5 Sep

ON IP TI SC R SU B

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

Netanyahu insists Israel won’t apologise to Turkey

Typhoon Talas kills 20 in Japan, over 50 missing

NO: 15200

150 FILS

7 40 PAGES

SHAWWAL 7, 1432 AH

Happy Feet the penguin begins long swim home

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www.kuwaittimes.net

Bolt signs off with relay world record

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Political groups urge action on illegal funds Financial sector may draw money launderers: IMF

Max 45º Min 27º Low Tide 11:25 & 23:08 High Tide 03:47 & 18:10

By B Izzak and Agencies

Kuwait boosts oil production to ease prices Output hits 2.8m bpd KUWAIT: OPEC members Saudi Arabia and Kuwait boosted their oil production in August to prevent prices from rising sharply and negatively impacting on the world economy, Kuwait’s oil minister said yesterday. “Had not a number of OPEC members, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, increased their oil production, prices would have jumped way above the current level,” Mohammad Al-Busairi told the official KUNA news agency. “Without this measure, oil prices would have shot above current levels causing a global crisis and contributing to a recession in the global economy which is still recovering from the impact of the 2008 crisis,” he said.

The increase in production by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait came after the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries refused in June to raise production, Busairi said.

The minister said Kuwait’s production in August “did not go below 2.8 million barrels per day”, way above its OPEC quota of 2.2 million bpd. He put the state’s output capacity at 3.05 million bpd.

World oil prices slumped on Friday after the United States reported job creation ground to a halt in August, a stark sign of trouble in the world’s largest economy. New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in October, dropped $2.48 to close at $86.45 a barrel. In London, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in October fell $1.96 to settle at $112.33 a barrel on the IntercontinentalExchange.

Busairi said the sovereign debt crisis in the United States and Europe, the loss of the Libyan oil and inflation in China were the main causes for fluctuations in oil prices.

Kuwait has demanded at OPEC’s past meeting that its production quota be increased, said the minister, adding the state can produce 3.05 million bpd. — AFP

Kuwait frees 11 Iraqi fishermen BAGHDAD: Iraq’s foreign ministry sais 11 Iraqi fishermen detained Friday by Kuwaiti forces in disputed waters have been released. Iraqi fishermen complain of harassment by Kuwaitis who maintain the fishermen do not respect their boundaries, complicating the already tense relations. Yesterday’s statement maintained that the fishermen were detained inside Iraqi territorial waters. It said they were arrested late Saturday. Iraqi officials had originally reported 12 fishermen were arrested but later discovered it was 11. The most recent point of tension between Iraq and Kuwait centers on Kuwaiti plans to build a port in the Arabian Gulf. Iraq claims the port will interfere with ships passing through its only access to the Gulf. — AP

BRISTOL: A man looks at a giant lobster kite at the 25th annual Bristol International Kite Festival on the Ashton Court Estate yesterday. Following two attempts on the previous day, plans were abandoned to fly the world’s largest kite due to strong turbulence and damage the day before. The kite is owned by the AlFarsi family from Kuwait and has a wingspan of more than 55 m and an 80 m tail. The family already holds the world record after flying a 3D flag in the shape of the Kuwaiti national flag in 2005. — AFP

DSK back in France after NY sex scandal PARIS: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, his hopes for the French presidency scuppered by a sensational New York sex scandal, returned to Paris yesterday to a media frenzy and an uneasy welcome from his Socialist allies. The former IMF chief and his journalist wife Anne Sinclair arrived at dawn at Charles de Gaulle airport on an Air France flight and were whisked off in a black Peugeot to their apartment in the chic Place des Vosges. They smiled and waved but said nothing to the horde of journalists and handful of supporters awaiting their arrival at the airport and again declined to comment when mobbed by media as they reached their home in the Marais area of Paris.

Strauss-Kahn has promised to talk about what he has called his “terrible and unjust ordeal” but an aide told journalists massed outside his house that he would not make any statement yesterday. Strauss-Kahn, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, boarded a flight at New York’s JFK airport late Saturday, less than two weeks after sexual assault charges against him were dropped.

Three and a half months ago police hauled the Socialist politician off a plane that was about to leave for Paris Continued on Page 13

US warns of small plane terror threat

ROISSY-EN-FRANCE, France: Former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his wife Anne Sinclair leave the Roissy-Charlesde-Gaulle International Airport yesterday near Paris after flying from New York. — AFP

Syrian forces kill 24 in crackdown

BANI WALID, Libya: Rebels inspect an airplane destroyed by a NATO air strike at the Bir Durfan military base yesterday. — AFP

Gaddafi stronghold fate hinges on talks SHISHAN, Libya: The fate of one of Muammar Gaddafi’s last bastions hung on negotiations yesterday, as Libya’s new leaders called for the ousted strongman to stand trial in his homeland when captured. “We are negotiating through the intermediary of tribal leaders who hope to convince the armed groups (loyal to Gaddafi) to sur-

render,” Abdullah Kenshil, the chief of the National Transitional Council’s negotiating team, said. “We will protect them, we won’t do anything to them, we only want to try them, and they will have a fair trial.”

A military commander had earlier said talks aimed at securing the Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: Six opposition political groups in a joint statement yesterday urged the government and the National Assembly to expose those behind alleged illegal bank transactions while the Assembly speaker warned that funds were being paid to incite discord and sectarian tensions in Kuwait. The statement said that press reports about the illegal deposits into the accounts of two MPs “have once again placed parliament under suspicion and accusation”, adding that this and several previous corruption incidents have made “parliament membership closer to a commercial licence” rather than monitoring and legislation.

The Popular Action Movement, Kuwait Democratic Forum, National Democratic Alliance, Islamic Constitutional Movement, Salaf Movement and Kuwait Progressive Movement signed the statement. They represent liberal and Islamic opposition groups. The statement pointed out that corruption in the country has reached new heights, claiming cooperation between corrupt elements in the government and parliament to “divide the wealth” rather than developing it for the future of the country.

Over the past few years, Kuwait has been witnessing serious levels of corruption “making reforms almost impossible under these circumstances”, the statement said. The opposition groups, which together have more than 20 MPs in the Assembly, said they will not remain silent until all details about the multimillion-dinar bank deposits are exposed and those involved in it are revealed. The groups said the governor of the Central Bank has constitutional duties and responsibilities regarding the case as he is required to provide evidence to the legal authorities and should not attempt to provide a cover for those involved otherwise he will be considered a party in the illegal transactions.

The groups insisted that they will remain united in their bid to fight against the “corruption state” that has been established by elements from the government and parliament and “we will not allow this state to continue regardless of sacrifices”. The statement called on the government and MPs to call an emergency session of the Assembly in order to approve a string of Continued on Page 13

DAMASCUS: At least 24 people were killed in violence across Syria yesterday, reports said as the visiting Red Cross chief sought access to those detained in more than five months of anti-regime protests. As more bloodletting gripped the country, Arab League chief Nabil Al-Arabi said Syria has agreed to host him for a visit, to help push for a peaceful outcome to the crisis. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the five-nation BRICS group of emerging powers, who have criticised Western sanctions on Syria, are determined not to allow a Libyan-style solution in that country.

Activists said security forces cracking down on democracy protesters killed 12 people yesterday during operations in northwestern and central Syria, including a woman. The state news agency SANA also gave a toll of 12 dead - including six troops - when an “armed terrorist group” ambushed a bus in central Syria. Omar Idlibi, spokesman of the Local Coordination Committees (LCC) which groups anti-regime activists on the ground, said “four martyrs fell in Karnaz near the (central) town of Maharda”. He also reported eight others people killed in the northwestern Idlib province, including two people in the town of Khan Sheikhwan.

On Friday, SANA reported that gunmen in Khan Sheikhwan had kidnapped a corporal with Syria’s internal security services, Wael Ali. According to the LCC, security forces backed by soldiers raided Khan Sheikhwan and encircled hospitals “to prevent the wounded from being brought in for treatment.”

Continued on Page 13

WASHINGTON: The FBI and Homeland Security have issued a nationwide warning about Al-Qaeda threats to small airplanes, just days before the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Authorities say there is no specific or credible terrorist threat for the 10-year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

But they have stepped up national security as a precaution. According to a five-page law enforcement bulletin issued Friday, as recently as early this year, Al-Qaeda was considering ways to attack airplanes.

The alert, issued ahead of the summer’s last busy travel weekend, said terrorists have considered renting private planes and loading them with explosives. “AlQaeda and its affiliates have maintained an interest in obtaining aviation training, particularly on small aircraft, and in recruiting Western individuals for training in Europe or the United States, although we do not have current, credible information or intelligence of an Continued on Page 13

CAIRO: Kuwaiti laywers (left to right) Ayed AlSibie, Faisal Al-Otaibi, Mohammed Al-Ajmi and Bashayer Jaafar hold a press conference upon arrival to voluntarily join the defence team of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

(Inset) Egyptian supporters of Mubarak kick out journalists Tharwat Shalabi (second right) and Alwalid Ismail (second left) during the press conference. — AFP

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

LOCAL

Manila ‘very serious’ on implementing Workers Act Question mark remains over workers’ ban

By Ben Garcia

Deputy Amir welcomes top officials KUWAIT: His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday at Al-Seif Palace, National Assembly Speaker Jassem Mohammad Al-Kharafi.

HH the Deputy Amir received His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad AlSabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber AlM u ba r a k A l - H a m a d A l -Sab ah and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of

Interior Sheikh Ahmed Al-Hamoud AlJaber Al-Sabah. HH Deputy Amir also received the Deputy Prime Minister and Fo reign M in ister S h eik h Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, after representing HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah while heading the Kuwaiti delegation in the Libya Contact Group of international powers summit recently held in Paris. H H th e Deput y Amir also received Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ali Fahad Al-Rashed. — KUNA

NAB continues to flay resigned minister KUWAIT: The National Action Bloc (NAB) will study various aspects concerning allegations leveled against former Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad AlSabah . Corruption charges were discussed during a grilling motion debate filed against him. However, it was never initiated thanks to his timely resignation from the post. “ The issue cannot be buried only because Al-Fahad is no longer a member of the cabinet,” said bloc member Saleh AlMulla, who indicated in a statement that he should continue addressing the matter “supporting theories which alleged that [the NAB’s] grilling motion was only filed to force Al-Fahad’s ouster.”

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah resigned from his post as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development and Housing in early June. He did not face the interpellation motion that was filed against him to discuss alleged irregularities, as well as other accusations of corruption. This includes using the post to encourage malpractices in the construction of the headquarters building of the Olympic Council of

Asia which he chairs. “[The NAB] will meet soon to agree on method by which the subject will be reintroduced,” Al-Mulla said, mentioning options that include presenting all documents and evidence collected to support their claim. The State Audit Bureau will then make recommendations based on an official investigation.

Furthermore, Al-Mulla also noted that the bloc could request from the Parliament to form an investigations committee to probe the allegations, or simply request for the matter to be investigated by the Parliament’s Public Funds Protection Committee, reported Al-Rai. “The National Action Bloc is keen on holding accountable anyone who violated public funds, facilitated for a misleading the public, whether it is [Sheikh Ahmad] AlFahad or anybody else,” Al-Mulla said. He made comments hinting that the bloc’s recent endeavor paves the way for long, bitter rivalry between the bloc and the former minister. “ There’s no bad blood between us, but we are committed to protecting public funds,” he insisted.

Iraqi spy caught in Hawally KUWAIT: Kuwaiti authorities have arrested a man accused of spying for Iraqi intelligence by providing them with information about vital highly sensitive sites in the country, according to a security insider.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the security official said that the State Security Department (SSD) had arrested the bedoon (stateless) resident of Iraqi origin on charges of providing intelligence updates to undercover members of the Iraqi intelligence services who he is accused of meeting regularly in a number of chalets, diwaniyas and cafés in Hawally for the debriefings. He was arrested at one of these cafés following one such meeting.

The alleged spy, who was given the pseudonym ‘Abu Ahmad,’ apparently works at a local telecommunications firm. He is said to have admitted during interrogation that he was formerly a soldier for deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s regime, as well as confessing that he has been living in Kuwait and posing as a stateless resident for a few years after illegally entering the country. The insider said that the man was apprehended based on information provided by a Kuwaiti citizen who he allegedly attempted to recruit.

On Saturday, meanwhile, Kuwaiti authorities announced that they had handed over 12 Iraqi fishermen found in Kuwait’s territorial waters to their security counterparts in Iraq after questioning confirmed that the fishermen were simply fishing rather than doing anything suspicious. A Kuwait Coast Guard (KCG) official explained that the fishermen underwent a thorough investigation after being apprehended amidst an increased level of concern caused by Iraqi militant groups’ threats of attacks against the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port site on Boubyan Island.

The news of the Iraqi fishermen’s detention was not well received by several Iraqi MPs, who insisted that the incident was “an attack by Kuwaiti authorities against Iraqi citizens.” “[The Iraqi government] must respond firmly to the attack committed by the Kuwaiti Coast Guard patrol against a group of Iraqi fishermen in order to prevent such acts from being committed again in the future,” said a statement from the Al-Fadhilah (Islamic Virtue) Party, part of the governing National Iraqi Alliance. The religious party, which has four members in the Iraqi parliament, mostly representing the southern gov-

ernorate of Basra, further demanded a “stern diplomatic response should any of the kidnapped fisherman have come to any harm.”

Meanwhile, MP Habib Al-Tar fi of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq accused the United States of provoking Kuwait into building the Mubarak Al-Kabeer port “to create chaos in the region that would give legitimacy to further extend [the American military] presence in both Kuwait and Iraq.”

Sounding a note of cautious optimism over the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port project, however, Iraqi government spokesman Abdul Husain Al-Jabri said on Saturday that a report released in early July by a committee headed by Iraqi transport minister Hadi AlAmeri confirmed that the port would not have any negative impact on the Fao Port - a similar major project that Iraq plans to build on its narrow outlet to the Arabian Gulf.

The tension over the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port project stems from the fact that Kuwait is building it on the east of Boubyan Island, which is separated from the Iraqi coast by only a narrow strip of water. Iraqi politicians and activists have expressed concern that the port would hinder activity at Iraq’s narrow outlet on the Arabian Gulf, with many demanding that the Kuwaiti port be either canceled or relocated. Tensions have risen steadily as many Iraqi MPs voiced their objection to the port and demanded that their government take action to force a halt to its construction.

According to statistics reported in Kuwaiti daily Al-Watan yesterday, 15 of the Iraqi parliament’s 325 members make regular statements concerning the port, including six who oppose the project and nine who urge the two sides to resolve the matter through dialogue that protects their bilateral relations. Meanwhile, a front page article in Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai yesterday suggested that previous reports stating that rockets fired from southern Iraq last week were targeted at the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port had been based on inaccurate information. The original report claimed that Kuwaiti military insiders had suggested that the three rockets, which all fell within Iraqi territory, were detected by hi-tech Kuwaiti radar equipment and were believed to have aimed at Kuwait and fallen short of their target. Following the incident, however, both Kuwaiti and Iraqi security officials confirmed that the missiles were fired by one group of Iraqi militants at another, and were not aimed at any Kuwaiti target.

— Al-Anba, Al-Rai and Al-Watan

MANILA: The implementation of the Philippines Republic Act 10022, otherwise known as the Migrant Workers Act, was the only reason why Manila recently announced the imposition of a ban on exporting domestic workers to three Gulf countries, including Kuwait.

Under RA 10022, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is required to impose a deployment ban in cases where labor laws, multilateral conventions, or declarations protecting overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are not observed.

Speaking with the Kuwait Times yesterday, Philippine Labor Attaché to Kuwait David Des Dicang, explained that the plan has yet to be deliberated by three Philippine government agencies (DOLE/OWWA/POEA). He stressed that Manila “is very serious” about enforcing the law,” adding, “It’s all about the implementation of our [the Philippines’} Migrant Workers Act.” Dicang noted that in 2009 the Philippine Congress amended the 1995 Migrant and Overseas Filipino Workers Act. “Since the start [of implementation] in 2010, we already had several of those contacts [with the host governments in the Middle East] stipulating our desire to implement the Migrant Workers Act,” he said, adding, “It contained a series of stages and I assumed the plan of the Philippine government and the news that came out from Manila is related or connected to enforcing [implementing] our migrant workers law.”

Asked whether he supported a total or partial ban on Philippine domestic workers coming to Kuwait the official responded, “I have no direct knowledge about a plan banning

KUWAIT: Philippine Labor Attaché to Kuwait David Des Dicang talking on the telephone in his office yesterday. — Photo by Ben Garcia

domestic helpers. Until now, there’s been a series of meetings in Manila regarding the plan. We are waiting for the official memo from Manila and probably confirmation and guidelines.” According to Dicang, Republic Act 10022 stated that all migrant Filipino workers must be covered by laws protecting their rights in their countries of destination and should be covered by labor bilateral agreements between the two countries. “Some countries need to come up with laws to protect our workers,” he said. “The migrant workers act was amended and approved by the Philippine Congress; the agencies like us in Labor and Employment should implement it.”

Philippines Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz was recently quoted in the Philippines’ Manila Bulletin newspaper as saying that the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila had made the ban recommendation after the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Qatar failed to comply with Republic Act 10022 or the Amended Migrant and Overseas Filipino Workers Act of 1995.

“This is based on the DFA certification, using RA 10022 as the basis,” Baldoz was quoted as saying. Based on the POEA’s deployment data last year, the country sent some 20,000 domestic workers to Kuwait, 13,000 to the UAE and 10,000 to Qatar.

Government to execute development projects KUWAIT: The Government is determined to press ahead with key development ventures and “will not allow” any delay of execution of these vital projects, affirmed a senior official yesterday. This approach is applicable by the various ministries and departments, namely the Ministry of Water and Electricity, said the Minister of Electricity and Water Salem Al-Uthayna, during a meeting with well-wishing staff following Eid Al-Fitr holiday. The ministry’s leaders are very much keen on execution of the planned projects according to the declared timetables, the minister said, stressing that the leading staff must exert maximum efforts to tackle hurdles

that might hinder the work and execution of the projects. The Cabinet is examining execution of the state development strategy at a regular meeting, held under chairmanship of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah each Thursday.

The ministers, during the meetings, examined works of the ministry of electricity, namely the project of the power project in Al-Zor, due to be launched according to the BOT and the set schedule, he added.

Achievements that have been accomplished must not prompt the staff and workers to be complacent, he said, urging the personnel to persevere for delivering

the optimum level of work.

Meanwhile, government bidding revenues reached approximately KD 46.8 million in the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the Ministry of Finance announced yesterday.

Meshaal Al-Qahes, the supervisor of the ministry procurements, said in a press release the highest returns were posted by the municipality, the DirectorateGeneral of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Information.

The fiscal year posted hike of the state treasury revenues, estimated at KD 41.6 million, compared to the previous fiscal year (2009-2010), as a result of the returns made by the municipality for investments in billboards,

auctions of the aviation authority, namely the investment in a restaurant and cafes, in addition to auctions concerning photocopying and publishing in the ministry of interior.

Meanwhile, the ministry of finance planned to launch a tender for purchase of computer sets and laptops in January, following completion of the publishing of the third laptops manual. Abdul Mohsen AlTayyar, in charge of the purchase committee, said the second copy of the guide was “highly successful,” noting that the government departments bought up to 985,000 copies compared to 630,00 of the first edition. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Kuwait Zoo attracted hundreds of vistors during the Eid holidays. — Photos by Yasser Al Zayyat

Red tape breeds corruption KUWAIT: Kuwait is moving steadily towards sustainable development provided that such obstacles as excessive red tape and lengthy procedures in state department which breeds corruption and deter Kuwaiti investors can be eliminated. This was the view stated yesterday by M inister of Development and Planning Abdul-Wahab Al-Haroun, who indicated in a press release that citizens will eventually have the chance to enjoy services provided as part of the government’s major development plan, such as new hi-tech state hospitals.

The minister further blamed the prolonged procedures in the public sector on a surfeit of administrative corruption, explaining that these procedures “open the door for bribes to be made to speed up work.”

Meanwhile, a new study by Kuwaiti clinician Dr. Salah Al-Otaiqi reportedly indicates that the government allocated only three percent of the state budget to fund health projects, which falls far short of the funds required for the MoH to fulfill its commitments listed in the development plan. The study suggests that the best solution to this problem would be to privatize Kuwait’s hospitals, even if some facilities are turned into

non-profit venues similar to those found in the USA and some European countries.

In other news, the Ministry of Health is preparing to carry out a number of training exercises this November with the scenario for the exercises being an imaginary incidence of a radiation leak, with medical staff and others from various state bodies taking part in the exercises. “The training program will include evacuation drills, as well as precautionary measures to avoid exposure to radiation in cases of emergency,”

explained a ministry insider, also noting that the training exercises form part of an agreement signed between the MoH and Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA). On a separate issue, the MoH has signed a number of three-year contracts worth a total of KD 20 million with various firms to carry out maintenance work on medical facilities, as well as establish polyclinics in Abu Ftaira, Al-Funnies and AlSadeeq, according to a ministry source. — Al-Watan, Al-Rai & Al-Qabas

Officials discuss upgrading supplies dept’s performance KUWAIT: Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr. Amani Buresli met yesterday with officials from the supplies department for discussions on measures to improve the departmentís performance to benefit both consumers and suppliers.

A press release issued by the Ministry said that talks during the meeting also focused on the problems facing the supplies department and means to overcome these obsta-

cles.

Dr. Buresli affirmed that she was observing the situation on a continuous basis to ensure that both consumers and suppliers get the optimum level of services from this department.

According to the MCI, around 1.4 million citizens and expatriates benefit from subsidized goods cards, with around 170,000 card issued for this purpose. — KUNA

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

LOCAL

Umbrella hats for cleaning workers Umm Soud initiates novel charitable project

By Nawara Fattahova

Interior minister receives message from Saudi counterpart KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad AlHumoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday received a written message from the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. The content of the

message deals with means of maintaining security coordination and boosting cooperation between the security apparatuses of the two brotherly countries. The message was hand-delivered to the minister by the Saudi Ambassador to Kuwait, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Fayez, during a meeting at Sheikh Ahmad’s office. — KUNA

Kuwaiti-Jordanian meetings to enhance bilateral ties: Badran AMMAN: Head of the Jordanian-Kuwaiti Parliamentary Committee, MP Reem Badran, said yesterday that the committee is preparing for a number of meetings that enhance bilateral ties and serve the interests of both countries.

In a meeting with KUNA, Badran praised the role of this committee, in boosting ties between the two countries under the leadership of King Abdullah and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The committee set up several meetings between Jordanian and Kuwaiti officials, in the aim of developing relations and coordination between the two sides, Badran also added that the committee held talks with Head of the Kuwaiti-Jordanian joint parliamentary committee, MP Yousif AlZalzalah, also aimed at setting up a meeting for members of both committees in Kuwait to discuss joint issues and the initiative of joining Jordan within the Gulf Cooperation Council GCC. She stressed on the role of the Kuwaiti and Jordanian governmental and civil institutions in preparing for this initiative.

MP Badran also referred to continuous coordination between the committee and Kuwaiti ambassador to Jordan Dr Hamad Al-Duaij, “head of Kuwaiti diplomatic mission in Jordan Dr Al-Duaij plays an important role in boosting bilateral cooperation on joint issues”, referring to the expected meeting between Jordanian parliamentary committee with Kuwaiti students in Jordan.

She expects the committee to play an affective role in negotiations for the join-

MP Reem Badran

ing of Jordan within the GCC, referring to the meeting between Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Jawda and GCC Foreign Ministers in September 11-12 in Jeddah.

The joining of Jordan to the GCC will elevate cooperation between Kuwait and Amman, regarding that the Kuwaiti investments in Jordan are one of the most important in supporting the country’s economy, Badran affirmed.

The committee consists of 33 members of parliament while the sub-committees include between 5-10 members, she said.

Badran highly praised the continuous Kuwaiti support to her country. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Umm Soud has pioneered a novel charitable initiative - to grant cleaning workers a reprieve from the harsh sun.

This Kuwaiti woman who is an employee with the ministry can be credited with providing workers with umbrella hats to shield them from the heat.

“Once, when I was shopping abroad, I happened to glance upon umbrella hats. There is no such thing in Kuwait. Also, I empathized with the laborers who clean the streets braving hot weather conditions. I tried to connect the two things together,” she told Kuwait Times. “At first I didn’t have any ideas. After seeing the umbrella hats, I felt that it will be suitable for laborers. This was about two years ago. And before the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan, my friend was chatting with me and reminded me of giving alms to laborers. It is then that the idea of giving them something useful came to my mind,” she added. The umbrella hats can be fixed on the head using a bandana. It also has a pleasing design, said Umm Soud.

She took the initiative to supply the umbrella hats alone, “It’s difficult, especially because I don’t have enough money to buy umbrellas for all laborers.

My friend, who works as a teacher helped me and collected KD 300 from colleagues who donated cash.

I also collected money from my sisters, cousins and their friends. Within a month, we had a substantial (amount of money) that helped us buy umbrella hats,” she explained.

It was a deeply rewarding personal experience for Umm Soud who didn’t publicize her deed, “We only needed to collect donations to cover our area ( Jahra), and provide all the laborers working in this area.

Apparently, some people who learned about it claimed to be the project ’s pur veyors.

Another woman claimed that she started this initiative,” she explained.

“A woman named Hanan assisted me in collecting money and became my friend. The money we collected for about four months helped us to buy 6,600 umbrella hats,” she noted.

She depended on relatives and friends to deliver them, “I tried to spread the message of charity to children. We first approached Amghara and Sabhan where the laborers live.

I also delivered the umbrellas along with my relatives. They told me it was better to go in the afternoon and distribute them. They were happy that somebody remembered them and brought them a gift.

We also took photos of the laborers who received umbrellas,” she pointed out. After distributing about 1,000 umbrella hats in Jahra, her friend Hanan distributed about 2,000 in different areas, “Many volunteers asked me to help distribute umbrellas. I also distributed the umbrellas to the Friday Market and the Vegetable Market in

Sulaibiya. We also gave away some to the technicians that performed electrical work outdoors or those that worked on road constructions. The best thing is to hear their ‘Dua’,” highlighted Umm Soud. With about 600 pieces remaining, Umm Soud now plans to hand them out to the local mosque.

The news about her project has spread outside Kuwait, “I

receive calls and SMS messages from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates offering help and begin a similar initiative in their countries. I am expecting a child now and after my child birth, I plan to begin a similar project in Makkah. I thought of giving some to Kuwaitis who go on pilgrimage,” concluded Umm Soud. She can be contacted on her email addressmabrook_28@hotmail.com

Internet subscribers to be compensated Ministry beating time to implement flash memory project KUWAIT: Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Ahmed Al-Mulaifi said here yesterday that the Ministry of Education was beating time to complete the flash memory project and distribute it to students in conjunction with textbooks delivery on the first day of the new school year.

Ahmed Al-Mulaifi The minister said in a statement to reporters following a meeting with well-wishers on Eid Al-Fitr that the ministry is working to finalize the system of assessment and evaluation of the bonus, expressing his hope that this project would be in the interest of the entire educational process and ministry staff.

He explained that a press conference would be held to announce the despensing of the “bonus allowance”, reiterating his confidence that the “bonus” would be despensed with full transparency. — KUNA

EPA to support fourth refinery’ project

KUWAIT: Several pictures showing irregularities in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh that include scattered garbage and abandoned cars. Limited attention to public hygiene and law enforcement led the area located south west of Kuwait City to become a suitable place for illegal activities such as unlicensed trade, unlicensed building, in addition to crime. Problems in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh which range from lack of security to diminishing public services have been snowballing for years as a result of limited governmental attention. The area’s deteriorating situation further provides a ‘safe haven’ for outlaws and residency violators. — Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

KUWAIT: Labourers seen with umbrella hats distributed by Umm Soud.

KUWAIT: The Environment Public Authority(EPA) plans to assess the fourth refinery project’s environmental impact. The mega project will be reintroduced after receiving a notification from the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation(KPC), “The EPA supports the Fourth Refinery Project which can help reduce sulfur pollution emitted from power plants - from four percent to less than one percent,” said Mohammad Al-Enizy Director of the EPA’s Industrial Environment Division, reported AlRai. The Fourth refinery will allow Kuwait to produce an environmentally friendly fuel to replace the heavy fuel that the state’s three refineries currently supply to power plants. Emissions from these power plants are responsible for most of the country’s air pollution, and Al-Enizy assures that using clean fuel will help resolve the sulfur pollution issue.

KUWAIT: Local Internet Service Providers (ISP) held a series of meetings this week to reach an agreement on a method to compensate customers that have subscribed to the Ministry of Commerce. According to an official, ISPs are considering several options to ensure that all subscribers benefit from the new regulations, which include allowing customers two or three months of free internet access.

Internet prices in Kuwait will be slashed by as much as 42 percent after the Ministry

of Communication informed ISPs late last month that they are required to cut subscription costs after reducing monthly payment that providers are required to pay to the ministry. However, officials familiar with the issue warn that the new move may leave a negative impact on the quality of Internet ser vices provided in Kuwait, because the ministry has not boosted capacities or adopt any other methods to cope with the expected surge in subscriptions, reported Al-Jarida.

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

LOCAL

Local Spotlight

SATIRE WIRE

No tear gas please!

You can’t make millions by email

By Muna Al-Fuzai Sawsan Kazak

muna@kuwaittimes.net sawsank@kuwaittimes.net o you think governments are justified in the use of tear gas against protesters? Now, I know some may claim that tear gas is not a destructive weapon. When governments use them to control mob activity, it is similar to using repellants to ward off insects and flies! People cannot be treated at par with insects. No way!

Civilians and citizens are entitled to legal rights and express dissent. They deserve an opportunity to speak out and be heard, not merely sprayed at. I don’t think that such an act will help. I think it only postpones the moment of explosion and makes things worse. The outcome of such an act, especially in countries with conflicts with the ruling class can lead to more trouble. I think the governments’ decision to resort to the use of such measures is unethical and inhumane.

I wonder why this subject has not been discussed much in the Arab world! Now, the region is undergoing a period of transition. Al theocratic doctrines and governance systems have lost their teeth, proving to be a dismal failure in many countries.

I think it is pointless to fight for an individual’s sake. One can fight and die for one’s country, and for the noble causes of democracy and freedom. That is acceptable and it is not scary. A mechanism should be charted out to incorporate democratic principles so that people can lead a decent life. During the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq, it was common to hear talks about worshipping a dictator. How many have died trying to defend him when his own family escaped from the country? This proves that no one is ready to die for another these days! Using tear gas against an unruly crowd watching a football match is not on the same level as the government using it against protesters to quell rebellion. When this happens, communication is disrupted, with the people trying to put up resistance. The level of frustration and anger will only rise. I believe if more peace lovers initiate dialogue, change will occur.

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kuwait digest

Dirty political laundry

By Fuhaid Al-Busairi alk of millions of dinars usually makes people happy, unless the topic concerns cases in which this money ends up as bribes in politicians’ pockets. Before we start making accusations against whoever we choose - or rather whoever we hate - let’s try to find an explanation of what’s really going on regarding the multimillion deposits scandal.

Firstly, is the story even true? Have there really been cases in which KD 25 million suspiciously appeared in two lawmakers’ bank accounts? If this is indeed the case, then what’s the source of all that money, who were the MPs who were given and for what reason?

The problem is not that easy to contain. Everyone knows that any local bank must inform the Central Bank of Kuwait about any deposit exceeding KD 3,000, while at the same time conducting their own investigation to determine its source in order to detect any money laundering cases. Meanwhile, the Central Bank’s duty is to monitor local banks and take actions against any bank found guilty of violating regulations which the CB uses to protect the state’s financial policy.

Combating money laundering is one of the prime duties of the Central Bank of Kuwait. If the multimillion scandal turns out to be true, I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that it’s the first case of its kind to happen in Kuwait - or indeed the second, or even the hundredth. For years, people in Kuwait have been talking about money laundering taking place in the country, or in other words, cases of ‘sudden fortune’ which people usually avoid addressing in detail to avoid questioning individuals’ integrity, while banks tend to pass on the opportunity to question them because let’s face it, deposits are the only thing that banks can truly survive on.

So, what makes this latest scandal different? It’s because it deals with a serious allegation of politicians collecting millions of dinars, as well as with suspicions of money laundering taking place at Kuwaiti banks which if it turns out to be true, must have happened under the nose of the Central Bank.

Money laundering is used to ‘clean’ someone else’s crime. It is fought everywhere in the world because it can be used to legalize the profits of drug or arms trafficking, human slavery, major thefts, while the money can be used to fund terrorism. The method can also be used to smuggle money from countries witnessing insurgencies - such as those in the Arab region. In short, money laundering starts and ends with a crime, during which dirty money is turned into ‘clean’ money in the bank account of an ‘honorable man.’

There are many types of money laundering - the most obvious of which happen in Kuwait where individuals including state officials and banks personnel can be involved. The only way for Kuwait to combat money laundering is to apply wealth disclosure regulations for all state officials and senior officials in the public and private sectors to follow, as well as strengthening the penalties against banks that fail to commit fully to anticorruption regulations. — Al-Rai

he other day, I received an email from a Chief Auditor from a major bank in London claiming that he just signed a deal worth £7,000,000,00 but needed me to be a foreign partner for which I would receive a nice percentage of the profits.

And as if that wasn’t lucky enough, shortly after I received another email offering me even more money; but instead of having a business angle, the next email had a humanitarian pitch. The email stated “During the current crisis against the farmers of Zimbabwe by the supporters of our President Robert Mugabe to claim all the white-owned farms in our country, he ordered all the white and rich black farmers to surrender their farms to his party members and their followers.”

The email went on to explain that a woman’s husband had passed away but just before dying he deposited $10.5 million; this is when I came into the picture.

Apparently the funds were being kept in Benin-Republic and she needed “any reliable person overseas who is willing to help me and my only son Peter to transfer this money out from BENIN-REPUBLIC and use it for investment in his/her country.” This lovely woman offered to give me 30 percent of her money if I decided to help her; quite a generous offer.

With the millions I was going to make from London and the many more I was about to make from the BeninRepublic; I guessed I wouldn’t have to work another day of my life. But the question is ‘how did these people get my info? and ‘if they were so rich, why did they need my help?’ These were obviously spam emails; scams in essence trying to eventually get me to send my information or a ‘small deposit’ to begin paperwork.

Do people still fall for this? Do some people think it is possible to actually make that much money simply by getting an e-mail? These kinds of scams have gotten elaborate, complex and sometimes believable stating facts, giving out phone numbers, emails and websites even. Other scams include multi-million dollar inheritances, investment opportunities and of course, lottery winnings. The worrying thing is that if people are still sending out these messages, this means that they are still working on some. No one would go to the effort creating such an intricate con if they were not going to see some profit. These con-artists are preying on people’s weaknesses, some people are in desperate need of extra cash flow and might, in a weak moment, want to believe they have just won ‘free’ money. But there are some obvious signs that you haven’t actually won millions through an email.

Firstly, if you get an email and the sender does not know your name this should be a clear indicator that this is a chain spam email; especially if they address you as: Dearest, Sir/Madam or ‘to whom it may concern.’ Also, people aren’t usually that generous with their money, it is not normal for a person to offer you such a large amount of money just so you can transfer the money to your name. And finally, these ‘offers’ always seem to come from faraway lands, isn’t it weird that they can’t find anyone to help them nearby? As great as it would be to be able to become millionaire over night, it’s usually not the case

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kuwait digest

Need wasta? Come to Kuwait

By Khalid Al-Awadhi everal news agencies reported a few days ago degraded the integrity of the American law. It was in that Onyango Obama, uncle of United States order to safeguard this integrity that Clinton faced a President Barack Obama, was arrested in trial in front of the entire world regardless of how Massachusetts in connection with driving under the the incident would’ve impacted the United States’ influence of alcohol, and that he faces deportation global image.

On the other hand, if a similar scandal were to after immigration authorities found out that he is an break out in Kuwait, chances illegal immigrant. are that the incident In the meantime, President would’ve been brushed Obama did not even move a litOn the other hand, if a under the carpet to protect tle finger to save his uncle from his and the country’s reputatrouble, as the White House similar scandal were to The Kuwaiti law has issued no statements on the break out in Kuwait, tion. been violated innumerable subject. The President realizes chances are that the incitimes to protect an individthat even though state departments work in line with his dent would’ve been ual, family or tribe. put it simply, if the law directives, he cannot violate the brushed under the carpet wasTo not protected in the country’s laws and regulations. to protect his and the United States, no one in vioWe all remember the time when then US President Bill country’s reputation. The lation of state regulations been able to avoid Clinton faced perjury charges Kuwaiti law has been vio- would’ve accountability when arrested concerning his relationship with lated innumerable times to - even those who share close Monica Lewinsky. The case then went through investigations and protect an individual, fami- relations with the president like Onyango Obama. That trial proceedings as per the state ly or tribe. said, I urge Onyango Obama law. This case, as well as the to come to Kuwait where he recent case related to Obama’s can avail of the choicest uncle, proves that not even the president can be placed above the law in the United ‘wasta’ (influence) to evade culpability. He only needs to mention that he’s Barack Obama’s uncle, States.

We don’t have to be geniuses to realize that had and eventually he’ll find someone in Kuwait willing Obama intervened to help his uncle, this would’ve to bend the rules. — Al-Qabas

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kuwait digest

Prioritizing Kuwait

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By Fouad Al-Haddad tephen Covey is the world-renowned author of priorities, with the economic indicators showing business classic ‘First Things First,’ a crucially how dangerous this failure to prioritize has been for important book on time management and pri- us.

It should be enough to wake us up to hear the oritization of tasks, which should be read and understood by every management figure and declaration of the Central Bank Governor that by 2020 we will need to be receiving $280 for each bareveryone else.

I once gave a copy of this book to an Assistant rel of oil - Kuwait’s only source of revenue - in order Undersecretary whose appreciation and under- to cover all our financial needs. The labor sector is a standing of administrative work increased greatly massive drain on our budget and Kuwaiti unemafter reading it, and who subsequently explained ployment is rising, while graduates wait more than a the importance of its central hypothesis on the year for a suitable job. Other problems that affect us come in the form of our governneed to effectively manage ment’s policies and future plans. one’s time to his own children who are at university. In Prioritizing one’s duties in At the political level, the National Assembly Council is a short, the book talks about how best to prioritize and this way can take time, but dead loss, with the near-daily achieve the most urgent and gives far superior results to grillings and political infighting important tasks in our lives. the unplanned approach. In meaning that nobody is left to take care of Kuwaiti society’s Prioritizing one’s duties in this way can take time, but fact, using the spontaneous priorities. Reform and developgives far superior results to approach and failing to plan ment for their own sake are, the unplanned approach. In ahead simply consumes time unfortunately, not a priority on the NA Council’s agenda, with fact, using the spontaneous approach and failing to plan without any positive results, MPs more interested to focus on ahead simply consumes time leading to failure rather than issues which might affect their without any positive results, success. Planning ahead then electoral chances such as guaranteeing wage rises, promoleading to failure rather than is not or should not be an tions and good jobs. Indeed, success.

Planning ahead then is not optional extra but a necessi- we’ve lost direction totally at or should not be an optional ty, yet many do not devote the level of the NA Council and need to start all over again. extra but a necessity, yet At the societal level, civil many do not devote the nec- the necessary time to it and essary time to it and some some even choose to wholly society organizations have no ability to decide on their priorieven choose to wholly ignore ignore it. ties to lead society in a positive it. Many managers simply direction towards change and leave planning and awaredevelopment, with the various ness of objectives and goals to their staff, with a major problem being their habit reasons behind this inability including the organizaof becoming more involved in the daily routine, in tions’ focus on external rather than internal efforts.

Some of these societies, meanwhile, have more welcoming guests and doing unimportant tasks rather than prioritizing their time and their duties. of a political than a philanthropic agenda, with a This is one of the principal reasons behind many number reporting directly to government; this administrative and managerial failures in the private means that they are scared to assume their proper role in reform and development in order to avoid sector.

In our society, then, we must ask ourselves what being dissolved by government edict.

In short then, at the popular level it seems, there are our priorities and where do they lie? Are in the first phase of the four defined by Covey, which is are no clear priorities.

Overall, therefore, it is imperative that we revise that of being lost and confused, or in the second phase which is the planning stage? I leave it up to our society’s priorities in order to seek a bright and the reader to decide where we stand. Unfortunately constructive future and to enable us to work proacin recent years we have lost our direction and our tively to implement it. — Al-Anba

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kuwait digest

A violation of country’s laws

By Riyadh Al-Sane ost of the newspapers last week published about security personnel formed into squads that raided apartments all over Kuwait like AlShaab, Salmiya, Hawally, Al-Jabriya, Salwa, Abu AlHasayneh and Sulaibikhat. These places allegedly served as venues to private parties, usually held on Eid. The campaign resulted in the arrest of 129 men and women belonging to different nationalities.

As per the directives of the assistant undersecretary, the expatriates will be deported and citizens will remain under detention until they sign an undertaking not to repeat the offense.

The Ministry of Interior’s action is wrong and contradicts with freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and judiciary of the country. We do not doubt the country’s security system is efficient in tackling crime and protecting security and good conduct. However, actual crime should be tackled using a proper mechanism to receive complaints and tried in the courts to ensure security and safety of the public and the country’s organizations.

Security is the protective shield that ensures individual liberty. In addition, modern technology lies in the hands of the government offices. The number of laws passed have expanded, so has the ‘do not do’ list.

Most social entities are easily susceptible to criminal accusations. The distance between the common man and the accused has narrowed. A respectable person can turn into a suspect easily. All religions and legislations were keen to respect personal freedom including Islam which forbids any violation of an individual’s rights. The Constitution in Article 38 has forbidden forcible entry into homes without the owner’s permission, unless search warrants are obtained from the court. Furthermore, women should only be searched and frisked by fellow women. I hope I have been able to shed some light on where the authorities have gone wrong. I thank everyone for being understanding. — Al-Anba

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

LOCAL Government plans to boost employment in private sector KUWAIT: Kuwait plans to boost citizens’ employment in the private sector by adopting a set of measures in the Cabinet soon. It will help encourage more citizens to seek jobs with private companies.

According to officials, new regulations will include enforcing a recommendation to increase the percentage of Kuwaiti staff members that each private firm in the country should employ, including establishing a co-ordination between the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program(MGRP) to ensure that all companies follow this rule.

The Cabinet also plans to increase the allowance paid to citizens in the private sector, with the aim of weaning citizens away from the public sector. Officials who spoke anonymously indicate that many qualified Kuwaiti labor forces opt to seek jobs at specialized professions in the public sector where they are paid a special allowance that is not paid to expatriates employed in the private sector.

Moreover, officials say that the government has been studying the option of

allowing citizens employed in the private sector opportunities to seek higher education, granting them study leaves and scholarships. The state’s development plan is expected to create more than 30,000 job opportunities for citizens in the private sector within the next two years, reported Al-Jarida.

Meanwhile, a recent report released by the National Bank of Kuwait indicates that the average growth of the Kuwaiti labor force has been settled at 5.2 percent at the end of the first quarter of 2011, which is the lowest growth rate since 2006 as these rates have been dropping steadily since the 2008 global economic downturn.

In the meantime, the report says that employment levels in Kuwait remain stable, indicating that 2,700 new job opportunities were created during the first three months of 2011; 60 percent of which was in the private sector, reported Al-Qabas. On the other hand, the report notes that the rate growth of citizens’ employment in the private sector dropped from 16 percent in 2010 to 7 percent in the first quarter of this year.

— Al-Jarida & Al-Qabas

MP demands details on Bahrainis in Kuwait Concern over Bahrain uprising

By A. Saleh KUWAIT: MP Mohammed Hayef h as submitted a n umber of questions to various ministers’ enquires concerning repor ts th at in creasin g n umber s o f Bahrainis in Kuwait are supporting the Bahrain uprising.

He asked the deputy prime minister and interior minister to con fir m wh eth er or n o t Bahrainis in Kuwait are increas-

ing in numbers for different reasons, with a number of these Bahraini expatriates using local lawyers to bring cases against t he B a hr a i ni gove r nm e nt i n Kuwait’s international courts.

He enquired about the exact number of Bahrainis living in Kuwait, requesting details of whether they arrived by land or sea and asking for a list of their names.

The MP submitted the same

questions to the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, requesting details of Kuwait’s official stance towards those Bahrainis who called for overthrowing the rulers of Bahrain, also asking whether Kuwait is providing any support or facilities to these expatriates.

Fellow MP Hussein Al-Qallaf responded to Hayef’s questions by a s k i ng w ha t e xa c t l y i s strange about Bahrainis living

in Kuwait, adding that even if one million Bahrainis entered Kuw a i t how coul d t hi s b e a p rob l e m si nce t he y are a l s o nationals of a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nation.

Al-Qallaf asked for details of t he l e gi s l a t i ve ground s for Hayef ’s questions on Bahraini expatriates in Kuwait, adding that even if Bahrainis traveled to Kuwait to bring legal cases, this is not a criminal act.

ZURICH: Kuwait Health Minister Dr Hilal Al-Sayer arrived in Zurich and was received by Kuwaiti Ambassador to Switzerland Suhail Shuhaiber. —KUNA

Kuwait’s health minister arrives in Switzerland ZURICH: Kuwait Health Minister Dr Hilal AlSayer arrived here yesterday and was received

by Kuwaiti Ambassador to Switzerland Suhail Shuhaiber.

Minister Al-Sayer will submit tomorrow Kuwait’s contribution to the printing and publishing of (on the Fabric of the Human Body),

Cabinet keen to ensure food safety KUWAIT: The issue of disposing of rotten foodstuffs is a subject of paramount importance to maintaining food security and one on which the cabinet and municipal council are taking serious measures to clamp down on, said Minister of Public Work and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Dr Fadhil Safar yesterday. Dr. Safar told KUNA that the municipal council would take extra

officers arrested over booze

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Officers of the General Department of Drugs Control (GDDC) are currently qnestioning three GDDC personnel, all of them employed in the department’s search and confiscation division, to determine how a large shipment of liquor smuggled into the country disappeared and was subsequently discovered in the Arifjan desert area. Some officials have suggested that the three GDDC personnel - an officer, a warrant officer and a corporal - may have planned to steal and sell the smuggled liquor and split the proceeds between them.

The shocking new developments follow reports a couple of days ago that an expatriate lorry driver had been held up at gunpoint on the Seventh Ring Road by armed men who stole the lorry, with the driver insisting that he was unaware of the lorry’s cargo. The truck details were subsequently circulated and it was discovered later in the Arifjan desert, loaded with a total of 8,000 bottles of liquor.

On investigation, it emerged that the ‘hijackers’ of the vehicle were the three GDDC officers, who abandoned the truck after it became stuck in quicksand.

The detectives investigating the case also intend to find out how the truck came to be abandoned in that location and how the three detained GDDC personnel, who were supposedly monitoring the smuggled shipment, came to steal it.

One insider said that the warrant officer and the corporal had passed on information from an informant about the shipment to the other officer and hatched a plan together to steal it and sell it on. The insider added, however, that the officer had insisted that the investigation would prove that he was not involved and has asserted that he knew nothing about the truck being on the Seventh Ring Road.

efforts and precautions to prevent such spoilt foodstuffs from being sold in Kuwait, affirming that the council is working on a round-the-clock basis to monitor shops and groceries and ensure that none are selling such products.

The cabinet, said Safar, is working to introduce new laws that would impose harsher punishment on those who trade in and sell rotten foodstuffs. — KUNA

a world renowned encyclopedia of Anatomy published by 16-century ’s Dr. Andreas Vesalius. Al-Sayer told KUNA that Kuwait interested in supporting the English printing of the encyclopedia that based and developed its information upon pioneering discoveries

by Muslim science figures such as

Muhammad ibn Zakariya Razi and Abu Ali alHuusayn ibn Abdulallah ibn Sina.

The scientific value of such document could not be measured by any sum, affirmed Al-Sayer, adding that Kuwait was eager to take such steps to bolster knowledge and education worldwide. — KUNA

Govt, MPs clash over low-cost homes KUWAIT: The parliamentary housing committee plans to meet with housing minister Mohammad Al-Noumas shortly to ask him about the reasons for the Cabinet’s resubmission of a tender for a project to build low-cost homes, which was later dropped due to lack of feasibility.

“I discussed the matter with committee chairman MP Ahmad AlSaadoun as soon as the Cabinet announced the resubmission of the tender”, said committee rapporteur MP Nadji Al-Abdulhadi in a statement on Saturday, indicating that AlNoumas, who is also the Minister of

Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, will be invited to a future committee meeting “to update us on the new reasons behind reviving the project.”

According to Al-Abdulhadi, the project was halted after 18 companies submitted bids that made the project economically unfeasible, especially whilst the government has rejected the idea of directly financing it. “What concerns us is the possibility that the government may have made changes to the law, which the committee cannot accept unless it is consulted before any amendments are made”, Al-Abdulhadi explained, referring to

the country’s housing legislation.

The committee rapporteur further warned that political pressure would increase over the issue “if the housing minister fails to provide definitive answers,” adding that he was not not ruling out the possibility that the subject could spark new tensions between the parliament and the Cabinet. Meanwhile, officials from the Public Authority for Housing Welfare, the Kuwait Oil Company and Kuwait Municipality are set to meet in the near future in order to discuss the details of how best to transfer KOCowned land to the PAHW for the con-

struction of homes for citizens.

According to an insider at the meeting, the three parties will discuss the best strategies for ensuring the smooth transfer of unused KOC land from the state oil company to the housing authority for use for the future construction of homes. The representatives from the three state bodies will work closely together to complete the transference of ownership of the land, focusing initially on the area of land near the Seventh Ring Road, which the KOC has already agreed to transfer to the PAHW for housing projects. —Al-Rai & Al-Qabas

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

LOCAL

Hunt on for child abuser Counterfeiters caught KUWAIT: A hunt is underway for a would-be child abuser who attempted to sexually assault an infant at a Farwaniya Mall.

Thankfully, a sharp-eyed shopper stepped in to stop the man after spotting him inappropriately touching the child, who had been briefly left unattended whilst her parents were busy. The suspect fled before anyone could catch him and the girl’s father immediately reported the incident at the area police station.

Plot foiled A Kuwaiti man took an innovative approach to resolving his wife’s dispute with her manager, hatching a plot with her to hit her sufficiently hard to leave bruises then blame the attack on the manager in question.

The vengeful husband had reportedly earlier showered his wife’s manager with verbal abuse after the manager called her to discuss the work-related dispute.

On subsequently discovering that the manager had decided to press verbal assault charges against him as a result of his intemperate language, the resentful husband and his wife came up with the idea that he would hit her then accuse the manager of assaulting her. After the husband carried out his side of the bargain and left his spouse with a black eye, she went to the local police station at Shuwaikh to press charges against her manager, accusing him of being responsible. Under questioning, however, the woman admitted the true cause of her injury, with her husband now facing charges of domestic violence on top of the original verbal assault charges.

Unscripted scene A drunken heckler interrupted a performance of a play at the Ghirnata Theater in Khaitan by staggering onto the stage dragging his mortified young children with him and demanding loudly that the actors pose for photos with them. The unscripted intermission apparently proved popular with a few young male members of the 1,200-strong audience who reportedly cheered on the

paternal intrusion, although other audience members were less enamored of the impromptu stage intervention, with some leaving and a few of the more delicate theatergoers even fainting. A police, who were called to the scene by worried theater management staff, quickly managed to reimpose order and the rest of the play continued without any further unscripted interruptions.

Abduction foiled A teenager was able to thwart an abduction attempt in Mahboula after her screams forced the thug who tried to force her inside his friend’s car to abandon her and flee the scene. The 19-year-old Lebanese girl was waiting for a taxi when a group of young men in a car stopped beside her, attempting to persuade her to get into their car and going so far as to offer her money to join them. The young woman ignored them and eventually walked away, at which point one of the young thugs leapt out of the car and grabbed her, attempting to drag her towards the vehicle. The young woman fought back, with her screams for help thankfully attracting the attention of people nearby, who quickly came to her aid, with the would-be abductor’s friends quickly fleeing the scene, abandoning him there. The cowardly young thug was able to escape on foot, however, before the bystanders could catch him.

Although police were quickly at the scene, they were unable to find the man, and a hunt is underway for him and for his friends.

Counterfeiters caught Police have arrested three men, including a Ministr y of Interior (MoI) security officer, on charges of attempting to trade in counter feit US dollar bills in Kuwait. An investigation was launched after a tip-off from informants suggested that a gang was trafficking in forged banknotes. Detectives eventually traced the money back to the three - two Syrian nationals and the MoI officer - who were subsequently caught red-handed in Khaitan in a sting operation. The corrupt security officer admitted during questioning that the trio had been hoping to net around KD75, 000 from trading in the forged banknotes, which he revealed they had obtained from a Syrian counterfeiter with strong connections with other criminal elements involved in forgery and smuggling stolen antiquities.

Detectives found that the counterfeiter had earlier left the country for Egypt and are working with their counterparts there to arrest him.

Witness mystery Police are hunting for an unidentified man who told emergency services hotline operators that his life was in danger since he was being hunted by criminals after agreeing to testify as a witness against a Kuwaiti man who he said he had seen shooting an Iraqi expatriate last week in Salwa.

On being notified of the call, police immediately headed for the location in Fintas where the caller claimed to be in hiding after managing to escape his pursuers.

When they were unable to locate him there, police attempted to call

his cell phone, only to find that it had been switched off.

Meanwhile, senior police officials in Mubarak Al-Kabeer contacted their counterparts in Hawally, the governorate in which Salwa is located, who denied that there had been any male witness in the case in question. An investigation is underway to track down the caller.

Party arrests Hawally police arrested 45 drunken male and female revelers in a series of raids on apartments across the governorate which hosted parties during Eid Al-Fitr. According to the police report, seven of the women detained had previously been reported as missing, and have been referred to the relevant authorities.

‘Employment agent’ caught An Asian man was arrested after police conducting a routine stop and search operation found 25 passports in his vehicle belonging to unskilled workers who he helped find jobs for illegally in return for payment. The man was immediately taken to Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh police station where he admitted under questioning that he had been helping the men whose passports were discovered in his car to obtain work at livestock farms in Kabad, enabling them to work without transferring their residency visas.

He further admitted that he had charged each of the men KD60 for his ‘employment services.’ The man has been referred to the relevant authorities and a hunt is underway for the illegal workers.

—Al-Rai, Al-Watan

Workers rescued after wall fall

Kuwait affirms determination to develop Boubyan island KUWAIT: The Ministry of Public Works is drawing up a plan for the full-scale development of Boubyan island, the minister announced on Sunday.

According to the plan, the island will be fully developed, said the Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipality Affairs Dr Fadhil Safar, adding that the southern part of the island would be transformed into a nature reserve.

