29 Aug

ON IP TI SC R SU B

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

03:50 04:00 05:24 11:49 15:23 18:14 19:34

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

www.kuwaittimes.net

RAMADAN 29, 1432 AH

Rooney treble shatters Arsenal

Candidates spar in Japanese PM race

Kazakhstan still reels from impact of nuke tests

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No Eid holiday for municipal inspectors

Storm Irene batters shuttered New York Toll hits 15, Lower Manhattan flooded

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

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HAMPTON BAYS: Waves are seen crashing around homes as Hurricane Irene arrived yesterday in Hampton Bays, New York.

(Inset) A tractor trailor pushes through flood waters outside of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook. — AFP/AP

Amiri decree grants additional pensions KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir and the Supreme Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah issued an Amiri decree yesterday to grant additional pensions for retired officers of the police, army and national guards who hold the posts of Major General, Brigadier and Colonel on the occasion of these blessed days of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr.

The decision applies on those officers who have resigned between February 26, 1991 until June 30, 2004 like their colleagues who were included in the Cabinet decision in this respect, and had resigned between July 1, 2004 until April 27, 2008.

Acting Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said on this occasion that this initiative reflects HH the Amir’s keenness on military men and touches the concern of citizens and their sufferings.

Sheikh Jaber also thanked HH the Amir for the noble gesture, which adds to HH the Amir’s bright record in such initiatives. He also congratulated the Kuwaiti people on the advent of Eid Al-Fitr. — KUNA

MPs want NA session, speaker spurns plea Hayef questions interior over insults

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The so-called bank deposit scandal is developing into yet another major political crisis as the opposition Reform Bloc said it will request an emergency session but Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi said assembly can’t do anything on the issue.

MP Jamaan Al-Harbash, a member of the Reform and Development Bloc, said the Bloc will prepare a request for an emergency parliamentary session to discuss the suspicious bank deposits entered into

accounts of two MPs and called on lawmakers to sign the request.

Since the National Assembly is in summer recess until late October, the request must be signed by 33 MPs to convene the session.

Harbash called on the government to attend the session and provide all the necessary information about any deposits made into accounts of MPs in violation of rules by the central bank of Kuwait.

The government should also inform the assembly of the measures it had taken against these violations and against quarters that

Aadaab Al-Eid (Etiquette of Eid)

By Shaikh Al-Munajjid

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id means recurring happiness or festivity. There are two such Eid in Islam. The first is called Eid Al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast Breaking).

It falls on the first day of Shawwaal, the tenth month of the Muslim year, following the month of Ramadan in which the Holy Quran was revealed and which is the month of fasting.

TRIPOLI: A Libyan rebel, seen through a bullet hole, takes rest in the camp set up in Gaddafi’s wife Safiah’s abandoned home yesterday. —AP

Syria in crisis with Arab League over peace plan

NEW DELHI: Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare (centre) breaks his fast on the 13th day of his hunger strike at the Ram Lila grounds in New Delhi yesterday. —AFP (See Page 7)

have inter fered to allow such deposits in violation of the law. The new move comes following a press report that deposits worth KD25 million have been made to accounts of two MPs in a short period. The report linked the transactions to “political motives” related to grillings.

The report did not reveal the names of the concerned MPs but blogs and websites have already mentioned the names. Harbash warned that if the government foils the session or does not attend “the Continued on Page 13 Ramadan Kareem

Rebels zero in on Gaddafi bastion TRIPOLI: Libyan forces closed in on Muammar Gaddafi’s home town yesterday, vowing to seize it by force if negotiations failed, and their leaders ruled out any talks with the deposed ruler.

Gaddafi’s foes were advancing on his birthplace of Sirte, which straddles the east-west coastal road, but one commander said “liberating” the city could take more than 10 days. A Libyan military spokesman, Ahmed Bani, said anti-Gaddafi forces now controlled the road between Tripoli and the southern desert city of Sabha, a pro-Gaddafi stronghold. In a crucial step towards reviving Libya’s battered economy, the pipeline that supplies Libyan natural gas to Europe has been repaired, Bani said.

Continued on Page 13

Max 47º Min 29º Low Tide 04:52 & 17:55 High Tide 10:27

NEW YORK: Hurricane Irene lashed New York with heavy winds and driving rain yesterday, flooding some of Lower Manhattan’s deserted streets and large parts of the northeast, but the feared major devastation was avoided as the storm lost some of its punch.

Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm yesterday morning after marching up the East Coast, leaving 15 dead, as many as 3.6 million customers without electricity, forcing the closure of New York’s mass transit system, and the cancellation of thousands of flights.

“It’s safe to say that the worst of the storm up to and including New York and New Jersey has passed,” Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano said late yesterday morning as the sun started to peek through the clouds in New York City.

She said pre -storm preparations dramatically reduced the loss of life, but warned that river flooding across the eastern seaboard posed a danger. While weakened, the swirling storm still packed a wallop, sending waves crashing onto shorelines and flooding coastal suburbs and broad swathes of New Jersey, where residents reported basements full of water and numerous trees down.

There was about a foot of water in the streets at the South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan before the tide began receding. There appeared to be less damage than many had feared, and New Yorkers shrugged it off.

“It’s not bad as they said it would be. The streets are flooded but not as bad as I thought,” said John Harris, 37, who defied an evacuation order and stayed home overnight in the Rockaways.

Continued on Page 13

Money talks but not all the time

hat a cheap price to pay for a dictator who reigned Libya with an iron fist for over 40 years. What a price to pay for someone who owns or owned mega billions stored in high-profile banks around the world - such as Switzerland, the US etc. $1.7 million is a very cheap price to offer for him caught “dead or alive”. This guy used to pay such an amount for a dinner tip. He spent millions to buy people here and there - in Africa, in Europe and all over the globe. Now his head is worth $1.7 million.

I am not saying this because I am overevaluating his head and I am definitely not saying that he is worth more. Actually, he is not worth even a fil to me. I am saying this in comparison to the billions he wasted and how left his country underdeveloped. He bought all the people around him and bribed them with billions. I wonder how much he paid for his lady guards. This makes me wonder where are his female guards? Are they still loyal and with him? Did they run away with him?

Back to our topic. I was told a hilarious story about Gaddafi but I cannot reveal the source. A couple of years ago Gaddafi sent to Italy a large amount of gold bricks to be minted into coins with his picture and his name.

All went well. The Italians did the job and they loaded all the coins on one of his navy ships to be taken back to Tripoli. In the middle of the trip and deep at sea the captain was ordered to dump the boxes of thousands of coins in the sea. To the surprise of the captain the coins were thrown in the sea because Gaddafi had a dream that thousands of years in the future those who dive for treasure will make history to speak about him.

This was the most unbelievable story I have ever heard in my life. It is unbelievable.

Imagine, the head of the man who did such a thing costs $1.7 million. In my opinion no one is going to catch and hand over Gaddafi for that amount. It is not about the money.

Gaddafi can buy off people with the loads of cash he has. If he is to be caught he will be caught by sincere people who care for Libya and their national pride and not for the money offered for his head.

I am still wondering when the revolutionaries said they caught his son, how did he manage to run away a day later. I am telling you, sometimes money talks but not at all times.

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DAMASCUS: Syria’s ties with the Arab League were thrown into crisis yesterday over a proposed peace plan, as it reformed press laws while activists called a day of prayers for “martyrs” of the antiregime uprising. As security forces killed at least five more people across the country, according to activists, Damascus said an Arab League statement on the bloodshed in Syria contained “unacceptable and biased language.”

Its delegation to the Cairo-based organization rejected the overnight statement demanding an end to the killings as its chief, Nabil Al-Arabi, waited

for a green light to travel to Damascus.

In a diplomatic note, Syria said the declaration was issued “despite the meeting having closed with an agreement that no statement would be published or statement made to the press,” it said.

Damascus would act as if it had never been published. The Arab League announced its initiative aimed at solving the crisis in Syria where more than 2,000 people have been killed in anti-regime protests since mid-March, to be delivered in person by its secretary general, Arabi.

Continued on Page 13

Ghusl (taking a bath) One of the manners of Eid is to take a bath before going out for the prayer. It is reported in a saheeh report in Al-Muwatta’ and elsewhere that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar used to take a bath on the day of Al-Fitr before coming to the prayer-place. (Al-Muwatta’ 428) It was reported that Saeed ibn Jubayr said: “Three things are sunnah on Eid: to walk (to the prayer-place), to take a bath and to eat before coming out.” This is what Sa’eed ibn Jubayr said, and he may have learned this from some of the Sahaabah.

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that the scholars were agreed that it is mustahabb to take a bath before the Eid prayer. The reason why it is mustahabb to take a bath before Friday prayer and other public gatherings also applies in the case of Eid, only more so.

Eating before coming out One should not come out to the prayer-place on Eid AlFitr before eating some dates, because of the hadeeth narrated by Al-Bukhaari from Anas ibn Maalik who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would not go out on the morning of Eid Al-Fitr until he had eaten some dates... and he would eat an odd number.” (Al-Bukhaari, 953) Continued on Page 13

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

local

Eid: Surplus spending or special celebrations?

‘Eidiyas are another costly part of Eid’

By Lisa Conrad KUWAIT: “The excessive spending during Ramadan and Eid is totally ridiculous. What’s the point?” asks Aicha, a citizen. The celebration of Eid in Kuwait spreads across the country, as people take advantage of their time off to the fullest, spending time with family, frequenting malls and restaurants and socializing with friends. However, how does Ramadan, the run up to Eid and Eid itself affec t bank accounts across Kuwait? Given that Ramadan is a month where Muslims are encouraged to feel for those less fortunate, it’s ironic that spending ac tually increases. However, don’t fret quite yet - charitable contributions also go up significantly during this time.

So, how are budgets distributed during a month where attending and hosting meals becomes central to routines?

Well, firstly, there’s Ramadan to consider. Sara A, a citizen and mother of three said, “Ramadan is ex tremely expensive. You should provide quite extravagant Iftar meals and provide a good range of offerings at ghabqas, especially at the beginning of the month. You’re also invited to meals and gatherings, to which you should take something, such as traditional sweets.

Al-Qibla Travel Agency hosts iftar for staff KUWAIT: Al-Qibla Travel Agency hosted an iftar for its staff members and their families at the Holiday Inn in Salmiya. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Price tag Whether you’re hosting or attending, it ’s undoubtedly more expensive than other months.” However, Aicha said, “I don’t think it takes a toll on my budget. I stay in during Ramadan because of the traffic, so I spend a lot less money on going out. The money saved from that is what I use to cover additional costs that come along with Ramadan and Eid, such as buying gifts to take to gatherings.” Ramadan, and the spending associated with it, is met with further spending in the run up to Eid. Families rush out to purchase new outfits to wear for the festivities and, as a result, venturing into the malls becomes a nightmare. Fatima, also a citizen said, “If you arrive to an Eid family gathering and you’re not nicely dressed, it would look really strange and people would wonder why you didn’t make an effor t.” Men, however, have it much easier.

Fashion Fatima added, “Men can just wear the traditional dress (dishdasha) and that’s it. They don’t even have to think twice about what to wear. Maybe they’ll get a new one for the occasion, but that ’s all they need to worr y about.” However, not all women succumb to pressures, “I think all the excess spending is ridiculous. You’re seeing family, most-

ly, and you’re bound to have an outfit that they haven’t seen before, so why buy new? I used to buy new stuff for Ramadan and Eid, but I only wear them once and then they pile up. I realized this year that I have

means that you should stop by and reciprocate as well.”

Eidiya can build up to quite a sum, depending on the giving habits within each family, so everyone ends up with a considerable sum of money by the

tends to increase. Even Aicha, who noted that the spending is excessive, still spends more than she usually does but balances it out by going out less. However, giving doesn’t stop at a tray of sweets or an envelope of cash.

many things that I’ve never worn, so I chose to wear them instead,” said Aicha. Eid gatherings differ between families, as some prefer having meals at home while others choose to go to restaurants. If families opt to

end, “I usually end up with around KD 400 or 500 by the end,” says Fatima. All prosper, except, of course, for the Eidiya providers themselves who, contrastingly, expend considerable amounts. Depending on the size

Charity Charitable spending also increases, as Muslims make charitable donations throughout the month of R amadan, said Mohammad. Companies set up tents and bring in masses of food for the poor to break their fast with and people make donations of money, clothes and food. He added that people are very aware of their obligation to be more giving with those less fortunate, and even try and outdo others in their generosity. He added, however, “Boasting about how much charity you gave totally defeats the point and the effort you made will no longer be judged positively by

head to a favorite eatery, they will usually still gather together at a relative’s home to exchange gif ts. For many, the gif ts exchanged are usually an ‘Eidiya,’ which is an envelope containing cash. The notes are usually brand new, and the denomination depends on the age of the recipient. Eidiyas are another costly part of Eid as each adult, work ing male is expected to provide them to his children, spouse, female siblings, parents, in-laws, nieces and nephews. His brothers will do the same, and by the end, each family member will usually have amassed a considerable sum. Mohammad, a Jordanian expatriate, said that the trend of giving expands out of one’s family. “If family friends come to visit, you’re obliged to give their children an Eidiya.

Sometimes neighbors or friends will see your kids in the hallway and give them an Eidiya, which

of the family, the amount spent on gifting Eidiyas can range considerably. However, once a son within the family begins working and is mak ing a steady income, he takes the role of the Eidiya giver. Furthermore, once women begin working, they no longer qualify for the Eidiya from their parents. “This is the last year that I’m going to receive an Eidiya from my family.

To be honest, it’s a big incentive in making sure you attend the events. I really don’t know if I’m going to have the same drive to attend the family gatherings next year!” said Fatima. Aicha added, “I’m not giving Eidiya this year as I’m not working yet, and it’s incredibly expensive to give to everyone. If I do give, I give it to immediate family members only.”

Throughout R amadan and Eid, purchasing sweets, clothes, and gifts for others cer tainly

God. It should be a selfless act, not self-promoting.”

Zakat Al-Fitr is another form of charity which is specific to Ramadan, where money is paid to charity by the head of the family on behalf of its members, “It’s usually around 1 KD paid for each family member during the last 10 days of R amadan,” Mohammad said.

For the economical and excessive alike, Ramadan and Eid certainly appear to increase spending. However, some, like Aicha, manage to balance things out and avoid over-spending while still enjoying the festivities. Sara also strives for balance, adding “I don’t judge people who spend a lot during Ramadan and Eid. If that’s what makes them happy, then great. I do think, however, that if they can afford brand new outfits and extravagant gifts, their charitable contributions should also be higher.

If family friends come to visit, you’re obliged to give their children an Eidiya.

Sometimes neighbors or friends will see your kids in the hallway and give them an Eidiya, which means that you should stop by and reciprocate as well.”

AUB distributes Iftar meals daily KUWAIT: On the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan, and as a part of AUB’s commitment to its social responsibility, Ahli United Bank announced its offering of daily Iftar meals at the AUB tent which is located beside the main

branch in down town Kuwait City.

Hundreds of fasters come to this tent every day.

AUB mentioned in its press release, that it is serving the Iftar meals as an annual practice which shows AUB’s commitment

and social responsibility towards the local community as well as it is part of its distinguished charity initiatives. Due to AUB’s conversion of its operations and its compliancy with the Sharia principles, strengthened AUB’s value

towards social responsibility.

AUB will continue to participate in other various human and social programs.

This helps in encouraging the theme of cooperation and value of mercy among all.

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MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

local

Barded Irish Veal

KUWAIT: (Left) Mohammad Al-Tura - Business Development Manager, Microsoft Kuwait. (Right) Ahmad Al Awadi, Founder and CEO of Moving Blue, receiving a certificate from Al-Tura.

Microsoft Kuwait hosts exclusive ghabqa for govt officials, partners and customers Ingredients: (4 servings) Barded tournedos of Veal 4 pc (170grm each) Escalopes of Foie Gras 8pc (20grm each) Mousserons (Meadow mushrooms) 250grm Red Onions 2pc Salt 10grm Pepper 6grm Oil 20ml Sauce: Caster Sugar 5 table spoon Balsamic Vinegar2 table spoon Butter 2 table spoon Vegetable and Potato Roll Carrots 200grm Celery 100grm White of Leek 100grm Potatoes 500grm Bay Leaves 2pc Thyme 10grm Salt 5grm Pepper 3grm Cold Butter 20grm Lemon 20grm Preparation: 1 Hour Heat the oil in pan. Brown the tournedos on both sides. Add a little butter and

finish cooking in the oven at 1751/4C for about six minutes. Allow to rest for the time it takes to complete the other preparations.

Lightly fry the foie gras with the mushrooms.

Sauce Melt sugar to obtain a clear caramel, add the vinegar. Cook for a few minutes until syrup. When serving pour half of this sauce on the fried foie gras, mushrooms and red onions sliced into thin rings.

Vegetables and Potato Rolls Cook the green parts of the leeks in the oven at 2001/4C until they are carbonized, i.e. brown and crispy, and then crush them to make a sort of ash.

Peel the other vegetables and cut them into small pieces (except the potatoes). Cook them in lightly salted water until they are completely soft. Drain thoroughly and season with salt, pepper, lemon and cold butter. Make a fairly firm puree with the potatoes. When it is cold, make a little cylinder and then roll these in the leek ash. Heat the rolls in the oven at 1701/4C for ten minutes before serving. Arrange all of the ingredients on the plate and serve the rest of the sauce separately.

KUWAIT: Microsoft Kuwait celebrated the holy month of Ramadan by hosting a series of exclusive ghabqa for government officials, par tners and customers in Kuwait at the Sheraton Hotel. Microsoft Kuwait welcomed guests and prominent figures. The informal events were an oppor tunity for Microsoft Kuwait to reinforce its strong relationship with key stakeholders and establish a close rapport in order to enhance ICT initiatives in Kuwait. “ We would like to thank all those who attended these special occasions during the holy month of Ramadan,” said Wassim Hamad, Public Sector lead, Microsoft Kuwait. “ In the current times, economic growth, job creation and education are fundamental to each countr y ’s success, In such an environment, Microsoft is actively partnering with governments, local businesses and the overall community across Kuwait to determine how technology can play a constructive role in addressing these national priorities in association with our partners.”

In line with its approach of supporting innovation among young Kuwaiti entrepreneurs, Microsoft presented a certificate of appreciation to Ahmad Al Awadi, a young entrepreneur and Founder/CEO of Moving Blue for his innovative approach in movie production involving animation and visual effects. Ahmad was also instrumental in creating a promotional video about Microsoft Kuwait and its staff.

According to Mohamed Al Tura - Business Development Manager Microsoft Kuwait, “Microsoft has a long-term commitment to working with government institutions and our valued partners and customers to broaden access to technology, build local skills capacity

and enable new businesses to thrive and support a healthy software ecosystem We look forward to building more momentum for ICT initiatives across the country in the future backed

by Microsoft’s technological leadership and innovative approach”.

Guests and government officials at the ghabqa.

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MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

LOCAL

kuwait digest

kuwait digest

Expats’ psychological well-being

Conflict of interests

By Thaar Al-Rashidi

By Terki Al-Azmi

P Musallam Al-Barrak recently accused Minister of Commerce Amani Buresli of violating Ar ticle 131 of the Constitution. The legislation bans ministers from carrying on with financial activities during office hours. This reminds me of the political crisis of 1964 when then Amir late Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem rejected the Cabinet ’s demand for a parliamentar y dissolution, instead, ordering the prime minister to form a new Cabinet. It considered the Parliament’s opinion on the matter.

In 1986, the Parliament was unconstitutionally dissolved after MPs filed four interpellation motions in less than a month’s time. I believe that lawmakers then were different from present day legislators. Ignoring malpractices have now become their tradition.

Back in the sixties and early seventies, citizens were nearly 200,000 in number. The society contained problems that snowballed into a crisis on a national scale. People then were different from the way they are today. Today, technology spreads news at the speed of light, while corruption has been snowballing to the point in which society shuns those who call for reform.

I agree that a mass resignation for oppositionist MPs will not help solve the problem. This is because the majority in the Parliament are more concerned about looking after its own interests. As long as former ministers who faced the interpellation motion are hired as consultants, and as long as the Cabinet continues to be formed through reshuffling without taking the Parliament’s opinion into consideration, reform will remain a far-fetched ideal. You cannot be optimistic as long as there are MPs who ignore malpractices. A man can still dream on.

Conflict of interests is present due to the flawed process in which ministers, MPs, senior officials and other top personnel are appointed.

The situation is dire, and the solution must come from the people who can change lawmakers, and the manner in which government officials are appointed. — Al-Rai

he Ministry of Interior is concerned about “expats’ psychological well-being.” This response was made against the Ministry of Interior’s response to an article I had written entitled ‘Kuwait, State of One Million Expats.’

I had stated that the Ministry of Interior intends to place a salary cap of KD 500 on expats that intend to sponsor their immediate family members’ stay in Kuwait. I had written that this move will make our country a haven for bachelors, robbing expats of their mental well-being. It appears as if the Ministry of Interior responded to me by saying that it is concerned about the issue!

Of course, I have to thank the Ministry of Interior. I’d like to ask one question though, will visa traders, especially well-established ones, benefit? They had destroyed the spirits of thousands of expats by recruiting them from countries for KD 1,000 - 1500. They are then dumped on the streets of Kuwait without work, obligated to pay KD 300 to 500 to renew their residence permit. With such action criminalized by law, we find thousands of expats under the mercy of ‘blood suckers.’

On one side, they steal the dreams and sweat of simple expatriates who look up to a better future. On the other, they destroy the country’s demographic balance. Why doesn’t the Ministry of Interior who is “concerned about the expats’ psychological well-being,” investigate the companies that deal in residence trade permits? Some are fraudulent companies, and others are two-faced.

I don’t think that Ministry of Interior officials are not aware about the reality of visa traders who own companies. I don’t mean a simple citizen who created five to six fake companies who recruits 200 workers. The Immigration Department cannot, every day, publish a report about arresting a citizen in his 40’s and another in his 50’s. What about targeting organized networks? I haven’t forgotten ‘the merchant’ who was caught with 1,900 fake residence trade permits. I wish the ministry could chart out a real plan followed by an effective implementation to stop human trafficking. — Al-Anba

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kuwait digest

Uprooting corruption

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij is Highness the Amir’s order to speed up the mount to lawbreaking. Bribes also don’t necessarily establishment of an anti-corruption regulatory involve money all the time. The majority of corrupt body is testament to the fact that corruption is acts take place in the form of ‘wasta’ (influence) to rampant in the country. Uprooting it has become a help someone pass an illegal practice. national duty. HH’s special Such behavior helped turn corruption into a matter of concern with the subject is further proof that corSadly enough, corruption and public concern. Unfortunately, ruption is a matter of many or more accurately, the wrongdoing have become majority of citizens have been national concern. Not only acceptable social norms that no involved in corruption. Even is it a recent occurrence or longer stirs people’s passions; the way the government deals a malpractice committed with people has made ‘wasta’ by a limited number of neither is it condemnations anyindividuals. more. Corruption doesn’t always and bribes.

Sadly enough, corrupA true desire to tackle cormean passing tenders unlawfully ruption tion and wrongdoing must start at the roots. using manipulative means or It keeps feeding this destruchave become acceptable through illegal money transfer. tive phenomenon no matter social norms that no longer stirs people’s pashow hard we try to fight it. A corrupt lawmaker is only electsions; neither is it condemnations anymore. Corruption doesn’t always ed by voters that seek benefit. When lawmakers realmean passing tenders unlawfully using manipulative ize that citizens are party to this crime of spreading means or through illegal money transfer. Every breach corruption, it will reflect negatively on their performof law is a form of corruption; an act that is tanta- ance in the Parliament. — Al-Qabas

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kuwait digest

One will surrender

By Iqbal Al-Ahmad hen someone eventually surrenders, the others will be declared innocent. They simply cannot be held completely responsible.

Al-Qabas daily first published a news item about suspicious multi-million deposits made to MPs’ bank accounts, without naming the lawmakers. The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK ) defended its position and cleared the bank ing sector ’s involvement.

Members of the Parliament have either issued warnings, been skeptical about or have remained silent on the

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topic. In the meantime, the government has refrained from issuing a comment.

After the mystery surrounding the subject is resolved, one of these parties will be found guilty.

Either the lawmakers will be held accountable for receiving bribes, or the government should be held guilty of paying them.

Either way, the incident must not pass without any party being punished.

It is obvious that both the payer and recipient of the bribe must be punished. The Central Bank should be held accountable if

there are regulations according to which they can report suspicious cases. However, if rumors are fabricated, the publisher should be held accountable.

I hope that people of Kuwait will be updated on the investigation process, either by holding emergency sessions or committees. This will familiarize everyone with details about the case.

Meanwhile, we can wait and see who falls first, and whose reputation will be saved: the Parliament, the Cabinet, the Central Bank or the newspaper I write for. — Al-Qabas

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

LOCAL

No Eid Al-Fitr holiday for municipality inspectors Keeping consumers safe

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday at Al-Seif Palace, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. HH the Amir also received the National Assembly Speaker Jassem Mohammad Al-Kharafi and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. — KUNA

KUWAIT: While ministries and other state bodies in Kuwait will shut down over the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, Kuwait Municipality’s emergency team will be working throughout the vacation period to ensure that violators are unable to use the holiday to exploit the public and that complaints are quickly followed up.

Kuwait Municipality’s administrative office yesterday published the hotline numbers which the public will be able to call to report any violations, such as the slaughter of animals outside the abattoir or the erection of advertising hoardings or posters, amongst other offences.

Members of the public wishing to report such incidents can call the following numbers: the main hotline on 1844448 covers all the governorates, whilst those in Hawally can call 18555550 to report violations directly, those in Farwaniya can call 18555551, Jahra residents can call 18555552, Mubarak Al-Kabeer residents can call 18555554 and those in Asima can call

Manipulation, visa trade behind visa transfer ban

KUWAIT: Acting Premier and Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah received here yesterday outgoing Canadian Ambassador to the country J. Reid Henry on the occasion of his tenure ending in the country. Sheikh Jaber then received Sri Lankan Ambassador to the country C.A.H.M. Wijeratne. Cordial talks took place during both encounters, in addition to discussing issues of common concern. — KUNA

KUWAIT: A senior Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) official reiterated that the process of transferring visit visas into work permits has been canceled. It is a move that can help achieve demographic balance and tackle illegal labor-related transactions.

“This decision was taken to tackle cases where visit visas are manipulated,” said Jamal Al-Dousary Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Affairs. He answered reporters’ questions on who inspected the Jahra Labor Directorate. He added that new measures will be introduced to ease work at labor directorates, including an online connection between the MSAL and Ministry of Interior’s Traffic Department, reported Al-Qabas.

Meanwhile, Hadi Al-Enizy Ministry’s Acting Director of Labor Department stated establishing a labor supervisory body will have a positive impact on the state’s economy, reported Annahar. It plans to organize the process of recruiting expatriate labor forces to eliminate human trafficking, in addition to reorganizing the state’s demographic structure.

18555555. In Ahmadi, meanwhile, any member of the public wishing to report a violation of municipality regulations can call 18522222. All the hotlines will be open 24 hours a day, even during the holiday period.

Speaking to the Kuwait Times yesterday, Tariq Al-Qattan, the head of the emergency team in Asima, explained that the team is set to intensify its raids and inspections of restaurants, cafes, bakeries and patisseries, as well cracking down on street vendors, especially those selling fruit and vegetables.

“During Eid, people mostly buy food, sweets and meals from restaurants, so the work team has to ensure that the restaurants, cafes, bakeries and other related businesses are following the regulations and providing healthy and safe food,” he explained.

“The Municipality Director General gives the orders for the emergency teams to conduct the duties of the municipality inspectors during Eid since they [the inspectors] aren’t working during this period, so the teams will be working 24

hours,” Al-Qattan added.

Customers who have bought foodstuffs unfit for human consumption must provide the receipt to prove their purchase, the official stressed since this is an essential item of evidence to support their complaint. Dissatisfied customers should register their complaint as soon as possible, preferably the same day, he continued, and should try to bring a sample of the spoilt foodstuffs with them when they visit the municipality office to register their complaint. He also emphasized that any member of the public who has suffered food poisoning from a meal or snack at a restaurant or cafe should provide a medical report detailing their case.

Al-Qattan concluded by emphasizing that the inspectors will deal with all complaints and reports according to the rules and regulations, with the municipality calling on all retailers to respect the law and their customers and refrain from committing violations to benefit both the public and themselves.

Air Defense System to protect Mubarak Port KUWAIT: Kuwait is seeking to install an integrated air defense system in the area around the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port site on the east of Boubyan Island, according to a Ministry of Defense (MoD) insider.

Speaking on condition of anonymity since the plans are not yet official, the insider indicated that the ministry has already assigned a team of Kuwait Air Force (KAF) and other military experts to design an air shield defense system that would be capable of deflecting any incoming missiles that might target the site.

The move comes after Iraqi militants threatened to launch missiles at the site in protest against its location.

The KAF is reportedly planning to set up a special unit on the island, Kuwait’s largest, which would use an advanced radar defense system to detect and bring down any missiles from long range before they could reach their target. It was also reported yesterday that Iraqi authorities in Basra in the south of the country on Saturday found the pickup truck used to launch three Katyusha rockets at targets in the area on Thursday night. Although the incident sparked concern that the missiles had been tar-

geted at Kuwaiti sites, a senior official from Basra Province Council confirmed that the rockets’ maximum range of two kilometers meant that they could not have been used to launch any attacks on Kuwait.

Meanwhile, a senior Iraqi official indicated that the current controversy over Kuwait’s construction of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port could have been incited or exploited to some degree by the Baath Party in revenge against Kuwait, which its members perceive as the primary reason for the fall of its leader and former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

The Iraqi Cabinet has apparently postponed issuing any official statement on the Kuwaiti mega-port until after the upcoming Eid Al-Fitr holiday due to the current political disputes over the issue.

The cabinet’s stance will be based on the report submitted by the team of technical experts which recently visited Kuwait to gather information about the facility. According to one high-level insider, following their visit the Iraqi experts agreed that the construction of the port would have no negative consequences for Iraq. — Al-Shahed & Al-Watan

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FM Dr Mohammad Al-Sabah shrugs off Iraqi threats KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah on Saturday downplayed threats against Kuwait voiced by some groups in Iraq. “ These are threats to Iraq more than to Kuwait,” Sheikh Mohammad told reporters before leaving Kuwait heading to Cairo to attend the extraordinary meeting of the Arab Foreign Ministers Council. “We and our sons, who vowed loyalty and readiness to sacrifice for the homeland and His Highness the Amir, are able to protect Kuwait from any ground or sea attack on its lands.” The Kuwait top diplomat warned that such statements are “a threat to Iraq itself, bringing it back again to the circle of suspicion that it is still Saddam Hussein’s Iraq which was a threat to the region’s security not a new one”.

Sheikh Mohammad expressed

hopes the Iraqi official leadership would take action against those who make these statements “which derail Iraq’s effort to persuade the world that it is really a new one.” He ruled out the possibility that Iraqi government support those who make those statements.

“These statements were made by terrorist groups which have already carried out deadly attacks against Iraqis,” Sheikh Mohammad said, urging the Iraqi government to confront these groups “because they show Iraq as a threat to regional not only Kuwait’s security”.

The Foreign Minister denied reports about stopping work at Mubarak AlKaber port project till getting a final approval from Iraq. “We do not wait for any Iraqi decision on this issue and work in the project continues in full swing” he stressed.

“I also believe that the Iraqi govern-

“Libya is about to restore stability under a new leadership that we all hope would be totally different from the previous one which destroyed this great country and people.” He expressed wishes that the new Libyan leadership would turn Libya into a developed nation that respect human rights and freedom of expression.

“We also welcome unfreezing of Libya’s membership in the Arab League,” the Kuwaiti official said.

He disclosed that the meeting would tackle the situations in Syria, “although it is not on the meeting’s agenda because what is happening hurts every lover of Syria,” reminding of Kuwait’s stance which categorically opposes adhering to the security tools to resolve the crisis.

“The security option has proven failure, so there should be quick political and peaceful solutions that meet aspirations of the Syrian people,” he

ment is sure that this project neither harms Iraq nor violates international legitimacy nor would it obstruct Iraqi navigation,” he said Sheikh Mohammad welcomed Iraq’s plans to build a new port in Al-Faw. “Mubarak Al-Kaber port is not a competitor to the port of Al-Faw,” he said, expressing confidence in the desire of the two countries to develop the northern Gulf region to turn it into “an important commercial hub that helps supply the whole the region with its needs.” He went on to say that Kuwait “bets on the new Iraq, which believes in freedom, democracy, human rights, peaceful coexistence, good neighborliness and international covenants”.

On the other hand, Sheikh Mohammad said that the extraordinary meeting of the Arab Foreign Minister Council League will focus on the new developments in Libya.

said, referring to the decision of UN Human Rights Council to form a factfinding committee to investigation the serious human rights violations in Syria.

“We hope the Arab move to deal with the situation in Syria would not be too late. Such a move is necessary and we hope there will be a response from the political leadership in Syria.”

Asked if the Gulf Cooperation Council member states have united stance towards the move to be taken regarding the developments in Syria, Sheikh Mohammad revealed that “There was consultations among GCC members about the issue but we preferred a collective Arab action”.

“We will discuss the next move in the meeting, so I can’t give details,” he said. He, however, stressed that the blood shedding in Syria should stop and the security solution be replaced with political one. —KUNA

Govt’s treatment of bedoon is ‘regime crime’: Activist Specialist surgeons to visit Kuwait in September, October

By A. Saleh KUWAIT: Islamist activist Dr. Mohammad AlAwadhi has described the government’s treatment of bedoon (stateless) residents as “a regime crime,” adding that the government “should be held responsible for its crime.”

Speaking on a current affairs show broadcast on one of the MBC satellite TV channels, Dr. Al-Awadhi said that the crisis facing the bedoon people should be resolved immediately, adding that it is unacceptable for the situation to continue in its current state.

The veteran activist also launched a scathing attack on Arab nations’ governments generally, expressing hatred for all of them and stating that the West is responsible for

creating and maintaining dictatorships in the Arab world.

Dr. Al-Awadhi also accused former Tunisian president Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali of making war on symbols of Muslim identity like the Holy Quran, mosques, the hijab and prayers, accusing Ben Ali of putting liquor bottles rather than the Holy Quran in the Zaitouna Mosque, which he said was documented on video.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health (MoH) confirmed yesterday that a number of leading surgeons from a variety of other nations will be visiting Kuwait during September and October to perform operations and offer consultative advice on various cases of chronic illness amongst individuals due to be sent over-

seas for medical treatment.

MoH Public Relations Director Dr. Faisal AlDousari explained that the visiting surgeons are all specialists in different areas of medicine, with their visits forming part of the health ministry’s program of visits by international experts. He stressed that this program would help to reduce the number of people being sent abroad for medical treatment, as well as to increase the surgical expertise of Kuwaiti doctors.

During their time in Kuwait, the visiting surgeons will also deliver a number of medical and scientific lectures in their fields of specialty for local medical staff, during which they will talk about the latest developments in medicine worldwide.

Wife-beater’s woes KUWAIT: A man charged with attacking his wife of one month and her mother told police that he had snapped after his wife spent more time with her mother than she did at home, saying, “My mother-in-law’s made me hate marriage. Ever since I married her daughter I’ve seen her [the mother-in-law] at my house more than I’ve seen my wife.”

The man told detectives who arrested him after the incident that despite only being married for one month his wife was hardly ever home; whenever he called to ask her where she was, he said, she would respond that she was “going to my mother’s” or “with my mother.”

This, he said, had led him to suspect that his wife did not care at all for him.

On the day of the incident, he said, he had again asked his wife, who was on her way out, where she was going. When she told him once again that she was going to her mother’s he hit her in the face. She then phoned her mother, who arrived at the couple’s home shortly afterwards and upbraided him, spitting in his face.

At this, he flew into a tantrum and beat both women, who subsequently reported the assault. The investigation is continuing.

Brotherly assault A Kuwaiti man assaulted his younger brother, knocking him unconscious and fracturing his skull, in punishment for the younger sibling’s coming home late. The father of the two rushed his younger son to hospital, where doctors called police to report the incident. The assailant

Shaab Club hosts card game competition KUWAIT: The Shaab Sea Club hosted a card game competition for members of the ‘Al-Marasi Dewaniya.’ The tournament was personally organized by club member Hamad Boudi. Ali Al-Qallaf, Acting Deputy Managing Director for Touristic Affairs and Touristic Entertainment

Company as well as Ahmad Al-Jeeran Shaab Club Supervisor were present during the event. Al-Qallaf and Al-Jeeran personally awarded competitors Sameer Yousuf, Ali Al-Roumi and Jamaal AlShatti, who completed the top three positions respectively.

Nasty customer Shuwaikh police took a man into custody after he assaulted a garage worker who he accused of damaging his car whilst cleaning it.

The victim immediately lodged a complaint at the local police station, telling officers there

MP slams PAYS, KFA meeting

that the nasty customer had accused him of damaging the car and punched him in the face.

The worker provided witnesses who corroborated his account of events. The assailant is being held for questioning.

Barbershop bust-up A dispute between the owner of a barber’s salon and a staff member over a wage cut ended up in a physical altercation, with the owner throwing a heavy brush at the worker and breaking his front teeth. The row broke out after the salon owner informed the staff member that he would be cutting his wages since business during Ramadan had been slow. The worker strongly objected, with the row quickly escalating until the salon owner threw the brush, resulting in the dental damage. The worker later filed an assault charge against the salon owner and police are investigating the case.

Beggar bother A female beggar who entered the women’s section of a Masila mosque angered some of the worshippers there, resulting in a fight that was ended by the intervention of police, who took the woman to the police station.

Border problem Services at the Nuwaiseeb border crossing point were suspended for several hours on Saturday due to a power cut. The border crossing station remained closed until repairs were completed.

Clueless trio State security officers took three young women into custody after finding their car in the grounds of the old Mishref Palace. Police were quickly at the scene after receiving reports that a car was loitering in the area, arresting the trio, who it transpired were simply lost. —Al-Rai

KUWAIT: MP Saleh Al-Mulla has strongly condemned reports of a meeting between a senior Cabinet official and the heads of the country’s official sports and football bodies, saying that if the reports were true such a meeting would be “catastrophic.”

According to the unsubstantiated reports, Kuwait Football Association (KFA) President Sheikh Talal Al-Fahad Al-Sabah met with Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) President Faisal Al-Jazzaf to discuss ways of “enforcing the [sportsrelated] law and maintain its integrity.”

It was further indicated that Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs, Minister of Justice and Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr. Mohammad Al-Afasi was present at the meeting.

“On what basis is Faisal Al-Jazzaf signing an agreement with [Sheikh] Talal AlFahad?” said Al-Mulla, whose National Action Bloc (NAB) does not recognize Sheikh Talal Al-Fahad’s chairmanship of the KFA, viewing it as illegitimate.

The NAB strongly supports enforcing the sports regulations passed by the parliament which the government has yet to implement. These regulations include amending the KFA’s governing regulations to increase the number of KFA board members from five to 14 by including one representative of each sports club in Kuwait.

“Is there a need for meetings and agreements to take place before the already passed regulations can be enforced?” asked Al-Mulla said, insisting that his bloc would not recognize any official documents signed between the PAYS and KFA. “The Cabinet must stop seeking appeasements in law enforcement,” he added. — Al-Jarida & Al-Rai

Expats suffer multiple injuries

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A car accident took place along King Fahad road near Mina Abdulla Bridge. A 28-year-old Egyptian expatriate fractured his shoulder while a 21-yearold citizen suffered from shoulder pain.

All were admitted to Al-Adan Hospital.

Another car accident took place along the Seventh Ring Road, opposite Abdullah Al-Mubarak. A 40 -year-old Egyptian expat sustained multiple injuries. Both were admitted to Al-Adan Hospital. A car accident took place along the Fifth Ring Road opposite Al-Andalus.

A 30-year-old Syrian woman suffered from a back injury and was admitted to Al-Sabah Hospital. In another incidents, a car accident took place along the Sixth

Ring Road opposite public stores. A 38year-old Indian expat was seriously injured in his head and was admitted to Farwaniya hospital. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit(ICU).

Street fight A fight broke out between a number of youngsters at Al-Hasawi. An 18-yearold Syrian man suffered multiple body injuries. They were admitted to Farwaniya Hospital.

70 patients treated The Medical Contingency Department dealt with 70 patients at the Grand Mosque on the ninth night of prayers. At least 44 were women. All patients were administered treatment on the site.

KDT concludes training season KUWAIT: The Kuwait Dive Team recently concluded its first training season which included three workshops on monitoring coral reefs, registering information as well as taking part in the Coral Watch program in cooperation with the Queensland University of Australia.

“These courses are given free of charge and aim to spread marine environmental awareness and shed light on the importance

of coral reefs for marine biodiversity and therefore the necessity of protecting them,” said environmental projects supervisor Mahmoud Ashkenani, further noting that the courses help experts and researchers to remain informed about the condition of coral reefs worldwide. The dive team of the Environmental Voluntary Foundation organized the first workshop in cooperation with

the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science’s (KFAS’) Scientific Center, while the second was organized at the Apple Dive Center in Hawally, and the third at the Frog Diver center in Mishref. Ashkenani further revealed that more than 1,000 participants are taking part in the Coral Watch program, which features documentation of 600 coral reef sites around the world.

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

Al-Qaeda No. 2 killed in Pakistan

Shielded by wealth, UAE takes steps to democracy Page 8

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India celebrates people’s victory Anti-graft activist Hazare ends 13-day fast NEW DELHI: Sipping coconut water and honey, a self-styled Gandhian anti-corruption reformer ended a hunger strike on its 13th day yesterday, a protest that had sparked huge rallies across the country, exposed a weak government and ushered in a new middle-class political force. After initially arresting Anna Hazare and dismissing him as an anarchist, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government caved in to the demands of the 74-year-old as parliament backed anti-graft legislation that met many of his demands.

“It’s a proud moment for the country that a mass movement which was carried out for 13 days was peaceful and non-violent,” Hazare, wearing a crisp white kurta smock and cap, told cheering supporters from a stage at an open ground in New Delhi that has become the epicentre of a nationwide crusade.

“The people’s parliament is bigger than Delhi’s parliament.”

Hazare tapped a groundswell of public anger against endemic corruption, uniting the country’s bulging middle-class against a hapless political elite and underlining voter anger at Singh and the ruling Congress party. Over 40,000 supporters flocked to witness Hazare break his fast, local media reported, while TV pictures showed hundreds of people dancing, celebrating and distributing sweets in the activist’s hometown in western India.

Tens of thousands of mostly urban and wired voters across India celebrated the achievement of an unprecedented movement that may usher in a new force in Indian politics and damage the ruling Congress party in crucial state elections next year. The so-called Lokpal legislation was presented in early August, but activists slammed the draft version as toothless because the prime minister and judges were exempt from probes. Hazare had demanded that the bill included bringing civil servants under a proposed corruption agency’s authority, ensured similar agencies at a state level and created a citizen’s charter. In calling off the hunger strike, his second this year, the veteran activist fired a warning shot at lawmakers and the weary government, threatening to restart his agitation should parliament renege on its promises. That threat, a headache for the ruling Congress party that will hope to move on from the crisis to tackle key economic reforms shelved in the political melee, came as another social activist cautioned against expecting “a miracle”. “We have achieved the first milestone in having a strong Lokpal Act and it may take its own time. It’s not something you can expect today, tomorrow or next month,” Santosh Hegde, a former Supreme Court judge who sat on the panel that drafted the bill, was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying. “Let not the people of India expect a miracle.”

Hazare also declared his intentions to campaign against “corrupt” politicians in the 2014 general election, in a country where 30 percent of lower house MPs have pending criminal cases against them, according to research by the Association for Democratic Reforms. Undermined by graft scandals and seen as out-of-touch with voters battling high inflation, Congress’ failure to deal with Hazare’s campaign before it flared up into a national issue spells danger for the ruling party in state polls next year ahead of the 2014 election. While protests in India are not uncommon, the sight of many well-off young professionals using Twitter and Facebook taking to the streets of Asia’s thirdlargest economy suggest an awakening of a previously politically-ambivalent middle-class.

“Anna wins it for the people,” splashed the front page of India’s Sunday Times newspaper, as grassroots activists across the country revelled in victory. Supporters surged to Hazare’s protest site in a sea of saffron, white and green from nearby metro stations on Sunday, as smiling protesters with the national flag painted on their faces chanted “long live Anna” and “victory to mother India”. “It is a historic day,” said Aamir Pratap, 37, who brought his wife and three sons to the site in central New Delhi. “Anna and the whole country succeeded in uniting the parliament yesterday for such a crucial bill.”

Mukherjee announced parliament’s support for Hazare’s demands after over nine hours of fervent debate in both chambers of parliament that highlighted just how much the activist’s campaign had rocked India’s political establishment. A crowd of supporters cheered as Hazare arrived at a hospital in Gurgaon, a city outside New Delhi, where he will be kept under observation for at least 24 hours and has been put on an intravenous drip after losing over 7.5 kg. “None of us could manage what he did. He is a true leader and this country needs him,” said Pankhuri Singhania, a 27 year-old beautician cheering at the protest site.

Deep-seated change has been under way for years in India as its economy globalises, bolstered by a widely used freedom of information act, aggressive private media and the election of state politicians who have rejected traditional caste-support bases to win on governance issues.

After a botched arrest as part of a hardline approach to Hazare, a government U-turn saw ministers praise the activist, suggesting a leadership deficit in Congress without party head Sonia Gandhi, who is recovering after surgery for an undisclosed condition. Congress pledged a slew of economic reforms after winning re-election in 2009 that would have made foreign investment easier and tax collection more effective.

But graft and anger over inflation has stymied attempts to debate the legislation.

Transparency International rates India in 87th place on the most corrupt countries, according to a 2010 survey. —Reuters

NEW DELHI: Indian reform activist Anna Hazare, center, greets supporters as he arrives to break his fast in New Delhi yesterday. — AP

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Libya’s new masters face enormous hurdles TRIPOLI: For 42 years, during the long rule of Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan government barely even existed: state institutions had little power, the military was kept purposefully weak, tribal divisions were magnified. Gaddafi was the Brother Leader, the Guide of the Revolution, the King of Kings of Africa. He had no need for an effective government. Now, a motley assortment of rebels who have forced Gaddafi from power must move fast to create what modern Libya never had, from the rule of law to an inclusive political system. It’s a tall order, but the alternative could be similar to post-Saddam Iraq.

“Don’t expect miracles. If you want miracles, look for them elsewhere,” a rebel spokesman, Mahmoud Shammam, warned Saturday. “ We don’t want to repeat the experience of Baghdad,” Mahmoud Jibril, deputy chairman of the rebels’ National Transitional Council, said after opposition fighters poured into Tripoli, heralding the end of Gaddafi’s regime, although the leader himself is still missing. “The whole world is looking at Libya. We must not sully the final page of the revolution.”

But the signals are far from clear, and the challenges to the rebels - a disparate group that includes former Gaddafi insiders, wealthy businessmen and semiautonomous militias are enormous. Authoritarian Arab rulers like Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak managed to prevent simmering tensions from boiling over during most of their long years in power, creating the appearance of stability while unwittingly sowing the seeds of future violence.

Saddam’s 2003 ouster after the US-led invasion of Iraq, for example, unleashed a seismic wave of sectarian

violence in which tens of thousands were killed. In Egypt, Mubarak’s Feb 11 departure sparked a surge in crime, an explosion of labor unrest and the emergence of Muslim extremists as a powerful political force.

Libya faces many of the same challenges as those countries, and in some ways even more. Because while Gaddafi seized power in a coup and held no formal title, he had fewer lim-

divide between opposition politicians who remained in Libya under Gaddafi and those who fled into exile.

Certainly, the rebels are trying.

After sweeping into Tripoli, they formed a new, 24-member city council, announcing it with a declaration in an empty ballroom at a luxury hotel Thursday even as battles raged with pro-Gaddafi holdouts elsewhere in the city. Only a handful of members

TRIPOLI: A rebel fighter walks inside a warehouse containing the remains of at least 50 burned bodies yesterday. — AP its on power than any other Arab leader. Libyan society was, in effect, governed by his whims. “A lot of good can be said about the (rebel) National Transitional Council, but no one knows whether this will be enough once it is in charge after the end of civil war,” said Dirk J Vandewalle, a Libya expert at Dartmouth College in the United States. He cited a range of potential fault lines, including regional tensions, tribal rivalries and the

were able to attend, braving the bullets of pro-Gaddafi snipers perched on the rooftops of high-rise buildings. In some neighborhoods, the rebels have also helped organize garbage collection - a major issue, with months of trash piled up on street corners - and many city residents, enjoying their new freedom, are pitching in.

While most shops remain closed, local councils are springing up across Tripoli. In the Souk Al-Jumma neigh-

borhood, a former police lieutenant, Shukri Dernawi, is organizing a local police force. “We are starting from almost zero point in this situation,” said Shammam, the rebels’ spokesman. Jibril, the rebel deputy chairman, outlined a roadmap for the country’s transition to democratic rule this week during a visit to Paris. He said a “national congress” would soon be formed to create a committee to draft a constitution. Parliamentary elections will be held within four months after the document is written, and the speaker of the legislature will act as president until presidential elections are held.

Officials say an interim government should be operating in Tripoli within a month. But a smooth transition to democracy could be undermined in many ways. This country has never experienced democratic rule and it is by no means certain that a multiparty system would work in Libya, where much of life is guided by tribal loyalties. Signs also have emerged that the rebels leadership is unable to ensure discipline among its fighters.

Arguments often erupt among rebels manning checkpoints across the city over whether to let motorists pass. When regime loyalists are detained, some of the captors slap or push them, while others try to restrain their more aggressive colleagues, especially when foreign journalists are present. AP reporters in Tripoli have seen rebels kicking and spitting on wounded Gaddafi loyalists as they were being taken to a hospital, though, in other cases, regime loyalists have been treated side by side with wounded rebel fighters.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has expressed concern about the treatment of detainees by

both sides, but has given no specifics.

There also are fears that the spread of weapons could be used for revenge attacks or other crimes. But Dernawi, the new local police chief, said he hasn’t had any reports of feuds being settled with gunfire despite the proliferation of arms in the streets. Jibril, fearing a security vacuum, formed a security committee with all the main rebel factions represented. The new body will coordinate the city’s security with neighborhood committees across Tripoli.

Muslim militants within the rebel ranks also could try to dominate in areas where they wield influence, enforcing a strict interpretation of Islam that would sideline liberalminded Libyans and alarm the West.

That threat became all the more clear when a close Gaddafi aide who changed sides to become the rebels’ chief military commander was murdered late last month. Abdel-Fattah Younis’ body was found dumped outside the eastern city of Benghazi, the rebels’ de facto capital, along with two of his aides. The rebel leadership has insisted the assassination was the work of the Gaddafi regime, but several witnesses say Younis was killed by fellow rebels.

The slaying, which was widely blamed on militants, has fueled concerns about unity and discipline within the rebel movement. “There are rebel factions that are not controlled by the National Transitional Council and there have already been extrajudicial killings,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa program for Amnesty International. “The two biggest challenges ahead are security and the judiciary. Every law in Libya needs to be reformed.” — AP

Shielded by wealth, UAE takes steps to democracy No one pushing for quick change

JENIN: EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton laughs as Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, (right) shakes the hand of a passer-by during a visit in this West Bank town yesterday. — AP

Palestinians see progress in EU stance on UN bid RAMALLAH: The Palestinian leadership sees “progress” in the European Union’s position on its plan to seek UN membership next month, a senior PLO official told AFP yesterday. “ There is progress in the European stance and a willingness to coordinate with the Palestinian leadership over the type of resolution we are looking for,” said PLO secretary general Yasser Abed Rabbo a day after president Mahmud Abbas met in Ramallah with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. Central to the talks in the West Bank town was the Palestinian plan to seek full membership in the United Nations when its General Assembly meets next month in New York despite Israeli and US opposition.

