubai are simple meals provided for the poor-many of whom are migrant workers, paid less than 1,000 dirhams ($272) a month and often have large debts.

Dubai has transformed itself over the last 50 years into a regional business and tourism hub renowned for extravagant real estate projects, flashy living and the luxurious banquets at hotels and restaurants to accommodate the demands of wealthy consumers who want the best fresh food at their iftar feasts.

The emirate boasts the world’s tallest tower, man-made islands in the shape of palms visible from space, and a number of luxurious hotels-including the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab- many of which lay on massive iftars for those who can afford it. Iftars at the top end venues are often pricey, with some charging as much as 200 dirhams ($55) per person.

Amir warns against misuse of surpluses Continued from Page 1 led to structural imbalances in Kuwait economy,” Amir said. The meeting comes amid fears of another global recession that could dampen the price of oil, which provides more than 93 percent of Kuwait’s public revenues, and impact its $300 billion (210 billion euros) of foreign investments.

Encouraged by high oil prices, the Kuwait with just 1.1 million Kuwaiti nationals has boosted spending more than three times over the past six years to more than $71 billion, mostly to pay wages and subsidies.

“We have to adopt measures to rectify the direction of the state budget,” said the Amir who called for “sacrifices” to enforce long-delayed reforms, without revealing the type of measures.

Senior government officials including the central bank governor attended the meeting called to study the possible impact of the US downgrade and European sovereign debt crisis on Kuwait’s domestic economy. In June, parliament passed the largest budget in Kuwait’s history amid warnings by MPs that spending must be curtailed otherwise the country risks tapping into assets

NEW YORK: The storied New York Fire Department was accused yesterday of being plagued by racism against its tiny minority of black firefighters. The start of the third week of a federal discrimination trial saw a representative for one of the lead plaintiffs—the Vulcan Society for black firefighters—testify about a corrosive atmosphere.

Paul Washington, a firefighter captain and former head of the Vulcan Society, said that on several occasions he had overheard white firefighters, who make up about 90 percent of the department, refer to “niggers.” “Someone didn’t know I was there and would say something about niggers and I’d turn and there’d be a confrontation,” Washington said in Brooklyn federal court.

At an all-white fire house where he was temporarily stationed, “they would play a game every night where they’d pick someone and say ‘you’re the nigger tonight,’” meaning that person would do the menial jobs, Washington testified.

In another incident, he referred to a flier announcing a Vulcan Society memorial ceremony for black firefighters killed during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. On the flier—which was presented in court—someone had scrawled “Lick me” and “What about the white guys?” The word “black” was written over the request that guests come in dress uniform “with white gloves.”

In addition, the guest list, which featured the black former New York mayor David Dinkins, had been defaced to include rap stars. Thundering around on immaculately maintained red trucks, the city’s so-called “Bravest” are local heroes, admired for their professionalism and lauded for their self-sacrifice on 9/11, when 343 died in the collapsing Twin Towers. With generous pay, pension and vacation, the job is seen as a highly attractive way to enter the middle class.

But the discrimination trial in Brooklyn is challenging the FDNY’s reputation and could see the judge imposing drastic change in the way recruitment is done. A quarter of New York’s population is black and 27 percent Hispanic, but just 3.4 percent of firefighters are black and 6.7 percent Latino, the plaintiffs say. The fire department says recruitment in the past did not pay enough attention to minorities, but that this has changed, with a high-volume campaign now underway in black and Hispanic-focused media, as well as street recruitment drives.

Paul Mannix, head of a group of firefighters lobbying against court-imposed changes, said racism did not explain the white-dominated firefighter statistics. “You cannot make this a black-and-white issue,” he said. “We’re not interested in keeping anyone out of this job, other than those who can’t do it.” “I can tell you that the equal opportunity is there— more than equal opportunity, because we are bending over backwards to attract minorities,” he said. But on the witness stand, Washington said that racist attitude made advancement harder for black firefighters even when they did get into the department.

For example, newly promoted lieutenants typically are allowed to begin practicing their role on the job several weeks before formally taking up the new rank. However, when Washington was promoted at the same time as a white firefighter in the same unit, “he got to operate as a lieutenant and I didn’t. Stuff like that has more impact than the overt things.” Washington said anyone complaining about alleged racist incidents faced being “ostracized” in fire houses. “You’re going to be shunned,” he said. “Things like this can be very hurtful to your career.”— AFP

to pay wages.

The head of the parliamentary budgets committee, MP Adnan Abdulsamad, described the budget as “crazy” and said the price for oil needed to balance the budget is $85-90 a barrel. “Ten years ago, we needed oil price to be at $18 a barrel to balance the budget, but now if oil slips below $85-90, we will be forced to withdraw (money) from the assets to pay for wages,” Abdulsamad told parliament. The price of Kuwaiti oil has remained above $100 a barrel for most of the current fiscal year which began on April 1.

Kuwait’s current economic indicators are encouraging but oil remains the main driver of the economy with reforms on the backburner amid non-stop political disputes between parliament and the government.

Last month, Standard & Poor’s rating services raised the OPEC member local and foreign currency sovereign credit ratings to AA from AA- on the back of strong public finances. S&P however pointed to Kuwaiti weaknesses including heavy reliance on hydrocarbons, recurring deadlock between parliament and the government, lack of transparency and a slow pace of reform.- — Agencies

“They see Ramadan as a possibility to squeeze a non-alcoholic consuming demographic and the economy has been slow for a while,” said Mishaal Al-Gergawi, a current affairs commentator in the United Arab Emirates.

Despite the hours of preparation put into the often vast displays of food, waiters at top hotels in Dubai say much of the food left over goes straight into the waste bins. The amount of food thrown out in the emirate jumps considerably in the holy month - by as much as 20 percent according to Dubai Municipality, with most of the waste comprising rice and non-vegetable foods. Around 1,850 tons of food were thrown out on average per day during Ramadan in 2010, roughly 20 percent of total waste in the emirate during the holy month, it said.

In neighboring Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, at least 500 tonnes of food were thrown out on a daily basis during the month Abu Dhabi-based daily the National reported in August last year. “Hot and cold-all the food on the buffet gets thrown out,” said a waiter at a five star hotel in Dubai who gave his name only as Nazir, through fear of losing his job, as he went around topping up dishes on the iftar buffet, while businessmen hovered around him, eyeing the vast spread of food on offer. “If people order room service then we’ll make it fresh again. But sometimes we have a lot of waste,” Nazir said.

Food experts at top hotels JW Marriott and Hilton in Dubai however say they plan so that no food is thrown out despite preparing up to 15 percent more food during the

holy month. “We have control systems that help us avoid excess,” said Simon Lazarus, senior area director of food and beverage, Hilton Worldwide, Middle East and Africa. “Even if there is a little bit left over the staff all eat it. We never recycle food and we have our own strict policy not to.”

The large increase in food waste during the holy month has drawn criticism from religious scholars who say that it goes against the spirit of fasting. “Wasting the blessing of Allah, like food, particularly at a time when you see people starving in Ethiopia, Somalia and other places, does not fit in the Islamic notion of moderation. God says in the Koran that those who waste the blessing of God, they are the brethren of the devils,” said Sheikh Muddassir Siddiqui, an Islamic scholar in Dubai. “Hotels should cut back on the amount of food they provide. It should not be a matter of prestige.

Iftars at hotels should not be intended just for rich people but for everyone - particularly the less fortunate and there are many of them.”

One charity that has been looking to help the poor and needy is Hefth Al-Ne’ma-Arabic for “Saving Grace”. Set up in 2004, the Abu Dhabi-based organization collects leftover food from large gatherings such as weddings, banquets and iftars at hotels in the UAE capital to distribute food that is safe to eat. The charity is hoping to set up operations in Dubai and other emirates later this year its manager Sultan Al-Shehi said. “There are a lot of people who are in need in the UAE and this is an interesting way to bridge the disparity,” said commentator Gergawi. — Reuters

67 die in Iraq’s ‘bloodiest day’ Continued from Page 1 8:00 am was followed minutes later by a nearby car bomb, medical and security officials said.

“I was on my way to my shop in the market and suddenly I felt myself being thrown to the ground,” said 26-year-old Saadun Muftin, speaking from the city’s Karama hospital. “After that I found myself in the hospital with wounds all over my body.” Another shopkeeper, Mohammed Jassim, described “smoke everywhere” in the square where the blasts took place.

Ghalid Rashid Khazaa, health spokesman for Wasit province, of which Kut is the capital, put the toll at 40 dead and 65 wounded, with both figures including women and children. The attack was the worst single incidence of violence in Iraq since March 29, when Al-Qaeda commandos staged a massive assault on provincial government offices in Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, eventually killing 58 people.

Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki condemned yesterday’s attacks, and said those who carried them out “won’t get away with these crimes.”

“The security forces should not let these killers breathe. ... Any respite means that we are putting Iraqi blood at risk.” The violence, the deadliest since May 2010, shattered a relative calm in Iraq during the

holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began at the start of August. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

“Today’s attacks were not a surprise,” said Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qassim Atta, who said several other attacks planned for yesterday had been disrupted. “Every three or four months, Al-Qaeda carries out operations in order to prove they are still here.” US and Iraqi commanders say that while Al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups are markedly weaker compared to the peak of Iraq’s sectarian war in 2006 and 2007, they are still capable of carrying out massive attacks.

“Until when will this negligence continue? Until when will these terrorists attack freely?” asked Ali Basheer Al-Najafi, spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Basheer Al-Najaf, one of Iraq’s most senior clerics.

“These are important questions, and officials must give clear answers.” In Tikrit yesterday, meanwhile, three policemen were killed and at least seven were wounded when two suicide bombers detonated their explosives-packed vests inside the city’s anti-terror headquarters.

The attackers were wearing police uniforms and sought, unsuccessfully, to free Al-Qaeda fighters being held in a jail in the office.

In the restive province of Diyala, north of Baghdad, eight people,

including four soldiers, were killed and 35 wounded in a series of attacks in provincial capital Baquba and five other cities, Diyala health department spokesman Faris AlAzzawi said. Two car bombs, the second of which was set off by a suicide attacker, blew up in the holy Shiite city of Najaf, provincial police chief General Abdul Karim Mustafa said.

A provincial health spokesman said seven people were killed and 60 wounded. A car bomb east of Karbala, another holy city in Iraq’s south, killed three people and wounded 63 others, provincial health director Nidhal Mehdi said.

Separate explosions in the disputed northern city of Kirkuk killed one and wounded 14, while twin blasts in the western city of Ramadi left one dead and injured seven others.

Two car bombs and three roadside bombs killed two people and wounded 30 in Baghdad, and bomb attacks in Taji and Balad, just north of the capital, killed one and injured 14.

Twin blasts in the northern city of Mosul also left one dead and three wounded, police said, and an explosion in the town of Iskandiriyah, south of Baghdad, injured four. The attacks come after Iraqi leaders said on August 3 they would hold talks with the US over a security training mission to last beyond 2011, when all 47,000 American soldiers must withdraw under the terms of a 2008 bilateral security pact — AFP

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

opinion

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Issues

Riding the school bus together in Jerusalem

By Khaled Diab he mutual distrust between Israelis and Palestinians is such that almost every action by the other side is viewed through a prism of suspicion. Take the Jerusalem light railway. When it finally starts operating, it will connect the Jewish west of the city with the Palestinian east. Many Palestinians, concerned over Israel’s ongoing settlement expansion, see the new tram not as a useful transportation service but as part of an Israeli plan to cement its grip on the whole of Jerusalem. For many Israelis, the idea of becoming fellow passengers with Palestinians is a prospect that elicits both fear and loathing.

This is partly because, with little personal contact between the two sides, the voices of extremists are the loudest. Avoiding an arrival at this terminal state of distrust is a long journey that should start as early as possible in life.

Perhaps persuading Israelis and Palestinians to become fellow passengers on the school bus, so to speak, is one of the biggest challenges facing those who seek a future of coexistence.

The Hand in Hand bilingual education network aims to provide just such an opportunity. Founded in 1997 by an Israeli-American social worker, Lee Gordon, and a Palestinian-Israeli teacher, Amin Khalaf, the network is currently comprised of four schools where Israeli-Jews and Palestinians can study together in both Arabic and Hebrew.

The largest school, with some 500 pupils, is in Jerusalem.

In line with the school’s aim of promoting complete equality between Arabs and Jews, the children often don’t know or care about the ethnicity of their schoolmates. “The children at the school don’t look at each other as ‘Jews’ and ‘Arabs’, they use their own criteria,” explains Ira Kerem, an American-Israeli social worker and my guide for the day.

“What they’re interested in are things like: is this person good friend material, is this kid cool, how good is he at football?”

“We learn to love people for who they are more than where they come from or what religion they believe in,” says Ruth, a Jewish pupil. Nevertheless, despite the school’s best efforts, inequalities do creep in. In theory, the school’s bilingual approach should ensure that all the pupils become equally proficient in Hebrew and Arabic, explains Inas Deeb, who is in charge of educational programs at the school.

“However, Arab pupils generally speak better Hebrew than Jewish pupils speak Arabic,” says Deeb. “Hebrew is the dominant language... Arab kids speak Hebrew outside the school, unlike most of the Jewish kids [who do not speak Arabic].” Despite these linguistic disparities, which the school and parents are working to tackle, pupils confirm the general sense of equality and trust. “There’s no difference here between the Jewish kids and the Palestinian kids. Unlike outside the school, here we feel equal,” agreed Mu’eed and Jouhan, two Palestinian teenagers studying at the school. But the reality of the divided city is never far from the school gates. When I probed the youngsters about whether they socialized with their Jewish friends, both answered in the affirmative, but noted that Jewish and Palestinian neighbors were not always as tolerant and understanding. As its name suggests, Hand in Hand does its best to promote honest and mutually respectful dialogue among pupils and parents alike, says Kerem. “We teach that bloodletting will not resolve the conflict or bring about peace,” adds Deeb.

Although this is commendable, the question of how much difference the few thousand children who have studied at Hand in Hand and other schools like it can make is a poignant one. “We have no illusions that this school will bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” one IsraeliJewish father admitted to me. “But you have to do something and every little bit counts. And you have to start with yourself.” “This school offers a glimmer of hope for the future, and for the sake of our children, we need to provide them with every bit of hope we can,” his good friend, a Palestinian mother, chimed in.

But to keep this glimmer alight and perhaps help it burn more intensely requires support. Hand in Hand depends for at least a third of its funding on international private donations, which have been hit hard by the global recession. If it fails to raise more funds, it may be forced to cut back its activities. It is the opinion of this author that not only does Hand in Hand deserve a helping hand, but that this kind of bilingual education should become more universally available in order to help the next generations to learn to live together. — CGNews

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

Voice of protest in Israel says enough is enough

By Uri Dromi or the last few weeks, Israel has been experiencing an unprecedented phenomenon: Hundreds of thousands of people are rallying in the streets, demanding social justice. The numbers are mind-boggling: 300,000 Israelis is the equivalent of 18 million Americans.

And this is not a one-shot rally. The protesters have settled in tents in the main boulevards of the major cities, and they insist on staying until the government yields to their pressure.

While around Israel peoples of the Middle East are fighting their oppressive regimes, and otherwise tranquil Great Britain is now shattered by violent riots, the Israeli protest is relatively calm. However, behind the generally good mood and civilized behavior of the protesters lie serious grievances. This is the Israeli middle class saying for the first time enough is enough. These are the people who serve in the IDF, who pay taxes and who want to live in Israel and raise their kids here, but find it more and more difficult.

When I was a kid, my family was poor, except that I didn’t know that, because everybody around us looked the same. Houses were modest, kids would transfer their clothes to their younger brothers and sisters and very few people had cars. We used to ride buses, or walk. I’m

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not romanticizing anything here. All the kids in my class were like that.

However, when I browse in the surveys of the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, I find interesting data: In order to buy their house, my parents had to spend a sum equal to 20 months’ pay. Today, my kids have to work five times more, in order to have a house of their own. In other words, while they seem to be living in a more-affluent society, the division of wealth has shifted so drastically that their chances of gaining socioeconomic stability have diminished.

Housing is only one in a long list of problems. Social services are so expensive, and so are basic consumer products. Young couples find it difficult to raise more than two children, fearing they will not be able to support them. Unless, of course, they belong to the ultra-orthodox community, whose participation in the workforce is marginal, but its dependence on the national treasury is high.

Right now, the protesters, wishing to be inclusive, haven’t demanded yet that this unfair deal be stopped. Sooner or later, though, there will rise an outcry, and an opportunity for a different, more-just allocation of public resources will present itself.

Political scientist Professor Tamar Herman, a senior fellow of the Israel Democracy Institute, says that the protesters have exhausted the first phase of their political

protest - namely, venting their frustrations and now have to move to the next stage: defining their goals and negotiating with the government. It seems that this is exactly where they are now. Away from the media attention, their leaders are conferring with experts from all walks of social and political life in Israel. Soon they will probably produce a manifesto, specifying their demands for social justice.

The government, for its part, established a committee of ministers and experts that was given the task of coming up with recommendations in few weeks. Easier said than done. However, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views this committee as a ruse, a trick to buy time until something else regains the public agenda (like the expected recognition of a Palestinian state by the United Nations in September), he is making a major mistake.

Governments perceived as deaf to the public’s grievances pay dearly at the ballot box.

Even if Likud stays in power, it will have to refresh its platform, basically reclaiming its original social roots.

Labor, which has been considered a dead horse up till today, may be resurrected. All parties will have to ponder the new slogan heard on the streets of Israel - “The people demand social justice!” - and find ways to incorporate some of it. For a country still facing great challenges, where solidarity is the key to survival, this is good news indeed.— MCT

Iran sees Syria surrounded by US, Arab ‘wolves’

By Robin Pomeroy eset by civil unrest at home and lambasted by the West and his Arab neighbors for his violent crackdown on dissent, Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad can count on one firm ally: Iran. In a country that knows a thing or two about diplomatic isolation, Iran’s politicians and media describe the Damascus government as an outpost of resistance to Israel that has been set upon by Washington and its lackeys in the region.

While several Gulf Arab countries have withdrawn their ambassadors in protest at the violence , and countries once close to Damascus, Russia and Turkey, have turned harshly critical , Iran is the only big country still backing Syria, arguing anything else would spell disaster. “In regard to Syria we are confronted with two choices. The first is for us to place Syria in the mouth of a wolf named America and change conditions in a way that NATO would attack Syria,” said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the Iranian parliament’s foreign affairs committee.

“That would mean we would have a tragedy added to our other tragedies in the world of Islam.” “The second choice would be for us to contribute to the termination of the clashes in Syria,” Boroujerdi said. “The interests of the Muslim people command that we mobilize ourselves to support Syria as a centre of Palestinian resistance.” A senior cleric pressed the message home. “It is the duty of all Muslims to help stabilize Syria against the destructive plots of America and Israel,” said Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi. Iran also used troops to put down mass protests following the disputed 2009 presidential election. Iranian leaders also described those demonstrations as a Western plot.

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ISLAMIC, POPULAR AND ANTI-AMERICAN Iran had hoped the Arab Spring, something Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dubbed the “Islamic Awakening”, would spell the end of USbacked autocracies and usher in an era of Muslim unity to face-down the West and Israel. Khamenei used the June anniversary of the death of Iran’s revolu-

tionar y leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, to tell the nation: “Our stance is clear: wherever a movement is Islamic, popular and anti-American, we support it.” Without mentioning Syria by name, he continued: “If somewhere a movement is provoked by America and Zionists, we will not support it. Wherever America and the Zionists enter the scene to topple a regime and occupy a countr y, we are on the opposite side.”

Syria. “I have not heard of any extraordinary aid delivery, except in the Western media or media outlets owned by despotic Arab regimes.”

BACK-STABBING PUPPETS While civil unrest in Syria has not gone unreported in Iran, it has received far less attention than uprisings in other parts of the region, particularly Bahrain where Saudi Arabia helped a Sunni

DAMASCUS: Syrian troops withdraw from the Damascus suburb of Saqba, Syria, on Sunday Aug. 14, 2011, following a campaign of raids and arrests that started overnight and continued Sunday morning. — AP Mohammad Marandi, an associate professor at the University of Tehran, said Iran’s support for Syria was based on a shared interest in helping resistance to Israel-both countries support Hamas and Hezbollah-and that continuing to back Assad while he reforms Syria’s oneparty system was imperative.

“Iran has always believed that Syria should not be weakened, because the Israeli regime will certainly take advantage of any weakness,” Marandi said. “In any case, real reforms can only be carried out in a peaceful environment. The Western and pro-Western Arab media campaign against Syria is intended to destabilize the country and to prevent Syria from implementing reforms that will keep Syria strong and an anti-Israeli government in power.” He played down media reports of Iran increasing aid to

monarchy put down protests led by majority Shiites. In recent days, as Western media, though banned from working in Syria, have reported a growing death toll, Iranian television has focused more attention on unrest in Britain that some Iranian journalists have described as a “civil war”.

With Gulf Arab countries turning against Assad, and Turkey, a bridge between the Middle East and the West, taking a tougher stance, Iranian newspapers reflect Tehran’s growing isolation. After distancing his country from Israel and moving closer to the Muslim world since coming to power in 2003, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan surprised some in Iran with his volte face. “In Syria, the state is pointing guns at its own people ... Turkey’s message to Assad is very clear: stop all

kinds of violence and bloodshed.”

The hardline Qods daily said Turkey, instead of showing support for Syria and Iran, had capitulated to US pressure. “If Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government does not change its political behavior towards Syria, Turkey will be the main loser of the Syrian events if Damascus gets out of the current crisis,” it wrote in a recent editorial. The papers reserved their harshest words for Iran’s Gulf Arab neighbors, particularly Saudi Arabia, whose relations with the mostly non-Arab Iran have become increasingly strained in recent months.

“Stabbing each other’s backs has now become a custom among Arab countries, like the way they previously betrayed Palestine, Libya, Iraq and Sudan. The current betrayal of Syria should come as no surprise,” Siyasat-e Ruz daily said in an editorial. “They are still under this illusion that convergence with America can help them preserve their establishment and restore their lost status in the region,” the conservative paper said. They have turned into puppets for the goals of the West.”

Reformist daily Arman said Saudi Arabia and Bahrain appeared to be drawing the battle lines for a future regional conflict. “They want to psychologically prepare the atmosphere so that if there is a conflict with Syria and Iran supports it they are standing on the opposite side and against Iran,” Arman said.

“All the countries that want to settle a score with Iran would be happy if Iran entered such a conflict and then, in the name of the international community, they would harm Iran.”

The paper noted the urgent need for Assad to make good on his promised political reforms but with a death toll there which it put at 2,000, “it seems late for Bashar al-Assad to get out of this critical situation”. The reformist daily concluded that it might soon be time for Tehran to rethink its staunch support for Assad. “If the Syria situation continues then it’s time for Iran to think about its long term interests,” it concluded, saying unconditional support for Assad might leave Iran supporting a government “that has been thrown out of power ... That can have no benefits for itself or Iran.”— Reuters

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

analysis

The political origins of the Somalia famine

By Abdi Ismail Samatar he devastating famine in Somalia is not a natural phenomenon but a man-made one. Political and military intervention over the last decade made the Somali people extremely vulnerable.

The drought simply pushed them over the edge. The culprits are the US war on terror, the Al-Shabab terrorist group, Somalia’s transitional federal government, Ethiopia’s invasion of Somalia and, finally, the United Nations. The combined activities of these actors led to the exhaustion of local food resources and delayed or denied assistance from outside until massive starvation was reported.

The US agenda in Somalia has been to fight Islamic terrorists. Since the bombings of the American embassies in East Africa in 1998, the United States has conducted clandestine operations to snatch terrorists and destroy their routes in Somalia. In the process, the United States sought assistance from the country’s warlords in 2005.

Somalis despised this alliance and turned against it under the leadership of the Union of Islamic Courts in 2006.

This union defeated the warlords and restored peace to southern Somalia.

Recklessly, America and its Ethiopian ally claimed that these Islamists were terrorists

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and, therefore, a menace to the region. In contrast, the majority of Somalis pleaded with the international community to engage the union peacefully. But the American-supported Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in 2006 dashed Somalia’s only chance in 16 years to restore a national government of its own. The invasion displaced more than 1 million people and killed 15,000 civilians. Those displaced are

part of today’s famine victims.

The international community picked up where the Ethiopians left off by designing a new transitional government led by the faction of the union most amenable to the American agenda. The transitional government has marginalized the militias that forced the Ethiopian withdrawal. And it has become known for its corruption, incompetence and internal strife, and has

MOGADISHU: Holding their pots, Somali children from southern Somalia, lineup to receive cooked food in Mogadishu yesterday. — AP

been oblivious to the devastating famine.

It has yet to articulate a plan of action to rescue the population in this gruesome hour.

Al-Shabab has become the dominant military force in southern Somalia. It declared its affiliation with al-Qaida, and American forces have consequently targeted it. Al-Shabab wants to establish an Islamic state, but it has failed to create a rudimentary administration to provide services for the population. Most insidiously, it continues to deny the existence of significant famine conditions in the area. And the United Nations and the United States have blocked food shipment to the areas that Al-Shabab controls in order to deny them these supplies.

The callous uses of military and political power against poor people have produced a catastrophic famine. Altering the behavior of the powerful will be tantamount to a revolution, and Al-Shabab’s retreat from Mogadishu (Somalia’s capital) provides an opportunity. But before such a transformation can be imagined, lives must be saved.

The international community must immediately provide food to the villages. Then what is urgently required is the establishment of an accountable Somali government, since that is the best defense against famine and terrorism.— MCT

Feisty Uruguay wins respect from neighbors, investors

By Hilary Burke and Malena Castaldi ruguay, a plucky little country led by a former guerrilla leader whose most valuable possession is an old Volkswagen Beetle, is angling to become a new darling among global investors. It is poised to regain investment-grade status after getting two credit rating upgrades in the last month, and its 2003 voluntary debt renegotiation is cited as an example for crisis-struck Europe.

Projects like a $1.9 billion pulp mill complex have pushed investment to record highs, broadening out the economy’s traditional agricultural base. And the South American country of just 3.3 million people has grabbed headlines with recent soccer triumphs, including July’s Copa America win over neighboring rivals Brazil and Argentina. The victory was not a fluke. Being sandwiched between South America’s biggest economies “is like being small in a pack of big dogs. You have to bark the loudest and act the toughest or else you don’t exist,” said Ignacio Otegui, head of Uruguay’s construction chamber.

Uruguay demands respect from its neighbors but also earns it from outsiders, who value its stable institutions, low corruption levels and respect for the rule of law-setting it apart from many others in Latin America. Foreign direct investment in Uruguay jumped to $1.63 billion last year, nearly doubling the amount in 2005. Its small size will probably keep it off any list of hot emerging markets, but “it does attract attention,” said Jim Barrineau, a New York-based strategist for ICE Canyon, a $2 billion emerging markets hedge fund.

“Uruguay is likely to be viewed as one of the best-run countries in Latin America. What debt it does have is not very actively traded because the fundamentals are so good that most managers buy and hold,” Barrineau said.

Despite all the praise, Uruguay has logistical, labor and inflation hurdles to jump for it to transcend the current boom in global food prices and sustain economic growth over time. Its highways and ports are overwhelmed and energy supplies are stretched thin. It lacks skilled labor and only half its people finished high school.

“I am constantly receiving foreign investors in my office,” said Vice President Danilo Astori. “But we shouldn’t believe we’ve reached our goal, or even gotten close.

We’ve got to keep working to improve.” Uruguay’s econo-

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my has grown eight straight years above the regional average, and expanded 8.5 percent in 2010.

Unemployment is hovering near a record low, mirroring trends elsewhere in South America. The country is a strategic gateway to the region’s markets. Its economy is based mainly on farming and cattle-ranching, tourism and the pulp industry. Officials hope to develop the mining sector by tapping a newly discovered iron-ore deposit.

Foreign companies investing or planning projects in Uruguay include Finnish paper group UPM-Kymmene, Jersey-based miner Zamin Ferrous, Brazilian cement maker Votorantim Cimentos and Repsol’s Argentine unit, YPF. Although the government changed political stripes after a leftist coalition took power in 2005, pro-market policies have remained in place. President Jose “Pepe” Mujica-a leftist and unusually forthright politician who preaches anti-consumerism-ruffled feathers in the farming and business communities by saying he would raise taxes on large land holdings. But opposition to the proposal, even within his own government’s ranks, has stalled it. Astori said Uruguay has to show investors it is not changing the rules mid-stream. Such stability was key to attracting Montes del Plata-a joint venture between Chile’s Arauco and Finnish paper maker Stora Enso-to Uruguay to build a new pulp mill. “When you invest $2 billion, you are thinking about recouping your investment in the long term,” said Montes del Plata’s chief executive, Erwin Kaufmann.

“You have to trust that the rules of the game won’t change ... you look for political stability so that whether the right, left or center governs, the broad macroeconomic guidelines are respected.”

INFLATION Uruguay has drawn heaps of praise from global bank analysts recently but they point to a key stumbling block: inflation. Consumer prices rose 8.25 percent in the 12 months through July, well above the central bank’s target range of 4 percent to 6 percent by year’s end. Inflation reflects international price rises as well as robust domestic demand. It is hard to tame because Uruguay’s economy is very open and highly dollarized, limiting the efficacy of monetary policy tools that target peso supply.

Uruguay faces a dilemma seen regionwide. The government can fight inflation by either cutting spending-which is politically risky-or by letting the currency appreciate fur-

ther against the dollar, which hurts competitiveness.

Exporters are already feeling the pinch from a stronger local peso as well as rising transportation and labor costs, said Marcos Guigou, head of Agronegocios del Plata, a grains company founded in 2003 in partnership with Argentina’s so-called soy king, Gustavo Grobocopatel.

Guigou said the explosive growth in grains production in the last decade is cooling due to rising costs, perennial port delays and obstacles to improving soy and corn yields. “Many companies have left the business. New ones come to replace them, it’s nothing catastrophic, but the situation is not as comfortable as it was a few years ago,” Guigou said. Carlos Steneri, a former government debt official who now works as an economic consultant, said while inflation is a “messy” problem for the country, it is not a major concern for investors. “Business people don’t pay the price of inflation, poor people do,” Steneri said.

“Workers only get wage hikes once a year but business people can raise prices once a month.”

REGIONAL PROS, CONS Steneri said Uruguay’s main attraction for investors is its coordinates on the map since the country serves as a key entry point to the most dynamic axis in South America, which runs from Santiago, Chile to Sao Paulo, Brazil. Some global companies use Uruguay as a testing ground since its small size makes it the perfect “laboratory” for forays into the Mercosur trade bloc, which includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, Otegui said.

Historically, Uruguay’s economic health has hinged on that of its bigger neighbors. The country plunged into crisis when Argentina defaulted on its debts and went into a deep recession in 2001-02.

Since then, Uruguay has worked to diversify its production and export markets, while also reducing dollardenominated government debt. Astori said that while Uruguay is not delinking itself from the region, it is expanding trade ties with Asia and elsewhere. Still, while Uruguay’s economy is more protected than it was to its neighbors’ ups-and-downs, its destiny is still inevitably intertwined with theirs. For now, that is good news. The region as a whole has more solid finances, bigger cushions of foreign reserves and healthier banking systems than it did before. “These days Argentina isn’t the one with problems, it’s the First World,” Otegui said.— Reuters

Berlin Wall: A blessing in disguise

By Jacob Heilbrunn n Saturday, Germany marked the 50th anniversary of one of the biggest and grimmest construction projects in history - the building of the Berlin Wall.

Photographs of the wall, which overnight brutally severed streets, rail lines and families, have been on display in front of Berlin government buildings for several months. On Saturday, the memorial events included a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the victims of the former communist East German government.

The 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall, in 2009, attracted a lot more attention in the United States. It was a victory we like to claim, especially triumphalist conservatives. It seemed to vindicate Ronald Reagan’s assertive approach toward the Soviet Union the Reagan who in perhaps the most iconic moment of his presidency demanded at the Brandenburg Gate in 1987, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

But the right has constructed a bogus version of history. The toppling of the wall in 1989 had little to do with Reagan, and even less to do with bellicose confrontation. In the actual event, it was something of a fluke - the result of miscommunication between East German leaders and border guards who unilaterally decided to let easterners and westerners move freely across the border. In broader terms, it was diplomatic caution that helped lead to the collapse of the Soviet empire. In retrospect, for all its tragedy and hatefulness, the Berlin Wall was something of a geopolitical blessing in disguise.

The Cold War is often depicted as an era of stability, but Berlin was a flash point that Soviet and Western leaders feared could trigger atomic war. The Soviet Union regarded Berlin as its personal prize: At an enormous cost in lives, the Red Army had single-handedly liberated Berlin from the Nazis in 1945.

Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D Eisenhower ordered American and British troops to hold back and was content to let the Soviets absorb the brunt of the attack.

After the war in Europe ended, Josef Stalin,

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Harry Truman and Clement Attlee met in Potsdam, outside Berlin, where they formally divided their conquered territory into what would become East and West Germany.

Berlin, an island in the eastern sector, was also divided. Once the Cold War began, Stalin tried to starve the west side of the city with a blockade that lasted 11 months in 1948 and 1949. Truman responded with the Berlin air-

Ulbricht faced a potential catastrophe: Tens of thousands of East Germans were voting with their feet, heading for the western sector and especially West Berlin. Khrushchev signed off on Ulbricht’s plan to create a national prison in the form of a wall, a sinister but effective solution and not one that the Western powers were prepared to challenge.

On the contrary, Kennedy had it right

BERLIN: Visitors pass a camera through a hole in a remaining part of the Berlin Wall at the Documentation Center for Nazi Crimes in Berlin.

Germany marks the 50th anniversary of the day communist East Germany sealed itself off behind the Wall. — AP lift, and West Berlin became a powerful symbol of Western resolve.

But Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who called the continued existence of West Berlin a “bone in my throat,” was determined to solve the problem. He made a variety of bloodcurdling threats about the possibility of nuclear war over Berlin and bullied the inexperienced President John F. Kennedy when they met in Vienna in June 1961. “He savaged me,” Kennedy acknowledged privately.

The stakes could not have been higher.

Khrushchev and East German leader Walter

when he warned his aides, “It’s not a very nice solution, but a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war.” Even the patriarchal West German leader at the time, Konrad Adenauer, acceded, focusing not on the East but on closer ties with France and America. Only Willy Brandt, the youthful mayor of West Berlin in the early 1960s, pushed hard against the divide, ultimately enunciating a policy of detente with the East as the only way to bring about unification of the two Germanys.

As the socialist German chancellor in the 1970s, Brandt presided over “change through

closeness.” A web of economic and other ties were established between East and West Germany. Relatives from East and West were allowed to contact one another. Brandt also reached out to the Eastern bloc and the Soviet Union to show genuine repentance for Nazi war crimes. Every subsequent German leader followed Brandt’s path.

The wall forced West Germans to face reality: The US wasn’t going to war over the Berlin Wall; East Germany wasn’t going away; and trying to isolate it would only strengthen the hand of communist hard-liners. The shrewder policy was to encourage as much contact as possible with the West. The more East Germany was exposed to the West, the more it was coaxed out of its communist shell. The idea promulgated by the Eastern hard-liners, that West Germany was a military threat on the order of Nazi Germany, became increasingly implausible. Ultimately, detente amounted to a liberation policy.

Absent Brandt’s insistence on detente, a new generation in the Kremlin, led by Mikhail Gorbachev, would never have had the confidence to allow East Germany to reunite with the West. Instead, they might well have clung to the vision of West Germany as a hotbed of revanchist Nazis that Stalin’s and Khrushchev’s generation saw. Germany and the US have drawn widely varying conclusions from the fall of the wall. German political leaders believe that diplomacy is the key to the spread of democracy, which is why Germany opposed the Iraq war and abstained from endorsing NATO’s Libya venture.

Obviously, there are times when military action is imperative. But the true lesson of the Berlin Wall is that reaching out to the East did not amount, as conservatives constantly claimed, to a policy of appeasement. The wall created the stability between the superpowers that was the precondition for the peaceful demise of communism several decades later.

The rollback of communist Eastern Europe that conservatives championed occurred mainly because of diplomacy. Had the West followed the right’s advice and tried to bludgeon the Soviets into submission, the Berlin Wall might be standing today.— MCT

Focus

There is no honor in ‘honor killings’

By Rasha Dewedar

omen in Arab countries have become increasingly visible in demonstrations for democracy, especially in Egypt and Tunisia. However, they still face several hurdles, many of which were discussed at a recent training program in Stockholm for opinion makers from the Middle East and North Africa. As a journalist from Cairo, I had the opportunity to get to know different people from the rest of the Middle East, as well as Sweden, to understand what women experience in different contexts. One of the most important issues women face are so-called “honor” killings. Across the world, too many women are murdered by their male relatives, because they have “dishonored” their families by engaging in “unacceptable” relationships.

Although having a sexual relationship outside of marriage is what usually comes to mind, causing “dishonor” may also include marrying a man from different religion or sect, or even a husband the family simply doesn’t accept.

S a d l y, “ honor ” c r i m e s cont i nue, p r i m a r i l y because of the absence of effective regulation and the lack of implementation of existing laws, in addition to negative attitudes towards women. But slowly, governments are doing something about it.