Stressing his determination to press ahead with the renovation plans for the strategic island, the minister indicated that it will also host laboratories for the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

(KISR), as well as a harbor, a road network, residential districts, entertainment complexes and chalets.

Asked whether Kuwait would resort to the United Nations to “resolve the stance with the Iraqi side,” - alluding to the Mubarak Al-Kabeer project - the minister said that this issue is a political matter that falls within the jurisdictions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The minister indicated that there would be similar ventures for the development of another of Kuwait’s most important islands, Failaka, adding that the construction and renovation projects there would be open to bidding under the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) system. —KUNA

Two hurt in fire A 25-year-old Kuwaiti man was rushed to hospital after suffering a fractured pelvis and broken bones in one hand whilst escaping from a blaze that broke out in a home in Al-Qasr yesterday.

Another 25-year-old Kuwaiti man received treatment at the scene for smoke inhalation. Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control and an investigation is underway to determine what caused the fire.

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Firefighters and paramedics managed to free three expatriate construction workers after a wall fell on them whilst they were carrying out work on the sanitation network in Block 2 of Sulaibikhat. All the men were rushed to Sabah Hospital.

Two Kuwaiti men aged 20 and 21 were rushed to Jahra Hospital, one of them to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), when they sustained severe head injuries in a crash at the Saleel Roundabout yesterday.

Following a separate crash, this time at the junction of Hamad Al-Mubarak Street and Qatar Street, a 24-year- old Kuwaiti man was rushed to the Mubarak Hospital’s ICU after sustaining several serious injuries, including multiple fractures.

In a third incident, a 41-yearold Kuwaiti man sustained multiple injuries when he lost control of his car near the Al-Shuyoukh Roundabout, with the vehicle veering off the road and ending up in a roadside ditch. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital.

In another accident, a 23year-old Kuwaiti cyclist was tak-

KUWAIT: Minister of Public Work and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Dr Fadhil Safar held an Eid reception. —Photos by Yasser Al Zayyat

en to Amiri Hospital after suffering multiple injuries when he fell from his bicycle on the Gulf Road near the Shaab turnoff.

In a separate incident, a 25year-old Lebanese woman was taken to Mubarak Hospital after suffering head injuries in a car crash opposite Shaab Park. A 27year-old Lebanese man who was also involved in the accident complained of pain in one knee following the collision and was also taken to the hospital.

Meanwhile, a 25-year- old Kuwaiti man suffered a fractured

pelvis after falling from his motorbike after losing control of the vehicle near the traffic lights adjacent to Marina Mall. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital.

Finally, a 45-year-old Kuwaiti woman was taken to Farwaniya Hospital after suffering facial injuries in a crash on the Fifth Ring Road opposite the Avenues Mall. A 39-year-old Indian man who sustained minor injuries in the same collision refused the offer of hospital treatment and was helped by paramedics at the scene.

Fight club A 37-year-old bedoon (stateless) man was rushed to Jahra Hospital after suffering head injuries and a knife wound to one foot in a gang fight in Waha.

Swimmer saved A 26-year-old Japanese man was rescued from drowning in the waters just off Souq Sharq. He was immediately taken to Amiri Hospital for a checkup.

Fairground fall A 13-year-old Kuwaiti girl was taken to Al-Razi Hospital after suffering a twisted knee when she fell from a fairground ride at a recreation park in the Doha area.

KUWAIT: Firefighters and paramedics rescue construction workers after a wall collapsed. —Photos by Hanan Al-Sadooun

Kuwait sees 700 smallpox cases in 2011: MoH KUWAIT: Seven hundred cases of smallpox have been diagnosed so far in Kuwait in 2011, according to the latest Ministry of Health (MoH) report, along with 83 cases of malaria.

The new statistics from the health ministry also reveal that staff at the country’s hospitals have treated over 200 cases each of Hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C,’ 350 incidences of lung disease and 388 cases of chronic diarrhea.

The MoH further revealed that 97 cases of swine flu have been diagnosed so far this year in Kuwait, with 24 of these in Hawally, 23 in Ahmadi, 20 in Farwaniya, 17 in the Capital area

and 13 in Jahra.

The latest statistics from the ministry indicate that the smallpox cases have been most prevalent in the Ahmadi area where 196 people were diagnosed with the disease, followed by Farwaniya where 173 cases were found and Ahmadi with 165. In the Capital, 119 individuals were diagnosed with smallpox whilst Jahra had the fewest sufferers with the disease - 73.

Meanwhile, the largest number of cases of diarrhea was found in Farwaniya, where a total of 123 cases were reported.

Fifty people have been diagnosed with

Salmonella poisoning so far this year, mostly in the Hawally area, whilst 196 people were found to be carriers of the bacteria.

The latest MoH report also revealed that most of the cases of Hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C’ were found amongst adults aged over 45, with most of the cases of Hepatitis ‘C’ found amongst Asian expatriates, followed by Iranians with 18 diagnosed with the disease. After this group came Egyptians, 15 of whom were found to have the condition, whilst a further 17 cases of Hepatitis ‘C’ were diagnosed amongst Arabs of various other nationalities. —Al-Anba

Wataniya Telecom’s Ramadan surprises overwhelms audience KUWAIT: During the month of Ramadan of this year Wataniya Telecom was keen to launch innovative and unique initiatives to give back to the community in the holy month of Ramadan. With a distinctive experience and memorable moments the company also focused on creating a spiritual atmosphere to spread the blessings of Ramadan and to stay close to its customers. Wataniya had organized several activities and initiatives that found great admiration and acceptance from its customers, the Kuwaiti society and those in need.

Regarding its active role during Ramadan, Abdolaziz Al Balool PR Director of Wataniya Telecom expressed his sincere gratitude towards the customers for their confidence in the company and congratulating them on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr by confirming the following: “The month of Ramadan is a great opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to the Kuwaiti society and connect with its members on all levels. Wataniya is proud of the efforts it has exerted and is always looking forward to take part in valuable contributions that add value to the society.”

Launching the Wataniya TV Channel exclusively for the month of Ramadan was considered to be the largest and most important initiative Wataniya has taken part in. Giving back to its customers by offering one of the finest forms of entertainment that people long for every Ramadan that has become a tradition to most. Wataniya TV broadcasted a wide range of shows and programs that catered to everybody in the community including top eight Arabic series and a cooking show called Kashta. Wataniya had also invited its customers to participate in its game show Forza, which gave the chance to many people to win valuable gifts such as cars, airline tickets, football match tickets, BlackBerry smart phones, iPads and much more.

Al Balool also added: “We were cautious to create special moments during this Ramadan and are proud of the success we have achieved and will always aspire to offer the

best services to our valued customers.”

Furthermore, Wataniya held a two-day public Gergaian event that took place at the Avenues. The event was planned especially for kids with a number of entertaining and cultural activities with Abo Tubaila character to make sure that all families attending had a great time.

Not forgetting the underprivileged children during the month of kindness and patience, Wataniya Telecom had also visited the orphanage home to celebrate Gergaian and also visited Ibn Sina hospital to have a good time with the kids filled with fun activities and distribution of gifts. Wataniya Telecom has been accustomed to sponsoring these visits for many years demonstrating their feelings of compassion for kids and making sure they do not miss out on the best during the special month.

Apart from Gergaian celebrations Wataniya Telecom had joined Bayt Lothan in organizing a Ghabqa celebration for the elderly at the Elderly House in an attempt to share happiness and love with the older people thereby touching their lives with hope, joy, a delightful dinner and enjoyable gifts. In addition to the mentioned activities, Wataniya had also taken part in supporting exhibitions for young entrepreneurs and a number of athletic tournaments.

Moreover, Wataniya’s role was also evident in charitable initiatives in which the company had collaborated with Bayt Abdulla for the benefit and sake of the children with cancer.

Wataniya had also distributed to its customers Quran copies along with tutorial CDs for reading Quran in the voice of Sheikh Fahad Al Kandari.

Al Balool concluded: “Wataniya’s goals during the blissful month and its unique initiatives were driven by its belief in reinforcing the channels of communication between us and the Kuwaiti society. We promise our customers to carry on what we have started and continue in delivering successful campaigns and activities to remain the pioneer in the industry and cater to all their needs.”

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

Most Muslim Americans feel targeted by terror policies Page 10

Typhoon Talas kills 17 Page 12

ANKARA: Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party attend yesterday a party congress in Ankara. Kurdish legislators vowed yesterday to press on with a boycott of Turkey’s parliament and backed a recent declaration of autonomy in the country’s Kurd-dominated southeast. The defiant stances came as Kurdish rebels killed four people while military airstrikes targeted their hideouts. — AFP

Netanyahu won’t apologize to Turkey Israel expresses ‘regret’ over deaths JERUSALEM: Israel’s leader defiantly refused yesterday to apologize to Turkey for a deadly Israeli raid on a Turkish-led flotilla bent on breaching Israel’s Gaza Strip blockade - an incident that has battered a relationship once seen as a cornerstone of regional stability. In his first public remarks since Turkey announced Friday that it would expel the Israeli ambassador over the affair, Benjamin Netanyahu expressed Israel’s regret for the loss of lives in the May 2010 raid and said he hoped to mend ties with Turkey, formerly Israel’s closest ally in a Muslim world largely hostile to its existence.

Ankara had wanted Israel to apologize for the deaths and lift the embargo on Gaza, a Palestinian territory run by Hamas militants with a long history of deadly violence against Israel. Netanyahu said Israel, in trying to keep arms from reaching Gaza, had nothing to apologize for. “We need not apologize for acting to defend our civilians, our children and our communities,” Netanyahu told his Cabinet and journalists. He said Israel “expressed

regret” over the deaths - a formula Turkey had already deemed to be an unacceptable substitute for an apology - and voiced hope the two countries would shore up their frayed ties.

“Israel never wanted ties with Turkey to deteriorate, and Israel does not now seek a deterioration of ties,” Netanyahu said. The decision to expel the Israeli envoy from Turkey on Friday followed the leaking of a UN report on the bloodshed. The report, accepted by Israel and rejected by Turkey, defended the embargo on Gaza and said violent activists on board the blockade-busting Mavi Marmara had attacked the raiding naval commandos.

But it also accused Israel of using disproportionate force against the activists and called the deaths of eight Turks and one Turkish-American “unreasonable.” Israel blockaded Gaza in 2007 in cooperation with Egypt after the Islamic Hamas violently overran the territory. The declared aim was to keep militants from bringing weapons into the enclave and to weaken Hamas. But the blockade did

not achieve its aims, while it did deepen the destitution of Gaza’s 1.6 million people and confine them to their tiny seaside territory.

The bloodshed on the Mavi Marmara sent already brittle Israeli-Turkey relations sinking to a new low.

The sides worked to find a formula that would appease the Turkish demand for an apology, but those attempts failed. Asked if new Turkish conditions, such as the lifting of the since-eased blockade, made reaching an accord difficult, Israeli Foreign Ministr y spokesman Yigal Palmor said the Turks “upped the ante every time.” “First it was an apology and compensation. Then they wanted to shelve the (UN) report once they saw the draft. Then they wanted to lift the blockade on Gaza as a condition. There was no end to that,” Palmor said.

Israel’s good ties with Muslim Turkey had been a boon for Israel. Both sides benefited from Ankara’s strong defense alliance with Israel’s powerful, high-tech military. Ankara also mediated several rounds of indirect and

ultimately unsuccessful negotiations between Israel and Syria in 2008. But relations began to suffer after the Islamist-oriented Recep Tayyip Erdogan became Turkish prime minister in 2003. Erdogan has embarked on a campaign to make Turkey the regional heavyweight, at once pulling closer to Iran - Israel’s most potent enemy - while competing with Iran in an attempt to become the leading voice in the Muslim world. This shift away from the Western camp has steadily put Ankara at odds with the Jewish state.

Frictions exploded after Erdogan attacked Israel repeatedly for the deaths of Palestinian civilians in Israel’s war in Gaza nearly three years ago, at one point storming off a stage he shared with the Israeli president at a highprofile world economic forum.

Once-flourishing tourism from Israel to Turkey immediately fell off, and Turkey canceled joint military exercises with Israel.

Turkey’s near-rupture of ties increases Israel’s isolation at a delicate time. Israel worries that Turkey’s alienation will become a model for

Tropical Storm Lee hits Louisiana coast

NEW ORLEANS: A group of tourists wearing rain ponchos walk down Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, in spite of Tropical Storm Lee. — AP

NEW ORLEANS: Tropical Storm Lee crawled onto southern Louisiana’s coast yesterday as New Orleans prepared for one of the biggest tests of its flood defenses since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. The National Hurricane Center said Lee’s center was about 125 miles (200 km) west-southwest of New Orleans, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph) at around 8 am.EDT (1200 GMT). Winds were expected to weaken gradually in the next couple of days and up to 20 inches (51 cm) of rain was expected to fall on southeast Louisiana, the Miami-based center said.

In New Orleans, the storm recalled Hurricane Katrina, which flooded 80 percent of the city, killed 1,500 people and caused more than $80 billion in damage to the popular tourist destination. Half the city lies below sea level and is protected by a system of levees and flood gates. The levees can process about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of rainfall per hour and the storm’s slow-moving nature remained a worry, officials said.

There were isolated reports of flooding in roads and homes. No injuries or fatalities were reported.

New Orleans officials were cautiously optimistic that the pump system would stay ahead of the rainfall, as residents

awoke yesterday to the arrival of a heavy band of rain. “There’s not a whole lot of flooding anywhere, so things are OK,” said Jerry Sneed, deputy mayor of public safety. “ We’re ready for the next round.” On Saturday, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said stormy conditions could continue for the next 36 hours. “Don’t go to sleep on this storm,” he told residents. New Orleans is under a flash flood watch through tonight, the National Weather Ser vice said.

Potential damage from wind gusts will also be a concern, it said.

Lee’s tidal surge could spur coastal flooding in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama before drenching a large swath of the Southeast and Appalachian regions next week. Storm winds were already pushing Gulf waters inland, slamming barriers in low-lying areas and prompting mandatory evacuations in the coastal communities of Lafitte, Crown Point and Barataria. In Mississippi, local governments were taking precautions as forecasters predicted tides could be 2 feet to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2 meters) above normal.

About 11,500 houses were without electrical power due to the storm late on Saturday, down from about 38,000 earlier, according to utility Entergy Corp. —Reuters

Egypt, where calls to revoke the 32-year-old treaty with the Jewish state have multiplied since the ouster of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. It also comes as Israel seeks to muster international suppor t against the Palestinians’ attempt to have a state recognized at the UN this month. The uprising in Syria, which shares borders with Israel and Turkey, adds new uncertainty to the regional mix. Some Israeli officials think Turkey has decided that ties with Israel do not serve its interests as it seeks more influence in the Muslim world, and that an Israeli apology would have done nothing to change that.

But military commentator Alex Fishman wrote in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper that treating ties with Turkey as a “lost cause” because of Erdogan’s policies was a mistake.

Relations with Turkey have “a significance that we must not take lightly,” Fishman wrote. “ There is a long way to go on the scale between hostile neutrality - the situation today - and direct conflict,” he wrote. — AP

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

‘Islamic but not Islamist’ rebel heads Libya fighters BENGHAZI: Head of one of the strongest units that defeated Muammar Gaddafi, Ismail Salabi has indirect links to a group recognized by Al-Qaeda and is a strong critic of Libya’s new political leaders. But he denies being an Islamist and says all he wants is a country of rights, justice and freedom where he can return to his former job as a trader. The Benghazi commander of the February 17 Battalion is an outspoken critic of the National Transitional Council (NTC) working to rebuild Libya, confident of his power in a set-up that has no regular army or defense ministry.

“It was the revolutionaries who died at the front who liberated Libya, not the members of the NTC who were ministers under Gaddafi, some of whom have only spent a few hours in Libya in months,” Salabi, 35, told AFP. “That’s why some seek to portray us as Islamists in an attempt to discredit us,” he said. “Like all Libyans we are Muslims and conservatives,” he went on. “Western countries don’t know

our traditions and customs, so it’s easy to instill fear by speaking of Islamists.

“But we are not Islamists.” Dressed in traditional Libyan garb of a white gown and an embroidered waistcoat, he cites French revolutionaries and the Prophet Mohamed in the same breath. “Since the beginning of the revolution, we have been working with the West,” he said. “If we were close to AlQaeda that would have been impossible. We want to build a new country, a country of human rights, justice and liberty.” The NTC has sought to quell fears of Al-Qaeda allies within its ranks, expressing support this week for Salabi’s opposite number in Tripoli, Abdelhakim Belhaj.

According to France’s Liberation newspaper, Belhaj was a founder of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), close to Al-Qaeda, and was arrested by the CIA before being handed over to Gaddafi in 2004. Belhaj reportedly renounced violence while a prisoner and was released in March 2010, before

joining this year’s revolution.

“The Islamic Fighting Group was the first to launch a reformist movement in Libya,” Salabi said.

“Its demands were exactly the same as those of the people (who) on February 17 called for a civil and not a military state, for respect for human rights and dialogue.” Salabi also spent time in Gaddafi’s jails but is evasive about the reasons for his arrest.

“My older brothers were wanted for their political activities, but I was just a youngster who smoked and played football and wasn’t interested in all their business,” he said.

“Gaddafi’s security people arrested me to put pressure on them, and I stayed in prison from 1997 to 2003,” he added. Salabi said he turned to religion in jail but remained independent and did not join any Islamist group. And if any of his men belonged to the LIFG, that was a personal choice. Although he does not mince his words in talking of the NTC, Salabi stressed that he was working for the new

authorities “in total transparency.” But he avoids answering questions on the role he might play in a new Libya “with elected representatives who consult the people,” saying all he wants is to get his civilian job back.

NTC military spokesmen are quick to deny that extremist elements are rife in Libya. “We are moderate Muslims. Those who make out that terrorist and fundamentalist elements exist in Libya are not in touch with reality,” Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani said in the council’s wartime capital of Benghazi. “I do not rule out the presence of some extremist elements among the fighters, but you can’t speak of Al-Qaeda-like groups like those operating in Afghanistan or Yemen,” said overall deputy commander General Sliman Mahmud. “In Libya, with its moderate society and solidarity, there’s no risk of the emergence of extremist groups. In any case, the ballot boxes will have the final say,” he told reporters. — AFP

Troops deployed in Sanaa to prevent anti-Saleh protests Security forces close all access routes to capital

BASRA: Iraqi Salim Hussein (right) casts his net into the Shat Al-Arab waterway by a fairground yesterday. — AP

Iraqi tourists flock to Kurdish region for fun ARBIL: Shan Abdullah Ahmed travels to Arbil in northern Iraq at least once a month so her teenage daughter can shop for the latest catwalk fashions and stroll freely through an amusement park without fear of bombs. Arbil lies in the heart of the semiautonomous Kurdish area, a safe haven for Iraqis seeking fun and a break from the almost daily attacks that still hit most of the country more than eight years after the USled invasion. The province’s capital city, also called Arbil, boasts a top designer-label shopping experience in one of its many malls and is home to the Citadel, one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world.

“It’s like an independent Iraq,” said Ahmed, who lives in Tikrit, the home town of former dictator Saddam Hussein who was toppled by the 2003 invasion. “Other parts of Iraq have no electricity, no water.

Just bombs,” she added, while sitting with her husband and daughter at the foot of the Citadel, enjoying a cool spray from one of the many lit-up fountains dotted around the area. Her 14-year-old daughter, Rasan, agrees. “It’s much better here. We are more free, we can walk, go anywhere. In Tikrit, my day involves going from school to home, studying and then sleeping,” she said. “Here I like to shop and go to the amusement park.”

The Kurdish region has been virtually autonomous for 20 years and was little affected by the country’s most recent war.

Foreign investment has been steady, allowing for the development of chic shopping malls, five-star hotels, fitness centers and even an indoor ice-skating rink. Over the 3day Eid Al-Fitr festival last week, 152,000 people visited the Kurdish region, of which 99,000 went to the province of Arbil, according to Mawlawi Jabbar, director general of tourism in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Jabbar said 143,000 of the 152,000 were Iraqis from other parts of the country while 9,000 came from Iran or Turkey. “The capacity of hotels and motels in Kurdistan is about 50,000 beds. Due to the heavy flow, we had an unprecedented number of visitors who were processed and accommodated in

tourist camps set up in Shaqlawa, north of Arbil, and in Arbil itself,” he said.

Blend of old versus new One of Arbil’s main appeals for war-weary Iraqis is security. The city last witnessed a bombing in May 2007 and is a far cry from the blast walls and checkpoints scattered around Iraq’s capital, Baghdad. Iraq is still building its police and army to battle a Sunni Islamist insurgency and Shi’ite militias as US forces get ready to leave by endDecember. The Kurdish zone also has peshmerga security forces.

The mountainous borders of Kurdistan have recently been the target of air strikes from Turkey and shelling from Iran, both aimed at Kurdish guerrillas in the area fighting for a separate Kurdish state. But Arbil, a few hours drive away from the border, has not been affected by the assaults. Arbil’s blend of old meets new, from its mosques to a fun park with a roller coaster and a carousel, appeal to both the young and the old. “We came here for pleasure,” said Shaheen Ahmed Khalid, an assistant medic from Kirkuk who brought his family to Arbil to celebrate Eid. “Arbil is safer and it’s better for tourism. There’s more to do.” Some Iraqis said regional turmoil had also prompted them to change their travel plans to neighboring countries. A wave of prodemocracy protests across parts of the Middle East and North Africa this year sparked a civil war in Libya and a violent crackdown by Syria’s government has killed 2,000 people, the United Nations says.

“Sometimes we go to Turkey and to Syria, but in Syria there is bad security, so we changed. Instead of going to Syria, we came here,” said Aziz Abbas, a 50-year-old Higher Education ministry employee from Samarra who was visiting Arbil. Iraq itself has not been immune to protests. Demonstrators took to the streets earlier this year over jobs and poor services. Rallies in Sulaimaniya by protesters who said they were seeking an end to corruption and authoritarian rule were met by a big show of force by the Kurdistan Regional Government. Protests in Arbil were small. — Reuters

US drive to avoid vote on Palestine statehood WASHINGTON: The United States has launched a last ditch diplomatic drive to persuade Palestinians to scrap their plan to seek UN recognition as a state, The New York Times said Saturday. But the move may be too late, the newspaper said, citing unnamed senior US officials and foreign diplomats. The administration of President Barack Obama has circulated a proposal for renewed peace talks with the Israelis in the hope of persuading Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to abandon his bid for recognition at the United Nations General Assembly, which opens September 20, the report said.

Israel has firmly opposed the Palestinian membership bid, which comes as talks between the two sides have been frozen for nearly a year after grinding to a halt over Israel’s continued settlement construction. The United States argues that the Palestinians will only achieve meaningful statehood through a revival of direct peace talks with Israel and has warned it will veto the bid in the Security Council.

The administration has made it clear to

Abbas that it will veto any request presented to the UN Security Council to make a Palestinian state a new member outright, the paper said. But the United States does not have enough support to block a vote by the General Assembly to elevate the status of the Palestinians’ nonvoting observer “entity” to that of a nonvoting observer state, The Times said. The change would pave the way for the Palestinians to join dozens of UN bodies and conventions, which will strengthen their ability to pursue cases against Israel at the International Criminal Court, the daily added. Senior officials said the administration wanted to avoid not only a veto but also the more symbolic General Assembly vote that would leave the United States and only a handful of other nations in the opposition, the report said.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they feared that in either case a wave of anger could sweep the Palestinian territories and the wider Arab world at a time when the region is already in tumult. —AFP

SANAA: Hundreds of thousands of protesters demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ouster marched yesterday in the Yemeni capital, raising tensions as troops deployed to try to prevent mass protests. Security forces closed off all access routes to the capital from Saturday afternoon while armed civilians loyal to the veteran president also took to Sanaa’s streets, an AFP correspondent said. But in an apparent bid to avoid a confrontation with Saleh loyalists, demonstrators marched in a part of northern Sanaa that is guarded by an armored division led by a general who has defected to the opposition. The marchers started off from University Square-now dubbed Change Square by protesters-sticking to nearby streets and within the area controlled by the general’s troops.

“The people want to march on the (presidential) palace,” demonstrators chanted. Sanaa has been left without electricity since Saturday afternoon, and most petrol stations in the capital have turned off the taps, semi-paralyzing the capital. The massive deployment by troops loyal to Saleh followed an opposition call to step up protests against his rule with the political process deadlocked in the face of the president’s long absence abroad.

Demonstrations were also staged in Taez, Yemen’s second largest city and a flashpoint in anti-Saleh protests which have swept the impoverished state since late January. Saleh has been receiving medical treatment in Saudi Arabia for wounds sustained in a June 3 bomb attack on his Sanaa palace compound.” We have called for intensifying the challenge in order to move towards a peaceful solution,” said Huria Mashhur, spokeswoman of the opposition National Council, an umbrella group of antiSaleh forces. “ The political process has reached an

SANAA: A Yemeni child looks on during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh. — AP impasse because of Saleh’s refusal to sign the Gulf plan,” she said, adding that protests should be kept up “until the fall of the regime.” The Gulf plan proposes that Saleh transfer power to his vice president within 30 days in exchange for a promise of immunity from prosecution. Saleh vowed last month to return soon. “We hope that forces loyal to Saleh do not use weapons to disperse the peaceful marches of young people,” Mashhur said, adding that army units which defected to the protest movement were “on alert to defend the protesters.” “We hope there is no challenge... to avoid an armed confrontation with dangerous consequences,” she said, urging

Gulf countries, the United States and European Union “to increase pressure on the regime” to avoid a civil war. In southern Yemen and Taez, armed tribesmen clashed with Saleh loyalists in the elite Republican Guards at dawn yesterday, according to local residents. Yemen’s ruling party, the General People’s Congress, accused the Common Forum parliamentary opposition blocthe main component of the National Council-of plotting to “take power by force” by mobilizing young protesters. In held the opposition “responsible for the consequences” of any violence and called for “serious and responsible dialogue.” — AFP

Sudan says south-aligned group must end operations KHARTOUM: Sudan demanded yesterday that the southern-aligned Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) cease operations in the country, stoking tensions with the newly independent south after fighting flared in border areas. The SPLM, the south’s dominant party, said this amounted to banning the group. “There is no party that is called the SPLM in Sudan and it has no right to carry out political work because it is illegal,” Rabia Abdelati, adviser to the information ministry, told Reuters in Khartoum. “Carrying out any activity is considered a crime punishable by the law.”

SPLM’s northern wing, SPLM-N, fought with the south before a peace deal in 2005 that led to South Sudan’s independence in July. It has supporters in Sudan, particularly in areas along the border.

Khartoum blames the south and the SPLM for violence in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states as well as other areas along the boundary where fighting since Thursday has killed more than 20 and driven many from their homes. SPLM officials say Khartoum is to blame.

Security officials told SPLM members the government was banning its political activities, according to a senior SPLM official in Khartoum late on Saturday. He said security forces had taken control of the SPLM’s main Khartoum office. Yesterday, SPLM-N Secretary-General Yasir Arman said Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) “has banned the SPLM as a political party and arrested many civilian leaders of the SPLM.” “They closed down my office as SPLM secretary general in Khartoum,” he said, adding that five members were arrested in Darfur-another region that has risen up against Khartoum- and that other senior officials were arrested in other regions.

“Their main objective is to destroy the SPLM in the North. They see us as a threat,” Arman said. “The SPLM has no more political space left. It is under attack in South Kordofan and Blue Nile so the NCP is sending a message that the only option is war.”

Analysts say Sudan’s government in Khartoum is trying to strike against the rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile before they become a serious political and military threat. The fighting risks drawing South Sudan into a proxy war. The Sudanese government declared a state of emergency in Blue Nile state on Friday, sacked the governor who was a member of the SPLM-North and appointed a military ruler in the area. Peter de Clercq, a spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), said a UNHCR team estimated that more than 20,000 people had crossed into Ethiopia from Kurmuk, one area of Blue Nile state where fighting has flared. “From Al-Damazin (Blue Nile state capital) we understand that significant numbers of people are leaving, trying to head north to Khartoum,” he said, without giving numbers. — Reuters

PIBOR: In this photo, young men herd cattle through the mud-caked streets of Pibor, South Sudan. — AP

Iran makes arrests over new water fight attempt TEHRAN: Iranian police arrested “a handful of people” who wanted to engage in water fights at a park in central Tehran, deputy police chief Ahmad Reza Radan said yesterday. “A handful of people who wanted to challenge social norms and (engage) in water fights were arrested by the police on Friday”-the day the water fight was to be held-at Ab-o-Atash ( Water and Fire) park in Tehran, Brigadier Radan told the Mehr news agency. “The people who involve in such actions are either stupid or not respectful of the law,” Radan said.

“The police will not allow them to achieve their goals ... and will confront the main organizers” of such events.

In late July, several hundred youths took part in a huge water fight using plastic water pistols as well as bottled water at the same venue in heat-weary Tehran, arranging the event on Facebook and through mobile text messages. Ten of them were arrested as photos of boys and girls in drenched clothing some of the women with their mandatory hijabs askew-emerged on social networking websites and eventually made their way into

the media to the anger of conservatives.

Morality police chief General Ahmad Rouzbahani warned then that the police would act forcefully against such events happening “in public places, or anywhere throughout the country.”

In early last month, 17 boys and girls were arrested over a water fight at a seaside park in the southern city of Bandar Abbas, after engaging in what the provincial justice chief said was a “haram act”-one forbidden by Islam. Radan said on Sunday that “there are other goals behind the water fights and a number of youths are being used” by the organizers of these events.

The authorities in the Islamic republic are wary of unofficial gatherings by young people, especially in large cities, over fears that they could turn into demonstrations. The water fights were organized by text message or calls on Facebook, which was widely used by the reformist opposition movement to organize the mass protests that followed the controversial re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009. —Agencies

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i n t e r n at i o n a l

Merkel’s coalition rides rough in regional polls Voter turnout at midday lower than at last vote in 2006

SOFIA: Minister of Regional Development Rosen Plevneliev reacts as he is officially nominated by the Bulgarian ruling party, center-right GERB as its candidate for the October 23 presidential elections yesterday. — AP

Bulgaria’s GERB nominates popular minister for prez SOFIA: Bulgaria’s ruling GERB party yesterday nominated its popular construction minister as its candidate for president in a contest that is expected to indicate the level of support for the centre-right government ahead of general elections in 2013. Minister Rosen Plevneliev, applauded for overseeing the speedy building of highways, is a front-runner for the ceremonial post on Oct. 23 but is also likely to face stiff competition and a run-off is likely, analysts say.

Local elections will be held on the same day. GERB is still the most popular political faction but support for the party has eroded since it came to office in 2009. Bulgaria’s opposition says the government has not done enough to revive the flagging economy, boost living standards and combat rampant corruption and organized crime.

Opinion polls rank Plevneliev, 47, a softspoken engineer, as the second most popular public figure in the Balkan country after the country ’s EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva.

Under Plevneliev’s leadership, the government has managed to open a longdelayed 19-km highway around the capital

and stepped up work on new motorways linking Sofia with the Black Sea port of Burgas and neighboring Turkey. It has pledged that the isolated Balkan country will have seven operational highways by 2020 to help attract much needed foreign investment.

But spending cuts, along with rising unemployment and food and fuel prices, have angered many in the European Union’s poorest country, where the average monthly salary stands at 300 euros ($430) and living standards are among the lowest in the bloc. More than a dozen candidates are running for president and with the winner needing a majority vote, a run-off is expected.

The most likely contenders are Socialist candidate Ivailo Kalfin, a former foreign minister, or independent Meglena Kuneva, a former EU commissioner. Current President Georgi Parvanov, former leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, served two 5year terms and is not eligible to run again.

Plevneliev and the party’s nominee for vice president, Justice Minister Margarita Popova, are expected to be replaced at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. — Reuters

US drained after disasters WASHINGTON: Nature is pummeling the United States this year with extremes.

Unprecedented triple-digit (38-plus degree Celsius) heat and devastating drought.

Deadly tornadoes leveling towns. Massive rivers overflowing. A billion-dollar blizzard.

And now, unusual hurricane-caused flooding in Vermont. If what’s falling from the sky isn’t enough, the ground shook in places that normally seem stable: Colorado and the entire East Coast. On Friday, a strong quake triggered brief tsunami warnings in Alaska.

Arizona and New Mexico have broken records for wildfires. Total weather losses top $35 billion, and that’s not counting Hurricane Irene, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. There have been more than 700 US disaster and weather deaths, most from the tornado outbreaks this spring.

Last year, the world seemed to go wild with natural disasters in the deadliest year in a generation. But 2010 was bad globally, and the United States mostly was spared. This year, while there have been devastating events elsewhere, such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Australia’s flooding and a drought in Africa, it’s our turn to get smacked. Repeatedly. “I’m hoping for a break.

I’m tired of working this hard. This is ridiculous,” said Jeff Masters, a meteorologist who runs Weather Underground, a meteorology service that tracks strange and extreme weather. “I’m not used to seeing all these extremes all at once in one year.”

The US has had a record 10 weather catastrophes costing more than a billion dollars: five separate tornado outbreaks, two different major river floods in the Upper Midwest and the Mississippi River, drought in the Southwest and a blizzard that crippled the Midwest and Northeast, and Irene. What’s happening, say experts, is mostly random chance or bad luck. But there is something more to it, many of them say. Man-made global warming is increasing the odds of getting a bad roll of the dice. Sometimes the luck seemed downright freakish.The East Coast got a double-whammy in one week with a magnitude 5.8 earthquake followed by a drenching from Irene. If one place felt more besieged than others, it was tiny Mineral, Virginia, the epicenter of the quake, where Louisa County Fire Lt. Floyd Richard stared at the darkening sky before Irene and said, “What did WE do to Mother Nature to come through here like this.” There are still four months to go, including September, the busiest month of the hurricane season. The Gulf Coast expected a soaking this weekend from Tropical Storm Lee and forecasters were watching Hurricane Katia slogging west in the Atlantic.

The insurance company Munich Re calculated that in the first six months of the year there have been 98 natural disasters in the United States, about double the average of the 1990s. Even before Irene, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was on pace to obliterate the record for declared disasters issued by state, reflecting both the geographic breadth and frequency of America’s problem-plagued year. “If you weren’t in a drought, you were drowning is what it came down to,” Masters said. Add to that, oppressive and unrelenting heat. Tens of thousands of daily weather records have been broken or tied and nearly 1,000 all-time records set, with most of them heat or rain related: Oklahoma set a record for hottest month

ever in any state with July. Washington D.C. set all-time heat records at the National Arboretum on July 23 with 105 (40.5 Celsius) and then broke it a week later with 106 (41 Celsius). Houston had a record string of 24 days in August with the thermometer over 100 degrees F (38 degrees C). Newark, New Jersey, set a record with 108 degrees F (42 degrees C), topping the old mark by 3 degrees F (2 degrees C).

Tornadoes this year hit medium-sized cities such as Joplin, Missouri, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The outbreaks affected 21 states, including unusual deadly twisters in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Massachusetts. “I think this year has really been extraordinary in terms of natural catastrophes,” said Andreas Schrast, head of catastrophic perils for Swiss Re, another big insurer. One of the most noticeable and troubling weather extremes was the record-high nighttime temperatures, said Tom Karl, director of NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. That shows that the country wasn’t cooling off at all at night, which both the human body and crops need.

“These events are abnormal,” Karl said. “But it’s part of an ongoing trend we’ve seen since 1980.”

Individual weather disasters so far can’t be directly attributed to global warming, but it is a factor in the magnitude and the string of many of the extremes, Karl and other climate scientists say. While the hurricanes and tornado outbreaks don’t seem to have any clear climate change connection, the heat wave and drought do, said NASA climate scientist Gavin Schmidt. This year, there’s been a Pacific Ocean climate phenomenon that changes weather patterns worldwide known as La Nina, the flip side to El Nino. La Ninas normally trigger certain extremes such as flooding in Australia and drought in Texas. But global warming has taken those events and amplified them from bad to record levels, said climate scientist Jerry Meehl at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Judith Curry of Georgia Tech disagreed, saying that while humans are changing the climate, these extremes have happened before, pointing to the 1950s. “Sometimes it seems as if we have weather amnesia,” she said. Another factor is that people are building bigger homes and living in more vulnerable places such as coastal regions, said Swiss Re’s Schrast. Worldwide insured losses from disasters in the first three months this year are more than any entire year on record except for 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck, Schrast said. Unlike last year, when many of the disasters were in poor countries such as Haiti and Pakistan, this year’s catastrophes have struck richer areas, including Australia, Japan and the United States.

The problem is so big that insurers, emergency managers, public officials and academics from around the world are gathering Wednesday in Washington for a special threeday National Academy of Sciences summit to figure out how to better understand and manage extreme events. The idea is that these events keep happening, and with global warming they should occur more often, so society has to learn to adapt, said former astronaut Kathryn Sullivan, NOAA’s deputy chief. Sullivan, a scientist, said launching into space gave her a unique perspective on Earth’s “extraordinary scale and power and both extraordinary elegance and finesse.” “We are part of it. We do affect it,” Sullivan said. “But it surely affects us on a daily basis - sometimes with very powerful punches.” — AP

BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right coalition could face a further drubbing at the polls yesterday in a regional election in Germany ’s poorest state, MecklenburgVorpommern. Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) have been junior coalition partners to the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) in the sparsely populated state on the Baltic shore but could be knocked out and replaced by the Left party or even the Greens. Voter turnout at midday was running well below the levels in the last election in 2006. State officials said that only 29.8 percent of the state’s 1.4 million eligible voters had cast their ballots by 1400 (1200 GMT), below 35.4 percent in 2006.

The polls opened at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) and will close at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT). Exit polls will then be flashed on TV networks with preliminary results due later in the evening. The state was basking in sunny and warm weather, which after a damp summer has kept voter turnout down.

That could give a boost to smaller parties, especially the far-right NPD. The total voter turnout was 59.1 percent in the last vote in 2006.

The CDU, which has been punished in five regional elections in what has been a dreary year for Merkel, has already lost control of two states to the SPD this year. Two years before the next scheduled federal election, the CDU is also slumping in national polls-in part due to general discontent over Merkel and over her hesitant leadership during the euro zone crisis. Her Berlin coalition partners, the Free Democrats, may even be ejected from the state assembly.

Opinion polls in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern put the SPD at about 37 percent, well above their 30.2 percent in 2006 with the CDU polling about 27 percent, down from 28.8 in 2006. The Left are on 17 percent after 16.8 percent five years ago. A poor result and being ejected from the government in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern would be a personal setback for Merkel, who campaigned heavily there with nine appearances before she cancelled a final speech after her 85-year-old father died.

Merkel’s constituency in parliament is also located in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Yet another election defeat for the CDU could cause further nervousness among backbenchers in the Berlin parliament worried about their job security. Merkel’s coalition faces a difficult vote on the euro zone bailout on Sept. 29 and there are already fears that not enough coalition deputies will back Merkel.

The Greens, riding high in national polls in the wake of the Japanese nuclear disaster, are expected to win 9 percent after 3.4 percent in 2006. If the Greens clear the five percent hurdle in the state, the environmental party will have seats in all 16 German states for the first time. The state premier of the northeastern state that borders Poland, Erwin Sellering of the SPD, is keeping his options open on coalition partners. Local polls show most in the state want to see a contin-

The Free Democrats (FDP), junior coalition partners in Berlin but only an opposition party in Schwerin, face a humiliating defeat in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The FDP could be ejected from the state assembly with a projected 4 percent, down from 9.6 percent in 2006. Another regional drubbing could raise pressure on FDP leaders to fire unpopular Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who is widely blamed for the party’s steep slide.

POMERANIA: Picture shows the Schwerin Castle housing the state parliament of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Voters went to polls in German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s home state yesterday. — AFP uation of the SPD-CDU coalition. “We have to keep pushing for jobs and that means jobs with decent wages,” Sellering said in a recent speech.

“And we’ve got to make sure that social fairness prevails without spending more state money.

Whoever agrees to that will be our partner.”

Far right NPD could get seats again The far-right NPD party could win seats in the assembly again after winning 7.3 percent in 2006. The NPD are polling about 4.5 percent but often do better in elections than in the polls-as supporters conceal their intentions to pollsters.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with 1.6 million people, has struggled since German unification.

Many of the region’s industries, such as shipbuilding, collapsed after unification in 1990 because they were uncompetitive.

Unemployment soared and is now 12 percenttriple the level in southern Germany. The state’s population also shrunk as many skilled workers moved west in search of jobs. Wages in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are the lowest in Germany and even below European Union averages. Those dire economic conditions have helped the far-right NPD. — Reuters

Trial to open for ‘medically unfit’ ex-president Chirac

ITALY: Former French President Jacques Chirac arrives for the inauguration of an exhibition in Venice’s Palazzo Grassi in this file photo. — AP

24 arrested in Angola over anti-govt rally LISBON: Angolan authorities arrested 24 people at an anti-government youth rally in the capital Luanda on Saturday during which several protesters, journalists and police officers were injured, according to media reports. The rally, organized by a youth movement without the support of any of the main opposition parties, called for the resignation of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has held power in oil-rich Angola for over 32 years. According to the Portuguese television station RTP, around 200 youths gathered at Luanda’s Independence Square at 1200 GMT. Police intervened when a small group headed towards the presidential palace to demand the release of a protester allegedly arrested earlier on Saturday. RTP added that several protesters, as well as several Portuguese and Angolan journalists, suffered light injuries in the fracas.

The Angolan National Police said it arrested 24 people during the rally, with four police officers injured as they tried to persuade the protesters to stay on the authorized route. It added that three civilians had been injured “by unidentified people”, and that they were taken to hospital for medical treatment.

“Against police guidance, some individuals forced the security cordon in an anarchical way, insulting passers-by and police officers and saying they wanted to the head to the palace,” the police said in a statement quoted by Angolan state news agency Angop. “That led to a climate of the violence, which led to the throwing of heavy objects and caused the injuries,” it added.

Portuguese news agency Lusa cited one of the protest organizers who had was arrested as saying the police “acted with brutality” during an event authorized by the local government. Dos Santos’ MPLA party, which won in 2002 won the 27 year-long civil war against UNITA and then obtained 82 percent of the vote in the 2008 general election, has long been accused of mismanaging the country’s oil revenues, avoiding public scrutiny and doing too little to fight corruption. An estimated two-thirds of Angola’s 16.5 million people live on less than $2 per day in a country which is Africa’s second-largest oil producer after Nigeria. The MPLA is favorite to win a general election next year, but tensions are rising ahead of the ballot after UNITA, now the main opposition party, last month accused it of stripping the national elections committee of any real power. — Reuters

PARIS: The first ever trial of a French expresident opens today but the accused, Jacques Chirac, was unlikely to appear in court to answer corruption charges after doctors said he was medically unfit. The 78year-old right-winger, best known internationally for his opposition to the 2003 USled invasion of Iraq, has been linked to a series of corruption scandals but was never convicted. Chirac, who became France’s best loved politician after leaving office in 2007, is accused of using public funds to pay people working for his party ahead of his successful 1995 bid for the presidency.

If found guilty, he faces up to 10 years in jail and a fine of 150,000 euros ($214,000) on charges that include embezzlement and breach of trust during the years he served as mayor of Paris. Chirac is the first French former head of state to face criminal charges since the leader of the collaborationist wartime regime, Marshal Philippe Petain, was convicted of treason after World War II. He enjoyed immunity from prosecution as president from 1995 to 2007, but the case, which has already seen current Foreign Minister Alain Juppe convicted, has finally caught up with him. He avoided the dock in March when lawyers for a co-defendant won a postponement by arguing certain charges were unconstitutional. But the highest appeals court ruled the challenge over the statute of limitations was invalid. It appeared that he was again going to avoid a court appearance after his lawyers said in a statement Saturday they had submitted a medical report to the presiding judge that said he could not attend.

“President Chirac indicated to the court

his wish to see the trial proceed to its end and his willingness to assume his responsibilities, even though he is not entirely capable of taking part in the hearings,” they said.

The neurological report drawn up at the request of his family concluded that Chirac was in “a vulnerable condition which will not allow him to answer questions about his past,” Le Monde newspaper said on Saturday. Judge Dominique Pauthe will today have to respond to the medical report when the case opens with a day that earmarked for procedural matters. His options include dropping the case, postponing it or seeking further medical opinion.

Chirac’s son-in-law Frederic Salat-Baroux said Saturday that the ex-president’s health “has been getting worse for several months” and he “no longer has the memor y ” to attend the court hearings. At the start of the year his wife Bernadette denied that Chirac was suffering from Alzheimer’s. State prosecutors had called for the case to be dismissed, raising the likelihood that Chirac will avoid conviction if his case goes ahead.

Paris city hall last year dropped its civil charges against him in return for a payment of more than 2.2 million euros, from him and the right-wing UMP party.

Chirac, who has also served two terms as prime minister and 18 years as mayor of Paris, paid more than half a million euros of this from his own pocket but did not acknowledge any wrongdoing. Despite his legal problems, Chirac is much loved by the French who seem nostalgic for his warm manner and love of good food and beer, and his traditional style of statesmanship, which contrasts with the brash energy of his successor Nicolas Sarkozy. — AFP

Purging Libya ex-officials would be a mistake: Italy CERNOBBIO: The West must not repeat the same mistake in Libya as it did in Iraq, Italy’s foreign minister said yesterday, warning against a full-scale purging of military officials and bureaucrats from Muammar Gaddafi’s authoritarian regime.

“Why destroy all the structure, all the apparatus in Libya like we have done in Iraq, making a big mistake,” Franco Frattini told reporters at an economic forum in the Lake Como resort town of Cernobbio. “We shouldn’t multiply, we shouldn’t double this mistake.” Frattini, whose country kept strong economic and diplomatic ties with Gaddafi’s regime, suggested that lessons be learned from the period in Iraq after the US-led war drove Saddam Hussein from power. He was referring to the widescale purging of Iraqi soldiers and bureaucrats. Militant extremists quickly capitalized on the resulting discontent and power vacuum. But Frattini also warned against possible infiltration by extremists in the future government of Libya, after rebels, aided by NATO’s airstrikes, ended Gaddafi’s 42 years of iron-fisted rule.

“A very important point is to eradicate any kind of infiltration of extremist organizations into the structure of government of the future Libya,” said the minister, who throughout the rebellion consulted frequently with the Benghazi-based National Transitional Council. The council’s leadership was also in regular contact early on with officials of Italian energy company Eni SpA, which for decades has had natural gas and oil operations in Libya, Frattini said. “The rebels in Benghazi immediately understood that Eni would have been a reliable partner” in a post-Gaddafi Libya, Frattini said. Members of an Eni technical team in Libya are “exploring the fastest way to restore ... the oil and gas production” there,” Frattini added. Eni said last week it is too soon to say when oil production could resume from Libya, but its CEO Paolo Scaroni has set a target date of mid-October for natural gas delivery from its Greenstream pipeline operation, in time for winter use by Italian consumers.

Libya is one of Italy’s main sources of energy. — AP

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Most Muslim Americans feel targeted by terror policies 43 percent of people report harassment

PEARL HARBOR: This 1951 file photo shows a small monument in memory of those killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, stands on Ford Island, Hawaii. —AP

Pearl Harbor anniversary reflects US in the 1950s HONOLULU: After the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, newspapers from Boston to Bakersfield, California, reached into the distant past to find the words to capture the moment for their front pages. One typical headline blared: “A New Day of Infamy.”

President Franklin D. Roosevelt had used the same word to describe the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor - “Dec 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy” - and invoking it for 9/11 is just one example of how many Americans drew parallels between the two attacks. Now, as America prepares for the 10year anniversary of 9/11, a look at how Americans marked the same milestone for Pearl Harbor shows that the way people commemorate events sometimes says more about their own times than a bygone era.

“They may be looking back at an event that happened years or decades before, but the way people think about them is governed by what’s going on in their own historical context,” said Michael Slackman, who has written books about Pearl Harbor. “Each generation will give different meaning to the same historical events based on the issues that they’re concerned about,” he said. In 1951, it was communism. Thousands of Americans were dying on the front lines of the Korean War, the US was in the early years of a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union and cities were holding air raid drills to prepare for atomic attacks. Pausing to remember Pearl Harbor didn’t dominate the news, nor, according to anecdotal newspaper accounts, was it at the forefront for many Americans.

On Dec 7 of that year, the top headlines told of the latest news from Korea. Many newspapers put the Pearl Harbor anniversary on their front pages, but they squeezed it in among the dozen or so stories commonly crammed on a page in those days. Many relegated it to the bottom of the front page.

LIFE, a weekly magazine that was among the most prominent publications of the time, made no mention of the anniversary in either its Dec 3 or Dec 10 editions, said Emily Rosenberg, a history professor at University of California, Irvine. The only mention of Japan, Rosenberg said, came in a story about American servicemen from the Korean War seeking respite at Japanese baths attended to by “‘plump Japanese girls in pale blue play skirts.’”There were several ceremonies in Hawaii to remember the attack. The one at Pearl Harbor was only for the Navy, which had recently installed a small platform and flagpole at the sunken wreck of the USS Arizona. Other memorials, including a Catholic mass at a cathedral and a ceremony at a national cemetery in Honolulu, remem-

bered the Pearl Harbor dead alongside those killed in World War II and the Korean War. Some even had trouble remembering Pearl Harbor at all. A reporter for The Springfield Union in Springfield, Massachusetts, found that only three of 23 people interviewed on the city’s main street remembered why the day was significant.

Even in Hawaii, some were unaware. A reporter for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin found that six of 15 people polled on Dec 7 didn’t know it was the anniversary. Rosenberg noted Pearl Harbor was the opening shot in a long war in which more than 400,000 Americans died. She said few in the early 1950s felt a need to elevate those who died on Dec 7 when so many had been killed in World War II and the Korean War. “It’s only later on I think that it comes to have this singular status,” said Rosenberg, whose book “A Date Which Will Live: Pearl Harbor in American Memory” examines how Americans have looked back on the attack over the years. Editorials recalled how the day marked the beginning of World War II for the US, but they also cited Pearl Harbor as an example of the peril facing the nation from communism and the Soviet Union.

“We still - and without logical cause - are deluded into thinking that we can meet the Red menace without sacrificing any of the luxuries of peacetime living,” said the Honolulu Star-Bulletin’s Dec 7 editorial. “If we persist in this delusion we are heading as surely as the sun rises in the morning toward another Pearl Harbor - and one from which it will be even more difficult to recover than it was 10 years ago.” There are obvious differences between the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. For one, Japan, a nation-state, aimed only at military targets during its bombing in 1941. Sixty years later, al-Qaida, a terrorist group, hijacked commercial airlines and flew them into civilian targets, as well as the Pentagon. Some argue the comparison has caused the nation great harm. John Dower, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of Japan, argues in a 2010 book “Cultures of War” that “pervasive” use of the analogy helped Americans believe they could thwart the terrorists behind the 9/11 attacks with “brute force” the way the US and its allies had defeated Japan, Germany and Italy in World War II. This contributed to America turning to fight al-Qaida with conventional military force, instead of primarily treating the terror network as a group of criminals, he wrote.

“More than undiscerning and counterproductive, this response was a disaster,” he wrote. — AP

WASHINGTON: More than half of Muslim Americans in a new poll say government antiterrorism policies single them out for increased surveillance and monitoring, and many report increased cases of name-calling, threats and harassment by airport security, law enforcement officers and others. Still, most Muslim Americans say they are satisfied with the way things are going in the US and rate their communities highly as places to live. The survey by the Pew Research Center, one of the most exhaustive ever of the country’s Muslims, finds no signs of rising alienation or anger among MuslimAmericans despite recent US government concerns about homegrown Islamic terrorism and controversy over the building of mosques.

“This confirms what we’ve said all along: American Muslims are well integrated and happy, but with a kind of lingering sense of being besieged by growing anti-Muslim sentiment in our society,” said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Muslim civil rights group.

“People contact us every day about concerns they’ve had, particularly with law enforcement authorities in this post-9/11 era,” he said.

Muslim extremists hijacked four passenger planes on Sept 11, 2001, crashing them into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon near Washington and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. In all, 52 percent of Muslim Americans surveyed said their group is singled out by government for terrorist surveillance.

Almost as many - 43 percent - reported they had personally experienced harassment in the past year, according to the poll released Tuesday.

That 43 percent share of people reporting harassment is up from 40 percent in 2007, the first time Pew polled Muslim Americans. Asked to identify in what ways they felt bias, about 28 percent said they had been treated or viewed with suspicion by people, while 22 percent said they were called offensive names. About 21 percent said they were singled out by airport security because they were Muslim, while another 13 percent said they were targeted by other law enforcement officials. Roughly 6 percent said they had been physically threatened or attacked.

On the other hand, the share of Muslim Americans who view US anti-terror policies as “sincere” efforts to reduce international terrorism now surpasses those who view them as insincere - 43 percent to 41 percent. Four years ago, during the presidency of George W Bush, far more viewed US anti-terrorism efforts as insincere than sincere - 55 percent to 26 percent. The vast majority of Muslim Americans - 79 percent rate their communities as either “excellent” or “good” places to live, even among many who reported an act of vandalism against a mosque or a controversy over the building of an Islamic center in their neighborhoods.

They also are now more likely to say they are satisfied with the current direction of the country - 56 percent, up from 38 percent in 2007. That is in contrast to the general US public, whose satisfaction has dropped from 32 percent to 23 percent. Andrew Kohut, Pew president, said in an interview that Muslim Americans’ overall level

of satisfaction was striking.

“I was concerned about a bigger sense of alienation, but there was not,” Kohut said, contrasting the US to many places in Europe where Muslims have become more separatist. “You don’t see any indication of brewing negativity.

When you look at their attitudes, these are still middle-class, mainstream people who want to be loyal to America.”

The latest numbers come amid increased US attention on the risks of homegrown terrorism after the London transit bombings in 2005. The problem has been especially pressing for President Barack Obama, with federal investigators citing a greater risk of attacks by a “lone wolf” or small homegrown cells following the 2009 Fort Hood shooting and the Times Square bombing attempt last year.

Such terror warnings have stirred raw emo-

CUBA: In this file photo, a detainee peers out from his cell inside the Camp Delta detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base. — AP tions as the US struggles to talk about religion in the context of terrorism. Tensions erupted last summer over plans to build a mosque near the Ground Zero site in New York City after critics assailed it as an insult to the victims of the Sept 11 attacks. Rep Peter King, a Republican held House hearings earlier this year to examine whether American Muslims are becoming “radicalized” to attack the US, declaring that US Muslims are doing too little to fight terror.

The Associated Press reported last week that with CIA guidance, the New York Police Department dispatched undercover officers into minority neighborhoods, scrutinized imams and gathered intelligence on cab drivers and food cart vendors, jobs often done by Muslims. It is now common in US mosques for Muslims to preface public remarks by saying that they know the government is eavesdropping but Muslims

temporarily ceded power. Born in eastern Cuba on Feb. 18, 1936, Casas was an accountant working in a food warehouse when he joined the rebel forces. Under Raul Castro’s command in the eastern Sierra Maestra mountains, Casas fought numerous battles against Batista’s troops.