“We will inform them of every move and we won’t surprise them with anything,” Abed Rabbo said. “We have seen progress in the European position which is demonstrated through the EU’s willingness to coordinate over the PLO’s steps in going to the UN,” he said. Ashton arrived in the region on Saturday for a three-day visit aimed at pushing Israel and the Palestinians to resume direct negotiations, which have been on hold since last September in an intractable dispute over Jewish settlement building. Abbas said yesterday that success in his UN bid would change the status of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict under international law. “International recognition of our state based on the 1967 borders will make it a state under occupation. It will change the legal formula of our situation,” Abbas said in a joint interview with Jordan’s Al-Dustur daily and Qatar’s Al-Watan newspaper, without elaborating. During talks with Abbas on Saturday evening, Ashton said the EU position would depend on the wording of the Palestinian proposal to be presented to UN chief Ban Ki-moon on September 20, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP. Abbas told her that European support for the bid was crucial in order to safeguard the peace process, Erakat said. “The president asked the EU to do everything to help us because the Palestinian bid is a way to preserve the peace process and the twostate solution and is based on international law and UN resolutions,” he said. “We are

facing an Israeli government which refuses to acknowledge the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, and refuses to stop settlement activities so the international community must help and support us in this bid,” Erakat said.

Europe is currently divided over the Palestinian bid for UN membership, with Germany and Italy publicly opposed to the move, while Spain has said it will vote in favour; Britain and France are keeping their cards close to their chests. Shortly before meeting Ashton, Abbas said that seeking UN membership was a direct result of the world’s failure to help the Palestinians secure their legal rights. “We are going to the UN to ask for full membership for a Palestinian state. We wouldn’t be going if the international community had given us a solution which complied with international law - one based on the 1967 borders and a halt to settlement activity,” he said in a speech to religious leaders in Ramallah. “But without that, we will go to the UN,” he said, while stressing that the bid would not prevent a “return to the negotiating table”.

“Regardless of the outcome at the UN, there are issues that cannot be solved without negotiating,” he said. “Our decision does not seek to isolate Israel, nor to enter into a confrontation with the United States. Our objective is to realise our dream of gaining international recognition for our Palestinian state at the UN with full sovereignty on the lands occupied in 1967.”

On Friday, Erakat urged both Brussels and Washington to support the Palestinian bid for UN membership. “Maintaining the peace process and the principle of two states on the borders of June 1967 requires that the EU and the United States support the application for full membership of Palestine in the UN,” he said. Ashton was to meet later yesterday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as with other top Israeli officials, and would have breakfast with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman early on Monday before heading to Jordan. Abed Rabbo said Ashton was expected to meet ministers from the Arab League monitoring committee in early September “to coordinate the Arab and European positions.” — AFP

DUBAI: The oil-rich United Arab Emirates holds its second-ever polls next month after allowing many more citizens to vote, taking baby steps toward democracy in a state where virtually no one is pushing for quick change. Eligible voters are picked by rulers of each of the seven sheikhdoms that comprise the UAE federation, using criteria that are not entirely clear. Candidates must come from the same hand-picked electoral college. That list of names has been expanded from around 6,000 in the last elections in 2006 to about 129,000 for the upcoming polls, to elect half the members of a 40-strong Federal National Council (FNC) from among 469 candidates.

The council has no legislative powers.

“This is 100 percent positive,” said Emirati professor of political science Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, applauding the expanded list of names for elections slated for Sept 24. “No doubt, in the historical context, this is an important and forward step... We should celebrate it,” he said. The UAE rulers have pledged a gradual approach to political participation.

But after the youth-led “Arab Spring” that overthrew leaders in Tunisia and Egypt and rattled the regimes of others, the UAE announced an augmented list of eligible voters. Among them, 35 percent are under 30 years-old, and about half the total number are women.

In total, 469 candidates from within the electoral college, including 85 women, have registered to run. Candidates must be above 25. “This was a clever move... the youth were the driving force of the Arab Spring... the UAE and the Gulf are part of this Arab world and cannot be insulated from developments,” said

Abdullah. But he argued that, keeping people out of the electoral college creates a feeling of inequality among the disenfranchised.

“There are around 300,000 UAE citizens who should have the right to vote,” he said, adding that the question of why they had been excluded would remain.

The UAE and its energy-rich neighbour Qatar have each used their vast wealth to keep citizens happy, with both ranking among the world’s top countries in terms of income per capita. Nationals in the UAE are estimated at only around 950,000, out of a predominantly foreign population estimated at between six and eight million.

“To move within a period of five years from having a national council fully appointed to a half-elected one, and from no elections at all to have a polling process in which a third of the population takes part is a good step,” argued Emirati columnist Mohammed AlHammadi.

Fares Braizat, the head of Public Opinion Programme at the Doha-based Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies, argued that increasing the number of voters was a “significant step” given the history of the UAE, but was not enough. “It remains far short from the threshold of the democratic political process of public participation and accountability, which entails universal suffrage to all citizens and accountability of public office holders through legislators,” he said.

The FNC serves only as an advisory body which has the authority to present recommendations to the government but cannot block legislation ratified by the Supreme Federal Council of the seven rulers. “This is in

response to the wider atmosphere of change in the Arab world, but it does not meet the expectations created by the momentum building across the region,” said Braizat, arguing that it was just a cosmetic “face-lift”.

But he acknowledged that the comfortable life provided for most citizens by their wealthy state reduces the urge to press for wider participation.

There is hardly any challenge to the legitimacy of the UAE ruling families, led by the AlNahayans of Abu Dhabi, whose late ruler Sheikh Zayed was the driving force behind grouping the old Trucial sheikhdoms in one state in 1971 after independence from Britain.

“I do not think that there is anyone who wants drastic changes in the UAE,” said Abdullah, stressing that the majority would “never” challenge the legitimacy of the ruling sheikhs.

Some 130 intellectuals and activists in March petitioned President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahayan to introduce universal suffrage and empower the FNC with legislative and regulatory prerogatives. Five activists are being tried on charges of insulting the leadership and opposing the government system, among other charges. They pleaded not guilty. “Demands here are very modest. The mood in the UAE in terms of demanding reforms is minimalist, and agrees with the government’s gradual approach. It is opposite to the revolutionary mood in other Arab countries,” Abdullah said. There are also many who are “reluctant and not sure” about the need for democratisation, said Hammadi.

“Those who know that, realise that the gradual approach adopted by the government suits the UAE,” he said. —AFP

Al-Qaeda No. 2 killed in Pakistan WASHINGTON: Al-Qaeda’s number two Atiyah Abd Al-Rahman has been killed in Pakistan, the United States said Saturday, claiming another “tremendous” blow to the group following the death of Osama bin Laden. News of Rahman’s demise comes as the US gears up to mark the 10th anniversary of Al-Qaeda’s most spectacular attack, on Sept 11, 2001 on landmarks in Washington and New York, which killed nearly 3,000 people. Rahman, a Libyan, was killed in the northwest tribal Waziristan area on August 22 after being heavily involved in directing operations for Al-Qaeda, a senior US official said, without divulging the circumstances of his death. However, local officials in the region told AFP last week that a US drone strike on Aug 22 on a vehicle in North Waziristan killed at least four militants. It was not clear if the two incidents were connected. The senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the death of Rahman would be deeply felt by AlQaeda because the group’s new leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri had relied on him since US Navy Seals killed bin Laden on May 2. Bin Laden also died

in Pakistan, in a sprawling house he was holed up in close to a military academy. The death of Rahman, who had a $1-million bounty on his head and was said to be an explosives expert, represented “a tremendous loss for Al-Qaeda”, the senior official said. “The trove of materials from bin Laden’s compound showed clearly that (Rahman) was deeply involved in directing Al-Qaeda’s operations even before the raid,” the official said. “He had multiple responsibilities in the organization and will be very difficult to replace.” Details about Rahman are sketchy and he is not nearly as high profile as bin Laden or Zawahiri.

According to US authorities, Rahman, who was in his late thirties, was appointed personally by bin Laden and was Al-Qaeda’s emissary in Iran, recruiting and facilitating talks with other Islamic groups to operate under Al-Qaeda. He joined bin Laden in Afghanistan as a teenager in the 1980s to fight the Soviet Union.

Rahman’s death represents another success for President Barack Obama’s intensified and often clandestine operations against Al-Qaeda, particularly in the northwestern tribal

regions in Pakistan which Washington says is the group’s lair.

In his weekly radio and Internet address on Saturday, Obama called on Americans to recreate the national unity that emerged after the Sept 11 attacks, and noted that “We’re taking the fight to Al-Qaeda.” Another senior US official said “news of (Rahman’s) demise underscores what (Defense Secretary) Leon Panetta has been saying for some time about al-Qaeda: it’s important to sustain intense pressure on this group of terrorists and thugs.

“Dialing back on al-Qaeda leadership in Pakistan, especially while they try to regroup after Bin Laden’s death, isn’t the way to go. For the sake of our national security, they need to be knocked out for good,” the official stressed. The Washington Post cited unnamed officials in July as saying that evidence taken from bin Laden’s compound suggested the Al-Qaeda founder was concerned about the impact drone attacks were having on his organization when he died.

Washington has called Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal region where Rahman died the global headquarters of Al-Qaeda, where Taleban

Atiyah Abd Al-Rahman and other Al-Qaeda-linked networks plot attacks on NATO forces in Afghanistan. Bin Laden was killed in his compound in Abbottabad in a daring raid by US special forces soldiers deep into Pakistan, and the soldiers seized large amounts of intelligence about the group’s operations. In July, Panetta said that the “strategic defeat” of Al-Qaeda was “within reach” and that 10-20 key operatives had been targeted in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and north Africa.— AFP

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Kazakhstan still reels from impact of nuke tests SEMEY, Kazakhstan: The 79-yearold Yevdokia Matushkina struggles to remember. Her memories often fail her. Except one. Sitting in her tiny room at a home for the elderly in the eastern Kazakh city of Semey, Matushkina remembers the days when the loud blasts of nuclear tests several hundred kilometres away frightened everyone. A total of 456 nuclear tests were conducted at the test site over 42 years until Kazakhstan shut down the facility 20 years ago on Aug 29, 1991, making it the first country to voluntarily give up nuclear weapons. “I was working in a medical institute, teaching chemistry. Almost every day, announcements on the radio at noon would say: ‘Now there is going to be a test of nuclear weapons.’

Everything would shake. The windows in my classroom were shattered by the shockwave from one of the blasts,” Matushkina said.

On Aug 29, 1949 at 7 am, the first Soviet nuclear bomb - named First Lightning - exploded in the steppe of eastern Kazakhstan, throwing up a huge mushroom cloud and dumping vast amounts of radioactive materials on the 1.5 million people living in the nuclear impact zone,

which is the size of Belgium. While the nuclear disaster at Ukraine’s Chernobyl and the bombing of Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki are etched in the world’s memory, what happened at Semey, then known as Semipalatinsk, appears to be all but forgotten.

“Unfortunately, we only remember the problems of the damage caused by the testing site on anniversaries,” said Kazbek Apsalikov, the head of the Semey research centre of radiation medicine and ecology, a once-secret facility created to monitor the impact of radioactivity on the population. The provincial and otherwise unremarkable town of Semey, whose name was changed four years ago, lies 150 km west of the 18,400 sq-km nuclear testing site where the arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States began.

Under the cover of secrecy, the Soviet military built mock road and rail bridges and even apartment blocks at the site to study the impact of nuclear blasts. Their remains still stand as an eerie reminder. Ahead of nuclear tests, the Soviet military warned the pub-

lic to shut windows and stay at home or remain inside buildings, witnesses recall. But one of those who decided to peep out of curiosity was Suakysh Iskakova, 77, a resident at the same home as Matushkina, who says she paid for it with her eyesight.

“When I was blinded from the

SEMIPALATINSK, Kazakhstan: Dina Kadyrova, one year and 9 month-old, sleeps an orphanage on Aug 21, 2011. —AFP

UN vows terror fight Toll climbs from Nigeria bombing ABUJA: The UN’s deputy chief vowed a renewed fight against terrorism after a suicide bombing of the world body’s headquarters in Nigeria which left at least 23 dead before viewing firsthand the devastation yesterday. Deputy UN Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro laid wreaths at the UN compound in Africa’s most populous nation and made her way past crushed debris and what looked to be blood stains during her tour of the building. “It is a shocking incident,” she said afterward. “This attack is against global

investigation into the bombing in Abuja deepened, with FBI agents from the United States and the UN’s security chief also in the country.

UN spokesman Martin Dawes said the toll was now 23 dead with 81 wounded. Some 400 people with a variety of nationalities worked in the UN building.

Migiro was also to visit the national hospital to speak with some of the wounded, then meet President Goodluck Jonathan and United Nations staff later in the day.

Questions swirled over how the

ABUJA: United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Dr Asha-Rose Migiro (second left) arrives yesterday to inspect the damage to the bombed United Nation’s office. —AP peace. It is also against humanity because those who work here come from different countries.”

Friday ’s attack that saw the bomber make his way through two gates at the heavily guarded compound before slamming his car into the entrance of the building was among the bloodiest targeting the UN globally. “We condemn it in the strongest terms, but this act of terrorism will only rekindle our resolve to fight terrorism in all of its ramifications,” Migiro told journalists after arriving late Saturday. Her trip came as the death toll climbed and the

bomber managed to pass through two gates in the exit lane of the compound as well as over who was responsible for the blast in the continent’s largest oil producer. A purported spokesman for the Nigerian Islamist sect known as Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the attack, but there has been no proof and police say they are considering all possibilities.

Analysts have cautioned that while at least one faction of the sect may indeed be involved, it was too early to draw any firm conclusions.

Boko Haram has previously focused

on targeting symbols of Nigerian authority, but its attacks have grown increasingly sophisticated and concerns have grown over whether it has formed links with AlQaeda’s north African branch or other extremist groups. The United Nations had earlier said nine of its staff were confirmed dead and “many dozen hospitalised”, but warned it was still assessing the toll, which did not include non-UN staff, such as security and visitors.

“We have lost motivated, bright, selfless people who were working only for the good of Nigeria and the world,” said Agathe Lawson, the UN’s acting resident coordinator in Nigeria. “Our priority now is to ensure those who are injured and the families of those who died are cared for.” She added that “our second and urgent priority is to ensure the UN operations continue. We will not be deterred in our mission to work to improve the lives of Nigerians. This is why we are here.”

A bomb blast that rocked a car park at national police headquarters in Abuja in June and killed at least two people was claimed by Boko Haram. Police first said it was the result of a suicide blast before later retracting their statement, saying they could not be sure. Most of the attacks blamed on the sect have occurred in the country’s northeast, but a number have been carried out elsewhere, including the previous explosion in Abuja as well as several in Suleija near the capital.

The Islamist sect launched an uprising in 2009, put down by a brutal military assault that left hundreds dead. It went dormant for about a year before re-emerging in 2010 with a series of assassinations of security personnel and politicians, as well as religious and community leaders. Nigeria’s 150 million population is roughly divided in half between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south. —AFP

Somali police seize explosive-laden car MOGADISHU: Somali police seized a car laden with explosives in a busy junction of Mogadishu on Saturday, a sign of the unstable security situation despite the withdrawal of Islamist militants from the capital earlier this month. Police spokesman Abdullahi Barise told Reuters security forces found a 4x4 parked between the strategic, governmentcontrolled K4 junction and Mogadishu airport and said the car bomb could have been detonated remotely by mobile phone. The AlQaeda-inspired Al Shabaab rebels had been waging a four year insurgency against Western-backed government troops and African Union peacekeepers, before retreating from the capital earlier this month, in a move they said was tactical.

Analysts believe the militants will soon re-emerge in the capital as a guerrilla fighting force to carry out high-profile suicide bombings.

The car bomb was found in an area traditionally seen as the safest in the capital, housing several U.N.

agency buildings as well as bases for African Union peacekeepers. Al Shabaab had been unable to wrest it from government control. Barise said he suspected Al Shabaab.”Fixed inside the car was a mobile phone which Al Shabaab usually use as a remote control ... perhaps there was also a suicide bomber who got scared and went out of the car,” Barise said. “(The car) was parked along the road behind Sahafi Hotel.

Perhaps they were timing it as a convoy headed for the airport,” he said.

Al Shabaab have launched some high profile attacks in the past. The country’s interior minister was killed by a veiled female suicide bomber in Mogadishu in June and in February a suicide car bomb killed at least 17 people near a police training camp in the capital. Somalia has been plagued by violence since the overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Western agencies, analysts and nearby neighbours say Somalia is used as a safe haven for Islamist militants intent on attacks

blast, my uncle took me to see the doctor and the doctor said it was my own fault that I looked at the bright light from the explosion,” Iskakova said.

At the same site, in Nov 1955, the Soviets detonated their first hydrogen bomb, designed by physicist Andrei Sakharov, later to become a

beyond the Horn of Africa country.

Thousands of Somalis have been returning to Mogadishu since the Islamist rebels announced their withdrawal, but the capital is still suffering from the effects of years of warfare. Two children were killed on Saturday after they mistakenly played with a landmine in the Karan district of Mogadishu which al Shabaab had abandoned. Nine people were also wounded, witnesses said. Masked gunmen also shot dead a former intelligence security official as he was leaving a mosque late on Saturday in Garowe, capital of the semi-autonomous Puntland region, police and a witness said.

It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, but Al Shabaab have in the past targeted security officials in the region.

Puntland forces have also been battling a group allied to Al Shabaab in the hilly areas near the port city of Bosaso. The Somali prime minister was in Puntland on Saturday holding talks with officials. —Reuters

famous dissident.

In 1957, the Soviet authorities established a secret facility to monitor the impact of radiation on human life. Its now declassified documents describe the contamination of Kazakh villages with scientific meticulousness. “The village of S. was contaminated by radiation from precipitation after a 1953 nuclear test,” said one document from 1967, adding that radiation levels in the village were still ten times higher than normal.

Although the site has been shut down for 20 years, Kazakhstan is still reeling from the effects of longterm nuclear testing.

The Semipalatinsk region around the test site was subjected to the fallout from a total of 616 nuclear explosions over a period of 40 years. The region has the highest cancer rate in the country, something that is at least partly attributable to the effects of fallout, said Apsalikov, the head of the national radiation research institute. “How much longer the effects of the disaster will linger, we don’t know,” said Marat Sandybayev, the director of Semey’s brand-new oncology centre.

While it is hard to determine pre-

cisely how many have been affected by nuclear testing, scientists link the region’s higher rates of cancer and heart disease, especially among younger population, to the effects of radiation. Officials at the Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology in the once closed military city of Kurchatov, some 160 km west of Semey, say they hope farmers will eventually be able to reclaim land at the test site. The contamination at the site is scattered and levels have not changed significantly in the last 20 years, said Sergei Lukashenko, the director of the institute. “The only way to remedy this contamination is to remove the upper layer of soil and store it in a secure place,” he said.

In spite of the contamination and its ecological and human consequences, many residents say they are still proud of the accomplishments of Soviet scientists and military during the Cold War. “Back then, the tests were necessary, I think.

People were simply doing their job,” said Svetlana, a Kurchatov resident, who declined to give her surname.

“You know yourself what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We needed this at the time.” —AFP

ANC youth brace for leader’s trial JOHANNESBURG: The Youth League of South Africa’s ruling ANC was planning tactics yesterday to support its leader Julius Malema, who has galvanised legions of poor black supporters, at a disciplinary hearing this week that could lead to his suspension. Malema and his spokesman have been charged with “sowing divisions” in the ranks of the African National Congress and bringing the party into disrepute. Their hearing is expected to start tomorrow behind closed doors at ANC headquarters.

Malema’s call to nationalise mines and seize white-owned land has unnerved investors but struck a chord with poor blacks who also envision him as a future leader of Africa’s biggest economy. If Malema is found guilty, he could be suspended from the party because he was found guilty of a similar offence last year. At the weekend, a fiery Malema said at a political event that the hearing was not in the tradition of the party that has ruled since the end of

apartheid 17 years ago. “We need to remind the elders ... the ANC is not a pig.

It does not eat its own children. The ANC that eats its own children is not the ANC we know.”

Malema has been charged with defying the ANC by calling for the overthrow of the democratically elected government of neighbouring Botswana and violating party rules. The Youth League said it plans to bus in Malema supporters from across the country for street rallies outside ANC headquarters in central Johannesburg starting from today.

The hearing is fraught with risks for President Jacob Zuma, who won an election for the party’s top spot in December 2007 with the backing of Malema and other ANC heavyweights. If Malema is suspended, Zuma will likely silence a power-broker now looking to unseat him when the ANC again elects its leaders next year. Since the ANC enjoys virtual one-party rule, its president is assured of the country’s leader-

ship. Zuma became South Africa’s president a little over a year after taking over the ANC, forcing out incumbent President Thabo Mbeki.

But if Malema is exonerated, Zuma could find himself struggling for his political survival and to fend off the youth leader’s calls for a takeover of the mining sector - a move analysts say would bankrupt the country. They say South Africa cannot afford a nationalisation because the market capitalisation of its listed mining firms amounts to about two-thirds of its gross domestic product and twice its annual national budget. If it tries to expropriate shares at a fraction of their value, the country could violate international investment guarantees that would trigger its global trading isolation. Malema, 30, has no direct policy-making power in the ANC but his ability to influence the masses gives him sway over senior leaders seeking to secure their political aspirations. —Reuters

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Night of anxiety for New Jersey evacuees NEW BRUNSWICK, New Jersey: Two hundred cots have been placed in a gymnasium in this New Jersey city to accommodate residents of the US East Coast displaced by Hurricane Irene. “It’s great here,” says Jimmy Farrell, a 50-year-old evacuee, who seems to be exhausted by the trip from Atlantic City. “But we’ve got to find out what happened when we back home,” he continues.

“It’s a big worry. My house might not be there.”

Moving from one shelter to the next, Farrell has become one of dozens of people who eventually made it here to the gym owned by Rutgers University and located more than 150 km from his home.

Men and women of the US National Guard and local police provide security while the American Red Cross is responsible for the logistics. Feeling that it is unsafe to go home, evacuees wait here while Hurricane Irene pummels the US East Coast. A young woman is asleep covered by a blanket she brought here with her. A short distance from her, a little girl is nodding to everyone in exchange for a smile.

Accommodation is spartan, but the place does not lack elegance: the walls of the entrance to the gym are decorated with carved wood plaques showing trophies won by university athletes. “It’s been a long day,” sighs Farrell. “We’ve been out for 48 hours. We got to get ready at six o’clock, and we’ve been on buses ever since. We get moved around.”

Rebecca Smith-Casey, who represents the American Red Cross, said the people in the shelter had been evacuated from Atlantic City

because of the hurricane and because this location was less likely to be flooded. “They will be safe and secure in this building until the storm passes and that they can come back home, probably not tomorrow, but Monday or Tuesday,” she explains. “The American Red Cross is providing meals, and we’ve got basic medical needs being

met.” Last night, the evacuees received hot food - pizza, says Joan Smith, another Red Cross official. “Tomorrow we’ll provide bagels, a bread product that we do not need to cook,” she promises. Here, safety is guaranteed to all evacuees for at least several days. At home, they experienced wind gusts of over 120 km an hour and floods

CARTERET, New Jersey: An abandoned car is half submerged in a southbound lane of the New Jersey Turnpike near exit 12 as floodwaters from Hurricane Irene cover the road yesterday. — AFP

created by heavy rain. Irene made US landfall at 8:00 am (1200 GMT) Saturday at Cape Lookout, North Carolina, near a chain of barrier islands and quickly proved deadly.

At least nine people, including an 11-year-old boy struck by a falling tree, died in storm-related incidents along the eastern seaboard. On its passage up the coast, Irene knocked out power supplies for well over a million people, triggered the cancelation of more than 8,000 flights, and forced nearly two million people to evacuate, half of them in New Jersey. By 2:00 pm (1800 GMT) Saturday, 5,300 people were already in shelters across the state. Officials also ordered evacuations in parts of Hoboken and Jersey City.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that 1,500 National Guard soldiers and airmen had been deployed across 12 armories and at shelters to help evacuees. Christie also said that flooding after the storm could also require evacuations even away from the coast, as rivers rise.

President Barack Obama declared an emergency for New Jersey, which makes federal aid available to the state to supplement local response efforts because of the storm. Michael Walters, who came to the New Brunswick shelter from Ocean City, Maryland, with his wife and two daughters, says the shelter is big and roomy and has enough supplies to last at least three days. “We are like four to five blocks away from the ocean,” he says. “We don’t know what it’s going be in Ocean City with the storm and the high tides. We don’t if we will even have power back.” — AFP

US security sector must adapt after 9/11 surge Businesses will have to look to the future

EL PASO, Texas: In this Aug 26, 2011 photo, postal worker Chris Turner, 49, walks in front of a yard that has gravel instead of grass. — AP

Texas city rips up grass in effort to save water EL PASO, Texas: For decades this city in far West Texas defied the look of most desert communities, with neighborhoods boasting lush, green lawns and residents freely running their sprinklers. Then a study released in 1979 showed just how close El Paso was to a crisis: At its rate of water use, the city would run dry within 36 years. Over the next couple of decades the city took drastic measures to stabilize its water supply, undergoing a philosophical and physical facelift that included ripping up grass from many public places, installing rock and cactus gardens and offering financial incentives for residents to do the same.

Today, El Paso is among the few cities in the drought-stricken state not worrying about water. It’s a distinction El Paso leaders attribute to a conservation plan that other cities in less arid climates such as San Antonio and Austin have tried to a limited extent amid receding water resources and booming population growth. But even in El Paso, the changes have been a tough sell for some residents who cherish their lawns and have bypassed financial incentives to rip them out. “In school, when they told us to draw a house, you would always draw it with grass,” said Fred Fierro, 75, who wakes up early to water his turf with his wife.

The couple moved into their Cielo Vista neighborhood home in 1964 and “fell in love with the lawns, but now it’s all rocks,” said Fierro’s wife Soledad, peering outside her window at her neighbors’ gravel- and cactus-filled front yards, a style that now dominates the local landscape. Over the past 20 years El Paso has paid residents a combined $11 million - $1 per square foot to remove their grass and replace it with gravel, cement or desert plants. The city has permanent restrictions on watering days and reduced water consumption by offering special showerheads and rebates for water-efficient toilets.

The plan helped the city avoid a water crisis that other towns across West Texas now face, including the community of Robert Lee, which is rushing to find a new water source before its faucets run dry within the next several months. Bigger cities facing diminishing water sources in less arid climates are hoping to duplicate El Paso’s success by offering money to their residents in exchange for turf. Austin offers a $20 to $30 rebate for each 100 square feet of turf removed as part of a pilot program. So far 70 residents have replaced their grass, and the plan may become permanent if the city sees enough water savings. The city also offers up to three free water-efficient toilets per household and rebates for new dishwashers.

San Antonio offers rebates and gift certificates of up to $400 to residents who choose certain grasses, reduce their turf and cut their water consumption. Only

about 360 residents have taken part since the program began in 2008, and the utility estimates savings of about 1 million gallons per year. Overall, the city estimates it can save up to a billion gallons annually from all the water-saving measures combined.

Other cities such as Houston and Dallas have begun watering restrictions but don’t expect to offer turf-removal incentives, despite the record-setting drought that has left parts of these normally green cities looking a little brown. The idea of ripping out lawns would be shunned by some Dallas residents who pride themselves on pampering their grass. “It would mean an awful lot of rock landscaping and I really don’t care for that,” said Ann Garman, whose well-manicured lawn was named “Yard of the Month” in her Dallas neighborhood earlier this summer. “... It would depend on how dire the need was.”

Garman turns on her sprinkler three and sometimes four times a week despite the city’s request for fewer watering days. El Paso’s desert climate played a large role in its early entry into the conservation effort.

The city averages less than 10 inches of rain annually, while Houston typically gets around 50 inches. San Antonio, Austin and Dallas receive around 30. Still, El Paso’s actions could be a model for other waterstarved cities if the state’s second worst drought in history worsens and reservoirs continue to deplete. Only 9.6 inches of rain has fallen on average across Texas this year, and forecasters predict no relief soon.

The Hueco Bolson aquifer, the city’s main water source, has stabilized since the city plan was implemented in 1991, and a recent study shows El Paso will have a steady supply for at least the next century, said Ed Archuleta, president of El Paso Water Utilities. The city’s annual water consumption in 2010 had dropped by 1.6 percent since 1990, while its population increased about 36 percent. The utility says the city saved more than $460 million that would have been needed for more pumping and treatment plants to accommodate higher water use. Many homeowners replaced their grass with xeriscaping, which incorporates gravel and rock designs with plants that are accustomed to the dry climate. Neighborhoods are now a mix of mostly xeriscaped yards and an occasional green lawn. “It’s only common sense,” said Pat McCaskill, who received rebates for using a water-efficient toilet and ripping out half of her front lawn. Officials in other Texas cities wonder if the expected population boom over the next several decades will force others to adopt El Paso’s ways. “In the Southwest, you’re always worried about the future where water is concerned,” said Charles Stringer, Dallas’s assistant director for water operations. “... What happens in 2060 when our population doubles?” — AP

LOS ANGELES: The 9/11 attacks spawned a huge, lucrative market for security, but experts say the sector must adapt as Americans do not feel as threatened as before, especially after the killing of Osama bin Laden. Ten years after the strikes that killed nearly 3,000 people on American soil, security and counter-terrorism businesses will have to look to the future and develop new technologies to combat new threats, they say. “Saying that private security has been growing after 9/11 is an understatement,” counter-terrorism expert Eroll Southers, who is a professor at the University of Southern California, told AFP. “I believe that Osama bin Laden created an industry. He has, with the attacks of 9/11, created an environment which will never again allow us to do things that we did before that attack.”

The security and counterterrorism market is diverse, including everything from surveillance and private security to consulting, technology development, training.

Clients range from individuals to multinationals and governments.

Michael Intriligator, a professor of

public policy at the University of California (Los Angeles), explained the business was an “evolving” one.

“It was a very small market before 9/11 and it’s growing into a large market. We are talking about billions of dollars,” Intriligator told AFP. “People want security and are willing to pay for it; electronic devices, sensors, guards, et cetera,” he added. “ The challenge is immense, because there are so many points of vulnerability in this countr y. We have an immense number of targets.”

But not everyone in the business reaped the spoils of the post9/11 period. “There is opportunity for private security firms. I think that business has been a beneficiary of 9/11,” said Ilana Freedman, a counter-terrorism expert and CEO of Gerard Group International, a Boston-based security consultancy.

“But for people who are specifically engaged in counter-terrorism, as we are, what I’m finding is that people really don’t want to consider the possibility of terrorism coming and knocking on their door.”

According to the 2010 annual report of Sweden’s Securitas, a world leader in private security and

the number one firm in the business in the United States, just seven firms share 52 percent of the US market. Last year, Securitas posted turnover of $3.6 billion in North America. “We have seen companies over the years that moved into this industry that had no interest in this industry a year ago, understanding how lucrative it is. It is never going to go away,” Southers said. “This is a very wise investment if you’re a technology developer.”

The security sector however was not immune to the global financial crisis. Despite posting big numbers, Securitas nevertheless saw its turnover fall four percent between 2008 and 2009, and an additional two percent the next year. For terrorism expert Jeffrey Simon, a professor at UCLA and author of “The Terrorist Trap: America’s Experience with Terrorism,” another explanation for a drop-off in spending is the change in the perceived risk faced by Americans. “There is no question that spending on security and counter-terrorism increased after 9/11 and now, 10 years after the attacks, things are changing on the perception of the spending,” Simon told AFP. “When you com-

bine the 10th anniversary with the killing of Bin Laden, there are a number of people who are viewing the future as less spending.

Because in terms of the perception of the threat, it may have diminished,” he said. “Any security company has to be flexible and adaptable.”

Southers said companies should focus investment on new technologies. “We’re dealing with a very intelligent and adaptable adversary,” he said. “Our technology has to be dynamic as well.” “Even though we had good technology 10 years ago, now it’s about technology being better, more intuitive and be able to detect things that we didn’t have as a threat 10 years ago,” Southers added. Experts say despite a lessening sense of imminent danger, the risk of a major attack has not weakened in the past decade since the airplane strikes in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, and America needs to understand that. “Our main challenge is to make corporate America aware of the great dangers that they are facing. It’s real, serious, and current,” Freedman said. - AFP

US writer recounts Libyan ordeal TRIPOLI: An American writer and filmmaker who ended up in Libya’s most notorious prison during the turmoil of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi feared he would be one of the dictator’s forgotten victims. When rescue came this week, Matthew VanDyke told Associated Press on Saturday, he did not at first believe his ordeal was over. A crowd wrestled open his Libyan jail cell after six months of tortuous solitary confinement.

He feared an angr y mob that believed he was a CIA spy. It was rebels and prisoners breaking the 32-year-old from Baltimore out of Tripoli’s Abu Salim prison, he told AP Saturday.

VanDyke was captured in March by government soldiers in the eastern oil town of Brega and then held incommunicado for six months in Tripoli - a third of it in a tiny 1.2 m by 2.1 m cell. “I was in solitary confinement the whole time with nothing to do but stare at the wall,” said VanDyke, speaking outside the Tripoli hotel where he is now staying. Lanky and bearded, he wore his loose, dark prison uniform, the only clothing he has. He described the months of enforced isolation with nothing to do as a kind of “psychological torture.” He didn’t realize when his 32nd birthday came and went. To distract himself, he read the ingredients on the milk cartons he received with his meals.

“When I got a German milk box somehow that had five languages on it, that was quite a treat,” VanDyke recalled. “Keep that one and try to learn words in various languages - anything to break the monotony of staring at a wall.” His only human interaction was with the guards that brought him his food. Though when he was transferred to Tripoli’s Abu Salim prison, all they did was slide his plates through a metal slot. He feared he

would be cut off from the world for decades - no one knowing whether he was alive or dead.

VanDyke hadn’t come to Libya in March to work, but rather to visit Libyan friends caught up in the mad euphoria of the early days of the uprising against Gaddafi in the east. VanDyke had just finished traveling from Iraq, through Iran and into Afghanistan by motorcycle. He was riding in a pickup truck through the oil town of Brega snapping pictures of smiling children when a surprise advance by government forces caught him and his rebel friends unaware. He doesn’t remember what happened next.

“Then I woke up in a cell with a man being tortured in the room above me,” he recalled. They took his footage and camera, briefly

interrogated him and then he was flown to a prison in Tripoli where he stayed for 85 days in a cramped cell where there was barely room to move.

Around a dozen foreign journalists were taken by Gaddafi’s forces in the fluid desert battlefields of eastern Libya, including a team from the New York Times, Agence France Presse and a batch of freelancers. All were released in a matter of weeks, save for South African photographer Anton Hammerl, who was left dead in the desert after he was shot in the stomach by government troops.

VanDyke had no media credentials, and it is not clear what the Gaddafi regime thought he was doing or why he was held. The government denied his existence

TRIPOLI: American writer and filmmaker Matthew VanDyke, released from Abu Salim prison after spending 6 months imprisoned, is seen in front of the Corinthia Hotel Saturday. — AP

until just a few weeks ago.

By the light of a cell skylight the size of a dinner plate, he recorded his days in solitary on the wall next to marks made by the cramped room’s previous occupants. His row grew to two to three times the others. “And that’s when I realized there was a big problem with my situation,” he said. Eventually, without explanation, he was transferred Abu Salim. In 1996, Gaddafi massacred 1,200 prisoners at Abu Salim.

But VanDyke found it to be an improvement, with a larger cell containing a bathroom. “I had more room to pace, so I started pacing back and forth so that I could sleep and have dreams that weren’t about prison life,” he said. He said the guards seemed confused about why he was being held. They passed on rumors he might be traded as a CIA spy or Al-Qaeda agent. And then one day with stunning speed it was over. There was a series of loud noises and then he could hear a crowd breaking open the gates to his cell bloc. As they bashed open his cell door he expected to be grabbed and lynched as some CIA spy. Instead they just moved on to the next cell.

“One guy said ‘Gaddafi is finished!’ and I didn’t believe it,” he said.

Other prisoners hesitated to leave their cells, fearing it was some kind of trick. VanDyke met an inmate who spoke English and had been inside for 15 years. The man helped bring him to the safety of a nearby mosque where people were handing out food to the escapees.

Since his escape, VanDyke has spoken with his mother, describing the conversation as “surprisingly normal.” He has no immediate plans to go home. He wants to find the Libyan companions he last saw in Brega. He said he told them “I would stay until Libya was free.” - AP

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killings spark apocalyptic doom in Karachi KARACHI: Imran Ali’s kidnappers jabbed pistols into his sides and led him down a quiet street as fresh ethnic carnage spread fear in Pakistan’s biggest city, Karachi. Two other people blindfolded and held with the construction worker had just been shot at point-blank range. It was his turn. Minutes later he was face down in a ditch filled with sewage, playing dead until the men were satisfied that three bullets had done the job and walked away. “It feels like people are just being picked off in the streets because of their ethnic background. How can we live like this,” Ali, a member of Karachi’s Urdu-speaking community, said from a hospital bed.

“Apocalypse is coming to Karachi.”

Pakistan’s financial capital has a long history of ethnic violence between the dominant Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) - which represents the Mohajirs, descendants of Urduspeakers who migrated from India after Pakistan’s birth in 1947 - and the ethnicPashtun Awami National Party (ANP). Those parties are often accused of using ethnic gangs in a turf war over everything from land-grabbing schemes to extortion rackets to votes, allegations they deny.

But the worst bloodshed since the army was called in to ease street battles in the 1990s has created an unprecedented sense of doom and increased fears over instability in Pakistan, a strategic nuclear-armed US ally. “The political parties are giving their foot soldiers greater freedom. They seem to be doing whatever they want now,” said a senior security official who refers to the violence as “ethnic cleansing.” The latest wave of violence came after the MQM pulled out of a national and provincial coalition with the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

More than 400 people have been killed since July. Torture chambers have emerged. Some people are drilled, burned, carved up and beheaded. Body parts are put in grain sacks and dumped in alleyways in a chilling new dimension to the strife, security officials say.

Some of the acts are filmed on mobile tele-

phones and sent around to maximise the terror.

Security concerns by the United States and other Western allies in Pakistan have focused on AlQaeda and the Taleban. Islamabad has come under even more pressure to tackle militancy since US special forces discovered that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been living comfortably in Pakistan and then killed him in a secret raid.

The more complex conflict in Karachi could be far more destabilising in the long term, especially to the South Asian country’s weak economy. Karachi, home to ports, the stock exchange and central bank, contributes 25 percent of Pakistan’s gross domestic product and is the country’s main industrial base. It is also a major transit point for supplies for US forces in Afghanistan so upheaval here can hinder efforts to pacify the Taleban next door. Coming up with a formula to tame Karachi won’t be easy. The ruling Pakistan People’s Party often needs Karachi’s political heavyweights as allies in the federal government. Cracking down too hard on them means losing political influence.

So the chaos is likely to go unchecked. As the politicians keep deploying more and more muscle on the streets and forging alliances with powerful policemen, already shaky law enforcement agencies will be undermined. A police force of just 33,000 charged with protecting a population of about 18 million lacks the resources to rein in hardened criminals with plenty of machineguns, AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. Authorities are only starting to install proper surveillance cameras.

“There are smaller and smaller gaps between cycles of violence now,” Karachi police chief Saud Mirza told Reuters. “The police don’t have time to catch their breath or gather intelligence on what’s going on any more.” There are no signs reconciliation is possible. Political party leaders often get text messages saying “we will get you”. At the ANP headquarters in a Karachi villa, regional chairman Shahi Syed opens up what he says is a state intelligence file on illegal

KATHMANDU: Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) leader and prime ministerial candidate Baburam Bhattarai applauds during a press conference at the parliament building before the election process yesterday. — AP

Nepal elects Maoist PM KATHMANDU: Senior Maoist party leader Baburam Bhattarai was elected as Nepal’s prime minister yesterday in the latest attempt to form a stable government after extended political uncertainty. The outgoing prime minister Jhalanath Khanal took the job only in February when the role had been vacant for seven months in a power struggle following the ten-year civil war that ended in 2006. Bhattarai, the vice chairman of Maoist party, won the vote after securing the support of the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Marcha, a loose alliance of five regional parties from the country’s southern plains. “Baburam Bhattarai secured 340 of the 574 votes cast, giving him a majority,” Speaker Subash Chandra Nemwang told parliament.

Maoist rebels fought the central government in a bloody conflict during which 16,000 died before turning to mainstream politics and winning elections in 2008. However they do not have enough seats to govern alone and struggled to hold together the Maoist-led government that fell in 2009. The second largest party, the Nepali Congress, have also been unable to build a stable ruling coalition, while plans to revert instead to a national unity government have repeatedly collapsed.

The parliament, or Constituent Assembly, elected in 2008, was tasked with drafting a post-war constitution but it has failed to reach a consensus on the new charter amid political deadlock.

Earlier this month, Khanal, of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), party resigned as premier, blaming the lack of progress made over the country’s peace process and the constitution. One of the key sticking points in the peace plan has been the proposed integration of 19,000 former Maoist rebel fighters into the army, with military leaders and the Nepali Congress resisting the move. J P Gupta, a leader of the Madhesi alliance, said that they struck a deal with the Maoists after the former rebels pledged to ensure inclusion of the Madhesis into the army and public offices.

Addressing parliament before voting began, Bhattarai said the election was to decide “whether to tread the path of peace and constitution or go back to the conflict”. “It’s very unfortunate that we were not able to form a consensus government,” he said. “The country is also caught in a cycle of frustration and uncertainty.

“My candidacy is to prove the nay-sayers wrong. I believe that the country’s future is very bright and we can accomplish the task of constitution-drafting and complete the peace process.” — AFP

MQM activities. “You see. This MQM member killed 100 people in 1992 and then he was recently set free. You see. Here is a list of their weapons,” said Syed, a burly man who drives a black Mercedes with the licence plate ANP 001 and owns a Dubai car dealership. “It has become a free-for-all.”

Across town at the MQM complex protected by a guard with a machinegun and others who run mirrors under visitor cars to check for bombs, party officials point the finger at the ANP. The MQM, which portrays itself as a secular champion of Pakistan’s middle class working against feudalism, dominates Karachi. Party leader Altaf Hussain, who lives in self-exile in London, fires up hundreds of thousands of supporters who faithfully gather for his video speeches.

Yet the MQM still feels threatened by the ANP because of the huge explosion of Pashtuns that have migrated to Karachi over

the years from Pakistan’s northwest. Most of the killing takes place in poor areas on the edges of Karachi, where territory is clearly marked. “ANP” is written in huge letters on the steep rock cliff overlooking Orangi Town, one of the worst-hit places. Down below, its wornout red flags flutter from street poles running through the slum, where people live near piles of fetid garbage that attract mangy dogs and rats. Authorities can barely offer basic services, let alone ease the ethnic hatred that has left bullet holes in the walls of stores and homes, and mental scars. It’s not just supporters of one political party or another that are gunned down. There is a growing belief that anyone can be hunted, simply because of their ethnic identity. Kamran Muhammad, 23, was buying supplies for his family’s sweets shop when he was abducted, had his hands and feet bound and beaten with clubs before being shot in the head and jaw. He was neither a Mohajir,

KARACHI: Pakistani paramilitary troops enter a house during a crackdown operation against target killers and the extortion mafia at a troubled area in Karachi yesterday. — AP

Pashtun or Baluch but his killers probably thought otherwise. “We showed the young children of the family his bruises and the bullet holes. We want them to know how dangerous Karachi has become. That they must be careful,” said his father, Muhammad Hanif, his eyes swelling with tears. “From now on we will just kill whoever threatens us.” The murders have prompted business leaders, who lose millions of dollars every time Karachi’s troubles bring the city to a standstill, and others to call for army intervention. The spike in violence is raising the age-old question of whether Pakistan’s civilian government, like the one ruling now, will ever be able to handle crises. The military, seen as far more effective, has run the South Asian country for more than half of its history.

“Karachi’s precarious situation is raising fresh doubts about whether Pakistan’s civilian leaders will ever be able to manage the country,” said Kamran Bokhari of STRATFOR global intelligence firm.

At Karachi’s Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, emergency department joint director Seemi Jamali is proud to say the institution does not turn away patients because of their ethnicity, as do other hospitals. But the latest ethnic bloodletting is draining the little optimism she has left. “My nine-year-old son hides under the bed when he hears the shooting at night,” said Jamali. “He calls me five or six times every time I go out and asks ‘mommy are you safe?’” In one of the wards, there was evidence of increasingly random carnage. One patient was sprayed with gunfire on a bus. Another in a nearby bed was wounded when men on motorcycles opened fire on a crowded market.

The army is unlikely to step in any time soon. It is already stretched fighting the Taleban insurgents. Taking on hard criminals who mastered every inch of Karachi’s congested neighbourhoods could bring further humiliation after the bin Laden operation was conducted on Pakistani soil without the knowledge of the military. — Reuters

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Malaysia church raid stokes religious tensions KUALA LUMPUR: A raid by state Islamic enforcers on a church function in predominantly Muslim Malaysia has stirred religious tensions and revived fears of growing Islamisation in the multi-ethnic country. Officials swooped on a dinner at a Methodist church hall outside the capital Kuala Lumpur on Aug 3, saying they had information that a group of Muslims were being converted, which is prohibited in much of the country. The relatively tame incident has unnerved some in one of Southeast Asia’s most prosperous nations, where religion and race are intertwined and the various ethnic groups have generally coexisted peacefully.

The Damansara Utama Methodist Church denied the event was held to convert Muslims, but Islamic officials and pro-government media pounced on the case to allege a widespread Christian proselytising campaign.

Many Christians, however, dismiss the charge and say they face increasing pressure in a country whose ethnic Malay-dominated government has long presented Malaysia as a modern, ethnically harmonious Muslim state. “I am very unhappy with the way Christians are being portrayed and why authorities are treating the community so suspiciously,” Maria Varghese, 37, a Kuala Lumpur schoolteacher and ethnic Indian Christian, told AFP. “We are not trying to convert anyone. We have friends of all races and religions and have lived happily for centuries. I don’t understand why they are attacking us.”

Half of Malaysia’s population are ethnic Malay Muslims - there are also sizeable Chinese, Indian and indigenous minorities - while Christians from a range of races form nine percent of the country’s 28 million population. Over t racial and religious

antagonism has been minimal in recent decades, following deadly race riots in 1969. But an Islamisation trend has gained pace recently as the long-ruling government coalition vies for Muslim votes with the increasingly influential Islamic opposition party, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).

“Both Muslims and Christians have been carrying out missionary work in this country for centuries so this is not a new phenomenon,” said Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, head of ethnic studies at the National University of Malaysia. “But what is worrying is that this is now being politicised.” In 2009, churches were attacked with petrol bombs after a court lifted a government ban on the use of “Allah” as a translation for “God” in Malay-language bibles. The ban had been in place for years but enforcement only began in 2008 out

of fear the word could encourage Muslims to convert.

Premier Najib Razak, head of the

ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), has called for national unity and met Pope

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian Muslim offers midday prayers inside a mosque during the holy month of Ramadan on Saturday. —AFP

Benedict XVI in July about opening relations with the Vatican. But with a hotly contested election expected soon, the Damansara raid has triggered anti-Christian rhetoric by some ruling-party politicians, Islamic officials and UMNO-backed media. A coalition of about two dozen Muslim civil society groups also issued a call to make apostasy a national crime.

Converting from Islam is already banned in most of Malaysia’s 13 states and three federal territories which have Islamic sharia courts that run parallel to civil courts. Muslims, however, are allowed to proselytise. “As long as no one tries to convert Muslims, we can live in harmony with everyone,” Ibrahim Salleh, 58, an elder at a Muslim prayer hall in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Subang, told AFP. “But if missionary groups try to exert their influence and erode Islam, then we must fight back.” —AFP

Candidates spar in Japanese PM race Run-off likely as no majority winner expected TOKYO: The five men vying to become Japan’s sixth new prime minister since 2006 faced off yesterday in a live television debate the day before ruling party lawmakers cast their ballots. Two days after Naoto Kan announced his resignation after just 15 months in the top job, his trade and industry minister Banri Kaieda has emerged as favourite to win today’s party leadership vote, local media said. Former foreign minister Seiji Maehara - the public’s favourite - and Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda are battling it out for second place.

SINGAPORE: Newly elected Singapore President Tony Tan speaks to the media during a press conference yesterday. —AFP

Ex-deputy PM scrapes to victory in Singapore SINGAPORE: The ruling party’s de-facto candidate in Singapore’s presidential election scraped to victory after a dramatic recount yesterday and quickly acknowledged that Singaporeans wanted a bigger voice in government. Three months after the opposition claimed a historic breakthrough in parliamentary polls, former deputy prime minister Tony Tan was elected president with a margin of just 7,269 votes out of 2.1 million ballots cast. The 71-year-old banker took just over 35 percent of the vote, well below the 60 percent garnered by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in general elections in May, when the party had its worst showing of 52 years in power.

At a news conference yesterday, Tan said Singaporeans have become more vocal and this could make governing “a bit more difficult” but he also welcomed the development because it is part of a maturing democracy.

“Singaporeans are more vocal, they want to make their views known,” said Tan, who also sought to mend fences with those who did not vote for him. “I think that’s a good thing, we should have a diversity of views in Singapore. It enriches our society, it makes Singapore more vibrant.” Tan recognised that “there has been much change in the political landscape in the past few months”, adding that he thought civil society had influenced these developments.

“We need to work together,” he said.

Song Seng Wun, a Singapore-based regional economist with financial group CIMB, said the result of Saturday’s four-way race for the largely ceremonial role was a further sign of the ruling party losing its iron grip on power. “It shows that the stranglehold of the PAP is no longer as firm as it was in the last four decades,” he told AFP. “Only one in three voters chose the winner who is closely associated with the government. Two out of three chose somebody else and that’s quite telling.”

Bridget Welsh, a political science professor

at the Singapore Management University, said Singaporeans “are tired of elitism” and Tan was seen as a representative of the political establishment. “Singaporeans want more checks on PAP,” she said, adding that voters now felt “empowered” and no longer afraid to speak up for change. His showing was sharply lower than the 54 percent of the vote taken by Ong Teng Cheong when he won the last contested presidential poll in 1993 with the PAP’s backing.

Analysts said Tan could have lost in a straight one-on-one fight. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong appealed for national unity after an intense campaign dominated by calls from government critics for a politically independent president who can act as a check on the PAP. The Elections Department ordered a recount of all votes cast after the first tally showed the two frontrunners were less than two percent apart. Presidential candidates run as individuals in keeping with the non-partisan nature of the job, but Tony Tan was widely associated with the PAP - he quit the party only in June to run for president. His closest rival was former MP Tan Cheng Bock, a plainspeaking doctor who positioned himself as a champion of ordinary Singaporeans and called for a clear separation between the presidency and the government, despite being a former PAP member himself.

The president, who is elected for a six-year term, has veto powers over key government appointments and safeguards Singapore’s foreign reserves, which now total around $250 billion. Elections would normally have been held for the head of state post in 1999 and 2005 but on both occasions only one candidate - a former civil servant seen as close to the PAP - was deemed fit to run and took office unopposed. Until Saturday’s vote, there was limited interest in the presidency, which was widely seen as a ceremonial job involving state visits and fundraisers. —AFP

Anger in tsunami zone over Japan power games TOKYO: As Japan’s political elite readies for yet another leadership showdown today, there is widespread anger about the Tokyo power games among survivors of the March 11 quake and tsunami disaster. Almost six months after the catastrophe, tens of thousands of people still live in crowded shelters and temporary homes, many mourning loved ones, fearful of radiation and without jobs, homes or a clear idea about their future. The government’s disaster response has drawn fierce criticism, forcing Prime Minister Naoto Kan to announce he will quit and setting off frantic jockeying among those eager to replace him at the ruling-party vote.

“I’m disgusted with things over there,” said Ikuko Takita, who lives in a temporary home because the massive ocean wave took away her house in Ofunato, 420 km northeast of Tokyo. “I feel like I’m watching events in another country,” said Takita, 60. Two years after the centre-left Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) wrested power from the long-ruling conservatives promising a new style of people-first politics, she said: “I’m losing my hopes for the DPJ. “It looks like nothing will change, whoever becomes the next prime minister,” she told AFP by phone.

The winner of today’s party ballot will become Japan’s sixth premier in five years - continuing a revolving-door leadership tradition where tearful resignations after about 12 months have become the rule. In Japan’s devastated northeast, many are crying out for a government that will take charge and change their

lives for the better. Much of the tsunami rubble has been cleared, leaving vast empty mud fields, and fishing boats have again set out from hurriedly repaired ports to bring in the season’s first catches of tuna and other fish. But full recovery is expected to take years, and a glum mood has settled over towns where the displaced, their homes gone, endure quake aftershocks and are left worrying about the ongoing radiation crisis.

“I feel like I’m still standing in the dark,” said Akio Ikuhashi, 61, who was forced to flee to Aizu, western Fukushima, because his house was located only three kilometres away from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. “I didn’t do anything wrong, but I lost everything,” said Ikuhashi, who was made unemployed after the disaster and has since separated from his wife after the post-disaster stress took its toll on their marriage. “What will happen after Prime Minister Kan resigns?” he asked rhetorically, a sense of resignation in his voice. “Whatever happens will happen.”