Accord i ng to t he M a’a n N e ws Age nc y, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas ordered an amendment to the existing “honor killing law” in May, which states that perpetrators of crimes “in defense of family honor” should no longer receive lenient sentences. This decision came after the Ma’an News Agency highlighted the case of Ayah Barad’iyya, a 20-year-old woman from Hebron who was drowned by her uncle because he disagreed with her about the man she had chosen to marr y. Earlier, in 2009, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree to amend the Syrian Penal Code with an article that confers a more severe sentence for “honor” crimes than before.

Article 548 of the Syrian Penal Code previously stated that anyone who commits an “honor killing” could claim mitigating circumstances and receive a reduced sentence. The new article, however, clearly states that murder in the name of “family honor” would result in a sentence of no less than two years. Article 548 was amended again in January 2011 to increase the penalty from two years to five to seven years.

However, Bassam El-Kady, the director of the Syrian Women Obser vator y (SWO), one of Syria’s main women’s rights organizations, said that the “ar ticle should be cancelled, not a m e nd e d ”, e c hoi ng s e nt im e nt s of m a ny women’s rights activists who believe the sentence isn’t harsh enough.

Individuals and organizations are also working to end these crimes. Breaking the silence around the act is one of their most important tools. One of these efforts is Murder in the N a m e of H onor, a b ook w r i t te n by t he Jordanian journalist and ac tivist R ana AlHusseini in 2009 to raise awareness of the brutality of these killings. The book chronicles AlHusseini’s 15-year journey to uncover stories of violence against women and draw attention to the fact that this is a global epidemic, not s om e t hing t ha t only ha p p e ns in A ra b or Muslim communities.

In Egypt, the Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance (CEWLA) started a project four years ago, focusing on four governorates in Upper Egypt. The group uses different activities and media programs on local radio and television channels to break the taboo around discussing crimes of “honor” by allowing those listening to the shows to call and ask questions or share their stories. A Facebook group, “No Honor in Crime” also works to raise awareness about the issue and talks about positive steps taken to combat “honor” crimes.

The Jordan-based group, which reaches out to Arab activists in all countries, decided not to focus on honor and human rights, but instead on debating “honor” as a concept. By creating spaces where “honor” was discussed as a concept, participants had to subject their current understandings of honor to logic and reason, and therefore had to take a more critical attitude to the issue. The mission of the group therefore became a “society-wide conversation to reclaim honor”.

But another factor in women’s lives might actually have the greatest impact. According to the September 2005 Population Reference Bureau Report, Arab women now have similar or higher levels of education compared with their husbands, especially in Egypt, Jordan, Le b a non, a nd Pa l e s t i ne. Wom e n a re f a s t becoming more educated, and information is an important source of empowerment, as education will offer women more opportunities to work and become financially independent. In a few years, this could result in more women speaking up for laws that protect their rights and countries instituting more policies that show they are listening to women. — CGNews

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Onions replaces Tremlett

Silverstone look to upgrade SILVERSTONE: Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix, have submitted plans to expand as they look to compete with overseas rivals, managing director Richard Phillips said yesterday.

The Northamptonshire circuit has already undergone a track revamp, and this year the new £27 million pit-and-paddock complex was unveiled.

The new plans are for a business park, technology park, education campus, three hotels, ancillary retail and spectator facilities that includes a Welcome Centre and Museum of Motor Sport, as well as a kart track and outdoor stage.

LONDON: Graham Onions has been called into the England squad for the fourth Test against India at The Oval, after Chris Tremlett was ruled out yesterday and James Anderson emerged as a new injury concern.

Although Anderson’s leg injury has so far been described as “minor” his potential unavailability would be a major blow to England’s hopes of closing out a 4-0 whitewash of India. “Unfortunately Chris Tremlett has failed a fitness test and won’t be available for selection for the fourth npower Test, despite showing strong signs of recovery over the past few days,” national selector Geoff Miller said. “Chris’ absence, in conjunction with what appears to be a minor injury concern with Jimmy Anderson, has led to a call-up for Graham Onions as precautionary bowling cover. “We are hopeful that Jimmy will overcome this niggle by Thursday, but more time is required before a decision on his availability can be made conclusively. “Steven Finn is obviously in the squad and he is now joined by Graham Onions, who has been in good form for Durham since returning from a back injury at the start of the season.”—AFP

Silverstone Holdings Ltd managing director Phillips said: “This is the most important initiative that Silverstone has taken in its 60-year history. “Approval of this planning application will help maintain Silverstone’s position as a leading global centre for sport, leisure, education and technology, and support its vision of becoming a world-leading motor sport destination.” Stuart Rolt, chairman of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, added: “The submission of this planning application is a big step forward in releasing the commercial potential of Silverstone and its 760-acre estate.—AFP

Rangers reject Wylde bid GLASGOW: Scottish champions Rangers confirmed yesterday they have rejected a bid in the region of £400,000 ($654 million) from English Premier League club Bolton for Gregg Wylde.

The 20-year-old winger is in the final year of his contract and has been the subject of speculation over his future after so far failing to agree a new deal. But Rangers manager Ally McCoist insists he would not welcome any further offers for the highly-rated youngster. “The bid from Bolton was not accepted and I don’t want Gregg Wylde to go anywhere. He is a good young talent and we feel he has done very well,” he told the club’s official website. “We want him to sign on again with us and we want his progress to continue here at this football club. “I now have the opportunity to say any further bids we receive for Gregg will not be welcomed either.”

Rangers have sanctioned the sale of Madjid Bougherra to Qatar side Lekhwiya but McCoist is now keen to focus on adding to his squad.

He added: “We had a situation recently with Madjid Bougherra where he made it clear he wanted to leave the club.” —AFP

Cubs top Braves in NL ATLANTA: The Chicago Cubs stopped Dan Uggla’s 33-game hitting streak and rallied from a fourrun deficit to beat the Atlanta Braves 6-5 in the National League on Sunday.

The Braves led 4-0 through five innings and 5-4 through six, but Carlos Pena hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh for Chicago.

Uggla went 0 for 3 with an RBI, ending the longest hitting streak in Major League Baseball in five years.

His best chance to extend the streak came in the fifth, but second baseman Darwin Barney made a diving catch of his fly ball in right field. Uggla then grounded out to shortstop against Jeff Samardzija in the seventh in his final at-bat. John Grabow (3-0) got the victory, while Eric O’Flaherty (1-4) took the loss after allowing Pena’s 23rd homer.

CHICAGO: White Sox first baseman Brent Lillibridge cannot make the catch on a single

by Kansas City Royals’ Billy Butler during the sixth inning of a baseball game.—AP

White Sox top Royals CHICAGO: Brent Lillibridge hit a three-run homer and John Danks pitched six strong innings as the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 in the American League on Sunday.

Paul Konerko added three hits for the White Sox (60-60), who have won eight of 10 to reach .500. Alexei Ramirez had two hits and scored twice. Chicago improved its abysmal home record to 26-33 and moved within four games of AL Central-leading Detroit, which lost 8-5 at Baltimore. The White Sox won consecutive games in a single series at home for the first time since June 21 and 22 against the Cubs. Danks (5-9) allowed two runs and four hits, struck out six and walked four, improving to 5-1 with a 2.29 ERA in his last nine starts.

Jeff Francis (4-13) lasted just 3 2-3 innings for Kansas City, which has lost six of seven.

Rangers 7, Athletics 6 In Oakland, California, David Murphy hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning to clinch the win for Texas.

Mitch Moreland hit a sacrifice fly, Michael Young and Mike Napoli each drew basesloaded walks against former Ranger Rich Harden and NL West-leading Texas extended its winning streak in the rivalry to eight games. Mike Adams (1-1) pitched a perfect eighth for the victory and Neftali Feliz finished for his 23rd save in 29 chances. Andrew Bailey (0-3) got the loss.

Mariners 5, Red Sox 3 At Seattle, Charlie Furbush allowed just one run in a career-best seven innings, leading Seattle to the victory. Casper Wells homered and scored two runs for the Mariners, who took two of three from the AL East leaders. For the first time since late June, the Red Sox failed to win or split a series. Their lead in the division dwindled to a half-game over the Yankees, who were rained out on Sunday.

Furbush (3-4) yielded four hits in just his

fifth start of the season. He struck out a career-high six. Kevin Youkilis hit a two-run homer in the eighth for Boston. Tim Wakefield (6-5) gave up four earned runs and nine hits in eight innings, but was denied his 200th career victory for the fourth straight start.

Orioles 8, Tigers 5 At Baltimore, Nick Markakis homered and drove in four runs, and Jo-Jo Reyes allowed four hits over six innings to earn his first win with Baltimore.

Nolan Reimold and Adam Jones had three hits apiece for the Orioles, who got off to a quick start in their second win in eight games.

Baltimore led 3-0 after two innings and pulled away with a three-run fifth. Markakis also had three hits - a homer with a man on in the first inning and RBI singles in the fifth and sixth.

Reyes (6-9) gave up one run, struck out four and walked two. Jim Johnson got three outs for his second save after Detroit mounted a serious comeback bid from an 8-1 deficit.

Ramon Santiago homered for the Tigers, and Doug Fister (4-13) yielded eight runs, six earned, and 12 hits over 5 2-3 innings.

Blue Jays 5, Angels 4 At Toronto, Edwin Encarnacion hit an RBI single in the 10th inning to lead the Blue Jays past Los Angeles. Yunel Escobar walked to begin the 10th against Fernando Rodney (25). Mark Teahen struck out and Jose Bautista walked before Hisanori Takahashi came on to retire Adam Lind.

Encarnacion followed with a base hit up the alley in left-center, scoring Escobar with the winning run as Encarnacion’s teammates ran out and mobbed him at second base. Jon Rauch (5-3) pitched one inning for Toronto.

Bautista hit his major league-leading 34th homer and Eric Thames also connected for the Blue Jays, who had lost six of 10 coming in. Rookie Brett Lawrie hit a tying RBI double in the ninth.—AP

MLB results/standings Results and standings from the MLB games on Sunday.

Toronto 5, LA Angels 4 (10 innings); San Francisco 5, Florida 2; San Diego 7, Cincinnati 3; Baltimore 8, Detroit 5; Chicago Cubs 6, Atlanta 5; Milwaukee 2, Pittsburgh 1 (10 innings); Chicago White Sox 6, Kansas City 2; St Louis 6, Colorado 2; Texas 7, Oakland 6; LA Dodgers 7, Houston 0; Seattle 5, Boston 3; Arizona 5, NY Mets 3.

American League Eastern Division W L Boston 73 46 NY Yankees 72 46 Tampa Bay 64 55 Toronto 61 59 Baltimore 46 72 Central Division Detroit 64 56 Cleveland 60 57 Chicago White Sox 60 60 Minnesota 52 67 Kansas City 50 71 Western Division Texas 69 52 LA Angels 65 56 Oakland 53 67 Seattle 52 67

PCT GB .613 .610 .5 .538 9 .508 12.5 .390 26.5 .533 .513 2.5 .500 4 .437 11.5 .413 14.5 .570 .537 4 .442 15.5 .437 16

National League Eastern Division Philadelphia 78 41 Atlanta 70 51 NY Mets 58 62 Washington 57 62 Florida 56 64 Central Division Milwaukee 70 51 St. Louis 65 56 Cincinnati 59 62 Pittsburgh 56 63 Chicago Cubs 53 68 Houston 38 83 Western Division Arizona 68 53 San Francisco 66 55 LA Dodgers 55 64 Colorado 56 66 San Diego 54 68

.655 .579 9 .483 20.5 .479 21 .467 22.5 .579 .537 .488 .471 .438 .314

5 11 13 17 32

.562 .545 2 .462 12 .459 12.5 .443 14.5

Cardinals 6, Rockies 2 In St. Louis, Albert Pujols hit the longest home run at six-year-old Busch Stadium as the Cardinals topped Colorado.

Yadier Molina had three hits, a walk and two RBIs for St. Louis.

Pujols’ two-run drive in the first was estimated at 465 feet (142 meters).

Mark Ellis homered in the first for the Rockies, who have lost four of five. Esmil Rogers (6-2) had a career-high seven walks, one intentional, in five innings. St. Louis’ Edwin Jackson (2-1) allowed two runs in 5 1-3 innings before leaving the game with a cramp in his arm.

D’backs 5, Mets 3 In Phoenix, Justin Upton homered and Paul Goldschmidt doubled twice to help Arizona earn its sixth consecutive win. Diamondbacks starter Jason Marquis, acquired in a July 30 trade from Washington, was hit by a line drive in the third inning and left the game with a broken shinbone. Zach Duke (3-4), who came on in relief of Marquis, allowed two runs and four hits over 2 2-3 innings. New York’s Chris Capuano (9-11) allowed four runs

ATLANTA: The Chicago Cubs celebrate their 6-5 win over the Atlanta Braves in their baseball game at Turner Field.—AP and nine hits over six innings.

Brewers 2, Pirates 1, 10 innings At Milwaukee, Nyjer Morgan hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to help Milwaukee complete a threegame series sweep.

The Brewers now have won all eight games against the Pirates this season and 12 straight over the last two years at home. The Pirates have won just two of their last 36 games in Milwaukee.

With one out in the 10th inning, George Kottaras singled to left field and Casey McGehee followed with a double. Morgan then hit the first pitch from Chris Resop (3-4) to deep right field and Kottaras scored for the victory. Takashi Saito (3-1) got the win after pitching a scoreless 10th.

Padres 7, Reds 3 In Cincinnati, the Padres scored

four runs in the third inning Sunday off an ailing Dontrelle Willis, who left during the rally with a sore forearm. Willis (0-3) threw a pair of wild pitches - one of them letting in a run - and gave up back-to-back RBI singles before heading for the dugout. He’ll be examined on Monday. A day after the Reds hit seven homers, they were limited to just four hits, including Jay Bruce’s three-run shot off Wade LeBlanc (12). James Darnell had a pair of runscoring singles for the Padres.

Orlando Hudson also tripled home a run.

Giants 5, Marlins 2 In Miami, Ryan Vogelsong pitched into the eighth inning to earn his career-high 10th win for San Francisco. The Giants also got four homers, including Cody Ross’ two-run shot in the third inning.

Brandon Belt had two solo home

runs and Nate Schierholtz also homered. Vogelsong (10-2) struck out eight while allowing two runs and four hits in 7 2-3 innings.

Florida’s Chris Volstad (5-9) gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings.

Dodgers 7, Astros 0 At Los Angeles, Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven strong innings and Justin Sellers hit a three-run drive for his first MLB homer to lead the Dodgers. Matt Kemp matched his career high with his 28th homer of the season, and Dioner Navarro also went deep and scored twice.

Kuroda (8-14) allowed five singles, struck out six and walked one.

Kuroda’s last five victories have come in games in which he didn’t allow a run. Jordan Lyles (1-7) gave up seven runs and seven hits in 5 13 innings, including all three home runs.—AP

Hearing will determine Rodgers’s eligibility

CASCAIS: The fleet sails during the America’s Cup World Series Cascais Championship. Emirates Team New Zealand won, Artemis Racing AC45, from Sweden, was second and Oracle Racing 4 was third. The World Series is a training exercise for the Louis Vuitton Cup, where boats will try to become the designated challenger to defending champion Oracle Racing in 2013 America’s Cup.—AP

Emirates Team NZ wins first America’s Cup regatta CASCAIS: Emirates Team New Zealand won the first America’s Cup World Series regatta on Sunday with a dramatic come-from-behind move in the winnertake-all fleet race. Dean Barker skippered the Kiwis’ 45-foot catamaran to the victory in light, patchy wind.

Oracle Racing’s Jimmy Spithill, the winning skipper in the 2010 America’s Cup, jumped to a convincing early lead but couldn’t protect it. Barker found more wind on his side of the race course on the second lap to pass Spithill, who had won the match-racing championship on Saturday.

“For us it was fantastic,” Barker said. “It was always going to be a very difficult race, as the breeze never really established. There were big ‘holes’ in the race course, so it was about being at the right place at the right time.”

Larry Ellison, the chairman of Oracle Corp., was aboard Spithill’s boat as part of the guest racer program. “It’s not a matter of ‘you win the start, you win the race,’” Ellison said. “So it’s just what we hoped for when we decided on multihulls for the next America’s Cup. It’s really competitive and that’s what people want to see. They want to see close races and the best sailors in the fastest boats.”

Oracle Racing’s Russell Coutts was fourth, followed by Green Comm Racing, Aleph, Team Korea, Energy Team and China Team.

The next stop on the ACWS circuit is Sept. 10-18 at Plymouth, England. The America’s Cup World Series will be sailed this year and next as a buildup to the Louis Vuitton Cup and 34th America’s Cup, which will be held in San Francisco Bay in 2013 in 72-foot catamarans.—AP

RALEIGH: Former US 100 metres champion Mike Rodgers’s world championships eligibility rests in the hands of a panel who will hear his doping case, American officials said on Sunday.

Rodgers, the year’s fourth fastest 100 metres runner, and his agent are urgently trying to have his positive test for a stimulant adjudicated by an arbitration panel before final declarations are due for the Aug. 27-Sept. 4 world championships in Daegu, South Korea.

“USADA (the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency) is doing his adjudication and they will determine his eligibility,” USA Track and Field spokeswoman Jill Geer said.

“If they say he is eligible, he will be eligible to compete. We have not removed him from the (world championship) roster.” Rodgers, the 2009 U.S. sprint champion, was selected to the U.S. team Wednesday in both the 100 and 4x100 relay pool.

His agent Tony Campbell told Reuters on Saturday he had tested positive for the stimulant methylhexaneamine last month in Italy after mistakenly consuming an energy drink that contained the banned substance.

Penalties for a stimulant positive generally range from a public warning to suspension for several months. “Ultimately, an independent panel of judges following a full legal process makes the final decision regarding the appropriate sanction,” USADA spokeswoman Annie Skinner said.

Methylhexaneamine also is the stimulant Jamaican sprinters Yohan Blake, Marvin Anderson and Sheri-Ann Brooks and quarter-milers Allodin Fothergill and Lansford Spence were suspended for three months by either the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission or the International Amateur Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Rodgers’s second sample is scheduled to be tested tomorrow two days after all teams must submit their final world championship entry lists to the IAAF. Declarations for specific events are not due until much later.

For the 100 metres, that deadline is Aug 25, IAAF competitions director Paul Hardy told Reuters. IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said the governing body would await a U.S. decision before commenting on Rodgers’s eligibility.

“As usual we need to know what our member does and then either accept or contest their decision,” he said. —Reuters

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

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Those who know Woods’ game: He’s down, not out JOHNS CREEK: The kid standing behind 15-year-old Tiger Woods on the tee at Torrey Pines was two years older and already a hotshot himself on Southern California’s rough-and-tumble amateur golf circuit the first time he saw the look.

Chris Riley had played the skinny teenager with the growing reputation a dozen times before. This time, he was 2up with seven holes to play in the prestigious Junior World Championship.

“We were at No. 12, a long par 4 and I’d already hit mine 260 yards. He smoked his 310, straight down the middle, then turned around and shot me this little smile. He was just fearless,” Riley recalled some 20 years later. “He already knew he had me.”

Riley first met Woods when he was 10. He beat him to the pro tour in 1996 by a few months. Soon enough, though, every other player on the PGA Tour knew exactly what that look meant. Mired in the second year of the deepest slump of his career, Woods didn’t scare anyone at last week’s PGA

Championship. He looked lost, not fearless. Not many superstars in the world of sports and entertainment have fallen so far so fast. Woods was knocked off his throne by a self-inflicted sex scandal that erupted at Thanksgiving in 2009 and cost him his marriage. He was quickly - and unceremoniously dumped by sponsors and humiliated by the same TV shows and newspapers that once begged for interviews.

Woods went into exile, finally returning to golf in April 2010 at the Masters with a fourth-place finish. He has been steadily losing ground in the golf rankings ever since.

Some believe he will never be that indomitable player again; others, including a few who know Woods better, say it’s crazy to count him out.

“He’s always been the best. His dad drilled that into him,” Riley said, “But this has got to be the lowest point of his career. Nobody has ever seen him do the stuff he’s doing now. It hurts to see it. Honestly, I don’t know that he’s ever had to struggle. “But I guarantee you

this: He’ll be back on top. And when he is,” Riley paused, “it’s going to be that much sweeter.”

Speculation about Woods’ erratic play the past two seasons zeroed in on his psyche initially. From there, the blame shifted onto his work-in-progress swing and then the very real problem with his legs.

“He was the most mentally and emotionally tough athlete of all time, so here’s the question I’m interested in,” said sports psychologist Gregg Steinberg, who was a swing instructor earlier in his career. “Why did Tiger play last week if any or all of those problems were bothering him, or if - as the results suggest - he knew he wasn’t ready?

“Maybe he thought he could catch lightning in a bottle. That’s one guess.

The other would be he wanted to measure himself. ... The secret to being great is self-awareness and so whether that was his intention or not,” Steinberg added, “he definitely knows now that he needs a good butt-kicking.”

Last week marked only the third

Edgbaston happy with debt to retain test status BIRMINGHAM: Warwickshire County Cricket Club, which hosted the EnglandIndia test that ended on Saturday with the home side crowned the world’s best, has incurred a 29 million pound debt to retain its international status but has no regrets about the “risk”. A new four-floor stand at the Edgbaston pavilion end that has increased capacity by 25 per cent to 25,000 — making the ground the second-largest cricket venue in England behind Lord’s — should ensure many more international games in Birmingham despite the financial burden.

The significant investment mirrors similar radical steps taken by other English cricket grounds such as Headingley in Leeds and Old Trafford in Manchester, as they stake their futures on remaining as major match hosts.

“A number of us were in a difficult position three years ago when existing staging agreements were coming to an end and there was a real threat that we would not get any more test matches unless we delivered top-class facilities,” Warwickshire’s chief executive Colin Povey told Reuters.

“There was no certainty about our future revenues. The club could not have remained without being a test venue. If you are an Edgbaston, Trent Bridge or Old Trafford you have an infrastructure that is way too big for domestic cricket and without international revenues we could not remain.

“That was true of us. We could not have retained a 20,000 seater stadium for championship cricket in front of 1,200 people. That’s why I’d rather be in the position we are in now than where we were three years ago with outdated facilities.” Warwickshire started the development four years ago and despite a few teething troubles with malfunctioning new permanent floodlights caused by a power cut, the feedback has been positive. “ The new stand is magnificent,” England’s Tim Bresnan told Reuters. “I

would put it up there in the top three of world playing areas. That’s from a preparation point of view, and the viewing gallery is absolutely outstanding-a very comfortable place to sit and watch cricket.” It is important that such feedback has been forthcoming given the level of the investment. The club borrowed 20 million pounds ($32.55 million) from Birmingham City Council to be repaid over a 30-year period. Another 9 million was created by a land deal enabling development around the ground.

A grant from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) funded the floodlights, while a remaining 3 million came from the club.

“Warwickshire had to take that risk as they could have spent 5 million and then had to redevelop again in six or seven years as facilities advance,” former Warwickshire and England fast bowler Gladstone Small - who sits on the club committee - told Reuters. “At least now this is for a long time which should keep Edgbaston at the forefront among the most prestigious test grounds in the world.” Povey, a former chief executive of beer company Carlsberg, believes that if the ECB had not become more demanding in terms of its test match staging requirements then grounds such as Edgbaston and Old Trafford would not have made the improvements.

The arrival of three extra test venues in Britain over the last decade-Cardiff, The Rose Bowl and Durham-has meant that the six traditional test venues-Lord’s, The Oval, Trent Bridge, Old Trafford, Headingley and Edgbaston-can no longer take their host status for granted.

Competition is fierce.

All the major grounds made a presentation to the ECB this month, pitching their facilities before an announcement is made on who will host prestigious series in upcoming years, like the Ashes in 2013 and 2015 and India in 2014. The results will be known in September. —Reuters

time Woods missed the cut in a major as a professional. It happened at the 2006 US Open - shortly after the death of his father, Earl - and the British Open two years ago. More troubling still might have been Woods’ demeanor over his final few holes.

As shots veered left or right of the fairway, and occasionally into a bunker, pond or the Georgia pines lining both sides, Woods tracked their flight with a deflated expression or simply dropped his head into his chest. Absent were the trademark temper tantrums and even a hint of the joyful explosions that once rocketed Woods up the leaderboard at every one of the game’s biggest events.

“Golf is as much art as it is technical, and that’s where his genius was. He always had this spirit, this belief he could find a way to do anything he could dream up,” said Rudy Duran, who began tutoring Tiger at age 4, about the time Earl Woods had exhausted his own teaching repertoire.

“I ran into him one afternoon at Heartwell (Golf Course in Long Beach,

California, an 18-hole executive course that became Woods’ playground) and he was standing in a bunker surrounded by 50 balls. Tiger was around 8 at the time. He was trying to hit one out and make it spin left on landing, then make the next one go right, the next one straight and so on.

“I only watched a few of his shots this weekend, but I don’t think he’s broken,” he added. “And only someone who doesn’t know a thing about golf would think he’s done.” Duran handed Woods off to another teacher by age 10, and noted that rather than working on swing technique, his lessons consisted largely of simple tips designed to let the youngster have more fun.

“I’d say, ‘Try this to make the ball go higher, this to keep it low.’ Believe me, I wasn’t grooming him to became the best player in the world, but I never came close to exhausting his imagination. I don’t know enough to guess where his game is, but I’ll say this: He’s not walking a tightrope between success and failure. That’s just silly.

“He hasn’t forgotten how to play.

And once he gets a swing he’s comfortable with,” Duran said finally, “who knows what he’s still capable of?”

Most of golf’s greatest champions collected their majors over 8-10 years and crested the hill by their mid to late 30s. Bobby Jones retired at 28. Tom Watson and Byron Nelson never won another after 33, Arnold Palmer, 34, and Walter Hagen, 36. Gary Player won only one of his nine after 38 and Nick Faldo his last at 39. Ben Hogan was an anomaly, finding his “secret” after a car crash nearly killed him and winning into his early 40s. Jack Nicklaus, whose 18 career majors was the benchmark Woods set himself as a youngster, won all but one of his over an 18-year span; and that last one, the 1986 Masters at age 46, was what people mean when they use the phrase, “catching lightning in a bottle.” Woods turned 35 last December and collected his 14 majors between the 1997 Masters and 2008 U.S. Open, where he won effectively playing on a broken left leg. —AP

Bradley wins PGA Championship JOHNS CREEK: PGA Tour rookie Keegan Bradley capped a stunning late fightback by winning his first major title in a playoff with fellow American Jason Dufner for the 93rd PGA Championship on Sunday. Bradley, who had trailed the pacesetting Dufner by five strokes with three holes to play in regulation, clinched the prized Wanamaker Trophy over three extra holes as the shadows lengthened at a sun-splashed Atlanta Athletic Club.

His victory, in his first major start, ended an unprecedented run of six majors without a U.S. champion, and was his second title on the US circuit in his debut season. “ This feels unbelievable,” a beaming Bradley, 25, told reporters after becoming the first player to claim a grand slam crown in his maiden major start since fellow American Ben Curtis at the 2003 British Open. The last player to achieve the feat on American soil was Francis Ouimet at the 1913 U.S. Open.

“I always wanted while growing up to win tournaments and win majors, and I can’t believe this trophy is sitting next to me,” said Bradley, who was ranked 108th in the world coming into this week.

“It’s an honor to be even thought of in that category. And I’m ver y proud of the way I played. It’s the best golf I’ve ever played, and man, it was so exciting.” Bradley holed a four-foot birdie putt at the first playoff hole, the par-four 16th, to hold an early advantage over Dufner, who missed his attempt there from six feet. Though Bradley could only par the tricky 160-yard 17th where a large pond guards the front of the green, he found him-

self two strokes ahead after Dufner ran up a three-putt bogey.

Bradley then sealed victory in the year’s final major with a twoputt par at the treacherous 18th after both players found the front portion of the green with their approach shots.

Famer Pat Bradley, won his first PGA Tour title in a playoff with compatriot Ryan Palmer at the Byron Nelson Championship in May. “Hats off to Keegan for coming in there in the last three holes in regulation,” Dufner, 34, told reporters after losing a playoff for

JOHNS CREEK: Keegan Bradley answers question during a news conference with the Wanamaker Trophy after winning a three-hole playoff against Jason Dufner at the PGA Championship. —AP

After tapping in from less than two feet, the slender American acknowledged the roars from the crowd crammed around the green before shaking hands with Dufner, who had birdied the hole from long range.

Bradley, a nephew of LPGA great and World Golf Hall of

the second time this year on the PGA Tour. “He played great playoff holes and it’s probably not the finish I was looking forward to.”

Co-leader overnight with PGA Tour rookie Brendan Steele, Dufner had been unflappable for much of the day and was five strokes clear while playing the

par-three 15th after Bradley had tripled-bogeyed that hole one group ahead.

However Dufner then fell back with bogeys at 15, 16 and 17 while Bradley sank birdie putts from nine feet at the 16th and 40 feet at the 17th to force a playoff.

“If you told me I would play those holes even par for the week, I probably would have taken at the beginning,” 80th-ranked Dufner said of the brutal four final holes on the Highland course.

“Just a little disappointed right now, especially 16 and 17. Those are the ones that kind of stick out to me,” added Dufner, who tied for fifth in last year ’s PGA Championship at Whistling Straits but has yet to win a PGA Tour title.

The pair had finished the 72 regulation holes on eight-underpar 272, Dufner fading to a oneunder-par 69 while Bradley closed with a five-birdie 68.

Denmark’s Anders Hansen closed with a joint best-of-theday 66 to finish third at seven under, two strokes ahead of Swede Robert Karlsson (67) and American veterans David Toms (67) and the 47-year-old Scott Verplank (70).

Verplank, who trailed by one shot after making a birdie at the par-five second, had been bidding to become the second-oldest player to win a major, compatriot Julius Boros having clinched the 1968 PGA Championship aged 48.

World number one Luke Donald and second-ranked fellow Briton Lee Westwood both got to within three strokes of the lead on the back nine before losing momentum on the way to matching 68s and a tie for eighth at three under.—Reuters

‘Al-Hadaf’ shooting competition

KUWAIT: Officials with the winners

By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: Kuwait Shooting Sports Club, as it is accustomed to every Ramadan, organized a “sporting” competition last week for the public and club members.

This year’s “Al-Hadaf” competition, held at Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Olympic Shooting Complex, and witnessed a large number of citizens wanting to compete.

The compensation was under the patronage of President of Kuwait and Asian Shooting Sports Federations and Vice President of ISSF Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud AlSabah, and the sponsoring company’s general manager Zaid AlSane. President of the Arab Shooting Federation Engr Duaij Al-Otaibi, Secretary General of Arab and Kuwait Shooting Federations Obeid Al-Osaimi and

KSSF board members, along with a large number of shooting sport fans.

The closing ceremony was held following fierce competition between club members, that were decided by shoot-offs in several categories.

A raffle draw was held and valuable prizes were given to spectators.

Results were as follows Club members category 1. Mansour Al-Turqi 2. Saad Al-Mutairi 3. Abdallah Al-Rashidi 4. Ghazi Al-Daihani 5. Mohammad N al-Daihani 6. Ahmad D Al-Daihani Fans category 1. Mubarak Al-Bughaili 2. Duaij Al-Juwaisri 3. Mohammad Al-Khanfour 4. Abdallah Ghloum 5. Salem Al-Mutairi 6. Falah Al-Khanfour.

Winners in the club members category

Sheikh Salman Al-Humoud

Winners in the public category

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SPORTS

Djokovic claims Masters mark with Montreal win MONTREAL: Novak Djokovic stopped American Mardy Fish 6-2 3-6 6-4 to win the Montreal Masters on Sunday, capping his competitive debut as world number one with a record-setting title.

The sensational Serb began his reign in style becoming the first to capture five Masters Series events in a single season while extending his match record to a jaw-dropping 53-1.

The win also made him the first to capture an ATP tournament on debut as number one since Pete Sampras in 1993.

Back in action for the first time since his Wimbledon victory, Djokovic quickly found his footing on the Canadian hardcourts and only dropped a single set along the way.

“History-making, of course it’s special,” Djokovic told reporters.

“Of course, it’s an honour and privilege to be part of the history of the sport that I love and that I play. “I’m still 24. I still have lots of desire to win all the tournaments that I play.

Fish, who had enjoyed a brilliant hardcourt campaign to reach his third consecutive final, threw everything he had at Djokovic but rued missed chances to break his winless record against the Serb.

“I felt like I had an opportunity today, I really did,” said Fish. “I had a lot of chances in that first set and ended up losing.

“If you try to forget who you’re

NEW YORK: Marcos Ambrose, of Australia, celebrates winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Watkins Glen International.—AP

Decision time for Deans with axe poised over Giteau SYDNEY: Matt Giteau’s World Cup hopes, and perhaps even his nine-year test career, look to be hanging by a thread this week as Wallabies coach Robbie Deans ponders his options ahead of the announcement of his squad for rugby’s showpiece event.

While Quade Cooper was further cementing his place as Australia’s firstchoice flyhalf in the 14-9 victory over the Springboks at the weekend, Giteau turned out in the losing cause for his club side Randwick in Sydney.

Although he played superbly and scored two tries, Giteau’s star has fallen sufficiently that there would be no great surprise if he was to be omitted when Deans names his World Cup party on Thursday.

“We’ve got some tough calls to make this week and there is going to be some pain,” Deans told reporters after the match in Durban.

Just two years ago, Giteau won the John Eales Medal as the outstanding Australian of the season and also earned a nomination for the IRB’s world player of the year, the second time he had been included in the shortlist after 2004.

Giteau, who has scored 684 points in 92 tests since his debut in 2002, may have moved to inside centre when Cooper appeared on the test scene but it was this very versatility that made him a certainty for the World Cup squad in many eyes.

A disappointing 2011 Super rugby campaign with the ailing ACT Brumbies, however, was compounded by a poor

performance when he was offered the chance to claim the position as Cooper’s back-up in the defeat to Samoa that opened Australia’s season.

Dropped for the last three matches amid rumours of a rift with Deans, Giteau returned to club rugby and watched while others were able to stake their claims for squad spots in the Tri-Nations.

Pat McCabe has impressed at inside centre in the last four tests and scored Australia’s only try in South Africa on Saturday, while full back Kurtley Beale and winger James O’Connor, both of whom can play at flyhalf, are clearly integral to Deans’s plans.

Ironically, though, it is another player who turned out in Sydney club rugby at the weekend that could end up denying Giteau his ticket to New Zealand.

Berrick Barnes, who offers similar versatility to Giteau and can also play at fullback, took a break from rugby in June after suffering a series of concussions but on Saturday continued his comeback with 26 points for Sydney University.

Deans is characteristically keeping his thoughts to himself over his selection dilemmas and, aware that injuries in a World Cup season can make a discard one week indispensible the next, is not burning any bridges. “For those unlucky enough to miss out, the wheel turns,” he added. “There will be opportunities. There will be injuries. You just hope those who do miss out hold on to that prospect that they could get a callup and end up playing in a key game.”—Reuters

Grand National fences to be made safer LONDON: Three of the Aintree Grand National fences, including the famous Becher’s Brook, are to be made safer, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said yesterday. The changes are among interim measures arising from a review group set up after this year’s race when two horses died. The fatalities followed four at the three-day meeting in 2010 and five the year before. Since 2000, 33 horses have died at the spring festival, bringing regular protests from animal welfare groups. The drop on the landing side at Becher’s will be reduced by four or five inches, though the height remains the same at 4ft 10 ins.

Leveling work will be carried out on the landing side to reduce the drop at the first fence which horses often approach too quickly after the start. At the fourth fence, viewed as one of the most difficult along with Becher’s, the height will be cut by two inches to 4ft 10 ins. “The findings relate specifically to the Grand National course and its fences which will be subject to a balanced pack-

age of modifications with the aim of enhancing safety for competitors,” A BHA statement said. The changes follow expert analysis of all races run on the National course since 1990 when it was significantly remodeled.

They also follow consultation with animal rights groups, trainers and jockeys and will have been made in good time for Aintree’s next race on the National course in December. “It is not possible to completely eliminate risk in horse racing,” managing director Julian Thick said.

“However, I am confident the course changes we are announcing today will, over time, have a positive impact.” The results of a full review will be published in October but it is known that among items being considered is a new postrace wash-down and cooling area for all horses. Ballabriggs, this year’s winner on a warm day, was too exhausted to be ridden into the winner’s enclosure and had to be continuously hosed down before recovering fully.— Reuters

MONTREAL: Novak Djokovic, from Serbia, kisses the trophy after defeating Mardy Fish, from the United States, to win the men’s final at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament.—AP playing against, you’re just playing another player, maybe you can figure out a way to get a break or two there.

“I mean, there’s a reason why he’s won so many matches this year ... He’s got to be leading the tour in break-points saved ... among other things.”

The 29-year-old American failed to convert five break-points in the first four games. Djokovic, however, was not nearly as generous, breaking at the first opportunity to jump to 4-2.

The Serb then moved in for the kill, holding serve and breaking Fish again to take the first set.

The feisty Fish delivered on his promise of a fight in the second set, breaking his opponent twice to level the match, but Djokovic recovered and finished off Fish with a service winner to seal the third.