He received additional military training in the Soviet Union and fought in Ethiopia during the years that Cuba sent troops to support African struggles for independence.

Beginning in 1990, Casas ran the Defense Ministry’s Business Administration Group, which includes a host of efficient and profitable enterprises designed to generate the hard currency Cuba has needed to buy critical imports.

One key company imports computers and other electronics. The armed forces also manage a chain of hundreds of small consumer goods stores and a tourism company that runs more than 30 hotels, with subsidiaries that provide domestic tourist travel by air and land. The military also has a large operation producing basic foods for the general population. The military’s role in the economy has only grown during Raul’s presidency, with trusted generals placed in command of several large state enterprises.

In 2010, a military-run company paid some $700 million to buy out Telecom Italia’s stake in state phone company Etecsa, a move that raised eyebrows because it came even as the government complained it was desperately short on funds.

The armed forces are one of the island’s strongest and most respected institutions and historically have been solidly loyal to the Castro brothers. Cuba under the Castros, unlike many Latin American countries, has never experienced a military coup or rebellion. — AP

US citizens, higher than the 47 percent rate for the broader immigrant population in the US. Muslim Americans are more likely than Muslims in the Middle East to say a way can be found for the state of Israel to exist so that Palestinian rights are addressed - 62 percent say this, compared with a range of 13 to 40 percent in other countries surveyed by Pew. That 62 percent share compares with 67 percent among the general US public who hold this view.

The Pew survey is based on telephone interviews with 1,033 Muslims in the US, conducted in English, Arabic, Farsi or Urdu from April 14 to July 22. Subjects were chosen at random, from a separate list of households including some with Muslim-sounding names, and from Muslim households that had answered previous surveys.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. — AP

Congress returns unpopular and Visibly divided

Cuban defense minister dies at 75 HAVANA: Gen Julio Casas Regueiro, an accountant who fought in Cuba’s revolution, then used his training to run the military’s lucrative economic enterprises for two decades before becoming defense minister, has died, state television reported. He was 75.

Casas was the most important figure from the revolution to die since Juan Almeida Bosque in 2009, and his death on Saturday of heart failure was sure to focus renewed attention on the fragility of the island’s aging leadership, many of whom are in their 80s. State television announced three days of national mourning in honor of Casas, who besides being defense minister was also a vice president of the Council of State, Cuba’s supreme governing body.

Casas served under Raul Castro in the rebel army that ultimately pushed out the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in early 1959. Trained as an accountant, he later ran the financial operations of Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces. “In the past 50 years I don’t remember ever criticizing comrade Julio Casas, save that, as we Cubans say, he’s very cheap,” Raul joked on Feb. 24, 2008, after he was elected to replace his ailing brother Fidel as president.

Among the first things the younger Castro did in the top job was to name Casas defense minister, the post the new leader had held for nearly a half-century under Fidel. In April, Casas was also elected a member of the Communist Party’s powerful 15-member Politburo, which is led by Raul. Casas’ financial discipline was the source “of his successes on the economic front, among other activities” in the armed forces, Raul Castro said.

Casas also effectively led the ministry in the 19 months that the younger Castro served as Cuba’s interim president after Fidel Castro underwent emergency intestinal surgery and

have nothing to hide. Mostly foreign-born immigrants, Muslim Americans are significantly younger, more likely to be male and more racially diverse than the public as a whole. They express a broad willingness to adopt US customs and are just as likely as the rest of Americans to hold a college degree.

For example: When asked to choose, nearly half of Muslims in the US say they think of themselves first as Muslim, rather than as American.

Roughly 60 percent say that most Muslims come to the US to adopt the American way of life and see no conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society. Foreign-born Muslims in the US come from at least 77 different countries, led by Pakistan, Iran, the Palestinian territories, Bangladesh, Yemen, Jordan and Iraq. About 70 percent of foreignborn Muslims report they are now naturalized

CHICHESTER: Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov Rick Perry poses for a photo with guests at a house party. — AP

Perry’s fiery ‘Fed Up!’ back to haunt him AUSTIN: Maybe Rick Perry is not so “Fed Up!” after all. Just nine months ago, the Texas governor released a rhetorical bomb-throwing book under that title. He dismissed Social Security as a New Deal relic that smacked of socialism. He said states’ rights trump all else.

He suggested that the Supreme Court’s nine unelected “oligarchs in robes” could have their rulings overturned by two-thirds votes in both houses of Congress. Now that the Republican is running for president, his campaign has begun distancing itself from some of the candidate’s own words on issues such as Social Security and states’ rights. Pulling back won’t be easy because “Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America From Washington” is anything but the nuanced list of general positions that fills the pages of most presidential candidates’ books.

Politicians “typically don’t take strong positions. They are largely biographical and usually not specific at all,” said Adam Bellow, editorial director of Broadside Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, who edited Sarah Palin’s two books. “It is unusual,” Bellow said of “Fed Up!,” “but we are in an unusual moment.”

Perry, who’s shot to the top of many public opinion polls among the Republican presidential contenders, hasn’t shied away from bashing Social Security, which provides monthly pensions to retired Americans. Last

month in Iowa, he said the program “is a Ponzi scheme for these young people.” Later, he told reporters, “I haven’t backed off anything in my book. So read the book again and get it right.”

Campaign spokesman Mark Miner said “no one can argue that Social Security isn’t broken.” “The goal was to put these issues on the table and ensure they’re addressed,” Miner said. But, in his book, Perry goes well beyond criticizing the program’s financing problems and vilifies the entire concept as a failed social experiment. “Like a bad disease,” he wrote, New Deal-era initiatives introduced in the 1930s by Democratic President Franklin D Roosevelt have spread. “By far the best example of this is Social Security.” The program “is something we have been forced to accept for more than 70 years now.” Already, Perry communications director Ray Sullivan was reported as saying that the book is not meant to reflect Perry’s current views on Social Security - even though “Fed Up” was published just last year. While skewering the program might help Perry with supporters of the tea party movement which advocates smaller government and lower taxes, it could cost him with elderly voters in Florida and other important states were he to win the nomination, said man and a woman, which would preclude a state’s choice. — AP

WASHINGTON: Congress returns to work this coming week, divided over measures to create jobs and scorned by the nation it was elected to help lead. After a five-week break, Republican and Democratic leaders alike promise action to try and ease the country’s 9.1 percent unemployment rate and boost an economy that is barely growing. President Barack Obama goes first on Thursday night with a speech to lawmakers and a prime-time national television audience.

But there is little overlap so far in the measures that Republicans and Democrats are recommending, and the rest of the year-end congressional agenda is top-heavy with items that relate to government spending and less directly to job creation. A new committee, comprised of lawmakers in both parties from both the Senate and House of Representatives and armed with extraordinary powers, is expected to hold its first meeting this week as it begins work on a plan to make long-term deficit cuts. The panel was created as part of last month’s agreement to reduce deficits and avert a government default. It faces a Nov. 23 deadline for action.

More immediately, parts of the Federal Aviation Administration will shut down on Sept. 16 unless Congress approves a measure to keep operations running. Federal money for highway construction jobs runs out two weeks later without separate legislation. The Obama administration is seeking more money for disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Irene, and a partial government shutdown would occur on Oct. 1 unless lawmakers enact an interim spending bill to cover most federal agencies.

With any or all of these measures, there is an opportunity for partisan gridlock or compromise, and it isn’t entirely clear which an unhappy public might prefer. In a late-August Associated Press-GfK poll, only 12 percent of those surveyed said they approved of the job Congress is doing, and 87 percent disapproved. A separate Gallup survey, taken in midmonth, found 13 percent approved and 84 percent disapproved.

“Everybody is kind of in trouble with the electorate,” said Republican pollster Bill McInturff. He recently distributed an analysis that concluded the negotiating surrounding last month’s agreement to avoid a default is ‘an extremely significant event that is profoundly and sharply reshaping views of the economy and the federal government.

“It has led to a scary erosion in confidence in both, at a time when this steep drop in confidence can be least afforded.” But if the public was offended by the bickering before the deal, there isn’t much evidence that the compromise on the nation’s borrowing limit did much, if anything, to restore confidence in Congress’ ability to address economic problems. A Fox News poll last month showed opinion was split on the compromise, with Republicans overwhelmingly opposed, independents solidly so and Democrats narrowly in favor. But even those statistics masked a deeper divide.

Based on other surveys, McInturff said, “Republicans disapprove because some didn’t think we should have raised the debt ceiling at all ... and others because they believe there should have been substantially more spending cuts than what was in the debt ceiling vote.” — AP

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Taleban kidnap tribal boys as ‘punishment’ Pakistan tribe in talks with Taleban to free abductees ISLAMABAD: Pakistani tribal elders are holding talks with Taleban militants in Afghanistan for the release of scores of young tribesmen kidnapped during an outing along the border, officials said yesterday. The teenage tribesmen from Pakistan’s northwestern Bajaur tribal region were abducted by the militants on Thursday while they were on an outing in Afghanistan’s border province of Kunar on the Muslim festival of Eid. “A tribal jirga (council) from Bajaur is currently holding talks with the terrorists,” Pakistan military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said.

AHMEDABAD: Rescue workers from Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services try to control a fire at the refrigeration plant of Dudhsagar Dairy factory in Mehsana. Some six persons died and ten reported injured after a boiler blast at the dairy factory. Search and rescue operations continue for people who may be trapped under the debris. —AFP

Afghan Taleban free 4 Turkish engineers GHAZNI: Four Turkish engineers kidnapped by Afghanistan’s Taleban more than eight months ago were freed overnight after intervention by tribal elders. The men, taken captive in December in eastern Paktia province, were handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the neighboring province of Ghazni, an AFP reporter in the area said. “We were kidnapped by the Taleban eight-and-ahalf months ago. We’re released on the occasion of Eid by Ameer-ul Momineen Mullah Mohammad Omar,” one of the captives told AFP, referring to the Taleban leader. The Turk, who gave his name only as Imam, said no ransom was paid and “we were not tortured” while in captivity, before being rushed to Ghazni city. Authorities refused to give details but Haji Zahir, a Ghazni province tribal elder who facilitated the release, told AFP that the Taleban freed the four “only on the occasion of Eid.” Eid al-Fitr is a major Muslim festival which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The release of prisoners at this time is an Afghan tradition. “Yes, we freed the four Turkish engineers on the occasion of Eid,”

Taleban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed told AFP. Turkey has hundreds of troops operating under the US-led NATO force in Afghanistan, in a deadly decade-long conflict. Kidnapping of foreign nationals is part of the Taleban insurgency.

The rebels often seek the release of their jailed comrades from Afghan prisons before freeing hostages.

Most hostages are, however, released only after a ransom is paid. Two French reporters were abducted by Taleban in Kapisa province, nor th of Kabul, in December 2009 and freed in July. One of the two, Herve Ghesquiere, recently told the BBC that he suspected a ransom was paid for his freedom. The Taleban said the pair were freed after their comrades were released from jail, a claim dismissed by Afghan authorities. Two German nationals are also believed to have been kidnapped by the Taleban after they went missing while climbing Hindu Kush mountains, nor th of K abul, earlier this month.

Dozens of foreign nationals have been kidnapped by the Taleban and other criminal gangs since the 2001 fall of the hardline Islamists. —AFP

“The future course of action will be decided by tribal elders from both sides of the border.” Pakistani government officials had initially said around 60 boys from the ethnic Pashtun Mamoun tribe took part in the outing.

But about 20 below ten years were allowed to return to Pakistan, while up to 40 others between 12 to 14 years old were held. Abbas said in total 40 young tribesmen were abducted. He said 10 of the boys were released while 30 were still in custody.

Under centuries-old tribal customs, tribesmen living along the frontier can freely move across the border.

A spokesman for Pakistani Taleban, many of whom have fled into Afghanistan in the face of Pakistan military offensives in Bajaur, on Saturday claimed responsibility for the kidnappings as punishment against the tribe for supporting the military. The Taleban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said they had a plan of mass-scale kidnappings and expected people in large number to visit the border region on Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Sultan Zeb, a tribal elder in Bajaur, said militants loyal to Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, the top Taleban commander in Bajaur who Pakistani authorities say has also fled to Afghanistan, were involved in the kidnapping.

“We have established contact with the Taleban through their relatives and friends and we hope they will release the abducted people very soon. The kidnappers have not made demand for ransom or any other demand for the release,” he told Reuters by telephone from Bajaur. The Mamoun tribe is opposed to al Qaeda and Taleban and has raised militias to fight them, angering militants who often hit back with bombings and shooting attacks.

India approves $750m loan for Bangladesh

DHAKA: A Bangladeshi woman tries to board an overcrowded train to head home. India has approved a $750 million loan for Bangladesh to develop trade infrastructure ahead of a visit to Dhaka by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this week. —AP

DHAKA: India has approved a $750 million loan for Bangladesh to develop trade infrastructure ahead of a visit to Dhaka by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this week, a senior Bangladesh official said yesterday. The money is part of a $1 billion credit line India proposed for its eastern neighbor to develop ports and related infrastructure, said Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, secretary of the economic relations division of the finance ministry.

“The Indian government has already asked the relevant ministry to disburse the credit for implementing nearly two dozen infrastructure projects under the $1 billion credit agreement signed in August last year,” Bhuiyan said. Singh and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are expected to sign agreements to swap disputed territory dating back to the 1947 partition of British India, as well as pacts on water rights from major shared rivers, during the Sept 6-7 trip, the first by an Indian prime minister to Bangladesh in 12 years.

Singh’s visit is widely seen as a demonstration of India’s willingness to have closer understanding and cooperation with the small neighbor, and remove decades of mistrust. India helped its neighbor secede from Pakistan in a bloody 1971 war, but relations were frequently fractious after that. New Delhi also wants Dhaka to allow better transit links across Bangladesh to land-locked north-eastern Indian states. Bangladesh has offered India the use of the Chittagong and Mongla ports to improve bilateral and regional trade. But opposition parties, including former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party, oppose such moves, saying they would bring more benefit to India than Bangladesh. —Reuters

Indian state mulls ban on witchcraft MUMBAI: Chanting to cure snakebites, claiming to be a reincarnated spouse to obtain sex, and charging for miracles could soon be banned by an Indian state seeking to stop charlatans preying on the vulnerable. Many superstitions are widely held in India but a campaign group is lobbying hard for a new law in the western state of Maharashtra to outlaw several exploitative activities, with penalties of fines or up to seven years in jail. But the push to pass the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil Practices and Black Magic bill has not received unanimous support.

Some Hindu nationalists fear the legislation seeks to move beyond the excesses named in its title and might be used to curb cherished religious freedoms. One right-wing association, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, called it “a draconian law targeting faith”, denounced its proponents as “atheists” and called for supporters to lobby assembly members to oppose it and demand amendments. The founder and executive president of the

Maharashtra Blind Faith Eradication Committee, which has been calling for a law for the last two decades, is undeterred and hopes other states will follow suit.

“Superstitions are rampant all over India but at the moment there is no law which stops this type of activity,” Narendra Dabholkar told AFP. “There are laws against witchcraft but they’re limited to a particular type of witchcraft. This is much wider and more encompassing.” The draft law, supported by Maharashtra’s ruling Congress-National Congress Party coalition, aims to target “quacks and conmen” who exploit widely-held superstitions and the ignorant, particularly in rural areas.

In May this year, police said they had foiled an alleged attempt to abduct and kill a seven-year-old girl in a village near Nashik, northwest of Mumbai, as part of a ritual to find hidden treasure. And last year, a childless couple in a remote village some 675 kilometers (420 miles) east of Mumbai were arrested for allegedly killing five young boys because a religious mystic told them it would help the woman to

conceive.

Practices to be banned by the proposed law include beating a person to exorcise ghosts or making money by claiming to work miracles. Treating a dog, snake or scorpion bite with chants instead of medicine, and seeking sexual favors by claiming to be an incarnation of a holy spirit or the client’s wife or husband in a past life would also be proscribed. Some critics, however, say the draft law does not go far enough and has been watered down since it was first mooted way back in 1995 due to protests from pro-Hindu groups.

“In my opinion the bill that has ultimately come into Maharashtra suggests nothing new. It doesn’t give anything additional,” said Sanal Edamaruku, president of the Indian Rationalist Association.

Concerns about the draft law’s impact on legitimate religious practices from Hindu nationalist groups such as the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have delayed its passing. —AFP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani children look on while lying on a bed next to their family members who are working in a brick factory yesterday. —AP Bajaur, which lies opposite to Kunar, has long been an infiltration route for militants entering Afghanistan to fight US-led forces there. But Pakistani officials say many of Pakistani militants who have fled to Afghanistan have established sanctuaries there. Pakistan late last month lodged a protest with the Afghan government after officials said hundreds of militants from Afghanistan launched a raid on Pakistani border posts in northwestern Chitral district, killing up to 36 people, most of them soldiers. Twenty-seven Pakistani servicemen and 45 militants died in clashes in July when some 600 militants from Afghanistan attacked Pakistani border villages. —Reuters

12 dead as bus falls into river in India LUCKNOW: An official says a bus has fallen into a river swollen by monsoon rains in northern India, killing 12 passengers.

Government spokesman Amit Chandola says 29 people were rescued from the Tons river and hospitalized with injuries near Dehradun, the capital of Uttrakhand state. He says the accident occurred yesterday when the driver lost control of the vehicle on a sharp curve. The mountainous area is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of the state capital. Police figures show India has the worldís highest road death toll, with more than 110,000 people dying each year in accidents often caused by speeding, overcrowding and poorly maintained vehicles and roads. —AP

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US flood aid shipment arrives in North Korea PYONGYANG: The United States has provided a small yet symbolic shipment of emergency relief items to flood-hit North Korea, in the latest sign of thawing ties between the wartime foes. Heavy rain and tropical storms have pounded North Korea in the past few months, leaving dozens of people dead or missing and displacing thousands of others.

Washington has not responded with food aid, but pledged to provide emergency help for the flooding. A cargo plane loaded with $900,000 worth of food, medical aid, soap, blankets and cooking kits from the United States touched down at Pyongyang’s Sunan airport late Saturday, according to footage

from the Associated Press Television News from the North Korean capital.

A group of officials from the North Carolina-based aid group Samaritan’s Purse also flew to Pyongyang to watch the aid delivery process. The APTN footage showed airport workers clad in luminescent safety vests pulling pallets of shipments from the plane and loading them to airport vehicles in darkness. “It is loaded with medicines, with food items for small children, with water filtration systems, blankets, other emergency relief supplies, for people here (in North Korea), who have been affected by the torrential rains, and the terrible flooding, that has come at a

very difficult time,” said Melvin Cheatham, special assistant to the president of Samaritan’s Purse.

Samaritan’s Purse said it has pledged $1.2 million in addition to the $900,000 that the US government has allocated for aid to North Korea through U.S.-based charities. The agency said it has worked with the U.S. government and several other Christian organizations to send the aid as they try to continue gaining humanitarian access to North Korea.

The aid delivery comes amid recent glimmers of diplomatic hope after more than a year of tension on the Korean peninsula, with the North allegedly torpedoing a South Korean war-

ship and shelling a South Korean island. A total of 50 South Koreans died in the attacks. American and North Korean officials met in New York in late July to discuss a possible resumption of longdormant negotiations on ending the North’s nuclear weapons program in return for aid and other concessions.

Nuclear envoys of the two Koreas also met in July and agreed to work toward the talks’ resumption, and Pyongyang said last month that it had accepted Washington’s proposal to discuss recovering remains of American troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. The United States fought alongside South Korea

during the war, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The United States has not established diplomatic relations with North Korea and stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to deter potential aggression by the North.

Heavy rain can be catastrophic for North Korea due to poor drainage, and flooding in previous years has destroyed crops and pushed the country deeper into poverty. The World Food Program said earlier this year that an estimated 6 million of North Korea’s 24 million people would go hungry without help from outside donors due to the impact on the harvest.

However, there are persistent concerns among some govern-

ments that aid to the North is routinely diverted to its powerful military.

The US State Department said that providing humanitarian assistance is separate from political and security concerns.

“This emergency relief demonstrates our continuing concern for the well-being of the North Korean people,” it said in a statement.

Even a small amount carries weight, one analyst said.

“However small they may be, aid offers and other developments enhance the mood for greater political cooperation,” said Kim Young-yoon, a senior researcher at the state-funded Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. —AP

typhoon Talas kills 17 Evacuation orders issued to 460,000 people

MOUNT KUMGANG: This photo shows Chinese tourists posing for photos at a coastal scenic spot at Mount Kumgang international tourist zone in North Korea. —AFP

N Korea seeks foreign money for seized resort MOUNT KUMGANG: Once a thriving resort and a symbol of cooperation between Seoul and Pyongyang, the shops in North Korea’s Mount Kumgang are shut and its hotels are empty. The golf course overlooking a sparkling sea is deserted, and a “closed” sign is pasted over the locks of clubhouse doors in the resort which is adorned with monuments to the glory of North Korean leaders. Mount Kumgang, renowned for its spectacular peaks, gorges and coastline, was opened in 1998 as a jointly-run destination for South Koreans, but tours were suspended 10 years later after a North Korean soldier shot dead a Southern visitor who strayed into a restricted zone.

Several attempts to get the resort up and running again failed and last month Pyongyang seized the South Korean assets there. Now the impoverished Communist state is trying to lure in capitalist investors from other countries, despite strong objections from the South which has warned other nations against getting involved. “Our sincerity and efforts were obstructed by the South Korean government,” said Kim KwangYun, director of the North’s Mount Kumgang International Tourism Leadership Bureau.

Speaking to dozens of Chinese tour operators invited to visit, Kim laid out the North’s investment plans for the area, including airport expansion, highway construction, and developing a skiing area. He was open to finance from all countries, he told reporters, adding that investors from China, Europe and the United States had already expressed an interest in the resort. But Pyongyang’s capriciousness means he has a difficult pitch to sell. The North’s seizure of the resort came after years of sabre-rattling punctuated by missile tests and the detonation of two atomic bombs. And last year Seoul accused Pyongyang of torpedoing one of its warships, with the loss of

46 lives-poisoning negotiations aimed at resuming visits after the 2008 tourist shooting. For years Mount Kumgang was a vital source of hard currency for North Korea, which is desperately poor after decades of isolation and bungled economic policies, and suffers severe power and food shortages. An almost lone symbol of cross-border cooperation, it was developed by the South’s Hyundai Asan after the conglomerate signed a contract with the North Korean government.

Nearly two million South Korean citizens visited over 10 years and Leonid Petrov, a lecturer in Korean Studies at the University of Sydney, said it was the only place where North and South Koreans could fleetingly meet each other. “It was only North Koreans who had government permission to talk to foreigners-like government minders and hotel personnel-but it was more than nothing, and both North and South Koreans learned a lot about each other.

“South Koreans could even drive their own cars, crossing the demilitarized zone, so it was unbelievable progress in inter-Korean reconciliation,” he told AFP. With the flow of South Korean visitors turned off in 2008, Pyongyang opened up the area to domestic tourists in June last year, but since the country’s economy is in ruins they pay only around 1,000 won (around $3) for a trip. A few international tourists also pass through.

“This is a country that is quite secretive, and we’d like to know more about it, that’s why we’re here,” said Nico Ng, a 55-year-old from Malaysia who was taking part in a organized hike. “But the actual result is we really didn’t get anything,” he said of his trip to the country which presented little opportunity to glean a better understanding. Simon Cockerell, managing director of the Beijing-based Koryo Group, which runs tours to North Korea, said it would be hard for authorities in the reclusive state to attract foreigners to the resort.— AFP

Australia to halt offshore immigration center plans SYDNEY: Australia will be forced to suspend plans for off-shore processing of asylum seekers after a court ruled a refugee swap deal with Malaysia illegal, Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said yesterday. Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s government has been under intense pressure on refugee policy amid a surge in asylum-seekers’ boats arriving in Australian waters. As well as the Malaysia deal, the government last month signed an agreement to reopen an offshore processing centre on Papua New Guinea’s remote Manus Island.

Bowen said legal advice since last week’s ruling indicated that current Australian law would bar that deal as well. It would also bar proposals by the conservative opposition to reopen a centre on the Pacific island nation of Nauru, he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). “The solicitor-general and two other senior counsel can have no confidence that an arrangement with PNG or Nauru is possible under existing

law as a result of this judgment,” he said.

The only country in the region likely to be deemed acceptable was New Zealand, Bowen said. The ruling also meant the ‘Pacific solution’ of the former conservative government was invalid, he said. The government will consider its options, including an attempt to change the country’s migration law, Bowen said.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott said he believed Nauru remained a viable alternative and offered to work with the government to amend the migration law if necessary. “We don’t want the government to use the High Court’s decision as an excuse to drop offshore processing,” Abbott told reporters in Sydney. Gillard’s minority Labor government, which survives on a shaky and razor-thin majority and must fight an election by late 2013, struck the Malaysian deal to fight perceptions that she was soft on asylum seekers. A tough stance on boat people has helped swing election results in recent years.—Reuters

TOKYO: Heavy rains and mudslides from powerful Typhoon Talas killed at least 17 people in Japan as the storm moved northward past the country yesterday.

At least 43 others are missing, local media said. Evacuation orders and advisories have been issued to 460,000 people in western and central Japan, Kyodo News agency reported. NHK TV footage showed a bridge that had been swept away after intense rainfall, which caused a river to swell with brown torrents.

People holding umbrellas waded through knee-deep water in city streets and residential areas. The center of the season’s 12th typhoon was moving slowly north across the Sea of Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. It crossed the southern Japanese island of Shikoku and the central part of the main island of Honshu overnight yesterday.

Because of the storm’s slow speed, the agency warned that heavy rains and strong winds are likely to continue and could lead to flooding and landslides.

Three homes were buried in a landslide in Wakayama prefecture, and one woman who was rescued whose identity was still

TOKYO: An iron bridge over the Nachi River is seen damaged by Typhoon Talas in town, Wakayama prefecture, central Japan, yesterday. — AP being confirmed later died, four remained missing and a 14-year old girl was saved from the debris, police said. Overall in the hard-hit prefecture, 10 people were dead and 32 people were

missing, they said. Seven people were reported missing in nearby Nara Prefecture, after homes were swept down a river, NHK said.

Among the dead were a woman who appeared to be in her 30s

Bali terror suspect may serve few years in jail JAKARTA: An Indonesian man blamed for Southeast Asia’s deadliest suicide bombing could escape with just a few years behind bars. The tough anti-terrorism law passed after the double nightclub blasts in Bali cannot be used retroactively against Umar Patek, leaving prosecutors scrambling to convict him of lesser crimes, from premeditated murder to immigration violations. Patek, an AlQaeda-linked militant captured on Jan 25 in the same Pakistani town where Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces, allegedly told interrogators he made the explosives used in the 2002 attacks on Bali island. The bombings killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and seven Americans. They were followed by near annual suicide attacks on glitzy Western hotels, restaurants and an embassy in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

More than 680 militants have been rounded up, tried in open courts and convicted or executed under anti-terror laws passed in 2003, including 32 for their roles in the Bali bombings, according to police and prosecutors. In 2004, however, the constitutional court ruled that the law could no longer be used retroactively. Patek will be the first big fish to test that decision. Authorities will instead use a Dutch colonial-era penal code to charge Patek with premeditated murder and a decades-old emergency decree to charge him with possession of explosives, said Rear Marshal Chairul Akbar, a high official at Indonesia’s antiterrorism agency. Both carry a maximum penalty of death, but getting a conviction will be hard.

“We waited nearly six months to have him deported from Pakistan because we are worried he’d get off after just a few years in jail,” Akbar said. Indonesia had hoped the US, Australia or the Philippines - all of which had reason to put him behind bars - would agree to take the veteran Jemaah Islamiyah member. “But when that didn’t happen,” Akbar said, “we had no choice but to bring him home.” The nation of 240 million people only recently emerged from decades of rule by Gen Suharto, who led one of the 20th century’s most brutal dictatorships.

His military regime killed hundreds of thousands of political opponents.

When Indonesia came under pressure to pass anti-terror legislation soon after the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, early drafts were shelved

JAKARTA: In this photo, an Indonesian National Police officer displays a portrait of Al-Qaeda-linked militant Umar Patek.—AP over concerns they harkened back to the days of Suharto. The legislation eventually approved has been widely praised as both tough on terrorists and concerned with human rights. It is seen as a potential model for Egypt, another Muslimmajority nation with an authoritative past. Gen Anton Bachrul Alam, a spokesman for the National Police, said Patek still faces possible prosecution for alleged crimes committed after the antiterror law was passed such as gun smuggling, immigration violations and involvement in a jihadi training camp discovered in Indonesia’s westernmost province of Aceh last year. “They want to get him on a series of sentences that could amount to him spending decades in jail, but getting there is not as easy as it seems,” said Greg Barton of the Global Terrorism Research Center at Monash University in Australia. Most terror convictions in Indonesia yield sentences of fewer than 10 years, he said. Patek trained in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 1990s. After the Bali bombings he escaped to the Philippines, where he allegedly helped train militants with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf group. He allegedly told Indonesian authorities he went to Pakistan in January to meet with bin Laden.— AP

whose body was found in a river in Ehime prefecture on Shikoku, police said. A 73-year-old man in Nara prefecture died after a landslide caused his house to collapse, police said. — AP

News

in brief

Malaysia mourns killed cameraman KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak yesterday led hundreds of mourners at the funeral of a journalist declared a “national hero” after he was shot dead in warravaged Mogadishu. The body of Noramfaizul Mohamad Nor, 39, who worked as a television cameraman for the national news agency Bernama, arrived home yesterday on board a Malaysian military aircraft from the Somali capital. Najib cut short a visit to Australia to be present at the Subang military airbase on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur to receive his body, along with senior ministers and family members. “I regard Noramfaizul as a national hero whose good deed should inspire us to continue helping the less fortunate,” the premier told reporters at the funeral ceremony held at the airbase’s mosque. Noramfaizul was killed and a cameraman from the private news channel TV3 was wounded on Friday after a fire fight broke out between African Union troops and local militiamen in Mogadishu. The journalists were travelling with a convoy of humanitarian workers from the Malaysian aid agency Putera 1Malaysia Club. Noramfaizul is believed to be the first Malaysian journalist killed abroad while on assignment. Noramfaizul was hit by a stray bullet while travelling in a car, Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, the aid agency’s president, was quoted as saying by the New Sunday Times newspaper. “ The bullet pierced (his) right shoulder and exited from the left. It could have been any one of us.”

Shark kills Australian bodyboarder SYDNEY: A shark killed an Australian bodyboarder yesterday after snatching him from a group of friends and savaging him so badly the lower half of his body was torn away, police said. The man, aged in his early 20s, was paddling at Sugar Loaf Rock off Bunker Bay, a popular tourist spot on Australia’s west coast, when the shark attacked shortly after 1pm local time.

“He was bodyboarding with about four of five of his mates when he was taken out of the group,” a police spokesman told AFP. “He’s lost the lower half of his body and he’s deceased.”

The man was local to the area, which is popular with surfers and is about a three hour drive south of Perth. It is the first fatal shark attack in the country since February, when a man diving for abalone was savaged off South Australia, and only the fourth since December 2008. All but one have been off the west coast. Sharks are a common feature in Australian waters but fatal attacks are rare, with only 24 recorded deaths in the 20 years up to June 2009, or an average of just 1.2 shark-related deaths per year, according to official data.

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DUBAI: Members of the Turkish dance group “Fire of Anatolia” perform at Sheikh Rashid Hall at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre late Saturday. The dance troupe’s performances synthesize folk dance figures and music from Turkey’s various regions with roots in the history of Anatolia. — AFP

US warns of small plane terror threat Continued from Page 1 imminent attack being planned,” according to the bulletin obtained by AP. The bulletin also says Al-Qaeda would like to use sympathetic Westerners to get flight training, then get them to become flight instructors.

Matthew Chandler, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, described the bulletin as routine. “We shared this information with our partners to highlight the need for continued awareness and vigilance,” he said. Aviation security is much tighter than it was a decade ago, but Al-Qaeda

remains keenly interested in launching attacks on airplanes, believing large attacks with high body counts are more likely to grab headlines.

Threats to small airplanes are nothing new. After the 2001 attacks, the government grounded thousands of crop dusters amid fears the planes could be used in an attack. In 2002, US officials said they uncovered an Al-Qaeda plot to fly a small plane into a US warship in the Gulf. And in 2003, US officials uncovered an Al-Qaeda plot to crash an explosives-laden small aircraft into the American consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. — AP

Syrian forces kill 24 in crackdown Continued from Page 1 Last Sunday nine people were killed by heavy machine-gun fire in the town when three tanks and three security vehicles stormed it, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights advocacy group reported.

Meanwhile SANA quoted a military source saying six troops, including an officer, and three civilians were killed in Maharda on Sunday when gunmen fired on a bus “carrying soldiers and labourers going to work”.

Three assailants were also killed in a shootout with troops, while 17 people were wounded in the attack, SANA said. The protest hub of Homs also witnessed violence yesterday as 15 people were wounded when troops and security forces raked gunfire in the central city as part of an operation launched Saturday night, the Observatory said.

The unrest came as International Committee of the Red Cross chief Jakob Kellenberger met Foreign Minister Walid Muallem for a briefing on Syria’s efforts to “restore order” and introduce reforms, blaming “armed groups” for the unrest, SANA said. Kellenberger’s office had said he was expected to meet President Bashar Al-Assad to discuss access to prisoners and areas of unrest. The ICRC chief arrived on Saturday and was due to leave today afternoon. His office said that during

a previous visit in June “an understanding was reached” for “enhanced access to areas of unrest, and negotiations would take place concerning ICRC visits to detainees”. More than 2,200 people have been killed in Syria since almost daily protests began on March 15, according to the United Nations, while human rights groups say more than 10,000 people are behind bars.

Meanwhile the Arab League secretary general Arabi said Syrian authorities now agreed to a visit, which he had announced a week ago after the 22-member group had met to discuss the Syrian crisis. “I will express Arab concerns and I will listen,” Arabi said. Arab foreign ministers had urged Syria “to follow the way of reason before it is too late” and halt the violence - drawing rebuke from Damascus. In Moscow, the foreign minister insisted Russia and its partners in the BRICS group of emerging countries - Brazil, India, China and South Africa - are opposed to any foreign military intervention in Syria.

“We are proposing that the UN Security Council firmly demands that all parties to the conflict respect human rights and begin talks,” Lavrov said. Moscow has consistently opposed sanctions against Syria and, like China, boycotted a UN Security Council meeting on sanctions against Damascus. On Friday, the European Union imposed an embargo on oil exports, and slapped other sanction on Syria, drawing criticism from Russia.

The oil embargo went into effect on Saturday. — AFP

Political groups urge action on illegal...

Continued from Page 1 anti-corruption laws that must become effective before the next parliament term starting Oct 25.

They said the session must remain open until all necessary legislations are passed.

On his part, Speaker Jassem AlKhorafi said he supports holding the emergency session to discuss the issue and approve the laws but called for sufficient preparations before calling for the session. The Assembly is currently in summer recess and at least 33 MPs must sign a request to call for an emergency session. Khorafi said that all necessary bills that will be passed in the session must be ready before fixing a date for the session. The speaker also blasted those who instigate sectarian tensions and other forms of divisions in the country, alleging that some people pump funds in Kuwait to incite discords. He did not name any side nor he clarified if the funds came from outside Kuwait.

Khorafi also called on the government to respond to a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which alleged that Kuwait is a

good environment for money laundering and that the government has failed to fully implement a law to combat money-laundering. The speaker said that such reports negatively impact Kuwait’s reputation and the IMF must provide evidence for its claims otherwise should withdraw the report and apologize to Kuwait.

The IMF said rapid growth of Kuwait’s financial sector could create an attractive environment for money launderers and terrorism financers. “Although there is currently no evidence of significant moneylaundering in the country, Kuwait’s financial sector is growing rapidly in terms of banking sector assets,” the IMF said in the report published on the fund’s website www.imf.org.

“This development has the potential of creating a suitable environment for money launderers and terrorist financers to exploit,” it said.

The OPEC member introduced an anti-money laundering law in 2002 regulating financial institutions, but does not criminalize financing of terrorism. A new draft law was sent to the National Assembly in 2007 but has not yet been adopted. Banking assets in Kuwait almost doubled

over the past five years to KD 42.1 billion ($154.5 billion) at the end of June, the Central Bank’s data showed. The IMF also said Kuwait’s anti-money laundering framework showed weaknesses in the preventive measures for financial institutions and a lack of supervision and monitoring. “No major terrorist activity has been recorded in the country.

Less serious terrorist activity has been noted,” it said without giving details.

The state has long been urged to better regulate its financial markets and boost transparency and governance among investment firms.

Kuwait’s first ever market regulator, the Capital Markets Authority, was launched in March. The IMF also said the powers of enforcement and sanction against financial institutions were not appropriate, and that the country needed to take a more proactive approach to investigating and prosecuting money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The IMF said Kuwait had a comprehensive confiscation, freezing, and seizing framework, but that there were no laws and procedures providing for the freezing of terrorist assets.

Gaddafi stronghold fate hinges on talks Continued from Page 1 peaceful surrender of Gaddafi’s forces in Bani Walid had been abandoned and an assault on the oasis town southeast of Tripoli was imminent. But Kenshil said he was awaiting a response from the pro-Gaddafi forces, who he said numbered between 30 and 50 men, “very well-armed, with machine-guns, rocket-launchers and snipers”. He said the talks had been going on for several days. “At the beginning they said no, but now we are assuring them that we will protect them against any act of reprisal.”

A local spokesman for the NTC now holding most of Libya said the front line was 15 to 20 km north of Bani Walid and that troops were just awaiting orders to advance. “Last night the Gaddafi forces tried to move out.

Our fighters responded and there were some clashes lasting a few minutes,” Mahmud Abdelaziz said. The new government’s interim interior minister Ahmed Darrat told AFP he was confident the town’s capture was imminent. “We expect Bani Walid to be freed today or tomorrow,” he said.

The deputy chief of the military council in Tarhuna, north of Bani Walid, Abdulrazzak Naduri, said, “Everything depends on the negotiations. If they refuse (to surrender), we will advance, if the negotiations go well, we will enter and hoist the flag without a fight. It’s the last chance, we can’t extend our ultimatum again.”

On Saturday, Naduri said Gaddafi’s son Saadi was still in Bani Walid, along with other senior figures of the fallen regime, while prominent son Seif al-Islam had fled the town. Civilians coming from Bani Walid said that most of Gaddafi’s forces had now fled, taking their heavy weaponry with them into the surrounding mountains. NATO said its warplanes had hit an ammunition store near Bani Walid on Saturday, as well as military targets in Gaddafi’s coastal hometown of Sirte, Buwayrat west of Sirte and Hun in the Al-Jufra oasis. NTC forces east of Sirte meanwhile moved to disarm members of the Hussnia tribe suspected of loyalty to the ousted strongman yesterday.

The NTC spokesman in London, Guma Al-Gamaty, said that when captured Gaddafi should stand trial in Libya and not at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague that has issued an arrest warrant for suspected crimes against humanity committed during the Libyan uprising.

“The ICC will only put Gaddafi on trial for crimes committed over the last six months,” Gamaty told BBC television.

“Gaddafi is responsible for a horrific catalogue of crimes committed over the last 42 years, which he should stand

trial for and answer for and he can only answer for those in a proper trial in Libya itself.” Gamaty said it would be up to the court to determine whether a death sentence was appropriate for Gaddafi, but added: “The court will be fair and just and will meet all international standards. It will be a fair trial - something that Gaddafi has never offered any Libyans who criticised him over the last 42 years.”

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini warned against too thorough a purge of Gaddafi appointees in the Libyan apparatus, pointing to the chaos that had ensued in Iraq when even low-ranking officials of Saddam Hussein’s Baath party were stripped of their jobs after the 2003 US-led invasion. In fresh revelations from documents obtained by media and rights groups in Tripoli, Britain’s Sunday Times said London invited two of Gaddafi’s sons to the headquarters of the SAS special forces unit in 2006 as then premier Tony Blair tried to build ties with the Libyan regime.

The Mail on Sunday said Gaddafi’s regime warned of “dire consequences” for relations between Libya and Britain if the cancer-stricken convicted Lockerbie bomber died in a Scottish jail. Senior British officials feared Gaddafi “might seek to extract vengeance” if he was not released, it said.

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet Al-Megrahi is the only man convicted of the Dec 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103, which killed 270 people when it exploded over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. He was said to be only three months from death when he was freed on compassionate grounds by the Scottish government on Aug 20, 2009, but he was found to be still alive, though very feeble in Tripoli, last week.

Interim defence minister Jallal Dghaili arrived in Tripoli from Benghazi yesterday with a large following as the NTC gradually transfers from its eastern base to the capital.

Anwar Al-Feitiri, interim communications and transport minister, told AFP there are now regular connections between Benghazi and Tripoli, although every flight requires NATO permission due to an air embargo that is still in force.

Meanwhile Libya’s victory over Mozambique in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Cairo triggered scenes of joy on the streets of Tripoli late Saturday. Hundreds watched the action from Cairo on a giant screen in the landmark Martyrs Square in the centre of the Libyan capital, with fighters firing into the air in celebration. Libya reflected the political changes in the country by wearing a new strip and singing a new national anthem before their victory to depose Zambia as Group C leaders. — AFP

DSK back in France after NY sex scandal Continued from Page 1 from the same airport and charged him with the sexual assault and attempted rape of the hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo.

The 62-year-old spent nearly a week in jail and was then put under house arrest for six weeks and barred from leaving the United States. He was also forced to resign as the International Monetary Fund’s managing director. But late last month he walked free when a judge dismissed the charges against him after prosecutors said they could not pursue the case because his accuser’s lack of credibility. Prosecutors said she had been caught lying on her asylum application form, including about a gang rape she had suffered in her native Guinea. DNA evidence indicated that a sexual encounter did occur between the two in the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan, but Strauss-Kahn’s defence team insists that it was consensual.

Strauss-Kahn’s legal travails are however far from over. Diallo is pursuing a civil suit against him, seeking unspecified damages, while in France, 32-yearold novelist Tristane Banon has filed a

complaint alleging he tried to rape her after luring her to a Paris flat in 2003. He has said he will sue Banon for defamation, alleging she invented the story to help publicise her writing. Banon’s mother, Anne Mansouret said yesterday that the media storm surrounding Strauss-Kahn’s homecoming was “indecent”. “Let’s hope he won’t leave for Morocco to escape police interrogation” in the case involving her daughter, Mansouret, a Socialist party official, told BFM television.

Chantal Brunel, the head of France’s national watchdog on sexual equality, said Strauss-Kahn would remain “an indelible stain on the Socialist party”.

But Jack Lang, a former Socialist minister and a neighbour of Strauss-Kahn on the Place des Vosges, welcomed his return, and said he hoped his great political and economic talent would soon be put to use again. The return of Strauss-Kahn - who before the sex scandal was tipped as a possible favorite to win the presidential election - has sparked unease in his party which is holding a primary to pick a candidate for the 2012 vote.

Party heavyweights have welcomed

the withdrawal of charges against him, but many have sought to distance themselves from him. Socialist leader Martine Aubry said Tuesday she had always insisted that Strauss-Kahn, who was a finance minister in a previous Socialist government in France, benefit from the presumption of innocence. But she notably added: “I think the same as many women about the attitude of Dominique Strauss-Kahn to women.”

Michel Rocard, a Socialist former prime minister, went even further in calling his character into question, saying that the former IMF boss suffered from a “mental illness” and could control not his urges around women. Rocard later apologised for the statement.

Strauss-Kahn has not stated what his plans are once back in Paris but many commentators expect him to have some sort of role in next year’s election campaign. Sarkozy is languishing in opinion polls and the French economy is flatlining, so whichever Socialist emerges from the primary ought to be in with a chance. But the party has been left in disarray by the spectacular burnout of its former hero Strauss-Kahn. — AFP

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opinion

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Issues

Turkey puts squeeze on Egypt on Israel

By Samer Al-Atrush urkey’s expulsion of the Israeli ambassador puts pressure on Egypt to downgrade ties following outrage over the killings of Egyptian policemen on the Sinai border with Israel, analysts said. But they said post-Mubarak Egypt’s military rulers are unlikely to expel the Jewish state’s envoy despite widespread calls for his expulsion and for Cairo to revise its 1979 peace treaty with Israel. Turkey’s decision to expel the ambassador over the deaths of nine Turkish activists when Israeli commandos raided an aid shipment to Gaza comes at a time of growing debate in post-revolutionary Egypt on ties with Israel.

Ankara, positioning itself as a regional leader, has in the past embarrassed Egypt with its outspoken condemnation of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, in contrast to the restraint of now ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s regime. “Turkey teaches Egypt a lesson and expels the Israeli ambassador,” screamed a headline splashed in red across the front page of Saturday’s Al-Masry Al-Youm, the country’s largest independent newspaper. “The timing of Turkey’s announcement and especially the reduction in the level of diplomatic ties puts Egyptian authorities in an embarrassing position,” said Issandr El Amrani, an independent analyst and blogger. “It makes Turkey look decisive while Egypt looks ambivalent,” said Amrani, who blogs on www.arabist.net.

Turkey announced the expulsion on Friday after a UN report accused Israel of using excessive force during the May 2010 raid on the Turkish-led flotilla for the Gaza Strip. It also came weeks after Egypt’s caretaker government appeared to struggle with a response to the shooting to death of five of its policemen in the Sinai along the border with Israel on Aug 18. The cabinet at first said it would recall its envoy from Tel Aviv but then removed the threat from its website. Days later, it denied it had taken any decision at all as street protests raged outside Israel’s embassy.

One protester became a national hero after he clambered up to the embassy on a top floor of a highrise and replaced Israel’s flag with the Egyptian flag.

Essam El-Erian, deputy head of the influential Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice par ty, said Turkey’s move would add to the sentiment that Cairo’s response was inappropriate after settling for an apology and an investigation. “This will lead to more pressure, because all the political forces were calling for the Zionist ambassador’s expulsion. People feel the measures taken did not restore dignity to Egyptians,” he said.

Turkey’s expulsion of the envoy, analysts said, also highlighted the shrinking influence of Egypt, once a regional leader which now depends heavily on US aid. “This will pressure Egypt’s government, but the situation has many facets,” said Mustafa Ellabbad, director of the Cairo-based Sharq Centre for Regional and Strategic Studies. “Turkey wants to give a lesson, that with political will and a strong economy you can treat other countries as equals,” he said. “If you have neither, you can’t,” he said. “The situation in Egypt is different because of its large reliance on American foreign aid, which affects political decisions.”

Egypt’s military, in charge since Mubarak’s ouster in February, receives more than one billion dollars from Washington yearly in a trade off after Cairo became the first Arab state to make peace with Israel.

It now faces pressure to revise the treaty, which allows it limited access to the Sinai peninsula, from which Israel withdrew after the 1979 treaty. Retired General Abdelmoneim Kato, who remains close to the ruling generals, said Egypt had considerations other than Turkey when it came to deciding on a response to the deaths of its citizens.

“The incident of the (Gaza aid ship) was different from the border incident, so there is no comparison,” he said. “The peace is strategic for Israel, for Egypt, and for the whole world,” the general said, noting that Mubarak was seen as one of Israel’s closest regional allies despite the cold peace between the two countries. A major diplomatic crisis between Egypt and Israel was triggered by the death of the policemen on Aug 18 as Israeli forces chased Palestinian militants along the border after a deadly attack nearby. — AFP

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Failed Mideast talks moving ball to UN court

By Dan Perry he Middle East conflict faces a critical diplomatic moment this month with the Palestinians apparently sticking to their plan to ask the U.N. to recognize their state, a plan condemned by Israel, the US and others as a unilateral act that should be set aside in favor of resuming peace talks. The widespread feeling among Palestinians is that they are running out of options, given that two decades of on-and-off talks have not yielded an independent state, while the number of Jews living on occupied territory has more than doubled.

Israelis maintain that the Palestinians have not yet internalized Israel’s existence, and that in exchange for statehood they should be willing to be more flexible than they have been to date in peace talks. The Palestinians may turn to the UN Security Council, where their plea for full membership probably would be vetoed by the US. But they also could ask the General Assembly for the in-between status of nonmember obser ver state, the same status as the Vatican’s. That probably would be backed by a majority of the 193 member states, and while this would be a morale boost it is not a state on the ground, and some Palestinians might be disappointed.

If this particular ball should end up in the UN’s court, it would be a sharp reminder of the failure of decades of diplomacy in which the US played the leading role. Why has it come to this? One reason may be practical: each side’s maximal set of concessions seems to fall short of the other’s minimal demands. Previous Israeli governments have presented plans they considered reasonable, and included the ceding of close to all the land the Palestinians seek; yet the gaps, especially on Jerusalem and refugees, simply could not be bridged.

Another reason may prove to be deeper: The dueling narratives born of a psychological chasm dating back to 1948, the year Israel became a state and Jews and Arabs began to see reality through vastly different filters, at times using separate vocabularies altogether.

In Israel’s narrative, the fighting that broke out that May was the “War of Independence,” in which Jews outnumbered and outgunned, many fresh out of the Holocaust - pluckily fended off invading Arab armies, carving out a modern state on their biblical homeland.

To the Palestinians, 1948 is the “naqba” - the catastrophe - when they were stripped of their ancestral land and turned into refugees by modern-day Crusaders.

This inability to agree on what happened 63 years ago lies at the core of the inability to agree on the future, and the narratives have kept diverging. While both societies are divided and multifaceted, on certain key threads they find wide internal consensus. Here is how it breaks down:

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BORDERS PALESTINIANS: They want to build their state in the West Bank and Gaza, parts of pre-1948 Palestine which were ruled by Jordan and Egypt respectively until Israel seized them in the 1967 war. Together they comprise less than a third of former Palestine and less than the land earmarked for their state by the 1947 UN partition plan. In exchange for recognizing the loss of the majority of Palestine, they apparently will not give up another inch, demanding that for any part of the West Bank Israel might ultimately keep, equivalent land from today’s Israel must be ceded in compensation.

ISRAELIS: Many Israelis view the West Bank as their biblical heartland, or at least as strategically precious because it overlooks their main cities. At its narrowest point, Israel is a morning’s jog from Mediterranean to West Bank border. From the West Bank, Israel’s main airport is in easy missile range. Underlying the Israelis’ view is a sense that with more than 20 Arab states already in existence the needs of the one Jewish state should reasonably be considered paramount.

SETTLEMENTS PALESTINIANS: They are in wide consensus that the 300,000 Jews who live in settlements built by Israel inside the West Bank are essentially usurpers, illegally

and disproportionately exploiting land and water resources in violation of Geneva Conventions which forbid colonization of occupied land. They want the settlers gone, though they seem open to minor land swaps to allow Israel to keep settlements near the 1967 lines, where many of the settlers live.

ISRAELIS: Official Israel rejects the applicability of the Geneva Conventions, arguing that there is a sovereignty vacuum in the West Bank because there was never an independent Palestine and all previous rulers - from Ottoman Turkey to Britain to Jordan ‚Ä” have abrogated any claim. They say the settlements are up for negotiation and should not cause so much anger since Israel has proven willing to dismantle settlements - first when completing its return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in 1982, and again in 2005 when they pulled out of Gaza.

JERUSALEM ISRAELIS: Israel captured the eastern sector, includ-

million descendants. Many live in shanty towns in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, as well as Gaza and the West Bank, universally dubbed “refugee camps.” They demand recognition of their “right of return” to what is now Israel, even if their old homes and villages in many cases no longer exist. Quietly, Palestinian negotiators have assured Israeli skeptics that there will be no mass return and that arrangements to restrict the return to symbolic numbers might be made. Yet politically it is a hugely charged issue.

ISRAELIS: It took decades for Israelis to widely accept that the displaced did not all “flee” - that at least half were expelled - and that it was wishful thinking to expect they would ever simply blend into the wider Arab world. Still, Israelis generally have no patience for the “right of return,” noting the world is full of resettled refugees, including 800,000 Jews who left Arab countries for Israel in its early years, many under great duress. In their view, a Palestinian “right of return” would eliminate the country’s character as a Jewish state - a nonstarter considering that it is to pre-

In this Sunday, May 22, 2011 file photo, Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men walk among Palestinians in Jerusalem’s Old City. — AP ing the Old City with its Muslim, Jewish and Christian shrines, in 1967. It expanded the municipal border to include part of the adjacent West Bank, annexing the new sections and filling them with Jewish “neighborhoods” to the point where redivision would be a logistical and practical challenge of, well, biblical proportions. Only recently have Israelis truly grasped the seriousness of the Palestinian demands in Jerusalem, after years of assiduously referencing the “unified” city as “Israel’s eternal capital.” The current government still uses that language, and although there is now some willingness to speak of ceding “Arab neighborhoods” and “Muslim and Christian holy sites,” there is a sense that this means enclaves inside a largely Israeli city.

PALESTINIANS: The Palestinians regard the eastern sector as theirs by right. Like the rest of the world they do not recognize the Israeli annexations. They view the 250,000 Jews in east Jerusalem as “settlers” who live in “settlements” within the city, not “neighborhoods.”

They have shown some willingness in talks to cede some of these, including the Jewish quarter of the Old City, but, it seems, as pockets within a Palestinian capital. They share one thing with the Israelis: little practical notion of how to divide, share or secure such a deeply intertwined city among two peoples with a recent history of serious violence.

REFUGEES PALESTINIANS: The Palestinians apply the term not to just the original 700,000 of 1948 but to some 4-5

serve the Jewishness of Israel that many are willing to cede the valuable West Bank. Many Israelis were genuinely surprised when this emerged in 2000 as a dealbreaker. With only 6 million Jews in Israel, the demographics make this a red line for Israelis. They are hoping resettlement in a future Palestine, or compensation, will satisfy the descendants of refugees.

JEWISH STATE ISRAELIS: For the Israelis this is the essence: to have a nation-state as much for the Jews as Ireland is for the Irish. While it is true that Israel always will have a large Arab minority - it currently is about a fifth of the population - they would have equal civil rights as individuals, but not separate national rights. The Jewish character of the state is enshrined in matters great and small, from the flag to the lyrics of the anthem to automatic Israeli citizenship for any Jew requesting it.

PALESTINIANS: Palestinians bristle at the “Jewish nation” label, arguing that it is an outdated affront that renders some 1.5 million Arabs second-class citizens.

Along with some leftist Israelis, they want to redefine the country as a “state of all its citizens,” and where needed change symbols and policies accordingly.