Shinji Sakuma, a Fukushima dairy farmer whose cows had to be slaughtered due to radioactive contamination fears, was furious about the politicians he sees as distant and disconnected from the reality of the disaster zone.

“No way! Is this really the time for them to change the leadership without hearing from us?” said the 61-year-old. “I don’t care about who will be the next prime minister. Whoever it will be, please bring an end to the nuclear crisis and let us go home as soon as possible. That’s everybody’s view around here.” —AFP

However, no candidate is expected to win a clear majority in the first round of voting and a run-off is expected, before the victor is formally elected as Prime Minister by parliament tomorrow. “I want to revive the Japanese economy drastically by leveraging the reconstruction of regions devastated by the East Japan Great Earthquake,” Kaieda told a debate in a Tokyo hotel later yesterday, referring to the triple disaster that hit Japan in March.

Kaieda, 62, leapt into the lead after winning the support of controversial party kingmaker Ichiro Ozawa, who controls the biggest faction among the 398 DPJ lawmakers.

Ozawa, who has been dubbed the “Shadow Shogun” and faces criminal charges over a donations scandal, commands the support of some 130 lawmakers, despite the fact that he lost his party membership following his indictment.

Maehara, topping the list of hopefuls in public opinion polls, identified Japan’s economic woes as one of his priorities. “Japan does not have time to waste as it suffers huge debts, deflation and a strong yen,” said Maehara, who would be the nation’s youngest post-war prime minister if elected. The 49-year-old has taken a hard line on China, last year infuriating Beijing by labelling its stance in an island dispute as “hysterical”.

Maehara resigned five months ago for taking political donations from a family friend who is an ethnic Korean, in contravention of funding laws, a fact the opposition is likely to seize upon again. Noda sought to capitalise on his reputation as a steady pair of hands, having led Japan’s mixed efforts to bring down the yen, a safe haven

currency that has soared to postwar highs amid global market turmoil, hurting Japan’s exporters. The 54-year-old has managed to upset Japan’s neighbours, including South Korea, with comments defending

March 11 quake, tsunami and nuclear disasters and two years after the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) ousted the long-ruling conservative party in a landslide. Kan announced his resignation Friday after less than 15 tur-

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant while reviving a stagnant economy and reducing huge public debt. He must also manage tricky relations with China, the traditional rival that last year overtook Japan as Asia’s biggest

TOKYO: (Left to right) Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, Former Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Sumio Mabuchi, Economy Minister Banri Kaieda, Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Agriculture Minister Michihiko Kano, candidates for the ruling Democratic Party of Japan presidential election, attend a debate yesterday. —AFP Japanese war criminals.

Like previous internal DPJ contests, the ballot outcome is likely to be determined as much by factional deal-making as by the candidates’ popular appeal and policy positions.

The contest comes as Japan battles to rebuild after the devastating

bulent months in office during which his leadership style, his response to the quake and tsunami and his outspoken anti-nuclear stance earned him critics and enemies.

Whoever wins faces the daunting task of rebuilding the disaster zone and ending the crisis at the

economy, with bitter territorial disputes simmering. The new leader will also face the same problems that have hobbled his two short-lived DPJ predecessors - deep rifts within the ruling camp and a hostile opposition that controls the upper house of parliament. —AFP

Super-typhoon leaves 8 dead in Philippines MANIL A: Super-t y phoon Nanmadol killed at least eight people an d lef t flatten e d bridges and blocked roads in its wake as it moved away from the Ph ilippin es an d c h ur n e d towards Taiwan, officials said yesterday. The toll of dead and missing is likely to rise as officials assess the full impact of the storm, the strongest to hit th e coun tr y th is year, said Emilia Tadeo of the civil defence damage report section. “After

the rains have subsided, that is only when we find the additiona l c a s ua l t i e s a nd d a m a ge s, when the local responders submit them to us,” Tadeo told AFP. Five were killed by landslides including two children buried by an avalanche of rubbish at a tip in the northern mountain city of Baguio, the civil defence of f i ce s a i d. Two p e op l e d row ne d w hi l e a not he r w a s crushed by a falling wall, weakened by the rain. A further six

people are considered missing after vanishing at sea or being s we p t away by ove r f l ow i ng rivers as Nanmadol brought he av y ra i n to t he nor t he r n Philippines, the civil defence office said.

M ore t ha n 57, 000 p e op l e were forced to flee their homes due to the risk of floods and landslides in the mountainous nor t h, t he of f i ce a d d e d.

Pre s i d e nt B e ni gno Aq ui no’s spokeswoman Abigail Valte said

MANILA: Filipinos inspect a site after a retaining wall at a landfill collapsed causing a rubbish slide due to heavy rains brought on by typhoon Nanmadol yesterday. —AFP

the government had pre-positioned relief goods and rescue personnel at vulnerable areas to help those affected by the s tor m . E i ght b r i d ge s we re destroyed and 20 major roads re nd e re d i m p a s s a b l e w he n Nanmadol hit with gusts of up to 230 km per hour, the civil defence office added.

The typhoon had weakened a f te r c l i p p i ng t he nor t he r n edge of the main Philippine island of Luzon but storm alerts remained in force on Sunday as t he t yp hoon s l ow l y m ove d towards Taiwan. An average of 20 storms and typhoons, many of t he m d e a d l y, hi t t he Philippines annually. The last storms, Nock-ten and Muifa, left at least 70 dead when they hit in July. Nanmadol, named after an ancient site in Micronesia, is forecast to hit Taiwan tomorrow before cutting across to China.

At 1100 GMT, the typhoon was 60 km southeast of the southe r nm os t t i p of Ta i w a n, t he island’s Central Weather Bureau said. It said the storm was packing gusts of 137 k m an hour and moving north at 10 km an hour.

Taiwan evacuated 2,500 villagers from the east and south of the island yesterday, the Central Emergency Centre said, with the authorities urging the public to stay away from mountainous and low-lying areas. The defence ministry ordered 35,000 soldiers in the east to stand by. —AFP

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Aadaab Al-Eid (Etiquette of Eid) Continued from Page 1 It is mustahabb to eat before coming out because this confirms that we are not allowed to fast on this day, and demonstrates that the fast is now over. Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) explained that this is to prevent people extending the fast and it also means obeying the commandment of Allah. (Fath, 2/446). If a person does not have any dates, he can eat anything permissible for breakfast. On Eid Al-Adha, on the other hand, it is mustahabb not to eat until after the prayer, when one should eat from the meat of one’s sacrifice.

Takbeer on the day of Eid This is one of the greatest sunnahs of this day, because of the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning): “... (He [Allah] wants that you) must complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allah (say Takbeer - ‘Allahu Akbar’) for having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him.” [Al-Baqarah 2:185] Al-Waleed ibn Muslim said: “I asked Al-Oozaa’i and Maalik ibn Anas about saying Takbeer aloud on Eid. They said, ‘Yes, ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar used to say it aloud on the day of Fitr until the imam came out.’”

Abu ‘Abd Al-Rahmaan Al-Salami said: “On Eid Al-Fitr they would say it louder than on Eid Al-Adha.” Wakee’ said, “ie, the takbeer.” (Irwaa’, 3/122).

Al-Daaraqutni and others reported that when Ibn ‘Umar came out on Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha, he would strive hard in making Takbeer until he reached the prayer-place, then he would continue making Takbeer until the imam came.

Ibn Abi Shaybah reported with a saheeh isnaad that AlZuhri said: “The people used to make Takbeer on Eid when they came out of their houses until they reached the prayerplace and until the imam came out. When the imam came out, they fell silent, until the imam said Takbeer, then they said Takbeer.” (Irwaa’, 2/121).

The practice of making Takbeer from home to the prayerplace, and until the imam comes in, was well-known among the salaf and was reported by a number of authors such as Ibn Abi Shaybah, ‘Abd al-Razzaaq and Al-Firyaabi in his book Ahkaam al-’Eidayn from a group of the salaf. An example of this is the report that Naafi’ ibn Jubayr used to make Takbeer and wondered why people did not do so. He would say to

people, “Why do you not make Takbeer?” Ibn Shihaab Al-Zuhri said, “The people used to make Takbeer from the time they left their homes until the imam came in.”

The time for making Takbeer on Eid Al-Fitr starts from the night of Eid until the time when the imam comes in to lead the prayer.

The wording of the Takbeer Ibn Abi Shaybah reported in Al-Musannaf that Ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say Takbeer on the days of Tashreeq as follows: “Allahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, laa ilaaha ill-Allah, wa Allaahu akbar, Allahu akbar wa Lillaahi’lhamd (Allah is Most Great... there is no god but Allah, Allah is Most Great, and to Allah be praise).” Ibn Abi Shaybah reported it elsewhere with the same isnaad, but with the phrase “Allahu akbar” repeated three times.

Al-Muhaamili also reported that Ibn Mas’ood used to say: “Allahu akbaru kabeeran, Allahu akbaru kabeeran, Allahu akbar wa ajall, Allahu akbar wa Lillaahi’l-hamd (Allah is Most Great of All, Allah is Most Great of all, Allah is most Great and Most Glorious, and to Allah be praise).” (Al-Irwaa ‘, 3/126).

Congratulating one another People may exchange congratulations and good greetings on Eid, no matter what form the words take. For example they may say to one another, “Taqabbal Allahu minnaa wa minkum (May Allaah accept [the fast and worship] from us and from you” or “Eid Mubarak” and other similar permissible greetings.

Jubayr ibn Nufayr said: “At the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), when people met one another on the day of Eid, they would say, ‘Taqabbal Allaahu minnaa wa minka (May Allaah accept from us and from you).’”

(Ibn Hajar. Its isnaad is hasan. Fath, 2/446).

The practice of exchanging greetings was well-known at the time of the Sahaabah and scholars such as Imam Ahmad and others allowed it. There are reports which indicate that it is permissible to congratulate people on special occasions. The Sahaabah used to congratulate one another when something good happened, such as when Allah accepted a person’s repentance and so on.

There is no doubt that congratulating others in this way is one of the noblest kinds of good manners and one of the highest social qualities among Muslims. — www.zawaj.com

MPs want NA session, speaker spurns plea Continued from Page 1 grilling of the prime minister will be inevitable”.

But National Assembly Speaker Khorafi said yesterday that the office of the assembly met and discussed the issue, adding that there is nothing we can do at this stage because regarding the alleged KD 25 million deposits “because we do not have any document or evidence on the scandal”.

Khorafi said the issue undermines the reputation of the National Assembly because of the reports. Member of the office MP Ali Al-Omair however said that the assembly office did not take any decision on the issue but

exchanged different views and will ask constitutional exper ts about what should be done.

Responding to Khorafi statement, MP Falah Al-Sawwagh said that what hurts the reputation of the National Assembly is the presence of “suspicious accounts and deposits” for MPs and not the press reports on the issue. Sawwagh added that MPs have lots to do to defend the constitution and the reputation of the Kuwaiti people.

In a related matter, MP Mukhled AlAzemi said he has assigned his lawyers to file lawsuits against a local electronic newsletter and Twitter users for naming him as one of the two beneficiaries.

Azemi has categorically denied that he

was involved in any way.

In another development, Islamist MP Mohammad Hayef yesterday asked the interior minister about what actions the ministry had taken against a number of Shiite MPs and activists who have publicly insulted the kings of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain which are par tners of Kuwait in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Hayef said the insults against the two GCC leaders were carried by SMS news services and local newspapers.

The lawmaker is facing a trial on September 6 on charges of threatening the life of the Syrian ambassador in Kuwait. The case was initiated by the interior ministry through the state security department.

Syria in crisis with Arab League over peace plan Continued from Page 1 The 22-member organization’s foreign ministers at a meeting on Saturday night called for an “end to the spilling of blood and (for Syria) to follow the way of reason before it is too late.”

The foreign ministers also called for respecting “the right of the Syrian people to live in security and of their legitimate aspirations for political and social reforms.” Arabi said yesterday he was awaiting a Syrian invitation to travel to Damascus. “I’m waiting for the response of Syria’s government,” he told journalists in the Egyptian capital, adding he was ready to leave immediately.

On the home front, President Bashar Al-Assad yesterday issued a decree on a new media law that would lift the threat of imprisonment for journalists and allow greater access to information, the official news agency SANA reported. The law partly liberalizes repressive legislation under which journalists faced jail for, among other things, attack-

ing “the prestige and dignity of the state, national unity and the morale of the army.”

“The law gives more freedom to have access to information,” Elias Murad, head of the Syrian journalists’ union, told AFP. Murad said that the reformed law lifts restrictions on the work of journalists, except for on “issues related to the nation, enemy and national unity, which is natural.”

However journalists can still face a fine of up to $21,000 for defamation. Assad’s move was the latest bid to help end anti-regime protests. Earlier this month, the embattled president issued decrees on the formation of political parties as well as general elections. In the latest bloodshed, two people were killed in Idlib province of northwest Syria near the Turkish border yesterday in an operation mounted by security forces, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. And security forces shot dead a demonstrator in the southern town of Inkhel during a protest at a funeral for 14-year-old Sultan Al-Farwan who died after having been wounded two weeks ago. — AFP

Storm Irene batters shuttered New York Continued from Page 1 Wall Street’s financial district seemed largely unaffected as did Ground Zero, where the 10th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks is soon to be observed. The New York Mercantile Exchange building planned to open as usual today, while the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market also said they expected a normal trading day.

But the big question for residents and the millions who commute to work in the city each day, was whether the city’s subways and public transportation would be allowed to resume in time for today’s rush hour after being closed from noon on Saturday.

About 370,000 city residents were ordered to leave their homes in low-lying areas in an unprecedented move by the authorities. It was unclear when they would be allowed to return.

BEACH DAMAGE Heavy rains and wind forced the closure of three bridges leading to the Rockaways peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean, and further east on Long Island sand beams built to hold off the flooding and protect coastal businesses appeared to have failed. Six inches of rain fell on Central Park.

Irene was blamed for at least 11 deaths in North Carolina, Virginia, Florida and Maryland as it churned up the East Coast.

By 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) Irene’s winds had diminished to 60 mph (95 kmh) and the center had reached Danbury, Connecticut, about 70 miles (112 km) northeast of New York.

There was a general sense in New York that the storm, reported on breathlessly for days by television reporters, was not as bad as it could have been. “The water looks really groovy, it’s like in that movie ‘The Perfect Storm,’-it’s swelling every way and the wind is blowing it every way, it’s heaving,” said Jill Rubenstein, speaking from her third-floor apartment in an evacuation zone at the Harlem Yacht Club on City Island in the Bronx.

New York City’s normally bustling streets were mostly quiet overnight but as the waters receded, tourists and locals began venturing out for a look around New York’s Times Square, where Broadway shows had been canceled in anticipation of the bad weather.

In Astoria, Queens, about a dozen people were out

on the waterfront overlooking Manhattan, some snapping photographs of a partially flooded playground.

The storm dumped up to eight inches of rain on the Washington region, but the capital avoided major damage. Some bridges were closed but airports remained open and transit operated on a normal schedule.

Rick Meehan, mayor of Ocean City, Maryland, said initial assessments showed flooding and continuing power outages in some areas of the seaside resort, but not much damage.

“It looks like we dodged a missile on this one,” Meehan told the local Fox News station, WBOC News.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie told NBC’s “Meet the Press” he expects damages from Irene to be costly, possibly worth billions of dollars, along the Atlantic coast and from inland river flooding.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it could take several days to make preliminary damage assessments. On the south shore of Long Island, Jim Nolan, a 55-year-old architect, was out making his own assessment of the area around his home on the shore of a lagoon at Copiague. But downed trees and flooding stopped him from driving very far.

“It was about as bad as I expected,” he added of the storm. “The more scientific weather channels had a tropical storm, the high end news companies had doom and gloom reports of 80 to 90 miles an hour-I just didn’t believe it.”

He had a busy night taking care of his 34-foot cabin cruiser tied to a dock by a number of lines that broke during the night. “About 3 O’clock two snapped, two snapped about four or five o’clock and one snapped half an hour ago,” Nolan said. “It was nice and warm so I put my bathing suit on and went out there to work on it with my son,” Nolan said.

BAD YEAR FOR US STORMS From the Carolinas to Maine, tens of millions of people were in the path of Irene, which howled ashore in North Carolina on Saturday, dumping torrential rain, felling trees and knocking out power. The storm was forecast to pass over parts of Massachussets and Rhode Island later on Sunday.

After Irene, weather watchers were keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Jose, which formed near Bermuda.

This year has been one of the most extreme for weather in US history, with $35 billion in losses so far from floods, tornadoes and heat waves. — Reuters

KOKATA: Indian Muslims buy cut fruit from a roadside vendor in Kolkata yesterday. Muslims around the world are observing Ramadan when they refrain from eating, drinking, smoking from dawn to dusk. —AP

Rebels zero in on Gaddafi bastion Continued from Page 1 “The gas pipeline is back and running, supplying the pump stations and the Mellitah (gas processing) refinery. Gas will start flowing to Europe,” he told a news conference in Benghazi. He did not say when such shipments would resume. In the far west, Tunisian authorities reopened the main border crossing into Libya and dozens of vehicles moved through on a road that is a key supply route for Tripoli. Libyan forces seized the Ras Jdir post from Gaddafi loyalists on Friday.

Tripoli streets were quiet after sporadic overnight gunfire and explosions in the capital, traumatized by emerging evidence of widespread summary killings that took place during last week’s battles to drive Gaddafi out. But some residents ventured out to hunt for scarce supplies of water, food and fuel. And in Martyrs Square, known as Green Square in the Gaddafi era, traffic police reappeared in crisp white uniforms, directing cars amid a sea of bullet casings.

“I came back to work on Friday. Life is beginning to come back to normal,” said one policeman, Mahmoud Al-Majbary, 49. Asked if fighters were obeying the traffic police, he said: “Not yet, we’re getting there slowly.

We’re mainly really here to reassure the people that they are safe.”

Libyans may remain fearful as long as the man who subjected them to his capricious will for 42 years remains at large. Gaddafi, 69, has so far evaded capture, perhaps intending to lead an insurgency against his disparate opponents grouped loosely under the National Transitional Council (NTC).

NTC officials rejected any idea of talks with Gaddafi, saying he was a criminal who must be brought to justice. “We did not negotiate when we were weak, and we won’t negotiate now that we have liberated all of Libya,” the NTC’s information minister, Mahmoud Shammam,

told a news conference.

The Associated Press earlier quoted Gaddafi’s spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, as saying Gaddafi was still in Libya and wanted to discuss forming a transitional government with the NTC. NTC officials say Gaddafi, his son Saif Al-Islam and his spy chief should be tried in Libya, although they are wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Sirte, 450 km (280 miles) east of Tripoli, is a vital prize for anti-Gaddafi forces attacking from east and west. They say they prefer a negotiated handover, but will fight if need be. “Our aim isn’t bloodshed, our aim is liberation,” Colonel Salem Muftah AlRefaidy told Reuters in the eastern city of Benghazi. “We don’t want more bloodshed, especially among the civilians-children, elderly, women.”

He said NTC troops were within 100 km of Sirte from the east and were also approaching from Misrata to the west. Refaidy said there was no going back to the past.

“After all this bloodshed we can’t say, ‘Come here Muammar, come here Saif — we’re sorry, take Libya’. It’s done. Game over.”

Shammam warned that negotiations could not be “endless”, adding that if talks failed rebel supporters already in Sirte would rise up as they had in Tripoli before it fell.

In Tripoli, residents queued for bread or scoured grocery shops for food. Many took a stoical view of their plight. “This is a tax we pay for our freedom,” said Sanusi Idhan, a lawyer waiting to buy food.

Aymen Mohammed poured water into plastic containers for his neighbors. “There are many people here who don’t have water so we’re filling the bottles from our well,” he said. The stench of rotting bodies and burning garbage still hangs over the city. More and more bodies have turned up, some of slain Gaddafi soldiers, others victims of summary killings. — Reuters

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MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

opinion

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Issues

Death of deputy chief heavy blow to Qaeda

By William Maclean he killing of Al-Qaeda’s number two leader deprives the group of a multi-talented manager who helped it spawn offshoots around the world and survive a US counter-terrorism campaign in Pakistan, security analysts say.

US officials said on Saturday that Atiyah abd AlRahman, a Libyan, was killed in Pakistan. One official said he was killed in a strike by an unmanned drone on Aug 22. The killing is likely to be particularly highly prized by Washington as US strategists would have been concerned about Rahman’s potential influence in Libya’s turmoil following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, analysts say.

Rahman, in his 40s and from the coastal Libyan town of Misrata, built a reputation in al Qaeda as a thinker, organizer and trusted emissary of the Pakistan-based central leadership to its offshoots. In particular he played a key role in managing ties between the core leadership and Al-Qaeda in Iraq and helped negotiate the formation in 2007 of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) with a group of Algerian Islamist guerrillas.

He was also one of the first Al-Qaeda leaders to provide a response to the uprisings in the Arab world, urging the group’s supporters to cooperate with the revolts even if the rebellions were not Islamist-inspired.

“It’s immensely important that he’s been killed,” said Anna Murison, who monitors Islamist violence for Exclusive Analysis, a London-based risk consultancy. She said he was widely trusted throughout the organization and Islamists from very varied backgrounds listened to him.

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QAEDA LOOKS “FINISHED” “Al Qaeda as an idea will live on, but al Qaeda core as an organization looks pretty much finished as there are so few people who can now move up into those senior ranks,” she said. She said he was one of only four people in al Qaeda’s leadership with a global profile in the small but passionate transnational community of violent Islamist militants. She rates these as al Qaeda’s current leader Ayman Al-Zawahri, Egyptian plotter Saif Al-Adl, and the other Libyan in al Qaeda’s central leadership, the theologian Abu Yahya Al-Libi. Rahman rose to the number two spot when Al-Zawahri took the reins of al Qaeda after Osama bin Laden was killed in May in a US raid in Pakistan.

Noman Benotman, a former Libyan Islamist and now an analyst at Britain’s Quilliam think tank, said his death was a heavy blow to Al-Qaeda as he was its main organizer and manager.

“This was the one man al Qaeda could not afford to lose,” Benotman said. “He was the CEO of al Qaeda who was at the heart of the management process of al Qaeda worldwide. Benotman said that in the last two years he “more or less single-handedly” kept Al-Qaeda together.

“He was a strong decision maker, an excellent debater and a skilled peacemaker between various Islamist groups.”

Benotman said Rahman, whose real name was Jamal Ibrahim Ishtawi, was a graduate of the engineering department of Misrata University and left Libya to go to Afghanistan in 1988 and join the Islamist groups then fighting Soviet occupation.

He said Rahman was a personal acquaintance of his but was never a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, an Islamist guerrilla organization that waged a failed insurgency to topple Gaddafi in the 1990s and of which Benotman was a leader. Rahman was one of al Qaeda’s earliest members and worked for the antiWestern militant group in Algeria and Mauritania as well as Afghanistan, Benotman said. In a statement posted on militant online forums on Feb 23, Rahman acknowledged that the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia were not the “perfections for which we hoped”, but they were happy occasions nonetheless. He dismissed the notion that AlQaeda had a “magic wand” to gather large armies and lead the charge to overturn governments and rescue besieged Muslims, according to a translation by the Site Intelligence Group, a US monitoring company. Rather, he wrote, “Al-Qaeda is a simple part of the efforts of the jihadi Ummah (nation), so do not think of them to be more than they are. We all should know our abilities and to try to cooperate in goodness, piety and jihad in the Cause of Allah; everyone in his place and with whatever they can and what is suitable to them.” — Reuters

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.

The Republican dilemma

By Dr James J Zogby n the past few weeks, the Republican presidential primar y contest has become more confusing and, for some in the GOP, disheartening. For months now, the rather lackluster field of ten or so announced Republican candidates has been raising money, hiring staff, and campaigning vigorously in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina-sites of some of the earliest contests in the 2012 presidential nominating contest.

I say lackluster, advisedly, since polls are showing that less than one-quarter of Republicans are actually satisfied with this collection of candidates. As a result, not a week goes by without some other name being floated as a potential “savior” who it is hoped will rescue the party, leading it to victory.

Almost since the race began, the frontrunner has been former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney. But in all this time he never garnered the support of more than 25% of Republican voters. Romney has support, but not passionate support, since the main argument in his favor was that he appeared to be more electable than his opponents. Many Republicans, however, remain uncomfortable with his candidacy since he was, after all, a fairly moderate Governor who pursued, by today’s Republican standards, a liberal economic and social agenda. Romney’s conversion to conservatism was late, during the 2008 presidential contest when he began the process of rejecting many of the

I

programs and policies he had embraced as Governor. Back in 2008, I never knew what was more unbelievable-that Mitt Romney was really a conser vative, or that Conservatives actually believed that Mitt Romney was really a conservative.

In any case, so slim was his lead and so thin his support that within recent weeks he has come to lose that lead or share it with others in the race. The first to challenge Romney ’s first place status was Michele Bachmann, a three term Congresswoman from Minnesota.

Bachmann, a self-anointed leader of the Tea Party, has distinguished herself as a bit of a rabble rouser. Her rather dogmatic religious fundamentalism and her penchant for exaggeration and harsh rhetoric have won her suppor t among the base of Republican voters, while, at the same time, causing concern among the GOP’s establishment.

At this point, the only other candidates worth mentioning are Congressman Ron Paul, a Libertarian, whose esoteric economics and rigid isolationism have won him a devoted following, and successful African American businessman, Herman Cain, whose humor and hard-nosed attacks on President Obama, have livened up the GOP debates. As entertaining as they both have been, however, both will play nothing more than supporting roles in this year’s contest. The rest of the field, though impressive and credentialed (including three former Governors, the former Speaker of the House and a former Senator), have failed, thus far, to catch on.

Two weeks back, Iowa held its first televised debate and its traditional “straw poll”.

While this “straw poll” is understood to be an unscientific measure, it nevertheless is viewed by the press and public as a show of strength and the first test of the candidates’ ability to organize supporters.

The outcome of this year’s contest, revealed how far to the extreme right Republican voters had drifted, with Bachmann narrowly defeating Paul-and the two of them combined collecting well over one-half of the nearly 17,000 votes cast. Not a good day for the GOP establishment! Bachmann sought to capitalize on her victory with a round of national television appearances (Paul, on the other hand, was virtually ignored by the mainstream media). Her efforts, however, were overshadowed by Texas Governor Rick Perry’s entry into the race. Demonstrating how volatile this contest is and how thin was the support for the frontrunners, within one day Perry had rocketed to first place in the polls ahead of Romney and eclipsing Bachmann. Perry, known as a brash and out-spoken candidate whose style is reminiscent of George W Bush (though more authentically Texan) quickly endeared himself with the far right while causing new headaches for the Republican establishment. On his second day in the race he termed the head of the Federal Reserve (a George W Bush appointee) as treasonous and questioned whether President Obama had the respect of the US military. With each passing day Perry, true to form, has continued to cause outrage-all of this leav-

ing many Republicans still hoping that someone new will enter the 2012 contest.

Most of the major more mainstream GOP figures have announced that they will not run (Governors and former Governors like: Mississippi’s Haley Barbour, Indiana’s Mitch Daniels, New Jersey’s Chris Christie or Florida’s Jeb Bush). To date, the only characters still flirting with entering the race(Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani and former New York Governor George Pataki) appear to have little more to offer than an ego waiting to be fed.

An indication of how difficult this situation has become for the GOP was the subject of some sharp comments this week by former Governor John Huntsman, one of the more moderate candidates in the race, who has been languishing near the bottom of the pack. Huntsman, in an effort to boost his candidacy and distinguish himself from the rest of the field, decried the extremism of his opponents, as well as their lack of realism and their anti-science views. In response, one Republican pollster noted that while what Huntsman said “was mainstream America”, it was “not mainstream Republican. And this, after all, is a Republican primary”. This highlights, more than anything, the GOP’s dilemma: in a year they desperately want to win and feel they can win, their base has moved so far to the right, that they may end up choosing a candidate whose views do not reflect America’s mainstream, and who is, therefore, unelectable.

—Dr James J Zogby is President, Arab American Institute.

Tripoli bloodshed may signal violence to come

By Peter Graff ass killings that have taken place in Tripoli since the fall of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi provide a harrowing warning that more carnage may lie ahead.

Millions of Libyans have supported the sixmonth rebellion against Gaddafi in hope of a peaceful future. Many in the new leadership have called for reconciling with their foes.

But as bodies lay in fetid piles in the streets of the capital this week, Libyans faced the prospect that, as in Iraq in 2003, the fall of a dictator could mark the beginning, rather than the end, of the war’s most violent phase.

Experts say the country is now at a crossroads, and a failure by the new leadership to rein in its own side could send Libya careening down a path toward uncontrollable bloodletting.

“If there are a lot of reprisal killings, then the potential for the thing to spiral into bloody violence is immense,” said Britishbased defense analyst Tim Ripley. “Overall, Libya’s future is in the balance.”

Gaddafi, who has eluded rebels now in control of Tripoli, had prophesied an apocalypse of violence if he were toppled. He and his inner circle could prove to be ruthless and formidable insurgents in the country they ruled for 42 years.

“If the insurgency continues and the remaining pro-Gaddafi forces are not persuaded of the benefits of abandoning their struggle, then any confrontation is bound to become increasingly bitter as time passes,” said George Joffe, a North Africa expert at Cambridge University. “What the remnants of the regime will hope for is to create such deep cleavages as to make reconciliation impossible.”

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FETID CORPSES The scenes I witnessed last week as Gaddafi’s forces made a last stand in Tripoli’s Abu Salim district were as disturbing as any I have seen in 17 years as a frontline war correspondent. At a tented camp at a traffic circle near the frontline, I saw at least two dozen

bodies of Gaddafi militia members riddled with bullets. Several had been killed while their hands were tied behind their backs with plastic cuffs.

One lay in an abandoned ambulance, still strapped to the gurney. Nearby, four corpses lay in a white field hospital tent, one with a drip still in his arm. Since then, Reuters and other news organizations have found scores of other bodies in the capital, especially in Abu Salim, home to many Gaddafi govern-

Three African captives I saw in a rebel pickup truck were convulsed with fear. One wept and repeated over and over: “I do not know Gaddafi. I do not know Gaddafi. I am here for working.” I also heard allegations of atrocities committed by fleeing Gaddafi loyalists in the past week. A man in a hospital told me he was one of only two survivors among prisoners in a government jail cell, ordered to the floor and sprayed with bullets by fleeing guards as rebels advanced.

TRIPOLI: A rebel fighter covers his face against the smell as he walks near a warehouse containing the remains of at least 50 burned bodies in Tripoli yesterday. A survivor said they were civilians killed by proGaddafi soldiers. —AP ment officials and their families.

On Friday came the discovery of the abandoned Abu Salim hospital building, full of corpses lying in cots. The exact circumstances of the killings are still not clear, but these were not fighters left where they were killed on the battlefield. Gaddafi’s supporters will doubtless blame the rebels for carrying out large-scale revenge killings.

He cowered for hours with the corpses before he was rescued. Under an awning in the hospital car park lay the bloated and flyblown bodies of what doctors said were 15 victims of that incident. Whichever side perpetrated the most violence, the new authorities can expect to be held to the higher standard, not least by Western powers whose warplanes helped install them in power under a

United Nations mandate to protect civilians.

Leaders divided Libya’s new leaders have repeatedly called for national unity and reconciliation and ordered their fighters to avoid revenge killings. It seems likely that most Libyans want a future of peace, not more violence, after decades of repression. But anti-Gaddafi forces include hardened fighters, some of whom have operated more or less independently, and who may not share the determination of the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) to prevent violence.

“The fact that the NTC has called for reconciliation has not been accepted universally by rebel groups,” said Joffe. “The NTC is not yet a fully coherent body. There are lots of different factions inside it that have got their own agendas. Some of them do believe that they have to eradicate the old regime. That’s something that the leadership have to in some way cope with, and they haven’t done so yet. It’s a mammoth task.”

The potential for violence to spiral is vast.

Libya is a weakly-governed nation split by tribal rivalries. Most of its 6 million people live in cities perched precariously on the edge of the Sahara, fed and watered by the state from the income generated by oil exports, which have yet to resume.

Like Iraq’s ousted Baathists after the downfall of Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi loyalists will know exactly which ancient feuds to stoke to stir more violence, and which infrastructure to target to make life unbearable for the public. The rebels are mostly organized on local or tribal lines. The trucks in which they prowl Tripoli are spray-painted with names of their distant home towns-Misrata, Zintan, Benghazi. Some cities remain in pro-Gaddafi hands, above all his birth-place Sirte, which straddles the coastal highway linking east and west Libya. Rebels are trying to negotiate its surrender, even as they advance towards it from two directions. Gaddafi forces may still make a final stand there-and if the streets of Abu Salim last week are any guide, that could precipitate the Libyan conflict’s bloodiest battle yet.— Reuters

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MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

analysis

India protests expose ruling front

By Paul de Bendern n anti-corruption movement sweeping India has dealt a serious but not yet deadly blow to the ruling Congress party’s chances of sweeping back to power in elections in 2014. Almost two weeks of massive protests led by 74-yearold self-styled Gandhian activist Anna Hazare have exposed a party riven by a lack of leadership, indecision, poor judgment and out of touch with the concerns of a country of 1.2 billion people.

“In the hour of its greatest need, the Congress’s top leaders have failed the party. Anna Hazare’s movement threatens the survival of an UPA (coalition government) on the brink of breakdown,” news magazine India Today said. The Congress party of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, in power for most of the time since independence in 1947, must find a way to rebound for key state elections next year and national elections in 2014.

Recent opinion polls show the Hindu nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) edging ahead of the Congress party after the Hazare movement threw an unknown element into national politics-the middle-class vote.

Hazare rallied millions of predominantly urban middle class, angry at the government’s inability to crack down on rampant corruption, made evident by the arrest of a minister and the poor state of infrastructure and services in a country that has grown at around eight percent per annum over the last few years. The crisis has also taken a toll on governance. A series of key bills, including one on land acquisition reform and plans to open up the retail sector to foreign companies, has stalled.

Economic growth is set to slow over the next few years, with the central bank, cutting its forecast to below eight percent for this year-a minimum requirement to lift millions out of poverty and repair or rebuild crumbling roads and facilities.

“Since 2004, Congress strategy was to own the successes and disown the failures... It has worked until now,” said Sanjaya Baru, editor of newspaper Business Standard and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s media adviser from 2004 to 2008.

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SONIA OUT? Since 2004, India has been run through

an unusual setup whereby Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born wife of assassinated former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, sets the political agenda and the prime minister runs day-to-day affairs.

Sonia is India’s most powerful politician, but unlike previous leaders of her star-

running some of his mother’s affairs is that he has fared poorly. A speech in parliament at the 11th hour on Hazare was too little, too late.

When asked why he had remained silent when tens of thousands of people took to the streets over corruption, Rahul

NEW DELHI: Supporters of Indian reform activist Anna Hazare (portrait seen), wave Indian flags and shout slogans after Hazare broke his fast in New Delhi yesterday.—AP crossed family she decided not to become prime minister. This has come back to haunt the party, especially since she took leave to undergo surgery for an undisclosed illness in the United States three weeks ago.

Rumors swirling in the corridors of parliament say she may not return to run the party and instead hand control to her relatively inexperienced son, Rahul. Congress denies this. Singh, frail after two heart operations, is seen as a symbolic and avuncular figure, blamed for not cracking down on graft. “The seemingly perfect division of power between Sonia Gandhi, the politician, and Manmohan Singh, the policy wonk, has imploded, exposing a party riven by indecision and miscommunication,” India Today said.

The verdict since Rahul, 41, has been

told reporters: “I tell you why. Because I like to think about things and then decide about things.”

RAHUL IN? Crucial to Congress and the NehruGandhi family dynasty will be how well Rahul takes on the leadership of the party.

He is also expected to be the party’s next prime minister.

The danger is that Rahul, who heads the youth movement of the Congress party, has alienated the very voter base he has worked to win over and seen as crucial in coming years. The party has traditionally won support from rural India, particularly farmers, many of whom live on state support. The youth and the urban middle class, while not the core of the Congress party voter base, will increasingly play a

crucial role in elections. “What is really worrying them is that they banked so much on the generation shift and the youth vote,” said analyst Swapan Dasgupta. “The Hazare movement has really shaken that faith.”

But Baru says Congress should not be underestimated. “What we will see over the next three years is the older generation moving out and the younger one taking over and you’ve recently seen lots of younger Congress members of parliament more active on the Anna Hazare issue,” Baru said.

STATE ELECTIONS A series of state elections over the next 12 months, particularly in the country’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, will be key for Congress. In Uttar Pradesh, it is all about whether Mayawati, the leader of the formerly untouchable Dalit castes, will return to power or not. “There could be some damage in the coming state elections. Anna’s movement has certainly dented the image of government and particularly some ministers’ dealing with the issue,” said a senior Congress leader, who asked not to be named.

Rahul’s future is very much at stake as he has invested political capital to win the state from Mayawati, or at least enough seats for Congress to join a coalition in the state. His image was dented after Congress was drubbed in state assembly polls in Bihar, despite his high profile campaigning. Worrying for Congress is that a series of home goals has weakened its base in several key states. In India, winning federal elections is hugely influenced by how a party does in state elections and what alliances a party forges. Congress’s stronghold, Maharashtra, the state Hazare is from and where Mumbai, the financial capital is located, is in trouble, riven by infighting among its top leadership.

In Andhra Pradesh, which was key for Congress to return to power in 2004 and 2009, the party is fighting a mutiny over its decision to split the state, a move which was later shelved.

“The way politics is played out in India is at state level. You have to see what the impact of all this will be for not just Congress, but importantly for its allies,” Baru said. “In politics, all that counts is victory in elections.” — Reuters

African Union rattled by Gaddafi collapse

By Peter Martell he toppling of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi by rebels has left the African Union sidelined, member s d i v i d e d a nd a n g e r h i g h a t a Western-led bombing campaign, analysts say. The AU stands in a contradictory position: several African states have individually acknowledged the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), but the pan-African bloc has shirked from recognition itself. Misguided efforts for talks between the rebels and Gaddafiplans rejected by rebels and ignored by the West-damaged the bloc’s credibility, said Aloys Habimana, of Human Rights Watch.

“Fail i ng to re a l i ze th a t G a d d a f i ’s killings undermined his legitimacy and made him better suited for an international tribunal than for a negotiating table was a terrible mistake,” Habimana said. “ The AU l e a d e rs h i p w a s to rn between the option of doing the right

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thing, and that of standing in solidarity with a prominent peer whose acts clearly stood in stark contrast to the AU’s own principles and values,” Habimana added.

Several African leaders may have been k e e n l y aware o f t hei r own i nter nal domestic divisions, avoiding discussion on revolution when they themselves are often decades-long serving presidents elected on shaky grounds. Some leaders, such as Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, found allies in Kadhafi based on their anti-Western stance.

“The AU reacted quite slowly to the crisis for many reasons,” said Paul-Simon Handy, from South Africa’s Institute for Security Studies, noting Gaddafi had regularly contributed substantial funds to the AU. “Not least was because some heads of state were embarrassed by their cl o s e p e r so nal relat i o nshi p wit h G a d d a f i ,” Handy added. B ut i t was Western air raids that infuriated many on the continent, who felt NATO attacks have gone “far beyond the spirit, if not

the letter, of the UN Security Council resolution,” said Tom Cargill, of Britain’s Chatham House.

“African leaders were infuriated by NATO’s snub,” Handy added. “They felt their advice and role had been entirely ignored.” “So often they have been pressurized by the international community to find African solutions to African problems,” added Cargill. “Yet when such a problem arises, the Western nations came in and sidelined them.” Instead of protecting civilians, the NATO raids are seen by m any as ef fec t i ve regime change, “perceived as Western military intervention of neo-colonialist powers,” Cargill added.

It raised anger even in governments whose roots lie in revolutionary change, who might otherwise be expected to welcome a popular rebellion by the Libyan people. “External observers might find it nonsensical, but there was a real feeli ng o f t he need to st and u p for African solidarity,” said Cargill, noting the

intense anger from South African leaders, who overthrew apartheid rule.

While the fall of Gaddafi and the loss of the generous funds he provided has shaken the AU, it is hoped the bloc can learn from the crisis, said Habimana.

“Institutions like the AU should exist to safeguard peoples’ aspirations, rather than serving to protect tyrants rightly challenged by citizens in search of freedom and the rule of law,” he said. “With Gaddafi’s fall, Libyans have a unique opportunity to build a better country based on human rights and the rule of law-the AU’s role in assisting the Libyans to tap that opportunity will be critical,” Ha bimana added. Relations ahead between the NTC and the AU will be tricky, but both sides will have to work with each other, added Handy. “The AU will have to work hard to prove to the Libyan authorities it is legitimate after its ties with Gaddafi,” he said. “But it is in the vested interests of both sides for good relations and to move forward.” — AFP

UN attack in Nigeria ups security stakes

By M J Smith he deadly attack on UN headquarters in Nigeria has dramatically elevated the threat facing the country and raised questions over whether its government is capable of responding, analysts say.

While a purported spokesman for Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that killed at least 19 people, there was no proof and analysts cautioned it was too early to say for sure. FBI agents from the United States were in Nigeria after Friday ’s bombing and Deputy UN Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro arrived late Saturday.

But no matter who was behind the huge bomb that destroyed large sections of the heavily guarded building in Abuja, the attack has illustrated that Nigeria is facing a much more complicated threat than many had believed, analysts said.

“This is a quite significant escalation in many ways,” said Chidi Odinkalu of the Open Society Justice Initiative. Some analysts said that the attack did not fit with Boko Haram’s previous pattern of targeting symbols of Nigerian authority, but the sect has always been hard to pin down and is believed to have a number of factions.

There have also been growing concerns that the sect has begun cooperating with other extremist groups outside Nigeria, including Al-Qaeda’s north African branch, known as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Attacks blamed on Boko Haram have steadily become more sophisticated.

Friday’s blast saw the bomber make his way past two security gates before ramming his car into the UN building.

“I think it’s definitely under the auspices of Boko Haram. Some faction with Boko Haram has done this,” said Peter SharwoodSmith, Nigeria country manager for risk

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consultants Drum Cussac.

“It’s hard to say why (they carried out the attack). It could be to get international attention to their cause, or possibly they carried this out under the influence and advice of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

It’s hard to say.”

Boko Haram launched an uprising in 2009 that was put down by a brutal military assault which left hundreds dead. It went dormant for about a year before re-emerging in 2010 with a series of assassinations of security personnel and politicians, as well as religious and community leaders.

Bomb blasts have become more frequent in recent months, but they have mainly targeted security patrols and openair pubs in Nigeria’s northeast. A bomb

ripped through a car park at national police headquarters in Abuja in June that was claimed by the sect.

Abubakar Tsav, a respected former police commissioner for Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos, said he believed the UN attack was “beyond Boko Haram.”

“I think the name of Boko Haram is only being used,” he said. “Even if Boko Haram was involved, there is a foreign link to the attack.” He also said “it is possible some powerful people with vested interest inside Nigeria had a hand in the suicide attack.”

Other analysts said political links to the attack also could not be ruled out. It is partly for that reason that some analysts doubt the Nigerian government will be able to reverse the tide and address the threat now

ABUJA: A United Nations vehicle damaged following an explosion from a suicide bomber that rocked the Nigerian UN headquarters in Abuja yesterday.— AFP

facing Africa’s most populous nation and the continent’s largest oil producer.

Some argue that the country’s deeply rooted corruption has created a system where progress is difficult to achieve and violence can be rewarded. Certain analysts point to the 2009 amnesty deal in the oilproducing Niger Delta region that has largely consisted of payments to former militants, saying it has shown that causing trouble can result in financial benefits.

“Nobody sorts anything out and just puts the money in their pockets,” said Odinkalu. “The idea of government as an avenue for private profits... also at least partly explains where we are.”

Many also argue that Nigeria’s divisions both contribute to such problems and keep them from being solved. The country’s 150 million population is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south, while also including some 250 ethnic groups.

President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south, faced strong opposition to his candidacy in the north ahead of April elections, when his main opponent was a northern ex-military ruler, Muhammadu Buhari. Riots that killed more than 800 people broke out after the elections across the north, poorer and less educated than the south.

“Strategies by the federal government to counter radicalism in the north have been counterproductive,” said Alex Vines, head of the Africa program at British think tank Chatham House. “Lessons need to be learned, and efforts made to ensure northern communities feel less marginalized and that they have a stake in Nigeria’s future. “This bombing should be a wakeup call for President Goodluck Jonathan that delivering key services such as regular electricity and economic growth equitably are key.” — AFP

Focus

Singapore vote a ‘wakeup call’

By Martin Abbugao

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s president-elect Tony Tan (left) and his wife Mary leave the election department after the results.—AFP ingapore’s voters gave the ruling party a “major wake-up call” in weekend elections, with critics feeling more and more empowered and no longer afraid to speak up for change, analysts said yesterday.

The results of Saturday’s presidential vote, in which Tony Tan, seen as a proxy for the People’s Action Party (PAP), scraped to victory, showed the government needed to evolve and be more open if it wanted to stay in power. The vote was essentially a spillover of the voter discontent seen in May, when the opposition made a historic breakthrough in legislative elections and prompted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to reshuffle his cabinet, they said.

“It’s an indication that support for the PAP is not so strong,” said Reuben Wong, an assistant political science professor at the National University of Singapore, after results showed Tan secured just over 35 percent of the vote. “They have to figure out whether they need to reorient themselves away from the old-school authoritarian conservative PAP towards something that’s more mainstream Singapore, more liberal, more plural, more open to different ideas.”

Bridget Welsh, a political science professor at the Singapore Management University, described the result as “another major wakeup call for the PAP”.

“Tony Tan is the PAP of old, tied to LKY and its conservative roots,” she said, referring to Lee Kuan Yew, the stern founding father of modern Singapore and its first prime minister.

“The PAP has to shed its LKY skin and evolve into a less authoritarian animal that all Singaporeans can connect to.” Former deputy prime minister Tan, 71, only narrowly escaped defeat after a recount early Sunday gave him a margin of just 7,269 votes over his closest opponent out of more than two million valid ballots cast.

Nearly 65 percent of voters cast their ballots for candidates who had been critical of the PAP. Song Seng Wun, a Singapore-based economist with financial group CIMB, said the scale of the vote against Tan in the four-way race for the largely ceremonial post was significant.

“Only one in three voters chose the winner who is closely associated with the government. Two out of three chose somebody else and that’s quite telling.”

“It shows that the stranglehold of the PAP is no longer as firm as it was in the last four decades,” he told AFP. Although the presidency is seen as a nonpolitical role, the poll was seen as a direct referendum on the PAP, which has ruled Singapore for 52 years, because of Tan’s close links with the party and its top leaders.

Song said that the number of people who believed that “the PAP knows best” was declining and the younger generation, who have increasingly making their voices heard through the Internet, were pushing the boundaries.

“You now have a growing group of people with greater political awareness and maturity who are no longer afraid to speak up,” Song added.

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have been credited with helping the younger generation bypass restrictions of a pro-government media as the wealthy city state evolves from strict political control to a more open democracy.

Under the PAP, Singapore has risen rapidly to become one of Asia’s wealthiest societies and Singaporeans had a gross domestic product (GDP) of nearly $50,000 per capita in 2010, one of the highest in the world. Critics, however, say that economic growth has come at the expense of certain political freedoms, and there is a general reluctance to question policies because the government supposedly knows best.

But rising living costs, soaring housing prices, a widening income gap, and a liberal policy on foreign workers blamed for jobs being taken from locals have galvanized support for the opposition.

The PAP lost an unprecedented six seats out of the 87 at stake in May’s general election and its share of the vote fell to an all-time low of 60 percent from nearly 67 percent in the previous election in 2006.

Song said that faced with a politically more mature population, the PAP would have to shed its “we know best” image.

“The process of engagement going forward must also change because the kid is not a kid anymore,” he said. — AFP

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MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

sp orts Cooper cleared for kneeing BRISBANE: Australia coach Robbie Deans breathed a sigh of relief yesterday after playmaker Quade Cooper was cleared by a match review panel having been cited for dropping his knee into Richie McCaw’s head during the Wallabies’ 25-20 win over the All Blacks in Brisbane.

The second-half incident in Saturday’s occasionally illtempered match at Lang Park sparked a quick remonstration from the All Blacks, who later accused the flyhalf of landing a number of cheap shots in matches past.

Cooper was suspended for two matches in last year’s Tri-Nations after lifting South Africa’s Morne Steyn in a dangerous tackle at Lang Park and the Wallabies went on to lose both of their games against the All Blacks without their mercurial flyhalf. While ensuring Cooper will start the World Cup, the decision is unlikely to rest well with the All Blacks camp and won’t help frosty relations between the flyhalf and the All Blacks skipper. —Reuters

So You Think new favorite PARIS: Aidan O’Brien’s star Australian import So You Think is the new favorite for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe after Epsom Derby winner Pour Moi was forced into premature retirement.

Trained in Chantilly north of Paris

by Andre Fabre Pour Moi leapt to the top of the Arc ante-post betting when clinching an impressive victory in June’s Epsom Derby.

But that run will be his last visit to a racecourse after he suffered a careerending injury on the gallops on Friday morning. Official news of his fate was slow to filter out, with the first signs that all was not as it should be coming from the betting exchanges in Britain with his price drifting alarmingly from 3-1 favourite as bookmakers reported

a suspicious amount of interest in his market rivals.

Pour Moi was available at double those odds by lunchtime on Friday, and by the end of the day could be backed at 100-1 on the betting exchanges, still with no official comment from either Fabre or his owners, Coolmore.

Twenty-four hours after the injury Coolmore released their first public statement through the social networking site Twitter on Saturday. That post reported that Pour Moi had suffered “a severe over-reach” and would now be prepared for a career at their stud in Ireland. Fabre later told Britain’s Press Association that the injury had “happened two days ago”. —AFP

Martin wins Tour stage SPAIN: Irish rider Daniel Martin won his first stage on a major tour yesterday when he emerged victorious in the ninth stage of the Tour of Spain, a 183km ride from Villacastin.

Dutchman Bauke Mollema finished second on the stage but had the huge consolation of taking the overall leader’s red jersey from Spaniard Joaquin Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, who had only regained the red jersey after Saturday’s stage, is a second behind the young Dutchman while Italy’s defending champion Vincenzo Nibali is third nine seconds adrift.

Martin shone on the demanding final climb up La Covatilla and deservedly edged out Mollema in a sprint finish while Spaniard Juan Jose Cobo was third.

The climb, though, caused havoc among some of the overall leaders with Italian Michele Scarponi paying for his initial efforts at the bottom of the mountain, while Rodriguez also suffered. —AFP

Tigers maul Twins

LOS ANGELES: Dodgers’ Matt Kemp hits a solo home run to win the game as Chris Iannetta (left) catches and home plate umpire Brian Knight looks on during the 11th inning. —AP

Dodgers defeat Rockies LOS ANGELES: Matt Kemp hit a gameending home run in the 11th inning for his 100th RBI of the season to giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a 7-6 victory over the Colorado Rock ies on Saturday. The Dodgers overcame two two-run homers

by Troy Tulowitzk i to win their fifth straight.

James Loney tied the game in the ninth on a homer off the first pitch from Colorado’s Rafael Betancourt, who recorded his four th blown save in seven attempts. Kemp drove an 0-2 pitch from Jason Hammel (7-13) into the right-field pavilion for his 31st homer of the season, ending a game that lasted 4 hours, 39 minutes. Hammel was making his second relief appearance after being taken out of the starting rotation.

Tulowitzki’s 50th multihit game tied him with the Mets’ Jose Reyes for the National League lead. Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies extended two streaks: hits in 14 consecutive games and an RBI in 11 straight games, a club record and the longest in the majors this season, according to Stats LLC. He was 4 for 6 with two RBIs. Brewers 6, Cubs 4 At Milwaukee, Yovani Gallardo matched a season high with 10 strikeouts over seven innings and Prince Fielder hit a 443foot homer as Milwaukee downed Chicago.

Casey McGehee and Corey Hart homered for the Brewers, who moved 101/2 games ahead of St. Louis in the NL Central.

Gallardo (15-8) allowed one unearned run and got out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh, but Alfonso Soriano’s threerun double off LaTroy Hawkins in the eighth made things interesting.