Already highly fancied to add a U.S. Open title to his Wimbledon crown and two Australian Open championships, Djokovic will continue his

buildup to the year’s final grand slam at Cincinnati next week where he could extend his record to six Masters Series titles in a season.

“I probably had a little mental advantage when you get on the court knowing that you’re the player to beat,” he added.

“But, on the other hand, it adds the pressure and expectations as well because you are a favourite to win each match you play, whoever you play against.”—Reuters

Del Potro wins, faces Federer in 2nd round MASON: Juan Martin del Potro didn’t have to play a full set to advance at the Western & Southern Open. His next match will be a much tougher challenge. The Argentine advanced against an injured Andreas Seppi on Sunday, setting up a second-round rematch with Roger Federer. Del Potro beat Federer in the 2009 US Open final. “If I have a good day, maybe I can make a surprise,” said del Potro, currently ranked No 19. “Not many players can beat Federer. I’ve already beaten him twice, so I know how to play him. But it’s Roger. He’s the favorite.”

Play began Sunday in the men’s draw at the tournament, which combines the Cincinnati Women’s Open and the Cincinnati Masters for the first time. In the evening session, James Blake advanced with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Marcos Baghdatis, avenging a five-set loss to him at this year’s Wimbledon. The first day also produced some star power when golfer Rory McIlroy, who competed at the PGA Championship in

Atlanta earlier in the day, was spotted watching girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki’s practice session on court 15.

The opening match ended when Seppi withdrew because of an injured right foot with del Potro ahead 4-1 in the first set. Del Potro is playing in Cincinnati for the first time since 2007, hoping to generate some momentum heading into the US Open. He reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon this summer for the first time. He won 17 of the 22 points in the first four games on Sunday, losing only one point off his serve. “I felt confident in my forehand,” del Potro said.

“My winners I set up well. I thought my serve was good. We only played (five games) but I felt like I hit pretty well.”

Seppi won his only game after a lengthy injury timeout to get treatment on his right foot. The Italian retired from the match immediately after that game. Del Potro would have preferred more of a challenge in his opening match to get ready for Federer.

“It’s not nice when the match is as short as the one today,” he said. “But it happens.”

Del Potro battled a wrist injury much of last year, causing him to withdraw from several matches. He underwent wrist surgery on May 4, 2010, preventing him from defending his US Open title.

The wrist still bothers him a little bit, but del Potro doesn’t think it will be a factor against Federer. “When the weather is very humid I feel some pain,” he said. “But I feel like I can play and have success. It’s always special when you play Roger. I’ll need to play almost perfect.” Blake is also hoping to build up some confidence going into the year’s final Grand Slam. Sunday’s win was Blake’s first over Baghdatis in three meetings. “Going into Wimbledon I hadn’t felt good (physically) or played with confidence in a while,” he said. “He made some unbelievable returns in the first set. But once I gained the advantage I put my foot on the accelerator without letting off.”—AP

Big-serving Serena grabs Toronto Cup TORONTO: Serena Williams won her second straight tournament and proved her mettle ahead of the US Open with a convincing 6-4 6-2 win over Australia’s Samantha Stosur in the Toronto Cup final on Sunday. The former world number one, playing in just her fourth tournament since returning from an 11month layoff in June, capped the victory in style with an ace and then raised her arms in the air before jumping up and down repeatedly. Williams, who won the Stanford Classic last month, held her serve throughout the 77minute match and called her game solid despite acknowledging there is room for improvement for the U.S. Open, which begins on Aug 29. “My game is here and I feel like there are a lot of improvements I want to make-being able to close out big points and winning on big points and capitalizing on that and still returning a little bit better,” Williams told reporters.

“But overall it’s solid, I want to definitely keep it up and not go down.” Stosur went toe-to-toe with Williams in a first set that went with serve until the 13-times grand slam champion broke in the ninth game with a forehand volley to the empty side of the court. She served out in the next game.

Williams had sent a screaming backhand winner down the line one point previously, which she said was when the match turned in her favor. “I definitely think that’s when the match started changing, but for the most part I was really fighting until that point,” Williams said.

Williams broke Stosur in the opening game of the second set with a cross-court winner. And after dropping a 12-point game to Stosur, Williams captured 12 of 14 points during a three-game stretch to go ahead 5-1.

The 10th-seeded Stosur held serve in the next game but tournament organizers, perhaps unknowingly, showed little faith in her ability to mount a comeback. During a change of sides before Williams had her first chance to serve for the match, they squeezed in a short clip on the main scoreboard thanking fans for attending the tournament and

TORONTO: Serena Williams, of the United States, poses with her trophy after defeating Samantha Stosur, of Australia, during the Rogers Cup finals women’s tennis tournament.—AP asking them to buy tickets for next year.

Williams followed that with a solid final game, firing four of her nine aces past a helpless Stosur, who saw only one break point during the match. “For me to be able to win I had to play close to my best tennis, and I wasn’t quite at that that mark,” Stosur told reporters. “She makes it look very easy and it’s not that easy just to come back on tour and win two events in your first four tournaments.”

Williams, who next plays the Cincinnati Open, improved to 11-0 in hard court matches this year and is looking like the dominant player who captured the Wimbledon title last year before her layoff. She entered the tournament as the world number 80 but is pro-

jected to go as high as 31 when the rankings are released.

Despite that, Williams considers herself an underdog for the year’s final grand slam. “I never go in as a favorite, I feel like I’m still the underdog,” she said. “I went through a lot of things physically, mentally and emotionally, and going through so much so I am just taking it one day at a time and kind of like one match at a time.” Victoria Azarenka withdrew from the doubles final with an injured right hand, clouding the world number four’s participation in the US Open. Azarenka, who lost in straight sets to Williams in Saturday’s semifinal, withdrew from the doubles match along with playing partner Maria Kirilenko before taking the court. — Reuters

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Mourinho prepares for another shot at Barca MADRID: After giving Real Madrid its first title in three years, Jose Mourinho has now toughened his team for the true test of success. The Portuguese coach finished second to three-time defending champion Barcelona in the Spanish league last year, but he has been quick to point out that his teams start to really come together in the second season under his charge. For example, FC Porto won the double, and then Chelsea did the same. With Inter Milan, Mourinho went one better, winning the club’s first Champions League title in 45 years to earn a treble with the Italian league and cup.

This season, Mourinho has full control of the team’s infrastructure after general director Jorge Valdano was fired in May, becoming head of football operations with Zinedine Zidane as his righthand man. He has brought in five players this offseason, but

although Fabio Coentrao cost the club ?30 million (?43 million), no household names were added to the team that already includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Iker Casillas and Xabi Alonso.

“He’s working his team well from a psychological view,” said Carlos Mozer, who worked as an assistant to Mourinho at Benfica in 2000. “When you’re in a war you have to prepare your team to win. And I’m sure he’s working with that in mind. “He’s preparing his team for war. Ready for war against Barcelona and everyone,” the former Brazil international told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Madrid president Florentino Perez hired Mourinho from Inter, the only team capable of beating Barcelona in the Champions League under coach Pep Guardiola.

Mourinho doesn’t hide his disdain for the Catalan club where

he once worked as an assistant coach but where he is often remembered as “the translator.”

While Madrid beat Barcelona for the Copa del Rey last season - its first domestic cup in 18 years - it finished runner-up in the league for a third straight season and lost the Champions League semifinal series to Barcelona when Mourinho earned a five-match suspension for saying Barcelona received preferential treatment.

Sunday’s El Pais newspaper reported Mourinho even made a reference to the Vietnam war and avenging fallen companions during a locker-room rant during one of the four matches between the the two clubs in April. While Mourinho has offered few comments about his principal rival going into the new season - “I don’t speak about Barcelona. I speak about my team” he has made sure to rally his players and even fans to the cause.

Mourinho opened up the Santiago Bernabeu stadium to training Saturday ahead of the Spanish Supercup and continuously applauded the 57,000 spectators throughout the 60-minute session. The rivals drew 2-2 Sunday in the first leg. “That no player leaves this group is fundamental,” Mourinho said. “They have more confidence in me. I don’t want to just win the favor of the president, I want us all to be on the same boat together.”

Mozer believes that not only have Madrid’s players rallied around their embattled coach but even Perez has fallen under the sway of Mourinho’s abrasive charm.

“When you get to a club it takes time to change that mentality. That’s changing now with Mourinho,” said Mozer, who wasn’t surprised by Mourinho’s ease at taking the power reigns at Madrid. “Someone who doubts the capacity of Mourinho just has

to sit down at a table with him and talk about football. After that you will see why things will change at Madrid, Mourinho knows how to do things right.

He’s got the capacity, intelligence and organization to do it.”

Mourinho sent out a clear message Saturday when asked if he would be more guarded following the UEFA sanction. “No one will shut me up,” Mourinho exclaimed.

Mozer said Mourinho’s tongue was what made him “The Special One,” as Mourinho anointed himself upon arrival at Chelsea.

“These things happen in football and it hurts when you speak the truth. You have to show more calm and restraint. But he’s like that - you can’t change him,” Mozer said before dismissing the idea that Mourinho’s aggressive relationship with Barcelona comes down to contempt over “the translator” chant many fans

greet him with at the Camp Nou. “I think he’s too intelligent to fall into the trap of getting wrapped up in that. In his head he probably uses that word in a certain way but he’s too intelligent to fall for it,” the Brazilian said. “That doesn’t affect him.”

Former Barcelona coach Carles Rexach believes “the translator” remark does provide extra incentive. “The truth is the press was not very kind to him, they treated him like a translator and I think he feels some resentment for that,” Rexach said. “But (being aggressive) is all part of what Madrid wants from him.” Mourinho knows another Copa del Rey triumph will not cut it this season, especially with all the anticipation and expectation that has been created with his arrival. A record 10th European Cup is the top priority, and without that even a first league trophy since 2008 may not be enough.— AP

Champions League offers mixed blessings for Arsenal

LONDON: This is a Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010 file photo of Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel as he plays against Stoke City. The father of Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has been abducted by unknown men in Nigeria’s restive central region, police said yesterday. —AP

Pumas retain lead in Mexico Estudiantes name new coach MEXICO CITY: Mexican title holders Pumas UNAM earned a 1-1 draw with Santos Laguna on Sunday thanks to striker Eduardo Herrera’s equalizer 10 minutes from time to retain their lead in the Apertura championship. Santos took the lead just before the hour at the Olympic stadium in Mexico City with a superb bicycle kick from Oribe Peralta.

Both sides had players sent off in the final seven minutes defender Marco Palacios of Pumas and centre back Santiago Hoyos of Santos. “We got a point which, in the circumstances, is good so I’m happy with the performance,” Pumas coach Guillermo Vazquez told reporters. “If only all goals were three-pointers ... but I hope to stay in the same form. It would have been better to get a victory,” said Herrera. Unbeaten Pumas, winners of last season’s Clausura

championship, have 11 points from five matches, a point ahead of Guadalajara, who won 2-1 at Morelia on Friday despite having two men sent off.

Estudiantes UAG, who sacked coach Jose Luis Sanchez earlier in the week after they managed just three points from their opening four matches, named Raul Arias as his replacement following Saturday’s 2-0 away at Atlas in the Guadalajara derby, the daily El Universal reported.

The 53-year-old Arias has previously coached Necaxa, San Luis and Guadalajara. Promoted Tijuana picked up their fourth point with a 1-1 draw at home to Puebla. Both goals came in the opening quarter of an hour from Colombian strikers, Dayro Moreno opening the scoring for Tijuana and Duvier Riascos replying for the visitors.— Reuters

Lille fall to Montpellier Marseille held 2-2 PARIS: French champions Lille were beaten 1-0 at home by Montpellier in their second league outing of the season on Sunday despite creating the better chances. Forward Olivier Giroud netted the winner midway through the second period after some superb control to stun last season’s double winners, who opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw at Nancy last weekend.

Montpellier were well organized throughout and could be decent bets for the Europa League places this season judging by their display. Last term’s runners-up, Olympique Marseille, also struggled when they were held to a 2-2 draw for the second straight Ligue 1 weekend after Auxerre came from two down to share the points. The visitors raced into

the lead thanks to Loic Remy after three minutes and Andre Ayew just before the break but Auxerre, strugglers for much of last season, hit back through Alain Traore and Roy Contout in the second half.

“To lead 2-0 and come away with a draw is infuriating,” Marseille coach Didier Deschamps told reporters. “I think we stayed in the dressing room (in the second half).” Marseille, the 2010 champions, drew 2-2 at home to Sochaux on last weekend’s opening day. Promoted Evian picked up their first ever win in the top flight with a 1-0 home success over Nice in Sunday’s other game. Paris St Germain and Olympique Lyon drew their matches on Saturday as France’s big teams labour in the opening stages of the campaign.— Reuters

BERNE: Arsenal have suffered a difficult start to the season but face equally weakened opponents when they host Udinese in a Champions League qualifier today hoping to reach the group stage for the 14th season in a row. Bayern Munich, whose Allianz Arena will host the final, take on outsiders FC Zurich on Wednesday in another of this week’s 10 playoff round first-leg ties with top sides knowing that a slip-up could wreck their season before it has barely started.

Former European champions Benfica and French side Olympique Lyon also have to battle through one of the most ungratifying fixtures of the calendar, with lots at stake and many teams still in pre-season mode.

Four of the 20 clubs in actionPolish champions Wisla Krakow, Swedish champions Malmo, Denmark’s Odense and Czech Republic champions Viktoria Plzen-will be attempting to reach the group stage for the first time.

The draw is divided into two halves, with champions from the lower-ranked UEFA nations in one half and non-champions from higher-ranked nations in the other. The system, in its third season, is designed to guarantee five places in the group stage for champions of smaller countries, who previously found their way blocked by the likes of Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Udinese. Like four-times winners Bayern, missing out on the group stage would be nearly unthinkable for 2006 runners-up Arsenal and they have probably landed the toughest tie of the draw.

With top players Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri looking likely to leave and the likes of Jack Wilshere set to be injured for the first leg, Arsenal could be forgiven for feeling sorry for themselves. The Italians, however, have sold their key players from

LONDON: (From left) Arsenal’s Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri and Sebastien Squillaci take part in a training session at their training facilities in London Colney. —AP last season with Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez joining Barcelona, Switzerland captain Gokhan Inler going to Napoli and Cristian Zapata signing for Villarreal.

In doing so, Udinese have raked in more than 60 million euros ($85.29 million) in transfer fees but also broken the backbone of last season’s team which finished fourth in Serie A and was regarded as the most entertaining side in the league. Today’s match at the Emirates will be the first competitive outing of the season for Francesco Guidolin’s team, who are still building for the new Italian league campaign which starts on the last weekend of the month.

“It’s a very difficult match against one of the most important clubs in Europe,” general manager Franco Collavini told reporters following the draw. “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.”

DISAPPOINTING BAYERN Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was still wary. “Udinese have lost Sanchez and Zapata but they have many other good players,” he said. “They have (Antonio) Di Natale and plenty of players who have quality. Who would want to play against an Italian opponent? We know we will have to be at our best to qualify.” Bayern, forced into the playoffs after finishing a disappointing third in the Bundesliga last season, should not expect too many problems against visitors who finished second in the Swiss Super League.

The Bavarians have missed the group stage only once since 1997/98. Wisla Krakow host Cypriots APOEL tomorrow as they bid to become the first Polish side to reach the group stage since Widzew Lodz in 1996/97. Malmo,

beaten European Cup finalists in 1979, tomorrow visit Dinamo Zagreb, themselves hoping to qualify for the first time since 1999/00 having fallen at this stage five times before.

Today Plzen go to Danish champions FC Copenhagen, who reached the last 16 last season, and tomorrow fellow Danes Odense are at home to Villarreal, semi-finalists in 2005/6. Benfica, twice European champions in the competition’s early days and fivetimes runners-up, travel today to Dutch side Twente Enschede, who made their group stage debut last season.

The Portuguese outfit have made a relatively modest six Champions League appearances.

Olympique Lyon, hoping to qualify for the 12th time in a row, host Russian Rubin Kazan today when BATE Borisov entertain Sturm Graz.— Reuters

Leverkusen grab late 1-0 win over Bremen BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen needed an 85th minute goal from defender Michal Kadlec to beat Werder Bremen 1-0 on Sunday for their first points of the season. The Czech left-back turned home a pass from substitute Simon Rolfes, the ball going in off the post. Kadlec had come close eight minutes earlier, when his free kick was palmed away by Bremen keeper Tim Wiese. Michael Ballack made his first start of the season for Leverkusen, and Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro was included in Bremen’s squad as a substitute after his long injury lay-off. Lennart Thy, who got the nod over Pizarro to start, missed a glorious first-half chance for Werder, when he fired over the bar from three meters.

In Sunday’s other game, Israeli striker Itay Shechter snatched an 80th minute equalizer to rescue a 1-1 draw for Kaiserslautern against visitors Augsburg. The Bundesliga newcomers struck after 10 minutes, when Sascha Moelders was sent through to fire in his third goal in two games, but new signing Shechter weaved through the defense and released a powerful left-footed low drive to level. The promoted Bavarians were better in the first half and missed a string of clear chances to double their lead with Kaiserslautern looking out of sorts. The hosts upped the tempo in the second half and came close more than half a dozen times, only to be denied by goalkeeper Simon Jentzsch. He could do nothing,

SPAIN: In this Thursday June 2, 2011 file photo, Malaga’s new soccer player Ruud van Nistelrooy of Netherlands holds a team scarf during his official presentation at the Rosaleda stadium.—AP though, to stop 24-year-old Shechter’s missile from just inside the box that gave Kaiserslautern their first point from two games. Champions Borussia Dortmund suffered a 1-0 defeat at Hoffenheim on Saturday,

while Luiz Gustavo scored in stoppage time to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 win at VfL Wolfsburg. Both teams have three points after two games. Mainz 05 and Hanover 96 lead the standings with six points.— Reuters

Djokovic claims Masters mark with Montreal win

Bradley wins PGA Championship

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Those who know Woods’ game: He’s down, not out

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MADRID: Real Madrid’s Pepe from Portugal (right) duels for the ball with Barcelona’s Adriano Correia from Brazil during the first leg of the Spanish Supercup soccer match.—AP

Barca hold Real in Super Cup opener MADRID: European and La Liga champions Barcelona held arch-rivals Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw at the Bernabeu in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday.

Away goals from David Villa and Lionel Messi left Barca the happier of the teams, after Real had created better chances, and their night was crowned with news that Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas had finally agreed his move from Arsenal.

Real had taken the lead through Mesut Ozil after only 13 minutes in a vibrant atmosphere, and Xabi Alonso grabbed the equaliser early in the second half.

The second leg is at the Nou Camp tomorrow. “We are behind with our preparations so it has been a huge achievement to get a result against a Real Madrid side

who have played very well,” Barca coach Pep Guardiola told reporters.

Referring to Fabregas he said: “Cesc grew up in Barcelona he became a huge player thanks to Mr (Arsene) Wenger and Arsenal, and now he is a better player than we he left. Now we will try and make him better.”

Barca gave new signing Alexis Sanchez his debut in an unfamiliar line up that also included 20-year-old midfielder Thiago Alcantara in place of Xavi.

In the absence of Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, both suffering with injuries, Javier Mascherano and Eric Abidal teamed up in the centre of Barca¥s defence, where they were quickly found out.

Karim Benzema, who has scored eight

for Real during the pre-season, beat Abidal on the edge of the area and squared for the advancing Ozil to slot past Victor Valdes.

Penned back in their area, Barca struggled to mount a single shot until the 35th when Messi fed Villa wide on the left.

The Spanish striker cut inside Sergio Ramos and from the edge of the area curled a shot over Iker Casillas and into the top corner.

On the stroke of halftime Barca hit Real with another sucker punch. Messi scampered away toward the area, and as white bodies converged on him a lucky deflection saw him emerge unmarked into the area to slide the ball underneath Casillas.

Real lifted their game again after the

break and when Alonso drilled a low shot in the corner, Barca were once again on the rack. With the memories of last season’s bad-tempered clashes in the league, King’s Cup and Champions League still fresh in mind tempers started to flare, adding extra spice to the atmosphere, but Real failed to capitalise on their chances.

Pep Guardiola sought to tighten up his side introducing Xavi and Pique, and he successfully defended his unbeaten record as coach at the Bernabeu.

Mourinho sent his number two Aitor Karanka out to speak to reporters: “Perhaps we didn’t get the result we deserved but we are happy with the work of the team,” Karanka said. “It’s a bittersweet result, but we showed we are a bet-

Brazil edge Spain in ‘real final’ of U-20 MEDELLIN: Brazil defeated Spain on penalties Sunday in a match that, despite being only a quarterfinal, will be viewed by many as the “real final” between the two best teams in the Under-20 World Cup In the end it came down to chance with Brazil winning 4-2 in the shootout after a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes and a 2-2 stalemate after 30 minutes of extra time. In Sunday’s other semifinal, France defeated Nigeria 3-2 in extra time.

That sets up Wednesday’s semifinals with Brazil facing Mexico in Pereira, and France up against Portugal in Medellin. The winners play for the title on Saturday in Bogota. Brazil has won the title four times and Portugal has claimed two. Mexico and France will be trying to break through for their first.

Spain coach Julen Lopetegui made it clear he thought the better team lost. The Iberians led in possession, outshot Brazil 26-17 and took 12 corners to Brazil’s 5. “I feel very proud of these kids,” Lopetegui said.

“I think overall they were better than Brazil and deserved to advance. Today, the best team in the World Cup is out.”

In truth, there was nothing to choose from. The two best teams in the field thrilled the crowd with end-to-end football, possession passing and counterattacking to keep the other side off balance.

Spain came back twice, and Brazil was rock solid to pull through on penalties. “As we anticipated, it was a very difficult match against a very top team strong and excellent,” Brazil coach Ney Franco said. “We had great penalty takers and a keeper who made the difference.”

Willian gave Brazil the lead in the 35th minute, before Rodrigo - who was born in Brazil - equalized for Spain in the 57th. Brazil went ahead with Dudu’s goal in extra time, but Spain answered two minutes later thanks to Alvaro Vazquez. Vazquez is the tournament’s leading goal scorer with five. First to take its kick, Spain fell behind when its first penalty-taker, Jordi Amat, was stopped by a diving Brazil keeper Gabriel. Vazquez also missed Spain’s fourth penalty when Gabriel kicked the shot away.

In the meantime, Brazil converted its four from Casemiro, Henrique, Danilo and Dudu. Mexico is on a roll and will have plenty of motivation against Brazil. Mexico’s senior team won the regional Gold Cup title in June, defeating the United States 42, and added the Under-17 World Cup title in July, beating Uruguay 20 in the final at Aztec stadium in Mexico City. Were it not for the drama of Brazil vs Spain, France’s 3-2 win over Nigeria in extra time would grab more headlines.

Nigeria won its first four matches

ter team than last year.”

Meanwhile, Malaga is banking on its big-money offseason overhaul to finally lift it out of the bottom half of the Spanish league and into the European limelight.

Malaga owner Abdullah Bin Nasser AlThani spent $85 million on new players in a bid to put the club into a position where it can challenge teams like Valencia, Villarreal and Atletico Madrid, instead of trying to stave off relegation.

The Qatari sheikh, who bought the bankrupt club for $51 million in 2009, has brought in 10 reinforcements, including Netherlands striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan and Spain international Santi Cazorla, to make Malaga the busiest team in the transfer

window. It also hired former Spain international Fernando Hierro as general manager to help oversee the spending spree and make sure it turns into a long-term project. The heights of Malaga’s aspirations will be tested Saturday when it hosts three-time defending champion Barcelona at the La Rosaleda stadium.

“We are very excited for the game against Barca,” Malaga captain Apono Galdeano said. “If we do things well we can earn (the win).”

A debut victory will largely hinge on second-season coach Manuel Pellegrini’s ability to quickly forge a unit almost evenly divided between newcomers and holdovers. So far, he’s happy with his progress.—Agencies

Fabregas ‘comes home’

COLOMBIA: Challenged by Brazil’s Bruno Uvini (right) Spain’s Rodrigo (left) heads the ball to score during a U-20 World Cup quarterfinal soccer match. —AP

and was seen by many as a match for Brazil or Spain. France changed that. Level at 1-1 after 90 minutes, Gueida Fofana gave France a 2-1 lead in extra time and Alexandre Lacazette picked up his second goal of the match two minutes later to seal the win.

Maduabuchi Ejike scored his second goal in extra time to give Nigeria hope of a comeback, but the west Africans couldn’t score again. France should have won in regulation, but Nigeria equalized in the final seconds of second-half stoppage time with a header by Ejike.

Lacazette gave France the lead in the 50th with his first goal of the match. This is the first time France has reached the semifinals of the

Under-20 World Cup. “This is the achievement of a new generation,” France coach Francis Smerecki said.

“This showed when Nigeria tied the match. I think we can end up as champions, but we are aware there are some strong rivals.”

Nigeria came into the match having won its first four decisions and was the highest scoring team in the tournament. But France managed to slow the Nigerian attack for most of the game, giving up possession but few threatening chances. The elimination is another disappointment for the Nigerians, who have finished second two times - in 1989 and 2005. “It is sad to go out like this,” Nigeria coach John Obuh said. “We believe this is a game we should have won.”— AP

BARCELONA: Spain midfield star Cesc Fabregas yesterday completed his marathon move from Arsenal to Barcelona by signing a five-year contract that brought him “back home” to his boyhood club after eight years.

“Cesc has finally joined FC Barcelona, after signing a contract for the next five seasons. His buyout clause will be 200 million euros,” the club said in a statement. Barcelona deputy chairman Josep Maria Bartomeu said the fee was 29 million euros.

“In addition, if we win the league twice and the Champions league once in the next five seasons Arsenal will receive a bonus of five million euros, two (million) for each league win and one for the Champions League,” he told a news conference alongside Fabregas.

“Furthermore, over the next five years ... the club will pay one million euros to Arsenal on behalf of Cesc,” who is taking a massive salary cut to come to Spain, he said.

Fabregas, wearing the number 4 shirt, earlier appeared before some 35,000 cheering supporters at the Camp Nou stadium after passing a medical and signing the deal.

“I would like to thank all the fans,” he said. “I have been waiting many days, months, years for this day. It’s very special day, to come home after eight years away. I am here to face the most incredible challenge of my life.”

Arsenal announced on Sunday that they had finally agreed a deal for the transfer of Fabregas to the Spanish and European champions, where he will link up with the likes of Argentine world player of the year Leo Messi and and Spain’s World Cup stars Xavi Hernandez and David Villa.

The deal, which brings to an end to a transfer saga which began last year, takes Fabregas back to the club which he left as a 16-year-old in 2003. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insisted he had to let Fabregas go because his

captain was no longer completely committed to the Gunners.

Wenger had forced Fabregas to stay at the Premier League club last season, but his often lacklustre performances hinted at his dissatisfaction and the French coach couldn’t tolerate a repeat this term.

“Yes, we lost a world class player and we are sad about it. We did try to keep him but in the end we have to respect the desire of the player as well,” Wenger told a press conference on Monday. “It is very difficult to get the best out of a player, he has to be completely committed to where he is. “If you understand one thing, it is that Cesc didn’t go for financial reasons. He wanted to go back to his home city. Fabregas told the news conference that relations with Wenger remained “fantastic.” “I spoke with him on Friday to say goodbye. It was very emotional because he was a father figure for me.

“If I am here now it’s in large part because of him. I can’t thank him enough.” He said he was grateful to the Arsenal fans, but told them “this was the right time to come to Barca,” which was “the greatest club in the world.” The 24-year-old spent eight years at Arsenal and made 303 appearances, scoring 57 goals in all competitions. Named as Arsenal captain in November 2008, Fabregas also became a regular in the Spanish national team and has made 58 appearances to date.

Barcelona defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique had already anticipated the move on Friday when they sent messages on their Twitter accounts welcoming the player before any official announcement. “Welcome home, happy to have you here @cesc4official,” Puyol tweeted, addressing his message to Cesc’s Twitter account. “@cesc4official, we have got him,” tweeted Pique. Wenger left the player out of the side which drew 0-0 at Newcastle on Saturday.—AFP

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Germans battling crisis with ‘order’

One-child policy a boon for China girls Page 23

Page 25 SINGAPORE: Shoppers ride on escalators in a mall yesterday.

The city-state’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned Singaporeans in his national day rally speech that economic problems in the US and Europe pose a serious risk to world growth which could lead to another recession. — AP

Fraud uncovered at Topaz unit DUBAI: Oman’s Renaissance Services said it uncovered serious issues at its Topaz unit, including financial misconduct and fraud, in a rare act of disclosure for a regional company, sending its shares down 10 percent yesterday. Topaz Energy and Marine pulled a $500 million London listing in March amid valuation concerns and regional unrest. Its chief executive left the firm two months later.

“We have uncovered some serious issues in the Topaz Group ... If not arrested, these matters could damage the company ’s reputation,” Renaissance Chairman Samir Fancy said in a statement.

Renaissance said evidence of fraud and ethical misconduct at a Topaz subsidiary abroad, centered on the use of $2.9 million, had led to a broader probe across Topaz and raised similar concerns. It did not give further details. Renaissance said it was moving to quickly address the issues, the one-off impact of which could climb to as much as $30 million. The company will cut more than 100 jobs in Topaz’s engineering business and expects to realise savings from the move in 2012. The oilfield services firm said it had taken over direct management of Topaz, a wholly-owned unit, and would close or

restructure all its loss-making operations. “ The sustained viability of some smaller divisions of the business remains in question,” Fancy said.

Renaissance said it will withdraw from a Kazakhstan boat yard project, and end a joint venture with British energy services firm Doosan Babcock set up in 1999 to provide boiler servicing and repairs. Dubai-based Topaz operates mainly in the Middle East, North Africa and Caspian Sea region, running a fleet of 100 offshore support vessels.

“Transparency is good and perhaps the fact they were going for a London listing forced them to open

their books and provide more disclosure,” said Mohammed Yasin, chief investment officer at CAPM Investment in Abu Dhabi. “But there are a lot of legal and financial considerations that could have dire consequences on the mother company, which we will have to watch closely.”

Shares in Renaissance tumbled 10 percent on the bourse, limit down, after which trade in the shares was halted. Yasin said there is concern that bank loans and bank debts may be called as a result of financial misconduct. Renaissance’s chairman said the firm was in talks with lead banks on refinancing some debt in the

and cheaper to buy ready-made lanterns, especially ones made in China, the vendors said. It can take anywhere from three days to several weeks of cutting, hammering, melting and welding to create a single fanoos. The smaller ones can cost 10 Egyptian pounds ($1.60), while larger custom-made ones can cost up to 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,600).

“Everything we use to make the fanoos from is imported, from A to Z,” said Mohamed Fawzi, 27, who works in a small garage space with his two brothers and father making lanterns. He said they are producing about a third as many lanterns as they made before the Chinese lanterns flooded the market some 13 years ago. Egypt imported $6 billion of goods from China last year, while only exporting $1 billion to that country, said Omaima Mabrouk, executive director for the Egyptian-Chinese Business Council.

To protect the local market, the government needs to create a system for workers’ rights and improve management in both the private and public sectors, she said. “You have a society that is losing, and what made the people lose is the government,” Mabrouk said.

Many blame decades of widespread corruption under deposed President Hosni Mubarak for the inability of artisans to live off of locally made products. “The local police would come and take our stuff and trash our stores if we didn’t give them bribes,” said

results were far below expectations of 5.5 million rials to 6 million rials but revenue was still buoyed by strength in Renaissance’s marine and contracting businesses, said Joice Mathew, head of research at United Securities in Muscat. First half revenues were 132.8 million, compared to 117.8 million rials in the same period last year.

“On a fundamental level, I’m not as bearish on the company as the market is,” Mathew said. “But the company did take three months to come out and say this is happening, which is definitely going to have an impact on investor confidence.” — Reuters

Germany reiterates ‘no’ to eurobonds

Future of Egypt Ramadan lanterns is under threat CAIRO: Tucked away in an alley in one of Cairo’s oldest quarters, Nasser Mustafa painstakingly welds small metal pieces that will come together to form a traditional lantern. Egyptians turn to the lantern, known as a fanoos, as part of the tradition of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset in a process intended to light one’s path toward prayer and God. As a symbol, the fanoos is somewhat similar to a Christmas tree or a menorah. It is hung on balconies during Ramadan and takes the center of dinner tables when families gather to break fast together.

The history of the fanoos in Egypt stretches back to the Fatimid Empire, which ruled large swaths of the Muslim world from Cairo starting in the 10th century. But, after nearly a century, the future of the Egyptian fanoos is under threat.

Less than a dozen fanoos makers remain in Cairo, as cheap Chinese imports and decades of government corruption have made plying their trade nearly impossible. “Our great-grandfathers did this work, but our kids won’t,” said Rida Ashour, who stopped making the fanoos about 10 years ago.

A stroll down one of Cairo’s oldest streets shows this generational shift. Two decades ago, the street was known for its fanoos artisans, but today vendors complain that the metal and glass needed to make the lanterns is all imported and too expensive to buy. It’s easier

wake of Topaz’s aborted IPO. If an IPO does not happen by March 2012, the $8 million cost of the process will be written off. Fancy said Topaz’s marine and loss-making engineering unit are being organized as separate businesses and the two listed separately over different periods with Topaz marine first. “What is now clear, is ... the problems we have encountered internally in Topaz need to be fully resolved before any further contemplation of a listing,” the chairman said. Renaissance reported net profit of 2.25 million rials ($5.84 million) for the first half, compared with 9.8 million rials in the year-ago period. The

CAIRO: In this photo taken July 28, 2011, an Egyptian man makes traditional lanterns at his lantern workshop.—AP Ashour, the former fanoos maker. Egypt and the first thing we have to “Police would come and kick our do is stop importing it from China.”

But some prefer the Chinese handmade work.” The thousands of protesters who eventually forced lanterns. Vendor Ahmed Leeba said Mubarak out of power complained the finishing - from the basic matethat decades of corruption and rial to the tiniest details - on the police impunity were, in large part, Chinese lanterns is simply better.

“The Chinese lanterns are like toys,” responsible for the country’s ills.

While most fanoos makers said Leeba said. He sells Chinese the government did little to protect Ramadan lanterns that are battery their craft, Salma Jazayerli, a Syrian operated and play traditional woman who has lived in Egypt for songs. Leeba said he sells up to 500 years, managed to start her own locally made lanterns around business a few years ago making Ramadan, compared to more than high-end lanterns. Her products sell 2,000 Chinese-made lanterns. Yet in upscale supermarkets across he admits the Egyptian-made Cairo and she exports to select cus- fanoos attracts customers. “It’s not tomers across the region. “It’s diffi- Ramadan without it,” he said, pointcult to have Ramadan without a ing to a locally made fanoos. “But fanoos,” Jazayerli said. “You have a honestly, Chinese products are rare, locally made talent that is in ruining the Egyptian market.” — AP

BERLIN: Two leading German ministers reiterated their opposition to issuing jointly guaranteed European government bonds as a means to end the eurozone’s crippling debt crisis. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told German news magazine Der Spiegel in its edition dated Monday that so-called eurobonds are out of the question as long as the currency zone’s 17 nations still run their own fiscal policy, and that different interest rates for eurozone nations were needed to provide “incentives and the possibility of sanctions to enforce solid financial policy.” Schaeuble acknowledged that the EU must, and will, beef up its response to the crisis to assist the heavily indebted nations, but that “there won’t be a collectivization of debt or unlimited assistance.”

Chancellor Angela Merkel has long ruled out eurobonds, and Economy Minister Philipp Roesler joined the chorus yesterday, describing jointly guaranteed debt as “the wrong way” out of the crisis.

“Eurobonds would mean that everybody shares the same interest burden which would be a punishment for (financially) sound nations,” he was quoted as saying by German news agency dapd. “We cannot want this for Germany and for all other good states.”

Eurobonds would be a major step toward the bloc’s economic integration, and are billed by suppor ters as an overnight solution to the crisis. Italy, Greece, Belgium and Luxembourg are among the nations calling for eurobonds.

The debate over eurobonds has ratcheted up ahead of today’s meeting in Paris between Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, though eurobonds are not

expected to form part of the discussions.

“Eurobonds won’t be an issue at the meeting tomorrow in Paris,” Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert stressed yesterday. Instead, he said the two leaders will discuss strengthening financial and economic cooperation and governance across the eurozone.

“This is one of the lessons from the euro crisis ... we need a stronger economic cooperation across the eurozone,” he added, declining to specify which concrete proposals will be discussed at the meeting.

The principle behind eurobonds is that European countries would guarantee each other’s debts, so that investors would see the bonds as super-safe and loan at low interest rates. The hope is that lower borrowing costs would prevent any more financial bailouts. But Germany as the most creditworthy European country fears it would face higher borrowing costs and more risks if it had to borrow jointly with financially shaky nations.

Eurobonds could drive down the borrowing costs for troubled eurozone countries immediately, but Germany maintains that cheap credit without a power ful European institution overseeing the member states’ budget and fiscal policy cannot be a solution. Skeptics also point out that the current European Union treaty forbids countries from assuming each other ’s debts, and say it would be difficult to avoid reckless countries borrowing too much on the good credit of the more careful ones.