Increasingly, some Palestinians actually seem content to avoid partition altogether and let Israel and the West Bank, and maybe Gaza, stay joined at the hip with roughly equal numbers of Jews and Arabs, they reason, such a tormented hybrid entity hardly would be a “Jewish state”. — AP

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

analysis

For presidents, 9/11 legacy has no end

By Ben Feller he country has moved on. To the presidents who lead it, Sept 11 never ends. The ramifications of the worst terrorist attack in American history live on, bridging the decade from George W Bush to Barack Obama. Two wars.

Huge debt. The Guantanamo Bay quandary. The evolving threat of terrorism. The end of Osama bin Laden. The hardening of executive power. And the remains of fallen soldiers still coming home in flag-covered cases. Sept 11, 2001, defined Bush’s presidency. It drives Obama’s, even if more quietly. “I remember President Bush used to warn people that it was going to be a long slog,” said Michael Chertoff, Bush’s second homeland security secretary. “There wasn’t going to be a Battleship Missouri moment. The critical issue for us was to persevere without being overwrought. I think that was an accurate prediction.”

But persevere for how long? That is perhaps the biggest legacy at the presidential level: a new mindset. The expectation now is that terrorists are always plotting to attack America. The realization is that they have succeeded once on a grand scale. The old model of security - military might and war overseas, law enforcement at home - has given way to a vastly integrated system designed to prevent terrorism across the spectrum.

For the public, 2001 seems a different time. Those maligned color-coded terrorism warnings are gone. So is the utter fear that the country lived in at the time. The Al-Qaeda attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Right before the horror began, in a Gallup poll conducted as late as Sept 10, 2001, not even 1 percent of those surveyed said terrorism was the most important problem facing the country. A month later, that number was 46 percent. And now? Terrorism is all the way back below 1 percent as the chief concern.

“In some ways, that’s what victory is going to look like,” said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser for strategic communications. He called it a good sign that there is “an American people that is resilient, that sees terrorism in a broader context, that sees it as something that doesn’t have to dominate their attention and our broader discourse.”

Presidents view it differently. They begin their day reviewing the latest threats from people seeking to kill Americans.

On the morning the towers fell, Bush and Obama recognized that the world had changed. One was a new president establishing his footing after the most disputed election in American history. The other was a state senator in Illinois who was years away from being famous. “The story of that week is the key to understanding my presidency,” Bush wrote recently in his memoirs. Obama, looking back on Sept 11 in a book of his own, put it this way: “Chaos had come to our doorstep. As a consequence, we would have to act differently, understand the world differently.”

Some analysts of war and politics say it was not Sept 11 that forever changed America, but rather America’s response to it in all the choices that followed. The Iraq war, launched on what was discovered to be bad intelligence, grew out of a

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post-Sept 11 push to contain Saddam Hussein. Obama opposed the war in Iraq, then inherited it. He has since ended the combat mission and plans to pull out all troops by the end of this year, although it was Bush who put the US on the path to ending the war before he left office. Iraq and the US may still strike a deal to keep some US forces in Iraq beyond 2011.

On Afghanistan, Obama took the footprint he got from Bush and went the other direction. He saw this as the necessary and forgotten war, and he tripled the number of forces to blunt the Taleban and target Al-Qaeda. He has started to pull them home now, but the US combat mission is not expected to end in Afghanistan until the end of 2014. That would be more than 13 years after the terrorist attacks. Combined, more than 6,000 members of the US military have died in Iraq and

In this Jan 20, 2009 file photo, President Barack Obama and former President George W Bush stand for the closing prayer after Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the US on Capitol Hill in Washington. — AP

Afghanistan. More than 45,000 have been wounded. The wars have cost roughly $1.3 trillion since Sept 11, 2001.

So many of the challenges now facing the United States tie back to the effects of Sept 11, said James Pfiffner, a professor of public policy at George Mason University. The United States has had to deal with rebuilding its standing abroad and cope with rising competitors such as China. Of course, had the White House not responded aggressively to the attacks or kept after bin Laden, that would have caused outrage, too. “I guess it’s a matter of degree,” Pfiffner said. “A lot of it was necessary and legitimate - certainly the stuff that’s related to AlQaeda seems justified and important. But I think we went far beyond that, first with the Iraq war and then the creation of a whole lot of new intelligence agencies. It does seem like we went overboard.”

Obama has been unable to keep his bold promise to close the post-Sept 11 prison camp for suspected terrorists that sits on a US Navy base in Cuba. The Guantanamo Bay center and the fate of the detainees imprisoned there are proving enormously thorny problems. Some detainees are being held indefinitely as a matter of policy. The underlying threat to America all along has been the Al-Qaeda network that sent men on a suicide mission to hijack jetliners and cause historic destruction. The signature moment of US success came this year, when American forces killed bin Laden, the mastermind of the attacks, in his Pakistan hideaway.

Obama ordered the raid and phoned Bush with the results.

“Good call,” Bush told him.

New Defense Secretary Leon Panetta now says the strategic defeat of Al-Qaeda is within reach. Yet that is hard to visualize for a country that has grown accustomed to being in a rather constant state of war. “The question that no one has addressed is, how do you know when you’ve won against AlQaeda?” said Joshua Rovner, associate professor of strategy and policy at the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island.

“When are you comfortable declaring victory? When is it good enough? There is going to have to be a time in the next few years when the administration is going to have to make a hard political decision.”

Chertoff, Bush’s homeland security chief, said the real story is the degree of continuity between the Bush and Obama administrations. National security has not been a massive partisan entanglement. Yet Chertoff, too, spoke of a persistent threat for which an end point will be hard to ever determine.

Even if the threat from Al-Qaeda diminishes, other transnational networks could pose a risk, and the types of potential attacks are changing. “Once they were able to land a significant blow,” he said of Al-Qaeda, “they’ve set a mark for other groups that will be hostile to the United States, whatever their ideological motivation. We’re just going to have to recognize that we live in a much more fragmented world.”

Obama, in fact, says his biggest concern is no longer a grand orchestrated attack. He told an interviewer just ahead of the 10th anniversary that he worries of a “lone wolf terrorist”. “When you’ve got one person who is deranged or driven by a hateful ideology, they can do a lot of damage,” the president said. He promised the US will not drop its guard.— AP

Post-9/11 ‘new normal’ looks much like old

By Calvin Woodward n the crucible of Sept 11, no one could imagine things would ever be the same again. Seems they pretty much are. The attacks that spawned two wars and will shout forever from history books are well receded from daily life for most Americans.

Not so for the soldiers who have fought or for those in government who know there will be hell to pay if the nation is ever caught so off guard again. For the rest? The “new normalcy”, as life under threat was called 10 years ago and many times since, is resembling the old one. Airport security shakedowns excepted.

This, after an epoch shaped by fear and fighting, the onset of the Patriot Act and all its new powers and the cobbling together of a homeland security superstructure meant to see over everything and is itself overseen by more than 100 committees in Congress. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, the United States was host to all sorts of un-American activities. Perpetually bickering politicians hugged. Americans stopped shopping. Lawyers even ceased suing. Almost everyone was on the same page. On the radio, home of shock jocks and other crudities, they stopped playing sad songs and got ultra-sensitive. Even

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“Leaving on a Jet Plane” was nixed from playlists. An in-your-face people feared their own shadows. Pollsters asked a weird question: How are you sleeping?

It was an unnatural state of affairs, and it is largely gone. Handing off the wars and the swollen anti-terrorism apparatus to his successor, President George W. Bush said in his final White House address in 2009 that “most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11.” He quickly added: “I never did.” He waged a war thrust upon him, in Afghanistan, and one of his own choosing, in Iraq. Both started fading from public attention even before President Barack Obama inherited them, upped the effort in Afghanistan, then began winding both down. Economic woes came roaring in as the public’s chief concern.

Now only 15 percent of respondents in a poll by The Associated Press and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago see a high risk of being attacked where they live. Most said the cost of fighting terrorism might be too high. Trust of other people is up from the darkest days, though most still agree “you can’t be too careful” with strangers. “I do think about it very often,” Ken Kreitner, 64, a Vietnam veteran from St. Louis, said of

Sept. 11, 2001. “Oh, yes. Almost every day.”

But now, he added, “I do feel safe.”

Lee Hamilton, a leader of the Sept 11 commission that exposed pre-attack intelligence flaws, never stops believing the government can’t be too careful and that people might be letting their guard down a bit too much. “We better not be complacent,” he told the AP. “That’s what worries me.

“I’ve always felt in the homeland security business, the sense of urgency has declined. There’s a frame of mind that is business as usual.” Leaders warned that the time ahead would be like none before it, a war without the usual rules of engagement or surrender against an enemy that can be crushed here and there, only to regenerate over time.

Americans were asked to be patient, yet persistently vigilant, yet to get on with their lives, shopping included. Two presidents and both parties in Congress asked plenty from service members, their families and National Guard citizen-soldiers taken from their jobs. The surge of patriotism after Sept 11 settled into a more normal love of country and exasperation with its direction.

Abnormal valentines from abroad eventually vanished. After the attacks, Iranians waved candles on the streets for America.

They were back to “death to America” after

Bush labeled their government evil and prepared to invade Iraq.

Le Monde newspaper in Paris asserted “We are all Americans today” after 9/11, then declared Europeans “have a different truth to proclaim” as unity frayed. The killing of Osama bin Laden on May 1 was a celebratory moment across the country but just that, a moment. Ten years from now, most are not likely to remember where they were and what they were doing on 5/1. Ten years after 9/11, everyone old enough remembers almost everything.

“Everything came to a halt, whole store, everybody was in shock” recalls Candice Parker, 39, meat manager of a retail store in Anchorage, Alaska. She couldn’t help then but to think “Muslims are out to get us” and was nervous taking taxis because the driver might be one of them. Now, she says, “I feel very safe.” She does not think about 9/11 every day and “after a while, you’re not so aware of the behaviors that changed.” But Parker does not feel completely the same as she did before the attacks that unfolded more than 4,000 miles away. “I’m trying to make sure that I live life with really strong morals and live every day to its fullest,” she said. “I think 9/11 has really validated that for me. “Life’s short. Take advantage of your day.” — AP

Top New York cop ups anti-terror role

By Colleen Long olice Commissioner Raymond Kelly sits at the head of a conference table in a top-floor office that looks like a cross between a Fortune 500 boardroom and a Best Buy sales floor. He is calling up securitycamera feeds that appear on wall-to-wall flat screens. If he wants, he can produce a military-style aerial map of lower Manhattan, including Wall Street and the block where the Twin Towers fell. But on this weekday, he zooms in on a homeless man passed out in a bus stop on the Upper West Side, then emails a photo to the neighborhood’s precinct house, prodding commanders there to get the man shelter.

The scene put two of the 69-year-old commissioner’s trademarks on display: an obsessive attention to detail and an insatiable appetite for the latest technology. He also is known for an impervious attitude toward questions about the New York Police Department’s counter-terror tactics, which have raised misgivings about civil rights and unchecked power. Kelly believes his record speaks for itself. Nine years after taking over a department stunned by the events of Sept 11, there have been no more successful attacks. And New Yorkers, he said, can thank the NYPD. “We’ve done so many things,” he told AP in an interview in early August.

“There’s no guarantees. We live in an unsafe world, but relatively speaking, New York is a very safe place, and it’s palpable.”

His unwavering support from a three-term mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and his unusual longevity add to his influence. If he finishes out Bloomberg’s third term in 2013 as expected, Kelly will have served longer than any other police commissioner, more than 11 years total. Right now, only one of 40 previous police commissioners has served longer in

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the post, created by Gov. Theodore Roosevelt in 1900. Under Kelly’s leadership, New York has seen its homicide rate plummet. In 2009, the city had 471 killings, the lowest number since reliable record-keeping began in 1963, and a stark comparison from a record-high 2,245 in 1990. But it is his approach to terrorism that has gotten him the most attention.

And, said police historian Thomas Reppetto, his track record has set new standards for policing. “Before 9/11, police weren’t judged on their counterterrorism abilities,” he said.

“Kelly has created a blueprint for how a police

department should respond to counterterrorism. And that’s an original.”

Kelly’s aggressive approach to counterterrorism has been largely lauded. President Barack Obama visited headquarters after the department handled a car bomb that nearly went off in Times Square in May 2010 and thanked Kelly for his work defending the city.

The New York native began his law enforcement career with the NYPD in 1966 after a tour in Vietnam with the US Marine Corps.

Over the next four decades, he held every rank in the department. He also graduated

In this Aug 25, 2011 file photo, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly (right) joins Mayor Michael Bloomberg (left) for a media briefing on the city’s preparations for Hurricane Irene in New York. — AP

from Manhattan College, earned law degrees from St John’s and New York universities and a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

He served as police commissioner under Mayor David Dinkins from 1992 to 1994 and later became a Treasury Department official in charge of the Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the agency that used to be known as the US Customs Service. His last job before his current NYPD stint was as a security manager for the now-defunct Bear Stearns Companies. In 2006, he was awarded France’s highest decoration, the Legion of Honor, for creating a liaison between the NYPD and French authorities. After Bloomberg asked him to return to the NYPD shortly after Sept 11, Kelly assembled an inner circle of advisers. Among them were a former CIA official who still is with the department and a retired Marine general. “I believe that we had to bring in different skill sets, people who had different experiences than you would normally get in the police department,” Kelly said. The team, he recalled, quickly reached a conclusion that would have far-reaching implications: “We needed to do more to protect the city than simply rely on the federal government.”

On a piece of butcher paper, Kelly roughed out the first ideas to overhaul the department’s Intelligence Division, give it the tools and people to analyze and detect overseas and homegrown threats, as well as the authority to gather evidence to thwart them. A brand-new counterterrorism unit also would provide protection on streets, in the subways, even the waterways. Both would report directly to him. Today, about 1,000 of the city’s roughly 35,000 officers are assigned each day to counterterrorism operations. — AP

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Theology a hot issue in 2012 GOP campaign

By Rachel Zoll ick Perry dived right in. The Texas governor, now a Republican presidential candidate, held a prayer rally for tens of thousands, read from the Bible, invoked Christ and broadcast the whole event on the Web. There was no symbolic nod to other American faiths. No rabbi or Roman Catholic priest was among the evangelical speakers. It was a rare, full-on embrace of one religious tradition in the glare of a presidential contest. Looks like another raucous season for religion and politics.

It used to be simpler. Protestants were the majority, and candidates could show their piety just by attending church. Now, politicians are navigating a landscape in which rifts over faith and policy have become chasms.

An outlook that appeals to one group enrages another.

Campaigns are desperate to find language generic enough for a broad constituency that also conveys an unshakable faith. There is no avoiding the minefield, especially with early primaries in Iowa and South Carolina, where evangelical voters are so influential.

Nationally, more than 70 percent of Republicans and more than half of Democrats say it’s somewhat or very important that a presidential candidate have very strong religious beliefs, according to the Public Religion Research Institute. In 1960, John F Kennedy could blunt Protestant fears about his Catholicism by calling his religion private. After four decades of culture wars and Christian right activism, the Kennedy strategy no longer works. Politicians are evaluated not only by what church they attend, but also by what their congregation teaches and what their pastor says on Sundays.

“Candidates often have to make tough choices about their religion - whether to talk about it, what to say about it and even what to do about it - such as leaving a church,” said John Green, director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron, Ohio. “These tensions are quite strong among Republicans as the presidential nomination contest heats up, partly because of religious disagreements among key constituencies, but partly because of differences in issue priorities - economic versus social issues.”

The current campaign began with two cautionary tales fresh in the minds of political strategists: In 2008, candidate Barack Obama broke ties with his Chicago pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, after videos surfaced of Wright sermonizing that U.S. foreign policy played a role in the Sept 11 attacks. “America’s chickens are coming home to roost,” Wright said. Obama was so close with Wright that the Democrat took the title of his 2006 book, “The Audacity of Hope,” from one of the pastor’s sermons.

Republican Mitt Romney was the other example. The former Massachusetts governor had struggled to address concerns about being Mormon despite a major faith-and-values speech in 2007 in Texas. He quoted the New Testament and declared his belief in Jesus; many Christian denominations don’t consider Mormons to be Christian. He commended the deep faith of the Founding Fathers and decried secularism. Like Kennedy, he promised that “no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions.” Yet, polls continued to show an unwillingness to vote for a Mormon, especially among white evangelicals.

“That speech probably drew more attention to his Mormonism than it was worth,” said Ed Kilgore, a former policy director at the centrist Democratic Leadership Council who oversaw programs that urged Democrats to talk about the values behind their policies. “It raised a lot of questions and didn’t really resolve them.” Romney is once again running for president. He has barely discussed his religion so far.

Politicians are facing complex questions on religious doctrine, prompted in many cases by their own attempts at highlighting their faith. Republican Michele Bachmann of Minnesota has been asked to explain a statement she made in the context of her 2006 congressional campaign, that she submits to the authority of her husband. The teaching is based on Ephesians 5:21-23 and other Bible verses. Evangelicals say the doctrine is about sacrificial love, the way Christ sacrificed himself for the church. A wife should put her husband’s needs first and the husband should serve his wife, although some Christian conservatives view the teaching as a license to control their wives.

In a recent GOP debate, Bachmann was asked to explain whether, as president, she would submit to her husband’s authority. The audience booed the question.

Bachmann was tight-lipped as she listened, then thanked the questioner and said that to her, submission means that she and her husband respect each other.

Bachmann also found herself in the midst of a row about the Reformation. News outlets reported that the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the tiny denomination she formally left around the time she launched her presidential campaign, said on its website that the papacy is the anti-Christ.

The Lutheran World Federation agreed in a 1999 joint statement with the Vatican to drop the doctrinal condemnation. The Wisconsin Synod is not a member of the federation. Bachmann insisted she was not anti-Catholic.

Perry largely dismissed the outcry over his July prayer rally, held the week before he announced he was running for president. The event was his idea and was financed by the American Family Association, a Tupelo, Mississippi-based group whose policy director believes that freedom of religion applies only to Christians.

Among the supporters were well-known Christian conservative leaders such as the Rev Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention and Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. Other endorsers were Pastor John Hagee, a Christian Zionist who had called the Catholic Church “the great whore,” though he later apologized for the statement. Activist and historian David Barton, who argues that the United States was founded to be a Christian nation, was another backer.

Religion was so in the foreground in the 2008 presidential race that for their first appearance on the same stage after their party conventions, Obama and Sen John McCain agreed to an event at a church where they would be interviewed by a minister. The Rev Rick Warren, founder of Saddleback Church in California, asked the candidates what faith in Jesus meant to them and at what point a baby gains human rights. For the latter question, McCain answered, “At the moment of conception.” Obama joked that the question was “above my pay grade”, then went on to explain the moral thinking behind his support for abortion rights. —AP

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Tour of Spain is ours to lose, says Wiggins SPAIN: The Tour of Spain is “ours to lose”, Bradley Wiggins told Reuters after extending his lead to seven seconds on Saturday. After dropping nearest rival Vincenzo Nibali of Italy close to the summit of the Farrapona climb at the end of the 175.8-km 14th stage, the Briton now leads from compatriot and Sky team mate Chris Froome. Dutchman Bauke Mollema, of the Rabobank team, is third at 36 seconds. “The race is ours to lose,” said Wiggins after a stage won by Cofidis rider Rein Taaramaee of Estonia. “I’m feeling good, I felt strong on the climbs, it still hurts of course but everybody else is hurting as well.” added the 31-year-old Londoner. “We’re another day closer now and tomorrow is another very hard stage. But we’ll continue to fight all the way to the end and hopefully that’ll be enough to win the red jersey.” Defending champion Nibali slid from second to seventh overall after losing one minute 21 seconds to the race leader on Saturday.—Reuters

Hurt and sick players fall NEW YORK: The US Open is living up to its reputation as the toughest grand slam. This year’s tournament has not even reached the halfway point and already there have a been a record number of players quitting.

Before the third round was finished on Saturday, 14 players retired during their matches, two more than the previous grand slam high of 12, registered at Wimbledon in 2008, according to records kept since tennis turned professional in 1968.

There have also been two walkovers and two withdrawals, which aren’t included in the records, giving a total of 18 quitters.

There were 12 official retirements on the first five days then two more

on Saturday, putting the 2011 US championship at the top of the list of the sick, infirm and afflicted among.

Tomas Berdych, the ninth seed, threw in the towel in his match against Serbian Janko Tipsarevic in the second set because of shoulder pain, and Spain’s Marcel Granollers was unable to continue in the second set of his third-round match against compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero because of a muscle strain in his abdomen.

The casualty list includes some of the sport’s biggest stars. Two-time winner Venus Williams withdrew before her second match after revealing she was suffering from an autoimmune disorder.—Reuters

Danger lurks for Wales WELLINGTON: Springboks openside flanker Heinrich Brussow has been singled out as a dangerman by Wales defensive coach Shaun Edwards, with the world champion South Africans showing signs of their all-conquering 2009 form. Wales and the Springboks square off in their World Cup Pool D opener on Sept. 11 in Wellington and Edwards said his team were well aware of the challenge facing them next week. “The Springboks, on paper are looking like the team of 2009 again,” Edwards told reporters in Wellington, referring to the side that beat the British and Irish Lions and swept through the Tri-Nations, which included three wins against New Zealand. “They’re looking very strong with Heinrich Brussow back in and all the stars that played the Lions in that series. That adds to the challenge. “If we do manage to pull it (a victory) off, we’ll do it against a fullstrength Springboks team.” Edwards said he felt Brussow, who missed most of 2010 with a knee injury, had managed to adapt to changes in rule interpretations that gives the advantage to the attacking side, making him still a serious threat. —Reuters

Giants fall to D’backs

BOSTON: Red Sox’s Carl Crawford (right) and Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba watch Crawford’s grand slam during the fourth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park. —AP

Red Sox pound Rangers BOSTON: Boston’s Carl Crawford hit a grand slam as the Red Sox scored eight runs in the fourth inning to set up a 12-7 win over the Texas Rangers in the American League on Saturday.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia had a two-run homer during the big inning, which featured eight hits as the Red Sox sent 13 batters to the plate, winning impressively to erase memories of a 10-0 loss on Friday.

Josh Reddick had four hits and Dustin Pedroia barely missed a grand slam, hitting a shot high off the center-field wall with the bases loaded in the sixth as the Red Sox tagged six Texas pitchers for 16 hits.

Red Sox starter Erik Bedard (5-9) earned his first win since joining Boston in a trade with Seattle. Rangers starter Colby Lewis (1110) lasted only 3 1-3 innings, allowing four runs.

Yankees 6, Blue Jays 4 In New York, Robinson Cano hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to exceed 100 RBIs for the season and put New York ahead to stay against Toronto.

Cano lined a shot to the wall in center field to score Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez, back in the lineup after missing a week with a sprained left thumb.

Francisco Cervelli earlier hit a two-run homer off Toronto pitcher Ricky Romero (1310). The Yankees improved to a major leaguebest 36-9 in day games and ended Romero’s winning streak at six straight decisions. New York’s Boone Logan (5-2) relieved in the seventh and got two outs for the victory.

Tigers 9, White Sox 8 In Detroit, Miguel Cabrera hit a game-ending solo homer in the ninth inning, capping a stirring Detroit rally against Chicago.

The first-place Tigers trailed 8-1 in the fifth and 8-6 heading into the ninth, but Ryan Raburn tied it with a two-run shot off Sergio Santos (3-4). Cabrera won it one out later with his 25th homer of the year.

It was the first run Santos had allowed in road games over 30 appearances, dating to last season. Austin Jackson tripled twice and Luis Marte (1-0) earned his first big league win with a perfect ninth.

The Tigers began their comeback with three runs in the fifth on an RBI triple by Jackson and a two-run homer by Delmon Young. Wilson Betemit’s solo shot in the seventh made it 8-5.

Angels 10, Twins 6 In Anaheim, Vernon Wells hit a tiebreaking solo homer as Los Angeles big bats rumbled in the win over Minnesota. Mark Trumbo hit his first career grand slam and Peter Bourjos also went deep for the Angels, who moved within 3-1/2 games of Texas in the race for the AL West. There are 23 games remaining, including a three-game series between the two teams, in Texas.

Los Angeles pitcher Jered Weaver (16-7) tied a career high for wins, despite allowing eight hits over five innings and throwing 111 pitches.

The Twins - last year’s AL Central champs are a season-worst 18-1/2 games out of first place and 22 games under .500. Minnesota’s Phil Dumatrait (1-3) took the loss.

Royals 5, Indians 1 In Kansas City, Missouri, Luke Hochevar pitched eight strong innings to lead Kansas City over Cleveland. Hochevar (10-10) allowed one unearned run, struck out eight and walked just one while throwing a career-high 117 pitches.

The Indians lost ground in the AL Central, falling 6-1/2 games behind first-placed Detroit. Johnny Giavotella homered for the Royals and Jeff Francoeur hit a two run double, his 44th of the season. David Huff (2-3) pitched six innings for Cleveland and was charged with four earned runs.

Athletics 3, Mariners 0 In Oakland, Brandon McCarthy pitched his first shutout in more than two years, leading Oakland over Seattle. McCarthy (8-7) matched his career high of 10 strikeouts and faced only four batters over the minimum. He finished the gem in style, slipping a called third strike past Mike Carp on his 114th pitch.

Cliff Pennington had a two-run double and Scott Sizemore homered to help the A’s win their third straight. Seattle was shut out for the 13th time this season. Mariners pitcher Michael Pineda (9-9) is winless in five starts.

Rays 6, Orioles 3 In St. Petersburg, BJ Upton had five RBIs to power Tampa Bay past Baltimore. Upton hit a two-out, three-run double off Alfredo Simon (4-8) to make it 6-2 in the fifth. The Rays tied it 2-2 during the first when Upton drove in two runs with a double. Tampa Bay starter Wade Davis (9-8) allowed five hits in 6 2-3 innings, striking out five.—AP

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

Pittsburgh 7, Chicago Cubs 5; NY Yankees 6, Toronto 4; Oakland 3, Seattle 0; St. Louis 6, Cincinnati 4; Detroit 9, Chicago White Sox 8; Boston 12, Texas 7; Tampa Bay 6, Baltimore 3; Milwaukee 8, Houston 2; Washington 8, NY Mets 7; LA Dodgers 2, Atlanta 1 (10 innings); Florida 8, Philadelphia 4; Kansas City 5, Cleveland 1; Colorado 5, San Diego 4; Arizona 7, San Francisco 2.

American League Eastern Division W L PCT NY Yankees 84 53 .613 Boston 84 54 .609 Tampa Bay 75 63 .543 Toronto 69 70 .496 Baltimore 55 82 .401 Central Division Detroit 77 62 .554 Cleveland 69 67 .507 Chicago White Sox 68 68 .500 Minnesota 58 80 .420 Kansas City 58 82 .414 Western Division Texas 79 61 .564 LA Angels 75 64 .540 Oakland 63 76 .453 Seattle 58 80 .420

GB 0.5 9.5 16 29 6.5 7.5 18.5 19.5 3.5 15.5 20

National League Eastern Division Philadelphia 88 47 .652 Atlanta 81 57 .587 NY Mets 67 70 .489 Washington 64 73 .467 Florida 61 77 .442 Central Division Milwaukee 83 57 .593 St. Louis 74 65 .532 Cincinnati 68 71 .489 Pittsburgh 64 75 .460 Chicago Cubs 59 80 .424 Houston 47 92 .338 Western Division Arizona 79 60 .568 San Francisco 73 66 .525 LA Dodgers 68 70 .493 Colorado 66 73 .475 San Diego 60 79 .432

8.5 22 25 28.5 8.5 14.5 18.5 23.5 35.5 6 10.5 13 19

SAN FRANCISCO: The Arizona Diamondbacks took a major step toward securing the National League West title by beating closest rival San Francisco 7-2 on Saturday and extending their divisional lead over the Giants to six games.

Ian Kennedy (18-4) became the NL’s first 18-game winner this season, and has won his past three starts. He allowed one run in seven innings, striking out six.

Paul Goldschmidt homered and singled in a run, while Aaron Hill and Gerardo Parra each hit RBI doubles for the Diamondbacks.

The reigning World Series champion Giants must win late yesterday’s series finale to keep alive any realistic chance of defending their division crown and returning to the playoffs.

The Giants managed only a pair of sacrifice flies, not enough to support starter Tim Lincecum (12-12).

Dodgers 2, Braves 1 In Atlanta, Dee Gordon scored the go-ahead run on Juan Rivera’s sacrifice fly in the 10th inning as Los Angeles beat Atlanta and extended its winning streak to a season-best six games.

The speedy Gordon, who entered as a pinch runner in the eighth, doubled off Anthony Varvaro (0-1) to begin the 10th, advanced to third on James Loney’s sacrifice and scored on Rivera’s fly ball to center.

Javy Guerra, the fifth Los Angles reliever, retired the three batters in order in the bottom of the 10th, earning his 15th save in 16 chances. AJ Ellis hit a homer in the second inning for Los Angeles. Mike MacDougal (21) got the win.

Marlins 8, Phillies 4 In Miami, Mike Cameron homered twice in Florida’s win over Philadelphia. Phillies reliever Antonio Bastardo (6-1) entered the eighth with Philadelphia holding a 4-3 lead.

He walked the first two batters before he was replaced by David Herndon.

Jose Lopez sacrificed to advance the runners and Gaby Sanchez followed with a three-run shot.

Cameron then hit his second home run and Greg Dobbs added a two-out solo blast off Herndon in the five-run eighth. Florida’s Edward Mujica (9-5) pitched one scoreless inning for the win.

Cardinals 6, Reds 4 In St. Louis, pitcher Jaime Garcia earned his first win in six weeks and drove in the go-ahead run to lead St. Louis over Cincinnati.

St. Louis kept a faint pulse in fading playoff hopes, starting the day 81/2 games behind Milwaukee in the

SAN FRANCISCO: Giants shortstop Orlando Cabrera (43) jumps over Arizona Diamondbacks’ Justin Upton (10) after throwing to first to complete the double play on a ground ball by Miguel Montero during the sixth inning. —AP NL Central division,with only 24 games to go.

Garcia (11-7) allowed one earned run over six innings. He struck out six and walked one. Reds starter Homer Bailey (7-7) allowed five runs in three innings, tying his shortest outing of the season.

Nationals 8, Mets 7 In Washington, Ryan Zimmerman’s short fly ball in the ninth dropped into right field for a single, driving in two runs and giving Washington victory over New York.

With the Nationals trailing 7-6 in the ninth, Jesus Flores got a leadoff single for his third hit of the game.

Brian Bixler then came in to run, and Bobby Parnell (3-5) walked Jonny Gomes to put runners on first and second.

Bixler and Gomes advanced on Ian Desmond’s sacrifice before Roger Bernadina was walked intentionally.

Zimmerman then came up the game-ending hit. Nationals reliever Sean Burnett (5-5) the victory.

Nationals starter Tom Milone hit a three-run homer in the second inning. According to STATS LLC and

the SABR Home Run Log, Milone is the eighth pitcher to homer on the first pitch he saw in the majors.

Brewers 8, Astros 2 In Houston, catcher George Kottaras became the first major league player to hit for the cycle this season as Milwaukee beat Houston.

Kottaras hit a solo homer in the fourth inning off Bud Norris (6-9) to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead and tripled in the sixth ahead of a two-run shot

by Craig Counsell, his first of the year.

Kottaras added an RBI single in the seventh and doubled to deep center field in the ninth. Milwaukee’s Chris Narveson (10-6) pitched five innings to get the win.

Rockies 5, Padres 4 In San Diego, Colorado handed San Diego its ninth straight loss.

Dexter Fowler had three hits and scored twice, while Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton each had two hits and a drove in a run for the Rockies, who finished with 11 hits.

Fowler, who tripled in the series opener on Friday, has a pair of doubles and has six extra-base hits in his

past four games. The speedy center fielder has 26 extra-base hits in 47 games since being recalled from the minors.

Colorado starter Alex White (1-1) earned his first win with the team since he was acquired from Cleveland in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade. He allowed five hits in five innings. Cory Luebke (5-8) gave up five runs in 4 13 innings for the Padres.

Pirates 7, Cubs 5 In Chicago, Derrek Lee returned from a broken wrist in some style, hitting a go-ahead grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning, lifting Pittsburgh over Chicago.

Lee’s shot to left through the rain at Wrigley Field came off former teammate Carlos Marmol (2-5), who picked up his NL-high ninth blown save opportunity. Marmol gave up a single and three walks in the inning.

Batting cleanup, Lee had three hits and five RBIs. He had been sidelined since Aug. 10 with a broken bone in his left wrist after getting hit by a pitch from Marmol. Chris Resop (5-4) threw two scoreless innings for Pittsburgh to take the win.—AP

Lorenzo clips Stoner’s lead MISANO: Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo won the San Marino MotoGp here yesterday on a Yamaha to narrow the gap on present series leader Casey Stoner.

The 24-year-old Spaniard came home clear of compatriot Dani Pedrosa, riding a Honda, while series leader Casey Stoner of Australia, who started from pole, was third, also on a Honda.

Lorenzo-who celebrated by hurdling the barrier between him and his mechanics, landing in their arms-reduced the gap between him and Stoner to 35 points.

Stoner was gracious in defeat but, worryingly, his reasons for losing suggested that he might be falling victim to a mystery illness he has had before when he complained of feeling weary.

“There is no excuses as everything felt really good including the bike,” said 25-year-old Stoner, who was world champion in 2007. “I didn’t want to push too hard in the rain at the start and was content to sit in behind Lorenzo.

“I felt comfortable just behind Lorenzo and then made an attack but when I tried to go for it I felt tired, my arms especially. I was worn out. No excuses I am just worn out after the last three races (including two in America).”

Meanwhile, Lorenzo was ecstatic to be back on the top step of the

podium. “I really needed this victory because the last two races have been a nightmare so to be back with a really good bike is great,” said

Lorenzo. For Pedrosa it was another outstanding result since his comeback from a broken right collarbone in the French race in May, an injury

ITALY: Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo, of Spain, celebrates on the podium after winning the San Marino MotoGP. —AP

which saw him miss three races, ruining his chances of winning the world title.

“It was really tough (the race). A very demanding circuit. The bike was not like what I wanted,” said the 25-year-old. “I couldn’t push it but I could at least catch Casey towards the end.” Lorenzo led Stoner by nearly four seconds with nine laps remaining while Pedrosa was in third. Pedrosa, though, paid no respect to the series leader and, clearly with no team orders, passed the Australian with five laps remaining while behind, Marco Simoncelli, Ben Spies and Andrea Dovizioso were involved in a battle for fourth spot. Stoner kept on losing time to Lorenzo, and was seven seconds adrift with four laps remaining, just conserving his place and thus preventing the Spaniard from gaining any more points on him.

Simoncelli had a thrilling duel with his compatriot Dovizioso, with the latter passing him with just over a lap to go. However, Simoncelli refused to let it go and reclaimed his fourth spot almost immediately to prevail by 37 hundreths of a second. Veteran Loris Capirossi failed to get a fairytale result just days after announcing he was retiring at the end of the season as the 38-year-old Italian who has competed at Grand Prix level in all categories since 1990 — failed to finish. —AFP

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Spain, Italy try to seal Euro 2012 places LONDON: Spain and Italy can join already-qualified Germany at next year’s European Championship by winning home matches tomorrow as the qualifying competition approaches its critical phase.

Germany joined co-hosts Ukraine and Poland in Euro 2012 on Friday with an eighth straight Group A win, and Spain will also advance if the world champions beat Liechtenstein in Logrono as expected to maintain their perfect record in Group I. Italy, which Spain replaced as world champions last year, must beat secondplace Slovenia to guarantee top spot in Group C. Any other result in Florence and the Azzurri can still definitely progress if Serbia - the only other country able to catch them - slips up at home to the Faeroe Islands.

The top-ranked Netherlands are the third team to have won all their qualifying games so far but even another victory, away to Finland, is unlikely to put them through for certain from Group E,

given that second-place Sweden visits San Marino, which lost 11-0 to the Dutch on Friday and hasn’t scored in eight games.

Elsewhere, England will move six points clear of Montenegro and confirm its position as favorite to win Group G if it beats British rival Wales at Wembley, and France will also be on the brink of qualifying with an away victory against Romania in Group D. With the Czech Republic only drawing 2-2 at Scotland on Saturday, Spain can qualify from Group I with two matches to spare with a seventh straight win.

Vicente Del Bosque’s team comes into the qualifier against the group’s bottom side on the back of a 3-2 win over Chile in an ill-tempered friendly on Friday.

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas will hope his two-goal haul in that match after coming off the bench - his second coming in injury time - has done enough to earn a starting spot.

“Everything is going well for us but we have to continue forward and not

become too over-confident,” said Fabregas, whose club colleague Xavi Hernandez is set to win his 103rd cap making him Spain’s most-capped outfield player.

Italy, meanwhile, has an eight-point lead in its group but needs to sharpen up its attack if it wants to also go through with two matches left.

The Azzurri struggled to break down a packed Faeroe Islands defense on Friday and had to be content with Antonio Cassano’s early strike in an unconvincing 1-0 win.

“We’re going to be facing a team that will be playing to keep alive its chance of qualifying, so theoretically we should have more space to play,” Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said of Slovenia, which is still second despite a surprise 2-1 home defeat to Estonia on Friday.

Netherlands had no problem finding the back of the net 11 times against San Marino, with Robin van Persie’s four-goal salvo helping the Dutch to their biggest international victory and putting them in

good heart for what will be a tougher trip to Helsinki.

“Against Finland, it’s a challenge to refocus after all the euphoria,” captain Mark van Bommel said. “Everybody thinks it’s going to be easy, but it’s not. We still have to play a couple of matches to qualify for the European Championship.”

An eighth straight qualifying win may not be enough for the World Cup runners-up to clinch qualification, though, because a high-scoring win in San Marino would keep Sweden six points behind and mathematically in contention to win the group.

After losing 2-1 to Wales in Cardiff, Montenegro will be hoping the Welsh can spring another upset when they make the short journey to England, which is now in the driving seat to go through as group winner.

While England was impressing in a 30 win at Bulgaria on Friday, France looked shaky in its 2-1 victory at Albania but still stretched its unbeaten run to 12 games.

Ahead of the trip to fourth-place Romania, which is still in the hunt for a top-two finish, the French are three points clear of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which plays Belarus.

“We have increased our chances of qualifying by winning in Tirana,” France midfielder Alou Diarra said. “We have our destiny in our own hands.” Three other qualifying pools are expected to go down to the wire.

Group B leader Russia hosts Ireland in a top-of-the table match, with the Irish two points adrift along with Slovakia, which is at home to Armenia on the same night.

With Group H leader Portugal not playing, Norway can move three points clear at the top with a win at third-place Denmark. A win for the Danes will leave all three countries on 13 points, however. In Group F, Greece protects a onepoint lead over Croatia when it visits Latvia. The Croats host third-place Israel, which has to win in Zagreb to stay in contention for a top-two place.—AP

Macedonia stun Greece

SWITZERLAND: Thomas Bjorn from Denmark (left) holds the trophy next to Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (right) after winning the Omega European Masters Golf Tournament. —AP

Bjorn bags European Masters SWITZERLAND: Thomas Bjorn claimed the European Masters title yesterday with a spectacular closing nine-under-par 62 to complete back-to-back victories.

An unassailable finishing burst by the 40year-old Dane for a 20-under-par 264 fourround total left him four shots better than Germany’s world number five Martin Kaymer (65). Two bursts by Bjorn earned him his third win of the season and the $477,000 first prize.

First, he ran in four birdies in five holes to the turn. Then he produced a magnificent finale, picking up six shots in five holes with an eagle and three birdies.

Kaymer, starting four shots adrift of the lead, began the day in breathtaking fashion, too, eagling the first and fifth holes to move to the top of the leaderboard. Bjorn soon came chasing after the German, though, and caught him with his run to the turn.

As Kaymer failed to make any further headway with a missed two-footer on the long 14th resulting in a three-putt, Bjorn pressed the accelerator.

His 14-foot eagle putt on the 15th put him two ahead of the field and, as his putter heated up even more, birdies on 17 and 18 extended his margin of victory.

Bjorn also left world number six and US

Open champion Rory McIlroy (68) in his wake, the Northern Irishman held to a share of third place, a further stroke back on 15-under. With McIlroy was overnight leader Jamie Donaldson (70), as the Briton again failed to complete his maiden win in 10 years of trying, and fast-finishing Jaco Van Zyl of South Africa (64). World number two Lee Westwood (70) trailed in six strokes behind Bjorn. After Bjorn won last week at Gleneagles he said he was determined to make one last Ryder Cup appearance and his 333,333 points for winning has given him the best possible start to Europe’s 2012 campaign.

“It all feels so easy at the moment and to shoot 62 on a Sunday, you’ve got to be delighted,” he said. “There’s an awful long way to go in the Ryder Cup and we have some remarkable talent in Europe, but if I can keep playing well and stay healthy, I have a chance of making the team.” Kaymer knew where he had let the chance of the title and a climb to third in the world rankings slip through his fingers. “Only parring the 14th and 15th hurt me, especially missing the two-foot putt,” he said.

“I didn’t come here to finish second, I wanted the win and to go to third in the world. But I’m hitting the ball so well I’m optimistic about trying again next week.”—Reuters

ALYTUS: Macedonia produced their second successive shock of the European championship with an emotional 72-58 win over Greece on Saturday sparking big celebrations in the former Yugoslav republic’s capital Skopje.

Finland, playing in their first major event since Eurobasket 1995, also upset Bosnia 92-64 while Slovenia struggled for three quarters against Georgia before pulling away in the final period to register an 87-75 success.

Croatia beat Montenegro 8781 and Russia’s reserve shooting guard Vitaliy Fridzon enjoyed a memorable evening as he led his team to a 79-58 thrashing of Belgium with 22 points.

Macedonia, having lost to double European champions Greece by 32 points at the 2009 European championship, pulled off the biggest surprise of the tournament so far after showing how much they had improved in Thursday ’s 78-76 win over Croatia. Led by American-born point guard Bo McCalebb, who scored a game-high 27 points, the Macedonians blew away their bigger neighbours as centre Pero Antic added 12 points and eight rebounds for the winners.

“We played in a state of trance and our defending was quite simply fantastic. This win means a lot to us because we have given the whole nation a huge lift,” Macedonia coach Marin Dokuzovski said.

“I am sure the whole of Macedonia will celebrate tonight but we can’t get carried away because we have a difficult game against Finland who have also proved their worth,” he added.

About 5,000 people, sporting national flags and setting off fireworks, gathered in Skopje’s central square to celebrate and more

ALYTUS: Greece’s Dimitrios Mavroeidis (second right) jumps for a rebound against Pero Antic (left) and Todor Gechevski of Macedonia, during the EuroBasket European Basketball Championship. —AP

were expected to arrive during the night.

Macedonia has strained political ties with Greece because of a dispute over the former Yugoslav republic’s name, which is the same as a province in northern Greece where Alexander the Great was born.

Many fans who descended on the square said beating Greece meant more to them than the unlikely prospect of winning the 24-team tournament in Lithuania, which Macedonia entered as rank outsiders.

“I am a Macedonian expatriate living in Australia on holiday here and when I go back I will give my Greek friends more banter than they can possibly take,” 40-year old Tome Tomevski told Reuters.

“We argue over politics all the time but there will be no dispute over this because our boys played them off the court.

“As far as I am concerned, they don’t have to win another match,” he said. “They can return home tonight to join the party which appears set to last until the morning.” There was also plenty of joy for the Finns, who rekindled their own hopes of reaching the second group stage after five players finished with double scoring figures against Bosnia.

Point guard Mikko Koivisto scored 17, playmaker Petteri Koponen had 14, centre Gerald Lee added 12 while forwards Hanno Mottola and Tuukka Kotti hauled 10 each to cancel out a good solo effort by Bosnia’s

Henry Domercant, who put on 25 points.

Croatia stayed on course to reach the second group stage, featuring two groups of six, after centre Ante Tomic scored 26 points to fend off a spirited challenge by neighbours and fellow former Yugoslavs Montenegro.

Point guard Marko Popovic added 23 points for the Croatians, who joined Greece and Macedonia at the top of Group C with a 2-1 record, ahead of Finland, Montenegro and Bosnia who have one win and two defeats each.

Slovenia and Russia have three wins out of three in Group D while Ukraine registered their first with a 67-59 victory over Bulgaria.—Reuters

Power secures pole for Baltimore Grand Prix

NORTON: Camilo Villegas, of Columbia, lines up a putt on the 18th green during the third round of the Deutsche Bank Championship golf tournament . —AP

Three-way tie at halfway stage of Deutsche Bank NORTON: Masters champion Charl Schwartzel joined Bubba Watson and Australia’s Adam Scott in a three-way tie for the lead at the halfway stage of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Saturday.

Watson, playing in the morning when conditions were ideal for low scoring, grabbed the early clubhouse lead when he a shot a 64 to reach 10-under and was then joined by Schwartzel of South Africa and Scott, the joint runner-up at Augusta this year, in the afternoon.

The trio ended the second day one shot ahead of Brandt Snedeker, who aced the par-three 16th hole, and two clear of Nick Watney. Five players, including Ernie Els, were bunched together at seven-under on a congested leaderboard.

Scott carded a 63, the best round of the day, after a bogey-free round featuring six

birdies and an eagle. “I got off to a good start and am playing well,” Scott said. “I’m happy to put myself in the hunt because I need a good weekto move up in the FedEx Cup (rankings). I’m running out of time quick.” Scott is currently 23rd in the rankings. The Deutsche Bank tournament is the second leg of the season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs.

The leading 70 players after today’s final round move on to the BMW Championship in Illinois before the top 30 qualify for the Tour Championship finale at Atlanta.

Schwartzel signed for a 66 for the second day in a row. The South African made seven birdies, including six in a seven hole stretch, and two bogeys.

“I felt like I played well but I was very frustrated through the first nine holes,” Schwartzel said. —Reuters

BALTIMORE: Knowing he needed a strong finish to win the pole at the Baltimore Grand Prix, Will Power summoned every bit of his racing ability Saturday against front-runner Graham Rahal.

Power used a late surge to earn his seventh pole of the season, a point in the Izod IndyCar Series standings and some peace of mind heading into late yesterday’s race on a difficult street course.

“The final run was absolutely everything I had in me. It was exhausting,” said Power, who completed his fifth and final lap in 1 minute, 20.2447 seconds to edge Rahal (1.20.3238).

It was the Australian’s 23rd career pole, tying Johnny Rutherford for 11th on the career list. Power also took the first place in last week’s qualifier in California.

More important, it gave him an advantage heading into late yesterday’s race on a tight, potentially dangerous two-mile street course.

“Securing the pole position is an advantage here because you don’t have to worry about trying to pass, and since it is a street circuit there can be a lot of yellows,” Power said. That’s why he understood it was imperative to close with flourish Saturday. “I knew I had one lap to do it,” he said. “I didn’t think I got it. That was definitely a tough one.”

Rahal will also begin in Row 1. Although it was his best start of the year, the American couldn’t help but be disappointed in the finish.

“I had a good one going,” he said. “I ran into the chicane ... and I locked up the right front. I kind of got it through the chicane but it wasn’t pretty. Lost all our time there pretty well.” Rahal was followed by Ryan Briscoe, Dario Franchitti, Sebastien Bourdais and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Briscoe was particularly pleased after sustaining damage to his car in Friday’s practice run. Using advice from Team Penske mates

BALTIMORE: Tony Kanaan takes a practice lap before the IndyCar Baltimore Grand Prix auto race yesterday. Kanaan later went over Helio Castroneves when the Brazilian drivers crashed going into turn one. —AP

Power and Helio Castroneves, Briscore rebounded smartly to finish third in qualifying for a second straight week.

“Today was all about getting the confidence back,” he said. “After practice yesterday, I tried to base a lot of my information off of Helio and Will since they had fast cars and were really happy with what they had.”

Franchitti - whose first-place lead over Power shrunk to 25 points - struggled from the outset.

“The first two I just didn’t think I got a clean lap. I didn’t put together a whole lap,” he said. “By the time we got out on the third one, I think we made the car a little bit better, put a half-decent lap together. Obviously,

we’re not where we need to be.”

Much of the talk leading to the race has been about a challenging course with plenty of hairpin turns, bumpy terrain, bothersome railroad tracks and troubling chicanes. There is little margin for error and plenty of places to make them..

Franchitti, who will be seeking his careerhigh tying fifth victory of the year, plans to keep it simple Sunday. Asked what it takes to win, he replied, “Don’t make any mistakes and hopefully don’t get caught up in anybody else’s accident. Hopefully the strategy works out. As we know, there’s a million things that go into surviving one of these things, far less winning them.”—AP

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Winning for some isn’t everything at worlds DAEGU: Anti-government protests forced Yemeni hurdler Fatima Sulaiman Dahman to train indoors for six months before the world championships. And even then, she often practices alone because there are few other female athletes in the Muslim country.

Palestinian runner Bahaa al-Farra had to borrow a pair of spikes from his Omani roommate before his 400meter race and lamented how he must train on a dirt track because there are no facilities in Gaza.

These are the athletes who often finish last in their qualifying heats and are overshadowed by stars like Usain Bolt and Yelena Isinbayeva. They don’t come to Daegu to win gold, or even qualify for the semifinals. For most of the them, it’s all about raising the profile of their countries, making friends and setting a personal best.

“I want to show I am here,” said Dahman, who finished last in her 400 hurdles heat in 1 minute, 11.49 seconds - a personal best but nearly 13

seconds behind the next slowest runner. “I know I can’t win. But if I was training like the other athletes and had a good coach, I can do it. It’s not impossible.”

For every athletic powerhouse like the United States, Jamaica or Russia, there is Indonesia, Nicaragua or Yemen. They are among the impoverished countries permitted to send a male and female athlete who otherwise wouldn’t qualify for the worlds and often get one chance to perform on the big stage. The 100 is traditionally the most popular event and a few, like Indonesian sprinter Fadlin, who goes by one name, did advance past the preliminary round this week.

Although there are clear exceptions, like African long-distance runners, athletes from poor countries face a difficult task of beating their bigger and stronger Western counterparts. Often faced with minuscule budgets, political unrest at home and a culture that doesn’t value athletics, they are forced to make do with inferi-

or facilities. Forget personal trainers, nutritionists or state-of-the-art equipment like a cryogenic chamber. These guys are just happy to have a track to run on, a shot put to throw.

“We don’t participate to be champions,” said Nabil Mabrouk, the president of the Palestinian Athletics Federation. “We have no budget. We have no facilities for track and field.

My athlete runs on sand.”

Yemen possibly best exemplifies all the challenges facing these nations as they try to succeed at the worlds.

Already the poorest country in the Arab world, Yemen has been paralyzed for the past six months by protests aimed at ending President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33 years in power.

The crisis has sparked armed conflict between Saleh’s forces and heavily armed tribesmen who have turned against him, further destabilizing a country that already was facing a growing threat from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

“This year with all these problems, I

couldn’t do nothing,” said the 18-yearold Dahman, who said her time in Daegu was nine seconds worst than before the crisis. “I would go to the stadium (which was filled with protesters) and they would say it’s closed.

There are too many people inside.”

Even without the current crisis, Dahman faced hurdles that comes with living in a conservative Muslim country and not experienced by male teammate Nabil al-Garb. A daughter of two doctors who encouraged her to compete, Dahman faces a society that discourages women from taking up sports - al-Garb said he would oppose his sisters doing sports - and requires her to compete with a head scarf and trousers.

“There are differences between boys and girls in my country,” said Dahman, her brown eyes peaking out from her black head scarf. “He (alGarb) can go to the stadium and train because he is a boy. I don’t have any girls to push me. He has so many boys to push him.”

Bolt fires Jamaica to world record DAEGU: Sprint superstar Usain Bolt brought the world championships to a thrilling climax yesterday as his Jamaican team smashed the world 4x100m relay record on the last night of action in Daegu.

I t was Bolt ’s second gold of the worlds after winning the 200m crown and marked a fairytale ending for the sprinter, who on only the second day of the championships saw his 100m dream shattered when he false-started.

Jamaica’s team of Nesta Car ter, Michael Frater, Yohan Blake and Bolt got off to a flyer and never looked like being caught, Bolt stretching every sinew to cross the line in 37.04sec to beat their previous world record of 37.10 set in the final of the Beijing Olympics.

France took silver and St Kitts and Nevis bronze. Main challengers the United States failed to finish af ter Darvis Patton tumbled to the ground and could not get the baton to Walter Dix who was running the anchor leg.

A delighted Bolt danced on the track and pretended to strip his singlet off in front of a packed crowd, just a day after wowing spectators with the four th fastest 200m run of all time as he rebounded from his 100m disappointment.

“For me it was just to go out there fast,” said Bolt. “We did just that. I am proud of my team, I’m happy with myself. “I enjoyed being the anchor,” he said in reference to the fourth leg normally run by Asafa Powell, who missed these worlds with injury.

Elsewhere on the track, Mo Farah ensured Olympic hosts Britain ended the worlds on a high with 5,000m gold.

Farah won a thrilling battle down the home stretch to take gold, putting behind him the frustration of just missing out on the 10,000m title.

Farah was pushed hard by 2007 champion Bernard Lagat of America but found the strength to stay in front, crossing the line in 13min 23.36sec, just 0.28sec ahead of his American rival.

Ethiopia’s Dejen Gebremeskel took bronze af ter his team-mate Imane Merga was disqualified for stepping inside the curb.

Farah, the first British athlete to win a global long-distance event, said: “It hasn’t sunk in yet. I wanted to put things right after the 10k. It was key today to wind it up and not let anyone

Jepkosgei claiming bronze. “ The race was pretty good,” said Semenya. “Even though I got a silver today I really enjoyed it. It was better than two years ago. I know I won gold in Berlin, but I am feeling much better today.”

Af ter her win in Berlin in 2009, Semenya found herself the target of

Vincent Kipruto-the biggest winning margin in world championships history.

Ethiopia’s Feyisa Lilesa took bronze.

The 29-year-old, who did a celebratory dance after crossing the finishing line, said: “It is really very, very nice for me. I t was emotional. I find myself sometimes dancing, rejoicing because it was a very great day.”

DAEGU: Jamaica’s Usain Bolt celebrates winning the Men’s 4x100 Relay final and setting a world record at the World Athletics Championships. —AP go past me and then dig in after that.

“I knew Bernard Lagat coming up from 1500m would have the speed.”

Russia’s Mariya Savinova denied Caster Semenya a second consecutive women’s 800m title, nipping past the controversial South African for gold.

The reigning world indoor and European champion timed her run to perfection, coming from near the back of the pack at 600m to clinch the victory in 1min 55.87sec.

Semenya, looking to bury controversy over her true gender, took silver with Kenya’s 2007 champion Janeth

seedy allegations that saw her cast into limbo because of doubts over her gender.

But she was cleared by the sport’s world governing body, the IAAF, and has since been largely accepted by her peers.

Earlier Abel K irui romped to marathon gold on the streets of downtown Daegu to seal a marathon double for the east African powerhouse.