McGehee’s two-run homer off Ryan Dempster (10-10) gave Milwaukee a 3-0 lead after the first, and Fielder and Hart helped the Brewers build a 6-1 lead.

Pirates 7, Cardinals 0 At St. Louis, Pittsburgh’s Brad Lincoln pitched six innings and had an RBI double off Chris Carpenter in a win over St. Louis.

Josh Harrison had three singles and three RBIs, Garrett Jones had three hits with two doubles and Neil Walker homered for Pittsburgh.

Carpenter (8-9) lost for the third time in 15 career decisions against Pittsburgh,

trudging through five innings while giving up six runs and nine hits.

Lincoln (1-0) filled in for injured Kevin Correia (oblique) and scattered six hits to earn his second career victory. The other was a four-hit shutout at Chicago on June 30, 2010.

Lincoln had an RBI double in the fourth and walked and scored in the sixth. He is a career .350 hitter (7-for-20) with four RBIs. Reds 6, Nationals 3 At Cincinnati, Brandon Phillips got two more hits in the leadoff spot as Cincinnati reached .500 for the first time since early July. Phillips scored twice and drove in a run. He has a hit in 10 straight games at the top of the lineup, going 19 for 43 (.442) with 10 RBIs and nine runs in that span. Mike Leake (11-8), who leads the team in wins, gave up two runs in six innings. Cincinnati (66-66) has won six of eight and is at .500 for the first time since the NL Central champions were 44-44 on July 6. Drew Stubbs went 3 for 3 with a sacrifice fly. Washington lost its fifth straight, one short of its season high.

D’backs 3, Padres 1 At Phoenix, Chris Young hit a two-run homer and Joe Saunders pitched seven strong innings as Arizona beat San Diego to stretch its winning streak to five games.

Saunders (9-11) ended a three-game losing streak and Young hit his 19th homer of the season from No. 6 spot. JJ Putz worked a perfect ninth for his 33rd save.

San Diego starter Aaron Harang (12-4) was solid but hurt himself with an error on a pickoff, losing for the first time in 10 road starts this season. The Padres have lost three straight since a season-high five-game winning streak.

Giants 2, Astros 1, 10 innings At San Francisco, Jeff Keppinger hit a run-scoring single with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to give San Francisco the victory over Houston.

Mark DeRosa, in as part of a double switch, singled with one out and then stole his first base in two years to set up the game-winner. Carlos Beltran had two hits and drove in a run for the Giants, who have won two straight at home for the first time in over a month. Carlos Lee had three hits and drove in a run for the Astros, who have lost six of seven. — AP

MINNEAPOLIS: Justin Verlander became the season’s first 20-game winner, pitching through six innings in the Detroit Tigers’ 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.

Verlander (20-5) gave up four runs and eight hits with six strikeouts and three walks to become the first pitcher to win 20 games before the end of August since Arizona’s Curt Schilling in 2002.

Luke Hughes had a home run, double and three RBIs for Minnesota and Jason Repko hit his first homer of the season. Former Twin Delmon Young’s RBI single in the seventh gave the Tigers the lead for good and put Verlander in position for the win.

The six innings equaled a season low for Verlander, a 20-game winner for the first time - and the first time by a Tiger since Bill Gullickson in 1991.

Alex Avila and Miguel Cabrera hit solo homers for the Tigers in the second inning off of Carl Pavano (611) and Cabrera added an RBI single in the seventh for a 6-4 lead.

Red Sox 9, Athletics 3 At Boston, David Ortiz hit a two-run homer as four Boston pitchers combined on a three-hitter to complete a sweep of a rain-delayed day-night doubleheader against Oakland.

In the opener, Jason Varitek hit a two-run homer and Jon Lester allowed three hits in six innings. That game was delayed twice - 45 minutes after the sixth inning and 2 hours, 15 minutes after the seventh.

There was a one-hour delay in the top of the fifth in the nightcap. The first game had been moved up to noon from 1:10 p.m. to make room for the second game that was rescheduled from Sunday to avoid Hurricane Irene’s effects.

Ortiz went 5 for 8, driving in four runs in the doubleheader. The Red Sox, 8-3 in their last 11 games, increased their AL East lead to two games over New York. At night, the Red Sox took a 2-0 lead in the second against Graham Godfrey (1-2) when Ortiz hit his 27th homer. In the opener Lester (14-6) allowed two runs - one earned - improving to 7-0 with a 1.54 ERA in nine afternoon starts. Brandon Allen hit a solo homer for Athletics.

Angels 8, Rangers 4 At Arlington, Texas, Vernon Wells hit the first of Los Angeles’ five solo home runs and had an RBI triple to back up Ervin Santana pitching on short rest.

Mike Trout and Bobby Wilson, the last two hitters in the lineup, both went deep in the fourth off C.J. Wilson (13-6), who gave up a career-worst four homers. Peter Bourjos also homered off the Texas starter. Santana (10-9) pitched with only three days’ rest for the first time in his career, and gave up four runs and four hits over seven innings. David Murphy homered for the Rangers, who have lost seven of 10 while their division lead dwindled from seven games.

Rays 6, Blue Jays 5 At Toronto, B.J. Upton barely missed a home run in the sixth inning, then hit a three-run shot in the seventh as Tampa Bay edged Toronto.

Upton’s 18th homer put the Rays ahead 6-2, and Tampa Bay held on despite two late home runs by Toronto. Upton led off the sixth with a long drive to left that landed just a few feet foul. Upton reached when Shawn Camp (1-3) hit him with the next pitch on the leg. There was no doubt about Upton’s drive off Jesse Litsch the next inning. It landed in the second deck in left scored Sam Fuld and Evan Longoria after both walked.

Rodriguez and Johnson both had three hits for the Rays. Jeff Niemann (9-5) won for the fifth time in six starts. He allowed three runs and five hits in 6 1-3 innings.

Indians 8, Royals 7 At Cleveland, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning to lift Cleveland to a win over Kansas City. Cabrera homered off Louis Coleman (1-4) to give the Indians their 21st last-atbat win and 32nd comeback triumph overall.

Jim Thome celebrated his 41st birthday with a solo homer in the sixth - his 602nd - in his second game back in Cleveland to tie it at 4.

Alex Gordon, who had three hits, hit a three-run

MINNEAPOLIS: Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander delivers against the Minnesota Twins during the second inning of an baseball game. —AP homer in the seventh off Tony Sipp, who relieved Fausto Carmona (6-13) to put the Royals ahead 7-4.

Cabrera’s RBI single pulled Cleveland to 7-5 in the seventh. In the eighth, pinch-hitter Lonnie Chisenhall singled with two outs and Kosuke Fukudome walked. Cabrera followed with his 21st homer.

White Sox 3, Mariners 0 At Seattle, John Danks threw a three-hitter and struck out 10 batters as Chicago blanked Seattle. It

was Danks’ third straight start of six-plus innings while allowing two or fewer runs. It was his second complete game of the year and second career shutout. His 10 strikeouts matched a career high.

Danks (6-9) retired 16 of the first 17 batters. Paul Konerko had an RBI single and Alexei Ramirez had a sacrifice fly to give the White Sox a 2-0 lead in the fourth. De Aza added a solo home run in the eighth.

Mariners starter Michael Pineda (9-8) allowed two runs and three hits, all in the fourth inning. —AP

MLB results/standings Major League Baseball results and standings on Saturday.

Boston 9, Oakland 3 (first game); Boston 4, Oakland 0 (second game); Tampa Bay 6, Toronto 5; LA Dodgers 7, Colorado 6 (11 innings); Detroit 6, Minnesota 4; Cleveland 8, Kansas City 7; Milwaukee 6, Chicago Cubs 4; Cincinnati 6, Washington 3; Pittsburgh 7, St Louis 0; La Angels 8, Texas 4; Arizona 3, San Diego 1; San Francisco 2, Houston 1 (10 innings); Chicago White Sox 3, Seattle 0.

American League Eastern Division W L Boston 82 51 NY Yankees 78 51 Tampa Bay 72 59 Toronto 66 66 Baltimore 52 77 Central Division Detroit 73 59 Cleveland 65 64 Chicago White Sox 65 65 Minnesota 55 77 Kansas City 54 79 Western Division Texas 75 59 LA Angels 72 60 Oakland 60 73 Seattle 56 75

PCT .617 .605 .550 .500 .403

GB 2 9 15.5 28

.553 .504 .500 .417 .406

6.5 7 18 19.5

.560 .545 .451 .427

2 14.5 17.5

National League Eastern Division Philadelphia 83 46 Atlanta 79 54 NY Mets 62 68 Washington 62 69 Florida 59 72 Central Division Milwaukee 80 54 St. Louis 69 64 Cincinnati 66 66 Pittsburgh 62 70 Chicago Cubs 57 76 Houston 43 90 Western Division Arizona 74 59 San Francisco 71 62 Colorado 63 70 LA Dodgers 62 69 San Diego 60 73

Wie tied for lead in Canadian Open

QUEBEC: Michelle Wie, from the United States, tees off on the fourth hole during the final round of the Canadian Women’s Open golf tournament. —AP

MIRABEL: Defending champion Michelle Wie shot a 4-under 68 in the Canadian Women’s Open for a share of the third-round lead with Ai Miyazato and Tiffany Joh on Saturday.

The winner last year at St. Charles in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Wie is trying to become the first player to win the national championship two years in a row since Pat Bradley in 1985-86. Joh had a 65, and Miyazato shot a 71 to match Wie at 12-under 204 at Hillsdale Golf Club. Angela Stanford (66) and Brittany Lincicome (69) were a stroke back, and Cristie Kerr (69), Jiyai Shin (69), Na Yeon Choi (69), Becky Morgan (70) and Song-Hee Kim (71) followed at 10 under. There was some doubt that the final round can be completed before Hurricane Irene hits the area late yesterday. “It’s something everyone’s going to play under,” Wie said. “I’m kind

of expecting the worst. But whether conditions are good or bad you still have to play well and there are still players to beat and things you have to do. I don’t think it really makes that much difference.” In a bid to beat the storm, starting times were moved up 90 minutes to 7 a.m., the players were grouped in threesomes instead of twosomes and will go off both the first and 10th tees. If the fourth round can’t be completed, a three-way playoff will be held between the 54-hole leaders.

“It’s a pretty quick turnaround, but I kind of like it,” Wie said. “It gives me less time to think about things.”

Joh had the best round of the day.

“It’s really exciting for me because coming into this year I had conditional status and I didn’t even know how many events I was going to play,” Joh said.

“Just having a chance to contend at

one, that’s what dreams are made of. I just really excited. I’m going in with no expectations because I’ve never been in this position anywhere. Whoever I’m paired with, I’m sure I’m going to learn loads from them.”

Miyazato is ready for anything.

“Either way, we need to finish the tournament,” she said. “So I’ll just try to play my style of golf no matter what happens. I grew up in an area that was windy, so I actually like playing in windy conditions, but if it rains it will definitely be difficult. But because I’m used to those situations, I don’t think there will be any problem keeping my tempo.”

Maude-Aimee Leblanc was the low Canadian at 8 under after a 67 “Coming into the tournament, I liked the way I was playing and hitting the ball, so I felt I had as good a chance as anyone,” said Leblanc, from Sherbrooke. —AP

.643 .594 .477 .473 .450

6 21.5 22 25

.597 .519 .500 .470 .429 .323

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3 11 11 14

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

S P ORT S

Power takes pole in IndyCar at Sonoma

PARIS: Teddy Riner (white jersey) from France fights Rafael Silva from Brazil during the final men’s team competition at the World Judo Championships. —AP

Riner the hero as France win world teams double PARIS: Teddy Riner was the hero again as France secured a memorable team World Championships double at the Palais Omnisport de Bercy here yesterday.

Their women beat Japan in the first final of the day before Riner stepped up in a dramatic sudden death period of golden score to give the men victory over Brazil in the decisive rubber.

Five-time world champion Riner will grab the headlines for his crucial intervention at the death but in truth France’s heroes were the diminutive Dimitry Dragin and Riner’s understudy Matthieu Bataille.

In fact, the French team even acknowledged Bataille’s contribution by hoisting him above their heads after the final even though he didn’t take part in that match.

Earlier in the day, though, it was he who had won the crucial decisive fights against Russia and Japan just to get France to the final.

And Dragin, who was not even selected for the individual competition, produced the highlight moments for France, winning four fights out of four by a maximum ippon score, beating the world champion and runner-up along the way.

In the final he faced world under-66kg finallist Leandro Cunha and slammed him with seoi-nage to give the French the perfect start.

Then the crowd played their part as Ugo Legrand beat Bruno Mendonca courtesy of a penalty in a bout in which neither player was more deserving of punishment than the other.

That was a crucial advantage for the hosts with Riner to come in the final bout. France almost snatched it in the third bout when Alain Schmitt came up against world number two at under-81kg Leandro Guilheiro.

But incredibly after five minutes of fighting and an extra three minutes of

golden score, the Brazilian took a split judges decision exactly as he had done against the Frenchman in the individual competition.

The hosts were ready to celebrate with Romain Buffet leading Tiago Camilo and the crowd counting down the final five seconds only for the Brazilian to level things with a desperate last throw of the dice as the clock reached zero.

Following golden score, again Brazil received a reprieve as Camilo took a unanimous decision. That only served to heighten the tension and expectation as Riner strode on to face Rafael Silva.

After five tense minutes this fight too went to golden score but Riner would not be denied and struck with an outer sweep (osoto-gari). Japan and South Korea took the bronze medals beating Georgia and Russia respectively.

In the women’s competition Japan struck first blood as world under-52kg champion Misato Nakamura edged out Priscilla Gneto on a penalty.

But then France levelled up the scores as former European junior champion Automne Pavia stunned world champion Aiko Sato (under-57kg) by a minimum yuko score.

Now it was France’s turn to roll out their own world title holders. And for the second time this week Gevrise Emane beat Yoshie Ueno to give France the lead having already stripped the Japanese of her world under-63kg title on Thursday.

Then it was the turn of Lucie Decosse and she didn’t disappoint as she scored a minimum yuko from a valley drop counter (tani-otoshi) on Haruka Tachimoto to give the hosts an unassailable 3-1 lead. In the dead rubber Ketty Mathe, another former European junior champion, wrapped up France’s dream day by beating open weight world champion Mika Sugimoto with a body drop (tai-otoshi). — AFP

Povetkin stops Chagaev ERFURT: Alexander Povetkin of Russia defeated Ruslan Chagaev by unanimous decision to claim the vacant WBA heavyweight title on Saturday.

The title was Wladimir Klitschko’s following the Ukrainian’s defeat of Londoner David Haye by unanimous decision in Hamburg last month, but was declared vacant when the WBA elevated Klitschko to “super champion” status.

Povetkin, who was the 2004 Olympic heavyweight champion, remains undefeated after 22 fights (15 KOs), and becomes the mandatory challenger for Klitschko.

“I don’t want to think about Klitschko,” Povetkin’s American trainer Teddy Atlas said. “I want to think about Povetkin and this title ... we’ll think about Klitschko some other time.”

Povetkin won on the judges cards 116-112, 117-113, 117-113. Chagaev, of

Uzbekistan, held the WBA title from 2007-09. His record fell to 27-2 (17 KOs), with one draw.

“I’m sorry, today was not my day. But that’s boxing, that’s sport,” Chagaev said.

“He’s a good boxer, a real world champion now.”

Chagaev (32) recovered from a poor start to rattle Povetkin in the sixth round, catching him cleanly with left and right hooks to leave 31-year-old unsteady on his feet.

Atlas called on Povetkin to fight for the honor of his father who died last year, and the Russian improved to regain the upper hand in the ninth as Chagaev appeared to tire.

“My father always hoped and wanted for me to be a world champion,” Povetkin said. “It was a very hard fight. It was very hard to fight him. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a very difficult and patient boxer.” —AP

GERMANY: Ruslan Chagaev of Uzbek istan (right) lands a punch to Alexander Povetkin of Russia, (left) during their WBA heavyweight title bout in Erfurt. —AP

SONOMA: Australia’s Will Power won pole position Saturday in qualifying for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway.

Power led Team Penske to the top three qualifying spots with Brazilian Helio Castroneves and Australian Ryan Briscoe qualifying second and third.

Power, Castroneves and Briscoe’s finish marks Team Penske’s first 1-2 3 start this season. The team accomplished this feat twice last season. “It’s great having two teammates around me, that’s the optimal we could hope for as a team,” Power said. “We would hope we can do that tomorrow, but obviously the race will be a different story.”

For Power, the 2010 Sonoma winner and top qualifier, his qualifying time of 1:18.6017 earned him his six pole position of the 2011 IndyCar Series season and his 22nd career IndyCar pole.

“This qualifying session was as perfect as it could go,” Power said. “We were struggling a little bit on road courses so we have worked hard on improving the car and this is a result of the hard work.” Power is currently in second place in IndyCar Series standings with 396 points.

The fourth through sixth qualifiers to make up the “fast six” for Sunday’s Grand Prix race include Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Dario Franchitti (overall IndyCar Series leader with 396 points) of Scotland and Scott Dixon of New Zealand (second in last year’s race).

Canadian rookie James Hinchcliffe (Newman/Hass Racing) rounded out the top six qualifiers.

The start of late yesterday’s 75 lap, 12-turn, 2.303-mile road course race will have nine rookies competing among the 28 drivers overall.

The qualifying divided the field into two groups of 14 drivers to compete in 15-minute timed rounds. The top six drivers in each group moved on to the pool of 12 drivers for round two, a 10-minute timed round. Finally, the top six drivers from round two competed for placement for positions one through six for Sunday’s race in a 10-minute timed round.

Power continues his streak of good fortune for Team Penske, having earned top-five starting positions in 30 of his 37 races competing for the team and winning the pole position 16 times.

While Power excelled it was a bad day for driver Ryan Hunter-Reay, who is currently eight in the IndyCar standings. He did not make it out of the first elimination round and qualified 19th. “We had some issues in the first round of

BRISTOL: Mark Martin (5) spins as he’s passed by Clint Bowyer (33), Travis Kvapil (38) and Jeff Gordon (24) during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race. — AP

qualifying that we really hadn’t seen before,” Hunter-Reay said. “Wow, we have to get it figured out for late yesterday’s race.”

Marquee driver Danica Patrick (Andretti Autosport) also failed to get out of the first elimination in round one and qualified a disappointing 25th.

“Qualifying didn’t go our way today,” said Patrick, who is leaving IndyCar next season to go to NASCAR. “We were hoping for some speed after practice earlier, but we didn’t quite have it.”

Meanwhile, Valentino Rossi’s bad luck continued on Saturday. The nine-time world champion crashed during his fourth lap of Indianapolis MotoGP qualifying, then he struggled with his backup bike and qualified 14th out of 17 riders for Sunday’s race. It is his second-worst starting position of the season and one of the worst of his storied career.

He never got comfortable with his backup Ducati bike, in part because it was set up differently than the one he started with. “I lose the feeling with the bike, and at the end, we were very much behind,” the Italian rider said.

It was disappointing for Rossi because he felt he was starting to get more comfortable with his original bike during practices.

“We took a nice step forward this morning

that we hoped to confirm in qualifying, and instead I fell right away,” he said. “We really could have done without that crash, but the front closed right when I touched the brake.”

He thought he could have qualified much better. “I was not so far from the other guys, so I expected that I can be in second or third row,” he said. Rossi isn’t sure what is going on with his bike. “It’s so strange what happened this afternoon, but now we have to understand why we have so much of a problem because the other guys were more or less faster this morning.”

Rossi’s team will repair the damaged bike and expects it to be ready in time for the race.

Nicky Hayden, Rossi’s Ducati teammate, qualified eighth. Those starting positions are well below expectations for the former world champions.

“We’re not certainly putting up the fight that we had hoped here,” Hayden said. It was Hayden’s first attempt at qualifying in a new bike. “We had wanted to take a step forward in qualifying, but I got a bit confused this morning, and my feedback to the team wasn’t as good as it should have been,” he said. “This bike is new for us, and we still need more experience with it. Anyway, we still salvaged the third row in the end, which is better than I was.”—AP

Lions underline dramatic turnaround under Mitchell JOHANNESBURG: The Lions underlined their dramatic turnaround under New Zealander John Mitchell to lead South Africa’s midseason Currie Cup standings after a 28-19 home win over defending champions the Sharks.

Coach Mitchell’s Johannesburg-based Lions held off a second-half surge from the visitors at Ellis Park on Saturday to go five points clear of the Sharks of Durban and Cape Town’s Western Province after seven of 14 rounds in the domestic rugby competition.

As South African fans focus on their national team’s title defense at the upcoming World Cup in New Zealand, the Lions are grabbing attention at home under former All Blacks coach Mitchell, who has dragged them back from 0-13 and the worst-ever season in the southern hemisphere Super rugby tournament last year.

On Friday, Western Province won 24-13 at the Pumas to join the Sharks in a tie for second in the eight-team Currie Cup Premier Division standings, while the Blue Bulls kept up their revival after a sluggish start, beating the Leopards 28-20.

With South Africa’s best players preparing to jet off to rugby’s showpiece, Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies who just missed out on the World Cup squad kicked 23 points to lead his team to a gutsy win in Johannesburg, where it scrambled defensively for much of the second half to keep the Sharks out.

Center Lionel Mapoe scored the Lions’ only try in the first half. Sharks center Stefan Terblanche replied in the second to cap a period of sustained attack from the Durban team, which came back from 25-9 to 2519. But the Lions absorbed intense late pressure and sealed victory with a Jantjies goal nine minutes from the end to push them more than a converted try ahead and extend their lead at the top of the table at the halfway mark.

The Lions have had five coaches in four years and hit a low in 2010 when they lost every game in the Super 14 before Kiwi Mitchell took over.

“It’s a matter of creating a program that creates continuity and allows these guys to believe in themselves again,” Mitchell said. “We’ve still got a long way to go but it’s exciting for all the guys involved.

“It just proves if you stick together and you work hard and have conviction in what you believe in ... it’s amazing what you can achieve. We’re just an ordinary group of blokes who care for each other and want to play for each other.”

Behind the Lions, the Sharks and Western Province - the 2010 finalists - are the closest challengers with half the season gone.

Province had two players yellow-carded but still came through to beat the Pumas in the northern city of Witbank with tries by promising young center Johann Sadie, wing JJ Engelbrecht and scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage.

The Blue Bulls, like Province and the Sharks, are missing a string of Springboks internationals for the World Cup but continued to haul their way back with a third successive win to move four points off the semifinal positions. Forwards Warwick Tecklenburg, CJ Stander and Werner Kruger all scored as the Pretoria team dominated up front at the Leopards’ Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. —AP

INDIANAPOLIS: Casey Stoner, of Australia, rides a Honda into the second turn during the third free practice session for the Indianapolis Moto GP motorcycle race. — AP

Stoner grabs Indy GP pole INDIANAPOLIS: Casey Stoner smashed the track record on Saturday as he claimed pole position for the Indianapolis Grand Prix before blasting the layout as one of the worst on the MotoGP circuit.

The Australian, chasing a US double having also triumphed in California last month, will start from pole for the seventh time this season as he aims to build on his 32-point lead over Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo at the top of the championship standings.

Stoner guided his Honda around the 2.61-mile layout in a record one minute 38.850 seconds to finish ahead of American Ben Spies (Yamaha) on a swelteringly hot day at the famous Brickyard track. World champion Lorenzo was third quickest on another Yamaha, ahead of compatriot and last year’s Indy winner Dani Pedrosa. Not even his record qualifying effort could put a smile on Stoner’s face though.

After Friday’s opening practice sessions he complained about the lack of grip on the resurfaced circuit and slicing nearly a second off the record did nothing to change his opinion.

“There are circuits I don’t enjoy and I’m not going to beat around the bush and say it’s one of my favourite tracks,” Stoner told reporters.

“There are a lot of circuits in the world and a lot of them are a lot more enjoyable than others. The track is still not in great condition but we all have to race in the same conditions and just because I don’t like the circuit doesn’t mean I’m

going to let it affect me.”

The 25-year-old had been quick out of the blocks, jumping to the top of the timings table on one of his opening laps and he remained there for the rest of the session.

“The grip isn’t actually the main issue, for me it is the inconsistency of the grip,” said Stoner. “You can deal with low grip levels if it’s consistent but the fact you hit patches that want to throw you off is something different, a little bit scary.”

Since crashing out in the second race of the season in Spain, Stoner has been on the podium in nine straight races. He has won six times this season including the last two races.

Valentino Rossi was also unimpressed with the conditions, the Italian’s miserable season continuing when his Ducati slid out from under him 10 minutes into qualifying.

The seven-times world champion was quickly back on the track but was unable to coax a decent effort out of his backup bike and will start well down the grid in 14th place.

Rossi, winner of the inaugural Indianapolis Grand Prix in 2008, has gone 14 races without a victor y.

“Unfor tunately I had a crash at the beginning and I damaged the good bike so I have to go with the other bike which was a little bit different,” said Rossi who has won at least one race every year since his career began in 1996. “I expected to be in the second or third row.

When you start from behind like this it is more difficult.” —Reuters

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SPORTS

Bolt false start hands Blake 100 meters title

DAEGU: Jamaica’s Usain Bolt (fourth from left) false starts in the Men’s 100m final at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu. Bolt was disqualified. —AP DAEGU: Usain Bolt was sensationally disqualified from the world 100m final yesterday after a catastrophic false start, allowing fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake in to claim gold.

Bolt, the defending champion, Olympic gold medallist and world record holder, rocked off his blocks in horrendous fashion and knew immediately he had made the biggest error possible in the world of sprinting.

Under rules which state that athletes no longer have a second bite of the cherry in the event of one false start, the 25-year-old ripped off his singlet in disgust, and slowly retreated to the starting line, head in hands, to be steered off the track.

With the packed stadium abuzz in disbelief, it took several minutes for calm to return. Blake, a training partner of Bolt under coach Glen Mills, made the most of the clean restart to power through to win in 9.92sec in a muted atmosphere.

American Walter Dix, the Olympic bronze medallist, took silver (10.08sec) and 2003 world champion Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis claimed bronze at 0.01. “I have nothing to say right now. I need some time,” Bolt said. Blake was left dumbstruck. “I can’t find words to explain it. Usain Bolt has been there for me. I feel like I want to cry,” he said.

“I’ve been trained by one of the best coaches but I stayed cool and caught him (Collins). I felt I would win the race for Bolt.” Athletics’ governing body, the IAAF, said it was “disappointed” by Bolt’s disqualification, and issued a statement to explain the false start rule 162.7. “The IAAF is, of course, disappointed that Usain Bolt false started in the final of the 100m,” it said.

“It is important to remember that a sport’s credibility depends on its rules and they must also be applied consistently and fairly for ALL athletes.”

The current false start rule, applicable to all but combined events, has

been in effect since January 1, 2010, “and all elite athletes have had the chance to adjust”, the IAAF said.

Prior to the rule change, athletes had the right to make one false start and they were disqualified for a subsequent false start. The omens had been good for Bolt, with three defending champions retaining their titles on the second day of competition.

American Brittney Reese won the women’s long jump and teammate Trey Hardee the decathlon, while Russian Valeriy Borchin claimed a second consecutive world 20km race walking title. There was also a first medal for China through Li Yanfeng in the women’s discus, but heartbreak for Ethiopian distance running legend Kenenisa Bekele.

Bekele, bidding for a record fifth consecutive 10,000m title, was forced to pull out of the event he has never been beaten in with a groin/hip injury.

That left the door open for British

favorite Mo Farah, but Bekele’s teammates had other plans.

Ibrahim Jeilan produced an amazing home-stretch sprint to trump the Somalia-born Farah at the line of an enthralling race. Farah had made a break shortly before the bell for the final lap, taking Jeilan and bronze medal winner Imane Merga with him.

It immediately became apparent that Merga was out of the running, but Jeilan remained as a contender. Farah clung on until the final bend when Jeilan made his move, the two neckand-neck before the Ethiopian sped away with a final burst of speed.

Jeilan finished the 25-lap race in 27min 13.81sec, just 0.26sec ahead of a despondent Farah while Merga clocked 27:19.14. “I saw 100m to go,” said Farah.

“Unfortunately I dug in but my legs had no more. “I thought I had the speed and he was finishing quicker and quicker 53sec (for the final lap) wasn’t quick enough. I didn’t go too early, I was

always going to go at 400-500m.”

Hardee retained his decathlon title after amassing 8,607 points in the gruelling 10-discipline event, with teammate Ashton Eaton producing the race of his life in the 1500m to take silver by just four points from Cuba’s Leonel Suarez (8,501), who had been in second going into the final event.

Reese had sealed the first US gold of the worlds with a best leap of 6.82m in the women’s long jump ahead of Russia’s Olga Kucherenko (6.77m) and Latvia’s Ineta Radevica (6.76).

Earlier in the day, Oscar Pistorius made history by becoming the first amputee athlete to compete in world championships history.

The South African, known as ‘Blade Runner’ because he runs with carbon fibre prosthetic running blades, came third in his 400m heat in 45.39sec, qualifying him for today’s semi-final, with a dream final scheduled for tomorrow. —AFP

Vettel wins Belgian GP

WINSTON-SALEM: John Isner holds the trophy after defeating Julian Benneteau of France, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the championship match of the Winston-Salem Open. —AP

Isner downs Benneteau in final WINSTON-SALEM: French qualifier Julien Benneteau broke down in bitter tears after losing to hometown hero John Isner 4-6, 63, 6-4 in Saturday’s final of the ATP Winston-Salem Open. The Frenchman, ranked 113th, fell to 0-5 in ATP career finals but dreamed of breaking his title duck at age 29 after fighting through qualifying matches last weekend just to earn a spot in the field of the last US Open tuneup event.

“I can’t help but show my emotions,” said the disappointed runner-up. “I went into this match with nothing to lose. I was going for every shot but it was not enough.

It was a final. It meant a lot.”

The upset was not to be as powerful US fourth seed Isner fired 19 aces on a cloudy afternoon with Hurricane Irene raging on the coast 500 kilometres to the east. He wrapped up the third title of his career in just over two hours.

“It’s just great to win this final - and especially at home,” Isner said. “I was just looking forward to coming back home because it had been eight months, since Christmas, that I’d been in the state of North Carolina. “I definitely wanted to do well here. It’s such an important event for me.” Both men must now fight bad weather to reach New York as the full force of the record-breaking hurricane grinds slowly up the coast with all flights to the city cancelled for at least the next 24 hours.

“I’m going to New York with some momentum,” Isner said. “That’s what I have now.” After rallying from a losing first set to win each of his previous three matches, the

luck ran out for the Frenchman, who had saved two match points against Robin Haase to reach the pre-US Open final.

Benneteau’s most recent prior final came in Marseille in February of last year.

He was playing in his first final on US soil.

The loss dropped Benneteau to 16-17 on the season but will still lift his ranking to about 83rd. His all-time best ranking was 63rd. Isner, who grew up in the area, claimed his second title since Wimbledon after Newport on grass in July. He now stands 28-18 on the season, winning 17 of his past 21 matches.

Crowd favourite Isner, ranked 28th, was shocked in the opening set as he lost serve in the ninth game, an error that allowed Benneteau to serve out the set after 33 minutes. But the Frenchman was unable to consolidate his pending upset, losing serve for 3-all in the second after saving three break points in the game.

Isner then applied the pressure to secure an insurance break for 5-3 and leveled the afternoon a game later at a set apiece. There were still chances for Benneteau in the third, which Isner cut off with another break midway through the deciding set. Benneteau saved pride to hold for 3-5 with his sixth ace before Isner ended with an ace of his own, his 66th of the week, to lift the trophy.

“I’m tired from a lot of matches this week,” Benneteau said. “My shoulder has been bothering me a bit but that’s normal.

There was heat and humidity and difficult conditions.”—AFP

BELGIUM: Sebastian Vettel extended his already yawning lead in this year’s drivers’ world championship yesterday when he drove to a well-judged if, at times, fortunate victory in the Belgian Grand Prix.

The 24-year-old defending champion and series leader recovered from a poor start and problems with blistering tyres to ride his luck, manage a successful strategy and emerge on top ahead of Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber in a memorable one-two triumph.

Vettel came home 3.7 seconds clear of Australian Webber, who dropped back after a bad start and then recovered splendidly, with Briton Jenson Button claiming a well-judged third for McLaren after an even more topsy-turvy race.

Two times champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso finished fourth for Ferrari ahead of German Michael Schumacher, 42, the seven-times champion marking the 20th anniversary of his F1 debut with a dazzling drive into the points from the back of the grid.

Vettel now has 259 points and leads second placed Webber on 167 and Alonso on 157. Button is fourth with 149 and Hamilton fifth on 146.

Vettel reflected: “We had a lot of concerns going into the race after qualifying and weren’t quite sure about the tyres blistering.

“The team took the risk and we had reason to be confident, but you never know until you get out there. We both stopped early on so the main target was to see how the tyres were over the first few laps.

“Then the pace was steady and I was feeling comfortable and got back into the lead so, after the safety car, it was key to get past Alonso and get a gap to make it more comfortable.

“It was certainly more tyre management than usual for me.”

Vettel’s win was his seventh of the season and 17th of his career and, if not one of his most impressive, enough to prove that

BELGIUM: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany (center) jumps after winning the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix. Red Bull driver Mark Webber of Australia (left) placed second, and McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson Button of Britain (right) placed third. —AP as the season runs towards the final few races he remains the dominant force.

Hamilton, of McLaren, crashed out after 13 laps when he was involved in a controversial collision with Japanese Kamui Kobayashi of Sauber.

Taking full advantage of the safety car period that followed Hamilton’s luckless exit, Vettel swooped for his second new set of tyres in a move that gave him control thereafter.

Runner-up Webber described his start as “shocking”. He added: “I dropped the lever and the car stalled, so that was disappointing. It put me on the back foot knowing we would stop early to get rid of the set of tyres.

“The team handled things really well. It was not an easy Grand Prix for the crew on the pit wall, but it was a good result and I

enjoyed the race.” Button said: “If I’d stayed in 13th place at the start, it would have been easier to challenge these guys (Vettel and Webber) but it was mayhem.

“Paul Di Resta hit my rear wing, or we collided, then someone’s front wing flew off and went through my front wing and took off my mirror, which was pretty scary.

“So it was a case of what might have been, but, all in all, from starting 13th it’s good to have finished on the podium.”

Hamilton’s race came to a premature end when his car was sent skidding left and hit a wall hard, nose-first, before spinning through an advertising board in spectacular fashion.

He was dazed, but unhurt, and climbed out of his car.

Surprisingly, the stewards decided to take no action. Hamilton

said: “I’m not really quite sure what happened - I hit the wall pretty hard. As far as I was concerned I was ahead of whoever I was racing and then I was hit by them. I think we were struggling, we were massively slow on the straights, I guess that’s why we were in that position. But we might at least have got a podium.”

The minor placings were filled

by Schumacher’s Mercedes teammate and fellow-German Nico Rosberg who came sixth ahead of another German Adrian Sutil of Force India with Russian Vitaly Petrov eighth for Renault.

Brazilian Felipe Massa was ninth for Ferrari and Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado, who started 21st after a grid penalty for crashing into Hamilton during Saturday’s qualifying, finishing 10th for Williams.—AFP

US Open on hold as Hurricane Irene threatens NEW YORK: The usual last-minute preparations for the US Open were aborted Saturday as Flushing Meadows was shut down in anticipation of Hurricane Irene, which was expected to hit New York this weekend.

Players were told to go and find alternative places to practice as officials took the unusual step of locking up the National Tennis Center in the countdown to the last grand slam of the year.

Some of the top players, including Serena Williams and world number one Novak Djokovic, cancelled their scheduled press conferences as the first showers arrived Saturday afternoon and security prepared to lock the gates in preparation for the storm. With the practice courts closed and

Flushing Meadows unusually quiet, the Hurricane was the main topic of conversation for the few players who did attend their press confernces.

“It’s somewhat scary, because we don’t know how hard it’s going to hit us,” said five-time champion Roger Federer. “I’ve got family. We’re in New York City. And it’s not just a regular city.

“It’s unusual, but we’ll follow the news closely and we’ll try to stay as safe as we can so we get through it.” Officials have already taken the unusual step of cancelling Sunday’s annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day, where players practice and meet with the public to help raise money for charity.

The worst of the storm was expected to be over by Sunday night but officials won’t know

whether the tournament will proceed as planned on Moday until they inspect the venue for any damage. Britain’s Andy Murray was not due to play until Tuesday at the earliest and said he had been stocking up on food supplies, just in case he has an even longer wait to play.

“I think people are right to be pretty cautious about it,” said the Scotsman. “We don’t see weather like this from the UK. It’s never, never this bad.”So I think just have to wait and see what it’s like, because I have no idea what to expect.”

But not everyone was expecting the worst.

Russia’s Maria Sharapova, who has been based in the US since she was child, said she was not taking any extra precautions. —Reuters

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S P ORT S

Ronaldo grabs hat-trick as Real rout Zaragoza 6-0

LONDON: Newcastle United’s Haris Vuckic (bottom) vies for the ball with Fulham’s Clint Dempsey (top) during their English Premier League soccer match at St James’ Park. —AP

Fulham have no answer to Best Newcastle 2

Fulham 1 NEWCASTLE: Newcastle striker Leon Best bagged a clinical double to fire his side to a 2-1 victory over Fulham at St James’ Park yesterday.

Best displayed predatory instincts that have been missing for much of his time on Tyneside as he struck twice in the second half to give Alan Pardew’s side’s their second win of the season.

Despite all the negative headlines about player unrest which have dogged Newcastle of late, the Magpies have now taken seven points from three matches and are still to concede a Premier League goal this season.

Clint Dempsey got one back for Fulham late on, but three matches into Martin Jol’s reign the west London outfit have only one point after two successive defeats.

With Shola Ameobi ruled out by a hip injury, Best was preferred to close-season signing Demba Ba in attack, while Steven Taylor, Cheick Tiote, Jonas Gutierrez and Gabriel Obertan were restored to the starting line-up after missing the midweek League Cup win at Scunthorpe.

Although Fulham enjoyed more of the possession in the first half, their only clear sight of goal came when Newcastle

goalkeeper Tim Krul did well to keep out Pajtim Kasami’s strike.

Newcastle finished the half strongly and Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was called into action to keep out Gutierrez’s header from a Tiote cross.

The Australian also had to tip away Yohan Cabaye’s curling effort before Ryan Taylor shot inches wide from the resulting corner.

Pardew’s team were able to maintain their momentum after half-time and it was just three minutes before they finally took the lead with a helping hand from Schwarzer.

The Fulham goalkeeper could only push Cabaye’s shot onto the crossbar when it dipped in front of him and Best was on hand to tap home the rebound.

Jol’s side would have been level five minutes later had it not been for a fine reaction save by Krul.

Damien Duff sent in a cross which Steve Sidwell headed firmly towards goal, only for the Dutchman to turn it on to the bar and over the top.

Pardew made a change with 62 minutes gone when he replaced Peter Lovenkrands with Ba and the Senegal forward made his mark within four minutes, controlling Obertan’s pass before crossing for Best, whose clever turn allowed him to poke the ball past Schwarzer.

Although Dempsey met Danny Murphy’s free-kick to head home in the 88th minute, Newcastle were able to hold on for the points. —AFP

LONDON: Newcastle United’s goalkeeper Tim Krul celebrates their victory over Fulham at the end of their English Premier League soccer match at St James’ Park. —AP

BARCELONA: Cristiano Ronaldo picked up where he left off last season when he scored a superb hat-trick as Real Madrid romped to a 6-0 victory at Real Zaragoza in their opening La Liga match yesterday.

The prolific Portuguese, who scored a record 40 goals last term as Real finished second behind Barcelona for a third consecutive year, fired compatriot Jose Mourinho’s side ahead in the 24th minute at the Romareda.

Brazilian fullback Marcelo and Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso made it 3-0, before Ronaldo, who has scored at least twice in his last five league appearances, netted two more goals either side of a gem from substitute Kaka.

European champions Barca begin their bid for a club recordequalling fourth successive Spanish title at home to Villarreal today, when former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas could make his home league debut.

Meanwhile, an unfamiliar Real Mallorca side scraped a 1-0 win over Espanyol thanks to a deflected Jonathan De Guzman goal as the opening weekend of La Liga continued yesterday.

There were five new faces in the Mallorca starting line-up and it was one of those, Alejandro Alfaro, who had the side’s best chance of the first half in the opening minute.

Espanyol grew as the game went on and after the break youngster Alvaro Vazquez hit the post and saw another effort well saved. The visitor ’s lack of strength in attack proved crucial as a messy goal from De Guzman, which hit a defender and wrongfooted the goalkeeper, decided the encounter.

New Getafe coach Luis Garcia watched his side draw 1-1 against his former club Levante. Nicolas

SPAIN: Real Madrid’s Marcelo from Brazil (center) celebrates his goal between his fellow teammate Mesut Ozil from Germany (left) and Zaragoza’s Pablo Barrera from Mexico (right) after he scored a goal against Real Zaragoza during their Spanish La Liga soccer match. —AP Miku, who had missed an early chance for Getafe, hit the back of the net after 62 minutes, but Levante fought back and netted a deserved equaliser from Juanlu Gomez.

Earlier, a Jose Maria Movilla strike gave Rayo Vallecano a 1-1 draw away to Athletic Bilbao on their return to the top flight.

The side from Madrid faced a daunting visit to Bilbao in their first Primera Liga game for eight years but they held their own in a hard-fought contest.

Ander Iturraspe broke the deadlock where he turned inside a defender and slotted home after 55 minutes, before Movilla equalised following a defensive error six minutes later.

Substitute Lass Bangoura was then denied one-on-one with Athletic keeper Gorka Iraizoz but Iker Muniain and Fernando Llorente also went close for the hosts. “ There are not that many teams that will pick up points here at San Mames and so while we do have the feeling that we could have come away with more, generally we are happy,” said Rayo coach Jose Ramon Sandoval.

“We have shown here how we will play this season, with ambition and the aim of pressing the opposition. I like the way that we battled for every ball.” Athletic coach Marcelo Bielsa arrived this summer and admits that he has

work to do.

“If we had finished the game stronger then I would have a different impression but the last 30 minutes were disappointing and the team looked confused,” he said. “Earlier on though, we passed the ball around well and had the right ideas although there were too many errors.”

Atletico Madrid hit the post twice but failed to find the back of the net in a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Osasuna.

On Saturday a dramatic double-strike in the final minutes saw Roberto Soldado complete a hattrick and allow provisional leaders Valencia to snatch a 4-3 victory over Racing Santander from the jaws of defeat. —Agencies

Raul fires Schalke to victory BERLIN: Spanish veteran Raul fired Schalke 04 to second in the Bundesliga yesterday, just behind leaders Bayern Munich on goal difference, in a hard-fought 1-0 win at Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Just days after securing their ticket to the Europa League group phase with a 6-1 win over Helsinki, the side from Gelsenkirchen handed Gladbach their first defeat of the season, dropping the western outfit from first to fifth.

Schalke have nine points from four games, equal with both Bayern and Werder Bremen, who both won their matches on Saturday.

A hat-trick from Germany striker Mario Gomez gave Bayern a 3-0 victory at Kaiserslautern that sent them top of the Bundesliga for the first time this season.

Werder Bremen came from behind to win 21 at Hoffenheim thanks to goals from Marko Arnautovic and Markus Rosenberg.

Schalke’s Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar lacked the efficiency demonstrated against Helsinki this week, and it was former Real Madrid star Raul who came to the rescue only days after ending speculation he is about to leave the Royal Blues.

It was a goal in three stages, as the 34-yearold’s first two point-blank shots were saved before he finally hit the net after 64 minutes.

Earlier, Hanover missed the chance to go top after being held 1-1 by Mainz 05. Hanover remain unbeaten this season, however, with eight points from four games, one point

GERMANY: Moenchengladbach’s Dante (left) challenges with Schalke’s Raul during a German Bundesliga soccer match. —AP behind the leading trio.

Tunisian international Sami Allagui put visiting Mainz on the scoreboard after just two minutes before Mohammed Abdellaoue got the equaliser on the half-hour mark for the hosts, who this week also advanced to the Europa League group phase.

It was the third goal this season for Abdellaoue but the Norwegian international

and Ivorian team-mate Didier Ya Konan both missed chances to secure a win in the second half.

Mainz sit seventh with seven points, just behind champions Borussia Dortmund and ahead of last year ’s runners-up Bayer Leverkusen, whose clash on Saturday night ended in a goalless draw and left both teams on seven points. —AFP

Shotton leaves Albion pointless West Brom 0

Stoke 1 BIRMINGHAM: Stoke’s Ryan Shotton scored in the closing moments as the FA Cup finalists snatched a dramatic 1-0 victor y against West Brom at the Hawthorns yesterday.

Shotton netted in the 89th minute to condemn Albion to their third successive Premier League defeat and give Tony Pulis’s undefeated side their first league win of the season.

To make matters worse for West Brom boss Roy Hodgson, Stoke’s goal was the result of a mix-up between goalkeeper Ben Foster and centre -back Gabriel Tamas.

Until then it looked as if Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic’s superb save from Shane Long would be the most notable action of a dour encounter.

West Brom made a strong start and Somen Tchoyi’s cross was met by Chris Brunt, only for the Albion captain to direct his header wide.

Paul Scharner then escaped the marking of Jonathan Woodgate to connect with a Brunt free-kick but his powerful header was directed straight at Begovic. It took a superb save from Begovic to prevent West Brom taking the lead after 12 minutes.

Tchoyi delivered a testing cross from the left flank and Long’s bullet header from six yards drew a fine stop from Begovic.

Albion remained on top and Brunt’s free -kick completely wrong-footed Begovic but flew inches wide. Stoke didn’t create their first wor thwhile opening until early in the second half when Glenn Whelan took a pass from Jon Walters in his stride and shot just wide.

Pulis sent on Shotton for Jermaine Pennant with 15 minutes remaining, but it was Albion who kept pressing with Tchoyi volleying just wide after Scharner had nodded a cross from Steven Reid into his path.

West Brom forced three successive corners in a late spell of pressure but could not find a way through and Shotton took advantage to prod home in the final moments after Foster and Tamas made a hash of an attempted clearance. —AFP

Rangers stay top of SPL GLASGOW: Rangers remained top of the Scottish Premier League on goal difference from Motherwell following a 2-0 win over Aberdeen at Ibrox yesterday to raise their spirits a little after their humiliating exit from the Europa League.

Celtic, who are a point behind their Old Firm rivals, had put the pressure on when Gary Hooper’s double secured a 2-0 victory away at St Mirren.

Rangers got off to a dream start when Steven Davis gave them a 15th minute lead.

Aberdeen, who haven’t won at Ibrox since September 1991, improved after the break with Richard Foster hitting the bar with a header.

Steven Naismith added a second in stoppage time as Ally McCoist celebrated his first win at Ibrox since taking charge.

McCoist said he was happier with the result than the performance. “I spoke to the guys before and after the game and the most

important aspect of today was getting three points,” the Rangers manager said.

“We did and that’s all you can really say because we will play miles better than that in games to go throughout the season.”

Aberdeen counterpart Craig Brown couldn’t believe his side had lost.

“I think we played reasonably well, well enough to get at least a point and maybe even all three points,” said Brown.

“We shouldn’t have been in the position of having to desperately seek an equaliser towards the end as we had one or two good chances.”

Rangers looked determined to erase the memory of their European exit to Maribor and Kyle Lafferty was sent clear by a headed flick on from Nikica Jelavic but the Northern Irishman saw his shot sail over the bar.

However Rangers took the lead in an almost carbon copy move in the 15th minute as this time Davis

got on the end of Jelavic’s clever pass to poke it past David Gonzalez from 12 yards.

Midfielder Edu was inches away from adding a second on the stroke of half-time when he got on the end of Wylde’s excellent delivery from the left but his header bounced just past the post.

Aberdeen improved a lot in the second-half and Fraser Fyvie sent a fierce low drive into the arms of the keeper as Aberdeen continued to improve after the break.

Naismith sealed the points for Rangers in stoppage time when Gonzalez spilled a Davis free-kick and the Scotland international was fastest to react to tap the ball past him from close range.

Hooper’s double also helped Celtic to recover some pride days after crashing out of the Europa League. Anthony Stokes had the ball in the net in the early stages, but referee William Collum judged him to have fouled Saints defender Marc McAusland

beforehand.

However, English striker Hooper opened the scoring in the sixth minute when he played a sharp one-two with Stokes on the edge of the penalty area before keeping his cool to bury the ball past Craig Samson.

Hooper then doubled the Hoops’ lead six minutes later when he intercepted a slack pass from Paul McGowan and raced clear to fire a crisp finish into the bottom corner of Samson’s net.

St Mirren piled on the pressure in an attempt to get back into the game with McGowan nearly making amends for his blunder with a strike that Fraser Forster did well to beat away.

The Buddies continued to try and find a way to break down the Celtic defence in the second-half but had keeper Samson to thank for keeping the scoreline down af ter he made good saves from South Korean K i Sung-Yeung and James Forrest late on.—AFP

Vettel wins Belgian GP

Stoner grabs Indy GP pole

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Bolt false start hands Blake 100 meters title

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Rooney’s treble shatters Arsenal Man United 8

Arsenal 2 MANCHESTER: Arsenal conceded eight goals for the first time since 1896 as Manchester United, inspired by a Wayne Rooney hat-trick, romped to an incredible 8-2 victory over the 10-man Gunners at Old Trafford yesterday.

As well as Rooney’s treble, Ashley Young helped himself to two goals, with further strikes coming from Nani and substitute Park Ji Sung after Danny Welbeck had scored the opening goal.

United’s stunning display lifted the champions to the top of the Premier League with a 100 percent record from three matches, just hours after rivals Manchester City had issued their own statement of intent with a 5-1 win at Tottenham.

The embarrassing defeat illustrated the work required in the transfer market

by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, whose position could be questioned after this demolition.

In an afternoon to forget for a makeshift Arsenal side, who saw Carl Jenkinson receive a late red card, Wenger endured one of his most humiliating results of his long tenure with the Gunners.

Wenger’s side have yet to win in the Premier League this season and this setback will send shockwaves through their camp. “You feel humiliated when you concede eight goals,” Wenger said. “It was a terrible day for us.

“It was a combination of an understrength team and weakness. We collapsed physically in the second half.”

United boss Alex Ferguson added: “It is (a surprise) because when you play Arsenal you expect a difficult game. If you look at Arsenal the team is weakened but we still did the job.”

Wenger named a weakened side, with young French midfielder Francis Coquelin handed a baptism of fire on his Premier League debut, while Ferguson kept faith with his own youngsters and two of them threatened to hand the hosts the lead inside the opening six minutes.

Tom Cleverley was narrowly wide of the target with barely two minutes on the clock. Welbeck came even closer four minutes later as he beat the offside trap from Ashley Young’s pass but failed to trouble Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

That was soon to change as Welbeck opened the scoring in the 22nd minute.

Anderson’s cleverly weighted pass exposed the Arsenal defence as Welbeck shrugged off the attentions of Johan Djourou before looping a header home.

Arsenal missed a glorious chance to respond five minutes later when Jonny Evans pulled down Theo Walcott for a penalty, but Robin van Persie’s low spotkick was turned aside by Manchester

United goalkeeper David De Gea. To add insult to injury, within 60 seconds Young had extended United’s lead. as the winger struck from 25 yards. The only blot on the copybook for Ferguson was a hamstring injury sustained by Welbeck, which will surely end his chances of featuring in England’s forthcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers.

But even that couldn’t halt the home side as Rooney’s 41st minute free-kick piled on the misery for Wenger. Arsenal were given a glimmer of hope on the stroke of half-time when Tomas Rosicky’s pass freed England winger Walcott and he fired through De Gea’s legs as the Gunners scored for the first time in the league this season.

However, the visitors conceded three goals in a seven minute burst to end the match as contest. Rooney curled home another 64th minute free-kick, Nani chipped home three minutes later before South Korean winger Parkalso found the back of the net.

Despite van Persie’s goal two minutes later, there was worse to come for the shell-shocked visitors. Jenkinson collected a second yellow card in the 76th minute after hauling down Javier HernandezArsenal’s third dismissal in three league games.

But Manchester United weren’t done there as Rooney completed his treble from the penalty spot after Patrice Evra was fouled by Walcott, before Young again found the target in injury-time to add to the visitors’ torment.—AFP

City demolish Spurs LONDON: Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney (right0 vies for the ball against Arsenal’s Johan Djourou during their English Premier League soccer match at Old Trafford. —AP Tottenham 1

Man City 5

LONDON: Edin Dzeko scored four goals as Manchester City signalled their determination to take the Premier League title with a 5-1 rout of Tottenham at White Hart Lane yesterday.