The European Central Bank last week had to step in and start buying Italian and Spanish government bonds to drive down high interest yields that threatened those countries. — AP

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business

Elliott Wave Principles in action applied to oil degree. It can range from Tick by Tick intervals up to Centuries long. Elliott classified, with ingenuity, the degrees as follows, in an ascending order: Subminuette ; Minuette ; Minute ; Minor ; Intermediate ; Primary ; Cycle ; Super Cycle ; Grand Super Cycle.

Various Elliotticians have different practical classifications of the various waves, but in the end, they all consent to the fact that any five impulsive or up-move will finish the next higher Wave 1 which is then followed by a reaction of three corrective or downmoves to end Wave 2 and then up and down and up till Wave 5 is terminated.

Henceforth, it will constitute Wave I of a larger degree. The largest of the waves is the Grand Super Cycle.

In the normal market jargon of our daily life, a bull market defines an up move and a bear market indicates a correction.

I want to reiterate that the only deviation from the original Principles was the new plotting technique, to which the Principle’s analysis was applied; a personally devised technique to eliminate the inflationary factor embedded in the price itself.

By Kamel Mansour il, the Black Gold as known to the world, is just another commodity influenced by supply and demand.

This article will neither touch on the political facets nor will it delve in the economical ramifications. News, whether political, governmental, social, alternative energy or even ecological, may truncate the correction, extend the wave in time and price or elongate the impulse when trending upward or downward. What is essential is that the rhythmic count of waves will remain unchanged. “It even seems to be more logical to conclude that the cyclical derangement of trade, bringing widespread social unrest, is the cause of wars, rather than that cycles are produced by wars” - (Ralph Nelson Elliott - 1871 to 1948).

The data used in this analysis is the cash value of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), also known as Texas light sweet, a type of crude oil used as a benchmark in oil pricing. It is a light (low density) and sweet (low sulfur) crude oil. The publically available high-lowclose data was from beginning 1983. Prior to that date and from 1946, the monthly closing was converted to a bar chart for different study periods in order to assess the long term cyclical wave structure.

WTI topped in May 2011 and is heading lower. This commodity is very precious to our daily life and it intrigues every investor to know its direction. It is so influential that an American Senator once said: “The oil can is mightier than the sword” - (Everett Dirksen - American Senator - 1896 to 1969)

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Major Turning Points in Time Oil was priced at US$ 1.17 in 1946 and the market reached US$ 147.27 on July 11, 2008. The Cycle Waves that evolved can be classified in the following manner: 1946 to 1957 - Cycle 1 (11 years) 1957 to 1965 - Cycle 2 (8 years) 1965 to 1979 - Cycle 3 (14 years) 1979 to 1998 - Cycle 4 (19 years) December 1998 to March 2000 - Primary 1 of Cycle 5 March 2000 to January 2002 - Primary 2 of Cycle 5 January 2002 to July 2008 - Primary 3 of Cycle 5 July 2008 to January 2009 - Intermediate A of Primary 4 of Cycle 5 January 2009 to May 2011 - Intermediate

The Wave Principle in Brief To recap few of the principles of Elliott, a Wave is a movement in the market upward or downward until it is interrupted by another movement in the opposite direction. Each completed wave becomes sub wave of a larger wave of the next higher

B of Primary 4 of Cycle 5 May 2011 to Date - Formation of Intermediate C of Primary 4 of Cycle 5 The most intriguing finding in this long term Super Cycle was the channel that engulfed, from the downside, the beginning of Cycle 1, the ends of Cycle 2 and Cycle 4.

This lower channel will provide an excellent support for many years to come in the future. Despite disclosing a fact in retrospect but, for an Elliottician, a long term view chart is indispensable in the study of waves. “He that can have patience can have what he will” - (Benjamin Franklin - 1706 to 1790).

If we extended the parallel from the Irregular wave Top in 1980 at US$ 39.5 that was part of Cycle 4 and which immediately followed the Top of Cycle 3 at US$ 32.5 marks in 1979, it would give a tentative resistance of US$ 128 marks in 2008 and a potential turning point, provided that the correct fifth wave of the fifth wave was properly counted. In reality, the count did not end at US$ 128, but at an actual High of US$ 147.27 on July 11, 2008, which was the end of fifth primary of the fifth intermediate of the fifth minor of Cycle 3. This upper channel resistance will have great value in future capping of the WTI for years to come where Oil will definitely see higher prices than the Highs seen in July 2008.

The downward move that commenced from July 2008 swiftly went into three waves until it reached January 2009.

Thereafter, for three consecutive months, the market bottomed at around $ 32.which slightly over crossed the March 2000 top of Primary 1 of Cycle 5 at US$ 35.5. This was a logical psychological support level.

The overlapping of the bottom of the fourth wave with the top of first wave in a 5 impulsive waves is impermissible unless it is the start of a bigger wave retracement to signal much lower prices. It was not the case with WTI where Primary 4 of Cycle 5 was in the

process of formation and has not yet terminated.

On the monthly chart, Intermediate A of Primary 4 from July 2008 High ended in a diagonal triangle. The next move in the direction of the upward trend was swift in tandem with the outcome of the market that ensued pursuant to a diagonal triangle.

From January 2009, WTI showed signs of two impulsive moves until June 2009 which could have given the impression that Primary 5 of Cycle 5 was in the making. But after the consolidation that followed till May 2010, the market continued till May 2011 in 5 sub waves that were not impulsive in nature which put the wave from February 2009 as an inverted Zig Zag corrective market.

Alternation of Waves I touched on this topic in my recent series “Elliott Wave Principles in Action applied to Euro”. Alternation is a culmination of different psychological thinking of the mass which is evident in the composition of the corrective waves. The Human always seeks innovation and utilizes a different strategy from that which was previously used to arrive at a dissimilar result aspiring that it may correct the errors.

Elliott discovered that corrective waves alternated with each other and so did sub waves of large formations.

To put this into perspective, Primary 2 of Cycle 5 was simple in structure.

Consequently, Wave 4 will be complex.

Moreover, Intermediate 1 of Primary 4 was an elongated Flat with Intermediate 2 of Primary 4 was an inverted Zig Zag. Analysis of the Next Move One thing certain is that WTI topped in May 2011 and is heading downward. On the daily chart, the first impulse from May 2, 2011 High took five days till May 6, 2011.

Thereafter, consolidated for 55 working

days to form a Flat till July 26, 2011 where the second impulse commenced and oil dropped till August 9, 2011 to US$ 75.68.

The second impulse was almost 61.8% more than the first impulse, was double the period of the first, was weak and extended.

Consequently, the fourth sub wave was in formation and the market retraced upward till August 12, 2011 to post a high of US$ 87.34 which was in the area of the second impulse extension of US$ 88-87 marks. WTI is expected to retrace back to near the low seen on August 9, 2011 prior to moving upward again towards US$ 94.65.

The US$ 94.65 marks is a vital pivot in the movement of WTI to pave the market’s next direction and even the overall shape of Primary 4 of Cycle 5. It will tag not only the movement in the near term but that of months to come.

If the market does not bypass this Level, WTI will complete its fourth sub wave and break August 9, 2011 low in order to finish the 5 sub waves of Minor 1 of the 5 Minors of Intermediate C. If the market surpasses this critical US$ 94.65 on the upside, then Primary 4 will be forming a large triangle.

Irrespective of the scenarios that may unfold, the market is heading South towards the levels witnessed at the start of the year 2009. These scenarios, when combined with the investor’s appetite, will formulate the decision-making process. For a trader, the interest is in the daily or weekly fluctuations seeking the end of c sub wave to trade the highs and the lows; whereas for a long term investor, there is minimal zest in the short term fluctuations with more keenness in the intermediate waves identified through Elliott Principles.

In short, depending on your time objectives and the patience to materialize them, you can direct your trade accordingly for “the two most power ful warriors are patience and time” - Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1828-1910).

Strategic Marketing launches ‘HomeStyle Show 2011’ trategic Marketing and Exhibitions, one of the leading exhibition and conference organizers in the United Arab Emirates, has announced the launch of ‘HomeStyle Show 2011’, the first-of-its-kind interiors and lifestyle exhibition in the UAE capital, which will be held from November 24 to November 26, 2011 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre (ADNEC). The exciting three-day event aims to leverage the expected 14,000 new residential units to be delivered in Abu Dhabi during the second half of 2011. These statistics, which come from a recent Jones Lang LaSalle report, bode well for owners of these new units, who will find ‘HomeStyle Show’ as a strategic onestop-shop venue for their interior and home furnishing needs.

‘HomeStyle Show 2011’ is being held in line with the UAE’s 2014 International Green Building Compliance Program, setting out to be a venue to discuss and develop effective ways to meet energy efficient requirements and standards set by the government. The exhibition will feature a wide variety of products and services from over 100 exhibitors coming from 15 countries. During the event, visitors will be able to see live and interactive demonstrations at a designated space called the ‘Inspiration Area.’ Further, the exhibition complements a Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD) report

revealing that the UAE capital’s economy witnessed a 15.9 per cent growth, along with record gains of AED 85 billion in 2010, which saw Abu Dhabi’s GDP at current prices growing to AED 620.2 billion, up 15.9 per cent from AED 546.5 billion.

“The UAE’s interior design industry is growing by leaps and bounds due to the continuous influx of construction and infrastructure projects and the accompanying demand for more interior design services,” said Dawood Al Shezawi, CEO, Strategic Marketing and Exhibitions. “Looking to position ourselves across this rapidly developing segment, we are proud to announce the launch of ‘HomeStyle Show 2011,’ a pioneering event that will not only highlight what’s hot and what’s new in home interior design but will also give visitors a first hand look at the latest products in home decorating.”

A recent report from ProLeads, a leading UAE-based research firm, shows that the total value of interior design contracting projects from 2009 to 2010 in the GCC reached over USD 22 billion with the UAE accounting for two-thirds of the total value of all projects.

From a global perspective, interior design makes up between 15 to 20 per cent of the total project value of contracts. With over USD 186 billion of hotel projects under construction

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Gulf Bank announces winners of the 31st Al Danah Weekly Draw KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its 31st Al Danah weekly draw on Aug 14, 2011, announcing a total number of ten Al Danah weekly prize draw winners, each awarded with prizes of KD 1,000.

The 31st Al Danah Weekly Winners are: Fadel Habib Husain Hasan Abdullah Mohammed Al-Mezaini Hamdiya Awaad Hussain Sawsan Jassim Modhafar Ghanima Khalifa Salman Al-Sabah Hanan Mrai Gaith Salman Mubarak Aman Saleh Mohammed Abdulaziz Ramadhan Hussein Mohammed Kmat Obaid Zwayed Sabiha Fahad Ibrahim Al-Musalam Gulf Bank encourages everyone in

Kuwait to open an Al Danah account and/or increase their deposits to maximize their chances of becoming a winner in the upcoming weekly (KD 1,000 each for 10 winners), and the annual draw (KD 1 million). Gulf Bank’s Al Danah allows customers to win cash prizes and encourages them to save money.

Chances increase the more money is deposited and the longer it is kept in the account.

Al Danah also offers a number of unique services including the Al Danah Deposit Only ATM card which helps account holders deposit their money at their convenience; as well as the Al Danah calculator to help customers calculate their chances of becoming an Al Danah winner.

worldwide or planned to begin in the next two years, UAE projects equate to 41 per cent of this total figure. The report further shows that the UAE’s total spending for the interior design industry is expected to reach USD 22.5 billion in 2011. Confident of the favourable market conditions, the organizers are positive of the response for the ‘HomeStyle Show 2011’.

“These are quite exciting times for Abu Dhabi as it strategically positions itself as an emerging growth hub. It also marks the perfect time to launch ‘HomeStyle Show,’ which is being packaged as a first-of-its-kind exhibition for the interior design segment. We have prepared a strategic program of activities and events that will surely give visitors an idea of what they will need in designing or redecorating their homes while our exhibitors will be afforded the opportunity of meeting new contacts and create key opportunities,” concluded Al Shezawi. Exhibitors of ‘HomeStyle Show’ are posed to gain a six-point advantage in joining the event, which includes the opportunity to sell their respective products and offered services; network with visitors face to face; source new distributors; market products and services to visitors from across the globe under one roof; explore new markets; gain immense media exposure and enhance the exhibitors brand or image.

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds

.2700000 .4400000 .3860000 .3400000 .2730000 .2810000 .0040000 .0020000 .0738330 .7193300 .3810000 .0700000 .7051700 .0040000 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2719500 GB Pound/KD .4425710 Euro .3889160 Swiss francs .3427650 Canadian dollars .2751690 Danish Kroner .0522060 Swedish Kroner .0420850 Australian dlr .2833310 Hong Kong dlr .0348880 Singapore dlr .2252360 Japanese yen .0035380 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0740710 Bahraini dinars .7216400 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0725390 Omani riyals .7066390 Philippine Peso .0000000

.2760000 .4520000 .3940000 .3520000 .2890000 .2930000 .0072500 .0035000 .0745750 .7265590 .4010000 .0760000 .7122580 .0072000 .0530000 .2740500 .4459890 .3919190 .3454120 .2772940 .0526090 .0424100 .2855190 .0351570 .2269750 .0035650 .0061040 .0025030 .0031760 .0036830 .0746430 .7272120 .3876240 .0730990 .7120960 .0064940

Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.575 6.019 3.147 2.483 3.777 227.000 35.079

GCC COUNTRIES 72.923 75.137 710.280 726.320 74.462

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 47.500 Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal 1.251 Tunisian Dinar 199.740 Jordanian Dinar 386.170 Lebanese Lira 1.835 Syrian Lier 5.903 Morocco Dirham 35.271

45.836

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 273.350 Euro 392.260 Sterling Pound 445.970 Canadian dollar 277.880 Turkish lire 154.570 Swiss Franc 345.790 Australian dollar 285.380 US Dollar Buying 273.000

SELL CASH

SELL DRAFT

288.400 726.610 3.860 280.300 536.700 36.300 53.200 167.800 47.920 395.300 35.740 6.290

286.900 726.610 3.652 278.800

226.800 45.882 393.800 35.590 6.025

0.033 0.241 0.238 3.650 388.030 0.185 92.880 47.200 4.210 232.500 1.853 51.000 709.640 3.260 6.590 75.590 75.590 226.830 40.630 2.628 448.800 43.200 349.900 5.600 9.470 198.263 74.490 273.600 1.220

0.033

386.140 0.184 92.880 3.780 231.000

348.400 5.600 9.330 74.390 273.200

Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees

Currency

Selling Rate

272.145 447.576 392.129 336.282 724.214 74.342 74.975 72.800 384.485 45.882 2.485 6.055

3.166 3.655 6.424 670.004 3.573 9.225 5.743 3.937 90.730

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 446.800 273.200

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer

Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. 709.460 3.170 6.440 75.160 72.950 226.830 40.630 2.487 446.800

GOLD 1,779.700

Sterling Pound US Dollar

Bahrain Exchange Company

Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees

Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal 10 Tola

GOLD 320.000 160.000 82.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

COUNTRY

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

3.650 6.434 9.147 0.271 0.273

273.150 3.160 6.030 2.495 3.660 6.470 74.460 73.030 726.100 45.835 450.000 0.00003280 3.910 1.550 388.000 5.750 396.600 282.100

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

272.850 391.900 446.400 277.700 3.585 6.015 45.840 2.487 3.655 6.418 3.172 726.750 74.375 72.875

*Rates are subject to change

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

business

Banks still hesitant to lend to investment companies KAMCO MONEY MARKET REPORT

Ali Alghanim & Sons launches customer waiting area KUWAIT: Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive reiterated its commitment to customer care and satisfaction with the launch of a new dedicated customer waiting area, providing all the amenities needed to ensure a relaxing and comfortable environment for customers during their showroom visits. The exclusive BMW Group importer in Kuwait revealed the spacious new area, featuring separate waiting lounges for males and females, leather couches, separate prayer areas, LED televisions, laptops with wireless internet enabled, dailies and magazines, free coffee machine and even PS3 Video Games.

This new waiting area will serve all Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive customers, whether they are waiting for their car registration or paperwork to finish, or picking up and dropping off their cars at the company’s Aftersales facilities.

This waiting area is considered the latest in a series of initiatives by Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive aimed at increasing customer convenience at the showroom. The importer’s facility in Shuwaikh is already one of the largest in the Middle East, and the only one to feature its own dedicated Starbucks Cafe, in addition to sales areas for BMW and MINI lifestyle goods.

“Customers in Kuwait demand excellence in their luxury vehicle purchases, not only in the brands they choose and the aftersales service they can call upon afterwards, but also the environment that the purchase takes place in,” said Mr. Yousef Al-Qatami, General Manager of Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive. “Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive has never compromised on its core value of providing these customers with excellence in quality and care at every stage of the customer contact process, and it is this dedication that has seen us experience strong growth over the years.”

Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive has had a busy first half to the year with three new model launches: the BMW 6 Series convertible, BMW X3 and the MINI Countryman. Further launches are planned for the remainder of the year including the BMW 6 Series coupe, BMW M5 and all-new MINI Coupe. Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive reported a 13 percent growth for BMW and MINI sales for the first half of 2011 compared to the same period last year, signalling the strength of the brands in the Kuwaiti market.

Money Supply KUWAIT: Kuwait’s broad measure of money supply (M2) declined for the second consecutive month to record a significant drop of 1.7 per cent or KD 461 million during June11 and stand at KD 26.5 billion at the end of the month. This decrease in M2 was solely driven by the considerable drop of 8.6 per cent or KD 506 million in Kuwait dinar sight deposits which stood at KD 5.38 billion as of 30 June. Net Foreign Assets with CBK saw a sharp drop of KD 731 million, the highest drop seen since June 2008; while on the other hand, Net Domestic Assets increased by KD 269 million, on the back government deposits and claims on private sector which added around KD 197 million and KD 157 million, respectively.

During the first half of 2011, M2 rose by around 3.8 per cent or KD 966 million compared to a growth of 2.4 per cent or KD 590 million during 2010, with the drop seen in May and June amounting to KD 627 million partially offsetting the positive effect of the KD 1.1 billion Amiri grant to Kuwaiti citizens in Feb-2011. So far this year, the growth witnessed in money supply was not associated with revival in the credit markets as total credit facilities extended by local banks added a marginal 0.2 per cent or KD 38 million since the beginning of the year, while deposits added around KD 129 million over the same period to reach KD 28.6 billion at the end of June. Moreover, since the intensification of the financial turmoil in Sep-08, M2 surged by 23.5 per cent or KD 5.04 billion. Nevertheless, given the strict lending policies adopted by local banks to limit their exposure to default and credit risk, particularly to investment and real estate companies, the growth in money supply was not successful in triggering an upward stimulus in credit facilities as the bulk of the additional money found its way to bank deposits.

Deposits with Local Banks Total residents’ deposits (public and private) continued last two month’s downward trend to drop by 2.16 per cent or KD 632 million, to end the month at KD 28.6 billion.

Private sector deposits, which represent 89

Dana Gas announces net profit of AED 124 million Dana Gas PJSC, the Middle East ’s largest regional private sector natural gas company, has announced its financial results for quarter ended 30th June 2011, with a Net Profit after tax of AED 124 million, a 276 percent increase compared to the second quarter of 2010.

Results for 3 Months ended 30th June 2011 Revenue from the sale of hydrocarbons increased to AED 627 million, with gross profit reaching AED 341 million. These figures represent increases of 46 percent and 90 percent respectively, compared to the same period last year. This is due to strong production growth coupled with higher market prices for oil, condensate and LPG during 2011. Production increased in aggregate by 20 percent, from the Company’s operations in Egypt and in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where production from the Khor Mor field continues to increase. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortization and exploration (EBITDAX) increased by 63 percent to AED 411 million as compared to the second quarter of last year.

Results for 6 Months ended 30th June 2011 The Net Profit for the 6 months ended 30 June 2011 was AED 216 million compared to AED 66 million in the same period last year. The above Net Profit for the six months excludes an unrealized gain of AED 172 million on the Company’s investment in MOL (the Hungarian oil and gas company, one of our par tners in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq), booked directly to equity in line with the Company’s published accounting policy. EBITDAX for the six month period increased to AED 814 million compared to AED 480 million in the same period last year.

Dana Gas Egypt’s operations have continued to deliver strong results producing 4.0 million barrels of oil equivalent during the second quarter, an increase of 6 percent compared to the same period last year. During the period Dana Gas announced a new discovery at South Abu El Naga-2 in the West El Manzala Concession, which increased the estimated reserves by more than 60 billion cubic feet of gas.

Importantly, this new pool will begin contributing to production by the end of 2011.The Company has continued work to optimize the development of the South Abu el Naga discovery and its discoveries in the Salma and Tulip area of its Nile Delta Concessions and now plans to expand the existing El Wastani gas processing plant, a more cost effective solution than building the previously proposed new plant at the Salma field. The new facilities will also increase recovery of LPG for the entire gas stream passing through the El Wastani Plant.

In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Dana Gas, net to its 40 percent share, produced 1.84 million barrels of oil equivalent of gas, condensate and LPG during the peri-

od, an increase of 73 percent over the same period in 2010. Both trains of the LPG Plant at Khor Mor are now complete and in operational mode. Gas production from Khor Mor is increasing, and is now exceeding 300 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, as demand from the power stations increases and as new customers in the region are established.

In our Sharjah Western Offshore Concession an independent assessment of the reserves of the Zora field is close to completion. An invitation to tender for the fabrication and installation of the offshore platform has been issued and once all the contractual arrangements are completed the project construction phase will commence. The total development cost of this field is estimated to be AED 450-550 million ($125-150 million).

As stated recently Dana Gas continues discussions with the appropriate authorities to expedite payments of its overdue receivables in Egypt, and likewise in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Collection of receivables improved during the second quarter of 2011 compared to the first quarter. Dana Gas collected approximately AED 210 million ($57 million) in revenues during the second quarter, AED 130 million ($35 million) from Egypt and AED 80 million ($22 million) from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The Company seeks to manage its capital expenditure in line with cash generation and is maintaining tight control of its costs, with total capital expenditure for the second quarter of 2011 being AED 106 million ($29 million), a 31 percent reduction compared to the same period in 2010. Dana Gas’ cash position remains strong with a balance at 30 June 2011 of AED 400 million ($109 million).Dana Gas’ $1 billion Sukuk is maturing in October 2012 and the Company is working to implement a Sukuk Liability Management Programme with regard to this bond. Dana Gas continues to assess various options for its optimum capital structure and will update the market when appropriate. The Company still holds its 3 percent interest in MOL, the Hungarian Oil and Gas Company, the value of this holding remains significantly higher than when it was first acquired in May 2009.

Commenting on the per formance, Dana Gas Chief Executive Officer,. Ahmed Al Arbeed, said: “I am very pleased to report that Dana Gas’ Net Profits are up by an impressive 276 percent compared to the second quarter of 2010. This excellent outcome is driven by the 20 percent increase in production from Egypt and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and consequent increase in revenues accompanied by our tight control of costs throughout the organization.” “Whilst Dana Gas continues to deliver consistent strong operational and financial results, we are working diligently to meet the challenges that we face during the political changes in our region and at the same time we seek to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.” said Al Arbeed.

per cent of local Banks’ deposit base, declined by KD 487 million or 1.9 per cent to stand at KD 25.4 billion at the end of June, due to the seasonal withdrawals by depositors during the summer holiday. During 1H2011, private sector deposits added around 3.2 per cent or around KD 798 million mostly fuelled by the Amiri grant which exceeded the KD 1 billion mark.

Private sector deposits denominated in Kuwaiti dinar represented the majority of private sector deposits with a percentage contribution of 93 per cent or around KD 23.7 billion, whereas private sector deposits in foreign currencies constituted the remaining 7 per cent or KD 1.76 billion. Despite the drop seen in the last three consecutive months, deposits with banks remain solid yet have not been able to trigger a wave of new credit to the private sector since banks are in the balance sheet repair phase and implementing stricter lending policies.

Credit Facilities Extended

by Kuwaiti Banks During June -2011, credit facilities extended by local banks regained momentum and witnessed a marginal expansion of KD 90 million to reach KD 25.2 billion.

During 1H-2011, credit facilities marginally increased by KD 38 million or around 0.15 per cent indicating the challenging business environment for enterprises along with banks’ conservative lending policies. So far, there is no clear sign that credit will revive in the medium-term as lending to the private sector is deteriorating and the development plan set by the government is facing many obstacles that will most likely have an adverse impact on the credit market.

The slowdown in credit facilities growth during 1H-2011 is expected to continue through the second half of the current year on the back of tight credit conditions, insolvency problems suffered by local firms, scarce investment opportunities in the local market along with rise in default risk by distressed and highly indebted firms.

Deterioration in asset prices, which are mainly held as collateral for bank loans, pushed local banks to implement stricter

lending policies despite the latest decisions by the Central Bank of Kuwait to stimulate credit growth by raising the loan-to-deposit ratio above the 85 per cent level.

Personal facilities, the key growth driver of credit and its major component, increased by 0.4 per cent or KD 30 million during June to reach KD 8.5 billion, hence comprising around 33.7 per cent of banks’ loan portfolios. During 1H-2011 personal facilities added a mere 0.48 per cent or KD 41 million, on the back of the regulations issued by the CBK in April-2010 that prohibit banks from extending loans to households for the purpose of settling outstanding loans owed to other banks. The CBK also issued instructions to local banks to ensure that the proceeds from personal loans are used to purchase durable goods or to cover the education and healthcare expense.

Credit facilities for the purchase of securities represented around 30 per cent of personal facilities and recorded around KD 2.56 billion, down by 0.9 per cent or KD 24.4 million compared to May 2011 level. The structure of credit facilities with the highest percentage being in the stock market has been exposed bank to a high default risk by individual investors who are heavily invested in the local and regional bourses, thus resulting in massive provisioning by Kuwaiti banks since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008 on the back of the surge in non-performing loans which reached an unprecedented level or around KD 2.99 billion and KD 2.5 billion at the end of 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Loans to the real estate and construction sectors, which have together comprised an average of 33 per cent of local banks’ loan por tfolios since Dec-08, continued the downward trend since April to drop by 0.4 per cent or KD 37 million to reach KD 8.31 billion in June-11.

Given the hold back in the local property market and unfavorable operating environment faced by real estate companies and contractors in Kuwait, local banks’ exposure to this sector indicates that further weakness in the property market might expose local banks to credit risk.

Banks are still hesitant to extend addi-

tional loans to investment companies (ICsNon-bank financial institutions) given the unclear outlook over the sector’s performance and to avoid further provisioning; accordingly, credit facilities to distressed ICs showed a drop of KD 49.3 million, or 1.8 per cent, to stand at KD 2.67 billion as of June-11 and represent around 10.6 per cent of banks’ loan portfolios.

During the last 12-month period ending June-2011, banks’ credit to the real estate sector grew by KD 153 million, as compared with an increase of KD 88 million in the comparable period ended June-2010 indicating some improvement in the local property market. Growth in personal facilities remains unchanged from last period, while credit to financial institutions dropped by KD 242 million versus a growth of KD 162 million during the 12-month period ended June-2010.

Personal facilities added KD 186 million in the 12 month period ending June-2011, as compared with an almost equivalent increase of KD 179 million in the comparable period ended June-2010 due to the restrictions issued by the CBK to prevent the settlement of existing loans by new loans.

The Industrial sector has gained a total new credit of KD 125 million versus an increase of KD 168 million in the comparable period ended June-10. This revive in credit to the industrial sector since 2009 is mainly driven by the banks’ new strategies that became more directed towards lending to the productive economic sectors that have low default risk and backed by generating real cash flows.

Loans to IC’s witnessed a contraction of KD 242 million over the last 12 months, following a growth of KD 162 million in the comparable period of 2010, indicating the tough financial situation of the sector along with the restructuring of some highly leveraged ICs and the significant losses incurred by the sector originated mainly from drop in the prices of equities and real estate. The impact of the investment sector on local banks is expected to be manageable in the near-term, due to the high level of provisions that have already been built-up against this sector.

Germans battling crisis with ‘order’ Berlin balks at bailing out neighbors BERLIN: Post-World War II Germany rebuilt its economy on a system of strong rules within which businesses and industries, from auto manufac turing to media competition, were allowed to flourish. Based on that system, Germany has grown into Europe’s strongest economy, a regional powerhouse that its indebted neighbors depend on for billions of euros needed to cope their staggering debts. Steeped in this experience, Germans are now insisting that only if their partners adopt stronger rules will the European Union emerge from the financial crisis - and will Berlin underwrite the project.

“At the root of the concept is that you put down the rules and let people have a go, but you don’t screw with the rules,” said Jackson Janes, Executive Director of the American I nstitute for Contemporary German Studies in Washington. “That’s a very different attitude that doesn’t apply in places like Greece,” he said. “It’s ver y difficult to get people to focus on that structure that has worked so well for the Germans.”

Germans point to their nation’s 3.6 percent growth last year, the strongest in Europe, that allowed them to recover swiftly from the 2009 global downturn as proof.

The belief in “Ordnungspolitik”, or “order politics”, underlies Berlin’s years of repeated demands for the European Union to force restrictions on its members in exchange for German funds to rescue neighbors no longer able to service their staggering national debts.

Those demands will be on display today when Chancellor Angela Merkel travels to Paris armed with plans for a new EU body to enforce strict budget limits and fiscal policy, and calls for all 17 eurozone nations to follow Germany’s example and enshrine a balanced budget in their constitution. Such disagreements over “order politics” are viewed abroad as having hampered Europe’s response to the crisis, spawning long political battles with countries that see strict, unchanging rules as unsuited to their economies. That squabbling has undermined investors’ faith in the eurozone’s ability to manage its members’ debt, and the euro and the continent ’s stock markets have been hit by seemingly

unending turmoil.

When Greece first appealed for help in 2010, Merkel demanded a permanent crisis resolution mechanism before it would agree to loosen its purse strings, ultimately delaying a bailout. Germany came under fire for insisting that EU members agree to tougher sanctions for countries that have excessive government debt before endorsing the Ä110 billion ($157 billion) bailout package. In the end, Merkel backed down, the aid to Greece went through, the regulations didn’t and Germany emerged facing accusations of foot-dragging and tightfisted-

flooded with stories of Greek taxdodging and corruption.

“Germans are a very disciplined people, this characteristic has also made us masters of export in the global economy,” said Peter Walschburger, a professor at Berlin’s Free University who specializes in the psychology of economics. “The Greeks, by contrast are governed more by emotion and impulse.”

Some 90 percent of Germans say they believe state regulation is needed to govern large financial institutes from banks to big businesses, according to the 2010 Pew Global Attitudes survey. Last

FREIBURG, Germany: In this Dec 10, 2010 file photo, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel talk at a press conference during the German-French consultations. Merkel travels to Paris today armed with plans for a new EU body to enforce strict budget limits and fiscal policy and calls for all eurozone nations to enshrine a balanced budget in their constitution. — AP ness. Yet the situation continued to worsen. Within months, there was talk of I reland and then Portugal needing aid.

I n Germany, the move had been an attempt to make the package more palatable to voters who feel they repeatedly tightened their belts after the expensive reunification of East and West Germany in the 1990s, and others should do the same. After the bailout, German tabloids howled that taxpayers’ hard-earned savings were being squandered to bail out a nation viewed as indulgent and lazy. The media were

year, Germany ’s federal debt increased 21.9 percent to Ä1.28 trillion ($1.82 trillion), largely due to the need to bail out ailing banks. EU countries have been patchy at best in keeping their debts below 60 percent and their deficits below 3 percent of economic output as stipulated by the so-called Stability and Growth Pac t, pushed in the 1990s by Germany’s finance minister at the time, Theo Waigel.

But Germany and France later agreed to weaken the rules, inviting other countries’ profligacy.

Now, Berlin’s response has been

to push for even stricter and more automatic sanctions at the EU level. “The Germans have set up this whole concept of, here are the parameters, now go to it,” Janes said. “When they see them violated, or when they see people cheating on them, it basically makes them enforce it that much more.”

Merkel has repeatedly called for a “stability culture on budgets and finances”, as she told reporters in October, pointing to Germany as an example. During Germany’s 2007 turn at the presidenc y of the Group of Eight, M erkel pushed hard for more transparency on global financial markets. But her efforts ran into stiff resistance from Washington and London.

Once the global economic downturn hit in 2009, Berlin clashed again with Washington and London over how best to combat that crisis. Merkel came under fire for failing to launch wider stimulus programs, while expressing criticism of President Barack Obama’s decision to push money at the problem in the United States as a rescue measure.The second Greek bailout package this year only made the situation worse on the home front. The prospect of yet more eurozone aid has added to tensions within Merkel’s center-right coalition, which has spent much of its tenure since winning office in 2009 immersed in internal squabbles over issues ranging from pledges of tax cuts to nuclear energy. The issue is awkward for Merkel because conservatives tend to be particular sticklers for “order politics.”

With an election late in 2013 beginning to loom on the horizon, Merkel is caught between being viewed from abroad as not doing enough, and annoying supporters in Germany, where she faces charges of selling out. At the same time, the first signs of a slowing German economy are beginning to show. Numbers last week showed German exports fell 1.2 percent on the month in June.

At a time when strong leadership and clear signals are being called for to calm jittery markets and reassure investors, Germany will be challenged to convince its partners that playing by the rules is enough to guarantee economic success. — AP

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

business

Good results lift KSE GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait’s market went up during yesterday’s session as good corporate results were the market movers for the day.

Companies still had up till today morning to announce their results for the past three month before getting suspended from trading by the exchange. Heavy trading was witnessed on bluechips and banks stocks helped in lifting up the market’s index.

lion shares exchanged. The scrip closed up by 1.92 percent at KD 1.060.

Top Gainers and Biggest Decliners In terms of top gainers, Pearl of Kuwait Real Estate Company was the top gainer for the day, adding 11.76 percent and closing at KD 0.019. On the other

Global Banking Index being a main support to the market. The sector’s index increased by 1.06 percent. Heavyweight National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) went up by 1.92 percent, closing at KD 1.060.

Moreover, Commercial Bank of Kuwait was a top gainer in the sector and closed with an advance of 3.57 percent at KD

the company ’s good 1H2011 results. NIG went from a loss making company in 1H2010 to a profit of KD 8.71 million for 1H2011. Equipment Holding Company was another top gainer with a price increase of 3.85 percent as it closed at KD 0.054.

Global Food Index advanced the most, adding 1.30 percent to

hand, share price of National Ranges Company shed 8.33 percent and closed at KD 0.011, making it the biggest decliner in the market.

0.870. Global Industrial Index was a notable gainer too as it closed with 0.87 percent increase compared to its previous close.

National Industries Group (Holding) was the top gainer in the market with, adding 5.21 percent to its share price and closing at KD 0.202. The rise was due to

its value, reaching 363.47 points.

Heavyweight, Kuwait Foodstuff Company (Americana) advanced by 1.33 percent, closing at KD 1.520. Danah Al Safat Foodstuff Company was the biggest gainer within the sector, advancing by a noticeable 7.81 percent to settle at KD 0.069.

Market Indices Global General Index (GGI) ended the day up by 0.76 percent, closing at 178.61 point.

Market Capitalization was up for the day reaching KD 29.22 billion. Showing a positive note, KSE Price Index closed at 5,830.80 point, adding 0.19 percent (11.3 points) to its previous close.

Market Breadth During the session, 79 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 40 equities advanced versus 17 that retreated.

Daily Trading Activity Trading activity was mixed during the session. Total volume traded was down by 21.0 percent with 77.77 million shares changing hands at a total traded value of KD 13.01 million (13.58 percent higher compared to the day before). The Real Estate sector was the volume leader for the day, accounting for 31.97 percent of total shares exchanged.

The banking sector was the value leader, accounting for 46.10 percent of total traded value.

Heavyweight National Bank of Kuwait was the most active in terms of value traded during Monday’s session, with 2.97 mil-

Sectors Wise All sector indices managed to end the day with gains with

Agility’s financial results for Q2, ’11 KUWAIT: Agility (AGLTY ) announced financial results for the second quarter of 2011, reporting a net profit of KD 7.83 million and earnings per share of 7.79 fils.

Revenue and net profit fell - 23 percent and 57 percent respectively - from the same period in 2010 as the result of lost defense and government business.

Commercial logistics revenue (Global Integrated Logistics excluding US government contracts ) showed a 2 percent yearover-year gain and experienced its second consecutive quarter of growth.

“Our efforts to align our cost structure with the current business environment, streamline the organization and refocus on commercial logistics are paying off,” said Tarek Sultan, Agility chairman and managing director. “We made hard choices last year and established a new financial baseline to start 2011. Our commercial logistics gains, combined with our drive to boost return on assets, manage cash conservatively and squeeze out additional cost are moving the company beyond lost government business into a new growth era.”

Overall • Q2 results reflect changes to establish a new financial baseline set at the start of 2011.

• Global Integrated Logistics (GIL) is growing by adding customers, expanding existing accounts and transforming its operating platform to execute more efficiently.

• Agility’s portfolio group of businesses consists of strong contributors, excluding Agility Defense & Government Services.

• Agility continues to cut SG&A costs, demonstrating its resolve to maintain financial discipline.

Core Business Revenue for Global Integrated Logistics (GIL) (excluding government operations) grew 2 percent in Q2 vs. the second quarter of 2010. Revenue grew in every region with the biggest gains coming from emerging markets in the Middle East, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America, which are the key to Agility’s long-term growth.