In yet another show of distance running power by Kenya, Kirui crossed the line in 2hr 07min 38sec, nearly twoand-a-half minutes ahead of team-mate

professional athletes,” Indonesian coach Boed Darma Sid said. “I have an athlete from Papua who ran 10.32 (in the 100) the past three months.

“But because he thought he was the best in Indonesia, he didn’t keep to his training. Sometimes if I didn’t come to the field, he is lazy and is in his room. Now, after two months, he ran 10.56. That is a cultural problem.”

But even with all the challenges, the athletes from these countries remain upbeat and insist they are not intimidated by Western athletes many of whom they treat more like celebrities than competitors. When American gold medalist Dwight Phillips walked past, two Indonesian athletes paused to have their photo taken with him.

And even though they all were handily beaten, they will leave Daegu with valuable experience and the dream that one day they could win a medal. “Of course,” Yemen coach Fouad Obad said, “we hope someday to raise our flag.” —AP

Al-Farra faces many of the same problems. But his troubles are compounded by Israel’s blockade of Gaza that he said prevented him from leaving for a training camp in Europe four years ago and contributed to him not getting a visa to attend to the World Junior Championships in Canada last year.

“All the other Arab athletes, they talk to me about going to a training camp in Sweden, the United States,” said al-Farra, who said he lost a relative in an Israeli bombing and saw his father jailed for taking part in a protest. “If I could go to a training camp, I could break records and compete with the others. I want to be like them.”

Many federations from poor countries say they can only improve with increased domestic and foreign funding for athletics, in addition to what they get from the IAAF. “We have some good sprinters but the problem is the quality of the training and the culture, the habit of the

America’s women took gold in the 4x100m relay ahead of Jamaica and the Ukraine and Christian Taylor of the United States won the men’s triple jump, pipping Britain’s defending champion Phillips Idowu. American Will Claye claimed bronze.

Russia’s Tatyana Lysenko won the women’s world hammer throw with a best of 77.13m, ahead of Germany’s B e t t y H e i d l e r a n d C h i n a’s Z h a n g Wenxiu. The United States topped the m e d a l s s t a n d i n g s w i t h 1 2 g o l d s, ahead of Russia (nine) and Kenya (seven). —AFP

Medals table DAEGU: Medal table after the final day of the athletics world championships here yesterday: Country Gold United States 12 Russia 9 Kenya 7 Jamaica 4 Germany 3 Great Britain 2 China 1 Australia 1 Ethiopia 1 Ukraine 1 Japan 1 New Zealand 1 Poland 1 Grenada 1 Botswana 1 Brazil 1 South Africa 0 France 0 Cuba 0 Belarus 0 Croatia 0 Canada 0 Czech Republic 0 Hungary 0 Norway 0 Tunisia 0 Sudan 0 Puerto Rico 0 Kazakhstan 0 Estonia 0 St Kitts and Nevis 0 Colombia 0 Bahamas 0 Belgium 0 Iran 0 Italy 0 Spain 0 Slovenia 0 Trinidad & Tobago 0 Latvia 0 Zimbabwe 0

Silver 8 4 6 4 3 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Bronze 5 6 4 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Total 25 19 17 9 7 7 4 3 5 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 4 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Russians evicted from homes for Olympics

DAEGU: USA’s Christian Taylor celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Men’s Triple Jump final at the World Athletics Championships. —AP

We will not change false start rule - IAAF DAEGU: The false start rule will not be changed, the IAAF insisted yesterday, despite the furore that surrounded the disqualification of sprint star Usain Bolt from the world 100m final.

The world’s fastest man had barely left the track after his astonishing false start before a debate swirled over the controversial rule.

A packed stadium was stunned into silence in the seconds after the preening sprint star shot too early from his blocks one week ago.

The Jamaican defending world champion and world record holder was a victim of a rule in effect since January 1, 2010 meaning immediate disqualification for a false start.

It was seen as a way to prevent gamesmanship from potentially slower sprinters looking to unsettle their rivals and to enable organisers

to stick more closely to TV-dependent schedules.

And IAAF president Lamine Diack was in no mood for discussion on the subject at a press conference marking the end of the August 27September 4 world championships in Daegu, South Korea.

“You should not have any illusions, we will not go back on the issue again,” the Senegalese said. “I am one of those who defend the idea that the rule should be kept. It’s not because it’s Bolt that we should change the rules.

“In the past any athlete could have a false start. We did not adopt the rule for television but for the credibility of our sport.

“Some athletes voluntarily did false starts and they remained in the race. We have to stop such mistakes.

“Even Bolt, he said ‘I made a false

start’, he said it was his mistake. It will not change our rule. The false start rule is disqualification.”

After a week of rumours that IAAF council members would ask for the rule to be changed, Diack insisted that there had been no such demands at yesterday’s IAAF council meeting.

“Nobody asked for that,” Diack said bluntly of a possible rule amendment in time for the London Olympics next year.

Bolt’s disqualification in the 100m shook up his rivals but after a delay of a few minutes team-mate Yohan Blake held his nerve for the restart and powered to victory in 9.92sec.

Bolt then rebounded, albeit with slow reac tion times out of the blocks, to retain his 200m title in 19.40sec, the four th fastest time ever run over the distance. —AFP

SOCHI: Sochi native Vladimir Tkachenko needed a decade to build a house on his modest salary. He then had 11 hours to move all belongings out of the way for the bulldozers clearing the way for a new road.

Tkachenko’s violent eviction, which has recently alarmed the Sochi community, is only the latest incident in what critics say is the darker side of Sochi’s Olympic preparations ahead of the 2014 Winter Games.

The father of two, who had to seek medical assistance after bailiffs hit him over the head with an electric shock baton, does not shy with his words: “It’s real fascism,” he told AFP a week after his family’s three story brick house was reduced to rubble.

“We scream that we are a democracy, but judging by the way people are treated we are in a cavemen state,” Tkachenko said. “I don’t understand anything. I am completely lost.”

Russia is to hold the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in its southern resort of Sochi, and has pulled out all the stops to develop massive sports and transportation infrastructure on time in an area that has been a residential and agricultural backwater south of the city. But while visiting IOC officials praise the Russian government’s efforts to remake the Black Sea city into the future sports capital, locals and observers say the undertaking is economising on the locals’ wellbeing.

About 1,000 families have to be relocated under eminent domain to make room for Olympic venues and roads that are part of Sochi’s 2014 Games development plan.

A letter sent late last year to the IOC by the Human Rights Watch said that “in most cases, expropriation

takes the form of a forced sale” that is neither transparent nor fair.

The Sochi administration did not respond to a request from AFP for comment. Officials have insisted that locals are being properly compensated for any forced evictions, so long as they can prove ownership with the right documents.

“We give adequate compensation to everyone who has something. But if you have nothing, then, unfortunately, we are not a charity,” deputy Krasnodar region governor Alexander Saurin told Kommersant Vlast magazine this week.

In case of Tkachenko’s family there was no sale, and the family will get nothing after a local court declared his house illegal. The bailiffs came a day later before Vladimir could receive a written copy of the decision.

“Their cars did not have license plates, they did not introduce themselves or show documents and forced entry into my house,” said Tkachenko, who argues Sochi’s authorities gave him permission to build the house in 1996.

His case has made other potential evictees shudder at their prospects.

“The court decided to seize my house and deposit 1.6 million rubles ($55,000) into a bank account in my name that I know nothing about,” said Natalya Gordiyenko, whose house is also in the way of a road in another Sochi neighborhood.

But like many other locals, she said she has no use for a sum that will not buy her even a small apartment in a city where a real estate boom has driven up prices to unprecedented heights.

“We will be homeless,” said Gordiyenko, who supports two sons

and an elderly mother. Frightened by Tkachenko’s case she started looking for a place to rent, but cannot find anything affordable, she said.

Since November, her battle to get a fair appraisal has left a long paper trail and made a dent in the family’s finances.

“I’m not asking for much, just give us a similar house, and we’ll move there,” she said. But all she was offered in exchange for her home near the sea was a one-room apartment 10 kilometres (six miles) away, which she declined.

Sochi’s eviction nightmare has been caused by lack of planning, legal ignorance, and decades of property issues that often made it impossible to register land until handing over a handsome bribe, locals said. “People have been completely erased from the land eviction process,” said Valery Suchkov, who sits on Sochi’s city planning council and has consulted dozens of locals who are being evicted for Olympic projects.

“Nobody asks locals what they want, it’s completely depersonalised,” he said. “There have been cases when property was appraised based on satellite imaging, and then people would be notified of their eviction by mail.” “Fair balance and applicable human rights standards are not being met” in the process, Human Rights Watch said adding that the European court of human rights is likely to rule against Russia in many cases. Russia’s Olympic bid was a personal effort on the part of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who has since then also cinched Russia’s right to host the Football World Cup in 2018 and the Formula One Grand Prix in 2014. —AFP

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Germany include new cap Bender for Poland friendly

CAIRO: Ahmed Almasli of the Libyan national soccer team wears a T-shirt with Arabic writing that reads, ‘We will not forget you, Mohammed the fighter and the martyrs of Libya,’ as he celebrates their win in a match against Mozambique. The team, wearing the colors of the new rebel flag and playing in neighboring Egypt, won its African Cup of Nations qualifying match. — AP

Burkina Faso, Senegal qualify as champions Egypt bow out JOHANNESBURG: Burkina Faso and Senegal booked places at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Saturday while defending champions Egypt will be shock absentees from the tournament after losing in Sierra Leone.

A goal in each half from Moussa Sowleading scorer in the French Ligue 1 last season-gave the Senegalese a 2-0 home win over the Democratic Republic of Congo and an uncatchable five -point Group E lead.

Namibia upset visiting Gambia 1-0 to leave the Burkinabe with an unassailable six-point Group F advantage and seventime title holders Egypt remained bottom of Group G after a late penalty condemned them to a 2-1 defeat.

After collecting just two points from four previous qualifiers, Egypt believed they had no chance of reaching a tournament they won three consecutive times since 2006 and sent Olympic and youth team stars to west Africa.

Libya reflected the political changes in the country by wearing a new strip and singing a new national anthem before defeating Mozambique 1-0 in neutral Cairo to replace Zambia as Group C leaders.

Former champions Tunisia took a giant stride toward joining Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Botswana, Senegal and co-hosts Gabon and Equatorial Guinea at the 2012 finals by forcing a 0-0 draw at closest Group K rivals Malawi.

Cameroon, four times Cup of Nations champions, trounced Mauritius 5-0 in the mini-league won by Senegal to keep alive slim hopes of making the finals as one of the best two runners-up.

The absence of star striker Didier Drogba, who suffered concussion playing

for Chelsea last weekend, did not prevent Ivory Coast raising their Group H goal haul to 17 from five games with a 5-0 Kigali drubbing of Rwanda.

Dennis Oliech struck in stoppage time to snatch a 2-1 home win for Kenya over Guinea Bissau in Group J while Algeria came from behind under new Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic to force a 1-1 Group D draw in Tanzania.

South Africa-based midfielder Tangeni Shipahu became the unlikely toast of Burkina Faso by scoring the 83rd-minute winner that gave the home team a rare competitive victory after three consecutive pool losses.

Namibian officials have lodged a protest against Burkina Faso defender Her ve Zengue, who they claim is Cameroonian and not eligible to play for the country of his wife, and it will be heard in Cairo later this month.

Sheriff Suma put Sierra Leone into an early lead, Mohsen Marwan levelled on the stroke of half-time and it looked like the ‘Baby Pharaohs’ would escape with a point until Mohamed Bangura converted an 84th-minute spot kick.

Victory lifted Sierra Leone to eight points and a share of first place with South Africa, who face Niger in sauna-like Niamey late yesterday without injured captain and midfielder Steven Pienaar.

Rabi al-Lafi netted on 31 minutes in a game played behind closed doors for security reasons to lift Libya two points above Zambia, who are away to Comoros Islands late yesterday. Tunisia lead Malawi on goal difference in the race to finish runners-up behind Botswana and appear likely to stay second as they host Togo in the final round while their rivals visit Chad. —AFP Preview

Improving France have defensive headache PARIS: One year after their World Cup fiasco, France are confident they are now on the right path despite some defensive woes as they travel to Romania for a Euro 2012 qualifier tomorrow.

Les Bleus, who were knocked out in the first round in South Africa following some risible performances on and off the pitch, have dramatically improved up front although they looked shaky at the back in Friday’s 2-1 win in Albania.

Coach Laurent Blanc, however, refused to panic. “We had a very very tricky second half...but we should not be that negative. We did win that game, right?,” Blanc asked reporters.

“It was a much better performance that (last year) against Belarus,” he added referring to France 1-0 home defeat to Belarus in their Group D opener.

France are now top of the standings with 16 points from seven matches, three points ahead of Bosnia. Romania lie fourth, five points off the pace.

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema was at his brilliant best against Albania, scoring one goal and setting up another in the opening 20 minutes but the French defence struggled throughout.

They were without centre backs Philippe Mexes, who is injured, and Adil Rami, who was suspended but could be back to face Romania.

“I said before the game that a good defence was important. We should have been better (against Albania),” said Blanc. The coach is likely to field right back Bacary Sagna instead of Anthony Reveillere, after the Arsenal player recovered from a virus, while Eric Abidal, with Philippe Mexes injured, is set to keep his place in central defence alongside Rami or Younes Kaboul. “(Sagna) is much better. Will he be at 100 per cent? We can think so. I hope he will be fit,” said Blanc, who could also be tempted to grant Marvin Martin a starting spot in place of the disappointing Florent Malouda in the midfield.

Romania beat Luxembourg 2-0 on Friday to keep alive their slim chances of qualifying but France will be a tougher nut to crack.

Coach Victor Piturca, who returned to the national team in the summer, was optimistic about Romania’s chances against France, despite losing Gabriel Torje, who scored both goals in Luxembourg, to suspension. “For my debut to be a success we must have a good result against France,” Piturca told Romania’s ProTV. “Any player that walks on the field against France must be motivated. I think...we could have a good result.” France will finish their qualifying campaign with home games against Bosnia and Albania next month. —Reuters

BERLIN: Uncapped Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender has been called into the Germany squad for tomorrow ’s friendly against Euro 2012 co-hosts Poland in Gdansk.

The 22-year-old was telephoned by Germany coach Joachim Loew yesterday and joined the team in Duesseldorf before today’s flight to Gdansk, whose Municipal Stadium will host Euro 2012 matches next June.

Germany qualified for the Euro 2012 finals with a 6-2 win over Austria in Gelsenkirchen on Friday.

Loew has opted to rest three of his firstchoice players in vice -captain Bastian Schweinsteiger and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, both of Bayern Munich, as well as playmaker Mesut Ozil of Real Madrid, for the friendly.

Werder Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese, Arsenal’s new-signing Per Mertesacker and Dortmund’s rising star Mario Goetze, who scored against Austria, will all start against Poland, a German Football Federation (DFB) spokesman said Sunday.

Bender was part of the junior Germany team which won the Under-19 European title in 2008 and will be included in the 19-man squad Loew will take to Gdansk.

His twin brother Sven made his debut for Germany in the friendly defeat to Australia in March and is part of the Borussia Dortmund team which won the German league title last season. The national team trained in Duesseldorf on Sunday and Schalke defender Benedikt Hoewedes was the only absentee as he struggles with a groin strain suffered in the first-half of the win over Austria.

Meanwhile, the friendly will be a key test of preparations for next June’s European Championships, the head of Poland’s organising committee has said. With Euro 2012 to be co-hosted by Poland and the Ukraine, the tournament starts on June 8 and will climax with the final on July 1 in Kiev. Poland host Germany in Gdansk on Tuesday and Marcin Herra, who heads the Polish organising commitee, said the friendly international will give a clear idea of how ready his country is to host the tournament.

“We will take all the standards as a benchmark and then see where we stand,” he told SID. “I think the stadium will be sold out with over 40,000 spectators, including 1,000 German fans. “For us, it is a good opportunity to see whether things all go well at the airport and on the roads. And we are delighted to be testing all things against such an opponent.”

After rival fans clashed during this year’s

DUSSELDORF: Germany’s teammates warm up during a training session of the German national soccer team. A friendly soccer match between Germany and Poland will be played in Gdansk tomorrow. — AP

Polish Cup final, hooliganism remains a concern ahead of next year’s tournaments and the Polish parliament has voted to bring in new legislation with Euro 2012 in mind.

Proposals include bans on alcohol at the stadiums and electronic monitoring of known hooligans. “This is part of the new legislation,” said Herra, who admits the Euro 2012 organisers face many challenges.

“Even if someone is banned from a game, we can still monitor him using technology.”

With Germany having hosted both the men’s World Cup in 2006 and the women’s tournament this summer, Polish organisers have been taking notes.

“My colleagues were at the women’s World Cup in Germany in order to learn from the organisers,” said Herra. “They also talked about the experience of 2006. “I think it was a very, very good tournament. “The Germans said then: ‘Let’s be open, let’s be kind, let’s smile’.

“That is what we want to do too.”

Herra said images of rioting at football matches in Poland gives an inaccurate picture of football in his country. “If someone only refers to 30 seconds of video footage, it can lead to a misunderstanding,” he said.

“I think we have problems in a few regions in our country, but the true Polish football fans are peaceful. “The country has undergone dramatic changes in the past 20 years. It pays to come to us.”

The Germany-Poland game had initially been planned to be staged at the new stadium in Warsaw, specially built for Euro 2012, but building delays have seen the match switched to Gdansk on the north Polish coast.

“It’s just a great stadium, but we are on track,” said Herra, with work scheduled to be completed in Warsaw this November. “We are taking care of everything necessary to create a peaceful and friendly atmosphere.” — AFP

Menezes hopes Ronaldinho will inspire struggling Brazil LONDON: Brazil coach Mano Menezes hopes Ronaldinho can revitalise his struggling side when the Selecao face Ghana in a friendly in London today.

Menezes handed Ronaldinho a surprise recall for the fixture at Fulham’s Craven Cottage after the former Barcelona and AC Milan forward showed signs of a renaissance late in his career.

The 31-year-old looked to have been cast into international exile for good when he was left out of Brazil’s squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

At that point Ronaldinho was a shadow of the flamboyant star who helped Brazil win the 2002 World Cup and led Barcelona to the 2006 Champions League.

He has played only once for Brazil since the World Cup-a 1-0 friendly defeat against Argentina in 2010 — but has enjoyed a fine run of form with Flamengo.

Ronaldinho has scored 15 times this season, a prolific spell per fectly timed for Menezes, who is desperate to inject some swagger into a Brazilian team that was bereft of inspiration as they crashed out of the Copa America in the quarter finals and then lost 2-0 to Germany in a friendly.

“Ronaldinho is a world champion with the Brazil team and after his return to the country he has readjusted and he is playing very well,” Menezes said.

“He is becoming one of the best players of the season and what has been successful with Flamengo can also help the national team.”

The fixture also offers a chance for redemption for Marcelo, Real Madrid’s attacking leftback, who has yet to feature since Menezes took charge and fell out with his coach after deciding he was unfit to play in the Copa America.

The pair have patched up their relationship sufficiently for Marcelo to return to the squad and he now hopes to cement a place.

“It could look like a lack of commitment, but I have always wanted to be in the Selecao and help my team-mates,” Marcelo said.

“I have served the team from the very start, even on long trips. They are the best, so why wouldn’t I want to be involved.”

Robinho had to pull out of the clash after the AC Milan forward suffered a groin injury, but Menezes can still call on highly-rated Santos striker Neymar, Milan forward Alexandre Pato and Porto targetman Hulk.

Ghana have lost their two previous meetings with Brazil-including a last 16 defeat in the 2006 World Cup-but coach Goran Stevanovic plans to experiment and could give Bristol City winger Albert Adomah a dream debut. Adomah was hoping to make his debut for Ghana against Nigeria in London last month, but the friendly fixture was postponed due to rioting in the English captial.

His wait continued on Friday when he was left out of the matchday squad as Ghana

defeated Swaziland 2-0 in an African Cup of Nations in Accra.

But, with Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan suffering a thigh injury against Swaziland, Stevanovic is likely to include Adomah today, while Rabiu Mohammed and Jordan Ayew will also be given a chance to impress. The match will also be an emotional occasion for Ghana defender John Pantsil, who will be making his first return to Craven Cottage since leaving Fulham to join Championship club Leicester in the close-season.

“It’s always good to be back among friends.

I had a great time here,” Pantsil said. “I still have strong emotions for Fulham. I have had plenty of emails and text messages from many friends at Fulham who cannot wait to see me playing once again.” —AFP

ITALY: (From left) Defender Giorgio Chiellini, forward Antonio Cassano, midfielder Andrea Pirlo and striker Giuseppe Rossi warm up during a training session of the Italian national soccer team ahead of tomorrow’s match against Slovenia. —AP

Capello looking for right man to partner Terry LONDON: England defender Gary Cahill insists he will never be overwhelmed by the pressure of playing for his country after a life-threatening experience 18 months ago. Cahill ended a crazy week, which had seen him linked with transfers to Arsenal and Tottenham, by scoring England’s opening goal in Friday’s 3-0 Euro 2012 qualifying win in Bulgaria.

The 25-year-old’s composed display in Sofia has given England coach Fabio Capello food for thought as he looks for the right man to partner captain John Terry.

Rio Ferdinand had been the Italian’s preferred choice alongside Terry, but Cahill is now firmly in

the reckoning as well. While some players might lose their cool with such a big prize up for grabs, Cahill-who is expected to start tomorrow’s qualifier against Wales at Wembley-has things in perspective. The former Aston Villa centre-back is aware his health is more important after a blood clot was discovered in his upper chest in February 2010.

He recovered from the illness, but admits it changed the way he looked at his life and his job.

“With myself being ill and missing a long period of time and games, it gave me time to reflect,” he said.

“I missed the football but I also put things into reality and your health is your most important

thing, full stop. “Once I came back from something as serious as that, it just made me appreciate really what I had. “That’s why now I just tend to try to go out there and just play with a smile on my face and enjoy what I’m doing.

“That’s the most important thing. Your health is more important than anything.” Cahill was pleased when the window closed-he stayed at Bolton after Wanderers rejected bids from Arsenal and Spursbecause he was then able to concentrate on his first competitive start for his country in Sofia. “From a personal point of view, it was a fantastic end to a mad week for myself with the win, the clean sheet

and the goal,” he said.

“The week was strange. There was a lot of speculation about me moving. It didn’t happen but it was a great end to a difficult week.

“Did the transfer stuff unsettle me? Maybe mentally a little bit but around the time we were training and I just had the game to prepare for and it helped me by the window shutting.

“I was fine. I could get my head right and, come the game, I was looking for ward to getting involved. “Overall it affected me a little bit but I’m a laid-back sort of guy. I don’t tend to let much bother me. It is dealt with now and put to bed.” —AFP

Bjorn bags European Masters

Lorenzo clips Stoner’s lead

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

Winning for some isn’t everything at worlds

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NEW YORK: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts after his match against David Nalbandian of Argentina during the US Open tennis tournament . —AP

Nadal in US Open last 16 NEW YORK: Defending champion Rafa Nadal outbattled David Nalbandian of Argentina 7-6 6-1 7-5 yesterday to reach the fourth round of the US Open. Nadal breezed through the middle set, but was forced to fight hard on both ends of the match against his friend and frequent practice partner.

“It was a tough day,” Nadal said in an on-court interview. “He’s a great player, a fantastic player. He’s a close friend, so all the best for him in the future.” The second-seeded Spaniard trailed 5-4 with Nalbandian serving for the opening set when he broke the Argentine’s serve and forced a tie-break, which he won 7-5.

After cruising through the second set, Nadal took a medical time out during the changeover at 1-1 in the third set to have his right foot taped for a blister. Nadal fell back in step and took a 52 lead, but Nalbandian roared back to make it 5-5 before the Spaniard held and broke serve on his third match point when the Argentine double faulted.

“I think I played my best match of the tournament, so I’m happy for that,” said Nadal. “Every day is tougher and tougher.”

Next up for Nadal will be Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, a straight sets winner against Russian Igor Kunitsyn.

On Saturday, Roger Federer and Serena Williams came through their first real tests at the US Open with flying colors as the casualty toll at the last grand slam of the year soared to

record numbers. The former world number ones both faced dangerous opponents but survived to fight another day, advancing safely to the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.

Their performances were not perfect but still sent an ominous warning to their younger rivals about their intentions to add to their stockpile of major championships.

“As long as I’m in the tournament I know I have a shot and that’s what it’s about right now,” said Federer, who beat Croatia’s Marin Cilic 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-2.

The Swiss master dropped a set for the first time in the tournament but was unfazed. “I seriously don’t care how I’m playing.

I wish I play my best every single time and feel amazing. That’s not reality,” he said. “That’s what the beauty of this game is, trying to find a way when you’re not feeling great.”

Williams beat fourth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-1 7-6 but was running on empty by the end. The pair had been drawn together much earlier than expected because Williams, who has only just returned from a long injury layoff, has slipped down the rankings and was seeded 28th.

The American raced through the first set in less than half an hour but began to tire in the second, failing to serve out the match as Azarenka forced the tiebreaker.

“I definitely wasn’t happy with the way I played overall today,”

Williams said. “I think my serve, especially in the second set, pretty much was below 50 per cent. I was a wee bit disappointed but I can build on it.” Federer will play unseeded Argentine Juan Monaco in the round of 16 on Monday, while Williams faces former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic after she beat American wildcard Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-4.

The two current world number ones, Novak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki, both breezed through with straight-set wins on the Arthur Ashe Stadium after overcoming minor problems.

Djokovic beat Nikolay Davydenko of Russia 6-3 6-4 6-2 while Wozniacki produced a methodical 6-2 6-4 victory over unseeded American Vania King. Davydenko presented Djokovic with some problems early on but the top seed eventually worked him out and was glad to have been pushed.

“It’s the first test I think I had this tournament and it was expected,” Djokovic said. “I was aware of his qualities. Davydenko is a great player. He’s been around for many years. He knows how to play on this stadium. He knows how to play majors.”

Wozniacki struggled with her serve as the wind on the Arthur Ashe Stadium center court blew hard. “It was very windy out there today. It wasn’t just going one way, it was kind of shifting,” Wozniacki said. “I found it very difficult to place the ball the places I wanted to, so quite a few times I was going for the safe

NEW YORK: Serena Williams reacts during her match against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus at the US Open tennis tournament.—AP serve.” Wozniacki’s next opponent is Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion, who beat Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan 6-4 6-2.

Jelena Jankovic, a finalist at the US Open three years ago, was bundled out 6-4 6-4 by Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She faces Francesca Schiavone of Italy next after last year’s French Open champion saved a match point in her 5-7 7-6 6-3 win over South Africa’s Chanelle Scheepers. “It’s great to come back after a fight like this,” Schiavone said.

Tomas Berdych, seeded ninth, quit his match against Serbian Janko Tipsarevic in the second set because of shoulder pain.

Spain’s Marcel Granollers also threw in the towel against compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero, taking the total number of retirements in the first six days of the tournament to 14, a record at a grand slam, with two walkovers and two withdrawals also registered. —Reuters

Oklahoma notch 37th straight home victory NORMAN: Landry Jones re-established his connection with All-American receiver Ryan Broyles, leading No.1-ranked Oklahoma to a 47-14 win over Tulsa in college football Saturday.

Jones threw for 375 yards, Broyles came up just shy of his own school receptions record with 14 for 158 yards and the Sooners extended the nation’s longest home winning streak with their 37th straight win on Owen Field. Dominique Whaley ran for four touchdowns in his Oklahoma debut.

Alabama 48, Kent State 7 In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, AJ McCarron stepped up in Alabama’s quarterback race, throwing for a touchdown and 226 yards for the Crimson Tide.

Vying with Phillip Sims to replace Greg McElroy, McCarron had a 24-yard scoring toss to Marquis Maze and finished 14-of-23 passing. McCarron was hardly perfect, throwing two interceptions. Sims also threw two interceptions - one that set up Kent State’s score - and finished 7 of 14 for 73 yards.

yards and two touchdowns and his replacement Clint Trickett threw a touchdown pass on his first play for the Seminoles. Florida State’s swarming defense limited ULM to 191 yards and 12 first downs. ULM (0-1) got to Florida State’s 28 - its deepest penetration in the game - in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. The Warhawks managed to reach Seminole territory just once in the first half.

Stanford 57, San Jose State 3 In Stanford, California, Andrew Luck threw two touchdowns and ran for another score to lead the Cardinal. The Heisman Trophy runner-up completed 17 of 26 passes for 171 yards and looked every bit the player many believe will take home college

football’s most famous award this season. He connected with seven different receivers and showed no signs of slipping under new coach David Shaw.

Stepfan Taylor ran for 61 yards and two touchdowns and Chris Owusu caught seven passes for 76 yards for the Cardinal, who pounced on their South Bay rival from the start.

Oklahoma State 61, Louisiana-Lafayette 34 In Stillwater, Oklahoma, Joseph Randle rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns, Justin Blackmon had 144 yards receiving and Oklahoma State picked up where it left off last season on offense. Brandon Weeden completed 24 of 39 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns for Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State has won all eight

Louisiana State 40, Oregon 27 In Arlington, Michael Ford ran for two touchdowns for the Tigers. Quarterback Jarrett Lee admirably directed LSU’s offense in place of suspended quarterback Jordan Jefferson. Missing cornerback-punt returner Cliff Harris was too much for Oregon to overcome in a rare season-opening matchup of top-five teams on a neutral field.

Boise State 35, Georgia 21 In Atlanta, Kellen Moore threw for three touchdowns - giving him 102 in his career - as the Broncos romped past the Bulldogs.

Moore, the nation’s top-rated passer last season and expected to be a leading Heisman contender, carved up Georgia’s 3-4 defense after a sluggish start. He completed 28 of 34 for 261 yards, with his first scoring pass - a 17-yarder to freshman Matt Miller - giving him 100 for his brilliant career.

The first-up win will heighten expectations of another major bowl run, while dealing a blow to embattled Georgia coach Mark Richt.

Florida State 34, Louisiana-Monroe 0 In Tallahassee, Florida, EJ Manuel threw for 252

meetings against Louisiana-Lafayette and is 6-1 in season openers under coach Mike Gundy.

Nebraska 40, Chattanooga 7 In Lincoln, Nebraska, Taylor Martinez ran for 135 yards and three touchdowns out of Nebraska’s new no-huddle offense and the Cornhuskers won their first game as Big Ten members. Martinez scored on runs of 7, 43 and 47 yards and completed 11 of 22 passes for 116 yards before giving way in the fourth quarter. Rex Burkhead added 75 yards and a touchdown as the Cornhuskers won their 26th consecutive opener, the longest streak in the nation.

South Carolina 56, East Carolina 37 In Charlotte, Stephen Garcia came off the bench to run for two touchdowns and throw for another as he rallied the Gamecocks.

Garcia sat out the first quarter as South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier started sophomore Connor Shaw. But the Gamecocks fumbled three times, including one by Shaw, and trailed 17-0 before Garcia entered the game. That’s when the offense started to click and South Carolina took control of the season opener.

Arkansas 51, Missouri State 7 In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Tyler Wilson threw for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Jarius Wright, while Joe Adams tied a Southeastern Conference record with two punt returns for touchdowns in the Razorbacks’ win. Wilson, who served as Ryan Mallett’s backup the past two seasons, led the Razorbacks (1-0) to scores in each of his four possessions - including 33- and 29-yard touchdown strikes to Wright. He guided Arkansas to 303 yards of total offense in four possessions.

CHARLOTTESVILLE: Virginia cornerback Chase Minnifield (13) dives over William & Mary wide receiver DJ Mangas for an interception and touchdown that was called back due to pass interference during the first half of an NCAA college football game. —AP

South Florida 23, Notre Dame In South Bend, Indiana, Kayvon Webster returned a fumble 96 yards for an early touchdown as South Florida beat Notre Dame in a game disrupted for hours because of storms. The victory gave Skip Holtz an emotional victory in his return to Notre Dame, where he went to school and his dad Lou led the Irish to their last national title in 1988.

Ohio State 42, Akron 0 In Columbus, Ohio, starting his first game at quarterback for Ohio State, Joe Bauserman ran for a touchdown and threw three TD passes to tight end Jake Stoneburner to lead the Buckeyes in a sweltering season opener. Luke Fickell made his headcoaching debut for the Buckeyes, elevated from defensive assistant to take the place of Jim Tressel, shoved out in the wake of an ugly NCAA scandal.

Missouri 17, Miami, Ohio 6 In Columbia, Missouri, James Franklin ran for one touchdown and passed for the clinching score in his first career start, helping Missouri open with a victory over stubborn Miami. EJ Gaines had an end zone interception for the Tigers, who whipped the RedHawks by 38 points in their final pre-Big 12 tuneup last season but had their struggles on both sides of the ball in hot conditions.

Florida 41, Florida Atlantic 3 In Gainesville, Florida, John Brantley looked comfortable in Florida’s new offense, while Chris Rainey scored three different ways and the Gators opened the Will Muschamp era with a win.

Brantley completed 21 of 30 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown, showing marked improvement in Charlie Weis’ pro-style offense.

Auburn 42, Utah State 38 In Auburn, Alabama, Mike Dyer bulled through the line for a game-saving touchdown with 30 seconds left and defending national champion Auburn escaped against Utah State.

The 23rd-ranked Tigers scored twice in the final 2:07, just when it seemed like the Aggies were poised for a stunning victory.

S California 19, Minnesota 17 In Los Angeles, Robert Woods caught a schoolrecord 17 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns, and USC hung on to spoil Jerry Kill’s coaching debut for Minnesota . Matt Barkley completed a school-record 34 passes for 304 yards for the Trojans, who still couldn’t score in the second half of their 14th consecutive season- opening victory.—AP

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Kuwait employment growth modest in Q1

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Embattled Israel PM vows ‘real’ economic change Page 23

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

Kuwait bourse upbeat after Eid

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Cameron wants to soften ICB bank reform: Report Page 25

KUWAIT: Traders watch the price monitors on the floor of the Kuwait Stock Exchange. The KSE price index rose marginally yesterday though market observers feel that the bourse faced some crippling challenges which need to be addressed urgently. — Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh

KSE faces crippling challenges: Experts Investors edgy as FDI, investment issues remain KUWAIT: Despite ending yesterday’s trading session at the green zone, the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) still grapples with a series of crippling challenges to attract local and foreign investments and get revived, Kuwaiti economists have said.

“There is nothing new in Sunday’s trading as the challenges have not been addressed yet, and even worsened,” Saleh Saleh Al-Selmi, Vice Chairman and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of International Financial Advisors (IFA)-Kuwait, told KUNA yesterday.

“This situation scared traders, especially small ones, away from the stock exchange,” he warned. He noted that the lack of credit has gravely impacted the stock market.

“The lack of credit is the main reason for the imbalance between the public and private sectors. The public sector is steadily growing as a result of external factors while the private sector is being marginalized,” Al-Selmi said.

He urged more support for the private sector instead of enhancing the public sector ’s control of Kuwait’s economy. “I hope the Economic Advisor y Committee would take necessary measures to help Kuwaiti economy,” Al-Selmi said.

Economist Nasser Al-Marri shared the same view with Al-Selmi.

“The first session of trading after Eid Al-Fitr holiday has not seen anything new, as the problems facing the market still present due to the absence of clear mechanisms to liberalize the market which the government controls 90 percent of its components,” told KUNA. Al-Marri blamed the government’s slow reaction to the global financial crisis of 2008 for the worsening situation on the local stock market. “It is unfair to blame the Capital Market Authority or the Kuwait Stock Exchange for what is happening in the stock market.

Instead the blame is to be on the slow reaction and dealing with the impacts of the global financial crisis on all economic institutions, particularly investment companies” he said. He revealed that cash liquidity

had been withdrawn from the Kuwaiti stock with the start of the global crisis after traders rush to sell their stocks and investment portfolios to repay banks dues. “The withdrawn liquidity did not return to the market again leaving it suffering from chronic cash liquidity shortage,” Al-Marri suggested.

“Since then, the Kuwaiti market has been working with only a third of its capacity while banks are awash with liquidity.” Al-Marri added that the stock market is also suffering from confidence crisis.

“There is a need to take radical measures to address these challenges,” he stressed.

He proposed a number of moves to help achieve this goal including facilitating credit for consumers whose spending are the main driver for the economy.

“Banks’ tightened lending measures have turned foreign investors away from the local market,” he said.

Al-Marri urged the government to acquire 20 to 25 percent of the operational companies and to pump KD10 billion on the market to lend companies and individuals to help revive the economy.

For his part, economist Adnan AlDulaimi, saw a kind of balance in yesterday’s trading session. “There was no huge difference in the market’s main indices and 65 percent of the trading operations were on small shares,” he said. “Focus on small shares has prompted purchasing actions as the shares’ low prices have attracted small investors.

Moreover, the blue chip stocks have performed well in the session.”

Al-Dulaimi, however, said the market still needs incentives to help it recover. “All are waiting to see these incentives in the Economic Advisory Committee decisions,” he concluded.

The price index of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) was green at yesterday’s session with a rise of 52.5 points, settling at 5,843.8 points upon closing. Meanwhile, the weighted index was up 3.25 points, reaching 405.51 points. Number of trades came to 1,515 valued at KD 9.1 million with volume of 105. 8 million shares. —KUNA

Saudi, Qatar gain as banks, petchems rise MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: Saudi stocks ended higher for a second day and Qatar also advanced yesterday as banks and petrochemical stocks led gains, but UAE markets slipped with many traders wary ahead of the opening on global markets this week.

The Saudi index climbed 0.8 percent, after gaining 2.1 percent on Saturday, the first session after the Eid al-Fitr Muslim holiday which began on Aug. 25 in the kingdom. Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) and Saudi International Petrochemical Co (Sipchem) added 0.3 and 0.6 percent respectively.

Canada’s Methanex Corp said on Aug. 31 it would keep methanol prices for Asia flat in September, bolstering sentiment for rival producers such as SABIC and Sipchem.“The Saudi market is catching up with the S&P 500 - before the Eid break we were matching it step by step,” said a Riyadh-based trader who declined to be named. “August’s laggards such as Dar Al Arkan, NIC (National Industrialization Co) and Alujain are now outperforming.” Dar Al Arkan climbed 4 percent, NIC added 2.7 percent and Alujain gained 1.4 percent. Riyad Bank and Samba Financial Group added 0.6 and 0.7 percent respectively, helping the bank index trim its 2011 losses to 12.1 percent.

“Saudi banks are rate-sensitive - a large part of lenders’ deposit base is interest free or earns very low interest and so are low cost,” said Shahid Hameed, Global Investment House head of asset management for the Gulf region. “People had expected interest rates for banks’ assets to rise, increasing spreads, but the US now says interest rates will not increase and demand for borrowing in Saudi also hasn’t improved significantly, so there’s no trigger to increase bank earnings.”

In August, the US Federal Reserve vowed to

keep benchmark interest rates near zero through mid-2013. Qatar National Bank and Commercial Bank of Qatar climbed 2.3 and 2 percent respectively to lift Doha’s index to a month-high.

“Banks will continue to lead - most of the foreigners are out of the market, but local funds are buying and are focusing on the banking sector,” said Hani Girgis, assistant chief dealer at Dlala brokerage. “They are targeting Doha Bank, Commercial Bank of Qatar, Qatar National Bank and Qatar Islamic Bank, in that order.”

Investors are betting conventional lenders will enjoy a one-off gain as they sell their Islamic operations by year-end to meet a central bank order, Girgis added.

Qatar Islamic rose 0.3 percent, but Doha Bank dipped 0.3 percent. “Qatar banks are achieving strong growth and are paying generous dividends, while also trading at lower valuations than Saudi banks, so there are more attractive stocks for investors,” said Global’s Hameed.

Qatar’s economy is forecast to grow 16.7 percent this year, according to a Reuters poll in June.

Dubai’s benchmark fell 0.6 percent, taking its 2011 losses to 9 percent. It is down 76 percent from a 2008 peak and shows scant sign of a sustained recovery, with property prices seen continuing to fall. Real estate-related stocks dominate bourse trading. “ There is a lack of volume and no great conviction, especially with a US holiday tomorrow - people want to wait and see how international markets fare,” said M atthew Wakeman, EFG-Hermes managing director for cash and equity-linked trading. “People have cash, but they expect the market to be at similar levels in two week’s time, so why put this to work now?” — Reuters

Economists weigh Obama jobs options WASHINGTON: When President Barack Obama delivers his much-anticipated jobs plan to Congress this week, economists of all stripes will have piled on their prescriptions for healing the sick economy.

Though no details of Obama’s jobs package have been announced, speculation about the best way to create jobs was given a new sense of urgency after August labor data Friday showed zero job growth.

With the jobless rate at 9.0 percent or higher for most of the past 28 months, “where are the jobs?”

is the burning question for Obama’s Democrats and opposition Republicans as the 2012 election season gears up. More than two years after the Great Recession officially ended, 14 million people are unemployed in the United States, and millions more no longer are trying to find work.

But how to fire up jobs creation without digging the country’s finances deeper into the red?

After a midnight deal in early August that saved the country from a debt default, Democrats and Republicans remain miles apart on how to reduce the yawning public deficit.— AFP

Bahrain economy rises in Q2, unrest still weighs DUBAI: Bahrain’s economy grew by 1 percent quarteron-quarter in April-June after shrinking in previous three months, but annual growth decelerated to its slowest pace since 2008 as the impact of unrest continued to stifle activity, data showed yesterday.

The small non-OPEC oil exporter saw its real gross domestic product falling by 1.4 percent in the first three months of 2011 compared with the previous quarter, its first quarterly contraction since the global financial crisis in late 2008. On an annual basis, GDP growth in the Arab island kingdom- the smallest economy in the Gulf at some $14 billion- decelerated to 0.8 percent in the second quarter from 1.8 percent in January-March 2011, the sixth slowdown in a row, the data from the Central Informatics Organization showed. “The quarter-on-quarter rebound seems reasonable. In terms of year-on-year it could have been worse but it still shows that 2011 is going to be a pretty tough year for the economy,” said Paul Gamble, head of research at Jadwa Investment in Riyadh.

“The issue is still the legacy of the unresolved political tensions that we had earlier in the year have made the private sector very cautious.” he said. Quarterly annual growth rates for Bahrain’s GDP before 2008 are not available. The island kingdom, a financial hub where nearly $9 billion in mutual funds is parked, had been rocked in February and March by its worst public unrest since the 1990s. Around 30 people died in a month of unrest which brought in Saudi troops, closed banks and shops and triggered capital flight. At the time, NCB Capital estimated economic losses at $1 billion, which made up 17 percent of the first quarter GDP. Analysts polled by Reuters in June slashed their 2011 growth forecasts to 2.7 percent from 3.4 percent expected in March. “What seems to happen obviously is further slowdown,” said Giyas Gokkent, head of research at National Bank of Abu Dhabi. “We will have to see the third quarter for hopefully a bounce because of establishment of some stability.”

In July, Central Bank Governor Rasheed Al-Maraj expected the economy to expand by 3 percent this year, less than 4.5 percent seen by the finance ministry in March. Bahrain’s financial sector, which accounts for around a quarter of the GDP, has been only slowly picking up from the global financial crisis and a regional property crash. It grew 1.7 percent year-on-year in real terms in April-June, up from a 1.3 percent rise in the previous quarter. Hotels, the most heavily hit by the uprising against the Sunni-led government, booked a 29.3 percent drop in the second quarter after a 30.3 percent output slump in January-March.

The real estate sector, which has yet to return to levels seen before the global crisis, was down 5.0 percent in the second quarter, the data showed. —

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BUSINESS

Kuwait civilian employment growth modest in Q1 2011 NBK Job Market Report KUWAIT: Kuwaiti civilian employment growth was steady at 5.2% at the end of 1Q11. Growth has been slipping since the world financial crisis of 2008 and in 1Q11 was the slowest since 2006. The total Kuwaiti workforce including non-civilians increased by 16,300 during 2010, growing at a slightly slower rate of 4.8%.

New civilian jobs in the first quarter of 2011 further confirm the slowing trend, even after accounting for the seasonality in first quarter figures. The number of first time employed in 1Q11 was the smallest in over five years at 2,700; 14,600 new jobs were created in the 12 months through the end of 1Q11, a figure that is slightly slower than a year before (15,800).

Still, growth continued at a relatively healthy rate. The pace of growth in the workforce was twice as rapid as growth in the Kuwaiti working age population, which stood at 2.6% in 2010. This is likely owing in part to the increased labor participation of women over the years.

The growth lead that employment of Kuwaiti women had in prior years appears to have faded. In 2007 and 2008, as many as 60% of new jobs went to women. Since then, the percent of new jobs going to women has decreased, falling to 55% in 2010 and 48% in 1Q11.

The private sector remains the largest source of first time employment; hiring of Kuwaitis by the private sector has held up quite well over the last year, even

HONG KONG: Over 1,000 protesters attend a rally calling for more public housing as rising public anger mounts over the territory’s red-hot property market in Hong Kong yesterday. The noisy but peaceful crowd snaked through the denselypacked city of seven million, calling on officials to boost efforts at bringing down soaring property prices. —AFP

Demonstrators call for public housing in Hong Kong showing some improvement. In 1Q11, about 60% of new jobs were at private employers.

Despite this, growth of the private sec-

reflect a slowdown in activity in the private sector. Nonetheless, growth in this sector remained more rapid than the overall workforce.

AUB announces winners of Hassady weekly draw

Iran says India paid all $5bn oil debt TEHRAN: India has paid off all oil debts accumulated this year due to a sanctions-related problem, Central Bank Governor Mahmoud Bahmani told the official IRNA news agency yesterday.

“Although all the $5 billion of India’s oil debt has been cleared, because of selling oil again Iran will always be a creditor of that country,” Bahmani said, adding the payment was received in cash and not in kind through a bartering system. “So far, Iran has not had a bartering system with India for receiving oil debts but if it happens it would be for those products which are of a high quality and are needed by Iran,” he said.

India, Asia’s third-largest economy and Iran’s second oil buyer after China, racked up the debt after the Reserve Bank of India scrapped a clearing house system last December-a move welcomed by the United States which is trying to isolate the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.

Indian companies are making the payments in euros via Turkish state-owned Halkbank , Indian officials have said. —Reuters

tor Kuwaiti workforce continued to slow during the last 12 months. Year-on-year growth fell to 7% at the end of 1Q11 compared to 16% a year before. This may

The winner Ghanim Mubarak Zaid receives the prize by the area manager Amer Nagm.

KUWAIT: Al-Hassad Islamic is the only scheme to offer high value weekly and monthly prizes that are significantly higher than the total outlay of other prize schemes.

Ahli United Bank has announced the results of the weekly draws of its Al-Hassad Islamic savings scheme. The lucky customers winning the Grand Weekly prize worth KD 25,000 each at the draws held on 17th of August 2011: Afsana Hussain Ali Redha Kanyan, Jaber Al-Saqobi, Dina Marwan Al-Shawwa.

The following Al-Hassad Islamic customers won cash prizes of KD 1000 each Hussain Adnan Hussain Ali, Ismail Hussain A.Zureid, Mohd Akbar Sharshani, Mohammed Khaled Ahmed Dhari Al Difiri, Ali Abdul Wahab Ibrahim Al-Awadh, Farah Ahmed Abdulla Al-Mulla, Yousef Shihab Awda Al Fhadli, Abdeen Abuhumeid, Farah Ahmad Hasan Al-Saraf, Hassan Nazih Ayoub, Jayakanth Raju, Ghala Waleed Khaled Shaddad, Majed Nayef Ali Al Enezi, Ali Hasan A Nabi Al-Asbool, Huda Ali Al-Buenain, Yasser Mohd Saad Al-Nuklailan, Ghanim Mubarak Zaid Al Adwani, Hasan Hamad Hasan, Ufuk Bahceci, Ahmed Hubail Ahmed, Mamon Ahmed Kamel Swweis, Mohammed Khalifa Ahmed Al Mulla, Abdulla Ali Hassan Aburahmah, Khaled Jassim , Ali Mohammed Redha Abbas Mandakar.

HONG KONG: Over 1,000 demonstrators marched through downtown Hong Kong yesterday demanding more public housing amid rising anger over the territory’s sky-high property market.

The noisy crowd snaked through the densely-packed city of seven million, with activists calling on government officials to boost their efforts at bringing down soaring real-estate prices. “Low-income people cannot afford to have their own house so we want the government to do more to help,” demonstrator Rex Lai told AFP. The city should build more public housing because “prices are going up very fast”, Andy Hui said.

Official crowd estimates were not immediately available, but police at the scene estimated that at least 1,000 people took part in the rally. The financial hub, famous for its sky-high rents and super-rich tycoons, has seen home prices surge on the back of record low interest rates and a flood of wealthy buyers from mainland China.

The government has imposed new taxes and staged a series of land auctions in the past year-and-a-half to boost supply and bring down prices. Hong Kong, a former British colony returned to China in 1997, maintains its own political and legal system, and guarantees civil liberties not seen on the mainland, including the right to protest. —AFP

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

.2708360 .4392420 .3847360 .3435480 .2747790 .2883320 .0059590 .0024700 .0737670 .7186830 .3830780 .0722420 .7037440 .0064480 .0459040

.2760570 .4477100 .3921530 .3501710 .2800770 .2938910 .0060740 .0025180 .0751890 .7325380 .3904630 .0736350 .7173120 .0065730 .0467890

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2722500 .2743500 .4415350 .4449410 .3867450 .3897280 .3453420 .3480050 .2762140 .2783440 .0519410 .0523420 .0426260 .0429540 .2898370 .2920730 .0349580 .0352280 .2262150 .2279600 .0035450 .0035720 .0000000 .0060360 .0000000 .0025020 .0000000 .0031550 .0000000 .0037450 .0741520 .0747240 .7224360 .7280080 .0000000 .3880480 .0726190 .0731800 .7074180 .7128750 .0000000 .0065320

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 3.632 5.917 3.130 2.476 3.710 227.330 35.009 3.643 6.441 9.102 0.271 0.273

GCC COUNTRIES 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

72.776 74.986 705.730 724.860 74.312 ARAB COUNTRIES 47.250 45.801 1.243 201.540 385.390 183.100 5.892 35.383

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 272.800 Euro 396.950 Sterling Pound 450.800 Canadian dollar 282.400 Turkish lire 156.000 Swiss Franc 344.880 Australian dollar 288.300 US Dollar Buying 273.500 GOLD 337.000 171.000 88.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

SELL CASH 295.600 727.410 3.830 282.700 537.300 36.400 53.700 167.800 46.880 393.000 35.750 6.280 0.033 0.239 0.238 3.650 388.040 0.185 94.210 47.200 4.210

235.500 1.855 52.100 710.420 3.240 6.610 75.670 72.030 228.580 41.380 2.619 448.500 43.300 351.200 5.600 9.540 198.263 74.570 273.900 1.220

234.000 710.240 3.145 6.480 75.240 73.030 228.580 41.380 2.483 446.500 349.700 5.600 9.330 74.470 273.500

GOLD 1,928.890

10 Tola

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 446.500 273.500

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 291.100 727.410 3.668 281.200

228.600 45.933 391.500 35.600 5.960 0.033

386.570 0.184 94.210 3.740

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

295.55 282.01 352.42 391.61 446.46 3.62 3.675 5.982 2.490 3.745 3.167 74.43 727.37 45.99 389.04 710.68 75.40 73.01

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank

Selling Rate 273.400 279.970 444.280 390.930 347.365

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

724.875 74.410 75.045 72.870 384.840 45.982 2.482 5.980 3.146 3.658 6.468 670.618 3.655 9.230 5.755 3.820 90.815

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) 273.450 3.150 5.975 2.495 3.665 6.515 74.540 73.060 726.900 46.005 448.800 0.00003280 3.910 1.550 388.400 5.750 394.000 283.200

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 272.500 Euro 398.000 Pound Sterling 446.000 Canadian Dollar 280.000 Japanese Yen 3.580 Indian Rupee 5.935 Egyptian Pound 45.865 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.474 Bangladesh Taka 3.650 Philippines Peso 6.455 Pakistan Rupee 3.125 Bahraini Dinar 725.000 UAE Dirham 74.225 Saudi Riyal 72.750 *Rates are subject to change

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business Commodity Update

August in review as Sept heats up

By Ole S Hansen

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arket turbulence took its toll on commodities during August with cyclical commodities like energy and base metals struggling while investors ran for cover into gold. The agricultural sector showed solid returns with seven products figuring among the top ten best performing commodities.

The Reuters Jefferies CRB index ended August almost unchanged, having lost nearly 8 percent during the early part of the month where extreme turbulence took hold following the downgrade of US’ credit rating and deterioration outlook for the global economy.

Coffee on top A general scarcity of coffee beans among European roasters ahead of the new harvest in October triggered a strong rally during August. Brazil the world’s largest producer of high quality Arabica coffee have seen temperatures in the production areas well above levels that could cause frost damage while Vietnam, the world’s largest producer of the Robusta variety, is potentially heading for a record production. On that basis prices should stabilize once fresh supplies begin to reach the roasters in the coming months and further upside therefore seems limited.

Gold has stabilized but for how long?

The yellow metal received most of the headlines last month as the year long rally shifted up a gear with the one month return exceeding 12 percent and in the process moving within striking distance of 2,000 dollars per troy ounce. During the month safe havens were reduced from three to one as fear of central bank intervention in Swiss Franc and Japanese yen left gold alone in that arena.

In a couple of moves the CME Group raised the margin for trading gold futures from 4,500 to 7,000 dollars. The move came as a response to increased volatility after the unprecedented strong rally, not as an attempt by the exchange to dictate the direction but mostly in order to keep some integrity in the market. Speculative involvement from hedge funds has been reduced as margin increases make an impact on the position size they are allowed to hold.

The potential for further stimulus as signaled last Friday by Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, continues to support gold. The 200+ sell off recently however was a reminder that nothing ever goes in a straight line. After having consolidated earlier this week renewed stock market weakness and squabbles over Greece (again) saw buyers return. Will traders have a strong enough conviction to take it much higher beyond 1,900 remains to be seen?

Resistance above the recent high at 1,913 will be 1,965 while support can be found at 1,770 ahead of 1,700.

Grain and soybean complex The DJ-UBS grains index rose 10.7 percent last month as wheat, corn and soybeans continued to rally as the outlook for this year’s crop production continue to deteriorate. Heat and dryness across the main producing regions have played havoc with the prospects. The price of November soybeans reached a new high of 14.65 per bushel after trading sideways for seven months. Hedge funds added 10 percent to existing long positions as the fundamental outlook favoured the sector over others like energy and base metals.

Wheat prices recovered strongly on a spillover effect from higher corn prices despite continued strong Russian exports having increased the competitiveness in the global market place. This resurgence in export which has been helped by aggressive undercutting of competitive bidders has now caused problems on its railway system. The railway authority has banned the transportation of grain to the main shipping port as more than 3,600 railway cars is clogging up the North Caucasus branch of the railway system. This in return triggered a rise in domestic prices this week as exporters scrambled to find alternative sources of wheat to cover established contracts.