Samir Nasri was included in the City line-up for his debut following his £24 million move from Arsenal and the France international responded with an outstanding display that included assists for three of the goals.

But even the former Arsenal midfielder was overshadowed by the performance of Bosnian forward Dzeko, who capped an impressive display with a remarkable display of predatory finishing. Sergio Aguero was also on target for Roberto Mancini’s side who are top of the table after scoring 12 goals in their opening three Premier League games, while Tottenham mustered a goal of scant consolation through Younes Kaboul’s 67th minute header.

Tottenham have now conceded eight goals in two games, albeit against City and Manchester United, and their lack of strength in midfield was key.

Redknapp included Luka Modric in his team but the midfielder, a target for Chelsea ahead of Wednesday’s transfer deadline, had little impact.

This was the first opportunity Mancini had to field highly-regarded quartet Nasri, Dzeko, Aguero and David Silva in the same line-up and they lived up to their billing.

City were accused of being dull and methodical last season but this year’s model looks a very different prospect.

Within three minutes Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon had shot wide, but Mancini’s men responded immediately with Nasri wasting a fifth minute chance to start his City career in spectacular style.

That set the tone for an open first half although Tottenham ultimately paid for their cavalier approach after failing to capitalise on their early strength.

Rafael van der Vaart came close with two excellent long range efforts, the second a curling free kick that had City keeper Joe Hart beaten, before Gareth Bale somehow spooned the ball over from close range.

It was City, though, who struck first, exposing the lack of cover for the Tottenham backline with Gael Clichy and Nasri finding it far too easy to work their way down the left hand flank before Nasri whipped over a low cross that was converted by Dzeko.

Spurs almost levelled when Peter Crouch headed wide from Bale’s cross

but having been breached once, the home side suddenly lost shape and conviction.

The second goal came in the 41st minute when Nasri again found space on the left and crossed towards Dzeko who again showed more determination than Kaboul to connect with a header that beat Brad Friedel.

The interval was reached with Spurs in ragged shape and any hope they had of clawing their way back into the game disappeared when Dzeko completed his hat-trick in the 55th minute.

Again, City worked their way through the Spurs defence with ease, this time with Yaya Toure finding his

way to the byline before pulling back for Dzeko to complete his treble with a simple tap-in.

And the prospect of complete humiliation loomed for Harry Redknapp’s side when Aguero collected Nasri’s pass and rounded Michael Dawson for the fourth on the hour.

Tottenham at least responded when Kaboul met van der Vaart’s corner with a powerful header.

But their miserable day was concluded when Dzeko scored again in stoppage time after Van der Vaart hobbled off with a hamstring problem with all three substitutes having already been used.—AFP

LONDON: Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko (right) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Tom Huddlestone vie for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match. —AP

EPL results/standings Manchester United 8 (Welbeck 22, Young 28, 90, Rooney 41, 64, 82-pen, Nani 67, Park 70) Arsenal 2 (Walcott 45, Van Persie 74); Newcastle 2 (Best 48, 66) Fulham 1 (Dempsey 88); Tottenham 1 (Kaboul 68) Manchester City 5 (Dzeko 34, 41, 55, 90, Aguero 60); West Brom 0 Stoke 1 (Shotton 89).

Played Saturday: Aston Villa 0 Wolves 0; Blackburn 0 Everton 1 (Arteta 90-pen); Chelsea 3 (Boswinga 6, Lampard 82-pen, Mata 90) Norwich 1 (Holt 63); Liverpool 3 (Henderson 15, Skrtel 52, Adam 53) Bolton 1 (Klasnic 90); Swansea 0 Sunderland 0; Wigan 2 (Di Santo 41, 66) QPR 0.

English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Man Utd Man City Liverpool Chelsea W’hampton Newcastle Aston Villa Wigan Stoke Bolton

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1

0 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 0

0 13 0 12 0 6 0 5 0 4 0 3 0 3 0 3 0 2 2 7

3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 6

9 9 7 7 7 7 5 5 5 3

Everton QPR Sunderland Norwich Swansea Fulham Arsenal West Brom Blackburn Tottenham

2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2

1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0

1 2 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 2

1 1 1 6 1 2 3 5 0 4 1 4 2 10 2 5 2 6 1 8

3 3 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0

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Abraaj to manage Amundi’s $161 million Kantara fund

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VIVA provides customers ultimate BlackBerry Eid gift Page 23

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

Philippines, China talk trade despite tensions

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GM and LG set to jointly develop electric vehicles Page 23

NEW YORK: Times Square is seen during Hurricane Irene, yesterday.—AP

Airlines abandon Northeast, NY closes subways Irene damage could be ‘tens of billions’: US governor WASHINGTON: US flight cancellations blamed on Hurricane Irene topped 10,000 on Saturday, and rail and mass transit systems in New York and other eastern cities initiated sweeping storm-related shutdowns and slowdowns. Tens of millions of air travelers, train passengers and subway and bus riders scrambled to adjust their routines, work commutes and vacations as transportation networks gradually scaled back operations. Coordinated transportationrelated closures or slowdowns, often seen during winter storms in the Northeast, were mostly announced on Friday to try to give travelers enough time to adjust and ensure they stay away from Irene’s fury.

They were left to contemplate transportation service cuts lasting into Monday and possibly longer, depending on how hard Irene hits the Northeast on Sunday. New York’s subway system, which carries 7 million riders daily and operates the largest fleet in the world, had never closed due to weather. “There is no mass transit available,” said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, advising New Yorkers in evacuation zones who had not yet left where they could board special buses headed for safer locations. “The airports are basically all closed.”

He said it was unlikely that subway and other mass transit operations would be up and running by Monday morning’s commute.

Airlines canceled more than 10,000 flights from Friday through Monday, according to the online flight tracking service Flightaware.com.

The Northeast is the most congested area of US air space and the three New York-area airports-John F Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York and Newark airport in New Jerseybore the brunt of East Coast cancellations.

The three facilities handle about 6,000 flights on an average weekend day, and nearly 100 million domestic and international passengers annually. Disruptions in the region were felt across the country and overseas. The New York-area airports closed at noon EDT for arrivals and the last departures occurred in the early evening. Those airports were effectively closed and service would not resume until post-storm conditions were assessed, officials said.

The virtually empty rain- and wind-swept tarmac at Reagan National in Washington handled sparse Saturday traffic, usually the lightest day of the week. The nation’s capital was not expecting a head-on hit from the storm.

Posted schedules showed flights only heading west to Detroit, Milwaukee and other cities.

Reagan National, Washington Dulles, and Baltimore-Washington airports all planned to stay open through the storm even though airlines were halting service. Philadelphia international planned to stay open although airlines had pulled out of there as well.

Airports have backup generators that are usually reserved for maintaining power at air traffic towers and for public safety. But expectations were that Washington airports would be back in operation quickly. “If it goes through and is all over by late (Sunday) morning or early afternoon, things should get back on track,” said Tara Hamilton, spokeswoman for Reagan National and Washington Dulles. As at New York airports, airlines moved jetliners to safer areas like Chicago and other Midwest airports.

“We are not keeping any aircraft in Irene’s path,” said Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp.

Other carriers heavily affected include US Airways, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it worked to protect air traffic towers and other facilities and equipment from any storm damage. Despite the shutdown of regular service, some FAA controllers would remain at East Coast airports to handle any emergency, rescue or military flights.

LaGuardia airport recently christened a new control tower that replaced a 40-year-old one that leaked. More than 1 million people evacuated the New Jersey shore areas via roads over a 24-hour period, the state’s governor, Chris Christie, said. Christie sharply urged those remaining at Jersey Shore resorts on Friday to “get the hell off the beach” and leave the region to avoid the storm.

A southbound stretch of nearly 100 miles (160 km) of the Garden State Parkway south of the Raritan River was closed, as was the Atlantic City Expressway, which heads to Philadelphia. Maryland closed the 180-foothigh Bay Bridge, which spans the Chesapeake Bay and links the Maryland and Delaware shore with the Washington region on Saturday night with gusts reaching 80 mph. Virginia had already closed the 20-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel further south.

Authorities also planned speed and lane restrictions on the Delaware Memorial Bridge, a major north-south span on Interstate 95, and

could order it closed if conditions warranted.

New York authorities said they could close the George Washington Bridge, depending on Irene’s winds. Other New York City suspension bridges could also close. New York harbor was emptied of ships. Airline travelers had few alternatives with Amtrak also scaling back Northeast rail service on Saturday and planning to shut it down on Sunday. Freight rail operator CSX curtailed local service in coastal North Carolina and Virginia and would resume operations “as conditions allow.” CSX was inspecting tracks along the mid-Atlantic region. Locomotives, rail cars and crossing gates were secured ahead of the storm.

Meanwhile, the damage from Hurricane Irene to the already battered US economy could reach tens of billions of dollars, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie warned yesterday. Christie gave his assessment, speaking on NBC news, as Irene caused widespread flooding and structural damage across a vast swath of the eastern US seaboard, from North Carolina to New York. “I’ve got to imagine the damage estimates will be in the billions of dollars if not the tens of billions of dollars,” said Christie, whose state has a long ocean coastline and was particularly badly hit. Irene weakened to tropical storm status Sunday as it crashed into New York City, the National Hurricane Center said, but the still powerful storm was flooding parts of lower Manhattan.

Experts said the financial toll would be much higher if, as transpired, there was a direct hit on New York, the US financial capital and largest city with nearly 19 million people living in its metropolitan area. Kinetic Analysis Corp, a company that does computer modeling of predicted storm damage, predicted Friday that Irene would cause $5-10 billion in damages, based on the latest available weather data.

Losses could include damage to flooded buildings, business interruptions and cleanup costs picked by the government, said Chuck Watson, the company’s director of research and development.

Reporting yesterday, the company said losses in North and South Carolina, the first states hit as Irene made landfall on Friday, are expected to range between $200 million and $400 million. The costliest hurricane in US history was Katrina, which flooded New Orleans in 2005 and is estimated to have caused more than $100 billion in losses. — Agencies

Germany celebrates 125 years of the automobile STUTTGART: Germany is celebrating this year the birth of the automobile, with a patent applied for by Carl Benz 125 years ago for a motorized tricycle, in hopes of drawing tourists smitten by cars. The national tourism office has made the auto industry a highlight of its annual program for the first time and the southwestern region of BadenWuerttemburg alone has organised 200 events from May through September. Anyone travelling to the regional capital Stuttgart will not miss the Mercedes star that sits above the main train station or the posters that advertise the local auto museum.

Built at the base of a hill that dominates the city, the museum inaugurated in 2006 boasts a striking glass facade that covers a double spiral of steel meant to represent the automobile’s DNA. An elevator that emits sports car sounds takes visitors to halls that contain the first autos, invented almost simultaneously by Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. They joined forces amidst an economic crisis in 1926 to form the company now known as Daimler.

Some 160 autos mark the evolution of the automobile, including shiny saloons (sedans) from the 20th century and gull-wing sports cars, all of which share the space with works of art by creators like Andy Warhol. “With this exposition, we are conquering a new public, who will come maybe not for the autos but for the art,” said museum director Michael Bock. He expects the number of visitors to rise by five to 10 percent this year from the 2010 figure of 650,000.

“A very agreeable combination,” commented Dutch tourist Adriaan Raap, in his fifties, who was drawn by the aspects of automobile history.

Russian student Masha, 20, noted it was the only place one could see such a collection of beautiful cars, which she loves, because “this kind of museum does not exist in Moscow.” Daimler is not the only German auto manufacturer to present its models in a museum atmosphere. A futuristic space was also opened in Stuttgart in 2009 by the luxury sports car maker Porsche. In neighboring Bavaria, BMW has opened a centre in Munich that combines an auto delivery point with cultural events and an exhibition space that welcomed 400,000 people last year.

In northern Wolfsburg, Europe’s biggest carmaker Volkswagen has built an “automobile city” that is something between an amusement park and science museum. It also has a museum that vaunts the merits of its various brands, which include Audi, Bentley, Seat, and Skoda, along with restaurants and an off-road demonstration space. Some 22.5 million people have come since the city first opened in 2000. “It is the most visited site dedicated to automobiles in the world,” VW spokesman Tobias Riepe claimed.

“German automakers have pulled out all the stops at the architectural level for their museums, which are also a showcase,” said Marie-Jose Suess, head of communications for the state of Baden-Wuerttemburg. Possibilities for tourism are not limited to exhibitions by automakers, meanwhile.

Tourists can take the “Bertha Benz route” used by the engineer’s wife in 1888 to demonstrate that her husband’s invention was suited to daily use, sleep in rooms with auto themes, or listen to a “autosymphony” created with sounds from 80 automobiles in Mannheim, where Benz applied for his patent. — AFP

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BUSINESS

Abraaj to manage Amundi’s $161 million Kantara fund Deal also includes buying Amundi’s stake in the fund DUBAI: Dubai’s Abraaj Capital acquired the North African private equity operations of French asset manager Amundi, it said yesterday, aiming to beef up its presence in the fast-growing region. Abraaj, the largest Middle East private equity firm with assets under management of $6.2 billion, will manage the $161 million SGAM Al Kantara Fund and absorb the 11-member Amundi investment team as part of the deal, it said. The company also acquired Amundi’s stake in the Kantara Fund.

It did not disclose the total value for the transaction. The Kantara fund has five existing investments in Morocco and Tunisia and is primarily focused on small and midcap investment opportunities in North Africa. The acquisition complements Abraaj’s existing investment platform for small and medium enterprise (SME), the company

vate equity firm Citadel Capital following a review. Amundi, which has around 690 billion euros in total assets, is jointly owned by SociÈtÈ GÈnÈrale and Credit Agricole. The Middle East and North Africa regions are important investment areas for private equity firms, which have raised $22.7 billion to invest into the area in the past five years,

said. “We are firm believers in using local knowledge and top tier expertise in all the markets in which we invest to ensure that our deal flow is as good as it possibly can be,” Abraaj’s Chief Executive Mustafa Abdel-Wadood said in the statement.

Last month Abraaj said it ended acquisition talks with Egyptian pri-

according to figures from Londonbased research firm Preqin.

However, private equity investments saw a sharp drop in the last couple of years with investors backing out of capital calls, sellers demanding higher prices than buyers were willing to pay and increasing competition from family groups hampering growth. —Reuters

SINGAPORE: Agility’s officials are pictured at the CSR Awards Ceremony.

Samsung’s ST93 camera launched in Kuwait KUWAIT: Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today launched the compact, stylish and feature-packed ST93.

The camera is the latest addition to Samsung’s ultra-slim, stylish ST range, with enhanced optical performance through Dual Image Stabilization, 16-megapixel picture quality, and 26mm wide angle and 5x optical zoom lenses. The camera also boasts a Smart Filter feature, for users to be creative with their snaps. The latest launch reinforces Samsung’s ambition to produce fashionable and portable cameras that maintain a premium and high-quality feature set to guarantee great images.

The ST93 features a marketleading Dual IS capability, combining Optical Image Stabilization with traditional Digital Image Stabilization technology. The Dual IS guarantees clear and sharp images in any environment and prevents blurring when taking those spur-ofthe-moment shots. The camera’s innovative Dual IS technology allows customers to enjoy their camera experience to the full and enhance their individual creativity without the worry of blurry images.

Measuring just over 17.5mm, you can slip the sleekly designed ST93 into your pocket or handbag, and take it wherever you go. The ST93’s Smart Filter lens and color options ensure straightforward capturing for both still shots and movie recordings. Advanced options include miniaturized capturing, a Vignetting effect for striking compositional contrast, as well as innovative, newly-added effects including a Soft Focus function for atmospheric photos. The Smarter Filter’s HalfTone Dot option creates fun-packed photos with a comic book feel, and the palette effect adds a variety of color options to your images.

In addition, the camera’s innovative Panorama Shot feature ensures every wideangled vista is captured for seamless and stunning images.

B J Kim, Director of Audio Visual Sales Group, Samsung Gulf Electronics, said: “The launch of the new ST93 camera reinforces Samsun g’s abilit y to balan ce our con sumers’ style and design needs, whilst maintaining category-leading innovative and high-performing features, such as Dual IS. We know our customers are passionate about compact sleek designs and the latest technology advancements. Now, following the global success of the ST95, ST90 and ST65, we are offering even more powerful o p t ica l per for man ce to meet th ese demanding requirements. The design of

the ST93 has been carefully considered to ensure it meets the requirements and usability needs of our customers for the best camera experience at an affordable price.”

Smart Filter and Panorama Shot for advanced creative experience It’s never been easier to get creative with the ST93’s Smart Filter lens, which has a range of exciting settings for unique, stylized shots and movie recordings for users to choose from.

To ensure that customers are not limited to simple landscape or group por trait shots, the ST93 also boasts the Panoramic Shot feature through its wide-angle lens.

Once the shot has been taken, the innovative proprietar y panoramic technology automatically searches for motion borders of the two images which are incorporated into one seamless, breathtaking image.

Expressing your personality through the Magic Frame feature The ST93’s Magic Frame feature enables users to create poster-quality visuals that communicate their individual mood and personality. By simply selecting one of the built-in Magic Frame templates, including Wall Art, Retro Film, Ripple, Full Moon, Retro Record and Classic T V, you can create an innovative and unique-looking image every time.

HD Movie Recording for advanced capturing High-quality video capturing is a must-have function, and the latest ST93 makes sure people can effortlessly capture great videos through the HD shooting and playback movie functions, and then share and enjoy with friends. The ST93 includes 720p HD Movie recording at an impressive 30 frames per second.

The advanced 5x optical zoom can also be used when recording to ensure close up, crisp and detailed videos for users to share with loved ones. For additional convenience, the ST93 features the Record Pause function so you can halt recording and star t up again through the simple push of a button, creating one film rather than the two separate clips which would usually result.

The sound quality of recordings has also been enhanced through the Sound Alive feature, which enables clear sound recording by eliminating zoom noise, so you can capture the highest quality recordings in any environment. The ST93 is now available at all major retailers across Kuwait at KD54.

For more product information and multimedia content, please see www.samsung.com.

Agility noted at Asia’s CSR Awards Ceremony ored to receive this award,” said Toby Edwards, Agility’s Asia Pacific Marketing Director. “It is further proof point that Agility is committed to continuing the development of its environmental strategy and corporate social responsibility across the Asia Pacific region.” Agility launched its first CSR Report this year outlining its engagement in five focus areas: environment, community investment, humanitarian and emergency logistics, employees and business with integrity.

SINGAPORE: Agility, a leading global logistics provider, was recently awarded the “Best Corporate Social Responsibility Practice” award at the Asia’s Best CSR Practices Awards event in Singapore.

Donovan Neale-May, Executive Director at CMO Council, commented, “Asia’s Best CSR Practices Award recognizes those aspects in CSR where there was valuable contribution and a spirit of giving.

Agility’s global and comprehensive CSR strategy meets all of the criteria and is deserving of the award.” “We are hon-

NBK to serve customers during Eid KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has taken all necessary measures to ensure providing customers with the best telephone, online and ATM services during the Eid holiday. All NBK branches will be closed during Eid holiday. But Hala Watani, NBK Online and ATM will be available 24 hours and ready to ser ve customers.

Customers may call 1801801 or visit www.nbk.com for further information.

Al-Tijari announces winners KD100,000 each on different occasions: The National Day, Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha and on the June 19 which is the date of the bank’s establishment.

With a minimum balance of KD500, customers will be eligible for the daily draw provided that the money is in the account one week prior to the daily draw or 2 months prior to the mega draw. In addition, for each KD25 a customer can get one chance for winning instead of KD50. Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes this opportunity to congratulate all lucky winners and also extends appreciation to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for their effective supervision of the draws which were conducted in an orderly and organized manner.

KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait held the Al-Najma Account draw yesterday. The draw was held under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry represented by Abdulaziz Ashkanani. The winners of KD7,000 are: Hussain Ali Kareem Bneyyan Rashed; Waleed Khaled Mubarak Al-Kweiran; Ahmed Saleh Ahmed Al-Muttar; Salamah Mohammed Saed Wheib; and Al-Bader Adnan Taha Al-Rashed The Commercial Bank of Kuwait announces the biggest daily draw in Kuwait with the launch of the new Najma account. Customers of the bank can now enjoy a KD7,000 daily prize which is the highest in the country and another 4 mega prizes during the year worth

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

.2700000 .4430000 .3900000 .3390000 .2730000 .2820000 .0040000 .0020000 .0737510 .7185380 .3810000 .0700000 .7043940 .0040000 .0430000

.2760000 .4580000 .4000000 .3510000 .2830000 .2910000 .0072500 .0035000 .0744930 .7257590 .4010000 .0760000 .7114730 .0072000 .0530000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2716500 .2737500 .4452480 .4486900 .3922490 .3952810 .3415050 .3441450 .2754930 .2776230 .0526490 .0530560 .0429890 .0433210 .2843900 .2865890 .0348470 .0351160 .2247080 .2264460 .0035200 .0035480 .0000000 .0059840 .0000000 .0024980 .0000000 .0031650 .0000000 .0037450 .0739890 .0745610 .7208440 .7264160 .0000000 .3871990 .0724590 .0730190 .7058590 .7113160 .0000000 .0064790

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.582 5.947 3.131 2.478 3.720 226.110 35.018 3.645 6.423 9.407 0.271 0.273

GCC COUNTRIES 72.829 75.041 709.370 725.390 74.367

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES 47.000 45.719 1.250 201.330 385.670 183.200 5.896 35.226

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 273.000 Euro 394.760 Sterling Pound 451.540 Canadian dollar 278.150 Turkish lire 152.770 Swiss Franc 349.780 Australian dollar 284.550 US Dollar Buying 271.800 GOLD 337.000 171.000 88.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

SELL CASH 292.500 725.150 3.820 281.200 535.600 36.300 53.400 167.800 46.730 399.400 35.650 6.260 0.033 0.239 0.237 3.650 386.840 0.185 93.930 47.100 4.200

233.400 1.849 50.900 708.210 3.230 6.590 75.430 72.800 227.500 40.560 2.611 451.100 43.200 347.500 5.600 9.480 198.263 74.340 273.000 1.210

231.900 708.030 3.150 6.435 75.000 72.800 227.500 40.560 2.475 449.100 346.000 5.600 9.300 74.240 272.600

GOLD 1,737.390

10 Tola

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 449.100 272.600

Sterling Pound US Dollar

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees

New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

SELL DRAFT 291.000 725.150 3.657 279.700

227.500 45.790 397.900 35.500 5.920 0.033

385.370 0.184 93.930 3.720

Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

292.57 282.17 343.49 398.42 449.30 3.61 3.664 5.919 2.481 3.702 3.157 74.20 725.11 45.79 387.83 708.47 75.17 72.79

Selling Rate 272.550 277.275 447.255 397.420 338.155

722.620 74.180 74.180 72.640 383.640 45.781 2.474 5.916 3.145 3.647 6.408 668.530 3.650 9.200 5.740 3.795 90.532

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 272.600 3.150 5.930 2.490 3.665 6.450 74.320 72.845 724.750 45.785 451.600 0.00003280 3.910 1.550 387.300 5.750 400.900 283.600

Al Mulla Exchange

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank

Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

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 *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 272.300 397.500 449.000 279.000 3.580 5.917 45.800 2.474 3.650 6.410 3.140 725.000 74.225 72.750

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business Commodity Update

Qatargas confirms LNG train shutdowns

Commodities look for direction from Bernanke

DUBAI/DOHA: Qatargas will stop three of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producing plants at different times this autumn for planned maintenance work, the world’s largest LNG producer said yesterday. European gas prices leapt on Friday afternoon after traders with knowledge of the situation told Reuters Qatargas trains 5, 6 and 7 — each capable of producing 7.8 million tons per year of LNG-would shut for rolling maintenance planned for mid September to early November. “Qatargas can confirm that the planned maintenance of its Trains 5, 6 and 7, as well as Qatargas 3 and 4 inlet receiving facilities will take place this autumn,” a spokesperson from Qatargas in a statement on Sunday. “Qatargas operates a rolling program of planned maintenance at its facilities. These necessary, planned and safe shutdowns are coordinated with all parties of our operations, shipping and customers as part of our annual planning exercises. There will be no impact on our existing customer portfolio.” — Reuters

By Ole S Hansen

O

ne year ago Ben Bernanke raised the curtain for QE2 in his speech at the gathering of central bankers at Jackson Hole. Once again his speech late Friday CET could set the tone for financial markets in the months ahead as the potential for QE3 has helped trigger some market reversals during the past week.

The Reuters Jefferies CRB index is up just half of one percent at the time of writing bringing its annual return close to flat. Last week’s winners are this week’s losers with gold and silver sitting at the bottom while energy and base metals had a better week. In the agricultural space attention turned to wheat. A deteriorating outlook for US and European production had wheat prices on both sides of the Atlantic performing strongly.

Weak longs washed out of gold Gold finally succumbed to a sharp correction as weak speculative longs were flushed out sending the price lower by more than 200 dollars in just two days. What triggered the sell-off was probably a combination of a market that had become too overstretched combined with a 55 percent margin increase by the CME which handles the global benchmark gold futures contract. With daily price swings above three percent the CME felt that the cost of holding a contract worth nearly 200,000 dollars had to be increased. This brought back memories and fears of a collapse similar to the one that hit silver back in May which also occurred after a steep rally was followed by an aggressive margin hike.

Support now at 1,700 dollars The sell-off however did not go further than 1,705 just short of retracing 50 percent of the recent rally before buyers returned, spurred on by weaker stock markets. The severity of the sell-off has primarily been due to the amount of speculative positions having been built up over the last month and with much of that now out of the way traders felt more comfortable entering the market again. The factors that have been driving gold higher over the last year have not gone away and as such the medium to long term prospect for higher prices hasn’t either.

The Jackson Hole speech by Ben Bernanke of the US Federal Reserve Friday could easily set the tone for the coming months, just like it did last year with the announcement of QE2. High expectations, especially for another round of quantitative easing, have been dwindling over the last couple of days. Given that gold would be the main beneficiary of QE3 a lack hereof could add to the downward pressure.

Support in the market is now at 1,697 dollars which represents a 50 percent correction of the recent rally followed by moving average supports at 1,570 and 1,480. The uptrend is still firmly in place above 1,450 so even a major drop would not ruin the long-term prospect for gold.

High volatility points towards a bumpy road ahead Thirty day volatility as measured by the CBOE gold VIX index has been rising steadily over the last month and the current reading of 34.4 percent is some 64 percent above the 2010 average which was another year of strong gold performance. This is telling us that despite the uptrend firm violent corrections like the one experienced this week can easily occur again. Investors who want to benefit from the gold “bubble” therefore need to show discipline in order to avoid being burnt by a market that has become more erratic.

Oil markets driven by Libya and Irene Early in the week the prospect for high quality Libyan oil returning to the market initially sent oil prices, especially Brent crude, lower. The “relief” sell-off was short lived despite rebel forces entering into Tripoli and thereby bringing forward the potential downfall of Colonel Gaddafi. Traders are fully aware that it could still be many months before oil begins to flow in decent quantities. Many obstacles need to be addressed first, such as establishing security around major fields, pipelines, refineries and ports, a renegotiation of existing contracts and the return of foreign personnel.

The price of Brent crude initially dropped to 105 dollars on the news from Libya but spent the rest of the week recovering back towards 110 as possible sanctions in Syria and force majeure in Nigeria supported prices. Oil demand, especially for diesel, from India and China picked up in July lending support to a Brent crude price above 100 dollars. The spread over WTI crude initially narrowed but has since widened back above 25 dollars as increased U.S. and Canadian production is not easily moved out of the producing regions to the coast from where it can enter into the global market place.

Irene could become the worst in fifty years Irene, the ninth hurricane of the season is threatening to disrupt gasoline supplies along the US East Coast over the coming days and this helped gasoline putting in a strong performance on the week rising by nearly four percent. It has the potential for becoming the worst hurricane in 50 years and although it is expected to weaken Saturday into Sunday it will probably not happen fast enough to prevent serious problems from wind, rain and ocean water.

Wheat outperforming corn The price of December CBOT wheat has risen strongly once again approaching 8 dollars per bushel after touching a low of 6.5 dollars back in July. Record high corn prices are causing livestock farmers to switch to wheat feed. A year-long drought from Texas to Kansas has created the driest conditions on record for farmers who should now be preparing to plant winter wheat. Meanwhile, in Europe the corresponding Milling wheat contract rose the most on the week as Western Europe continues to experiencing tough harvest conditions after a very wet summer. Continued rainfall could result in a higher percentage of wheat being used for livestock feed instead of human consumption thereby adding upside price pressure on high quality wheat.

ABK holds Second Draw KUWAT: Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait held its second draw for its offer “Enjoy this summer with ABK” that was launched at the beginning of summer. The draw was held on the August 25, under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce and Industr y.

“Enjoy this Summer with ABK” enabled both, ABK Emirates credit cardholders as well as Prestige and Raed debit cardholders the opportunity of winning valuable prizes like the magnificent SeaRay boat.

Cardholders who had used their cards overseas for KD100 or above between June 15 and August 15 were entitled to enter the draw. The grand prize, a

magnificent SeaRay boat was won by an overjoyed Lemya Hassan Hayat and the cash prizes were won by Saleh Yaseen Ali, Nael Jassim Alzayani and Ameer Ghloom Ridha.

Stewart Lockie, GM Retail Banking stated, “We launched the summer offer for our clients to give them the opportunity to enter three draws on three luxurious boats and 10 cash prizes each worth up to KD2,500. To enter the second draw you had to spend at least KD100 outside Kuwait using your ABK Emirates credit cards or Prestige or Raed debit cards during the first two months of the promo. The more purchases you made the more

chances you had of winning these valuable prizes. We chose the timing of the offer to coincide with the travel season, so clients can benefit and double their chances of winning. In addition to the prizes clients received up to 7 Skywards Miles for every KD1 spent using their ABK credit cards. “ Lockie added, “We would like to congratulate the winners of the day and wish better luck to those who did not win, you have more chances in the coming draws as opportunities remain to win one more boat and four cash prizes worth up to KD2,500 each as the offer continues till September 15, 2011.”

VIVA provides customers ultimate BlackBerry Eid gift KUWAIT: Kuwait Telecommunications Company VIVA, is pleased to introduce to customers its new BlackBerry offers for Eid, as well as offer enhancements to its current BlackBerry subscriptions, for customers to enjoy full access to the world of BlackBerry, for less. Whether your mobile phone is for personal use, or work life, or for both, there is a BlackBerry Smartphone device for you. With lively graphics and visuals, built-in social network applications, faster web browsing, an enhanced multimedia experience and access to e-mail as well as many other applications, the world of BlackBerry is created around your needs.

Determined to deliver the latest technology and coverage at competitive rates to its customers, Kuwait Telecommunications Company VIVA has enhanced its Blackberry subscription rates and plans for pre-paid and postpaid customers. Celebrate Eid with VIVA’s new BlackBerry

offers and activate your full BlackBerry service for only KD7. This offer is applicable to both prepaid and postpaid customers.

New postpaid customers can enjoy the their BlackBerry service with the basic BlackBerry plan of KD7 which includes a BlackBerry service fee of KD5 and a monthly subscription fee of just KD2 a month. The offer also includes a free or discounted device. Existing customers on the KD9 or KD12 basic plan will be on the KD5 plan as of next month. Pre -paid customers are encouraged to take advantage of the new best rate BlackBerry KD7 pre-paid plan, offering unlimited BlackBerry service with 25 Fils/MB after consumption. Customers on prepaid will have the benefit of subscribing to their BlackBerry service when they need it. To activate this service, pre-paid customers can send the code “ON7” via SMS Text Message to number 214, or dial *214*7#.

Dr Mohammad Saleh and Dr Abdul-Aziz Abdullah

Alghanim Industries offers new opportunities KUWAIT: As part of Alghanim Industries ongoing focus on Kuwaitization, AI has been pleased to be able to offer a unique internship to two Kuwaiti medical students during their last two years in medical school. Dr Mohammad Saleh and Dr Abdul-Aziz Abdullah, who recently graduated from Kuwait University Medical School, began working parttime for Alghanim Industries in August 2009, while they were medical students. Their chief responsibility was to deliver first-aid awareness classes, which were very wellreceived by employees. Alghanim Industries values the contributions that Dr Mohammad and Dr Abdul-Aziz made to the company during their internship. After graduating from medical school this June, they began practicing medicine in the Surgery Department at Mubarak Hospital in Jabriya. Alghanim Industries thanks them for their contributions and congratulates them on their graduation.

Alghanim Industries is always looking for the best and brightest Kuwaitis to join the AI team, whether experienced professionals or new graduates, in full-time or parttime positions.

Banks in MENA expect new fiscal proposals to help KUWAIT: According to a new Deloitte inaugural global banking IFRS 9 impairment survey, leading international banking groups, many of which are headquartered in the Middle East and North Africa, believe that IFRS 9 impairment accounting proposals will improve financial statements, in comparison to those prepared using the current IAS 39 rules.

Many of the 56 institutions that were surveyed in Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and the MENA region revealed that they have laid the framework for meeting the proposed effective date of 2015 for implementing the IFRS 9 impairment accounting proposals.

Just over half will have started their enactment by the end of 2011, and nearly 90% will have started by 2012.

Broadly defined, impairment accounting addresses the timing of when loan losses are recognized in financial statements. During the financial crisis, the current incurred loss model was widely criticized because losses recognized were ‘too little, and too late’. New rules on impairment accounting are being developed jointly by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), and will see a shift away from an incurred loss model to an expected loss model. Once finalized, these proposals will form part of IFRS 9 Financial Instruments, the accounting standard to replace IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement.

Despite progress being made in relation to the accounting change, there remains some industry skepticism. Deloitte’s survey showed that just over a quarter of banking groups are unconvinced that the introduction of an expected loss model will make financial statements more useful and over half believe it will result in a lack of comparability between institutions. Survey respondents also said it was likely regulators would find expected loss numbers more useful than shareholders.

Abbas Ali Mirza, Audit partner at Deloitte in the UAE says: “In addition to the major changes brought to classification and measurement of financial assets which are now driven by business models rather than intention and ability, impairment accounting is an additional area of change affecting the financial statements of major banking groups globally and in the MENA region, within the foreseeable future. While the rule changes are designed to increase transparency around loan loss provisioning, survey respondents indicated that it is likely that regulators would find the detail most useful.

It was also found that it may be difficult for those without technical accounting backgrounds to understand how the changes affect loan loss accounting and, consequently, loan pricing.”

DETROIT: GM and LG get set to develop electric vehicles.

GM and LG set to jointly develop electric vehicles DETROIT: General Motors and LG Group will jointly design and engineer future electric vehicles, expanding a relationship built on LG’s work as the battery cell supplier for the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera extended-range EVs. The definitive agreement signed Wednesday (24 August) will help GM expand the number and types of electric vehicles it makes and sells by using LG’s proven expertise in batteries and other systems. For LG, the arrangement represents a widening of its portfolio as an automotive solution provider.

“Many solutions for tomorrow’s transportation needs may be available more quickly by building on our partnership strategy,” said GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky. “Consumers benefit by getting the latest fuel-saving technology faster if we work with the best suppliers and we save

time and money in the development process.” The success of the extended-range propulsion system in the Volt and Ampera led to exploring other collaborations in the electrification of the automobile. Teams of LG and GM engineers will work on key components, as well as vehicle structures and architectures. Vehicles resulting from the partnership will be sold in many countries.

The GM-LG relationship that began with LG delivering the cells for the batter y pack of the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera expanded last year with work on a demonstration fleet of Chevrolet Cruze electric vehicles.

These vehicles were used as official vehicles of the G20 summit in Seoul are now in the phase of market-testing to learn more about capabilities and requirements. “This is a strategic development for LG and we fully sup-

port GM’s goal to lead the industry in the electrification of the automobile,” said Juno Cho, president and chief operating officer of LG Corp. Accelerating the pace of roadworthy technology is more impor tant than ever with the announcement of a number of more stringent emission and fuel consumption regulations around the world, including the recent agreement calling for a US Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) of 54.5 (23.2km/l) by the end of the 2025 model year.

Electric vehicles, which have no tailpipe emissions and require no gasoline, are expected to play a major role in reaching the CAFE goal. Timing of the launch of the first vehicles resulting from the partnership will be announced closer to market readiness. The agreement does not involve an exchange of equity between the companies.

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business

Bourse witnesses gain GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) rose during the first trading session of the week. Investors were focused on medium sized stocks. As the Eid holiday is approaching investors are observers more than investors. The market did not experience a lot of fluctuations as it traded almost flat throughout the session.

Market indices Global General Index (GGI) advanced ending yesterday’s session up by 0.53 percent, at 177.50 point.

Market Capitalization was up for the day, reaching KD29.04 billion. Also showing a positive note was the KSE Price Index closing at 5,787.40 point, increasing by 1.80 points (0.03 percent) from its previous close.

Top gainers and biggest decliners First Dubai for Real Estate Development Company was the top gainer for the day, adding 9.52 percent to its share price and closing at KD0.023. Al-Mazaya Holding Company was another prominent gainer, adding 9.09 percent to its share value and closing at KD0.060.

On the other hand, Bayan Investment

the two declining companies in the sector to help its index up. The scrip added a noticeable 4.11 percent to its value reaching KD1.520.

Banking stocks followed, adding 0.91 percent to their index value.

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) finished the session amongst the gainers with an increase of 3.92 percent in its share price to reach KD1.060. Gulf Bank was also seen among the gain-

( Wataniya) finished amongst the gainers with an addition of 1.04 percent to reach KD1.940. Global Services Index added 0.14 percent to its value by the end of the day. On the other hand, Non-Kuwaiti Sector Index was the top decliner for the day. The sector shed 0.36 percent from its value. Heavyweight Ahli United Bank was the only decliner in the sector with a 1.04 percent

Market breadth During the session, 72 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 36 equities increased versus 21 that declined by the end of the day.

Daily trading activity Trading activity was mixed during the session. Total volume traded was up by 3.87 percent with 62.59 million shares changing hands at a total value of KD7.18 million (8.54 percent lower compared to Thursday’s session). The Services sector was the volume leader, accounting for 35.09 percent of total shares traded. Al-Safwa Holding Group was the most traded in the sector with 11.68 million shares traded.

Inovest Company alone saw 13.64 million shares changing hands and topped the volume leaders’ list. The scrip increased by 5.66 percent by the end of the session, and closing at KD0.056 being amongst the top gainers for the day. On the other hand, the Banking sector was the value leader, with 43.24 percent of total traded value. Boubyan Bank was the most active in terms of value traded during yesterday’s session, with KD1.30 million worth of shares exchanged.

Company topped the decliners list for the day with 8.47 percent retreat to reach KD0.027. Livestock Transport & Trading Company followed with an 8.15 percent drop in its share price.

The scrip ended the day at KD0.248.

Sectorswise Sector-wise, five out of the eight sectors moved northward during the day while two declined and one stayed flat. Buying interest was observed on the Services sector.

However, the Food sector led the advancers with a daily increase of 2.67 percent in its index.

Heavyweight Kuwait Foodstuff Company (Americana) overweighed

ers, reporting a 1.04 percent climb during the day, and closing at KD0.485. On the other hand, Commercial Bank of Kuwait ended the day shedding 4.49 percent to reach KD0.850. Investment stocks too were notable advancers. Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) was one of the few gainers in the sector, adding 1.59 percent to its share value and closing at KWD320. Global Investment House was another notable advancer, with 3.92 percent increase in its share value, closing at KD0.0265. Heavyweight Agility’s stock went up by 1.89 percent to end the day at KD0.270. Also National Mobile Telecommunication Company

decrease in its share price to reach KD0.190. The company over weighted all other three advancers in the sector and solely pulled the NonKuwaiti index down 0.36 percent.

Oil news The price of Kuwaiti crude oil decreased by $0.26 to reach $105.62 per barrel (pb) on Friday, compared to $105.88 per barrel Thursday, said Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC).

The bad weather experience in the United States contributes to the increase of oil prices because of fears of disruption of production, with the eyes of investors remaining bound to the oil-rich Libya.

Oman at 3-week high; Gulf markets up on global cues DUBAI: Oman’s index climbed to a three-week high yesterday, as local pension fund buying boosted the battered market, while other regional markets also rose amid muted trading ahead of the extended Eid Al-Fitr holidays. The Gulf state’s index ended 2.1 percent up, its highest close since Aug 4, with most bluechip stocks advancing. The index has fallen 17 percent year-to-date. “We are seeing a lot of money coming in from local pension funds as well as some foreign investors,” said Adel Nasr, brokerage manager at United Securities in Muscat.

“Banks are particularly in demand and we see this sector being the best performer,” he added.

Top lender Bank Muscat climbed 3.1 percent and smaller rival Bank Sohar surged 7.6 percent. Oman’s regulator, Capital Market Authority, is encouraging consolidation of brokerages and expects at least three to four initial public offerings next year, an executive said last week. Oil services firm Renaissance Services also jumped by 10 percent in a sharp return following its slump. The stock had plummeted to a 2009-low after it discovered financial fraud at unit Topaz and reported a 77-percent drop in first-half net profit. “We are seeing a relief rally in Renaissance after investors see that the issues surrounding the firm will not result in a total loss for the company,” says Nasr. Most other Gulf markets ended higher as regional investors were optimistic following Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s speech on Friday. Volumes, however, remained thin.

World stocks rose 1 percent and the dollar fell on Friday as Bernanke left the door open for future U.S. economic stimulus. He said the central bank’s policy panel would meet for two days in September instead of one to discuss additional monetary stimulus, offering some hope to investors.

Oil prices also rose in choppy trade as Hurricane Irene targeted the U.S. East Coast and traders weighed Bernanke’s comments. Bluechip stocks, especially from the property sector, led the rally as Dubai’s index closed at a two-week high.

The index closed 0.7 percent higher at 1475 points, its highest close since Aug 14. Bellwether Emaar Properties , the United Arab Emirates’ largest developer by market value, climbed 1 percent.

However, investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of the long Eid Al Fitr holidays. “Volumes were extremely subdued, which is typical of the prior-Eid holidays period,” said Haissam Arabi, chief executive and fund manager at Gulfmena Alternative Investments. “The region is very much connected with what’s happening globally. It all depends on what happens what happens now globally. The volumes have been low in the region as no one wants to take any chances.” In Abu Dhabi, developer Aldar Properties gained 1.7 percent and Sorouh Real Estate added 2.6 percent.

“Real estate stocks are the bluechips in these markets and so they have been the best performers,” said Arabi. Qatari lender Masraf Al Rayan climbed 2.8 percent, helping the Doha index to its highest close since Aug 4. The index ended 1.4 percent. Kuwait index traded flat.

Yesterday’s highlights Oman The index rose 2.1 percent to 5,703 points.

Dubai The index advanced 0.7 percent to 1,475 points.

Abu Dhabi The measure climbed 0.5 percent to 2,602 points.

Qatar The benchmark gained 1.5 percent to 8,290 points.

Kuwait The benchmark edged higher 0.03 percent to 5,787 points.

Bahrain The measure eased 0.01 percent to 1,261 points. — Reuters

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Fed pledges additional fiscal support NBK WEEKLY MONEY MARKET REPORT The dollar had a mixed performance against most of its major counterparts towards the end of the week on speculation that the Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke may disappoint investors betting on a third round of quantitative easing.

The euro opened the week at 1.4400, and range traded between 1.4470 and 1.4327. The Euro ended Friday’s session at 1.4499. The sterling Pound dropped against the dollar towards the end of the week erasing last week’s gains due to lower consumer confidence in the UK. The Pound opened the week at 1.6466 and closed the week at a low of 1.6368.

The yen range traded towards Thursday between the levels of 77.00 and 76.00 however, on Friday the yen depreciated against the dollar to reach a high of 77.69 after the resignation of the Japanese Prime Minister, 14 months into the Job. The Swiss franc dropped gradually against the greenback throughout the week as the market anticipates additional measures from the SNB to

lower the Franc.

Housing data continues to disappoint The number of Americans who bought new homes fell for the fourth consecutive month, indicating that the housing market is continuing to struggle. New home sales fell nearly 1 percent in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 298,000. The figure is less than half the 700,000 figure that represents a healthy economy.

Durable goods orders New orders for long-lasting US manufactured goods rose in July, offering hope that the US economy could evade a second recession.

Durable goods orders jumped 4 percent as demand for autos and airplanes surged to 4 percent, double market expectations of a rise by 2 percent and much higher than the previous figure of -1.3 percent.

Orders excluding the volatile transportation category unexpectedly rose 0.7 percent.

Slower growth in the US The US economy grew slower than anticipated by the market in the second quarter, as business inventories and exports were less robust. The GDP expanded at 1 percent lower than the previous estimate of 1.3 percent and less than the expected 1.1 percent.

Initial jobless claims rose by 5,000 to 417,000 last week, more than market forecasts of a drop to 403,000.

Fed Chairman Bernanke speaks Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke at the Fed’s annual retreat in Jackson Hole, on Friday but did not provide any details on actions to boost the US economic recovery.

He noted that the central bank was prepared to utilize tools as needed to help strengthen the economy and reduce unemployment rates; however, no definitive actions or plans were mentioned; nor signs of new stimulus.

Investor confidence dropping in Germany German investor confidence fell more than expected to the lowest in more than 21/2 years in August. The ZEW economic sentiment index, which aims to predict developments six months in advance, dropped to 37.6 from -15.1 in July reaching the lowest since December 2008; meanwhile markets expected a decline to 24.8. Similarly, the closely watched German IFO business climate index dropped more than expected in August to 108.7 from 112.9 in July adding concerns over the regions debt situation. Both numbers raise concerns that the European debt crises will curb growth.

Initial jobless claims rising More Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, signaling that the labor market is still struggling two years into the recovery.

Manufacturing and services Manufacturing activity in Europe contracted in August, while the overall private-sector activity continued to grow at a modest pace. The manu-

facturing PMI fell to 49.7 from a reading of 50.4 in July, but came in above forecasts for a reading of 49.5.

Meanwhile a reading of less than 50 indicates a contraction in activity, while a figure above 50 signals growth. Additionally, the services PMI slipped to 51.5 from 51.6 in July.

Similarly, activity across both sectors in Germany expanded at the slowest pace since the country’s recovery began in 2009. The manufacturing PMI was unchanged at 52.0 and the services PMI dropped from 52.9 to 50.4.

United Kingdom Consumer confidence dropping British consumer confidence declined to a three-month low in July a sign that subdued consumption will remain a major drag on the fragile economic recovery. The Nationwide consumer confidence index fell to 49 from the previous figure of 51 in June.

Confidence might drop further mainly due to the worst rioting since the 1980s in the UK and concerns over the European debt crisis.

Japan Japan credit rating downgraded Moody’s Downgraded Japan’s credit rating last week due to the instability at the top of Japanese politics and emphasized that policy makers should produce a plan to tackle the country’s rising debt.

Moody’s lowered Japan’s rating by one notch to Aa3, its fourth highest rating and said a tougher deficit reduction plan is urgently needed.

Consumer prices rise slightly but deflation to continue Consumer prices in Japan rose for the first time in 21/2 years mostly on increases in energy costs, but analysts stated that an end to deflation is far off mainly due to stagnant consumption.

Consumer prices rose by 0.1 percent versus expectations of a 0.1 percent fall.

Kuwait Kuwaiti Dinar at 0.27205 The USDKD opened at 0.27205 yesterday morning.

Philippines, China talk trade despite tensions Focus on showcasing Philippines as biz destination MANILA: Philippine President Benigno Aquino travels to China this week on a mission to secure billions of dollars in trade deals, with both sides looking to rebuild goodwill amid a bruising territorial row. Aquino’s five-day visit starting tomorrow is held against the backdrop of increasingly strident Philippine accusations of Chinese aggression and bullying in their dispute over competing claims to parts of the South China Sea. Aquino’s aides said he would raise the sensitive issue in his meetings with China’s leaders, including President Hu Jintao, but his main focus would be on improving economic ties.

JAKARTA: This photo shows motorbike drivers (center) making their way between vehicles stuck in heavy traffic. —AFP

Indonesia’s traffic nightmare turns into a dream for ‘ojeks’ JAKARTA: Jakarta’s crippling traffic jams cost the Indonesian capital billions of dollars a year, but there’s one group of battling businessmen who thrive in the smog-filled streets: ojek drivers. The appalling traffic problem is an opportunity for thousands of motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers across the teeming city of around 10 million people, so much so it is attracting the attention of entrepreneurs such as Nadiem Makarim. Makarim, 27, graduated from Harvard with a masters in business administration and, upon returning to his homeland, decided there was money to be made out of Jakarta’s traffic nightmare.

He founded a company called GO-JEK as the first professionally run ojek service in the city, offering a higher standard-any standardof service than the rag-tag army of freelance ojek drivers who currently ply the streets.

“The traffic issue isn’t solvable in the next five to 10 years, so Jakartans will need a convenient and affordable mode of quick transport and delivery,” Makarim told AFP. “My business exists because of a lack of infrastructure.”

Indonesia’s decrepit roads, ports, railways and bridges are often cited as a major obstacle to growth and investment, but for Makarim it’s an opportunity. His target market is not only those commuters who normally use ojeks to zip between the lines of barely moving cars and trucks, but people who generally avoid high-risk motorcycle travel. GOJEK’s website promises improved safety thanks to careful driver recruitment, a call centre to help “solve any problems in the field” and a transparent, distance-based fare system for people who are “tired of haggling and getting ripped off on the polluted streets of Jakarta”.

The site (www.go-jek.com) offers GO-JEK Tweets and reviews, profiles a “driver of the month” and spells out the company’s social mission to “improve the livelihood of hardworking ojek drivers in Jakarta”. “As the value

of Jakartans’ time increases along with their income, we firmly believe that more and more people will need a mode of transport that can actually get them to meetings on time, or even to get them home to spend time with their children,” Makarim said.

“Our role is to make the existing market more efficient and bigger, not to compete with existing ojek drivers on the street.” Five months after establishing his company, Makarim has about 200 drivers and plans to expand into delivery services through alliances with e-commerce and retail partners. He also plans to collaborate with local transport officials to “help develop feeder systems to bus ways and rail”. It is not only GOJEK that is profiting from Jakarta’s chronic traffic jams. Independent ojek driver Hermanto, 21, said the congestion was his bread and butter.

“I love it when the traffic gets more congested in the city. The worse the traffic, the more we get hired,” he said. Ojek drivers can earn about 150,000 rupiah (more than $14) a day, a comfortable living in a country where millions of people survive on less than $2 a day.

“I worked in a cellphone shop before I did this. I like being an ojek driver more as I receive cash on a daily basis,” said driver Panca Herda, 21. The Indonesian capital ranked last of all in a global survey of commuter satisfaction in 23 cities published in June by business research firm Frost & Sullivan. Their Journey of Experience Index poll of almost 15,000 people around the world found travelers in Jakarta were the most miserable of all, gloomier even than those in Rio de Janeiro and Cairo-also notorious for dire gridlock. Respondents in Copenhagen, Seattle and Sydney were most satisfied with their commuting experience, based on criteria such as speed, cost and overall comfort. —AFP

“The visit hopes to push for more trade, investment... it will also showcase the Philippines as an attractive and profitable business destination,” Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Cristina Ortega told reporters.

Ortega said the two sides were planning to sign during Aquino’s visit a five-year economic plan that would target $60 billion in trade in 2016, a six-fold increase from 2010. She said one immediate contract may be sealed involving a Chinese car manufacturer investing at least $1.5 billion in the Philippines.

China, with an eye on the Philippines’ vast and mostly untapped natural resources, has also signalled it does not want the maritime tensions to derail a flourishing economic partnership. “We’ll all try our best to make this trip very rewarding to both of our two countries and two peoples,” China’s

ambassador to the Philippines, Liu Jianchao, told reporters in a briefing about Aquino’s visit. “The Philippine economy is taking off and I have told the Philippine people that China is ready and willing to add power to the wings of the Philippine economy.”

China has scoured the world in recent years for all kinds of natural resources to fuel its fast-developing economy and provide the raw materials for its phenomenal manufacturing sector. However, China has not clinched the kinds of multi-billiondollar resource contracts with the Philippines that it has elsewhere-and Liu signaled Chinese firms were becoming increasingly hungry for Philippine natural riches.

“I think we do have great potential in the area of mining,” Liu said when asked what types of investments China was looking for in its

fellow Asian country. “I think that the mining companies, mining corporations of China and the mine owners of this country can have direct and efficient... negotiations for furthering their cooperation on mining.” The Philippines has untapped mineral wealth estimated at more than $840 billion, with its copper, gold and chromate deposits among the biggest in the world, according to the US State Department’s country profile.