GIL’s focus on global accounts and trade

lane development is gaining momentum.

Agility’s Portfolio of Companies Agility’s portfolio of businesses contributed KD 36.2 million to Q2 revenue.

Revenue grew KD 24 percent from Q2 in 2010, excluding Agility Defense & Government Services. Agility’s Real Estate business remains the strongest contributor to group revenue, but other Agility portfolio businesses have shown healthy growth in the past several years.

Recap of Financial Performance • Agility Q2 revenue was KD 330.57 million, a 23 percent decline from Q2 2010.

• Q2 operating profit stood at KD 10.18 million and Q2 net profit was KD 7.83 million, or 7.79 fils per share.

• Total Global Integrated Logistics (GIL) revenue was KD 301 million in Q2.

Excluding revenues from US contracts group’s revenues grew by 2 percent compared to Q2 2010.

• Agility’s portfolio group contributed KD 36.2 million to Q2 revenue. Since the start of 2011, the group has included Agility Defense & Government Services.

Excluding DGS the group has shown a 24 percent growth compared to Q2 2010.

• Net cash in Q2 stood at KD 45.5 million, down from KD 90 million in Q1, following an annual dividend distribution so far totaling KD 37 million.

• Agility closed Q2 with KD 891 million in equity and KD 1.4 billion in assets.

Forward View We see growth in our core commercial business and reason to be upbeat about the investments we’ve made in fast-growing emerging markets. Our base of commercial customers is expanding. At the same time, we are transforming operations and continuing to streamline our organization, structure and processes in order to get leaner and gain efficiencies. Fresh initiatives intended to grow revenue and reduce costs should produce solid gains in 2012. We remain committed to our strategy of growing revenue organically, improving return on investment, reducing costs, managing working capital and strengthening yields on core operating assets.

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Somali businesses warily return to war-hit market MOGADISHU: The car-sized shell hole in the Hotel Fardoow’s second floor may deter some guests, but business is now returning warily to Mogadishu’s commercial heart after months of bloody battles. “Things were bad here, and the fighting was too heavy,” said Abdi Ali Nur, a store owner next to the hotel in Bakara, the sprawling network of narrow streets that make up the war-torn Somali capital’s largest and most important market. “Everything had to close,” added Nur, who returned last week for the first time in six months to survey the damage to his store, after fleeing an offensive by African Union-backed Somali government troops against Islamist rebels.

Bakara was for many months the epicentre of violence in one of the world’s most dangerous capitals, forcing people to flee and to shut or relocate their business. A ripped corrugated iron roofing sheet from his store gently creaks in the warm breeze from off the Indian Ocean, glittering deep blue in the distance. “God willing, the businesses will be soon able to return,” Nur said, adding that his store selling soft drinks had not been ransacked by rebels while he was away.

Effective control of a resurgent

Bakara would be a major achievement for the weak Western-backed transitional government, which is slowly trying to impose its control over the famine-struck city. Bakara was, until a surprise pullout earlier this month, a key stronghold of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Shabab rebels, netting the insurgents up to $60 million a year, according to a recent UN repor t.

Business people are scouting out the chances of opening up again, but almost all shops - including stores selling electronic goods to restuarants and money exchange bureaus remain boarded up.

“Bakara was the market where the Shabab were making money from, that sustained their operations for all these years,” said Paddy Ankunda, a spokesman for the African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Piles of sandbags blocking streets mark the slow progress of AMISOM troops into the area, while deep ditches dug into the roads show Shabab defences.

Some buildings are almost entirely flattened, while remaining walls are pockmarked with bullet holes. “The Shabab ran away from it, they couldn’t stand and fight to defend it,” added Ankunda.

“I don’t think they can take it back.”

One-child policy a boon for China girls BEIJING: Tsinghua University first-year student Mia Wang has confidence to spare. Asked what her home city of Benxi in China’s far northeastern tip is famous for, she flashes a cool smile and says: “Producing excellence. Like me.” A Communist Youth League member at one of China’s top science universities, she boasts enviable skills in calligraphy, piano, flute and ping pong. Such gifted young women are increasingly common in China’s cities and make up the most educated generation of women in Chinese history. Never have so many been in college or graduate school, and never has their ratio to male students been more balanced.

To thank for this, experts say, is three decades of steady Chinese economic growth, heavy government spending on education and a third, surprising, factor: the one-child policy. In 1978, women made up only 24.2 percent of the student population at Chinese colleges and universities. By 2009, nearly half of China’s full-time undergraduates were women and 47 percent of graduate students were female, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. In India, by comparison, women make up 37.6 percent of those enrolled at institutes of higher education, according to government statistics.

Since 1979, China’s family planning rules have barred nearly all urban families from having a second child in a bid to stem population growth. With no male heir competing for resources, parents have spent more on their daughters’ education and well-being, a groundbreaking shift after centuries of discrimination. “They’ve basically gotten everything that used to only go to the boys,” said Vanessa Fong, a Harvard University professor and expert on China’s family planning policy.

Wang and many of her female classmates grew up with tutors and allowances, after-school classes and laptop computers. Though she is just one generation off the farm, she carries an iPad and a debit card, and shops for the latest fashions online. Her purchases arrive at Tsinghua, where Wang’s allgirls dorm used to be jokingly called a “Panda House”, because women were so rarely seen on campus. They now make up a third of the student body, up from one-fifth a decade ago. “In the past, girls were raised to be good wives and mothers,” Fong said. “They were going to marry out anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal if they didn’t want to study.”

Not so anymore. Fong says today’s urban Chinese parents “perceive their daughters as the family’s sole hope for the future,” and try to help them to outperform their classmates, regardless of gender. Some demographers argue that China’s fertility rate would have

fallen sharply even without the onechild policy because economic growth tends to reduce family size. In that scenario, Chinese girls may have gotten more access to education anyway, though the gains may have been more gradual.

Crediting the one-child policy with improving the lives of women is jarring, given its history and how it’s harmed women in other ways. Facing pressure to stay under population quotas, overzealous family planning officials have resorted to forced sterilizations and late-term abortions, sometimes within weeks of delivery, although such practices are illegal. The birth limits are also often criticized for encouraging sex-selective abortions in a son-favoring society. Chinese traditionally prefer boys because they carry on the family name and are considered better earners.

With the arrival of sonogram technology in the 1980’s, some families no longer merely hoped for a boy, they were able to engineer a male heir by terminating pregnancies when the fetus was a girl. “It is gendercide,” said Therese Hesketh, a University College London professor who has studied China’s skewed sex ratio. “I don’t understand why China doesn’t just really penalize people who’ve had sex-selective abortions and the people who do them. The law exists but nobody enforces it.”

To combat the problem, China allows families in rural areas, where son preference is strongest, to have a second child if their first is a girl. The government has also launched education campaigns promoting girls and gives cash subsidies to rural families with daughters. Still, 43 million girls have “disappeared” in China due to genderselective abortion as well as neglect and inadequate access to health care and nutrition, the United Nations estimated in a report last year.

Yin Yin Nwe, UNICEF’s representative to China, puts it bluntly: The one-child policy brings many benefits for girls “but they have to be born first”. Wang’s birth in the spring of 1992 triggered a family rift that persists to this day. She was a disappointment to her father’s parents, who already had one granddaughter from their eldest son. They had hoped for a boy. “Everyone around us had this attitude that boys were valuable, girls were less,” Gao Mingxiang, Wang’s paternal grandmother, said by way of explanation but not apology.

Small and stooped, Gao perched on the edge of her farmhouse “kang,” a heated brick platform that in northern Chinese homes serves as couch, bed and work area. — AP

BENXI, China: In this Jan 23, 2011 photo, Mia Wang (right) her mother Zheng Hong (center) and grandmother Gao Mingxiang pose for photos at the grandmother’s farm house in northeastern China’s Liaoning province. — AP

Opening up Mogadishu’s markets could also boost the economy and help ease soaring food prices, currently pricing out starving thousands braving violence in Mogadishu in a desperate search for aid. Some 3.2 million people in Somalia need urgent “lifesaving assistance” due to drought and insecurity, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has warned.

But while Barkara may no longer be a daily frontline, tensions remain high.

Businessmen there are reluctant to talk, saying they are fearful of reprisal by remaining Shabab insurgents.

Despite abandoning permanent street positions, the rebels said they changed military tactics that many fear will mean guerrilla or terrorist-style attacks.

“The Shabab are still around,” said one businessman, visiting Bakara to check on his store. “It is quiet now but we don’t know what may happen.” A distant rattle of gunfire echoes in the street.” We want to open the businesses, but things are still not certain,” said another.

At the weekend, the AU troops said they found 137 artillery shells at a disused house in Bakara, which the force’s spokesman said were stockpiled for use in making improvised bombs, as

MOGADISHU: A woman walks in front of closed businesses inside Bakara Market in central Mogadishu on Aug 9, 2011. — AFP insurgents do not have weapons to fire them. But a thumping engine sound of a generator in the network of streets suggests that others too are slowly moving back into Bakara. For those fleeing into the city in hope of food and support, any potential improvements in the security situation is welcomed. “We have nothing,” said Huwa

Moalim, who fled the famine-hit Lower Shabelle region, travelling for six days to reach the over-crowded camps of makeshift tents springing up in bombed out parts of the city.

“I have no money left to buy food from the markets, it is all too expensive,” she added, cradling her crying baby son. — AFP

Economy shrank less than expected in Japan Hopes recovery from quake on track TOKYO: Japan’s economy shrank less than expected in the April-June quarter, data showed yesterday, fuelling hopes that its recovery from the March 11 quake and tsunami disasters is on track. Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Asia’s second-biggest economy looks likely to grow again in the July-September quarter, although he warned of the risk posed by the strong yen, which hurts Japan’s exporters. The Cabinet Office said Japan’s economy shrank an annualised 1.3 percent in the first full quarter since the nation’s worst post-war disaster -beating bleak market expectations of a 2.7-percent contraction.

The figures highlight that Japan’s economy has started to bounce back from the calamity, which killed more than 20,000 people, wiped out entire towns along the Pacific coast and sparked a nuclear emergency. “It was negative growth, but not bad data,” said Mitsumaru Kumagai, chief economist at the Daiwa Institute of Research. “Our basic expectation now is to see gradual growth on the back of reconstruction demand.”

On-quarter, Japan’s gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 0.3 percent in April-June, after a 0.9-percent contraction in the JanuaryMarch period and shrinkage of 0.6 percent in the previous quarter. Exports plunged by an annualised 18.1 percent in the second quarter, when tsunami damage to factories in Japan’s northeast still hobbled supply chains, especially in the crucial auto and electronics sectors. As the scale of the disaster weighed on the nation, private consumer spending, nearly two-thirds of Japan’s GDP, fell 0.1 percent on-quarter.

However, rebuilding efforts also stimulated the economy. Government consumption rose 0.5 percent and public investment increased 3.0 percent due to relief and reconstruction projects for the quake-hit areas.

Corporate investment grew by 0.2 percent, said the data, which follow recent figures showing increases in industrial production and machinery orders, a key indicator of capital spending.

Kumagai said that “despite the damage done to supply chains, consumption of

TOKYO: A businessman reflected in the window showing the closing numbers of the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s morning trading session walks past a securities brokerage yesterday. — AFP durable goods, such as televisions and airconditioners, did not fall,” he said. “Exports did fall, but not as sharply as expected. “For JulySeptember, it is reasonable to assume a return to growth.” Finance Minister Noda also said: “There is a strong possibility the economy will return to growth in the July-September period”. “But there are factors posing downside risks to the economy, such as the yen’s strength,” he added at a news conference.

Recent global market turmoil sparked by the eurozone debt crisis and the uncertain US economic outlook has prompted investors to flock to the yen, which is considered a safehaven currency. The heavy buying has sent the yen soaring to near its post-war high of 76.25 to the dollar - a trend that hits Japan’s export sector by making its goods less competitive abroad and eroding repatriated overseas profits. The yen traded at 76.83 to the

dollar amid thin trade in Tokyo in the afternoon, from 76.76 yen to the greenback late Friday in New York.

Japan’s government intervened in the forex market earlier this month in a bid to tame the yen’s rise, and has signalled it is ready to do so again, as businesses have threatened to move factories abroad.

Companies have also warned of the risk of electricity shortfalls and higher prices as Japan goes through a summertime electricity saving campaign sparked by the Fukushima nuclear crisis. The accident has fuelled antinuclear sentiment among the Japanese public and kept many reactors offline after scheduled safety inspections as many host communities have been unwilling to approve restarts.

Only 15 of Japan’s 54 nuclear reactors are now operating, with more due to cease operations soon for regular checks. — AFP

Asia’s demand offers relief to sugar surplus CEBU, Philippines: The global sugar market will see a sizeable surplus in the next crop year but rising Asian demand, led by China, and lower-than-expected output in top exporter Brazil may offer opportunity for producers to expand sales, industry officials said. Demand from China and Indonesia, which together account for about 3 percent of world sugar production, could help ease the surplus estimated at around 4 million tonnes in the crop year to September 2012, the International Sugar Organization (ISO) said.

ISO’s estimates are lower than forecasts by ABN AMRO/VM Group, which pegs an excess of 7.83 million tonnes in the year starting October this year, and Czarnikow, which sees a 10.3 million-tonne surplus.India alone is expected to see a larger surplus of 4 million tonnes in 2011/12 from its expected sugar production of 26.0 million tonnes, versus 24.2 million tonnes for the 2010/11 season, said Abinash Verma, director general of the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA). “There will be a surplus and there will most likely not be a massive restocking,” ISO executive

director Peter Baron said in an interview ahead of a sugar conference in Cebu. “China is an interesting case. We expect that China, for the first time, will import more sugar this year than their WTO quota of 1.9 million tonnes. We wouldn’t be surprised if China would import more than they did in 2010/11.” China has ramped up imports of sugar in recent months to boost its reserves and cool soaring domestic prices, industry sources say.

Total imports in the first half have risen 27.4 percent from a year ago to 520,472 tonnes.

Analysts also underscored the support coming from lower Brazilian sugar crop. “You’ve got the obvious bullish element in the market being the continued downgrade that we’ve seen in the past couple of months to Brazilian production estimates,” said Luke Mathews, commodities strategist at CBA in Sydney.

“Considering Brazil’s standing in the global sugar market, that’s an overwhelmingly bullish story.”

Brazil’s main centre-south sugar output for 2011/12 is estimated around 30.5 million tonnes, commodity trader Energy Brazil told Reuters, below the 31.57 mil-

lion tonnes projected by cane industry association Unica. Last week, Unica cut its centre-south sugar output estimate for the second month in a row from its July estimate of 32.38 million tonnes, as frost, flowering and falling yields continued to drag down milling results.

The ISO said that supply and demand fundamentals will set the tone for global prices and New York raw sugar futures are expected to trade in a range of 23 to 28 US cents a pound over the next eight to 12 months - below a recent peak around 31 cents.

“There was a time when the price of sugar was delinked with the fundamentals. But now we have the impression that the market is more (focused on) the basic fundamentals,” said ISO’S Baron said.

The organisation also forecast China to import about 3 million tonnes in the 2011/12 season, in line with analysts’ estimates, as the world’s second-largest economy needs to bolster its sugar reserves to strategic levels. Any excess supply from Thailand and India could also be absorbed by Indonesia, which could import about 2.6 million tonnes in 2011/12 as domestic output was

unable to meet the country ’s growing demand. Thailand, the world’s second-largest exporter after Brazil, is forecast to produce around 10 million tonnes of sugar in 2011/12, topping its 2010/11 output of 9.62 million tonnes, the ISO said.

ISMA’s Verma said the decline in Brazil’s production will offer an export opportunity to Thailand and India, the world’s main consumer and the second-largest producer. India was hit by a severe drought in 2009 that hit sugar output and forced it to import. “ The size of (Indian) exports for next year depends on the timing that the government allows exports and how good prices would be in the next six months or so,” said Verma, adding that since India is not a regular exporter of the sweetener, it is unable to export much to China, which prefers Brazilian sugar.

“India’s sugar is sold to Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Middle East countries. We have also sold some sugar to the EU,” Verma said. “Not much to China. I understand China has a preference for Brazilian sugar. The problem in India is that it’s not a regular exporter.” — Reuters

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US drought recalls long, dry spell of 1950s FORT WORTH, Texas: After enduring nearly a year of drought, Texans have grown accustomed to seeing acres of withered crops, scores of dried-up ponds and mile after mile of cracked earth. But the drought that began last fall has yet to eclipse the infamous dry spell of the 1950s, a bleak period when the skies stubbornly withheld moisture. It was the state’s worst drought ever. Nearly everyone who lived through that time remembers constant hardship: Water supplies ran so low some communities had to import it from Oklahoma. Farms and ranches failed. And the lack of rain actually changed the state’s demographics because so many families fled rural agricultural areas for cities.

Now, with the possible return of another La Nina weather phenomenon, Texans who remember that desperate decade from childhood or adolescence are facing another intense drought that could drag on for at least another year. “I hope this is not going to be like the drought of the ‘50s,” said Pete Bonds, 59, who has cattle ranches in 27 Texas counties. He recalls how the extreme dry weather wicked away the water levels in lakes near Fort Worth.

From 1949 to 1957, Texas got 30 to 50 percent less rain than normal, and temperatures rose above average. In search of grazing land, many Texas ranchers took their cattle to Kansas, where Jim Link was a preteen ranch hand. He remembers trying to find a missing steer one day in a pasture and walking into a strangely empty house.

“It was kind of spooky,” said Link, now a 68-year-old part-time cattle rancher south of Fort Worth. “The table was still set. The furniture was still there. The clothes were in the closet. The bank had foreclosed on the house.”

Link once asked his grandfather how the drought compared to the Depression. “He said the biggest difference was that in the ‘30s, it broke people financially. But the 1950s broke them spiritually.” To keep their cattle alive, Link and others would rush to get water that arrived in town in large tanks on the back of trucks. In the Texas town of Cisco, officials wanted to stop providing free water to the state fish hatchery. The dispute with the Game & Fish Commission became so intense - and sparked so much infighting among residents - that the hatchery eventually closed, according to documents at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. “Many people here are walking the streets accusing (city officials) of being communists,” a state commission official in Cisco wrote to a colleague in Austin in July 1950. Jiggs Mann, who as a boy worked summers on the JA Ranch near Amarillo and then returned in 1953 after serving in the military in Korea, said cowboys were able to move cattle around to other pastures when they ran out of grass. Still, some of the animals didn’t fare well in the heat and dryness and were sold early for slaughter. “The drier it got, we had to move them more often,” said Mann, 82, who worked on a chuckwagon crew, as a cowboy and later became boss of the

historic ranch. “A lot of creeks dried up and didn’t ever run.”

The 1950s brought the second, third and eighth-driest single years ever in the state - 1956, 1954 and 1951, respectively, according to the National Weather Service. The state’s driest single year was in 1917, with an average of just 15 inches of rain. That drought lasted into 1918 and is considered the third most severe in Texas. In the 1950s, as now, crops turned brown in the fields and eventually stopped growing at all. Ponds dried up, and the parched ground opened to expose 6inch cracks. The drought moved north in 1953, spreading into Oklahoma and Kansas.

It finally started to break in early 1957. “I happen to remember my grandfather - he was a tough old rascal - staring at the clouds,” Link said. “It just rained on his face. I always thought it was the rain, but it might have been tears.” With miniscule rainfall since last fall and weeks of triple-digit temperatures in Texas, this year’s drought has been declared the second-most severe in state history and the worst for a single year. Nearly 95 percent of the state is in the worst or second-worst categories of drought, according to the US Drought Monitor. The bone-dry conditions also have led to a record number of wildfires that have burned nearly 3.5 million acres in Texas since November.

Rainfall is well below normal in all corners of the state, which cannot be remedied quickly - despite 3.53 inches of rain in Abilene on Saturday and varying amounts in other parts of West

SAGINAW, Texas: In this photo taken Aug 1, 2011, Pete Bonds stands near a shrinking stock tank on his ranch. Bonds said that he normally runs 400 heads of cattle on his 5,000 acre ranch but because of the draught he is down to 300. — AP Texas and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In fact, a weekend San Angelo downpour left some drivers stranded when creeks and ditches flooded roads. “That’s beneficial rainfall, but we’re in a drought that occurs once every 50 to 100 years,” Andrew Pritchett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lubbock, said Sunday. “The rain was scattered, so a lot of places missed out.

And the ground is so hard that it’s not able to soak it in.”

Many ranchers have already been forced to sell some of their cattle because they don’t have water or grass.

Others are moving herds to other pastures or states as they try to save their generations-old livelihood. “I have never seen it this brown across the state of

US college sustainability, organic programs growing Graduates should have no trouble finding jobs PULLMAN, Washington: Misha Manuchehri slowly picks her way through plots of barley, wheat and peas. Every so often, the graduate student in crop science at Washington State University stoops to pluck an errant weed at a farm just off campus.

With a bachelor’s degree in organic agriculture already under her belt, Manuchehri plans to continue her studies and ultimately find work in sustainable agriculture. Plenty of others are doing the same at dozens of universities that now offer courses, certificates or degree programs focused on organic and sustainable agriculture. Experts said those graduates shouldn’t have trouble finding jobs as the agriculture industry replaces ageing farmers - the average age of a US farmer is 57 - and farmers increasingly look to diversify their operations.

“We’re always looking at the university for our future ag workers,” said Roger Pepperl, spokesman for Wenatchee, Washington-based Stemilt Growers, the nation’s largest organic tree fruit producer.

Thirty percent of Stemilt’s crops are organic, comprising 3 million boxes of apples, pears, cherries, peaches and nectarines annually. Organic and sustainable specialists don’t just bring their unique skills to the farm, Pepperl said, “but can make our conventional farming better, too.”

He noted, for example, that such specialists have new ideas about methods for handling pests, fungus and weeds that use fewer chemicals, making them environmentally preferable and potentially less expensive. Washington State University, which already offered an organic agriculture degree, recently became the first school in the country to offer an organic agriculture certificate online. At the University of California-Davis, students are enrolling in a new sustainable agriculture and food systems program this fall.

Experts said the growth in alternative agriculture programs is fueled by continued consumer demand for food seen as healthier and rising demand for food that is produced on sustainable farms that are environmentally responsible and treat workers and animals humanely. In 2003, the Organic Farming Research Foundation in Santa Cruz, California, surveyed land-grant universities about their organic programs. They asked about student-farm acres devoted to organics, the number of courses and degree programs.

The group found that few of the universities had invested much time or money in organic programs.

A similar survey this year has shown different results, said Jane Sooby, a grants program director.

“I haven’t finished crunching the numbers yet, but I’m finding a huge acceptance of organic at many

potential and survivability on and off the farm,” Miller said. “No matter how you raise your food, fiber or fuel, this diversification includes a lot of these educational programs.”

Washington state is No. 2 in the country in the value of organic production, behind California.

PULLMAN, Washington: Misha Manuchehri, a Washington State University graduate student in crop science, searches for weeds in her crops on Aug 3, 2011. — AP of these schools,” Sooby said. Some of these programs have been launched in states that had little organic activity in the past, she said. This increased focus on organics and sustainability comes amid a long-term trend toward greater education of US farmers. Curtis Miller, director of education for the American Farm Bureau Foundation, the education arm of the American Farm Bureau, noted that about one-quarter of all farmers today have bachelor’s degrees and close to 70 percent have some college coursework. That’s up from just 4 percent of farmers and ranchers who had college degrees in 1965. “Ever ybody ’s going back to school because you have to. We know that equals earning

About 9 percent of US organic production comes from Washington, compared with 33 percent from California. For that reason, Miles McEvoy called Washington State University’s organic program “forward thinking”.

McEvoy headed the Washington state Department of Agriculture’s organic program before being tapped to take over the US Department of Agriculture’s organic program in 2009. “Organics are growing. Not at the same rate as a few years ago, but it’s still a growth area,” he said. “So those farms and processers and other people involved in organic agriculture, they need people who have experience in that area.” — AP

Legal beef: Sara Lee, Kraft in wiener war CHICAGO: The nation’s two largest hot dog makers were taking their legal beefs yesterday to federal court in Chicago, where a judge will determine whether Oscar Mayer or Ball Park franks broke false-advertising laws in their efforts to become top dog. Legal arguments in the longranging wiener war between Chicago companies pit Sara Lee Corp, which makes Ball Park franks, against Kraft Foods Inc., which makes Oscar Mayer.

The case could clarify how far companies nationwide can go when boasting that their product is better than a competitor’s.

Thousands of pages of filings in three years of pretrial litigation by both food-industry giants demonstrate that the stakes are high. Sara Lee fired the first volley in a 2009 lawsuit singling out Oscar Mayer ads that brag its dogs beat out Ball Park franks in a national taste test. Those tests, Sara Lee argued, stacked the deck against Ball Park in part by altering the way the hot dogs were cooked and served. The lawsuit also con-

tends that Oscar Mayer touts its Jumbo Beef Franks as “100 percent pure beef”, arguing that the claim is untrue, cast aspersions on Ball Park franks and damaged their sales.

Kraft defends the “100 percent pure beef” tag, saying its intent was to state that the only meat used is beef. Some industry hot dogs include a mix of turkey, pork, chicken or oth-

DES MOINES, Iowa: In this May 22, 2009 file photo, a store employee holds packages of Oscar Meyer wieners, a Kraft product, and Ball Park franks, a Sara Lee Corp product, at a local Dahl’s grocery store. — AP

er meats. Kraft further argues that the “pure beef ” label is justified because surveys show a perception among some consumers that hot dogs contain “mystery meats”. Kraft filed its own lawsuit in 2009, alleging Sara Lee ran false and deceptive ads including a campaign where Ball Parks are heralded as “America’s Best Franks”. The ad further asserts that other hot dogs “aren’t even in the same league”.

While implications of the case are serious, even litigants have injected humor into the debate. In a ruling this spring denying a Sara Lee motion for Kraft to disclose its consumer surveys, Judge Morton Denlow noted the issue arose “on opening day of baseball season in Chicago” and that Sara Lee “strikes out” in justifying its motion.

And in first announcing the lawsuit, Ball Park brand director Chuck Hemmingway said in a press statement: “Simply put, we believe that these untrue statements are all a bunch of bologna”. — AP

Texas, including in the 1950s,” said rancher Tom Woodward, 67. “In the 1950s it was a series of years, but we got some rain. This year, it’s just phenomenal because it has not rained for the most part.”

The current drought gripping several states could extend into next year because the La Nina weather phenomenon blamed for the crippling lack of rain might be back soon, just two months after the last La Nina ended, according to the US Climate Prediction Center. Bonds said ranchers are facing tough choices because there is so much uncertainty. “My concern is when it’s going to rain,” he said. “I know how to handle drought. I wish I knew how long it was going to be.” — AP

Europe’s diesel market leadership up for grabs LONDON: A leading role in Europe’s billion dollar gasoil business is up for grabs after global oil trading house Hetco, part-owned by US oil and gas firm Hess, lost its two star traders to rival firms. While Hetco struggles to replace its head of trading, Adrian Jacobs, and its decade-long trader, Jur Ottow, the industry is watching AOT and Gunvor, their new employers, to see whether either jumps in to fill the vacuum. The two traders had perfected a well-known trading ploy on European over-the-counter physical refined product markets.

The tactic involves betting that gasoil would fall in the future by selling swaps, agreements to exchange a fixed price for a floating price over a set period of time. With access to huge volumes of product, either by taking deliveries from the exchange or simply bringing in cargoes from other regions, they could fill the physical market with supply and push prices lower and cash in on a larger swaps position. While storage costs and other logistical hazards make for a risky game, the ploy has been commonplace over many years on refined product markets and does not break UK or European regulations.

Now that ex-trading head Jacobs has started at trading house AOT, traders say the Swiss-based firm has already upped its game. “AOT is becoming more aggressive on diesel and gasoil as well. Adrian has definitely taken the game there,” said a distillates trader at a trading house.

AOT is part of Transcor Astra Group, whose activities are listed as commodity trading, storage, marine assets, refineries and alternative energy. With Ottow set to start at Gunvor within weeks, the community is on high-alert for signs the game will spread to the trading house best known for its major role in Russian oil and products exports.

“Jur [Ottow] especially has always played the same game on gasoil. But they need time to establish ground rules with their new employers,” said a distillates trader with another house. Hetco and both traders declined to comment. Traders said Gunvor’s clout will grow and that it has the potential to exert the heavy downward influence that Hetco once enjoyed. Gunvor is one of Russia’s biggest refined products sellers, with extensive access to export facilities in the Baltic.

“Gunvor’s presence is strengthening in the market and in the long run they will only succeed in influencing the physical price lower,” the first trader said. “Russia is key to the market” said a third distillates trader. Gunvor and AOT declined to comment.

Daily trade on the Europe’s most liquid futures gasoil contract has averaged around $50 million per day on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) alone, with close to 55,000 tonnes changing hands every day. Hetco’s vanishing influence may never be replaced by a sole dominant player as other firms also jostle for a share of the market. “It’s what I call a creeping ideology; shorting paper and exerting physical pressure, and it has expanded,” said a distillates trader, adding that AOT, Gunvor and Morgan Stanley were all possible contenders for Hetco’s vacant space.

Others say they are watching out for oil majors, who have both physical resources and trading capacity. “People are also talking about BP . Nothing is confirmed yet,” said a distillates trader with an oil major. But the trading strategy is risky, and profits could be squeezed out by more significant supply flows from other regions and unexpected arbitrage opportunities. “Pushing down the prompt can work for a while I think, because North-West Europe and the Baltics are long gasoil (amply supplied)... but I’m not sure whether it can cover the cost of the big game,” said a third distillates trader.

The potential cost of losing could deter some players whose traders don’t feel confident enough to take on the socalled big game. “They (Jacobs and Ottow) were not afraid of taking on large swap positions ... which would open up all sorts of demurrage liability,” said a distillates trader, referring to a variety of ways big physical plays run the risk of haemorrhaging money. Since Jacobs and Ottow left Hetco, traders say volumes sold by Hetco in a session have dropped to a sixth of previous levels, and insiders say they don’t see Hetco easily regaining its previous grip on the market.

Last month, Hess reported trading losses of $23 million for the second quarter, versus an income of $19 million in the first quarter in a development that insiders said might not be helping the hiring process. Hetco’s pay-packet is widely seen by other traders as heavily weighted by incentives, made up of a relatively modest base rate and bonuses as high as 20 percent of profits beyond $3 million. “There’s also concern they (potential new starters) may have to pay for losses,” one distillates trader said. — Reuters

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TECHNOLOGY

Hackers protest transit blocking of cellphones BART website hacked, customer information posted SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco’s mass transit system prepared for renewed protests yesterday, a day after hackers angry over blocked cell phone service at some transit stations broke into a website and posted company contact information for more than 2,000 customers. The action by a hacker group known as Anonymous was the latest showdown between anarchists angry at perceived attempts to limit free speech and officials trying to control protests that grow out of social networking and have the potential to become violent.

WESTMINSTER: Chief Superintendent Simon Ovens, left, commander of the Westminster Burglary Squad, and another officer apprehend a suspect following a raid by police in an attempt to recover property stolen during the recent civil disturbances. —AP

Facial recognition in use after riots LONDON: Facial recognition technology being considered for London’s 2012 Games is getting a workout in the wake of Britain’s riots, a senior police chief told The Associated Press, with officers feeding photographs of suspects through Scotland Yard’s newly updated face-matching program. Chief Constable Andy Trotter of the British Transport Police said that the sophisticated software was being used to help find those suspected of being involved in the worst unrest London has seen in a generation.

But he cautioned that facial recognition makes up only a fraction of the police force’s efforts, saying tips have mostly come from traditional sources, such as still images captured from closed circuit cameras, pictures gathered by officers, footage shot by police helicopters or images snapped by members of the public.

One department was driving around a large video screen displaying images of suspects.

“There’s a mass of evidence out there,” Trotter said in a telephone interview. “The public are so enraged that people who wouldn’t normally come forward are helping us - especially when they see their neighbors are coming back with brand new TVs.” Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged that police were overwhelmed by rioting that began over the weekend in London and spread across the country over four days.

Mobs of youths looted stores, set buildings aflame and attacked police officers and other people - a chaotic and humbling scene for a city a year away from hosting the Olympic Games.

At an emergency session of Parliament summoned to discuss the riots, Cameron said authorities were considering new powers, including allowing police to order thugs to remove masks or hoods, evicting troublemakers from subsidized housing and temporarily disabling cell phone instant messaging services. He said the 16,000 police deployed on London’s streets to deter rioters and reassure residents would remain through the weekend.

A press officer with Scotland Yard - who also spoke anonymously, in line with force policy confirmed that facial recognition technology was at the police’s disposal, although he gave few other details. He said that generally the technology would only be used to help identify those suspected of serious crimes, such as assault, and that in most cases disseminating photographs to the general public remains a far cheaper and more effective way of finding suspects.

The facial-recognition technology used by police treats the human face like a grid, measuring the distance between a person’s nose, eyes, lips and other features. It has recently been upgraded, according to an article published last year in Scotland Yard’s bimonthly magazine, “The Job.” The March 2010 article said that the new program has been shown to

work far better than older versions of the technology, with one expert quoted as saying that it had shown promise in identifying people from high-quality, face-on shots taken off of surveillance photographs, mobile phones, passports or the Internet.

A law enforcement official told the AP that to use the technology “you have to have a good picture of a suspect and it is only useful if you have something to match it against. In other words, the suspect already has to have a previous criminal record.” He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss ongoing investigations. In another effort to identify suspects, police have released two dozen photos and videos to the picture-sharing website Flickr, where they’ve already gathered more than 400,000 hits.

Some of those photographs have also been published by Britain’s brash tabloid press. The Sun recently plastered them across its front page, along with a headline urging readers to report looters to the police.

The photographs on Flickr are mainly grainy images pulled from cameras, which may not be of much use to face-matching software. But detectives are already scanning the Web for pictures of high-quality photographs of rioters’ faces, according to photojournalist Guilherme Zauith, who witnessed some of the disturbances in London and later posted images of clashes to the Internet.

Zauith said he was recently contacted by a London detective “saying that they saw my photos online and if I could send it to them to help to identify the people.” “They were looking for all kind of photographs showing faces,” he said. Zauith, a 30-year-old Brazilian national, said he turned the photos over to the detective.

The West Midlands police were trying another approach: driving a van equipped with a large screen displaying 50 images of suspects through Birmingham. Police said the “Digi-Van” will stop at key locations around the city to give shoppers and commuters a good look at the photographs in hopes they can help identify suspects. Facial recognition technology is already widely employed by free-touse websites such as Facebook and Google Inc.’s Picasa photo-sharing program.

Such programs have been of increasing interest to authorities as well. A person with the Olympic planning committee, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of security preparations, said that facial recognition software was being considered for use as a security measure during the Olympic Games. Meanwhile, detectives are employing a host of other tactics to take aim at the rioters. Police departments across the country have made arrests linked to riot threats and boasts posted to social networking sites. —AP

Anonymous posted people’s names, phone numbers, and street and email addresses on its own website, while also calling for a disruption of the Bay Area Rapid Transit’s evening commute yesterday. BART officials said Sunday that they were working a strategy to try to block any efforts by protesters to try to disrupt the service. “We have been planning for the protests that are said to be shaping up for tomorrow,” BART spokesman Jim Allison said. He did not provide specifics, but said BART police will be staffing stations and trains and that the agency had already contacted San Francisco police.

The transit agency disabled the effected website, myBART.org, Sunday night after it also had been altered by apparent hackers who posted images of the so-called Guy Fawkes masks that anarchists have previously worn when showing up to physical protests. The cyber attack came in response to the BART’s decision to block wireless service in several of its San Francisco stations Thursday night as the agency aimed to thwart a planned protest over a transit police shooting. Officials said the protest had been designed to disrupt the evening commute.

“We are Anonymous, we are your citizens, we are the people, we do not tolerate oppression from any government agency,” the hackers wrote on their own website. “BART has proved multiple times that they have no problem exploiting and abusing the people.” Allison described myBART.org as a “satellite site” used for marketing purposes.

It’s operated by an outside company and sends BART alerts and other information to customers, Allison said. The names and contact info published by Sunday came from a database of 55,000 subscribers, he said. He did not know if the group had obtained information from all the subscribers, he said, adding that

no bank account or credit card information was listed.

The BART computer problem was the latest hack the loosely organized group claimed credit for this year. Last month, the FBI and British and Dutch officials made 21 arrests, many of them related to the group’s attacks on Internet payment provider PayPal Inc., which has been targeted over its refusal to process donations to WikiLeaks. The group also claims credit for disrupting the websites of Visa and MasterCard in

July 3 shooting death by BART police who said the 45-year-old victim was wielding a knife. Activists also remain upset by the 2009 death of Oscar Grant, an unarmed black passenger who was shot by a white officer on an Oakland train platform. The officer quit the force and was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after the shooting.

Facing backlash from civil rights advocates and one of its own board members, BART has defended the decision to block cell phone use,

among those whose email and home phone number were published by the hackers Sunday. “I think what they (the hackers) did was illegal and wrong. I work in IT myself, and I think that this was not ethical hacking. I think this was completely unjustified,” Eichman said.