Brent crude oil firm Oil markets have continued to recover strongly with especially Brent crude moving back up towards the higher end of its month long trading range. August was a month of serious volatility which also impacted the price swings for the energy sector with risk aversion early on triggering a substantial sell-off before signs of physical tightness helped Brent crude especially to recover back to almost unchanged.

Libyan oil could begin to flow before long, albeit in small quantities, but so far this have had limited impact on prices as traders have been more concerned about bottlenecks stemming from production problems at UK’s largest North Sea production field. Meanwhile the prospects of EU sanctions against Syria could increase an already tricky situation for European refineries who have been struggling to find supplies after the loss of high quality Libyan oil.

While Brent crude is troubled by bottlenecks on the production side WTI crude continues to have to opposite problem with too much supply at Cushing, the delivery hub for WTI crude. This is causing a complete opposite shape of forward price curves as seen below and also shows why the spread between the two benchmarks are its widest at the front end of the curve.

Brent crudes recent rally ran out of steam above $115 per barrel, some three dollars below trend line resistance from the two previous highs. On that basis we see limited potential for further upside gains with the risk of renewed stock market weakness potentially triggering a move back towards the middle of its established range at 108.

Lower Hog prices The price of lean hog futures dropped more than 7 percent during the month after a strong run up the previous month. Supplies have been rising steadily on a seasonal basis and continue to outpace demand. At the beginning of August hedge funds held near record long positions which subsequently have been reduced by 25 percent thereby adding to the downside pressure. Further long liquidation is feared should the active contract for delivery in December break out of the established trading range below 81 cents per pound. Support comes from the fact that Futures prices are currently trading at a discount to cash with the two eventually needing to converge.

Firm demand for coal and steel Asian coal and steel demand increased dramatically in August.

The number of shipments of iron ore, a key steelmaking ingredient, increased in August with 52% more vessels being hired than in July.

The average price for iron ore delivered to China, the world’s largest consumer, rose by 2.5% from July to 177.45 dollars per ton with spot prices now at 180.40 dollars per ton. The average price of Chinese wire rod for August reached 784$/ton the highest level since July 2008 and a 29% increase year-on-year. Meanwhile in Japan coal imports are rising as the percentage of coal-fired electricity increases (the coal-fired electricity production increased by 36% in July compared to April) while the nuclear reactors undergo maintenance (16 reactors remains idle). Likewise coal for the cement production has also increased as the reconstruction efforts picks up.

Finally - a tricky month ahead As the timeline below shows financial markets has entered a month with many important political events which undoubtedly will determine the direction going into the final quarter and beyond. The global worries which caused all the panic over the summer have not gone away and how politicians meet those challenges will have a major impact on the direction of anything from stocks and bonds to commodities - stay tuned. —Saxo Bank

Embattled Israel PM vows ‘real’ economic change 450,000 hold mega-demos for reforms JERUSALEM: Embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged “real” economic change yesterday after huge nationwide demonstrations which broke Israeli records, as the media mulled the protest movement’s long-term impact.

After an estimated 450,000 people turned out for protests across Israel to demand lower living costs, Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting that his government was determined to carry out effective reforms. “The government I head is committed to execute real changes to alleviate the cost of living and fix social distortions,” he said.

He pointed to his decision to form a panel headed by respected economist Manuel Trachtenberg to examine the demands of the six-week-old protest movement, which has shown staying power and tapped into deep frustrations. “This is a serious committee and it will submit to us serious recommendations,” he said. “Never has there been in Israel a committee that held an open and serious discourse with thousands of citizens.” The prime minister repeated previous warnings that his government would not approve spending that risked throwing Israel into economic crisis, vowing to “safeguard the economy and fix what needs fixing.”

His comments came after recordbreaking numbers of Israelis took to the streets in cities for protests billed as a way of revitalizing the social movement, after a relative lull. Commentators hailed the demonstrations but saw them at a turning point, asking where the movement would go now. Gideon Levy, writing in the left-leaning Haaretz newspa-

per said the demonstrations were “historic” and that “the last of the complacent decided that they, too, had to show up.” “One day, the students will learn that on this momentous evening a civil society was born in Israel,” he wrote. For most commentators, the size of the demonstrations was proof that the

Shtrasler in Haaretz newspaper. But Shtrasler warned that the movement now stood at a crossroads, facing a decision on whether to advocate sweeping reforms that are unlikely to win government support or to pursue more limited economic changes.

“It is the dilemma between those

TEL AVIV: Israelis turned out in large numbers to demonstrate in the center of Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest against rising housing prices and social inequalities in the Jewish state. — AFP movement continues to draw support from across Israeli society.

“The entire social protest has succeeded greatly. It changed the public agenda and proved to the government that the public is not willing to take everything lying down,” wrote Nehemia

who want revolution and those who want evolution.” Comments from Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, who has consistently warned against new government spending, emphasized the tough choices that the protesters face.

Speaking before the cabinet meeting,

Job data adds fears over global recovery NBK WEEKLY MONEY MARKETS REPORT KUWAIT: Investors turned their attention back to Europe last week on renewed concerns over Greece’s second bailout package.

July manufacturing PMIs showed declines in Germany, Italy and France, as well as in the smaller economies of Sweden and Norway, which are particularly sensitive to external growth momentum. Equity markets also came under pressure, while US data was more encouraging earlier in the week. Investor confidence remains fragile and markets maintain a cautious view on growth and GDP forecasts. After a positive start of the week at 1.4499, the euro weakened to a low of 1.4184 on Friday after the US job report and European PMI’s disappointed and added to ECB easing hopes and fears for next week’s meeting. Although ISM came at 50.6 which initially eased fears about the US economy, the positive tone was short-lived and the USD closed the week on a mixed performance with the CHF outperforming and the rest of Europe declining. The Sterling Pound range traded during the week against the USD, opening at 1.6368, and closing the week at 1.6217 against USD without major news. After a weak performance during the past couple of days, the Swiss Franc surged as Swiss economic minister raised hope of additional fiscal stimulus after the initial package was trimmed and suggested the additional package could be available by the winter session. The franc exploded to a low of 1.1002 against the euro and 0.7712 against the USD. Asia remains in a better position as Chinese data seems of passing relevance with last month PMI in line at 50.9 compared with weakness elsewhere in the world.

Pending home sales Pending sales of previously owned US homes fell in July for the first time in three months, a sign that lower prices and borrowing costs are not attracting buyers. Sales dropped 1.3% following a 2.4% gain in the previous month, adding more signs that the market is struggling to stabilize.

Consumer confidence US Consumer Confidence crumbled in August to its lowest level in more than two years as the fallout from the political bickering over a budget deal took its toll. Consumers have faced many hurdles recently, including the debt ceiling debate, the downgrade of the US economy by Standard & Poor’s, volatility in the financial markets and increased fears that the economy is heading for a second recession. Confidence dropped to 44.5 from the previous figure of 59.2 and lower than the expected drop to 52.1.

FOMC minutes Minutes of the FOMC policy makers meeting showed that a few policy makers favored more aggressive action to stimulate the economy and lower unemployment. Additionally Fed officials discussed a range of tools, including buying more government bonds, to bolster the economy, without however coming to an agreement on what they might do next should the economy weaken further. They will debate their options in a two-day meeting in September that was originally scheduled to last one day.

ISM manufacturing Business activity in the US expanded in August at a faster pace than expected, calming concerns that the manufacturing sector was slumping. The ISM manufacturing index dropped to 58.5 this month from the previous 58.8 in July. Cheaper raw materials and the unwinding of auto-supply chain disruptions have helped manufacturers expand even as demand for US goods declines.

Weak job data Employment in the US unexpectedly stagnated in August and the jobless rate remained unchanged at 9.1% increasing market expectations of a third round of quantitative easing. Nonfarm payrolls were unchanged last month, the weakest reading since September 2010, after a downwardly revised 85,000 gain in July.

Economists had expected a rise of 65,000. Applications for US unemployment benefits fell last week as the influence of the strike at Verizon Communications Inc. waned, showing that the job market is still struggling. Jobless claims fell by 12,000 to reach 409,000.

Greek crisis resurfaces Greece’s parliamentary auditors declared that the country’s debt dynamics are out of control, that the primary deficit is still widening, and that the debt-to-GDP ratio is unlikely to stabilize in 2012. They concluded that all these factors cast doubt on Greece’s mid-term fiscal plan, which was only narrowly approved by the Greek parliament two months ago. The timing of these remarks is particularly sensitive given the IMF is currently assessing progress on fiscal consolidation as part of its regular quarterly inspections.

Officials from the EU and IMF are due to take a 10-day break in their talks with Greece over its financial review. They were quick to state that this does not put the review in danger; although concerns were raised over the extent of further austerity in Greece.

Trichet speaks The European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said banks within the 17-nation Euro currency zone have been steadily raising the amount of capital set aside as a cushion against losses and will not face the sort of cash crunch that helped trigger the recession in 2008. Trichet explained that the ECB has guaranteed open-ended lending to any European bank that needs cash, removing any liquidity threat to firms or the wider economy. His comments come amid gathering evidence of an economic slowdown that threatens to knock Europe’s crisis response further offcourse, and sparks a new round of global economic turbulence.

German retail sales German retail sales remained unexpectedly unchanged in July after surging the most in more than three years in the previous month. Sales, adjusted for inflation and seasonal swings, were unchanged from June, when they jumped 4.5%.

German GDP Germany’s second-quarter economic slowdown was caused by a decline in household spending and a jump in imports.

Private consumption contracted by 0.7% and imports outpaced exports dragging on growth. Gross domestic product increased 0.1% from the first quarter, dropping from the previously estimated 1.3%. Slowing growth in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, and a debt crisis in the region’s periphery have increased the risk of a renewed recession in the 17-nation Euro area.

UK manufacturing Business conditions in the UK manufacturing sector deteriorated further in August. Production fell for the first time since May 2009, as new order inflows declined at the fastest pace in almost two and-a-half years. The trend in new export business was also substantially weaker than one month ago. At 49.0 in August, from a revised reading of 49.4 in July, the seasonally adjusted UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index posted its lowest reading for 26 months. The volume of new orders to the overall sector declined for the fourth month running in August, with the rate of contraction accelerating to the sharpest since April 2009.

Manufacturers linked the reduction to weak domestic demand, rising global economic uncertainty and lower levels of exports.

Consumer confidence Confidence among British consumers fell to its lowest level in four months in August, a survey showed on Wednesday, a sign they will keep a tight rein on spending, hampering a fragile economic recovery. The GfK consumer confidence index fell for the third month in a row to -31 from -30 in July. That was better than expectations for a drop to -33 but was the lowest since April.

Asia Japanese firms’ capital spending for the second quarter fell from a year earlier, as the strong yen and slowing global demand weighted on the economy’s recovery. The global slowdown and the expensive Yen have raised concerns whether the economy will resume a recovery after the earthquake and tsunami.

China on track China August PMI rose to 50.9 from 50.7 in July. Expectations were for a rise to 51.0. The National Bureau of Statistics said the sharp fall in China’s new export order index in the official August Purchasing Managers Index is partly due to the sovereign debt problem in developed countries. The statistics agency said high commodity prices and sluggish external demand also contributed to the sharp drop. Premier Wen Jiabao warned that debt problems in Europe and the United States cannot be solved in the short term, and that the world economy is still fragile. He said Chinese exports could suffer from tepid global demand, but noted that imported inflation is unlikely to ease. To that end, he said Beijing would try to engineer a bigger drop in consumer prices in the second half of the year and would not relax property-tightening measures. He also said the government will speed up the cleanup effort of local government debt.

Kuwait Kuwaiti Dinar at 0.27280 The USDKWD opened at 0.27280 yesterday morning.

he said: “I’d like to remind everyone that we are currently part of the most turbulent and dangerous economic environment since the establishment of the state. “We must maintain our budgetary framework and economic responsibility because the whole world is currently a narrow bridge and whoever strays from it could fall, and the crash could be very serious.” Writing in the mass-circulation Yediot Aharonot newspaper, leading Israeli commentators Nahum Barnea said the movement “was as much about values as it is about economics.” But Netanyahu’s government was unlikely to carry out the sort of sweeping changes that many protesters hoped to see.

“Prices will drop here and there. They already have begun to drop... Being ostentatious has gone out of fashion with them and modesty has made a comeback,” he wrote. “The rest belongs to the deep undercurrents in Israeli society. The sense of power that came to the fore in the tent encampments and the demonstrations isn’t going to disappear,” he added. “ The tents are going to be taken down, but nothing from this summer will be lost as a result.” Writing in the Maariv daily, Aviad Pohoryles agreed that the effects of the protest movement would be felt for years to come. “It is unclear whether an alternative leadership with talents and abilities will rise up from this group... or whether a new political force is on the rise that will pulverize the fossilized coalition of the past,” he wrote. “Either way, the result of the next elections will be different from the result of those past.” —AFP

Economic woes could hit Indian festive spending MUMBAI: India’s retailers look set for a tough annual religious festival seasontraditionally a time for exuberant spending-as high inflation and interest rates force consumers to tighten their belts.

The season, which began with the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on August 31, and ends with the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, in late October, is seen as a lucky time for big purchases from cars and property to gold. But analysts warn that expenditures could be curtailed this year as the countr y ’s economy slows under the brunt of nearly a dozen interest rate hikes in 18 months, aimed at taming nine percent-plus inflation.

“High-value purchases and where borrowed money is involved could slow down,” Siddhartha Sanyal, chief India economist with Barclays Capital, told AFP. Hemen Kapadia, a Mumbai-based stockbroker, has his heart set on buying the latest Ford Fiesta, which costs nearly one million rupees ($22,000) for a diesel version. But he said he has postponed the purchase because of India’s weakening economic situation, which has sent the Bombay Stock Exchange’s benchmark share index down by more than 20 percent and hit his earnings.

India posted its slowest economic growth in six quarters last week, with output up 7.7 percent year-on-year, as expansion was hit by the longest stretch of monetary tightening in a decade. “I won’t buy the car for another year. It’s too costly,” Kapadia said. Indian car sales are viewed as a barometer of the national’s overall economic health. Car sales slumped 16 percent year-on-year to 133,747 units in July-their biggest drop in nearly three years-as high interest rates and rising fuel prices kept buyers out of showrooms.

“The next wave of buying will come only when incomes rise or consumers find a good deal,” said auto analyst Mahantesh Sabarad of Fortune Equity Brokers in Mumbai.

Ajit Joshi, chief executive of Tata Group’s Infiniti Retail, which runs the electronics megastore Croma, described the current market as “challenging”.

He warned that discounts alone, normally offered during the festival period, would not necessarily boost sales. But there was one bright prospect in gold, another festive favorite whose purchasing season extends to India’s peak wedding period in late December. “Demand is likely to be fairly good this season,” said R ajesh M ehta, chairman of Bangalore-based Rajesh Exports, India’s largest jewelry maker and exporter by volume. “But it would have been much higher if prices were lower,” he added.

Last month, gold peaked at $1,913.50 per ounce as global equity markets slumped and investors were spooked by the US sovereign debt downgrade, adding to existing nervousness about euro-zone debt.

Mehta predicted that Indians-the country is the world’s largest consumer and importer of gold-would follow wider trends to buy jewelry as an investment and safe haven in troubled times. — AFP

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business

KSE upbeat after Eid GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) managed to end the first trading session after Eid Al Fitr holiday on a higher note backed

by Financial Institutions’ positive performance during the session.

Seven out of the nine listed Kuwaiti Banks managed to add some gains while not decliners were seen in the sector, while sever large cap investments stocks ended at higher prices, helping Global General Index to record its highest level since July 10, 2011.

Global General Index (GGI) ended the day up by 0.74 percent, at 179.15 point. Market capitalization was also up for the day, reaching KD29.32bn. On the other hand, KSE Price Index closed at 5,843.8 point, adding 52.5 points (0.91 percent) to its previous close.

During the session, 92 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 64 equities advanced versus 14 that declined.

Trading activity was up during the session. Total volume traded up by 119.93 percent with 105.82mn shares changing hands at a total value of KD9.14mn (115.84 percent higher compared to August 29). Real estate sector was the volume leader, accounting for almost half of the total volume (41.17 percent of total shares exchanges). Two real estate stocks made it to the top volume list for the day. Abyaar Real Estate Development Company was the session’s most traded stock with 23.68mn shares exchanged while Investors Holding Group Company came in fourth place with 9.60mn shares changing hands. Banking sector was the value leader, having 34.59 percent of total traded value. Kuwait International Bank was the most active in terms of value traded, with KD1.13mn

worth of shares traded. In terms of top gainers, Mena Real Estate Company was the top gainer for the day, adding 34.48 percent to its share value and closing at KD0.039. On the other hand, Real Estate Trade Center Company shed 9.47 percent and closed at KD0.086, making it the biggest decliner in the market.

added 5.66 percent.

Banking stocks inched higher by 1.30 percent. Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait was the top gainer in the sector ended the day up by 4.76 percent. Ahli United Bank too was a remarkable gainer during the session, adding 4.55 percent. Gulf Bank closed up by 2.04 percent.

Within the investment companies,

suspended from trading since March 30 when it closed at KD0.029. On the other hand, insurance sector topped loser’s list, shedding 0.97 percent, as Kuwait Insurance Company closed at KD0.275, down by 5.17 percent. Food sector followed declining by 0.75 percent.

Heavyweight Kuwait Foodstuff

KD up at 0.272 per dollar KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti dinar (KD) exchange rate against the US dollar rose to KD 0.272, and up KD 0.387 per euro, the state’s official monetary body, the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK), said yesterday.

The KD dropped against the sterling pound at KD 0.442, and kept to KD 0.003 per Japanese yen, whereas it edged up at KD 0.340 per Swiss franc, the daily CBK bulletin said.

Greece assures no split with EU-IMF auditors ATHENS: Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos insisted yesterday there was no rift with EU and IMF auditors, who left Athens complaining that Greece had failed to meet the conditions to unlock more rescue funding.

The departure of the members of the European Union, International Monetar y Fund and European Central Bank on Friday was agreed and planned from the outset as a means that would allow us to have a complete picture, not only for the implementation of the 2011 budget, but also for the draf t budget of 2012,” Venizelos said in a statement.

His comments were an attempt to set the record straight following reports in the Greek media over the weekend that there was a rift with the European and international auditors over their demand for additional reforms. The Greek minister stressed that they had left Athens “only for them to return in ten days.”

Senior EU, IMF and ECB officials, k nown as the ‘troik a’ in Greece, arrived in Athens last week to audit

Sectors The advance was broadbased with 5 out of 8 sectors closing in positive territor y.

Investment stocks spearheaded advancers, clocking 1.45 percent in sec tor gains. Global Investment House added 8.93 percent, Kuwait Financial Center was up by 7.22 percent, whilst Commercial Facilities Company

Noor Financial Investment Company announced that it has signed a debt restructuring agreement with Gulf Bank to help restructure the company ’s KD62.5mn debt over a six-year period ending June 30, 2017, as part of the company’s plan to transfer its financial obligations from short-term to long-term debt at a low financing rate.

However, the Company remained

Company (Americana) was the sector’s only decliner, as it ended the today down by 1.33 percent at KD1.480.

Oil News The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $111.21 a barrel on Thursday, compared with $111.40 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

the country before giving the green light for the disbursement of the sixth instalment from e 110-billioneuro ($158-billion) bailout loan agreed last year. Venizelos conceded on Friday that Greece would have to revise its public deficit target for this year, but rejected suggestions of a split. A statement by the troika’s auditors said that “good progress” had been made on a fresh revamp of Greece’s finances, but that more time was needed to draft a new 2012 budget.

Privately, however, a source close to the mission said the visit had been interrupted because of “unfinished work” by the Greek authorities.

“The fiscal measures are not there, the list of privatizations is not finalized and there is still no uniform salary system for civil servants,” the source told AFP. The senior officials from the three organizations had arrived last Monday to head the audit which usually takes around two weeks to complete.— AFP

Hyundai E&C wins Qatar deal S E OUL: H yund a i E ngi ne e r i ng & Construction said yesterday it had won a $434 million order to build a national museum in Qatar. The South Korean construction firm said it had secured the final contract from Qatar Museums Authority to

b ui l d t he m us e um on a s i te of 46,000 square meters in the country’s capital Doha.

The company added in a statement that it expected the construction work for the facility to take 33 months. — Reuters

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BUSINESS

Cameron wants to soften ICB bank reform: Report Top banks step up lobbying against ring-fence proposals LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron wants a major “watering down” of proposals from the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) to ring-fence the retail arms of top UK banks, over fears it could hurt the economy, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The report, which cited government sources, said Cameron had told senior officials that he wanted to move the banking debate on and that any proposals from the ICB to split retail and investment banks and increase capital requirements needed to be reviewed.

Palin blasts ‘systemic crisis,’ US economy under Obama govt WASHINGTON: Former Republican vice presidential hopeful and television commentator Sarah Palin on Saturday slammed the state of the US economy on the watch of President Barack Obama.

Palin, a former Alaska governor, said she believed the United States had sunk into a “systemic crisis” and reached a “tipping point,” insisting she was seeking the “restoration of the country that we love.” “America faces a crisis ...this kind will relentlessly rage until we do restore all that is free and good and right about America,” she said at an event staged by the conservative Tea Party in Indianola, Iowa.

“It is not just fear of a double dip recession. And it is not even the shame of a credit downgrade for first time in US history. It is deeper than that,” said Palin, the darling of the movement.

“This is a systemic crisis due to failed policies and incompetent leadership.” Palin, who is not officially a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, pulled no punches in her criticism of the current US leader. “Candidate Obama didn’t have a record while he was (seeking high) office, but President Obama sure does,” she said.

Saddled with high unemployment, mortgage woes and sluggish growth, “we have transformed from a country of hope to one of anxiety,” Palin said. Texas Governor Rick Perry, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Minnesota lawmaker Michele Bachmann are currently leading the race for the Republican nomination ahead of next year’s presidential election.

But Palin raised $1.6 million in campaign donations in the first six months of the year, according to Federal Election Commission documents, and many Republicans are waiting to see whether she throws her hat into the ring. A Quinnipiac University poll released this week showed that Obama’s job approval rating had dipped to an all time low with voters disapproving of him by 52 to 42 percent.

The president hopes to set about reversing those numbers with a September 8 speech to a joint session of Congress on measures designed to jolt the recovery back to life and to create jobs.

Palin said some states were “suffering from unemployment numbers that are greater than during the depths of the Great Depression.”

“Look, Barack Obama promised to cut the deficit in half, and instead he turned around and he tripled it,” she charged. She also pulled out the stops to woo her party’s conservative wing.

“The Tea Party movement ... is an American awakening. It is coming from ordinary Americans-not the politicos in the beltway, not those types,” she said. “They talk endless about cutting government and yet they keep spending more.” “They talk about massive unsustainable debt and yet, they keep incurring more. They spend, they print, they borrow, they spend more and then they stick us with the bill,” she said.

“Then they pat their own backs and claim they faced and solved the debt crisis, that they got us in.” —AFP

Asked to comment on the Sunday Telegraph’s repor t, a government spokeswoman said: “We are not going to pre-empt the ICB. We haven’t seen the final report and will respond once the final report is out in a couple of weeks.”

The ICB, set up last year by the government to examine reforming the British banking industry after it got badly burnt by the credit crisis, will publish its final report on Sept 12. Its findings are set to back proposals made in an earlier interim repor t to ringfence banks’ retail arms from riskier trading operations to protect taxpayers from future financial crises.

However, Britain’s “Big Four” banksBarclays, HSBC and part-nationalized lenders Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds-have consistently warned that excessively tough regulation could harm the UK There have also been recurrent media reports that the likes of Barclays and HSBC could move their headquarters overseas, although both those banks have consistently denied they want to move their headquarters away from London.

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron wants a major “watering down” of proposals from the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) to ring-fence the retail arms of top UK banks.

The ringfencing approach would get banks to form separate subsidiaries for different retail and investment banking operations while keeping the same parent holding company.

US sets ultimatum in Swiss bank tax row

MICHIGAN CITY: Ryan McGrath, 26, poses in his home in Michigan City, Indiana. McGrath has been working part time designing websites for small businesses but wants steadier full-time work. —AP

Colombia reveals list of firms targeted by FARC BOGOTA: Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Saturday revealed a list of companies which the government says were targeted by leftist FARC rebels for blackmail, including Microsoft, Nike and Toyota. The list was included in a stash of documents found by security forces in the belongings of a rebel nicknamed “Bryan” who was allegedly a blackmail specialist, Santos said on the sidelines of a meeting in coastal Cartagena.

Among the 130 letters found were some addressed to US software giant Microsoft, the Colombian branch of sports apparel maker Nike and Japanese automaker Toyota, Santos said, according to a statement issued by his office. Oil companies and several unnamed individ-

uals were also mentioned in the seized letters, he said.

Security forces said Friday they had arrested Dario Gutierrez, the rebel known as “Bryan”. Santos had recently noted a surge in the number of extortion an d k idna p p i ng for ra ns om attempts made by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who are seeking new sources of financing to keep up their decades-long fight.

The Colombian president has repeatedly threaten to expel any multinational that caves in to FARC demands.

The Colombian government has battled the FARC-Latin America’s oldest rebel movement, which is now estimated to have about 8,000 fighterssince 1964. —AFP

Italy says no pressure on ECB over bonds CERNOBBIO: Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said yesterday Italy is not putting pressure on the European Central Bank (ECB) to continue buying Italian government bonds on the market.

Frattini said both Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti had been in close contact with international financial institutions over the market turmoil which has hit the euro zone’s third largest economy. “But the European Central Bank is an independent institution so there are no requests, pressures,” on bond buying, he told reporters at the margins of a conference.

On Saturday, Frattini said he was confident the ECB would continue buying Italian bonds.

The ECB began intervening last month to try to hold down yields after market worries over Italy’s 1.9 trillion euro debt pile sent borrowing costs soaring to unsustainable levels. It has since stepped up pressure on the government to meet its pledge to pass measures to balance the budget by 2013. ECB President Jean-Claude

The ICB has also asked banks to hold more capital- targeting core Tier 1 capital of 10 percent of risk-weighted assetsand the overall impact of the reforms is expected to hit banks’ profits, which

could make it harder for them to lend to businesses.

The ICB is still to define the nature of its ring-fencing model, since some business activities such as property lending, business loans and treasury operations could fall into both the retail and investment banking categories.

After the final ICB report is issued, it will be up to the government-through a Cabinet committee on banking chaired by finance minister George Osborne-to choose what to implement into law, probably starting later this year or early in 2012.

However, reforms may not come in until after the planned 2015 general election, while Britain would not want to be out of step with the 2013 introduction of tougher global bank capital and liquidity standards, known as Basel III. The issue of banking reforms has proven to be a difficult topic for the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition.

British Business Secretary Vince Cable has sought a full split of banks’ retail and investment banking arms, while Finance Minister George Osborne backed the ICB’s interim proposal for ring-fencing. —Reuters

Trichet warned on Saturday that swift action was essential to restore market confidence.

Underlining the growing concerns,

ITALY: Italian Minister for the Economy and Finance Giulio Tremonti attends the Ambrosetti economic forum in Cernobbio, Como Lake, Italy yesterday. —AP the premium investors demand to hold Italian debt rather than benchmark German bonds rose on Friday to 331 basis points, the highest since the

ECB started buying Italian paper in August. Yields on 10-year Italian bonds ended the week at 5.29 percent, creeping back up towards the 7 percent level generally regarded as unmanageable.

A 45.5-billion-euro package of austerity measures is currently making its way through parliament but internal divisions in Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition are getting in the way.

Frattini said the plan would be in place shortly and would not require a confidence vote to push it through.

“The Italian government will answer the ECB with deeds, by approving the budget very quickly,” Frattini told reporters yesterday morning. He said that the Senate would approve the additional package by the end of next week and that approval from the Lower House would follow swiftly. “I don’t see any reason why the government should ask for a confidence vote on the budget,” he added.

The government has a 60-day deadline to transform the decree containing the austerity measures into law. —Reuters

ZURICH: The United States has written to Switzerland to demand it hands over detailed information this week on its citizens using Swiss accounts to dodge tax or see Credit Suisse and nine other banks face charges, newspapers reported yesterday. The letter, quoted by two Swiss Sunday papers, was sent by US Deputy Attorney General James Cole on Aug 31 and demands detailed figures on tax evasion at Credit Suisse by tomorrow and also seeks information from nine other smaller Swiss banks.

In the letter, Cole demands that Switzerland quickly deliver a significant number of client accounts, the SonntagsZeitung reported, adding that US authorities are also ready to examine a Swiss offer to settle the dispute.

Mario Tuor, a spokesman for the Swiss department for international financial affairs, would only say that Switzerland was in contact with the United States but declined to comment on the letter.

“We are seeking a solution on the basis of existing laws,” he said. Switzerland last month made a proposal to try to kickstart talks to settle its impasse with US authorities, offering to hand over data on groups of clients under a pending new bilateral tax treaty despite strict bank secrecy.

A long tradition of bank secrecy has helped Switzerland build up a $2 trillion offshore financial industry, but the country has agreed in recent years to do more to help hunt tax cheats amid a global crackdown on tax havens.

The United States is pushing for Switzerland to hand over thousands more bank client names as it did last year when it allowed UBS to bend bank secrecy and reveal the details of around 4,450 clients to avoid criminal charges.

“They won’t be contented with less than in the UBS case,” former US Justice Department investigator Peter Henning told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper. He added

that the US Internal Revenue Service felt betrayed because many UBS clients had shifted their assets to smaller Swiss banks rather than declaring them.

The SonntagsZeitung quoted Swiss sources close to the talks as saying Washington is seeking details of all US clients with accounts worth at least $50,000 between 2002 and 2010 at banks including Credit Suisse, private banks Julius Baer and Wegelin as well as the Zurich and Basel cantonal banks.

That could imply tens of thousands of accounts, the paper said, far more than Switzerland could deliver under a double taxation agreement with the United States that it approved in 2009 but is still awaiting ratification by the US Senate.

Switzerland is keen to find a solution that would not need approval from parliament, seen as likely to block any new breach of bank secrecy after only reluctantly agreeing to the UBS treaty under emergency law last year.

If Switzerland does not comply, the United States could issue a subpoena against the banks to force them to hand over data, as it did in the case of UBS, the SonntagsZeitung and NZZ am Sonntag reported. “This will be much more expensive as with UBS that had to pay a fine of $780 million,” one banking source told the SonntagsZeitung. “We expect that the Swiss banks will have to pay a fine of up to 2 billion Swiss francs ($2.6 billion) and deliver much more client data than in the UBS case.”

Henning said the United States would probably launch criminal charges against a smaller Swiss bank rather than Credit Suisse as it was too critical to the global financial system. Last month, Switzerland struck deals with Germany and Britain to tax money kept by their residents in secret Swiss accounts and also introduce a withholding tax on future interest earned, a proposal rejected by Washington. —Reuters

BOE slow to see nature of crisis: Ex-minister LONDON: The Bank of England led by Mervyn King was slow to grasp the nature of the financial crisis in 2007, so much so that then-finance minister Alistair Darling wanted to force it to take action, he writes in a book due to be released next week.

Unlike King’s counterparts at other central banks, the BoE governor was at first reluctant to respond when markets seized up in August 2007. Some critics blamed the delay for the run on Northern Rock, Britain’s first in more than a century, which led to the lender’s nationalization.

“The Bank was slow to recognize the nature of the crisis,” Darling writes in his memoir of the financial crisis, according to an excerpt published in the Sunday Times newspaper.

He says he wanted the BOE to pump more money into markets to unfreeze lending between banks but King disagreed, argu-

ing that such an intervention would let the banks off the hook for their failure to hold enough capital and so create “moral hazard”.

“I was so desperate that I asked the Treasury to advise me as to whether we could order the Bank to take action,” Darling writes. “(But) a public row between myself and Mervyn would have been disastrous.” Underscoring the consequences of the clash, Darling told BBC television yesterday: “Throughout the autumn of 2007 we did not deal with this (crisis) as effectively as we could because of this disagreement.”

Darling added that another problem at the BoE in 2007 was its acute lack of understanding of what was going on in the banking system “despite the fact it had responsibility for the financial stability of the system and had done since 1997”.

In the book, called “Back from

the Brink: 1,000 Days at Number 11”, Darling singles out King’s contacts with banks. “The lack of relationship between Mervyn King and the bankers had become a real problem,” he writes. “Things had been different in the days when Sir Eddie George was (BoE) governor. He was a man who knew the markets intimately.”

Because of this and King’s initial approach to the financial crisis, Darling became unsure whether King should be re appointed for a second term as BOE governor. “For me, the test was straightforward. Was there a better candidate? The short answer: no, there wasn’t,” Darling writes, adding that in hindsight it was the right decision.

According to other excerpts from Darling’s book cited in newspapers on Saturday, King himself regretted failing to act swiftly enough to prevent the run on Northern Rock. —Reuters

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Vigilantes deploy new strategies Global bond and equity markets - emerging scenarios Citi Investment Research & Analysis Report In this note we look at the infamous bond vigilantes and highlight that their interests are frequently the opposite of the equity market. This is reflected in the clear negative correlation between the two asset classes.

We also highlight the emergence of the equity vigilantes and their likely macro demands. Amongst these are further quantitative easing, an EMU bond market and a more dovish ECB. At a company level, the equity vigilantes are likely to demand more cash distributions and less capex. This would support share prices but restrict job creation in our view.

Bond Vigilantes Self-styled bond vigilantes traditionally pride themselves on an ability to pressure policy makers. As the old James Carville quote goes: “I used to think if there was reincarnation, I wanted to come back as the president or the pope or a .400 baseball hitter. But now I want to come back as the bond market. You can intimidate everybody.”

We have seen many different manifestations of this over the years. For example, as US inflation rose through the 1970s, so bond markets moved yields higher and higher. They eventually got what they wanted - draconian monetary policy in the early 1980s and a 30 year bull market.

Bond vigilantes might be intimidating, but their demands are quite simple: give me my coupon and give it to me in real terms. Accordingly, they have been sensitive to high borrowing (which might threaten the coupon payment) and rising inflation (which would erode the real value of that coupon).

But even the bond vigilantes make mistakes. They certainly let borrowing get way too high in the last decade, especially in the developed world. They clearly lent too much money to the US housing market, either directly or indirectly by financing the growth in banks’ balance sheet.

They clearly lent too much money to the EMU periphery economies, again either directly or indirectly. And now US treasury yields are at all time lows despite government borrowing up at all time highs.

Inflation vigilance also seems to have waned. Given chronic problems in the past, the UK gilt market used to be hypersensitive to inflation. But not anymore the UK RPI is 5% but 10 year gilt yields are only 2.6%. In the mid-1980s a similar RPI was associated with gilt yields of 10%.

There are currently all sorts of justifications for these low levels of bond yields: ultra low policy rates, potential for Japanstyle deflation and so on. But to the oldschool vigilantes, low policy rates represented political meddling and inflation risk (a reason to sell), not the “anchor effect” (a reason to buy). Central banks were made more independent to satisfy the vigilantes’ paranoia. And no selfrespecting bond vigilante would have bought treasuries at negative real yields just because Japan-style deflation might be coming in our view.

Events in the euro-zone suggest that the bond markets are looking to rectify their past mistakes. Pressure on policymakers is back. Sharp increases in yields have forced EMU periphery governments to impose deflationary austerity policies.

But it all seems a bit too late in our view.

Indeed, the fiscal consolidation now being imposed may actually end up triggering the default process rather than avoiding it.

Vigilante Battle We can’t help thinking that a true hardcore 1980s-style bond vigilante would never have lent so much to these countries in the first place. This latest pressure is generally contained within EMU. It seems logical that EMU sovereign default fears would cause alarm in other overleveraged sovereign debt markets. But the opposite has happened. For example, borrowing costs have fallen for the US, UK and Japan in response to the EMU crisis. A “flight to quality” we are told, which we view as an odd definition of quality. And again, not the response we would have expected from the old-school bond vigilantes. Surely they would have responded to solvency fears in one country by selling not buying the bonds of other highly leveraged sovereigns.

Perhaps the bond vigilantes are now to be found in other areas of the fixed income markets. We could not fail to be impressed by the way that bank bond investors eventually got themselves bailed out in the 2008 financial crisis.

When they lost out in the Lehman default, they refused to roll over credit lines to other banks. This liquidity squeeze sent a clear message to policymakers - if you don’t guarantee us then we will bring the whole financial system and global economy to a standstill. As policymakers blinked, bank bonds which had been on the brink of default became AAA overnight. Now that’s proper vigilante behavior, in our opinion. We can see something similar brewing in the European banking system right now.

What is a vigilante?

Current events in the euro-zone tell us that the bond vigilantes have not disappeared. But they missed the build-up of leverage in the global economy. And now they seem to be willing to give policy-

makers the benefit of the doubt on inflation. Would James Carville make that same quote now?

This got us thinking. What really distinguishes a vigilante from a more regular investor? The clearest definition we can think of is that they are policy-makers, not policy-takers. The classic bond vigilante trades (US treasuries in 1980, bank bonds in 2008) were all about taking a position and then, via further price falls, scaring the relevant authorities into adopting policies that ultimately made the trade come right. So it has to get worse before it gets better. Such levels of brinkmanship demand nerves of steel. And even though the eventual outcome in an asset class might achieve vigilante status, money-losing investors probably might not feel especially ferocious at the time.

Also vigilantes are paranoid. They are

always looking for things that could go wrong, not right. Reasons to sell not buy.

That’s why the “but this could be Japan” reason for buying government bonds at these yields seems quite un-vigilante. “But this could be Zimbabwe/Weimar” would be a more appropriate response in our view. For a true bond vigilante, policymakers should be guilty until proven innocent not the other way round.

Perhaps a 30 year bull market has blunted the bond markets’ paranoia. The strong capital inflows that bull markets always attract may have changed bond investor psychology. If you have constant inflows into your fund then you are looking for reasons to buy, not sell. That paranoia is more easily found in the equity market nowadays. Fund redemptions mean that equity investors are looking for reasons to sell.

Equity vigilantes So how do equities fit into this?

Equities have traditionally been a more passive asset class, less intimidating to policy makers (partly because they are not a direct source of funding). In the 1980s and 1990s, share prices rode on the back of the disinflationary policies imposed by the bond vigilantes. Equities rerated as bond yields fell. Returns from the two asset classes were positively correlated.

Correlation is weekly return on a rolling 6month basis. Probably the nearest that equities got to influencing policy was the famous “Greenspan put”. A correction in equities would produce a rate cut that then helped to support corporate profits and share prices. Many suggest that equity markets were bailed out by rate cuts following the 1987 and 1998 corrections. This “policy” has been blamed for the irrational exuberance that culminated in the 1999-2000 tech bubble.

However, these relationships have broken down over the past ten years. Low policy rates have been less obviously supportive of equity prices. They are now seen as a symptom of the problem rather than a solution to the problem. And perhaps most importantly, the positive return correlation between bonds and equities seen through the 1970-90s has turned negative over the past ten years. What is good for government bonds is now bad for equities and vice versa.

This raises a key issue for equity investors. If the bond vigilantes are looking to rectify their sovereign lending mistakes of the past decade then, assuming the negative return correlation holds, any bond-friendly outcome is likely to be bad for equity investors. Equity markets should not just passively allow this to happen in our view. Maybe it’s time to mobilize the equity vigilantes. We suspect that this will be a defining issue for global asset markets over the next few years the battle between the bond and equity vigilantes. We all agree that the current situation is unsustainable. But, assuming that we do not see wholesale sovereign default (which would suit neither equity nor bond investors), how will it be recti-

fied? Will we see a more equity or bondfriendly resolution?

Take the US. Presumably US treasury investors would like to impose disinflationary fiscal consolidation. So they get their coupon and get it in real terms.

Alternatively, US equity investors would prefer to see a more inflationary solution, starting with QE3. Indeed, we suspect that equity investors missed a trick last week when they reacted passively to Chairman Bernanke’s lack of guidance on further quantitative easing. A sharp 500 points off the S&P composite would have sent a much clearer message. We equity vigilantes have much to learn.

However, we were also surprised to see the similarly passive response of the US treasury market to the debt ceiling debacle and subsequent S&P downgrade.

Surely the old-school bond vigilantes

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a northern European funded bailout. This is reflected in changing return correlations across the European asset markets.

Like most developed world asset markets, Italian bonds and equities were negatively correlated for much of the past decade. But that correlation has turned positive in the EMU financial crisis. This contrasts with Germany where the relationship between German equities and bunds remains resolutely negative. One of the many ironies of the EMU crisis is that the DAX is now more positively correlated with Italian bonds than German bunds.

Current events in Europe should be seen in the context of these shifting alliances. Northern EMU sovereign bond investors want to see more EMU fiscal consolidation. Southern European bond investors want to see some further fiscal

The Bond Vigilantes - These investors have traditionally pressured policymakers into introducing bond friendly policies. They are now trying to dictate a favorable debt unwind process. This generally involves austerity and potential deflation.

The Macro Equity Vigilantes - Equity investors should beware of bond-friendly resolutions. They should demand more inflationary policies from governments in our view. Amongst these might be further QE, an EMU bond market and a dovish ECB. The Micro Equity Vigilantes - Equity markets seem more comfortable dictating company policy than macro policy.

This is driving more cash distributions via buybacks, dividends and M&A. This supports share prices but restricts job creation.

Forcing The Policy Put - Vigilante behavior usually drives initial price falls, but we believe this is a price worth paying if it generates more favorable policies in the future. This may be what is happening in US and European equities right now.

would never have allowed either to occur.

A quick 200bp on yields would have focused the debate nicely. More austerity and more disinflation would have been the likely (bond-friendly but equityunfriendly) economic consequence. But the actual response, a rally in US treasuries, was hardly the intimidating outcome of yore.

The UK already looks to be heading in the bond-appeasement direction.

Tightening fiscal policy has helped pushed gilt yields down to all-time lows.

More domestically-oriented UK stocks have suffered accordingly.

EMU vigilantes The rest of Europe is complicated by the EMU crisis. All European sovereign bond investors would like to see further austerity, but southern European bond investors would also like to see some form of fiscal transfer perhaps through the mechanism of an EMU sovereign bond market. Northern European bond investors, of course, are vehemently opposed. The EMU crisis has turned bond vigilante against bond vigilante.

Correlation is weekly return on a rolling 6 month basis. European equity investors don’t want to see an aggressive austerity solution. We believe they would side with the southern European bond markets when it comes to pressurizing for

consolidation, but they would also like to see bailouts from the north. In the longer term this might take the form of a EMU bonds, but in the shorter term ECB buying will do nicely. Equity investors want to see bailouts. If that suggests inflationary risks and threatens the credit rating of the northern European nations then so be it.

That’s the bond market’s problem.

And while we’re at it, we believe an EMU equity vigilante would also want to pressure the ECB into changing its mandate into being more equity-friendly and less bond-friendly. So more like the Fed (a growth and inflation targeter) and less like the old Bundesbank (an inflation targeter). That certainly seems to have worked in recent weeks. Market volatility persuaded the ECB to come in and backstop the Italian and Spanish bond markets (which remember are now generally positively correlated to equities). That would have been unthinkable for a hardline Bundesbank-style ECB. If it took a major drop in European banks share prices to achieve this then so be it.

In fact, we believe the closer that the equity markets can move the EMU crisis to the core countries then the more likely we are to see an equity-friendly resolution. So this stops being a Greek or Irish problem, or even an Italian problem. It starts to become a French and German problem. This is classic vigilante behavior.

By rapidly escalating a local problem into a systemic problem, we get a favorable resolution from policymakers. And the European banking sector is an obvious mechanism through which to escalate the problem.

Of course, any banking crisis plays out most aggressively in the credit markets.

This time is no different. Equity investors need to be careful here. While the ultimate result of further disruption in the European bank credit markets may be some more growth-friendly EMU systemic solution, the price of any bail-out may be brutal dilution of bank equity holders. So bank equity and credit are positively correlated when prices are falling but dilution or nationalization means that share prices are left behind in the post-bail-out rebound. This may be the price of bailing out bank creditors.

That’s what happened for some UK and US banks back in 2008. But, with hindsight, we believe even that was a price worth paying to get a broader more equity-friendly solution.

What we don’t want: Japan Even if equity vigilantes are unsure of what they do want, they know what they do not want: Japan. The Japanese equity/bond relationship turned negative 10 years before the rest of the developed world. Since the 1990 peak, Japanese equities have returned -60%. Over the same period JGBs have returned +170%.

Japan shows that expansionary fiscal policy is not necessarily equity-friendly and/or bond unfriendly. The key problem for Japanese equity investors, apart from the high valuation starting point, has been consistently poor profitability. Some of this can be blamed on the weak economy but much reflects the failure of Japanese management to embrace shareholder friendly policies. In particular, Japanese companies hoarded labor at the expense of profitability. Japanese unemployment has risen only 300bp (from 2% to 5%) in the past 20 years. By contrast US unemployment rose by 550bp (from 4.5% to 10%) in just two years during the last recession.

Whilst such a sharp increase may be socially undesirable, politically uncomfortable and potentially damaging to longer term economic growth it does show that US management are much more focused on preserving profitability than their Japanese counterparts Micro vigilantes That brings us to an area where equity investors should be most influential - the corporate level. They may be uncertain about how to pressure government policymakers but should be well practiced in influencing CEOs. More comfortable as micro then macro vigilantes.

For instance, activist shareholders adopt classic vigilante behavior: take a position and then pressure management into helping that position come right. Currently activists are pressurizing companies to “realize value” through a break up and/or return capital to shareholders. Right now, that strategy usually has a positive impact on the company share price.

The fundamental problem in developed equity markets is a lack of buyers. This is hardly surprising given two 50% bear markets in the last decade and a 15%+ drawdown in each of the last five years. Such woeful performance has led to wholesale redemptions. The asset class has derated accordingly. Faced by redemptions from fundholders, equity managers (the micro vigilantes) have pressurized companies to return cash. Dividends, buybacks and even cash/debt financed M&A all help to boost liquidity for shareholders. Something has to give, and that something appears to be capex. Figure 7 shows the uses of funds from US company cashflow statements. While there has been an upturn in capex in the lat-

est cycle, the pick-up in cashflow has been even greater. US CEOs generally favor dividends, buybacks, acquisitions and cash retention.

This might be good news for the equity vigilantes. But it is bad news for policymakers and their political masters. It is capex that creates jobs, not dividends/ buybacks/acquisitions. Much of this capex and associated job creation will have occurred overseas.

The current uncertain US outlook has been faced by Japanese companies for many years. But their response has been very different (Figure 8). In particular, Japanese CEOs have been very reluctant to cut capex. This has left little to be returned to equity holders. There are signs that this is now changing, but it is a very gradual process. Amongst other countries, the UK looks more like the US and Germany looks more like Japan. The key point here is that, if economic activity is going to remain subdued and valuations low, then we believe it is up to equity investors to make sure that we do not see prolonged Japan-style equity returns. Unproductive deflationary capex may help to preserve jobs but it will end up being more helpful to bond than equity investors.

Equity Vigilante Manifesto We can then draw all of these thoughts to pull together an equity vigilante’s manifesto. We split the demands into macro and micro.

On the macro side, it is not easy to identify what the equity vigilantes might want out of policymakers. But, beyond a common desire to avoid outright default, negative price correlations suggest that equity investors want the opposite to most government bond investors. Bond investors would, of course, like to see governments cut leverage through austerity. Equity investors would prefer to see more of the debt burden inflated away (as most of it was after WW2).

In the euro-zone, equity investors would like to see a comprehensive bond bailout and a more dovish central bank. The recent sharp sell-off in equities was partly responsible for squeezing out some concessions from the Fed and ECB. The final macro demand is direct intervention in the equity market. This is, of course, wishful thinking (although the BOJ has bought equities in the past) but there has to come a point when policymakers realize that further monetary easing doesn’t work. The big problem here is the low valuation of the equity market. This makes it more desirable for CEOs to choose the buy over build option 3. Why bother to build a new factory when you can buy it ready-made on the stock market for a low price.

In effect the low PE of the stock market is crowding out capex and associated job creation. It is no surprise to us that the only buyer into the recent correction of share prices was the corporate sector, either through share buybacks or M&A. Supportive for share prices of course, but that’s billions of dollars that might otherwise have been spent on capex and jobs. Maybe the next round of QE should be directed towards buying equities. A higher PE would certainly help.

Perhaps policymakers need to start thinking harder about how equity prices affect rather than just reflect the underlying economy.

The risk, of course, is that policymakers choose to block off the various forms of cash distribution in the hope that it “encourages” companies to pursue more capex instead.

But Japan shows us where this deflationary capex could take us. Good for bond investors but bad for equity markets and, ultimately, the broader economy.

The micro vigilante demands are selfexplanatory - more of the same. In a world of weak demand, equity vigilantes will pressurize CEOs to keep costs low and cash distributions high. Although capex in the Emerging world would be encouraged, capex in the developed world would be viewed with general suspicion.

Strategy Outlook It seems to us that the infamous bond vigilantes have missed a few tricks over the past decade. In particular, they allowed the build-up in debt across the developed world. But now they are back trying to impose favorable terms in the inevitable deleveraging process. Given the negative correlation between equity and government bond returns over the past ten years, we believe it is important for equity markets that the bond vigilantes don’t get it all their own way. It’s time for the equity vigilantes to stand up. In particular, the equity markets would like to see less austerity and more of the debt inflated away. They would also like to see an EMU bond market as well as a more dovish ECB. And if it takes a major drop in share prices (especially the banks) to flush out this longer-term “put” then that might be a price that equity investors should be willing to pay. Such brinkmanship is a wellknown tactic amongst the bond vigilantes.

In the meantime, equity fund managers can keep pressurizing CEOs to return cash.

This helps to fund the ongoing redemptions of equity funds. In effect, equity activism has found a buyer to match the continued selling. The supply of equity is shrinking down with the falling demand. If capex and job creation suffer then so be it. This seems likely to continue until developed equity markets are meaningfully rerated. Without direct government intervention that prospect seems unlikely in our view.

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technology

Many US schools trimming textbooks in favor of iPads iPad offers more versatile option than books and gadgets

PLAYA VISTA: In this file video game image released by Activision, a scene from ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’ is shown. - AP

Fans setting sight on first ‘Call of Duty’ convention LOS ANGELES: The inaugural “Call of Duty XP” convention more closely resembled Disneyland than an actual battleground as the two-day event celebrating the shoot’em-up video game franchise took flight Friday at an old airfield in Los Angeles.

More than 6,000 fans lined up for game previews, real-world recreations of “Call of Duty” levels and facetime with developers at the first-ever gaming extravaganza. “It kind of sucks to have to wait in lines, but I think we’ll get a chance to do everything,” said Daniel Gonzalez, 18, said he was most looking forward to blasting zombies at one of the hundreds of gaming stations erected inside a mammoth hangar on the 12-acre (4.8-hectare) compound where Howard Hughes built the Spruce Goose. “Call of Duty” devotees joined snaking lines for ever ything from hands-on time with “Modern Warfare 3” to grilled hamburgers from an eatery resembling the game’s fictitious Burger Town fast food chain.

Attendees also waited anxiously for a chance to spar on paintball courses modeled after “Modern Warfare 2” levels and glide over the event on a zipline.

“It was perfect - not too fast and not scary,” said Ray Usoro, who drove up with two friends from San Diego to attend “Call of Duty XP,” after braving the zipline. Usoro, 27, said his $150 ticket to the event was worth it because it included a special edition of “Modern Warfare 3” and the “oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to see ‘Call of Duty’ brought to life.” The sold-out event honoring the Activision Blizzard Inc. franchise kicked off Friday with the unveiling of the multiplayer mode of the upcoming “Modern Warfare 3.” The developers promised a more balanced online experience, adding the ability to upgrade weapons, eliminating shotguns as secondary weapons and giving the infamous “killstreak” feature an overhaul. Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, said the game publisher organized the immersive event to thank hardcore fans and build hype for “Modern Warfare 3” and the new “Elite”

online service. He said all proceeds from ticket sales would go to the Call of Duty Endowment, a nonprofit organization that Activision founded to assist military veterans.

A mention that Kanye West would be performing at the convention Saturday night by Robert Bowling, the creative strategist at “Modern Warfare” developer Infinity Ward, elicited several boos from the crowd.

Hirshberg called the notoriously spontaneous rapper “one of greatest performers in the world” and said he wasn’t fearful of any of West’s antics. “When you hire Kanye, you hire Kanye,” said Hirshberg. For those who can’t attend “Call of Duty XP” but still want in on the action, Activision enlisted supermodel Marisa Miller to host streaming videos from the event. Miller, who will make her film debut in the upcoming supernatural thriller “R.I.P.D.” with Jeff Bridges, said she’s no stranger to “Call of Duty.” Her father and husband are both die-hard players. “The way we play is my husband will show me what’s up in the specific map that we’re going to play through and then he’ll give me the controller, and I’ll have a go at it,” said Miller. “My husband is really intense about it. He’s really good. I’m just the type of player who likes to sit behind the wall with my sniper rifle and pick people off that way.”

For the past four years, the action-packed “Call of Duty” franchise has enjoyed unprecedented success. The latest title, “Black Ops,” has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide since its launch last November, and more than seven million people play online every day. The upcoming globe-trotting “Modern Warfare 3” edition is scheduled for release Nov 8. Other activities at “Call of Duty XP” include sumo duels inside puffy suits resembling the game’s “juggernaut” bomb diffusion uniforms, an armory showcasing gear and art from the “Call of Duty” franchise, a performance by the punk-rock band Dropkick Murphys, and several game tournaments, including matches pitting basketball players against US soldiers. — AP

HARTFORD: For incoming freshmen at western Connecticut’s suburban Brookfield High School, hefting a backpack weighed down with textbooks is about to give way to tapping out notes and flipping electronic pages on a glossy iPad tablet computer. A few hours away, every student at Burlington High School near Boston will also start the year with new school-issued iPads, each loaded with electronic textbooks and other online resources in place of traditional bulky texts. While iPads have rocketed to popularity on many college campuses since Apple Inc. introduced the device in spring 2010, many public secondary schools this fall will move away from textbooks in favor of the lightweight tablet computers. Apple officials say they know of more than 600 districts that have launched what are called “one-to-one” programs, in which at least one classroom of students is getting iPads for each student to use throughout the school day. Nearly two-thirds of them have begun since July, according to Apple. New programs are being announced on a regular basis, too.

As recently as Wednesday, Kentucky’s education commissioner and the superintendent of schools in Woodford County, Ky, said that Woodford County High will become the state’s first public high school to give each of its 1,250 students an iPad. At Burlington High in suburban Boston, principal Patrick Larkin calls the $500 iPads a better long-term investment than textbooks, though he said the school will still use traditional texts in some courses if suitable electronic programs aren’t yet available.