But mining is not expected to the sole, or even biggest, focus during Aquino’s trip, which will take him to Beijing, Shanghai and the eastern seaside city of Xiamen. Philippine officials have said they will be seeking Chinese investment in a raft of infrastructure projects, from rail to roads, airports and schools. There is also significant Philippine investment in China and Aquino is hoping

his trip will deepen his country’s presence inside the world’s secondbiggest economy. In this light, Aquino will bring about 200 Filipino businesspeople with him.

And in an effort to attract more Chinese tourists, Aquino’s delegation will press China to declare 2013 “Visit the Philippines Year”. Nevertheless, Aquino has also told the Philippine people he will not allow economic priorities to override his country’s claims to parts of the South China Sea. China claims most of the South China Sea, even near the coasts of Southeast Asian countries, and the Philippines has accused Chinese forces of acts such as firing warning shots at Filipino fishermen in disputed waters this year. “As far as our sovereignty is concerned, no one can claim our islands. We will not just back down from a larger country,” Aquino said this month. —AFP

Outlet malls grow bigger, popular LOS ANGELES: At Citadel Outlets, the sounds of jack- Macy’s and pay $80 for a pair of shoes anymore; I’ll Outlet, DKNY Company Store and an O’Neill outlet. In hammering and the whir of electric drills are as com- come to the outlets and look around,” said Rivera, 31, the last year, it opened a Lacoste Outlet and a Coach mon these days as a can’t-miss deal. The City of now a stay-at-home mom. “To me, it’s better than Men’s Factory location. “I tell everybody the economic Commerce shopping center has been in expansion going to the mall.” That change in perception has downturn for us was kind of a blessing,” general manmode, building a wing last fall that brought 36 stores been a welcome one for outlet mall executives, who ager Marc Smith said.

The trend is even showing up online, with eBay and an additional 152,000 square feet to the mall. say their centers used to face undeserved stigma in Inc. announcing that it would launch the eBay Construction workers are currently putting the finish- highbrow shoppers’ eyes.

“Ten years ago if I said, ‘Come shop at an outlet,’ Fashion Outlet - a virtual outlet mall featuring brands ing touches on half a dozen more stores, including Coach Factory Store and Not Your Daughter’s Jeans, they’d say, ‘Oh, no, I shop at Neiman Marcus,’” said such as Brooks Brothers, Neiman Marcus Last Call and and getting ready to build another wing that is slated Steve Craig, chief executive of Craig Realty Group, William Rast - in September. For retailers, outlets proto open by the holiday season next year. At a time which owns Citadel. “I don’t get any nose cringes any- vide a way to offer lower prices and clear excess inventory. To properly stock the growing number of when the rest of the retail landscape is still in recovery more. Clearly the times have changed.”

Citadel’s multiple expansions seem to be paying factory stores, companies are increasingly ordering mode, a rising star has emerged: the outlet mall.

Budget-minded shoppers are flocking to outlet off. Sales per square foot were $530.50 for the year outlet-only merchandise, with analysts estimating centers in search of name brands at reduced prices. through May, up 12.5 percent from the same period a that 85 percent of the products at outlets were never Retailers, which are struggling to persuade discount- year earlier, Craig said. May sales totaled $16.5 million. carried in full-price locations. Other merchandise might be damaged or returned trained shoppers to pay full items. price at their regular locations, “In today’s world, the outlet are increasingly looking to business is a business upon open outlet stores. Apparel itself. The average consumer sales at factory outlets rose 17.8 cannot tell the difference percent for the 12 months that between a golf shirt made for ended in April, according to an outlet center compared to estimates by market research one made for a full-line retail firm NPD Group. Meanwhile, store,” Cohen said. “The differapparel sales industrywide rose ence mainly is cosmetic - you’d a meager 1.4 percent. see a little less embroidering or “What outlets have been a little less detail.” Because so able to do is touch the core of many products are unique to the American consumer,” said the outlets, there isn’t much Marshal Cohen, chief industry overlap between those locaanalyst at NPD. “There’s no tions and their full-price counquestion that what we’re witterparts. Without the fear of nessing is the transformation of sales cannibalization, and how and where consumers are because outlets serve as destishopping. The recession really nation centers that reach a kicked it into high gear for outbroader geographic customer let centers.” Outlets have base than traditional malls, become top of mind for many retailers have focused on openshoppers because of their strong focus on value - but that CAMARILLO: (From left) Cherry Cui, Jane Zhu, Mamie Chan and Tequila Song ing more outlet stores.

Nordstrom Rack has been doesn’t necessarily mean the hit Camarillo Premium Outlets in California. —MCT steadily increasing its number lowest price, Cohen said.

Outlet shops typically offer 30 percent to 70 per- Craig Realty Group is also constructing a new outlet of locations after opening just one new store in 2007. cent off retail prices for popular, high-quality brands shopping center called Plaza San Clemente. The Since then, it has opened six in 2008, 13 in 2009 and that usually resist heavy markdowns. Although the 650,000-square-foot mall, which will feature retail 17 in 2010, and it plans to open 18 this year. Two of prices still aren’t cheap, it’s considered a bargain when shops, fine dining and casual restaurants, a boutique- them are slated to open in Southern California in shoppers can score a Coach handbag for less than style hotel and ocean views, is scheduled to open September, in West Covina and Redondo Beach.

Although luxury spending has surged back since the $100 or a J Crew cotton cardigan for $19.99. At Citadel next year.

Camarillo Premium Outlets has also been grow- recession, most shoppers can’t afford the sky-high recently, Nicole Foster, 34, emerged from Two Lips, a shoe shop, with a pair of black chunky heels and a ing, building a new section called the Promenade in prices at full-line stores - but they still covet the pair of red peep-toe platforms. She bought them for 2009. The wing, lined with palm trees and featuring designer goods.

The success of outlet stores at the luxury level $5 each. “I have three kids to raise, so I’m going to go restaurants, grassy areas and water fountains, where my dollar lasts,” the lawyer from Whittier said. increased the number of stores at the mall to 160 Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Barneys New York and “Sure, I’m not getting the brand-new styles, but I’m from 120. The center has continued to sign new out- Saks Fifth Avenue all operate outlets - caught the still getting the name brands for half off, sometimes let retailers, recently adding 7 for All Mankind and attention of executives at Bloomingdale’s, which for Tumi stores. Ontario Mills, a so-called hybrid mall that years had held off on entering the market. Last year even more than that.”

Her friend Rhonda Rivera of Montebello lost her features full-price and outlet stores, is opening several the upscale department store chain introduced job in sales at a manufacturing plant during the reces- new outlet shops in the coming months as part of a Bloomingdale’s Outlet by launching four stores sion and had to scale back her spending. “I don’t go to mall renovation. Upcoming stores include Puma around the country. —MCT

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Spain’s ruling, opposition parties sign deficit deal ‘Eurozone has lost confidence of investment world’ MADRID: Spain’s ruling and opposition parties bridged bitter rivalry and struck a deal to cap the long-term public deficit and fend off fears of a state debt crisis. The ruling Socialist and conservative opposition Popular Party set a maximum structural or long-term deficit in the annual budget of 0.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) from 2020, a copy of the accord showed. Only the broad principles of a balanced long-term budget are to be enshrined in the constitution while the 0.4-percent figure on the deficit limit will be introduced in an accompanying law. The deal, the broad outlines of which were first announced two days earlier, was a surprise in Spain’s highly charged political climate ahead of November 20 general elections.

The Popular Party, which Today, Europe inspires less confi- the agreement, which they plan end of March, surpassing the EU limit of 60 percent but still well blames the Socialists for Spain’s dence than a month ago,” to approve by June 30 next year.

The deal, released on the below the bloc’s average of 80 economic ills including a jobless Rubalcaba said. “We have to get rate of more than 20 percent, is that confidence back and we Socialist Party’s website, covers percent.

Separately, government minisriding high in the opinion polls have to send clear messages to only the structural or long-term ahead of the vote. Prime Minister investors that we are a solvent deficit. It does not try to prevent ters Friday cleared a fresh packJose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is country.” Rubalcaba said the 2020 budget swings caused by the age of labor market reforms not running in the elections, and date for the reform sent an economic cycle, for example aimed at fighting an unemployhis former deputy and interior important message to buyers of deficits incurred in times of reces- ment rate running at more than minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba Spain’s government debt, much sion because of falling tax income 20 percent, and more than 45is the Socialists’ new standard of which is repayable over the and higher spending on unem- percent for under 25s. Among the ployment benefits. Spain is seek- reforms, temporary jobs will no bearer. Rubalcaba said the deal longer term.

Under the deal, the Spanish ing to slash the public deficit to longer be automatically convertwas made more urgent by the turmoil of August when Standard state would be allowed a struc- 6.0 percent of GDP by the end of ed into permanent jobs after two & Poor’s stripped the US of top tural deficit of up to 0.26 percent this year from 9.2 percent in 2010. years, a measure that had led AAA-rated credit rating, stock of GDP and the 17 semi- It aims to reach the EU-target of many employers to cut temporary workers before they joined markets plunged and investors autonomous regions a maximum 3.0 percent by 2013.

The new law also will set out the payroll for good. fled assets in Spain, Italy and shortfall of 0.14 percent of GDP. The government also introeven France. “ We had a bad Smaller, local governments would criteria for trimming Spain’s total August,” he told a news confer- be required to show a balanced accumulated public debt, aiming duced a new type of job contract budget. The structural deficit to reach by 2020 the level agreed for youths aged 16-25 without ence.

“The eurozone and its states’ could be revised in 2015 and with the European Union. Spain’s qualifications, allowing them to sovereign debt have lost the con- 2018 at the request of either of total public debt amounted to spend 25 percent of their time in fidence of the investment world. the political parties, according to 63.6 percent of annual GDP at the training. —AFP

That CO2 warming the world: Lock it in a rock HELLISHEIDI: Sometime next month, on the steaming fringes of an Icelandic volcano, an international team of scientists will begin pumping “seltzer water” into a deep hole, producing a brew that will lock away carbon dioxide forever. Chemically disposing of CO2, the chief greenhouse gas blamed for global warming, is a kind of 21st-century alchemy that researchers and governments have hoped for to slow or halt climate change.

The American and Icelandic designers of the “CarbFix” experiment will be capitalizing on a feature of the basalt rock underpinning 90 percent of Iceland: It is a highly reactive material that will combine its calcium with a carbon dioxide solution to form limestone - permanent, harmless limestone.

The researchers caution that their upcoming 6-to-12month test could fall short of expectations, and warn against looking for a climate “fix” from CarbFix any year soon. In fact, one of the objectives of the project, whose main sponsors are Reykjavik’s city-owned utility and US and Icelandic universities, is to train young scientists for years of work to come. A scientific overseer of CarbFix - the man, as it happens, who also is credited with coining the term “global warming” four decades ago - says the world’s failure to heed those early warnings, to rein in greenhouse-gas emissions from coal, gasoline and other fossil fuels, is driving scientists to drastic approaches.

“Whether we do it in the next 50 years, or the 50 years after that, we’re going to have to store carbon dioxide,” Columbia University’s Wallace S Broecker said in an interview in New York. The world is already storing some carbon dioxide. As a byproduct of Norway’s natural gas production, for example, it is being pumped into a sandstone reservoir beneath the North Sea. But people worry that such stowed-away gas could someday escape, while carbon dioxide transformed into stone would not. The experimental transformation will take place below the dramatic landscape of this place 29 kilometers (18 miles) southeast of Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital. On an undulating, mossy moor and surrounding volcanic hills, where the last eruption occurred 2,000 years ago, Reykjavik Energy operates a huge, 5-year-old geothermal power plant, drawing on 30 wells tapping into the superheated steam below, steam laden with carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. CarbFix will first separate out those two gases, and the CO2 will be piped 3 kilometers (2 miles) to the injection well, to combine with water pumped from elsewhere.

That carbonated water - seltzer - will be injected down the well, where the pressure of the pumped water, by a depth of 500 meters (1,600 feet), will completely dissolve the CO2 bubbles, forming carbonic acid.

“The acid’s very corrosive, so it starts to attack the rocks,” explained University of Iceland geologist Sigurdur Reynir Gislason, CarbFix’s chief scientist. The basalt rock - ancient lava flows - is porous, up to 30 percent open space filled with water. The carbonic acid will be pushed out into those pores, and over time will react with the basalt’s calcium to form calcium carbonate, or limestone.

CarbFix’s designers, in effect, are radically speeding up the natural process called weathering, in which weak carbonic acid in rainwater transforms rock minerals over geologic time scales. The CarbFix team, beginning work in 2007, had to overcome engineering challenges, particularly in the inventive design and operation of the gas separation plant. They have applied for US and Icelandic patents for that and for the injection well technique. They plan to inject up to 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide over 6 to 12 months and then follow how far the solution is spreading via tracer elements and monitoring wells. Eventually they plan to drill into the rock to take a core sampling.

“It will take months and years to test how well it has spread,” Reykjavik Energy’s Bergur Sigfusson, project technical manager, said as he guided two AP journalists through the step-by-step process over the rolling green terrain of the Hengill volcano. The team’s greatest concern is that carbon “mineralization” may happen too quickly. “If it reacts too fast, then that will clog up the system,” Sigfusson explained. Quick formation of calcium carbonate would block too many paths through the basalt for the solution to spread. If it works on a large scale, scientists say, carbon mineralization has a limitless potential, since huge basalt deposits are common - in Siberia, India, Brazil and elsewhere. One formation lies beneath the US northwest, where the US. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory plans an experiment similar to CarbFix. —AP

MADISON: Suman Banerjee poses for a portrait in front of the Internet processing servers that allow Internet access through buses and other automobiles. —MCT

WiRover maintains service in transit MADISON: An entrepreneur from the University of Wisconsin is putting the mobile in mobile Internet. While wireless networks enable devices like smartphones or tablet computers to connect to the Internet from just about anywhere, service is spotty or nonexistent in many cars, trains, planes, buses and other vehicles.

Suman Banerjee, an associate professor of computer sciences at the University of WisconsinMadison, has come up with a solution. Banerjee created WiRover, a mobile Internet service for vehicles that allows passengers to surf the Internet quickly, stream video more efficiently and without interruption, and use complicated Internet applications.

WiRover maintains a strong Internet connection, Banerjee said, because it uses all networks - AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and every other network provider. “We allow our system to connect to many networks, as opposed to connecting to just a single network,” he said. “Therefore we can have much better bandwidth performance.

Sometimes what we have found is that Network 1 is better than Network 2, so we can always pick the better of the two, or we can pick both.”

Banerjee, who began the mobile Internet project in 2006, patented WiRover through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. “We have our software-based system that basically figures out how the networks are performing at different locations. It knows where the bus is going, to some level, and so it can predict what networks it should be using,” Banerjee said.

WiRover would complement the larger wireless services, said Banerjee, because it would take some of the strain off their networks and allow them to create and sell larger more complicated Internet applications, which he said would lead to greater profits.

Others, however, are not convinced. Jay Bayne, executive director of the Milwaukee Institute, served as a judge for the Governor’s Business Plan Contest, in which WiRover was the overall winner. “WiRover wasn’t my favorite,” Bayne said. “WiRover is competing with every

commercial communications carrier in the United States.” Bayne said he wasn’t sure the WiRover model would be that much better than existing wireless service on trains and planes.

He doubts WiRover could have widespread commercial success, though it could serve emergency crews. Its reliance on other networks would make for a “complicated billing problem,” Bayne said. Thilo Koslowski, vice president and automotive practice leader at Gartner Inc., an information technology research and advisory firm, likes the company’s chances. “I definitely believe there is an opportunity ... for such a proposition for car companies,” he said.

It’s important for Internet providers to offer a range of options, and Internet for vehicles will become one of those, Koslowski said.

Partnering with various networks shouldn’t be a problem if enough volume is purchased, he added, but it’s hard to know what market share WiRover could command because the market is so new. Banerjee has collaborated in an experiment with Van Galder Bus Co. The company, which has 115 buses at its Janesville, Wis., location, has been using three WiRover devices.

Alan Fugate, operations manager at Van Galder, said the greatest application for WiRover might be cross-country travel. “I think that’s what we don’t know - if it would be more for the locally scheduled runs or for the longer cross-country runs.” The experiment has cost the bus company little, Fugate said, adding that it takes about 20 minutes to install one of the WiRover devices. “But more importantly, it allows us to offer Wi-Fi on some of our units without a lot of investment, and we can learn a lot about what works and what doesn’t work,” Fugate said. As technology and communication devices continue to evolve, how long before customers demand Internet access on every vehicle? “It’s becoming a competitive factor,” Fugate said. “Right now, it’s a novelty that not all buses have. ... But in the future, I think it will become more of a competitive necessity.” —MCT

APOPKA: Batches of colors used to create custom-made in-ear headphones

by JH Audio are displayed in Florida. —MCT

Earbud pioneer starts over with new business ORLANDO: In 1995, sound engineer Jerry Harvey started his first tour with the rock band Van Halen. He had been mixing sound for St Louis rock bands playing small gigs in that city’s bars since he was 16, but his big break had come in 1986, after a chance meeting with David Lee Roth led to his first big-arena tour. But the 1995 Van Halen tour was different for Harvey, for that’s when he made his first set of earbuds - the first in-ear monitors with both high and low outputs in each ear - in the back of a tour bus, using parts intended for hearing aids and pacemakers.

Those earbuds, first made for drummer Alex Van Halen, spawned Ultimate Ears, still the industry leader in customized earbuds for performing artists and audiophiles. But now Ultimate Ears has a competitor: Apopka, Fla.-based JH Audio, which manufactured and sold about 3,000 customized earbuds last year to customers that include recording and performing artists such as T-Pain, Lady Gaga and Alicia Keys. One catch: JH Audio’s full company name is Jerry Harvey Audio LLC. Harvey founded JH Audio in 2009 after a two-year hiatus from the industry.

He had founded Ultimate Ears in 1995 in Las Vegas with his then-ex-first-wife Mindy Harvey, after the Van Halen tour.

But in 2007, three years after a Californiabased capital-investment firm took a stake in the company, Harvey was forced out, he said. “As soon as the investor thought that I was out of ideas, he thought it would be a good time to maximize his position in the company by forcing the founder out,” he said.

A year later, Mindy Harvey and the capital-investment firm sold Ultimate Ears to Logitech International SA, the giant Swiss company known worldwide for its computer peripherals. Ultimate Ears has changed significantly since then.

Before Logitech acquired the company, it sold only high-end, custom earbuds for as much as $1,350 a pair. But its expanded product line now includes models that sell for as little as $20 each. Philippe Depallens, Logitech’s vice president and general manager for earphones and headsets, says the high-end models are still the company’s focus. “We believe that we have been able to, despite (Jerry Harvey’s) departure, keep carrying the torch of having the best in-ear monitors on the market,” he said.

Jerry Harvey says he didn’t create the new company for a grudge match with his old one. “They are really good with computer peripherals, if you want a mouse or something like that, but I believe they have lost their way as far as what a professional audio person needs.”

Tim Gideon, lead analyst of audio and video for PC Magazine, reviewed JH Audio’s most-expensive model, the JH 16 Pro ($1,149), last August and compared it with similar Ultimate Ear products. His conclusion: “They both offer very highquality, custom-molded earphones. ... I think they are about on equal footing.”

Custom earbuds, or in-ear monitors, developed as replacements for the audio speakers that face musicians or singers as they perform during live shows; the speakers amplify just their instrument or voice so they can hear themselves over all the other music and the din of the audience. For new customers, the purchasing process at JH Audio starts with a trip to an audiologist for ear-canal impressions. Customers send the impres-

sions to JH Audio, which crafts earbuds to fit each ear canal exactly, to keep out other, unwanted sounds.

Customers can choose the color of the earbuds and the color of the cords - or can order custom designs. The rapper TPain had 12-gauge shotgun shells glued to the outside of his; other sets have been dressed up with diamonds and pearls, though custom artwork is more typical, said Brittany Harvey, Jerry’s second wife and JH Audio’s chief executive officer. “It’s all about the user experience,” Jerry Harvey noted. “They can be pretty, but when you put them in your head, the experience should be awesome.”

That’s why each set is handcrafted, from assembly of the miniature speaker parts to manually configuring the output devices in the headset to ensure each has JH Audio’s signature sound pattern.

When the Harveys founded JH Audio in March 2009, they set up shop in a hangar at tiny Orlando Apopka Airport with the aim of making high-end earbuds for airplane pilots to replace bulky headphones.

The plan was to have pilots fly to the Apopka airport, get molds of their ear canals, manufacture the earbuds, and send the pilots on their way - all in one day. “The problem is that there are only 600,000 pilots in America, and not all of those are active,” Jerry Harvey said. “The product was a great product, but it wasn’t profitable. There wasn’t enough volume to keep it going.” The company barely broke even on the venture, but it was able to work out the kinks in the production process now used to manufacture its current product line for musicians and audio enthusiasts, he said.

“We’re strictly a music company now,” he said. “That’s what we do best. There are 600,000 private pilots in America and there are how many millions of iPods around the world?” The week JH Audio started selling custom earbuds for music, it received 250 orders. The company has benefited from a weak US dollar compared with other currencies, given the demand for its products in Asia, its biggest growth sector. “The custom inears have become like Breitling and Rolex watches - it’s a status symbol,” Jerry Harvey said. “That’s why they have all this radical artwork done on them - they want people to know they have custommolded earpieces.”

Last December, the company moved across town to two small office buildings.

According to Brittany Harvey, the company’s sales last year totaled more than $2 million, a figure she expects to exceed in 2011. For one thing, the company plans to release in a few weeks a new top-ofthe -line product designed by Jerry Harvey. “It’s kind of reignited his passions; he’s always coming up with new ideas,” Jaime Harvey, Jerry’s daughter and the business’ chief operating officer, said of the new company. “He wants to put a new product out every other week. We kind of have to bring him down to earth.”

Jerry Harvey has lingering regrets about the way things turned out for him with Ultimate Ears, but one thing his first company did for him: It made him a rock star in the earphone industry. His name is still well-known by artists and audiophiles, and he credits both the name recognition and his desire to continually innovate for JH Audio’s current success.

“We’re going to be the industry leader. ...

That’s what we strive to be,” Harvey said.

“That’s all we care about.” —MCT

Hard-hit in 2008, Iceland set to weather economic storm REYKJAVIK: Iceland, all but devastated by the 2008 global financial crisis, cannot escape the growing storm which has savaged markets in recent weeks but it has done enough since then to at least weather the worst. “Right now it seems unlikely that things will be as bad as they were in 2008 ... Iceland is not as sensitive to an economic slowdown or a crash as it was (then),” Icelandic central bank chief Mar Gudmundsson told AFP this week.

“Once you’ve dropped all the way from the mountain top and down into the valley, even when you’ve started the

climb up again, your fall will never be as high as it was the first time around,” he said.

Before the 2008 crisis broke, Iceland’s economy was booming, driven by what turned out to be a hugely overstretched banking sector which had assets worth 11 times the country’s total gross domestic product (GDP). The fall from grace was brutal, with the island nation’s three major banks going belly-up within a matter of weeks and the economy cut adrift. Since then, Iceland has gone through much soulsearching and a string of painful

changes to put its house in order, helped by a $2.1 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The country introduced a very tight monetary policy to stop the haemorrhaging of its krona, imposing stringent currency restrictions- Icelanders wanting to purchase foreign currency must show a plane ticket as proof of their travel plans and deposit any leftover money within two weeks of their return. The economy began gradually recovering last year and according to the most recent official forecast, published last month, Iceland’s GDP will

grow 2.5 percent this year and 3.1 percent in 2012.

Statistics also show unemployment in the second quarter improving to 8.5 percent and this week the central bank felt justified in raising its key interest rate for the first time since 2008 — when it peaked at 18 percent-pushing it up a quarter point to 4.50 percent.

But despite all the signs that Iceland’s economy is finally heading in the right direction, observers are unnerved by the worldwide market turmoil and recession fears amid growing European and US debt concerns. —AFP

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Years

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

TECHNOLOGY

Addiction? Video games overpower man’s real life SARASOTA: At the height of what he calls his addiction, Ryan Van Cleave would stand in the grocery store checkout line with his milk and bread and baby food for his little girls and for a split second think he was living inside a video game. It sounds crazy, but it’s true: Something would catch his attention out of the corner of his eye - maybe another shopper would make a sudden move for a Hershey bar - and he was mentally and emotionally transported to another world. World of Warcraft, to be exact.

It was his favorite video game, the one he played every night, every day, sometimes all weekend. The sudden movement in the store triggered a response similar to when he was in front of the computer screen, battling dragons and monsters for up to 60 hours a week. Van Cleave’s heart pounded. His breathing quickened.

But then the thirty-something family man would catch his breath and come back to reality. Sort of. World of Warcraft began to crowd out everything in Van Cleave’s world. His wife. His children. His job as a university English professor.

Before teaching class or late at night while his family slept, he’d squeeze in time at the computer screen, playing.

He’d often eat meals at the computer microwave burritos, energy drinks, Hot Pockets, foods that required only one hand, leaving the other free to work the keyboard and the mouse. Living inside World of Warcraft seemed preferable to the drudgery of everyday life. Especially when the life involved fighting with his wife about how much time he spent on the computer. “Playing ‘World of Warcraft’ makes me feel godlike,” Van Cleave wrote.

“I have ultimate control and can do what I want with few real repercussions. The real world makes me feel impotent ... a computer malfunction, a sobbing child, a suddenly dead cell phone battery - the littlest hitch in daily living feels profoundly disempowering.”

Despite thoughts like this, despite the dissociative episodes in supermarkets, he did not think he had a problem IRL gamerspeak for In Real Life. But he did, and a reckoning was coming. Van Cleave grew up in suburban Chicago. He was adopted, which he said always made him feel like an outsider in his own home and in the world. As a kid, he was more interested in guitars and computers. In high school, each year brought more exciting games with better graphics, but his parents didn’t see a problem because all teen boys seemed to play video games.

And their son also played guitar in a band, so video games weren’t the only thing in his life. Same with college.

“Gaming 15-20 hours a week in college is no big deal,” said Van Cleave, who graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in English. “The problem occurred after that, when I got into the real world.”

He earned a master’s degree and a PhD in creative writing at Florida State, was named a poetry fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and found a teaching job at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Then in the fall of 2003, he was offered a tenure-track position at Clemson University in South Carolina - his dream job. His wife, Victoria, became pregnant for the first time; the baby was unplanned and Van Cleave admitted being shocked at the idea of becoming a father. He and his wife were late for her first ultrasound because Van Cleave was playing Madden Football, a sports game.

It was around this time that World of Warcraft entered his life. Van Cleave ended up playing one entire weekend, stealing away to the computer while his family was sleeping or while his parents, who were visiting, played with his baby daughter. Victoria used one word to describe her feelings: “disgusted.” She felt abandoned. “I couldn’t believe that someone could choose a virtual family over a real one.”

One reason Van Cleave was so captivated: It offered different perspectives.

Previously, most games Van Cleave played were seen from a bird’s eye view, looking down at the action. In WoW, a player can zoom, pan and look at a scene exactly how a human does in real life.

Three years into his job at Clemson, Van Cleave’s life began to fall apart. His four dogs died, one after another from various causes. His wife was pregnant again. Then Van Cleave began to get the impression that other faculty disliked him and wanted him gone. But he didn’t try to repair the rifts, instead channeling his anxieties into WoW, a virtual world he could control. “All that tethered me to anything meaningful during this time was WoW, which I clung to for dear life,” he wrote. For millions who play, the lure of games like WoW is hard to resist.

Players create an “avatar,” or online character, who operates within a startlingly detailed storyline and graphics. Playing makes the gamer feel like the star of a really awesome sci-fi movie.

While in-game, characters form “guilds,” or teams, and go on “quests” to find items, conquer lands or achieve new levels. They occasionally fight with other players or guilds, slay zombies, clash with evil elves or kill monsters. Players talk to each other in the game via headsets and often form intense friendships. “People play those games often in a desire to

world and hit the maximum points a character could possess, there were always other characters to create and more loot to amass. Meanwhile, the game makers offered expansions every year, which meant new worlds to explore, new levels to achieve. “There was always something better and cooler,” he said.

“You can never have enough in-game

SARASOTA: In this June 3, 2011 photo, Ryan Van Cleave sits behind a computer at his home. — AP meet their social needs,” said Hilarie Cash, a Washington state therapist who runs a six-bed inpatient program for Internet and video game addicts. “There’s a sense of friendship and self-esteem you develop with your teammates, you can compete and be cooperative. It really feels as though it meets your social needs.”

Unlike other games, WoW didn’t end.

It went on and on, with characters roaming through different realms and meeting new people along the way. When Van Cleave had reached the apex of one

money, enough armor, enough support.

You’ve got to keep up with the virtual Joneses.” The maker of World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment, declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press.

In the past five years, news stories have described people suffering exhaustion after playing a game for 50 hours straight, of teens killing their parents after having games taken away and of parents neglecting infants while mesmerized by the online world. Yet not all authorities

believe the games are addictive. “I do not believe that the concept of ‘addiction’ is useful; it only describes strong temptations; it does not explain strong temptations. What makes the temptation so strong? The memory of past pleasant experiences with the behavior that we are talking about - in this case videogames,” wrote Jackson Toby, a professor emeritus of sociology at Rutgers University, in an email to The Associated Press. “I don’t believe that someone can be addicted to videogames.”

The American Psychiatric Association will not list video game addiction as a mental disorder in the 2012 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. However, the APA said there is a possibility that a group of reward-seeking behavioral disorders including video game addiction and Internet addiction - will be included in an appendix of DSM-5 to “encourage further study.” Van Cleave and others insist video game addiction is similar to gambling addiction. By the time his second baby was born in 2007, Van Cleave was playing some 60 hours a week. A few months later, Clemson didn’t renew his contract and said he would not achieve tenure. He was hired for a one-year fellowship at George Washington University, teaching one class, but that meant he had more time for gaming while the stress of finding a long-term, full-time job ratcheted up.

He spent money on gaming and bought two new computers so he could see better game graphics.

In 2007, Van Cleave had three different World of Warcraft accounts (each at a cost of $14.95 a month). A secret Paypal account paid for two of the accounts so his wife wouldn’t hound him about the cost. He spent $224 in real money to buy fake gold, so he could get an in-game “epic-level sword” and some “top-tier armor” for his avatar. Changes in Van Cleave’s personality began to appear.

Among those who noticed was his best friend from high school, Rob Opitz, who lived in another state but played “World of Warcraft” with him for years. “When things in IRL - in real life - would interrupt what was going on in the game, he would get very loud very quickly about those things,” Opitz recalled. “During that time, it’s kind of like everything was completely over the top. It wasn’t that he was a little mad, he was in a full-blown rage.”

Van Cleave was about to hit bottom.

It was Dec. 31, 2007. Van Cleave was halfway through his yearlong fellowship

at George Washington University. Yet there he was, standing on the Arlington Memorial Bridge. He was thinking about jumping into the icy water. He had been gaming for 18 hours straight and wasn’t feeling well. He had told his wife that he was going to buy cough drops for his sore throat. But his misery was not just physical. “My kids hate me. My wife is threatening (again) to leave me,” Van Cleave would write in his book. “I haven’t written anything in countless months. I have no prospects for the next academic year.

And I am perpetually exhausted from skipping sleep so I can play more Warcraft.” That night marked the first time Van Cleave realized he had a problem.

The self-examination pulled him back from the bridge railing. He went home and deleted the game from his computer.

For the next week, his stomach and head hurt and he was drenched in sweat - like an addict withdrawing from drugs.

Staying away from WoW was difficult, but he didn’t re-install the game. And he started rebuilding - In Real Life. Said his wife: “I didn’t believe him. I had heard it all before and had no confidence that he would stop.” Van Cleave worked on his professional life. He freelanced, wrote poems and young adult books. He wrote the tell-all about his addiction, titled “Unplugged” and published last year. He set his sights on a job, sending out 182 resumes. In 2010, he was hired as an English professor at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota. Van Cleave and his family bought a beige stucco home in a quiet subdivision.

It’s an irony in Van Cleave’s new, gamefree life that Ringling is one of the nation’s top schools for video game designers. He knows his students spend much of their lives online, and he worries about them.

“I don’t think video games are evil,” said Van Cleave. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. I think games are fine if they are part of a balanced life.” Last semester, he had two students in class who talked about WoW non-stop. It made Van Cleave anxious. Over the past year, he has talked about out-of-control gaming to various mental health groups. But even now, four years after he stopped gaming, Van Cleave thinks about World of Warcraft. Then there are his dreams.

In them, he is playing one of his former characters, running through the virtual world. When he wakes, sweating and out of breath, he always has the same impulse: to rush to the computer and log into the game. — AP

Before Jobs, Sam Walton and Bill Gates took exits

FLORIDA: Dr Stephen Knych talks about the innovations in the patient-care experience while leading a tour at the Florida Hospital Celebration Health’s new patient tower. — MCT

Video helps VA patients cut out long doctor trips ORLANDO: Jon Yeitrakis used to drive almost an hour each way to see his psychiatrist at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Orlando, Fla. Now, the Kissimmee, Fla., resident and former Marine medic drives eight minutes to a local VA clinic. The doctor is still in Orlando. Yeitrakis is still in Kissimmee. But now Yeitrakis attends his 50-minute “tele-psychiatry” appointments over a two-way video system. Although the technology has been around for decades, only within the past few years has it been available to patients such as Yeitrakis. And the VA plans to expand those telemedicine services during the next year. “The advantage of telemedicine is that it allows the veteran, or civilian for that matter, to access care in their location,” said Nick Ross, assistant director of outpatient clinics and planning at the VA of North Florida and South Georgia. In some respects, telemedicine represents the death of distance.

Patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes can now use a device to send medical data to the doctor’s office from their homes.

Then doctors can provide targeted advice over the telephone when necessary. No more drives to the doctor’s office or long waits in the waiting room. “What we’re seeing is just the beginning of a huge use of technology that is going to have a significant impact,” said Ken Peach, executive director of the Health Council of East Central Florida. But telemedicine is not a cureall. Many of these technologies require a basic Internet connection and often a high-speed, broadband Internet connection. Doctors still have to spend the same amount of time with a patient on a video screen as they would during a face-to-face visit. Patients in underserved, rural communities can save time, but telemedicine doesn’t directly address the underlying shortage of doctors in some medical specialties and in primary care.

“I still only have limited hours to work,” said Dr. Kenneth Goldberg, chief of staff at the Orlando VA. “If there just aren’t enough doctors in Florida, that doesn’t solve the doctor-hours problem.” For patients, telemedicine can enable them to have more control over their care. At Florida Hospital’s new inpatient unit in

Celebration, patients can request specific foods or housekeeping services through an interactive television. They can change the lighting too. “You can create night,” said Dr. Stephen Knych, division chief for patient safety and clinical excellence at Florida Hospital Celebration Health. Doctors can monitor patients remotely to detect changes in their vital signs and send messages to patients through the interactive television sets. They also can prescribe an educational health video to a patient. After the patient takes the quiz on the TV, results are sent to the hospital staff who can then tailor their in-person visit to what the patient needs to know. “They know what you don’t know,” Knych said.

At the obvious health extremes, patients know to rush to the hospital or stay at home.

But does that persistent, irritating rash warrant a visit to the doctor? To answer that question, consumers can turn to websites that ask them a series of questions to determine what kind of care is most appropriate for their symptoms.

The website’s professional database uses algorithms that track consumers’ answers and recommend a place of treatment: the emergency room, physician’s office, urgent-care center or a physician e-visit by telephone or email.

Services like that could save both the consumer and the health system time and money by reducing unnecessary physician visits, Peach said. “That’s an avoided visit and therefore an avoided expense,” he said. Avoiding unnecessary visits could alleviate shortages of physicians in some specialties. That shortage is what caused Yeitrakis to try telemedicine in the first place. “I thought, well, I’ll try anything so I can sleep at night,” he said. The 64-year-old veteran said being in a different room than the doctor has helped him speak candidly about disturbing memories. “I used to have to patch the guys up when they got shot and get them in the helicopter immediately, and it was a lot of things you want to forget,” he said. “This new videoconferencing, it’s a way to release ... it’s a person, but you don’t have to worry about being in the same room with them. It’s a lot easier to say what you want to say.” — MCT

NEW YORK: As CEOs, Sam Walton, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs possessed common traits. They were tireless workers, demanding bosses and sticklers for detail. They were visionaries, too, who reshaped their respective industries.

Their companies faced similar challenges when their iconic leaders left the helm. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., post Walton, has grown while carrying on with many of his traditions, including the hokey Wal-Mart cheer. Microsoft Corp. carefully orchestrated Gates’ departure over a two-year period to dampen the shock, but has since struggled to innovate. And now Apple Inc. is grappling with how to continue without Jobs, who after battling with health issues announced Wednesday he would step down and Tim Cook would run the company. Some analysts believe Apple will have a rough time without Jobs. His showmanship is essential since he was selling products that people might want but don’t really need, said Charles Fishman, author of “The Wal-Mart Effect.”

“Wal-Mart was reliant on Sam’s genius and insight - his charisma was a bonus,” Fishman said. “The products that Steve Jobs is selling, you need charisma to sell them.” Many companies have foundered without their founder. Starbucks Corp., for instance, had to bring back Howard Schultz to revitalize the brand, and Dell Inc. did the same with Michael Dell.

Companies whose net worth is tied up in their CEO, instead of the product, are the most vulnerable. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., for example, has made an annual profit only once since 2003, when its namesake leader was charged with securities fraud. Apple is not quite so tied to its non-eponymous leader, some analysts say. Apple fans tend to want their iPhones, iPods and iPads simply because they think the product is superior - not because of Jobs’ dramatic unveilings. So, if Apple can continue to introduce the best products, then it doesn’t matter if it’s Jobs or someone else is at the helm, they said.

“The products speak for themselves,” said Paul Argenti, a professor at Dartmouth College.

One reason that companies like Wal-Mart and Microsoft have endured, analysts say, is that their founders weren’t afraid to surround themselves with other strong leaders. That meant they left behind teams that could function without them. Gates, for instance, “used to get into screaming matches with some of his employees,” said James Wallace, the author of two books about Gates, “Hard Drive” and “Overdrive.” “But he was looking for people who were willing to stand up

and scream back,” Wallace said. Dave Thomas, the founder of the Wendy’s hamburger chain, was constantly preparing Wendy’s for the day when he’d leave, which made the transition smooth when he relinquished his daily responsibilities around the late ‘80s, said Denny Lynch, a company spokesman who traveled with Thomas for 20 years. “He was a man with a 10th grade education who surrounded himself with MBAs,” Lynch said. “He understood the things he could do well and the things he couldn’t.” How Apple will fare without Jobs remains to be seen. But companies like Microsoft and Wal-Mart can provide some clues.

Sam Walton, Wal-Mart founder Walton’s no-frills influence is still a part of the culture at Wal-Mart even though he relinquished the CEO role in 1988 and died four years later at age 74. The strategy, for the most part, has served the company well. Mike Hicks, a Ball State economist and author of “The Local Economic Impact of Wal-Mart”, noted how Wal-Mart has expanded in the past two decades while many other discount chains, such as Kmart and A&P, have struggled. Wal-Mart had nearly $420 billion in revenue last year, more than seven times the $55 billion it netted in 1992, when Walton died. “A lot of companies grow with one visionary guy,” Hicks said. “What is striking about Wal-Mart is that it continued to do so shockingly well after his death.” Walton’s image can be found throughout the corporate culture. The original Walton’s Five and Dime is now the company’s visitor center. It’s a shrine to the founder, showing off the 1979 Ford F150 pickup truck he used to drive to work. And although current CEO Mike Duke didn’t join the company until 1995, three years after Walton’s death, he mentioned the founder’s name at least four times at the annual shareholders’ meeting in June. He also quoted from Walton’s autobiography, “Sam Walton: Made in America.”

Wal-Mart officials have learned the price of straying away from some of Walton’s key principles. The discounter’s U.S. business has had an unprecedented nine straight quarters of declines in revenue at stores open at least a year, a key measure of a retailer’s health, in part because it veered away from Walton’s “everyday low prices” strategy and got rid of some popular products in an effort to de-clutter stores. Shoppers defected to rivals and now, Wal-Mart is scrambling to re-stock thousands of goods and has gone back to its low pricing model. Still, Wal-Mart has had to

SAN FRANCISCO: In this file photo, Apple Inc. Chairman and CEO Steve Jobs waves to his audience at an Apple event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. — AP choose which parts of Walton’s legacy Gates and Ballmer. “So it was not a to keep. It has expanded overseas and very big transition in some ways.” tried to reshape itself as an environ- Ballmer in 2005 had divvied up the mental leader, moves that Walton like- company into three divisions, and givly never imagined. It also has engaged en broad responsibility and autonomy critics rather than roundly ignoring to the presidents. The company noted them, as Walton did. And it has scaled this when it announced Gates’ back the Saturday meetings __ which planned departure, and said that were held weekly __ to once a month. Gates’ leaving was just the next step in Additionally, Walton saw his company a transition process that had been as not a corporation but a mission, under way for several years. “It’s hard bringing low-cost goods to middle to effectively transition when you’ve America. But as the company has got a big personality who’s always grown, it’s had to acknowledge that been there,” said John Long, a retail for many workers, it is just a job. It’s strategist at consulting firm Kurt faced criticism and legal disputes for Salmon. “You can’t say, ‘That’s no some of its labor practices, including longer yours. I’d appreciate it if you the wages it pays and the number of came to meetings less and less.’” Since hours it expects store employees to Gates’ departure, Microsoft has strugwork. “When it’s a mission, it means gled to come up with innovative and you can get people to work six days a successful products, though it’s diffiweek,” Fishman said. “When you’re the cult to determine if his leaving is a largest (retail) company in the world direct cause. Microsoft, which built its you say, ‘OK, we want the best talent empire by selling software, is trying to so we can let people take Saturday off.’ figure out how to operate in a world There’s a little bit of growing up to do.” where companies give away software for free. It hasn’t kept pace with rival Apple’s gadgets like the iPhone and Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder Gates took a long goodbye from iPad. Microsoft introduced a tablet Microsoft, the company he co-found- computer in 2002, but the product ed, and left it in the hands of one of was too expensive and too heavy, and his best friends. Gates handed the as a result, it didn’t take off.

“The company has struggled, the CEO job to his friend Steve Ballmer in 2000, and stayed on as “chief software stock’s flat-lined or gone down,” said architect.” Ballmer by then was already Charles Golvin, Forrester Research a 20-year company veteran and wide- analyst. “They still make a huge ly considered the heir apparent. In amount of money; it’s a very prof2006, Gates handed over the software itable business, but they haven’t architect role as well, and said he grown.” Microsoft’s revenue grew 12 would leave his daily responsibilities percent to about $70 billion in the in two years to focus on his philan- most recent fiscal year, which ended thropic work. “One might say there June 30. Profit rose by 23 percent. But was some sort of Vulcan mind meld the stock price has fallen from the between the two in the way they ran $40s, where it stayed through most of the company,” Golvin said, referring to 1999, to about $25. — AP

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MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

health& science Health

brief

Moms’ smoking linked to psychiatric meds in kids NEW YORK: Kids whose moms smoked while pregnant were more likely to end up on medications such as antidepressants, stimulants and drugs for addiction in a new study from Finland that hints at maternal smoking’s effect on a baby’s developing brain. While the findings don’t prove that cigarette smoking during pregnancy causes changes in kids’ brains or behavior, they offer one more piece of evidence that should encourage women not to light up while pregnant, the researchers wrote in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Genetic cancer test often urged for wrong women NEW YORK: Doctors are too quick to recommend expensive genetic counseling or testing for ovarian cancer, but at the same time often fail to refer highrisk women, government researchers say. In a survey of nearly 1,900 US physicians, they found about 30 percent said they’d refer women at average risk of the disease, although several guidelines discourage that.

Doctors misuse scans in prostate cancer NEW YORK: Too many men with low- or mediumrisk prostate cancer get CTs and bone scans that aren’t recommended for them, suggests a new study. The scans are intended to tell doctors if cancer has spread beyond the prostate in men with highrisk cancer.

New mothers choose ‘tied tubes’ over IUDs NEW YORK: Very few women choose to get an intrauterine device (IUD) inserted soon after giving birth, even though it’s one of the most effective methods of long-term contraception, according to a new study. Instead, the research showed, many opt for tubal sterilization-usually a permanent closure of the fallopian tubes-including young women who may go on to regret the surgery.

Stents to unclog arteries tied to bleeding events NEW YORK: A fresh look at medical records finds a newer technique used to remove blockages in the arteries that supply blood to the brain is tied to a greater chance of bleeding within the head than an older surgical procedure. Researchers found hemorrhaging in the brain was roughly six times as likely in patients who underwent carotid artery stenting, which inserts a tube into the artery to clear the passage, as in patients who had an endarterectomy, a surgical procedure that scrapes the plaque from the artery.

‘Eccentric’ exercises may ward off hamstring injuries NEW YORK: Pro and amateur soccer players who regularly did a particular strengthening exercise were less likely to get sidelined with a hamstring injury, according to a new study from Denmark. The exercises only take about 10 minutes, and can be done without any extra equipment, researchers said.

Hamstring strains are the most common injury among soccer players, and “it’s also the injury that takes out the most days from training and matches,” said study author Dr. Per Holmich, from the University of Copenhagen.

‘Abysmal’ participation in cancer trials NEW YORK: Very few patients who’ve had cancer surgery end up participating in clinical trials to test new treatments, researchers have found. And those who do participate are younger and usually white, fueling concerns that new drugs may not fare as well once they hit the market because trial subjects don’t match real-world users.

Extend STD treatment beyond patients NEW YORK: American obstetrician-gynecologists are pushing to extend their reach to the sexual partners of women treated for gonorrhea or Chlamydia.

There is a good chance those men are infected, too, although they may not experience symptoms of the STD, the doctors say.

Chocolate doesn’t have to derail a diet NEW YORK: For chocolate lovers trying to drop a few pounds, new research suggests that it’s still possible to lose weight while indulging your sweet tooth every day. Overweight and obese women who added a bit of chocolate or other sweets on top of a healthy diet plan lost about 11 pounds over four months, on average. — Reuters

Health providers strive to ensure well-taught parents MILWAUKEE: During a home visit with a social worker, in her second trimester of pregnancy, Kalia Yang stares at a chart that shows how many packs of cigarettes an unborn baby is exposed to if the mother smokes: Sixtyseven packs - or 1,350 cigarettes - if she smokes five cigarettes a day in the course of a full-term pregnancy.

Yang is expecting twins in November. She no longer smokes; she quit as soon as she suspected she was pregnant. It’s a big win for the babies and a small victory in Milwaukee’s battle against infant mortality. Health officials will take it.

In some corners of the city, smoking during pregnancy is seen as a positive that leads to a smaller baby and a smoother delivery. In reality, smoking can cause miscarriage, premature birth and low birth weight. Some women consider breast-feeding uncivilized and unattractive. They don’t grasp its benefits, including possibly providing protection against sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. Knowledge gaps, which exist everywhere - even in a community’s most stable neighborhoods - can be life-threatening if a woman is at risk of having a baby born too early or too small. Health professionals call this “health literacy.” It’s the ability to obtain and understand accurate health information, to manage one’s behavior and to navigate the health care system. It can mean knowing when to see a doctor. It can mean asking the right questions, getting a timely diagnostic test or properly filling out a medical form.

Research shows a strong link between health literacy, health outcomes and medical expenditures.

The cost of low health literacy in Wisconsin is estimated at $3.4 billion to $7.6 billion annually, according to John Vernon, principal analyst for a 2007 health literacy costs study by the University of Connecticut School of Business. Those with low health literacy are less likely to get preventive care and more likely to be hospitalized with bad outcomes, driving up costs. “You can be very literate and be health illiterate,” said Jackie Tillett, a nurse midwife and director of the Midwifery & Wellness Center at Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee.

“Parenting is about being empathetic with your child and caring for your baby. Many people who never graduated from high school are good parents. And I know physicians with advanced degrees who are not good parents.” A pregnant woman who understands how to care for herself, gets regular prenatal checkups and has support to navigate the health care system has the best chance of delivering a healthy baby. “It’s not about being stupid or uneducated,” said Nicole Angresano, vice president for community impact at the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, which has joined the city’s fight against infant mortality. “Information is only as good as it is understandable.”

Yang chose the Wheaton Franciscan-St. Joseph Women’s Outpatient Center for this pregnancy because her sister-in-law had a good experience there when she gave birth. This is Yang’s third pregnancy. The previous two ended in miscarriages, both in the first trimester.

Yang blames her miscarriages on smoking, but no one can say for sure why she didn’t carry the babies to term.

Yang first came to the Women’s Outpatient Center because she was bleeding and didn’t know she was pregnant. She was having a miscarriage. She returned several months later to confirm a second pregnancy, but she miscarried again before her first checkup. This pregnancy is the first with regular checkups, frequent ultrasounds and the guidance of a social worker, she said. Yang, 23, and her boyfriend of six years, Andy Moua, 25, are taking extra precautions this time, trying to do everything right. The couple is in a committed relationship in the Hmong tradition.

“God blessed us with this purpose,” Yang said. “I’m learning how to take care of myself and my babies.”

Yang hadn’t been to a dentist in several years. Untreated gum disease can lead to premature birth, so social worker Annie Janisch, who is helping Yang navigate pregnancy, encouraged her to set up a dental appointment. Yang was studying information technology at Milwaukee Area Technical College before she became pregnant. She now is thinking about becoming an ultrasound sonographer because of her interest in technology and her pregnancy experience. Moua, who also studied information technology at MATC, left school for a full-time job to pay the bills. He plans to return in the spring to study computer science.

For now, the two are focused on learning about pregnancy and healthy babies. Literacy skills are the strongest predictor of health - more than age, income, employment status, education level, race or ethnicity, according to the Partnership for Clear Health Communication. Older patients, recent immigrants, people with chronic diseases and those living in poverty are especially vulnerable to low health literacy.

One study shows that 40 percent of what shapes a person’s health is related to behavior - a higher proportion than genetics (30 percent), social/environment (20 percent) and access to care (10 percent). To address

behavior, changes are necessary on both sides of the doctor-patient relationship. A patient may not ask questions or share critical information because she doesn’t want to feel dumb. A doctor may assume a message is getting through and not take the time to make sure.

Most brochures that doctors give women to help them better understand pregnancy and possible complications are written at a 10th-grade reading level or higher, said Geoffrey Swain, medical director for the Milwaukee Health Department. But one in five people can’t read above a fifth-grade level, he said.

“Low health literacy makes it harder to get good medical care.” Meanwhile, a pregnant woman’s friends or family members may pass along misinformation.

They may not know doctors now say a baby should sleep on his or her back to help prevent SIDS. Or, one generation may pass a negative stereotype about breast-feeding to the next. “Health literacy can be overcoming culture,” said Mary Mazul, a nurse midwife at the Women’s Outpatient Center at St. Joseph. “We all have our own ideas. No matter what culture we come from, what our mothers taught us - not all things are correct.”

Health care providers are homing in on how to better help women have healthy babies. Obstetrician Tina Mason often writes things down for her patients. “If you have a patient with a medical problem, the stress of the problem can impact their ability to understand,” said Mason, who also is program director of Aurora Sinai

and infant mortality rates double to triple those of whites. Black babies die at a rate of 15.7 per 1,000 live births, based on data from 2005 to 2008; in comparison, white and Hispanic babies die at a rate of 6.4 and 7.4, respectively.

Hospitals can play a key role in bringing down the numbers. Without a regular doctor, some pregnant women end up in hospital emergency rooms - often, too late to avoid complications. They may not have a regular doctor because they don’t realize they are eligible for temporary insurance under BadgerCare Plus. Or, they may have issues with transportation or child care.

Two of the area’s top hospitals for infant care are in the ZIP codes with Milwaukee’s highest infant mortality rates: Wheaton Franciscan-St. Joseph in 53210 and Aurora Sinai Medical Center in 53233. In recent years, both hospitals developed safety nets because they saw so many pregnant women in emergency rooms. At Sinai, a nurse midwife staffs the emergency room 24 hours a day and sees every woman who comes in who is at least 20 weeks pregnant, Tillett said. By staffing the ER with a nurse midwife, the hospital can guide pregnant women toward regular prenatal care. In 2009 - the most recent year that statistics are available - 450 babies were born to patients of Sinai’s Midwifery & Wellness Clinic. Less than 5 percent were born preterm and less than 4 percent weighed below 5{ pounds, which is considered low birth weight. Two babies died within 60

MILWAUKEE: Kalia Yang and her boyfriend Andy Moua, background, watch an ultrasound image of their twin babies performed by technician Rita Siudak, foreground, at St Josephs Hospital recently. — MCT Medical Center’s obstetrics and gynecology department. “I approach a patient woman to woman - not as a hotshot doctor.” At the end of appointments, she may ask patients to repeat what she told them so she’s sure they understand. She also coaches medical residents to speak to patients in plain language.