She said she doesn’t blame BART and feels its action earlier in the week of blocking cell phone service was reasonable. “It doesn’t necessarily keep me from taking

December when the credit card companies stopped processing donations to WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.

BART’s decision to shut down wireless access was criticized by many as heavy handed, and some raised questions about whether the move violated free speech. The problems began Thursday night when BART officials blocked wireless access to disrupt organization of a demonstration protesting the

with Allison saying the cell phone disruptions were legal because the agency owns the property and infrastructure.

“I’m just shocked that they didn’t think about the implications of this. We really don’t have the right to be this type of censor,” Lynette Sweet, who serves on BART’s board of directors, said previously. “In my opinion, we’ve let the actions of a few people affect everybody. And that’s not fair.” Laura Eichman was

BART in the future but I will certainly have to review where I set up accounts and what kind of data I’m going to keep online,” Eichman said. Michael Beekman of San Francisco told the AP that he didn’t approve of BART’s move to cut cell phone service or the Anonymous posting. “I’m not paranoid but i feel like it was an invasion of privacy,” he said. “I thought I would never personally be involved in any of their (Anonymous’) shenanigans.” —AP

Hackers gather in Germany for computing ‘Woodstock’

HONG KONG: The Turanor PlanetSolar, the first solar-powered boat to travel around the world, arriving in Hong Kong yesterday. —AFP

World’s biggest solar boat docks in China HONG KONG: There is “huge potential” to use alternative energy in the shipping industry, the man behind the world’s biggest solar boat said yesterday as it arrived in Hong Kong as part of a global voyage. PlanetSolar, a 31 by 15-metre white catamaran, is equipped with more than 500 square meters of solar paneling and can reach a top speed of around 15 knots, equivalent to 25 kilometers per hour. “We see there is a huge potential for solar boats,” project founder Raphael Domjan said. “We have the technology to change and we are optimistic.”

Domjan acknowledged it was unlikely cargo and commercial ships would rely on solar power alone, but said it could be combined with other clean energy sources like wind. The boat, which can carry up to 50 passengers, arrived in Hong Kong from the Philippines after embarking on a world tour from Monaco last September. The 60-tonne Swissflagged vessel was built in Germany and cost 18 million euro. Merchant shipping accounts for 4.5 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, according to United Nations figures. —AFP

FINOWFURT: With hammocks hanging from trees and the smell of marijuana lingering in the air, the summer camp organized by Germany’s Chaos Computer Club (CCC) almost felt like Woodstock. But instead of hippies it was computer hackers who had flooded this year’s summer camp. And instead of flower power the talk was of the latest controversies in cyberspace, especially the legality of hacking and the role of famed whistleblower site WikiLeaks. Organized by the CCC, which fights for freedom of information through hacking, the camp takes place every four years and is a venue for computer fans to meet, debate hacking issues and try out new technology.

Hosted over four days last week at a former Soviet base in Finowfurt, north of Berlin, the camp attracted an estimated 3,500 hackers from 50 countries, up from 2,300 people in 2007, CCC spokesman Frank Rieger said. Mixing conferences with workshops with titles such as “Cyberpeace and datalove”, the camp attracted a young and mostly male crowd, united by the CCC slogan “Protect private data, exploit public data”. But beyond the “peace and love” atmosphere, the hacking community was split on several issues.

“Hackers are very individualistic, they don’t like being put in boxes,” explained Rieger. One hot-button topic was Julian Assange’s controversial agenda, following the release of hacked US diplomatic cables this year which again divided opinion on the whistleblower site and its founder. Former WikiLeaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg, now a self-sworn enemy of Assange, used the Finowfurt event to announce the launch of his own platform, OpenLeaks, and challenged CCC members to hack it.

“He wants to use us as a credibility voucher,” said the CCC’s Andy Mueller-Maguhn, a close friend of Assange who stands out from the hacking crowd with his pressed shirt and briefcase. “It’s very annoying. By definition, our movement is an open one,” he said, “but sometimes one has to set limits.”

Another issue up for debate was the legality of hacking, where many agree the lines are blurred. Samuel Lesueur of the French hacker group Ecolab said he has always chosen “the legal route” but admits that “out of the boundaries of the association, everyone does as they please”. —AFP

IT Threat Evolution: Q2 2011 DUBAI: After analyzing vast numbers of IT threats during the second quarter of 2011, Kaspersky Lab’s experts identified a number of important trends. Navigating the web remains the riskiest activity on the Internet with malicious URLs that serve exploit kits, bots, ransomware Trojans, etc. being the most frequently detected objects (65.44%) online. Interestingly, 87% of the websites used to spread malicious programs were concentrated in just 10 countries. The first two places in this particular “top 10” were occupied by the US (28.53%) and Russia (15.99%). The Netherlands leads the way in reducing the

number of malicious hosting sites: compared to the previous quarter, its share has fallen by 4.3 percentage points to 7.57%.

This is down primarily to the efforts of the Dutch police and includes the neutralizing of botnets such as Bredolab and Rustock.

Online threats. Kaspersky Lab experts have divided countries into groups according to their local infection levels: l High-risk countries (41-60% unique users subject to web attacks). This group includes: Oman, Russia, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Belarus.

Newcomers to this group in Q2 were Sudan and Saudi Arabia, while Kazakhstan

dropped down a level. l Average risk group (21-41%). This group was made up of 94 countries, including: the US (40.2%), China (34.8%), the UK (34.6%), Brazil (29.6%), Peru (28.4%), Spain (27.4%), Italy (26.5%), France (26.1%), Sweden (25.3%) and the Netherlands (22.3%). It is particularly noteworthy that the US, at 40.2%, is very close to joining the high-risk group of countries due to the increase in the number of FakeAV detections. l Safe-surfing countries (11.4-21%).

This group comprised 28 countries and included Switzerland (20.9%), Poland

(20.2%), Singapore (19.6%) and Germany (19.1%). In the second quarter of 2011, five countries left this group, including Finland which entered a higher risk group with 22.1% Local threats. India was among the top 10 countries in which users’ computers ran the highest risk of local infection. Every second computer in the country was at risk of local infection at least once in the past three months.

“Over the last few years, India has been growing steadily more attrac tive to cybercriminals as the number of computers in the country increases steadily.

Other factors that attract the cybercrimi-

nals include a low overall level of computer literacy and the prevalence of pirated software that is never updated,” explains Yury Namestnikov, Senior Virus Analyst at Kaspersky Lab. “Botnet controllers see India as a place with millions of unprotected and unpatched computers which can remain active on zombie networks for extended periods of time.”

The five safest countries in terms of the level of local infections are: Japan (with 8.2% of unique users affected), Germany (9.4%), Denmark (9.7%), Luxembourg (10%) and Switzerland (10.3%).

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health & science

Infants with autistic siblings at much higher risk: US study Risk ranges from 19% to 32%, exceeding prior estimates

OYSTER BAY: Kathleen Lanese poses with her two autistic sons Brendan, 14, right and Kevin, 10 at her sister-in-law’s home.

Lanese says having one son with autism didn’t make her think twice about trying to have another child, even though she knew there was a chance the second would be affected, too. — AP

WASHINGTON: Infants have higher risk of developing autism if they have siblings with the disorder, a US study found yesterday. The risk that an infant with an older sibling with autism also will develop the disorder, previously estimated at 3-10 percent, is 19 percent, according to the study by researchers at the University of California Davis. For male infants the risk was even higher, at 26 percent, and for infants with more than one older sibling with autism the risk of recurrence jumped to 32 percent, according to the study.

Autism, a complex disorder that affects a child’s ability to think, learn, communicate and interact socially,

Virus can cause higher blood pressure: Study BEIJING: High blood pressure could be caused by a common virus, according to a study carried out by a team of Chinese doctors which could lead to better treatment for millions of people around the world. The team from Beijing Chaoyang Hospital’s cardiology centre says it has found the first evidence of a link between the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV ) and the most commonly occurring form of hypertension, or high blood pressure. The virus infects most people at some time during their lives, but frequently causes no symptoms, so goes undetected.

One of the report’s authors, Yang Xinchun, told AFP the findings could eventually lead to the development of a vaccine to control or prevent high blood pressure. “If we can get conclusive evidence of the relationship, we can get better medical vaccines and remedies for hypertension,” said Yang, head of the cardiology centre. However, he added that it was “too early” to say when a vaccine could be available and his research was still in its early stages. “It is the first time someone managed to find this relationship... so we need to undergo more tests with a wider scope of patients,” he said. The study could have widespread health implications-the World Health Organization says

around a billion people worldwide suffer from high blood pressure, including more than 200 million Chinese. The vast majority experience so-called essential hypertension, which has no proven cause, but has been previously associated with genetic factors and unhealthy lifestyles. Chinese doctors believe that variety is linked to the HCMV virus. The results of their study were published in the US medical journal Circulation, whose former chief editor James Willerson posted comments on Beijing Chaoyang Hospital’s website.

The findings “might present a new strategy for preventing and treating cardiovascular disease,” he said. A recent study led by Jiang He, a professor at the the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, found that high blood pressure plays a part in 2.3 million cardiovascular deaths in China each year. Of these 1.3 million were “premature” deaths, meaning they occurred before the age of 72 in men and 75 in women, the average life expectancy in China in 2005. “Increased blood pressure is the leading preventable risk factor for premature mortality in the Chinese general population,” the authors said, describing their findings as “striking and unexpected”. — AFP

occurs in one out of 110 children born in the United States, according to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC). Males account for 80 percent of diagnosed cases, researchers said.

“This is the largest study of the siblings of children with autism ever conducted,” said Sally Ozonoff, professor of psychiatr y and behavioral sciences at UC Davis’s MIND Institute and the study ’s lead author.

“There is no previous study that identified a risk of recurrence that is this high.”

The study involved 664 infants whose average age was eight months, with twothirds recruited younger than six months. The researchers followed their

development until 36 months, when they were tested for autism.

Of the 664 infants, 132 met the criteria for an “autism spectrum disorder,” with 54 diagnosed with autistic disorder and 78 diagnosed with a milder form of the disease.

The study found that in families with one older child with autism the rate of recurrence was 20.1 percent.

Only 37 infants had more than one sibling with autism, but for them the recurrence rate was 32.2 percent. The study was published online yesterday and will appear in print in the September issue of the journal “Pediatrics,” the researchers said. — AFP

Ankle braces help teenage basketball players: Study NEW YORK: The ankle braces many basketball players strap on to prevent injuries may actually work, according to a study of teenaged basketball players. Of the nearly 1,500 basketball players followed for a season, those assigned to wear ankle braces during games and practice were 68 percent less likely to suffer an ankle sprain or fracture, the authors wrote in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. “Ankle braces could be a cost-effective way to prevent ankle injuries in basketball players, but they’re not a panacea,” said Timothy McGuine, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who led the study. “ There are advertising claims that they’ll do wonderful things.”

Conversely, there have been concerns that limiting the ankles’ mobility with a brace could set basketball players up for knee injuries, including tears of the anterior cruciate ligament. (ACL).

But in the study, which looked at the effects of “lace -up” ankle braces, which are made of synthetic fabric and secured with Velcro, found no evidence of higher knee injury risks.

Of the 740 players randomly assigned to wear lace-up ankle braces, 27 suffered an ankle sprain or fracture over one basketball season. In contrast, there were 78 ankle injuries among the 720 teenagers who played and practiced brace-free. That trans-

lated into an injury rate of just under 0.5 for every 1,000 practice sessions and games in the brace group. The rate in the brace-free group was about three times higher, at 1.4 per 1,000.

There was no significant difference, though, in the two groups’ risk for knee injuries: there were 15 in the brace group, and 13 in the comparison group. It’s likely, McGuine said, that the softer, flexible lace-up brace does not put the knee at risk in the way that a semi-rigid plastic brace might. But the braces do not seem to reduce the severity of ankle injuries when they do occur. McGuine’s team found that injured players in both groups needed the same recovery timeabout a week.

There are other ways to reduce basketball players’ injury risk.

Studies have found, for instance, that training regimens focused on balance, coordination and jumping technique seem to cut ankle injuries to the same degree that braces did in the study-but of course these are move involved than simply strapping on a brace.

Still, the advantage of training is that it also seems to reduce the risk of knee injuries, meaning that a mix of training and ankle bracing may be best. “The more we can do to prevent these injuries in kids, the more we’ll save in healthcare costs in the long run,” McGuine said. — Reuters

Biologically grown discs may alleviate back pain WASHINGTON: Natural, biological discs could soon be the answer to the back pain that paralyzes so many people still in their productive years. Initial tests, in which researchers in the United States grew discs from the cells of sheep and implanted them in rats, have been successful. Following the implants, the rats were able to move naturally, and after six months they had integrated into the rats’ spines almost like natural discs, according to a report in the Proceedings of the US Academy of Science.

Disc problems are the main cause of back and neck pain, generating huge health costs, the researchers say in their report. In most cases, these ailments are treated by conservative therapies, such as physiotherapy and medication. Another option is surgical intervention, in which discs that are no longer functional can be replaced with mechanical implants, for example.

Medical experts are divided on the benefits of implants of this kind. In addition, the implants often fail as a result of becoming loose, slipping out of place or wearing out over the years. Researchers led by Robby Bowles of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York state, tested purely biological disc implants. Initially they created a kind of pouring model of the disc to be replaced on the basis of computer tomography images. Then they used this model to build up an implant with the aid of cells taken from the discs of sheep. Discs consist of an internal core with a high water content and an outer fibrous ring.

The researchers built up this construction using the various cell types.

They then transplanted the biological discs into the spinal column in the tails of the rats, after first removing the corresponding discs from the rodents. The implant could readily be fitted into the gap between the vertebrae, the researchers said. After six months it was clear that the biologically produced discs had retained their height and that they had become integrated into the surrounding spinal tissue. The cells had formed a so-called extra-cellular matrix that hardly differed at all from the natural discs in their biochemical composition.

The mechanical properties of the implants,

such as reaction to being put under pressure, were similar to those of natural discs. But before this kind of biological disc can be tested on humans, many issues have to be cleared up. Human discs are much larger than those in the tail of a rat, and the mechanical characteristics required of an implant are correspondingly greater. It is also unclear how

the implanted tissue would react if implanted into an infected environment.

The rats’ discs were healthy before the implants. In the case of patients needing a new disc, the situation is very different. In addition, the cells of sheep are not suited to creating the implants needed for use in humans. — dpa

JAKOBSHAVN GLACIER: Attached by rope to a waiting helicopter, Arctic researcher Carl Gladish of New York University hammers a steel stake into ice, securing a newly deployed GPS seismometer, or Geopebble, designed to track glacial movement near the edge of the Greenland ice sheet, atop Jakobshavn Glacier, outside Ilulissat, Greenland. — AP

On endless ice, searching for clues to our future ON JAKOBSHAVN GLACIER: The pilot eased his five-ton helicopter toward the glacier’s rumpled surface, aiming for the lightest of setdowns atop one of the fastest-flowing ice streams on Earth. David Holland’s voice suddenly broke in on the intercom. “Carl doesn’t like this!” the scientist shouted. “Carl says it’s snow bridges!” - drifts that can hide a deep crevasse. The chopper pulled up sharply and veered off over the chaotic icescape of white knobs and pinnacles and bluish glints of meltwater, on to another, safer landing spot where Carl Gladish, Holland’s lanky, ponytailed assistant, stepped cautiously off the skid and onto the ice, under the thudding rotor blades, to swiftly carry out his assigned task.

It was one of eight 2-minute touchdowns on which the New York University research team positioned instruments to measure the movement and internal cracking of Jakobshavn Glacier, a risky operation meant to shed light on one more tiny piece of the giant puzzle called Greenland.

Other scientists elsewhere were working on their own pieces, on demanding and often dangerous missions, sometimes in subfreezing temperatures and high winds, sleeping in tents on the ice, isolated for weeks at a time, linked tenuously by satellite phone.

On this same July day, Alun Hubbard was on a solitary trek to the north coast’s spectacular, remote Petermann Glacier. Liz Morris was in the first hours of a monthlong research traverse along the hump of Greenland’s vast, 3-kilometer-thick ice sheet. Asa Rennermalm and her colleagues, at the ice’s western fringe, were in their fourth summer of meticulous, tedious sampling of the meltwater flow from the interior. Scattered across the world’s largest island, as big as Alaska and California combined and 80 percent covered by ice, small bands of specialists tended to GPS sites and automatic weather stations, drilled down into the island’s frozen cap, and analyzed the air and clouds overhead, working long hours under the midnight sun.

All this is to help begin answering a crucial question: How much of Greenland’s ice will melt, and how quickly, in a world growing warmer and warming fastest in the Arctic? If all the ice eventually slipped into the ocean, it would be enough to raise global sea levels by 7 meters. Even a fraction of that would inundate Bangladesh and south Florida, drown small islands, threaten cities as widely dispersed as Shanghai and New York.

But as temperatures rise from greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the answer isn’t coming easily. The challenge - scientific, logistical - appears greater than the resources devoted to it. This Greenland puzzle, and uncertainty over Antarctica’s ice, led the U.N.-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to essentially disregard the impact on oceans of an accelerating polar melt. In its 2007 global warming report, the IPCC projected a sea-level rise of only 18 to 59 centimeters this century, mostly from water expanding when warmed. But researchers have since determined that Greenland lost ice in the 20042009 period four times faster than in 1995-2000. This May, the eight-nation Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program forecast a much higher global sea-level rise - of 90 to 160 centimeters by 2100.

To those best informed, like Cambridge University’s Morris, a polar research veteran, melt is inevitable in a place where temperatures over the ice sheet have risen 2.2 degrees C in just 20 years. “There’s no way that you put greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and it won’t warm and the ice won’t melt,” she said before setting out on her snowmobile expedition. “ The uncertainty is when.” The “when” hinges on a web of variables in what Morris called Greenland’s “massively complex” ice system.

When and where, for example, are warmer southern waters reaching

Greenland’s fjords, spreading under their glaciers? How effectively is meltwater percolating from the ice sheet’s inland surface to its base, lubricating movement toward the sea? How much does snowfall - water drawn from the oceans - offset the melted ice?

Researchers long focused on southern outlet glaciers like the west coast’s Jakobshavn, an awesome iceberg producer 6 kilometers wide, believed to be the Northern Hemisphere’s biggest single contributor to ocean rise. The ice where doctoral candidate Gladish did his quick work is streaming toward the sea at a rate of 30 meters a day, twice as fast as in the 1990s.

The big melt is now moving northwest. Last year, US and Danish scientists reported that “crustal uplift,” the rising of land as the weight of ice melts away, was detected far up the coast of Greenland. “There are big red zones, big thinning rates going on in the far northwest, and that’s bizarre because it’s meant to be very cold up there,” said Hubbard, of Wales’ Aberystwyth University. The ruggedly built British glaciologist spoke with a reporter at Kangerlussuaq, a southern research hub, hours before helicoptering off on a one-man mission to collect GPS and other data from Petermann Glacier, just 1,000 kilometers from the North Pole.

A year ago, a 290-square-kilometer ice piece broke off giant Petermann and into the sea - a chunk of ice three times the size of Manhattan island. But Hubbard, like others, said intensive research is now most needed deeper in the interior, to learn how the main body of ice is reacting to longer, warmer summers, and particularly whether meltwater pouring down to its base might cause “runaway instability” in the ice sheet. He said the melt has moved inland up Greenland’s icy dome to 1,500 meters elevation, some 120 kilometers in from the ice cap’s edge. This summer a US-Swiss team was drilling boreholes into the ice sheet northeast of Jakobshavn Glacier to better understand how ice movement detected by GPS stations relates to the “plumbing,” the under-ice meltwater system the boreholes find below.

Far up the slope, at the 3,200-meterhigh frigid heart of the ice sheet, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) maintains its remote Summit Station research site, serviced by big New York Air National Guard LC-130 transport planes equipped with ski landing gear for the ice runway. In small labs bristling with rooftop sensors, American researchers at Summit upgraded their instruments this summer to better study cloud formation and thickness, precipitation, the reflectivity of the snow and ice, and the presence of “black carbon” - falling soot - that would dim that reflectivity and absorb warming sunlight.

Snowfall is key, but “we know so little detail about Greenland,” said Summit visitor Erica Key, an Arctic program manager for the NSF, a major funder of Greenland research. “Most models” - computer climate simulations - “block out Greenland as a black box,” she said. It was in Summit’s thin air that 64-year-old Morris, her 155centimeter frame bundled in orange cold-weather gear, set out with assistant John Sweeny on a one-month, two-snowmobile mission to supply her piece of the puzzle: measuring the snow density along a 400-kilometer route, to give the new European Cryosat 2 satellite some “ground truth” data to compare and calibrate with its own remote readings of ice thickness.

Those readings are badly needed.

The European Union’s first ice-surveying satellite failed on launch in 2005, and NASA’s ICESAT orbiter stopped working in 2009, not to be replaced until at least 2015. Any hard-won data emerging on the ice sheet’s dynamics would help refine computer models for a better fix on how a warmer Greenland will produce higher seas.

But modelers are short not only on satellite readings, but also on ground observations from a too-thin corps of scientists. — AP

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Scientists try to restore Atlantic water meadows $500,000 federal grant provided for research DURHAM: Swaying underwater meadows of eelgrass once lined the New England shoreline, filtering the water, buffering storm surges and providing a nursery for a mix of commercially valuable sea life. Then, this critical coastal habitat was nearly obliterated. Nature has yet to replace the losses from a mysterious disease that attacked in the 1930s and wiped out 80 percent of the eelgrass population from Maine to North Carolina. Attempts to bring eelgrass back have largely failed, but scientists are hoping a revival is coming soon. Ongoing genetic analysis and restoration work, including in New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, aims to help the eelgrass take hold once again.

Some are skeptical of all the attention for an obscure, submerged plant. A $500,000 federal grant for research on eelgrass was listed as a wasteful “porkbarrel” project by Citizens Against Government Waste in 2009. But advocates say restoring the eelgrass would profoundly improve the local ecology and even the commercial fishery. One scientist compared the loss of the eelgrass to the death of a vast, productive forest. “It would be the equivalent of just clear-cutting and then thinking that’s not a problem,” said Jon

Kachmar of The Nature Conservancy, an environmental group leading eelgrass restoration efforts. Eelgrass is actually not a grass at all. It’s a flowering plant that produces leaves that look like long grass blades and lives in waters where adequate sunlight can reach it.

The eelgrass was so common that it was often considered a nuisance. In the early 20th century, it was stuffed into walls as a lightweight insulation and wrapped around ice to keep it from melting during train transport. The thick beds of vegetation also acted as a natural defense during rough weather, helping quiet the waters pounding the shoreline, Kachmar said. But the eelgrass was devastated by a parasitic slime mold that remains common to the plant. For unknown reasons, the mold suddenly and ferociously attacked the plants. “It a natural balance that somehow got out of balance,” said University of New Hampshire professor Fred Short, who’s leading genetic studies related to eelgrass restoration.

Most of the damage from the disease was done in the early 1930s, when it quickly spread through leafto-leaf contact. The disease wound down in the 1940s, with remaining eelgrass surviving then, as today, in smaller and scattered patches. In the following

decades, the loss of the eelgrass beds was felt all over, scientists say. For instance, a small snail called a limpet that fed on organisms that grew on the grass went extinct. And commercially valuable bay scallops, which attached to eelgrass blades as juveniles so they could feed and grow up and away from predators, have recently struggled badly, and the disappearance of the eelgrass is considered a factor.

Meanwhile, the juvenile shrimp, lobsters and crabs that found food and hid under eelgrass’ protective canopy became more exposed to predators - including the striped bass fishermen could target as they prowled the beds. Flounder and cod are among the commercially important groundfish who also lost a nursery ground when eelgrass meadows withered away. Scientists don’t promise that an eelgrass restoration would boost shellfish populations or restore struggling groundfish species, but they say there’s little doubt it can help. Kachmar said the loss of the fish nursery grounds can be compared to losing farmland - at some point less land means fewer crops. “You reach a point where you can only produce so much,” he said. Scientists don’t know why efforts to restore eelgrass have largely failed. — AP

DURHAM: This photo, released by The Nature Conservancy, shows eelgrass being cultivated in a tank at a research facility in Durham, NH. — AP

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N

Kuwait Gamers Tournament

Announcements

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Girgian Fashion Show Get your kids dressed up in their best Girgian costumes or Fairy tale costumes! The Kids Gergean Fashion Show event is sponsored by Fantasy World & it includes lots of entertainment & goodies. It is open to kids aged 2 to 15 years. This event will be covered by many magazines :) When: Thursday, August 11th, Time: 8:30pm, For more info: 9722-4813 GIRGIAN: A fun Girgian party at Baroue! :) When: August 12th, 13th & 16th, Where: Baroue, Avenues Mall, Time: 8pm, For more info: 2259-7457 to 60

uwait will be hosting the biggest gamers competition in the Gulf! The total prize value is over KD100,0000, and it includes a 42 inch LED TV, 27 inch iMacs, many iPad 2, iPhone 4, and free Internet subscriptions for 1 year (1 MB/s & 2MB/s). The tournament will have live broadcasts, and it is sponsored by FASTtelco.

When: Friday, August 19th Where: Arraya Ballroomm

Charity Girgian event

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ant to help make a change? Join us at the launch of the “Heart To Heart” project at a Girgian event held by the “Spread The Passion Team.” The event will include many activities for children (arts & crafts - wrapping Girgian bags face painting, etc). The Girgian bags which are wrapped will be sent to special needs children and children in hospitals.

When: August 16th Where: Discovery Center Time: 8:30 - 11:30pm For more info: 5525-5204

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 Shetty99006934, Kripa Gatty- 66044194 Kuwait City, Jahra, Sharq : Rekha Sachu65044521,97862115 Farwaniya, Abbassiya, Shuwaikh & Khaitan: Sathyanarayana66585077 Sanath Shetty- 67712409.

YMCA offers free Malayalam classes

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he world’s biggest youth organization YMCA is conducting free Malayalam classes at different areas of Kuwait by the auspicious leadership of the YMCA Kuwait Unit. The arrangements are in final stages, and those who wish to help the free Malayalam education program by providing spaces for taking the classes or who want to take part may contact the YMCA members.

For details and registrations, please contact: 9949-8369, 9754-2985, 9960-7230, 9904-6751, 5512-0208

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.

Art salon

Jatiya party Kuwait organizes Iftar and prayer mahfil

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atiya Party Kuwait - in observation of the holy month of Ramadan organized an Iftar and prayer Mahfil on Wednesday the 10th of August at Guishan hotel in Kuwait city. Jatiya Party Kuwait President Mabmud Au 1-lajee presided over the program, whihc was presented by Ismail - General Secretary of the party.

His Excellency Syed Shahed Reza, the

honorable Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh to the State of Kuwait was the chief guest, and among the special guests were the defense attach Brigadier General Aminul Hasan, Councilor Nurul Islam, first Secretary (Labor) K M Ali Reza, Country manager of Biman Bangladesh Airlines- A S M Nazrul Islam, Sadek Hosen - President of Bangladesh Awarni League, Kuwait and

Manjourul Alam-General Secretary of BNP Kuwait.

In the program a crest of honor was presented to the Finance Secretary Mukhlesur Raharnan on the occasion of his leaving. In the program prayer was offered for the well being of Jatiya Party President Hosen Mohammed Ershad and all the central committee leaders as well as for the betterment of the Nation.

Jatiya Party Kuwaits Religious affairs Secretary Moulana Abdul Ahad had conducted the prayer mahfil.

In his concluding speech, the President of the program thanked all and urged all political leaders and activists to overcome personal interest and work hard for a prosperous and better Bangladesh. The program ended in hosting an Iftar for the guests.

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. InterGulf 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 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. www.kospg8.com SCUBA DIVING The Arabian Gulf is the perfect place in which to learn to scuba dive. Although dive sites are not as spectacular as those in the Red Sea and Thailand, the local environment is conducive to teaching youngsters who wish to do fairly shallow dives and build up their confidence. A par-

ent/guardian is required to accompany all children between the ages of 10-12. Thereafter the child may be accompanied by a diving instructor. It is a good idea for adults to attend the theory classes with their children.

DIVE CAROLINE 2371 9289 Fahaheel Sea Club, Fahaheel Dive Caroline is a friendly sailing and diving club with pool, beach, sauna, steam room, fitness and social areas. Scuba diving training and equipment sales; skippered sailing yacht charter for up to 8 passengers; fishing charters (up to 6 passengers with a max. of 2 trawling lines); skippered power boat hire for 6, 8 or 14 passengers. Birthday parties are hosted at the DC pool for children 8 years old and over (maximum of 16 children).

Swimming lessons for children as well as private lessons for adults.

Banana boat rides, water skiing, kayaking. 10% dIscount for BLS Members (and friends) on stock purchases and on training courses for groups of 6 or more participants, Medic First Aid courses and Paedlatrlc First Aid courses. www.divecaroline.com Dive Centre 99649482 The Palms Hotel, Salwa A full service PADI 5 Star Dive Centre catering for all of your diving requirements. www.thepalmsdivecenter.com KIM Dive Centre 23716002 Villa 365, Hilton Kuwait Resort Kuwait International Marine (KIM) Centre is a full service PADI 5 Star Dive Centre catering for all of your diving requirements. 10% discount for all BLS Members on courses, boat trips and Dive Shop. www.kimcenter.selmpb.com

Bouhshari Art Gallery Exhibition runs through 15 September. Daily working hours: 10am - 1pm and 5 - 9pm, except on Friday and on Thursday evening.

Rink soccer Don Bosco Oratory is pleased to announce its Major 4-A-Side “Rink Soccer Fiesta” in Kuwait! This event is for the soccer lovers in Kuwait and will be played on a League (round robin) cum knock out basis from August 2nd at the IEAS Quadrangle in Salmiya. For details contact Chris: 66519627, 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, MaidanHawalli. 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.

Aware Arabic courses

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he AWARE Management is glad to announce that Ramadan Arabic language courses run till September 15th, 2011. AWARE Arabic language courses are designed with the expat in mind. The environment is relaxed & courses are designed for those wanting to learn Arabic for travel, cultural understanding, and conducting business or simply to become more involved in the community. We cater to teachers, travelers & those working in the private business sector.

AWARE Arabic courses highlight lIntroductory to Level 4 Arabic language basics lBetter prepare you for speaking, reading and writing Arabic l Combine language learning with cultural insights lTaught in multi-nationality group settings lProvide opportunities to interact with Western expatriates and native Kuwaitis/Arabs. For more information, call 25335260 or log onto: www.aware.com.kw

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Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor hosts Iftar banquet

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he Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor hosted an iftar banquet at the social care center in Sulaibikhat for social care residents and ministry

officials. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Mohammad AlAfasi attended the event, along with MSAL undersecre-

tary Mohammad Al-Kandari and other senior MSAL officials. — Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF ARGENTINA In order to inform that 23rd of October 2011, will be Argentine national election where all Argentinean citizen residents permanently in Kuwait can vote only if they are registered at the Electoral Register of the Argentine Embassy. The procedure of inscription ended on 25 of April 2011. To register it is necessary that Argentinean citizens should come personally at the Argentinean Embassy (Block 6, street 42, villa 57, Mishref ) and present the DNI and four personal photos (size 4x4, face should be front on white background). For further information, contact us on 25379211. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF BRITAIN The Visa Application Centre (VAC) will be closed on the same dates above.

The opening hours of the Visa Application Centre are 0930 - 1630 Application forms remain available online from the UKBAs’ website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or from the Visa Application Centre’s website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com. And also, from the UK Visa Application Centre located at: 4B, First Floor, Al Banwan Building (Burgan Bank Branch Office Building), Al Qibla area, opposite Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City. For any further inquiries, please contact the Visa Application Centre: Website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com E-mail:info@vfs-uk-kw.com Telephone:22971170. The Consular Section will also be closed on the same dates. For information on the British Embassy services, visit the British Embassy website: www.ukinkuwait.fco.gov.uk nnnnnnn

Executives of ICS meet new Indian envoy

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xecutive members of the Indian Cultural Society had an introductory official meeting with S C Mehta - Ambassador of India, Kuwait. ICS EC member welcomed the ambassador with a bouquet of flowers and presented with copies of the “ICS event souvenir’. ICS President Ashfaque A Khan briefed everyone about the activities and mission of Indian Cultural Society. He also explained the pipeline project “Taare Zameen Pe”, a concept towards prospective education.

The ambassador was very much impressed with quality entertainment programs organized by ICS. He assured maximum support to find solutions for a proper auditorium (community hall) to organize art & cultural activities.

The ICS team discussed and drew their attention toward the four innocent Indian souls as well as those under legal penalties.ICS executive Talat Firdausi, Pascal Pinto, Mohammed Kagdi, Narendra Dheer,

Khaliq Zama, Shabbir Qamar, Vijaya Nair, S Mirza, Sweety Dheer and Iqbal Qazi were present. HK Mohan (First Secretary-Cultural wing) was also present during the discussion. Lastly ICS has extended its invitation & request to SC Mehta as a Chief Guest for forthcoming event “Parda Hai Parda” (An evening of Geet, Ghazal & Qawwali) on September 9th.

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, AlMutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca.

Canada offers a registration service for all Canadians travelling or living abroad. This service is provided so that Consular Officials can contact and assist Canadians in an emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or inform Canadians of a family emergency at home. The Embassy of Canada encourages all Canadian Citizens to register online through the Government of Canada Travel Website at www.voyage.gc.ca. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait. Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.UAE.gc.ca.

Effective January 15, 2011, the only Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) application form that will be accepted by CIC is the Application for Temporary Resident Visa Made Outside of Canada [IMM 5257] form.

All previous Temporary Resident Visa application forms will no longer be accepted by CIC and instead will be returned to applicants. Should old applications be submitted prior to January 15, 2011 they will continue to be processed.

To ensure that the most recent version of the Temporary Resident Visa application form is being utilized, applicants should refer to the CIC website. As of January 15, 2011, forms are to be filled in electronically.

The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday.

Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday.

The forms are available on the internet at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM5257 E.PDF. A guide explaining the process can be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/5256E.P DF.

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Ambassadors gather for FIMA IFTAR

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ederation of Indian Muslim Associations (FIMA), the coordination council of 14 Indian Muslim Associations working in Kuwait, conducted its Iftar gathering at Crowne Plaza Hotel. It was an auspicious occasion with presence of Ambassadors/diplomats of various countries and prominent Kuwaiti dignitaries, distinguished guests from all walks of life, media and representatives of member associations.

The chief guest was Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta. In his address he stressed that let the holy month of Ramadan help to purify the

souls and to be better human beings.

India respected various religious ideologies and is proud of its unity in diversity.

He commended Yawar Beig who delivered key note address asserted that for people who are capable of thinking will know the greatness of Allah the Almighty. We need to look to the nature for the great creation and astonishments with creator’s stamp on it. He showed a presentation depicting the solar and other known astronomy which is true signs of the Creator.

Ambassador of Afghanistan Asadullah Hanif Balki, Ambassador of Bhutan Dasho Shrub Tenzin,

Ambassador of Bangladesh Shahed Reza, Ambassador of Sierra Leon Ibrahim Bakarr Kamara, Ambassador of Nepal Madhuban P Paudel, Ambassador of Laos Thongphacanh Sonnasinh and Consular of Union of Myanmar. Aung So Ewin, Economic Affairs Officer of US embassy Naveed Malik also attended the function as distinguished guests.

Sulaiman Shamsudheen (PAEET) and Mohammed Hatem Ghareeb felicitated at the function.

Muhammed Kutub, while delivering Ramadan message, stressed that it is a great chance for believers to be closer to God and He promised his slaves that He

is near to them. If we walk to Him He will run to us. If we call Him with purified minds He will answer us, he emphasized.

Aqeel Munavar of APL and Ebrahim Ghader of KTS, who were the sponsors of the event also graced the occasion.

Members and leaders of member associations and other prominent guests were present. The program started with recitation of versus from Holy Quran by Muneer- Treasure of FIMA. The program presided over by Siddeeque Valiyakath, President of FIMA. Secretary General Masood Quadri welcomed the audience and secretary Baheer Batha rendered a vote of thanks.

EMBASSY OF GERMANY The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait wishes to announce that as of 1 May 2011, the external service provider Al Qabas Assurex is operating a Visa Application Centre in support of the German Embassy. Short-term visa applications for travels to Germany (e.g. for tourism, visits, business) are to be submitted to the service provider Al Qabas who for your convenience will ensure that all relevant documents are included in your application. Your personal appearance at the Application Centre is not required. Address of the Visa Application Centre: Al Qabas Assurex Sanabel Tower (Al-Babtain) Mezzanine (M3) opposite Sharq Mall Kuwait 22924444 Fax: 22924442 Further information are available on the following websites: www.kuwait.diplo.de www.qavisa.com nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF 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. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk

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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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00:45 Dogs 101 01:40 Untamed And Uncut 02:35 Lions Of Crocodile River 03:30 Into The Dragon’s Lair 04:25 I’m Alive 05:20 Animal Cops Houston 06:10 Cats Of Claw Hill 06:35 Cats Of Claw Hill 07:00 Meerkat Manor 07:25 The Really Wild Show 07:50 Jeff Corwin Unleashed 08:15 Natural Born Hunters 08:40 Breed All About It 09:10 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 10:05 Dogs 101 11:00 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 11:55 Meerkat Manor 12:20 Wildlife SOS 12:50 New Breed Vets With Steve Irwin 13:45 Animal Cops Houston 14:40 Animal Precinct 15:30 RSPCA: Have You Got What It Takes?