“I don’t want to generalize because I don’t want to insult people who are working hard to make those resources,” Larkin said of textbooks, “but they’re pretty much outdated the minute they’re printed and certainly by the time they’re delivered. The bottom line is that the iPads will give our kids a chance to use much more relevant materials.” The trend has not been limited to wealthy suburban districts. New York City, Chicago and many other urban districts also are buying large numbers of iPads. The iPads generally cost districts between $500 and $600, depending on what accessories and service plans are purchased. By comparison, Brookfield High in Connecticut estimates it spends at least that much yearly on every student’s textbooks, not including graphing calculators, dictionaries and other accessories they can get on the iPads.

Educators say the sleek, flat tablet computers offer a variety of benefits.

They include interactive programs to demonstrate problem-solving in math, scratchpad features for note-taking and bookmarking, the ability to immediately send quizzes and homework to teachers, and the chance to view videos or tutorials on everything from important historical events to learning foreign languages.

They’re especially popular in special education services, for children with autism spectrum disorders and learning disabilities, and for those who learn best when something is explained with visual images, not just through talking.

Some advocates also say the interactive nature of learning on an iPad comes naturally to many

Expect More DDoS Attacks Tomorrow

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istributed denial- ofservice attacks have long been used by cybercriminals resorting to blackmail and ex tor tion. However, DDoS attacks are increasingly being used as a form of protest against the activities of both governments and major corporations.

Q2 of 2011 saw numerous DDoS attacks with a variety of motives, many of them significant enough to ensure they go down in the annals of cybercrime.

The quarter in figures The longest DDoS attack in Q2 lasted 60 days, 1 hour, 21 minutes and 9 seconds The highest number of DDoS attacks against a single site in Q2: 218 DDoS attacks by country According to our statistics for Q2 2011, 89% of DDoS traffic was generated in 23 countries.

The US and Indonesia topped the rating with each countr y accounting for 5% of all DDoS traffic. The US’s leading position is down to the large number of computers in the countr y - a highly attractive feature for botmasters. Meanwhile, the large number of infected computers in Indonesia means it also ranks highly in the DDoS traffic rating.

According to data from K aspersky Security Network, Kaspersky Lab’s globally-distributed threat monitoring network, in Q2 2011 almost every second machine (48%) in Indonesia was subjected to a local malware infection attempt.

Distribution of attacked websites by online activity In Q2, online shopping sites, including e-stores, auctions, and

buy and sell message boards, were increasingly targeted by cybercriminals - websites of this category accounted for a quarter of all attacks. This is hardly surprising: online shopping largely depends on a website’s availability, and each hour of downtime results in lost clients and lost profits. The websites of electronic trading platforms and banks occupy third and fourth places respectively.

Activity of DDoS botnets over time Weekdays see the most active use of the Internet. It is on these days that various web resources are most in demand and that DDoS attacks are likely to inflict the maximum amount of damage on websites. Another important factor is that greater numbers of computers are switched on on weekdays, so there are more active bots. As a result, c ybercriminal ac tivity peaks from Monday to Thursday - on these days an average of 80% of all DDoS attacks take place. The most popular day is Tuesday with roughly 23% of the week’s DDoS attacks.

Q2 highlights The most ac tive hacker groups in the second quarter of 2011 were LulzSec and Anonymous. They organized DDoS attacks on government sites in the US, the UK, Spain, Turkey, Iran and several other countries. The hackers managed to temporarily bring down sites such as cia.gov (the US Central Intelligence Agenc y) and www.soca.gov.uk (the British Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA)).

One big corporation subject-

ed to a major attack was Sony.

At the end of March, Sony initiated legal action against several hackers accusing them of breaching the firmware of the popular PlayStation 3 console. In protest at Sony’s pursuit of the hackers, Anonymous launched a DDoS attack that crippled the c o m p a n y ’ s PlayStationnetwork.com sites for some time. But this was just the tip of the iceberg. According to Sony, during the DDoS attack the servers of the PSN service were hacked and the data of 77 million users were stolen.

In April, a court in Dusseldorf handed down a sentence to a c ybercriminal who tried to blackmail six German bookmakers during the 2010 World Cup. The court sentenced the cybercriminal to nearly three years in prison - the first time in German legal history that someone had been imprisoned for organizing a DDoS attack. DDoS attacks are now classified by the country’s courts as computer sabotage and are punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

“Organizations rarely publicize the fact that they have been targeted by DDoS attacks in order to protect their reputation. Cybercriminals, meanwhile, are increasingly using DDoS attacks as a diversionary tactic when launching more sophisticated attacks such as those on online bank ing systems.

Complex attacks of this nature are par ticularly damaging in that they can cause significant losses for the financial institutions as well as their clients,” explains Yur y Namestnikov, Senior Malware Analyst, Global Research and Analysis Team, Kaspersky Lab.

of today’s students, who’ve grown up with electronic devices as part of their everyday world.

But for all of the excitement surrounding the growth of iPads in public secondary schools, some experts watching the trend warn that the districts need to ensure they can support the wireless infrastructure, repairs and other costs that accompany a switch to such a tech-heavy approach.

And even with the most modern device in hand, students still need the basics of a solid curriculum and skilled teachers. “There’s a saying that the music is not in the piano and, in the

tle more loosely. “If we truly consider this a learning device, we don’t want to take it away and say, ‘Leaning stops in the summertime.’ “ said Larkin, the Burlington principal. And the nation’s domestic textbook publishing industry, accounting for $5.5 billion in yearly sales to secondary schools, is taking notice of the trend with its own shift in a competitive race toward developing curriculum specifically for iPads. At Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for instance, programmers scrambled to create an iPad-specific secondary school program starting almost as soon as Apple unveiled the tablet in spring 2010. The publish-

BURLINGTON: In this Aug. 23, 2011 photo, a student looks at her new iPad at Burlington High School. Burlington is giving iPads this year to every one of its 1,000-plus high school students.— AP same way, the learning is not in the device,” said Mark Warschauer, an education and informatics professor at the University of California-Irvine whose specialties include research on the intersection of technology and education. “I don’t want to oversell these things or present the idea that these devices are miraculous, but they have some benefits and that’s why so many people outside of schools are using them so much,” he said. One such iPad devotee is 15-year-old Christian Woods, who starts his sophomore year at Burlington, Mass., High School on a special student support team to help about 1,000 other teens adjust to their new tablets. “I think people will like it. I really don’t know anybody in high school that wouldn’t want to get an iPad,” he said. “We’re always using technology at home, then when you’re at school it’s textbooks, so it’s a good way to put all of that together.” Districts are varied in their policies on how they police students’ use.

Many have filtering programs to keep students off websites that have not been preapproved, and some require the students to turn in the iPads during vacation breaks and at the end of the school year. Others hold the reins a lit-

er’s HMH Fuse algebra program, which became available at the start of the 2010 school year, was among the first and is a top seller to districts.

Another algebra program and a geometry offering are coming out now. The HMH Fuse online app is free and gives users an idea of how it works, and the content can be downloaded for $60. By comparison, the publisher’s 950-page algebra text on which it was based is almost $73 per copy, and doesn’t include the graphing calculators, interactive videos and other features.

For a school that would buy 300 of the textbooks for its freshman class, for instance, the savings from using the online version would be almost $4,000. Jay Diskey, executive director of the Association of American Publishers’ schools division, said all of the major textbook publishers are moving toward electronic offerings, but at least in the short term, traditional bound textbooks are here to stay. “I think one of the real key questions that will be answered over the next several years is what sort of things work best in print for students and what sort of things work best digitally,” Diskey said. “I think we’re on the cusp of a whole new area of research and comprehension about what digital learning means.” — AP

Have an idea? Build an app LOGANVILLE: If you haven’t heard of a dap, then you need this app. A dap, to the uninitiated, is a typical fist bump, that ubiquitous guy greeting. As a high school business teacher, Loganville resident Nick Johnson sees them constantly. Which then set Johnson and his friend, former University of Georgia fullback Jeremy Thomas, to thinking: How many variations could they come up with for the traditional fist bump? Close to 200, it turns out. “We said, ‘Dude, you need to do an app for that,’ “ Johnson said. The result is Dap App, an iPhone application that offers instructions on all the custom daps the friends put together.

Within days or weeks, Johnson will submit the app to Apple and await approval for the iTunes Store, a process that can take five to 20 days. And while there is a free version of the app, it also comes with an enhanced paid version, which will hopefully set Johnson and Thomas off on a new entrepreneurial journey. Whether or not it pays back their investment is yet to be seen.

Developing an app for use on a smartphone such as an iPhone or a Blackberry takes a mixture of marketing skills and technical know-how. With thousands of apps already available, you not only need to come up with an idea for something others will brag about to their friends, but you have to actually put it together. “It’s hard-this is not casual, like somebody doing a Web page,” said Clate Sanders, a lec-

LOGANVILLE: Creating apps is becoming more commonplace, as there are currently more than 425,000 apps available. Shown above is an app, developed by 18 year old Daniel Brooks, that allows students and parents to track grades, test scores and attendance.— MCT

turer with UGA’s New Media Institute who is leading a class this semester in which Grady College students develop an app. “It’s getting easier, but it’s not getting as easy as Wordpress,” a website-building tool that uses templates for Web pages. Students in his class are using “widgets,” or prebuilt sections of programming, to build their app. But to build a fast, graphics-heavy smartphone app, the programming needs to be lean and fast, Sanders said, which is best achieved by a professional.

Jeremy Minnick, director of development at J House Media in Athens, said in addition to the phone-based apps, there are ones that start as an icon on your phone’s screen and then open a Web page rather than a miniature computer program. “There are two different types of apps when you look at developing a mobile app,” Minnick said.

“There’s the kind that’s developed specifically for your phone-iPhone, Android, Blackberry or whatever-and then there’s ones that are Web-based, and you install an icon (on the phone) and it opens a frame that’s a Web page. Those are the types of apps we develop because of the competition (among other apps).” In other words, one app is just a drop in the bucket compared with the thousands already out there. Among Apple devices alone there are 425,000 apps available, for free or a fee.

Still, according to Apple, there are more more than 200 million iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch users out there, and as of July they’ve downloaded more than 15 billion apps.

Many of these downloads are free, but some popular apps, according to Apple, can be downloaded as many as 10,000 times a day. When it’s a 99-cent app, even after Apple’s 30cent cut, that’s still some serious money for the app developer. But before you start seeing dollar signs for your own app idea, Minnick advises you take a long, hard look at what you have in mind. Think about your audience and how you would market the app, he said, before you even start to think about how you’re going to develop it. “It’s got to be something that has a lot of appeal,” Minnick said. For the Dap App, “if you break it down by gender, you cut (your market) in half. And then, in the male demographic, you’re looking at ages 18-35.” That makes it harder to market, he said.

“I’m on the fence about it, but it’s a cute idea. I think for an app to have success, it either needs to have a crap ton of marketing, it needs to be bundled with an already popular service (such as anything made by Google), or it needs to be something that you look at and go, ‘I’m going to share that with my friend,’ “ Minnick said. While any business venture involving a smartphone application should be available on all platforms, Sanders said, Apple owns the tablet market, and an app developed for an iPhone or an iPod will work the same on each device. That’s not the case for Android phones, which can vary by manufacturer. That means what controls the game, for example, on one phone might be different for another phone, requiring another set of programming skills.

“Most (Android phone) manufacturers want to differentiate themselves, so if a developer that wants to develop a game, it’s hard for them to develop something that will play across all the devices,” Sanders said. “Whereas something you develop for the iPhone, it will play the same way on every phone.” — MCT

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health & science

Parental dilemma: Whether or not to spy on their kids Spyware, baby monitors and home drug tests rise in popularity NEW YORK: In the 21st century, parenthood and paranoia often walk hand in hand. For some, the blessed event is followed by high-tech surveillance, a monitoring system that tracks the baby’s breathing rhythms and relays infrared images from the nursery. The next investment might be a nanny cam, to keep watch on the child’s hired caregivers.

Toddlers and grade schoolers can be equipped with GPS devices enabling a parent to know their location should something go awry. To cope with the uncertainties of the teen years, some parents acquire spyware to monitor their children’s online and cell phone activity. Others resort to home drug-testing kits. Added together, there’s a diverse, multibillion-dollar industry seeking to capitalize on parents’ worst fears about their children, fears aggravated by occasional high-profile abductions and the dangers lurking in cyberspace. One mistake can put a child at risk or go viral online, quickly ruining a reputation.

“There’s a new set of challenges for parents, and all sorts of new tools that can help them do their job,” said David Walsh, a child psychologist in Minneapolis. “On the other hand, we have very powerful industries that create these products and want to sell as many as possible, so they try to convince parents they need them.” Some parents need little convincing. In New York City, a policemanturned-politician recorded a video earlier this year offering tips to parents about how to search their children’s bedrooms and possessions for drugs and weapons.

“The idea is that the only good parent is a parent who is somehow watching over their child 24/7,” she said. “You feel nothing should take precedence over monitoring your child’s well-being every second of the day ... from the time they’re born to when they go off to college.” Joe Kelly of St. Paul, Minnesota, helped his wife rear twin girls (they are now adults) and founded a national advocacy group called Dads and Daughters. Like Skenazy, he bemoans commercial exploitation of parental anxiety. “Markets play on this fear that something horrific is going to happen to your child, when the odds of that are minuscule,” he said. “It might happen, but to have their whole childhood predicated on this remote possibility is, in the aggregate, even more damaging.”

Psychologists who work with troubled adolescents and teens say parents often ask if they should be doing more surveillance. “Ideally, parents establish good open communication and trust with their children, and they don’t need to do all these things,” said Neil Bernstein, a psychologist in Washington, DC “But if the child is doing something to create suspicion, you can’t expect parents to turn their back and not monitor.” Bernstein, author of “How to Keep Your Teenager Out of

QUEENS: Lenore Skenazy, center, stands outside her apartment building in the Queens borough of New York with her sons Izzy, 13, left, and Morry, 15. Skenazy wrote a book called “Free Range Kids: How To Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry”. — AP Trouble and What to do if You Can’t,” says the best teens experiment with new hallucinogens or approach is a balanced one - neither overly zeal- abuse a range of prescription drugs. “A lot of parents say they’re afraid of ruining their relaous and paranoid nor uninvolved and neglectful. tionship with their kid; they don’t want to be seen as the bad guy,” Beihl said. “I tell them, if Home drug tests: Compared to tracking and spyware gadgets, you’re already worried about it, the relationship home drug testing kits are relatively low-tech is probably not that great.” Kim Hildreth, 52, of and inexpensive. But they raise tricky issues for Dallas, Texas, tested both her daughters during parents, who may be torn between alienating their teens. They are now in their 20s, and protheir child on the one hand and living with vide occasional assistance as she runs a compaunresolved doubts about possible drug abuse ny, drugtestyourteen.com, that sells testing kits on the other. David Walsh directed an adoles- online. Hildreth has been in the business since cent treatment program earlier in his career and 2003 and says she has many repeat customers, says the at-home tests can be appropriate parents who used the tests on an older child when parents have solid reason for suspicion. and now worry about a younger sibling. In “When a son or daughter is getting seriously Hildreth’s case, she opted for testing after coninto drugs, one dynamic of that is denial,” he cluding that her oldest daughter’s best friend said. “The stakes are so high. Parents can say, was using methamphetamine.

“None of us wants to believe our kids are ‘We need to make sure you’re not doing serious damage to yourself. We might occasionally test capable of that,” Hildreth said. “Denial is a much you.’” In Colorado Springs, Colorado, single more comfortable place.” She also later tested mother Amanda Beihl was among the first to her younger daughter, to the point where carve out a business from Internet sales of test resentment surfaced, but said both daughters kits, starting in 1999. Beihl created home- are now staunch proponents of testing. “We all drugtestingkit.com, selling kits to test for illicit think we know our kids, but they can change drugs and alcohol use. Individual kits testing for on a dime, and bad things can happen before a single drug cost as little as $3; a 10-substance you even figure it out,” Hildreth said. “They’re good at deceiving parents when they want to; kit sells for $19.95.

It is an ever-evolving field, Beihl says, as that’s kind of their job.” — AP

BEDFORD: A box of frozen vaccine is seen at the Bedford Pharmacy in Bedford, NH. New Hampshire pharmacists now can give vaccinations for shingles and pneumonia without a prescription, but the medical community isn’t happy about it. — AP

Children given excessive doses of radioactive agent KOFU: A Japanese hospital said Thursday that one of its radiographers had deliberately administered higher-than-recommended amounts of a radioactive substance during examinations of 84 children suffering from kidney ailments since 1999. Kofu Municipal Hospital said the radiographer intravenously injected a test agent containing radioactive technetium-99m into the children, ages 15 years and younger, between May 1999 and April this year. The amounts exceeded the dose recommended for an adult by the Japan Society of Nuclear Medicine, according to the hospital.

According to hospital director Katsura Ozawa, technetium-99m is a metastable nuclear isomer of technetium-99. The agent tends to concentrate in the kidneys and when intravenously administered, allows clear images to be taken during X-rays. The test agent is designed to examine the functioning of recipients’ internal organs. No health problems from the children’s radiation exposure have been reported. Of the 84 children, 41 were given amounts over 10 times the

society’s recommended dosage for their age group, the hospital said. The society recommends 185 megabecquerels as the maximum dosage for adults. For patients under 15 years, the dosage is reduced according to their age.

According to guidelines set by the society, doctors should decide the amount of the test agent to be administered. However, a male medical radiographer at Kofu Municipal Hospital had been determining the amount without consulting with other staff, hospital officials explained. The radiographer reportedly told the hospital he knowingly gave higher doses of the test agent to the children so that clear images could be taken as quickly as possible. Professor Norinari Honda, of the department of Radiology and Radiology Service at Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical University, said: “While it is sometimes necessary for doctors to conduct these types of examinations, it is a basic principle that patients are subjected to the minimum amount of radiation possible.” — MCT

Fears grow for Asia’s endangered anteaters BANGKOK: Tiger poaching gets the press but wildlife groups in Asia are increasingly fearful for the future of a smaller, scalier and “less sexy” creature: the pangolin. So prized are the meat and supposed medicinal properties of this reclusive anteater that it is now thought to be the most heavily trafficked mammal in the region, rapidly being driven towards extinction. “The volumes we are seeing in seizures are mindboggling. No species can survive this level of extraction for long,” said Kanitha Krishnasamy from the wildlife trade watchdog Traffic. “Unfortunately, this scaly animal does not invoke as much attention from the public, and by extension from the authorities, as pangolins are considered to be less sexy than their larger mammalian counterparts,” she added.

Tigers are also killed for their body parts, mostly for use in traditional Asian medicines, and major international campaigns have been launched to save them from extinction. Trading in pangolins is banned under international law, yet Traffic’s Asian surveys show they are frequently poached from the wild, mainly in Indonesia and Malaysia, exacerbating the threat from rapid deforestation. They are transported through Southeast Asia, mostly ending up in China and Vietnam, where pangolin flesh is a delicacy and its scales-it is the only mammal known to have them-are ground into a powder for medicinal purposes.

Historically, this ingredient was used in Chinese medicine to try to cure a range of ills, from children’s hysterical crying to eyelashes curling inwards, according to researcher and pangolin expert Dan Challender.

Today, reports suggest the scales are used in an attempt to reduce swellings, cure asthma and even in some cases cancer, but a lack of solid analysis means “all uses seem unfounded to date”, he said.

Challender, at Britain’s University of Kent, added that the supposed health benefits of eating the meat include nourishing the kidneys, but these are also probably unfounded. “Unless efforts are taken to address both the demand for, and supply of pan-

golins, they will go extinct in Asia in the short term future,” he told AFP. Of four species found in Asia, two are “endangered” and two “near threatened”, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which says it is unknown how many of the secretive, nocturnal animals are left.

‘Unknown problem’ of illegal trade Two of four species found in Africa are also “near threatened”, and all have decreasing populations, while Challender said seizures of scales bound for Asia from Africa suggested a developing trade.

Likened in appearance to a globe artichoke, the pangolin curls up hedgehog-like into a ball when under threat, making them easy for humans to catch. Steve Galster, director of the anti-trafficking Freeland foundation, said the shy creatures were the “unknown problem” of Asia’s illegal wildlife trade, sometimes fetching more than 1,000 US dollars each on the black market. “The price of pangolins is just going through the roof,” he told AFP. “We’re surprised there are any left.” Already this year, seizures have been reported along trading routes in Thailand, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia - but these are probably just the tip of the iceberg, according to Traffic.

In one of the biggest hauls, the group said customs officials at a Jakarta port found 7.5 tons of pangolin meat in May, stashed in crates and covered up with frozen fish, bound for Vietnam. “The most outrageous thing here is they even exterminate the young pangolins, the ones that when curled up are about eight inches long,” port customs chief Rahmat Subagio was quoted as saying after the find. Late last year, seized logbooks showed one trafficking gang alone had killed and traded 22,200 pangolins over 14 months in the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo, Traffic said. Often, however, pangolins are transported alive to maintain freshness and smugglers are known to inject them with water to increase their weight-although many die along the way without food or drinking water, activists say. — AFP

SAN FRANCISCO: Designer Renee Walker poses for a photograph next to her food label samples. — AP

Fear in US as drug shortages mount WASHINGTON: Shortages of vital drugs, particularly cancer-fighting medication, have raised concerns in the United States, where regulators often have to race to try to find replacements. A recent report by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) found that the number of important treatments that are difficult or impossible to find nearly tripled from 61 to 178 between 2005 and 2010. Most of the rare medications are for hospital use, including sterile injections, intravenous treatments, anesthetics and antibiotics. The products include both name-brand and generic drugs. “FDA hears from patients and also from healthcare professionals and organizations about the terrible impact the shortages have had,” spokeswoman Shelly Burgess said.”We continue to do all we can under our current authority to address shortages when they occur.”

The FDA’s efforts are hindered, however, because it cannot force private pharmaceutical companies to produce certain drugs or even require them to notify the agency when they plan to discontinue one, Burgess said.

In 2010 it was able to avert 38 shortages, mainly by persuading other manufacturers to produce the drugs or helping to resolve production issues. But a survey of 820 hospitals carried out in June by the American Hospital Association found that almost all had run out of an important drug over the past six months. Eighty-percent said they had to delay patient treatments because of drug scarcity, and 70 percent said they administered less effective treatments. “We really need to take a very careful look at what is going on. I have never seen anything like this and I have been a pharmacist for over 40 years,” says Mike Cohen, a pharmacist at the non-profit Safe Medical Practices.

The group recently surveyed 1,800 health professionals and found that a third of doctors and a fifth of pharmacists were aware of adverse reactions in their patients-including deaths-because of drug shortages.

Cynthia Reilly of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists says the “dramatic increase” in shortages is in part due to “quality issues.” “In a lot of instances the manufacturer is either having problems with the production lines or perhaps they found particular products in vials so they have to do a recall,” she said. Reilly fears the shortages will worsen as the pharmaceutical industry continues to consolidate, and as more companies stop producing generic drugs because they are less profitable.”A few years ago five companies were making a similar product. Now there is only one or two...

There are not a lot of companies to fill the gap,” she said.

She and other advocates believe new legislation to allow the FDA to force companies to alert it six months in advance of closing a production line would be helpful, as it would give the agency more time to find a substitute.

Two bills with broad support are currently under discussion in Congress. Another problem is the so-called “gray market,” whereby distributors scoop up rare drugs and then charge hospitals exorbitant rates for them. Some drugs can fetch up to 1,000 times the normal price. “We tell our members to contact their state attorney general.

Unfortunately there is opportunity for unscrupulous behavior,” Reilly said. — AFP

FDA cooking up helpful new nutritional labels LOS ANGELES: Uncle Sam wants you to know more about what you’re eating. The Food and Drug Administration wants to revise the nutrition facts label - that breakdown of fats, salts, sugars and nutrients on packaging - to give consumers more useful information and help fight the national obesity epidemic. A proposal is in the works to change several parts of the label, including more accurate serving sizes, a greater emphasis on calories and a diminished role in the daily percent values for substances like fat, sodium and carbohydrates. It’s the latest attempt to improve the way Americans view food and make choices about what they eat, and comes in the wake of major advances in nutrition regulations by the Obama administration.

Calorie counts are popping up on menus of chain restaurants across the country and the longstanding food pyramid was toppled this year by the US government in favor of a plate that gives a picture of what a healthy daily diet looks like. The struggle to redesign the labels on every box, can and carton has been in the works since 2003, and some of the changes could be proposed as soon as this year. FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor cautions not to expect a grand overhaul, but the revamped label does mark a shift to create a more useful nutritional snapshot of foods millions of Americans consume every day.

“There’s no question obesity is a central public health concern that the nutrition facts panel can play a role in. It’s obviously not a magic wand but it can be an informative tool,” said Taylor.

For two decades, the black and white label has offered a glance of nutritional information about what’s inside each package, including calories and grams of fats, cholesterol, protein and carbohydrates. Critics have complained it’s confusing and doesn’t offer a simpler way to make a choice about whether it’s good for them - a judgment the industry wants to leave to consumers. The proposed label is likely to produce several changes, said Taylor. For starters, portion sizes should better reflect reality. The 2.5 servings listed on a 20-ounce soda bottle are typically slurped up by an individual in one sitting rather than split between a couple and their child. The same goes for a can of soup, where one serving is often listed as two-fifths of a can.

The FDA is also likely to find a way to emphasize calories, which many people rely on for weight control. Other items likely to disappear or change because they haven’t proven useful include calories from fat and the daily percent value numbers that show how

much what an average diet should include.

Still, some wish the revisions would go further to list information about the amount of preservatives in a food and the degree of processing it has undergone. Health activists say such changes could help trim waistlines in America.

The food industry wouldn’t like to see many major changes. The current label is easily recognizable and adaptable to food packages of different sizes because it’s simple, said Regina Hildwine, director for science, policy, labeling and standards at the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

Hildwine says her Washington-based group, which represents 300 top food, beverage companies - including Nestle, General Mills Inc., and Coca-Cola Co. - has provided extensive feedback to the FDA in the run-up to their proposed rule. “I personally talk with FDA on a regular basis to share views and get information and sometimes they call me,” said Hildwine. Advocates believe that the government and industry are too cozy, and that food companies are reluctant to overhaul food labels for fear of their profits being hurt. “It’s against the industry’s interest to help the consumer make better choices because then they’ll sell less food,” said Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. “If the population is going to lose weight, it’s going to eat less food, so that means less business for them.” There’s no shortage of ideas on how to improve the label.

A recent contest by the University of California, Berkeley and Good Magazine yielded 60 colorful new designs.

A familiar theme popped up: red, yellow and green colors of a traffic light to indicate whether a food is good or bad. Another offered thumbs up and thumbs down on nutrients, depending on how much.

Manufacturers don’t think a stoplight system would work because most foods have a mix of nutrients and diets are not the same for everyone, Hildwine said. “A color-coded scheme would not be as helpful to consumers as a fact-based approach,” she said. The winning design was created by Renee Walker, whose label is topped by a large blocks of color above the nutrient listing, with each block representing an ingredient. For example, a jar of peanut butter would typically have a big box for peanuts, a smaller box for sugar, and other blocks for other ingredients. The FDA has long avoided putting qualitative judgments about food on labels in favor of a simple listing of macronutrients, said contest judge and Center for Science in the Public Interest executive director Michael Jacobson. — AP

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H E A LT H

Wayward ‘Happy Feet’ released south of New Zealand Penguin fitted with GPS tracker to monitor movements WELLINGTON: He needed a little push before speeding backward down a makeshift slide. Once in the water, he popped his head up for one last look.

And then he was gone. The wayward emperor penguin known as “Happy Feet” was back home in Antarctic waters after an extended sojourn spent capturing hearts in New Zealand. Happy Feet was released into the ocean south of New Zealand yesterday, more than two months after he came ashore on a beach nearly 2,000 miles from home and became an instant celebrity. Speaking from a satellite phone aboard the research vessel Tangaroa, Wellington Zoo veterinarian Lisa Argilla said Happy Feet’s release went remarkably smoothly given that the boat was being tossed about in 25-foot swells in the unforgiving Antarctic ocean.

Argilla said crew members from the boat carried the penguin inside his custom-built crate to the stern of the ship for his final send-off about 50 nautical miles north of remote Campbell Island. The crew had already cut the engines and put in place a canvas slide that they soaked with water from a hose. But when they opened the door of the crate, the penguin showed no interest in leaving. “I need-

ed to give him a little a tap on his back,” Argilla said.

The penguin slipped down the slide on his stomach, bottom first, she said. He resurfaced about 6 feet from the boat, took a look up at the people aboard, and then disappeared beneath the surface. “I was really happy to see him go,” Argilla said.

“The best part of my job is when you get to release animals back into the wild where they are supposed to be.”

The 3-foot-tall aquatic bird was found June 20 on Peka Peka Beach, about 40 miles Northwest of New Zealand’s capital, Wellington. It had been 44 years since an emperor penguin was last spotted in the wild in New Zealand. At first, conservation authorities said they would wait and let nature take its course with the penguin. But it soon became clear the bird’s condition was deteriorating, as he scooped up beaks full of sand and swallowed, likely mistaking it for snow, which emperor penguins eat for its moisture when in Antarctica. With the world watching, authorities finally took action, moving the penguin to the Wellington Zoo four days after he was discovered. At the zoo, the 3 1/2-year-old bird underwent numerous stomach flushing procedures to remove sand

from his digestive system. He was given a makeshift home in a room that zoo staff kept filled with a bed of ice so he wouldn’t overheat.

A local television station, TV3, set up a webcam and streamed images of the bird around-the-clock.

Soon, Happy Feet had a quarter-million followers.

And, perhaps befitting of a bird from the Internet age, those followers will be able to keep track of him for a while longer. Happy Feet has been fitted with a GPS tracker, and his movements will be posted online. Argilla expects the tracker to fall off the next time the bird molts. Argilla said the final boat journey, which began last Monday and ran into terrible weather, was difficult for her - she got seasick - and the crew. The one who seemed least bothered, she said, was Happy Feet, who rolled with the swells, slept standing up and took nips at the crew when they fed him fresh fish. Now that Happy Feet has been nursed back to health, Argilla said his chances are as good as they are for any other penguin in the wild. “He swam away, not caring about us anymore,” Argilla said. She paused. “And that’s a good thing,” she said. To keep track of Happy Feet’s movements, go to http://www.wellingtonzoo.com — AP

WELLINGTON: ‘Happy Feet,’ the wayward emperor penguin, stands at the top of a makeshift water slide before he is released into the Southern Ocean, south of New Zealand, from the NIWA research vessel Tangaroa yesterday. “Happy Feet” was back home yesterday in Antarctic waters more than two months after he came ashore on a beach nearly 2,000 miles from home and became an instant celebrity. — AP

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W H AT ’ S O N

Jai Hind Family Club holds Eid get-together

J

ai Hind Family Club (JFC) organized a grand family get together “Eid Sangamam 2011” on the second day of Eid AlFiter on Wednesday at Indian Community School, (Senior Girls) Salmiya.

The ‘Eid Sangamam’ witnessed a wonderful family gathering, musical show and a wide range of cultural programs. A stall with a variety of traditional foods was a nostalgic experience for the crowd. JFC

Indian music video to be shot in Kuwait

Dreams of Youth Indian National Association (DYINA) formed

O

n August 30, some of Kuwait Pravasi Malayalees gathered in Farwaniya for a dynamic new organization that caters to the needs of the needy and the youth. The new association, DREAMS OF YOUTH INDIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION has been formed for the general welfare of the “DYINA” members who we wish are in Kuwait, India and elsewhere in the world. On this occasion DYINA welcomes all Malayalees in Kuwait, especially whoever staying in company camp / hostels (ladies conveners available for the convenient for the ladies) . For more information contact. Poulose Thekkedeth -66790870; Paul Joseph- 97200915; Babu Thomas - 99240368; Shaji - 55042540; Jose Payappilly 99809603; Reason -97286904

Announcements

convener Varghese Puthukulangara gave felicitation speeches. Program convener Adv Razak Payyoli welcomed the gathering and Chessil Ramapuram proposed vote of thanks.

KNES Students shine at INJAZ 2011 competition

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Malayalam musical album that has song writers from Jnanpith award winner ONV to the popular Rafeeq Ahmad and singers from Hariharan to Sreya Ghoshal, produced by Ragasuthra Music Company and orchestrated

by Viswajith plans its launch soon. The 8 songs in the album uses lots of Indian languages in part and the music also is pan Indian. As part of the launch the songs are being visualized. A few songs will be shot in Kuwait since the songs represent the life of Indian expats in Kuwait. Ragasuthra is looking for real talents for their gulf based production of music videos. Talents/Actors: M/F - Age: 14 - 26; -Family combination: M/F Age: 28 - 45; -Supporting character: M/F - Age 10 - 60; Assistant Director: M/F; -Associate Director: M/F; -Assistants: M/F; Training will be given for selected candidates. Serious applicants may send their bio data with recent photographs to ragasuthra@gmail.com

Kuwait Coordinator Nixon George presided over the inaugural meeting which was inaugurated by Indian Embassy first secretary Vinod Kumar. JFC convener Krishanan Kadalundi and OICC

K

uwait National English School (KNES) ended as usual with a strong showing at the INJAZ ‘Battle of the Best’ competition 2011 held at the Dar-Al-Awadh hall in Sharq.

Our students, looking smart and professional in their formal wear, took the competition head on and displayed amazing maturity in the way they made their presentation. The judges were greatly impressed by the presentation and gave them a befitting round of applause as well as praise.

Our students were well prepared and answered the judges promptly and efficiently. There were only 3 judges who greeted the students. Our presentation was started by the president, Shahd Al Zard, who presented our school’s company in crisp, clear language. The students presented the judges with reports and records of the work done and the methodology adopted in running the business.

One of the highlights of the presentation which greatly impressed the judges was a video clip of the ‘Talent Sensation’ which we held in our school as part of the Fun Day. The judges asked various questions like how the company name was selected and what type of business the students employed. It was a unique and challenging day for our students and they were up to the task. They ensured that our school came away with flying colors.

KNES students at the ‘Battle of the Best’ competition

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 Shetty- 67712409.

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.

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 attractions like athappookkalam, mohiniyattom, kaikottikali, folk songs, dance and songs and skits will be presented by Arpan members.

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ndian Cultural Society presents “Parda Hai Parda” with Munawwar Masoom & team on 9th Sept, 2011 Friday, at 7 pm sharp. The Chief Guest for the event will be Ambassador of India, Kuwait and the guests of honor will be prominent personalities from Kuwait.

After hosting memorable events, ICS is back with a show with a difference “Parda hai Parda” will be witness of old fashion Qawwali, filmi Qawwali, Ghazal & ever green songs

by Munawwar Massoom, Poonam Bhatia & special tabla by Surinder Singh.

Poonam Bhatia realized her dream of becoming a playback singer by giving voice to actors like Ravina Tandon, Shilpa Shetty, Twinkle Khanna, Juhi Chawala, Mayuri Cango, Suman Ranganathan, Aishwarya Rai etc.

She sang for almost all the bollywood music directors right from Anand Raj Anand, Viju Shah, Nadeem Shravan, Anu Malik, to the legendry A R Rahman!

Surinder Singh became famous tabla player from TV show Moovers & Shekhar, as icon of comedy. He has versatility in his tabla playing which can be viewed on most of the famous TV channels like SONY, ZEE, and STAR PLUS etc.

Surinder is most popular in Comedy Circus & Laughter Challenge.

Ustad Munawwar Masoom is a grandson of Ustad Abdul Ghafoor Khan from Mewat Gharana born on 9th Dec.1962 at Bhopal. When he was 9 yrs old, HMV Company recorded his first audio cassette “Tajdaar e Madina Khabar Lijiye” and then there was no looking back. Munawwar is recognized as the first qawwal who launched his own album “Ashiqaana Qawwaliya” which gave him worldwide fame. Young talents from Kuwait will be another attraction of the evening. So, join us for entertainment on 9th Sept. Friday, at 7.00pm sharp at: Auditorium Kuwait Medical Association, beside Mubarak Al Kabeer Hospital, Jabriya Kuwait. For more details, please contact: 97690035, 66568147, Email ics.kuwait@gmail.com

The circus is back

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he Italian Circus is in town in Salmiya, Qatar Street, behind Gulf Mart, across from Marina Mall. For more info: 9991-4607 or 9991-4807 (1st show: 6pm - 8pm and 2nd show 9pm - 11pm)

Calling all K’S Path Volunteers Artist Johnarts Kalabhavan presenting a caricature of Indian ambassador Satish C Mehta during a function organized by Kasarkode Expatriates Association, at Khaitan Indian School, this past weekend.

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 Kuwait-based comedian Philip’s third musical show after the overwhelming success of staging “Tum Vhoir Aum Sokol” and “Hem Kazar Koslem” in Kuwait and overseas.

ICS hosts musical evening

Not yet a volunteer?

Worry not. Email volunteers@kspath.org to sign up for our Volunteer Orientation to be held Saturday, September 10th, 2011. We have many exciting volunteer opportunities and projects lined up!

K’s Path weekly pet adoptions Fred the Golden Retriever

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red is a social five-year-old Golden Retriever male. Fred loves playing chase with other dogs. He’s very responsive and ever-ready to retrieve his favourite toy in exchange of his favourite treat. Fred will do great in a family with older children. To adopt Fred, contact K’S PATH at (+965) 6700 1622 or visit the website www.kspath.org

Nonar the DSH Cat

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onar is a six-month-old Domestic Short Haired (DSH) male cat. Nonar is a friendly little boy who loves to play, gets along great with other cats and likes a good cuddle. Nonar will be a great addition to a family with children over five. To adopt Nonar, contact K’S PATH at (+965) 6700 1622 or visit the website www.kspath.org

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF ARGENTINA In order to inform that 23rd of October 2011, will be Argentine national election where all Argentinean citizen residents permanently in Kuwait can vote only if they are registered at the Electoral Register of the Argentine Embassy. The procedure of inscription ended on 25 of April 2011. To register it is necessary that Argentinean citizens should come personally at the Argentinean Embassy (Block 6, street 42, villa 57, Mishref ) and present the DNI and four personal photos (size 4x4, face should be front on white background). For further information, contact us on 25379211. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF BRITAIN The Visa Application Centre (VAC) will be closed on the same dates above. The opening hours of the Visa Application Centre are 0930 - 1630 Application forms remain available online from the UKBAs’ website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or from the Visa Application Centre’s website: www.vfs-ukkw.com. And also, from the UK Visa Application Centre located at: 4B, First Floor, Al Banwan Building (Burgan Bank Branch Office Building), Al Qibla area, opposite Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City. For any further inquiries, please contact the Visa Application Centre: Website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com E-mail:info@vfs-uk-kw.com Telephone:22971170. The Consular Section will also be closed on the same dates. For information on the British Embassy services, visit the British Embassy website: www.ukinkuwait.fco.gov.uk

Eid - Reception Ambassador of Brunei to Kuwait hosted a reception and luncheon at his place of residence on the Eid Al-Fitr occasion, attended by ambassadors of Asian countries to Kuwait. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

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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. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF GERMANY The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait wishes to announce that as of 1 May 2011, the external service provider Al Qabas Assurex is operating a Visa Application Centre in support of the German Embassy. Short-term visa applications for travels to Germany (e.g. for tourism, visits, business) are to be submitted to the service provider Al Qabas who for your convenience will ensure that all relevant documents are included in your application. Your personal appearance at the Application Centre is not required. Address of the Visa Application Centre: Al Qabas Assurex Sanabel Tower (Al-Babtain) Mezzanine (M3) opposite Sharq Mall Kuwait 22924444 Fax: 22924442 Further information are available on the following websites: www.kuwait.diplo.de www.qavisa.com nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF INDIA Embassy of India, would like to inform that application forms for passport/visa services and labour contracts that are on its website, www.indembkwt.org, have been upgraded to include the facility for online data entry. Affidavit forms on the Embassy website have had this facility since May 6, 2009. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF KENYA

IMAX film program Effective 4th September 2011 to 10th September 2011 Monday Born to be Wild 3D: 10:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm, 4:30pm, 5:30pm, 8:30pm Legends of Flight 3D: 11:30am Sea Rex 3D: 12:30pm, 9:30pm Journey to MECCA 3D: 6:30pm Arabia 3D: 7:30pm Tuesday Legends of Flight 3D: 10:30am, 7:30pm Born to be Wild 3DL: 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm, 9:30pm Arabia 3D: 12:30pm Sea Rex 3D: 5:30pm, 8:30pm

Wednesday Born to be Wild 3D: 10:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm, 4:30pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm Sea Rex 3D: 11:30am, 6:30pm Legends of Flight 3D: 12:30pm Journey to MECCA 3D: 8:30pm Thursday Legends of Flight 3D: 10:30am, 5:30pm Born to be Wild 3D: 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm, 8:30pm Sea Rex 3D: 12:30pm; 9:30pm Arabia 3D: 7:30pm Friday Fires of Kuwait: 2:30pm Born to be Wild 3D: 3:30pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm, 9:30pm

Journey to MECCA 3D: 4:30pm Legends of Flight 3D: 6:30pm Sea Rex: 8:30pm Saturday Born to be Wild 3D: 10:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 6:30pm, 8:30pm Legends of Flight 3D: 11:30am, 5:30pm, 9:30pm Sea Rex 3D: 12:30pm, 7:30pm Journey to MECCA 3D: 2:30pm Arabia 3D: 4:30pm Notes: All films are in Arabic EXCEPT “Fires of Kuwait” For English, Headsets are available upon request Film schedule is subject to changes without notice.

For information call 1 848 888 or visit www.tsck.org.kw

The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to request all Kenyans resident in or training through Kuwait to register with the Embassy. We are updating our database. This information is necessary in order to facilitate quick assistance and advise in times of emergency. Kindly visit in person or register through our website www.kenyaembkuwait.com. The Embassy is located in: Surra Area - Block 6 - Street 9 Villa 3 Tel: 25353362 - 25353314; Fax: 25353316. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF SOUTH AFRICA 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 101 01:40 Untamed & Uncut 02:35 Crocodile Feeding Frenzy 03:30 Monster Bug Wars 04:25 Whale Wars 05:20 Animal Cops Phoenix 06:10 Dogs 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 Animal Cops Houston 11:55 E-Vets: The Interns 12:20 Wildlife SOS 12:50 Cell Dogs 13:45 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 14:40 Ultimate Air Jaws 15:30 Gorilla School 16:00 The Really Wild Show 16:30 Animal Crackers 16:55 Safari Sisters 17:25 America’s Cutest...

18:20 Breed All About It 18:45 Crocodile Hunter 19:40 Cheetah Kingdom 20:10 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 21:05 Best Bites: 25 Greatest Shark Moments 22:00 Ocean Odyssey 22:55 I’m Alive 23:50 Africa’s Outsiders

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 09:35 09:40 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

Dad’s Army The Weakest Link Ray Mears: Wild Food The Weakest Link Lark Rise To Candleford Last Of The Summer Wine Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Jackanory Junior Poetry Pie Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Jackanory Junior Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Jackanory Junior Poetry Pie Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Jackanory Junior Poetry Pie Poetry Pie Last Of The Summer Wine The Weakest Link Heart & Soul Doctors Dad’s Army Ray Mears: Wild Food Last Of The Summer Wine Heart & Soul The Weakest Link Doctors Dad’s Army Ray Mears: Wild Food Heart & Soul The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Dalziel And Pascoe Last Of The Summer Wine

00:35 03:05 07:20 07:50 08:45 09:35 10:30 11:20 12:10 13:00

Holmes On Homes Come Dine With Me Daily Cooks Challenge Antiques Roadshow What Not To Wear The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook What Not To Wear Antiques Roadshow Holmes On Homes Daily Cooks Challenge

15:00 Bargain Hunt 15:45 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook 16:45 Antiques Roadshow 17:35 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 18:00 New Scandinavian Cooking 18:25 Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers 18:55 The Naked Chef 19:20 Sweet Baby James 19:45 Come Dine With Me 20:35 Holmes On Homes 21:25 Antiques Roadshow 22:15 Come Dine With Me

00:00 BBC World News 01:30 Asia Business Report 01:45 Sport Today 02:00 BBC World News 02:10 The Health Show 02:30 Our World 03:00 Newsday 03:30 India Business Report 04:00 Newsday 04:30 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 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 Sport Today 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Hardtalk 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 Sport Today 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 BBC World News America 23:30 Hardtalk

00:00 Cow & Chicken 00:30 Cramp Twins 00:50 George Of The Jungle 01:20 Courage The Cowardly Dog 01:45 Eliot Kid 02:10 Ed, Edd n Eddy 02:35 Ben 10: Alien Force 03:00 The Powerpuff Girls 03:15 Chowder 03:40 The Secret Saturdays 04:05 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 04:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 04:55 Best Ed 05:20 Skunk Fu! 05:45 Cramp Twins 06:10 Eliot Kid 06:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 07:00 Eliot Kid 07:25 Angelo Rules 07:50 Best Ed 08:15 Flapjack 08:40 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 09:05 Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 09:30 Courage The Cowardly Dog 09:55 Cow & Chicken

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

TV PROGRAMS 10:20 I Am Weasel 10:35 Adventure Time 11:00 Ben 10 11:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 11:50 The Secret Saturdays 12:15 Samurai Jack 12:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 13:05 Codename: Kids Next Door 13:30 Skunk Fu! 13:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 14:15 Flapjack 14:40 Ed, Edd n Eddy 15:05 Camp Lazlo 15:30 Chowder 15:55 Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 16:25 Cow & Chicken 16:50 Courage The Cowardly Dog 17:15 I Am Weasel 17:40 Adventure Time 18:05 Codename: Kids Next Door 18:30 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 18:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 19:20 Generator Rex 19:45 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 20:10 Hero 108 20:35 Bakugan: New Vestroia 21:00 Total Drama Island 21:25 Adventure Time 21:50 Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 22:00 Ben 10 22:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 22:50 The Secret Saturdays 23:15 Samurai Jack 23:40 Megas Xlr

00:20 01:10 02:00 02:45 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:00 06:20 06:45 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:35 09:00 09:10 09:20 09:30 09:40 10:05 Cody 10:35 10:50 11:15 11:35 12:00 12:25 12:45 13:10 13:30 13:55 14:20 14:55 15:20 15:45 16:10 16:35 17:00 17:25 17:50 18:15 18:45 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:35

Replacements Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic Stitch Kim Possible Emperor’s New School Stitch Emperor’s New School Suite Life On Deck Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction The Hive Handy Manny Imagination Movers The Suite Life Of Zack And Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Fish Hooks Wizards Of Waverly Place Jake & Blake Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Jake & Blake Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas Los Angeles

00:40 Shark Attack Files: Summer Of The Shark 01:35 Air Jaws

ITʼS A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE ON OSN CINEMA

02:30 Air Jaws 2 03:25 Great White Appetite 04:20 How Not To Become Shark Bait 05:15 Sharkman 07:00 Wheeler Dealers 07:25 Fifth Gear 07:50 Deadliest Catch: Toughest Moments 08:45 How Stuff’s Made 09:10 Mythbusters 10:05 Cake Boss 10:30 Border Security 10:55 Auction Kings 11:25 Deadliest Catch - Best Of Season 6 13:15 Ultimate Survival 14:10 River Monsters 15:05 Sons Of Guns 15:30 Cash Cab Us 16:00 Wheeler Dealers 16:25 Fifth Gear 16:55 Mythbusters 17:50 Gold Rush: Alaska 18:45 Cake Boss 19:10 Border Security 19:40 Auction Kings 20:05 How Stuff’s Made 20:35 How Do They Do It? 21:00 Cash Cab Us 21:30 Ultimate Survival 22:25 Deadliest Catch 23:20 Dual Survival

00:05 00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:50 04:45 05:40 06:10 07:00 07:55 08:50 09:40 10:35 11:30 11:55 12:25 13:15 14:05 14:30 14:55 15:45 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:15 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 21:35 22:00 22:50 23:40

The Gadget Show Prototype This The Colony Building the Future 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 Smash Lab Brainiac Sci-Fi Science How Stuff’s Made The Tech Show 2012 Apocalypse One Step Beyond Stunt Junkies Man Made Marvels China Weird Connections Da Vinci’s Machines NASA’s Greatest Missions 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 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 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 - Back To Basics 10:20 Aarti Party 10:45 Lidia’s Italy 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 Paula’s Party 12:25 Everyday Italian 12:50 Paula’s Best Dishes 13:15 Good Deal With Dave Lieberman 13:40 World Cafe Asia 14:05 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 14:30 Lidia’s Italy 14:55 Unwrapped 15:20 Boy Meets Grill 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Guy’s Big Bite 17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 17:50 Aarti Party 18:15 World Cafe Asia 18:40 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 19:05 Good Eats - Special 19:30 Food Network Challenge 20:20 Paula’s Party 21:10 Chef vs Britain 22:00 Lidia’s Italy

00:00 00:15 00:40 01:10 01:30 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:20 03:40 04:10 04:35 05:00 05:30 05:50 06:15 06:45 07:00 07:15 07:45 08:10 08:20 08:30 09:00 09:20 09:45 10:05 10:15 10:45 11:10 11:30 11:45

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

12:10 12:25 12:40 13:05 13:15 13:30 13:55 14:20 14:40 15:05 15:30 15:40 15:55 16:20 16:45 17:00 17:15 17:30 17:55 18:25 18:50 19:02 19:05 19:50 20:10 20:20 20:30 20:55 21:20 21:45 22:05 22:15 22:25 22:40 22:55 23:20 23:50

Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Imagination Movers The Hive Special Agent Oso Little Einsteins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Little Einsteins Lazytown Handy Manny The Hive Jake & The Neverland Pirates Imagination Movers Lazytown Jungle Junction The Hive Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Little Mermaid Special Agent Oso Animated Stories Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Hive Timmy Time Handy Manny Little Einsteins Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Little Einsteins The Hive Timmy Time Handy Manny Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction

00:25 Style Star 01:25 E!es 02:20 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Reality Hell 05:30 Wildest TV Show Moments 06:00 30 Best & Worst Beach Bodies 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:15 THS 12:05 Extreme Close-Up 12:35 Fashion Police 13:05 Khloe And Lamar 14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:35 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 15:30 E!es 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 17:55 Holly’s World 18:55 E!es 19:55 The Dance Scene 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:25Kourtney & Kim Take New York 22:25 Style Star 22:55 Fashion Police 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

00:15 Aiya TV 01:30 Eds Up 02:20 Fantasy Factory 04:50 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships...

06:30 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 07:00 Ride Guide Snow 2008 08:00 X-Traordinary 08:25 FIM World Supermoto 2010 10:55 Fantasy Factory 11:45 Glutton For Punishment 12:35 Final Fu 13:25 Carpocalypse 14:15 World Combat League 15:05 Fantasy Factory 15:55 Glutton For Punishment 16:45 X-Traordinary 17:10 FIM World Supermoto 2010 19:40 Carpocalypse 20:30 Final Fu 21:20 Untracked 22:10 World Combat League 23:00 Kick Ass Miracles 23:50 Final Fu

00:30 Deadly Women 01:20 Disappeared 02:10 Couples Who Kill 03:00True Crime With Aphrodite Jones 03:50 CSU 04:45 Crime Scene Psychics 05:15 Murder Shift 06:10 Mystery Diagnosis 07:00 Undercover 07:50 Forensic Detectives 08:40 Street Patrol 09:05 Real Emergency Calls 09:30 Mystery Diagnosis 10:20 CSU 11:10 FBI Files 12:00True Crime With Aphrodite Jones 12:50 Disappeared 13:40 Mystery Diagnosis 14:30 Street Patrol 14:55 Real Emergency Calls 15:20 CSU 16:10 FBI Files 17:00 Forensic Detectives 17:50 Undercover 18:40 Real Emergency Calls 19:05 Mystery Diagnosis 19:55 Street Patrol 20:20True Crime With Aphrodite Jones 21:10 Disappeared 22:00 Stalked: Someone’s Watching 22:25 Who On Earth Did I Marry?