Efforts are under way both locally and nationally to get reader-friendly information into the community.

“We need to reach them in churches, beauty salons and the grocery store - not just the doctor’s office,” said Janice Whitty, chief of obstetrics for Nashville General Hospital at Meharry, who spoke during an Infant Mortality Summit in Milwaukee in May. “Many women only go to the doctor’s office if they have a problem.”

Social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, are valuable tools to help educate women about healthy pregnancy, she said. Pregnant women also can get free weekly text messages on their cellphones. The messages in English or Spanish are timed to specific stages of pregnancy. The text4baby service is from the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition.

Premature birth - birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy - is the No. 1 reason babies die in Milwaukee, according to the Milwaukee Health Department’s 2010 infant mortality report. The more time a baby has to develop inside the uterus, the more likely the baby will be born healthy.

Among the many contributors to preterm birth: smoking; poorly managed blood pressure and diabetes often associated with obesity; untreated sexually transmitted infections and urinary tract infections; and a period of time between pregnancies that is too short. In Milwaukee, African-Americans experience preterm birth

days of birth, the time frame the center tracks. Clinic officials say that puts them below the city’s overall infant mortality rate. At the Sinai clinic, prenatal appointments average 20 to 30 minutes, Tillett said. “If it’s a teen with low literacy, I’ll ask for more time,” she said. St. Joseph’s stepped up its efforts after it saw 3,500 pregnant women in its emergency center in 2008. Most were not getting regular prenatal care, so the hospital hired an “early engagement coordinator.”

Today, if a pregnant woman goes to the ER and doesn’t have a regular doctor, the coordinator talks with her about where she can go for regular prenatal care. The coordinator touches base throughout her pregnancy, regardless of who provides her care, troubleshooting obstacles to regularly scheduled appointments. The hospital also has a program called the Stork’s Nest, which offers incentives for women to keep medical appointments and participate in educational programs.

After a baby is born, the mother can cash in points for supplies and baby clothing.

Before the Stork’s Nest, patients had an average of eight kept medical appointments during pregnancy.

That average is up to 10.5. “Because we offer so many services here, it is hard to say scientifically that they come for their appointments specifically because of the Stork’s Nest,” Mazul said. “But I can tell you that many of them watch the educational videos and take some of the education classes because they want the points.”

Patients of the Women’s Outpatient Center at St. Joseph had 520 babies during the budget year that ended July 1. The preterm birthrate for AfricanAmerican patients was 12 percent, according to Mazul.

Seven years ago, the rate was 16 percent. —MCT

Newest prescription drug laws have Florida officials optimistic ORLANDO: Though the latest data show prescription drugs are continuing to take a deadly toll in Florida, state, local and law enforcement officials hope a combination of new legislation and other measures is starting to have an impact. New federal statistics indicate Florida doctors purchased just a fraction of oxycodone the powerful drug widely prescribed to relieve severe pain - this year compared with last year.

That may be thanks, in large part, to a host of new state laws and programs aimed at toughening penalties against rogue physicians and also prohibiting most doctors from selling certain addictive prescriptions out of their offices.

Federal drug data show 90 of the top 100 oxycodone-purchasing doctors in the nation last year were from Florida. But new statistics from the US Drug Enforcement Administration indicate a huge decrease in the amount of oxycodone purchased by Florida physicians in the first five months of 2011 compared with the same period last year. Physicians bought 35 mil-

lion doses from January to May 2010. That figure plummeted to 925,000 doses in the same period this year. “I do think the new legislation is going to be a tremendous help in curbing (the problem),” said Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Garavaglia. “There’s no question.”

Doctors running “pill mills” - where the drugs are liberally prescribed - are part of the reason the prescription drug epidemic here has exploded, experts say. Law enforcers hope that fewer prescription drugs on the street will equal fewer bodies in the Orange County morgue. “It’s going to get harder for people to get pills,” said Danny Banks, the assistant special agent in charge of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Orlando region. “There’s been no control. It’s been easy.” Gov. Rick Scott recently praised the law enforcement efforts aimed at curbing the state’s prescription drug problem. But the same day, a report from Florida’s medical examiners showed almost 2,300 people died in 2010 because of prescription drugs - an increase of

almost 8 percent from 2009.

That same report showed the number of deaths in Orange and Osceola counties caused by oxycodone jumped by 76 percent last year.

But local officials said they’re also hopeful that law enforcement efforts already under way will help halt - and even reverse - the deadly trend in Central Florida. In the past year, hundreds of people have been arrested in metro Orlando in multiagency investigations targeting the illegal use of prescription drugs in operations often involving FDLE and Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation. An Orlando prescription drug strike force, formally organized this year, has seized more than 100,000 pills and more than $1 million as part of its arrests, which range from suspected abusers to street-level dealers. “I do think we are making a difference,” said FDLE’s Banks.

Since the summer of 2010, Central Florida drug agents have arrested at least five doctors who are accused of running pill mills. Some of

those physicians have been linked to fatal prescription drug overdoses. In June, drug agents raided the Pro Relief Center near downtown Orlando, which they say had signs of being a pill mill - long lines stretching out the front door, patients who are known drug users and dealers, armed security guards and no visible medical instruments in the office.

At the same time, the Department of Health suspended the license of a doctor who practiced at the clinic, Riyaz Jummani, stating that his practice as a physician “constitutes an immediate serious danger to the health, safety or welfare of the public.” Jummani has not been arrested, and officials say the criminal investigation into his practice is ongoing. —MCT

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New Zealand’s lost penguin heads home WELLINGTON: Fattened up on a diet of “fish milkshakes� and escorted by his own personal veterinary team, the world’s most famous penguin, Happy Feet, sets sail today for the icy waters he calls home. The emperor penguin washed up on a beach just outside the New Zealand capital Wellington in mid-June — weak, emaciated and more than 1,900 miles from the Antarctic colony where he hatched about three-and-a-half years ago. The wayward bird’s unexpected appearance stunned wildlife experts, who said he was only the second emperor ever recorded in New Zealand, and captivated the public, which closely followed every turn in his struggle for survival. “The level of interest has been incredible, not just in Wellington or New Zealand, but around the world,� Wellington Zoo’s veterinary manager Lisa Argilla said. “Everyone’s been really curious to see what happens.� Initially, vets hoped the giant penguin would swim back to the Southern Ocean of his own accord, but when he became ill after eating sand and sticks in a bid to cool down, it was obvious he would die without human intervention. Happy Feet, named after a smash-hit 2006 animated feature about a tap-dancing emperor chick, was rushed

to Wellington Zoo’s animal hospital, where a top human surgeon performed an endoscopy to clear his gut. He was housed in an air-conditioned room with a regularly replenished bed of ice to simulate Antarctic conditions and responded positively to a diet of fish milkshakes consisting of pulverized salmon fillets. “It was touch-and-go there for a while but he’s doing really well now,� Argilla said. “He’s put on a fair amount of weight and is now about 27.5 kilograms.� Happy Feet has become a wildlife celebrity during his two-month rehabilitation, attracting global media interest and inspiring plans for a book and documentary recounting his story. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key set aside matters of state momentarily to wish the penguin well, while actor Stephen Fry, in Wellington to film “The Hobbit�, visited him in his sub-zero living quarters. Attendances at Wellington Zoo have almost doubled, even though Happy Feet has not been on public display. “It’s put our little zoo on the map, which has been exciting,� Argilla said. The VIP treatment will continue Monday, when Happy Feet is loaded onto the New Zealand research ship Tangaroa in a custommade insulated crate to hitch a ride to the

Southern Ocean.

With Argilla and two assistants on hand to ensure smooth passage, he will be released into the notoriously rough seas after a four-day voyage. “He won’t mind about 10-metre (33-foot) swells, this guy’s used to harsh conditions, he’ll probably be pretty excited actually and just dive away and that’ll be the last we see of him,�

Argilla said. “He’ll hopefully bump into some penguins that he recognizes, fingers crossed.

Otherwise, he’ll just go and probably establish himself in another colony.� The area where Happy Feet will be set free is still 2,000 kilometers from Antarctica but Argilla said it was within the normal feeding range of emperor penguins and his chances of survival were good. “We’re pretty hopeful,� she said. “He just needs to deal with being an emperor penguin out in the wild and survive the predators. “The wild is a harsh, cruel environment and obviously there are risks, but we’re giving him the chance to live out his normal life cycle.�

For those suffering Happy Feet-withdrawal, the bird will be fitted with a GPS tracker so researchers and the public can monitor his progress in the wild at www.wellingtonzoo.com. Despite the feel-good factor sur-

A Word of Solutions

rounding Happy Feet, there have been grumblings about the estimated NZ$90,000 spent saving the bird, with critics saying he should have been euthanized or left on the beach to die. “We’re letting ourselves get carried away with emotions,� Wayne Linklater, a biologist at Wellington’s Victoria University, told the Dominion Post newspaper, arguing the resources would have been better spent elsewhere. Jenny Lynch, who coordinates a Wellington-based volunteer scheme for conservation group Forest & Bird to help little blue penguins, disagreed saying Happy Feet had raised the public profile of wildlife preservation issues. “He’s been invaluable,� she said, citing increased interest in her program from schoolchildren and volunteers. “It’s been quite an ordeal for a penguin to go through and now that he’s come out the end of that it’s made a nice, happy story. “There’s a lot of doom and gloom around the place and it’s good to have something to use as an icon for conservation in New Zealand... I think the ultimate happy ending would be for Happy Feet to end up back in Antarctica with his colony.� —AFP

WELLINGTON: This photo taken on August 25, 2011 shows New Zealand’s most famous penguin “Happy Feet� in his ice-lined, air conditioned room at Wellington Zoo’s hospital. —AFP

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Enjoy your Eid at Movenpick Hotel Kuwait

Birthday Greetings

F

inal touches for Eid packages at Movenpick Hotel Kuwait were finalized to turn the property into a family heaven with great discounts and endless offers. This Eid enjoy a unique 2- night - stay at Movenpick Kuwait and get a 3rd night for free. what’s more, one unique accommodation or more is also available with a special rates where the splendour of the hotel’s facilities are made within your reach; be it, the swimming pools, Health Club or even the Kids Club.

For all connoisseurs, the M?venpick Hotel Kuwait provides an exceptional 25% discount offer at Bays Restaurant during their stay. Renowned for its panoramic view overlooking the hotel’s swimming pools, guests can enjoy lavish buffets for the 3 meals at Bays International Restaurant, as well as a sumptuous A La Carte menu of continental dishes. In addition, the restaurant offers a theme night of Sea food delights every Thursday.

Furthermore, Movenpick Kuwait guests have the freedom to choose from the hotels’ 21 air conditioned tents at the Garden Restaurant, where a generous Lebanese dishes are served to family and friends with life oriental band music and flavoured Hubble - bubble throughout Eid days. Kids were on Movenpick’s Eid agenda this season. Astonishing activities with lots of entertainment and fun await them on the first day of Eid. From Baroue characters, a Bouncy Castle to face painting, just to name a few! Celebrate this Eid at Movenpick and let the choices speak for themselves!

M

any happy returns of the day to our daughter Christina.

May almighty God shower His blessing on you and may you light more candles. Best wishes on your 14th Birthday greetings coming from your loving father Ranjith, mother Dona, sister Veronica, relatives from Sri Lanka and Kuwait.

And also teacher and classmates from Jabriya Indian School and Kharafi National Office Services team.

Announcements Tulukoota talent hunt Tulukoota Kuwait will hold a “Talent Hunt 2011” a chance to prove an inborn trait in you that confirms your individuality, uniqueness. So step forward to grab this opportunity to show your caliber and entertain. Dance, music, art or any special talent- now is your chance to showcase it - and be part of this year’s Talent Hunt & Tulu Parba. Talent Hunt event is open to all Tuluvas.

For more information and registration form kindly log on to our Website: www.tulukootakuwait.org or visit our facebook page - Tulukoota Kuwait Talent Hunt 2011. You could also email your form request to: secretary@tulukootakuwait.org or contact our area coordinators mentioned below. Mangaf, Fahaheel, Abuhalifa : Ronald Dsouza- 60035824, Shalini Alva- 23726164, Suma Bhatt- 97834578 Salmiya & Hawally: Swarna Shetty- 99006934, Kripa Gatty- 66044194 Kuwait City, Jahra, Sharq : Rekha Sachu- 65044521,97862115 Farwaniya, Abbassiya, Shuwaikh & Khaitan: Sathyanarayana- 66585077 Sanath Shetty67712409.

Porsche premier goal academy football season commences

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he Premier GOAL Academy in association with Everton F.C. and sponsored by Porsche, Behbehani Motors Company, kicks off the new football season with Open Days on Friday 23 September 0900-1100 and Saturday 24 September 1500-1700 at Shaab Park.

Registration continues Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 September 1700-1900. ● The number one football academy in Kuwait offers professional coaching from qualified UEFA/English FA coaches follow-

ing the Evertonway coaching program at Shaab Park using four state of the art field turf pitches. ● Courses for beginner to advanced team players, goalkeeping, freestyle and girls coaching. ● Official English Premier League football strips and equipment. ● Regular fixtures, tournaments and visits from Premier League Coaches plus tours to England and Dubai for selected players.

● Under the Patronage of HE the British Ambassador Frank Baker and licensed with Kuwait Ministry of Commerce.

For further details contact Academy Director Mike Finn on 99981327 or Executive Director Baker Al Nazer 66918666. Email; premier_fa_kuwait@yahoo.com

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 Bouhshari Art Gallery Exhibition runs through 15 September. Daily working hours: 10am 1pm and 5 - 9pm, except on Friday and on Thursday evening.

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

Arpan Onam on Sept 23 Arpan Kuwait will celebrate Onam, Kerala’s harvest festival, on September 23 at the Indian Community School, Salmiya (Senior Girls) from 10 am onwards. Various cultural programs have been scheduled to make the celebration a success. Traditional attrac tions like athap pookkalam, mohiniyattom, kaikottikali, folk songs, dance and songs and skits will be presented by Arpan members. A program committee headed by K Mahadevan is overseeing the preparations. The celebration will come to an end with a sumptuous ‘Onasadya.’

NAFO Onam celebration NAFO Kuwait to celebrate Onam on September 30, 2011 at the Indian Community School (Senior for Girls) auditorium Salmiya.

Cultural activities such as dance,skit, nadan pattukal, vallapattukal etc will be held which will be followed by the traditional onasadhya. All NAFO members are requested to make this program a grand success by participating in various activities. Please register your name at Contacts@nafoglobal.com.said the convener of the program R ajasek aran Nair. For details please contac t Nandakumar 99559416, Udayakumar 66464577 or Rajasekharan Nair 97824780.

Venmony Pravasi Association meeting Venmony Pravasi Association annual gettogether will be held today, August 29, 2011, at Hi-Din Auditorium, Abbassiya at 7.00 pm.

Election for new office bearers 2011-2012 will be held on the same day. All Venmony Pravasi members are requested to attend.

Eid al fitr at sheraton kuwait and four points by sheraton kuwait

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n the occasion of Eid Al Fitr, Sheraton Kuwait and Four Points

by Sheraton Kuwait are offering guests a variety of the finest global cuisines to titillate every palate, whilst listening to live music that captures the happiness of Eid. Exquisite Italian set menus await you at “Riccardo” restaurant

during the days of Eid available for lunch and dinner. Enjoy your dinner meals at Riccardo with live music performed by the Italian duo. “Shahrayar” Iranian restaurant, “Bukhara” Indian restaurant and “Le Tarbouche” Lebanese restaurant, have prepared special menus handpicked by their respective chefs especial-

ly for this occasion.

As for the Al Hambra and Asseef International restaurants, a lavish Eid buffet awaits you with sumptuous dishes from around the world to suit the wonderful atmosphere for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For a light snack, coffee or tea in a sophisticated atmosphere, The

English Tea Lounge is the perfect venue to head to, available now in two locations namely at the Sheraton Kuwait and at Kuwait’s biggest shopping mall “The Avenues”.

Pravasandhra TDP-Kuwait hosts iftar

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ravasandhra Telugu DesamKuwait organized iftar on August 26 for the people belonging to various faiths to foster friendship on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan in Hawally. Chief guests Babu Bhay, Mohamed Haneef and Sravat Alikhan delivered lectures on the subject of “The Message of Ramadan”.

While explaining the theme behind the fasting they said, “It provides a golden opportunity to raise spiritually and to refine one’s character. It also provides

us with the opportunity to get rid of bad habits and control the anger.”

Pravasandhra Committee Convener Mulamala Subbarayudu gave the keynote speech during the ceremony.

He expressed the importance of fasting and such iftar parties can enhance friendly relationship between various communities. He also expressed the support for Anna Hazare, who ended his hunger strike after 12days, for Lokpal Bill against corruption in India.

Venkat Koduri, Suresh Malepati,

Ramana Peram, Pidikiti Sreenivas Chowdary, Uday Prakash, Perugu Seenu, Lakshmi Pathi, Korapati Chandra, Venkatesh, Sudarsan, Nageer, Kalam, Mahamed, Kaperla Chandra Sekhar coordinated the event.

Kenyan Embassy Eid Al-Fitr closure The embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to inform the general public that it will be closed from Tuesday 30th August 2011 until Thursday the first of September 2011 for Eid Al-Fitr Holida.

Ambassador of Bangladesh hosts ‘Open House’

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mbassador of Bangladesh will host an “Open House” program from 09:30 am to 01:00 pm at Bangladesh house (Qortuba, Block 2, Street 5, House 5) on the Eid Day.

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31

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N

Blood donation camp organized

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF ARGENTINA In order to inform that 23rd of October 2011, will be Argentine national election where all Argentinean citizen residents permanently in Kuwait can vote only if they are registered at the Electoral Register of the Argentine Embassy. The procedure of inscription ended on 25 of April 2011. To register it is necessary that Argentinean citizens should come personally at the Argentinean Embassy (Block 6, street 42, villa 57, Mishref ) and present the DNI and four personal photos (size 4x4, face should be front on white background). For further information, contact us on 25379211.

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EMBASSY OF BRITAIN The Visa Application Centre (VAC) will be closed on the same dates above. The opening hours of the Visa Application Centre are 0930 - 1630 Application forms remain available online from the UKBAs’ website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or from the Visa Application Centre’s website: www.vfs-ukkw.com. And also, from the UK Visa Application Centre located at: 4B, First Floor, Al Banwan Building (Burgan Bank Branch Office Building), Al Qibla area, opposite Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City. For any further inquiries, please contact the Visa Application Centre: Website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com E-mail:info@vfs-uk-kw.com Telephone:22971170. The Consular Section will also be closed on the same dates. For information on the British Embassy services, visit the British Embassy website: www.ukinkuwait.fco.gov.uk ■■■■■■■

Sri Lankan embassy organizes blood drive. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Saradhi officials visit Ambassador

T

he office-bearers of the Saradhi Kuwait met with the new Ambassador of India to Kuwait, Satish C Mehta and extended a warm welcome on behalf of Saradhi members. President C G Vidyananda Babu explained that Saradhi Kuwait is seeking to strengthen socio-cultural ties and activities among Indians residing in Kuwait. It is also involved in various humanitarian programs.

Saradhi Trust Chairman Adv Sasidhara Panicker spoke about the various charitable and welfare activities undertaken by ‘Saradhi Educational and Charitable Trust’ back in India.

The meeting was also attended by Gen Secretary K R Aji, advisory board members, Kochappally Vijayabhanu, T S Rajan, Adv N S Aravindakshan, Santha Kumar and Adv Rajesh Sagar. During the discussion, the ambassador highlighted the role to be played by the community organizations to impart awareness in the society on reducing excessive spending and extravaganza in weddings and other celebrations. The president extended Saradhi Kuwait’s invitation and request to the ambassador to attend its forthcoming Onam - 2011 program as chief guest.

OICC meets Ambassador of India

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he co-ordination committee members of OICC (Overseas Indian Cultural Congress), met Sathish C Mehta, the Ambassador of India to Kuwait and submitted a memorandum requesting to intervene the various issues of the Indian Community in Kuwait. New facilitation center for consoler service in Jeleeb Al Shyoukh, starting Air India Flights to Trivandrum, Cochin and Calicut and conducting the Indian community coordination meetings in the Embassy premises on quarterly basis to discus and review various community issues were also the highlighted subjects. The Ambassador assured representatives of the OICC that all issues will be discussed with concerned authorities in Kuwait and India and promised a helping hand from Embassy of India in Kuwait.

M A Hilal (Chairman, OICC), Varghese Puthukulangara (General Convenor, OICC), Abi Varikad, Raju Zacharias, Joseph Thankachan, Nixon George, Joy John Thuruthikara, Jacob Channapetta, Manoj Channapetta and Biju Chempalayam were in the team of coordination committee members of OICC.

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/IMM5257E. PDF. A guide explaining the process can be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/5256E.PDF. ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF GERMANY The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait wishes to announce that as of 1 May 2011, the external service provider Al Qabas Assurex is operating a Visa Application Centre in support of the German Embassy. Short-term visa applications for travels to Germany (e.g. for tourism, visits, business) are to be submitted to the service provider Al Qabas who for your convenience will ensure that all relevant documents are included in your application. Your personal appearance at the Application Centre is not required. Address of the Visa Application Centre: Al Qabas Assurex Sanabel Tower (Al-Babtain) Mezzanine (M3) opposite Sharq Mall Kuwait 22924444 Fax: 22924442 Further information are available on the following websites: www.kuwait.diplo.de www.qavisa.com ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF INDIA During the holy month of Ramadan, the office timings of the Indian Passport and Visa Service Centres of BLS International Visa Services Co., Kuwait, situated at (a) Emad Commercial Centre, Basement Floor, Ahmed Al Jaber Street, Sharq, Kuwait, and (b) Mujamma Unood, 4th floor, Office No. 25-26 Makka Street, Fahaheel, Kuwait, will be from 8 am - 3 pm from Saturday to Thursday (i.e. six days a week). Embassy of India, Kuwait, will maintain its usual working hours.

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EMBASSY OF KENYA The embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to inform the general public that it will be closed from Tuesday 30th August 2011 until Thursday the first of September 2011 for Eid Al-Fitr Holiday.

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EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF SOUTH AFRICA On the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, the South African Embassy will be closed from Tuesday, 30 August 2011 to Sunday, 4 September 2011. The Embassy will resume its normal working hours on Monday, 5 September 2011, from Sunday to Thursday. Please note that the working hours will be from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm and the Consular Section operation hours will from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.

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00:45 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 01:40 Untamed And Uncut 02:35 World Wild Vet 03:30 Monster Bug Wars 04:25 Whale Wars 05:20 Animal Cops Phoenix 06:10 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 07:00 Meerkat Manor 07:25 The Really Wild Show 07:50 Animal Planet’s Most Outrageous 08:40 Breed All About It 09:10 Cats Of Claw Hill 10:05 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 11:00 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 11:55 Meerkat Manor 12:20 Wildlife SOS 12:50 Cell Dogs 13:45 Animal Cops Houston 14:40 Animal Precinct 15:30 RSPCA: On The Frontline 16:00 The Really Wild Show 16:30 Jeff Corwin Unleashed 17:00 Safari Sisters 17:25 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 18:20 Breed All About It 18:45 Gorilla School 19:15 Crocodile Hunter 20:10 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 21:05 Crocodile Feeding Frenzy 22:00 Killer Whales 22:55 I’m Alive 23:50 Planet Earth

00:15 00:45 01:30 02:20 03:05 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

00:00 01:30 01:45 02:00 02:10 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30

Dad’s Army The Weakest Link Ray Mears’ Wild Foods The Weakest Link Lark Rise To Candleford My Family Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Forget Me Not Farm The Adventures Of Spot 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 Heart & Soul Doctors Dad’s Army Ray Mears’ Wild Foods My Family Heart & Soul The Weakest Link Doctors Dad’s Army Ray Mears’ Wild Foods Heart & Soul The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Children, The My Family

BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News The Health Show Our World Newsday India Business Report Newsday Asia Business Report

04:45 Sport Today 05:00 Newsday 05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Sport Today 06:00 Newsday 06:30 Hardtalk 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 World Business Report 07:45 BBC World News 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 Sport Today 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Hardtalk 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 Sport Today 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 14:30 GMT With George Alagiah 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 BBC World News America 23:30 Hardtalk

06:00 American Dragon 06:20 Kick Buttowski 06:40 Pokemon Dp: Sinnoh League Victors 07:05 Phineas & Ferb 07:30 Kid Vs Kat 07:50 Pair Of Kings 08:15 I’m In The Band 08:40 Kick Buttowski 09:00 Zeke & Luther 09:25 Zeke & Luther 09:50 I’m In The Band 10:15 The Super Hero Squad Show 10:40 Suite Life On Deck 11:05 Suite Life On Deck 11:30 Pair Of Kings 11:55 Phineas & Ferb 12:20 Phineas & Ferb 12:45 I’m In The Band 13:10 Kid Vs Kat 13:30 Kid Vs Kat 13:50 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 14:10 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 14:30 Phineas & Ferb 14:50 Zeke & Luther 15:15 Kick Buttowski 15:35 Pokemon Dp: Sinnoh League Victors 16:00 I’m In The Band 16:25 Suite Life On Deck 16:50 Zeke & Luther 17:40 Phineas & Ferb 18:05 Phineas & Ferb 18:30 Escape From Scorpion Island 18:55 Kick Buttowski 19:20 American Dragon 19:45 Aaron Stone 20:15 Kid Vs Kat 20:40 I’m In The Band 21:05 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 21:30 Zeke & Luther 21:50 The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody 22:15 The Super Hero Squad Show

00:00 Chef Abroad 00:30 Glutton For Punishment

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

TV PROGRAMS 01:00 Intrepid Journeys 02:00 Ice 04:30 Globe Trekker 08:00 Rivers Of The World 09:00 Cruise Today 09:30 Travel Today 10:00 Planet Food 11:00 First Class South Africa 11:30 First Class South Africa 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 Flavours Of Scotland 13:30 Flavours Of Scotland 14:00 Rivers Of The World 15:00 Cruising The South China Sea 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 Dream Destinations 17:30 Dream Destinations 18:00 Flavours Of Scotland 18:30 Flavours Of Scotland 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 Essential Specials 21:00 Cruising The Spirit Of Adventure 22:00 People Of The Sea

00:25 00:50 01:15 01:40 02:05 Cody 02:30 02:55 03:20 04:10 04:35 05:00 05:20 05:45 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:15 08:35 09:00 09:20 Cody 09:45 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:20 11:35 12:00 Splits 12:10 12:20 12:30 12:40 Splits 12:50 13:10 Cody 13:35 13:50 14:15 14:35 15:00 15:25 15:45 16:10 16:30 Cody 16:55 17:20 17:50 18:20 18:45 19:10

00:40 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:45 09:10 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:25 12:20 13:15

Fish Hooks Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Sonny With A Chance The Suite Life Of Zack And Hannah Montana Forever Kim Possible Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic A Kind Of Magic Stitch Stitch Kim Possible Kim Possible Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Stitch Stitch Emperor’s New School The Suite Life Of Zack And Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Splits Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Splits The Hive Handy Manny Splits Jake & The Neverland Pirates Sonny With A Chance The Suite Life Of Zack And Phineas And Ferb Splits Shake It Up Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb The Suite Life Of Zack And Fish Hooks Hannah Montana Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Fish Hooks Shake It Up

Sarah Palin’s Alaska Wheeler Dealers On The Road Fifth Gear Street Customs 2008 How Does It Work Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Auction Kings Wheeler Dealers Powering The Future Ultimate Survival

FLASH OF GENIUS ON OSN CINEMA

14:10 Miami Ink 15:05 Dirty Jobs 16:00 Wheeler Dealers On The Road 16:25 Fifth Gear 16:55 Mythbusters 17:50 Deadliest Catch 18:45 Cake Boss 19:10 Border Security 19:40 Auction Kings 20:05 How Does It Work 20:35 Cash Cab (US) 21:00 Deadliest Catch - Best Of Season 6 22:50 Deadliest Catch Behind The Scenes 23:45 Deadliest Catch

18:50 Special Agent Oso 19:03 Animated Stories 19:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 19:50 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 20:10 The Hive 20:20 Timmy Time 20:30 The Little Mermaid 20:55 Little Einsteins 21:20 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 21:50 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 22:15 Timmy Time 22:25 Handy Manny 22:40 Jungle Junction 22:55 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 23:20 Special Agent Oso

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

00:25 Style Star 01:25 Young, Beautiful And Vanished 03:15 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Reality Hell 05:30 Wildest TV Show Moments 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Holly’s World 10:15 E! Investigates 12:05 Extreme Close-Up 12:35 Fashion Police 13:05 Khloe And Lamar 14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:35 E!es 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 17:55 Holly’s World 18:55 E! Investigates 19:55 The Dance Scene 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:25 Kourtney And Kim Take New York

The Gadget Show Prototype This The Colony Ultimate Power Builders Science Of The Movies What’s That About?

Kings Of Construction How Does That Work?

Smash Lab Da Vinci’s Machines Nasa’s Greatest Missions The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Nextworld Weird Connections Da Vinci’s Machines Building The Biggest Sci-Fi Science The Gadget Show Mighty Ships Kings Of Construction Smash Lab The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Mighty Ships Kings Of Construction The Gadget Show

00:05 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 00:30 Good Eats - Special 00:55 Unwrapped 01:45 Lidia’s Italy 02:35 Barefoot Contessa 03:25 World Cafe Middle East 04:15 Good Eats - Special 04:40 Unwrapped 05:05 Ten Dollar Dinners 05:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 05:50 Paula’s Party 06:35 Barefoot Contessa 07:00 Chopped 07:50 Guy’s Big Bite 08:15 Everyday Italian 08:40 Good Deal With Dave Lieberman 09:05 Ten Dollar Dinners 09:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 09:55 Barefoot Contessa 10:20 Aarti Party 10:45 Boy Meets Grill 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 Paula’s Party 12:25 Everyday Italian 12:50 Paula’s Best Dishes 13:15 Good Deal With Dave Lieberman 13:40 World Cafe Asia 14:05 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 14:30 Good Eats - Special 14:55 Unwrapped 15:20 Boy Meets Grill 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Guy’s Big Bite 17:00 Barefoot Contessa 17:25 Paula’s Best Dishes 17:50 Aarti Party 18:15 World Cafe Asia 18:40 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 19:05 Good Eats - Special 19:30 Food Network Challenge 20:20 Paula’s Party 21:10 Bobby Chinn Cooks Asia 21:35 Bobby Chinn Cooks Asia 22:00 Lidia’s Italy 22:25 Lidia’s Italy 22:50 Boy Meets Grill 23:15 Boy Meets Grill

00:05 Jungle Junction 00:15 Little Einsteins 00:40 Higglytown Heroes 01:10 Jo Jo’s Circus 01:30 Special Agent Oso 02:00 Jungle Junction 02:25 Little Einsteins 02:50 Higglytown Heroes 03:20 Jo Jo’s Circus 03:40 Special Agent Oso 04:10 Jungle Junction 04:35 Little Einsteins 05:00 Higglytown Heroes 05:30 Jo Jo’s Circus 05:50 Jungle Junction 06:15 Higglytown Heroes 06:45 Handy Manny 07:00 Special Agent Oso 07:15 Jungle Junction 07:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 08:10 Timmy Time 08:20 Handy Manny 08:30 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 08:55 The Hive 09:10 Handy Manny 09:25 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 10:15 The Little Mermaid 10:40 Little Einsteins 11:05 Jungle Junction 11:20 Lazytown 11:45 Handy Manny 12:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 12:25 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 12:40 The Little Mermaid 13:05 The Hive 13:15 Special Agent Oso 13:25 Little Einsteins 13:50 The Little Mermaid 14:15 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 15:05 Handy Manny 15:30 The Hive 15:40 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 15:55 Imagination Movers 16:20 Lazytown 16:45 Jungle Junction 17:00 The Hive 17:10 Little Einsteins 17:30 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 17:55 Jake And The Neverland Pirates 18:25 The Little Mermaid

00:15 Wrestling With Reality 01:30 Eds Up 02:20 Fantasy Factory 04:50 Lucas Oil Motocross Championships 2009 05:40 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships...

06:30 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 08:00 X Games Heroes 08:25 LG Action Sports World...

10:05 FIM World Supermoto 2010 10:55 Gumball 3000: 2008 11:45 Glutton For Punishment 12:35 Final Fu 13:25 Mantracker 14:15 World Combat League 15:05 Gumball 3000: 2008 15:55 Glutton For Punishment 16:45 X Games Heroes 17:10 LG Action Sports World...

18:50 FIM World Supermoto 2010 19:40 Mantracker 20:30 Final Fu 21:20 Untracked 22:10 World Combat League 23:00 Wrestling With Reality 23:50 Final Fu

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 Jones 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 22:25 22:50

Deadly Women Disappeared Couples Who Kill True Crime With Aphrodite CSU Black Museum Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Undercover Forensic Detectives Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Mystery ER CSU FBI Files The Case Of Oj Simpson Disappeared Mystery ER Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls CSU FBI Files Forensic Detectives Undercover Real Emergency Calls Mystery ER Street Patrol The Case Of Oj Simpson Disappeared Stalked: Someone’s Watching Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Street Patrol

00:00 Travel Madness 01:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 02:00 Exploring The Vine 03:00 Food School 03:30 Banged Up Abroad 05:30 Finding Genghis 06:00 Travel Madness 07:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 08:00 Exploring The Vine 09:00 Food School 09:30 Banged Up Abroad 11:30 Finding Genghis 12:00 Travel Madness 13:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 14:00 Word Travels 14:30 Market Values 15:00 The Best Job In The World 15:30 Madventures 16:00 Which Way To...

17:00 Word Travels 17:30 Market Values 18:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 19:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 20:00 Word Travels

00:00 How Big Can It Get 01:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 01:55 The Lion Ranger 02:50 Hooked 03:45 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 04:40 Wild Detectives 05:05 Wild Chronicles 05:35 Strike Force 06:30 The Living Edens 07:25 Python Hunters

NINE MONTHS ON OSN MOVIES HD 08:20 Built For The Kill 09:15 The Lion Ranger 10:10 Hooked 11:05 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 12:00 Caught In The Act 13:00 The Living Edens 14:00 Python Hunters 15:00 Built For The Kill 16:00 The Lion Ranger 17:00 Hooked 18:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 19:00 The Living Edens 20:00 Python Hunters 21:00 Built For The Kill

00:00 Rage: Carrie 2-PG15 02:00 Dead Presidents-18 04:00 A Perfect Getaway-18 06:00 Rage: Carrie 2-PG15 08:00 The Hunt For Red October 10:15 Kiss The Girls-18 12:15 Courage Under Fire-PG15 14:15 The Hunt For Red October 16:30 Independence Day-PG15 19:00 Courage Under Fire-PG15 21:00 Universal Soldier: Regeneration-PG15 22:45 What Lies Beneath-PG15

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

Jack Goes Boating-PG15 Messengers-PG15 Far North-PG15 Messengers-PG15 Citizen Jane-PG On Broadway-PG15 Dean Spanley-PG Leap Year-PG15 A Christmas Carol-PG Meet Bill-PG15 The Maiden Heist-PG15 Flash Of Genius-PG15

00:00 Curb Your Enthusiasm 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 The New Adventures Of Old Christine 02:00 Sons Of Tucson 02:30 Bored To Death 03:00 Just Shoot Me 03:30 Just Shoot Me 04:00 Two And A Half Men 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Will And Grace 06:00 Coach 06:30 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 Will And Grace 09:30 30 Rock 10:00 30 Rock 10:30 Coach 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 Will And Grace 14:00 Coach 14:30 30 Rock 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 The Drew Carey Show 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Just Shoot Me 19:00 Cougar Town 19:30 Traffic Light 20:00 Seinfeld 20:30 Seinfeld 21:00 The Daily Show Global Edition 21:30 The Colbert Report Global Edition 22:00 Comedy Central Presents 22:30 Comedy Central Presents 23:00 The New Adventures Of Old Christine

01:15 Avatar-PG 04:00 El Orfenato-18

05:45 Nighthawks-18 07:30 Annihilation Earth-PG15 09:00 Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant-PG15 11:00 King Arthur-PG15 13:15 Shanghai Knights-PG15 15:15 Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant-PG15 17:15 The Box-PG15 19:15 Outpost-18 21:00 Menace II Society-18 23:00 Dead Snow-PG15

00:00 01:45 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

All About Steve-PG15 Renaissance Man-PG15 The Ramen Girl-PG15 Everybody Wants To Be Italian Leave It To Beaver-PG Under The Tuscan Sun-PG15 Houseguest-PG15 A Simple Wish-FAM All About Steve-PG15 Fierce Creatures-PG15 Like Mike-PG Four Last Songs-PG15

01:15 Nine Months-PG15 03:00 Coco Before Chanel-PG15 05:00 How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days-PG 07:00 One Hot Summer-PG15 09:00 Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale-PG15 11:00 All About Steve-PG15 12:45 The Great Debaters-PG15 15:00 The Sorcerer’s ApprenticePG15 17:00 Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale-PG15 19:00 Without A Paddle-PG15 21:00 Shanghai-PG15 23:00 The Nail: The Story Of Joey Nardone-PG15

01:00 Turtle Hero 1-PG15 03:00 Turtle Hero 2-PG15 05:00 Groove Squad-FAM 07:00 The Amazing Zorro-FAM 09:00 102 Dalmatians-PG 11:00 Treasure Island-PG 13:00 Homeward Bound II: Lost In San Francisco-FAM 15:00 Babe: Pig In The City-FAM 17:00 Treasure Island-PG 19:00 The Archies In Jugman-FAM 21:00 Homeward Bound II: Lost In San Francisco-FAM 23:00 Babe: Pig In The City-FAM

01:00 NRL Premiership 03:00 ICC Cricket World 03:30 Trans World Sport 04:30 NRL Premiership 06:30 Total Rugby 07:00 Rugby World Cup Classics 07:30 Scottish Premier League 09:30 NRL Premiership 11:30 NRL Full Time 12:00 Live NRL Premiership 14:00 ICC Cricket World 14:30 Rugby League Challenge Cup 16:30 AFL Premiership 19:00 Golfing World 20:00 Trans World Sport 21:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 21:30 NRL Premiership 23:30 ICC Cricket World

01:30 Currie Cup Rugby Union 03:30 Tri Nations 05:30 Rugby World Cup Classics 06:00 Trans World Sports 07:00 European PGA Tour 11:30 Golfing World 12:30 Rugby World Cup Classics 13:00 International Rugby Union 15:00 Trans World Sport 16:00 Golfing World 17:00 NRL Premiership 19:00 AFL Highlights 20:00 European PGA Tour Highlights

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00

Speedway V8 Supercars Championship UFC 134 Prelims UFC 134 UFC Unleashed WWE Bottomline V8 Supercars Championship Powerboats F1 WWE Vintage Collection V8 Supercars Championship WWE SmackDown!

WWE Vintage Collection Intercontinental Le Mans Cup Modern Pentaholn Speedway UFC 134 Prelims UFC 134

00:00 The Universe 01:00 Ax Men 02:00 Ice Road Truckers 03:00 UFO Hunters 04:00 Ancient Aliens 06:00 The Universe 07:00 Ax Men 08:00 Ice Road Truckers 09:00 UFO Hunters 10:00 Ancient Aliens 12:00 The Universe 13:00 Ax Men 14:00 Ice Road Truckers 15:00 UFO Hunters 16:00 Ancient Aliens 18:00 The Universe 19:00 Ax Men 20:00 Ice Road Truckers 21:00 Lock N’ Load With R. Lee Ermey 21:55 Mega Movers 23:00 Ax Men

00:00 Top 10 00:30 Top 10 01:00 Fashion Avenue 01:25 Fashion Avenue 01:55 Big Boutique 02:25 How Do I Look?

03:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

04:15 Married Away 05:10 Homes With Style 05:35 Area 06:05 Clean House 07:00 Big Boutique 07:30 Big Boutique 08:00 Homes With Style 08:30 Homes With Style 09:00 Fashion Avenue 09:25 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 Top 10 14:15 Mel B: It’s A Scary World 14:45 Jerseylicious 15:40 Ruby 16:35 Giuliana & Bill 17:30 How Do I Look?

18:25 Ruby 19:25 Big Boutique 19:50 Fashion Avenue 20:20 Clean House 21:15 Top 10 21:40 Top 10 22:10 Ruby 23:05 Bridalplasty

00:17 01:00 01:45 02:00 02:45 03:17 07:17 09:17 16:00 16:45 17:17 18:00 18:45 20:00 20:50 22:17

Playlist Africa 10 Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Playlist Playlist Playlist Hip Hop 10 Playlist Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Hit Us Playlist Playlist

Classifieds MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available for decent Indian Christian couple or bachelor in Salmiya. Behind Mr. Baker from 1st September 2011. Dish TV and landline facility available. Contact: 97233167. (C 3593) 29-8-2011 Sharing accommodation available in Khaitan in a studio flat with a Mangalorean R/C bachelor, close to bus stop and Jamiya. Rent KD 25. Contact: 66036893.

(C 3591) Sharing accommodation available one room with separate bathroom available in old Riggae for family, working women, executive bachelor. New C-A/C 2 bedroom & maid room spacious flat near Al Dallah Supermarket closer to Avenues. Interested please contact: 55114836 / 99065356. (C 3592) 28-8-2-2011 An abundance of birds can be found on former muck farmland along the shores of Lake Apopka. — MCT

Federal polar bear scientist back on the job SEATTLE: The arcane world of polar bear research was rocked recently by the suspension of a federal scientist in Alaska whose research on polar bear drownings in the Arctic raised major concerns about climate change. But the researcher was reinstated to his job Friday — and an inquiry has been launched to determine whether the Obama administration tried to interfere with his research.

The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement confirmed that Charles Monnett — whose suspension in July sparked an outcry among fellow scientists, climate change researchers and opponents of offshore oil and gas drilling — has been recalled from six weeks of administrative leave.

But he won't be resuming his previous work managing research contracts, the bureau said.

Agency officials have sought to downplay the incident, saying Monnett was suspended for improperly administering contracts, not for documenting dead polar bears.

"There is no truth to any suggestion that the return to work is in any way tied to ... allegations against bureau leadership," said Melissa Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the bureau, which oversees oil and gas development in many of the same Arctic regions where polar bears are seeing their icy habitat shrink.

But the advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which is providing

Monnett legal representation, has alleged that federal investigators targeted their initial questions primarily at a 2006 article he co-wrote in the journal Polar Biology.

That article documented a wave of polar bear drownings, probably because of a storm and the long distances the bears had to swim between diminishing ice floes. The article had been approved by Monnett's superiors and was peer reviewed before it was published, the group maintains.

"All the questions were on this paper, and whether it was complete and accurate. And this paper was a big deal — it helped galvanize popular understanding of the effects of climate change in the Arctic," the advocacy group's executive director, Jeff Ruch, said in an interview.

A transcript of the interview that agents from the Inspector General's Office initially conducted with Monnett suggests that they were investigating allegations of "scientific misconduct" apparently connected to the polar bear article. In it, the agents asked detailed questions about how Monnett and his co-author had assembled their data. The investigation launched this month by the Interior Department's scientific integrity officer stems from the advocacy group's complaint that Monnett's suspension violates Obama administration rules that took effect in February. Those rules are designed to protect federal scientists from interference from outside

the scientific process.

"There was a presidential directive that said the Obama administration won't tolerate political manipulation of science as it occurred under the (George W.) Bush administration," Ruch said.

"So if the new policy is they're supposed to protect scientists from interference, this is a heck of a way to do that." The integrity issues bureau officials have cited appear to relate not to the polar bear article but to Monnett's oversight of a Canadian research study, and to Monnett's admissions, as summarized in a letter to him from an agent of the inspector general earlier this year. In those admissions, Monnett is said to have acknowledged helping a Canadian researcher prepare a research funding proposal even though he was also responsible for deciding who was awarded the contract.

"The action has nothing to do with scientific integrity, his 2006 journal article, or issues related to permitting, as has been alleged," Schwartz said in an email.

"The return of an employee to work does not suggest that future administrative actions cannot/will not be taken," she added.

The agency briefly issued a stop-work order on the Canadian study, which was providing data on the movements of radio-collared polar bears being monitored by Canadian scientists.

The Canadian government is paying $800,000 of the $2 million cost. — MCT

One room available in two bedroom flat in Farwaniya behind Crowne Plaza in front of Dar Al-Quran.

Please call: 50129393.

(C 3589) 25-8-2011

No: 15195

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines RJA JZR BBC THY ETH UAE DHX ETD MSR FDB GFA QTR KAC JZR FCX JZR KAC JZR BAW JZR KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY ETD GFA SHY MEA JZR JZR IRC MSR RBG KAC ABY KAC MSR SYR UAL RJA FDB OMA QTR

Flt 642 205 45 772 620 653 370 305 614 67 211 138 544 503 201 555 412 531 157 1541 206 302 53 352 284 362 344 855 132 125 301 213 1125 404 165 121 6521 623 3557 618 123 672 610 341 982 640 57 645 140

Arrival Flights on Monday 29/8/2011 Route AMMAN DAMASCUS DHAKA / BAHRAIN ISTANBUL ADDIS ABABA DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI CAIRO DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA CAIRO LUXOR DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MANILA / BANGKOK ASSIUT LONDON CAIRO ISLAMABAD MUMBAI DUBAI COCHIN DHAKA COLOMBO CHENNAI DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH ABU DHABI BAHRAIN ANTALYA BEIRUT DUBAI BAHRAIN LAMERD SOHAG ALEXANDRIA DOHA SHARJAH DUBAI CAIRO DAMASCUS WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN DUBAI MUSCAT DOHA

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

SVA KAC KAC JZR QTR KNE KAC KAC JZR MLR ETD UAE KAC GFA SVA JZR JZR ABY JZR FDB IRA ALK KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC JAI FDB OMA JZR VOS MEA DHX KLM UAE GFA QTR UAL JZR TAR JZR MEA MSR DLH JZR BBC PIA

500 1672 788 257 134 745 546 550 535 403 303 857 154 215 510 777 239 127 213 63 3407 227 104 542 786 774 744 614 674 975 572 61 647 179 81 402 372 445 859 217 136 981 135 327 185 406 612 636 539 43 239

JEDDAH DUBAI JEDDAH BEIRUT DOHA JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA SOHAG CAIRO COLOMBO / DUBAI ABU DHABI DUBAI ISTANBUL BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH DEIREZZOR DUBAI MASHAD COLOMBO / DUBAI LONDON CAIRO JEDDAH RIYADH DAMMAM BAHRAIN DUBAI CHENNAI / GOA MUMBAI DUBAI MUSCAT DUBAI BAGHDAD BEIRUT BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN TUNIS DUBAI BEIRUT CAIRO FRANKFURT CAIRO DHAKA SIALKOT

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

Airlines JZR AXB DLH KLM AIC PIA AFG BBC THY ETH UAE FDB DHX ETD MSR QTR JZR RJA GFA JZR BAW KAC FDB JZR KAC KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR ETD GFA KAC KAC SHY MEA KAC JZR JZR JZR IRC KAC MSR KAC RBG ABY MSR SYR

Departure Flights on Monday 29/8/2011 Flt Route 1540 CAIRO 390 MANGALORE / KOZHIKODE 637 FRANKFURT 447 AMSTERDAM 982 AHMEDABAD / CHENNAI 206 PESHAWER / LAHORE 406 DUBAI / KABUL 46 DHAKA 773 ISTANBUL 620 BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 306 ABU DHABI 615 CAIRO 139 DOHA 164 DUBAI 643 AMMAN 212 BAHRAIN 120 BAHRAIN 156 LONDON 545 ALEXANDRIA 54 DUBAI 534 CAIRO 153 ISTANBUL 671 DUBAI 117 NEW YORK 256 BEIRUT 787 JEDDAH 549 SOHAG 617 DOHA 856 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 133 DOHA 302 ABU DHABI 214 BAHRAIN 1671 DUBAI 165 ROME / PARIS 1126 ANTALYA 405 BEIRUT 541 CAIRO 776 JEDDAH 212 DEIREZZOR 238 AMMAN 6522 LAMERD 103 LONDON 624 SOHAG 785 JEDDAH 3558 SOHAG / ALEXANDRIA 124 SHARJAH 611 CAIRO 342 DAMASCUS

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

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

RJA FDB UAL OMA KAC SVA KAC JZR KNE QTR KAC KAC JZR VOS ETD MLR QTR UAE GFA ABY JZR JZR SVA FDB IRA ALK JZR KAC KAC JAI FDB JZR JZR KAC KAC OMA MEA KAC DHX KLM UAE GFA FCX QTR KAC KAC TAR JZR JZR KAC UAL MEA MSR

641 58 982 646 673 501 773 178 746 141 613 743 538 82 304 404 135 858 216 128 184 266 511 64 3406 228 134 1501 283 571 62 528 268 331 351 648 403 543 373 445 860 218 102 137 301 205 327 554 504 411 981 407 613

AMMAN DUBAI BAHRAIN MUSCAT DUBAI JEDDAH RIYADH DUBAI JEDDAH DOHA BAHRAIN DAMMAM CAIRO BAGHDAD ABU DHABI DUBAI / COLOMBO DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI BEIRUT RIYADH DUBAI MASHAD DUBAI / COLOMBO BAHRAIN BEIRUT DHAKA MUMBAI DUBAI ASSIUT BEIRUT TRIVANDRUM COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT CAIRO BAHRAIN BAHRAIN / AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD DUBAI / TUNIS ALEXANDRIA LUXOR BANGKOK / MANILA WASHINGTON DC DULLES BEIRUT CAIRO

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

34

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

s ta rs CROSSWORD 424

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) A special project at home may keep you busy most of the day. Unconventional changes in your project may not be profitable at this time—keep your work consistent and practical. You may want to double your output so that you can sell your items at a nearby flea market. Later this afternoon you and a partner may decide to shop or invest in some new furniture or equipment that will make life a little easier. This may mean a new lawnmower or a fun swing for enjoying the out-of-doors. Again, it is important to do your research before acting too hastily and spending money that cannot be returned. You might take this opportunity to visit a bookstore and purchase a magazine or book that rates the item you want.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Emotional security, a sense of belonging and nurturing are felt instinctively now. You want more stability and you may desire a sense of intimate connection that will last. It is time to talk about how you can place money aside for rainy days or travel dreams. Your close friends may have ideas in which you could save or invest, or take on a part-time job. Find ways in which your money will work for you, yet will be difficult to cash in quickly. This may take the skill of an advisor, so make plans to set an appointment and take a notepad. This will help you to reach your goals faster and you can look forward to travel, redecorating, education or early retirement. Your love relationship is improving and there is a sense of levity among family members this evening.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. (informal) Of the highest quality.

4. Any of various spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Acacia.

10. The basic unit of electric current adopted under the System International d'Unites.

13. United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters.

14. A landlocked republic in southern central Africa.

15. Mature female of mammals of which the male is called `buck'.

16. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

17. Formally making a person known to another or to the public.

19. (Judaism) A candelabrum with seven branches used in ceremonies to symbolize the seven days of creation.

22. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

23. A rosid dicot genus that includes moon carrots.

27. An official language of the Republic of South Africa.

28. A fine grained mineral having a soft soapy feel and consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate.

32. Ground snakes.

36. A legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body.

39. Someone who engages in arbitrage (who purchases securities in one market for immediate resale in another in the hope of profiting from the price differential).

41. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

42. An ugly evil-looking old woman.

43. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

47. An associate degree in applied science.

49. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

50. Type genus of the family Myacidae.

52. A river in southeastern Australia that flows generally northwest to join the Darling River.

56. (prefix) Opposite or opposing or neutralizing.

59. Plant with an elongated head of broad stalked leaves resembling celery.

60. The seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located adv.

61. Any of several large shaggy-maned humped bovids having large heads and short horns.

62. On or toward the lee.

63. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

64. Type genus of Ochnaceae.

65. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

DOWN 1. Small terrestrial lizard of warm regions of the Old World.