16:00 The Really Wild Show 16:30 Jeff Corwin Unleashed 17:00 Natural Born Hunters 17:25 Dogs 101 18:20 Breed All About It 18:45 Orangutan Island 19:15 Crocodile Hunter 20:10 Dogs 101 21:05 Venom Hunter With Donald Schultz 22:00 Ray Mears’Wild Britain

00:00 00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 04:50 05:05 05:25 05:40 05:50 06:10 06:25 06:45 07:00 07:20 07:35 07:55 08:10 08:20 08:40 08:55 09:15 09:30 09:40 10:10 10:40 11:25 12:15 12:45 13:15 14:10 15:40 16:30 17:15 17:45 18:15 19:10 20:00 20:45 21:15 21:45 22:40 23:30

My Family The Weakest Link Holby City Children, The Eastenders Doctors My Family Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Forget Me Not Farm Charlie And Lola Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Forget Me Not Farm Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Forget Me Not Farm Spot’s Musical Adventures Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Forget Me Not Farm Spot’s Musical Adventures My Family My Family The Weakest Link Royally Mad Doctors Eastenders Holby City My Family Royally Mad The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Royally Mad The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Spooks My Family

00:15 Come Dine With Me 00:40 Come Dine With Me 01:05 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 01:30 What Not To Wear 02:20 Come Dine With Me 04:25 Daily Cooks Challenge 05:50 Come Dine With Me

06:15 Come Dine With Me 07:05 Daily Cooks Challenge 10:30 What Not To Wear 11:20 Rhodes Across China 12:05 Cash In The Attic 12:50 Antiques Roadshow 13:40 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 14:05 Holmes On Homes 14:55 What Not To Wear 15:45 Rhodes Across China 16:30 Cash In The Attic 17:15 Antiques Roadshow 18:05 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 18:30 Holmes On Homes 19:20 Rhodes Across China 20:10 Cash In The Attic 20:55 Antiques Roadshow 21:45 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 22:10 Holmes On Homes 23:00 New Scandinavian Cooking With Claus Meyer

01:50 E!es 02:20 THS 03:15 25 Most Stylish 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Extreme Hollywood 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Married To Rock 09:45 Married To Rock 10:15 THS 12:05 E! News 13:05 The Dance Scene 13:35 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 14:35 Kimora’s Home Movies 17:55 E! News 18:55 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 19:55 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:25 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 22:25 E! News 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

00:40 01:35 02:30 03:25 03:55 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:45 09:10 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:25 12:20 13:15 14:10 15:05 16:00 16:25 16:55 17:50 18:45 19:10 19:40 20:05 20:35 21:00 21:55

00:05 00:30 00:55 01:45 02:10 02:35 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:15 04:40 05:05 05:30 05:50 06:35 Basics 07:00 07:50 08:15 08:40 09:05 09:30 09:55 Basics 10:20 10:45 11:10 11:35 12:25 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:05 14:30 14:55 15:20 15:45 16:35 17:00 Basics 17:25 17:50 18:15 18:40 19:05 19:30 20:20 20:45 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:50 23:15 23:40

Dirty Jobs Miami Ink Ultimate Survival Wheeler Dealers On The Road Fifth Gear Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How Does It Work Dirty Jobs Wheeler Dealers On The Road Fifth Gear Street Customs 2008 How Does It Work Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Auction Hunters Flying Wild Alaska Dirty Jobs Ultimate Survival Miami Ink Dirty Jobs Wheeler Dealers On The Road Fifth Gear Mythbusters Deadliest Catch Cake Boss Border Security Auction Hunters How Does It Work Cash Cab (US) LA Ink Taking On Tyson

00:05 Smash Lab 00:55 Extreme Engineering 01:45 Mighty Ships 02:35 Kings Of Construction 03:25 Scrapheap Challenge 04:15 How Stuff’s Made 04:45 Extreme Engineering 05:40 One Step Beyond 06:10 Nextworld 07:00 Scrapheap Challenge 07:55 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 08:50 The Gadget Show 09:40 Da Vinci’s Machines 15:45 Weird Connections 16:10 Scrapheap Challenge 17:00 The World’s Strangest UFO Stories 17:50 Sci-Fi Science 18:15 The Gadget Show 18:40 Bad Universe 19:30 How The Universe Works 20:20 Smash Lab 21:10 The Gadget Show 22:00 Bad Universe 22:50 How The Universe Works 23:40 The Gadget Show

00:25 Kendra 00:55 The Soup 01:25 E!es

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 05:00 05:30 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00

Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam Good Eats - Special Paula’s Party Bobby Chinn Cooks Asia Bobby Chinn Cooks Asia Lidia’s Italy Lidia’s Italy Boy Meets Grill Boy Meets Grill Good Eats - Special Unwrapped Ten Dollar Dinners Paula’s Best Dishes Paula’s Party Barefoot Contessa - Back To Chopped Guy’s Big Bite Everyday Italian Good Deal With Dave Lieberman Ten Dollar Dinners Paula’s Best Dishes Barefoot Contessa - Back To Good Eats - Special Boy Meets Grill Unwrapped Paula’s Party Everyday Italian Paula’s Best Dishes Good Deal With Dave Lieberman World Cafe Asia Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam Good Eats - Special Unwrapped Boy Meets Grill Chopped Guy’s Big Bite Barefoot Contessa - Back To Paula’s Best Dishes Everyday Italian World Cafe Asia Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam Good Eats - Special Food Network Challenge Guy’s Big Bite Guy’s Big Bite World Cafe Asia World Cafe Asia Food Network Challenge Barefoot Contessa Barefoot Contessa World Cafe Asia

Morning Drive Golf Central International Softball 360 Major League Baseball UTSA Football Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour Asian Tour The Golf Fix Morning Drive Rush Limbaugh/Haney Project Golf Central International Golf with Style Major League Baseball

13:00 Golf Central International 13:30 UTSA Football 14:00 ASP Surfing World Championships 15:00 The Clipper Round 16:00 Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour 17:00 Speedway World Cup 20:00 Major League Baseball 23:00 Softball 360

00:30 01:20 02:10 02:35 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:45 05:15 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:05 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:40 14:30 14:55 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:05 19:55 20:20 21:10 22:00

Ghost Lab Psychic Witness Stalked: Someone’s Watching Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghosthunters Ghost Lab Mystery Diagnosis Murder Shift Forensic Detectives Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Disappeared FBI Files On The Case With Paula Zahn Fugitive Strike Force Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Disappeared FBI Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol On The Case With Paula Zahn Fugitive Strike Force Deadly Women

00:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 01:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 01:30 Don’t Tell My Mother 02:00 Word Travels 02:30 Market Values 03:00 The Best Job In The World 03:30 Madventures 04:00 Which Way To...

05:00 Word Travels 05:30 Market Values 06:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 07:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 07:30 Don’t Tell My Mother 08:00 Word Travels 08:30 Market Values 09:00 The Best Job In The World 09:30 Madventures 10:00 Which Way To...

11:00 Word Travels 11:30 Market Values 12:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 13:00 Meet The Natives 14:00 Banged Up Abroad 15:00 Eccentric Uk 15:30 Eccentric Uk 16:00 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 16:30 By Any Means 17:30 Earth Tripping 18:00 A World Apart 19:00 Meet The Natives 20:00 Banged Up Abroad 21:00 Eccentric Uk 21:30 Eccentric Uk 22:00 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 22:30 By Any Means

00:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 01:00 World’s Deadliest Animals 01:55 Sharkville 02:50 The Invaders 03:45 Restless Planet 04:40 Insects From Hell

LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS ON OSN PREMIERE

N

atalie Portman impresses mightily in "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits," playing a second wife and grieving first-time mother grappling with the thorny complexity of family dynamics.

The Don Roos vehicle that showcases the accomplished performance is somewhat less so, hampered by a structure that initially makes the proceedings tricky to follow. It ultimately finds its footing, but it's Portman's skillfully executed turn that deserves pursuit by a distributor who knows its way around an awards campaign.

Based on Ayelet Waldman's Manhattan-based novel, the tart dramedy wastes little time in setting up the strained relationship between Emilia Greenleaf (Portman) and her precocious stepson, William (Charlie Tahan), the product of his father Jack's (Scott Cohen) previous marriage to the caustic, fiercely overprotective Carolyn (Lisa Kudrow). But if her being regarded in certain circles as a home-wrecker might be explanation enough for her glib view of the universe, there's a deeper reason for that emotionally aloof defense mechanism.

The death of the 3-day-old child she had with Jack has

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

TV PROGRAMS

left an increasing void in her life that threatens to swallow up everyone else who cares about her.

While this might sound like awfully heavy stuff, Roos has a proven gift for finding humor in some unlikely places, most notably (and still most successfully) in his 1998 directorial debut, "The Opposite of Sex." Achieving that balance is not the problem with "Impossible Pursuits"; rather, it's an often-confusing series of subtle flashbacks early on that sometimes makes it challenging for the viewer to sort out the past from the present.

When Roos dispenses with the time shifts and takes a more linear approach, the film settles in to a more focused, more affecting groove.

But while he draws fine work from all concerned, including Debra Monk and playwright-actor Michael Cristofer as Emilia's parents, it's Portman who you simply cannot take your eyes away from, and not for the obvious reasons. With her brittle, risk-taking performance, Portman officially has grown into her potential as an actress of commanding depth and versatility.

05:05 05:35 06:30 07:25 08:20 09:15 10:10 11:05 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Wild Chronicles Hunter Hunted The Living Edens Fish Warrior Hooked Sharkville The Invaders Restless Planet World’s Deadliest Animals The Living Edens Sea Strikers World’s Weirdest I, Predator The Invaders Zambezi The Living Edens Sea Strikers World’s Weirdest I, Predator The Invaders

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 07:45 10:15 12:15 14:00 16:30 18:45 20:30 22:00

Bad Guys-18 Mindhunters-18 Tracker-PG15 Echelon Conspiracy-PG15 Independence Day-PG15 The Fan-PG15 The Fast And The Furious-PG15 Independence Day-PG15 The Sum Of All Fears-PG15 The Fast And The Furious-PG15 Bangkok Adrenaline-PG15 Zombieland-18

01:15 03:15 05:15 06:45 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:15 19:00 21:00 23:00

A Way With Murder-18 Citizen Jane-PG MacHEADS-PG15 A Christmas Carol-PG Easy Virtue-PG15 On Broadway-PG15 Far North-PG15 Tron: Legacy-PG15 Good Hair-PG15 The Maiden Heist-PG15 Swansong: Story Of Occi Byrne Drag Me To Hell-18

00:00 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia 00:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 01:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 01:30 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 02:00 Comedy Central Presents 03:00 Just Shoot Me 04:00 Two And A Half Men 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 06:00 Seinfeld 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Two And A Half Men 08:30 Just Shoot Me 09:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 09:30 Traffic Light 10:00 Cougar Town 10:30 Seinfeld 11:00 The Drew Carey Show 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Two And A Half Men 13:00 Just Shoot Me 13:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 14:00 Seinfeld 14:30 Traffic Light 15:00 Cougar Town 15:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 16:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 16:30 The Drew Carey Show 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Just Shoot Me 19:00 Cougar Town 19:30 Raising Hope 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 The Cleveland Show 22:30 Rita Rocks

00:00 01:00 02:00 02:30 03:00 04:00 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

Smallville Criminal Minds In Treatment In Treatment The Closer Cold Case Detroit 1-8-7 Smallville 8 Simple Rules ...

Coronation Street Tower Prep Detroit 1-8-7 The Closer Cold Case 8 Simple Rules ...

Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Tower Prep Smallville 8 Simple Rules ...

Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Tower Prep Grey’s Anatomy Private Practice House Criminal Minds Detroit 1-8-7

01:00 The Descent 2-18 03:00 8 Mile-18 05:00 Battlestar Galactica: The Plan-18 07:00 Deceit-PG15 09:00 The Stepfather-PG15 11:00 I, Robot-PG15 13:00 Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen-PG15 15:30 The Stepfather-PG15 17:15 King Arthur-PG15 19:30 The Thirteenth Floor-18 21:15 Zombieland-18 23:00 Rage: Carrie 2-PG15

00:00 Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs-FAM 02:00 A Lot Like Love-PG15 04:00 Old Dogs-PG 06:00 Ed-PG 08:00 Coming & Going-PG15 10:00 Bandslam-PG15 12:00 Nine Months-PG15 14:00 Who’s Your Caddy?-PG15 16:00 Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs-FAM 18:00 Moon Over Parador-PG15 20:00 16 To Life-PG15 22:00 French And Saunders Still Alive-

ZOMBIELAND ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

101:00 Thunderheart-18 03:00 The Fantastic Water Babes-PG 05:00 Mr. Jones-PG15 07:00 Secret Origin: The Story Of DC Comics-PG 09:00 Drumline-PG15 11:00 Astro Boy-FAM 13:00 Secret Origin: The Story Of DC Comics-PG 15:00 Free Style (2008)-PG15 17:00 Tuck Everlasting-PG 19:00 Strange Culture-PG15 21:00 Legends Of The Fall-18 23:15 Female Agents-18

01:30 04:00 05:30 07:00 09:00 10:30 13:00 15:00 17:00 18:30 21:00 23:00

Jerry Maguire-18 Revenge Of The Bridesmaids Fantastic Mr. Fox-FAM Amelia-PG15 Marmaduke-PG Finding Forrester-PG 12 Men Of Christmas-PG15 Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea Marmaduke-PG Paris-PG15 16 To Life-PG15 Made In Dagenham-PG15

01:00 Ace Ventura : Pet Detective Jr.03:00 Globehunters-FAM 05:00 Sabrina The Teenage Witch: Friends Forever-PG 07:00 Tom Tom & Nana-FAM 09:00 Tom And Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes-FAM 11:00 102 Dalmatians-PG 13:00 Christmas In New York-PG 15:00 The Archies In Jugman-FAM 17:00 102 Dalmatians-PG 19:00 Leave It To Beaver-PG 21:00 Christmas In New York-PG 23:00 The Archies In Jugman-FAM

00:00 The Kid-18 02:00 Too Big To Fail-PG15 04:00 Sounds Like Teen Spirit-PG15 06:00 A Dance For Bethany-PG15 08:00 Nanny Mcphee And The Big Bang-PG 10:00 The People Speak-PG15 12:00 Iron Man 2-PG15 14:15 Carnera: The Walking Mountain 16:30 Nanny Mcphee And The Big Bang-PG 18:30 Long Weekend-PG15 20:00 Cop Out-PG15 22:00 Love And Other Impossible Pursuits-PG15

12:30 Rugby World Cup Classics 13:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 13:30 Trans World Sport 14:30 ICC Cricket World 15:00 World Hockey 15:30 AFL Highlights 16:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 17:00 Spirit of Yachting 17:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 18:00 Scottish Premier League 20:00 International Rugby Union 22:00 Futbol Mundial 22:30 Tri Nations

00:00 Futbol Mundial 00:30 Tri Nations 02:30 AFL Highlights 03:30 Rugby World Cup Classics 04:00 Trans World Sport 05:00 Scottish Premier League 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 08:30 AFL Premiership 11:00 Scottish Premier League 13:00 Golfing World 14:00 AFL Highlights 15:00 Scottish Premier League 17:00 Trans World Sport 18:00 NRL Full Time 18:30 Golfing World 19:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 20:00 FIVB Beach Volley Ball 20:30 Futbol Mundial 21:00 Rugby World Cup Classics 21:30 NRL Full Time 22:00 Trans World Sport 23:00 AFL Highlights

00:00 WWE SmackDown!

02:00 WWE Vintage Collection 03:00 UFC 05:00 UFC Unleashed 07:00 WWE NXT 08:00 WWE SmackDown!

10:00 Speedway 11:00 Mass Participation 11:30 V8 Supercars Extra 12:00 WWE Bottomline 13:00 Modern Pentaholn 14:00 Modern Pentaholn 15:00 Powerboats UIM Class One Highlights 15:30 Powerboats F1 16:30 Speedway 17:30 V8 Supercars Extra 18:00 WWE SmackDown!

20:00 WWE Vintage Collection 21:00 UFC Wired 22:00 UFC

00:00 NRL Premiership 02:00 PGA Championship 07:00 WWE NXT 08:00 NRL Premiership 10:00 WWE SmackDown!

12:00 Le Mans Series Highlights 12:30 Powerboats UIM Class One Highlights 13:00 PGA Championship 18:00 UFC 133 21:00 Speedway FIM World Championship 22:00 WWE Vintage Collection 23:00 Powerboats UIM Class One Highlights

01:45 The Twenty-Fifth Hour-PG 03:40 The Strip-PG 05:05 Seven Women-PG 06:30 TCM Presents Under The Influence-U 07:00 Action In The North Atlantic-PG 09:05 All The Fine Young Cannibals-PG 11:00 Catlow-PG 12:40 Dream Wife-FAM 14:20 The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse-PG 16:50 That Midnight Kiss-FAM 18:25 Soylent Green-PG 20:00 The Night Of The Iguana 22:00 Viva Las Vegas-FAM 23:25 Jailhouse Rock-PG

00:00 ICC Cricket World 00:30 AFL Highlights 01:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 02:00 The PGA Championship 07:00 Rugby World Cup Classics 07:30 Futbol Mundial 08:00 NRL Premiership 10:00 FEI Equestrian World 10:30 Tri Nations

00:00 01:00 02:00 02:30 03:00 03:55 05:00 06:00 07:00

Life After People Ice Road Truckers Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Lock N’ Load With R. Lee Ermey Mega Movers Man Moment Machine Life After People Ice Road Truckers

08:00 08:30 09:00 09:55 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:55 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 22:00 23:00

Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Lock N’ Load With R. Lee Ermey Mega Movers Man Moment Machine Life After People Ice Road Truckers Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Lock N’ Load With R. Lee Ermey Mega Movers Man Moment Machine Life After People Ice Road Truckers Pawn Stars American Pickers Lock N’ Load With R. Lee Ermey

00:00 Jerseylicious 01:00 Fashion Avenue 01:55 Big Boutique 02:25 How Do I Look?

03:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

05:10 Homes With Style 05:35 Area 06:05 Clean House 07:00 Big Boutique 08:00 Homes With Style 09:00 Fashion Avenue 09:55 How Do I Look?

10:50 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

11:50 Clean House: Search For The Messiest...

12:50 Clean House 13:45 Clean House Comes Clean 14:15 Mel B: It’s A Scary World 14:45 Jerseylicious 15:40 Ruby 16:35 Giuliana & Bill 17:30 Clean House Comes Clean 17:55 Clean House Comes Clean 18:25 Top 10 18:55 Top 10 19:25 Big Boutique 19:50 Fashion Avenue 20:20 Clean House 21:15 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

22:10 Jerseylicious 23:05 Giuliana & Bill

00:00 Planet Food 01:00 Essential Specials 02:00 The Soller Railway 03:00 People Of The Sea 04:00 Globe Trekker 05:00 Planet Food 06:00 Top Travel 06:30 Top Travel 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Indian Times 09:00 Temples In The Clouds 10:00 Planet Food 11:00 Top Travel 11:30 Top Travel 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 Flavours Of Spain 14:00 Indian Times 15:00 Essential Specials 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 Cruise Today 17:30 Travel Today 18:00 Flavours Of Spain 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 21:00 Safari Stopovers 22:00 Trabant Trek 22:30 Word Travels 23:00 Globe Trekker

00:00 01:00 02:00 07:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00

Music For The Masses Greatest Hits VH1 Music VH1 Hits Aerobic VH1 Hits Music For The Masses Top 10 Music For The Masses VH1 Pop Chart

Classifieds TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation in Abbassiya near Balansiya Baker y, from 1st September, fully furnished 2 bedroom flat with mini split A/C, looking for executive bachelor or couple to share with Keralite family.

Contact: 66944127 or (afternoon) 24334240.

(C 3568) 16-8-2011 Sharing accommodation available for non-smoking Indian couple or bachelors with a Keralite couple in double room flat in Abbassiya from 1st September. Contact: 99378344/ 24332105 (after 3pm). (C 3567) 15-8-2011 Sharing accommodation in Abbassiya near Balansiya Bakery, from 1st September, full furnished 2 bedroom flat with mini split A/C, looking for executive bachelor or couple to share with Keralite family.

Contact: 66944127 or (afternoon) 24334240. (C 3560) 9-8-2011 Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya, near United Indian School. For a

couple KD 80 or bachelor KD 50. Contact: 99645213.

(C 3557) 8-8-2011 Furnished sharing accommodation in a 2 bedroom apart, for an executive bachelor or couple in Farwaniya, for RC Goan or Mangalorean with Mangalorean bachelor behind Crowne Plaza. Contact: 97521167, 24762183. (C 2554) 7-8-2011 One room fully furnished in 3 bedroom C-A/C flat is available for rent. Muslim bachelor/ Pakistani is preferred. Contact 99714430. (C 3553) 6-8-2011

For sale computer HP Compaq P4 1.7 Ghz, Ram 256, Hard disk 20 GB, CD Rom, 17” Monitor - Price KD 27/-.

Contact: 66762737. (C 3569) 15-8-2011

CHANGE OF NAME I, Aravind Krishnakumar Sunitha (s/o Krishna Kumar.

R) holder of Indian Passport No. J5398981 (D.O.B - 2306-1995) would like to

change my name to Aravind Krishnakumar.

(C 3563) 13-8-2011

TUITION Tutoring available for English/ Math and all other subjects. All ages including refresher, tutoring by an American teacher with many years of experience. Contact: 66616900. (C 3570) 16-8-2011

SITUATION VACANT A lady maid is needed to work part time in an apartment located in Salmiya.

Salary and time are negotiable. Call: 66417504.

(C 3571) 16-8-2011 English family needs full time maid. Call: 66094562. (C 3572) Required English speaking nanny/ maid. Please Contact: 99824597.

No: 15182

FOR SALE Toyota Aurion 2007, sky blue color, excellent condition, run only 61,000KM, well maintained, ready to check, price KD 3,950. Contact: 96676507. (C 3573) 16-8-2011 Mercedes C180 model 1995, white color, registration up to August 19th 2012, owner leaving Kuwait soon. Price KD 1,250 or nearest offer. Contact: 66556591. (C 3566)

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines RJA THY KAC UAE DHX ETD MSR GFA QTR AFR ETH JZR KAC KAC BAW KAC JZR FCX JZR KAC JZR KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC UAE IRA QTR ABY QTR ETD GFA MEA MHK KAC MSR UAL RJA KAC KAC SVA KAC KNE

Flt 642 772 1754 853 370 305 614 211 138 6700 620 539 544 412 157 416 507 201 557 206 533 302 332 53 352 284 855 605 132 125 6130 301 213 404 711 672 610 982 640 512 562 500 546 745

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 16/8/2011 Route AMMAN ISTANBUL JEDDAH DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI CAIRO BAHRAIN DOHA PARIS ADDIS ABABA / BAHRAIN CAIRO CAIRO MANILA / BANGKOK LONDON JAKARTA / KUALA LUMPUR LUXOR BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA ISLAMABAD ASSIUT MUMBAI TRIVANDRUM DUBAI COCHIN DHAKA DUBAI ISFAHAN DOHA SHARJAH DOHA ABU DHABI BAHRAIN BEIRUT BAGHDAD / NAJAF DUBAI CAIRO WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN TEHRAN AMMAN JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA JEDDAH

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

KAC JZR QTR ETD UAE GFA SVA JZR JZR ABY FDB RBG ALK KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC JAI KAC FDB VOS OMA MEA KAC MLR MSR SVA DHX KLM UAE GFA QTR UAL AIC MSR JZR DLH AXB PIA

746 257 134 303 857 215 510 213 201 127 63 3555 227 104 166 502 542 618 786 774 777 674 790 572 1764 61 93 647 402 552 1405 618 2280 372 443 859 217 136 981 981 612 185 636 389 205

ABU DHABI / DAMMAM BEIRUT DOHA ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH DEIREZZOR DAMASCUS SHARJAH DUBAI ALEXANDRIA COLOMBO / DUBAI LONDON PARIS / ROME BEIRUT CAIRO DOHA JEDDAH RIYADH JEDDAH DUBAI MEDINAH MUMBAI JEDDAH DUBAI KANDAHAR / DUBAI MUSCAT BEIRUT DAMASCUS COLOMBO / DUBAI ALEXANDRIA JEDDAH BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN CHENNAI / AHMEDABAD CAIRO DUBAI FRANKFURT KOZHIKODE / MANGALORE LAHORE / PESHAWER

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

Airlines DLH AIC PIA THY UAE DHX ETD MSR ETH QTR AFR RJA GFA KAC BAW FDB KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC UAE ABY IRA KAC QTR ETD GFA JZR QTR KAC MEA KAC JZR MHK KAC KAC KAC JZR MSR RJA KAC

Departure Flights on Tuesday 16/8/2011 Flt Route 637 FRANKFURT 976 GOA / CHENNAI 240 SIALKOT 773 ISTANBUL 854 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 306 ABU DHABI 615 CAIRO 620 ADDIS ABABA 139 DOHA 6700 DUBAI / HONG KONG 643 AMMAN 212 BAHRAIN 545 ALEXANDRIA 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 671 DUBAI 745 DAMMAM / ABU DHABI 256 BEIRUT 561 AMMAN 511 TEHRAN 856 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 604 ISFAHAN 101 LONDON / NEW YORK 133 DOHA 302 ABU DHABI 214 BAHRAIN 212 DEIREZZOR 6131 DOHA 165 ROME / PARIS 405 BEIRUT 541 CAIRO 200 DAMASCUS 712 NAJAF / BAGHDAD 501 BEIRUT 785 JEDDAH 1763 JEDDAH 776 JEDDAH 611 CAIRO 641 AMMAN 789 MEDINAH

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

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

UAL KAC KAC KAC KNE SVA KAC VOS ETD QTR UAE GFA ABY RBG SVA FDB JZR ALK KAC KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC JZR KAC OMA MEA MLR MSR SVA DHX KLM UAE GFA KAC FCX QTR KAC KAC KAC UAL MSR JZR

982 551 673 617 746 501 773 82 304 135 858 216 128 3556 511 64 184 228 283 361 571 62 1757 343 538 351 648 403 1405 619 2282 373 443 860 218 381 102 137 301 205 411 981 613 556

BAHRAIN DAMASCUS DUBAI DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH RIYADH BAGHDAD ABU DHABI DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH ALEXANDRIA RIYADH DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI / COLOMBO DHAKA COLOMBO MUMBAI DUBAI JEDDAH CHENNAI CAIRO COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT COLOMBO ALEXANDRIA JEDDAH BAHRAIN BAHRAIN / AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN DELHI BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD BANGKOK / MANILA WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO ALEXANDRIA

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

34

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

stars CROSSWORD 411

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) A call from a friend early today morning may have you busy trying to get out of your workday. When you do get to work you put a lot of energy into your work so that you can take off early to be with this friend or loved one. This may mean a new birth or some other event that is worthy of a little time out from the usual daily life. Until this evening, relaxing may have been impossible. It takes perseverance, focus and organization to get through this busy day. Curb your tendency to push ahead of others and bide your time this afternoon. This evening you may find your taste in art exhilarating. You may want to try your hand at some craft. Perhaps this is a good time to invite your loved one on a shopping expedition—maybe for new baby clothes.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today will be a bit different from the rest of this week. You may find someone hard to understand—this could be a customer. Your wisdom and not your emotions will prove the winner here. Although this may not be the best time to push your ideas or demand things from others, your management and directional abilities are in high focus. Remove the emotions and you will find answers you never realize existed. Good contracts and agreements are all possible today. These can be productive days, but do not take anyone for granted. Continual discovery, persistent search and transformation keep you on the move and growing.

Just think, without the changes, you might only stagnate. You are able to rise above any difficulties today.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. A member of a Mayan people of southwestern Guatemala.

4. Filled to capacity.

10. Provide with clothes or put clothes on.

13. A resource.

14. Refuse to acknowledge.

15. The compass point midway between east and southeast.

16. A human limb.

17. An island republic on Nauru Island.

19. Show a response or a reaction to something.

21. Inhabitant of the island of Cebu.

22. A pilgrimage to Mecca.

25. A member of the Iroquoian people formerly living east of Lake Ontario.

32. United States astronomer (1835-1909).

35. The act of using.

36. Large burrowing rodent of South and Central America.

38. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.

39. An antidepressant drug that acts by blocking the reuptake of serotonin so that more serotonin is available to act on receptors in the brain.

41. An Indian nursemaid who looks after children.

43. An independent agency of the United States government responsible for aviation and spaceflight.

44. Optical instrument consisting of a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision.

48. (Mesopotamia) God of agriculture and earth.

52. An anxiety disorder characterized by chronic free-floating anxiety and such symptoms as tension or sweating or trembling of light-headedness or irritability etc that has lasted for more than six months.

53. A clique that seeks power usually through intrigue.

57. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

58. A master's degree in business.

59. Away from the mouth or oral region.

61. Any federal law-enforcement officer.

62. A rapid escape (as by criminals).

63. A member of an agricultural people of southern India.

64. A federal agency established to regulate the release of new foods and health-related products.

DOWN 1. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that was formed by an explosion.

2. A river in northern England that flows southeast through West Yorkshire.

3. Designer drug designed to have the effects of amphetamines (it floods the brain with serotonin) but to avoid the drug laws.

4. Large edible mackerel of temperate United States coastal Atlantic waters.

5. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

6. King of Denmark and Norway who forced Edmund II to divide England with him.

7. An ancient Hebrew unit of capacity equal to 10 baths or 10 ephahs.

8. Annual to perennial herbs of the Mediterranean region.

9. A Mid-Atlantic state.

10. A city in southeastern South Korea.

11. A law passed by US Congress to prevent employees from being injured or contracting diseases in the course of their employment.

12. Wild or seedling sweet cherry used as stock for grafting.

18. The superior of an abbey of monks.

20. Elegant and stylish.

23. A kind of sedan chair used in India.

24. A heavy brittle diamagnetic trivalent metallic element (resembles arsenic and antimony chemically).

26. A strip of land projecting into a body of water.

27. An open vessel with a handle and a spout for pouring.

28. Informal terms for a mother.

29. A male monarch or emperor (especially of Russia prior to 1917).

30. A Loloish language.

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

33. Common Indian weaverbird.

34. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska.

37. Dried bark of the cascara buckthorn used as a laxative.

38. Annual to perennial herbs of the Mediterranean region.

40. A United Nations agency that invest directly in companies and guarantees loans to private investors.

42. Of or relating to or characteristic of the Republic of Chad or its people or language.

45. A metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells.

46. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.

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

49. A spar rising aft from a mast to support the head of a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail.

50. In bed.

51. A quantity of no importance.

54. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

55. Alternative names for the body of a human being.

56. The act of slowing down or falling behind.

60. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You have enthusiasm today. There is a good amount of support from those around you for whatever needs accomplishing. You feel healthy and natural. Challenges will encourage you to use that fine intuition of yours. Remember to focus and give yourself time before responding. This afternoon you will find you can look back on this day and be pleased with your decisions. You may even want to brag a little. Your mind could be quite clear and natural. Ideas are flowing and come with ease—project planning is successful. This afternoon you feel like talking to friends and you could talk, talk, talk. You appreciate, care and are concerned about life, equality, gentleness and acceptance. Young people enjoy your company this evening.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

This is a time when you can put your practical insights into words and convey them to others. Communication with authority figures is enhanced now. Continued concentration on your own work is ongoing— there is a feeling of being more at ease with your talents. You could find that you are appreciated for your ability to act and get things done. This is a time when you can expect a little boost, some sort of extra support or recognition from those around you.

Ambitious schemes and the pursuit of success and status take on a high priority now.

This brings a focus on the practical, the successful and the pragmatic—whatever it takes to get you ahead in the long run. Grab some time to exercise and enjoy the company of your loved one(s) this evening.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You possess a powerful, persistent drive and are a hard, steady worker. Others may find you deep, with a sense of mission and mystery. You are willing to do work others would not go near—quietly bending things to your idea of how things should work. Your life path involves cutting through appearances and superficialities and laying bare the reality of a situation. This could mean that the business world is an open book for you—easy to read. This could be a period of great material gain; it is certainly a time when material things have a great deal of importance for you. This evening would be a good time to read a romantic book or take in a movie and to just spend quiet time with your loved one. A young person may want to share his or her future ideas.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) This is a rewarding day. Everything you do turns out positive and constructive. You work well with those in authority who are independent and original and today you will find the opportunity to work with senior business people. The goal to achieve a high turnover in merchandise finds you expressing some good ideas. You like radical approaches and find yourself in support of whatever new wave product or breakthrough advance is next in line. You are in the mood to express yourself, entertain and perform for others this evening. This can be a wonderful evening to visit with friends and will enjoy drop-in guests. You enjoy being surrounded by an audience and may decide to do go into a bit of on-the-side performing. You can be magnetic and dynamic.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Your energies are more in balance today than in the recent past—you could be most persuasive with others. Your own personal expression is positive and leans toward positive results. You have made some decisions and others accept your opinions. Others will sometimes, however, test your optimism. You are disciplined, hard working and are good at getting others to work with and for you. Everything seems to conspire to put you in the center of attention. You manage to get your ideas across to others very well. This afternoon you may find yourself with your friends—working together on some mechanical problem or learning about the mechanics of some equipment. This evening there are opportunities to have good conversation with those you love.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You may not place much value on ideas today. Something that someone says or communicates to you may need a correction and you would do well to express the need for a little time to give yourself some thought to his or her words. In this way you can prepare a better argument that would be well understood. You are optimistic and have a most positive outlook on many things. In today’s situation, you just have to be matter-of-fact in your communication. You are full of compassion and love to help in family matters of all sorts. This afternoon you may find that you really enjoy a new little person that is in your surroundings. This may mean a neighbor’s new baby or a new grandchild or even a newcomer in your own home.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Figuring things out, spotting the fly in the ointment, separating the sheep from the goats: these things take on special significance now. Your sense of humor will see you through many tense moments today. This is a great time to reflect and assess just where you are and how you are progressing toward your goals. This could be the best time to make any changes that are necessary in order to speed your progress. You have a heightened interest in health and diet—as well as an urge to get things organized into a rational system. There is much mental busywork today. The good life and all that is fine and luxurious may be what you value and you enjoy; making your own way and finding solutions to whatever problems you encounter.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Your positivism lets you get right to the point and you have little patience with those who waste time. You have plenty of enthusiasm and warm up to things and people quickly. You have an inner selfconfidence that burns with its own light. From this time forward, expect a more confident, outgoing attitude, for you have brought to close a time of inward examination and learning. A growing sense of direction and self-worth will find you reaching out and establishing yourself. This is a good time to consolidate and organize your affairs or rearrange your living situation. You could be seen by others as just the person to be put in charge of some project requiring a stable mind-set. Keep your eye out for good investment possibilities.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Today will prove to be a successful time to be with others and to work together. You may be sought after as just the person for a particular job. Your management and directional abilities are in high focus. You can really get your thoughts and ideas across—good communication. Obtaining and exchanging information can be an important part of this day. Applied force, practical competence, tremendous discipline and a love of routine work will all come into play.

You will be able to simplify a subject to its essential elements. You show off your inner drive to be thorough and responsible in minute detail—self-disciplined. You enjoy working hard and being organized and you exercise skill and discipline in most anything that affects your life.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

Your common sense is required today when someone wants to involve you in a fantastic deal! You are at your most practical when it comes to dealing and working with others. Thinking things through, accounting for all the details, making careful measurements: these and similar experiences keep your mind active and involved. You may enjoy a job that involves buying merchandise for a company, such as clothing, antiques, etc. This evening is a good time to think about how your goals are shaping up these days. Maturing may mean the difference between what you want and what you really want. Write out your goals: what you want for your future. A flirtation could lift your spirits this evening. A friendship may turn the corner into sweet love.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

i n f o r m at i o n

FIRE BRIGADE

112

Al-Madena

22418714

Al-Shohada’a

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

24812000

Al-Jahra

25610011

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

Hospitals Sabah Hospital

POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

Clinics Rabiya

4732263

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

PHARMACIES

AIRLINES

ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Hawally

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Kuwait Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways FlyDubai Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines Aeroflot

22433377 177 22924455 22414400 22423888 22425747 22434940 22420002/9 22418064/5/6 22433388 22425635 22430224 22425566 22438184 22424444 22421578 22421516 22426306 22423073 22422493 22421044 22414427 22416474 22452977/8 22417901/ 2433141 22456700 22958787 22453820/1 22404838/9

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist 25340300

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

Dr Anil Thomas

3729596/3729581 22641071/2

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Salem soso

22618787

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Neurologists

Dr. Adnan Ebil

22639939

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Mousa Khadada

22666300

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists

25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291 22666288

Rheumatologists:

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

Dentists

Internists, Chest & Heart

25339330

25655535

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

General Surgeons

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677

Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

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y

A

36

e niv rsar n

Years

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2011

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

‘Sex and the City’ to return ex and the City’ could return to TV screens. The hit TV series - which ended in 2004 after six series before being turned into two movies - is being lined up for a new run after creator Darren Star and the show’s main star Sarah Jessica Parker decided on the direction it should take. A source told the Mail on Sunday newspaper: “Ultimately Darren Star - the man who created the hit series - will have the overall say, but everyone is agreed a TV show is the direction they want to take the franchise in. “Sarah Jessica Parker will be producing. She was worried about doing another film after the bad reaction to the ‘Sex and the City 2’ movie, but a TV show is definitely something she wants to happen.” The show focused on the lives of four single women in New York - writer Carrie Bradshaw (Parker), lawyer Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon), man-eater PR guru (Samantha Jones) and art gallery worker (Charlotte York) - and their rollercoaster love lives. The series ended in 2004 with the women all settling down while the two movies caught up with the women to see what was happening with them all. While the first film was a huge hit, the second failed to live up to expectations and was widely panned by critics. It is not known what the focus of the new TV series will be.