22:50 Street Patrol 23:15 Real Emergency Calls 23:40 Dr G: Medical Examiner

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 03:30 05:30 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:30 11:30 12:00 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:00

Travel Madness Cruise Ship Diaries Exploring The Vine Food School Banged Up Abroad Finding Genghis Travel Madness Cruise Ship Diaries Exploring The Vine Food School Banged Up Abroad Finding Genghis Travel Madness Don’t Tell My Mother Word Travels Market Values The Best Job In The World

CATCH THAT KID ON OSN MOVIES HD 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 20:30 Market Values 21:00 The Best Job In The World 21:30 Madventures 22:00 Which Way To 23:00 Word Travels 23:30 Market Values

00:00 The Collector-18 02:00 From Paris With Love-PG15 04:00 You Got Served-PG15 06:00 The Librarian: The Curse Of Judas Chalice-PG15 08:00 Ballistica-PG15 09:45 Lost In Space-PG15 12:00 The Bodyguard 2-PG15 14:00 Ballistica-PG15 16:00 Fast Lane-PG15 18:00 The Bodyguard 2-PG15 20:00 The Spirit-PG15 22:00 The Final-18

01:00 03:00 PG15 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:15 13:00 15:00 16:45 19:00 21:00 23:15

The Gray Man-PG15 It’s A Wonderful AfterlifeFlying By-PG15 Parlez-Moi De LA Pluie-PG15 Secretariat-PG15 Shrek Forever After-FAM Emotional Arithmetic-PG15 The Lizzie McGuire Movie-PG Flash Of Genius-PG15 The Spy Next Door-PG15 Agora-18 Jonah Hex-PG15

00:00 Curb Your Enthusiasm 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 02:00 Saturday Night Live 03:00 Just Shoot Me 03:30 Just Shoot Me 04:00 Dharma And Greg 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 Dharma And Greg 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 Dharma And Greg 13:00 Just Shoot Me 13:30 Will And Grace 14:00 Coach 14:30 30 Rock 15:00 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 18:30 Just Shoot Me 19:00 Cougar Town 19:30 Traffic Light 20:00 Seinfeld 20:30 Seinfeld 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Tracy Morgan: Black And Blue 23:00 The Ricky Gervais Show 23:30 Seinfeld

01:00 Case 39-18 03:00 You Got Served-PG15 05:00 Blood River-18

07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Timeline-PG15 Changing Lanes-PG15 The Bannen Way-PG15 Shinjuku Incident-PG15 Changing Lanes-PG15 No Escape-PG15 Juice-18 Friday The 13th-18 Altitude-PG15

00:00 01:45 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 17:45 20:00 22:00

From Justin To Kelly-PG French Kiss-PG15 Straight Talk-PG15 Happy Ever Afters-PG15 12 Men Of Christmas-PG15 Dr. Dolittle-PG Dr. Dolittle 2-PG Malibu’s Most Wanted-PG15 From Justin To Kelly-PG The Allnighter-PG15 Tomcats-18 Woke Up Dead-PG15

01:30 Ghost-PG15 04:00 Made In Dagenham-PG15 06:00 Don’t Fade Away-PG15 07:30 Revenge Of The Bridesmaids¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†-PG15 09:00 Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea-FAM 10:45 2012-PG15 13:30 Ghosts Of Girlfriends PastPG15 15:15 Catch That Kid-PG 17:00 Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea-FAM 19:00 Eat Pray Love-PG15 21:15 She’s Out Of My League-18 23:00 Tomcats-18

00:00 A Christmas Carol-PG 02:00 Legend Of Sleeping Beauty 04:00 Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Jr. 06:00 Wild Records!-PG 08:00 Casper Haunted Christmas 10:00 Free Willy: Escape From Pirate’s Cove-FAM 12:00 A Christmas Carol-PG 14:00 Queen Of The Swallows-FAM 16:00 Dennis The Menace: Cruise Control-FAM 18:00 Free Willy: Escape From Pirate’s Cove-FAM 20:00 Furry Vengeance-PG15 22:00 Casper Haunted ChristmasFAM

00:30 WWE Tough Enough 01:30 WWE SmackDown 03:30 WWE Bottomline 04:30 NRL Premiership 06:30 Le Mans Series 07:00 European PGA Tour 11:30 NRL Full Time 12:00 Live NRL Premiership 14:00 The Open Championship Official Film 15:00 Super League 17:00 NRL Premiership 19:00 Trans World Sport 20:00 Speedway FIM World Championship 21:00 WWE SmackDown 23:00 WWE Tough Enough

01:00 Masters Football 04:00 ICC Cricket World 04:30 NRL Premiership 06:30 Total Rugby 07:00 Rugby World Cup Classics 07:30 Masters Football 10:30 Trans World Sport 11:30 NRL Full Time 12:00 Live NRL Premiership 14:00 ICC Cricket World 14:30 Super League 16:30 AFL Premiership 19:00 NRL Premiership 21:00 Rugby World Cup Classics 21:30 Rugby World Cup 2007 Review 22:30 Golfing World 23:30 ICC Cricket World

00:30 Football Euro 2012 Qualification 02:30 NRL Premiership 04:30 Rugby World Cup Classics 05:00 FEI Equestrian World 05:30 Spirit of Yachting 06:00 Trans World Sport 07:00 PGA European Tour 11:30 Golfing World 12:30 FEI Equestrian World 13:00 Trans World Sport 14:00 Masters Football 17:00 Spirit of Yachting 17:30 Golfing World 18:30 ICC Criket World 19:00 AFL Highlights 20:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 21:00 Football Euro 2012 Qualification 23:00 Futbol Mundial 23:30 AFL Highlights

00:00 Speedway 01:00 V8 Supercars Championship 03:00 WWE Tough Enough 04:00 WWE NXT 05:00 WWE Vintage Collection 06:00 UFC Unleashed 07:00 WWE Bottomline 08:00 V8 Supercars Championship 09:00 V8 Supercars Championship 10:00 Power Boats F1 Championship 11:30 Power Boats F1 Championship 12:30 WWE Vintage Collection 13:30 V8 Supercars Championship 14:30 V8 Supercars Extra 15:00 WWE SmackDown 17:00 WWE Tough Enough 18:00 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup 19:00 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup 20:00 Speedway 21:00 UFC Wired 22:00 UFC Unleashed 23:00 UFC Unleashed

00:00 The Universe 01:00 American Pickers 02:00 Pawn Stars 02:30 Pawn Stars 03:00 UFO Hunters 04:00 Ancient Aliens 06:00 The Universe 07:00 American Pickers 08:00 Pawn Stars 08:30 Pawn Stars 09:00 UFO Hunters 10:00 Ancient Aliens 12:00 The Universe 13:00 American Pickers 14:00 Pawn Stars 14:30 Pawn Stars 15:00 UFO Hunters 16:00 Ancient Aliens 18:00 The Universe 19:00 Ice Road Truckers 20:00 Ax Men 21:00 Lock N’ Load With R. Lee Ermey 22:00 IRT: Deadliest Roads 23:00 Ax Men

00:00 Top 10 01:00 Videofashion News 01:55 Big Boutique 02:25 How Do I Look?

03:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

04:15 Married Away 05:10 Homes With Style 05:35 Area 06:05 Clean House 07:00 Big Boutique 08:00 Videofashion News 09:00 Fashion Avenue 09:55 How Do I Look?

10:50 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

11:50 Clean House: Search For The Messiest...

12:50 Clean House 13:45 Videofashion News 14:45 How Do I Look?

15:40 Ruby 16:35 Jerseylicious

Classifieds MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available at Abbassiya near Integrated Indian school, Highland supermarket building, Keralite family.

Contact: 99379252.

(C 3599) 4-9-2011

FOR SALE 99 model Toyota Prado 6 cylinders company paint, accident free, alloy wheels, wood decoration, remote, CD, USB, zenon sensor, 4x4, cash KD 2400.

Contact: 60451292. (C 3596) 3-9-2011 Fridge, cupboards, double bed, dining table, sofa set, TV-2 Nos for sale. All in good condition. Contact: 24340141 / 99818982. (C 3594) Mitsubishi Galant 2008 model, 2400 CC, liquid silver color, single owner accident free, AlMulla maintained, service history available upon request, full option, serious buyer contact: 97264236.

(C 3595) 30-8-2011

SITUATION WANTED

Immediately available Indian Accountant (M.Com) for fulltime/part time having sufficient experience in Kuwait. A few years experience to prepare Trading Account, Profit & Losses A/C, Balance Sheet, Budgets and Budget control, Bank dealings, L/cs, Recoveries & Payments, can write/speak Arabic and having driving license & car.

Also can work as Executive Secretar y/Secretar y or Tender Executive. Contact: 97669236/ 24315927.

(C 3600) 5-9-2011

MATRIMONIAL Syro Malabar parents and Palai diocese invite proposal for their son 27/171 cm B.Tech engineer, working as programmer with a reputed firm in Kuwait. Email:

mailproposals11@gmail.com (C 3598) 4-9-2011 Christian Orthodox girl 33 years BSc nurse, divorced, no liabilities working in Kuwait MOH, seeking alliance from professionally qualified God fearing person with details and photos to: mathewt27@yahoo.com (C 3597) 3-9-2011

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines RJA MEA JZR KAC THY ETH PIA UAE DHX ETD KAC MSR FDB GFA QTR MSR KAC MSR JZR FCX JZR KAC JZR BAW JZR KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY ETD GFA SHY MSR MEA JZR JZR IRC MSR RBG KAC KAC MSR SYR UAL RJA FDB

Flt 642 406 205 1502 772 620 205 853 370 305 108 614 67 211 138 2102 544 2104 503 201 555 412 531 157 1541 206 302 53 352 284 362 344 855 132 125 301 213 1125 2114 404 165 121 6521 623 3557 618 672 610 341 982 640 57

Arrival Flights on Monday 5/9/2011 Route AMMAN BEIRUT DAMASCUS BEIRUT ISTANBUL ADDIS ABABA LAHORE DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI GENEVA CAIRO DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA CAIRO CAIRO CAIRO LUXOR DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MANILA / BANGKOK ASSIUT LONDON CAIRO ISLAMABAD MUMBAI DUBAI COCHIN DHAKA COLOMBO CHENNAI DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH ABU DHABI BAHRAIN ANTALYA CAIRO BEIRUT DUBAI BAHRAIN LAMERD SOHAG ALEXANDRIA DOHA DUBAI CAIRO DAMASCUS WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN DUBAI

Time 0:05 0:15 0:25 1:15 1:15 1:45 2:20 2:25 2:55 2:55 2:59 3:05 3:10 3:15 3:20 3:20 4:40 4:55 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 10:45 10:55 11:10 11:15 11:20 12:10 12:55 12:55 13:15 13:20 13:25 13:30 13:35 13:50

OMA QTR SVA KAC JZR QTR KNE KAC KAC KAC JZR KAC 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 MSR DLH LMU JZR BBC PIA

645 140 500 788 257 134 745 1802 546 550 535 118 403 303 857 154 215 510 777 239 127 213 63 3407 227 104 542 786 744 614 774 674 975 572 61 647 179 81 402 372 445 859 217 136 981 135 327 185 612 636 1109 539 43 239

MUSCAT DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH BEIRUT DOHA JEDDAH CAIRO ALEXANDRIA SOHAG CAIRO NEW YORK COLOMBO / DUBAI ABU DHABI DUBAI ISTANBUL BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH DEIREZZOR DUBAI MASHAD COLOMBO / DUBAI LONDON CAIRO JEDDAH DAMMAM BAHRAIN RIYADH DUBAI CHENNAI / GOA MUMBAI DUBAI MUSCAT DUBAI BAGHDAD BEIRUT BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN TUNIS DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT ALEXANDRIA CAIRO DHAKA SIALKOT

14:00 14:15 14:30 15:00 15:10 15:15 15:25 15:25 15:30 15:35 15:50 16:15 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 19:15 19:20 19:25 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 22:50 23:00 23:05 23:30 23:45 23:55

Airlines JZR AXB DLH KLM BBC AIC MEA AFG THY ETH PIA UAE FDB DHX ETD MSR MSR QTR MSR JZR RJA GFA JZR BAW KAC FDB KAC JZR KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR ETD GFA SHY KAC MSR MEA KAC JZR JZR JZR IRC KAC MSR KAC RBG

Flt 1540 390 637 447 46 982 407 406 773 620 206 854 68 371 306 615 2103 139 2105 164 643 212 120 156 545 54 1801 534 153 671 256 787 549 617 856 126 133 302 214 1126 165 2115 405 541 776 212 238 6522 103 624 785 3558

Departure Flights on Monday 5/9/2011 Route CAIRO MANGALORE / KOZHIKODE FRANKFURT AMSTERDAM DHAKA AHMEDABAD / CHENNAI BEIRUT DUBAI / KABUL ISTANBUL BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA PESHAWER / LAHORE DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI CAIRO CAIRO DOHA CAIRO DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN LONDON ALEXANDRIA DUBAI CAIRO CAIRO ISTANBUL DUBAI BEIRUT JEDDAH SOHAG DOHA DUBAI SHARJAH DOHA ABU DHABI BAHRAIN ANTALYA ROME / PARIS CAIRO BEIRUT CAIRO JEDDAH DEIREZZOR AMMAN LAMERD LONDON SOHAG JEDDAH SOHAG / ALEXANDRIA

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

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

MSR SYR RJA FDB UAL OMA KAC SVA JZR KAC 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 UAL KAC MSR

611 342 641 58 982 646 673 501 178 773 746 141 613 743 538 82 304 404 135 858 216 128 184 266 511 64 3406 228 134 1501 283 571 62 528 268 331 351 648 403 543 373 445 860 218 102 137 301 205 327 554 504 981 411 613

CAIRO DAMASCUS AMMAN DUBAI BAHRAIN MUSCAT DUBAI JEDDAH DUBAI RIYADH 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 WASHINGTON DC DULLES BANGKOK / MANILA CAIRO

14:20 14:25 14:30 14:35 14:45 15:00 15:10 15:45 16:00 16:05 16:10 16:15 16:20 16:25 16:40 17:00 17:35 17:40 17:45 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 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 23:50

34

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

stars CROSSWORD 429

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) The world is a sacred place to you and you have an absolute commitment to spiritual ideas. You could be enjoying a luncheon today with people that are within your spiritual association. You have an intuition that is strong and you use it now in helping others. You are sensitive, kind and gentle. You are a romantic too—with a tender heart. You always work for a real future, doing what has to be done. You love all that is musical and artistic. You have a sensitivity to all that is psychic or spiritual. You have real faith. There is a natural appreciation for the past that stands out today as you demonstrate trends or point out tendencies and the possibilities of change. You will enjoy music, young people and just being with your loved ones this evening.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Sympathy and understanding come into play today as you interact with friends and family. It’s wisdom, not knowledge, which counts now. Coming to grips with the past or getting in touch with the mystical and the spiritual gives you a sense of satisfaction and completeness. If it makes sense you love it. A loving attention to details and a sense of satisfaction in doing what is right, especially with respect to your health, are some of the qualities that come into play now. You may find yourself at a nearby fruit and vegetable market this afternoon, mentally planning next week’s food choices. Your energies appear to be in the planning mode this evening. You are at your mental best with sharp ideas and clear thoughts. Enjoy a little music while you think.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. Slow to learn or understand.

5. A plain plinth that supports a wall.

10. A watery solution of sugars, salts, and minerals that circulates through the vascular system of a plant.

13. Small buffalo of the Celebes having small straight horns.

14. Jordan's port.

15. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

16. A bluish-white lustrous metallic element.

17. Tag the base runner to get him out.

19. A bet that you can pick the first and second finishers in the right order.

23. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

25. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring on the sea or ships.

26. Kidney disease characterized by enlarged kidneys containing many cysts.

29. A two-wheeled horse-drawn covered carriage with the driver's seat above and behind the passengers.

33. Being three more than fifty.

37. Italian painter and son of Fra Filippo Lippi (1457-1504).

38. Rounded like an egg.

39. The corporate executive responsible for the operations of the firm.

40. An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.

41. Eurasian perennial bulbous herbs.

45. 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).

46. In bed.

48. The state prevailing during the absence of war.

51. A port city in southwestern Iran.

55. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

56. A steep descent of the water of a river.

60. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

61. Having undesirable or negative qualities.

62. Any of various deciduous or evergreen ornamental shrubs of the genus Abelia having opposite simple leaves and cymes of small white or pink or purplish flowers.

64. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

65. Used of a single unit or thing.

66. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.

67. Seed of a pea plant.

DOWN 1. The feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally.

2. A powerful operating system developed at the Bell Telephone Laboratories.

3. An island northwest of Wales.

4. An indehiscent fruit derived from a single ovary having one or many seeds within a fleshy wall or pericarp.

5. The capital and largest city of Yemen.

6. A Turkish unit of weight equal to about 2.75 pounds.

7. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

8. 16 ounces.

9. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

10. British writer of short stories (1870-1916).

11. Any culture medium that uses agar as the gelling agent.

12. The British system of withholding tax.

18. Of or relating to Oman or its people.

20. A bachelor's degree in theology.

21. The residue that remains when something is burned.

22. Made of fir or pine.

24. (Scottish) Bluish-black or gray-blue.

27. A lake in the mountains of central Africa between Congo and Rwanda.

28. The face of a timepiece.

30. A detailed description of design criteria for a piece of work.

31. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

32. Any of various minerals consisting of hydrous silicates of aluminum or potassium etc. that crystallize in forms that allow perfect cleavage into very thin leaves.

34. (anatomy) Of or relating to the ilium.

35. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

36. A South American shrub whose leaves are chewed by natives of the Andes.

42. Manufactured in standard sizes to be shipped and assembled elsewhere.

43. A young woman making her debut into society.

44. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

47. An oil port in southern Iraq.

49. A feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause).

50. An officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer.

51. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

52. Slightly wet.

53. A French abbot.

54. A quantity of no importance.

57. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

58. A zodiacal constellation in northern hemisphere between Cancer and Virgo.

59. A three-year law degree.

63. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You may be very forceful in what you say and think today. With all of this emotional energy, you could speak or communicate very well. If a relationship has been a little chancy lately—now is the time to reinforce those good vibrations. You have much mental drive to accomplish whatever you set out to do. There is the possibility of new visions or sudden insights into your self-image or into your goals. You are ready to reshape and renew your philosophy or religion, during which your imagination is at full tilt. There are breakthroughs in understanding difficult people or situations. At this time the new and unexpected may figure in your living situation or surroundings. A friend or relative that has previously been standoffish opens to you now.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

From this day forward you will be able to come to grips with your negative side; you can now take control of the forces within you that prevent your progress. As you move forward, acknowledge the successes and celebrate yourself. Lovers, children and other people or things dear to your heart are emphasized at this time in your life. The negative action of a mate or loved one is a temporary situation—relax. Taking the opportunity to hug or encourage your loved one is a good thing. You may enjoy an activity this afternoon that is completely different for a change. Your desires are strong and you will want to enjoy yourself. A change of heart, second thoughts and romantic innuendoes are all very good and possible this evening.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Faith, optimism and a yearning to explore all kinds of new horizons are some of the focal points in your life at this time. Travel, education and other ways to stretch your horizons open new doors of possibilities.

Religious, philosophical and cultural matters are likely to have special appeal for you now; transmitting ideas on a broader scale brings gain. There is much energy and drive, perfect for starting something out or taking care of business. Very physical too—exercise is in order. Reflect on some difficulty or status of a situation, perhaps even gaining insight into your own progress. Your emotions and the emotions of those around you are quite clear today. This evening is the perfect time to catch up on family matters.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Take advantage of the day to consolidate and organize your affairs or rearrange your living situation. You could be seen by others as just the person to be put in charge of some project requiring a conservative mind.

There is a tendency toward isolation this morning, but this will work in your favor.

Later this afternoon you may enjoy a good movie or being involved with some activity that includes your friends. You can appreciate an imaginative approach. Perhaps a drive in the country or to a vegetable stand with a loved one would be in order. The good life and all that is fine and luxurious, may be what you value just now. Hobbies, creative endeavors or perhaps board games can bring the family together in some fun activities tonight.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

A new cycle begins for you, signaling a greater than usual interest in relationships, social connections and the arts. Real estate decisions can and should be put on hold for now. You may feel blocked or frustrated emotionally by someone or by your own life situation in general. You might feel that some avenues of support have been cut off or blocked. Given time to think things through, decisions will become clear. This may be the perfect time to visit a planetarium, art show, zoo, etc. Seeing both sides of an issue and figuring out resolutions to opposing views take on more importance in your life. This is a time when you could make some very good choices. Give yourself time, however, before making important decisions.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You may be able to enjoy and value your own life situation today or feel especially kind towards a friend or loved one. You are certainly full of energy and ready to live life fully. There are opportunities to get an unexpected boost in the way you think, speak or write. Communications are simplified and connections of all kinds are furthered—often at the expense of tradition or established order. You could find that you are appreciated or valued for your ability to act and get things done. A visitor in your home today may compliment you on your tastes or belongings. There is a chance to understand those around you and to spend some prime time with someone you love. General good feeling and a sense of support and harmony make this a happy time.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) If there is something that needs to be said on the home front today—think before speaking. Involve yourself in domestic activities—while you work you can give your creative ideas some thought. Be aware of your supersensitive feelings—they can get in the way of progress. Others are willing to listen to what you have to say—they may surprise you by lending their support to whatever you want to accomplish. Everything unites to value and to bring out your special qualities. You may find that someone close to you is supportive of your eccentricities.

You could come up with new solutions. Your timing should be perfect and those around you should find you most spontaneous. Get outside this evening and enjoy a walk with your loved one.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Your pride is showing today—you may worry a bit more about your looks than otherwise necessary. If you have work to do, put your head down and get it finished. This is a busy day . . . one might find you huffing and puffing often. You can get more done than the average person and some things you have been putting off are included in your rush to use every minute of today. Do be careful not to break some prized possession as you hurry through the day. This afternoon is the time for communication with friends and loved ones. If you are a female, you may not get to sleep as early as you would prefer. If you are a male, you may turn your head to someone’s flattery that is not sincere. A positive plan is beginning to develop.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Your inner resources and emotions are accented. You can expect a sense of support and good will from those around you.

Perhaps you feel this is really you—how you feel and are. You may not appreciate the easy way or clear-cut option and may choose instead a more difficult path. The ability to achieve and solve problems keeps in tune with the universe. You may want to set any ideas about a job change to the side today. Free your mind—find your sense of humor—laugh. A family member brings you good news today. There is much communication now surrounding children and school systems. Phone calls and letters are underway. Pamper yourself this evening, set some of the more serious subjects to the side and enjoy a loved one’s attention.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

You have a fine sense of appreciation and are very attentive to your loved ones. You love to help and take care of others, expressing a first-rate sense of compassion. You possess an almost infinite ability to respond to the needs and demands of others. Your love of truth makes philosophy and religious ideas a lifelong habit. While exercising or involved in team sports this afternoon, you may gain ideas about how to solve some problem you have been thinking about lately. You appreciate things of a global or universal level and would enjoy travel. Your talents at expressing yourself through lovely words create ideas for poetry and music. You entertain a loved one this evening.

There is an inner sense of warmth and drawing together.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 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

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

lifestyle G O S S I P

Mark Ronson is married ark Ronson has married Josephine De La Baume. The music producer wed the underwear model in a star-studded ceremony in Aix-enProvence in France, wearing a candy-striped three-piece suit and a white shirt. The bride - who was born near to where the wedding was held - wore an ivory, off-theshoulder Zac Posen gown embellished with pearls and a cropped veil. Among the attendees at the wedding yesterday were Mark’s clothes designer sister Charlotte

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Ronson, model Irina Lazareanu, Sean Lennon and Lily Allen. Guests were seen sipping champagne in the cobbled square of the town before the lunch-time reception. Josephine - who rose to fame modeling for Agent Provocateur - has previously revealed she was stunned when Mark proposed, and was impressed as he had designed the ring himself. She said: “Mark proposed on the beach in La Rochelle - I had no idea whatsoever. He designed the ring - it’s a yellow diamond, so beautiful.”

She has even joked she did not want to get married and was surprised at her reaction when he proposed.

Josephine added: “I didn’t want to get married. I couldn’t imagine myself in a cupcake dress - that’s why I’m not going to have one! “I always had a fantasy about having children so I just thought I’d get married, I don’t know when I was pregnant with my second child. “I got so super-excited when it happened - even more excited than annoying girls in romantic comedies.”

Jackman embarrasses son Manic Street Preachers think singles are over M anic Street Preachers think releasing singles is a thing of the past. The Welsh rockers believe the music industry has changed massively since their inception in the late 1980s and they no longer think bands want to achieve a “big” charting track. Bassist Nicky Wire said: “It’s something we feel is probably over, the idea of having massive hit singles- unless something dramatically changes in life, it’s probably at an end. The single is no more, as such, from what we grew up with anyway, let’s face it, it’s a different dimension. “There are no guitar

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Prince Harry to party in Vegas B

ritain’s Prince Harry will party in Las Vegas while training in the US. The 26-year-old royal - who is renowned for a love of nights out will spend 48-hours in the gambling city while undertaking a 12-week helicopter training course in California and Arizona later this year, as it is part of the “tradition” for those taking part. A source told the Sunday Mirror: “It’s traditional that guys on his course, which is split between California and Arizona, have a break in Vegas at the halfway point. “The course doesn’t have much downtime, it’s pretty intense. This is a chance for pilots to let their hair down, kick back and enjoy themselves.”

As part of his US training, Harry - who was recently promoted to a Royal Air Force Captain - will learn how to use weapons systems on board a helicopter and take part in mock combat missions with American forces. He will also be taught techniques which will help him avoid surface-to-air missiles.

Harry recently enjoyed a holiday to Croatia, where he even jumped into a pool fully clothed at an open air nightclub on the island of Hvar.

Kunis not keen on ‘Friends with Benefits’ ila Kunis thought ‘Friends with Benefits’ was “dated” when she first saw the script. The 28-year-old stars alongside Justin Timberlake in the Will Gluckdirected comedy about two friends who decide to try having sex without any strings attached, and she admits it needed extensive work to get it up to scratch. She said: “When I got the script it was very dated but I knew it made for a funny movie so I took a meeting with Will Gluck. Will, Justin and myself went out to dinner and that’s when we realized we wanted the same thing for the movie.

“We were able to workshop it, re-write the script and tailor the characters to what we feel our generation is like now.” Ukrainian-born Mila particularly enjoyed working on the set of the movie because there was a collaborative atmosphere. She told Stylist magazine: “A lot of the time you go to work then you have lunch by yourself and then you go back to work. “There are those few movies where you actually sit down with your co-star and your director and have lunch together. Three months in, we still enjoy having dinner together and we still go out to dinner in Los Angeles now.”

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Morgan’s ‘ladykiller’ son uey Morgan thinks his baby son will be a “ladykiller” when he is older.

The Fun Lovin’ Criminals frontman and wife Rebecca became parents to a boy last month and the ‘Scooby Snacks’ hitmaker says the infant is already a hit with his female friends and relatives. He said: “Fatherhood is a lot of fun, he’s a cool character, girls are already loving him - he’s going to be a lady killer, he’s already showing some moves.” Huey is determined to be a hands-on dad and thinks changing his son’s nappies is the “least” he can do for his wife as he is unable to help feed the baby. He said: “Of course I’m changing nappies, I think it’s the least you can do, I can’t breastfeed and you’ve got to be supportive throughout the pregnancy and everything, so I’m happy to do it.” The 41-year-old star also spoke of his desire to be a “realistic” father who makes his son aware of the situations he could find himself in, and plans to teach the youngster martial arts so he can learn to look after himself.

He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: “I’ll be a realistic, not tough father. I’ll want him to learn a martial art to teach him some self-confidence and self worth, and also to know how to control himself - you never hear of the guy who’s a black belt beating up someone in the street because they know to stay out of a bad situation.”

Huey Morgan is presenting from the red carpet for Barclaycard Unwind at the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize Albums of the Year. Leave your questions at facebook.com/Barclaycard.

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Jada is grateful for Will

ugh Jackman’s son thinks he is embarrassing.

The 42-year-old actor insists 11-year-old Oscar his eldest child with wife Deborra-Lee Furness doesn’t view him as “cool”, despite portraying ‘X-Men’ hero Wolverine on the big screen. Hugh - who also has six-year-old daughter Ava with his wife - said: “I just did this one-man show in Toronto. There’s an early song where I’m talking about how I like to dance but I’m Wolverine - it’s a funny, fun thing.”I was dancing and being a bit of a goofball. My son turned to my wife and said, ‘My dad is so embarrassing.’ He thinks I’m embarrassing.” Hugh - who will portray the character for the sixth time in ‘The Wolverine’ - also admitted he no longer tries to lose weight between the films as it is so hard to bulk up for the part. He told Total Film magazine: “I’m just a tall, skinny guy that’s had to put on weight for Wolverine, basically. The reason I had never really gone back to how my body would be is because Wolverine has been every three years and I know how hard it is to put on the weight.”

bands in the charts really, if you look at the top 40.

You’ve got to come to terms with that at some point.” The ‘Postcards from a Young Man’ hitmakers are preparing for the release of a 38-track singles collection and think they have “earned” the right to title the compilation ‘National Treasures’. Nicky added to NME magazine: “It is really cheeky, isn’t it? I had thought about it for a year or so. It is half-cosy and half just a bad take as loads of people hate us. “It just seemed to fit to everything really well, and I think we’ve earned the right.” —Bang showbiz

ada Pinkett Smith “thanks goodness” she is not a single mother. The ‘Hawthorne’ actress was raised in a single-parent family and is glad she is in a stable relationship and has husband Will Smith to support her with parental responsibilities. Jada - who has children Jaden, 13, and Willow, 10, with Will - said: “Thank goodness they have a father and I don’t have to raise them alone. “Having been raised by a single mother I’m very clear on what the difficulties of being raised by a single mother are. “It’s very hard when you don’t have a male component in the home to create balance and help in the decision making. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to just pass the ball, like, ‘tag, you’re it, you got this one’.” However, Jada doesn’t feel there is anything wrong with growing up in a single parent family and says religion has always helped her to focus. She added to Britain’s OK! magazine: “Growing up, though, being in a one parent family was all I knew. It was just me and my mom and we had fun.” Of religion Jada added: “You must have it.

Religion keeps you grounded and focused. “I’m not actually a Scientologist.

People make assumptions about what I believe but my religion is love.”

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Years

lifestyle M U S I C

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US actor and director Al Pacino poses with US actress Jessica Chastain during the photocall of “Wilde Salome” during the 68th Venice Film Festival yesterday at Venice Lido. —AFP

M O V I E S

US actor Al Pacino boards a motorboat at a Venice hotel on his way to the 68th Venice Film Festival. —AFP

Pacino’s ‘Wilde Salome’ defies description N

ot even Al Pacino is sure what to call “Wilde Salome,” his film making its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Pacino says it’s nei-

ther documentary, nor film. He calls it “a much more ambitious and complicated gesture in cinema.” The movie is Pacino’s examination of Oscar Wilde’s once -

banned play “Salome,” which tells the story of Herod’s obsession for his wife’s daughter, culminating with Salome’s vengeful demand for the head of John

the Baptist on a platter.

The movie is premiering out of competition yesterday. It weaves together a documentary on Wilde’s life, footage of a

reading of the play in Los Angeles and a film version of the play. Pacino also is to receive an award for his contribution to contemporary cinema. —AFP

Women steal the show at

Venice film festival

In this image released by Warner Bros. Pictures, Kate Winslet is shown in a scene from the film ‘Contagion.’ —AP

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rom the red carpet to the big screen, women are dazzling at this year’s Venice Film Festival with the key roles going to female stars who amaze with glamour and sheer chutzpah. Pop diva Madonna crazed the island when she sauntered down the celebrity runway in a striking Vionnet dress with red butterfly motif and long sweeping train-matched with large red-rimmed sunglasses and a dynamite red lipstick. Her new film, “WE”, takles the tale of King Edward VIII ‘s famous abdication and marriage to American divorcee Wallis Simpson through the perspectives of two emotionally enslaved but courageous women.

The 53-year old Material Girl may have received mixed reviews for her second directorial effort, but she was the life and soul of a Gucci party thrown in her honor, along with her break-dancing boyfriend Brahim Zaibat, 24. Italian decadence met American pop as Madonna sang “Like a Virgin” and sipped bellinis with guests including the designer Valentino on a terrace looking out onto Venice’s Grand Canal until 4:30 in the morning.

The blond star may be planning to spend a lot more time in the floating city, after reports that she has been to look around an enormous palace on the canal, going for 40 million euros (57 million dollars) — gondola not included.

As well as partying, the singer also presented the very first Gucci Award for Women in Cinema to American actress Jessica Chastain-starring in two films screening in Venice this year-for her performance in “Tree of Life”. Dashing George Clooney is hoping for an award for his fourth film as a director, the political thriller “The Ides of March”, which premiered on the opening night to rounds of applause and screams from delirious fans.

Though the Hollywood star was all smiles with the adoring public, he refused to give press interviews during his stay, apparently in the hope of avoiding a grilling on his recent split from Italian girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis. Instead, he was accompanied on the red carpet by Cindy Crawford-a former supermodel who wowed paparazzi with a classic red Roberto Cavalli gown-before slipping away to a private beach party on the Lido island. While Clooney said he “really enjoyed” directing himself in the film-quipping “you were very good that day, George!”-the plot hinges around the actions of a young woman, with a potent performance from Evan Rachel Wood.

British actress Keira Knightley’s harrowing portrayal of a hysterical woman who changes the lives of two of the twentieth century’s greatest minds-Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung-has already drawn high praise from critics. The starwho caused wild print dress by designer Mary Katrantzou caused controversy in some circles — joked that her performance in David Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method” was inspired by her own madness.

“Did I enjoy playing a deranged character? It was great fun. I’m obviously crazy anyway, so I drew on that,” she said, before being whisked away to the red carpet and a party with co-stars Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender. US actress Kate Winslet, starring in three films at the festival, said she enjoyed herself in Roman Polanski’s comedy “Carnage,” where she gets drunk and projectile vomitsthough the vomit, she said, was mainly squashed banana.

After describing with relish her techniques to the press, Winslet swanned down the catwalk in a Stella McCartney dress and delighted the crowds of fans by whipping out her mobile phone to take photos of them.

But it was actress Gwyneth Paltrow who seemed to have had the most fun, as a character in Steven Soderbergh’s “Contagion” who gets horrifically killed off by a lethal virus and then has her scalp peeled away and her brain dissected. “I liked having a seizure, it was exciting, great fun,” she said-though she dismissed the idea that the grizzly demise, including frothing at the mouth, had anything to do with her married character’s liason with another man. “I think that if death by virus was a punishment for extra-marital affairs there may be only about three dudes left in this room right now,” she told a packed press conference in Venice. “Maybe less, because we’re in Italy,” she added with a grin.—AFP

Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin performs in Montevideo on September 3, 2011. —AFP

Hollywood lusts for China film sales, with caution H

ollywood filmmakers are joining forces with Chinese companies to gain a foothold in the Asian nation’s huge movie market- but obstacles remain in the form of commercial restrictions and censorship. China is by far the world’s fastest-growing cinema market and, despite official barriers to entry and limits on artistic freedom, the world’s secondlargest economy is proving a huge draw for foreign filmmakers.

Chinese box office sales rose 64 percent last year to $1.5 billion, as economic woes sent the 2010 US box office down 5.72 percent to a 13-year low of $10.57 billion. In recent weeks, two of Hollywood’s biggest names, Relativity Media — producer of “ The Social Network”-and Legendary Pictures, maker of “Inception”, have announced deals to make films for the Chinese market.

Both hope to produce movies that will appeal to both Chinese and wider international audiences-a potentially lucrative plan but one that industry insiders said should nonetheless be approached with caution.

Members of the Turkish dance group “Fire of Anatolia” perform at Sheikh Rashid Hall at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre on September 3, 2011. The dance troop’s performances synthesize folk dance figures and music from Turkey’s various regions with roots in the history of Anatolia. —AFP

State-run companies still control the importing and distribution of foreign films in China, despite a 2009 World Trade Organization ruling that overseas firms should be allowed greater participation.

China also protects its domestic industry by only allowing around 20 foreign movies to be screened a year, making it difficult for overseas studios to capitalize on growing demand from the country’s emerging middle class.”China lost the WTO case and is supposed to let foreign companies into distribution,” said commercial lawyer Steve Dickinson, who has practiced in China since 1991 and whose firm has clients in the industry.

“But the law hasn’t changed-it’s just in flux and the bottom line is that everything is still subject to Beijing’s approval,” he told AFP. Hollywood films are on average twice as profitable as China’s local productions, but co-productions that bring foreign filmmaking expertise to bear are increasingly lucrative. Working with a Chinese partner to make movies with local investment and talent allows foreign filmmakers to get around

the import cap. Foreign partners can also negotiate a larger share of the takings from co-productions, which in the first half of 2011 accounted for 32 percent of the box office for Chinese-language films in the country, than they can for imports.

Relativity said it would co-produce what it called “cross cultural” films with Beijingbased Huaxia Film Distribution and SkyLand Film-Television Culture Development.

Legendary and its Chinese partner, Huayi Brothers Media, have announced plans to make a movie titled “The Great Wall” about the origins of the Chinese icon, and have signed Edward Zwick of “Last Samurai” fame to direct. But experts warned that censorship could be a problem for foreign companies unused to China’s sometimes unpredictable restrictions on artistic freedom.

In 2007, Xinhua said censors halved actor Chow Yun-fat’s screen time as a villain in Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” because his scenes were “vilifying and defacing the Chinese”. This June, state media quoted acclaimed director Jia Zhangke saying that he had abandoned a

spy film because of limits on freedom of expression, and censorship had stopped him making a film about a man’s sex life.

“If I want to make the movie here, I have to portray all the communists as superheroes,” Jia said. “This kind of cultural overcleanliness that bans the erotic, violent and terrifying is cultural naivety.” Peter Shiao, who chairs the US-China Film Summit annual industry gathering, said: “This is a transformative moment because the economics are right to make movies that appeal to both markets.” But added: “Despite the 60plus-percent growth, making films here is not as easy as it might seem.”

There are also concerns that while coproductions in Chinese might sell well in China, exporting them could be tough. Few Chinese-language films-with the exception of Zhang Yimou’s “Hero” and Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”-have done well in big Western markets.

Earthquake drama “Aftershock”, from Legendary’s partner Huayi, fizzled earlier this year in United States cinemas, where subtitled films rarely perform well.—AFP

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

lifestyle T R A V E L

Rev up your engine at

Daytona Beach property, just blocks from the beach, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Or try the art deco-style Streamline Hotel, a Daytona landmark where Bill France started NASCAR. For local dining, Daytona is more than beach-town burgers and fries. The elegant Rose Villa in Ormond Beach is the place for an outstanding five-star dining experience-the king crab and spiny lobster risotto is a favorite.

The Cellar, located in the home of

By Mary Ann Anderson

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iker babe, I’m not. NASCAR fan? Uhuh. Beach bunny? Nope, don’t think so. I’m way past the weight limit on being either a babe or a bunny. But it is late evening, and I’ve found myself driving along Daytona Beach, on Florida’s Atlantic coast, easily blending in with true biker babes, racing fans, and beach bunnies.

And I’ve just come from visiting Daytona International Speedway, after having feasted at the Daytona Diner, a much beloved local cafe frequented by bikers.

Daytona, a real sun of a beach, sort of has that magic wand, transformation effect on you. Meandering for miles along Florida’s Atlantic coast, Daytona is defined by lots of white sand, sparkling green water and big waves, long bridges strung like necklaces across bays, golden rays, and a carnival-like boardwalk that hums with sensory overload. Once dubbed “The World’s Most Famous Beach,” Daytona is the largest community in Volusia County and is surrounded by smaller ones like Ormond-by-the-Sea, Ormond Beach, Holly Hill, South Daytona, Daytona Beach Shores and Ponce Inlet.

The main draw of Daytona is the beach, which is one of the smattering in the US on which you can still drive, but, says Georgia Turner of the Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, “We’re way more than a beach. And there’s a misconception of who race fans and bikers are.

There’s not that Hell’s Angels element anymore.” During Bike Week in the late winter

Cracker Creek Landing sits on Spruce Creek, one of the Volusia County, Florida most pristine inland waterways. The shady landing is home to all sorts of domestic animals including goats, peacocks, geese, ducks, and chickens. and Biketoberfest in the fall, about a bazillion motorcyclists gather to pay homage to the sport.

That’s when leather-clad dudes riding their choppers and cruisers on the streets and beaches reign, but they’re likely to be joined by their equally leather-clad dudette wives and girlfriends, children,

The Villa Bed & Breakfast, a historic Spanish mansion built in 1929 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a quiet and stately alternative to the big resorts in Daytona Beach, Florida.

A group of school children climb the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station, Daytona Beach, Florida’s tallest lighthouse.

The 13-foot tall skeleton of a giant ground sloth is the centerpiece of the Museum of Arts & Sciences.

The Museum of Arts & Sciences in Daytona Beach houses the Root family collection of Americana and Coca-Cola. — MCT photos

parents, and even grandparents. No joke, motorcycles are big business here, Harleyhar-har. Before motorcycles, Daytona’s hard-packed sand beaches were known for car racing.

“There is no doubt about precisely when folks began racing each other in automobiles,” legendary racer Richard Petty once said. “It was the day they built the second automobile.” So, in 1903 soon after cars were invented, Ransom Olds and Alexander Winton made a straight-line race down Daytona Beach, which became the earliest forerunner of the Daytona International Speedway, which opened in 1959. Now tourists come from across the globe to see these hallowed grounds.

On the day I toured the Speedway, a potpourri of languages filled the air, including French, Canadian, Dutch, Spanish and Southern-definitely Southern, as I overheard this actual conversation:

“Hot dang!” a bearded man clad in an Alabama “Roll Tide” T-shirt laughed into a cell phone, drawing out “dang” into three syllables. “I can’t believe it. I’m actually standing here in Daytona at the Speedway.

Man, it’s so cool!”

My tour, which the Alabamian joined, took us to the drivers’ briefing room to victory lane to the press box high above the 2 {-mile primary track, which, by the way, Bill Elliott once circled in 42 seconds averaging 210 miles per hour.

Later I drove along Daytona’s “strip”Florida’s A1A Highway-that runs parallel to the beach. Fun, funky mom-and-pop hotels and restaurants co-mingle with dining chains like Bubba Gump’s and Bonefish Grill and big resort hotels like Hilton Oceanfront Resort and The Shores Resort & Spa. For more intimate accommodations, there’s the Villa Bed & Breakfast. First built in 1929, the stately, quiet luxury

President Warren G Harding, unequivocally has the best pasta dishes selections in town. Want less formal? Race fans will like Racing’s North Turn, a beachfront diner that sits on, well, the north turn of the original sand speedway. Or try the extremely popular and bathing suit-friendly Ocean Deck for fresh seafood.

As Turner says, Daytona is more than a beach. I popped into Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory and watched candy makers mold fresh chocolate into shapes of seashells and sea turtles. I took a pass, though, on climbing Florida’s tallest lighthouse at the quaint-a cliche but it fits — 1890s-era Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station and Museum, but only because of the record heat that day. But that didn’t deter dozens of school children from climbing to the top, bless their young hearts.

The Marine Science Center, which specializes in sea turtle and seabird rehabilitation, was a favorite stop, too, but I truly enjoyed the Museum of Arts & Sciences, an affiliation of the Smithsonian that actually sits inside a nature reserve. “For a city of 55,000 people,” Turner said, “for lack of a better word, our museum rocks.”

Rocks, it certainly does. The museum is one of the most diverse in the country in that it has art, history, nature and science.

The complete and well-preserved bones of a prehistoric 13-foot giant ground sloth, a cousin of the anteater and armadillo, greet you at the door. It only gets better from there.

There’s a visual storage gallery with a Lakota Sioux headdress and Napoleon death mask, an Audubon gallery loaded with paintings and prints, and a collection of amazing artwork from former Cuban President Fulgencio Batista, who once lived in Daytona. My next visit was to Cracker Creek Landing on Spruce Creek, one of the area’s pristine inland waterways.

My guide, Wynn Hamilton of Nature Adventures of Daytona, explained that through the wonder of kayaking she’ll help you find exotic and aquatic flora and fauna like manatees, dolphins, greenfly orchids, and birds of every feather including my personal favorite, the roseate spoonbill.

Adjacent to Cracker Creek Landing is Gamble Place, an old hunting and fishing lodge that belonged to James Gamble of Proctor & Gamble. An exact replica of Snow White’s cottage is on the property, complete with a witch’s hut and the Seven Dwarfs’ mine shaft. —MCT

Wynn Hamilton of Nature Adventures of Daytona takes visitors through Volusia County, Florida’s back roads and waterways in search of exotic and aquatic flora and fauna like manatees, dolphins, greenfly orchids, and birds of every feather including the roseate spoonbill, herons, egrets, and bald eagles.

Called the “World’s Most Famous Beach” since the 1920s, Daytona Beach meanders miles along Florida’s Atlantic coast.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Was pianist Wang’s racy, form-fitting mini-dress inappropriate?

A model wearing a mustard two-tiered top by Rachel Roy at Macy’s, chocolate alpaca cardigan at WestWind Alpaca and Fiber Mill; rust-colored denim by Paige and Moksha Fine Wovenís scarf both at Nordstrom. —MCT photos

Stand out from the herd this season

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et ready to snuggle up to fall fashion in cozy knits, plaid details, tribal accents, long skirts and splashes of warm hues. There’s something about layers that is inherently bohemian. There’s a carefree, artsy vibe associated with mixing textures, fabrics and patterns. The results can swing from gypsy to prepster, but layers are rarely dull.

So before we don the heavy winter coats that tend to bathe the fashion landscape in dark wool, it’s time to indulge in the liberation of layers. Now’s the time to warm up your summer wardrobe with cardigans, capes, scarves, belts and boots. Even the most bland, conservative attire can get a boost from a richly textured knit layer. And don’t forget to layer on some jewelry. —MCT

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A model wearing a cognac leather jacket with rabbit fur collar by June, leather belt, blue blouse by Splendid, all at Nordstrom; reversible pencil skirt of denim and plaid at Blue Bird Denim of St Louis, bluebirddenim.com; gold collar necklace and gold Jessica Simpson earrings, both at Macy’s. On the wall are sweater vests and cardigans designed by Skif International from WestWind Alpaca and Fiber Mill.

A model wearing a one-sleeved print maxi dress from Bar III collection , gold cuff bracelet, Kenneth Cole earrings, all at Macy’s; gold crescent necklace, Art Decoinspired crystal peacock pendant, triple buckle belt, Boutique 9 ‘Floyde’ boots , all at Nordstrom.

Chinese pianist Yuja Wang per forms at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. — MCT

(Left) A model wearing a dark wash skinny jeans with plaid cuff at Blue Bird Denim, WestWind Alpaca sweater by Skif International at Westwind Alpaca and Fiber Mill and a Rachel Roy tie-front top at Macys. (Above) A model wearing a maxi dress by Eclair, vest by Kensie, hat by Nine West, Lucky Brand earrings ($29) and long chain necklace, all from Macy s.

A model wearing a high-waisted denim trousers at Blue Bird Denim, paisley long-sleeve shirt with scarf-tie collar by Bobeau at Nordstrom, camel sweater cape of wool, cashmere, and angora by Akris Punto at Nordstrom, Steve Madden Brix platform boot and earrings by Jessica Simpson at Macys.

ianist Yuja Wang struck a chord at the Hollywood Bowl this month and not just with her performance of Rachmaninoff’s “Third Piano Concerto.” The 24year-old Chinese soloist had necks craning, tongues wagging and flashbulbs popping when she walked on wearing an orange, thigh-grazing, body-hugging dress atop sparkly gold strappy stiletto sandals.

In particular, Wang’s outfit was a hot topic at the concert and continued after Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed’s review appeared in print and online. While Swed praised her delicacy, speed and grace at the piano, his fashion comments-including the observation: “Her dress Tuesday was so short and tight that had there been any less of it, the Bowl might have been forced to restrict admission to any music lover under 18 not accompanied by an adult”have touched off a spirited debate among music critics and bloggers about what constitutes appropriate concert attire and, conversely, whether a critique of a performer’s clothes has any place in a music review.

It should be noted that while the Los Angeles Philharmonic has a very specific dress code for members of its orchestra (several ones, actually, depending on the time of day and season), it does not apply to soloists. They, according to an LAPhil representative, are informed what the orchestra will be wearing and can choose whatever they feel is most appropriate. “For women that’s traditionally an evening gown,” the rep said, “but that’s not always the case.”

Although Wang declined, through her management company, to discuss the dress or why she chose to wear it for that particular performance, others were quick to defend her wardrobe decision. “I look at Yuja with nothing but total sympathy,” said Cameron Carpenter, a 30-year-old Grammy-nominated musician whose often flamboyant attire while playing the organ similarly cuts against expectations. “For one thing, she’s a great artist and for another, she looks like about a hundred million dollars in that dress.”

Carpenter refers to Wang’s wardrobe preferences, like his own (which include Chanel, Valentino and Vivienne Westwood pieces he’s tweaked to his liking), as a performer’s “sovereign rights.”

“A performer can do anything and everything to present their music in any way they see fit. And therefore, what the performer presents has to be regarded as a total whole.

It’s much more important that it’s genuine self-expression.

“What people are missing here is that Yuja might want to be seen to be making, as many of us do, a personal statement without having played a note,” Carpenter said. “After all, they see you before they hear you.”

That all-of-a-package notion is echoed by Gerald Klickstein, a University of North Carolina School for the Arts faculty member and author of “The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness,” a textbook that advises undergraduate music students on all aspects of a music career-including proper attire. “The moment the audience catches sight of the performer, the performance has begun-their mannerisms, their attire, everything matters.” (And as such, Klickstein says, it is fair game for mention in a music review.)

Far from being inappropriate, Klickstein said, Wang’s wardrobe was a wholly authentic reflection of artist, set and setting. “She is a magnificent pianist .... She’s playing in LA, she’s 24, she’s a soloist, and there’s a lot of excitement in her playing that’s being conveyed through her attire. I think it’s terrific that she’s expressing herself from the stage and taking full advantage of the visual aspects of a live performance.”

While Klickstein (who was not at the concert) said it’s hard to know exactly what caused the current concert clothing kerfuffle, he offers one possibility: “If you (look at) the problems facing major orchestras, there’s a big challenge in dealing with the major donors with the most conservative tastes and trying to please them while trying to do the kind of innovative work that would draw a younger audience. There‘s a tendency for audience members to want to have their expectations met and not be surprised.

“Classical music culture is loaded with conformity and obedience, and that’s one reason we might see some of this resistance.” Mary Davis, a music professor, chairwoman of the department of music at Case Western Reserve University and author of several books exploring the intersection of music and fashion (including “Ballets Russes Style: Diaghilev’s Dancers and Paris Fashion” in 2010 and “Classic Chic: Music, Fashion, and Modernism” in 2006) also pointed to the confounding of expectations. —MCT

Pacino’s ‘Wilde Salome’ defies description

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

This handout picture released by central Taiwan’s Changhua County Government yesterday and taken on September 3, 2011 shows students performing a lion dance at an elementry school in Changhua.—AFP

Thousands of Taiwan children set

lion dance record

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housands of Taiwanese school children set a world record after simultaneously performing a colorful traditional lion dance, an official said yesterday. A total of 3,971 boys and girls from central Changhua County joined the event at a stadium late Saturday afternoon.

After donning masks they had to dance at the same time for more than five minutes.

“The world record was immedi-

ately verified by the authoritative Guiness World Records,” Chang Chueh-fen, an official of the Changhua County government, told AFP. She said Carin Valerio, from Guiness World Records, witnessed the event, which was part of a local government program to promote sports among children. “All the children who registered to join the event were required to practice at least more than a year,” Chang said. —AFP

Outrage explodes over rhyming ‘diet’ picture book

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A file picture taken on July 13, 2011 shows people riding bicycles outside the village of Lilongwe. —AFP

Bicycle foot power the way to go in Malawi

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icycle taxis with padded passenger seats fashioned onto their metal baggage racks line the road waiting for customers to hop on for a low cost rideMalawian-style. Two-wheeled transport rivals cars outside of big cities in this small southern African nation, where simple bikes with few bells and whistles are used to ferry anything from to giant stacks of firewood to iced lollies and even the sick, in special attachable wagons. “Boat making was a hard job, that’s why I decided to switch. I make about 1,000 Malawian kwacha ($6.6, 4.5 euro) a day,” said Panjira Khombe, 28, who has taxied passengers for two years.

“I’m used to it. I’m able to carry big-bodied people,” he said, unfazed at potential heavy loads. “We don’t mind-so long as there is a customer.” Unlike the noisy swarm of motorcycles that have replaced bicycles in other parts of Africa, rural Malawi has a quaintly unhurried retro feel set to the occasional gentle squeak of bicycle parts at work.

Alex Hockin, a volunteer with Engineers Without Borders-a non-profit group which works to improve lives in rural Africa-paid just over a dollar to a “kabaza” driver to glide along an empty stretch of highway with her shopping from the eastern town of Salima near Lake Malawi.

“I really like them,” said the 21-year-old environmental sciences student, comparing their ease and availability to the public transport system in her native Canada. “You just hop on a bike taxi if you want to get around,” she said, adding however that she’s learned to stay clear of the models with non-padded passenger seats.”It was surprising. There are like 10 or 20 bikes for every car that you see going through Salima. It makes sense though

I guess because of the fuel crisis.” Malawi, a mainly agricultural country of some 16 million people who are mostly desperately poor, registers some 3,000 vehicles per month. But motorists are crippled by unprecedented petrol and diesel shortages that have also affected the frequency and cost of public transport in a land struggling to make up for years of underdevelopment. This is where the taxi bikes step in. Not only can they skirt the fuel costs, they are able to reach more places and people in an impoverished, rural, landlocked country where 39 percent of the population live on less than a dollar a day. “The bicycle is very popular in Malawi, because people can’t afford a motorbike and because Malawi has a high density of population,” said Dutchman Peter Meijer who set up a bike business, Sakaramenta, in 2009.

‘Because they are poor’ His company, based in the economic capital Blantyre, makes several bike carts, notably to transport or sell goods. But his most popular product is what he calls the “CareCar” bicycle ambulance which carries patients in a special cart attached to the bike, with 800 already sold.” The demand for the ‘CareCar’ is big,” Meijer told AFP, saying 80 percent go to non-governmental organizations while companies with social responsibility policies snap up the rest. “It is used to transport patients and pregnant women from the village to the hospital. The average distance in the rural areas in Malawi from the village to the health centre is 13 kilometers (eight miles). Normally people have to walk this distance.” Countrywide dealer Farmers World, meanwhile, sells 8,000 to 10,000 bikes a year imported from India for between 12,000 and 15,000 kwacha. —AFP

essages of good health and positive self-esteem for girls aren’t hard to come by in kid lit, so what’s the deal with all the attention for a not-yet-published rhyming picture book about an obese, unhappy 14-year-old named Maggie? The title, for starters: “Maggie Goes on a Diet.”

For seconds, like-wildfire circulation of a blurb describing how the bullied girl is transformed through time, exercise and hard work into a popular, confident and average size soccer star. And cover art showing her wistfully holding up a Cinderella dress as she stares at her imagined, much slimmer self in a fulllength mirror. And an inside page, the only one most people have seen, that shows her hunched over the fridge during a two-fisted eating binge.

Thirds? Real teenagers have long moved on from rhyming picture books and the reading level for Hawaii dad Paul Kramer’s amateurish, self-published effor t is recommended on Amazon for kids ages 4 to 8.The online mess for Kramer began recently with outraged commenters on Amazon, where pre-orders haven’t propelled Maggie anywhere near the top of the rankings. There’s now a “savemaggie” hashtag on Twitter, a “Say No to Maggie Goes on a Diet” Facebook page, calls for a boycott and demands that Amazon and Barnes & Noble pull the book.

Fire artists of the group ‘Seelenfunken’ (soul sparks) perform on September 3, 2011 at the Sehusafest festival in Seesen, central Germany. Thousands of visitors came to watch one of Germany’s biggest medieval historian festivals.—AFP

Kramer won’t disclose how many orders he has for Maggie, which isn’t out until next month.

While most of the attention has been negative, he said, there are supporters, like this one who responded to a book basher on Twitter: “She’s 14, not 6. Are you seriously suggesting that, with the obesity problem in this country, that a book teaching children to exercise and eat right, is somehow IMMORAL? I bet your fat.”

Kramer, who went on “Good Morning America” to defend the book, already has regrets, though using the word “diet” isn’t one of them. Diet, he said, isn’t a dirty word as many of his angry critics have declared. Even for a book clearly most appropriate for little kids? He insists he didn’t have 4-year-olds in mind, thinking more along the lines of 8 and up.

“The main message was that Maggie went on a diet predominantly because she loves sports and wanted to be able to run faster, bend more easily and be better able to play sports more effectively,” Kramer told The Associated Press by phone from Maui, where he lives with his wife and soccer-loving, 16-year-old son.

Kramer, who struggled with obesity as a child and a young adult and still works to keep the pounds off, wishes Maggie’s fantasy self in the mirror wasn’t quite so thin on the book’s cover. He also wishes her transformation through weight loss wasn’t quite so much - 51 pounds in a little more than eight months. —AP

This book cover image courtesy of Aloha Publishers shows the cover of “Maggie Goes on a Diet,” by Paul MKramer and Mari Kuwayama.