2. A heavy wooden pole (such as the trunk of a young fir) tossed as a test of strength (in the Highlands of Scotland).

3. A feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause).

4. An independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia).

5. A form of rummy using two decks and four jokers.

6. Any of various plants of the genus Althaea.

7. 4-wheeled motor vehicle.

8. A bloody and prolonged operation in which American marines landed and defeated Japanese defenders (February and March 1945).

9. The branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively.

10. The sixth month of the civil year.

11. A magic power or magic spell.

12. A hymn of praise (especially one sung in ancient Greece to invoke or thank a deity).

18. An Indian side dish of yogurt and chopped cucumbers and spices.

20. Toward the mouth or oral region.

21. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

24. A region of Malaysia in northeastern Borneo.

25. Angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object).

26. Sandwich filled with slices of bacon and tomato with lettuce.

29. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.

30. The basic unit of money on Malta.

31. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart.

33. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

34. An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.

35. Hungarian choreographer who developed Labanotation (1879-1958).

37. Characteristic of a baby.

38. The cry made by sheep.

40. A light touch or stroke.

44. (of complexion) Blemished by imperfections of the skin.

45. (usually followed by `to') Determined by tragic fate.

46. Of or related to the amnion or characterized by developing an amnion.

47. (Greek mythology) The Titaness who was mother of Helios and Selene and Eos in ancient mythology.

48. The capital and largest city of Yemen.

49. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

51. A primeval personification of air and breath.

53. A public area set aside as a pedestrian walk.

54. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

55. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy.

57. A dark-skinned member of a race of people living in Australia when Europeans arrived.

58. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) There is a drive to explore; research and organize today and this may find you examining and working through some strong internal changes. Push too hard and you could become dominating; careful. Being more involved with neighbors or sibling(s) satisfies a need for communication and being involved with others and having friends, etc. You can show a great deal of compassion and understanding to the needs of others today. You may find yourself involved in sharing stories or experiences that can bring about much laughter. Your self-expression accommodates your particular way of thinking. You are a natural when it comes to finding the answer to some difficulty. This evening you enjoy time spent with family members.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

Taking a look at your options in the workplace—you may decide it is time to put in for a better job. Plot your path for next week and determine to make moves that will help you improve your job situation and then list three things you can do at the beginning of the week to start the process. This may involve updating your resume or visiting the personnel department. You may decide that education is the key to where you want to go—check it out. Some family matters need your attention today and problem-solving techniques are easy for you to teach. Teaching your family how to ask the right questions and problem solutions will show you just how much you can teach adults in the working world. A family garden is a developing topic this evening.

Leo (July 23-August 22) This is a great time to be with others—to play or work together in some shared project. Part of this day is filled with opportunities to be with some intriguing people. This could mean a project in a religious setting or in a community volunteer group. There may be talk of some unique way to bring in some funds for this community group. You might even be asked to perform in a short movie that would be part of advertising for funds. Spend time this evening in preparing for your workweek ahead . . . there may be travel at short notice or visitors in your home.

Whatever happens should have all your attention and that can happen if you are prepared with food and clothing for next week. There is time this evening to read a story to a small person.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) This is a day when you feel exhausted from smiling and chatting and communicating without a break. This could mean you are enjoying a group vacation, but it may also mean that a group of you from work has gone to a seminar and it has turned into a group conference. Much will be gained from today no matter how you receive information. The exhausted feeling at the end of the day is from the constant input of information and confirmation. It is a good feeling to be helpful and it is also a good feeling to learn new and helpful things; particularly when it improves your life. A transition from high energy to a middle ground is called for before the evening meal and this might be obtained as you walk and listen to music through the earphones.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Your work or career is in real harmony with the rest of your life and you enjoy the interactions with professional acquaintances as well as your personal friends. Phone calls from co-workers are as welcome as your close friends and family. You never seem to meet a stranger and you are friendly to all.

Your persuasive abilities prevail and others listen to your line of thinking. Today may be a good time for a group gathering at a nearby food emporium or park if the weather allows, and a little group sports may follow. Young people enjoy your presence and a sense of fair play and sharing is a password that will get a person into your little group of merry people. At home this afternoon you may use that extra energy of yours to rearrange your living area.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You move past appearances in an effort to get beneath or behind any situation that comes to your attention today. You may find the occult, psychology, initiation and mysticism of great interest—perhaps a psychic fair would be fun. You are constantly involved in personal change and inner growth as a lifelong habit. Everything conspires to reveal you at your most elegant today, particularly in situations that find you with groups of people. Homeward bound! With you, the domestic scene is ideal. Marriage, children, animals or gardening is where someone can find you this afternoon. You like to feel secure and enjoy a little nurturing. Of course, when it comes to nurturing, you can dish it out as well. Listening to music with loved ones can be enjoyed tonight.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Yesterday’s Solution

An early worship service may have you hopping out of bed early this morning . . . perhaps you will make a music presentation or perhaps you are the one doing the teaching. Whatever the case, all will go well and you will be pleased with the results of your hard work. If you are in community surroundings and your presentation is more on the level of bringing people together in the community, your thinking is on the right path. Family members want a pet and if you are not in the pet sort of mood, you might suggest the programs that many of the zoos have where people can adopt an animal. In some programs, a little money will let you name the animal. Your light-hearted attitude may encourage some fun interaction with family members tonight.

Emotional considerations may block how you proceed with a project today. Sometimes an opportunity to work on a project when you have a day that is suitable my also have to be flexible when friends or family are present. If your project means safety or better conditions in the home or transportation you could make a list and then work down through the list. However, if the project is a work bench and the other person needs medical attention, then you can see which is most important. Situations at home may not be all you expected but know that everyday is different and brings with it joys as well as problems. You are learning to move a little more easily through your life and you teach others to do the same; the result is positive.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Everything points to your taking the initiative in a family or love partner’s activities. You are the inspiration and driving force in the lives of others. A born coach or teacher, you are at home in the physical and doing areas of life. You are quite able to manage a very active and strong emotional life.

Strong spirit, attractive, direct, perhaps loud—you are also driven to excel in any form of physical and creative expression—sports, theatrics, arts and crafts, whatever. This urge to express yourself, to speak out and be heard, propels you into many an interesting situation. Communicating and getting your message across to others is positive and successful. Your timing should be perfect and those around you should find you most passionate.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

Interaction with co-workers can be fun today. If you are not working, you may be in a sports competition with another team or at a work picnic. Your co-worker friends will find you most spontaneous, full of energy and agreeable to most anything. There is the possibility of new visions or sudden insights into your self-image or into your ideals and dreams. A co-worker friend becomes closer and may become a good advisor for you so that you can learn new ways to achieve and move up the corporate ladder.

There are breakthroughs in compassion and communion. The mind simply cannot focus on misery when it is flooded with the desire to heal and make happy; you are positive and mentally geared for success.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 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

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MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

li fe s ty le

Beckham hires armed guard to protect family

G O S S I P

Dolly Parton eats

junk food on weekends

avid Beckham has hired an armed bodyguard to protect his family. The soccer player - who has kids Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, eight, Cruz, six, and one-and-a-half month Harper Seven with wife Victoria - was spotted being protected by a minder, who was wearing an openly holstered pistol and is thought to be an off-duty policeman, on Malibu Beach in Los Angeles as his sons played in the water. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department told the Daily Star Sunday newspaper: “I can’t comment on any individual case, but the practice of celebrities hiring off-duty officers for private security purposes is common practice here.” Freelance photographer Mike Kamara saw the bodyguard and explained the gun was clearly visible on the outside of his clothes. He explained: “I didn’t notice him at first. He kept in the background very discreetly. But I noticed him when David walked over and handed him a plastic toy that the youngsters had been playing with. “I saw immediately that he was openly wearing a holstered pistol on his right hip. You couldn’t fail to see it against his blue cargo pants and white shirt.” The 36-year-old hunk and his family have been spending time on the beach since renting out movie director Steven Spielberg’s ocean-side mansion for the summer.

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Sturgess’ salad inspiration im Sturgess became an actor when he realized he was excited at the prospect of cutting up salad. The British actor - who stars alongside Anne Hathaway in the Lone Scherfig-directed romantic drama movie - had to take a series of jobs before he became famous, but a move to Manchester, North West Englian, led him in a new direction in life. He explained BANG Showbiz: “Before I sort of got anywhere near acting I worked in a restaurant.

I was a pot wash boy. Just like Emma in the story I got promoted to salad boy and I was really, really excited about that. Then I stepped back and thought, ‘My life can’t be that great if I’m that excited about being promoted to salad boy.’ “It was a knock, it made me think I need to do something else with my life. So I moved up to Manchester and joined a course there which really changed my life.” Jim recently revealed he enjoys acting alongside younger co-stars after having a great time filming with child actresses Eden and Kayla Mengelgrein, who shared the role of his daughter Jasmine in ‘One Day’. He said: “I actually enjoyed the scenes with the young girls who played Jasmine. “I really enjoyed pretending to have a daughter, and I like working with young people and trying to make it believable for them. You have to work a bit harder when you’re with kids.”

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he country music legend sticks to a low-carbohydrate diet throughout each week to maintain her slim figure, but allows herself treats on weekends when she goes out with her husband Carl Dean. The 65-year-old singer-andactress said: “I do have to watch my weight because I’m only 5ft and you can’t hold on to too

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much weight when you’re so short. “So I stay on a low-carb diet pretty much through the week and eat what I want on weekends. And of course nothing matters on Thanksgiving and Christmas!” But even if she is just going out to a local fast food restaurant near her Nashville home, Dolly always ensures she is dressed up because she likes to look

Cole moves into will.i.am’s Hollywood home

Price drained by marriage to Reid atie Price was “emotionally drained” after the break-up of her marriage to Alex Reid. The 33-year-old star - who called time on the couple’s relationship just 11 months after they tied the knot - admitted she “had no choice” but to give up on their union earlier this year, otherwise she would have become “damaged”. Katie - who was previously married to Peter Andre - said: “I find it really, really upsetting. I would not give up on a marriage without good reason.

Pete ended our marriage and I would not have done that to someone else unless I had no choice. “I had to get out of my marriage to Alex or I would have been damaged. I could-

K

n’t cope with it anymore. I was emotionally drained.” The former glamour model - who has three children, Harvey, nine, Junior, six and Princess, four, from previous relationships - thinks it was “fate” that she and Alex weren’t able to have kids, despite her undergoing fertility treatment. Katie - who is now dating Argentinean model Leandro Penna explained to Britain’s OK! magazine: “Alex and I were trying for a baby, but that was before he changed. I am very grateful for the children I have. It must have been fate, I was having IVF - it wasn’t meant to be. “But I am going to have more children. There’s no rush, things will happen when they happen.”

Katy B not confident about award win aty B doesn’t think she will win the Barclaycard Mercury Prize. The 22-year-old singer is nominated alongside Adele and Tinie Tempah for the prestigious award - which recognizes the best British albums of the last 12 months and has previously been won by Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons and Franz Ferdinand - and although she is “happy” her debut album ‘On a Mission’ has been put forward she does not expect to be crowned the victor at the London ceremony on September 6. She said: “I really don’t think I’ll win it but I’m just happy to be nominated. It’s a great award because it’s about recognizing the album rather than it being about a single or being a big seller. It’s all about the music.” Although she is enjoying her success, which includes her debut LP hitting number two in the UK album chart and three top 10 hits, Katy admits she does crave a quieter life on occasions. She added: “I always said that I’d move out of the city, get a farm, a nice vegetable patch and find a man who loves me and I’ll write songs on my piano.”

Bridges meditates daily K eff Bridges meditates almost every day as it brings the right “dynamics” into your life. The ‘True Grit’ actor finds the Buddhist practice particularly soothing and it helps give him focus in his personal life and in his work. He said: “I meditated yesterday morning. I skipped today because I got up late, but it’s very effective for me. It’s good to block out external stimulus for a set amount of time, because, for one thing, it enhances the experience when you are stimulated by something. It brings dynamics to your life.” Jeff first became interested in meditation in the 70s when he worked with psychoanalyst John Lilly, and was a pioneer of using an isolation tank to meditate. He added to Q magazine: “He developed the isolation tank and I was one of his subjects when he was experimenting it. The idea was to explore what consciousness is when you take away all of the senses and you’re floating. You discover you that you’re projecting a lot of energy from within you, but normally you can’t distinguish it.”

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good for her husband at all times. The blonde star - who is famous for her huge fake breasts and over-the-top outfits - explained: “I don’t want to look good for everyone else and like a slouch for him! So even if we’re just driving around in our RV camper and hitting all the local fast food joints I’ll tease my hair and put it up in a little scrunchie.”

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heryl Cole is reportedly moving into will.i.am’s Hollywood home. The Girls Aloud singer - who has not been seen in public following revelations her ex-husband Ashley Cole bedded a string of women days before they were thought to have reconciled - is set to reside with her manager when she is in America because she is “sick” of staying in Los Angeles hotel rooms. A source close to the ‘Parachute’ hitmaker told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: “Cheryl is sick to death of staying in hotels when she’s in LA. “She’s seen some great houses. But she is worried about being lonely when her mum and brother Garry aren’t around. Will suggested she move in with him while she gets settled and has even said she is welcome for all of her stay.” Will’s home contains a recording studio, which will enable the 28-year-old stunner to sample some songs with the Black Eyed Peas singer. A source added: “By staying at Will’s she’ll be able to play around with tracks with him. Cheryl was hesitant at first but then realized it made perfect sense.” Will and Cheryl recently spent some quality time on holiday in the south of France - and the 36-year-old uploaded a picture of himself and the brunette beauty - whose maiden name is Tweedy - to his twitter account. He also tweeted: “It’s me and the “Tweety Nird” in Cannes, France... Me and Cheryl Cole in the south of France having fun. (sic)” But he later corrected himself, adding: “My last tweet I had a typo. I put “tweedy nird” but meant “tweedy bird”. B and N are close...ooops. (sic)”

Suvari praises Clarke ena Suvari would “love” to work with director Noel Clarke again. The American actress came over to the UK to work on forthcoming movie ‘The Knot’ - which British star Noel directs and stars in - and she was very impressed by the up-andcoming filmmaker. She exclusively told BANG Showbiz: “Noel Clarke is great!

The movie centers around a wedding

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and so the groom’s side, the bride’s side, everyone coming together for this event. It’s really funny. “I play one of the bridesmaids, it was a lot of fun. Noel is great, and so talented. He wrote this and starred in it. I really admire him. I’d love to be able to work with him again in the future.” Noel - who has starred in sci-fi T V series ‘Doctor Who’, gritty London crime movie ‘Kidulthood’ and

Ian Dury biopic ‘Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll’ - is not the only British star Mena has enjoyed working with. The 32-yearold screen beauty loved hanging out with Colin Firth when they worked together on 2004 ‘Trauma’ because he is an “absolute sweetheart”. She added: “The last time I was in London I was there working on this film with Colin Firth called ‘Trauma’. He’s very down to

earth and an absolute sweetheart. It was an honor and a pleasure to work with him.” Mena is helping Captain Morgan search for buccaneering crew mates for The Captain’s Island challenge, a legendary Caribbean adventure where crews can challenge for a share of a $15,000 bounty. To join up, visit the Captain Morgan Facebook page. —Bang showbiz

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Years

lifestyle

Chicago camp teaches

kids Blues 101, against daunting odds

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Brady Corcoran, 13, looks at a guitar while visiting a shop.

f you didn’t know better, you’d think Lady Gaga was in the house and the kids were piling in to catch a glance.

But these kids are different. Sure, they’ve got guitars strapped over their shoulders and anticipation in their eyes. They’re buzzing as they pour into the auditorium, but the star they’re seeking doesn’t exactly get recognized on the streets. Not even here at home, in Chicago.

He’s a tall and slender bluesman in a suit, no tie, a hat tipped back on his head.

And the kids have traveled from New York and Los Angeles, Memphis and South Bend and points between for the privilege of spending a few days with him. They fervently believe that he — and his colleagues — can teach them the one thing they hold most precious in their young musical lives: the blues. Not the music of Lady Gaga or Kanye West or Common but of BB King and Buddy Guy andDavid “Honeyboy” Edwards. At 9 am on a recent Monday, the bluesman who has drawn them here, Chicago singer-guitarist Fernando Jones, takes to the stage of the Music Center at Columbia College Chicago, and the room quickly pipes down. Showtime. “I’m Mr Jones and welcome to Blues Camp,” he says to 70 kids ages 7 to 18, plus parents, grandparents, teachers, teaching assistants, techies and hangers-on.

“This is not ‘American Idol,’ so at no point in time will any instructor hurt your feelings,” continues Jones, 47. “We need new life and new blood in the blues. The blues will never die, because of you.”

Or so Jones hopes. Having dedicated his life to the music, he fears it’s quickly vanishing in a popular culture defined by rap, hip-hop, rock — everything but the blues. Rather than accept that demise, Jones designed a strategy to try to reverse it: Convene a free Blues Camp (underwrit-

(From left) Fernando Jones, conducts a class as Darryn Azevedo, 12, sings at a Blues Camp organized by Jones at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois, this summer. — MCT photos

Fernando Jones speaks to students on the opening day of a Blues Camp. ten by $70,000 in sponsorships) where kids can get a rare chance to study the music with the men and women who live it. He tells the house that this morning — and each morning of Blues Camp — will begin with the singing of “ The StarSpangled Banner,” “because nothing is more American than the blues,” Jones says.

After the room struggles through the national anthem, Jones starts reciting his self-styled “Blues Pledge,” asking the kids to repeat each line after him.

Which they do — robustly.

I am somebody.

I am a musician.

A musician is a person that makes music.

A good musician listens.

And a musician that listens, learns.

And a musician that learns, earns.

With that, the kids scatter to a dozen classrooms throughout the building, to try to learn the blues — and rescue it.

The formidable Chicago singer-guitarist Fruteland Jackson, 58, grew up in Mississippi and has played Delta blues around the world, but he never faced quite the musical chaos that’s erupting in Room 408 of Columbia College’s Music Center. A group of kids — mostly beginners — has jammed into a space too small to accommodate them all comfortably, and everyone’s riffing at once.

They ’re ostensibly tr ying to learn Jimmy Reed’s “Baby What You Want Me To Do,” but they can’t even agree on where “A” is. “When you come here, you make sure your guitar is tuned and your shoes are tied,” Jackson tells them, in a refrain he will be repeating — to his despair — throughout the week. “This first tune is what we call a shuffle,” he continues, referring to a loose, forward-pressing beat. “This is an E shuffle — when people ask what key you’re in, you’re in the people’s key: E.” Jackson may be in the people’s key, but the people in the room are not in Jackson’s key, or any key, for that matter. The young

Dave Banks, 18, plays guitar in class during a Blues Camp. drummer has put on headphones to protect his ears, but they’re working a tad too well, and he can’t lock in with his peers. If this is the future of the blues, the future sounds scary. “You’re supposed to be the funniest guy here, you gotta be the loosest guy here,” Jackson tells his bassist, Peyton McDowell, who will be turning 9 in a few days.

Peyton surprises everyone by quickly finding the bounce in the beat — “Nobody can’t play the blues,” he says later, beaming. But Peyton and his impromptu bandmates clearly aren’t speaking the same language. In coming days, Jackson will scold and beg and command his kids to focus, to realize the gravity of what they’re undertaking.

“Discipline — it means you do it every day, even when you don’t feel like it,” he’ll say, when it’s obvious the students haven’t practiced the night before. But Jackson’s words routinely are overwhelmed by highdecibel noise. Just down the hall in Room 411, however, the advanced kids clearly

Director Sofia Coppola weds in southern Italy F

ilmmaker Sofia Coppola went back to her roots for her wedding Saturday, marrying rocker Thomas Mars in the remote, southern Italian town where her greatgrandfather was born. Coppola’s famous filmmaker father, Francis Ford Coppola, escorted the 40-year-old Sofia down the aisle to a waiting Mars, lead singer of the French band Phoenix and the father of their two young daughters.

The early evening ceremony took place in the garden of the palazzo that the elder Coppola renovated in the historic center of Bernalda, a city near the Gulf of Taranto in Italy’s Basilicata region, according to Mayor Leonardo Chiruzzi who performed the ceremony.

“Everything went well,” Chiruzzi told The Associated Press afterwards. “It was simple, calm, in the garden.” The bride wore a sheer, lavender tulle dress and Mars a gray suit with a flower in the lapel. The bride and her father were preceded down the aisle by the couple’s older daughter and other children. After Coppola and Mars said their “si” in the civil service, she tossed her bouquet and a friend caught it, Chiruzzi said.

The newlyweds and the father of the bride, wearing a white linen suit and pink shirt, then popped out of the palazzo briefly to greet onlookers. She was holding a glass of bubbly. Its her second marriage; she divorced fellow filmmaker Spike Jonze in 2003.

Bernalda, near the UNESCO-recognized troglodyte settlement of Matera to the north, was home to Francis Ford Coppola’s grandfather, Agostino, before he emigrated to

Sofia Coppola

People gather in front of the historic palazzo hosting the wedding of filmmaker Sofia Coppola.

Francis Ford Coppola signs autographs prior to the wedding of his daughter Sofia, in the southern Italian town of Bernalda.

are taking flight. Two precocious artists, 15-year-old Steen Schmidt, from Queens, NY, and 18-year-old Dave Banks, from southwest suburban Elwood, are wailing feverishly on electric guitars, while 17year-old singer Lara Antonello, of Skokie, Ill., offers luscious — if tentative — tones at all tempos. Not bad, considering she never has sung the blues in front of anyone before this day.

The students’ ideas may not be original, but they inarguably know the music, how to transform it, where the sweet notes are.

No one, however, rattles the place like 11year-old Ray Goren, from the Los Angeles area. He plays electric guitar — and sings — with a fluency, ease and depth of expression that defy easy explanation.

When he jams with other kids (most older and significantly taller than him), he usually becomes de facto leader, cueing solos and directing the proceedings by dint of his prowess on guitar.—MCT

the United States at the turn of the last century. Chiruzzi said the wedding was simple by design.

“If they wanted to do a Hollywood wedding, they wouldn’t have done it here,” Chiruzzi said by phone on the eve of the nuptials. “(They) chose to do it here because it’s here it’s here that is beautiful.” He stressed the low-key nature of the event. The ANSA news agency said guests included Johnny Depp and Talia Shire, the bride’s aunt, who is best known for her roles in her brother’s “The Godfather” films and as Sylvester Stallone’s girlfriend Adrian in “Rocky.”

A dinner was planned to be followed by cake, made to serve about 100 people. It was a simple vanilla cake with

Roman Coppola walks prior to the wedding of his sister Sofia.

chantilly cream, decorated with white flowers and prepared by the chef at the Magna Grecia hotel in Bernalda, said Biagio Loiudice, who runs the hotel.

“They came in last week and chose the cake,” he said by telephone. “It’s not high, very simple. They preferred simplicity.” Sofia Coppola’s 2003 film “Lost in Translation” won the filmmaker an Academy Award for original screenplay and made her the third woman ever nominated for a directing Oscar. Her 2010 film “Somewhere,” about an actor who sees the emptiness of his existence through the eyes of his child, won the top Golden Lion prize at the Venice film festival last year. The elder Coppola has become something of a spokesman for Basilicata, a mostly poor region located on the “arch” of boot-shaped Italy. In a promotional video for the area, he reminisced about his grandfather’s tales about Bernalda and extolled Basilicata’s unspoiled - and largely unknown - beauty and culture.

He is planning on turning the Bernalda palazzo where the wedding took place, “Palazzo Margherita,” into a luxury boutique hotel. Nearby Matera is on UNESCO’s world heritage list, prized as an example of a traditional human settlement that dates from Palaeolithic times. The famous sassi, caves dug into the soft tufa rock that gives Matera the look of ancient Jerusalem, were used as primitive, oneroom homes and remain a tourist draw today. —AP

Actress who was Piglet for Soviet children dies

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ctress Iya Savvina, the voice behind the Soviet era cartoon version of Piglet in AA Milne’s classic “Winnie-the-Pooh” books, has died at the age of 75, Russian news agencies reported yesterday. For generations of children hers was the high-pitched voice of Piglet in the much loved cartoons which are still regularly aired on television.

The three Soviet cartoons of Milne’s books, released from 1969 to 1971, presented a very different vision to the Disney version, with deliberately clunky animation and a quirky tone appreciated by adults as well as children. In an interview in Sobesednik magazine in February, Savvina said she based the voice of Piglet on that of her favorite poet, Bella Akhmadulina, simply speeding it up. Akhmadulina was not offended, and called Savvina to thank her for a “lovely little piglet,” she said. She was also an acclaimed theatre and screen actress, notably starring in the feted film version of Chekhov’s short story “The Lady With the Little Dog”. In Iosif Kheifits’ atmospheric 1960 film, which won a special prize at the Cannes film festival, she played the title role of a bored young wife Other notable cinema roles included the drab housewife Dolly in Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina,” in which Tatyana Samoilova played the lead.

Russia’s ruling tandem led tributes yesterday after Savvina’s death was announced, with the cause not immediately named. “Her original dramatic talent, mastery and charm won the public’s universal love,” President Dmitry Medvedev said, while Prime Minister Vladimir Putin praised her “brilliant works.” Born in the provincial city of Voronezh, Savvina studied journalism at Moscow State University before becoming an actress and continued to write theatre reviews.

She started out at the Mossoviet Theatre and then joined the Moscow Art Theatre in 1977, never retiring before her death. She was awarded the honorific title of People’s Artist of the Soviet Union in 1990. Unusually in the Soviet Union, Savvina brought up her son, Sergei Shestakov, who has Down’s syndrome, herself rather than handing him to a state institution at birth as was then the norm. The Moscow Art Theatre said in a statement that the time and place of her funeral would be announced later.—AFP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

lifestyle T R A V E L

Crowds at Bowdoin museum for

Edward Hopper’s Maine

This image courtesy of Colby College shows Berenice Abbott’s “Canyon: Broadway and Exchange Place,” 1936, gelatin silver print, National Gallery of Art, gift of Marvin Breckinridge Patterson. —AP photos

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n exhibit of Edward Hopper’s paintings of Maine is breaking attendance records at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Brunswick, but it’s just one of three topnotch shows at museums around Maine this summer and fall. Combine a trip to see all three - the others are an Andrew Wyeth show at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland and a 1930s photography exhibit at Colby College in Waterville - with shopping in Freeport, the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, leaf-peeping, dining and maybe a trip to a spa, and you’ve got an ideal itinerary for a September getaway.

In Maine and many other places, leisure travel takes on a more grown-up flavor after the kids are back to school.

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens not surprisingly gets more visitors age 55 and up after Labor Day, especially on weekdays, but September is also a lush time of year to see the garden.

Perennials have had the whole season to grow, flowers stay in bloom through early fall, and the trees start to take on color. Follow a visit to the garden with a lobster lunch in Boothbay Harbor for a perfect day.

Brunswick is having a busy season with crowds coming in for “Edward Hopper’s Maine,” on view at the Bowdoin museum through Oct. 16. “It has indeed broken our records many times over, with total attendance in the first month of the show being open (July 15 to Aug. 15) reaching just under 15,000, plus a one-day high of almost 1,200 people on Aug 16,” said Diana Tuite, co-curator of the exhibit, which was organized in association with the Whitney Museum of American Art. The show includes 30 small oil paintings of Monhegan Island, a popular tourist destination in Maine, as well as larger canvases and watercolors of classic New England scenes like lighthouses and the rocky coast. Why is the exhibit proving so popular? “People love seeing work that they are not familiar with by an artist that they think they know,” Tuite said. “So many of the works in the show, particularly the 30 small Monhegan oils

from 1916 through 1919, were not exhibited in Hopper’s lifetime, and continue to exist outside the standard narrative of his career. This is the first time that they are being shown as a nearly complete series. And the color and paint handling really astonishes people.

I also think people who are in Maine

This October 2009 photo courtesy of Robert Mitchell for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens shows a natural wooden bridge in the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses during fall foliage at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine. right now, or are passing through, are responding to the same things outdoors that Hopper was, particularly the light.”

The museum exterior is also worth a look. The building is an 1894 architectural treasure designed by McKim, Mead and White. And tip your hat to the statue of Joshua Chamberlain, a Bowdoin president who commanded Union troops when the South surrendered in the Civil

If you go...

B

owdoin college museum of art: 9400 College Station, Brunswick; http://www.bowdoin.edu/art-museum/ or 207-725-3275. “Edward Hopper’s Maine” through Oct 16. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am -5 pm (Thursday to 8:30 pm); Sunday, noon-5 pm. Free admission.

Coastal maine botanical gardens: Boothbay; http://www.mainegardens.org/ or 207-633-4333. Daily, 9 am-5 pm, $12.

Colby college museum of art: 5600 Mayflower Hill, Waterville; http://www.colby.edu/museum/ or 207-859-5600. “American Modern: Abbott, Evans, Bourke-White” through Oct 2. Tuesday Saturday, 10 am-5 pm; Sunday, noon-5 pm. Free admission.

Farnsworth art museum: 16 Museum St, Rockland; http://www.farnsworthmuseum.org/ or 207-596-6457. “Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World and the Olson House” through Oct 30. Daily 10 am -5 pm (Wednesdays, until 8 pm), $12. (Combination ticket with tour of nearby Olson House, $17; location, hours, details on website.)

Hidden pond: 354 Goose Rocks Road, Kennebunkport; http://www.hiddenpondmaine.com or 207-967-9050. Fall package including two nights, dinner for two, two spa treatments, taxes and tip, $599.50 per person.

FREEPORT: http://www.freeportusa.com

File photo shows Judith Strimel, as she reads an introduction to a Andrew Wyeth exhibit at the Farnsworth Art museum.

War; it’s located at the corner of campus, Maine Street and Bath Road. Finally, don’t miss Brunswick’s Gelato Fiasco at 74 Maine St, with flavors like baklava, blueberries and cream, gingersnap and dark chocolate noir.

At the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, “American Modern: Abbott, Evans, Bourke-White” is on view through

Oct 2. The show of 117 photographs from the 1930s by Berenice Abbott, Margaret Bourke-White and Walker Evans comes to Maine after a run at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The documentary-style images range from portraits of poor families surviving the Great Depression, documented for the Works Progress Administration, to shots of gleaming skyscrapers and nascent symbols of corporate America, commissioned by private companies and magazines. The images provide a thought-provoking contrast to the photos in “Andrew Moore: Detroit Disassembled,” also on display at Colby, capturing Detroit’s recent industrial decline.

A third outstanding museum show in Maine this summer and fall is “Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World and the Olson House” at the Farnsworth Art Museum’s Wyeth Center in Rockland, through Oct. 30. You’ll have to go to the Museum of Modern Art in New York to see Wyeth’s original “Christina’s World,” which shows Christina Olson, a crippled woman who lived in the nearby town of Cushing, dragging herself across a field toward her family farmhouse. But the exhibit in Rockland offers a rare opportunity to see 50 other paintings and drawings Wyeth produced over 30 years depicting the Olsons and their home.

The farmhouse was declared a National Historic Landmark last month, and a tour of the home offers insight into the artist’s relationship with the Olsons and the choices he made in creating his paintings. Rockland is also home to many fine restaurants, including Primo at 2 S Main St, expensive but highly regarded. Reservations for the dining room go fast, but you can order off a small plates menu upstairs at the

bar.

Other tourism news coming out of Maine this season includes a new way to enjoy spa treatments - from a treehouse at Hidden Pond, part of the Kennebunkport Resort Collection. The three climate-controlled spa treatment rooms in a treehouse setting opened in June and offer a view of paper birch, red oak, pine, maple and juniper trees. “It has a really neat feel,” said Debbie Lennon, operating partner of the properties. “If you’re looking out that picture window, you’re looking into the forest.”

Lennon said September and October are a “perfect time for couples” to visit Maine, adding that tourist demographics change once kids are back in school, not only with fewer families, but also with a wider geographic spread: “Summer is New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, but as you move into September, it’ll widen to Florida, Texas, the Midwest. We even enjoy an influx of couples from Europe.”

Hidden Pond guests get first crack at spa appointments, with guests at other Kennebunkport Resort properties next, followed by members of the public.

Lennon said it’s warm enough in southern Maine in September to allow for “quite a bit of beach activity” (though heated pools are also an option).

Peak foliage in Kennebunkport is generally the third week of September to mid-October, but those looking to chase leaf color earlier would do well to head inland. Route 201 North, also called the Old Canada Road, between Skowhegan and Quebec, is a lovely if somewhat remote fall drive. Watch out for moose! Finally, don’t forget shopping. Freeport is home to L.L. Bean and over 200 outlets, boutiques, hotels and restaurants.

Sheboygan, Wis, for the weekend

By Jenniffer Weigel

“O

f all places for you to go on vacation, why Sheboygan?” my friend asked when I explained that I was planning to take my 5-year-old away for a weekend in Wisconsin. “What else do they have besides bratwurst?”

Apparently quite a bit. I’ve driven past Sheboygan many times but never gotten off the highway to explore. The goal for my getaway was to find somewhere that had activities for my son, decent food for me, an appealing atmosphere and a reasonable price tag. The initial draw to this harbor town was how close it is to Chicago. A straight shot north up Interstate Highway 94 to I43, the drive time was slightly less than 2 { hours, even including a bathroom stop. I made it to Sheboygan and back on less than one tank of gas.

To share expenses, I asked my friend Karen and her son to join us. Priority No 1 for the kiddos was the water park at The Blue Harbor Resort (866-701-2583, blueharborresort.com), where we booked a room. I was shocked at the immensity of this hotel. Knowing of its kid-magnet, 43,000square-foot indoor water park, I was surprised to find that it’s also a popular destination for business conferences. There are condos, villas, a spa, four restaurants and a snack bar.

Our room could sleep six and had a view of Lake Michigan. At $230 a night, it was a little steep, but that’s where teaming up with a friend came in handy. Plus, the price included passes for the water park, which had a wading pool for babies, simple slides for toddlers and two giant water rides for adults and teens. There also was a snack bar serving food and adult beverages.

For our first meal, we decided to find a traditional Friday fish fry. The Duke of Devon (920458-7900, dukeofdevonpub.com) sits on the riverfront harbor before the Sheboygan River snakes into Lake Michigan. Billed as an “authentic English pub,” it looked the part yet was kidfriendly. Brew-loving parents will appreciate the large beer menu heavy on ales and stouts. Prefer a single-malt Scotch? There are 11 kinds. The fish was a tad greasy but tasty, and the kids enjoyed cheeseburgers.

Dessert was back at the resort when the staff organized a marshmallow roast by a bonfire on the east side of the hotel. Parents can sit in Adirondack chairs as kids play catch or listen to story time.

We hit downtown Sheboygan on Saturday morning. On Eighth Street we found diversions to keep everybody happy, with a children’s museum, several specialty shops and a sprawling farmers market on the town square. The market takes place every Wednesday and Saturday through October. Vendors offer organic food, fruits, vegetables, crafts and other local specialties, but prices don’t have to break you; bunches of herbs go for $1, and brat lovers can get their fix while listening to live music, which changes weekly.

For our meal we went to Field to Fork on Eighth Street (920-694-0322, fieldtoforkcafe.com). The breakfast/lunch restaurant features natural and organic ingredients from local farms. Karen and I indulged in fresh wheat grass from the juice bar while the kids filled up on fruit smoothies and French toast with maple butter sauce. A highlight was “The Big John,” an egg creation I’d ordered with chicken sausage, Swiss cheese and onions served on homemade toast.

As we ate, my son asked: “Why is there a hole in the floor?” Looking through the hole, I noticed a cheese cave covered in glass. Next to the cave was the Field to Fork Grocery, with plenty of local cheeses, specialty meats and homemade pastries. Later I carefully selected a variety of fresh muffins to take with us.

Walking several blocks on Eighth Street proved to be hard on 5-year-old feet, but the

Whimsical birdhouses are up for sale at the Farmers’ Market in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

—MCT photos

The Field to Fork restaurant offers visitors a glimpse of its cheese cave .

many places to stop along the route made it well worth exploring. The vintage architecture downtown is charming and well-restored. A large banner hanging from a street lamp advertised “The First Annual Harbor Fest,” one of many summer festivals along the lake (visitsheboygan.com).

We had our next destination. “Will they have ponies there?” my son asked. We went to find out.—MCT

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Poker pro hoards 1,200 pairs of lavish soles

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ou’d think the most interesting thing about Bryn Mawr, Pa mother Beth Shak is that she’s a worldclass poker champ who once won $328,683 in a tournament, one of the biggest jackpots ever won by a woman.

But her poker-playing skills aren’t what landed her in a recent documentary next to Fergie and ex-Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland, or on NBC’s “Today” and in the pages of Women’s Wear Daily.

It was her shoes, all 1,200 pairs of them, the biggest private collection in the country according to Thierry Daher, whose film, “God Save My Shoes,” examines women’s relationships to their footwear. If that’s not enough to knock you off your six-inch stilettos, consider that 700 of Shak’s shoes are Christian Louboutins. He’s the man behind one of her favorite pairs, $4,000-plus rose-gold heels with spiky straps and Swarovski crystals that only she, Victoria Beckham, and 10 other people own.

“Every time I wear them, I have people who try to take them off my feet,” she

said with an impish smile. And though the petite, girlish Shak looks nothing like Beyonce, ankles down she could pass for the superstar’s twin when they wear their matching pairs of French black-lace Louboutins with gold Swarovski crystals.

Shak, 43, is standing in her sitting room-turned-shoe closet, which houses the cream of the crop: the Louboutins, the Steigers, the Blahniks, the YSLs. There are three other closets stuffed with older models or those of a lesser provenance.

Today, she is wearing scarlet suede strappy Louboutins to match a simple red dress, which serves to highlight the fabulous footwear. She spent the day with a film crew from “Today” in her house and even dashed off to Saks Fifth Avenue so they could shoot her buying-what else?

— a pair of shoes.

Despite the attention that comes with being a poker pro and shoe hoarder, not to mention a one-time contestant on Bravo’s “The Millionaire Matchmaker,” Shak considers herself “just a mom of three kids who lives in Bryn Mawr,” even if

the kids tell her, rightly, that she’s not the average Main Line soccer mom.

Though Shak has loved shoes since she was a little girl, she began seriously collecting in her 20s and concedes that her shoe-buying binge was an easy, if expensive, pick-me-up during some

rocky times. “I was filling a void in my life.

It turned into love/obsession,” said Shak, who grew up in Elkins Park, Pa., and is divorced from an oil-futures trader who is a world-class poker player himself.

“Now I’m in a better place, I buy less.”

But she still scores new shoes every

Beth Shak is posing for photo holding one of her favorite shoes at her Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania home, July 27, 2011. —MCT

time she competes in a poker tournament-next up is Cannes in October, if you are listening, Christian-which may explain why she recently gave away about 200 pairs and is looking to donate a few hundred more to charity. Raise your hand if you’re a size seven.

“You can only have so much of anything,” said Shak, who also has an apartment conveniently located on Fifth Avenue in New York, a Mecca for retail therapy. She won’t reveal her favorite designer-you can probably guess-but says YSLs are the most comfortable. She can’t remember her first designer purchase and loses track of what she owns.

“Oh, I forgot about these,” she said of a pair of black-and-green Jimmy Choos as she looked through a third-floor closet of to-die-for shoes that she rarely visits anymore.

And while Shak never used to leave the house without balancing on heels, she now permits herself the occasional foray in Lanvin ballet flats and even flipflops. —MCT

What’s your closet telling you?

W

Monica Riley is shown before her consulting. (Right) Monica Riley is shown after her consulting.

e asked a few folks to dive into their closets and answer two simple questions: Count the number of clothing items you own and estimate the percentage you wear regularly. The results continued to come for weeks as people took a deep breath and dared to count. In all, about 100 people sent us their tally. The results ranged from Charmaine Buchholz, who has more than 1,000 items and wondered if she was a “shopaholic,” to Lori High, a single mom of twin girls, with 65 items in her closet who didn’t have enough time or energy to shop. Of course, a handful of readers wrote in to say that they weren’t prepared to face their number. Joy Christensen said that she still had clothing from her high school days in the 1970s and she couldn’t decide what was worse, “counting or knowing how much I have.”

She decided that ignorance was bliss. So did Charlotte Moret, who said that she sent the story to her sister but was too overwhelmed to start counting herself.

And then there were readers such as Michele Christian who insisted that they didn’t need to count because she has a system in which she wears 100 percent of her clothes, donates anything not worn in a year and feels quite happy about it.

In the end, we found that our participants had an average of 247 clothing items each-give or take a few more things lurking in the laundry hamper or cedar chest. Yet, the overwhelming majority of respondents were somehow unhappy with the clothing they owned or at least the clothing they wore on a daily basis no matter how much or how little they owned.

Not everyone offered a percentage worn number, but most hovered around 20 percent to 30 percent. We met with three people who let us rummage around in their closets. We diagnosed what seemed to be their wardrobe malfunction and took them shopping thanks to donations from Kohl’s, Women’s Closet Exchange and the ScholarShop.

Each woman got her own volunteer wardrobe consultation with a style expert. Although they each seemed to have diverse problems-too much stereotypical business attire, too much athletic wear, too much jersey-they each had the same problem: They were all trapped in a comfort zone that made their wardrobe dated, predictable and boring. All of the stylists suggested that the women explore adding more color, some pattern, more simple summer dresses and more fun.

(Left) Carol Frazen is shown before her consulting with a fashion stylist.

(Right) Carol Frazen is shown with her children Aibgail and Drew after her consulting with a fashion stylist.

— MCT photos

and ditch the brown because it’s a recipe for blah on brown skin. Then he asked her for three words that she would use to describe the style she wanted to project. Ray took a while to ponder the question and eventually settled on the words: “classy,” “beautiful” and “wow.” It made it much easier to go through her closet item-by-item and weed out things that didn’t meet those standards. She ended up donating four trash bags of clothing to charity after Addae’s visit. Much of it was clothing that she hadn’t worn in a while, didn’t fit well or suddenly made her think, “I really don’t like that, I don’t know why it’s still in here.”

Shopping trip: Women’s Closet Exchange, 11575 Gravois Road, St Louis.

Top purchases: A bright red and white skirt that instantly brought a smile to her face; a bold red dress (no jacket required); multicolored, three-quarter sleeve Diane von Furstenberg top that also required no jacket; berry colored loafers for casual days.

Future shopping wish list items: Crisp white long-sleeved button up; nude heels; multicolored career heels to spice up her suits; jewel-tone cardigans (to wear instead of jackets); dark-wash straight leg jeans; and a collection of belts.

What Ray learned: “I learned that I’ve been closing myself off with my choices. I was thinking there was only one way to look professional, but I was looking dated. I don’t have to dress as conservatively as I do. And I can wear color.”

Our closet cases Cassandra Ray Director of finance at the St Louis Zoo, 47, married, St Peters, Mo. Closet count: 328 Closet revelations: She didn’t own anything that didn’t “go with” something elseevery jacket had a matching skirt or pant, every shirt was worn with a specific jacket and matching bottom. About 95 percent of her outfits involved a jacket. Most of the items in her closet were black, brown, white or animal print (she works at a zoo, remember).

Anything that didn’t have a matching coordinate was worn with a half dozen or so black pants. Her closet was dominated by fall and winter items, nearly all of her fabric choices were too heavy for July in the Midwest (but she wears them anyway).

Her wardrobe consultant: Godfried Addae of The Urbane Gentleman, image consulting firm, theurbanegentleman.com.

Addae’s advice: “You have a lot of safe choices in here. Not the wrong choices necessarily, but a lot of safe choices. It’s OK to dress for business, but you can have more fun doing it.” He told her to embrace jewel tone colors

Carol Frazen Stay-at-home mom with in-home hair salon, 33, married, Altamont, Ill. Closet count: 64 Closet revelation: Her closet was full of ultra-casual attire because they are on a strict budget and she buys what she knows she’ll wear to clean, play with the kids, prepare meals and run to the store. She submitted her closet count because, “My husband just recently made a comment about my sweatpant outfits that he sees me in every day when he comes home from work.” Frazen didn’t seem to have much in her wardrobe that had structure-everything was soft tanks, tees and, yes, sweatpants.

Wardrobe consultant: Lyndsy Walker, stylist/set costumer/personal shopper and former fashion designer Walker’s advice: “We need to dress up your casual mom look. You can be comfortable and look pretty and even sexy, too.

Where are your dresses?” Walker told her that casual doesn’t have to look sloppy. She said that summer dresses are great because they are lightweight one-piece, no-stress outfits that are perfect for moms. She also said that

Drummond’s advice: “We gotta get you some color. You’ve got a great shape that’s too nice to hide in these off-white clothes. People should notice you. You’re that cute.” He noticed that she didn’t have many tops that weren’t basic pale-colored tank tops, polos or T-shirts, and he wanted her to get some dressier-looking separates to class up her wardrobe. His focus was shifting away from the athletic attire and punching up her preppy, casual wear.

Shopping trip: ScholarShop, 8211 Clayton Road (upscale resale shop), St Louis Top purchases: Black and white print Diane von Furstenberg dress (Riley wore it the following week to New York and felt quite cosmopolitan); navy and white printed skirt; fuchsia cardigan.

Her shopping wish list items: After walking away with a treasure trove of items handpicked by Drummond that included 10 tops, four belts and three skirts from the ScholarShop, she didn’t “need” much more to revive her wardrobe. Drummond suggested that she focus on a few sandals and low-heels in varying colors.

He said she also could add in some acces-

short-sleeve button-up shirts that tuck into city shorts would be a great alternative to tank tops and sweat pants.

Shopping trip: Kohl’s Top purchases: Casual black and white sleeveless dress that could be dressed up or down; a button-up navy camp shirt; gray city shorts; and a pair of open-toed blush colored low heels for a dress or to dress up jeans.

Future shopping wish list items: More casual dresses, dressy canvas shoes or sandals (to replace her favorite well-worn flip-flops), city shorts in various colors and colorful cardigans to take her summer dresses into fall.

What Frazen learned: “I didn’t think about not owning any real shorts or solid clothing before” (nearly everything in her closet was jersey knit). She said that because of her petite hourglass shape, she’s always worried about what wasn’t flattering, but wasn’t focusing enough on what could be flattering.

Monica Riley Stay-at-home mom with son graduating high school and part-time personal organizer, married, 55, Kirkwood, Mo. Closet count: 86 Closet revelation: She owned a stack of tan capris and more than a week’s worth of white tees.

There were no casual dresses in her wardrobe, no dark jeans and very little color or patterns.

Her closet felt like she was missing adult items.

Much of it looked like she wanted to be ready to step onto a tennis court at a moment’s notice, which is not a bad thing, but it didn’t leave her particularly inspired or excited about getting dressed.

Wardrobe consultant: Michael Drummond, “Project Runway” alum and fashion designer of the Exquisite Corpse, thexquisitecorpse.com.

(Left) Cassandra Ray is shown before her consulting. (Above) Cassandra Ray is shown after her consulting.

sories, but nothing she couldn’t collect gradually over time.

What Riley learned: “I have an idea of what to look for now. I never would have picked out these things. I had no idea. I kept buying what I always bought.” Drummond suggested that she get some dye from Artmart and add some color to her stable of white tees because Riley said that she was crafty. The very next day, she dyed a shirt a lovely shade of cobalt. She said that she had been worried that she was dressing like an “old lady,” but Drummond said that she was just dressing too casual. Being a little more stylish and classic instantly invigorated her look-making her less dowdy and more hip. —MCT

Director Sofia Coppola weds in southern Italy

MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 2011

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Carnival poses test for UK police after riots

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evelers took to London’s streets yesterday for one of Europe’s biggest street parties with police out in record numbers to make sure there was no repetition of riots that scarred the British capital three weeks ago. About a million people usually flock to west London for the two-day Notting Hill Carnival, a colorful annual celebration of Caribbean culture featuring steel drum bands, calypso music and dancers in flamboyant costumes.

The festival carries more than usual significance this year because it is the biggest event in London since riots flared in the capital on Aug 6, spreading to other major English cities.

Police say 5,500 officers were on duty yesterday and 6,500 today, a public holiday, when the main parade takes place-an increase of 500 per day on previous years. Another 4,000 police will be on stand-by. “The police have been targeting potential troublemakers and anyone thinking of causing trouble should stay away,” London Mayor Boris Johnson said in a statement.

The capital’s police have made 2,000 arrests in the aftermath of the disorder that saw hooded rioters looting businesses, setting buildings alight and fighting pitched battles with officers. The riots, which began when a protest over the police shooting of a suspect turned violent, were a severe knock to London’s reputation, raising questions over the police’s ability to keep order at next year’s London Olympics. Officials hope the carnival will show a brighter side of London after the riots. “This is a carnival for the

people-let’s show the world we know how to throw a party and have a good time,” Johnson said. This year’s Notting Hill Carnival, a popular tourist attraction, only went ahead after organizers held talks with police and local residents and will finish a couple of hours earlier than usual today. Metropolitan Police Commander Steve Rodhouse said last week that a crackdown on known troublemakers before the event, called Operation Razorback, had made 35 arrests. He said police had intelligence that “some gangs want to come to the carnival and create trou-

ble for us”, but that the “chatter” was no different from previous years. However, some local business owners and residents took no chances, boarding up their properties. —Reuters

I

A young boy in traditional dress, wearing a crown adorned with Euro banknotes.

(Below) A young boy lying on a bed after being circumcised during a ritual of mass circumcision.

Revellers dance as they parade through the street during the children’s day of Notting Hill Carnival in London, yesterday. — AP photos

Kosovo hamlet clings to tradition with mass circumcision

n a tiny Muslim hamlet deep in the mountains of south Kosovo, the cries of young boys usher in the dawn once every five years in a ritual of mass circumcision to set them on their journey to manhood.

Both a solemn and festive event, a five-man band playing traditional flutes and drums-known as zurla and goc-follow a dozen men led by a local imam and a barber who make their way from house to house in the village of Lubinje. Abdil Bajrami, a 90-year-old patriarch, brims with excitement. His two-year-old great-grandson Eldis will be circumcised along with 90 other local boys from 10 months to five years old in a centuries-old ritual known as Sunet. “Sunet means Eldis is accomplishing two things today: he is starting his life as a man and as a Muslim,” Bajrami told AFP. The ceremony used to be practiced throughout the area but Lubinje, with its 6,000 residents, is now the only village keeping up the tradition. “No one knows when it began,” Abdil said. “I was circumcised in the same way when I was six-years-old and remember my father and grandfather telling me the same for themselves and their fathers and grandfathers,” he said. The music stops abruptly and a tense silence sets in as the procession enters Bajrami’s two-storey house on a steep, narrow street. Only men are allowed to enter the room where the barber, who doubles as local circum-

Villagers taking part in a manifestation in the village of Lubinje, on the eve of a ritual of mass circumcision. ciser, readies to perform the brief ritual without anaesthetic.

Women in the family wait anxiously in a side room, notably Eldis’ mother Sheherzada, 28, who falls into a kind of trance performing another age-old tradition, turning a rolling pin quickly and rhythmically between her hands. Local lore holds that this way a mother can remove a son’s pain during the circumcision. Suddenly a short scream breaks the silence. It is quickly followed by men chanting “Allahu akbar” (God is greater) and “La Ilahah Illa Allah” (There is no God but God), signalling that the young Eldis has gone through the rite, which is obligatory for Muslims.

The music starts up again and the women rush forward to give the honored visitors the towels tradition demands before the men set off to perform the next circumcision. Wiping away her tears of joy, Sheherzada enters Eldis’ room, kneeling by his bed and kissing her son’s hand as his father gushes with pride.

You can only make Sunet once “I am the happiest man in the world today,” said 30-

year-old Ersan. “I have lived for this,” he added, then heads out to grill meat for guests packed onto the Bajramis’ huge terrace overlooking the entire village, likewise filled with visitors come to celebrate with the families of the newly circumcised boys. Lubinje residents call themselves Bosniaks-a term usually used for Bosnian Muslims-though outsiders refer to them as Gorani. They are part of a small Muslim community that settled along the Kosovo boundary with Macedonia, some 120 kilometres (74 miles) south of the capital Pristina. The Gorani have their own language, a mixture of Albanian, Macedonian, Serbian and Turkish called “Nasinski”, which roughly translates as “our language”.

And they cling to traditions-rather than politics-to uphold their collective identity in this volatile region with a history of bloodshed. Sunet remains the prime example, deeply rooted in the soul of the village.

“Sunet is the biggest event in every man’s life,” said Eldis’ 54 year-old grandfather Feim. “You can get married once, twice, as many times as you want, but you can only make Sunet once.” —AFP