‘S

Holmes dances in car K

Beckham works in bikini V

ictoria Beckham wears a bikini to work. The singer-turned fashion designer admits she is in regular contact with her creative team in London, England - despite living in Los Angeles - but does not always bother to get dressed while she talks to them online. She told Elle Collections magazine: “When I’m here in London, which is for about a week every month it’s really, really full-on. “I use Skype to talk with my team usually wearing either a dressing gown or a bikini.” The British star is renowned for her expansive wardrobe and is rarely seen in the same outfit twice, but she reveals she rarely has time to shop and is relatively low maintenance. She said: “I just don’t have the time. I get a lot of my clothes on Net-aPorter and I wear my own stuff.” Despite her creative team being based in the

UK, Victoria - who recently gave birth to her fourth child, a girl named Harper Seven, with husband David Beckham - is thought to want to stay in Los Angeles because she is happy there with her family, including sons Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, eight and six-year-old Cruz. A source said recently: “Victoria has told David she has never felt happier and that they now have the perfect family.

“She wants Harper to grow up in a place where she can have the amazing childhood the boys have had. Where they live now, they can play on the beach at the weekend, swim outdoors every day and have a great lifestyle growing up in the sunshine.”

atie Holmes dances in her car.

The ‘Batman Begins’ actress who has five-year-old daughter Suri with husband Tom Cruise - loves to move to music, even when she is engrossed in everyday tasks such as cooking and running errands. She said: “In my kitchen, a lot of times, I practice. I do dance in my car. In fact I’ve gotten caught before. “But it doesn’t stop me because I think, ‘You know what? I like to do it.’ And when I see other people do it, I’m like, ‘That’s right, enjoy it!’” Despite the fact she dances behind the wheel, Katie maintains she is always safe, as her moves are “all upper body,” but when she is driving smaller cars, the 5’ 9” tall star admits she sometimes has to pull her

Alba welcomes second daughter essica Alba has become a mother for the second time. The actress - who already has a three-year-old daughter, Honor, with husband Cash Warren - gave birth to another girl on Saturday. The couple have decided to name the tot - who weighed in at 7lbs - Haven Garner Warren and both mother and baby are doing well.

Jessica announced the happy news on her Facebook page, writing: “She was born on Saturday, weighed 7 lbs. and was 19 inches long. Healthy and happy! Big sister Honor couldn’t be more excited about the new addition to our family. Thank you for all of your support during my pregnancy. It means the world to me.” Before the birth, Jessica revealed how she couldn’t wait to meet her new baby as she had already bonded with the tot during her pregnancy.

The 30-year-old beauty said: “The idea of

J

Copperfield is secretly a dad avid Copperfield secretly became a father - 16 months ago. The 54-yearold illusionist - who was previously engaged to supermodel Claudia Schiffer and French girlfriend Chloe Gosselin welcomed a girl, named Sky, last year, but the news has only just been made public. His spokesperson confirmed: “Forget vanishing the Statue of Liberty, David’s next illusion

D

will be disappearing the dirty diaper. A lot more practical.” David - who famously made iconic New York landmark the Statue of Liberty apparently disappear - is currently taking part in a magic show in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, and he is currently ranked as the 10th highest paid entertainer in the world according to Forbes magazine.

As well as his work as an illusionist, David is also heavily involved with his own Project Magic charitable scheme, where illusionists work with occupational therapists to help with the rehabilitation of people with physical problems. Explaining the scheme, David has said: “It’s a programme that uses magic as a form of therapy for people with disabilities, where magic is taught to patients in hospitals to help them regain their dexterity and their coordination by learning sleight of hand, in addition to boosting the patient’s self-esteem by giving them a skill that an able-bodied person doesn’t even have.”

leg up to stop getting cramp.

Speaking on TV show ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’, she added: “Well, there are certain cars that are tiny and sometimes my leg gets cramped so I [put my leg up on the seat] and just use the right foot [for the pedal].

That’s not illegal!” While she is always a safe driver, Katie, 32, had a narrow escape from a burning car while filming ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’ in 2009, after a battery used in it blew up on set, causing it to fill with smoke and fumes. The actress managed to run from the car and no one was harmed in the accident.

loving someone as much as I love Honor is something I haven’t wrapped my head around yet. But I know I will and I can’t wait.

As a mother carrying a baby we get to bond while the baby is growing - reaching each milestone, feeling hiccups, kicks, rolling around. It’s the blessing I think we get for all the round-ligament pain, sciatic pain and frequent trips to the bathroom.

“I’m signed up at three mommy sites that update me daily and weekly on the baby’s development, which is probably a bit much. But it’s a nice break from the day to check in with the baby, because, like everything else in life these days, time flies.”

Ried married in Greece ara Reid has married Danish businessman Michael Lilleund. The 35-year-old actress wed in a ceremony in Greece on Sunday, just a day after she had become engaged, she revealed on social networking site twitter. In a series of tweets, she wrote: “I just got engaged! Thank you for all your support! I love you guys” She later added: “Love in Greece...I am now a wife :) Just got married in greece I love being a wife.” Tara has recently finished filming on the fourth ‘American Pie’ film ‘American Reunion’ with Mena Suvari and Jason Biggs and is rumoured to be taking part in UK reality TV show ‘Celebrity Big Brother’, which starts later this week. The blonde beauty was due to marry internet entrepreneur Michael Axtmann last year after a whirlwind engagement, but cancelled her plans. She had even picked out a dress to wear by the time she pulled out, adding she planned to look like royalty for her big day. She said: “I’m going to look like a princess. I just picked out the designer - It’s Rani from St. Pucchi, and she’s like the most incredible wedding designer in the world, in my opinion. “I want my wedding to look like a wonderland. I want it to blow people away - and also to have a fun energy.”

T

Sheen injured on ‘Major League’ set C

harlie Sheen has injured himself on the set of the sequel to ‘Major League’. The 45-year-old actor was practicing for a scene on the movie at Chase Fields - home of the Arizona Diamondbacks - when he ruptured the ulnar nerve in his elbow, meaning he now finds it hard to rip a bat, causing filming on the project to be halted on Sunday. Charlie confirmed he is recovering at his house. He said: “I’m at home and I’m at peace.” Bosses at the baseball stadium tweeted a picture of the star saying he had been “great” while he was there. They tweeted: “Charlie sheen took BP earlier today as he prepares for next Major League’ movie. Was great to all the guys. WINNING” Meanwhile, Charlie has admitted he is looking forward to his forthcoming “roasting” - where comedians mock a celebrity - on Comedy Central because he views it as a “celebration” of his success. He said: “It’s not like you can take any of it personally. ‘They insulted me!’ Get over your cheap self ... It’s a celebration of who I am ... as a media figure, an industry figure, stuff like that, so that’s the veneer that keeps it from being personal.” The show will air on September 19, the same night as the premiere for ‘Two and A Half Men’ - the comedy series from which Charlie was fired after a public spat with creator Chuck Lorre - with newly-cast Ashton Kutcher hits TV screens.

Lady Gaga teams up with Barneys ady Gaga is developing a range of limited edition gifts for Barneys. The department store have teamed with the eccentric singer for a multifaceted seasonal campaign based around ‘Gaga’s Workshop’ - a shopping experience which will see the fifth floor men’s department transformed into a special area based on the star’s idea of Santa’s Workshop and filled with items created by Gaga and her friend Nicola Formichetti. The space will be transformed by Brazilian-born installation artist Eli Sudbrack of Assume Vivid Astro Focus. Barneys’ chief executive officer Mark Lee told WWD: “Holiday is about joy, sharing and inclusiveness, and to me, Gaga really represents all of that.

“Her platform is so much about positivity, individuality and universality in a very today way.” Barneys worked closely with Gaga and Formichetti to design exclusive, limited edition small gift items - from candies and toys to apparel, accessories, candles and cosmetics. There also are Gaga-curated items like books and CDs. Among the limited edition items will be jewelry made entirely of rock candy; lipsticks in special Gaga red or pink hues; lip-shaped, hand-painted dark chocolate, and a Rubik’s Cube exclusive to this collaboration. “There are a lot of things for fans of all ages, for kids and kids at heart. I think our existing and new customers will find fun things to share and give as gifts in a lighthearted and not so serious way.” The workshop will open in November until January 2, with the store’s Madison Avenue windows also decorated to keep in with the Gaga’s Workshop theme. As part of the collaboration, 25 per cent of sales will be donated to a charity of Gaga’s choice. —Bang Showbiz

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Bollywood stars mourn Kapoor ollywood stars turned out in force yesterday to pay their respects to actor Shammi Kapoor, the heartthrob actor of the 1950s and 1960s who died at the weekend. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, a family friend, helped carry Kapoor’s flower-covered body from his home in the upmarket Malabar Hill area of south Mumbai to a waiting ambulance for the short trip to a nearby crematorium.

Also in attendance were Aamir Khan and Priyanka Chopra, two of the Hindilanguage film industry’s leading lights, as well as top politicians and other prominent figures, including the industrialist Anil Ambani. Shammi’s younger brother, Shashi, who is also in frail health, was among the mourners, an AFP photographer said. The Kapoors are Bollywood’s foremost acting dynasty. Four generations of the family have acted, produced or directed in Bollywood from brothers Raj, Shammi and Shashi’s father Prithviraj to Raj’s son’s Randhir and Rishi. Randhir’s

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daughter Kareena is now an established A-lister while Rishi’s son Ranbir is one of the industry’s top new male leads.

Shammi Kapoor died on Sunday morning at a private south Mumbai hospital after suffering renal failure. He was 79 and had been in poor health for a number of years. The actor shot to fame in romantic hits such as “Tumsa Nahin Dekha” (You’re One of a Kind, 1957), “Dil Deke Dekho” (Give Your Heart and See, 1959) and “Junglee” (Wild, 1961). His energetic dancing style, which transformed Bollywood’s innocent song and dance routines into something more raunchy, was often compared to the US singer Elvis Presley, earning him the tag of a “rebel”. He later became an avid promoter of the Internet and was the founder-chairman of the Internet Users Community of India.—AFP

(From left) Adityaraj Kapoor helps carry the mortal remains of his father, late Bollywood actor Shammi Kapoor, as they head to a crematorium.—AFP

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor, center, pays last respects.

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and director Ashutosh Gowarikar attend the funeral.

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra

Hilary Duff pregnant

Paris Hilton is escorted to her limousine shortly upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines late Sunday. —AP

Paris Hilton loses cellphones on plane to Manila aris Hilton is suffering a new bout of cellphone drama.

The heiress-turned-TV star reportedly lost two mobile devices on a flight to the Philippines for a visit to promote a hotel resort. Television footage showed Hilton combing through a bag looking upset while she was surrounded by airline staff at the Manila airport late Sunday after arriving from Dubai.

Manila radio station DZBB reported that airport and airline authorities are investigating. In 2005, hackers gained

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access to Hilton’s Sidekick cellphone and famously splashed the private mobile numbers of her celebrity friends on line.

The latest loss apparently didn’t leave Hilton completely cut off - she greeted fans with a tweet “I love you” in the local Tagalog language. —AP

ilary Duff and her husband are expecting their first child. The 23year-old singer and actress announced the news Sunday her website, after noting that she and Mike Comrie, 30, are celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary. “We also want to share the exciting news that baby makes three,” Duff wrote on her site. “We are extremely happy and ready to start this new chapter of our lives.” Days before making the news official, Duff told Us Weekly that “we both love kids and we’re really excited. ... It was a big deal for us because we had a year to be married.” Duff appeared on the big screen earlier this year in the independent drama “Bloodworth.” Her last album was a live set released in 2009. Canadian-born Comrie plays hockey for the Pittsburgh Penguins. —Reuters

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‘The View’ has 2 newlyweds M

(From left) Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck

orning talk show “The View” has a two newlyweds on its panel of cohosts, with Joy Behar and Sherri Shepherd getting married just days apart.

Shepherd, 44, tied the knot with television writer Lamar Sally on Saturday in her hometown of Chicago, according to media reports. Two days earlier, Behar married longtime boyfriend Steve Janowitz in New York, in an event that, unlike Shepherd’swhich will air as a TV special on the Style network Sept 13 - was low-key and under wraps. Shepherd and Sally, who became engaged in December, wed at Chicago’s Fairmont Hotel, her representative told People magazine.

The bridal party included eight bridesmaids, among them Elisabeth Hasselbeck of “The View,” actress Yvette Nicole Brown (“Community”) and TV host Niecy Nash (“Clean House”). It’s the second marriage for Shepherd, who in addition to her hosting duties on “The View” has a recurring role on “30 Rock.” She was married to comedian Jeff Tarpley from 2001 to 2009.

Shepherd’s 6-year-old son walked her down the aisle Saturday. Behar, who previously had sworn off marriage, has been with Janowitz for 29 years. A spokesman for “The View” issued a statement saying that Behar would discuss her wedding when the show returns on Sept 6. —Reuters

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Nature is an amenity at four unique lodges in

Australia’s hinterland

n a cliff ge sits o MCT d o L n a e thern Oc stralia. — rrow, Sou south coast in Au a n y r e v o Island’s long, and The very o Bay on Kangaro s atop Han

Wilpena Pound is a natural amphitheater of mountains in Flinders Ranges National Park in Australia and is rich in fossils and popular with hikers. —MCT allabies on the runway. Fur seals on the shore. Gourmet with a view. Australian wilderness can be as wild as you want it, or not, at four resorts in settings that capture essential Oz: The bush of the tropical north where seasons are two: wet and dry. The red desert of the outback, with landforms millennia old. The southern island where wondrous animals thrive. The half-wild grasslands wrapping mountains carved from a prehistoric sea.

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l Wildman Wilderness Lodge Humpty Doo, Northern Territory I surprise myself, waking at 4:30 am, just as I do in Dallas-a half-world east of this classy camp that opened in April in tropical northern Australia.

My reward is beauty, but not silence.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of my modernistic cabin, unseen birds chuck-chuck, cackle and squeal in the predawn. Planets beam over my shoulder as bright as Boy Scout flashlights with fresh batteries.

Moonlight traces gum trees’ shadows on the red ground and rimes the distant clouds, white lace on velvet.

This is the tranquility that draws people to Wildman, an eco-resort west of famed-for- crocs K ak adu National Park. The 10 cabins that face a grassy airstrip are recycled, brought here by road train from a resort 1,800 miles away that failed, too outback for easy access. Wildman, on the other hand, is barely two hours by good road from Darwin. Small planes and helicopters can set down on the run-

way, though not today. The just-ended wet season has left it too soggy for safe landings.

That’s fine with the wildlife. The open ground is a banquet table for agile wallabies and sulphur-crested cock atoos. Wildman is strangely shaped, a ribbon of land about 100 yards wide and a mile long sandwiched between Mary River wetlands and national park. The skinny, fouracre site puts protected land steps from the cabins and the 15 luxury safari tents on the property’s opposite end. Birds perch on cone-shaped termite mounds, blue-winged kookaburras hee-haw in the paperbark forest, wallabies’ big hind feet sound plop-plop-plop on the path linking the cabins to the conference center, pool and restaurant.

It would be easy to spend the day in the air-conditioned, roomy cabin’s big easy chair and watch nature’s traffic. But guide Neddy Tambling is available to take guests on a walk in the floodplain fringing Wildman, lead a quad-bike excursion in parkland or board early-risers on a boat to cruise among nesting and flying birds, waterlilies, wild pigs, water buffalo and a croc with an amber gaze.

Meals are generous and open air when insects don’t inter fere. The huge breakfast could hold you all the way to the three - course dinner, which you should hope will include barramundi, the tender, sweet favorite fish in the Top End. Under the cabin’s double roof (shade upon shade in this hot region), naps come easily and night-

time dreams even more quickly. In this big-sky land of off-leash nature, stress-free is your souvenir. lLongitude 131 Ayers Rock Resort Yulara, Northern Territory Adventurers travel the world to see Earth’s great landforms, among them the Grand Canyon, Everest, the Alps and this one: Ayers Rock, a chilipowder-red monolith mounding out of a flat deser t in the center of Australia.

And, pinch me, it’s framed by the window of my room at this luxury lodging in the outback. In fact, raise the sunshade in any of the 15 freestanding units, and the rock — now known by its aboriginal name, Uluru — is center view, six miles distant.

Each canvas-domed habitat is unique, dedicated to an outback pioneer and decorated with artifacts from that person or his era. Human history gives way to natural history, however, in tours at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park included for guests.

In late afternoon, we’re guided along Mala Walk on Uluru’s northwest face and hear of aboriginals’ link to the sacred rock. The mile-long hike ends with canapes and champagne as the sun ignites flame colors in the iron-rich coat the rock wears.

At sunrise, we watch dawn rouge the rounded cheeks of Kata Tjuta, formerly called the Olgas. The 36 rock domes about 20 miles west of Uluru were eroded from a pudding of pebbles, stones and boulders stirred into mud and sand and hardened over

epochs. The wind-scoured, 1.5-mile walk in Walpa Gorge passes huge crumbs of this geologic batter.

Cameras and awe get a workout at the Uluru sunset viewing before we’re taken to a high point near the resort for a candlelight gourmet dinner under a blanket of stars glittering in the pristine air. Like all of the delectable meals and wines at Longitude, this special event costs nothing extra. Neither do snacks, park fees, a shopper’s shuttle from the resort’s remote dune into the town of Yulara, or airport transfers.

From arrival to departure, no hands are out for tips, and beyond options for private guiding or touring and a few remembrances for sale (some are fine ar t priced accordingly), Longitude is all-inclusive.

Named for Earth’s north-south grid line that passes through the national park and the resor t, Longitude is ingeniously easy on the land. The tent-roofed, hard-side rooms incorporate insulating materials and central Australia’s boundless solar energy for climate control, and each unit is elevated to allow natural movement of the sand beneath. The resort is sumptuous in setting and furnishings, but it was designed to be deconstructed. Sometime in the future, its parts could be disassembled and carried away and the desert left as it was found. For the ecominded, it’s revelation of caring. l Southern Ocean Lodge Kangaroo Island, South Australia It doesn’t look like safari country.

The Southern Ocean, that salty moat separating K angaroo Island and Australia’s south coast from Antarctica, is flinging frothy waves onto the beach below my elegant cocoon at Southern Ocean Lodge. A gray curtain of chilly rain blurs the rocky promontory nearby.

But this island is an ark, and more than two-by-twos are here for the spotting. Wild things could be reason enough to come, but this lodge is one, too.

Nearly as long as three football fields, and just one suite wide along most of its length, the serpentine lodge crowns a cliff top above Hanson Bay on Kangaroo’s south coast. Each of the 21 suites is oceanfacing, and vast blue panoramas of sea and sky fill the view of each. With private terraces, heated limestone underfoot, fine linens on king-size beds, mini-fridges filled with soft drinks and champagne for the taking, music on command and sitting areas with custom ‘roo-themed accessories, these digs are tenaciously top shelf.

Kelly Hill Conservation Park and the sprawling wildness of Flinders Chase National Park snuggle up to South Ocean Lodge and put animals within reach of tours planned for guests.

Island-born nature guide Brenda Hilder is keeping an eye on the road and one on the roadside scrub as we roll on a half- day excursion into Flinders Chase. She slows to a stop, and I think I see why the Cape Barren goose is one of the world’s rarest geese.

Two of the pale-gray creatures are casually strolling on the two-lane highway that carries much of the island’s west-end traffic. The tubby birds with lime-green beaks, pink legs and black feet cast a sassy glance our way then pad reluctantly off the asphalt.

Just beyond, two k angaroos hunched over in roadside grazing straighten to inspect us. A species unique to the island, they’re smaller and more furry than their mainland cousins. At the aptly named Remarkable Rocks, granite boulders fantastically sculpted by wind and water, I scan the bushes for a fairy wren, and the blue and black sprite I’ve long wanted to see pops into view.

New Zealand fur seals snoozing at rocky Admiral’s Arch and a lucky sighting of the shy tammar wallaby are appetizers for the bush picnic Hilder grills for us.

Cleaning our plates is tempting, but it’s always prudent to save room for meals at the lodge. The island 12 miles off the mainland is primarily agricultural, and chef Tim Bourke taps its bounty in his new-every-day menus. His palette includes local sheep’s-milk cheese and yogurt, crayfish, meats, fruits, shellfish, grains and honey from prized Ligurian bees.

People who live and work on this 35- by 97-mile isle embrace it with affection.

“Here you have the bush and the coa s t,” says lodg e g u ide Jes s Skewes. “You get the best of both worlds.” —MCT

Have a ducky time in Pittsburgh with

amphibious vehicles

By Bob Downing m a quacker. My wife, Pat, isn’t. But we enjoyed the 60-minute land-water excursion aboard the duckies that tour Pittsburgh, where passengers are encouraged to quack as loudly as possible. We were a noisy crew quacking our way through the heart of the one-time Steel City. Yes, it was a little kitschy, but the kids aboard loved it.

Our guides, Captain Al and narrator Garrett, took great delight in having us quack as loudly as possible when passers-by were talking on cell phones along city streets. The natives really loved us. Just Ducky Tours owns and operates six of the DUKW vehicles that date back to World War II. Reservations are needed because the narrated tours from Pittsburgh’s historic Station Square are very popular, with five trips a day on weekdays and six on weekends.

The duckies cruise downtown streets, cross the Allegheny River on one of Pittsburgh’s 446 bridges (more than any other city in the world) and then enter the water near the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers form the Ohio River. The duckies drove down the paved bank at Allegheny Riverfront Park on Pittsburgh’s North Shore not far from Heinz Field, the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and into the water.

We cruised past parks, the Carnegie Science Center and the Rivers Casino before doubling back.

We floated past the World War II submarine USS

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Requin (SS-481), anchored at the science center. We also passed a bronze statue on the shore dedicated to the late children’s television host Fred Rogers, a Pittsburgh native.

Two duckies exited the water but the third had mechanical problems and got stuck on the steellined ramp. A replacement was called to retrieve the passengers and crew. With the ramp blocked, our ducky crossed the Allegheny River near Point State Park, where the three rivers meet and cruised up the Monongahela to another ramp to exit the water. We made our way back to Station Square on the south shore of the Monongahela across from downtown Pittsburgh.

The amphibious trucks have a colorful past. The six-wheel-drive vehicle was designed and built starting in 1942 by General Motors and Sparkman & Stephens. It is a modification of the two-ton Army “deuce” truck. A DUKW is 31 feet long, 8 feet, 3 inches wide and 7 feet, 1 inch high. It weighs 6.5 tons empty. It can travel up to 50 miles per hour on land and 5.5 knots on water. It is estimated that 21,137 DUKWs were built during World War II. In the designation, D stands for being designed in 1942; U, for being a utility vehicle; K, for being an all-wheel-drive vehicle; and W, for two powered rear axles. Ducks were first used in the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and were used in the D-Day invasion of France and in March 1945 to cross the Rhine River into Germany.

The first American ducky tours were offered in 1946 in Milwaukee and they’ve become famous in

Boston, Baltimore, Seattle and other cities.

Pittsburgh is a city of 311,000 with a compact and very walkable downtown, world-class museums, distinctive architecture, a strong cultural scene, excellent shopping, cutting-edge galleries, 89 distinct neighborhoods, high-quality restaurants and a strong industrial history that is being celebrated. The downtown is marked by glass-and-steel skyscrapers like PPG Place. There is even a public art walk. You can download a guide at http://www.publicartpittsburgh.org.

Pittsburgh has a surprisingly pretty and green urban setting, with more trees per capita than any other American city. And, yes, Pittsburgh has three more bridges within its city limits than Venice, Italy.

You can rent kayaks and paddle Pittsburgh’s rivers.

You can rent bicycles and pedal on spectacular riverside trails. It is a city with a museum to honor native son Andy Warhol and an aviary filled with colorful birds from around the world.

Industrial magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie loved dinosaurs. So the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, built in 1907, houses one of the largest dinosaur collections in the world. It sits next to the Carnegie Museum of Art, which features French impressionist, post-impressionist and 19thcentury American art.

Nearby you will find the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, built more than a century ago by Henry Phipps, a friend and partner of Carnegie. The elegant 13-room Victorian glasshouse features tropical plants, butterfly gar-

Duckies pick up riders outside Station Square in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. —MCT dens, orchids and seasonal flowers.

It is fun to explore the food shops and restaurants along The Strip, Pittsburgh’s historic market district that lies north of downtown along Penn Avenue and nearby streets on the banks of the Allegheny River. It is the center of Pittsburgh’s nightlife.

It is filled with places to enjoy cheese, meat, pasta, fish, chocolate and more. A mile-long stretch of old warehouses has been converted into restaurants, food shops and nightclubs. Street vendors prepare international dishes. It has a European feeling but retains a gritty working-class atmosphere.

You can sample biscottis at Enrico Biscotti Co, fresh-baked breads at Mancini’s, hummus at Labad’s and an almond or apple mele at

Colangelo’s. The Pennsylvania Macaroni Co, an oldschool Italian market, exudes a feeling of Boston’s North End with its 60 olive oils and hundreds of cheeses. It features Carol Pascuzzi, the store’s legendary cheese queen, who calls everyone “dear heart.” She really knows her cheeses and she shares that knowledge with visitors.

In the heart of The Strip, you will find Primanti’s with its iconic sandwiches that contain coleslaw and fries. It is open 24 hours and draws big crowds.

You can even sign up for food tours of The Strip.

They cost $30 with Burgh Bits & Bites. For information, call 412-901-7150 or check out http://www.burghfoodtour.com. The Strip-once home to steel mills and glass factories-has a large farmers’ market on Saturday mornings in season.

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Do Something

Host Jane Lynch presents the Crown Do Something 100K Winner award to Sarah Cronk onstage.

(From left) Host Jane Lynch and finalists Taryn Guerrero Davis, Mark Kabban, Sarah Cronk, Adam Lowry and David Schwartz are seen onstage at the Do Something Awards. —AP photos

David Beckham accepts the Do Something Athlete award from Gordon Ramsey.

Presenters Olivia Munn and David Spade pose with Justin Bieber, winner of the Do Something Music Artist award.

ollywood stars and musicians alike stepped out on Sunday evening to help celebrate young people who try to make the world a better place. Among those rocking the blue carpet rolled outside the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California for 2011 Do Something Awards were Adam Lambert and Demi Lovato.

Bringing his unique style to the event, 29-year-old Adam showed off a spiky look with his blue-green troll hair. Accompanied by boyfriend Sauli Koskinen, the “American Idol” alum arrived in an all black ensemble which he completed with a pair of gray globes and a silver necklace.

18-year-old Demi, in the meantime, opted to go with a subtler fashion. Presenting a fresh look, the “Skyscraper” singer donned a white mini with silver embellished detailing, and teamed up the dress with a pair of peep-toe heels. On the blue carpet, she was joined by reality star Kim Kardashian who dazzled in a full-length form-fitting white gown.

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Finalist Mark Kabban accepts an award for Yalla: Youth and Leaders Living Actively, from Tony Hawk.

Will Ferrell accepts the do something comedian award.

Tyra Banks accepts the Do Something style award.

Finalist David Schwartz accepts an award for The Real Food Challenge from Nick Cannon.

Also staying true to his own style was teen sensation Justin Bieber. While he didn’t have girlfriend Selena Gomez as his date for the event, the 17-yearold singer kept it casual yet dapper by wearing an unbuttoned black shirt over another black T-shirt.

He completed his look with gold denim jeans and black shades. Sophia Bush was stunning in a strapless navy wrap-over gown, while “Cowboys and Aliens” beauty Olivia Wilde chose to go with a silvery pale green gown with a slit right down the center of her chest. Model-turned-TV host Tyra Banks, on the other hand, went with trousers, and combined three different colors.

Taped on Sunday, this year’s Do Something Awards will be aired on Thursday, August 18 at 9 PM ET/PT on VH1. “Glee” star Jane Lynch serves as host for the second consecutive year. Among the winners, Demi took home Charity Song for her duet with Joe Jonas, “Make a Wave”, and David Beckham nailed Do Something Athlete award. —Ace Showbiz

Finalist Taryn Guerrero Davis accepts an award for The American Window Project from Kerry Washington.

Sophia Bush accepts the Do Something Twitter award.

Olivia Wilde accepts the Do Something movie star award.

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Indian students dressed in traditional attire leap in the air while taking part in Independence Day celebrations in Bangalore, India, yesterday. India marked 64 years of independence from British rule. —AP

Iraq’s last king lives on in Tintin comics E

veryone here knows that the July 14 bridge, a convenient route to the US Embassy and government offices in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, marks a 1958 coup when Iraq’s last king was murdered. But not many know that King Faisal II lives on in the classic “Tintin” comic books. This includes his own cousin, the man who would be king in the unlikely event that the Iraqi monarchy were restored. “I have read Tintin since childhood but I never made the connection with King Faisal,” laughed Sharif Ali bin Hussein, amused to learn that Belgian comic writer Herge had modeled one of his characters on his relative.

On the morning of July 14, 1958, King Faisal II, who had just turned 23, was led into the palace courtyard with several family members. All were executed under the command of Captain Abdul Sattar As-Saba’a, a leader in a coup d’etat led by Colonel Abdul Karim Qassim. Sharif Ali, Faisal’s maternal first cousin who is now in his mid-50s, was only about two at the time. The day’s events changed the course of Iraqi history and led, in July 1979, to the rise of Saddam Hussein, whose dictatorship lasted until he himself was ousted by the 2003 US-led invasion.

But years before, the young king had captured the imagination of the West as well as Tintin creator Herge-after the tragic death of his father King Ghazi in a 1939 car crash that sent Faisal to the throne at age three. From childhood until death, the life of Iraq’s “boy king” was chronicled in photos and articles in big-name US magazines like Time, Life and National Geographic.

Herge quietly drew on the anecdotes to fashion his character Prince Abdullah of the imaginary kingdom of Khemed. The mischievous Arab prince and practical joker both exasperated and charmed boy reporter Tintin and his irascible friend Captain Haddock, first in the “Land of Black Gold” (1950) and later in “The Red Sea Sharks” (1958).

The real-life Faisal shared the same playfulness. “What I know from family anecdotes is that he used to love practical jokes, which is an indication of his sense of humour and sense of fun,” said Sharif Ali at his villa on the Tigris river where framed photographs of his royal Hashemite lineage adorn the wall. “Touch not the son of my master,” he chuckled, quoting from memory Captain Haddock when he grabs Abdullah in anger at his antics and is warned off by the boy’s

Modern Etiquette:

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don’t pretend to have reached enlightenment.

Yet, with all the chaos going on in financial markets, we clearly need yoga more than ever.

Here are 10 tips for being mannerly on your mat: On arriving late (or leaving early) The main thing here is, try not to do either.

However, stuff happens, and the best-laid plans of mice, men, and yogis often go awry. In some private studios the door will be closed and quite possibly locked, thus taking care of what to do about late-comers. Pounding on the door would not be a viable option here. In gym settings, or in studios where walking in late is possible, be respectful of the meditative yearnings of the rest of the class who showed up on time-open and close the door quietly, tiptoe in, open and lay down your mat as delicately as if you were handling TNT. Better yet, if the class opening meditation is underway, wait until it is finished before making your late entry; in that case, quietly apologize, at least by silently mouthing “sorry” to the teacher. Be as unobtrusive as a pickpocket. And if you must leave early, best to inform the teacher before class starts, and leave with the utmost quietness. Getting up during savasana is a no-no.

Avoid wedging your mat Avoid wedging your mat in where there is insufficient space. Your teacher can help rearrange the layout of mats. That way you won’t have to incur the wrath (wrath is unyoga-like, yet not uncommon in such situations) of participants who are already deep into their own inner as well as outer space.

Arab guardian. The real life Faisal’s mother Queen Aliya or his English governess Dora Borland at times escorted the “boy king”, who was often photographed holding the hand of his uncle,

File photo shows several car toon books featuring legend repor ter Tintin. —AFP photos Prince Abdulillah, who was regent until the king came of age in 1953.

‘Things haven’t changed much’-Faisal II was a regular in Life magazine, which ran a 1942 photo

essay showing the seven-year-old king first in shorts on an oversized throne, then on the palace grounds with his German shepherd dog.

Three years later-when Iraq was under British wartime occupation-the boy is surrounded on his 10th birthday by presents from British troops: a big toy yacht, a field kitchen and a tent. And in 1946, Life captured the 11-year-old in suit and tie in the French capital. “Iraq’s boy king licks a lollipop while seeing Paris,” read the photo caption.

But it was a 1941 National Geographic story on Iraq with a picture of the “boy king”, then six, that inspired Herge, whose real name is Prosper Remi, according to a Danish expert on the Tintin creator. “That picture was traced by Herge and made to resemble his fictional character, Prince Abdullah, the son of the Emir of Khemed,” said Frank Madsen, 49, a Danish writer and illustrator of children’s books, in an email to AFP. “In the story Herge needed Abdullah to be kidnapped by the villain Dr Muller, so that his hero Tintin could go rescue him,” said Madsen. “As always Herge wished to surprise his readers, so he made his character Abdullah into a spoiled kid, who did not want Tintin to rescue him at all.”

Despite Tintin’s real-life connection with Iraq,

his comics remain virtually unknown to Iraqi teenagers, or even to an older generation. But as Abdullah’s character was modeled after the reallife Iraqi king, since 2003 Iraq has turned into a model of Herge’s imaginary kingdom of Khemed, whose oil riches were coveted by crooked Western oil executives and arms merchants. In real life, arms merchants that Tintin was often trying to outfox have already done their bit in Iraq, perhaps nowhere with such unvarnished chutzpah than the $80-million no-bid contract under which British firm ATSC sold more than 1,500 fake “bomb detectors”.

At checkpoints across Baghdad, Iraqi soldiers and policemen unholster their pistol-like ADE 651 “magic wands” to scan vehicles for explosives. But the device has no power source, no real innards, and has been called a fake by the US military. At the US Embassy, whose numbers will double to 16,000 personnel next year, diplomats and salesmen from American arms makers and energy firms are gearing up for business as Baghdad ratchets up oil output and revenues. At the drop of a hat, American diplomats and military officers are ready to gush about how much has been accomplished in Iraq since the invasion. —AFP

Taking your manners to the yoga mat

Do not tread on others’ mats This should go without saying, but I am saying it anyway because I see it happening all the time.

This is tantamount to inviting yourself into someone else’s home. If you can do Warrior poses, you can easily step over a mat!

Come to class clean Body odor is a big distraction. If your routine is to work out vigorously and then come to yoga class, wash off the sweat and use a deodorant.

Hand sanitizers should be liberally employed.

Offer to share with your neighbors, especially in flu season. If you are ill, stay away from class; others do not need to be exposed any more than is necessary, and your attendance in yoga class is not a necessity.

Avoid perfumes and colognes Many people are sensitive to fragrances.

Wear clothing that is appropriate Yoga is not about fashion statements. Comfort and practicality rule. Please, leave your shirt on. I have on two occasions witnessed practitioners strip during class. I suppose that one may ask permission before doing so in an unusually warm setting. No apologies to Bikram.

On doing your own thing Don’t. Even if you have a better practice than the teacher, or anyone else in the room. This kind of thing leads to a free-for-all, which is definitely not conducive to a mind-body-spirit balanced class. If there is a pose that you just have to do, and the teacher is not offering it, wait until the end of class and go do it to your heart’s content.

Now, if you are pregnant, that is a whole other matter. You do need to modify poses and avoid certain ones as well. Best to declare your condition to the teacher before or at the beginning of class.

Otherwise your twisting to the opposite side and avoiding Cobra and Locust poses, among others, may confuse your neighbors. Besides your teacher may suggest other modifications which had not occurred to you.

Breathing too loud Uijayi pranayam (ocean-sounding, or victorious breath) is a wonderful practice, even if you have not been invited by the teacher to use it. However, it can be distracting to others. It was never meant to be heard from coast to coast, or even across the room. Properly performed, it should be audible only as far as the next mat over. And please, no grunting; if the pose is too strenuous for you, simply back off and pause in Prayer or Child pose.

Thank your teacher Simply repeat Namaste after she says it at the end of class, even if you are a bit unsure of exactly what it means. And perhaps you might take a moment to expand upon the sentiment by saying a bit more about how great the class was, etc.

Teachers love to get feedback. Constructive criticism and/or suggestions also should be welcomed.

Clean up That means wiping off your mat, especially if you are using one that belongs to the facility. Put away your props, too-neatly. Be like a Boy Scout and leave the place a little better than you found it. — Reuters

Enthusiasts perform yoga in Times Square during an event marking the summer solstice on June 21, 2011 in New York City. —MCT